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12:19 AM
@Stiv ohno
 
12:59 AM
CCCC: Taking number 2 out of {0,1,2}? It may be binary (4)
 
Nice! Really like the surface
PAIR could work if binary is the def, but I don't know about the wordplay
ACtually if it's binary it could also be DUAL or TWIN. Long story short, it doesn't help
 
i don't expect this one to last very long but i thought the surface was nice
 
It could be TW(-o)+IN, but I'm not sure where where the IN comes from
 
@Deusovi Solution to your CCCC is T(-h)REE because {0,1,2} is the usual ("von Neumann") way to represent 3 in set theory, and a tree may be binary.
And yes, it's a very nice surface!
 
1:14 AM
How is a tree binary?
 
A binary tree is one where internal nodes have at most two children.
 
(This is a computer science tree, not a tree made out of wood.)
 
Also isn't it like 1 in England?
 
I don't understand that question at all.
Oh, time? Yes.
 
1:16 AM
@GarethMcCaughan Oh, well you can't blame me for thinking of a wood tree
Eyes suspiciously How do you have the mental capacity to solve a C4 at like 1 in the morning?
 
@GarethMcCaughan yep
 
It was a pretty easy one (if one happens to have the right background to make sense of it at all).
 
yeah, like i said, didn't expect it to last long
 
Dang, I was almost sure that there was some CS stuff going on
 
(sorry, that was an answer to North's question, not a gratuitous remark to you)
 
1:17 AM
@PrinceNorthLæraðr 3AM is ideal cryptic-solving hours
1AM is getting pretty close so it makes sense that gareth would get it then
 
@Deusovi Reaaaallly?
 
in my experience, at least! definitely not due to my awful sleep schedule nope not at all
 
Is it also an ideal time for clue-setting?
 
haven't figured that out yet. will report back when i get more data
 
CCCC: Taking number 2 out of {0,1,2}? A remainder may be binary (4)
(not very happy with that, and it'll probably also fall quickly, but the idea amused me)
 
1:20 AM
TREE?
 
i very much doubt that gareth would set essentially the exact same clue with only slightly modified wording
 
He could but I doubt it too
S(-e)T+**
 
ah, S(-e)T + A + R
 
Yup.
I wish I could have done better than "A" for the A.
 
What's AR?
 
1:22 AM
A = A, remainder = R
 
Oh, a binary STAR
I was close :P
 
also, I wanted to get it out quickly because although 1am is pretty early by my standards I actually would like to go to bed soon.
 
you want this one? i'm currently working on a puzzle project (that i'm hoping to have finished before this FTC is over)
 
@Deusovi What's the time for you right now?
@Deusovi Who, me?
 
about 8:30 pm
@PrinceNorthLæraðr yes, you
who else?
 
1:23 AM
I don't know, Gareth? :P
Sure, I'll take it
 
1:34 AM
CCCC: Typical fan head to Dodgers after realizing defeat. (8)
I don't expect this one to stay up very long either
(if someone can pint it)
(@Deusovi)^
 
 
1 hour later…
3:09 AM
2
Q: Chain Puzzle: Tabletop Games #09 - “The” Cryptic Movies

bobbleThis is the ninth Chain Puzzle in the Tabletop Games series, in which all puzzles are themed around board games, card games, tile games, and the like. The answer to this puzzle is a thematic word or phrase. The solver whose answer is awarded the green checkmark has first refusal on the opportunit...

 
3:30 AM
:0
 
?
 
3:55 AM
nothing noteworthy
just a reaction to the chain puzzle series continuing
 
I was a bit slow making it...
 
4:23 AM
that's okay though
 
4:39 AM
@Deusovi how awful is your sleep schedule?
 
at the moment, slightly better than usual
last week i was regularly up until 5-6am though, so that probably tell you something
 
when do you sleep??
 
@bobble Oooh coooool
 
4:55 AM
I got 3/12 clues already! So proud of myself
5/12
 
user487507
5:12 AM
sup
 
user487507
accidentally landed in here
 
user487507
who's eating turkey this week?
 
user487507
bye now
 
@Sphinx Wow that was a quick delete
I barely flagged it and bam! disappeared
@user131873 Our family usually doesn't eat turkey- we eat more like steak or something
 
Sid
5:31 AM
@Sphinx oooooh
These clues look doable but I am so horribly out of practice
 
6:10 AM
@user131873 we don't observe the thanksgiving holiday in our country; regardless, i have never had turkey before and not this week either :0
 
6:47 AM
@GarethMcCaughan does your not-very-happiness stem from the definition half?
 
