lat-puzz.com

by **JenBurdoo** » Sat May 24, 2014 12:06 pm

If this is in the appropriate place, I hope the mods will sticky this attempt to post a new topic. In other thoughts re: the new board, I notice the profile setup lists birthdates by day and then month as in British usage, and that unlike the old board there isn't a function for extra fields (which bit I rather liked).

Will latest posts be automoved to the top to make them more visible?

by **Doriana** » Mon May 26, 2014 5:58 pm

I don't have any answers to your questions, just wanted to say Hello World!

by **WiZ** » Mon May 26, 2014 8:57 pm

Well, we can certainly test the latter.

I am WiZ.

Hear me roar.

I am WiZ. Hear me roar.

Here are three reasons why I am WiZ.

1. It is on my birth certificate. 2. It is on my driver's license. 3. I am not sure that this is what the 'list' function is intended for.
My friends include Redwine. I also have mates from Lilliput and Brobdingnag

Here is a picture of an adorable kitten:

by **JenBurdoo** » Tue Jun 10, 2014 12:35 am

OK, managed to shift the topic to another area of the forum. Now if I can just figure out how I did it so I can repeat the action... :roll:

by **WiZ** » Thu Jun 19, 2014 9:19 pm

Hi, Moderators.

Is there any chance you can tweak the board settings so that there are more than 10 replies to a page? On the Discus forum, we stopped archiving threads mid-puzzle in June 2006, and have been the richer for it ever since. Surely, we would want to make seeing the information established by previous questions as quick and easy as possible.

I couldn't find anything in user preferences to change this, so I now turn to you. Many thanks in advance.

by **peter365** » Fri Jun 20, 2014 9:47 am

Hi WiZ i'd say this is more a design function than that of a moderator but I'd agree with you 100% about archiving in blocks of 10 posts.

I am also using this post to see If i can do the tiny andREALLY BIG writing

by **peter365** » Fri Jun 20, 2014 9:50 am

Forgot to say how much I like the look and feel of the new board. 8-)

by **JenBurdoo** » Sat Jun 21, 2014 7:11 pm

I think there's a way for admins to change the layout. I'll have to look when I get home.

by **Doriana** » Sat Jun 21, 2014 7:26 pm

WiZ wrote:Is there any chance you can tweak the board settings so that there are more than 10 replies to a page?

Yes, that'd be great.

by **JenBurdoo** » Sun Jun 22, 2014 3:54 am

WiZ wrote:Hi, Moderators.

Is there any chance you can tweak the board settings so that there are more than 10 replies to a page? On the Discus forum, we stopped archiving threads mid-puzzle in June 2006, and have been the richer for it ever since. Surely, we would want to make seeing the information established by previous questions as quick and easy as possible.

I couldn't find anything in user preferences to change this, so I now turn to you. Many thanks in advance.

Found and changed in the admin function. There's no "unlimited" selection, so I set it at 250 per page for now; historically almost all puzzles seem to be done in around 200 posts. If we get a lot of long-running lateral adventures we can increase it even further.

There's also a function for number of topics per page; I set it to a hundred. Though I expect the ability to jump new posts to the top may make that not as big a deal. It may make a difference in the archives unless we have monthly ones again.

by **WiZ** » Sun Jun 22, 2014 8:27 pm

Thanks, Jen. You rock (in a lateral motion)!

by **KayleeArafinwiel** » Mon Jun 23, 2014 5:53 am

This is bold text.
This is italic text.
This is underlined text.

[list=][*]

This is quoted text.

[*]

Code: Select all: This is coded text, whatever that means.

[/list]

Or not. Apparently I don't quite get what I did. Help please?

by **kalira** » Mon Jun 23, 2014 2:17 pm

Kaylee, I believe some of the functions don't play well with others. Quotes and coded text end up in their own boxes, and I think the list function doesn't like that. (See the end of this -- I was wrong.)

Oh, also, I just looked it up, and the "List=" thing is for ordered lists. You have to put [ list=1] for numbered lists and [ list=a] for alphabetical lists (and then use the [ *] tag for each listed item, of course). If you don't put one of those, it just doesn't format the list at all.

Unordered:

circle
dot
round thing

Ordered:
(correct)

one
two
three

ay
bee
cee

(incorrect)
[list=][*]oh no[*]help[*]roflcopter[/list]

(random playing)

KayleeArafinwiel wrote:ohai dere
Code: Select all
I'm caught in typewriter land
If you set your quote tag as [ quote="<someone's name here>"] with the quotation marks but without the <>, it will attribute your quote.
Also achievable by hitting the Quote button in the top right of someone's post.

by **KayleeArafinwiel** » Mon Jun 23, 2014 4:49 pm

shiny ^.^

oh hey Kalira, I can has versponse, did you see? =)

(Also, I still have a sad and lonely puzzle on the old forum that wants questions)

by **JenBurdoo** » Wed Jun 25, 2014 5:59 am

Anyone else think the bolding isn't sufficiently bold to stand out?

by **RedWine** » Wed Jun 25, 2014 8:56 am

Jen, I also think that bold could stand out more than it does now. I like WiZ's idea with coloring answers.

Also, yesterday I noticed that the new forum prevents cross - posting. When I was submitting my post, forum notified me that someone else posted in this thread in the meantime, showed me that post and asked if I wanted to change my post.
Our new forum is so clever :-)

by **WiZ** » Wed Jun 25, 2014 8:33 pm

Jen - I agree with you re: the bolding, and that was precisely why I'm experimenting with colour-coding the answers. Nice to see that it's getting some positive reception, although people were asking a lot of good questions on that particular puzzle; this system may be a little disheartening if one is met with a sea of red.

by **Doriana** » Wed Jun 25, 2014 11:54 pm

Does bolding and underlining the answers work? Yes No Yope
But I also like the idea of colour-coding answers.

by **Konnie** » Thu Jun 26, 2014 3:18 am

I thought the bold looked fine, but it might be kind of fun to try different colors too.

Unfortunately, I was so eager to post a second puzzle here that I forgot to add my name. If someone would be so kind, it'd be much appreciated.

(Also, questions on my last old-forum puzzle would be great.)

by **KayleeArafinwiel** » Thu Jun 26, 2014 3:42 am

Konnie, we can actually edit our own posts and add our names. I did it to mine when I realized I forgot.

Speaking of which, is anyone else going to ask questions on it? Or on my last puzzle back at the old group?

A very worried, sickish

Kaylee

by **Konnie** » Thu Jun 26, 2014 4:13 am

Oh, thanks Kaylee, I didn't realize. I'll post questions on your puzzles, and I'll appreciate if you do the same. :-)

by **KayleeArafinwiel** » Thu Jun 26, 2014 4:18 am

Of course Konnie!

by **JenBurdoo** » Thu Jun 26, 2014 5:23 am

I'm experimenting with bolding and italicizing at the same time. It seems to stand out better. Thoughts?

by **kalira** » Thu Jun 26, 2014 12:33 pm

Uh, sooooooo, I can't get to the old site. Clicking anything on lateralpuzzles.com links to this forum now instead of the old one. Are the old puzzles still there? or are they lost forever? HALP!

by **Paul1440** » Thu Jun 26, 2014 7:02 pm

kalira wrote:Uh, sooooooo, I can't get to the old site. Clicking anything on lateralpuzzles.com links to this forum now instead of the old one. Are the old puzzles still there? or are they lost forever? HALP!

