« first day (2321 days earlier)      last day (1303 days later) » 
00:00 - 21:0021:00 - 00:00

12:24 AM
CC query: How would you indicate part of a word being shifted? E.g. ABCDE -> CDEAB. I know that an anagram would be sufficient, but I'd like to indirectly clue the word being shifted and don't want to use an indirect anagram.
 
 
1 hour later…
1:40 AM
@bobble Some ideas: "rotating", "rolling", "cycling", etc. Since this is non-standard, I would be very careful to clue the motion very clearly, and not mix it in with other wordplay elements.
 
1:57 AM
0
Q: Checkers but with chess pieces

Anonymus25Alice and Bob are playing checkers. After some time, Alice gets bored because she keeps on losing. Bob then gets the idea to combine chess and checkers. Here is how it goes: Rules Normal checkers rules apply, but instead of capturing by jumping over enemy pieces, pieces capture just like chess ...

 
user478740
2:52 AM
Hey, check out my latest puzzle above!
 
3:14 AM
@jafe yep!
 
 
1 hour later…
4:14 AM
cryptic clues take so much loooonger to make than normal ones
 
4:29 AM
@bobble You're right. I posted that CCCC when I was tired. I had meant to put a ", e.g." at its end, and forgot to. (That would've taken care of the definition half. For the first wordplay element, there would still be a definition by example, but for first/last names that's not such a big deal, I think.)
 
okay, makes more sense
 
CCCC: Bury good film (12)
 
12 letters to get 12 letters... hmmm
 
 
4 hours later…
8:09 AM
0
Q: I'm not a book, but may be in libraries

Rand al'ThorMy prefix is for great necessities, My suffix is for dirty beasts, My infix is for you and me, My whole is found in libraries. What am I?

 
thoughts on removing s from the chat feed?
 
no
 
i don't like riddles either, but i think they're infrequent enough in the chat feed to not be a huge issue
 
8:59 AM
1
Q: Suspected felicide in the Schrödinger household

jafePolice officers entered the home of Dr. Erwin Schrödinger. The neighbours had reported that the doctor had locked his cat in a box and was subjecting it to "particle physics", whatever horrors that may mean. As there were lives at stake – nine, potentially – the department had obtained a speedy s...

 
 
2 hours later…
11:03 AM
0
Q: What is a " B & A" puzzle?

DrDI think this type of puzzle format is a bit different from some you already have seen. I call them B & A puzzles. After you solve them you will likely know what that means. There are six seperate rebus/wordplay types listed below. The answer to each one is two words minimum. (May include numbers)...

 
 
2 hours later…
12:42 PM
0
Q: Tricky hat guessing puzzle

RetudinA group of prisoners is standing in a line. They all wear a hat (of a single color). They all can only look straight ahead, i.e. only see the hats of the prisoners before them. Luckily the warden has told them all the colors. Prisoner A says: I see 1 blue hat. Then prisoner B says: I see 2 red ha...

 
 
2 hours later…
2:21 PM
0
Q: Following Rotting Links

simonalexander2005Here's some examples of rotting links. Why are they rotting, and what links them? And finally some that don't rot at all (at least, not currently)

 
2:54 PM
I saw that the cryptic had an answer and went "it'll be Deus", checked, and went "yep, it's Deus"
 
3:26 PM
Okay so I posted "CC: Starts noting the secondary clues heading back to the sign?" (5) and meant the answer to be L_E_A_DS
I was trying hard to make an &it of it using DS as "to the sign" (as in des segnol, musical direction). I thought leads might've done the job
Anyone have ideals for an &lit of LEADS using "to the sign" as DS?
 
3:48 PM
@bobble I was very close behind, for what it's worth. (Until I had to go and do other things, with just two clues unsolved.)
 
@bobble coincidence? i don't think so
 
4:24 PM
@jafe Solution to your CCCC is INTER + STELLAR.
(And yes, 12=12 is a coinkidink.)
 
 
1 hour later…
5:45 PM
@GarethMcCaughan Dangit. I tried to find a 12-letter film starting with Inter, and failed.
Nicely found.
(I've never heard of that film AFAIR, FWIW.)
 
@GarethMcCaughan yep, that's correct
 
6:04 PM
It's a moderately famous film. Features a large rotating black hole, and the publicity for the movie makes much of the fact that they had Kip Thorne consulting on getting the visuals something like right. It will not surprise you that some of the other "science" in the movie was not so accurate :-).
 
6:43 PM
@GarethMcCaughan That movie was SO boring
 
6:54 PM
compared to this year's "tenet" interstellar is practically a documentary when it comes to scientific accuracy :P
(i still loved both films)
 
Avi
what's this year's "tenet"?
 
