From Newsgroup: rec.puzzles


I found a list of eight places on planet Earth, all inhabited by man.
Only the LOCATIONS of the places matter: ignore any political or economic aspects of the places. There was a trade-off between fitting the "secret" criterion accurately, and using familiar places. For example. I could have used Lisbon instead of the near-by Estremoz, or even Surabaya for the
less well-known Pandaan but those changes would have decreased performance
on the "secret" criterion.

Here are the eight places in alphabetical order. To make it more of a challenge, two of the place-names have all letters erased except O and A.
(When a word has 2 or more A's only the first is shown.)

1. Arroyo de las Vacas. Coahuila, Mexico
2. Estremoz, Evora, Portugal
3. -a--o- ---a--, -----a--
4. Matinhos, Parana, (south) Brazil
5. Maxixe, Inhambane, Mozambique
6. Pandaan, East Java, Indonesia
7. --o-- -a--, A--------
8. Tyumsyu, Sakha, Russia -- a very small settlement
not far from deposits of Gold, Antinomy, etc.

Cheers,
James
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From Newsgroup: rec.puzzles

On 17/03/2026 16:30, James Dow Allen wrote:

I found a list of eight places on planet Earth, all inhabited by man.
Only the LOCATIONS of the places matter: ignore any political or economic aspects of the places. There was a trade-off between fitting the "secret" criterion accurately, and using familiar places. For example. I could have used Lisbon instead of the near-by Estremoz, or even Surabaya for the
less well-known Pandaan but those changes would have decreased performance
on the "secret" criterion.

Here are the eight places in alphabetical order. To make it more of a challenge, two of the place-names have all letters erased except O and A. (When a word has 2 or more A's only the first is shown.)

1. Arroyo de las Vacas. Coahuila, Mexico
2. Estremoz, Evora, Portugal
3. -a--o- ---a--, -----a--
4. Matinhos, Parana, (south) Brazil
5. Maxixe, Inhambane, Mozambique
6. Pandaan, East Java, Indonesia
7. --o-- -a--, A--------
8. Tyumsyu, Sakha, Russia -- a very small settlement
not far from deposits of Gold, Antinomy, etc.

With ChatGPT's help, which is obviously cheating. But it is good at
these things. Also, I have no shame.

But the secret is:
Svaq 8 erny cynprf gung orunir yvxr gur 8 pbearef bs n phor ba Rnegu.

Good puzzle. I wouldn't have had a clue without AI.


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From Newsgroup: rec.puzzles


Richard Harnden <richard.nospam@gmail.invalid> posted:

On 17/03/2026 16:30, James Dow Allen wrote:

I found a list of eight places on planet Earth, all inhabited by man.
Only the LOCATIONS of the places matter: ignore any political or economic aspects of the places. There was a trade-off between fitting the "secret" criterion accurately, and using familiar places. For example. I could have used Lisbon instead of the near-by Estremoz, or even Surabaya for the
less well-known Pandaan but those changes would have decreased performance on the "secret" criterion.

Here are the eight places in alphabetical order. To make it more of a challenge, two of the place-names have all letters erased except O and A. (When a word has 2 or more A's only the first is shown.)

1. Arroyo de las Vacas. Coahuila, Mexico
2. Estremoz, Evora, Portugal
3. -a--o- ---a--, -----a--
4. Matinhos, Parana, (south) Brazil
5. Maxixe, Inhambane, Mozambique
6. Pandaan, East Java, Indonesia
7. --o-- -a--, A--------
8. Tyumsyu, Sakha, Russia -- a very small settlement
not far from deposits of Gold, Antinomy, etc.

This small settlement is unfairly obscure. I will show its
approximate coordinates:
63.2-# North, 142.2-# East

With ChatGPT's help, which is obviously cheating. But it is good at
these things. Also, I have no shame.

But the secret is:
Svaq 8 erny cynprf gung orunir yvxr gur 8 pbearef bs n phor ba Rnegu.

Good puzzle. I wouldn't have had a clue without AI.

The answer given by ChatGPT is sort of "adjacent to correct"
(if that is a valid phrase) and yet QUITE WRONG!!

