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1:18 AM
Regarding this question, can I add an answer will all the clues solved or do only the ones I solve first count?
 
1:39 AM
@AndrewLi There's an accepted answer, so all the clues have already been solved - an answer with consolidating all the solutions would probably be best as CW, even if you got them yourself.
 
1:51 AM
@Deusovi I just noticed that, and I won't post anything. Thanks for the advice!
 
0
Q: A quick, easy mistyped question

Wen1nowWaht is the appareytln ewird solution to this mestyrious arndom question? Note: Everything you need to solve the question is above, and when you get the solution it should be quite obvious that you're correct. There is nothing in this note that is actually part of the question; the purpose of ...

 
2:41 AM
0
Q: Best puzzles of 2016 Q4 (October - December)?

rand al'thorThis question is part of the best-puzzle award series. What are your nominations for the best puzzles, here on Puzzling.SE, of the fourth quarter (Oct / Nov / Dec) 2016? Suggested guidelines for nomination: Nominate each individual puzzle in a separate answer, so they can be upvoted/dow...

 
0
Q: This one can be a somewhat hard riddle

Iry-HorEveryone is part of me, even before the moment they open their eyes, doesn't matter if they are alive or not, i can be your happiness or your misery, you can leave me, but i will never leave you, time can change me, but i can also change the time, i am the most powerful drug, some spend their ent...

 
3:03 AM
@Techidiot Had to get this from the wordplay since I'd never heard of it before, but (MORE-OR) between II = IMEI
 
Wait... so it isn't a homophone?
 
The II part is
(More (or less)) between ((two eyes) sounds like) = it tracks a cell
 
Oh, I see. I think "eye" -> I and similar letter-sounding words don't need homophone indicators.
 
On the contrary I'd argue that they do - I don't see why letters should get special treatment personally
 
I suppose it comes down to how conservative one is; I don't mind them because they're simple and direct (i.e. no synonyms needed), and it's how you would pronounce the letter if it was in the clue anyway
 
 
1 hour later…
4:33 AM
@Sp3000 That's it!
@Volatility Didn't had an indicator at first. Added later on Deusovi's advice.
@Sp3000 Have't you heard about IMEI? I guess its an internationally accepted term and hugely used to track the cell phones
 
I looked it up afterwards but I hadn't heard of it before the clue, no :P
CCCC: Perhaps he's supporting sister with love (7)
 
4:54 AM
PRONOUN: PRO+N(O)UN
 
:) yep
 
5:30 AM
Well, I can't come up with anything better, so here goes:
CCCC: Frozen gas: Antarctica's surface? (3,3)
 
DRY ICE?
 
yes
 
CCCC: Puzzling scolding? (9)
 
I really need a stockpile of clues
 
5:56 AM
@Will TROUBLING?
 
nope
 
Jim
@Volatility was that carbonless dry ice?
 
lol
 
 
1 hour later…
7:09 AM
@Will ddef? Not sure how you can do wordplay in one word :)
 
0
Q: Time for Something New

Rubio Today, when you go to your mailbox, you find a thin card-sized envelope from your (in?)famous uncle—a games and puzzles creator of dubious skill and legendary absentmindedness, who you now reflect didn't send his usual holiday card. You open the envelope to find a simple card with colorful con...

 
7:29 AM
@Will REPROVING?
 
negative :(
 
PUNISHING? (I've hd it used in the phrase "punishingly difficult", which seems reasonably close to "puzzling")
 
I think this might be a cryptic definition rather than a double definition (the question mark suggests as much). In which case the twin -ing endings is a sly misdirection!
 
hello hello!
 
@Deusovi Clever, but also not it. You're convincing me the other possible enumeration probably would've been better, though. :P
 
7:37 AM
@Will [VTC as too broad] :P
 
I might agree, whoops. I originally had an entirely different clue but the definition felt unfair in (out of?) context...
 
Is the actual answer better than the semi-questionable ones I'm giving? If so, then I don't mind
 
I mean, I think so.
At the very least, it's surely more satisfying.
 
