Random Blog Topic Generator

This post is fresh off of the random blog topic generator (RBTG). The RBTG generates all sorts of random unrelated topics and compiles them into one blog post. Today's topics are as follows:

First, I said I was going to finish the Eurostar quest, I lied. I actually had every intention of finishing but I got distracted (not hard to do) by the Amazing Web Race (AWR). Sorry guys.

Second, I am now on riddle 10 of the AWR. Something about a phone number, German, and, scramble.

Next, I was reading GoogleBlogoscoped and ran across this post. I spent the next 5 minutes trying to figure out why digital TV channels aren't organized by topic. For instance, why is ESPN 2 on channel 51 while ESPN 1 is on channel 39, and what about VH1, MTV, the History channel and the International History channel. Thankfully I don't watch TV very often otherwise that might have bothered me.

For Developers if you haven't looked into Ruby on Rails, you need too. Likewise you should check out jQuery, as it's also a pretty slick javascript library.

For more puzzles, I am thinking about doing the WPC practice test just for the sake of doing it. I may also look into the Windows Live Conspiracy game. Additionaly, I'll continue to solve Wei-Hwa's puzzles as he releases them.

If the RBTG didn't generate a topic you wanted to see, I've been told that seeding the generator in the comments might help.

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Wei-Hwa's Puzzle Challenges Part 1

The first puzzle challenge was a simple math problem that required the use of fractions. The puzzle is described as follows:

Using the numbers 3, 3, 8, 8 (in any order), make a mathematical expression that equals 24. You can use only addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division (and parentheses), but in any order you wish. Note that you have to use all four numbers;

This problem in itself is not a difficult one, but you are required to "see" an idea. The idea you have to grasp is that the solution is 8 * 3 but you are required to use the additional 8 and 3. What you need to figure out is how to reduce the remaining 8 and 3 down to 1. Basically you want to get a fraction in the form of m / (1 / n). You can achieve this as follows.
Now here are a couple of tougher questions.

First, is this the only solution for 8,8,3,3? I think it is, but I'd like to see a proof.

Second, what set of numbers will this solution apply to? 10,10,3,3? 11,11,3,3? Consider 7,7,3,3

Finally, don't be discouraged if you expected more out of this first puzzle. I highly anticipate Google throwing some resources into this project, but in order to keep people interested they needed to get something together quick, and this was the result. Happy Memorial Day to those of you in the states, be safe and solve swiftly.

Congratulations to a blogging person who was the first to solve this challenge. In the future I hope they release these earlier in the day rather than after 4 P.M? I hope he is going to release one everyday, does anyone know?

If you want to join in on the fun, you can add the puzzle module to your Google PHP from this link.

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Riddle of the Day

Today is the 26th.

1 P.M. has come and gone, Now I'm left with boredom and yawns. How long will it take for him to end this painful wait?

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Finishing What You've Started

There is something to be said about finishing the things you start, you know not quiting in the middle when the hard times come. I've started two things that I plan on finishing. The first is the AWR and the other is the Eurostar quest. I'm running out of time on the latter so my concentration over the next few days will be on completing that quest.

I mentioned yesterday that I would add some pictures since it's been a lot of text only lately. So here is a collection of questions that I have completed from the AWR.

MistressRoninS, don't give up on the AWR, it's a fun quest and I promise the other questions aren't as hard as the first. If you still need the first answer just shoot me an email at davincicodequest@gmail.com (yes I know, I'll make a new one just for GF soon). I want to see your name on that leaderboard!!

I also changed my profile so that you can view the other blogs that I am working on. Currently this is the only blog I have had time to regularly update. As I mentioned previously, I will be working on the Eurostar quest so you may see some updates on that blog over the next couple days. If you have topic ideas / thoughts / suggestions / requests just let me know.

Also, I wanted to thank all of you for participating in the AWR with me. Sometimes it's more fun when things are accomplished collectively, and for me, that seems to be the case with these quests.

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AWR and Eurostar

The first riddle on the Amazing Web Race has turned out to be the most difficult one thus far, especially without knowing any context. There is an old substitution cipher that uses a similar technique as this question, but I forget what it's called (I remembered it from my cryptography class). Here is what I remember about it, and what should help you with the first question.

A     F     L     Q     V
B     G     M     R     W
C     H     N     S     X
D    I/J    O     T     Y
E     K     P     U     Z

TIP: To submit the answer to the riddle, simply appened it to the end of the original url. As an example, if the answer to the question was Miami, then to check to see if your answer is correct, go to the following url: http://riddle.nirajsanghvi.com/miami/

Oh, and the Eurostar quest. There are only 5 days left. I haven't had the time to update the Eurostar quest like I did with the Google quest. I am thinking that I will try to post tips to help you solve the timed end of stage puzzles in an effort to help you win something. I'm still thinking on that though...

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The Amazing Web Race

There are a number of web based quests / riddles / puzzles floating around the Internet. Some of them are better than others. The Amazing Web Race is a new challenge created by a couple of GF readers inspired by this blog and The Da Vinci Code Quest Challenge.

