The Sphinx's Lair

Alconja

00:37

@Sp3000 FIDDLE (ddef)

Deusovi

Ah, nice

Sp3000

Yup nice :)

Alconja

CCCC: Equal regard (4)

Deusovi

LIKE (ddef)

Alconja

...actually no, but it does work...

Deusovi

00:39

huh, weird

Alconja

00:53

Actually, @deus, how directly synonymous do defs need to be in ddefs? I.e. whilst "regard" can mean "like", it's not strictly a direct synonym (i.e. you'd say "I [like] you" but you wouldn't say "I [regard] you", you'd say "I [have regard for] you").

Deusovi

You make a good point.

My personal guideline is "is it replaceable in the majority of the sentences that use that word for that meaning?", but that's not standard by any means.

Alconja

...that's what I thought, and unfortunately, my good point shows a flaw in my own def, since it has the same problem.

So I'll give it to you for LIKE, but it was intended to be PEER.

Deusovi

Hm. Yeah, I'm not sure how "peer" means "regard".

Alconja

"he [regarded|peered at] her"

"define peer" lists regard as a synonym, but it falls into the regard/like category above I think

Deusovi

Hm. I think that might be okay.

Alconja

00:59

Either way, the cat's out. Have you got another ready, or should I just replace it?

Deusovi

I've got one. Not a particularly good one, but it's valid and not terrible.

CCCC: Carrier for arrow (6)

Sp3000

01:35

Obviously a straight clue for QUIVER :P

Deusovi

01:49

I love cryptic clues that look like straight clues

Deusovi

02:22

(Rand's gonna kill me for this one...)

boboquack

02:38

@Deusovi (does that mean it's almost terrible?)

Sphinx

0

Q: Proof without chords

Anyone who has played in an ocar ina –subcontrabassoon quintet knows one thing well. Piccolo ocar ina inset from aliexpress.com. Subcontrabassoon image from subcontrabassoon.com. Ocar inists and subcontrabassoonists know quite well that they can be expected to play passages without any cho...

stacksfiller

VECTOR (ddef.)

Like a carrier of a disease

And then the math definition which is represented by an arrow

Jim

What's new? Long time....

boboquack

@Jim The game Contact has become popular

Jim

02:55

Tell me more

boboquack

Contact

For playing the game Contact, where one person tries to "defend"...

Have a look in there

(I'm a bit busy at the moment, sorry)

More people might play over the weekend, but currently we don't have enough committed players to play, which is the easiest way to learn

Deusovi

03:32

@stacksfiller Yep. (Rand's a mathematician, and he knows as well as I do that vectors are more general than "arrows in n-dimensional space".)

I'd be up for a game of Contact sometime soon.

Alconja

I'm around for the next ~3 hours if there's a game starting

...you know... while I'm working hard for my employer, who pays me...

stacksfiller

CCCC: Hidden in plain sight, subtle observations. (8)

I'd also be up for that.

Deusovi

_INSIGHTS_

Jim

I clicked on whatever that contact link took me to but didn't learn anything

Deusovi

The rules are pinned in that room.

Alconja

03:34

:) it's like red/blue pills... It's easier to be shown

stacksfiller

Yeah

Volatility

I've got about half an hour before I need to go

stacksfiller

I know it was probably too easy

Deusovi

I liked it!

Alconja

Sounds like we have a team. Who's defending?

Indeed. Nice surface read.

Volatility

03:35

I can load up the bot even, if someone makes me an RO

Deusovi

Huh? I thought you were an RO in the Contact room

Volatility

I'm not

Deusovi

How were you pinning stuff yesterday?

...wait

that was the testing room

Volatility

;)

Deusovi

Sure, I'll make you an RO

Volatility

03:37

cheers

Sphinx

04:07

1

Q: Stuck in a mob - An important call needs to be taken!

