2011 Mystery Hunt

[gftt*]

The fifth is also somewhat tricky. Must distinguish between holding and simply loading up for a throw of a cauliflower...

[gftt]

[gftt]

or maybe....
7 OCARINA = A
5 GRAIL = L
3 ILLOGIC = L
6 CONCEIT = I
4 CATNIP = N

Call in ALL IN (I thought doing this indexing earlier, but didn't realize ALLIN could be broken up until now!)

[Suspence]

Neither ALL IN nor CATNIP are the correct solutions, though I'm still very impressed so far.
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[gftt*]

[Suspence]

Not sure how HQ would have handled this; I don't think they'd be so kind, but ALL IN is on the right path, and is part (half, really) of the final solution reveal.
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[L'lanmal]

We have:
Iocarina (7)
ROgrailRO (5)
LillogicL (3)
conceitN (6)
catnipTT (4)

Index into full words = ALL IN.

Unused letters in connection order: IROROLLNTT (or IROLNT)
In display order: LTRONI

Substitute CATNIP for one of the three objects in (7) and repeat?

[gftt*]

[Suspence]

If it's any consolation, I've read the solution 5 times, and still have no idea where the rest of it comes from. I'd love to hint, but I honestly don't know how.
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[Suspence]

Reading up on this puzzle, it looks like it went nearly unsolved (only 3 teams got it) and the setters had some regrets.

Here's what they said, perhaps it's a clue in the right direction, though it's still beyond me:

Of course, the puzzle has major problems.. Originally the videos were going to form a cycle instead of a chain (by replacing CAULIFLOWER with CATNIP). This would have made for a very interesting solving structure, because you might have no video at first for which you could correctly identify all the objects, and you'd have to sort of backsolve your way into it. On the other hand, maybe that would have made trickier to figure out the mechanism. Anyway, a cycle would have probably better clued that you should repeat the pattern for extraction, except that we realized that with a cycle you would not necessarily know where to start, so we made it a chain. But then you really needed prior experience with siteswaps to solve this, because you needed to know to repeat the pattern, which is common for juggling in reality, but had not occurred in the puzzle up to that point. And even if not for that, we should have known that <REDACTED SOLUTION> was a bad idea.

Only 3 or 4 teams solved this puzzle, and I suspect many more got most of the way through and stuck on extraction. That's the best way to take a good puzzle idea and make people hate it, which we seem to have done. There's a way to do this puzzle much better, but by the time we realized that it was broken, there was no way we had time to construct a new version, assemble all the objects, and get Darin to juggle them. I've heard a number of people say that they'd always wanted to do a siteswap puzzle, and I feel like we let all of them down by having a good idea for one and then screwing it up..
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[gftt*]

OK, so maybe repeat the siteswap pattern in a cycle a la juggling means treat the numbers as siteswap numbers and juggle these things?

1. 7 OCARINA = A
2. 5 GRAIL = L
3. 3 ILLOGIC = L
4. 6 CONCEIT = I
5. 4 CATNIP = N
6. 7 illogic comes down in this place = C
7. 5 grail comes down in this place = L
8. 3 ocarina comes down in this place = A
9. 6 catnip comes down in this place = P
10. 4 conceit comes down in this place = C
11. 7 ocarina again = A
12. 5 grail again = L
13. 3 illogic again =L
etc

ALLINCLAPCALLINCLAPCALLINCLAPC...

[Suspence]

CLAP is correct.

Next, another video puzzle:
Bio Man: Life of the Party - http://www.mit.edu/~puzzle/11/puzzles/mega_man/life_of_the_party/
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[Suspence]

1) Guy who eats too many desserts (14 of them)
2) Guy allowing another to punch him in the gut
3) Girl banging staff on the ground to music
4) Hair in a glass of milk
5) Girl swings baseball bat twice
6) Guy laughing as other guy eats something (a brussel sprout?)
7) Sleeping guy gets coats piled on top of him
8) Charles In Charge on TV
9) Girl laughs when she is told they made a sequel of something
10) Guy pointing toy gun at himself
11) Guy swallowing a toothpick

11 vignettes in the movie clip
10 spaced lines under the clip
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[Suspence]

#2 made me think of Houdini, which led me to this:

1) 1771: Adolf Frederick, King of Sweden, died of digestion problems on 12 February 1771 after having consumed a meal of lobster, caviar, sauerkraut, smoked herring and champagne, topped off with 14 servings of his favourite dessert: hetvägg served in a bowl of hot milk. He is thus remembered by Swedish schoolchildren as "the king who ate himself to death."

