The Chatroom

[Balin]

It's been over a year. Time to freshen this up.

(As always, can a mod who knows how to pin this to the top of the page please pin this to the top of the page?)

[WiZ]

Aww, I thought this was a new puzzle!

The Chatroom = HAM = 'this'?

[LemonCurry]

The quiet person that I am, today is the first time I have reached 1000 posts on any one internet forum...

[Doriana]

Congratulations!

[Earnest]

LemonCurry you could have done a puzzle on this. Congrats! By the way we should make a pre-COVID Chatroom and a post-COVID one xD

[WiZ]

Post-COVID? You're an eternal optimist, Earnest. Even we thought we got rid of it, but then we made a bad decision with some desirable foreigners and became re-infected by Putin's seamen.

Also, how 'bout that electoral college? Without it, tens of millions of Americans would have had a good night's sleep last night and not alcohol poisoning. Thinking of you, my American friends, in this difficult and uncertain time.

[Balin]

Appreciate it, WiZ. I was spared alcohol poisoning by virtue of not having had alcohol but did wake up at 1 AM and was unable to sleep due to electoral stress. It has been an especially rough electoral runup.

[Doriana]

Super stressed out about the election (and I'm not even American) to the point that I misread "electoral runup" as "electoral prenup". Keeping my fingers crossed for my American friends!

[WiZ]

"In case of dissolution, both parties are entitled to 50% of the states".

[GalFisk]

"...arranged, as far as possible, in a checkerboard pattern."

[Balin]

Doriana - I still remember during our meet-up in New York that our discussion veered into whether Trump had a chance of winning in 2016. We saw how that turned out. Hoping there's no repeat.

(And "electoral prenup" is far better than anything the U.S. political system currently spews.)

[Hobbsicle]

I don’t see what everyone’s so worked up about. Both candidates claimed victory! That sounds like a real win-win to me.

[WiZ]

My hearty congratulations to the Republocrat party as they lead America into a new age of prosperity with their unanimous mandate.

[irishelk]

The Chatroom has become untethered from its moorings! Row, fools, row back to the top of the page!

But seriously, thank you everyone for your well wishes to our lost and confused nation. I too am not sleeping much currently. But hey, reading a lot of bitter and sarcastic memes. So there's that.

[trebor]

Congratulations, America. You made the right choice.

[Earnest]

Post-COVID? You're an eternal optimist, Earnest. Even we thought we got rid of it, but then we made a bad decision with some desirable foreigners and became re-infected by Putin's seamen. --> Yes that's globalization. Same in Italy after the summer...but I mean....media in Italy use to be pessimistic (not realistic) and 80% of the news is about COVID...anxious right? I want to be optimistic on that...at least try to stay. Hope not to contradict myself in a later post xD

BTW congrats USA!!!!


$POILER for Admins: maybe in order to position the Chatroom always on the top of the page you have to open the sources of the webpage and make the div<> element of the post called chatroom fixed on the top. Something like this maybe???:

div.fixed {
position: fixed;
top: 0;
width: 300px;
border: 3px solid #73AD21;
}

[WiZ]

I'm relieved that it's over, and relieved at the result. Time to move on and fix things that are hard to fix. I wish Biden, and a hundred million centrists, courage.

[peter365]

HI folks

I've worked my spell on this so it should remain at the top of the page.

[Earnest]

I've worked my spell on this so it should remain at the top of the page.

how did you do that. If it is a spell PM me xD

[peter365]

Ha Ha for spell read moderator priviledges.

Happy birthday to WiZ

[WiZ]

Thank you, Peter.

It didn't take long for me to have to tick my first 35-44 box - I was browsing my Facebook feed for birthday messages and found a link to a COVID-related survey from an American university. Sure enough, one of the very first questions. Gender's still the same, though.

[Balin]

The Christmas puzzle is complete and will be up sometime Tuesday. It's styled somewhat differently than previous WCPs, so if anyone has any questions, feel free to ask.

