Comments on: The moment of clarity

By: Edward Billman

Edward Billman — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 21:48:17 +0000

Success at last!!! Boy, did I over think puzzle 3!

By: BZB

BZB — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 01:06:36 +0000

Ha. Had basically given up, and just decided to do something — anything — to basically kill time, while trying to come up with another solution. And whaddya know? There it was. Amusingly, I had actually tried to cold-guess some variation of that answer several times.

By: Elisa

Elisa — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 20:43:12 +0000

Since this post in Ken’s blog I’ve been walking around muttering “it’s not a riddle, it’s a puzzle” all the time. And finally…YES! My daughter was on the right track days ago without us even knowing it.

By: Matthew

Matthew — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 01:35:30 +0000

I DID IT!!!!!!!! AAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!! AAAAAHHHHH!!!!!

I started off feeling like a frustrated and confused Nic Cage in Wicker Man, but now I am finally starting to feel like super-sleuth Nic Cage in National Treasure!

By: The Puzzle Team

The Puzzle Team — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 22:34:04 +0000

Don’t lose heart! There are more puzzles to come, and each is different. Remember, the puzzles don’t have to be solved in order. You can always pause on one, work on another, and come back to it later.

– The Puzzle Team

By: The Puzzle Team

The Puzzle Team — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 13:22:23 +0000

Answers are not case sensitive.

– The Puzzle Team

By: Elsie

Elsie — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 09:00:27 +0000

are the answers to the puzzles case sensitive?

By: Stacey

Stacey — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 01:36:30 +0000

Okay, I’m impressed. Finally noodled through #3. I guess this is a puzzle after all.

By: Ralph

Ralph — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 23:27:23 +0000

I give up. If the answer is right in front of me, I seem to be looking another direction. I haven’t felt this stupid since 5th grade. Good luck to the rest of you….

By: Smoking Gnu

Smoking Gnu — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 17:11:47 +0000

Just got #3 after a many hour marathon! Certainly didn’t need to take that long! My efforts were a testament to the school of not working too long on any one direction before trying others. Call me Rob

By: Barb

Barb — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 21:57:52 +0000

I will say that Ken’s and others’ comments to his post have provided useful direction (eg, “letter for letter”) on Puzzle #3, but I don’t think they’ve been spoilers or unfair by any means. It still took a huge chunk out of my day to figure the thing out.

By: Moriah

Moriah — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 18:41:50 +0000

I’m enjoying the puzzle contest, but hating puzzle #3. I hope I’ll get it soon…

By: Jeff

Jeff — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 18:11:04 +0000

I think the puzzles have been difficult enough that some people won’t solve them. You’ll note Ken said there were “hundreds and hundreds” of people who got through the first two puzzles, not thousands upon thousands. It is a contest – a fun one, and tantalizing hints help keep it fun, in my opinion.

By: Kayle

Kayle — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 18:04:52 +0000

Your guidance has apparently solved the problem for some who may have wrongly regarded puzzle #3 text as a riddle.

However, others of us have taken the (decoded)text literally, and that is causing the many rabbit holes for us. I was ready to change my thinking and regard it as riddled with hidden clues or tricks, since trying to simply follow the instructions was leading nowhere.

Can you help us too?

By: Bob

Bob — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 15:58:51 +0000

Come on, no more hints from people other than Ken please. I solved Puzzle 3 without any help (even from Ken), and think others should have to too. Frankly, I’m a little suprised that people would want to “ease the suffering of others” – it is a contest after all. Furthermore, I hope Ken doesn’t give any more hints in the future unless absolutely necessary. I think the puzzles should be difficult enough that some people just won’t solve them.