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18:00
way to ruin the perfectly clean internet with your foul mouth, second poster
to be fair, the first poster has a point. I hate when people namecheck Dean in a movie.
"As for "adequate approximation", the quote directs us to believe "one half" of what we see which I've taken to mean what we see is a approximation of the truth." That... doesn't really make sense
and the thing about belligerent and hyperbolical doesn't really work either
if you point out a nerd being racist they will run to the dictionary to "prove" (via misapplied prescriptivism) that nothing they said was racist but if you put them in front of a puzzle they will tie themselves up in knots to explain that "country star" is an eagle because eagles are birds and so are turkeys and turkey is a country.
The above message is brought to you by the Council of Random Statements.
:P
haha
what I said, or the thing I'm responding to?
Now I want to make a puzzle
...I can't decide what I want to make, yet, but...
I want the title to be, "Now that was completely random!"
I had a better title, a moment ago, but forgot it while I was typing.
"And now for something completely different"
I know, I'll make it cryptic and have the answer be a book, that happens to have been published by Random House! :P
Yeah, I thought of that, too, but I wanted the word Random
18:14
Puzzle is: Can you find Mr E.V. Lambert of Homeleigh
put the book in a plastic bag and you've got yourself a deal
^^
Sold!
@Khale_Kitha watch out, some nerd will jump into the comments to remind you that nothing is completely random
Posts puzzle so q_a can post the above comment
I accidentally started to type "Random" instead of q_a.
Fate is completely random, because you always least expect it
18:15
"actually snort this puzzle should be closed because pushes up glasses there's no such thing as true randomnesnort, coughing, catching breath"
So Freudian.
Rofl, Gordon
No one expects the Random Inquisition!!!
WHERE?
^random inquisition
There!
hehe
18:16
@Matt I truly did not expect that
NWRESA
I expected that
^mixed answer
there's no true randomness
Silly text delay
18:17
I read that as answer backwards and then realize it was jumbled
(I'm just preparing KK here)
I dub thee @que
posts video titled: "what is kinda random?"
18:18
@humn is alive
okay now I have a meeting, guess it's time for me to go
which has $~ \dfrac {\raise-9mu{\scriptsize\sf equivalent~bits} } { \raise 9mu{\scriptsize\sf punch ~ cells} } = $O(\infty) ~$ in terms of the number of punch cells — humn 1 min ago
I have no idea why this comment sent me a notification. LoL
Btw @humn, you're missing a $ terminator, somewhere
coz u were the only one who had commented on his post
Huh - I've never seen that happen before, though. Generally you have the be the poster or be addressed. Strange.
shrugs
18:22
yeah if there's only one other comment, that person gets a notification (to an un-addressed comment)
Interesting
er, if there's only one person who has commented so far
right
So in other words...
I've had that happen before too
The system is setup to allow notifications for people using comments to converse with each other
Despite us not being allowed to use comments that way.
got it.
I just realized there's a whole new meaning to the phrase: "My eye is feeling punchy"
18:24
ha
I wish there wasn't an Eye Care place around here called "Eye Care For You"
Because i can never think of my eye doctor's place, due to that being in my head
oh my god
I love that
that's so bad, it brings me so much joy
lol
on to trying to remember my eye care name...
focused eye care
The Irony!
lol smh
18:28
the eyerony
I live in a greekish area so the place I went to last was called "odyssey"
lol
So you ...um...took a trip to The Odyssey?
I know, I know
haha
18:29
I was actually pleasantly surprised by how inexpensive it was without insurance
Your real name's Homer - admit it.
that would be dope
not many homers nowadays
I have to have so many things on my glasses that they tend to be over $300 after insurance.
Reason mine are 3 years out-dated.
oh yeah, I got my actual glasses online, I just got the check up and the prescription from the odyssey place
then why even have insurance?
I owe a copy after getting glasses and that's it
18:31
@Matt more and more these days, that's a goooood question
I don't tend to get $50 frames and my lenses are well over $100 - but yeah
At least vision insurance isn't super expensive
last time I went, I got prescription sunglasses because my regular glasses cost me so little
my regular insurance doesn't start paying for anything until I hit my deductible now
so...it's basically worthless unless I have a medical emergency of the type that they cover
Yeah, but y'know...
If you can't afford to pay that nonsense...
You could always pay over $2500 as a fine ><
is that how much the obamacare fine is?
18:32
yeah
I know people who opted to pay the fine because it was literally less than whatever insurance they were offered would be
like, multiple people
Yeah, true
Several people I know had to stop insurance because it moved from ~$200 a month to ~$600 a month
So they got the fine
I know it's not hip to hate on obamacare, but forcing people to buy private insurance or government insurance that they can't afford to use helps no one but the insurance companies
I agree, entirely
I was very much in favor of it when people were throwing around the idea of single-payer/public option/etc
but this was like, the opposite of that.
18:35
It's a bit like... (this is a bit of a stretch)
"Oh, you can't afford food? You dare steal?! I cut off your hands! Now get to work!"
it's not that much of a stretch!
no, not really, but still
we penalize people for not having enough money for [whatever] all the time
anyway, sorry, this is probably more 'political' than most people want from their puzzling chat room
@question_asker no no...please carry on
18:39
You won't be able to hear it now, q_a, sry
(I agree with that person in the title, though - working is stupid)
Honestly, @GordonAllocman , that was a decent rebus, despite the answer ;)
@Khale_Kitha thanks, I thought of it on my hour long commute home and just had to make it haha
i have to laugh at this. They have "sane person" as the antonym of nuts as in "He's nuts", but they ALSO have it as the antonym of "nuts" as in things that grow on a tree.
Also I came back irrespective of you pinging me Khale, guess I just timed it right
18:49
To be fair, that was 8 minutes ago
toot toot i'm a bus
No you are bus bus!
oh, well to me it looked right on time
speaking of which
31
Q: Question the solution: a question

