Puzzles from Loremipsumstan
by Craig Kasper
ANSWER: THE EYE OF SAURON / GAME WARDENS
Each "translated" set is the instructional text of a specific puzzle from the United States Puzzle Championship, with letters replaced with "Lorem Ipsum" text (though word lengths, punctuation, and capitalization have been preserved), digits replaced by the number sign (#), and with specific letters replaced with the underscore character. As the instructions suggest, each set of instructions comes from a puzzle from a different USPC year, and the years involved are eight consecutive years in reverse chronological order. (See base of page for details).
Reading off the letters which were replaced by the underscore character in each instruction yields the instructions DECODE INITIAL SYMBOLS FROM EVERY TITLE ON TOP OF INSTRUCTIONS CITED FROM AN EVEN NUMBERED TEST YEAR. ANSWERS FROM OH NINE ARE OVERLAIN TO MAP SHIFTED AND NORMAL DIGITS TO LETTERS. TO DECIPHER USE A PAIR OF KASPER'S SOLUTION GRIDS TOGETHER.
The even numbered year titles (see base of page for details) are:
- 2008: &17( 65(72^! *57%&9*
- 2006: 9(%@!8 $7#87 %$64#
- 2004: #3&87 @&^1$ 7^(@3#4
- 2002: !(6#2 ^8!*% 4#)3 2^&@* 8!%5$8
Taking the initial symbols from each word gives the cipher string &6*9$%#@7!^428. The two Kasper solutions from the 2009 USPC can be overlaid, with one set of digits "shifted" to corresponding punctuation symbols, to form a decoding key:
The deciphered answer is therefore THE EYE OF SAURON.
The supplementary information from 2000 reveals that in the alternate history, there was no US puzzle championship in the year 2000, and that all US puzzle championships were moved forward a year. This results in a different set of even-numbered year titles:
- 2008 (previously 2007): !9&$6 43@&)5 36#4 $@6
- 2006 (previously 2005): #47&^&( 5!9@2
- 2004 (previously 2003): @!8*23 1#@25& &1%9$^2
- 2002 (previously 2001): %4#1!^!@!^! (5%22&7
Taking the initial symbols from each word now gives the cipher string !43$#5@1&%( and the two Kasper solutions from what we know as the 2008 USPC (which became the 2009 USPC in the alternate history) can again be overlaid with one set of digits "shifted" to corresponding punctuation symbols, to form a new decoding key:
The deciphered answer is GAME WARDENS.
&17( 65(72^! *57%&9*Sedut p erspic _atis unde # om # nisi _t_n atuse rrorsi t_ olup tate macc usanti um dol ore mq uel _udant iu mt_ tamremaper_am e_quei. (Psa qua Eabi lloin, ven toreve _i _at ise tq uas_ar ch ite cto_eat aevita_d ictas unt expl; ica bon Emoe_i mipsa, mvo luptat em qui avo lu ptassi ta spe rnatura utodita_ tf ugi tsedq ui aco nseq.) Uu nturm ag nidolore seosqu i ration evolup. Tatems: Equin esc iuntne qu epo ## rroquisquam estquid, olo_ emip su mquia, dol or _ita_e. |
KakurOH (Michael Rios) - 2008
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!9&$6 43@&)5 36#4 $@6Tc_n sec tet uradip_ sc ing veli tsed quiano nnunqua (#m#), doe-iusmodit empora (#i#), nci diduntutl (#a#) bo reet dol oremag n_ + mal - iquamq ua erat _ol upt a_emut _nimadm ini mave_iamquisn _strum e_erc ita ti one _ulla (mcor poris.) Suscipitlab_ rio sam_isiuta liquidex eacommo dicons equat_r _ui saut + em - ve_eu. M iurer_ prehen der i + tq _ii nea v_l u - pt _te _elit. E sseq_amn ihil mole stiaec o + ns e -. Q uat-urvelill umqui dol or e_eumfugia tquov. Olup tasn ull 1a1 pariatu ratver oe os_t accus. Amuset: Iusto odi odigni (+ ss -) im osd u_im us_uibla_, di tiispra_sent i_mvo (lup tat umdelen iti atquec or -++). |
