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00:00 - 17:0017:00 - 00:00

12:00 AM
so close to the solution :P
 
I mean, you were really close
 
So close, yet so far
 
I wouldn't have gotten it without you parsing the CHIPPER wordplay and figuring out the answer
 
I biked to see a friend, and Google Maps had me go down a hill and then back up it (~45 minute detour). And it kept telling me to turn around. It's um not good with bikes.
 
12:02 AM
there is a bike mode i think
 
I told it I was in bike mode
 
strange
 
My dad says it's because Maps doesn't have much bike data
It kept trying to treat me as a car
 
@bobble I looked up on Wikipedia "Shredder" and the disambiguation page listed "woodchipper", and I was like "huh, chipper means in a good mood and shredder" but couldn't parse wood :P
@bobble Lmao
@bobble Just put it as like pedestrian/walker
 
12:32 AM
@bobble yep!
 
great, constructing clue now
 
@bobble very epic
 
12:46 AM
I got my word and general clue format, just have to figure out better indicators for proper surface
 
1:08 AM
0
Q: This is a hard math challenge

Jingbo the dudeSchool calculators are sold by one company only in one packages of 11 and packages of 15. What is the largest number of calculators it is not possible to purchase without opening a package?

 
1:33 AM
0
Q: Number sequence question that apparently has two answers

pilotjoker999I'm trying to solve a number sequence question that goes like this: 15, 14, 30, ? This question gave four options, 29, 28, 27, and 26. I think that 29 and 28 are both correct but this only accepts one answer. 29 is correct since 15 -1 = 14, then 14 + (15+1) = 30, so its plus then minus, so 30-1=2...

 
1:59 AM
@bobble: my laptop crashed at that point and it took me until now to resurrect it and come back to finish it here - but why bother now. Downvotes not appreciated. I was about to post how the rest could be formulated as CSP and which items were Most-Constraining. I was the first to post any partial solution, and I did post six more solved items than you, or others. — smci 3 hours ago
Seriously?
"Downvotes not appreciated". But they were justified - you don't solve just 6 entries for a crossword
"I was the first to post any partial solution". But you shouldn't have
 
yeah i linked them to the meta post
 
gosh
 
Oh, and "I did post six more solved items than you, or others" - other people likely already had those entries, but were waiting until they solved the whole thing
Plus, you can downvote answers to puzzles you didn't attempt!
grrrr
 
(also off topic-- "shouldn't have")
 
will stop complaining now
 
2:06 AM
Hehe, User: "you can't downvote me". Bobble: "Watch me". User: "Downvote not appreciate". Bobble: "Your post isn't appreciated"
 
that's a very weird question
 
Needs details and clarity
 
It's most definitely not about puzzle-creation, which is why I initially assumed off-topic
 
I have no idea what it's asking
 
2:07 AM
hmm should I retract my close vote to change the reason?
 
no need
 
they should put the source
 
@oAlt No, they need to clarify what they're asking
It doesn't matter if they link a source if the question makes no sense to begin with
 
there are many problems with that question - i think closing as "needs clarity" is fine until they clear things up so we can find which of the other close reasons applies
 
fair enough @PrinceNorthLæraðr
 
2:09 AM
(though i think closing for "off-topic" / "needs a source" would have also been reasonable)
 
It's just very very closable
 
It's asking to be closed
 
hheeeeeelllllooooooooo
 
you missed some very short drama
 
I realize that
Hmm...
 
2:12 AM
Well, the sentence can be interpreted as a wordplay meaning "love"
but still unclear what to do with it
 
Yes, it's really just a riddle.
Speaking of drama
I don't like riley riddles (or affix riddles whatever)
 
wow hot take there
 
so controversial
 
2:14 AM
mmhmm
I also don't like orchestra performance assessments...
yet here we are
so... what's new?
hiiiiiiiiiii aaaavvvvviiiiiii
 
Avi
@Voldemort'sWrath me
 
Yes! We have an Avi!
 