Cᴏɴᴏʀ O'Bʀɪᴇɴ against ^ against | v--- this is + busbus + against | . gnra + >, , @ The solution to this rebus is a question. You do not have to answer it, just discover it. Good luck, and happy puzzling. Hints

you have no idea how bad I want to just start commenting "so whats the answer" on puzzles like that
also on the sculpture park one
18:53
also on the opposites attract one
but at least the two you mentioned have active askers q.q
I dunno if I'd call the rebus guy active
he shows up from time to time to just completely ignore everybody posting answers or asking for hints
Ok well at least still goes on the site
yeah, I dunno. on the one hand, I hate the idea of pressuring someone into revealing the answer just because nobody could figure it out yet
but also, we're not a stupid group of people, and it's generally fair to say that when something goes unsolved for a significant period of time, it's more likely that it's missing information or it's been obfuscated beyond solvability.
Looks like he mostly hangs out on PPCG, though
and "I am the maker of the languages Simplex and Jolf!"
But, at this point, it's long past the point where he should have made a comment or statement.
hahaha so I hadn't bothered to read Gareth's comments on that sculpture park puzzle (because: wall of text) until now
he's basically asking OP to give hints so big that there wouldn't be much left to solve
18:59
Yeah, I read that yesterday
I was afraid of that! Still, here are a few questions you might choose to answer one or more of. Whether the answers will be any use to us, I don't know. 1. Will reflection on the "framing" -- the story about the park, the fire hydrants, the sculptures, etc. -- give us any clues that may help figure out the code(s)? 2. Is it the same code in each case? (I take it the numbers on the fourth statue are something altogether different. I'm asking about 1-3.) 3. Do the numbers on the pillar indicate a span of time, [... continues ...] — Gareth McCaughan 2 days ago
Actually Op asked for questions
So he posted 5 or so possibles
ok fair, but like
his number 3, for example, feels like a pretty key thing
as in, it ceases to be a puzzle if you explain what the fourth pillar is
Baszat's having trouble coming up with ideas for hints, so I understand his perspective on asking for help
And yeah
Clearly some of those suggestions were overboard
but they were requested
yeah, fair enough
also, as a sidenote, this:

