#643 - "Listen Till the End"

[RPardoe]

I suspect the colors are just default for the available icons with those numbers. Standard emoticons.
......
Fear the puzzle this week involves a solve method I really don't enjoy.

Not the solve method I feared (thank goodness).

[TMart]

Beam me up!

This was a pretty hard one. I had to extract myself from a very deep rabbit hole that couldn’t possibly have been a coincidence (but was). But now I have a nice idea for a new meta!

[BarbaraK]

Beam me up!

Great puzzle! I must say, though, I only got there with a couple of nudges. Which makes me feel very guilty about my MGWCC streak. I don't think I'd have gotten there, on this one, on my own. Maybe, but probably not. My solo-solve streak, up to this puzzle, was probably only 8 or 10, maybe 10 or 12. I hope Matt is distinguishing, somewhere in his data banks, between all-solo-solve streaks and some-group-solve streaks.

But please be sure, I'm not saying that other group solvers should feel guilty. This is ME. It may be my raised-a-Catholic guilt. Sister Edwina could unfailingly take the wind out of our sails every time one or another of us thought we were hot stuff.

I'm the other side of this one - feeling at times like a bit of a sucker for taking Matt's solo solve bait. Here were are, three quarters of the way through 2020, and we haven't seen a list of the 2019 winners yet. This isn't self interest, by the way; I missed too many last year. But if that's the game I'm playing, I'd like to know how many were successful and be able to tell them congratulations.

Yeah, of course, it's really much more about the joy of solving. And they are great fun puzzles; this one was very clever and quite the aha when I finally saw it. And I'm certainly getting better from setting myself the challenge. If I hadn't made the rule that I would not get help, it would be too easy and too tempting in weeks like this to compare notes or get a nudge or at least get someone to tell me to abandon that incredibly attractive rabbit hole I was stuck in. Keeping at them, all the way to noon Tuesday if necessary, I solve more than I thought I could. And I can still enjoy the social approach, I just do that with other series or one-offs.

I don't in the least bit begrudge anyone their streaks or pretty new icons. When Matt laid out the rules for the new solo solve category, he was perfectly clear that it would not affect streaks; it was strictly for tabulating annual results. I'd just like to also see some icons on the "This Year" tab showing how many of those are solo solvers. And to know that if I should ever achieve some threshold, I'll actually get an atta-girl from the one who started me on this path.

[KayW]

Whew! Made it, with a bit of help. Early on, I was staring a gift-horse part of the mechanism right in the mouth, but ignored it and tried to do something much more convoluted instead

[Prozach]

I will take a nudge (or a kick) to those willing. My start is pretty shaky on this one.

[ky-mike]

I'm mired in a rabbit hole where I am either 8/10 of the way there or nowhere. If anyone would like to either confirm my methodology or give me a swift kick in the rear to head me in the right direction, I would be very appreciative.

[Joe Ross]

Beam me up, please.

Walked away from the winning mechanism, until slapped back to it.

[CrossedPurposes]

I would also appreciate a less than gentle nudge to get me started here. I have come up with a couple half baked ideas but can't seem to rise to the occasion.

[Bird Lives]

Thanks to a nudge about general strategy, I am beaming. I might have solo solved it if only I'd remembered all the Gaffney mechanisms. This puzzle used quite a few of them.

[elementary]

Thanks to some nudges from Hector I finally figured it out. For a while I think I was stuck in the same rabbit hole others mentioned!

[BarbaraK]

Thanks to some nudges from Hector I finally figured it out. For a while I think I was stuck in the same rabbit hole others mentioned!

I dunno - I think that one had more than enough rabbit holes for everyone.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow afternoon to find out if anyone else was stuck in mine.

