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 Forum index » Archive » Archive: Perplex City » PXC: General/Updates
[UPDATE] Sentinel Oct 31st - Dominated/Perplexed
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Atrophied
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 		[UPDATE] Sentinel Oct 31st - Dominated/Perplexed
Front Page

Quote:
Earth Leaderboard Dominated by UK

By KATE BREWSTER

Data provided to the Sentinel shows that the Earth-based puzzle card leaderboard is dominated by citizens of the United Kingdom, with all but three of the top 20 players listing the UK as their geographic location. This domination by the UK extends through all ranks of the leaderboard -- in fact, the number of UK players is roughly on par with the number from all other nations combined.

The top echelons remained fairly stable this week, as the top players appear to have solved as many cards as they can -- a few cards remain stubborn enigmas, however. The first-wave cards that remain entirely unsolved include #251, The Thirteenth Labour, and #238, Riemann. Some analysts suggest that these cards may never be solved by Earth players.

Among our rising stars, we have ramsfan, who joined the board only yesterday and has already collected 1056 points to rise to 97th place.


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The most widely-solved card to date is #25, Read Between the Lines, followed by #9 Ishihara and #27 Bar None, each with well over 450 solves. In total, there are 10 cards with more than 400 correct solves each. On the other hand, the least-solved cards are #244 Syzygy Cube, #241 T-L-P, and #219 Master of Secrets, which were solved a mere 46, 54 and 79 times, respectively.

The board broke the 15,000-cards-solved mark earlier today, bringing the total number of points acquired to over a staggering 325,000. Of those solves, 3400 cards and 72,000 points were gained this week alone.

The average player has solved 19 cards and accrued 405 points. These points were not won without struggle, however; that same average player has also submitted approximately 13 incorrect solves. To date, the total number of incorrect solves has exceeded 10,000 in total.


Quote:
Perplexing Nights Perplexingly Bad

By FOSTER LIDDELL

The highly anticipated Perplexing Nights opened their doors for the first time yesterday to an expectant audience. This reviewer, for one, wishes they hadn't. In an effort to buck the recent trend of Earth-based dishes, the aim for veteran restaurateurs Johann and Janice Peters was clearly to return to innovative and enticing Perplexian cuisine. At this, their restaurant fails spectacularly. The menu has been constructed with such precision and assiduousness that all thought of enjoyment has been lost.

In traditional cuisine, a dinner should be a rewarding mystery: New and exciting flavours exploding in your mouth without warning, with each course blending into the next in unexpected and delicious ways. No such delights were to be found at Perplexing Nights.


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Food ranged from bland to unpalatable; indifferent to positively noxious. It was as if their kitchens had become a chemistry experiment, where the only concern was to create something new, not something great. In short, the food was all head and no heart. Adventuresome entrees like the roasted whole butterfish with berry glaze was too heavily laden with conflicting flavours, such as garlic and white vinegar. By contrast, the desserts were uniformly too sweet, and lacking in redeeming texture or depth of taste. Even the seasonal harbonnes were disappointing, both too chewy and too heavily sugared.

The ambience did little to improve the evening. Over-complicated wall puzzles either render you baffled and annoyed or take attention away from your food; exponential seating arrangements leave parties with either several small single tables, or vast ones that no party could fill; and syncopated music changes beat and rhythm so often as to leave you dizzy.

Our restaurants are in danger of becoming swallowed up by Earth's various multi-cultural cuisines. For restaurants to return to Perplexian cooking is a bold and necessary move, but misguided and lacklustre efforts such as Perplexing Nights will only make it harder for first-class and daring restaurants to be successful.


News In Brief
Quote:
Finlay Finds Purchase

A poll run by Fraction Media has found that political newcomer Douglass Finlay is considered "favourably" or "very favourably" by 57% of the voting public. Finlay, who announced his candidacy for council leader last week, is now in the process of formalising his personal platform in his campaign preparations. While these numbers are strong, some political insiders warn that his figures may suffer significant attrition as Finlay reaches more solid stances on the hot issues facing the city. (Full text)




More Headlines
Quote:
#Bloom Fights Back
#Troubling Teamwork in PCAG
#Earthworks Booming


Futures
Quote:
Futures

By Madame Bianca, for the week of October 31

The Dice (October 11 - November 10)
Lean times, eh? Frugality doesn't come naturally to you, but you know what they say: if you want to drink, you have to pay the bartender. Unless you can talk someone else into paying the bill.