 
2 hours later…
9:00 AM
@user131873 Possibly, depending on whether I'm home for the weekend or not and if my family can find a turkey
 
9:44 AM
1
Q: Emoji anime pop-quiz

Thomas BlueFound a quiz in an old dialogue of mine. First to guess all five gets the tick.

 
 
2 hours later…
11:24 AM
2
Q: Double twisted connect wall

KeelhaulThis puzzle continues on the trend of connect-walls (a bit late for the Topic Challenge #42, I'm afraid), but with some twists. First, it's a double connect-wall! The following image can be separated in 4 groups of 4 squares... but in two ways. After finding these groupings, you'll have to rearra...

 
aaand the newest chain puzzle is on HNQ :0
 
well there is a criminal on the loose, makes sense to call for network-wide backup
3
 
11:40 AM
@msh210 Nah, the definition is OK (or at least as OK as in the previous clue I was deliberately echoing). But I don't like "a remainder": it spoils the surface a bit.
 
12:15 PM
@GarethMcCaughan oh, I thought maybe because "may be binary" is a description but the answer is a noun
Not to say that invalidates the clue or anything... just that it leaves it slightly weak, or at least some might think so.
 
I agree it's arguably a weakness. But it's an arguable weakness also present in the clue I was deliberately echoing, so I didn't mind that.
 
12:44 PM
@GarethMcCaughan approximate?
 
(1) Not convinced that "approximate" -> A. (2) Doesn't seem like it really makes a better surface.
 
@GarethMcCaughan (1) No? Maybe not. I seem to recall seeing that sometimes. (2) No, it's a worse surface IMO. But it is something other than "a" for A, since you expressed interest in same.
Yeah, fwiw, English Wiktionary has "about" as a sense of "a.". (Though it doesn't specify which meaning(s) of "about" is/are included.)
 
1:27 PM
0
Q: 10 Rats and 10 bottles, find one non poisonous bottle with least rats killed

moonrikaThere are 10 bottles of liquid, out of which 9 bottles are poisonous and one bottle of liquid is non-poisonous. The rats are to be fed this liquid one bottle at a time and rats die instantaneously. The non poisonous bottle has to be identified with least number of rats killed.

 
1:52 PM
0
Q: Riley's Imposter!

risky mysteriesHere is six-letter a word: ###### si####: I am the result of heat. ##dd##: I am the result of a depression. ####le: I am the result of laziness. What is ######? Rules: Instead of giving you a hint for each of the prefix, infix and suffix of the word to figure out the word, I will give you an i...

 
a typical fan is obsessed, head to dodgers is D, and when you realize defeat you're like "o, BS esse"
3
#greatc4solutions
 
2:17 PM
2
Q: Animal Cross(word)ing

StivAn entry in Fortnightly Topic Challenge #43: Variety Crossword Grids Each of the 40 clues listed below (a mix of pop culture and science/nature) yields the name of an animal. Your task is to solve the clues and enter their solutions into the accompanying grid in accordance with the following rul...

 
2:32 PM
@PrinceNorthLæraðr, out of curiosity: which clues did you have before have posted an answer?
*jafe, not have. I'm on my phone instead of computer, and it has autocorrect
 
3:14 PM
autocorrect is not always good
 
3:41 PM
@jafe Yup! :P
(Just kidding)
@bobble 7/12 and I figured out a category too- HARLEM, GHOSTS, LOS ANGELES, MERCURY, WAX, ANGRY, AND SMASH, and The Incredible Hulk category (HARLEM, ANGRY, SMASH)
 
3:53 PM
hey jafe!
 
sup
 
i'd learn how to say points up in klingon but bing's translator is terrible
also, /s[aeiouy]p/
 
how dare they neglect klingon to work on stuff nobody uses like german
 
hehe
 
the dojo category was the first for me
had to google the mercury one
 
Avi
4:28 PM
head to Dodgers = indirect first letter to Swindlers = S, after "realizing defeat" = FAILURE, so typical fan(s) are FAILURES which is totally understandable if you're in the southern hemisphere
#IllegalC4Solutions
but seriously, I did not know that Dodgers were swindlers
 
Avi
4:44 PM
@Sphinx shoutouts to this puzzle for being dank
 
0
Q: Date Validator Help Me plz

user72501Mr. Bhola is not aware of Gregorian calendar dates. However, he knows that date is in the format ddmmyyyy. You need to draw a flowchart for Mr. Bhola which he can follow and determine whether a certain 8 digit number is a valid date or not. E.g. if the number is 01321011 Mr. Bhola will follow you...