[Doriana]

To celebrate my 10th LTPF anniversary, I posted a rerun of my very first LTPF puzzle. I haven't been the most reliable forum member over the years, but the LTPF is an awesome place and I love coming back after disappearing for months or years

[TDGperson]

What are some guidelines for when I should consider a puzzle to be solved?

For example, if the solution is some specific but obscure concept (such as the name of a certain mathematical object), should I wait until someone mentioned its name, or should I call it solved when someone figured out most of its properties?

[Hobbsicle]

TDGperson: Although it's ultimately up to you (the forum is a good place to experiment), you'll find that generally puzzles won't require specific or obscure knowledge, for three reasons. 1) It makes it less intimidating and more accessible to the average person. There won't be that "aha" moment if people don't have the knowledge to "aha" with. 2) The base of users on this forum is pretty small, and the likelihood that someone holds a particular bit of obscure knowledge is even smaller. 3) People will generally avoid Googling; in some puzzles, that will spoil it too early.

That isn't to say that you won't see puzzles whose full solution contains specific knowledge (I've seen some with in-depth historical or medical information in them), but the puzzle is generally set up so that it can be solved without it. So I wouldn't need to specifically say that it was the "1236 Treaty of Kremmen" and which entities entered into the treaty, but I would guess the general circumstances around it, for example, that make it particularly interesting and "lateral", and the puzzle author will then fill in the details in the final solution.

That said, it could perhaps be interesting to experiment with puzzles that specifically allow and encourage extensive Googling. But it would need to be clear up front what people are searching for so that we aren't hunting for extraneous details.

As an example with your previous puzzle about the elliptic curves, I was a math major for a bit before I switched majors, and I've read an entire book (written for the layman) about Fermat's Last Theorem, but I still either didn't know or didn't remember anything about Weierstrass's functions, so I wouldn't have found it without doing some research. The "aha" moment of that puzzle came mainly from realizing that the objects in question were mathematical curves (of some kind) that relate to a torus, that they are used to make equations that help with cryptography, and MAYBE Fermat's Last Theorem, though that is still specific, but it's a little less obscure, perhaps.

[WiZ]

Think of it this way: the most celebrated lateral puzzle of all time would not be the most celebrated lateral puzzle of all time if the solution hinged on the umbrella man being an achondroplastic dwarf.

[Earnest]

I premise that, as all the community might know, I am not an "inventor of puzzles" but I rather solve them extensively. Hence as as an average "puzzle consumer" I would recommend to go deep but not too deep as well. What I would like to share with you in order both to better exemplify the concept that I guess we are all trying to say and, at the same time, balance the need to go deep when it deals with math, is the book "Mathematical Lateral thinking Puzzles" of Sloane and Des MacHale ([url](https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=htt ... AdAAAAABAD)[/url]. Now I think that this is a perfect example of balanced between not too in depth mathematical concepts and lateral bites . Personally I found the book very interesting, and also, having a major in Economics but actually doing a PhD in Machine Learning, very instructive.

Bottom line: TDGperson I personally encourage you to carry on with mathematical puzzles since I think that once one is able to laterally think at mathematics, all the abstractions are just a little barrier. But, if you want to make them more appealing and know when it's time to spoil a solution, I recommend you to take a look at this book. Really suggested for all of you guys!

[GalFisk]

Did any of you watch the Starship test flight? That was amazing!

[Hobbsicle]

I watched some clips, including the, er, fireworks finale. Really cool.

Also, happy birthday to Balin! 29 years old. You’re in your prime. Next year, you won’t be. The year after, you will be again.

[Balin]

Thanks Hobbs! (As I'm in grad school for teaching math, I'll be borrowing that joke for use and re-use.)

[WiZ]

You even nabbed reply #29 in the Chatroom. Happy birthday. May you live a long and happy life, or be found dead in a field clutching a broken match, whichever is your preference.

Speaking of stealing jokes, don't forget in 3 years time to use the one about only being able to celebrate for half a minute.

