Perplex City - We Love Puzzles

router wrote:

Is Cyrus really the bad guy, maybe we should help him?

Rotek wrote:

There's loads of people from the Perplexorum going up to Preston. People from this forum going include _izzy_ and possibly SilentlyBroken, but I'm not too sure about her. I haven't been keeping track very well . Edgemaster, you're going too, are you not?

I'd love to go if a)I answered the puzzles quickly enough and b)If I didn't live about 300 miles away from Preston

Anyways, good luck to everyone who's going!

Switch_ wrote:

Does anyone know who/what Isabelle Levenay is? It seems to be the only name in the list..

jimness wrote:

Think I found something...sent her an email but got a reply saying she's not reading emails right now. Is that normal?

Jezza wrote:

Also, what is the link between the button with the Royal Flush on and the poker pages?

Violet Kiteway wrote:

What do you do, then?
This and that. I work at the Academy library most afternoons. Other than that, I spend time with my friends, I hike Catbite, I read, I do sport, I play poker. I live on the Mobius Strip.

You live there? On a librarian's salary?
Like I said, I play poker.

Isn't that kind of a precarious way to live?
Yes. If you'd like to talk to someone who'd agree with you, can I suggest you get to know my father better?

NoahK17 wrote:

Okay, so I've solved where the leak is coming from. Now what?

Menszana Sues City, Cognivia

4:15pm 01/05/270 by Alwhin Copi

Boutique pharmaceutical firm Menszana has filed a lawsuit against the city and its heavyweight competitor, Cognivia, claiming that Cognivia is unfairly using its massive resources to offer free drugs to the city under the Spearhead Scheme. As a result, Menszana attorneys say the market for competing drugs has bottomed out, and in time the company will have no choice but to file for bankruptcy and shut down.

"The city's agreement with Cognivia under the Spearhead Scheme is directly aimed at putting smaller pharmaceutical businesses such as Menszana out of business, which will ultimately stifle scientific innovation in the industry," said Menszana Senior Counsel Marvin Torino. "Cognivia is leveraging their massive sales of casual cognitive enhancers to underwrite a scheme that will lose them billions of lecks. ... Smaller medical pharmaceutical companies can't compete with those resources, but why should the city do business with us when they can get alternative products from the competition for free?"

Cognivia spokesman Lawrence Kim rejected the lawsuit as baseless. "Cognivia is reaching into our pockets for a net positive result to the community," he said. "We are confident that the court system will reject these claims out of hand."

The lawsuit is demanding an immediate halt to Cognivia's Spearhead Scheme, plus 12 billion lecks in compensation and punitive damages. Initial hearings in the case have not yet been scheduled. Sources from within Menszana indicate that the lawsuit is merely a tactical move, with the company ultimately seeking leverage with the Council to quickly gain testing approval for a new medical device that will analyse and interpret complex neural activity.

The Spearhead Scheme was announced at the end of March. Under the program, Cognivia is providing all medically necessary medical drugs from its product line to city health authorities for free.

Earlywine PRAS Initiative Rejected by City Council

9:20am 01/05/270 by Corinne Hathaway

Council Leader Nathan Earlywine suffered an embarrassing setback late yesterday when the City Council voted unanimously against his comprehensive Public Resources Allocation Scheme. Under PRAS, the city would lay out an estimated 780 billion lecks to upgrade and integrate all government offices in the Greater Perplex City region into a single centralised system.

Earlywine called the defeat "incredibly disappointing," and insisted that he would revamp the proposal and resubmit it to the City Council within a few weeks. "My plan would vastly reduce wastage and streamline government resources, freeing taxpayer lecks to go toward improving quality of life for all of us," he said. "I'm absolutely still committed to pressing for a leaner, faster government."

Opponents of the system say that the centralisation plan would cost more money to implement than it would save. Other theoretical drawbacks, according to the group Citizens Watching Government, could include unfair allocation of resources; improper sharing of information between governmental offices; and a frustrating increase in layers of bureaucracy required to participate in popular government programs. "The government has grown up with these separate offices and agencies for a reason," said CWG's Katya Yarrow. "Throwing away all of these distinctions without a second thought, just for the sake of saving a few lecks -- that's practically criminal."