The Maze (November 11 - December 10)
You're filled with boundless energy through Saturday. Try to channel it into something useful this time, and not reorganising your drawers, 'k?

The Apple-Thief (December 11 - January 10)
You are like the Sun in all that you have done; what your heart desires comes to pass. If you wish a plan by night, at dawn it comes instantly to pass.

The Hand (January 11 - February 10)
Your brain is getting a little rusty, darling. Polish up your sparkling wit and go participate in a few games of skill. Use it or lose it.

The Baby (February 11 - March 10)
All is well, so you can stop with the fretting and the planning. It might be a good time for you to wake up your senses, though -- a nice hike through Catbite might do the trick, followed by dinner on the Strip.

The Eagle (March 11 - April 10)
You need to stop being such a slave to the whims of Fraction Media. Even they can produce a stinker, you know. Branch out a little. Or even a lot. I'm sure just about anyone will have suggestions for you.

The Spider (April 11 - May 10)
Confidence crisis, huh? You know you're a beautiful and special flower, right? OK, maybe not that, but you know that you've got that naughty-crowd zing, at least. Nobody's as good at being bad as you.

The Wave (May 11 - June 10)
Time for a new you. Get to the salon and have a long heart-to-heart with your stylist about your follicular destiny, and work up the courage for some major change. The safest look is almost never the best one.

The Archer (June 11 - July 10)
My, my, are we having some trouble letting go. You feel the need to make everything just exactly so, and it's doing you worlds of harm. Sometimes, just getting by is good enough.

The Half-filled Jug (July 11 - August 10)
You and I both know this can't last. In fact, I know it won't even be the good time you're expecting. Pull up anchor and heave to, lamb, or you'll live to regret it.

The Dragon (August 11 - September 10)
I spy a Dragon who needs to spend some time with an Eagle. I know it's a little tense, a little combative, sometimes even outright dangerous, but you'll come away from it with some much-needed perspective. That's what you need. Perspective.

The Three Balls (September 11 - October 10)
You, my lucky duck, will be the toast of the roast with your oh-so-sharp tongue. Use a little sensible caution, though, or you'll discover that nobody cares for toast much the day after.

And remember, the path of reason is narrow.

_________________
"It will be happened; it shall be going to happening; it will be was an event that could will have been taken place in the future." -- Time travel, as explained by Arnold J. Rimmer

"The Future's bright, the Future's Cuboid" - Juxta

PostPosted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 7:21 pm
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Atrophied
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The Apple-Thief wrote:
You are like the Sun in all that you have done; what your heart desires comes to pass. If you wish a plan by night, at dawn it comes instantly to pass.


This passage is taken from Speech of the court to Ramesses II.

The full text is thus:
Quote:
You are like the Sun in all that you have done; what your heart desires comes to pass. If you wish a plan by night, at dawn it comes instantly to pass. We are used to seeing your many miracles since you ascended as king of the twin lands, but even if we had not heard, if our eyes hand not seen, still they would all have come to be..."What land do you not know? Who has embraced it like you? Have you not seen the unformed land even as it takes shape? Is there an foreign land which you have not trodden?

_________________
"It will be happened; it shall be going to happening; it will be was an event that could will have been taken place in the future." -- Time travel, as explained by Arnold J. Rimmer

"The Future's bright, the Future's Cuboid" - Juxta

PostPosted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 7:52 pm
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QuadsChick
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Joined: 08 Sep 2005
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Quote:
The first-wave cards that remain entirely unsolved include #251, The Thirteenth Labour, and #238, Riemann. Some analysts suggest that these cards may never be solved by Earth players.


Those are the only 2 not solved at all? I wonder who solved the others...enlighten us!!!
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 01, 2005 12:15 am
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pickwick the second
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Joined: 03 Sep 2005
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 		Good Morrow!
I believe that the phrasing of the statement may be slightly misleading; I doubt strongly that cards remaining unsolved on the Unfiction forums would have the temerity to render their answers apparent to individuals unaffiliated with that august association to which I have previously referred. When the article states that the set of unsolved cards includes the Riemann and 13th Labour cards, it does not, with a necessity, preclude the presence of others, most notably 'Shuffled' (and 'Elucidate,' as Spankit points out.)
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 01, 2005 3:10 am
Last edited by pickwick the second on Wed Nov 02, 2005 4:36 am; edited 1 time in total
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Spankit
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pickwick the second wrote:
Good Morrow!
I believe that the phrasing of the statement may be slightly misleading; I doubt strongly that cards remaining unsolved on the Unfiction forums would have the temerity to render their answers clear to unaffiliated individuals. When the article states that the set of unsolved cards includes the Riemann and 13th Labour cards, it does not, with a necessity, preclude the presence of others, most notably 'Shuffled.'