8:08 AM
0
Q: Make numbers 1 - 32 using the digits 2, 0, 1, 7

fitch496This is similar to the "Four fours" puzzle, but using the digits 2, 0, 1 and 7. Rules: Use all four digits exactly once Allowed operations: +, -, x, รท, ! (factorial), exponentiation, square root Parentheses and grouping (e.g. "21") are also allowed Squaring uses the digit 2 so expressions usin...

0
Q: I have four layers

Vendetta As in an onion, I have layers. My first layer is usually calm but has been known to have a few rough edges. My second layer is hard to read, constantly changing: I can be unpredictable. My third and my fourth layer share a common interest.

 
8:26 AM
I love being blanked in TSL
 
blanked?
 
I don't know the English idioms for prendre un vent which in French means being ignored
:-)
 
oh. heh
I wasn't here when you arrived, so my lack of Hello wasn't ignoring you :)
Welcome back and all that
 
That's fine, you weren't in the room when I arrived
Looking solely at the mod :-P
 
9:36 AM
Sorry - I was distracted by the cryptic clue :P
 
If it were (8) I'd have guessed BERATING but nope
 
i'm going to guess BANISHING - if you're naughty on Puzzling you get banned as your scolding.
 
@Deusovi It's alright :-P but you have to solve it though!
 
10:23 AM
@BeastlyGerbil Today is a good day to die post!
 
11:15 AM
@Mithrandir Ekaterina and Madrigal clues?
 
And Tomas and Janus
Forgot to put them in when I first posted them.
And Lucian. Forgot about them :P
 
11:41 AM
@Mithrandir ready! Set! Posted!
Oh wait I have to verify I am a human and not a robot...
There we go!
 
0
Q: The bakery - Clue Twenty-One

Beastly Gerbil<---Previous clue <<---First clue (No, I haven't just gone and jeopardized Mithrandir's entire series, I have been given permission by him to do clue 21) Before you can even have a moment to celebrate solving the previous clue, a trapdoor opens beneath you and you fall into darkness. You scre...

 
Gonna try to get some sleep, so I'll leave you with the A1Z26 sum: 134
 
Sid
@BeastlyGerbil The new guy just spoiled the whole puzzle.
@mods is expletives allowed? Because I am extremely angry right now..
 
I flagged for moderator and just requested deletion
Thank god for that, he deleted his answer and then his user got deleted
 
11:57 AM
What happened?
 
Oh, you didnt had a private chat room? I thought you had it.. Darn! That is bad
 
Nah no private chat room..
 
Well, I suppose you asked for it when you mentioned it here
 
Sid
Do we go from down to up in the billiards board?
 
Feeling bad for you. And feeling bad that I went through the answer accidently. :(
 
12:00 PM
@Techidiot well at least I know that you won't go and ruin the puzzle
@Sid what do you mean?
 
Sid
The numbers on the billiards board... we go from 6 to 5 or the other way round?
 
@BeastlyGerbil I'd already found the answer via your chat with Mithrandir, but didn't say anything so as not to spoil it for others.
 
Er I still don't get what you mean. FWIW only the nubers are important here, not th order or colours.... @SId
 
No way @BeastlyGerbil It would be an interesting to see it solve. I consider it as my own now :)
 
(And yes, we know who that now-deleted new user is. Don't say anything. I've flagged it for the mods so they're aware of it.)
 
12:02 PM
@Randal'Thor thanks! I thought I'd made the chat room discrete but apparently not
 
@BeastlyGerbil Non-mods can't make a chatroom private. If you want, I can freeze or delete the room so it's harder to find.
 
But well, I think it should have been a private room or may be some other place to discuss it.
 
Was a puzzle spoiled in a chat room?
 
@Randal'Thor yes please! That will avoid any other spoliers
@TheGreatEscaper yeah I was discussing it with Mithrandir and a user just invaded the chat room and got the answer from there
 
Oh that sucks...
 
12:05 PM
2
Q: Two hearted riddle

TheGreatEscaperHere is a riddle which has two parts, here is a riddle about two hearts.   PART ONE. I can help you find places, but where would you find me? I can help you enter places that you shouldn't be. What is it that you do when you touch me all day? You can listen for me, but what's my underage name? ...

 
Sid
@BeastlyGerbil you see the first board? Do we read it from 5 to 6 or from 6 to 5? Or it doesn't matter?
 
