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I originally created this puzzle contest to benefit education in my local school district a while back - with the intent to help fund a scholarship. After the success of my first treasure hunt in 2006 benefiting the Gifted And Talented Education (GATE) program for the Carson City School District (very much fun, in that it had entrants traveling all around Carson City solving the puzzles and hopefully learning a bit about the local history).
This time, I wanted the solving process to be such that the people working to solve the puzzle can do so entirely at home - a complete armchair event. The original intent was the money to go to a scholarship. That's gone out the window, so I've made it free for anyone to take a crack at. |
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The puzzle is a single page document, from which the solver is to derive the answer to the question: “Who?”
It is definitely not an easy solve.
Steve
It is definitely not an easy solve.
Steve
Hints and past discussions
Since it's been so long since anyone has touched this puzzle, I thought it would be beneficial to anyone trying fresh to see the discussion from the past. Here is the list of blog entries from way back when, and a fresh hint:
Hint: I really enjoyed A Treasure's Trove.
Update 1
Originally posted on April 30, 2008 by Steve Lang
We are up to $74 in the pot for the solver of the puzzle… who’s it going to be? Haven’t had any feedback on people solving anything, but have had a few guesses that are incorrect (and no, it’s still not Jimmy Carter).
If there is little movement over the next few weeks, I will publish hints… though I hope I don’t have to…
Update 2
Originally posted on May 1, 2008 by Steve Lang
The entries keep coming in. The pots are growing: over $100 for the person who solves it first, and, better yet, the scholarship fund is over $400! woo!
Keep the word a-spreading and the pot a-growing before someone solves it!
Update 3
Originally posted on May 3, 2008 by Steve Lang
Had a number of guesses coming across the transom, and judging by them, the guesses are not on the right track -YET!
The puzzle can be solved using logic and close examination of all the elements on the page. Keep the faith, spread the word and solve the puzzle!
Update 4
Originally posted on May 19, 2008 by Steve Lang
No correct answers yet, so the money is still out there and is still growing (albeit more slowly). Now the winner who solves the puzzle gets $126 for their $11 entry and efforts. Better yet, the money for the scholarship is up over $480!
Woo!
Hint 1
Originally posted on June 3, 2008 by Steve Lang
Last fall when I was thinking of a way to generate a puzzle that could conceivably be of interest to anyone in the world and be solvable by anyone with no particular cultural bias (mostly), each attempt was blocked by the unreasonable result that if someone solved only part of the puzzle, they could guess the answer.
Needless to say, I found that unreasonableness, well, unreasonable. So I kept pounding at it until I arrived at a method that I think works as a way that you (as the solver) need to solve it, and guessing just won’t work.
How does one identify a who? Police the world over work with motive, means and placing the perp at the scene of the crime. Journalists strive to answer the 5Ws: who, what, where, when and why. In my case, I don’t want you the solver to care as to why, but you should care as to what, where and when.
For example, if I was to ask you to identify a specific pilot - with no other information available - you would not likely be able to do it. However, if I was to give you the following three clues, you could easily get a name:
[Who] piloted an airplane for takeoff (what) from DEN (where) at 0731 on March 31, 2002 (when).
But if I leave off any one of the last three W’s, the problem becomes nearly impossible - if I didn’t include when, that would leave all dates and times, if I didn’t include where, that would include all airports, and if I didn’t include what, well, just how many people go through DEN on a particular day, anyway?
But by including all the Ws, you have the means to definitively place an individual at a specific location, performing a specific task, at a specific time - uniquely locating that one person out of the billions who have lived or are still living. Pretty awesome, eh?
So figure out the 3Ws, and you will identify who it is. There’s your clue.
Hint: I really enjoyed A Treasure's Trove.
Update 1
Originally posted on April 30, 2008 by Steve Lang
We are up to $74 in the pot for the solver of the puzzle… who’s it going to be? Haven’t had any feedback on people solving anything, but have had a few guesses that are incorrect (and no, it’s still not Jimmy Carter).
If there is little movement over the next few weeks, I will publish hints… though I hope I don’t have to…
Update 2
Originally posted on May 1, 2008 by Steve Lang
The entries keep coming in. The pots are growing: over $100 for the person who solves it first, and, better yet, the scholarship fund is over $400! woo!
Keep the word a-spreading and the pot a-growing before someone solves it!
Update 3
Originally posted on May 3, 2008 by Steve Lang
Had a number of guesses coming across the transom, and judging by them, the guesses are not on the right track -YET!
The puzzle can be solved using logic and close examination of all the elements on the page. Keep the faith, spread the word and solve the puzzle!
Update 4
Originally posted on May 19, 2008 by Steve Lang
No correct answers yet, so the money is still out there and is still growing (albeit more slowly). Now the winner who solves the puzzle gets $126 for their $11 entry and efforts. Better yet, the money for the scholarship is up over $480!
Woo!
Hint 1
Originally posted on June 3, 2008 by Steve Lang
Last fall when I was thinking of a way to generate a puzzle that could conceivably be of interest to anyone in the world and be solvable by anyone with no particular cultural bias (mostly), each attempt was blocked by the unreasonable result that if someone solved only part of the puzzle, they could guess the answer.
Needless to say, I found that unreasonableness, well, unreasonable. So I kept pounding at it until I arrived at a method that I think works as a way that you (as the solver) need to solve it, and guessing just won’t work.
How does one identify a who? Police the world over work with motive, means and placing the perp at the scene of the crime. Journalists strive to answer the 5Ws: who, what, where, when and why. In my case, I don’t want you the solver to care as to why, but you should care as to what, where and when.
For example, if I was to ask you to identify a specific pilot - with no other information available - you would not likely be able to do it. However, if I was to give you the following three clues, you could easily get a name:
[Who] piloted an airplane for takeoff (what) from DEN (where) at 0731 on March 31, 2002 (when).
But if I leave off any one of the last three W’s, the problem becomes nearly impossible - if I didn’t include when, that would leave all dates and times, if I didn’t include where, that would include all airports, and if I didn’t include what, well, just how many people go through DEN on a particular day, anyway?
But by including all the Ws, you have the means to definitively place an individual at a specific location, performing a specific task, at a specific time - uniquely locating that one person out of the billions who have lived or are still living. Pretty awesome, eh?
So figure out the 3Ws, and you will identify who it is. There’s your clue.