cthulhia | Recent Entries

There's a lot to potentially discuss here, but, I'm not sure where to start. So, I'm mostly just mirroring my fb post, for now.

It was my pleasure and privilege to help SETEC construct the 2019 MIT Mystery Hunt.

Even though the offer came a week after I'd committed to helping construct BAPHL18. I'd helped with assorted puzzle hunts before, but never as a constructor, so this became My Year of Living Puzzlingly.

I constructed four BAPHL puzzles. They calibrate entirely differently than MITMH puzzles, but going through that editorial process with established friends prepared me for the editorial process of a team that effectively has a Huge Reputation to maintain. It brings to mind that image of Weird Al with his kid, under a wall of gold records: "Just started giving my daughter piano lessons. No pressure."

I constructed, or co-constructed, 10 puzzles that made it into the 2019 Hunt.

The Treehouse of Crossed Destinies.
Mostly mine, with Sami's mad logic puzzle skillz. When I had the freedom to do so, I tried to make my puzzles somewhat "fishy". (A colloquial term for easier puzzles, but by Mystery Hunt standards, so, just less agonizingly difficult.) I came up against editors here, and it was slowly turning into a logic puzzle that I wouldn't have been able to solve. I tried to write the text in such a way that the logic was more of a confirmation than a necessity. After all that, the real stumbling block was that folks didn't try to find the instructions in the initial layout. Skipping that makes the solve much harder.
http://www.mit.edu/~puzzle/2019/puzzle/the_treehouse_of_crossed_destinies.html
Solved by 29 teams.

Cross Campus
Rebecca's grid, my video. My first multi-clip, edited video, like ever. Grid junkies solved it without even knowing the locations were, um, useful, so if you love grids but don't know MIT, give it a whirl.
http://www.mit.edu/~puzzle/2019/puzzle/cross_campus.html
Solved by 19 teams.

If at First You Don’t Succeed
Group construction from the East Coast retreat. I contributed to the "aha" data so can't elaborate much.
http://www.mit.edu/~puzzle/2019/puzzle/if_at_first_you_dont_succeed.html
Solved by 41 teams.

Groundhog Day Town
The first event puzzle of the hunt. Far from my original pitch to do something akin to "Waiting Rooms"... which is probably a good thing. The final collaboration was well received. Anyone who knows me knows I absolutely insisted on this Holiday. I wanted it as a round, but didn't have the meta chops to win that fight.
http://www.mit.edu/~puzzle/2019/town/groundhog_day.html
Solved by 59 teams.

The Bill
My inability to make spreadsheet formulas work correctly made the construction way harder than necessary. Easy, as long as you're better with spreadsheet formulas than I am. I was barred from mentioning Caribou. It is my great shame that the later puzzle that does mention Caribou is Not Mine.
http://www.mit.edu/~puzzle/2019/puzzle/the_bill.html
Solved by 34 teams.

Rose Garden
I volunteered Andrew to write this after he joked that we needed one for President's Day. I helped with clues & art. Bitter altos and basses unite!
http://www.mit.edu/~puzzle/2019/puzzle/rose_garden.html
Solved by 36 teams.

No Sads
If you like looking at kittens, you can do this puzzle. Those who solved it seemed to really enjoy it.
(Folks on IIF, LaaEftR, and Grand Unified Theory of Love recognized it as my puzzle the moment they opened it.
And. Did Not Solve It.
I Will Never Let Them Live That Down.)
http://www.mit.edu/~puzzle/2019/puzzle/no_sads.html
Solved by 21 teams.

Marching Band
I volunteered Andrew after he joked that we needed it for Thanksgiving or New Years. We eventually had to beg Trip Payne to bail us out. By then, Thanksgiving answers were scarce, and New Years had meta conflicts. It ended up in Pi Day.
http://www.mit.edu/~puzzle/2019/puzzle/marching_band.html
Solved by 13 teams.

Itishuntyes
"There's one time of year you look forward to the most".
A back-up ("flex") in the event that another puzzle broke at the last minute. Cute & simple, and intended to replace an early round puzzle. When the first & second puzzle broke in Bloomsday, they resisted adding it because it was too easy. When the third(?) puzzle broke, I got my chance.
The team submissions were delightful.
http://www.mit.edu/~puzzle/2019/puzzle/itishuntyes.html
Solved by 28 teams.

Protection Plan
Group construction from the East Coast Retreat, but I helped with some of the art, and most of the source wordlists.
http://www.mit.edu/~puzzle/2019/puzzle/protection_plan.html
Solved by 15 teams.

Thanks SETEC for the fantastic opportunity! I can construct puzzles at all, and am hopefully a better solver.
I already have so many new puzzle ideas, and puzzle hunt structure ideas ... oh dear, is this how it starts?

I don't remember my passwords very well.
I'm lucky my phone does, for some of them, anyway.