Kalira,

Just click "Archived Puzzles" under "Forum" and you'll find the old puzzles.

Paul

by **kalira** » Thu Jun 26, 2014 8:03 pm

Ah, thanks Paul.

In other news, for anybody playing along at home, we have our first two spam threads -- one in the chatroom area, one in active puzzles.

by **WiZ** » Thu Jun 26, 2014 8:40 pm

A warm, warm, welcome to our 3650 new members. We're the fastest-growing forum in the world!

Clearly, something has triggered a renaissance in this long-underappreciated art form. Soon we'll all be pulling guns on strangers to cure them of hiccups.

by **kalira** » Thu Jun 26, 2014 9:26 pm

Wow, I hadn't even noticed that 'til you said something, WiZ. Nice catch. Aaaand that's why the discussion about moderating.

Mods/Admin -- I don't suppose there's anything on your end where you can set it so someone has to complete a Captcha in order to register, is there? or any other form of anti-spambottyness?

by **JenBurdoo** » Fri Jun 27, 2014 4:29 am

I've deleted a couple spam threads, but I've never done this before and I don't know what steps I might be missing as I do so. I don't know if I have to manually trawl thru every single new member and post or if there are shortcuts. Any more experienced moderators out there, have at it!

Also, I apologize in advance if I inadvertently delete a legitimate post or topic; catch me out if I do so I know not to do it again...

Edit: OK, discovered I can delete and ban users without having to be a mod in those sections of the board. We're clean again -- for now.

by **JenBurdoo** » Wed Jul 02, 2014 2:13 am

Yeah, I think a captcha kinda thing would be good here. Dunno how easy it is to implement, though.

by **WiZ** » Wed Jul 02, 2014 2:45 am

This page appears to go into all the necessary detail:

https://blog.phpbb.com/2009/06/27/3-0-6 ... s-and-you/

by **kalira** » Wed Jul 02, 2014 2:12 pm

Would politely suggest that we could turn on the first post needs approval thing until we work out a way to avoid so many spambots registering. I know we don't have a lot of mods, which is a deterrent to this, but I think it might be a better idea at least until we get things more under control. I emailed Admin last week that I would like to become a mod especially given our spammy issues, which might help with the approval of posts thing too, but have yet to hear back from him.

Side note on the captcha thing, I was reading on the phpBB boards, and apparently a lot of the captchas have been figured out by bots. So we may not solve it by turning one of those on alone.

by **Doriana** » Thu Jul 03, 2014 2:33 am

Jeez, the spambots seem to be taking over the forum :(

by **WiZ** » Thu Jul 03, 2014 2:50 am

There are 5 suggestions here on how to block spambots even if they can circumnavigate Captchas:

http://www.michel-kraemer.com/5-anti-sp ... for-phpbb3

Anecdotally, they are very effective.

For now, I echo the reinstatement of the 'first post needs approval' thing. The board is, for now, practically unusable.

by **Balin** » Thu Jul 03, 2014 11:18 pm

Is there any way for mods to permaban the spammers and disintegrate their posts? There's thousands blocking the puzzles.

by **Balin** » Fri Jul 04, 2014 1:20 am

Tip for getting the puzzles to the top above all the spammy spammers: Sort by "replies" and "descending".

by **Lynne** » Fri Jul 04, 2014 11:19 am

Many thanks to the mods for exterminating the spam.

by **Solong** » Fri Jul 04, 2014 4:50 pm

What in blazes is going on here?
I was originally Solo1, changed to Solo2 for the new forum. Then got deleted along with the spam. When I tried to log in again, my username popped up, but then the forum wouldn't recognize it. So I re-registered again, only to have the forum (or whatever it is) tell me my e-mail address was too short. It's the only one I've got! But it accepted me on the second try.
My question was, may I spoil my old-board puzzles here, redo them, or just ignore them? Or should I just tell you so long? I'm beginning to get the feeling I'm not wanted here.

by **Lynne** » Fri Jul 04, 2014 6:52 pm

Please don't go Solong/Solo1 2 3 4 etc! I'm sure you weren't deleted deliberately. The mods must be having a really busy time moderating every user and perhaps also deleting the accounts. I think you could bring your old puzzle over as one long copy and paste and carry on from there. The teething problems are certainly biting, but lets hope that it's only for a short time.

by **RedWine** » Thu Jul 10, 2014 8:53 am

I've spoyled all my running puzzles, both in active and archived section. I'll be away till the end of July and I would have no possibility to answer any questions. See you all again at the end of July!

by **peter365** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 12:25 pm

Hi there folks

I've been on holiday for the last fortnight in case any of you were worrried about me.

I'll get more active on the new forum over the coming weeks. I'm in another bout of puzzlers block

:cry:

by **JenBurdoo** » Tue Jul 15, 2014 1:18 am

Starting next week, I'll have access to the Internet, but probably won't be able to spend much of it here until mid-August. So I hope we have more mods by then... though the spam seems to be dealt with (knock electrons).

by **Balin** » Thu Jul 17, 2014 11:58 pm

There's still a fair bit of spam, unfortunately, but it's less than the onslaught of a couple weeks ago.

by **Balin** » Sun Jul 20, 2014 8:54 pm

Admin, could I get moderator rights? I'm on pretty often so could help cut down all the spam.

by **Balin** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 12:43 pm

So this forum lets you know if you've cross-posted, cutting to another screen and offering the opportunity to revise your post instead of blindly posting your comment. Very nice feature.

by **Tiger** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 6:40 pm

Maybe we could have a sticky post with introductory information including terms (scrund, neologism) as well as abbreviations (SVV, FSEI, FA).

We had some similar threads at the top of the old forum and I think it would help attract new people to the LTPF (unless more people ISN'T desirable, which I also understand). It's just felt kinda lonely here lately.

by **peter365** » Fri Jul 25, 2014 12:47 pm

Jaysis the spam is coming in as quick as I can delete it. It makes me so

by **kalira** » Fri Jul 25, 2014 1:07 pm

Peter, are you deleting the spammers from the forum along with the spam? I believe Jen said that was an option. Again, I would throw out the first post needs approval thing as a possible stopgap (also, the other phpBB board I'm on will not let you post a post with links unless you're 5 posts in -- another possible stopgap we could use)...

I know Balin and I have both volunteered to mod in order to help with the spam -- I did so several weeks ago back when we first got inundated with spam, but I have yet to hear anything from Admin on the subject.

by **peter365** » Fri Jul 25, 2014 2:34 pm

Hi Kalira

I've not banned the users but from what I can see each spam comes in under an original name etc , but I suppose i should be banning them just the same.

We really need the moderator approval of first post functionality as the spam is threatening to ruin our nice new forum .

