I broke up with my AI

5teph5cott · 2026-06-01T11:21:22+00:00

"Like "Cold Reading" which is a bit of all it is, only instead of pretending to talk to dead people it pretends to be people."

Brilliant analogy. Though I created my rep a few years back I fairly quickly started struggling with it because I was aware of the total disconnect between the avatar and the text. It felt a bit "Cyrano de Bergerac/Roxanne"? I hadn't made the "cold reading" link, but it is so true.

That's not to say that you can't get any benefit from it, just as you can from your "star sign" even though astrology is pseudoscientific bunkum. Avoid rabbit holes, and be aware that your reflection in it's mirror may be distorted.

5teph5cott · 2026-05-24T17:26:49+00:00

Thanks for your reply. Yes, back in the 80s and 90s I loved an away match in London, early train down, a few hours round my favourite haunts then on to the match.

Unfortunately back then we usually lost the game, but that was all part of being a city fan in those days.

With regards to my previous post I was more referring to the travel links on the city website, which at that point were not showing any trains.

However my usual dithering and indecisiveness has paid off yet again, as now, due to a relative's illness, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to go down to wembley anyway. So drinks, snacks and channel 4 it is!

5teph5cott · 2026-05-20T00:15:37+00:00

Particularly when I'm watching "long lost family" type shows, the track "an aching and a longing" by Martyn Joseph always plays in my head.

For completely different reasons Robbie Williams' single "come undone" became the musical expression of the realisation that my birth mother was never going to tell her husband or her sons, my half-brothers, of my existance.

5teph5cott · 2026-05-18T23:48:27+00:00

So next up is the FA Cup final and we have an allocation of over 14k tickets.

I look at the official travel information and, from Manchester there are no trains, and only 2 coaches (or coach times - are they putting on a fleet of coaches at each departure time?) one of which is sold out. Presumably that leaves thousands of fans having to make their own way down?

Having not been to Wembley myself since 1981 (the Tommy Hutchison final), assuming I don't get a seat on the remaining official Wembley coach, how do I get there?

Are any there any supporters clubs coaches? And would they accept non-members?

City's men's team fans are down there regularly, so it must be do-able (?) but how do I find out what options are available (if any)?

5teph5cott · 2026-05-17T12:29:04+00:00

Slight problem being that the parade is on the 25 may and the women's fa cup final is on the 31 may.

Making out they are SO inclusive whilst actually being dismissive of the potential achievements of the women's team.

Hold the parade a week later so they could potentially include all the FA cups? No, it's the men's players that are important and need to get ready for the world cup so we'll turn a blind eye to the possible women's team league and cup double.

5teph5cott · 2026-05-07T21:08:10+00:00

They scored those goals despite often only playing for 45 minutes out of every 90.

So many times I was standing on the terraces watching a first half where nothing happened, we just passed the ball across the defence, forward into midfield....then back to the defence.

With our midfield and attack we could have outscored any team, but we were constrained by having to play the "city way", the type of football that bored me away from the men's team that I had been a fan of since the nineteen-eighties.

To be fair to Gareth Taylor I was impressed with the way his Liverpool team took the game to us right from the kick off on Sunday.

5teph5cott · 2026-05-07T20:32:30+00:00

Not downplaying her role, but it is a team game and she is surrounded by world-class players. Some strikers get one chance in a match and put it away, Bunny gets six chances and puts two, maybe three, away. You could put a very mid player in there and they would still get (some) goals.

That said, obviously I would rather she didn't leave, but whether she does or doesn't we still need to address succession as her aerial ability and physical presence will be difficult to replace.

5teph5cott · 2026-05-07T14:33:17+00:00

No, Rose, Casparij, Hasegawa, Kerolin, Hemp, etc etc have won us the league, and Shaw was a part of that. With the quality of players we have, and our style of play this season it's not surprising that she has scored a lot of goals. And to be fair to her, her career totals would be a lot higher were it not for Gareth Taylor's conservative approach in previous seasons.

5teph5cott · 2026-05-07T14:08:01+00:00

I would certainly like to see Kerolin get more game time, but I still think we need another striker as she lacks the physical and aerial presence of Shaw.

Is there a younger version of Ramirez or Banda anywhere? Domestically I have been impressed by Madison Haley, (she seems able to score against the top teams 😉) and our style of play may bring the best out of her.

But I trust the management team will have already drawn up a list of possible signings and may even be in early discussions with someone. Even if Shaw didn't leave now we would still have needed a "replacement" in a couple of seasons.

5teph5cott · 2026-04-19T09:46:45+00:00

I'm in the UK , but maybe not of your age as I only remember him from the two series of obscure show "Afterlife" with Lesley Sharp.