I haven't been pimping this show much because I'm only onstage for about a minute, and there are so many other shows going on right now where the folks y'all know are onstage much longer, and have speaking roles. (Technically we do kinda groan, although the notes always are "Less like Zombies".)

There's still shows left if you have the time & budget for it. (I honestly don't know how well it holds together from the side of the audience, but the technology involved has been fascinating, as is almost everything the media lab does.)

(The one night I could offer comps was the final dress, which I missed for a dinner planned long before I knew rehearsal dates.)

ok, I think I have enough of the hang of animated gifs for a consulting gig on wednesday. (not sure if it pays more than dinner & experience, but, it's a start).

edit: if it's not animated by the time you get to this entry on the page, reload. I deliberately made it a finite animation.

Meanwhile, while I wait to hear how the SHC wants me to auction The Dismemberment Plan tickets...

Via my facebook event:

Every year, I watch "Groundhog Day" on 2/2, but most of my friends are pretty sick of it by now. (If you want to watch it with me, LET ME KNOW. If there's enough interest, I'll go harass Ian.)

Last year's screening became an informal fundraiser for the Somerville Homeless Coalition. Sure, a lot of folks brought a cheque or canned good and then snuck out before the movie began, but they still showed support. I figured I'd try to collect donations again.

If you'd like to donate directly (& get tax credit for doing so): http://somervillehomelesscoalition.org/
https://npo.networkforgood.org/Donate/Donate.aspx?npoSubscriptionId=1002413

If you'd like to hand me cheques (or cash if that's what you've got) or canned goods between now & next Wednesday, suggest when & where I should try to catch up with you.

The Dismemberment Plan (specifically, Eric Axelson) got back to me. I have two spots on their guest list for the SOLD OUT Friday show at the Paradise, to be sold as fundraisers for the Somerville Homeless Coaltion.

For my next miracle... I need to figure out how to actually auction these off for the SHC, in time to get the names to the venue on Friday.

So, like, a 24 hour auction, and somehow to publicize it to make it worthwhile.

aaaaaaaargh. Help!

not on etsy, which has individual charges, but on artfire (which has a free option that is very stripped down. If I sell enough through it, I'd consider getting a "pro" version, maybe.)

now to add stuff other than the mandalas.

The Somerville Homeless Coalition contacted me asking if I'd planned anything for Groundhog Day this year. I haven't.

Who among my local friends still wants to see Groundhog Day on February 2nd? (Trying to gauge need to organize a Something).

If it's just me and my annual viewing, I can organize something else entirely, and on a different date:

This is relevant because:

This year is the 125th anniversary for Puxatawny Phil's celebration. I have yet to attend one.
I also have a free place to stay in Florida that has a good view of the Feb 3 (3 am ish) space shuttle launch. Which means I'd need to be there by the evening of February 2nd (and then get to be livid if the flight gets rescheduled).
Even if I stay home, mostly to (not bleed my savings for anything less than Hawaii and) deal with domestic issues, my place will probably not be presentable enough for a fund-raising gathering by 2/2.

If, unlike me, you feel no need to see Groundhog Day ever again, what would be an appealing fundraiser to you?

(Yes, the Dismemberment Plan, who got their name from the film, *is* touring again, and have a show in Boston the previous weekend, which is entirely sold out. They did answer my email once, so I may try begging them for n guest tickets to donate entirely as SHC fundraisers. But, the middle step there is still "and a miracle occurs", so I need a Plan B.)

This year is the 125th anniversary for Puxatawny Phil's celebration. I have yet to attend one.
I also have a free place to stay in Florida that has a good view of the Feb 3 (3 am ish) space shuttle launch. Which means I'd need to be there by the evening of February 2nd (and then get to be livid if the flight gets rescheduled).
Even if I stay home, mostly to (not bleed my savings for anything less than Hawaii and) deal with domestic issues, my place will probably not be presentable enough for a fund-raising gathering by 2/2.

for those of you not following me on twit|book (and... for *shame*), I did get interviewed about the show.

Coffee Spills Transformed into Art.

I'm not sure if it's because the art has started growing on the regulars, or what, but I've now (pending actual payment & delivery & stuff) sold enough pieces to make up for cost of framing & immediate cost of materials. If I were trying to recoup an "hourly rate" or how much I've spent at the cafe since I first started doing the art there... well, I'd need to sell all the pieces AND get commissions...

Coffee Mandalas.
True Grounds.
December 2010.

All the pieces incorporate True Grounds Coffee. (All but the largest one were started on site.)

rikchik (& laurinda) helped me hang the pieces as evenly as possible. (We could only do so much to get them all to similar heights. Trying to space them more evenly along the walls would've required hammering, which, as it turns out, was really not an option.)

With any luck, I'll sell enough pieces to recoup the cost of the frames. (And the parking ticket. Sigh. Yes, I live a whole block away, but, of course the day I put the show up, it's a constant drizzle outside. And, I forgot to refeed the meter.) If not, well, I'll have a lot of gifts for people in January.