Re: MGWCC #818 — "One More Time"
Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2024 3:01 pm
A place to discuss the WSJ Weekly Crossword Contest and other "meta"-style crosswords
https://xword-muggles.com/
No. It absolutely is not.
Have you tried turning it off and on again?woozy wrote: ↑Sun Feb 04, 2024 6:25 pmNo. It absolutely is not.
EDIT: Well, if you have telepathy and try every possible metanism possible and somehow have a quantum processor that only returns the one that is a correct metanism from all the other that hypothetically could be but are not (although you have no way to evaulate which is which you manage to do so anyway), well, then, yes, with difficulty and insight you might. But you do need a telepathic quantum processor. (Mine is in the shop... and it never worked right, anyway.)
So you’re saying there’s a chance………woozy wrote: ↑Sun Feb 04, 2024 6:25 pmNo. It absolutely is not.
EDIT: Well, if you have telepathy and try every possible metanism possible and somehow have a quantum processor that only returns the one that is a correct metanism from all the other that hypothetically could be but are not (although you have no way to evaulate which is which you manage to do so anyway), well, then, yes, with difficulty and insight you might. But you do need a telepathic quantum processor. (Mine is in the shop... and it never worked right, anyway.)
Well. I am afraid to do that. I wouldn't be able to tell if it's working unless I observed it and observing it would affect the outcome and I just can't take the risk that I'm going to cause it to break.sharkicicles wrote: ↑Sun Feb 04, 2024 6:56 pmHave you tried turning it off and on again?woozy wrote: ↑Sun Feb 04, 2024 6:25 pmNo. It absolutely is not.
EDIT: Well, if you have telepathy and try every possible metanism possible and somehow have a quantum processor that only returns the one that is a correct metanism from all the other that hypothetically could be but are not (although you have no way to evaulate which is which you manage to do so anyway), well, then, yes, with difficulty and insight you might. But you do need a telepathic quantum processor. (Mine is in the shop... and it never worked right, anyway.)
Like others, I was able to complete the grid with downs only, no instructions, but got nowhere with the meta. I thought I knew what the metanism would be, but my idea led nowhere. I will be extremely impressed if anyone can do it, but it seems impossible to me.
I was amused that HunterX thought others would disagree. I think anyone who has completed the meta would know it is utterly impossible because..... Well, maybe saying it is impossible is giving a spoiler as it's a hint where you have to look but... well, it *is* a week one-- Not a trivial it falls off the plate week one, but a hmm that was nice and not very hard at all week 1-- so I don't think anyone can be spoiled by that hint.Leslie wrote: ↑Mon Feb 05, 2024 8:17 amLike others, I was able to complete the grid with downs only, no instructions, but got nowhere with the meta. I thought I knew what the metanism would be, but my idea led nowhere. I will be extremely impressed if anyone can do it, but it seems impossible to me.
Agree... I'm guessing HunterX simply wanted to leave the door open that maaaaaaybe there's some backdoor way. Never say never. I left a similar door open just a crack in my comments to Matt on submission, but will wait and see. TBH I was somewhat unhappy to be invited to invest the time solving an unsolvable puzzle (I enjoy taking on the challenge of downs-only no-instructions to the point of submitting without ever looking at the prompt). Matt's earned benefit of the doubt so I'll wait until the contest closes, but at the moment... oof!woozy wrote: ↑Mon Feb 05, 2024 11:54 amI was amused that HunterX thought others would disagree. I think anyone who has completed the meta would know it is utterly impossible because..... Well, maybe saying it is impossible is giving a spoiler as it's a hint where you have to look but... well, it *is* a week one-- Not a trivial it falls off the plate week one, but a hmm that was nice and not very hard at all week 1-- so I don't think anyone can be spoiled by that hint.Leslie wrote: ↑Mon Feb 05, 2024 8:17 amLike others, I was able to complete the grid with downs only, no instructions, but got nowhere with the meta. I thought I knew what the metanism would be, but my idea led nowhere. I will be extremely impressed if anyone can do it, but it seems impossible to me.
But I'm impressed you and HunterX are giving it the "it's feasible" option.
I, for one, would love to hear what you've got, if Joon doesn't cover it. I can't see any way at all to solve this one downs only — but I know Matt always thinks carefully about when to offer those options!
A rock for him, a hard place for me!sharkicicles wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 12:44 pm NOT offering downs-only would have been a big clue that you need to look at the across clues, I figured. So kind of a rock and hard place for Matt.
Okay. Actually, I thought perhaps someone would flag my post as being too much of a spoiler, in that saying you HAVE to use the across clues pretty much tells you that the metanism is hidden in the clues as opposed to the grid, and the across clues at that. So it was less "hedging my bets" that there was some secret alternate way to solve without the across clues, and more "I don't want to state it outright."rjy wrote: ↑Mon Feb 05, 2024 1:28 pmAgree... I'm guessing HunterX simply wanted to leave the door open that maaaaaaybe there's some backdoor way. Never say never. I left a similar door open just a crack in my comments to Matt on submission, but will wait and see. TBH I was somewhat unhappy to be invited to invest the time solving an unsolvable puzzle (I enjoy taking on the challenge of downs-only no-instructions to the point of submitting without ever looking at the prompt). Matt's earned benefit of the doubt so I'll wait until the contest closes, but at the moment... oof!woozy wrote: ↑Mon Feb 05, 2024 11:54 amI was amused that HunterX thought others would disagree. I think anyone who has completed the meta would know it is utterly impossible because..... Well, maybe saying it is impossible is giving a spoiler as it's a hint where you have to look but... well, it *is* a week one-- Not a trivial it falls off the plate week one, but a hmm that was nice and not very hard at all week 1-- so I don't think anyone can be spoiled by that hint.Leslie wrote: ↑Mon Feb 05, 2024 8:17 am
Like others, I was able to complete the grid with downs only, no instructions, but got nowhere with the meta. I thought I knew what the metanism would be, but my idea led nowhere. I will be extremely impressed if anyone can do it, but it seems impossible to me.
But I'm impressed you and HunterX are giving it the "it's feasible" option.