@bobble Oh, btw, I've noticed that sometimes your tone can come across as a tweeny-bit harsh, especially to new users. I think adding something as simple as "please" would help, or phrasing things as a request (i.e., rather than "If it's a puzzle, then post where you got it from", you could say "If it's a puzzle, could you then post where you got it from?" Something like that
 
Oh sorry
 
2:16 AM
It's fine
 
It's not that anything you're writing is bad, it's just helps to phrase it a tiny bit differently. Just one or two words can really change how you come across
I think it's somewhere in the "Be Nice" policy. Let me find it
 
Avi
yikes - I mis-remembered "Ceci n'est pas une pipe" as "C'est ne pas un pipe"
 
I 'gree with north
avi - context?
 
I have never really gotten tone, to be honest. Spoken or written.
 
Avi
2:17 AM
was gonna make a "Ceci n'est pas une Riley Riddle"
 
same lol
same to bobble
and cool to avi
 
Hm, I read somewhere that it helps to ask things as a question rather than perhaps a statement (which could come across as a demand). I only know this because someone else told me this a while, while back when I was first on PSE
 
I only really know any of that stuff because people said it to me...
Oh man my first ever puzzle on this site... was... atrocious
I think it was like -3 or something
 
Avi
oof
 
Hehe. I got blackmailed on my first post ever
 
2:20 AM
-3
Q: A fun series of riddles!

Voldemort's WrathAll of the clues will lead up to the key for a Vigenere Cypher: eutnn wo vvsf. Clue 1 (from www.riddles.com) I'm by nature solitary, scarred by spear and wounded by sword, weary of battle. I frequently see the face of war, and fight hateful enemies; yet I hold no hope of help being brou...

 
Avi
My first one was +20 :o
 
btw my name was inventpalooza back then
it was a phase
@Avi wow
 
-2
Q: I ask your gloves without two sides

web-sudoI ask your gloves without 2 sides Just want to ask the meaning of this sentence?

 
my second was +16
 
2:23 AM
lol
 
Avi
@Voldemort'sWrath bit lucky :)
 
I love me a little bit of luck
 
I don't have any negative posts (either Q or A) on Code Golf or Puzzling.
 
@Bubbler Same
 
Nice I have two I think
 
2:24 AM
I've deleted all my posts with a negative net score, I think
 
It's not possible for me (they're questions)
 
I have very few deleted ones, and none are negative either
 
Anyway, spending a whole morning (read: 8AM to 11AM) solving a great puzzle and then handling a bunch of low quality posts...
I guess that's an average morning
 
Oh wow, I just got a random upvote on my mod-kidnapping puzzle
 
2:27 AM
Oh lol that was me
 
Which, by the way, was a pretty terrible puzzle, but I guess everyone just likes to see the mods abused
 
wdym? that's an incredible puzzle
the most votes i've gotten is like 37
(on a single puzzle)
 
@Voldemort'sWrath Eh, it's really not a great puzzle. I'm not particularly proud of it, but it did give me a lot of upvotes
 
exunctly
 
The clues I think were too vague
 
2:28 AM
and upvotes means validation
I thought it was great
 
Looks at Riley Riddles
 
But then, we are our own worst critics
 
Avi
But whatever. I drowned Rubio anyways. – Prince North Læraðr Apr 27 '18 at 2:43
 
Why is the Riley Riddle I answered the highest voted puzzle smh
:55981450 Oh that was hilarious
 
2:30 AM
btw irdk how this has 32 upvotes... i thought it was gonna be like -150003490 puzzling.stackexchange.com/questions/101240/scoring-a-grid
 
CCCC: Label (in retrospect, with rubbish record), wanting company, acquired the runner-ups of PSE Boss Fight. (8)
It's a little more complicated than I would like, but I really wanted "PSE Boss Fight" to be in the clue
 
There's not that many I'm proud of. I'm proud of the music cipher even though it was a bit convoluted, and the linguistics puzzle: the latter really felt like a somewhat decent puzzle
 
I like my music cipher one too
6
Q: Ah, c'est Ray!​

Voldemort's WrathFor many years, I have been writing to a pen-pal in France. In his latest letter, he said that he had something to give me so we should meet in person. I knew that Laurent dabbled in some composing for the violin, so it wasn't surprising that when we met, he gave me some sheet music with some not...