[WiZ]

Also, is there a snappy way to define 'FA lurking'? I know it means 'This is the most correct answer at face value but I acknowledge that at least one obvious interpretation of it would be incorrect or lead your mind down an irrelevant path' but that lacks a certain punch.

[Earnest]

Happy birthday!!!!

[irishelk]

How about this, WiZ: "If I were a robot I would just give a straight answer, but as a fellow human, I recognize, and feel you are owed a heads-up, that you are heading down the wrong path."

[WiZ]

Interesting. Are they necessarily on the wrong path, though? I think there's an element of presupposition there - the setter is acknowledging 'yes, I think I know where you're going with this question; I will answer both it and the one I believe (rightly or wrongly) you are going to ask next'.

[Hobbsicle]

A lateral Christmas story: I received an email from a listener to my podcast, with something of a complaint. She had been enjoying the podcast with her family on a road trip, "up until the point where you spoiled Santa Claus. While I'm sure my kiddo had some doubts, I was hoping for one more holiday with the magic."

Racking my brain as to when I might have done that, I realized that it was when I had shared WiZ's puzzle, "Two Words", in which he writes the "From Santa" gift tags for a neighbor, because the neighbor's kids would recognize their father's handwriting. Little did WiZ know that, by helping a neighbor child keep believing in Santa Claus, he would spoil that belief for a child across the world.

I apologized and told her that I would add a heads-up to the episode to avoid the situation in the future, and she was gracious and understanding, but the mischievous part of me wanted to suggest she tell her child that it's not that Santa isn't real, it's just that he doesn't visit New Zealanders.

[WiZ]

What, you think the one OECD country without any active community transmission is going to open its borders to some bastard who goes to literally every house in the world?

We've had to delegate the responsibility this year, which is why our unemployment rate is tracking well below all forecasts in the wake of lockdown.

[Earnest]

Guys sorry for my absence but I needed a stop. Btw I would like to wish you all a very lateral Christmas with delay and a happy new Year. Hobbsicle, where can I find your podcasts in Italy? iTunes Store?

[Admin]

Happy New Year to all puzzlers.

I hope that 2021 is better for you and for all of us.

[Balin]

Happy New Year, everyone. Here's to a joyful 2021.

I've posted the 2020 POTY thread. Could a mod please pin it to the top of the Active page? (I know I'm a mod, but I cannot figure out how to get the thread to stay in place, a la the Chatroom.)

[Hobbsicle]

Yes, Earnest, should be able to find it on iTunes or Spotify, or a number of other places. “Brain Drop Puzzles” is the name of it.

[Enjay]

Hobbsicle - I really enjoyed your podcast!

[WiZ]

Happy (belated) New Year, everyone! Tau hou hari! I hope 2021 brings... well, an end to this flipping plague. And some degree of continued mental stability and financial security for you and your loved ones. Funny how your wish-list changes at times like this.

[Lynne]

Hello friends! Maybe I should make this a lateral puzzle, but I think I am one of the few in the world who actually came out of lockdown in 2020.

I had been housebound since February 2016 due to being unable to walk any distance. I finally had a hip replacement last January (having had my op cancelled twice). Since then I have been able to take a walk each and every day, either round the local streets or round the town park. I still need to use one crutch due to separate balance issues but I feel I've rejoined the human race.

The gentle rhythm of life at home with just the two of us is OK but of course I miss our family. We saw them briefly last August but didn't get over to Norfolk to spend Christmas with the wider family. We've gone no more than one trip of 25 miles since Easter 2019. Of course, all hoped for trips have been delayed for the forseeable future.

I've learned to look for the positives, while sympathising deeply with those who have suffered significant losses of any kind.

May 2021 be kind to you.

[irishelk]

Thank you for sharing that Lynne, and I'm glad to hear that your recovery has progressed so much! I too hope we all have a much improved 2021.

[trebor]

Congratulations, Lynne! What an ordeal the last several years must have been for you. Where do you live? Is your region handling COVID well enough that you can enjoy some of your new freedoms?

