xkcd

by **hendusoone** » Tue Mar 16, 2010 2:48 pm UTC

So, the puzzles in the xkcd book have been solved. They work out to a date and a time, rather similar to Dream Girl:

aspragg wrote:THE FINAL ANSWER...

Maybe this is old news, but I haven't seen it yet.

THIS IS THE FINAL ANSWER TO THE ENTIRE PUZZLE. DON'T READ IF YOU WANT TO WORK IT OUT YOURSELF!

Spoiler:
Key: EE98511873CD4542DA101CBC735646B09BE32BE0D0E0C9A6CB4D62AE8662384F
Ciphertext: 772A3A35DEF88CA70BDFD18620B05684934721F8F64762FD03F8D76B3FA0CB8C2756B2D0A9F00A1BCFF1603EDB05426C
IV: 00000000000000000000000000000000

I get the following:

<3<3<3 2010-06-26 14:28:57 37.769573 -122.483123

Do I win?

So, the details:

Saturday, June 26, 2010
2:28:57 PM PDT (I'm assuming local time... if it's UTC, that would make it 7:28:57 AM PDT)
Google Maps - A tree in the Golden Gate Park.

I'll be there with lanicita, definitely for the local time interpretation. I don't want to wake up that early if the given time is UTC... but, given the time zone difference from Boston, getting up that early might not be so bad.

Anyone else going?

by **lanicita** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 4:01 am UTC

We are pretty cool so other pretty cool people should come join us.

by **Pesto** » Sat Mar 20, 2010 8:06 pm UTC

I'll mark it on my calendar.

by **e^iπ+1=0** » Sat Mar 20, 2010 8:54 pm UTC

I will probably be there. Quite possibly with another geeky friend not yet on these boards. And there's also a possibility of Girl being able to go!

by **kaimason1** » Fri Mar 26, 2010 12:57 pm UTC

Hmm... I wish I could go.

by **Adacore** » Tue Mar 30, 2010 11:54 am UTC

I could go, but it would cost me a week of leave and almost a grand, so I think I'll have to pass :cry:

by **netcrusher88** » Fri Apr 02, 2010 5:31 am UTC

I will have to see what I can do. I may drag friends along.

by **Josephine** » Sat Apr 03, 2010 8:19 am UTC

Hmm. I may be able to get to this.

by **Bakemaster** » Thu Apr 15, 2010 7:55 pm UTC

So it turns out Sarah has a wedding to shoot that weekend. Which really sucks, but it's a business obligation that has been scheduled for a while now. We both really would have liked to come down and be at another capital-M Meetup and see you folks, but our only hope at this point is to sabotage some very nice people's engagement and not get paid neither. So that's probably not going to happen.

by **mrputter** » Sat Apr 24, 2010 8:06 am UTC

I have my plane tickets, and my hotel room booked. I will be there. Very much looking forward to it!

("I" being this "Citation Needed" sign guy from the 2007 Cambridge meetup, if anyone remembers (If so, hi! (I like lisp.)).)

by **Josephine** » Mon Apr 26, 2010 7:57 am UTC

mrputter wrote:I have my plane tickets, and my hotel room booked. I will be there. Very much looking forward to it!

("I" being this "Citation Needed" sign guy from the 2007 Cambridge meetup, if anyone remembers (If so, hi! (I like lisp.)).)

You the guy on the xkcd wikipedia article with the sign?

by **donall** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 1:45 pm UTC

So I have a dilemma.

I'm based in Ireland, but I just had a paper accepted to a conference (SEDE 2010 in case anyone wants to be bored by my research!) in San Francisco, so I can avail of free flights (or, at least, flights paid for by Somebody Else). The conference ends on the 18th of June, so if I was to hang around for another week I could make it to this meetup.

So my question is: is this meetup going to be worth hanging around for an extra week in San Francisco (including the cost of accommodation, food, beer, etc)?
Any advice appreciated. And a budget for what it would cost to stay for the extra week from somebody who knows San Francisco would be doubleplus appreciated!

by **hendusoone** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 2:12 pm UTC

Well, the Dream Girl meetup a few years ago drew hundreds of people to a tiny park in Cambridge, MA... but that one was quite a bit more obvious. It appears that a ton of effort was put in to creating the puzzle, so unless Randall is playing a huge prank on everyone, there will probably be something cool at this one.

That said, I think spending a week in San Francisco is worth it, even if nothing happens at this meetup. I'm actually making this a general vacation, of which the meetup-day is just one bit. I don't have all the plans worked out yet, but I'll definitely be going to the zoo, the California Academy of Sciences, and the Golden Gate Bridge. Probably some other typical tourist spots, too.

I don't know the city terribly well, so I can't help much with the cost of staying. But, I was able to get a very reasonable price on a hotel through Priceline. Maybe look into that?

by **Æshættr** » Fri Apr 30, 2010 11:20 pm UTC

Sounds good to me. I'll pencil it in on my calendar.

by **succulentbacon** » Wed May 05, 2010 3:18 pm UTC

Just to mention it, that also happens to be Pride weekend in SF. This will be amazingly epiq.

by **donall** » Mon May 17, 2010 9:45 am UTC

I have booked my flights!

