"Color Code" - July 24, 2020

[boharr]

Stay with it a bit longer. You can solve it.

[Bird Lives]

I live in the buidling 56A once lived in, but he is not conducting me towards the answer. Barring a last-minute flash of insight, I'm throwing in the towel.

[Cindy N]

I was so buried in PGWCC that I set this aside until last night. Took a bit to clear my head from that. Then with a nudge to get started this one was put into the "done!" category. On shore once again.

[whimsy]

Still with Isaac. Tried ignoring the meta for the afternoon, but that didn't weaken its resolve!

I know what you mean -- they almost take on a personality.
When I try that thing that others do of leaving it and then coming back later, I find myself sort of sneaking up on it --- but it doesn't seem to help.
Aaaaack! It's alive!

[Colin]

Can't spend any more time on this one. I'll be in the ship's library proofreading a 35-page document for a fellow board member. I had to put it down yesterday after completing only 3 pages in 2.5.hours. How do I turn a folksy, friendly, rambling, repetitive and grammatically incorrect document into something that, at the very least, represents our group as a professional organization? All that, plus the fact that the author is a dear friend whose feelings I would never, ever hurt intentionally. Yikes! Isaac, put on a fresh pot of coffee, please. I'm gonna' need it!

It must be written by an engineer. (ngineur - and I are one)

No - more likely a crossword construktor!

[EdStrong]

On vacation so not minding being adrift on this one. But, shoot, i have to believe this rabbit hole will bare fruit at some point...

[SusieG]

I have been asked to leave the bar. It’s not that I’ve had too much to drink, rather it’s the gibberish I’ve written all over my THREE different puzzle printouts. I’m throwing in the towel, second week in a row. Looking forward to seeing the solution. Good luck to you muggles who were smart enough to submit the right answer!

[boharr]

One more printout and you'll surely see it.

[michaelm]

Last minute nudge, anyone?

[JeanneC]

I remember when I used to be able to solve these by Thursday evening. That hasn’t happened in weeks. I’m lucky to be solving by Sunday evening lately. These are either getting more difficult, or I’m losing my solving skills.
The entry point to this one makes absolutely no sense to me.

Boy, I have felt the same way for the past few weeks. I have been thinking that my muggle mojo is gone. However, it is probably “just a phase”. Friday’s meta puzzle is still enjoyable and something to which I look forward. Plus, we have a great group of people with funny, interesting comments.

Hopefully, if I ever win a mug, the experience will be all the sweeter.

[Wendy Walker]

Last minute nudge, anyone?

I just sent you a PM.

[802puzzler]

I submitted a guess, but it's a long shot. Count me LAS this week.

But on the upside, I solved MGWCC quickly and easily. Go figure!?!

[Bob cruise director]

I submitted a guess, but it's a long shot. Count me LAS this week.

But on the upside, I solved MGWCC quickly and easily. Go figure!?!

We count Hail Mary's as being on the shore. Some of them are even the right shore. Good luck

[Bob cruise director]

Our final count is 50 on the ship and 64 on the shore.

and our newest muggles are gatogato and pamster

For those who are relatively new, I count being on shore if you are not on the ship that includes being nudged or dragged to shore even if you don't submit to the WSJ or if you throw a wild guess in for fun. The stories of our wanderings are what makes this fun. Because I guarantee no matter what random wrong path you took there were others of us who were in the same rabbit holes.

Keeping Isaac in business for the week since lunch are
joe
Gpiggies
hunkra
Geezer
Flamel616
tonyrobots
Burak
Ed S
Bird Lives
Steve 1963
eric h
and gatogato

Making it to the shore - mostly with the help of a very busy Coast Guard are

pamster
Cindy N
copperriver
David K
streroto
heidi
and 802 puzzler

I expect a lower submission number and percentage this week than last week.

[TPS]

I remember when I used to be able to solve these by Thursday evening. That hasn’t happened in weeks.

Boy, I have felt the same way for the past few weeks. I have been thinking that my muggle mojo is gone.

Mean reversion - we had a period of about 8 weeks where 5-6 puzzles had both high participation and high solve rates - we were probably due for a reversion to the mean.

I presume there are about 3,000 people who attempt this puzzle every week - not all of them submit an answer. So I think of the stats we get on the puzzles much like the way the unemployment rate is calculated - true unemployment is always actually higher than reported because once someone stops looking for work they are dropped from the work force just like once someone decides not to submit an answer they are not counted into the statistics we get from Mike at WSJ. So I presume the base number of people who attempt the puzzle to be 3,000 which is the denominator and then take the number of people who got it correct and use that as the numerator to come up with what I think is a better representation of the actual solve rate. And based on that I think 5-6 weeks ago we were probably at least a standard deviation over the historic mean which meant statistically we were probably due for a reversion.

Or I could just be looking for a way to justify my own terrible streak!

[edot]

On shore! (Literally and figuratively). Have a great week all!

[Orsys]

With a kind nudge and a tilt of my head to see things differently, I believe I have reached the shore!

[LaceyK]

I've been away without a paper copy. I did actually start with the digital grid on Thursday and have been chasing rabbits on my phone with Isaac for what seems like days now. Halfway thru I noticed what might be step 1 and what cannot be a coincidence in terms of construction. I thought I was close. I'm back home now and have the newspaper in hand with only a couple hours to make magic. I do have a reasonably fitting guess that I can force my way to back solving. But Mike is too elegant for that.

[MajordomoTom]

I've picked this up and put it down several times since late afternoon Thursday.

Still no map to shore. It is what it is.

[Commodore]

We count Hail Mary's as being on the shore. Some of them are even the right shore. Good luck

In best Foster Brooks voice:
Ohhhhhhhhh. [hiccup] Ish that the shtory? Then, officer, I musta been to the Tiki Bar-arrr-ar A LOT more [hiccup] than anyone knew.
Of all the gin-joints.... [hic]. Come 'ere. Let me tell youse the ssshtory of how I taught young ensign R. Staubach how to gamble in last moments. [hiccup]. Why, whazza name of this joint? Pour me 'nuther! Mugglety-schmugglety.... "Now I know my ABCs"...[hiccup].