I am coming off the end (kind of reluctantly, if I'm honest) of my ten-day quarantine. My partner and I had been isolating as best we could, but I was still being made to go into the office for one of my jobs, and I contracted COVID sometime in late December. The numbers here are still staggeringly high, and once I at least realized that neither I nor my partner were going to require hospitalization, I was enjoying the knowledge that I didn't have to go into the office and worry about catching COVID for a while. Although the first few days of having symptoms, waiting for the results, the guilt of having given it to my partner, not knowing how bad it was going to get, trying to think of if I had any close contacts, etc. were pretty awful.

The virus, for both of us, was mild, so we were lucky. I'd bought a HEPA air purifier to do my best to try to trap the particles the virus could latch onto in my office, worn 3-ply, polypropylene masks, taken my students at my other job online (I'm a piano teacher in the evening), and petitioned my day job numerous times to allow us to work from home. It was incredibly angering that some of my elected officials (not in the party I support, at least) took Hawaiian vacations and appear to be fine, whereas we cut our contacts, did curbside pickup for all our shopping, cancelled Christmas, and avoided seeing friends and all that and we still got it. But my province has just over a million people total population, and we broke 400 daily new cases yesterday, so...

[Earnest]

Happy for you Lynne. Hobbsicle very cool podcasts!!!

[WiZ]

Trebor: Commiserations on the rubbish Christmas present, but I'm pleased that yours was a mild case. I hope that there are no further complications.

Looking at the numbers you posted, I'm guessing you're a Saskatchewanian?

[trebor]

Correct, WiZ!

[Lynne]

We live in the heart of the Land of Eng and the region is typical of the rest of the country. We were put into Tier 4 and now full lockdown but it's made no difference to our lifestyle as we get food deliveries as much as possible, and a trip to the park daily is as far as we go. I was angry beyond measure at our stupid Prime Minister out cycling 7 miles from his home when two women were fined for driving 5 miles to a reservoir to take a distanced walk. Their fine was cancelled, no doubt due to the PM. BTW someone we know had the vaccine before Christmas and has now tested positive for Covid.

[Hobbsicle]

Thanks, Enjay and Earnest! And glad you're doing alright, Trebor.

I'm working on compiling some more lateral thinking puzzles for another "season" of my podcast, and would like to get some more puzzles that I don't already know the answer to (so I can have others host the puzzles on occasion). If you've been on the forum for a while, and have authored some puzzles you like from, say, 2016 or earlier, then consider messaging me some links. Could be a fun way to revisit some old puzzles you've made. The ones that work best are typically on the easier side, solved in around 20 posts or less on the forum, or otherwise succinct in the answer. You'd get credit for anything used. WiZ, Balin, and IrishElk had some puzzles on there last season.

[Admin]

Hi Hobbsicle,
What is the link for your podcast please?

[Hobbsicle]

Hi, a few links to the major hosts (iTunes, Spotify, Google) can be found at https://braindroppodcast.com/about. You can also listen directly from that site, plus it's on various other podcasting services, if you search "Brain Drop Puzzles". Thanks for checking it out!

[irishelk]

Ooh, heard one of Galfisk's puzzles on the new Futility Closet episode, well done!

[peter365]

HI all, sorry i haven;t been as active as i once was on the forum of late. Working from home for nigh on a year now has left me little appetite for any online activity come down time. I've a few ideas for puzzles so I'll be getting back into the swing of things. Hope you're all doing well and keeping safe.

[Eden]

Glad to be a part of lateralpuzzles.com

[Liquizt]

Hello Everyone!

I've been gone so long my username was available again and I could re-register with it... (^_^')

I've got some puzzle ideas but I'll warm up first by solving a few

[peter365]

Welcome back Liquizt. I remember you well from the old days.

[peter365]

Glad to be a part of lateralpuzzles.com

Hi Eden , welcome to the forum. I took the liberty of moving your greeting to the chatroom rather than as a stand alone topic in the archives.

Happy puzzling .

[JenBurdoo]

Long time no see, Liquizt. And welcome to Eden!