I'm thinking I will spend the week between conference ending and XKCD meetup happening doing a road trip around California and Nevada.

As for Pride Weekend, I know very little about it. Does it involve anything of interest for somebody who is straight and not unusually proud about it?

(Disclaimer: I'm not trying to spark off a debate about sexuality here. I'm genuinely curious about what the festival has to offer)

by **kaimason1** » Mon May 17, 2010 7:10 pm UTC

donall wrote:I have booked my flights!

I'm thinking I will spend the week between conference ending and XKCD meetup happening doing a road trip around California and Nevada.

As for Pride Weekend, I know very little about it. Does it involve anything of interest for somebody who is straight and not unusually proud about it?
(Disclaimer: I'm not trying to spark off a debate about sexuality here. I'm genuinely curious about what the festival has to offer)

From my experience with pride parades, if that is what this is, is that they are open to all, celebrating the fact that homosexual is an option and equal.

by **MasterOfAll** » Wed May 19, 2010 1:08 am UTC

hendusoone wrote:I'll be there with lanicita, definitely for the local time interpretation.

lanicita wrote:We are pretty cool so other pretty cool people should come join us.

I just made plans to have a vacation with my family the week before July 4, which puts me in the Bay Area on 6/26.

Hendu and lanicita, I'll be sure to find you and say 'hi'.

(Is anyone planning on showing up for the UTC time interpretation? I'll probably check this thread before leaving the house to see if the event happened while I was asleep.)

by **glasnt** » Thu May 20, 2010 11:10 am UTC

I'm sure someone else has noticed, but it only just clicked to me. (I'm two weeks behind, shhh)

Spoiler:

by **hendusoone** » Thu May 20, 2010 4:58 pm UTC

Well, the xkcd book was released in September 2009, and that episode was aired in May 2010... so I think it's most likely a coincidence. It would be pretty hilarious if there's any sort of link, though.

It almost makes me sad that I've never watched Dr. Who.

by **Zith** » Mon May 24, 2010 5:16 am UTC

Figures it'd take this to finally get me to register.
I'm local (an hour out) and will definitely be there. I'm also a baker who just loves spreading food, so I was planning on making some things. How many people should I expect to show up? I had a few ideas I'm quite fond of, but I wouldn't want to plan for 100 and find only 20 people there (though it would mean more sweets for those who show up

).

by **hendusoone** » Mon May 24, 2010 4:50 pm UTC

Zith wrote:How many people should I expect to show up?

I have no idea whatsoever.

by **e^iπ+1=0** » Mon May 24, 2010 10:54 pm UTC

Wait a couple days. Since this meetup was far less obvious than the last, I think Randall may make a blog post or other announcement in a couple days when it's a month away. Just a guess though, obviously.

by **Sir-Taco** » Tue May 25, 2010 12:22 am UTC

I'll keep an eye on this date to see if I'm free then. Should be easy since I live near Sac to start with.

by **Aaeriele** » Wed May 26, 2010 2:23 am UTC

I now live in SF, right by golden gate park in fact, so I'll probably drop by.

by **Jessica** » Wed May 26, 2010 2:32 am UTC

I'll be there! Totally didn't see this thread when I made mine.

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=60681&p=2168484#p2168484

by **Zith** » Thu May 27, 2010 1:46 pm UTC

Visited the site yesterday. It's very nice, though I might prefer if it weren't so very sheltered by trees on all sides. There is a bit of a corridor that makes some kiteflying possible, but it probably depends on the winds that day.
And I've been brainstorming what I want to bring foodwise, getting an evergrowing list. I'm a terribly, terribly impulsive person when it comes to these things; I really can't stop myself. Standouts:
homemade potato chips
awesomest San Francisco sourdough bread
awesome local cheese to pair with above item?
good local wine to pair with above item?
absurdly good chocolates - oh, which could also pair with above item...
a dozen (or two or more?) cupcakes from the shop I bake at
a sheet cake (gingerbread?)
secret idea I can't resist

Not sure which I want to actually do, though (I'm highly impressionable :wink:

). Oh, right, the real reason I'm posting: does anyone have dietary concerns? I always feel bad when people are allergic to what I bring. Like, if someone has issues with gluten, I could pick up some French macarons...

by **Jessica** » Thu May 27, 2010 2:06 pm UTC

So totally official now.

but after we meet up, we should move down to Pride. Seeing as how it's that day. And it's the 40th anniversary.

by **randompro42** » Fri May 28, 2010 5:56 pm UTC

Zith wrote:Visited the site yesterday. It's very nice, though I might prefer if it weren't so very sheltered by trees on all sides. There is a bit of a corridor that makes some kiteflying possible, but it probably depends on the winds that day.
And I've been brainstorming what I want to bring foodwise, getting an evergrowing list. I'm a terribly, terribly impulsive person when it comes to these things; I really can't stop myself. Standouts:
homemade potato chips
awesomest San Francisco sourdough bread
awesome local cheese to pair with above item?
good local wine to pair with above item?
absurdly good chocolates - oh, which could also pair with above item...
a dozen (or two or more?) cupcakes from the shop I bake at
a sheet cake (gingerbread?)
secret idea I can't resist

Not sure which I want to actually do, though (I'm highly impressionable ). Oh, right, the real reason I'm posting: does anyone have dietary concerns? I always feel bad when people are allergic to what I bring. Like, if someone has issues with gluten, I could pick up some French macarons...