Oh, my phone is dead again! Want to know why? Well, I just spent 2 hours on a call with my friend. He loves gossips and I was caught in one of his epic tale! Today, he narrated this story to me. Me and my other eight friends were traveling for a weekend trip. The street was scary, reminds me ...

enigmatic-puzzle lateral-thinking story

Sphinx

06:41

0

Q: Simpler infinite solipsistic polygon

Solipsistic — Knowing only the self. Above is a simple polygon divided into infinitely many different-sized copies of itself. Each copy is √2 = 1.414... times as large as the next smaller one (in terms of linear scale, not area). After the largest copy is removed, the...

geometry open-ended dissection

Sphinx

07:19

-1

Q: Peter Piper has some Peppers

If Peter Piper picks a peck of speckled pipers, how many pickled peppers did he pick? This is assuming: A peck = 1 pickling of a pepper A Speck = 10 Spocks A Spock = A Piper A Piper = A Peter A Pepper > Peter A Spock never equals a Peter. Happy solving!

logical-deduction

Sphinx

10:08

0

Q: Puzzle: Catching the Culprit

He has struck again! The criminal who was behind the fiasco involving the missing presentation notes is at it again, this time hiding not just the presentation notes, but every single trophy and medal prepared for the 11th annual Puzzling StackExchange award ceremony! Angry and bitter, the host ...

word story

Techidiot

14:14

@GarethMcCaughan Any luck with the next step?

Matt

GAmen all

I don't supposed I can get @humn in here ...

Techidiot

You can comment and invite him though @Matt

Gamen btw!

Matt

he's been here before - I want to chat about the quintet puzzle

Techidiot

Yeah. If he gets the ping, which he surely might have got, he will be here

dcfyj

I love how "GAmen" is picking up ^^

Gamen all

Matt

14:29

it usually takes a few minutes for the ping to show up

morning dc

(I know we're in the same time zone :P)

Techidiot

Gamen @dcfyj It did. Being lazy myself, I love these sort of things :p

dcfyj

@Matt cheater :P

Techidiot

@Matt For me the purpose is just - less typing :D I know the timezones of almost all of you

Matt

I don't have my location in my profile, but if you've seen me around long enough, I don't really keep it a secret :P

Techidiot

And he is here

Matt

14:33

Yes! hello, @humn

Techidiot

Wc @humn

humn

@Matt , glad to chat, Matt, the puzzle has a very limited audience

dcfyj

watercloset?

Techidiot

^ ? :p

humn

Hel-loo, Techidiot

Techidiot

14:34

Hey

Matt

so I've been trying to think about this on a much more fundamental level, and I keep circling back to the concept of molecular vibrations

then I started thinking about why the puzzle specifically includes a quintet

and only implies that there are 2 contras and 3 ocarinas

it's almost like you're talking about a specific molecule

humn

Yes, 3+2, the quintet I have a ready answer for, and you've already covered it.

I wanted enough of each for the clusters and intonation clues (and to be absurd)

Matt

I see

so they don't represent individual atoms in a specific molecule

humn

That could be the basis of a fantastic (in a different sense than this one) puzzle!

Matt

spoilers! haha

humn

14:38

! Wouldn't be the first time

You made me realize, though, that the puzzle statement needs more focus.

dcfyj

3 hints and it was posted 4 hours ago? wow

humn

^ They might have the same feeling, that they didn't specify the puzzle well enough to start with.

dcfyj

No idea, didn't actually read it.

Techidiot

@dcfyj I guess they were more of a part of the puzzle rather than being hints.

Right @humn

dcfyj

I'm mostly not sure why the OP spoilered the notes...

humn

14:41

It might yet be a land speed record for hints/minute

Matt

I feel like I've dug up what there is to dig up, but I have no idea what to do with my brand new mound of dirt

Techidiot

For the last 2 of his puzzles, he posted hints together with the puzzles which made the puzzles too easy to crack

Matt

that's a terrible analogy ... comparing a puzzle to a pile of dirt

humn

I pictured a mud wallow when you said it. Fun image.

Matt

sorry humn, I really do like this one :)

Techidiot

14:42

I left a comment to avoid doing that.. But then this new puzzle without hints was impossible to solve

humn

Thank you for recognizing a gem, Matt, even if it isn't set clearly enough.

It's actually could be a paper I've wished someone would write for years.

Where I want the "several seconds" to lead is why not several minutes or milliseconds...

and the specific I'm considering adding is that the most rapid passages of ocarinas and subcontras are approximately the same speed, which again would surprise many music theorists

Matt

oh dear

I'm no theorist - just an enthusiast, but indeed you can color me surprised

humn

your understanding of signals is stronger than music schools touch on, and that's important

another specific i'm considering is to point out a difference between music typically played by humans vs elephants vs elephant shrews

or just to ask what the difference might be.

It's a three-way combination of biology, music and physics/mathematics that i've only seen covered from two of those perspectives at a time.