The PRAS was one of Earlywine's primary campaign promises in 269. This dismissal of his plan, though, seems to indicate that Earlywine's sweep into office was much more a rejection of former Council Leader Camryn Scott's policies, rather than an endorsement of Earlywine's.

Political analyst Jordan Taylor speculated that the City Council vote could prove to be a watershed moment in Earlywine's tenure. "When he became Council Leader, there was a lot of ill will toward the Academy, and toward Scott, among voters," he said. "But now that the Receda Cube has been returned, people are seeing them in a positive light again. ... In this climate, Earlywine will face an uphill battle to get anything done in the coming months."

Brotherhood Plans Syzygy Jubilee with Beauty Alliance

11:08am 01/05/270 by Lucas Voorhies

The Brotherhood of the Six has announced their long-anticipated plan for a jubilee celebration this year to commemorate the Syzygy, an astronomical event considered to have great religious import. As part of the jubilee, the Brotherhood has partnered with the Beauty Alliance, an artists' group, to construct a fitting monument, the specifics of which are yet to be worked out.

"This alignment of celestial elements is nothing less than a reaffirmation of the tenets of our faith," said Sister April Flynnt of the Brotherhood. "The heavens themselves are demonstrating proof of the fundamentally orderly nature of our universe. This is the most appropriate time imaginable to build in the name of the Builder himself."

Randal Tokei, founder and leader of the Beauty Alliance, said that he was "honoured and deeply touched" to be approached by the Brotherhood for such a task. "Art is the expression of the soul through an act of construction," he said. "For the Syzygy, we will express nothing short of the soul of Perplex City in our art."

Some naysayers, though, are suggesting that the Syzygy would be better left unremarked. "The last time we had a syzygy of this magnitude, 270 years ago, wasn't exactly a happy time," said historian Lucius Andorian. "Remember, we were at war and the populace was suffering. ... For all we know, this alignment of stars or planets or comets or whatever was the trigger for the catastrophe that carved out Catbite Gorge and razed the city."

The jubilee celebration is to begin at Solstice Day and continue clear through to the New Year, though the Syzygy itself will only occur on a single day.

01/05/270 Stock Market Declines

The PCX suffered its third straight day of sharp losses today, as the CEO of Heathcote stepped down amid claims that the group falsified three years of earnings statements. Analysts remain skeptical that the market will recover much before the end of the month.

01/05/270 Biology Find

Biologists from Besley-Mazy College say they have deciphered the mechanism that causes some breeds of tretretretre to develop varying hues and amounts of pigment in their fur, a find some fear may lead to the development of vanity strains of tretretretre.

01/05/270 CWG Lodges Complaint

Civil rights group Citizens Watching Government has filed a formal complaint against the city, seeking compensation for the "reckless imprisonment" of 84 people in the Missing Piece murder case in March.

01/05/270 Petel's Star Rising

PCAG pro Gabriella Petel has signed a multi-million-leck endorsement deal with Cocoa Divine. Insiders say the Cocoa Divine campaign, "Indulge, Improve," will focus on ways mental acuity can be increased by reducing stress.

Letters to the Editor

Annoyed about Parcels

In these pages in recent days, the Sentinel has given unfair consideration to whingers and self-centred boobs sullying the name of the Perplex City Post. I speak as an employee of the post office, and I am here to tell you that the ridiculous claims of Patience Wellington and others like her have no basis in fact whatsoever. Perplex City Post delivers parcels on time, PERIOD! Before anyone dares to again speak a single word against the post - and, by extension, the hard-working men and women who ensure each and every day that your parcels go where you want them to on time and in one piece - try to find some basis in fact for your outrageous accusations. If you could see it working in practice, you'd be singing a different tune.

Ralph Kerrigan

Perplexian Rules

Our esteemed Council Leader, Nathan Earlywine, soared into office last autumn by advocating traditional Perplexian values. We should reject the questionable influence of Earth, he said, and focus on the culture and heritage our ancestors have built for us over many hundreds of years. For a time, he even succeeded in freeing us from the data link to Earth, with the hope of fostering a renewed interest in our youth toward the city that gave them birth.