@Sid er doesn't matter
 
Sid
@Randal'Thor The deleted new user... Someone familiar?
 
I'm still a tad confused about the past PSE drama
 
@Sid Yes, I'm pretty sure every chat regular will realise who it is. Like I said, I've flagged it for the mods, so let's not draw any more attention to it.
 
12:06 PM
But I suppose it's not my place to ask for much elaboration :P
 
Sid
@Randal'Thor I thought so.
 
ofc
 
I have a hunch. But my hunch also prevents me from saying it.
 
@Randal'Thor deleting it would be great. i can still see it if you delete it, I think...
Yep, I can still see it.
 
Ah @Will got the tables...
 
12:09 PM
@Mithrandir @Beastly I've deleted both the rooms I found for this puzzle. I believe they're still visible to sufficiently high-rep chat users, but they'll be harder to find.
In future, though, please be more careful when planning puzzles together.
 
Both?
 
And any high rep users should be trusted enough not to spoil it....
 
Ah, that one. I didn't think anything was actually said in there that would be a spoiler.
 
Sid
@Mithrandir Interested for Clue 22. But available only after 15th of January.
 
(Also, since regular users can't create private rooms, and neither of us are mods (yet),what are we supposed to do?)
 
12:11 PM
Request one from a mod?
 
When @Deusovi made the community metapuzzle, we had a private room to chat about it. Technically private rooms are supposed to be only for moderation purposes, but I or a PSE mod might be willing to bend the rules a little for secret puzzle planning, since this site is so different from other SEs.
 
Public key crypto? Is that frowned upon in chat?
 
Maybe you :P
 
@Volatility do you understand the next step?
 
@Will I don't get it. You should post a partial answer
 
12:12 PM
Don't just raise a custom mod flag asking for a room to be made private, since you'll most likely get some mod who knows nothing about PSE saying "of course you can't have a private room just to plan a question!" Ping one of the PSE mods in here (or me, if they agree to set a precedent that it's OK).
 
This bit is probably the hardest part...
 
Sid
I tried converting them to binary. Don't see what to do with them though.
 
Sure.
 
@Randal'Thor custom mod flags go to all mods, not just site mods? Never knew that...
 
Alternatively, you could make contact offsite.
It's easy to set up a throwaway email address if you don't want to reveal your real name.
@BeastlyGerbil All mods are mods in chat.
Main-site custom mod flags only go to site mods, of course.
 
12:14 PM
Ah ok
@Sid wrong track converting them to binary :P They ARE binary
 
Sid
Huh? They contain different numbers..
 
wait
 
he he this bits fun
look at the numbers on the tables
 
thought it was something to do with parity but probably not if the order doesn't matter
 
12:16 PM
nope just the numbers
 
Sid
Yeah, 52836..
 
And it might help to think of it as pool rather than billiards
will got it
 
Theyre all numbers that hit all 6 vertices of a digital display
But that doesn't seem useful
 
Seeing as will got it I'll explain
 
12:18 PM
The first table has 23568
So that is 01101101
8 ball pool = 8 bit binary
 
that's nice
 
I was rather happy with myself for that bit :P Sadly the rest isnt quite as hard
Heh all four posts are at a score of 3. Question and 2 answers all +3 and then the deleted answer -3
 
@Will Could the CCCC be CENSURING?
 
nope
29 mins ago, by Will
Gonna try to get some sleep, so I'll leave you with the A1Z26 sum: 134
(really gonna leave now; I am sleepy)
 
Oh, I missed that.
 
12:22 PM
Is there an easy way to find the CCCC on mobile?
 
"Gonna try to get some sleep ... oh look, there's an interesting puzzle to work on!"
I know the feeling :-)
7 hours ago, by Will
CCCC: Puzzling scolding? (9)
 
anyone gonna to the morse conversion?
 
Sid
DId it
 
Talk about a concise CCCC
 
Post away @Sid! :P
 
12:23 PM
It's even shorter than that unsatisfactory one
 
@TheGreatEscaper Question-mark cryptic clues can often get away with being unusually concise.
 