Matt

the difference is that while it's might be physically possible for an elephant shrew to operate an ocarina, there's no way unless an army works in tandem for elephant shrews to make noise from a subcontrabassoon

the biology part is definitely what's throwing me right now.

humn

What if the subcontrab... were dropped on a single shrew?

Matt

14:53

splat

humn

Might need an amp to sound truly musical

Monty Python - mouse organ sketch

►

Matt

delightful

humn

The biology part isn't chemical, by the way, it's an overarching system-like consideration that calibrates many different functions of each species

Matt

oho!

like, say, brain waves?

humn

Integrally involved!

So much that it's hard to say whether they direct the calibration or reflect it. They certainly resonate it.

(now I'm looking up whether they'd be alpha or theta or whichever/whatever)

Wow Matt, all 5 waves in this article look like perfect suspects!

5 Types Of Brain Waves Frequencies: Gamma, Beta, Alpha, Theta, Delta

Matt

15:01

> Brainwaves are produced by synchronised electrical pulses from masses of neurons communicating with each other.

humn

(now looking for an article comparing brain waves of different species)

(Theta waves now look like less-likely suspects because they seem to be slower in smaller animals)

Sconibulus

vital information on the Delta brainwave

humn

" the IQ of all living things, robots & plants possess, except Philip J. Fry" hohohoho

Deusovi

Oh humn, have you not seen Futurama? It's hilarious.

humn

Yes (i have) and yes (it is)!

Deusovi

15:06

(And there was even a theorem proven specifically for one episode about brain-switching!)

Ah, alright

Sconibulus

gosh, this infosphere has great information, too bad it will have been blown up

humn

(looking up brain-switching episode while there's time)

Deusovi, have you seen Idiocracy (the movie, not present-day politics)?

Deusovi

No, I haven't. I've heard a lot of bad things about it

humn

The parallels to Futurama are great, the parallels to politics are apalling

Matt

if you like Terry Crews, you'll enjoy it

it's sad how accurate it is

Sconibulus

15:09

it's an incredibly stupid movie, but it has some very funny bits

Gareth McCaughan

@Techidiot Still having great trouble figuring out what it could mean to subtract cataphora from anaphora. Or, if it's not a subtraction, to hyphenate them.

Jonathan Allan

@Techidiot As usual I'm not sure how to hint without spoiling :)

Techidiot

Haha. @JonathanAllan One question.. Does it require a computers tag? If that is the case, I might have never got it. And, its been unsolved since long now

@GarethMcCaughan You need 7 letters, so it ought to be a subtraction. Isn't it? What 7 letters are you getting btw?

Jonathan Allan

@Techidiot No computer necessary.

Matt

@humn if brainwaves are integrally involved, I would think that the summation of them is consciousness itself

Techidiot

15:13

Oh. I see.

@JonathanAllan guess what, I started jumping where I got this -

GCC 13

GAF 14

FDE 15

EFE 16

For the first 4 numbers

:D

humn

@Matt , and more approriately "awareness" in this case

Matt

perception

humn

! even more so ! and there's a motor component too. I really want to think of something useful to add to the puzzle statement

...

Matt

with some exceptions, the hearing is the type of perception based most heavily on music

humn

@Jonathan and @Techidiot, if this is the puzzle you're typing about ... ... my question is: does the sequence extend to the left? ? would that give it away?

4

Q: Two missing numbers

Two numbers go at the $?$s, what are they and why? $733,\space \space 716,\space \space 645,\space \space 565,\space \space 324,\space \space 276,\space \space 77,\space \space 75,\space \space 64,\space \space 56,\space \space ?,\space \space ?$ Hints

pattern number-sequence

Matt

15:18

and listening involves translating vibrations in the air (or whatever medium is touching your face) to electrical signals to be interpreted by the brain

Gareth McCaughan

@Techidiot I think I am missing something that's supposed to be obvious. I don't see any connection between "7 letters" and "subtraction". I'm not getting any 7 letters. I've got (I think) "anaphora minus cataphora" and I don't see any obvious way to subtract one from the other. [continues]

Techidiot

@GarethMcCaughan More or less = me

humn

@Matt , yep, the same concept shows up with touch too

Gareth McCaughan

Obvious ways would include: If the letters of one are all found in the other, remove them. (Not so.) Proceed letter-by-letter, like in a Vigenere cipher. (The two words are of different lengths.) Subtract some specific cataphoric word from some specific anaphoric word, or from "anaphora". (None comes to mind.) Identify individual ana/cataphora in the verse and subtract somehow. (Doesn't seem to lead anywhere.)