[pewpliulaser]

I've been enjoying the MGWCC for several months now but this is the first week that I'm just completely at a loss! I spent all weekend stuck in various rabbit holes. I'd appreciate a nudge or two to get me back on track

[ky-mike]

Thanks to a nudge (actually a terse "you need to start over") out of my initial rabbit hole, discussions with another muggle got me to look at another approach, which still took a bit of thought and a couple more steps to get me to shore. Kudos to Matt for a tough solve this week.

[cherikee]

I might be stuck in the same rabbit hole as others - if someone wouldn’t mind PMing me to sort that out, I’d really appreciate it.

[Orsys]

Wow, definitely a week 4. Glad it's done.

[cherikee]

I might be stuck in the same rabbit hole as others - if someone wouldn’t mind PMing me to sort that out, I’d really appreciate it.

I got confirmation that I was (mostly) on the right track, and found my way to the finish line from there. I continue to be impressed by these.

[streakchaser]

Been staring at this one all weekend with no apparent path forward, though I do have some inklings of ideas. If anyone has a very gentle nudge so that I can continue working on the meta later this week, I'd be really grateful.

[lfsc]

My solving buddy and I are both completely at sea... Would appreciate a little nudge to help get us towards solid land again.

[MikeM000]

Any intrepid solvers who wish to pass along a nudge, feel free to do so...I've got nothing outside of what is apparent from the text.

Speaking of intrepid solvers....does anyone know if the famous names I see frequently on the Gaffney leaderboard are those famous people? I mean...who'd imitate a couple of TV writers to impress some crossword nerds, right?

[burak]

Beam me up!

Great puzzle! I must say, though, I only got there with a couple of nudges. Which makes me feel very guilty about my MGWCC streak. I don't think I'd have gotten there, on this one, on my own. Maybe, but probably not. My solo-solve streak, up to this puzzle, was probably only 8 or 10, maybe 10 or 12. I hope Matt is distinguishing, somewhere in his data banks, between all-solo-solve streaks and some-group-solve streaks.

But please be sure, I'm not saying that other group solvers should feel guilty. This is ME. It may be my raised-a-Catholic guilt. Sister Edwina could unfailingly take the wind out of our sails every time one or another of us thought we were hot stuff.

I'm the other side of this one - feeling at times like a bit of a sucker for taking Matt's solo solve bait. Here were are, three quarters of the way through 2020, and we haven't seen a list of the 2019 winners yet. This isn't self interest, by the way; I missed too many last year. But if that's the game I'm playing, I'd like to know how many were successful and be able to tell them congratulations.

Yeah, of course, it's really much more about the joy of solving. And they are great fun puzzles; this one was very clever and quite the aha when I finally saw it. And I'm certainly getting better from setting myself the challenge. If I hadn't made the rule that I would not get help, it would be too easy and too tempting in weeks like this to compare notes or get a nudge or at least get someone to tell me to abandon that incredibly attractive rabbit hole I was stuck in. Keeping at them, all the way to noon Tuesday if necessary, I solve more than I thought I could. And I can still enjoy the social approach, I just do that with other series or one-offs.

I don't in the least bit begrudge anyone their streaks or pretty new icons. When Matt laid out the rules for the new solo solve category, he was perfectly clear that it would not affect streaks; it was strictly for tabulating annual results. I'd just like to also see some icons on the "This Year" tab showing how many of those are solo solvers. And to know that if I should ever achieve some threshold, I'll actually get an atta-girl from the one who started me on this path.

Barbara don't worry, you're not alone. I refuse to get a nudge unless I'm like 100% sure of the mechanism but am getting stuck due to some inelegance/nurtural incapability. And if it turns out that I was wrong and now know the answer, I wouldn't submit. I'm a tad more relaxed about WSJCC since the chances of getting a mug doesn't really change as i) 1000 people submit an answer and ii) I'm pretty sure some offline solvers who aren't aware of this forum get nudges/help/group solve anyways, but for a more or less exclusive contest with a leaderboard I'm more nitpicky.

I won't speak for Matt Gaffney, but I know that he knows that the solo-solve thing could/should be better regulated and probably will be once he launches the new website.