XWord Muggles Forum

Now featuring...Mike and the Birds!

Submitted. Waiting for the beam up. 100 percenter in my opinion.

So many rabbit holes, but I got there in the end!

I'm always worried, is this the week I lose my streak. This definitely has the potential.

Awaiting the beam... [While I wait, how on earth did anyone do that in 4 minutes!?!]

... and I'm beamed at #97. Another top 100 finish!

I’m with you, @benchen71 … something fishy going on here! or Rainman-esque? Yeah, definitely that.

Late start on this one (working when it came out, then the 4:00 zoom on the WSJ, then dinner out, then fell asleep on the ipad filling the grid). Looked at it this morning, and there it was. I had a couple false starts somewhat related to the actual answer, seeming to lead to an answer very similar to the real one.

Awaiting beam but 100%.

Had to have my vacant stare refocused on the right thing(s) and it jumped out like a jack-in-the-box. Fun solve, amazing construction!
100%-er so will patiently await beam without panicking when the board doesn’t update for what seems like hours
EDIT and of course this is the week it updates IMMEDIATELY and I’m last on the list

Beamed up! Had an early idea and thought, "that's interesting, maybe I should try to set a puzzle like that..." And while it was the wrong track, I ended up circling back around and the real mechanism was very close to where I started.

Finally got it thanks to a simple comment from another solver that I wouldn’t classify as a nudge, per se, but it had the same effect! Kudos to those that solved it so quickly. Incredible.

Finally nudged across the finish line. Lots of early solves and then things have slowed down. I think it was a Week 3 for some of us.

WHoa! I never would have gotten it on my own. Don't know why my mind doesn't work that way for this actual step when it convolutes for others but... thank you Berto and Aaron T for your ability to give nudges without giving me any more than I already came up with myself but just forcing me to think of applying them in different spots for me.

Awaiting beam but... It's 100% that it is 100%.

Wow…brain cells are smoking here! Feeling sure and very accomplished right now! Waiting for confirmation!

Waiting to beam up. Submitted hours ago, but there haven’t been any updates since.

It’s definitely a 100%-er. No question about that. And quite an impressive construction. Kudos to those who saw the mechanism quickly! Not obvious at all if you ask me. Thanks to @HoldThatThought for noticing what lead me to it.

Got it! And one of those where the nudge I received was so so vague that it completely preserved the pretty great aha! which is why we do these things, right?

Anyhoo, this is another that’s fascinating to think about reverse engineering… coming up with the initial idea, then for Matt to start with the answer and work to get the various pieces he needed to all fall into place… just amazing!

Finally a week 3 without a nudge. Bring on week 4!

Better late than never, I suppose. I gave myself 30 minutes to look at it again before asking for help, and I got it! Or at least I'm pretty sure I got it. Waiting for the beam now.

Terragon wrote: ↑Sun Jul 23, 2023 3:49 pm Finally a week 3 without a nudge. Bring on week 4!

Same here. And it was a true week 3!

HunterX wrote: ↑Sat Jul 22, 2023 10:43 pm Waiting to beam up. Submitted hours ago, but there haven’t been any updates since.

It’s definitely a 100%-er. No question about that. And quite an impressive construction. Kudos to those who saw the mechanism quickly! Not obvious at all if you ask me. Thanks to @HoldThatThought for noticing what lead me to it.

I'm not sure if my in was the intended in or not, but I'll share after the deadline! Yes, a fun construction, definitely.

This one was a week 5 for me because I just did not see it, despite looking for all the things I usually do, nothing came about. Even with some dedicated shepherding it took both the crook and the dog to get me through the gate and into the meadow. As per usual, as a dabbler in the fine art of meta construction, I am amazed at the mind that can conceive this de novo. I mean sure the final path is not that complex, but to COME UP with this idea and make it work! Additionally, I am now convinced that Jangler is an AI program powered by a Craig supercomputer. To get this, understand this, fill this and solve this in 4 minutes. Sure once you see it the path is clear but to fill in all you needed to fill in - NO WAY this is a human, or perhaps not an Earthling. The truth is out there...

Just a random observation...

I have a habit of peeking into the active puzzle posts a couple of times a day; even after I have solved. I like to see what other people think, I like to be able to offer a nudge, if there's a recent request out, that may not have already been responded to, and, of course, we have a few resident wits, who are always worth a read (okay, not always).

What I do typically notice, though, are the names at the bottom of the screen, showing the number of other puzzlers who are also reading the thread. The thing that always gets me is how many "guests" seem to be reading these threads. I realize that some of these "guests" are actually regulars, who just haven't bothered signing in, but I also suppose that a fair number of these "guests" are regular puzzle players, who just haven't ever decided to take the plunge, and officially join the community. I imagine that some of these players regularly come here, week after week, reading the threads in the hope of gleaning some inadvertent nudge, or, perhaps, checking to see how difficult the community is finding that puzzle. ("Oh, now I don't feel so bad, this is a hard one")

I have absolutely no personal gain from saying this - I'm not a moderator here - but it always seems to me that those who feel like there's some benefit to reading these posts would find far greater benefit from joining the community. There's absolutely no cost to join, and the sign-up takes a few moments. As a member, you will have access to the large number of always helpful solvers who are willing to encourage and support others in their solving; there are groups who meet, in order to tackle puzzles together, and, best of all, perhaps, there have been no reported incidents (that I am aware of) of members biting other members in the last couple of years, at least. You don't need to become a regular commentor to join. It's everything you are getting out of the forum now, but more.

Give it some thought. I honestly can't think of any great reasons not to make the most of what's available to meta puzzle fans by joining our little group of regulars; some quite advanced, others still trying to improve their skills.

Just my two cents.