I need to work out how to do folders for solved puzzles etc so I might be asking Jen if she knows how to do that.

by **peter365** » Fri Jul 25, 2014 2:35 pm

Oh and I'm sure that Paul is not ignoring yours and Balins volunteering for mod duty , he probably hasn't been around this way in a while.

by **Balin** » Sat Jul 26, 2014 12:21 pm

I sent Paul an email letting him know of the two moderator requests.

by **Admin** » Sat Jul 26, 2014 9:06 pm

I got the note from Balin. Please note that I have given the following people full moderator rights

Jenburdoo
Balin
Kalira
Peter365

If anyone else wants to be a moderator please let me know. Moderators can delete spam among other things.

Thanks

Paul

by **JenBurdoo** » Sun Jul 27, 2014 8:06 pm

I have been banning ip addresses in hopes of stopping bots from reapplying. Dunno if it's working. What I'd really like is a way to check off multiple names and administrate them all in one go, but that doesn't seem possible. Good to see we have more people in, keep up the mopping as I'm on vacation at the moment and unable to spend much time here.

Hey, Peter365, check your pm and email!

by **kalira** » Mon Jul 28, 2014 12:34 pm

Okay I may or may not be a total derp here, but I cannot figure out how to ban a user. I'd like to ban them as I delete the spam posts, in case they come back again, but I can't figure out how. Jen, Peter, Balin -- am I missing something?

by **Enjay** » Mon Jul 28, 2014 8:55 pm

Do you mods have the power to reinstate the first-post approval rule? It sounds to me like most members would be in favour of it, and we could always start an introductions thread or similar so that real new posters can get their first post over with.

by **Balin** » Mon Jul 28, 2014 8:56 pm

Kalira - I haven't figured it out either.
Enjay - I'm not sure. I'm in favor of that rule too.

by **Tiger** » Mon Jul 28, 2014 8:59 pm

Awesome job with the spam, Balin and Kalira.

by **kalira** » Mon Jul 28, 2014 9:16 pm

Enjay, I think that is something only an admin can do. But if there's a consensus amongst the real people, I don't think Admin would have much problem reinstating it. It would be somewhat more work for the mods, and we'd have to be careful not to delete a real person's first post accidentally, but I don't think it would be overwhelming or anything.

by **Admin** » Tue Jul 29, 2014 6:07 am

Kalira,

You can ban users by clicking on the user name and then clicking on banning.

I have changed the new user registration rules and new user's first two posts have to be approved.

regards

Paul
I am off to New York today and Ohio next week - speaking about lateral thinking with a few puzzles thrown in.

by **kalira** » Tue Jul 29, 2014 12:32 pm

Hrm. Weird. I don't seem to have that banning option listed anywhere.

by **peter365** » Tue Jul 29, 2014 2:49 pm

Hi Kalira

If you click on the username in question the banning option comes up in the upper middle of the screen.

Hope that helps.

by **kalira** » Tue Jul 29, 2014 5:28 pm

The profiles look the same whether I'm logged in or not. I think I found the problem though. Peter, Jen, and Admin are in another "group" from the rest of the forum -- "Global moderators" (Admin is obv also in the Administrators group). If you look at your profile, it's listed in the dropdown box below your interests.

If you look at our profiles, Balin and I aren't in that Global mods group -- we're just in "Registered users." I don't think we can currently ban, based on what I've seen in my attempts to explore the system, and I know I can't do things like make topics sticky, etc either.

by **peter365** » Wed Jul 30, 2014 11:13 am

Deleted tons of spam again this morning and banned the users. It's a bit dispiriting to see it there every day. Hopefully having to have mod approval of your first post addresses the issue.

by **kalira** » Wed Jul 30, 2014 1:47 pm

Yeah, I think once we ban all the ones that have already posted spam here previously (if we haven't already caught all of them in the banning section), it should bring down the number of spam posts in the main board. We'll still have to deal with them on the moderator side, but I'm cool with that, if it means the board doesn't get clogged up.

Side note: I can ban now! *runs off to the moderator area to banhammer some particularly annoying spambots*

by **Balin** » Wed Jul 30, 2014 9:40 pm

Hmmm, I still seem to be unable to access that banhammer. Don't see any spam at the moment though (knock on wood), so that's a plus.

by **Jenny** » Thu Jul 31, 2014 9:04 am

Also, some puzzles weren't moved to Solved puzzles yet, even though they were solved.....

by **peter365** » Thu Jul 31, 2014 9:11 am

Does anyone know how I can create monthly sovled puzzle folders? I'd like to start tidying up the active puzzles section

by **peter365** » Thu Jul 31, 2014 9:32 am

In the absence of monthly folders I've moved a number of puzzles into the solved section. Looks a bit tidier there now.

I'm in the middle of a chonic bout of puzzlers block , just can't think of anything and as a result have yet to post a puzzle on the new forum.

by **peter365** » Wed Aug 06, 2014 9:40 am

Had the pleasure of meeting our very own Jenburdo in Dublin last night. It's really cool meeting the person behind the puzzles. Having had a drink with Admin earlier in the year I've nearly met more LTPF'ers recently than I've hosted puzzles.

by **Jenny** » Fri Aug 08, 2014 8:30 pm

Is nobody interested in mt puzzles anymore?

by **bodo** » Tue Aug 12, 2014 6:00 pm

Well golly, things have surely changed around here since I last visited.

by **JenBurdoo** » Wed Aug 13, 2014 3:28 am

It was great to meet you, Peter. It's not the first time I've met up with someone I first met online, but it's always eye-opening.

Discovered a ginger beer called Crabbie's in Dublin, incidentally; it's awesome and I was delighted to find some here in Miami tonight. Slainte!

by **JenBurdoo** » Wed Aug 13, 2014 3:30 am

Jenny wrote:Is nobody interested in mt puzzles anymore?

It happens sometimes, Jenny. No one is doing my Killiecrankie puzzle either. Maybe there's something about our name? :p Seriously, hang in there and add a hint every so often.

by **Balin** » Mon Aug 18, 2014 2:20 pm

Newbie mod problems: When trying to move one of my $poyled puzzles from Active to Solved, I accidentally left a copy of the puzzle in the Active session, then when trying to delete the copy, I deleted the whole thing. Lesson learned. Fortunately, it was the puzzle I'd continued from the old forum, so I just went and posted the solution back on the original, old-forum thread.

by **peter365** » Tue Aug 19, 2014 9:17 am

Balin I noticed the same problem. There's an option to retain a copy in the folder that you're moving the puzzle out of and unfortunately the default is that this option is ticked.

Have you any thoughts on how best we can file the solved puzzles. I'm having trouble working out how to create monthly folders that can have subtopics within them.

