"Micromug" Calculator

This is a place to learn about the Muggles community and some of the terminology we use. It also contains suggested strategies for solving meta crosswords, as well as a repository of all past WSJ crossword contests and solutions.
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xivxav
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Dec 26, 2019 2:09 pm

"Micromug" Calculator

#1

Post by xivxav »

Merry Christmas Muggles!

For anyone who solved the puzzle this week but didn't get a mug in their stocking, you may feel a sense of disappointment. But, imagine it this way: About 600 people got the puzzle right this week. So, haven't you really earned 1/600th of a mug? Maybe call it, 1,667 micromugs? I certainly think so.

What's more, if probability plays itself out, you're as likely as not to earn a real mug by the time you accumulate one, full, imaginary mug (or one million micromugs). So I say, why bother thinking about the real mugs. Only luck will earn you those. Instead count up your imaginary mugs, earned with nothing but pure, hard work! The harder the puzzle for others, the more micromugs you earn yourself...

If it wasn't already clear, this muggle had way too much time to himself this boxing day. I created a spreadsheet to track all of the millionths of a mug I've (imaginarily) earned each week:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... edit#gid=0

If you'd like to play along, feel free to add your name to a column of the spreadsheet, and mark what submissions you've gotten right so far (and submitted correctly – no lying!). Make sure to bookmark it so you can continue getting points in future weeks – There's really nothing more satisfying than watching pointless numbers go up.
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BarbaraK
Posts: 2590
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 2:37 pm
Location: Virginia

#2

Post by BarbaraK »

This is so clever! I asked Brian to move it over here so it wouldn't get lost.

I was too shy to add my results to the public sheet, so I made a copy for myself. I also added my results back to 2016. (I had all my data in a spreadsheet, just never thought of using it like this.) I'm happy to report that I've got over 300,000 micro-mugs.

Thanks xivxav for thinking of this and setting it up!
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billkatz
Posts: 315
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 6:46 pm

#3

Post by billkatz »

BarbaraK wrote: Fri Jan 24, 2020 1:14 pm This is so clever! I asked Brian to move it over here so it wouldn't get lost.

I was too shy to add my results to the public sheet, so I made a copy for myself. I also added my results back to 2016. (I had all my data in a spreadsheet, just never thought of using it like this.) I'm happy to report that I've got over 300,000 micro-mugs.

Thanks xivxav for thinking of this and setting it up!
Any chance you'd be willing to add the solutions to this spreadsheet? Do you have the statistics (particularly number of correct answers) going back to the beginning? I have all of my personal yes/no data back to the very beginning (I think my first success was the 4th puzzle), but don''t have the number of correct answers.
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BarbaraK
Posts: 2590
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 2:37 pm
Location: Virginia

#4

Post by BarbaraK »

billkatz wrote: Sun Feb 02, 2020 8:53 pm Any chance you'd be willing to add the solutions to this spreadsheet? Do you have the statistics (particularly number of correct answers) going back to the beginning? I have all of my personal yes/no data back to the very beginning (I think my first success was the 4th puzzle), but don''t have the number of correct answers.
I have the submissions data going back to April, 2016 (when there was a comment system change). I'd be happy to contribute if it's OK with xivxav.
Collegetowngirl
Posts: 96
Joined: Sun Apr 11, 2021 9:58 pm

#5

Post by Collegetowngirl »

Hello all, I love this idea and have recently updated the sheet by adding the recent rows.

I like the suggestion from billkatz to add the solutions to it. Does anyone have any objection to that?

Also, if there is a different version of this somewhere, let me know!

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KayW
Moderator
Posts: 3123
Joined: Wed Apr 10, 2019 12:10 am
Location: Chicago

#6

Post by KayW »

@Collegetowngirl Thanks so much for updating. IMHO I can’t imagine why anyone would object to adding the answers.
Contest Crosswords Combating Cancer (CCCC) is a bundle of 16 metapuzzles created to help raise money for cancer-related charities. It is available at CrosswordsForCancer.com.
madhatter5
Posts: 673
Joined: Sun Sep 27, 2020 1:48 pm

#7

Post by madhatter5 »

Philosophy question: how many micromugs does it take before one can sip from it without the coffee spilling onto your shirt?
https://pandorasblocks.org/crosswords-for-cancer
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MMe
Posts: 273
Joined: Tue Sep 21, 2021 11:27 am

#8

Post by MMe »

That's hilarious. Finally a precise measure of how unfair life is.
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