October 2019

[Xyzzy]

http://www.research.ibm.com/haifa/po...tober2019.html

[Dieter]

Originally Posted by Xyzzy

http://www.research.ibm.com/haifa/po...tober2019.html

I would like to know when you have seen the new challenge the first time. I have seen it 02/10/2019 (but not yet in the morning!). Before this time I couldn't see the solvers list of the September challenge, too.

[SmartMersenne]

Originally Posted by Dieter

I would like to know when you have seen the new challenge the first time. I have seen it 02/10/2019 (but not yet in the morning!). Before this time I couldn't see the solvers list of the September challenge, too.

The first time I ever saw the solvers was as soon as the October challenge became available, which incidentally happened right after LaurV's comment. Who knows maybe that comment triggered it

[Kebbaj]

Originally Posted by SmartMersenne

I don't think he implied to say that they are the same. He was just covering all the possibilities.

I thought a lot before reacting to positions in September 2019.
Normally, I do not have to react in the place of others.
But here, I feel myself to be passionate about this puzzle, and all the respect to these people behind this site.
Also to all being human whatever it is.
I feel assaulted by remarks that are Unfounded and unfair:
Yes, all possibilities exist.
All the possibilities that one plays to solve a puzle or that one addresses robots, but the human being has a sensitivity. And thank God it exists.
That's what allows us to live together. And we must not skin it.
It's called respect.
This is called politeness.
It's also called wisdom. And that normally has to be learned from a young age.

By what right can you treat people behind this site as lazy or bad faith, or even the possibility of being?
And, first is what you pay something to claim anything!

On my part, I learn a lot of things trying to solve each month challange.
I do not succeed every time. But I try.
Like sports, and I say to myself with this puzzle, I train my mind.
We learn software, functions in maths ...
But for some unfortunately, also the respect of others. And this is the most important.

You can be a genius, but if you did not have the respect and kindness, you are not worth anything to me.

[SmartMersenne]

Originally Posted by Kebbaj

I thought a lot before reacting to positions in September 2019.
Normally, I do not have to react in the place of others.
But here, I feel myself to be passionate about this puzzle, and all the respect to these people behind this site.
Also to all being human whatever it is.
I feel assaulted by remarks that are Unfounded and unfair:
Yes, all possibilities exist.
All the possibilities that one plays to solve a puzle or that one addresses robots, but the human being has a sensitivity. And thank God it exists.
That's what allows us to live together. And we must not skin it.
It's called respect.
This is called politeness.
It's also called wisdom. And that normally has to be learned from a young age.

By what right can you treat people behind this site as lazy or bad faith, or even the possibility of being?
And, first is what you pay something to claim anything!

On my part, I learn a lot of things trying to solve each month challange.
I do not succeed every time. But I try.
Like sports, and I say to myself with this puzzle, I train my mind.
We learn software, functions in maths ...
But for some unfortunately, also the respect of others. And this is the most important.

You can be a genius, but if you did not have the respect and kindness, you are not worth anything to me.

I think you are just making too much out of it.

[Kebbaj]

Respect for others is a fundamental question.

[SmartMersenne]

Originally Posted by Kebbaj

Respect for others is a fundamental question.

Nobody said it is not. LaurV also explained that he didn't mean it in a negative way.

Just like a candy wouldn't mean much to me, but would mean the worlds to my little nephew, the maintainers of the website may not care so much about the updates, but it may mean a lot to people who are passionately following that website. I am still trying to figure out how one of the best software companies in the world is having these hickups and do not have enough resources to update the site more frequently. Whatever the reason, if they can't maintain it, probably they shouldn't post the questions. Or if people are not happy, then they should move to other competition sites.

In any case, I don't think questioning the reason means an insult. If LaurV had meant it, he would have insisted on it.

I think we should just focus on solving the problem, and hope that the maintainers of that website are reading these and will try their best to update it more frequently in the future.

[LaurV]

Originally Posted by Kebbaj

Respect for others is a fundamental question.

Well, don't push me. I am hard to get started, but then I am harder to get stopped too.

As I said, it was not intended as an insult, but the fact the site is "biased" is a fact, which disgusted few people in the past to the point they didn't participate in the competition anymore. Right now the current puzzle appears like published on Sep 27, but it was only visible starting with Oct.2, and I bet that when the first update will be done, you will see people who sent solutions before Oct.2. How did they got to the puzzle when it was not visible, is a mystery. This we witnessed in the past not only once.

If you go to Alex Fleischer's tweet account, you can see him making big fuss of being the first solver last month, on Sept 16 (!!!) with a screen shot. Remember that the solver's list was not publicly updated till Sept 25th, and not visible to us (all of us) till few days ago. But well, he is IBM, so let's assume that the site was accessible internally before being available to the public. The screen short was sent to me on PM.

So, yes, if it is free and there is no product, then YOU are the product.

So, all of you, shut up, and solve the puzzle!

[LaurV]

The puzzle this month reminds me of this 6 years old Numberphile video (had to look for it) with chicken nuggets...

[Kebbaj]

It's clear that there is a problem this two months.
"Server or I dont know what"
And I make a sincere temonyage, I have no interest neither in this company, nor with these people:
Since I know this sit, a year ago by a post Serge Batalov. Whenever I send an answer in a clutter of bad repeats, it is published on the date when their are sent. Sometimes I feel ashamed of sending so much bad answer.
And each time there is an incredible patience and tolerance.

The dates of being first on the list do not interse me much.
Firstly I am unable to be first, given the power of the participants.
Second, when you are on the moon you can not contemplate it. I leave that for the boastful.

This is only a game that must please. If there are any insults, it's not for me. Please do not take me away this pleasure.

Playing and fun us !! And turning the page.
Good video

[LaurV]

Originally Posted by Kebbaj

Serge Batalove

Haha, love that. If I would be him, I would give you a present, a potato or something...

Well, related to the puzzle itself, it is just a little bit more difficult than the last one, but still easy solvable (for example in excel, with a little VBA macro help).

That is because the search space is very small, you only have (unsorted) combinations of 49 taken by 4 (why?), so you can calculate all the 211876 probabilities in minutes. From which you will still need to exclude few possible combinations (like for example, having denominations of 1, 2, 9, 10, is not good, because you can represent 11 in two ways, with two notes each time), so it is even faster (you can do that "by hand" at the end, no need to be included in the algorithm).