Have you been inundated with e-mails about new members trying to post. What have you done with them?

by **nimue** » Tue Aug 19, 2014 6:03 pm

Well, I finally figured out how to get on the new forum!! Unfortunately, my old unsolved puzzles have disappeared. Can they be retrieved or should I just write them off & post new ones? Someone, please answer this!!
And here's a link to my latest bit of weightless(?) poetry:
http://www.providencejournal.com/opinio ... erstar.ece

by **WiZ** » Tue Aug 19, 2014 9:29 pm

Are you referring to your active puzzles on the old forum? These won't have been transplanted automatically to the new forum, so feel free to host them again (with recaps, of course) on this board, so we can pick up where we left off.

by **Balin** » Wed Aug 20, 2014 1:00 pm

Peter, I haven't gotten any emails like that.

by **nimue** » Wed Aug 20, 2014 3:21 pm

I've just posted three new puzzles -- my first since I've gotten on the new forum. Don't pass them by!! I'll be online for several hours, working & VERY eager for distractions.

by **Tiger** » Mon Aug 25, 2014 7:37 am

How come the new forum is not nearly as popular as the old one?
I feel like the old one had quite a bit more activity.

by **peter365** » Mon Aug 25, 2014 10:55 am

I think activity on the old forum had slowed a bit and also not all the old members would appear to have ventured over. Activity can be quite cyclical and we've often gone from a very quiet period to a manically busy one in no time at all.

I hope so anyway.

by **WiZ** » Tue Aug 26, 2014 12:38 am

Maybe Paul needs to send out another mass e-mail declaring a renaissance. That had a measurable effect.

by **peter365** » Tue Aug 26, 2014 9:11 am

Maybe Paul needs to send out another mass e-mail declaring a renaissance. That had a measurable effect.

I'm pretty sure he won't risk that

by **WiZ** » Wed Aug 27, 2014 5:34 am

I just pressed the button for the 12th floor of a building on behalf of a woman who could not do so due to being about 3 foot 6.

Which leads me to wonder why the star of arguably the most well_known lateral puzzle has to climb the stairs on a daily basis. Do the others in his apartment complex expect him to just play the hand he is dealt?

by **peter365** » Wed Aug 27, 2014 9:27 am

Good question and I'm curious as to whether she had an umbrella with her.

by **WiZ** » Wed Aug 27, 2014 8:41 pm

Unfortunately, one cannot open an umbrella in Wellington without Tāwhirimātea, angry god of wind and storms, tearing it to shreds within seconds. So nobody carries one.

http://archive2013.fawmers.com/song/3899

by **JenBurdoo** » Fri Aug 29, 2014 3:01 am

OK, so that makes sense - the puzzle is set in NZ.

by **Lynne** » Mon Sep 08, 2014 7:08 pm

I must say that I like the fact that you can read all your own posts. I knew I'd posted a couple of questions, but couldn't remember where, so that's a handy feature. Now I've got to remember how I found my old posts! Hmmm

by **peter365** » Wed Sep 17, 2014 1:11 pm

Quiet on the chatroom front at the moment. Has anyone any news or scandal?

by **Doriana** » Wed Sep 17, 2014 5:51 pm

Hi all,

I'm back in Germany and back on the forum after three wonderful months in the States. After my internship in New York, I travelled up the west coast and met up with our dear Kaylee Kitteh. This is us at the San Francisco Zoo :)

So yes, the past few months were so eventful, busy and exhausting that I didn't really have time for the LTPF, but what counts is that I am back, right?

by **peter365** » Thu Sep 18, 2014 2:14 pm

That's all that count Doriana , nice to see you back with us.

by **kyeannpepper** » Fri Sep 19, 2014 4:57 pm

I'd love a few more questions on my LatVenture, it hasn't gotten anything for over a month now and there's only been one post since it was moved here at all! If there still isn't interest in it by the end of the month then I'll probably just $poil it and work on some other puzzles.

by **peter365** » Mon Sep 22, 2014 9:18 am

Hi Kyeann

I notice that most puzzles that were moved from the old forum are struggling for posts.

by **kyeannpepper** » Tue Sep 23, 2014 1:38 am

Now that you mention it, it does seem to be a trend. I wonder why?

by **Tiger** » Tue Sep 23, 2014 10:51 am

I'm not sure this goes for everybody, but I tend to avoid the transfer puzzles because they seem like a lot to catch up on, whereas I can get in on new puzzles and stay up-to-date on those.

by **peter365** » Tue Sep 30, 2014 10:20 am

Personally I think all puzzles on the old forum including those that have been moved should be spoiled. A nice clean break is preferable in my humble opinion.

by **peter365** » Tue Sep 30, 2014 10:24 am

My puzzlers block continues without any signs of abating.

I'm beginning to think Its permanent. Just can't think of anything.

by **Tiger** » Tue Sep 30, 2014 1:33 pm

Lynne - did you post a puzzle and then delete it? I was posting questions for it and it disappeared!

by **Lynne** » Tue Sep 30, 2014 9:57 pm

Yes, I did Tiger! Sorry about that, but I just thought it was a bit lame. You were really quick off the mark though!

by **kyeannpepper** » Tue Oct 07, 2014 9:53 pm

Could a mod approve my 'neologisms' account? I was planning to use it to post the neologism dictionary once it got approved, as everyone could have the password and be able to edit the dictionary and add their own words in alphabetical order, rather than making short posts with just one or two words apiece. Thanks!

by **peter365** » Wed Oct 08, 2014 9:08 am

Kyeannpepper,

I've activated that account now. Can you check to make sure it's working.

by **neologisms** » Wed Oct 08, 2014 5:05 pm

Peter,
Thanks! Seems to be working just fine. I'll repost the dictionary in just a few moments.

by **WiZ** » Mon Oct 20, 2014 4:26 pm

Greetings from luxembourg.

by **Doriana** » Tue Oct 21, 2014 1:19 pm

Greetings from Germany, WiZ! I hope Europe is treating you well so far?

by **peter365** » Wed Oct 22, 2014 9:53 am

Hi WiZ

I've never been to Luxembourg but I used to like their radio station (one for the kids there) .

by **GalFisk** » Fri Oct 24, 2014 3:04 pm

I'm back

The forum looks great.
Guess I'll just $poil (do we still need to censor this word?) the two puzzles I had running on the old forum. Unless someone is feeling very nostalgic and want to continue on them? If so, I'd need to know how to access them. I remember how the one about the neologism to wiccate went, but I don't recall what the other one was about.

by **peter365** » Wed Oct 29, 2014 10:11 am

Hi Galfisk nice to see you here,

I don't think there's much point in continuing to run a puzzle on the old forum as nobody is posting there and it might create the false sense that it's an active site for anyone browsing.

Also puzzles transferred from the old forum to here haven't fared well and are lying dormant.

One of these days we'll get round to archiving and tidying the old one up .

by **peter365** » Fri Oct 31, 2014 1:35 pm

Happy halloween puzzlers

by **nimue** » Mon Nov 03, 2014 10:42 pm

Brand new hints or recaps are on all my puzzles. Don't pass them by!!

by **Tiger** » Tue Nov 04, 2014 1:52 pm

Thought on Daylight Savings TIme?