(I have no idea what "More or less = me" might mean. I'm sorry to be being dim.)

Matt

I have no idea how close I am. I keep saying things, and judging by your reaction, I'm getting closer, but I don't know where it stops

Techidiot

15:21

ANAPHORA - CATAPHORA = ANA PHORA - CATA PHORA

Gareth McCaughan

yeah, I thought of doing that

Techidiot

The reason its difficult for you to guess is the fact that its non-english!

Gareth McCaughan

but "ana minus cata" doesn't lead me anywhere, and if I abuse things by suddenly switching from subtraction to addition I get "anacata" which isn't any sort of word, English or otherwise.

humn

@Matt , in a way you are circling the prey, but I don't see how saying that helps to know.

Techidiot

Anacata is actually a word. Check the next line for the next step now that you have the word

Gareth McCaughan

15:23

in what language is "anacata" a word?

(I did wonder about "anacata" before, given your comment about what was needed being 7 letters, but the process leading there doesn't make much sense and I'd never heard of it being a word in any language. Anyway, never mind. I'll take a look at the rest of the puzzle with this in mind...)

Techidiot

@GarethMcCaughan After solving the above, if you ask me what to do with the stuff you've found; I will say "Hey, I now demand interpretation". So, go ahead and interpret what you have found!

^ part of the puzzle btw

Check if you find something hidden in there

Sconibulus

it seems as if neither I nor google know of 'anacata' also, that is an odd definition of subtraction

more of an xor

humn

@Matt , a hint completely divergent from the puzzle statement would be how videos are perceived

Ankoganit

Or symmetric difference

Matt

but I don't want divergent, do I?

Gareth McCaughan

15:26

not a symmetric difference since we aren't cancelling the last A in ANA with that in CATA

Ankoganit

hmm

Sconibulus

or the leading A in ANA with the middle A in CATA either...

Gareth McCaughan

@Sconibulus indeed, but I can more readily imagine that not being "meant" to cancel :-)

humn

@Matt , it converges on the same concept

Sconibulus

so it seems like an unfair operation

Gareth McCaughan

15:27

ah

Matt

the senses?

I don't know where else to go

Gareth McCaughan

Hey I Now Demand Interpretation initial letters are HINDI which is interesting

Ankoganit

Don't think anacata is even a hindi word

Gareth McCaughan

and according to Google Translate "anacata" is Hindi for plurality

which is also interesting

Ankoganit

what

weird

Gareth McCaughan

15:29

more precisely, when I put "anacata" into it and say "guess language" it guesses Hindi and yields "plurality" as translation

but I know no Hindi at all and have no idea how plausible any of this is

Techidiot

Oh wait.

Gareth McCaughan

(maybe it's an inflected form or something)

Techidiot

Can you post a screenshot of that?

Ankoganit

It says stack for me

Techidiot

:p

^

Gareth McCaughan

15:30

it gives me a bunch of options, none of which is "stack"

Techidiot

For a moment I was scared!

humn

@Matt , if the puzzle statement were to mention particle physics, would that trigger any further ideas? Musical notes are like atomic particles.

Techidiot

@GarethMcCaughan You might be clicking on the script of that word

Simply paste the word in the left box and see the translation

Gareth McCaughan

I didn't click on anything

Sid

@GarethMcCaughan Yep, it gives plurality to me as well

Techidiot

15:31

@Ankoganit How did you get it right? :-/

Gareth McCaughan

Ankoganit

I just Googled "anacata in hindi"

Gareth McCaughan

oh, I beg your pardon, "stack" is one of the things it lists

Jonathan Allan

@Techidiot @humn - sorry had a power cut

Matt

I know the particles like to vibrate ... and if I'm not wrong, different particles are identified by their frequencies?

Ankoganit

15:33

Ohh it's अनेकता

Sid

Oh, that is Anekta. Lol, I was now thinking which hindi word is Anacata...

Techidiot

No worries @GarethMcCaughan What matters is the puzzle ends :D

So, the last step @GarethMcCaughan is to fill in the blanks and you are done.

humn

@Matt , that's half of the rest of the story, perhaps even more than half

Matt

story of my life :P

Techidiot

@JonathanAllan Seems like you have really given away anything ;)

Jonathan Allan

15:34

ok adding...

Techidiot

No wait

It might be just me. Let it consume some views.

humn

This third of your life is the first half of the rest of your whole life.

