The Sphinx's Lair - 2017-06-12 (page 1 of 4)

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12:02 AM

(Not literally. Language!)

Admittedly, sometimes it takes years and decades to thoroughly debase ourselves.

Always worthatry!

0

Q: Puzzling.SE homed chat-rooms are "insecure"

Using the https:// URL for any of Puzzling.SE's chat rooms gives a security warning. For example, in Firefox: (Chrome isn't quite as in-your-face with it, but if you check the "View site information" $\require{enclose}\enclose{circle}{\sf{\tiny~\small i\tiny~}}$ it also tells you that "Your con...

0

Q: Can I see the last comment in my deleted answer?, or the deletion reason?

Yesterday I joined this comunity and posted an answer to this question 29 - 1 = 30 – how? The answer got like 7 upvotes, but then it was somehow deleted (among many others). A comment was left regarding the deletion (I see part of it in the notifications bar), but since I can't see the answer ...

discussion deleted-answers

On a good day! (That was directed at these debugging questions)

On a good day! (That's just a cheer for every good day)

You are a conveyor of good cheer.

Read that either way you like. I enjoy the mental imagery of the conveyor-belt interpretation.

Roll up! Who hasn't had worse?

Even on a good day!?!?!!!

With apologies to Worf, Perhaps today is a good day.

12:15 AM

Not necessarily in the way that evokes.

But enjoyed, again bouncing off the floor, in another way.

hi

Hey!

(delete this if necessary:) Deusovi, you are so warm.

No need for deleting, and I appreciate the compliment.

More to come!

12:19 AM

Has your puzzling block evaporated yet?

Not entirely.

I'm making progress though - slowly but surely.

Don't it come and go. How many in the works?

(More the former than the latter.)

I've been working on a large puzzle for a while. I planned to get it out for the metapuzzles topic challenge, but then real life happened.

That stew will be tasty by the time it is ready

(Hope I catch a whiff during the moment)

Let it simmer until Metapuzzles comes around again. Or maybe it'll serendipitously be ready just in time. hehe

12:28 AM

add a dash of salt and a pinch of pepper...

Metapuzzles are never-ending, thank god (if there is one)!

hmm you just gave me a very bad idea

what if you make a puzzle where some of the information needed is the answer to the puzzle

Do i know you? Think so. Hello again!

do you need to?

No need. Just makes life easier.

And more fun!

12:31 AM

first contact with humn established. deciphering...

@thecoder16 Isn't that every puzzle? :)

The right time to post a metapuzzle is any time

... can't resist: all the time

Resistance is futile.

I don't want to spoil too much about the puzzle's structure, but in some ways I've "written myself into a corner", so to speak.

12:32 AM

@Rubio like a metapuzzle using only the puzzle itself

puzzle meteaception

(This has spiral(l)ed! Couldn't love it more)

@thecoder16 That would be possible, sort of. "If the first letter of the answer is a vowel, then the fifth letter is before M."

Make a lot of those clues, and only one word is self-consistent.

@thecoder16 I can't point you at one off-hand but I know there's been plenty of puzzles that are (sometimes deeply) nested layers that progressively are unraveled to find the final solution from interim "solutions" to interim puzzles all present in the original post.

@Rubio Sp's [metapuzzles] FTC puzzle is the first example that comes to mind.

@Deusovi ah, i'm going to try to make that :P

12:35 AM

@Deusovi Every. Logical-deduction-grid. Puzzle. Evar.

Not that this is a bad thing :)

Thing!

(Noun)

.... huh.

Well, in the iPhone app none of those options seems to be easily available, I'll check it later in my computer, btw, thanks for the condescending answer — Felipe Pereira 1 min ago

(deleted for being off tempo, but a chuckle no less)

that was ... unexpected.

So much for trying to provide more information than asked for.

So many features missing from the app, I wonder why an app even exists in the first place

12:39 AM

ffao, you are profound.

They even made a Stack Overflow app, which seems to be just the Stack Exchange app except rebranded and locked down to one site.