Now, though, despite the significantly decreased level of involvement the Earth has in Perplexian affairs, we discover that the idle attentions of our youth have moved on to new pastures. The strains of popular Earth artists such as Tom Jones and Mozart may still be heard on our streets, to be sure. But now, too, the Xia-Hifan game of "puzzle karaoke" has caught our collective imagination; Harbin cooking methods such as smoking meat over smouldering tea leaves has become the haute cuisine; and Allerdun is becoming a popular holiday spot. But does this mean that we have rejected Councillor Earlywine's insistence that we become reacquainted with ourselves?

No, very much no. This curiosity toward the novel and different is anything but an abandonment of traditional Perplexian values. Indeed, the drive to explore the world around us, to understand, to seek knowledge about all things - this is the thing that inspires us to dabble in Harbin cuisine, to play Xia-Hifan games, to listen to the music of Earth. We have not failed to recapture the spirit of Perplex City; indeed, we never strayed from it.

Anja Marlowe

Celebrities Have Private Lives, Too

I was thrilled to hear of the reconciliation of pop icons Joya and Alejo Jackson last month. As a big fan of both musicians, I agree they really need to settle down together. It's perfectly obvious to the whole world. But now the two are fighting again - because of the irresponsible press! The Sentinel reported that Alejo's bandmate in Roll for Damage, Echo West, called Joya inflammatory names during a recent press junket. While that may or may not be true, why in the world would the press report on such a thing, unless they were intentionally exploiting the lives of Alejo and Joya just to sell more newspapers? It's one thing to passively report on celebrity life without interfering, but in this latest episode, it appears that the so-called objective journalists are generating strife where the reality isn't sufficiently dramatic. Why else would Echo's comments be remotely newsworthy? Simply shameful! Even the famous are still real people with real feelings, you know!

Naomi Woods

Futures, May 270

by Madame Bianca

The Spider (April 11 - May 10)

The other day I saw a butterfly landing on a rosemary shrub, and something about the colours and the scent made me think of you and how you really need to work hard at being a less picky eater. Grow some windowsill herbs and do a little experimental cooking, sunshine. You'll reap the foliage of your labour and all that.

The Wave (May 11 - June 10)

You know how sometimes you can look at a picture and think it looks like one thing, and then your eyes refocus or something and you realise that what you're seeing is, in fact, something entirely different? Yeah, it's like that.

The Archer (June 11 - July 10)

Just when you were relishing a return to humdrum normality, interesting events rear their shiny head again and make you question where it is you're going with your life. Take it easy, doll. It's OK not to rock the boat when you're afraid you'll drown.

The Half-filled Jug (July 11 - August 10)

Love is in the air, darling, but not for you. You may feel a little out of place with all of the cosy pairing up going on around you, but try to stay gracious about it. We both know the time just isn't right for you.

The Dragon (August 11 - September 10)

You are the golden child of fortune this month, but luck can only point you in the right direction. No amount of luck will save you if you aren't willing to do the legwork, muffin.

The Three Balls (September 11 - October 10)

Mazes are lucky for you this month. And, come to think of it, lucky for everyone around you, too. Maybe it's time to trek to Mimasan this year and reap what good comes your way from it. At the very least it's a fun time, right?

The Dice (October 11 - November 10)

There are times when you just need to put your head down and plow straight through the job you have to do. Now is one of those times. Don't think about it too hard, duckling, just get on with it. If you overthink you'll underdo.

The Maze (November 11 - December 10)

It behooves you to do favours for your friends, even if you can't quite see where it's all going. It never hurt anyone to do their part in making the world a nicer place to live in, now did it, sweet pea? And no talking back to Madame, you know perfectly well what I mean.

The Apple-Thief (December 11 - January 10)

All the stars are melted together in the crucible of time, then cooled in the sea and turned into a many-faceted stone-block. A dying lapidist, the Night, setting to work with all her heart and all her grief to see her mills crumbling, crumbling, like ashes in the wind, cuts with what living care the prism.