2) 1926: Harry Houdini, the famous American escape artist, was punched in the stomach by an amateur boxer. Though this had been done with Houdini's permission, complications from this injury may have caused him to die days later, on October 31, 1926. It was later determined that Houdini died of a ruptured appendix, though it is contested as to whether or not the punches actually caused the appendicitis.

3) 1687: Jean-Baptiste Lully, the French composer, died of a gangrenous abscess after piercing his foot with a staff while he was vigorously conducting a Te Deum. It was customary at that time to conduct by banging a staff on the floor.

4) 212: Lucius Fabius Cilo, a Roman senator of the 2nd century, "...choked...by a single hair in a draught of milk"

5) 1862: Jim Creighton, a very early baseball player, died when he swung a bat too hard and injured himself, possibly by rupturing his bladder.

6) 207 BC: Chrysippus, a Greek stoic philosopher, is believed to have died of laughter after giving his donkey wine then seeing it attempt to eat figs

7) c. 620 BC: Draco, Athenian law-maker, was smothered to death by gifts of cloaks showered upon him by appreciative citizens at a theatre on Aegina.

8-9) 1660: Thomas Urquhart, Scottish aristocrat, polymath and first translator of Rabelais into English, is said to have died laughing upon hearing that Charles II had taken the throne.

10) ???

11) 1941: Sherwood Anderson, writer, died of peritonitis after swallowing a toothpick at a party
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I hate people who try to write interesting things in their signature.

[Suspence]

[Suspence]

Correct.

Next up:
The Eternal Struggle - http://www.mit.edu/~puzzle/11/puzzles/mega_man/the_eternal_struggle/
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[gftt*]

Seems like we are to backsolve the past positions of the Game of Life.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conway%27s%5FGame%5Fof%5FLife


Also seems hard...

[gftt*]

Started some on the spreadsheet...
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aq1IiQ8fbOs2dG85c2U5dUkzWE9LOVVuTmhQWWU0TlE#gid=12

[gftt*]

My approach is slow and painstaking. If nobody else is really thinking about this puzzle I'd move on.

[novice]

I'd guess a computerized approach would be best here. Not something I have time for atm. I'm fine with moving on.

[gftt*]

I'm fairly certain I've made an error somewhere and painted myself into a dead end. Let's move on. I might come back to this at some point, or I might not.

[Suspence]

OK, moving on. Perhaps we'll be able to backsolve that last one. It might be tough though, since the Bio Man meta only incorporates 5 puzzles.

Next up is:
Bio Man: Pesky Bugs - http://www.mit.edu/~puzzle/11/puzzles/mega_man/pesky_bugs/
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[gftt*]

Heh. I got nothing; maybe I'll stick to thinking about the previous puzzle for now.

[Suspence]

I've got no ideas whatsoever on Pesky Bugs.

Where has SuperSlug gone?
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[Zag]

I have some ideas on this one, but not the tools to implement them. I suspect that you'll want to open it in some reasonably professional sound manipulation tool and probably slow it way down, and perhaps phase shift it. I suspect that there is something to hear, but currently it is too high for humans to hear it, and slowing it down will bring it into audible range.

[Suspence]

Started trying that in Sound Recorder when I first say it, didn't seem promising, but that doesn't mean there is nothing there. I don't have real tools either.
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[Suspence]

Crickets in here for quite some time.

Let's move on - I tried to find a puzzle that looks like we could make instant progress on to gain momentum in Blackberry Man.

Next up:
Blackberry Man - The Least You Could Do Is Phone Me - http://www.mit.edu/~puzzle/11/puzzles/mega_man/the_least_you_could_do_is_phone_me/
_________________
I hate people who try to write interesting things in their signature.

