One quiz at a time

[PhilW]

Cryptographic nonsense. Attack codes at their weakest point. In this example, deducing the code is more work, and less reliable work, than guessing each possible answer. There aren’t many:

1. Adams
2. Avery
3. Cálem
4. Cedro
5. Croft
6. Dalva
7. Dixon
8. Feist
9. Judeu
10. Kopke
11. Krohn
12. Noval
13. Poças
14. Roriz
15. Rozès
16. Sibio
17. Souza
18. Warre

And some are more likely than others.

Krohn?

Warre?

The required answer is the 6-digit value that TAYLOR represents, not the missing port-house name - This does mean that once the port house is identified, the puzzle must still be solved; you are welcome to guess at 6-digit numbers, but I doubt this is the quickest route to the solution.

Regarding your list of port houses, there is a simple realisation which will allow you to dramatically reduce that list of candidates - it is well worth re-reading Glenn's posts.

[PhilW]

At which point I'll guess Croft and he'll guess Kopke.
That should do for a while.

As above - the required answer is the decoded number that TAYLOR represents, not the missing port house. I will NOT be confirming the correct port house - when you know why, you will know which one it is, even before decoding.

[PhilW]

Question reminder, as we've moved on a page:

A mathematical port fanatic keeps his port in a (temperature and humidity controlled) safe, the key to which is an electronic 6-digit PIN. As he cannot reliably remember this PIN, he has worked out that with each letter representing a different number, he can add three port houses with the total being a fourth, this total being a six digit number. Unfortunately, he has forgotten one of the port houses. He remembers this:

Code: Select all

   CALEM
   ?????
+ OFFLEY
  ------
= TAYLOR

Determine the missing port name and the sum and hence identify the PIN to the safe to allow access to the port!

[PopulusTremula]

Being admittedly dim, and assuming you add the three values/names by aligning them to the right such that 0 - 9 are in the rightmost column, 10 - 99 in the column to the left of that, 100 to 999 to the left of that and so on, then i cant get past the issue of the letter L in Offley and Calem when added with a mystery number add upp to the letter L in Taylor.

If base is ten and all numbers are positive then L + L + ? = L does not make sense to me unless ? = -L which should not be possible with base ten?

I'm sure there's a basic mathematical rule of which i am blissfully unaware but please enlighten me.



Sent from my GT-I9195 using Tapatalk 2

[jdaw1]

Noval?

Though keen readers of this thread might wish to make an observation about 54790 + 58132 + 133796.

[PhilW]

Being admittedly dim, and assuming you add the three values/names by aligning them to the right such that 0 - 9 are in the rightmost column, 10 - 99 in the column to the left of that, 100 to 999 to the left of that and so on, then i cant get past the issue of the letter L in Offley and Calem when added with a mystery number add upp to the letter L in Taylor.

Yes, once the letters are substituted for numbers, it is a normal sum.

If base is ten and all numbers are positive then L + L + ? = L does not make sense to me unless ? = -L which should not be possible with base ten?

I think you've forgotten about the carry; An example would be where L is 3 and the ? is 7 (note, this example has no bearing on the actual values of letters in the puzzle).

[PhilW]

JDAW has demonstrated that he has fully solved the puzzle, if not (quite) by the requested method. For any still wishing to solve, I will clarify that Glenn noted that there were already ten letters used in the puzzle as stated - this should help identify the unknown port house.

JDAW's question.

[PopulusTremula]

Thanks for clarifying. I suppose L could also be zero in which case the mystery letter also would be zero.

Synapses very slow today are...

Sent from my GT-I9195 using Tapatalk 2

[jdaw1]

JDAW's question.

No. I was careful not state the pin, nor to state the missing house, because I don’t have a question prepared. So an open floor somebody else to seize ancient powers and take charge.


And for those desirous of an ugly methodology: Glenn listed letters. With the five-character constraint it could be either CALEM or CROFT. Croft tested, as follows.