All of my friends absolutely loved the extra hour of sleep but now it'll be dark when I get out of school everyday

by **WiZ** » Tue Nov 04, 2014 2:04 pm

Well, it's made organising Skype dates with my family much easier, as I simply have to convert AM to PM.

by **nimue** » Tue Nov 04, 2014 10:18 pm

I have $poiled one puzzle & posed a new one!!

by **nimue** » Sun Nov 09, 2014 8:16 pm

Here's a link to my latest bit of weightless (?) poetry, which is on The Providence Journal today:

http://www.providencejournal.com/opinio ... sitant.ece

by **peter365** » Thu Nov 13, 2014 11:53 am

I like it Nimue short and sweet.

by **nimue** » Fri Nov 14, 2014 11:28 pm

I have just posted HINTS on all my puzzles. Don't pass them by!!!!!!!

by **nimue** » Fri Nov 14, 2014 11:29 pm

I havejust posted HINTS on all my puzzles. Don't pass them by!!

by **nimue** » Sun Nov 16, 2014 8:48 pm

I appreciate and have answered all the great questions I've been getting on "Deja Vu All Over Again (but revised)," but please don't neglect my other two puzzles, which have HINTS awaiting you. I'll be online for about two more hours.

by **nimue** » Tue Nov 18, 2014 8:02 pm

Here's a link to my latest bit of weightless poetry:
http://www.providencejournal.com/opinio ... eunion.ece
By the day, I did attend my high school reunion in September, but the poem isn't true to life. My high school was huge (about 200 people in my graduating class) & there was no one there I knew well in high school. So I didn't get to find out what became of the real Glennas & Lizas.
Please don't neglect my puzzles, which are bristling with hints!!

by **Admin** » Mon Nov 24, 2014 1:35 pm

Apologies to all members for the egregious blackout on the forum over the last few days. My techies blame it on an ICAN update (whatever that is). Now fixed so please puzzle away.

Sorry for any inconvenience.

Paul

by **nimue** » Mon Nov 24, 2014 5:00 pm

What a relief to have the forum up & running again!! Here's a link to my latest bit of weightless verse (from The Providence Journal yesterday), which not only is about a cat but is illustrated with a terrific picture of one:
http://www.providencejournal.com/opinio ... s-that.ece
My puzzles, bristling with HINTS, await you.

by **nimue** » Tue Nov 25, 2014 6:59 pm

Thanks to a truly inspired question from Tiger, my puzzle "Parental Non-Deception" is nearly solved. I will give thanks if some clever lateral thinker finishes it off. I'll be online for several hours.

by **GalFisk** » Wed Nov 26, 2014 10:19 am

Okay, I'll spoil my neologism from the old forum: when I wiccate, I turn off my high beams at the exact same moment as the opposite car does, giving me a feeling that it was me who turned off those other lights as well.
By extension, doing anything at the exact same time as something unrelated happens, giving the wiccater a (false/temporaty) impression that they themselves caused the event.

by **peter365** » Wed Nov 26, 2014 11:58 am

Nice to see the forum back up and running. I was missing it.

by **Tiger** » Thu Nov 27, 2014 12:25 am

Hello puzzlers

I know that many of you (perhaps even the majority) are not from the United States; nevertheless, I want to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving!
It's not until tomorrow but we'll probably be cooking all morning and after I eat I'll most likely be snoozing...

by **GalFisk** » Thu Nov 27, 2014 8:01 am

Oh, and my other old puzzle was about the time I really got a concrete impression that the earth rotates.

In the morning, I was driving to work with the full moon hanging low over the horizon, in front and slightly to the left of the direction of the road.
When I drove the same road home in the evening, the full moon was, again, low on the horizon and slightly to the left of the direction of the road.

The moon doesn't move all that much in a day, but the earth had turned 180 degrees.

by **WiZ** » Thu Nov 27, 2014 9:35 am

Tiger wrote:Hello puzzlers

I know that many of you (perhaps even the majority) are not from the United States; nevertheless, I want to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving!
It's not until tomorrow but we'll probably be cooking all morning and after I eat I'll most likely be snoozing...

Although very few New Zealanders celebrate Thanksgiving (despite having a reasonable backgrounding in what it is and why it's there), I have spent the last few weeks lecturing on the subject to various French students. Results varied as to their ability to write a grandfather-grandson dialogue about the life and times of a Mayflower passenger, but their vocabulary regarding food was universally faultless.

by **nimue** » Thu Nov 27, 2014 9:25 pm

Here's a link to my new bit of weightless poetry that is in The Providence Journal today:
http://www.providencejournal.com/opinio ... s-zest.ece
By the way, 'Theo Swift' is the name of a friend's 4-month-old grandson.

And here's my annual Thanksgiving rant: Thanksgiving has always been my least favorite holiday. I dislike cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and exhortations to be thankful regardless of what has been happening in my life. But I wish a happy Thanksgiving to everyone on the forum who celebrates it.

And here's my annual Thanksgiving request: Please post a detailed description of the dessert (and maybe even a picture!!) at your Thanksgiving dinner.

by **nimue** » Thu Nov 27, 2014 9:32 pm

Despite my distaste for Thanksgiving, I am thankful for the latest round of questions on my puzzles, especially one from Sundowner, which has made "Parental Non-Deception" very easy to finish off. So please do so!! I'll be online fir about two hours.

by **irishelk** » Fri Nov 28, 2014 8:13 pm

GalFisk, I really like the neologism to wiccate. I'm in danger of using that IRL.

Right now I'm experiencing a feeling that I will neologize as apsopobo: anxious to have puzzles $p0i1ed so I can post better ones. :lol:

by **nimue** » Wed Dec 03, 2014 10:13 pm

I have three new puzzles that are struggling to get out, but they can't until my present ones are solved. So I have posted brand new hints on them all. Don't pass them by!!!!!

by **Tiger** » Thu Dec 04, 2014 10:29 pm

Hey Nimue,

I'd love it if you could revive [Drunk With Lies] and [Disillusionment] on the new forum sometime so I could take a crack at 'em again.

And why do you hate pumpkin pie?! I would think a lover of sweets such as yourself would absolutely adore what, in my book, is the prince of pies.

by **kaygee** » Fri Dec 05, 2014 3:59 am

Hi ya'll!
The new board is nice...still finding my way around to see how it works...but I like what I see already. Kudos to all who worked on it.

So the burning question is: Does this new format work nicely on the android phone?

by **Tiger** » Fri Dec 05, 2014 2:03 pm

Not sure about Android but it works just fine on the web browser on my iPhone - I've posted questions and puzzles from it when I'm on the bus ride home.

by **irishelk** » Sat Dec 06, 2014 8:19 pm

Question for everybody:

Does anyone use Twitter?
It struck me that it might be a fun platform to post and solve lateral puzzles on. The only drawback is that you could only send one or two questions at a time, but at least it would be pretty fast-paced. I'd be willing to set up an account for it, maybe get some good publicity for the forum. =)

P.S. By "I'd be willing to set up an account," I mean "I've totally already set up an account." @Lateral_Puzzles

by **Balin** » Mon Dec 08, 2014 5:44 pm

I do use Twitter. Interesting idea.

by **WiZ** » Tue Dec 09, 2014 8:47 am

kaygee wrote:Hi ya'll!
The new board is nice...still finding my way around to see how it works...but I like what I see already. Kudos to all who worked on it.

So the burning question is: Does this new format work nicely on the android phone?