[Suspence]

Place at which we're sitting right now
Slide downhill, in a way
One of the goals of an Olympic athlete
When many an avenger has laughed
What commuters may cram into during rush hour
Things available in jewelry stores
MEAL - End of a fast
WORM - English word cognate with Latin vermis
PREY - Mouse, e.g., to a snake
What a whale uses to propel itself through the water
YE? - Second-person pronoun that's not much used now
Equipment used in the episode "A Clue for Scooby Doo"
SLOT - Slim opening
STOP - Step on the brake pedal
SNOOP - Try to learn someone's secrets
MATZOH - Type of bread which Jesus might have described to Peter as "my body"
What one might stoke with coal or wood
Ingredient in many cannoli recipes
Travel away from home
WIN - Score one more point than your opponent, e.g.
LIVER - Too much liquor might damage it
TERM - Elected official's time in office
Where you might see lions and llamas
Hannibal Lecter, e.g.
PORT - Part of a computer where a peripheral device can be plugged in
ROGER - Famous Dodger Stadium "peanut man" Owens
LICE - Creatures you wouldn't like to find in your hair
_________________
I hate people who try to write interesting things in their signature.

[Zag]

I was going to suggest that they could all be 4-letter words, but 'ROGER' is clearly correct, so that isn't it.

Place at which we're sitting right now
SKI - Slide downhill, in a way
GOLD, MEDAL, RECORD - One of the goals of an Olympic athlete
When many an avenger has laughed
TRAM, SUBWAY, TRAIN - What commuters may cram into during rush hour
GEMS, JEWELRY - Things available in jewelry stores
MEAL, FEAST - End of a fast
WORM - English word cognate with Latin vermis
PREY - Mouse, e.g., to a snake
TAIL - What a whale uses to propel itself through the water
YE? THOU, THEE - Second-person pronoun that's not much used now
SCUBA - Equipment used in the episode "A Clue for Scooby Doo" See this
SLOT - Slim opening
STOP - Step on the brake pedal
SNOOP, SPY - Try to learn someone's secrets
MATZOH, PITA - Type of bread which Jesus might have described to Peter as "my body"
FIRE - What one might stoke with coal or wood
RICOTTA - Ingredient in many cannoli recipes
LEAVE, EMMIGRATE - Travel away from home
WIN - Score one more point than your opponent, e.g.
LIVER - Too much liquor might damage it
TERM - Elected official's time in office
ZOO, MENAGERIE, Where you might see lions and llamas
CANNIBAL, SERIAL KILLER - Hannibal Lecter, e.g.
PORT - Part of a computer where a peripheral device can be plugged in
ROGER - Famous Dodger Stadium "peanut man" Owens
LICE - Creatures you wouldn't like to find in your hair

[Suspence]

Any further thoughts on this one? I'm not seeing any connections.
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I hate people who try to write interesting things in their signature.

[SuperSlug]

[Suspence]

Nice work, that is correct. These are the currently open puzzles in the thread:

Bio Man: Pesky Bugs - http://www.mit.edu/~puzzle/11/puzzles/mega_man/pesky_bugs/

Blackberry Man - The Least You Could Do Is Phone Me - http://www.mit.edu/~puzzle/11/puzzles/mega_man/the_least_you_could_do_is_phone_me/
_________________
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[SuperSlug]

Sounds (not letters)

H-W HERE - Place at which we're sitting right now
E-II SLED - Slide downhill, in a way
D-Z GOLD - One of the goals of an Olympic athlete
S-F LAST- When many an avenger has laughed
T-C TRAM - What commuters may cram into during rush hour
R-TH RINGS - Things available in jewelry stores
EE-A FEAST - End of a fast
M-D WORM - English word cognate with Latin vermis
A-AA SNACK - Mouse, e.g., to a snake
T-W TAIL - What a whale uses to propel itself through the water
TH-N THOU - Second-person pronoun that's not much used now
A-Y SCUBA - Equipment used in the episode "A Clue for Scooby Doo" See this
T-M SLIT - Slim opening
O-E STOP - Step on the brake pedal
P-T PRY - Try to learn someone's secrets
A-ER PITA - Type of bread which Jesus might have described to Peter as "my body"
V-K STOVE - What one might stoke with coal or wood
- Ingredient in many cannoli recipes
R-H ROAM - Travel away from home
I-UH WIN - Score one more point than your opponent, e.g.
V-K LIVER - Too much liquor might damage it
ER-II TERM - Elected official's time in office
Z-Y ZOO - Where you might see lions and llamas
C-H CANNIBAL - Hannibal Lecter, e.g.
O-A PORT - Part of a computer where a peripheral device can be plugged in
R-D ROGER - Famous Dodger Stadium "peanut man" Owens
S-K LICE - Creatures you wouldn't like to find in your hair

