MGWCC #793 — "Consider the Alternative"

[eckmania]

A new favorite! Great aha moment, and a true week 2, IMO.

Edit/rephrase- the intended mechanism is a true week 2, IMO. There are a few oh-so-tempting dead ends, though.

[Berto]

Submitted, awaiting beam - but have been reassured that I’ll be transporting to the correct destination and not an Alternative…

[Joe Ross]

Beaming.

Beamed, but I have a serious question which I hope Matt will answer next week.

Comment with submission:
Clue for 59A should be changed to "Et ___ (and other thingses')"

[MajordomoTom]

Thanks Berto, beaming

59A clue: Hawaiian chief

[schmidzy]

Beamed up! This one reminded me of a Pandora's Blocks puzzle I really liked (I won't say which one)... although this one was MUCH easier!

[BarbaraK]

I've beamed up, and I've also got something I don't quite understand, though it may be just that I didn't solve in exactly the intended way.

[rjy]

Oh, please tell me he's not doing what I think he's doing...

I think there's more than one solving path for this one, so I'll be curious to read people's experiences.

If he's doing what I think he's doing there's at least a couple hundred (and I'm not exaggerating) dead ends. Please tell me he's not doing with I'm almost certain he is doing.

Awaiting beamage, so I can’t confidently answer your question.But I feel like I did a legit Week 3 solve on a legit Week 2 puzzle… will be an interesting post-game discussion

[Edited] Beamed up… so I can answer your question, but probably better via PM… let me know

[HeadinHome]

Well that was… odd. What the what?? I think I had the same question/objection as @Meg. And I want my wasted hour back! I could have gotten to the solve very quickly but for the very shiny “keep going” trail markers. A week 2 unless you fell for this trick and couldn’t get the seeming second step to take you anywhere good, no matter how many times you checked and rechecked the math. Grrrr

[woozy]

Okay, I was prepared to hate it when I figured out what the nudge I was given (a slam to the head with a two by four) but when I figured what it meant I had to admit it was excellent word play so.... got to like it.

... but....

no-way was that a two. I definite 4 although it could be slid into a 3. ... and... the final answer itself was slightly anticlimactic... just slightly.

A good meta although I'm grumbling as I'd never have gotten it on my own. I should have but I wouldn't have.

Now back to the #@!$ WSJ.....

[benchen71]

Awaiting the beam... [nice aha moment, but before that ]

... and I'm beamed!

[DrTom]

Looked and looked and looked and looked and came up with a mechanism that was wrong BUT led me to the right path. Beamed and beaming. Now back to the WSJ struggle.

[hcbirker]

Beam me up! Fun one!

[Bob cruise director]

Well that was… odd. What the what?? I think I had the same question/objection as @Meg. And I want my wasted hour back! I could have gotten to the solve very quickly but for the very shiny “keep going” trail markers. A week 2 unless you fell for this trick and couldn’t get the seeming second step to take you anywhere good, no matter how many times you checked and rechecked the math. Grrrr

@HeadinHome I totally agree and had to get confirmation from @Wendy Walker that what @MaineMarge came up with was really the answer. There will be a lot of comments on The Fiend and here on Tuesday

[MaineMarge]

Awaiting sure confirmation.
My comment to Matt was, like @HeadinHome’s Grrr

[Joe]

Looked and looked and looked and looked and came up with a mechanism that was wrong BUT led me to the right path. Beamed and beaming. Now back to the WSJ struggle.

Same. I'm sure I'm missing something, but I got there.

[Leslie]

Well that was… odd. What the what?? I think I had the same question/objection as @Meg. And I want my wasted hour back! I could have gotten to the solve very quickly but for the very shiny “keep going” trail markers. A week 2 unless you fell for this trick and couldn’t get the seeming second step to take you anywhere good, no matter how many times you checked and rechecked the math. Grrrr

I found this one very frustrating. I had the main part of the metanism pretty quickly, then wasted WAY too much time trying to derive an appropriate answer (I did find an inappropriate one) from what I thought clearly should have been the final step. I only solved it in the end by forcing myself to abandon the conviction “but it wouldn’t make any sense to….”

[MarkWoychick]

After a few dead ends yesterday, I saw the light this morning - submitted and waiting for the beam up.

[HunterX]

@HeadinHome, @woozy, @Bob cruise director, @Leslie, and others (not mentioning 59A), I'm curious what alternative paths you speak of. I must have lucked out by finding the mechanism quickly and the answer pretty much immediately after. So I look forward to hearing about the misleading "trick" (HeadinHome) I overlooked. Almost (but not quite) sorry I missed it!

Awaiting transporter beam.

[burak]

I saw Step 1, I did everything you do with that in a Gaffney puzzle, and I have an eight-letter gibberish in my hands? What?

And as I was typing it I figured it out. Ditto the sentiments above, I don't know if I like it or not. I guess it had to be done this way, but it feels quite unrewarding in the end.

[Bob cruise director]

@HeadinHome, @woozy, @Bob cruise director, @Leslie, and others (not mentioning 59A), I'm curious what alternative paths you speak of. I must have lucked out by finding the mechanism quickly and the answer pretty much immediately after. So I look forward to hearing about the misleading "trick" (HeadinHome) I overlooked. Almost (but not quite) sorry I missed it!

Awaiting transporter beam.

I sent a PM to you, @HeadinHome , @woozy, @Leslie @Meg and @Wendy Walker explaining the issue. It will not be public until after the MGWCC closes on Tuesday but if anyone wants to talk either send me a PM or we can set up a zoom call to discuss this.