> 7. Is there some single person (historical or not) who's in some sense key to this -- as I thought Dante might be, and another solver thought Pepys might be?
...seems like it was addressed with the "no direct connection" part
19:02
Wasn't that already answered?
Yeah, I thought I remembered that
there's some significant ambiguity about "no direct connection", obviously
yeah
I mean...
since these sculptures are clearly connected somehow
but I can see what he means if it's like "they're not all references to something written by the same person"
or something like that
rhymezone.com
Oh look, that word might work....what's it mean? click
"Sorry, we don't have a definition for this word or name. It may be a proper noun, phrase, or a part of speech not covered by our dictionary"
B-b-but....it was YOUR WORD!
hahahaa classic rhymezone
19:08
dern ye, @GordonAllocman
@Matt Did I ninja you
too bad im at the rep cap :P
oh, boo hoo
you can win it from another person by wooing them
I see, what about the last line and the princes and bees?
So was he woo winner?
Guess I can get the 15 pts for accepted at least ¯_(ツ)_/¯
19:12
prince love bees
everyone knows that
prince the singer?
Your arm fell off again, Gordon.
if so prince loved bees
See now I feel bad for snagging it from you Matt, free rep gone to waste
nah
all's fair in love and puzzles
and love puzzles
Matt's a puzzle belligerent
19:15
honestly it was so obvious I was really surprised it hadn't already been solved by the time I finished writing it
that happens to me a lot
Though, in QA's case, someone else types a short part of the answer, first, then edits, using QA's answer, within the 5 minute edit window. :P
in fact, one time, I posted an answer with reasoning, but like 8 seconds after somebody posted theirs without reasoning
yes
I was about to say that hahah
that actually kind of pissed me off
19:17
imaginably
and I'm sure they weren't trying to be sneaky - it's not their fault that the system doesn't show an edit if the edit is done within the first five minutes
but still! still.
anyone understand what that guy is trying to tell me about that princes line?
oh he also doesnt even cite the book
You can't start the word 'OVER' without the 'O', from the middle of 'Love'
looking at princes part
gahh
I couldn't get the princes or bees thing
19:21
the NY Phil is doing a John Williams thing this Tuesday, but tickets are $150
blergh
yikes
that's a thing I might go to... for free
I understand Tuesday, tickets, and $150. The rest is a mystery to me
I'm uh using the subjunctive there
John Williams
but yeah no way would I pay $150 for that
yeah don't you know New York Phil?
one of the most famous Phils of all time
19:22
New York Philharmonic orchastra
not as famous as Phil Collins
"eyyy, I'm walkin' here!!!!!!!!!!!" - classic New York Phil line
"gabbagool, madon'"
madon?
ooh, maron, perhaps
'madonna', in that way that east coast italian americans pronounce things without the last vowel
I've always known it with an r
but it's flipped, so it's almost a D
19:26
that's actually the reverse of what it is (though you're not wrong in hearing it that way)
Oooh, I would pay that for JW
maron is kind of a back-formation FROM madon, which comes from madonna
"Well, 'in clover' is a sayin' fer rich folk," Clay explained, tugging on his hat. "If yer in clover, yer in money. So that'd explain th' part about princes, Ah reckon."

"Okay, so bees are in clover because they like it so much and princes are in it because they're rich, and I guess the connection is that princes like money, too. Both in clover because they like it. Got that part, but how does liking money or clover correspond with anything else?" Raimundo asked in frustration.
oh weird
yeah I've never heard that before
there's a +50 bounty on that constituency puzzle
meanwhile I got +40 from it today ...
(other East Coast ItAmisms: maranad (marinara), (g|c)alamat (calamari), stonad (from stonato, meaning 'stupid' or 'crazy'))
Reading, and re-reading this, several times, @GordonAllocman
It seems that it's because Bees love to be in clovers, and princes love to be "in clover" (rich)
That makes sense, and I have heard in clover used before
Extraordinarily vague, but it's the justification given in the book
but what does Over have to do with it?
19:30
"[S]he resigned herself with noble fortitude to lodging, as one may say, in clover, and feeding on the fat of the land."
Oh, you didn't see what I said above? (Or my comment on the puzzle?
from Dickens
10 mins ago, by Khale_Kitha
You can't start the word 'OVER' without the 'O', from the middle of 'Love'
(I've still never come across it on my own before)
Yeah, I've not heard it in that use, personally.
19:31
oh that was in reference to the last line, thats why I was confused
Ah
If I was feeling pedantic, I'd contest that the letter o is not in the middle of love, a 4-letter word.
I was like "I get over is in clover but why does that matter"
At least, not directly.
I said that
ahh, hehe
you did - hah
19:32
anyway, now I have Crimson and Clover stuck in my head
so, THANKS, puzzle.
I too looked up that song
lol
Don't know it, so won't look it up
its by prince
who is dead
so spook alert
I'm bad enough about getting songs I DO know, stuck in my head; I've no interest in getting ones that I don't know.
yesterday, by Pangloss
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
talking about songs. Currently I was listening to this:
19:35
@Khale_Kitha If I were feeling on-topic pedantic, yes it is because otherwise cryptic clues would be much less vague
oh boy I am testing functionality that takes a minimum of 5 minutes to even reach the part I am testing so if I have an error I have to wait Another 5 minutes to see if I fixed it
@GordonAllocman BTDT. No fun. :(
@feelinferrety :P
Yeah, that's my main reason for using Linqpad, Gordon - though it doesn't work all the time, it's certainly helpful
Back To Dhe Tuture
19:37
Bacon Tomato, Dirt Taco
Well I have to first do a download and upload of this thing before my code kicks in, and that part takes a while and can fail
yes thank you
Ahh, yeah
ROFL
I'm LoL at yours, q_a
Because i'm reading:
"Ho hum. Back To Dhe Torture"
Someone figure out my latest music puzzle so I can give them the reps :P
Have Fun!!!
19:38
hahaha
@GordonAllocman I can't.
I'm too stupid
The answer is no.
Not with that attitude
No, I have not seen your Harmonica. So leave me alone!!
0
Q: Rise Up - What am I?

