MGWCC #733 - "Couples Only"

[oggy]

Anyone keen to share "coincidences" over DM? Pretty sure everything I've found is a dead-end, but happy to share mine too.

[MikeyG]

The first coincidence I've noticed is that I have a grid and there are letters in it.

[Joe]

The first coincidence I've noticed is that I have a grid and there are letters in it.

Omigod, me too!

[Cindy]

Solved.

[dlonoff]

I'm looking for a small nudge if anyone would be willing to PM. Thanks in advance!

Edit: oofdah, picked a bad week to ask for a hint. I guess I'll keep at it solo.

[HeadinHome]

LET’S DO OUR ZOOM AT 6pm ET! (Had said 1pm but I forgot about Fathers Day events. )

Feel free to DM if you don’t want to miss further announcements on this mtg or if you have one scheduled let me know about it please!

[Sara Dacus]

I think I could do 6 pm ET but I don’t think I can swing 1:00 for a group solve. I am interested!

[lbray53]

We have a Father's Day event this afternoon so 6:00 ET would be better for me. Assuming of course that everyone has gone home. That is only 5:00 here.

[HunterX]

Beam me up!

Got it, thanks to some collaboration with @HoldThatThought, who found the right set of keys to try in the ignition, though that's mixing metaphors a bit. (Okay, seems unfair to suggest I played an equal role in the collaboration.)

Actually, shouldn't the transporter have some sort of keys? You can't just let anyone go waltzing in there, beaming people and things willy-nilly all over the place. That would be dangerous! (Though kinda fun...)

[DrTom]

Beam me up!

Got it, thanks to some collaboration with @HoldThatThought, who found the right set of keys to try in the ignition, though that's mixing metaphors a bit. (Okay, seems unfair to suggest I played an equal role in the collaboration.)

Actually almost EXACTLY what HunterX said. @HoldThatThought is out there collecting errant Metanauts and tossing them into the transporter. Once you see it you are "OMG YES!" but seeing it is another thing.

Basking in the beam-up provided by the above. Dutifully noted it was not a solo solve (is there a category "Sat by and recognized greatness" for solves?)

[Joe]

Ditto DrTom's sentiments. I think there is no way I would have even found my way to the transporter site, let alone been beamed aboard, without being dropped there. I'll be at the zoom again at 5:00 because I've never been to one after having already solved.

[Wendy Walker]

6 pm. I'll be there!

[boharr]

Beamed up. Not a solo.

[oldjudge]

It seems to me that the level of nudges going on now has turned the streak list into an attendance list. If anyone can explain to me why I am wrong please let me know. Unless there is a change to the rules I don’t think there will ever be a puzzle again with under 100 solves. I’m not saying this is bad or good, only that the prestige of the list has been diminished over time.

[Dannyvee]

It seems to me that the level of nudges going on now has turned the streak list into an attendance list. If anyone can explain to me why I am wrong please let me know. Unless there is a change to the rules I don’t think there will ever be a puzzle again with under 100 solves. I’m not saying this is bad or good, only that the prestige of the list has been diminished over time.

I feel like another tab of solo solve streaks would be an interesting addition.
Wonder if Matt would consider that?

[MMe]

And gradually it dawned on the puzzle world that nobody had deciphered a MGWCC meta in years. The leaderboards were reliably headed by several bots of Gaffney's own invention which would seed the rest of the participants with "nudges" instructing them how to reach the answers, which they all, in the final and most essential development, came to think of as "solving".

[MikeyG]

It seems to me that the level of nudges going on now has turned the streak list into an attendance list. If anyone can explain to me why I am wrong please let me know. Unless there is a change to the rules I don’t think there will ever be a puzzle again with under 100 solves. I’m not saying this is bad or good, only that the prestige of the list has been diminished over time.

I've actually been thinking of this a bit myself, and this answer is just coming from one person, so it only should be taken with a speck of sodium chloride (grain of salt, haha).

I will admit that I don't like asking for nudges that often. That is not to castigate anyone who does; I try to avoid it as much as I can. One thing to note is that, on at least two occasions before, I've reached out for nudges, found out an initial nudge didn't work or was way off base to where I was, and so I didn't submit.

Counting today, I have asked for 8 nudges over the past year on MGWCC. I submitted on 6, and that likely should have been 4 or 5. When I ask for a nudge, I only want the tiniest of nibbles and will always submit at least five detailed lines of what I have attempted thus far. If I am completely way off base on any of them, I don't feel comfortable submitting. On this particular one, which is still live so I won't divulge, something I noticed was awfully close - to the point that I really do wish I would have let it marinate for 24 more hours since I think I might have been able to pull it off. But c'est la vie.

I'm not sure if it should impact it, though I suppose it does a bit, that when I did get DOWN FOR THE COUNT on a meandering solo a while back that when I saw the list balloon in the tail end of the weekend (skewed to the left), I felt a little of my prestige diminish, haha. But I do recognize that nudges become a part of the community here and even across the board. I could do some regression data over the past year compared to the previous to see if there is statistically significant more solvers in any weeks (difference in means hypothesis test, perhaps - and now I'm really showing off, and I'm sorry, haha, but I just love math).

So it is an interesting, nuanced call. I will say that this one certainly won't have 700 solvers, but perhaps it would have more than it would have before this forum (a fantastic one that gives me such joy and warmth) took hold.

Mikey G

[boharr]

[/quote]

I feel like another tab of solo solve streaks would be an interesting addition.

[/quote]

I agree this would be a welcome addition.
But I also think that folks who enjoy discussing and cooperating on the puzzles here or on zoom should not be banned from submitting. In my experience, solvers are honest about whether a solve was solo or not.

[oldjudge]

I think the issue is what defines a group solve. I think a group solve is two or more people who have not solved the puzzle working toward a solution. Obviously, someone in the group will see the solution first and help the others and that is fine. In many cases I actually enjoy group solves more than solo solves. The key is that all people have started from the same point. I like group solves and do it often. Then there is another class of solves, assisted solves. This is when someone who cannot solve the puzzle on their own asks for help from someone who has already solved it. These people have not started from a common ground of each not having the solution. They have started from the point of only one person having not solved the puzzle. This can involve a small hint or can involve dragging the person across the finish line. I don’t think these should count as solves for streak purposes. There are lots of people on the board so if people want to submit a solution instead of asking for nudges they should find others who have not solved the puzzle and work with them as a group. In my mind, that would represent a perfectly acceptable group solve and would increase the social aspect of the board.

[MikeyG]

I think the issue is what defines a group solve. I think a group solve is two or more people who have not solved the puzzle working toward a solution. Obviously, someone in the group will see the solution first and help the others and that is fine. In many cases I actually enjoy group solves more than solo solves. The key is that all people have started from the same point. I like group solves and do it often. Then there is another class of solves, assisted solves. This is when someone who cannot solve the puzzle on their own asks for help from someone who has already solved it. These people have not started from a common ground of each not having the solution. They have started from the point of only one person having not solved the puzzle. This can involve a small hint or can involve dragging the person across the finish line. I don’t think these should count as solves for streak purposes. There are lots of people on the board so if people want to submit a solution instead of asking for nudges they should find others who have not solved the puzzle and work with them as a group. In my mind, that would represent a perfectly acceptable group solve and would increase the social aspect of the board.

Okay. I will be doing that from here on out, and that sounds fair in my eyes. Thanks for the clarification! I think I had that clarification in my head before but didn't quite put it into words.