Movie that came out in theaters recently
 
7:14 PM
how's the npg doing? have we conquered any more pickles?
 
mmm, salty pickled cucumbers
 
matt, why did you wake the pickle monster?
 
i didn't try to sad look on face
 
Avi
did anybody figure out North's clue from sept 18 20:39
 
2 days ago, by North Læraðr
DROMON(-S)_D
 
7:23 PM
@matt Don't poke the sleeping dragon
 
i did not attempt to, it's dark in here
 
Avi
@bobble oof
that seems to violate etymology, probs
 
flips light switch thats better carefully walks around pickle jars
 
@Avi Yeah
Honestly idk
 
Avi
&lits are extremely difficult
partially because you need to be lucky & skilled
Expression to abbreviate lists, primarily (2 2) is the only one I've made
a straightforward E_ T_ A_ L_
 
7:26 PM
seems like a nice &lit to me
 
Avi
it's nice because it's an &lit, rather than being nice on its own imo
some of the nicer &lits are far more clever
 
you forgot the l in &lit
which means i can say "it" again

ok sorry everyone
 
Do you know of any &lits which are also Schrödingers (as in, there is a second parsing that may or may not be an &lit?)
 
that sounds difficult
 
Avi
i don't know
 
7:29 PM
that would be EPIC
 
Avi
i found a nice &lit online though
Exercising charity's in it (12) - (CHARITY'S IN IT)*=CHRISTIANITY
 
hm interesting
what happened to the apostrophe in that though?
or needn't they be anagrammed?
 
punctuation is usually ignored in anagrams
 
Avi
and frequently can be played fast and loose
 
Avi
7:33 PM
hmmmmm
i'm in the process of coming up with a very lame &lit
 
and i thought "what if, say, the folks at Puzzling" (that is, us) "tried to make our own nonsense book thing?"
@Avi i doubt its actual lameness
 
Avi
hehe
 
@matt "nonsense" or "a book with extremely difficult puzzles"?
 
Per Deusovi, from a construction perspective, it is OK to insert unneeded punctuation, but not delete needed punctuation. So from a solving perspective, always be ready to ignore punctuation and capitalization
 
7:35 PM
@mithical the fun starts at page 8 or so
 
@bobble Era, age; ultimately, endlessly long? (3 or 4!)
 
dear goodness
Did you make that, or is it pulled from elsewhere?
 
^ threw that away from the previous crossword because it didn't produce the right letter for the final part
 
all the claps for you
 
come on everyone, infinite claps
 
Avi
7:37 PM
how long will we be clapping?
 
until Deus gets sniped
 
indefinitely
 
Avi
endlessly long
 
yes, that's what I said
 
@bobble Never
How do you snipe the sniper
 
7:39 PM
Someone has to find his house and cut the internet and/or power
 
you have to become the sniper-sniper
 
@bobble Deus uses ethernet
Jk idk
 
Avi
Top distinction given after a conflict! (5)
 
@jafe You can't snipe the sniper sniper sniper
 
Kidnap Deus, lock him in a cage without any electronics
 
7:40 PM
perfect idea
 
Avi
he'll answer by communicating with the honeypot's hivemind consciousness
 
how will we ensure he does not escape
 
wait till he sees this
 
@bobble Tried the kidnapping before. Stranded him in an island. Didn't work
 
@Avi put him in a medically induced coma
 
Avi
7:41 PM
while dreaming
his account will become sentient
2
 
@bobble You cannot disable the god of eggs
He is too powerful
 
Avi
and answer on its own
 
Should someone ping him?
 
@Deusovi We're planning your demise
 
7:42 PM
"oh, they're trying to kill me again. cool" - Deus, probably
 
@Avi i like this one
 
Avi
:D
 
@Mithical neat
 
Avi
i like your era one too
even though I can't solve it xd
 
Dec 25 '19 at 15:21, by Deusovi
CCCC: Disguised scene target!! (6, 5)
 
7:43 PM
Apr 15 '18 at 6:08, by Deusovi
Oh, I've been kidnapped again.
 
Avi
@Deusovi nobody starred that?
unbelievable
or was it C4 - 'twas, I'm blind to what's in front of my eyes...
 
well, it starts with "CCCC:" in bold so
 
DEUSOVI, YOU ARE COMMANDED TO SURRENDER NOW
 
Avi
only if you can make a puzzle that will make him surrender
preferably linguistics-based
 
It's been tried. Multlple times
 
Avi
7:46 PM
that's because you have yet to invent the eternity code
 
Deus, do you have a count of all the times you've been killed/kidnapped/locked up?
 
nah, haven't gone back to check
 
Avi
deusovi backwards is IV O SUED.
beware, he might sue you if you lock him up with a Pokemon with IV 0
wait
IV is 4 in roman numerals, O is 0 in cryptic speak
 
@bobble I should note that specifically because of this conversation I just ate three pickles.
2
 
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
 
Avi
7:53 PM
Puzzler 40, in legal trouble, is upset (7)
would be nicer if I hadn't spoiled everything beforehand, but whatever
 
One evil at heart?! (3)
 
Avi
A + _VI_
 
@Avi this confuses me
 
Avi
come on, surely I don't have only 1 evil at heart
 
but what is Bvi?
 