...

The scars will tell their own stories.

@JanDvorak This is exactly what it is.

but... why?

12:42 AM

For people who didn't want other sites cluttering up their oh-SO-narrow view of the SE network?

you SO'n'SE!

There's always a struggle between those who think in terms of visuals and those who think in terms of practicals.

And the losers are those who think.

( = All involved)

rough!

If everyone loses, then for each of us, everyone else has lost.... making each of us also winners.

I'll keep telling that to myself when I get framed again in Spyfall :P

Thank you, Rubio. I'd rather swim in a world of winners than losers.

Thank you too, Jan! Frame by frame.

lol

12:53 AM

And you, thecoder1! You are a star that keeps rising just above the horizon.

but not you, thecoder16

That would overflow the alphabet.

@JanDvorak Oops

Now I want a number attached

@Wen1now I'm not referring to any specific game.

1:00 AM

I'm working on a potentially good little puzzle. Anyone know knitting terms?

There's a maneuver, that resembles knitting, of crossing a bag from one hand to another.

I know perling is a thing

that's the only term I know

Enough to start with!

Isn't perling just coding in Perl?

0

Q: Random cryptic question (don't know reason for answer)

Got a random question from an online iq test that I don't understand. Can someone help me out? Here's the question: The answer is

The correct term is "Ain't Perling ..."

bad joke

1:02 AM

*purling :) - but Perling would be coding in Perl yes :P

Right!

er. You can see where my mind is. sorry, was just diddling perl code :)

So what do you call a stitch that transfers a loop from one needle to the other without dropping either?

"magic".

... hear it coming? ..... on a good day!

1:06 AM

With apologies to Arthur C Clarke, any sufficiently advanced ability is indistinguishable from magic.

Every day without a drop is likewise.

Weren't for magic and illusion, and optimism, . . .

How sappy! (My gutteral response)

math puzzles are good for my rep :P

Thanks for all the pep! :P

Pep up! :)

What is wrong with humn today?

1:13 AM

...

Have ... you met humn?

No

You totally ninja'ed stackreader on that one hehe

Good explanation too btw

Still looking for my oats. Met humn? Everyone on the streets around here has.

@Rubio ninja master with math :P

i've gotten like 300 rep the past few days solely on math

noice

1:17 AM

The only reason everyone loves you . . .

is math!

Did you think i was going to say because you're bi?

well, i'm mathwhiz16 on a lot of other sites

including lichess :P

The only reason pple love me is because I'm bilingual.

1

Q: The Trump Brotherhood

If you happen to meet two of the Trump brothers from the family that lives down the street from you (assume that the two are random selections all of the Trump brothers), it is an even-money bet that both brothers will be brown-eyed. What is the total number of brown-eyed Trump brothers?

mathematics probability

Mas politica!

Not so keen on the explanation, to be honest; the answer shows there can be 4 brothers, not that there must be 4 brothers

1:22 AM

I don't get why the family needs to have a name in the puzzle, but sure...

You are quick, ffao

Takes forever to write a solution, though

I'm sure it's for a carefully planned forthcoming metapuzzle - totally

One step ahead of us, Rubio.

First time ever!

My whole life has followed scent trails.

Some thousands of years fragrant.

Some just now.

What fun!

As I suspected, 4 is not a unique answer; the same phenomenon would happen if the family had 21 brothers and 15 of them were brown-eyed

yes, i should put that into my answer

1:40 AM

Cool, I upvoted now (and down voted the question for being underspecified)

as long as you comment

Cruel would be up voting it and exposing the HNQ visitors to questions like those instead of the real gems we have lying elsewhere

When you're right, you're right. Once again, i'm just a step behind

But my tears swell with each downvote. Including those I cast.

I'm surprised you have even used the function at all, given how much you speak against it

I've done it 7 times, across the board.

1:49 AM

i've downvoted once. and that was mostly to get the badge :P

i don't believe in downvotes either.

