2.04 Chronomentometer 1

Order

2.03

Status

::POLISH::

Location

Status: Computer History Museum, 1401 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View

GC PoC: Erik, Wei-Hwa (650) 395-8463, lab@peachfrontier.com

Parking: Ample parking on lot

Notes: No bathrooms, no food (though there's a 7-Eleven across the parking lot). We have permission from the Computer History Museum.

 from Gary Matsushita gmatsushita@computerhistory.org
 Facilities Staff
 On Saturday evening, Feb 11, between 11:00 pm and 2:00 am,
   4 vans with approx 20 people will station themselves in our
   parking lot as one stop of their travelling puzzle hunt. 
   I’ve okayed their request to park in the lot and “solve” a
   piece of their game in their vans.  There will be no access
   or impact to the building itself.  This e-mail is just
   an FYI to the team.
 Should any issue arise, the contacts for the group are:
 Wei-Hwa Huang [tel:580-789-9530 580-789-9530]
 Erik Stuart  [tel:650-345-4304 650-345-4304]

Type

Mandatory Puzzle

Plot Setup

The previous activity revealed that the time machine's chronomentometer is malfunctioning. Luckily Doctor When is an expert on such matters -- he did his dissertation on the topic. Unfortunately he's not an implementation expert. So the team is sent out in search of one.

Props

• "Chronomentometer 1" hint sheet
• 70 Chronomentometer sets (4 per team, 2 spare)
• 18 copies of Chronomentometer A printouts (4 pages each, 1 set per team, with 1 spare)
• 53 blank Chronomentometer grids (3 per team, with 2 spares)
• 80 Computer History Museum flyers
• Lab coat -- WEAR THIS
• Computer History Museum name badge and lanyard -- WEAR THIS

How To Give To Teams

In person lab assistant says words to the effect of:

Doctor When could use your help with the chronomentometer. It turns out we blew four of the modules and so we need four new designs. Unfortunately his expertise is mainly in the theoretical realm. Only Prof. Chronos was truly driven to implement a working device.

But luckily there's a nearby expert in applied chronodynamics who just may be able to help you. Please go to the Computer History Museum at 1401 N Shoreline Blvd in Mountain View. There you will be able to get the initial specifications for the new modules, which you can use to design new ones.

Please upload your four designs to our web site at peachfrontier.com/cmm/. Here--I've written it all down for you. Then email the lab to let us know you're done. If you have any trouble with your design call (650) 395-TIME and one of the lab assistants may be able to help.

Oh...and take this disk with you. It contains software for remote access to the time machine's View-O-Scope...if we ever get that working again.

The hand them a diskette and information sheet, and send them on their way. Have a GC member with computer access enter their start time in the tracking database and send them the supplemental information email.

SUPPLEMENTAL EMAIL

 Research Project Title: Chronomentometer
 Objective: Design replacements for the four broken quantum chronomentometers
 Location:  Computer History Museum, 1401 N Shoreline Blvd  Mountain View
 [For playtest go to gym at your current location.]
 Upon Completion: As you complete the designs, enter them
  at http://peachfrontier.com/cmm/. Once you have completed
  all four, email the lab to let us know you're done.
 Parking:  Lot
 Bathrooms At Location:  No
 Food At Location:  No

Teams then travel to location.

At next location GC staff hand out puzzle.

Plot Point to Convey

• Doctor When can't design himself because he is good on theory; only Prof. Chronos was driven to implement.
• Help of another expert is needed.
• Once done, the machine is closer to being fixed.

Short Description

The players need to help Doctor When design a new quantum chronomentometer.

Open Time Period

Saturday 11 PM-Sunday 1 AM

Staff Instructions

Your Role: Lab assistant at the Computer History Museum, known for their practical expertise in developing chronomentometers.

Handout Instructions: Call GC when you arrive.

There is only one puzzle to hand out here: “Chronomentometer”. The interaction should go something like:

TEAM: We need your help! Doctor When has become lost in time because one of the chronomentometers within his time machine failed. We have to design a new one so that we can rescue him.

LAB ASSISTANT: That's terrible! Of course we'll help. Unfortunately we've never created a complete quantum chronomentometer. But we have computed the starting specifications for one. Perhaps you can use the specifications to design the rest of the circuitry?