I've used ChatGPT quite a bit lately. It often saves me a lot of time,
but is also often blatantly -- and weirdly -- wrong. I could write
an interesting essay on that topic, and I haven't been explicitly testing it: My queries were all for facts that I wanted.
--- Synchronet 3.21e-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: rec.puzzles

On 17/03/2026 18:50, James Dow Allen wrote:

Richard Harnden <richard.nospam@gmail.invalid> posted:

On 17/03/2026 16:30, James Dow Allen wrote:

I found a list of eight places on planet Earth, all inhabited by man.
Only the LOCATIONS of the places matter: ignore any political or economic >>> aspects of the places. There was a trade-off between fitting the "secret" >>> criterion accurately, and using familiar places. For example. I could have >>> used Lisbon instead of the near-by Estremoz, or even Surabaya for the
less well-known Pandaan but those changes would have decreased performance >>> on the "secret" criterion.

Here are the eight places in alphabetical order. To make it more of a
challenge, two of the place-names have all letters erased except O and A. >>> (When a word has 2 or more A's only the first is shown.)

1. Arroyo de las Vacas. Coahuila, Mexico
2. Estremoz, Evora, Portugal
3. -a--o- ---a--, -----a--
4. Matinhos, Parana, (south) Brazil
5. Maxixe, Inhambane, Mozambique
6. Pandaan, East Java, Indonesia
7. --o-- -a--, A--------
8. Tyumsyu, Sakha, Russia -- a very small settlement
not far from deposits of Gold, Antinomy, etc.

This small settlement is unfairly obscure. I will show its
approximate coordinates:
63.2-# North, 142.2-# East

It thinks 3 and 7 are:
3. Xnytbbeyvr Obhyqre, Jrfgrea Nhfgenyvn, Nhfgenyvn
7. Cbvag Oneebj, Nynfxn, HFN

Which don't match your dashes, 'A's and 'O's. It would rather
hallucinate than admit it doesn't know. 63.2N 142.2E is thousands of
miles away from what it thinks 3 is.

I guess I need to look up the lon/lat-s for your given clues ...

With ChatGPT's help, which is obviously cheating. But it is good at
these things. Also, I have no shame.

But the secret is:
Svaq 8 erny cynprf gung orunir yvxr gur 8 pbearef bs n phor ba Rnegu.

Good puzzle. I wouldn't have had a clue without AI.

The answer given by ChatGPT is sort of "adjacent to correct"
(if that is a valid phrase) and yet QUITE WRONG!!

Yes, like a manager: wrong, but with confidence :)

I've used ChatGPT quite a bit lately. It often saves me a lot of time,
but is also often blatantly -- and weirdly -- wrong. I could write
an interesting essay on that topic, and I haven't been explicitly testing it: My queries were all for facts that I wanted.

--- Synchronet 3.21e-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: rec.puzzles


Richard Harnden <richard.nospam@gmail.invalid> posted:

On 17/03/2026 18:50, James Dow Allen wrote:

Richard Harnden <richard.nospam@gmail.invalid> posted:

On 17/03/2026 16:30, James Dow Allen wrote:

1. Arroyo de las Vacas. Coahuila, Mexico
2. Estremoz, Evora, Portugal
3. -a--o- ---a--, -----a--
4. Matinhos, Parana, (south) Brazil
5. Maxixe, Inhambane, Mozambique
6. Pandaan, East Java, Indonesia
7. --o-- -a--, A--------
8. Tyumsyu, Sakha, Russia [63.2-# North, 142.2-# East]

[ChatGPT] thinks 3 and 7 are:
3. Xnytbbeyvr Obhyqre, Jrfgrea Nhfgenyvn, Nhfgenyvn
7. Cbvag Oneebj, Nynfxn, HFN

Which don't match your dashes, 'A's and 'O's. It would rather
hallucinate than admit it doesn't know. 63.2N 142.2E is thousands of
miles away from what it thinks 3 is.

??? So Xnytbbeyvr Obhyqre, Jrfgrea Nhfgenyvn, Nhfgenyvn is a real place??

I guess I need to look up the lon/lat-s for your given clues ...

That's something ChatGPT probably CAN do. Better yet ask for the pairwise distances.

But the secret is:
Svaq 8 erny cynprf gung orunir yvxr gur 8 pbearef bs n phor ba Rnegu.

Good puzzle. I wouldn't have had a clue without AI.

The answer given by ChatGPT is sort of "adjacent to correct"
(if that is a valid phrase) and yet QUITE WRONG!!

