The Sphinx's Lair

12:08 AM

0

Q: I am a computer’s worst nightmare, but a programmer’s best friend

I am a computer’s worst nightmare, but a programmer’s best friend. I am both the cause of a problem and the source of its resolution. What am I?

riddle

Wen1now

12:55 AM

@Ankoganit Oh, thanks for the reminder

thecoder16

puzzling.stackexchange.com/questions/57726/… answer is clearly satire, flag for rudeness?

Jesse Barnett

1:13 AM

Yeah sorry about that @thecoder16 :D flag away

OP got on my nerves, I know its not the place for a satirical answer. I intended to remove once I had made my point anyway. sorry again

ffao

can't you delete your answer now?

Jesse Barnett

it was still technically an answer xD but its deleted now

I thought it was pretty funny.. nobody got a laugh from it?

Wen1now

Yes, I did, hence the +1

Jesse Barnett

good stuff

Sphinx

2:28 AM

0

Q: How do I solve this odd puzzle?

I need help. Try to solve this puzzle. It's a blend of mathematics and words. The goal of word math problems is to assign each letter an integer value, 0-9. An example is below. Example: MAKE + KEYS = PSST In this example: E = 3, K = 1, A = 4, Y = 5, S = 7, T = 0, M = 8, and P = 9. When you us...

calculation-puzzle

Ankoganit

4:40 AM

@Sid It's not ESQUIRE by any chance is it?

Sid

5:24 AM

@Ankoganit That is correct.

Wen1now

Hey is anybody here familiar with spiral galaxies

Alconja

Familiar? Hell, I live in one!

Wen1now

I need somebody to point out how dumb I am. I've convinced myself this spiral galaxies puzzle is unsolvable :(

Sid

If you have convinced yourself, then the puzzle is indeed unsolvable

Wen1now

But... somebody else has told me that they've solved it

Alconja

5:32 AM

Only experience I had was bashing my head against paramesis' (still) unsolved grid deduction puzzle

Wen1now

That's enough experience I guess

I can't see how that red square can be part of anything

And no, I'm not a competitor in the WPC2017 so don't worry, this isn't for a competition.

Alconja

do you ignore the black squares, or do they "block"?

Wen1now

The black cells aren't part of the puzzle

I mean, they're not supposed to be in any region; kind of ignore them

Alconja

kk

Wen1now

The best I can do with the red region is this:

But the crosses can't 'go' anywhere

Again, feel free to remind me how dumb I am

Alconja

5:38 AM

Well your stupidity isn't immediately apparent to me at least :)

Sid

@Wen1now what is the objective of the puzzle?

Wen1now

"Divide the grid into 1800
symmetrical regions along the gridlines, so that each cell is part of only one
region. Each region must contain exactly one black dot, which represents the central symmetry point of
the region. All circles are given and all white cells must be part of a region.The black cells are not part of
any regions. "

Ankoganit

CCCC: Could be, maybe, possibly, perhaps, not having one probability? (6)

Sphinx

0

Q: When is a quarter closed door the same as a quarter open door?

A half open door is always the same as a half closed door. And of course it is not a door when it is a jar. Hint: We're not talking about clopen doors. All our buildings are very simply connected, thank you. What could be the answer?

treasure-hunt

Ankoganit

@Sid I'm not too found of officer but oh well

*fond

Sid

5:47 AM

@Ankoganit Google told me it was an old def

Ankoganit

Hmm ok

Alconja

6:09 AM

@Wen1now Yeah, I'm not seeing a way to deal with that region either... Seems like it would have to go through one of the two dots immediately below the P (else it would have to extend too low into the INDIA), but which ever way you come around the top of the P, you come up a square or two short...

wait.. do the rules say that all white squares need to be part of a galaxy, or can there be "holes"?

You've got to fill the whole thing, yeah?

In fact, never mind. It wouldn't make any sense to not fill everything, since then you could just do the minimal 1 or 2 square galaxies directly around each dot.. :)

Eric Tressler

6:23 AM

@Ankoganit Could the 4C be "CHANCY"?