Code: Select all

Option Explicit

Sub OneQuiz()
    Dim A, C, E, F, L, M, O, R, T, Y As Integer
    
    For A = 0 To 9
    For C = 0 To 9
    If C <> A Then
    For E = 0 To 9
    If E <> C And E <> A Then
    For F = 0 To 9
    If F <> E And F <> C And F <> A Then
    For L = 0 To 9
    If L <> F And L <> E And L <> C And L <> A Then
    For M = 0 To 9
    If M <> L And M <> F And M <> E And M <> C And M <> A Then
    For O = 0 To 9
    If O <> M And O <> L And O <> F And O <> E And O <> C And O <> A Then
    For R = 0 To 9
    If R <> O And R <> M And R <> L And R <> F And R <> E And R <> C And R <> A Then
    For T = 0 To 9
    If T <> R And T <> O And T <> M And T <> L And T <> F And T <> E And T <> C And T <> A Then
        Y = 45 - A - C - E - F - L - M - O - R - T
        If Val(C & A & L & E & M) + Val(C & R & O & F & T) + Val(O & F & F & L & E & Y) = Val(T & A & Y & L & O & R) Then
            MsgBox (C & A & L & E & M) & " + " & (C & R & O & F & T) & " + " & (O & F & F & L & E & Y) & "  = " & (T & A & Y & L & O & R)
        End If  ' CALEM + CROFT + OFFLEY = TAYLOR
    End If  ' T
    Next T
    End If  ' R
    Next R
    End If  ' O
    Next O
    End If  ' M
    Next M
    End If  ' L
    Next L
    End If  ' F
    Next F
    End If  ' E
    Next E
    End If  ' C
    Next C
    Next A
End Sub  ' OneQuiz

[/small]

[PhilW]

And for those desirous of an ugly methodology: Glenn listed letters. With the five-character constraint it could be either CALEM or CROFT. Croft tested, as follows.

Additionally, the question stated that it was the sum of the names of three port houses to total a fourth; although I didn't explicitly stated "different", it was intended to be implicit, thereby leaving Croft as the only 5-letter house which could be created from the available letters given that the set of ten was already known.

[Glenn E.]

Cryptographic nonsense. Attack codes at their weakest point. In this example, deducing the code is more work, and less reliable work, than guessing each possible answer. There aren’t many:

1. Adams
2. Avery
3. Cálem
4. Cedro
5. Croft
6. Dalva
7. Dixon
8. Feist
9. Judeu
10. Kopke
11. Krohn
12. Noval
13. Poças
14. Roriz
15. Rozès
16. Sibio
17. Souza
18. Warre

And some are more likely than others.

Krohn?

The list is far smaller than that.

I wil confirm that base 10 is a correct assumption.

Ergo,

Also, the set of letters (assuming base 10) is {A,C,E,F,L,M,O,R,T,Y}.

So any name that uses a letter not in {A,C,E,F,L,M,O,R,T,Y} is incorrect.

[Glenn E.]

And of course there was another page already, so you'd already reached the same conclusion. I should learn to read the entire thread before responding.

[Glenn E.]

No. I was careful not state the pin, nor to state the missing house, because I don’t have a question prepared.

Sadly, neither do I.

Though this is/was a fun question, despite my brain not being fully functional last night.

Perhaps a merging of threads... Does a 1964 Krohn Colheita (not Branco) exist? Proof required.

[PhilW]

New question: What do ThePortForum and telescopes have in common, apart from DRT?

[jdaw1]

Eight days off was a good achievement.

[LGTrotter]

New question: What do ThePortForum and telescopes have in common, apart from DRT?

The Terrestial Planet Finder?

[DRT]

They both provide a window on the universe?

[Glenn E.]

Both involve playing with glass(es)?

[DRT]

Both are used by geeks?

[PhilW]

Well, I like Glenn's guess best, but the correct answer was the shared initials "TPF" which as mentioned stands for the Terrestrial Planet Finder, a (pending, currently moth-balled) NASA project to examine planets which might sustain life in more detail than possible from our planet's surface by using an array of telescopes positioned in space.

LGTrotter's question.

[LGTrotter]

This is a question to which I have no answer but there must be one, indeed I seem to remember hearing the answer long ago. It was came to my mind when thinking about a post elsewhere on this forum.