Then hand out the puzzle. LAB ASSISTANT:

By the way, someday when you're not rescuing time travelers you might want to see our research facilities. Here, have a brochure. But this has nothing to do with your current chronomentometer task.

Then hand out the flyer.

Site Close Down: Clean up.

Other Instructions:

• Stay in character.
• Except ... if a team says "time out," break character and help them.

Detailed Description

Jigsaw puzzle with constraints. Physical pieces given to players to model the "real" one in the time machine, along with four partial maps on paper. They submit their completed arrangements to lab staff, who will confirm the solution.

Technical Setup

USE peachfrontier;

• Clean out the solved puzzle table
  • Log in to mysql on wei-Hwa's server (username: laboratory, password: forscience), then run:

TRUNCATE TABLE solves;
TRUNCATE TABLE requests;
TRUNCATE TABLE released;
TRUNCATE TABLE assignments;

• Clean out the log

rm /home/www/doctorwhen/peachfrontier.com/public_html/cmm/log/*

• If you need to regenerate the team information:
  • Make sure /home/whuang/public_html/nodir/doctorwhen/gross/teams.csv is correct
  • run this SQL:

TRUNCATE TABLE solvers;
LOAD DATA INFILE '/home/whuang/public_html/nodir/doctorwhen/gross/teams.csv'
 INTO TABLE solvers
 FIELDS TERMINATED BY ','
 OPTIONALLY ENCLOSED BY '"'
 LINES TERMINATED BY '\n'
  IGNORE 1 LINES (solver_id, name, role_id, passcode, present, fake);

• If you need to regenerate the puzzle information (god I hope not), this will recreate the release_info and scores tables:

(in directory /home/www/doctorwhen/peachfrontier.com/public_html/cmm)
mysql -Dpeachfrontier -u laboratory --password=forscience < puzinfo.sql
(sql file was generated by /home/whuang/public_html/cmm/select-puzzles.pl)

Puzzle Answer

There are four grids, numbered 50, 87, 104, 134 (there is no significance to the numbering).

Use Username: tester Password: streetsetter to access these urls.

• Answer to 50: FHLLIIMEM LLHKADGJB CDDDDGIME
  • Diagram: http://peachfrontier.com/cmm/answers/50.html
• Answer to 87: CCFGKKJJH FFGMEIBBD DLLIEMJJK
  • Diagram: http://peachfrontier.com/cmm/answers/87.html
• Answer to 107: HAAAFMBBE DAHFGKKIL JJIKGCMBB
  • Diagram: http://peachfrontier.com/cmm/answers/107.html
• Answer to 134: BLLCKKJJH CLIIEDDDD MMEDAGJJK
  • Diagram: http://peachfrontier.com/cmm/answers/134.html

Status for teams, as they solve this, is available at:

http://peachfrontier.com/cmm/parta.html

We should monitor this regularly and notify teams as necessary.

Puzzle Solution

Each set consists of unique hexaxgonal 4-ominoes (and some 3-ominoes) that tesselate into the Trenchwood "T" logo shape. For each puzzle sheet, some of the pieces are given fixed positions, and the others must be figured out.

Budget

 Scrap Acrylic, about 2.2 puzzles per $1 sheet = $58
 Printer Ink = $9 (est.)
 Label Stock, about 1.9 puzzles per $0.4 sheet = $26

Manager

Wei-Hwa

Response to Correct Answer

When a team emails to say they've completed all four, the check their work at http://peachfrontier.com/cmm/parta.html [1] .

If it's correct then, email team

 Dear team _________,

 Your new designs for the quantum chronomentometer modules worked! Thank you so much.

 Doctor When is tied up in calculations. But he taped instructions
on what he needs you to do next. We don't have the View-O-Scope
working well enough to view the past.  But it can patch you
into his recording.  Please go to launch the Computer Remote
Access Program and enter access code 849943.

 Frank Farnok,
 Lab Assistant

Note that there is a second follow-up email that must be sent shortly afterwards, see 2.05 Mix Tape Puzzle#How to Give to Teams.

Other Notes

This is a "trainer" puzzle for a series of them appearing later in the act.