And here's to those times repressed.

chugs

If nobody else downvoted we'd probably be up to our knees in bad questions/puzzles/answers/solutions.

that's what close votes and flags are for!

also, was that humn's first coherent sentence? o.0

before I leave for more gaming, my thoughts on the C4, which are probably all obvious: if "in" is an indicator, then "reckoning" can't be the definition; leaving it to be "play" or "play with blocks" on the left (though I have no idea what that could be defining) and the wordplay to likely be something that comes from "unless edges are cut" (unless without the edges? nles, le?) inside a synonym for reckoning

1:56 AM

ffao, you are a hero on a mission.

@thecoder16, misspelled earlier, you are!

@ffao It's entirely plausible that "Play with" is def.

I don't know why I hadn't considered that possibility at all

Not that it's helped me at all yet

I might look into it later

play with blocks could be anagram blocks

1:59 AM

@ffao That 15/21 solution looked really familiar and... yeah it's on OEIS oeis.org/A046090

What a refuge.

of course it is, what isn't on OEIS?

@thecoder16 play can't be an indicator because there has to be a def somewhere (unless it's an &lit, which it doesn't seem to be)

ffao, one of these days you'll get used to being smarter than everyone else. It could happen to anyone.

3

And it is a beauty to see!

humn always knows exactly what to say

but i always wonder exactly who is behind that screem

whisper

2:08 AM

strawberry!

with sauce! C'mon, thecoder#, all you have to do is apologize. Not to me. To some overs.

Even then, this way might be more fun.

I'm certainly enjoying the ride.

@Deusovi CUBES ("blocks") - (U[nles]S) in MATH ("reckoning") = MACBETH ("play")

That's correct!

ag

That "reckoning" hurt :P

2:14 AM

:D

hah! I considered that final answer, but never got even close to the wordplay

CCCC: Astonish enthusiast of archery equipment? (4, 4)

ooh, another (4,4)

well done, sp

... hmm that probably doesn't need the ? now that I think about it, but oh well

2:17 AM

BOWL OVER (or BOW LOVER)

Yup

Nice!

(both the clue and the solve!)

CCCC: Gamer drone needing no introduction is embraced by website in the Stack Exchange network summarily (5)

that is a long clue

For 5 letters total!

2:20 AM

Seems like short wordplay though, I'm guessing it's something weird like dcfyj

i seem to recall the DJI being a drone

needing no introduction gives JI

I'm thinking [h]UM atm

same

where from?

led me briefly to consider palum

but that doesn't work :)

2:25 AM

how hum?

drone = hum

gamer?

summarily means something like instantly, right? that could be the def? or is gamer the def?

Summarily is probably something like PSE (for Puzzling), PCG or PPCG (for Programming Puzzles & Code Golf), ELL (for English Language Learners) - that kind of thing

oh

I skip the keystrokes fantastic. Again, on a good day. Don't have a phone. Barely even a clue.

On a good day I have a suspicion.

On a bad day I'm a suspect.

2:27 AM

which to decipher: humn, or the c4?

deciphering humn might be a longer term endeavor

I worry this gamer will be knowledge I don't know about

Each game is a playground.

(That was tautological. The wits here make me leap before I look.)

@ffao [w]HIR in SO (Stack Overflow) = SHIRO

yup!

2:31 AM

nice

CCCC: Spouse holding memory stick? (7)

but but

head head (for my backyard headbutter)

Shiro isn't a gamer. Shiro is arguably a gamer drone :)

@Sp3000 H(USB)AND

hand-holding ? I think I'm missing something subtle

Shiro is, she does nothing but game for 12 episodes (I considered whether I might want to say "Fictional gamer", but I thought the clue was already easy enough without the qualifier)

and the surface reading is about the bot

2:34 AM

oh. sorry I didn't actually know what Shiro came from

It was just meant to be USB in HAND, although now that I think about it I feel like my word forms don't match

yeah they don't quite work, but it's close enough to solve

I'll... go work on that clue bank before I solve now :P

I don't get where "hand" comes from.