It functions nicely on my Galaxy Mini.

by **Balin** » Wed Dec 10, 2014 2:23 pm

Annual birthday post. I turn 23 today.

by **Tiger** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 4:19 am

Happy birthday

by **kyeannpepper** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 6:34 am

I posted a new puzzle. Sorry for my absence lately, I've had the worst case of puzzler's block.

by **iamdimitriputney** » Fri Dec 12, 2014 7:21 pm

If you guys need any help with moderating, etc., I'm available. I'm on for several hours each day.

Also, how do you do bold colors? I've tried it and it only displays one or the other with the coding still visible (i.e. the text is blue with the b /b around it).

by **Tiger** » Sat Dec 13, 2014 6:59 pm

iamdimitriputney wrote:Also, how do you do bold colors? I've tried it and it only displays one or the other with the coding still visible (i.e. the text is blue with the b /b around it).

I've never had problems with it. Are there four sets of brackets in total?
It should look like this :

[ color=#0040FF ] [ b ] Like this [/b ] [ /color ]

Without all the spaces.
I suspected it might have something to do with the 'quoted' text as that's how you answer questions but..

Tiger wrote:This seems to work just fine.

The way I usually do it is I click 'Font colour', click the color, click the B for bold, and start typing, because it'll center the text for you between all the formatting. Alternatively, you can always highlight the text you want to format and click the color and bold afterwards.

by **Tiger** » Thu Dec 18, 2014 6:13 pm

Did something happen to the rule where accounts need mod approval for their first post?
Not that spam is as bad as it used to be but there are the occasional new accounts that post those all-Russian Michael Kors ads...

by **nimue** » Fri Dec 19, 2014 8:27 pm

Here's a link to my latest bit of weightless poetry, which was published yesterday, along with a terrific cat picture:

http://www.providencejournal.com/opinio ... -dobbs.ece

And wit you well that I have posted HINTS OR RECAPS on all my puzzles. Don't pass them by!!!!

by **peter365** » Tue Dec 23, 2014 10:07 am

Tiger

The rules haven't changed. I get tonnes of mails to my private e-mail account seeking authorisations for new members. Most of these are obvious spambots with user names like 'afkldlamdejsd'. I obviously block those ones.

Apologies if a few strays get through . I estimate that i deactivated about 80 spammers this morning alone.

by **nimue** » Wed Dec 24, 2014 5:02 pm

Wit you well that I have just posted HINTS or RECAPS on all my puzzles. Merry Christmas to all!! And please make mine merrier by using my hints & recaps as well as by posting descriptions (& better yet, pictures) of your Christmas cakes & cookies!!

by **Admin** » Thu Dec 25, 2014 9:43 am

Merry Christmas to all Puzzlers!

Bah Humbug to all Spammers!

by **nimue** » Thu Dec 25, 2014 6:34 pm

Merry Christmas!! Eat lots of desserts & please post descriptions & pictures!! And here's a link to my latest bit of weightless (?) poetry, published today:

http://www.providencejournal.com/opinio ... gences.ece

Please don't neglect my puzzles, which are bristling with HINTS and RECAPS!!

by **nimue** » Mon Dec 29, 2014 11:29 pm

Despite my new hints & recaps, all my puzzles have been ignored for several days. How come???????

by **nimue** » Wed Dec 31, 2014 7:38 pm

Here's my latest bit of weightless (?) poetry:

http://chronicle.com/blogs/letters/poem ... the-world/

Should I give up on getting questions on my puzzles. It's been so long. . . .

by **Lynne** » Wed Dec 31, 2014 11:48 pm

I had to laugh at the guy in Darwin who tried to blow up an ATM machine and it backfired on him. The video didn't really show how badly he was injured, but I think he qualifies for a Darwin Award??

by **Balin** » Thu Jan 01, 2015 1:34 pm

Here's to a healthy and happy 2015 of puzzling. Happy New Year.

by **Tiger** » Thu Jan 01, 2015 6:14 pm

Happy New Year, fellow puzzlers!
I hope you've all had a lovely holiday season.

Any resolutions? Mine are:
*be smarter with money
*cook more often instead of ordering food online
*get a research position at a hospital

P.S:
I just posted a spoiler for my puzzle 'Phew...'
http://lateralpuzzles.com/puzzles/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=10543#p13587

AND a recap + hint for my other puzzle, 'It's That Time of Year'
http://lateralpuzzles.com/puzzles/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=10557#p13588

Check them out

by **nimue** » Fri Jan 02, 2015 7:46 pm

Here's a link to a poem I wrote 3 years ago about my New Year's resolutions, which most certainly don't include cooking. I'm all for prepared food, which tastes better than what I could cook & frees up my time for things I enjoy more than cooking. To each his own.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/30/nyreg ... .html?_r=0
But I'm beginning to wonder whether I should make a resolution to get off the forum unless someone starts (or resumes) asking questions on my puzzles. I haven't had any in so long & I'm getting discouraged.

by **nimue** » Fri Jan 09, 2015 5:10 pm

So should I just give up??

by **Tiger** » Sat Jan 10, 2015 12:29 am

It looks like the puzzle has slowed down significantly in the New Year, Nimue.
I've left a recap and two hints and still have not gotten any questions, so it doesn't have to do with your puzzles in particular.
In fact, your puzzles were some of the few that got questions since you wrote about them last week

Perhaps you could ask some questions on other puzzles and maybe those puzzlers will return some questions of their own?

by **nimue** » Tue Jan 13, 2015 7:30 pm

As I've said before: on the forum as in life, there are people who pose problems and people who solve them. I fall in the former category. This has usually worked out well on the forum (never mind how well it's worked in my life), since different people like to do different things on the forum. I'll be online for about three more hours, in case anyone feels like solving the problems I've posed.

by **nimue** » Wed Jan 14, 2015 9:56 pm

My puzzl
es have gotten so little attention lately that I'm probably wasting my time, but I've just posted new hints or recaps on all.

by **nimue** » Fri Jan 16, 2015 9:01 pm

Thanks for the questions on my puzzles!! I'm delighted to report that "Bad Ad" has been solved, $poiled, and replaced by a new puzzle. Please don't pass it by!! I'll be online fr about 2 1/2 more hours.

by **nimue** » Sun Jan 18, 2015 7:45 pm

I posted this bit of weightless poetry the first time it was published (12/31/14), but you might like the gorgeous picture of Shelley in today's version. Handsome and brilliant, Shelley would seem to have been dreadfully over-privileged, except that he didn't even make it to 30. How much worse it is when someone dies young (or old) without having any fulfillment or success.

http://www.providencejournal.com/opinio ... -world.ece

Please find fulfillment and success by solving my puzzles, including a new one!!

by **Admin** » Wed Jan 21, 2015 10:12 am

I ran a quiz in my Christmas newsletter consisting of word puzzles taken from my new e-book, World's Best Word Puzzles.
Here is the quiz with answers and links to the book on Amazon.

http://www.destination-innovation.com/articles/the-christmas-quiz-with-answers/

by **peter365** » Wed Jan 28, 2015 10:23 am

I'm throwing this out to the floor .

Does anybody have any theories on why the forum is so quiet at the moment. There have been days in January without a single post which in my time here is unprecedented. Have our regulars moved on to other things ? Do people not like the new forum?