Who was the first man to dance a jig on the grave of Oliver Cromwell?

If this question does not fall under the act please feel free to ignore it, or suggest another.

[DRT]

Michael Flatley?

[djewesbury]

Was it Christiano van Zeller?

[LGTrotter]

Michael Flatley?

Doubt it and

Was it Christiano van Zeller?

Dunno.

In order to get this correct I think the guesser will have to produce some supporting evidence and not just some spurious tosh from MR James.

[djewesbury]

It was John Noakes off telly's Blue Peter who first danced a jig on Oliver Cromwell's grave.

[LGTrotter]

It was John Noakes off telly's Blue Peter who first danced a jig on Oliver Cromwell's grave.

It's the Hitler diaries all over again.

[djewesbury]

It was John Noakes off telly's Blue Peter who first danced a jig on Oliver Cromwell's grave.

It's the Hitler diaries all over again.

That's a little Stern.

[PhilW]

I have just opened and decanted a bottle of port. I was surprised to find that the cork did not have the producer's name on it; I believe this is the only bottle younger than I where I have seen this; I am certain it is not a fake. What is it?

[djewesbury]

Is it a single quinta?

[Alex Bridgeman]

Is it a supermarket or other BOB?

[djewesbury]

Is it from the 1980s?

[PhilW]

Is it a single quinta?

No.

Is it a supermarket or other BOB?

No.

Is it from the 1980s?

No.
(this thread needs renaming to "20 questions"! ok... 17 questions/guesses remaining!)

[djewesbury]

Interesting. Not my guess of course but it seems to be a main label bottling that's older than the 1980s (because I don't believe Phil is drinking youngsters right now) and younger than the late 1960s.

[djewesbury]

And the fact that you decanted it strongly suggests that it's VP (or old LBV or Crusted) and not a Colheita.

[Glenn E.]

Tuke Holdsworth?

[PhilW]

Tuke Holdsworth?

Not a Tuke Holdsworth.
16/20 questions/guesses remaining.

[djewesbury]

Is it a bottling from a Portuguese shipper?

[Alex Bridgeman]

Is it VP?

[jdaw1]

Côtto?

[djewesbury]

Have you opened this port before and found it to have a branded cork?

[PhilW]

Is it a bottling from a Portuguese shipper?

Yes.

Is it VP?

No.

Côtto?

No (is that a port? I had to look it up, and I only found what seemed to be a red wine)

Have you opened this port before and found it to have a branded cork?

No - I had not opened this port before.

12/20 questions/guesses remaining.

[Glenn E.]

Point of order. What does this mean?

Is it a bottling from a Portuguese shipper?

Yes.

All shippers are technically Portuguese, aren't they?

[flash_uk]

Point of order. What does this mean?

Is it a bottling from a Portuguese shipper?

Yes.

All shippers are technically Portuguese, aren't they?

I suspect Daniel meant "Is it a bottling by a Portuguese shipper?"

[djewesbury]

I think we all know that there are "British" and "Portuguese" houses (and "German" and "Dutch ones too, and so on). That is what I was ascertaining.

That confirmed, and the fact also that this is not a VP; and it's not from the 1980s; is it… an age-designated tawny?

[PhilW]

I think we all know that there are "British" and "Portuguese" houses (and "German" and "Dutch ones too, and so on). That is what I was ascertaining.

Hmm. In that case my answer may or may not be appropriate... I assumed you were wishing to eliminate English-bottling. (I will be happy to update the answer on whether the shipper should or not be considered Portuguese if you point me at an exhaustive list of all port shippers and whether they are or are not Portuguese)

[djewesbury]

Oh, OK. Do I get another guess then? (That wasn't it.)

[PhilW]

Yep, I ignored your subsequent question in case you didn't want to ask it any longer.
Still at 12/20.

[djewesbury]

Good, good. Did you source the bottle from the UK?

[PhilW]

Good, good. Did you source the bottle from the UK?

Yes. 11/20 remaining. Additional info - I just drank It all tonight, also - good night

[Alex Bridgeman]

Is it a tawny with indication of age?