Yes, like a manager: wrong, but with confidence :)

What I heard from the AI expert who wrote THE Book on machine
pattern recognition back in 1973 was
"[AI is] Often wrong but never in doubt"

- - - - - - - -

Here's another list of eight places I was going to (and herewith do)
present as a follow-up. They are chosen with a DIFFERENT criterion
than the earlier list, but the criteria are "adjacent."

1. Amalyk, Irkutsk
2. Calala Island, Nicaragua
3. Cape Horn, Chile
4. Christchurch, New Zealand
5. Honolulu, USA
6. Keeling Islands (to Australia)
7. New Xade, Botswana
8. Vigo, Spain

Ask ChatGPT to compare the two lists and comment.

Cheers,
James
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From Newsgroup: rec.puzzles

On 17/03/2026 18:50, James Dow Allen wrote:

Richard Harnden <richard.nospam@gmail.invalid> posted:

On 17/03/2026 16:30, James Dow Allen wrote:

I found a list of eight places on planet Earth, all inhabited by man.
Only the LOCATIONS of the places matter: ignore any political or economic >>> aspects of the places. There was a trade-off between fitting the "secret" >>> criterion accurately, and using familiar places. For example. I could have >>> used Lisbon instead of the near-by Estremoz, or even Surabaya for the
less well-known Pandaan but those changes would have decreased performance >>> on the "secret" criterion.

Here are the eight places in alphabetical order. To make it more of a
challenge, two of the place-names have all letters erased except O and A. >>> (When a word has 2 or more A's only the first is shown.)

1. Arroyo de las Vacas. Coahuila, Mexico
2. Estremoz, Evora, Portugal
3. -a--o- ---a--, -----a--
4. Matinhos, Parana, (south) Brazil
5. Maxixe, Inhambane, Mozambique
6. Pandaan, East Java, Indonesia
7. --o-- -a--, A--------
8. Tyumsyu, Sakha, Russia -- a very small settlement
not far from deposits of Gold, Antinomy, etc.

This small settlement is unfairly obscure. I will show its
approximate coordinates:
63.2# North, 142.2# East

With ChatGPT's help, which is obviously cheating. But it is good at
these things. Also, I have no shame.

But the secret is:
Svaq 8 erny cynprf gung orunir yvxr gur 8 pbearef bs n phor ba Rnegu.

Good puzzle. I wouldn't have had a clue without AI.

The answer given by ChatGPT is sort of "adjacent to correct"
(if that is a valid phrase) and yet QUITE WRONG!!

Bu qrne - gung'f gur vqrn gung V unq gbb!

Zvxr.

I've used ChatGPT quite a bit lately. It often saves me a lot of time,
but is also often blatantly -- and weirdly -- wrong. I could write
an interesting essay on that topic, and I haven't been explicitly testing it: My queries were all for facts that I wanted.

--- Synchronet 3.21e-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: rec.puzzles


Mike Terry <news.dead.person.stones@darjeeling.plus.com> posted:

On 17/03/2026 18:50, James Dow Allen wrote:

Richard Harnden <richard.nospam@gmail.invalid> posted:

With ChatGPT's help, which is obviously cheating. But it is good at
these things. Also, I have no shame.

But the secret is:
Svaq 8 erny cynprf gung orunir yvxr gur 8 pbearef bs n phor ba Rnegu.

Good puzzle. I wouldn't have had a clue without AI.

The answer given by ChatGPT is sort of "adjacent to correct"
(if that is a valid phrase) and yet QUITE WRONG!!

Bu qrne - gung'f gur vqrn gung V unq gbb!

Zvxr.

Zvxr naq Evpuneq fubhyq jbex gur FRPBAQ yvfg bs rvtug ybpngvbaf V cebivqrq.

Gur ernfba guvf chmmyr erzvaqrq zr bs "Gjb qvfgnaprf nzbat Sbhe Cbvagf"
vf gung bs gur 28 cbvag-gb-cbvag qvfgnaprf nzbat gur rvtug cbvagf tvira
va gur 1fg yvfg, gurer ner guerr pyhzcf. Fvkgrra bs gur 28 qvfgnaprf ner
irel pybfr gb rnpu bgure naq fznyyvfu; Sbhe bs gur qvfgnaprf ner pybfr gb
rnpu bgure naq ynetvfu; gur erznvavat rvtug ner zrqvhzvfu.

Gung pna ABG or n phor: Gjryir bs gur phor'f 28 qvfgnaprf ner fznyyvfu;
gjryir ner zrqvhzvfu, naq sbhe ner znkvznyyl ybat.