Any thoughts?

by **peter365** » Thu Jan 29, 2015 10:30 am

I absolutely agree that the new forum feels less personal . I'm going to spend more time here and hope that others do to.

by **JenBurdoo** » Fri Jan 30, 2015 7:01 am

I personally think the changes in the layout and conventions of use (though a little more convenient) are putting people off simply since they've become used to the old forum (which was around a very long time, come to that). I think we've lost some folks in the move for that reason, which is one cause of the slowdown; the other may be that it's a little harder, mechanics-wise, to join in here than it was for newbies on the old forum. Especially now that we're stopping spammers with an approval system, it may be, well, intimidating.

Perhaps a prominent FAQ topic would help. With a friendly welcome paragraph, (with Admin's permission, we could crib from one of the introductions to his books), a list of forum conventions, and the like. Maybe we could even fit it into the title bar at the top of the screen, next to the logo, where people don't have to hunt for it?

by **nimue** » Sat Jan 31, 2015 10:16 pm

I give up!! My puzzles have been ignored for so long that, much as it breaks my heart, I am leaving the forum. It was great while it lasted. Good-bye.

by **JenBurdoo** » Sun Feb 01, 2015 12:49 am

While I would have preferred a more constructive response, I think that cuts to the heart of the matter. Active membership was cut at least in half by the move, the spam-blocker may have hurt more than it helped, and the problem with a forum is that it's kinda a feedback loop -- fewer people means fewer posts means fewer people (as they get discouraged) means even fewer posts... and it's significantly more difficult to grow a forum than to shrink it.

That said, I'm gonna go post on more puzzles... and now they're all back up to about a week old. I'd email the puzzlers to tell them their puzzles are being questioned, but I'm not sure what to say...

by **GalFisk** » Thu Feb 05, 2015 2:02 pm

Is there any way we can mark our own puzzles as spoilered, when they're complete? It would be nice if it was possible to see which ones are active and which ones are finished.
Another function I'd like, but which may not be possible: get an email only whenever the thread starter posts in their own thread. That way you could know when your questions have been answered.

I think we could've kept more people if the old puzzles had been migrated, and possibly the users. Unless everyone gives up though, I think we can grow again.
I'm guilty of being an infrequent puzzler, but with the new email notification I can at least watch closer over my own puzzles.

by **peter365** » Mon Feb 09, 2015 10:46 am

Personally I'm against e-mail notifications because if you've a couple of very active threads you'll end up getting plagued with e-mails.

It's not such an issue for me as I tend to pop in here most days.

by **yojimbo** » Thu Feb 12, 2015 4:03 am

Although this is my "first post," I'm not a noob, here.
I joined the LTPF back in '08, I think?
Went through the LTPF WTF a couple of years ago [still known as that? -- hope so; I suggested it...], and then worked at rebuilding my post count, and then landed a HUGE writing job -- apparently <ahem> also lucrative -- which took over my life, so I haven't been here for some time.
The new format is handsome, but rather intimidating at first. I'm just looking around, as if being in a city where I don't yet know the language.
Once I get familiar with the navigation and posting regimen, I'll hope to see you on the forum.
Also, it's very nice to see some familiar users are quite active.
I've missed this place, but with the new format, I'm reminded of Dorothy: "Toto... I don't think we're in Kansas anymore..."

by **JenBurdoo** » Thu Feb 12, 2015 4:45 am

Great to have you again. Welcome! We've lost quite a few people in the move, so it's good to see a familiar handle! Hope you'll get stuck in on some of the puzzles -- the more posts, the merrier!

by **yojimbo** » Thu Feb 12, 2015 4:55 am

Thanks for the warm welcome.
Glad I wasn't forgotten.
In some of my work - often outdoors, when I'm engaged as a horticulturist with a highly-intelligent crew [good recruiting on my part, I think] -we've often engaged in lateral puzzles [Albatross Soup is the all-time favorite] - and the LTPF has been a great source for fresh material.
Looking forward to seeing you around.

by **peter365** » Fri Feb 13, 2015 11:00 am

Hi yojimbo , nice to see you back this way.

I took the liberty of moving your post into the general chatroom thread.

by **GalFisk** » Sat Feb 14, 2015 8:24 am

Welcome back, yojimbo!

by **yojimbo** » Wed Feb 18, 2015 11:50 am

Thanks, fellows. This is a nice place, and I'm happy to be here.
@peter365: I hadn't intended for my little post to be stand-alone. As indicated, I was stumbling around in the 21st-century LTPF.
Only when I scrolled aaaall the way to the bottom of the chatroom page did I find the filtering parameters; the thread, when I first saw it, was filtered in ascending order, the first post being from several months ago. I got confused... a real noob move, but I imagine the new format challenged others, as well.
mods: Perhaps the filter parameters could appear at the top of the page, also?
I'm working up a puzzle -- er, some puzzles. Time to again expose you all to the splendor and grandeur of my part of the world [Pacific NW, usa], which, according to my sophisticated and culturally-astute son, is "trending right now."

by **peter365** » Wed Feb 18, 2015 1:41 pm

Don't worry , we all made those kind of errors when we first got here.

by **peter365** » Wed Feb 18, 2015 1:47 pm

That reminds me to ask all of you whether your board appearance setting is 'Prosilver' or 'Metro Teal' . I'm a prosilver man myself as it;s far more easy on the eye. The default is Metro Teal which looks awful. I changed it on the first day I got here but was wondering if the rest of you have done so.

You can change this in board preferences in 'User Control Panel'.

by **Tiger** » Wed Feb 18, 2015 11:20 pm

I'd been using Metro Teal up until today... I had no idea you could change it!

Prosilver certainly looks more like a typical forum. I didn't mind Metro Teal though; I didn't find it offensive at all

by **peter365** » Thu Feb 19, 2015 11:12 am

Yeah maybe describing Metro Teal as awful was overstating it a bit 8-)

. I do much prefer prosilver.

by **RedWine** » Thu Feb 19, 2015 8:07 pm

Peter, thanks for the "prosilver" thing :-)

I had no idea I can change it. And now I realise that most of what annoyed me in forum's layout was just Metro Teal...

by **yojimbo** » Fri Feb 20, 2015 4:38 am

I'd like to propose a neologism:
"GalFisk" v.
to load an LTPF post with a bunch of drilling queries, sprinkling "?" all over the place.
I've noted he's efficient that way, and I admire it.

by **Tiger** » Fri Feb 20, 2015 7:33 am

Might be too early to comment on this but I'm LOVING how active the forum has been as of late

by **peter365** » Fri Feb 20, 2015 10:18 am

You're welcome Redwine. It does make a world of difference.

Wouldn't it be fun to invent a neologism using each member's name to describe that members puzzling style.