I assume that +1 was you north on my grid one
 
I'm proud of my first Around the Bend, my second tetromino minesweeper, and my Statue Park
 
@Voldemort'sWrath That was pretty ingenious, not gonna lie
 
2:32 AM
rlly? thx!
 
@bobble I really liked your marching band ones
 
^ yes yes yes
 
Those look like they too forever
 
hiiiiiiii mmmmaaaaaaaatttttttttttttt
 
The second one had a mistake at first post, though :(
 
2:33 AM
we all make mistakes! :):)
 
Oh, I have sooooo many typos (thanks, mild dyslexia) in my posts.
 
@bobble I frickin love this :)
 
And half of my posts are ciphers
 
yea
well i'm outta here! seeya
 
2:35 AM
@PrinceNorthLæraðr Half of my posts are grid deductions
 
@Bubbler Oh, I cannot do grid deductions for the life of me
Minesweepers, Sudoku, and Kakuro are like it
 
Did you try either of my tetromino minesweepers?
The first one can apparently be solved without tetromino logic
 
Nope!\
I don't really do much grid deductions :P
Mostly bc it takes too much time to learn new grid deduction formats
 
Well, the first one is deliberately easy, if you want to try
 
What even are tetronimos?
 
2:39 AM
Connected shapes of four squares
 
I'll try them out sometime
 
like tetris pieces
 
A tetromino is a geometric shape composed of four squares, connected orthogonally (i.e. at the edges and not the corners). This, like dominoes and pentominoes, is a particular type of polyomino. The corresponding polycube, called a tetracube, is a geometric shape composed of four cubes connected orthogonally. A popular use of tetrominoes is in the video game Tetris, which refers to them as tetriminos. The tetrominoes used in the game are specifically the one-sided tetrominoes. == The tetrominoes == === Free tetrominoes === Polyominos are formed by joining unit squares along their edges....
 
You don't need to know the terms, the pieces to use are usually shown alongside the puzzle itself
 
late to the discussion but: I have had downvotes but never a net negative score
 
2:40 AM
just finished watching Journey 2: The Mysterious Island
 
@Bubbler Ah I see
@oAlt LOL Everyone gets downvotes
Even the legendary Deusovi
Either that or he recently downvoted an answer
Oh I also like playing black box
 
i do get downvotes too
@PrinceNorthLæraðr there are some different 'categories' that are good to learn together because they have similar rulesets
"wall" genres are one example of this: tapa, nurikabe, nanro, cross the streams
if you learn one of them you'll get a lot of intuition that can be carried around to others
 
Hm, alright
I'll focus on languages puzzles for now :P
They're a bit more intuitive for me
 
so if you're looking to get into them, that might be a good starting point
makes sense!
 
2:46 AM
a response to "i'll focus on language puzzles"
 
@Deusovi ohmy
 
3:07 AM
MOD HAMMER* = HM, ME DO ARM
 
@Deusovi Hehe, I don't know how to directly translate the Ancient Greek automatically, but I can spell them perfectly in Ancient Greek :P
I'm a bit annoyed that they transliterated the "k" as a "c"
Did modern Greek drop the "h" sound?
 
testing to see if a greek site existed, sorry
 
yeah I think modern Greek doesn't have [h], not sure though
 
@PrinceNorthLæraðr huh?
 