Avi
7:56 PM
oh, I messed it up
 
I suggest "is taken aback"
 
Avi
it was supposed to be VI< + 0< + SUED<
but it was VI + O + SUED<
 
??
 
Avi
deusovi is the name of a puzzler here
 
i am aware of that
but is "O" backwards not "O"?
 
7:57 PM
"upset" being a reversal indicator
 
Avi
backwards, it's IVOSUED
 
hm
 
Avi
but, i'm not sure that the reversal indicator applies to everything properly
 
@Mithical what have you done
you must be executed
 
@matt Restocked on salt after a fast day
 
7:59 PM
no, you have EATEN PICKLES
that is a major offense
 
Avi
i think it's time to calm down
pickles aren't hurting you
 
In elementary school, there was a big tub of salt in the science lab and I would regularly grab handfuls to eat.
(this was neither safe nor sanitary, but it tasted good)
 
why was there a big tub of salt just sitting around
 
Avi
now we know why bobble has 4 brains instead of the regular 1
 
for snacks
 
8:00 PM
My point is there are better ways to get salt than eating pickles
 
@Avi she has 4 brains?
 
Avi
theoretically
 
@matt lots of little-kid science experiments involving saline
 
ah yes
 
Avi
In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not.
 
8:01 PM
@Avi i am a member of the no pickle gang, am i not?
 
Avi
@matt theoretically
 
"theoretically"?!
 
Avi
that's not a CC i would write
i lack the extra brains
 
I have only one brain. It is malfunctioning, though (I have tics). Maybe it'll split into two later.
 
oh no
 
Avi
8:03 PM
:<
 
i suggest going to your local sickbay
oh, right, this isn't the 24th century
but still
 
Avi
i suggest going to your local bloodletter
i hear they can make your letters turn different colors
 
what are you saying
 
Avi
"blood letter"
 
they make letters blood-colored
 
Avi
8:05 PM
something you'd definitely not like to receive in the mail
 
definitely not
uh anyway
 
In conclusion, I have 1 brain. Deus's brain count is yet to be determined - scientists are still studying the first 42 that they found.
5
 
grabs an antimatter pickle, throws at mithical's pickles
@bobble why is this so funny
 
Avi
@matt so dangerous
 
exactly
 
8:07 PM
why is this chatroom so active right now?
 
i have no idea but it is
 
Avi
what is the average weight of a pickle (in kg)?
 
density-ish measurement: 169.07g/cup
(no idea how many cups the average pickle is)
 
Avi
so let's say 1/4th cup
 
wolfram alpha gives 39 g
https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=how+much+does+1+pickle+weigh
per pickle
 
Avi
8:09 PM
ok
reasonable
40g pickle
1 kg of antimatter is uh
 
more
 
Avi
89,875,517,874 MJ.
when it blows up
40/1000 is the ratio
 
enough to detonate 25 pickles
if my math is correct
 
Avi
so approximately
3.6e9 MJ
 
Eyyy just got a D+ on my Physics quiz
thumbs up
 
Avi
8:11 PM
3.6e9 Megajoules
= 45 Atomic Bomb [nuclear Weapon]
 
Honestly what am I doing
 
Avi
so congratulations matt
 
I'm going to wait until the period is over to ask a question that was on the test
 
Avi
your anti-matter pickles have just blown up 45 cities, or 1 city 45 times
 
@Avi Sounds great
 
Avi
8:12 PM
i definitely wouldn't be going around putting that in my mouth
 
fortunately we have antimatter-proof npg-licensed suits
 
three minutes remaining until period is over
Btw no, I'm not cheating, it's already submitted
 
Avi
@matt might be antimatter proof
but can it save you from the kaboom
 
@Avi How do you get an anti-matter proof jacket...?
 
Avi
simple
make it out of antimatter
 
8:13 PM
Someone with photoediting skills, make a NPG logo. Please.
 
Avi
antimatter doesn't blow up when it contacts antimatter
 
Then we can put it on the suits
 
@bobble LMAO
 
Avi
well, since you're made of matter and not antimatter
 
We got the theme song already
 
8:14 PM
@Avi it would explode as soon as we put it on though because we are made of anti-antimatter
 
Avi
the second you put on the suit... you go kaboom
 
@Avi Okay, but the antimatter suit is going to be so unstable it's going to explode with me
Exactly
It'll just explode with the environment
 
so we have to invent neuter matter
 
Avi
we call that matter
 
Just... make a regular bomb
Okay period is OVER baby
 
Avi
8:15 PM
ya why you gotta throw around anti-matter pickles
 
nice
 
Avi
when you could just duke nuke 'em
 
@Avi the punishment should fit the crime
as @North once said
 
Avi
lmao
the second you start to throw it
kaboom
 
@NorthLæraðr I wasn't aware that trees had babies
 
8:16 PM
Okay so you have a plane flying right and you decide to drop a parcel? If you change the altitude, how much does that change how far the parcel will travel?
 