Matt

if I wasn't confused before, I am now

dcfyj

If you won't be confused, you were then?

humn

More of a previous...

Confuse-A-Cat ~ Monty Python's Flying Circus

►

Sid

15:37

@Deusovi The answer to your CCCC is Vector.

humn

Also, Deusov's Futurama brain-switching theorem

Ankoganit

13 hours ago, by stacksfiller

VECTOR (ddef.)

Sid

WHy isn't it unpinned then? Which is the new clue?

Ankoganit

Wait, so @Deus has a CC due?

@Deusovi ?

Sconibulus

I think the one after that was Insight or something?

I didn't notice the start list this morning

Jonathan Allan

15:39

LUL: carrier for arrow: plastic bag.

Matt

noooo!

Ankoganit

@Sconibulus that was stacksfiller 's clue

which was solved by deus

who hasn't provided the next one IIRC

Sconibulus

ahh, I didn't remember who solved it

dcfyj

@Ankoganit Just looked, it's up to Deusovi to put up a new one

Gareth McCaughan

OK @Techidiot I filled in the blanks. I was slower than I should have been because I thought the answer was the third thing in a series of four, rather than describing the second in a series of three, if you see what I mean.

@Ankoganit @dcfyj surely that's not the actual history. Deusovi solved an earlier clue, which might or might not have been from stacksfiller (I vaguely recall Sp3000), and posted the "carrier for arrow" one, and apparently stacksfiller solved that and hasn't posted a replacement. Or am I all confused?

Ankoganit

15:43

Stacks did the insight thing right?

dcfyj

12 hours ago, by stacksfiller

CCCC: Hidden in plain sight, subtle observations. (8)

Gareth McCaughan

ah, no, wait, stacksfiller then did post another one which never got pinned and Deusovi solved that

dcfyj

12 hours ago, by Deusovi

_INSIGHTS_

12 hours ago, by stacksfiller

I know it was probably too easy

It's Desuovi's :P

Gareth McCaughan

sorry, I was failing to follow the more recent conversation; my apologies for adding noise

anyway, the carrier one certainly shouldn't have been pinned so I've unpinned it

dcfyj

It's @Deusovi's turn

pin this^

Gareth McCaughan

15:45

good idea; done

dcfyj

That way people aren't wondering what's up

humn

@JonathanAllan , ouch, I hope you found a power bandage for that cut. And while you're not answering my question about your sequence having more than 12 total elements (oh, you did, thanks!), here is a group that reminds me of some on your playlist:

Throbbing Gristle live at Kezar part 1

►

Jonathan Allan

Throbbing Gristle :D

Sid

Er, Anekta=Stack? The only I thing I know Anekta(Anacata) means is variety(or Plurality)..

@GarethMcCaughan And How did you get Puzzling Exchange?

Ankoganit

@dcfyj Ooh, nice clue; what's the enumeration? :p

dcfyj

15:47

lol

Matt

@humn if it's half the story is a vibrating particle, is the other half the wave properties of electrons?

dcfyj

@Ankoganit It's lacking the 4 Cs in front of it, so no :P

Jonathan Allan

@humn Must be British (yep)

Sid

@Ankoganit The answer is Mod. :P

Ankoganit

@dcfyj Maybe that's a new gimmick subtly hinting at deleting some letters

dcfyj

15:48

Ugh that would be awful

humn

@Matt , you just as much as stated the concept. Now, how does it all fit together?

Ankoganit

@Sid hehe

dcfyj

@Ankoganit The only gimmick I've done with CC is having the enumeration be the word count

Matt

the wave-particle duality fits with biology and music?

humn

@JonathanAllan , good call! I can never tell by musicians' sung (?, especially in this case) accents

Jonathan Allan

15:51

Yorkshire accents are quite recognisable

humn

Hm, so that's where they're from specifically. .. .? (Yikes, just had a half-second power cut here too)

Jonathan Allan

Kingston-upon-Hull

some impressive stuff going on there, considering it was 1981!

humn

You have a truly refined ear, Jonathan

Deusovi

@dcfyj Whoops, my bad! Got distracted by Contact last night

Jonathan Allan

Hmm refined ear. Is that bad for you like refined sugar and refined vegetable oil?

humn

15:58

gigglE!

Deusovi

A (hopefully) simple one:

CCCC: Triangle dissected into more complicated mathematical object (8)

Matt

INTEGRAL

Contact

Transcript for