(1) homemade potato chips are awesome
(2) i vote for boudin, unless of course you bake your own
(3) hm... Cambozola seems to work with sourdough... though brie would or any slightly creamy somewhat mild cheese with a small bite... if anyone is coming internationally, might i suggest some illegal brie (aged fewer than 60 days) as us United States citizens cannot obtain it
(4) must it be wine? the best pair for sourdough is nothing other than Anchor Steam Beer (someone else can suggest a wine)
(5) ghirardelli makes good chocolate... and its but a stones throw (or a muni 5 to F transfer) down the hill from GGP
(6) very yes
(7) probably
(8) uhoh?

i do intend to attend, but have such a piecemeal schedule at the moment i cannot commit more than 24 hours in advance

if i do show up, ill bring a twelver of anchor steam though

TRO

by **Zith** » Sat May 29, 2010 2:59 pm UTC

The wine was more to go with the cheese or chocolate than the bread, for which I'd agree that beer is probably best (I've actually never had a beer). As illegal cheese goes, I'd be most interested in raw soft cheeses, though the very young is a close second. I was very sad when I learned that I got into cheese shortly after the raw soft ban.

Hm. A friend I'll likely be bringing along has suggested I do some actual cooking on site. They have standard park grills (square-ish box on a post) which can be reserved, but which I assume have unrestricted access if not reserved. Could maybe do hamburgers?

by **Virtual_Aardvark** » Wed Jun 02, 2010 1:50 am UTC

So I'll be going. As an Oakland native I can help with anything people would like to consume from the other side of the bridge.

by **Jessica** » Wed Jun 02, 2010 2:18 am UTC

Can't wait. We're totally in.

by **Bakemaster** » Wed Jun 02, 2010 5:11 pm UTC

Just a warning to everyone who's planning to bring food - if this meetup is anything like Dream Girl, you're going to show up to find a huge mass of people, most of whom aren't involved with the forum. There will be a contingent of fans who are strictly IRC, and the majority of those present will probably only be readers. There is also likely to be a contingent of bay area geohashers.

So just be prepared for the likelihood that there will be way more people than food and you'll have no idea who any of them are. If you're the kind of person who's good with approaching strangers and giving them gifts, then you'll probably do fine. If not, you'll probably want to figure out a rallying point or signal so that when you go, "Oh, I'm NerdSniper127 from the forum" the other person has a clue what you're talking about or who you are.

by **Adacore** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 12:01 pm UTC

Bakemaster wrote:If not, you'll probably want to figure out a rallying point or signal so that when you go, "Oh, I'm NerdSniper127 from the forum" the other person has a clue what you're talking about or who you are.

Fortunately, in this situation they're also considerably less likely to think you some kind of deranged freak than in pretty much any other context, were you to say that.

by **dcnblues** » Tue Jun 08, 2010 5:22 pm UTC

I'll try to be there. Full moon rising around 9:10pm that night (it usually has to clear the Oakland hills), BTW.

2010-06-26 07:31 EDT Full Moon
2010-06-26 21:02 PDT Moonrise

by **kaimason1** » Wed Jun 09, 2010 5:21 pm UTC

dcnblues wrote:Full moon rising around 9:10pm that night (it usually has to clear the Oakland hills), BTW.

Be careful for werewolves :shock:

.

by **weex** » Fri Jun 11, 2010 11:29 pm UTC

This tree is located in an area in the park called Speedway Meadow which is where the largest events in Golden Gate Park are hosted.

Here is a map of the park provided by the city: http://www.parks.sfgov.org/wcm_recpark/GGP/GGPMap.pdf

by **Jessica** » Tue Jun 15, 2010 2:00 pm UTC

So, this is coming up in about 2 weeks! Yay!!!

Can't wait to be in SF soon!!

by **e^iπ+1=0** » Tue Jun 15, 2010 9:34 pm UTC

It Should Be Real and I will definitely be there.

by **Sentynel** » Fri Jun 18, 2010 5:45 pm UTC

I shall be there; stopping off in SF on holiday.

On attendees - I'm not sure how many people will have been able to solve it independently; it took a pretty large group of people rather a long time to get the entire thing solved on the forum thread here, so I guess likely attendees depends on how widely links to the solution have spread. Google shows a few hits on sites like Slashdot and Wired for the solution.

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