Avi
ya
it takes time
 
@bobble Whatever, metaphorical
 
Avi
to get to bottom
terminal velocity i think
 
Derive two equations for x and y as a function of time
 
Avi
would be slightly different because if you have the parcel in orbit
would probably take a lot longer to land
and what if that parcel is going at escape velocity?
 
8:17 PM
also things don't fall straight down when launched from things that are not going vertical
 
Avi
well they have momentum
 
@matt No I know that
 
Then solve for t when y = 0, and plug into x equation
 
Okay so say I change my altitude by half
 
same plane velocity, right?
 
8:17 PM
How much further or closer will I have to be
@bobble Yup
 
+50% or -50% ?
 
Avi
would depend on gravity probably
 
I have target X
 
Avi
because it accelerates as it goes down, then reaches terminal velocity
 
Okay this is confusing. Bobble can you just help me out
I'll give you the question with different numbers, because I'm trying to understand the concept
"A plane is flying and drops a parcel on an island. If the plane's altitude decreased by 1/4, how much farther must the plane be from the island to land the parcel?"
The answer choices would be in decimals
*further or close
 
8:20 PM
wait, is the island like a single point in space?
 
Yeah
Let me draw a diagram, that might make it easier
 
is altitude height?
 
Yup
Let me get a quick sketch
or not I can't draw nvm
 
Distance fallen is proportional to the square of time. Therefore 3/4 * delta-y is proportional to 3/4 * t^2, or (sqrt(3)/2 * t)^2
 
Avi
8:23 PM
plane: *tries to land on island*
island: *is a mathematical point*
pilot: (´⊙ω⊙`)
 
wait so if I changed that to 1/2, hm let me try to write this out
 
Time falling is proportional to the x-distance traveled (because no a_x = 0). Therefore sqrt(3)/2 * t is proportional to sqrt(3)/2 * delta-x
so distance to island is multiplied by sqrt(3)/2
I think
 
I'm so confused
 
Declare Y = original altitude, X = original distance from island, and t = time to fall onto island.
 
8:25 PM
and plane velocity = v_0
 
Got it
 
Y = 1/2 * g * t^2
 
Right
 
X = v_0 * t
 
right
 
8:27 PM
agggh how to explain this makes sense in my head
 
So if the Y changes by 1/2, that means that it becomes t^2/2
 
okay, t = X/v_0
not sure why I did that
 
Y = 1/2 * g * (X/v_0)^2
 
ah ok
 
8:29 PM
Y * 1/2 = 1/4 * g * (X/v_0)^2
Y * 1/2 = 1/2 * g * (1/sqrt(2) * X/v_0)^2
 
why 1/sqrt2?
 
Do you see how when you multiple Y by anything, X is multiplied by its square root?
Because X is in a ^2
If you pull the 1/sqrt(2) out of the ^2, the equation reverts to before
 
Oh to set it to equal
Right
or sqrt2/2
 
That's how I was thinking. Not sure if it's right.
I feel like posting a question about tutoring in chat on meta, but I'm worried that would be too many meta questions at once
 
what kind of question
 
8:41 PM
At what point it should be ported to a different chat room, for example
 
That's really up to the individual circumstances and the particular room - there's not going to be a overarching answer that applies to every situation.
 
and etiquette about tutoring - we don't want it interfering with ___, you should make sure that ___.
 
Avi
i mean
if there's a hot discussion about puzzles going on it's probably not a great idea to interrupt it with tutoring
but otherwise i'm pretty sure the default approach is lackadaisical
 
how often is there a "hot discussion about puzzles" in this room?
 
Avi
On pane of death I order you to look into this window
@bobble not very often lol
 
8:58 PM
@bobble Hmm, I'm really one of the only ppl that are asking for help
Maybe I should ask less frequently
 
So puzzle discussion
 
Figure out some alternatives
 
there was also me and matt yesterday
 
True
But I moved to matt in a different room
 
So if you're designing a clouds logic puzzle, and you can guarantee that all the clouds are exactly 2x3, what sort of interesting things can you do with designing and cluing?
 
Avi
8:59 PM
overlaps
 
what is a clouds logic puzzle?
 
Avi
^ also I don't know the answer to that question
 
@bobble I think a good rule of thumb for tutoring is probably like if it looks like other people are talking or it's becoming too crowded that it's safe to move another room
 
00:00 - 21:0021:00 - 00:00

« first day (2321 days earlier)      last day (1303 days later) »