@Deusovi I can write the transliterations of the Greek in their original form
 
3:20 AM
what greek?
 
no [h] to be found
 
In the urm international linguistics puzzle
 
oh
you gave no context for this
 
@matt Haha! But Ancient Greek does have an "h" sound
@Deusovi Oh, sorry about that. I thought I did
 
ok here's Ancient Greek:
 
3:22 AM
You didn't let me finish
 
s-sorry :/
 
H sounds are marked with an apostrophe on top of the vowel. An apostrophe facing forward means that an h sound comes before the vowel (ho), an apostrophe facing inwards means that the h sounds comes after (oh)
 
did not know
 
Wait let me double-check I got the apostrophe directions right. It might be reversed (grabbing my Greek Bible)
Yup. An apostrophe with the tail facing the right means that the h sounds comes before the vowel.
Tail to the left means it comes after. It's like a breath mark, I think
@matt "The [h] sound before a vowel is signalled by a rough breathing sign [with ο added for illustration]: ὁ; and when there is no initial [h] sound before vowels, the smooth breathing sign is ὀ. The rough breathing may also be used with initial rho: ῥ."
 
cries in not knowing how Greek works
 
3:38 AM
That's the only real gimmick in Ancient greek in terms of spelling
Oh, also, they have a ton of accent marks
 
3:50 AM
I think my grid-deduction puzzle juices have run out :( I'll work on some crosswords
 
remembers what jafe said about puzzle (idea) juice
 
0
Q: A riddle in the jungle

00xxqhxx00 I had lived with the monkeys, I may fart like the skunks, I can sing like a nightingale, I eat like a tiger. I can ruin or save the world, As how the jungle gods did. I can build a shelter like a beaver, What do you think I am?

 
4:24 AM
0
Q: Who's the spy in our company?

fortunefistIt's a dark, cold night. The only warmth our company has is a small fire as not to be seen by the enemy. Alas! There is a spy amongst us... The only clue to who the spy is, a cypher written on a small strip of paper passed from an unknown informant. Who is the spy? TEMENARQVTAZAKNPFDPONOTSLMENNZJ...

 
 
3 hours later…
7:16 AM
1
Q: Where does my friend live? 2

00xxqhxx00Another of my friend gave me this code to show where he live: RODA, NAYU, GURU, GARA, MOLO, ZENE, LIZA, ANIT, ELIH, IVIL, ANIR Can you figure out where he lived

 
 
2 hours later…
9:44 AM
@bobble I'm really not sure about this, but "Label" could be an ID (like a user ID), "in retrospect" is DI. "with rubbish record wanting company" is RDER*. So we have DIRDER, "acquired the runner-ups of PSE Boss", _S_ _O_, is DISORDER. So far so good, but then the definition would have to be "Fight" and that's what makes me hesitate.
 
 
2 hours later…
11:21 AM
0
Q: Special arrangement of 16 cards

Dmitry KamenetskyThis puzzle is from Martin Gardner. You are given 16 cards containing all aces, kings, queens and jacks from a standard deck of cards. Can you arrange them in a 4x4 grid such that each row and each column contain all four suits as well as one of each face value? Bonus question: in addition to the...

 
12:32 PM
Regarding that question: Didn't know "who're" is a proper contraction of "who are" - hmmmmmmm
 
Who're we'll t' b'judge what'll b'proper.
 
 
1 hour later…
2:06 PM
Good morning!
@bobble Have you sufficiently drained my puzzling abilities
 
@msh210 that is actually correct. I thought of it as "a fight" and "a disorder", where both indicate a state of confusion and such.
@PrinceNorthLæraðr apparently not
 
@Voldemort'sWrath the person has now changed their puzzle to add a second cipher, and changed the flavor entirely... not sure what to think
 
@bobble oh, okay
@bobble probably in response to the comment
CCCC: Texts plenty, over a long period of time. (8)
 