CCCC: Graven image of graffiti, in stylish oil backing. (8)

(note to self. mark @sp3k's last as 'nonstandard'. muahaha)

2:37 AM

"holding" was intended to be an indirect indicator for "in HAND", a la these

ah

oh gotcha

that seems fine to me then

why is "ag" starred?

@Rubio was that supposed to be graffiti?

2:39 AM

oh hell. yeah, sorry

(back) I starred "ag" because it was both inscrutable and suggestive.

It suggested "agreement" abbreviated.

I am very confused by the "stylish oil backing" - having trouble parsing without indicator overkill (unless that side is def of course) :P

Just finished updating the CCCC archive!

Who knows what any letters mean.

You mean . . . I've made a clue sp3000 doesn't almost instantly solve on sight? woohoo. it's only taken me 20 attempts. ;)

2:46 AM

Roulez!

Oi I don't solve that quickly :P (and I didn't get BANKED immediately for starters)

(i should see who are our cluers' nemeses ... who solves the most for each cluer?)

ooh, that'd be interesting analysis

that would indeed

I don't know enough spreadsheet-fu, but it should definitely be doable

sorry

(Another conversation unintentionally stymied, far as my browswer shows. Back after a walk.)

3:07 AM

Nemeses:

Alconja Deusovi 7 of 31
Ankoganit Gareth McCaughan 4 of 22
Beastly Gerbil Gareth McCaughan 1 of 1
BeastlyGerbil GentlePurpleRain 1 of 2
boboquack GentlePurpleRain 1 of 1
Chris Cudmore Volatility 2 of 3
Dain II Ironfoot Gareth McCaughan 1 of 1
dcfyj Sid 1 of 2
Deusovi Sp3000 8 of 52
DisplayName Rubio 1 of 2
ffao Rubio 3 of 7
G_as_in_Gnome Sp3000 1 of 1
Gareth McCaughan Sp3000 6 of 39
GentlePurpleRain Rubio 9 of 28
IAmInPLS Rubio 1 of 1
Jim Rubio 1 of 2
JonathanAllan Gareth McCaughan 1 of 2

I probably could have put name separators, but you get what you pay for :)

Rubio Sp3000 11 of 70
Rubio Sconibulus 1 of 1

^?

Does the 'nemesis' come first?

JonathanAllan Gareth McCaughan 1 of 2
Khale_Kitha Gareth McCaughan 1 of 2

... doesn't look like it

yeah so actually there's a data glitch, that second entry is because I'm in the spreadsheet somewhere with a trailing space

It's "Author, Nemesis, X of N"

GentlePurpleRain

@Rubio Did you write code to do this, or did you do it in the spreadsheet itself?

Ties are assigned to one nemesis effectively at random, I'd have to go massage the data outside of Calc to do that

I snarfed the data into a local spreadsheet and pivot tabled it

GentlePurpleRain

Cool. I've never had the motivation to try to learn/understand pivot tables. I don't even know what they are/do. Sounds like they can be useful, though.

3:14 AM

I've never bothered to look if google's tool can pivot table, but I kinda expect not

er. actually. I see that it can

GentlePurpleRain

Apparently.

if I'm feeling ambitious I'll see if I can add another tab to show the nemesis table

assuming you don't mind anyway

Deus has two tied nemeses, Sp3k and Will

GentlePurpleRain

No, I don't care. I was going to attempt to do the same thing. But without pivot tables, it appears to be quite difficult.

I wonder if the other stats would be easier with pivot tables too? I had to get a bit kludgey with hidden columns and counts in order to get those to work.

It would probably be better to put all those stats on a separate tab, anyway. It would make the spreadsheet a little simpler and easier to use.

@Rubio Apparently you are my nemesis...

pivot tables are good at aggregating data - basically what mine is doing is: create a new table with rows of all Authors and columns of all Solvers, and then (and here's the magic of the pivot table), auto-populate the data cell with Count(Solver)

then I hacked something to find the highest count in each row, then find the column in the row of that cell, then find the name for that column, and show that

GentlePurpleRain

You could probably use VLOOKUP and/or HLOOKUP for the last part.