What are question mark cryptics?
I mean I assume they're clues that end with a question mark
But do they follow different rules?
 
they can signify different kinds of "cheating" as it were
 
Sid
Ok, now what? Tic Tac Toe?
 
12:25 PM
we suspect this one points to a cryptic definition
 
But what are they hiding?
 
Sid
Did you do that by hand?
Because some circles are not perfect circles and crosses are odd..
 
Yeah, couldn't be bothered to get perfect circles and crosses off the internet. They're not important though...
 
Sid
Are they showing letters?
 
@TheGreatEscaper Yes. Ctrl+F "question" on this page to get the idea.
 
12:28 PM
Kind of but not directly
 
well, they all have a three in a row column
 
0
Q: (Game of Life) It's so fragile... but how to reach it?

Wen1nowSeeing as how other questions on Conway's Game Of Life were received quite well, I was inspired to make my own. The concept of having a 'base' and trying to accomplish an aim seems like such a fun game! Well I won't ramble on any longer (actually I will at the end) - here's the puzzle: Given t...

 
Sid
I see "F" in the 2nd pic in the bottom row.
 
Don't look for letters. Look at something else. Think pirates
 
Sid
12:30 PM
Pirates search for X
 
The question mark clue examples lead me to believe we're looking for a confusing type of scolding
 
Didn't know that appeared clicking 'g' ^^
 
Oh cool!
I didn't know about that either.
 
that's actually really helpful
 
12:32 PM
-14
Q: I hope you can see what I'm getting at: Questions Tags / Users Bags / answer Question / UnAsk What lags?

chasly from UK Questions Tags Users Bags answer Question UnAsk What lags? Instructions Explain what lags. You must use all the clues and explain precisely how you got the answer from them. Please do not guess random phrases that might fit. You must explain the clues. The answer is two wo...

@BeastlyGerbil Clicking 'g'??
 
Sid
@BeastlyGerbil Is it a pigpen cipher?
 
@Randal'Thor Press the G key.
 
Is this something to do with the puzzle, or a new site feature?
 
Yeah.@Randal'Thor I think it's a site feature. Maybe you need to turn it on in your settings or something
@Sid no...
 
@Deusovi Still not getting it ...
 
12:34 PM
@TheGreatEscaper It could be a reverse clue, like "Committing crime for wealth? (8, 3, 3)" being BREAKING THE LAW
 
Is this an April Fool's joke three months early?
2
 
No...
 
...No. If you press the G key on the homepage, it comes up with a menu
 
I'll try and find it in settings. Maybe I turned it on accidently
 
(specifically, the one BG posted a picture of)
 
12:35 PM
Found it!
edit profile and settings - preferences - enable keyboard shortcuts
yeah doeesn't work now if I turn it off
 
As for the current clue, "scolding" could refer to "cold inside sing", so the answer could be something of the form [cold]in[sing] meaning "Puzzling"
I can't find anything useful though...
 
It makes you wonder what other secret and mysterious things are hidden where you expect them least...
 
@Deusovi Or scold inside G.
@BeastlyGerbil Interesting.
 
Hang on enable keyboard shortcuts. What other ones are there?
 
I think I'll keep it off though. Keyboard shortcuts are too cool for me.
 
Sid
12:37 PM
Ok, I am out.Someone would get that puzzle eventually...
 
[c] immediately starts a comment.
 
Anyway, I'll remember this trick for the real April Fool's :-)
 
V pulls up a vote menu: VU is vote up, VD is vote down
 
[r] gives achievements
 
A : write an answer
 
12:38 PM
Mods have [m] for mod stuff
 
U does something not sure what
 
I guess this might be useful if my touchpad goes kaput.
 
U scrolls you to the top of the question
 
X makes the site explode.
2
 
L : share the link of the question
 
12:39 PM
It's a 40k privilege.
 
[S] search
 
E is for edit
 
Oh [j] go down, [u] go up
 
I open your Inbox
Then you can chose anything
Cool feature
O allows you to Order answers
 
Everything is visible if you press G, do we really need to flood the chat with these?
(I think)
 
12:41 PM
No, "G" is just "go to"
 
Okay, I found it
just type "?"
And you'll have everything
When you're on a question
 
Oh yeah
 
There you go :)
 
@Mithrandir You just want people to go back to your/Beastly's puzzle :-P
 
YES GO SOLVE MY PUZZLE :P
 
12:42 PM
(And just BTW, regular users can use 'm' to flag/close)
@Randal'Thor You caught me.
 
