• Re: Mangled Message Matrix

    From HenHanna@NewsGrouper@user4055@newsgrouper.org.invalid to rec.puzzles,alt.brain.teasers,sci.lang,alt.usage.english on Mon Mar 9 03:14:00 2026
    From Newsgroup: sci.lang



    "Carl G." <cginnowzerozeroone@microprizes.com> posted:

    Your goal is to figure out the message hidden in the grid shown below. The message was written row by row into the grid (wrapping the text at the end
    of each row) and then the letters in each of the columns were sorted into alphabetical order.

    (This grid is best viewed using a fixed-width font)

    E F H A C C D A D B
    G T I E N D E E D N
    I U R K S N E E I S
    O _ S O T P F I N Y
    T _ S S U _ I O R '
    T _ Y U Y _ M T Y ,
    _ _ _ _ _ _ O V _ .

    The underscore characters represent spaces. The grid consists of seven rows and ten columns.

    Carl G.




    As it is... not really inviting or tempting.


    I think I'd like to see a few easier, smaller examples.

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  • From HenHanna@NewsGrouper@user4055@newsgrouper.org.invalid to rec.puzzles,alt.brain.teasers,sci.lang,alt.usage.english on Mon Mar 9 04:52:21 2026
    From Newsgroup: sci.lang


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



    "Carl G." <cginnowzerozeroone@microprizes.com> posted:

    Your goal is to figure out the message hidden in the grid shown below. The message was written row by row into the grid (wrapping the text at the end of each row) and then the letters in each of the columns were sorted into alphabetical order.

    (This grid is best viewed using a fixed-width font)

    E F H A C C D A D B
    G T I E N D E E D N
    I U R K S N E E I S
    O _ S O T P F I N Y
    T _ S S U _ I O R '
    T _ Y U Y _ M T Y ,
    _ _ _ _ _ _ O V _ .

    The underscore characters represent spaces. The grid consists of seven rows
    and ten columns.

    Carl G.





    ---- As it is... ( not really inviting or tempting. )


    I think I'd like to see a few easier, smaller examples. --like....




    I_.___
    _a_are
    amhdve

    Un-sort each Column, to restore [.............] _______________________________________________
    To__b_
    _r_bee
    otonot
    _______________________________________________
    A_e!!!
    a_of_c
    ekpiec
    _______________________________________________
    Be_!!!
    hetb_l
    liteut
    _______________________________________________

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  • From James Dow Allen@user4353@newsgrouper.org.invalid to rec.puzzles,alt.brain.teasers,sci.lang,alt.usage.english on Mon Mar 9 10:05:53 2026
    From Newsgroup: sci.lang


    HenHanna@NewsGrouper <user4055@newsgrouper.org.invalid> posted:
    "Carl G." <cginnowzerozeroone@microprizes.com> posted:

    Your goal is to figure out the message hidden in the grid shown below....

    As it is... not really inviting or tempting.

    Asked and answered 21 years ago. What Search do you use to conjure this up?


    I think I'd like to see a few easier, smaller examples.


    Why not do the easy puzzle in the ill-fated "Cryptic Clues to the Authorship Puzzle" thread?

    BTW, the mechanism in Carl Ginnow's OP reminds me a bit of the amazing Burrows-Wheeler Transform sometimes used in text compression.

    Cheers,
    James
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