From a quick browse of the site this seems to be a multi user puzzle solving website that leads to a real life prize worth a substancial amount of money (and notoriety) or it could be a big hoax!
But with so many people playing at £4.00 a clue ... and no limit to how many clues are to be solved ... is this the ultimate 'con' website?
I'm intrigued .. has anyone else heard about this?
posted
It's an Alternate Reality Game. There's a whole section dedicated to it at Unforums (the forums for Unfiction, a site devoted to ARGs). If I had more time I would try it out.
Posts: 1805 | Registered: Jun 1999
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I was so curious about Perlex City that I went out and bought a set of cards (£2.50 for 6).
One of the cards will appeal to Jatraqueros to solve!
"Sometime the opening line to a book is so powerful and moving it stays will you log after you've finished the final page. That's true for some but certainly not all of the examples below. Can you name the nine books in question?"
All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way
It was a dark stormy night; the rain fell in torrents - except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that out scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.
The sky above the port was the colour of televisions tuned to a dead channel.
A few miles wouth of soledad, the salinas river drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green.
Call me Ishmael.
Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number 4 Privet Drive, were proud to say taht they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
I write this sitting in the kitchen sink
Posts: 571 | Registered: May 2001
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posted
3, 7, and 8 were the only ones that I knew off the top of my head too. Sorry I can't be of any more help.
Posts: 169 | Registered: Feb 2001
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posted
I wrote these answers before looking at the other response or googling or otherwise looking things up:
All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way
I should know this one, but I can't remember.
It was a dark stormy night; the rain fell in torrents - except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that out scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness
Can't remember this one either.
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.
Definitely Jane Austen. I'm pretty certain it's Pride and Prejudice, because that's the only Austen I've read.
The sky above the port was the colour of televisions tuned to a dead channel.
Don't know.
A few miles wouth of soledad, the salinas river drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green.
Gotta be John Steinbeck, but I don't know which one. Not Of Mice and Men, and probably not The Grapes of Wrath.
Call me Ishmael.
Moby Dick.
Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number 4 Privet Drive, were proud to say taht they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.
Harry Potter, I think. It's been years since I read it. Strange to see it in with all the classics.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
quote:Originally posted by Stray: The sky above the port was the colour of televisions tuned to a dead channel. -- Neuromancer
I started Neuromancer twice, and couldn't get through it either time. And I didn't even recognize that opening line as something I'd ever seen before. Cyberpunk is so not my genre.
PS. Best of times = Tale of two cities ... (thank higher deity or human igeniousness (or both) for google!)
Posts: 571 | Registered: May 2001
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I forget the name of the book, but I believe it's the one that inspired that "very bad writing" contest. I know Chris Bridges has posted about that contest before.
*eating lunch and is too lazy to look up the title*
Posts: 1805 | Registered: Jun 1999
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posted
I'm not telling, but you should be able to find out with a Google search if you're that into cheating. Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way -Anna Karénina
It was a dark stormy night; the rain fell in torrents - except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that out scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness -Paul Clifford by Edward Bulwer-Lytton.
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. -Pride and Prejudice
The sky above the port was the colour of televisions tuned to a dead channel. -Neuromancer
A few miles wouth of soledad, the salinas river drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green. -Of Mice and Men
Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number 4 Privet Drive, were proud to say taht they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. -Can’t remember which Harry Potter book
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times -Tale of Two Cities
I write this sitting in the kitchen sink -I believe “I Capture the Castle”
Posts: 944 | Registered: Jun 2001
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posted
In all fairness, A Wrinkle in Time does start with the phrase "It was a dark and stormy night." Here is the rest of the opening:
"In her attic bedroom Margaret Murry, wrapped in an old patchwork quilt, sat on the foot of her bed and watched the trees tossing in the frenzied lashing of the wind. Behind the trees clouds scudded frantically across the sky. Every few moments the moon ripped through them, creating wraithlike shadows that raced along the ground."
Man, I hated Meg. She was such a whiny character that she made the book nearly unreadable for me as a child. It's still my least favorite of the series.