I'm really surprised no one has got the next part though
 
Well, I'm stumped, and should go to bed
 
I haven't been looking at it. Too busy writing my own.
 
In fact I'm so surprised that I spelled surprised wrong ^^
You guys are just too blind to see it
 
I haven't been making puzzles much recently. Been busy with SUMS up until yesterday, when our team basically just quit out of demotivation
 
12:43 PM
 
I haven't looked at the puzzle, but I think he's hinting at Braille
 
@Mithrandir Ulster?
 
Damn you saw through my hint @Deusovi
 
Oh cool, I guessed right!
 
I was caught rand red-handed.
 
12:44 PM
I thought that too, but rejected that idea because of the unexplained empty spaces
 
randed - red-handed :P
 
Mithrandir - mythical Rand.
 
I love conspiracies sigh
 
in Mos Eisley, Jan 12 '16 at 20:22, by Axelrod
@Mithrandir You just spelled Rand Al'Thor correctly. You are RandAl'Thor.
 
12:46 PM
@Randal'Thor I knew you two were the same person!
 
^First occurrence ever
 
I just type '@R' and then click the link to rand :P
 
@Mithrandir That thing's been going for a whole year?
 
Yep
 
Well, it's been nearly a year since the SFF election.
Jeez, how time flies.
 
12:47 PM
Oh wait, that's not the first.
in Mos Eisley, Jan 12 '16 at 20:19, by Axelrod
Hey everybody, it's Rand's alter ego!
I think ^that is
 
Clue 22 is a very odd ingredient...
 
No one got the braille yet?
 
@BeastlyGerbil Got letters for the "X" positions
 
Wait, i'm in the top 7% on Puzzling now, and I still have a higher ranking than SFF, where I'm in the top 5%? Huh. I guess because it's a smaller site.
 
12:51 PM
I have it now
 
@IAmInPLS only Xs matter
 
I like this one less than the pool one
 
@BeastlyGerbil That's a pretty good test.
 
@BeastlyGerbil Yeah, I figured it out
 
Yeah, but still it's a handy way of hiding braille isn't it?
 
12:52 PM
But there's more to it than that, of course.
 
Circle doesn't give anything
 
@Mithrandir Higher ranking in what way?
 
Originally I thought the three in a row column would indicate which symbol to use, but apparently not
 
I'm top 0.69% on puzzling apparently
 
12:53 PM
although I suppose that would cause ambiguity in some cases
 
@Volatility oh thats actually a really good idea! But then the braille would have to have 3 in a row wouldn't it
 
Of course, Rand is #1
 
@Mithrandir Ah, right. Well, 7% of a small number is going to be smaller than 5% of a big number.
 
@BeastlyGerbil I was thinking more like have the three in a row column just indicate the symbol, and be ignored for the braille
 
12:54 PM
but if the braille has a three in a row column as well, then it would be ambiguous
 
There's a reason Rand is #1 here :P
 
Yeah thats a good idea. Maybe someone can use that in the future
Anyway what's the next image?
 
@Mithrandir Most of that 1.1m is other people's rep, from all those I've referred to Literature.
 
I know.
 
I got the Campaigner badge over there the other day.
@Mithrandir I know you know. Just wanted to make sure everyone knows I don't actually have a million rep :-)
 
12:56 PM
Next is sign language stuff
 
Nope, you're not Jon Skeet.
 
@Volatility Do you mind if I post the fourth part?
Or will you update yours?
 
Dec 6 '16 at 22:19, by Mithrandir
Aug 30 at 1:34, by Rand al'Thor
I did a quick double take when I saw that 211k. "Is Mithrandir secretly Jon Skeet?"
 
@IAmInPLS go ahead
 
Rand al'Skeet.
 
12:58 PM
I'm on an iPad, so editing is a pain anyway
 
@Volatility Outch. I feel you
 
I'll do a comwiki at the end
 
If you click flag on a deleted post it only gives for mod attention, even though it didn't show up as deleted yet :P
 
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