 
@Avi "what should we name our sports team? let's go with another word for con men"
 
Avi
precisely
We steal the wins, we dodge the losses
 
i bet it was the same guy who named dc's football team and was like "you know guys, ethnic slurs are gonna be big this year"
 
Avi
true
Bunch of ravens ends in sunk catastrophe (10) <- p. ez imo
 
4:55 PM
@jafe Dc?
@Avi What?
I didn't realize the C4 would stay up this long
 
Avi
@PrinceNorthLæraðr "dodger" is a synonym for "swindler" or various other unsavoury occupations
 
Ah
Well I usually give C4 hints when I'm awake in the morning rather than by a strict 24-hour period so
C4 Hint #1: The first letter is S
 
@Avi unkindness*
 
C4 hint 1.5: Oh, also- I just realized, it should be "heads" not "head"
 
Avi
@jafe yup!
 
4:59 PM
Typo on my part, I didn't even realize until now
 
what is it with using random nouns for groups of random animals
@PrinceNorthLæraðr (as in "redskins" from washington dc)
 
Avi
Haven't you ever heard of a "bath of pickles" or a "difference of ice cubes"?
 
which i now realize has been renamed recently
 
@jafe Ah
@Deusovi (or some other mod) if you can change "head" to "heads" in the C4, I'd appreciate it. Thank you
 
Avi
tf?
yikes, I don't know any words that start with tf
 
5:08 PM
c4's stan + _d _a _r _d
 
Avi
gg no re
 
Hey, looks like there's a new C4 to solve :D
 
Avi
I think jafe got it
 
Drat
That was a good one
 
5:14 PM
Thanks! I made a typo though, and gave away the answer, I think :/
 
(hey mick!)
 
Bonjour!
 
Avi
a library of owls
 
14
Q: Feature Preview: Table Support

Ham VockeNo waffling, right to the point: What? When? Where? Table support 2020-11-23 Meta Stack Exchange & DBA Meta More table support week of 2020-11-30 DBA Stack Exchange Even more table support week of 2020-12-07 Network-wide launch (if no major issues found) That's right. It's finally...

 
Avi
a strategy of zebras
 
5:16 PM
I think the "typical fan" v.s. just "fan=stan" was a bit ironic, which was why I liked this one
 
^^^Might make things like Word(tm) puzzles easier...
 
I'm one of those people who heavily overuses the word "stan," can't lie
 
@Sciborg nuqneH
 
I know that one! That means hello!
 
??
Star Trek?
 
5:17 PM
Klingon
 
mhm
literally it's "what do you want"
 
The one Klingon word i remember from the show
 
Avi
@PrinceNorthLæraðr it was a good CCCC
 
Thank you~
 
gotta run again, so Qapla'
 
5:18 PM
Heck yeah, it was really fun :D
Bye mith!
 
@Sciborg rolls eyes you didn't even try it :P
 
^^^^ (Qapla' = success)
 
I meant that the wordplay was fun, came too late to solve
 
A stan is anything but a "typical" fan :P
@Sciborg Ah, thank you. I was like how do I clue "dard" and figured, go for the good ol' "head of everything else that follows this word"
 
The old "head of the entire thing" trick :p
 
5:20 PM
(also, the Klingon word for fish is ghotI')
:P
 
CCCC: Members of Parliament getting naked? Town Hall ultimately facing a bit of scandal (4)
 
Oh my god
well folks i have a new favorite C4
 
what was your previous favorite c4?
 
it has a curse in it so i can't post it here
only four letters though? and all those words??
 
c4's, not cc's in general :p
 
5:25 PM
@jafe _ow_ _l s_
 
@msh210 that's right
 
wait what????
 
