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Question 26
State abbreviation arrived at by completing the grid in FIGURE G.
Answer: OK
All shapes that look like aliens or asterisks don’t come out the same all the time, but it doesn’t matter because they are designed to be red herrings. If the page is turned upside down, the white area that now borders the top of the grid is the northern boundary of the outline of the state of Oklahoma.
Comments
the grid didn't look to me like anything after completing it...
Posted by: The_Steppum | Nov 10, 2004 5:09:12 PM
I have to admit, Steppum, that, when I first read your comment, I thought to myself, "It can't be that convoluted." Now, that I'm certain I have my grid completed, I have to agree with you! I have a weird hunch, but I haven't had a chance to test it.
Posted by: Sean F | Nov 12, 2004 6:19:18 PM
I have to agree with everyone else on this one too...
But I also ran into another problem...
I have two 5x5 squares that can have more than one solution...
I too have a weird hunch about what the answer is...
As my niece would say after eating ice cream too fast...
"Headache coming...."
Posted by: Jim from Minnesota | Nov 12, 2004 8:32:54 PM
Because I know Jim, and know a bit about him, I think that my hunch and his hunch are similar. I've been showing it around, and am running into that familiar glazed look (a la "what kind of weird stuff do you do in your spare time?").
Waiting for an epiphany...
Posted by: Michael | Nov 13, 2004 8:47:50 AM
I *think* I know what it is. I agree with Jim on the multiple solutions for two squares, though.
Posted by: Monica/MLR | Nov 13, 2004 12:30:44 PM
I found THREE squares with ambiguous possibilities, but nonetheless got my "epiphany" and solved this one the other day. Nice clue!
Posted by: Bob Lodge | Nov 13, 2004 1:09:46 PM
sue and don!!!
did any of you get my e-mail i sent out today...please respond concerning this clue...thanks
Posted by: The_Steppum | Nov 13, 2004 5:25:50 PM
When I made this one up, I purposely left in some ambiguities to create some doubt. They do not effect the overall outcome, however. I hope that's not too much of a hint. By the way, if you've finished the grid, don't throw it away. It'll come to you. Guaranteed.
Posted by: DonV | Nov 13, 2004 6:54:26 PM
Since everyone seems to be able to complete the grid but most are still having difficulty (judging by my email) we've decided to give a couple of hints on this one:
1 Try to reorient your approach.
2 Don't always think in black and white; Try...white and black...for example.
Posted by: DonV | Nov 24, 2004 11:16:38 PM
Too many hints, methinks. But I bow to the author's perogative.
Posted by: Bob Lodge | Nov 25, 2004 1:32:52 PM
I KNEW it was a mistake. Bob, do you recognize that most of us think of you as the Guru of Puzzling? Even a gentle reprimand from you is worse that a horse beating from the common folk. Happy Thenksgiving, by the way.
Posted by: DonV | Nov 25, 2004 2:53:57 PM
From now on, I'm going to proofread my messages for spelling errors BEFORE I press the send button.
Posted by: DonV | Nov 25, 2004 3:00:42 PM
When I tried this (up on November 13, even before the extra hints), my choices of filled-in squares (in places where there was ambiguity) made figures that looked like E.T. (the Extra-Terrestrial) and a phone ("E.T. phone home!"). I spun the grid around to see different orientations, and with the grid upside down, I noticed that the border between black and white squares looked like the Texas/Oklahoma border. I decided the "E.T." backwards was a clue to "T-E" (i.e., "E-T" would be in the order "T-E" when upside down, if you don't draw the letters themselves upside down), where "T-E" are the first two letters in Texas. But, since there was a full outline of Oklahoma, and only part of Texas, I figured the final answer was Oklahoma (and I also later found that Texas was used for the white Thunderbird--after I had decided on Oklahoma for this one).
Posted by: Monica/MLR | Jan 4, 2005 10:27:12 AM
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