The Sphinx's Lair

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Sphinx

1:46 AM

This puzzle is part of the Monthly Topic Challenge #11: Now in 3D. There are nine distinct known three-cell Garden of Eden patterns in the Life Without Death cellular automata, including the two well-known triominoes. The nine pieces are as follows: * . * . . . * . . * * . . . . * . . * * . . ...

Sphinx

2:38 AM

Q: A and B don't know their own values

() isn't used mathematically in this puzzle. () means that whatever is inside should be evaluated in the most suitable and appropriate way. nvo(A or B) means the initial numerical value of A or B. Two numbers were frustrated with each other. They fought, and the injured parts separated and became...

mathematics enigmatic-puzzle lateral-thinking story calculation-puzzle

2 hours later…

Jafe

4:19 AM

TIL the name of the puzzle type heyawake is an actual japanese term and not derived from english "hey awake"

oAlt

4:38 AM

yeah i also got fooled by that before

2 hours later…

Sphinx

6:31 AM

Q: Why have I stopped listening to my favorite album?

Why have I recently stopped listening to my favorite Smashing Pumpkins album? JK, I still love it.

knowledge music humor

Sphinx

6:57 AM

Q: Odd solutions are in 3d

This puzzle is part of the Monthly Topic Challenge #11: Now in 3D. You are given a collection of sticks which are straight lines of length 1. Two such sticks can be attached to each other at their end points either to form a straight line of length two or at a 90 degree angle. Your task is to bui...

mathematics geometry

2 hours later…

Sphinx

8:40 AM

-2

Q: Problem with three boats

The ocean is being navigated by three boats. The corners of an equilateral triangle are formed by the three ships. Boat 1 travels south at a constant speed of 10 kn, Boat 2 travels west at an unidentified speed, and Boat 3 travels northeast at an unspecified speed**.** Establish the specific rate...

probability three-dimensional board-games

msh210

C4 hints: 1. The answer is the surname of someone in the news of late (including yesterday. 1′. And today). 2. The definition's at the clue's end.

Stiv

@Sphinx This is spam containing a hidden link to a Kanye West merch site. Please flag as spam to delete. Thanks.

msh210

Plus, IINM, it's a duplicate.

Stiv

8:58 AM

Yup. They've ripped off another popular question from the past few days.

oAlt

Oh, I think I know what the answer is to the C4. (And Jafe has clued this word before.)

Stiv

I was originally going to flag as dup until I spotted the offending punctuation mark hyperlink...

oAlt

@msh210 this is Carlos ALCARAZ (a server, in tennis) = ALCATRAZ (prison) + escapee is T_ (first to toady) = ALCA(-t)RAZ.

msh210

@oAlt yes indeed. And I'd completely forgotten we'd had it as a C4 already.

Oh, and he used the same wordplay, too, I see. Sorry about that.

oAlt

Nah it's probably a non-issue

CCCC: "Forested area's destroyed again? Run, Chief!" "I did run away." (6 6)

Jafe

9:08 AM

pretty interesting to see the same kind of wordplay written in one way that takes 7 min to solve and one that takes 2 days

msh210

9:20 AM

I wonder what the intended solution to puzzling.stackexchange.com/questions/100190/… was

Jafe

9:43 AM

@oAlt this must be an anagram of "again run chief" minus the i, making FRENCH GUIANA (forested area)

oAlt

10:25 AM

@Jafe ye

Jafe

10:53 AM

CCCC: Mad psycho soldier? He's first to toady "I'll be your server" (9)

oAlt

Hahah nice continuation

@Jafe heh this is SYCOPHANT "He's first to toady 'I'll be your server' " = mad PSYCHO* + ANT ("soldier?")

Jafe

that's right

oAlt

11:11 AM

CCCC: Weighty bananas flung by average setter (10)

6 hours later…

msh210

4:42 PM

@oAlt mean I ngful*

oAlt

@msh210 yup :)

Puzzling Meta

5:04 PM

Q: Why are my questions not so well-received?

I don't use this site much and forget about it as SO comes to my mind. I'm not sure if a puzzle can be downvoted, but I'm not sure if it's not my fault, either. I've posted two puzzles until now: What is 12 in this same pattern? and A and B don't know their own values. The first one has 712 views...

discussion support question-quality asking-questions down-votes

msh210

@Rubio CCCC: Simmering horde of sea creatures turned extremely antagonistic at me. You entered into local challenge, leading to end of bonito. (9)

(Thanks for saving me.)

Rubio

I'm not sure I deserve this credit (or blame), but - thank you? :)

3 hours later…

Ankoganit

7:59 PM

good god

Sphinx

8:18 PM

Q: Solving this Utah poem!

Begin your search were time was transcendent crack open the books they're interdependent lift up your eyes and look for the mark Hike to the tree that stands without bark Pass the grain tower that looks out to the west No more than an hour you'll know by it's crest Look down at your map to not w...

poetry

Chris Cudmore

8:33 PM

@Sphinx Ongoing contest. Please VTC

Stiv

Yup. Great big prize too.

2 hours later…

bobble

10:09 PM

It hurts me to see posts to edit and then abstain...

2 hours later…

Sphinx

11:44 PM

Q: Dissections of the "hat" aperiodic monotile

We all know the "hat" monotile by now, right? It can obviously be dissected into 8 congruent kites, or 4 congruent pentagons. Can it be dissected at all into 2 congruent shapes? What about 3? In general, characterize the values of n for which the hat can be dissected into n congruent pieces. (I ...