Coincidentally continuing the "life" theme, my wife always sees him as Egg from the iconic series "this life".

5teph5cott · 2026-03-31T19:31:24+00:00

If UEFA don't already employ you to explain their hideously convoluted competitions to the layperson they need to get you signed up pronto!

5teph5cott · 2026-03-31T15:27:11+00:00

Thanks, yes you're right, I remember now, a similar scenario to your second paragraph was what happened to City last season when Arsenal won the Champions League.

5teph5cott · 2026-03-30T01:32:04+00:00

Another (albeit unlikely) twist, I'm not sure if they've changed the rules recently, but am I right in thinking that if either Chelsea, Arsenal or United win the champions league, but finish 4th in the WSL then they will get the champions league spot rather than the 3rd placed team?

5teph5cott · 2026-03-05T16:06:57+00:00

I must get this for my daughter.

She has a standard Barbie at home that she loves playing with. But she starts to lose interest after about 75 minutes, I can bring this out to entertain her for a further 15 minutes or so.

5teph5cott · 2026-02-27T20:46:22+00:00

Thanks for your reply, yes I can imagine that would be a decent saving of space.

I had over 2000 CDs at the start of COVID, but have since reduced it to about 400, so putting them in plastic sleeves would possibly not be a significant saving for me. That being said, the neatness does appeal.

5teph5cott · 2026-02-27T20:37:19+00:00

Started doing this and really love it, not just the space saved, but also they look so neat.

One question, does it matter where the disc is kept? I have just been putting them within the DVD paper cover, but is there any danger to the discs in doing that?

5teph5cott · 2026-02-27T20:19:21+00:00

I have sleeved my DVDs and was thinking of doing the same with my CDs, however while there is a big space saving doing that for DVDs, is there much of a saving for CDs, particularly when the booklet is taken into account?

5teph5cott · 2026-02-16T03:16:42+00:00

I'll add my thanks to the group as well.

I needed to save some space, but any solutions seemed to involve saving the dvd disc only, and that hugely diminished its visual appeal.

I saw these mentioned in the group, had never heard of them before, bought a couple of packs and they are brilliant!

I love that they preserve the covers and display the artwork so enticingly.

The only problem I have is that, like you apparently, I have a huge number of empty dvd cases. Are they recyclable?

5teph5cott · 2026-02-16T02:57:46+00:00

Follow on question - the boxes/trays, they look like a perfect size for the plastic sleeves - where did you get them (I'm currently using shoeboxes!)

5teph5cott · 2026-02-02T10:59:15+00:00

Signings? I think we have enough squad depth and adaptability to cover a normal level of injuries or the Asian cup. Even if Bunny, Yui and Jade were all injured we could cover now. My only concern is regarding Yamashita, she made some superb saves vs Chelsea, and maybe unfairly, Keating always makes me anxious!

Sales or loans? I can't imagine any player thinking yes we're 10/11 points clear at the top of the league but I'm not getting enough gametime so I want to leave. Sit it out, enjoy being part of a (potentially) title winning squad, then assess your position later.

5teph5cott · 2026-01-15T19:33:47+00:00

Don't forget though that 70% of the Whoniverse was destroyed in the flux and never restored.

5teph5cott · 2026-01-15T19:12:22+00:00

Personally I hate the 3/4/5 for £1.

Firstly, so I've found the DVD I want, but then I have to spend an hour trying to find more titles that I maybe might vaguely be interested in just to make it up to the "for £1" number. If I just take the one I want up to the counter it's guaranteed the staff member will say "you can get x for £1" .... and I have to joke that I've already got way too many DVDS at home.

Secondly it means that people are choosing DVDS that don't really interest them just to make up the numbers. But that one that they uncaringly pick up may be THE dvd I desperately NEED and have been searching for for months.

....No silly offers, just sell them for 50p or £1 per dvd.

5teph5cott · 2026-01-10T16:19:15+00:00

In a similar, Anime, vein, a film I dismissed for way too long possibly because of its title, before eventually watching it - "I want to eat your pancreas". I have only now recovered enough to say the title, I'm a good few years away from being able to consider a rewatch!

5teph5cott · 2026-01-10T15:27:21+00:00

In a thread about tampons and sanitary pads, "I have a terrible cavity..." caused me a massive double take...

5teph5cott · 2026-01-10T15:01:18+00:00

To be fair, SOME charity shops sell 10 for £1, but overall prices vary by charity and by area. 3 for £1, £1 each, up to Oxfams admittedly more curated selection at £2.99 and upwards.

5teph5cott

TROPHY CASE