Translation: The article says the unsolved cards include #251 and #238. I doubt anyone has figured out "Shuffled" or "Elucidate" on their own outside of this forum.
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232/333

PostPosted: Tue Nov 01, 2005 3:48 am
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tanner
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Quote:
The Half-filled Jug (July 11 - August 10)
You and I both know this can't last. In fact, I know it won't even be the good time you're expecting. Pull up anchor and heave to, lamb, or you'll live to regret it.


I have never been able to make sense of the futures, so i guess i should not be surprised at not understanding this one.

When I go sailing, to "heave to" means to stop or nearly stop a vessel by balancing the wind against different sails so that the forces cancel. So what is the point of pulling up the anchor AND heaving to?

As usual the future remains unknowable Very Happy
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"And the princess and the prince discuss what's real and what is not,
But it doesn't matter inside the Gates of Eden" - BD

PostPosted: Tue Nov 01, 2005 5:14 am
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Juxta
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 		"The Future's bright, the Future's Cuboid"?

Wink
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zzzshusoharuxpfrp

PostPosted: Tue Nov 01, 2005 6:01 am
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SteveC
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tanner wrote:
Quote:
The Half-filled Jug (July 11 - August 10)
You and I both know this can't last. In fact, I know it won't even be the good time you're expecting. Pull up anchor and heave to, lamb, or you'll live to regret it.


When I go sailing, to "heave to" means to stop or nearly stop a vessel by balancing the wind against different sails so that the forces cancel. So what is the point of pulling up the anchor AND heaving to?



Not quite. If you pull up anchor and heave to, you're just allowing the current, and some of the wind take you where it will, drifting.

So maybe the jugheads out there should quit their job and drift for a while. Maybe go homeless and live on the railways for a few years? Good advice I'm sure. Ahem.

PostPosted: Tue Nov 01, 2005 7:17 am
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tanner
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 		well yeah -- i spose i really meant stop in the water. Smile
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tanner³ -- Join the PXC team on SETI@home
"And the princess and the prince discuss what's real and what is not,
But it doesn't matter inside the Gates of Eden" - BD

PostPosted: Tue Nov 01, 2005 7:40 am
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Atrophied
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Juxta wrote:
"The Future's bright, the Future's Cuboid"


Yoink. Wink
_________________
"It will be happened; it shall be going to happening; it will be was an event that could will have been taken place in the future." -- Time travel, as explained by Arnold J. Rimmer

"The Future's bright, the Future's Cuboid" - Juxta

PostPosted: Tue Nov 01, 2005 8:49 am
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cassandra
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 		Perhaps if there were more international distributors there would be a greater diversity in the leaderboard Wink

Heh. I'm just agitating for more US stores to carry the cards.

PostPosted: Tue Nov 01, 2005 3:52 pm
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Mokey Fraggle
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cassandra wrote:
Perhaps if there were more international distributors there would be a greater diversity in the leaderboard Wink

Heh. I'm just agitating for more US stores to carry the cards.


Here, here! I have to order from Firebox (which is a very lovely company, by the way) and wait for a week or more for my packs to arrive! Crying or Very sad

I know if there were a store down the road, I'd be there all the time, clunking all my change on the counter for another pack, another pack, just one more pack before work... Shocked

Okay. Nevermind. Let's keep it far, far away.

PostPosted: Tue Nov 01, 2005 7:00 pm
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Gibbet
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Joined: 07 Aug 2005
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 		More an example of the amount of free time I have than anything else; but while banging my head in frustration over some of the unsolved cards, decided to see how the leaderboard was distributed. So here is how the points vary with player rank. And a nice curve it produces indeed! Very Happy
PPC-Leaderboard-Curve.gif
 Description   Points-Rank curve
 Filesize   5.17KB
 Viewed   1428 Time(s)

PPC-Leaderboard-Curve.gif
_________________
"And I would have got away with it if it wasn't for those pesky cards!"

The OK13DTFC is but one of the things i'm ashamed of being associated with!

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