The Hand (January 11 - February 10)

Live music is the order of the day. It's almost certain you're feeling a little blue, so get your concert on and try to lift yourself out of that dark mood, pumpkin. Do a little hunting around for a big show, I'm sure you'll find just the right thing.

The Baby (February 11 - March 10)

It would do you a world of good to get out and try some new things. Playing a new instrument, say, or trying a new sport. Breaks some boundaries, get out of your rut, blaze your own trail; call it whatever you will, just make sure it's different from the so-not-working things you're doing lately.

The Eagle (March 11 - April 10)

Sometimes you just need to step back and look at the big questions - you know, the whys and hows. I'm not saying you're going to find the answers to them, but isn't it fascinating how much you can learn when you figure out the shape of what it isn't you don't know?

And remember, everything in the world is connected if you look hard enough.

Violet wrote:

Key-generated Transcript:

OK, Kurt, are you getting this? Hello! I'm Violet Kiteway. Welcome to my home. Well, yes, Kurt, I know it's not my home exactly, but-

OK, so, a few years ago I stole a Cube. Don't worry, don't worry, that's just a replica. The city authorities, despite what you might think, were thrilled and delighted with me. But some people weren't quite so pleased. Yeah, in fact, there were a couple of death threats. Not, according to the police, serious death threats, but...

So, even though these threats were apparently nothing to worry about, it was suggested that I might like to vacate my apartment for a little while. Like, forever. So that's how I've ended up here, in the Old Town. It's not what you might call my style, but it belongs to a friend of my father's who's gone off on an extended vacation. And it's free, it's clean, and the bizarre artefacts will stop giving me nightmares eventually. I haven't really unpacked properly yet, and even-

Look, um, thank you, Kurt, get back to ME. Don't need to show everyone that. So this is my life now. I'm no longer on the Mobius Strip, and I'm no longer keeping so many secrets. Some things are the same. Kurt still isn't much for conversation, are you? (laughing) No. And some things are different.

I have a reputation, now, as the fearless Cube-thief and people keep coming to find me, asking for my help. See, that's where you come in. I've got more than enough to deal with at the moment, and you seem like a capable bunch! I think this is going to be a pretty exciting year.

Want to join me? Yeah, I think that'll do.

Key Transcript Ends

Need me for something? I'm at [email]violet@violetunderground.com[/email].

Violet wrote:

About the Cube

OK, so, hmmm. This is a little complex. One line summary: I stole Perplex City's most precious artefact, The Cube, buried it in a wood on Earth and then gave cryptic clues to its whereabouts until someone found it. Well done Mr. Darley.

Longer version? I stole it to protect it from a shadowy group we know as 'the Third Power.' They were planning to steal it themselves and do... well, we don't really know what, but their master plan probably wasn't to use it to make sparkly ponies and candyfloss. They've killed people - a lot of people, people I cared about - while trying to get hold of the Cube, they're on Earth, and the likelihood is we haven't heard the last of them.

As for the Cube itself? We're still trying to work out what it does. Some religious groups worship it as a god, but the evidence we found last year suggests it was designed as a weapon. Since we know that several cities around here were entirely destroyed in a cataclysm 270 years ago... looks like it was a pretty powerful weapon. But no one knows how to work it. At least, we hope they don't.

Violet wrote:

On Poker and Lying

So I was fixing myself a pastrami-on-rye at Kurt's place the other night, having relieved him of 1000 of his hard-earned lecks and preparing to take him for a few more when Patrick looked up from his increasingly meagre pile of chips and said "Violet, what is it with you and lying?"

And I, knowing that he was just peeved that he'd gone all in on the last hand sure I was bluffing (I wasn't), pulled up a few links on my key to try to explain.

"See," I said, "the essential skill of poker isn't lying. It's knowing when you're being lied to." Take a look at this.

Of course, studying strategy doesn't hurt.

And nor does being familiar with the basics of Texas Hold 'Em, the best game in the world.

As for lying? Don't bother. Aim for no reaction at all. Take a look at this.

"But Patrick, if you want to lie outside poker, just watch how people behave when they've got nothing to hide and do that." I helped myself to the last pickle from the jar, and we went back to the game.