2:38 PM
@PrinceNorthLæraðr :)
 
matt hath arrived
 
Trying to solve the C4
 
jafe hath arrived
 
@matt I read that as math hath arrived and I was like OH NO
I said c4 and jafe comes. Hmmmm
 
please, no need to stand up
 
2:39 PM
think you replied to the wrong message North
 
Welp whatever
 
although i do have algebra 2 today so yes, math has arrived
 
My initial thoughts on the C4 is that it's like a double or triple def
 
tdef??
 
double-double def would be quadruple deg
 
2:42 PM
Texts, plenty, over a long period of time
 
i think it's "a long period of time" either after of inside "plenty"
 
makes sense
 
@jafe A long period of time=ERA
 
age, era, eon?
maybe A + one of those?
 
@jafe of those three, ages are the shortest (geologically speaking)
eons are the longest
 
2:49 PM
I think ERA seems like the easiest one to fit in....
 
a quick search brought up messAGEs and passAGEs, but I don't think "plenty" can be "messs" or "passs"
 
messages would be 8 letters containing age but then plenty would be messs
ah sniped
 
I'm thinking maybe PROLONGS
Ddef of texts plenty and over a long period of time (shrugs)
Prob not
 
It would have to be PROLONGED
for the second def
 
Hmph
EXTENDED? I don't know
I don't see how that fits "texts plenty" though
hehe, OVERLONG
@bobble Wait, can't a "long period of time" also just be AGES so MESS+AGES?
 
3:07 PM
@PrinceNorthLæraðr ding ding ding
 
oh huh i think that works
 
Bam, baby!
 
"plenty" = MESS as in "mess hall" maybe?
congratulations! you've won responsibility!
5
 
what is "a" doing?
 
@bobble Hehe, I give you a win, you give me a win :P
 
3:07 PM
boop
 
@bobble It's literally like several hours ago but reversed
 
nice solve (and nice clue too! very smooth surface)
 
@Deusovi "a mess of" = "plenty of". I'm not sure if "mess hall" is from the same meaning.
@bobble "a long period of time" = "ages" as in "it's ages since we've met"
 
ahh
 
@msh210 that's new to me
 
3:09 PM
@msh210 yup, that's what I was thinking
I was thinking, "ages" doesn't necessarily have to be plural....
 
my biology teacher is playing halloween music
 
halloween music oof
 
my thoughts exactly
 
some halloween music is cool
as long as it's not monster mash
 
too late
 
3:11 PM
hm. I don't know even know any Halloween music, except "Monster Mash".
 
ooohhhhh
christmas music
 
@Deusovi English Wiktionary: 2. (colloquial) A large quantity or number. My boss dumped a whole mess of projects on my desk today. She brought back a mess of fish to fix for supper.
 
jingle bell rock
 
Christmas music I know just because I used to live in the States and its unavoidable for the last 2 months of the year: radio stations, store background music, commercials. But Halloween music... nah
 
halloween music is ubiquitous too
around this time
 
3:14 PM
is it? i'm also familiar with getting flooded by christmas music, but that's the only halloween song i know
 
@Deusovi it does not appear at dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/mess but does at merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mess ("a large quantity or number They're in a mess of trouble.")
 
hmmm... maybe halloween music is just me then!
 
@msh210 ah, neat - thanks for the sources then
 
like thriller
 
oh, I know one more actually -- Strange Things Happen In This World
 
3:16 PM
or ghostbusters
I put a spell on you
etc
 
Deusovi can I ask you a question for the C4, though it would forfeit your right to solve it if it were to be legal
 
sure
 
@msh210 apparently it's called "Laurie (Strange Things Happen)"
 
wrong link
 
3:18 PM
you gave me the private link rather than the sharing link - the only options i have are "burn this secret" and "create another secret"
@PrinceNorthLæraðr not familiar with a context where that would work
 
right
 
Okay
Thank you
 
that's not a thing as far as i know
 
Avi
3:24 PM
Is the most recent C4 by msh?
 
it was recently solved; north is writing another one
 
but the answer to your question is yes
 
Avi
thanks :)
 
Avi
3:37 PM
I was wondering what is the longest snake you can put in a 10x10 square
 
100? Is there some twist where it couldn't hit every square?
 