HED STREEM AT THA TOP AV - RIVERZ CORS
HEAD STREAM AT THE TOP OF A RIVERS COURSE
SOURCE

Call in SOURCE

Can't do pesky bugs here because the audio is not working.
_________________
Some people are lost in the shuffle. I'm shuffling along with the lost.

[SuperSlug]

Mega Man - Bio Man Meta

Find the scientific name of the causitive agent of each disease
1. FIERY SERPENT - Dracunculus medinensis
2. CLAP - Neisseria gonorrhoeae
3. KILLER COLD - Adenoviridae
4. CREEPING INFECTION - Strongyloidiasis stercoralis
5.

D
N
Ade
Stro
---

DNA Destroyer
Call in DNA DESTROYER

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back solve for Pesky Bugs:
I put the wav file into a program that shows it has 6 tracks.
Yersinia pestis = Bubonic plauge
Call in PLAUGE
_________________
Some people are lost in the shuffle. I'm shuffling along with the lost.

[novice]

*PLAGUE

Impressive work, SuperSlug.

[Suspence]

All correct.

Next up:
Blackberry Man: Expletive Deleted - http://www.mit.edu/~puzzle/11/puzzles/mega_man/expletive_deleted/
_________________
I hate people who try to write interesting things in their signature.

[SuperSlug]

[SuperSlug]

JINKIES - Velma Dinkley (Scooby Doo)
ZOINKS - Shaggy Rogers (Scooby Doo)
SILFLAY HRAKA - rabbit language (Lapine) from Watership Down
SMEGHEAD - Arnold Rimmer (Red Dwarf)
GORRAM - Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds (Firefly)
MEP - Beldar (Coneheads)
SMURFING - Grouchy Smurf (Smurfs)
B'ZUGDA HIARA - Dwarvish from Discworld series
CROM - Conan
FRAKKING - Commander Adama (Battlestar Galactica)
SHAZBOT - Mork (Mork and Mindy)
MUDBLOOD - Draco Malfoy (Harry Potter series)
_________________
Some people are lost in the shuffle. I'm shuffling along with the lost.

[gftt*]

Maybe each caption mentions a symbol which then gets translated to a letter via the cryptogram?

eg Shaggy says POUND = # = E
Rimmer says TIMES = * = I
Conan says POWER = ^ = D
Mork says MOON = crescent symbol = O

but I'm not sure if there are any others. It doesn't help that some of the symbols are hard to make out.

[novice]

I think you're on to something.

P/F - KNIFE/Tragedy(RIP) - JINKIES - Velma Dinkley (Scooby Doo)
E - POUND - ZOINKS - Shaggy Rogers (Scooby Doo)
H - SHOCK - SILFLAY HRAKA - rabbit language (Lapine) from Watership Down
I - TIMES - SMEGHEAD - Arnold Rimmer (Red Dwarf)
C - BUCK - GORRAM - Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds (Firefly)
K/D - NOT - MEP - Beldar (Coneheads)
A/L - SMOKING - SMURFING - Grouchy Smurf (Smurfs)
R/H/F - AT/STUNNING/FOND MEMORIES(RIP) - B'ZUGDA HIARA - Dwarvish from Discworld series
D/Z - POWER - CROM - Conan
B - MOD - FRAKKING - Commander Adama (Battlestar Galactica)
O - MOON - SHAZBOT - Mork (Mork and Mindy)
S - AND - MUDBLOOD - Draco Malfoy (Harry Potter series)

PEHICKARDBOS