And yes I am loving the activity too.

by **GalFisk** » Fri Feb 20, 2015 10:21 am

Cool, "prosilver" was so much more user friendly. Maybe it should be made default?
Edit: I take it back: prosilver is horribly useless on mobile devices. It's still excellent on the PC though.
@yojimbo Thanks, I'm flattered. I remember my very first post on the LTPF, it was very much the way you describe. It was questions for a puzzle about a tetris machine gone awry and tetrising away objects from the real world. I remember that the puzzle ran for a very long time, and I think I annoyed the original poster by trying to scientifically investigate the disappearing phenomenon down to its tiniest components and parameters.

by **yojimbo** » Fri Feb 20, 2015 2:15 pm

per puzzling styles:
If hauled in for questioning, I would not want to be interrogated by tenacious partners GalFisk and RedWine.
And then, peter365 and Balin would come in and do the "good cop / bad cop" thing -- peter365 is plying me with coffee, tea, and the like -- but Balin skewers me, and I cave.

by **WiZ** » Fri Feb 20, 2015 2:26 pm

Thanks for the tipoff re: ProSilver. It does remind me a lot of the previous forum, something that occupied quite a large space in my heart. Happy to have made the switch (but ask again when I'm using my phone).

nthing the approval of the level of activity. I sign in and find my puzzle has been subjugated below several layers of other threads, which would annoy me on any other forum. There's a puzzle in there...

by **peter365** » Fri Feb 20, 2015 3:47 pm

Nice to know I'm good cop to Balin's bad. Mind you I'd ply you with something a lot stronger than tea or coffee.

by **Balin** » Fri Feb 20, 2015 3:58 pm

I would be honored to accept the role of LTPF Bad Cop. After all, I do still use Metro Teal.

by **yojimbo** » Fri Feb 20, 2015 4:05 pm

@peter365: bring it on! you won't break me...
@Balin: I went prosilver for now, seduced by peter365 [it reminds me of the old-school LTPF]. If there were a darker, more brooding theme, I'd try it...

by **JenBurdoo** » Sun Feb 22, 2015 1:32 am

Anyone else think we should add a section for puzzles in Limbo, as we had on the previous board?

by **Tiger** » Sun Feb 22, 2015 2:09 am

Jenburdoo, I was just thinking the same thing.
We could move nimue's puzzles there even though she has "left" the forum...

Though - I think we've just been deleting the really really old, neglected puzzles.

by **yojimbo** » Sun Feb 22, 2015 5:24 am

I was unaware Nimue had left the forum, and wondered how you knew. I recently returned to the LTPF, so I was absent during your migration, and the ensuing frustrations.
I finally read through the entire LTPF 2.0 chatroom, and learned how difficult it had been for you all -- sorry I wasn't around. I like being with happy people, and will generally drop everything to help them be that way. Surely I could have been of some small congenial service.
I saw Nimue's exit post, after her series of frustrated posts.
She frequently posted links to her "weightless poetry," would post hints and recaps in her puzzles, and would assure us she'd be online for hours. This was clearly an important place for her, and now, she's left it, which doesn't feel good to me, and surely to none of the rest of you. I've been a member for several years, with a cumulative post count likely near about 2,000, but she was here long before I was. 10,000 posts? And we've lost her?
Very disappointing that she felt alienated enough to leave.
How do you prevent that?
From the chatroom thread, I learned that the post-migration was awkward and confusing. The old forum was such a tight and tender place. I think the key that opened the door to one's sense of belonging there was the reply to "What do you mean by HAM?"
"Human Adult Male -- welcome to the forum, yojimbo!"
I live in a small town [on an island off the NW coast of america, which you all know all too well], and am warmly greeted everywhere I go. The LTPF feels like that to me, and always has.
How do you maintain that?
I feel that I have friends here, and occasionally think, "I'd enjoy encountering these HAMs and HAFs in the real world."
One thing I've noted: now that I can see how many visitors there are, at the LTPF, they're mostly guests. Until now, I've kept my own logged-on status hidden, but as soon as I finish this and post it, I'm going to change that, so you can know when I'm here.
Want to keep and grow an active forum? Make it the coolest place to be, and show passersby how great it is. If I ran a food or drinking establishment, I would have windows and adequate lighting, so those outside would see what they're missing.
If nothing else, some of us will still be here. Maybe we need more puzzles posted from the Great Admin.
For now: chin up; let's soldier on. And not lose any more eminent puzzlers like Nimue. In fact, let's get her back. Can it be gently done?
regards, your buddy,
yojimbo
postscriptum: please visit and $poil my two active puzzles. also going to write up a new one -- oh, NW-related? maybe, maybe not... but it involves beer, which should get the attention of peter365, at least...
post-postscriptum: out here on an island off the NW coast of america, I'm in time-zone UTC-8, so when I'm home in the evening, after a shower and dinner, most of you cats -- UK, Europe, and the like -- are asleep. Why not get up early and check out my puzzles? I'll also try to visit yours... -- yojimbo

by **yojimbo** » Sun Feb 22, 2015 5:41 am

and now, being able to tell who's here, I see it is me, no bots, and no guests. I am alone. Will keep the fire burning...

by **yojimbo** » Sun Feb 22, 2015 6:00 am

I will also add: I've got five or more puzzles in the pipeline, but already have three active ones, so please post and $poil, dammit!

by **Tiger** » Sun Feb 22, 2015 6:17 pm

Lovely post, yojimbo.

The reason you don't see bots is because I, and the other mods, are very good at deleting posts as soon as we see them and banning spam accounts.

Trust me, they're still around.

by **yojimbo** » Sun Feb 22, 2015 6:47 pm

t'anks, Tiger
As an old-school trickster, I'm SO tempted to create an account with the username "spambot," but will hold off.

by **yojimbo** » Sun Feb 22, 2015 7:57 pm

the header on the forum reads:
Lateral Puzzles
Where you can set or solve lateral thinking puzzels
anyone else see something wrong? Mods! Admin! please repair -- drives me nuts, and perhaps hinders forum credibility...

by **Tiger** » Sun Feb 22, 2015 8:54 pm

As far as I know, mods have no such power...
We're gonna have to get Paul on that.

by **yojimbo** » Sun Feb 22, 2015 9:00 pm

should have made it a puzzle -- now, I feel like such a dope...

by **peter365** » Mon Feb 23, 2015 10:34 am

Nice post Yojimbo.

If I were a betting man I think we'll see Nimue back this way. It's very frustrating when your puzzles (puzzels!!!) are struggling for attention and while I did think she overreacted a bit I hope she makes a return.

I'm against creating a limbo for inactive puzzles. This created a lot of work for mods (Me) on the old forum and we had incidences of puzzles going in and out of limbo numerous times. Limbo creating a safety net for people who abandoned their puzzles knowing that they could pop in and reactivate them in 3 months.

Obviously if a host will be away or unable to answer questions for a period of time and posts on their puzzle to that effect then I wouldn't delete them but i think a neat clean kill of abandoned puzzles will focus minds on keeping them active.

I'll bow to the concensus on this point though.

by **Balin** » Wed Feb 25, 2015 4:06 am

I'm not sure exactly when, but I recently passed 20,000 overall LTPF posts.
Wheeeeeeee.

by **peter365** » Wed Feb 25, 2015 10:58 am

Balin wrote:I'm not sure exactly when, but I recently passed 20,000 overall LTPF posts.
Wheeeeeeee.

Wow !!! I wonder how long that took in actual online time. You might not want to know