I meant to post this with this noon's status
Two things for new and old muggles
There are a wealth of hints for solving metas at
viewtopic.php?f=18&t=49
also regarding nudges, here are some suggestions regarding when and how
viewtopic.php?f=18&t=49
Also I notices a couple of comments from those struggling on how easy the meta is for some. Two thoughts
1) usually when people comment that the meta is easy and give it a one or two star, it means that the process is a single step or maybe a step and a half. Unfortunately if your knowledge base is not in the area of the contest, they may be large steps but if you find yourself in a convoluted mess, you probably are not going in the right direction.
2) I think that this is in the hints for solving - remember that on Monday, Mike Shenk has to put the answer in a very small space in the newspaper. If the path you are taking looks like it will take War and Peace to explain, you probably are not going in the right direction.
I will post this again tomorrow for those who have missed it.