Aggie KiddSome want me high, others low. But always upwards do I go. Quickly or slow, large or small. It is often me you will call. In the end, I alone decide, Who is happy, and who will hide. Figure it out, don't play around, Hurry, before the applause does sound.

19:39
is it "bob dylan sucks"?
I want to answer that one but "curtain" is the only one I can come up with
title is related but not the actual question being asked
@question_asker that is probably the answer, it fits pretty much all the clues
except always upward do I go
yeah that doesn't fit
that's the main reason I wasn't posting it as an answer
and some of the other lines are vague/would use the same reasoning as other lines
Welp, found an error, back to waiting for it to reach my code again
well lightning sounds like the right answer
oh boy
0
Q: Suspicious Dots

Yllrauei1984 = Message: u l g i o w y m s m u e b x g z g e n t

19:45
anyway I posted it as an answer but it's almost definitely wrong
always upward could be a reference to the idiom the curtain rises
Here's one of those ones that you dislike, q_a
When they have the answer, but OP wants more reasons =D
(US Postal Service)
ohhh yeah
I saw that we had overestimated that one slightly
I thought the code was just a clue, not the answer
I did that once, mostly because the answer was a giant paragraph, I ended up making a nicely formatted CW answer
that person has edited their answer - hopefully it will be enough
19:49
The curtain only rises because the show must go on =D
(I edited it)
oh haha, that was you
Perhaps I shouldn't have -- but I felt it should have been accepted, from just solving the image.
yeah exactly
I mean, I didn't think that back when I thought there was more to the answer
but I do now
Though...
I hadn't actually realized that his original reasoning is incorrect.
As we tried converting it to binary, first, but those don't convert....
IE - 1 is NOT 00011
19:51
Yeah I think he meant to say translated with that link but mispoke
POSTNET (Postal Numeric Encoding Technique) is a barcode symbology used by the United States Postal Service to assist in directing mail. The ZIP Code or ZIP+4 code is encoded in half- and full-height bars. Most often, the delivery point is added, usually being the last two digits of the address or PO box number. The barcode starts and ends with a full bar (often called a guard rail or frame bar and represented as the letter "S" in one version of the USPS TrueType Font) and has a check digit after the ZIP, ZIP+4, or delivery point. The encoding table is shown on the right. Each individual digit...
it does convert to 1 there
Right, but that's not converting to binary, as he mentioned
right, fair
it's binary in that it only uses two digits, but it's not binary in the "base" sense
yeah
basically speaking
haha
in related news
I haven't made any progress on Jonathan's puzzle
19:54
...yeah....
I feel bad about my edit, now, though..
Especially after reading a post, yesterday, about aggressive edits - because that was one
lol
in your defense, you were editing it a) to correct something and b) so that the person would get credit for a correct answer
although...
So my program is running a stress test (doing a repeated action until it crashes the server) and the expected runtime is something like 1hr, and to make sure it is actually working I have to let it run fully at least a few times....
That's always fun
I once had to QA a project that the company I was working for did, for LEGO, but...
I actually had review privileges revoked for a week once because I (and Gamow, though I don't get the impression his privileges were revoked) approved edits that someone else claimed weren't in keeping with the author's intent
The only way they will let you QA products that use their login system, is to VPN into their servers in Denmark, upload the application, and run it there.
The [flash] application loaded in 15 seconds, locally.
It loaded in 45 minutes, through Denmark.
19:57
niiiice
So every tweak was a 45m VPN session, which was only allowed to be connected from one machine in the office (the dev's PC)
dawww a downvote on my curtain answer
Should have made it iron.
Bad Iron Curtain joke.
19:59
omg I hit a breakpoint while typing so it typed in the code, then almost made me restart the application >.>

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