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Re: "Triple Switching Hour" - June 2021
Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2021 8:22 pm
by docison
I will not say that I am a huge music lover, but I am almost always able to solve Pete's puzzle without using Google (can't remember the last time I had to Google, actually). I think he does a really nice job of constructing and avoiding too many obscure crosses (and of course it is music-themed, so it is pretty much as advertised!). This meta solve maybe required a touch of Googling - but given the constraints I am actually pretty amazed at how little was required for me.
Re: "Triple Switching Hour" - June 2021
Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2021 10:13 pm
by dudeski
Agree with previous comments. Needed to study for this one.
Re: "Triple Switching Hour" - June 2021
Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2021 11:09 pm
by BarbaraK
First, mega-meta congratulations to @stmv @Louis D and the non-muggle mega-meta solvers and to all who've got the red herring! Way to go!
As for this puzzle, the grid was what I expect from Pete - lots of stuff I don't know, but gettable anyway with crosses and the occasional guess. I found it challenging, but I managed to complete it without google.
The meta though - so far, this is not one of my favorites. I had a good idea how it was going to work early on, but getting from there to the actual answer was a slog. I don't mind an occasional google to look up something or verify that a name I've never heard of really is a band. But scrolling through pages and pages, looking for something that I'll know is right when I see it - ugh.
As @docison said, this is not like Pete. So I'm fully prepared to be told that I skipped a step and did it the hard way and there is a much more elegant path to the solution. If that's the case, I'll revise my opinion. But for now, while it's certainly a clever mechanism, I think Pete had more fun inventing it than I had solving it.
Re: "Triple Switching Hour" - June 2021
Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2021 11:37 pm
by Hector
BarbaraK wrote: ↑Tue Jun 01, 2021 11:09 pm
First, mega-meta congratulations to @stmv @Louis D and the non-muggle mega-meta solvers and to all who've got the red herring! Way to go!
As for this puzzle, the grid was what I expect from Pete - lots of stuff I don't know, but gettable anyway with crosses and the occasional guess. I found it challenging, but I managed to complete it without google.
The meta though - so far, this is not one of my favorites. I had a good idea how it was going to work early on, but getting from there to the actual answer was a slog. I don't mind an occasional google to look up something or verify that a name I've never heard of really is a band. But scrolling through pages and pages, looking for something that I'll know is right when I see it - ugh.
As @docison said, this is not like Pete. So I'm fully prepared to be told that I skipped a step and did it the hard way and there is a much more elegant path to the solution. If that's the case, I'll revise my opinion. But for now, while it's certainly a clever mechanism, I think Pete had more fun inventing it than I had solving it.
Really, really elegant concept! Diminished some by forced theme content.
Re: "Triple Switching Hour" - June 2021
Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2021 1:19 am
by Abide
I think all the theme entries are household names, depending on your household. I doubt any one household would know them all.
So it took me five to eight minutes to Google the three I didn’t know. I’m not going to complain about that, and I broadened my horizons along the way.
What was frustrating was having Step 2, knowing what to do, but not knowing how to get there. That’s when I came here, read the comments, and at the end when @Hector said “really really elegant concept” the answer popped into my head. Then I verified that answer was a real band. That was crazy....
Re: "Triple Switching Hour" - June 2021
Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2021 8:08 am
by ChrisKochmanski
Got it. With googling. Fun! BUT ... I was wrong on my Mega Meta and Red Herring submissions. Probably not a good idea to attempt them while traveling. Too late, too tired.
Anyone know if I can submit again later? (Knowing, of course, that I’ll be penalized for the wrong answers.) Sorry, I’d look up the MMMM rules, but we’ll be on the move again in a minute.
Re: "Triple Switching Hour" - June 2021
Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2021 8:32 am
by RPardoe
ChrisKochmanski wrote: ↑Wed Jun 02, 2021 8:08 am
Got it. With googling. Fun! BUT ... I was wrong on my Mega Meta and Red Herring submissions. Probably not a good idea to attempt them while traveling. Too late, too tired.
Anyone know if I can submit again later? (Knowing, of course, that I’ll be penalized for the wrong answers.) Sorry, I’d look up the MMMM rules, but we’ll be on the move again in a minute.
@ChrisKochmanski
Mega Meta - Yes, but each incorrect guess is -1 point for the yearly total score.
Red Herring - No. This year, the red herring contest is a one entry only (like the monthly metas) contest. (This is different from prior years).