Sid

@EricTressler which c4 are you talking about?

Eric Tressler

@Sid "CCCC: Could be, maybe, possibly, perhaps, not having one probability? (6)"

Sid

@EricTressler Oh. I don't know how I missed that...

So... that is a quintuple def?

Eric Tressler

I mean, it seemed possible, if not likely

Sid

@EricTressler well, LIKELY is also 6 letters and sort of fits everything... :P

Eric Tressler

6:31 AM

It could be QUANTA

the clue comes in small packages and it fits the probability clue

or ATOMIC, I guess

Alconja

RANDOM?

Eric Tressler

that seems more likely

or CHANCE (since I already guessed CHANCY), though I prefer RANDOM too. The first words seem to imply two syllables, mostly

ffao

6:51 AM

I don't see how "could be" fits random, or quanta, or atomic

M Oehm

The game here seems to be to throw random six-letter words at the clue and see what sticks.

Sid

@MOehm That's probably because (a) All the def(if it is indeed a quintuple def) are too close to each other or (b) We are all treading down the wrong path

Ankoganit

7:17 AM

Note: I'm not going to confirm or deny anything without explanation :)

(and it's not a n-tuple def)

ffao

I think the explanations were all n-tuple def, but that was quite weak

Sp3000

[per]chance is my closest thought (if per<->one, which kind of but doesn't really work), but that's way too many synonyms at the start

Wen1now

7:45 AM

What do we do about cross-site duplicates again

Mithrandir

Nothing

Unless they're asked by the same person

Wen1now

Yeah, they were asked by the same person, I think

Oompa Loompa

14 2

alphametic calculation-puzzle

Mithrandir

Point 'em to this

310

Q: Is cross-posting a question on multiple Stack Exchange sites permitted if the question is on-topic for each site?

It is possible to migrate a question from one Stack Exchange site to another by closing, but if I have a question that I think is on-topic for multiple Stack Exchange sites, is it OK to post it on both (multipost)? For example, I have a question that's earned me the tumbleweed badge on SO and I...

discussion faq questions etiquette cross-posting

ffao

they even posted twice to the same site

Wen1now

@Mithrandir Okay, done

Rubio

7:57 AM

@Ankoganit I'll try: (PERHA[-p]S)* → PHRASE

oops wrong referral, fixed

probability=P; possibly perhaps=(PERHAPS)*; "Could be, maybe" = PHRASE as def by example?

Ankoganit

@Rubio that's correct

Rubio

heh, that felt like a stretch

Ankoganit

Guess it was :/

But I liked the surface

Rubio

Indeed.

CCCC: Cover in rust in silence. (6)

Skyvask

Is that SUREST ?

I need to give an explanation ?

Sid

8:09 AM

@Skyvask yep

(As in you need to give an explanation)

Mike Q

Wordplay explanation, that is

Skyvask

RUST in S[ilenc]E, cover is the def

M Oehm

That would be an anagram of (RUST)* in the outer letters of silence. You'd need an indicator for both.

Skyvask

now that seem non sense for me

M Oehm

Or an anagram of RUST and SE, rather. And how does surest mean cover?

Skyvask

8:12 AM

@MOehm OK thanks first try to solve a 4c, need training

when you translate Surest and cover in french that make sense :D ^^

Mike Q

@Skyvask Basically, you figure out how to split the clue into either "[definition][wordplay]" or "[wordplay][definition]". And the indicator words in the wordplay need to match what's there.

Sid

I wonder if rust is FE or FEO.

Rubio has once used the latter but the former is more common I think

Ankoganit

Rust is Fe? But that's iron!

Sid

@Ankoganit technically speaking rust is FE2O3.xH2O. But, no one cares about the hydrate...

Mike Q

Is "TINSIL" an alternative spelling of "TINSEL"?