"snake" in logic puzzles is sometimes defined to be a path that doesn't touch itself, even diagonally
 
Avi
yes, no adjacencies
 
Ahh, I was thinking like Nokia snake
 
Avi
longest I could find was 59
like so
 
3:40 PM
I think I've seen a proof this is optimal
Gimme a minute to dig it up
Wait nvm I was thinking of something else
 
it would surprise me if that was non-optimal
 
Avi
alright, that's good enough for now
thanks for the intuitions :)
 
I wonder if you can get more if you allow more snakes (that can't touch)
 
ahh snakes
(was half expecting a hiiiii maaaaaatttttt but then i saw voldy left)
 
in Tavern on the Meta on Meta Stack Exchange Chat, 16 mins ago, by Shadow 10 Years Wizard
Change of subject! Two headed snake:
 
3:51 PM
@JohnDvorak i immediately tried to parse that as a cryptic
3
 
dont overthink it lol
 
Avi
4:14 PM
Change of subject! 2 headed into the deeps? 1 + 1? Not quite. (9)
rot13(QVIREF + V + BA(-r))
 
@Avi perfection
 
4:37 PM
hey, 'borg!
crossword is still requested
 
So uh, I realized as I was going to post that I completely did it wrong.
 
how?
 
I didn't realize they wrap around left to right and then right to left
 
oooooooooooh
 
I had them wrapping left-right-left-right
 
4:38 PM
yeah, that's sort of the point
 
Whoopsie
 
having subsegments that reverse
so will you make another?
didja like my CCCC?
 
That's still a different kind of puzzle, right?
 
I'm still catching up on chat history, were there C4s?
 
4:40 PM
I solved msh210's, then made a PSE Boss Fight C4
which msh solved
 
You did???
 
14 hours ago, by bobble
CCCC: Label (in retrospect, with rubbish record), wanting company, acquired the runner-ups of PSE Boss Fight. (8)
 
I love it
You honor me with this gift
 
I actually had forgotten that it's PSE Bosh Rush, not Fight, but oh well
 
It's still an amazing C4
 
4:42 PM
also, the label acquires the runner-ups because the winner is obviously Deus
 
Obviously :p
Also: Gender today?
 
still non-binary, I think??? Not as sure as yesterday
 
They it is
Hi Voldy!
 
Voldy, how long are you keeping the bobblied picture?
 
Until he finds the Elder Wand and uses its power to drive them away... for now
 
4:45 PM
according to the chat search (which is sometimes unreliable), I just started calling Voldermort's Wrath "Voldy" and everyone else went along with it
 
That's pretty much what happened
@Voldemort'sWrath Do you have other name/pronouns you would prefer we call you besides Voldy? :p
 
Always been Voldy in my head, but that's what I use to refer to He Who Must Not Be Named as well
 
Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself
 
Deep
 
After a super verbose fourth puzzle, I went short and sweet for puzzle five, and squeezed six clues in only three sentences.
 
4:48 PM
Nice, I'll take a look after work :)
 
@Ankoganit yep! lemme try to find an example
it's traditionally printed as a snake iirc
 
Oh, cool
 
So many variety crossword types! :)
 
@AnthonyIngram-Westover Is OHARE the final answer?
it IS an airport, at least :)
 
Really quick :)
 
4:53 PM
now I only need to find all 6 clues, I think I only see 4 atm
 
One might be a stretch to call it a clue, and there's a seventh if you count the indication that it wasn't a lat/long solution this time
 
"So we are going to change things up a bit this time" initially made me think of ternary, especially because we have 3 punctuations characters in the story
Ok I actually only have 3 now that I think about it. I will post the answer nonetheless for now
 
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