Gb frr guvf, fgneg jvgu n tybor-znc bs cynarg Rnegu naq znex gur rvtug cbvagf jvgu n znexvat cra, be fznyy fgvpxl abgrf.

Obpuzzle: What is the quarantine problem to which the first list of
eight inhabited locations IS a solution?

James
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From Newsgroup: rec.puzzles


James Dow Allen <user4353@newsgrouper.org.invalid> posted:

I found a list of eight places on planet Earth, all inhabited by man.
Only the LOCATIONS of the places matter: ignore any political or economic aspects of the places. There was a trade-off between fitting the "secret" criterion accurately, and using familiar places. For example. I could have used Lisbon instead of the near-by Estremoz, or even Surabaya for the
less well-known Pandaan but those changes would have decreased performance
on the "secret" criterion.

Here are the eight places in alphabetical order. To make it more of a challenge, two of the place-names have all letters erased except O and A. (When a word has 2 or more A's only the first is shown.)

1. Arroyo de las Vacas. Coahuila, Mexico
2. Estremoz, Evora, Portugal
3. -a--o- ---a--, -----a--
4. Matinhos, Parana, (south) Brazil
5. Maxixe, Inhambane, Mozambique
6. Pandaan, East Java, Indonesia
7. --o-- -a--, A--------
8. Tyumsyu, Sakha, Russia -- a very small settlement
not far from deposits of Gold, Antinomy, etc.

Cheers,
James

Here are the eight places in alphabetical order. To make it more of a challenge, two of the place-names have all letters erased except O and A. (When a word has 2 or more A's only the first is shown.)

3. -a--o- ---a--, -----a--

7. --o-- -a--, A--------

Maybe someone can email me what 3 and 7 are.


Where did you get this idea of -------a------o--------- this format?

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From Newsgroup: rec.puzzles


HenHanna@NewsGrouper <user4055@newsgrouper.org.invalid> posted:

James Dow Allen <user4353@newsgrouper.org.invalid> posted:

I found a list of eight places on planet Earth, all inhabited by man.
Only the LOCATIONS of the places matter: ignore any political or economic aspects of the places. There was a trade-off between fitting the "secret" criterion accurately, and using familiar places. For example. I could have used Lisbon instead of the near-by Estremoz, or even Surabaya for the
less well-known Pandaan but those changes would have decreased performance on the "secret" criterion.

Here are the eight places in alphabetical order. To make it more of a challenge, two of the place-names have all letters erased except O and A. (When a word has 2 or more A's only the first is shown.)

1. Arroyo de las Vacas. Coahuila, Mexico
2. Estremoz, Evora, Portugal
3. -a--o- ---a--, -----a--
4. Matinhos, Parana, (south) Brazil
5. Maxixe, Inhambane, Mozambique
6. Pandaan, East Java, Indonesia
7. --o-- -a--, A--------
8. Tyumsyu, Sakha, Russia -- a very small settlement
not far from deposits of Gold, Antinomy, etc.

Cheers,
James

3. -a--o- ---a--, -----a--
7. --o-- -a--, A--------

Maybe someone can email me what 3 and 7 are.

No need for e-mail. We're on the honor system here!
3. Xnagba Vfynaq, Xvevongv
7. Fpbgg Onfr, Nagnegvpn

The eight places are a solution to the Puzzle:

Svaq rvtug vaunovgrq ybpngvbaf ba gur Rnegu juvpu nccebkvzngryl
***vzvmr gur ***vzhz nzbat gur gjragl-rvtug cbvag-gb-cbvag *********.

Jung vf gur anzr bs guvf trbzrgevp pbasvthengvba?


It has come to my attention that the autopen block lettering
I use in my valedictory signature is easily forged and the executive
orders I issue with that pen may be annulled. I am therefore switching
to a harder-to-forge cursive signature.

Cheers,
noU b-Anoab!+ noe
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From Newsgroup: rec.puzzles


HenHanna@NewsGrouper <user4055@newsgrouper.org.invalid> posted:

James Dow Allen <user4353@newsgrouper.org.invalid> posted:

I found a list of eight places on planet Earth, all inhabited by man.
Only the LOCATIONS of the places matter: ignore any political or economic aspects of the places. There was a trade-off between fitting the "secret" criterion accurately, and using familiar places. For example. I could have used Lisbon instead of the near-by Estremoz, or even Surabaya for the
less well-known Pandaan but those changes would have decreased performance on the "secret" criterion.