Re: "Triple Switching Hour" - June 2021
Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2021 8:35 am
by BrennerTJ
ChrisKochmanski wrote: ↑Wed Jun 02, 2021 8:08 am
Anyone know if I can submit again later? (Knowing, of course, that I’ll be penalized for the wrong answers.) Sorry, I’d look up the MMMM rules, but we’ll be on the move again in a minute.
I think only one guess on the Red Herring but can submit again for MegaMeta (wrong guess costs 1 point).
Re: "Triple Switching Hour" - June 2021
Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2021 9:01 am
by BrennerTJ
Solved -- all seemed accessible enough using google even with my low popular culture quotient.
Re: "Triple Switching Hour" - June 2021
Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2021 9:19 am
by ChrisKochmanski
RPardoe wrote: ↑Wed Jun 02, 2021 8:32 am
ChrisKochmanski wrote: ↑Wed Jun 02, 2021 8:08 am
Got it. With googling. Fun! BUT ... I was wrong on my Mega Meta and Red Herring submissions. Probably not a good idea to attempt them while traveling. Too late, too tired.
Anyone know if I can submit again later? (Knowing, of course, that I’ll be penalized for the wrong answers.) Sorry, I’d look up the MMMM rules, but we’ll be on the move again in a minute.
@ChrisKochmanski
Mega Meta - Yes, but each incorrect guess is -1 point for the yearly total score.
Red Herring - No. This year, the red herring contest is a one entry only (like the monthly metas) contest. (This is different from prior years).
Thanks greatly for clarifying. I’ll look again next week, when we’re back.
Re: "Triple Switching Hour" - June 2021
Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2021 11:17 am
by Eric Porter
I'm on the leaderboard. This one was easier than the last couple of months in that I knew exactly what to do. I didn't complete it until this morning because it took so much time.
Once again I see something that's probably for the red herring but I don't see how to get an Alessia Cara song out of it yet.
Re: "Triple Switching Hour" - June 2021
Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2021 2:50 pm
by hcbirker
I got the red herring last month, took a stab at the Mega Meta, and I was wrong. Oh well.
Re: "Triple Switching Hour" - June 2021
Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2021 9:44 am
by higgysue
On the board.
Re: "Triple Switching Hour" - June 2021
Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2021 10:41 am
by Amanda Hugginkiss
I love the metas that require a lot of googling! I feel like a detective cracking a case, and it’s always exciting when I see the light.
Re: "Triple Switching Hour" - June 2021
Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2021 2:33 pm
by ky-mike
Couldn't figure out part of step one, but was able to back solve. Waiting on a leaderboard update.
Edit - On the board!
Re: "Triple Switching Hour" - June 2021
Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2021 2:34 pm
by BethA
Finally, off the couch, on the beach, and on the leaderboard! (#192 @2:20pm)
My solving experience was similar to @BarbaraK, except my slog was spread over three days. I didn’t really have much time to spend on it Tuesday and Wednesday, but had enough progress that I wanted to keep at it. Thursday comes along and I REALLY want to have my mind clear of it before 4pm WSJCC.
Hope I didn’t burn out all of my meta brain cells for the day!
Re: "Triple Switching Hour" - June 2021
Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2021 2:58 pm
by FKelly
A bit of a late start and I'm at the same spot as some of you.
I found something that cannot be an accident, but doesn't appear to be the meta answer either.
I found it. I was headed in the right direction, but this 'rock band' is so obscure (and rightful so) that it didn't show up with the usual search techniques. Another band that was only slightly less obscure kept showing up, but that solution wasn't satisfying. So I had my doubts. Deep-google (aka google-fest) required to find this one. Pulling an answer out of the Rock & Roll junkyard, rather than the HoF, did not result in one of Pete's better puzzles.
Re: "Triple Switching Hour" - June 2021
Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2021 4:45 pm
by MikeM000
Well that....filled my heart with joy. We'll see if PMX includes the YouTube link I attached with my entry.
Re: "Triple Switching Hour" - June 2021
Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2021 8:00 pm
by Cinny
On the leaderboard. I didn't have a problem with the grid, but I can't say the same for the meta. My knowledge of bands is practically nil, so I spent quite a while googling.
Re: "Triple Switching Hour" - June 2021
Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2021 12:21 am
by Laura M
Got it with some Googling. I'll echo others in saying that this one wasn't my favorite, but I still enjoyed it.
I'm still basically nowhere on the mega and the red herring. I can see something going on, but it hasn't led me to an answer for either one.