I really believe it is using the resources available to me. I will of course first see what I can do, and then what my friends can do. but after that, google is a tool (like my bookshelf) that is to be used.
Eg. I set some work colleagues a problem recently. Team A solved the problem in 10 hours at a ost of $200 Team B solved it in 5 mins at zero cost using google (Team B won) Morale of the story don't re-invent the wheel!
You see this differently?
Posts: 571 | Registered: May 2001
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posted
We solved that one correctly! Thank you for all your help. Particular thanks to Jaiden who got "I capture the castle"
Next Puzzle: Four people need to cross a river at night. A rickety bridge over the river can hold only up to two people at a time. There's one flashlight that must be used when crossing. After it's used, it must be brought all the way back to the people remaining on the near side.
Each of the four people takes a different amount of time to get across. If two people cross together, they travel at the slower person's rate. Annie takes 10 minutes to get across, Barry takes 5 minutes, Charlie takes 2 minutes, and Speedy takes 1 minute.
What's the shortest time that it would take all four people to end up on the far side of the river?
Posts: 571 | Registered: May 2001
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posted
Let's have the fastest person do all the going back. So, A & S cross -- 10 min. S goes back (with flashlight) -- 1 min. B & S cross -- 5 min. S goes back -- 1 min. C & S cross -- 2 min.
Total: 10 + 1 + 5 + 1 + 2 = 19 minutes
I think that's the fastest . . . ?
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
Well, in theory it should take less time than 19. The person holding the flashlight doesn't need to cross the bridge entirely. He just has to cross far enough to light the path for the other crosser, then turn around. So, less than 19.
Of course, this isn't a legitimate answer.
Posts: 433 | Registered: Feb 2005
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C & S cross (2 minutes) C goes back, S left on other side (2 minutes) A & B cross (10 minutes) S goes back leaving A & B on other side ( 1 minute) C & S cross (2 minutes)
posted
Next puzzle - Just because I know Hatrack will enjoy seeing this bit of text crop up yet again!
Any Lithuanian Jateraqueros?
*** AOCCDRNIG TO RSEACREH, IT DEOSN'T MTTAER IN WAHT OREDR THE LTTEERS IN A WROD ARE, THE OLNY IPRMOETNT TIHNG IS TAHT THE FRIST AND LSAT LTTEER BE AT THE RGHIT PCLAE. THE RSET CAN BE A TOATL MSES AND YOU CAN STILL RAED IT WOUTHIT PORBELM. TIHS IS BCUSEAE THE HUAMN MNID DEOS NOT RAED ERVEY LTETER BY ISTLEF, BUT THE WROD AS A WLOHE.
IS TAHT SO? WE AT THE PREELPX CTIY ADEMACY AERN'T SO SURE. HOW AUOBT A PPNELXRIEG, BNLEFDDUIG SCENETNE LIKE THE FNLWOOLIG:
THE SPREHAS HAD PONITS AND PATLES
OR SPXICAIIIODIGFRSRUOCPALLEACTILEIS WICHH WE FAER EVEN MRAY PNOPPIS MHIGT HVAE TRLOBUE UIGNLNTNAG
SCNTWIHIG LGNUEAGAS NULARLATY MEKAS TNGHIS STGHILLY MORE CPACMTILOED. TIHS IS A TRHITY EGHIT LEETTR LHIAIUATNN WROD - NSUIUOESKUNIKSOIAISEAEJIACOBSPAUKIPLTE. CAN YOU UABRNMCSLE IT AND TLEL US WAHT IS SYAS?
Posts: 571 | Registered: May 2001
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posted
In Lithuanian, NEBEPASIKISKIAKOPUSTELIAUJANCIUOSIUOSE is possibly the longest word that can be formed according to legal grammatical rules. It means "in those, of masculine gender, who aren't gathering wood sorrel by themselves anymore."
Historian
[ November 16, 2005, 03:18 PM: Message edited by: Historian ]
Posts: 80 | Registered: Nov 2005
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