Avi
owls are members of parliament?
 
(t)OW(n) (hal)L S(candal) i think
 
i'm american, i don't speak monarchy
 
5:27 PM
@matt yeah
@Avi a parliament of owls
CCCC: On the side without damage, roll from Cuba around to Doctor James, a New York mobster–actor–journalist from Italy (4,12)
 
what???
 
Why does everyone keep saying "what???"?
@jafe nice surface
 
what????
 
the torus
 
what?
 
5:30 PM
Que????
 
Avi
what!
@msh210 it's because w needs a better hat
 
@Avi w̆
 
(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ w ♥
 
@msh210 thanks!
 
5:34 PM
 
nuq??
 
 
ɰ̈
Okay, I'll stop.
 
20
Q: Feature Preview: Table Support

Ham VockeNo waffling, right to the point: What? When? Where? Table support 2020-11-23 Meta Stack Exchange & DBA Meta More table support week of 2020-11-30 DBA Stack Exchange Even more table support week of 2020-12-07 Network-wide launch (if no major issues found) That's right. It's finally...

Welp, time to retire @Rubio's tried-and-tested "What is a Word[TM]" MathJax table code :-)
 
hm
 
5:37 PM
21 mins ago, by Mithical
14
Q: Feature Preview: Table Support

Ham VockeNo waffling, right to the point: What? When? Where? Table support 2020-11-23 Meta Stack Exchange & DBA Meta More table support week of 2020-11-30 DBA Stack Exchange Even more table support week of 2020-12-07 Network-wide launch (if no major issues found) That's right. It's finally...

21 mins ago, by Mithical
^^^Might make things like Word(tm) puzzles easier...
my turn to be the ninja, @Rand
 
Darn, didn't scroll far enough @Mith
 
:)
 
hehe
 
@Randal'Thor I never made a What is the Word(tm) because I didn't know how to do the MathJax
 
Neither do I, but I know how to copy-paste from other posts :-P
 
5:53 PM
I made one, it just didn't wind up on Puzzling.
 
oooh table support
 
Avi
👍
 
as long as we don't flip any tables, everything should be fine :p
 
6:09 PM
or drop tables
 
or explode tables
@Mithical where did it wind up?
 
6:25 PM
They kinda blend into each other at some point
(but I'm about 90% sure it's only in the Pro version of whichever game it's in)
Okay no, I checked and it's in the Jerusalem one. Pro version only, latter half of the game.
 
Nice! :D
 
6:47 PM
Drat, missed the 'borg
 
(hey bobble!)
 
Still on my phone
 
...and?
 
It's annoying to use chat on mobile. Also I can only have one visible at a time
 
are you on an iPhone or Android or something completely different?
 
6:56 PM
*one tab visible. And Android, I think
 
idk much about android but umm try tapping the three dots in the top right and look for something like "view desktop website"
 
Then everything would be too small
 
hm
in that case I have no idea what to do
 
7:18 PM
@bobble it's not that bad
I use it all the time
 
I'm used to my computer; I don't use my phone much at all
 
I've been using my phone almost exclusively the past month xD
 
oh btw bobble, to edit/star/etc. on mobile, just tap the message you want to edit/star/etc. a thingy should pop up at the top of the screen
 
7:53 PM
also, UNIVERSE CREATION* = A NEUTRINO SERVICE
i'm not wrong ... :P
 
Avi
where do you find these?!
 
Avi
true, but why would you type in universe creation xd
 
idk
also, THE SPHINX'S LAIR has 8,839 anagrams
 
...okay?
not really sure what the point of that number is - things have a lot of anagrams
 
8:03 PM
me neither
 
user487507
8:34 PM
@Mithical good luck finding a turkey; I'm back home from Tibet and will have plenty of turkey and stuffing 🙂
 
user487507
Happy thanksgiving week, everyone
 
8:53 PM
@Mithical I like the name :P
 
9:47 PM
0
Q: Equation $X^4-DY^4=Z^4$ (part 1)

Vassilis ParassidisI posted this question a few days ago and it caused a lot of misunderstanding. I decided to repost the question in two parts and give more explanatory information. On part one X,Y,Z are positive integers. The number D is a terminating decimal always. The numbers X,Y,Z do not have a common factor....

 
 
2 hours later…

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