M Oehm

8:22 AM

I don't think so. (I had also tried to find a hidden answer and came across the same word.)

user61230

8:40 AM

user61230

I FINALLY SOLVED IT. AAAAAA.

user61230

THIS PUZZLE, HAS BEEN SITTING UNSOLVED FOR YEARS.

user61230

AAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

Sid

That looks like a really weird Rubik's cube.

user61230

Yeah, pretty much

user61230

8:44 AM

The layers are geared together, so each 90 degree rotation of a face makes a 45 degree rotation of the middle layer

Sp3000

(I feel like this might be sh(eat)h but it feels a bit loose)

Ankoganit

Ah that might be it

Sid

@Sp3000 why is rust=eat?

Sp3000

In the eat away/corrosion sense, but that's the part that feels loosest

Ankoganit

rust=corrode=eat, I think

M Oehm

8:46 AM

That's a good idea, but isn't it the rust that's doing the eating? I mean you could say "the knife has rusted" or "rust has eaten the knife", no?

Ankoganit

Let's just ping @Rubio

Sp3000

I only bring this up as at least one source lists eat, despite me disagreeing with it

Rubio

hi

@sp has it

Rust is a verb, not just a noun

M Oehm

Yes, I know, but the verb to eat isn't used in the same way as the verb to rust, no?

Skyvask

SE Puzzling, or how to learn english vocabulary :)

Rubio

8:50 AM

no, but "salt water may eat your car" and "salt water may rust your car" are used the same way

Mithrandir

@Zyerah wow

That looks ridiculously difficult

user61230

It's.... it's a little silly.

user61230

You just need a way to switch the positions of three pieces to solve it, honestly. If you have a three-cycle, you pretty much win. It's just like, getting that three-cycle is a paain.

user61230

(My first attempt was... almost 100 moves long. Which... no.)

Mithrandir

I kinda know nothing about cubing, though, so take my opinion with a grain of salt ;P

M Oehm

8:56 AM

If "salt water may rust your car" is a valid usage, I won't complain, but I thought the subject of the verb "to rust" was whatever is affected by rust, not the corrosive agent. No hard feelings. :)

Skyvask

i have to share that, google is weird sometimes

Ankoganit

What on earth :o

ffao

I don't see what could possibly be wrong about that translation

I hear French speakers say that all the time

just make sure to pronounce the colons

Skyvask

without the colons, that does not make any sense

M Oehm

That's C'est++, a French version of C++, apparently. (Or C'est−−, as the example shows.)

Rubio

9:02 AM

automotivespecialtiesinc.com/… "[...] road salt can rust your car" - found rather quickly via google. "<foo> can rust <bar>" is valid idiomatic usage.

ffao

I get the distinct feeling rust wasn't supposed to be used this way, but people just started abusing it

Rubio

see also "literally".

and "irregardless".

M Oehm

Okay, point taken. My dictionary lookup didn't support that usage. "Again what learned", as they say around here.

ffao

rust is acceptable, irregardless is an abomination

Rubio

@ffao I agree entirely :)

ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=rust lists the transitive verb usage

Skyvask

9:07 AM

@Rubio I was thinking, what does ffao means... I need to wake up a bit more ^^

Rubio

and with that i'm off to rust. er, rest.

good night :)

Sp3000

I'm putting it in the "it works, but unfair cluing" folder :P

M Oehm

Good night.

Wen1now

Um.. so what's the current 4C

Sp3000

CCCC: Bitterly argue about right order in a Lisp statement that doesn't interpret as intended (8, 4)

Skyvask

9:14 AM

too long for me x) good luck everyone

ffao

yeah, my level is not high enough to know where to begin with this

M Oehm

@Sp3000 FREUDIAN SLIP = F(R)EUD + (IN A LISP)*

Sp3000

9:29 AM

(yup)

M Oehm

CCCC: Exchanged tips after losing kilo in Mediterranean diet centered on hard fruit core (12)

Deusovi

@Sp3000 oh wow that surface is really nice!