Here are the eight places in alphabetical order. To make it more of a challenge, two of the place-names have all letters erased except O and A. (When a word has 2 or more A's only the first is shown.)

1. Arroyo de las Vacas. Coahuila, Mexico
2. Estremoz, Evora, Portugal
3. -a--o- ---a--, -----a--
4. Matinhos, Parana, (south) Brazil
5. Maxixe, Inhambane, Mozambique
6. Pandaan, East Java, Indonesia
7. --o-- -a--, A--------
8. Tyumsyu, Sakha, Russia -- a very small settlement
not far from deposits of Gold, Antinomy, etc.

Cheers,
James

Here are the eight places in alphabetical order. To make it more of a challenge, two of the place-names have all letters erased except O and A. (When a word has 2 or more A's only the first is shown.)

3. -a--o- ---a--, -----a--

7. --o-- -a--, A--------

Maybe someone can email me what 3 and 7 are.

Thanks




Where did you get this idea of -----a------o---- this format? Did you respond to this?
I asked because it appears in ......................


What (in Rot13) is Jung
--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: rec.puzzles


James Dow Allen <user4353@newsgrouper.org.invalid> posted:

HenHanna@NewsGrouper <user4055@newsgrouper.org.invalid> posted:

James Dow Allen <user4353@newsgrouper.org.invalid> posted:

I found a list of eight places on planet Earth, all inhabited by man. Only the LOCATIONS of the places matter: ignore any political or economic aspects of the places. There was a trade-off between fitting the "secret"
criterion accurately, and using familiar places. For example. I could have
used Lisbon instead of the near-by Estremoz, or even Surabaya for the less well-known Pandaan but those changes would have decreased performance
on the "secret" criterion.

Here are the eight places in alphabetical order. To make it more of a challenge, two of the place-names have all letters erased except O and A. (When a word has 2 or more A's only the first is shown.)

1. Arroyo de las Vacas. Coahuila, Mexico
2. Estremoz, Evora, Portugal
3. -a--o- ---a--, -----a--
4. Matinhos, Parana, (south) Brazil
5. Maxixe, Inhambane, Mozambique
6. Pandaan, East Java, Indonesia
7. --o-- -a--, A--------
8. Tyumsyu, Sakha, Russia -- a very small settlement
not far from deposits of Gold, Antinomy, etc.

Cheers,
James

3. -a--o- ---a--, -----a--
7. --o-- -a--, A--------

Maybe someone can email me what 3 and 7 are.

No need for e-mail. We're on the honor system here!
3. Xnagba Vfynaq, Xvevongv
7. Fpbgg Onfr, Nagnegvpn

The eight places are a solution to the Puzzle:

Svaq rvtug vaunovgrq ybpngvbaf ba gur Rnegu juvpu nccebkvzngryl
***vzvmr gur ***vzhz nzbat gur gjragl-rvtug cbvag-gb-cbvag *********.

Jung vf gur anzr bs guvf trbzrgevp pbasvthengvba?

Square antiprism (maximize the minimum among the twenty-eight point-to-point distances)

It has come to my attention that the autopen block lettering
I use in my valedictory signature is easily forged and the executive
orders I issue with that pen may be annulled. I am therefore switching
to a harder-to-forge cursive signature.

Cheers,
noU b-Anoab!+ noe

--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: rec.puzzles


James Dow Allen <user4353@newsgrouper.org.invalid> posted:

HenHanna@NewsGrouper <user4055@newsgrouper.org.invalid> posted:

Where did you get this idea of -----a------o---- this format?
Did you respond to this?

I didn't respond because I had only the obvious trivial answer.
When puzzles go unsolved I often add little hints. Showing a few vowels
in the missing place-names was a teeny-tiny hint.

I asked because it looked like --------- .i..'. .o..l .
which appears in FW
https://finnegansweb.com/wiki/index.php/Page_514

What (in Rot13) is Jung

{What <---> the famous psychologist} may be "cute" but I don't know
what special significance is has for you.

Cheers,
noUb-Anoab!+noe

How do you like my new name? It even intimidates rot13! :-
noUb-Anoab!+noe <---> noUb-Anoab!+noe

it sort-of reads like GUI

Am I supposed to be seeing 2 boxes with question marks (inside)?
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