3:20 AM

but the pivot table is doing all the hard work

just LOOKUP works

GentlePurpleRain

there you go.

works best, actually

=LOOKUP(MAX($B34:$AP34),$B34:$AP34,$B$2:$AP$2)

and Magic Happens

GentlePurpleRain

You forgot the ™: Magic Happens™

yeah - thanks :)

Brain keeps trying to make linocut fit even though that's 7 letters

3:50 AM

0

Q: Not a Riddle, rather a Question

Well I did come here on 'puzzling.stackexchange.com' and I've tried solve few challenges. Let's say I didn't succeed. I wanted to ask for Books, Tips, Videos or any other type of Educational material for being able to solve riddles. I want to learn how to solve the following tags: Pattern C...

cipher pattern lateral-thinking

4:16 AM

@Rubio *shakes fist at deus* ...ooh, what's this CC nemesis analysis? *shakes fist at deus, again*

@Alconja Sorry, but the nemesisness apparently isn't mutual.

Well, now I have a new goal. :P

@Rubio TAG ("graffiti") in (IN ("stylish") + {OIL}<-) = INTAGLIO ("graven image")

I like clues where it's gettable by the wordplay even if you don't know the answer is a thing

was the wordplay so clear that you searched that seemingly random string of letters?

... basically (sounded plausibly Italian)

4:24 AM

Sp3k is too next level for me

How did we get MATH from Reckoning in Deus' C4?

I'm sure I've heard that word before, but I don't know where.

@Sid Reckoning literally means "calculations".

(Of course, not many people know that. Most of the time, you hear "I reckon" meaning "I think". But it literally means "calculate".)

hits self in the head -of course. If only I had googled that word...

4:41 AM

@Sp3000 Yes, INTAGLIO is right, not that this is a surprise to you at this point :)

I rather liked that clue

I don't understand that Nemesis thing. 7 of 31 means that Deus has solved 7 of Alconja's 31 clues?

Yeah.

yup

How are you handling ties?

2 hours ago, by Rubio

Ties are assigned to one nemesis effectively at random, I'd have to go massage the data outside of Calc to do that

4:46 AM

it picks one

Ok gotcha

CCCC: Unruly protests for expressway facility (4, 4)

[/pass the baton]

REST STOP

REST STOP.

Damn. ^^

no fair I was eating. hehe

4:56 AM

E332 is the bad @Rubio, by the way

yeah I found and fixed locally

didn't bother you all with a respam

(and the baton goes back to Rubio)

damn. my c4 bank's empty. gimme a few

Sp3k and (4,4)... still a better love story than twilight

:P

I was going to post "Material held back from metapuzzle - Deusovi's (5)" as a quick clue before I realised you'd already done SUEDE :P

5:01 AM

CCCC: Get shy paragon lunatic to puzzling challenge. (?)

0

Q: Tag help questions

We've now had at least three questions seeking/giving help with a particular tag: Cryptic Clue Guide Strategies for solving steganography puzzles Not a Riddle, rather a Question The first one was written with its answer at the same time, and many people (present company included) have found i...

discussion tags tag-wiki

That (?)

.... What? (?) ??

If you really need the enumeration I'll give it, but ... you shouldn't.

That could be FORTNIGHTLY TOPIC CHALLENGE or something like that..

Or Could be CCCC..

5:05 AM

hm. actually what did I do. sorry I broke that clue

good thing you guys commented, I thought it was (7) in my small screen

ok C4 fixed, sorry.

STEGANOGRAPHY*?

I didn't actually try to anagram it xD

Indeed.

Oh. Nice..

5:12 AM

Aww... that could have made a good &lit

I know. but I broke it already

Not really - anagrams aren't really that steganographic :P

No, with something else

5:46 AM

just to pass the baton too...

CCCC: Woman will batter exterior (5)

@ffao SHE+LL -> SHELL

and the baton is passed :P

:p

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