Fridge Magnets (Adam Wood) - 2007
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9(%@!8 $7#87 %$64#Rupti quo sdolor # eset_ua # smol est iasex _eptu (ris int obca) ec _tic upid i_ate nonprov i_ ents imil i_ue su ntin cu lpa ## qui_ (ffici ad es_r un tmoll i_iaanimi idest_abor), ume td olor um fug aet_a rumqui de mreru mfaci li_estete xp edi tadi stincti. Onamli: berot empor ecumso lu tanob (is_s te _igen) di opti _c umq uenih _lim peditquom. |
Sepdoku (Bruce Oberg) - 2006
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#47&^&( 5!9@2I_usidquo dma xi_ep l_ceatfa cerepo ss imus omni sv olu ptas assu me_dae_t o mnis do_orrep. Ellend ustem_oribus autemquib usdametaut officii (S deb / _tisa_ + tre -). Ru_nec ess i_ atibus_ ###[degrees]. Aepeev: en_et ut_ tvo_u ptat_sre. |
Numerical Jigsaw (Erich Friedman) - 2005
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#3&87 @&^1$ 7^(@3#4_ud ia_ daesi ntet_olest ia enonr ec usa ndae_ta. Que earumreru m_ icten; etu ras_pient ed_lectusu tau trei ci endisv ol upt atibusmaior_ sal_a. Sconsequ atu rautper fere_di sdo loribusa_p _r iore sre pellatsedut p_ rsp iciati su nde om nis istenatu_e rr ##[degrees]. O_s _tvo lupt atemac cusa _ti umdolorem qu elau_an t_ umto t amr emap e_iame aqu eipsaq uaeabi_lo invento _ever it ati setqua_iarc hitectob_ a_a_vit aedi, ctasun_ex plicab onemo. Eni mips_mvolup ta tem quiavolup tassit as per naturaut odi_aut fu git sedquiac _nsequu. _turma: gnido lor e_eo sq uirat, ionev olu ptatems equinesc_untn eq uep orroqu isq uam_stquido l_remipsum. (Qui ado_ors, ita metco nse ctetu radip is _I, NG.) |
Degrees of Separation (Cihan Altay) - 2004(Also called "A Matter of Degrees" in some places)
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@!8*23 1#@25& &1%9$^2_elit sedq_ ia non numquamdo eiusm oditemp or a_nc idid untutl ab ore et_o lo remag na mal iquamq u_ eratv oluptat__ut e_i_admi ni ma, veniam_uisno, strumexerc, ita _ione_ulla. Mcorpo_issus, cip it lab _r__samni siuta liq_i dex ea commodic_ ns e q_a_ur Quisau temv (eleumiu_er epreh enderit_uiin ea voluptatev). (Eli _essequ amnihilm, olesti aec ons_qua tu_ve lil lum quidolo _eme um fug iatq.) Uovo_u: Pt_sn ull apariatu_at (V#, E#, _ro.) eos_taccusamus et ius too diod_ (gn issim osdu cim _sq _i bla ndi_ ii spr aesent). |
Minesweeper Path (Ken Duisenberg) - 2003
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!(6#2 ^8!*% 4#)3 2^&@* 8!%5$8I umvo_u pta_umdele, nitia tquecorr u_t_quos dolore se tquas mo l_s tia sexc_, pt urisint obc ae_aticu piditate. Nonprovid ent s_mili_ ue sun tinculpa q_iof, _i cia_eseru nt mol litiaa n_miidestl. Aborum: etdol oru mfuga etharum: QU, I, DEM. |
Broken Calculator (Nob Yoshigahara) - 2002
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%4#1!^!@!^! (5%22&7Rer umfac ili sest etexp ed i_ad i_tincti_nam lib_rot emp or ec umsolu tano bis este ligen, dioptiocum-queni (hili mp, editq uom inusidquod maximepl_ce atf ac erep ossi mu somni sv olu pt asassu, _en da esto_ ni sdo lo rrep ellendu ste mp ori busa ut emqui bus dameta ut off ici_sdebi tisa). _tre ru__e cess ("Itati #") bussa_ _e e venietut etvolu, pta tesr _pud iand ("Aesi #") ntet mo l e_tiaeno nrecus; and aeitaq ue _ar umreru _h ict enetur _s apiente d_ lec tusutautreic_ endi. Svolu_: Tatib usm aioresa _i asc onsequa_ _rautpe rfer endi sd olori bus _sp er iore_r, epellat_ edut pe_ spic_ ati, sund e_m nisist ena, tuserrorsi tvolu pt_ temacc _sa. |
Club Sandwich (Craig Kasper) - 2001
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