M Oehm

Yes, it is.

Deusovi

@Zyerah Congratulations!

user61230

Thanks!

Sphinx

10:28 AM

1

Q: Array-3 > fix34(What is wrong with my code what logic am missing please help)

Return an array that contains exactly the same numbers as the given array, but rearranged so that every 3 is immediately followed by a 4. Do not move the 3's, but every other number may move. The array contains the same number of 3's and 4's, every 3 has a number after it that is not a 3, an...

computer-puzzle

Skyvask

I have flag this questions, can retract it if i'm wrong, but i think this questions has nothing to do here

Mithrandir

10:53 AM

@Skyvask yeah, that was pretty blatantly off topic. I just cast the final close vote.

Gareth McCaughan

Well done to @Zyerah for solving the Weird Gear Cube, to @Sp3000 for a really nice clue surface, and to Skyvask for providing us with the best Google translation I have ever seen. (Disappointingly, if I ask Google to translate "couverts" into English it gives something much less exciting.)

M Oehm

But the screenshot was of translating "couverts" from English into French. I can reproduce that punctuation-fest.

Gareth McCaughan

oh, it was backwards. I failed to notice that.

So yeah, I can indeed reproduce it. Entering other French words into the English side of an E->F translation doesn't produce such glories, though. At least not the ones I've tried so far.

Wen1now

This is so frustrating. I kept trying the spiral galaxies and reached a contradiction. All my steps seem fine to me, so I don't know what could possibly have gone wrong :(

Wait no never mind. I can't count

Yay! Finished.

Sphinx

11:15 AM

0

Q: A Two-pan Non-Equal Arm Unbalanced Scale

There is a broken two-pan arm scale, consists of different weighed pans and different arm lengths. You are trying to weigh three different weights called X,Y,Z. You also know that the weights are even numbers: When you place X and Y to the right hand side of the scale, 20g is needed to the l...

logical-deduction weighing

Sphinx

2:20 PM

0

Q: Where am I? (inspired by a classic novel)

I am the hidden land Where man may not tread but wildlife can Here a group in full did travel By peak twilight, by horse and paddle The group spoke sin and thus went in To rule over all within Where am I?

rhyme knowledge

Steven Vascellaro

2:30 PM

I'm glad to see my first post here went over well. :D

24

Q: I am a computer’s nightmare, but a programmer’s best friend

I am a computer’s nightmare, but a programmer’s best friend. I am both the cause of a problem and the source of its resolution. What am I?

riddle

I wasn't sure if I'd made my riddle too difficult or too easy.

Sid

2:52 PM

@StevenVascellaro This worked really well because the solution was "obviously better than the rest".

@StevenVascellaro yeah, it sort of happens. You will get that with practice...

Steven Vascellaro

@Sid I thought a meta-puzzle about SE would be neat. I was surprised nobody had done one before

Apep

3:09 PM

There have been some, like this one.

Gareth McCaughan

3:31 PM

And this one.

Sphinx

9:09 PM

0

Q: Tricky maths problem

You have digits 0 to 9. You have to find the lowest number possible for the difference of 2 5-digit numbers. e.g. 98765 - 43210 = 55555 What is the lowest number you can get? Also add a explanation please. Thx.

knowledge

0

Q: Deadly but important?

I bring death to dry land, yet life would cease without me. I burn your eyes and your tongue, yet your body needs me. What am I? (It isn't heat.)

riddle

John Dvorak

> My life was a half-empty glass. Now it's half-full again.

Sphinx

10:13 PM

1

Q: Is this riddle too obvious?

My friends hate me, my enemies love me, my leader puts a leash around my neck, my enemies reward me and beg. What am I?

riddle

Sphinx

11:37 PM

0

Q: I never change my stripes

I go to great lengths for you to understand I never change my stripes, I stick to what you planned I bend and reach for you, in any given frame With no delay, on your command, I'm back to whence I came What am I?

riddle

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