Here is some background information on the quest from the creators:

"In the Amazing Web Race, the user is cast into a original plot trying to keep up with a mysterious character who is leading them around the world. It is loosely based on the tv show Amazing Race, but that is more of an afterthough, and not inherent to the idea. We were inspired to create this race because we enjoyed the nature and thought behind the Google Da Vinci Quest, but were left unsatisfied and unchallenged. It is not the first web riddle, nor will it be the last. But it starts hard and doesn't let up. Only two people have finished the 10 levels that are currently live...but that's not the end."

I am personally going to attempt to complete the first 10 levels. I'll let you know how it goes and if you want to try it with me you can access the Amazing Web Race at http://riddle.nirajsanghvi.com/.

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Your Music, Where You Want It

I've had this idea for a while that I thought it would be fun to toss around. This idea came about for a couple reasons. Namely, I always want the CD I don't happen to have with me and if I do have the CD present, it's more than likely scratched in such a way that my favorite track won't play. I would also like to be able to find those CDs I bought 5 years ago, but alas after a number of residence changes, they too have passed on, as it is with all of the good and faithful CDs.

So here's how it works. First you upload your audio files to a server. Yes, bulk uploads will be available so that you can upload your whole 20 gig mp3 collection. Alternatively, for those of us with more reasonably sized collections, you could upload by CD or individual files. After you have your audio files uploaded you can download / email / listen to them at any time and from any location.

Additionally, you could organize your music into playlists. The playlists would allow you to pick and choose songs from any of the CDs that you have uploaded. You could create an unlimited number of playlists, which could then be classified as either protected or private. In order to listen to a private playlist you would be required to log into the server, while listening to a protected playlists would simply require a unique URL that only you would know.

If for some reason you lost or scratched a CD, or accidentally deleted your audio files, you could download the files again, or request that a CD be mailed to you.

To summarize, I want to be able to listen to all of my audio files as long as I have a computer and an internet connection. Additionally, I don't want to worry about losing my audio files. Anyways, just something I've been thinking about.

On the puzzles topic, I still haven't had a chance to get into the Eurostar quest. I've also been doing some research on the Treasure Hunters show from NBC, and I'm looking forward to Friday when the new puzzles start.

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And the winner is...

Who cares? With all the debate concerning cheating, taxes, and the general administration of the puzzles, combined with the movie's lackluster reviews, no one. I figure they'll look at the submission times, eliminate the sub 2 minute entries and put the next 15 lowest entries into a hat and draw a winner, who will promptly reject the prizes because of the taxes.

I think it would be quite humorous if Sony/Google tried to prosecute a player for cheating. Talk about another PR nightmare. I think I am going to start looking into the Eurostar quest before it ends, I've played a couple of the challenges but haven't made it much farther than that. I'm curious to find out what everyone is doing now that the quest is officially over. Let me know!

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100,000 Hits Plus More

This blog has received 106,283 visits as of yesterday. Congratulations to all of the GF readers who regularly visited, commented on the posts, and developed a community around the game. Here is a summary of the Da Vinci Code Quest aftermath.

From H-sizzle: A video of the moving puzzle can be found here. Thanks for all of your contributions throughout the game.

From Michael: An animated version of the splotches solution can be found here. And, a link to all of the images of the Jigsaw challenge here and the chess challenge here.

From David: The restoration puzzle solver I mentioned earlier on my blog can be found at his blog House of Yang. David, your blog is great, if you want to work on a web 2.0 application with me, I have a few ideas, let me know.

From Jennifer, Audrea, and Others: Thanks so much for helping spread the word to vote 10 for Rex through myspace and email. Because of your help, rex now has over 1,000 votes just a couple thousand shy of becoming a cutest pet finalist. With only 10 days left he has a good chance of winning because of your willingness to help.

Update From Dan: Here is a video of Dan solving the final challenge in ~5 minutes, using macro recording and accelerated playback. You can find the video on his blog. And now you understand why posting the solutions to the final challenge on this blog gave all those who didn't have two accounts to use an honest shot at winning. Impressive work Dan!!

From the Rules: The quest officially ended, "The Final Puzzle Challenge must be completed by 1:00 p.m. EDT on Sunday, May 21, 2006". For those of you with very quick times (sub 7 minutes) get ready to wait by the phone on Friday. From the official rules, "Final Phase: Grand Prize winner will be notified by phone between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. EDT on May 26, 2006, at the telephone number provided on his/her Official Contest Entry. "

Also From the Rules: "If the potential Grand Prize winner cannot be reached after a reasonable effort has been exerted (within three (3) phone call attempts for the Grand Prize winner), if he/she is found to be ineligible, and/or does not comply with these Official Rules, potential Grand Prize winner will be disqualified, and the participant with the next earliest time-stamp may be declared the potential Grand Prize winner."

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Help Me Win 1000 Dollars

Hey everyone, I've done my best to help you win the Grand Prize, please help me win $1000. Please vote 10 for Rex at http://www.1800petmeds.com/petcontest/vote/6006037436590614018 It will only take a moment to click on the link and vote for my dog rex, but if I win the contest it would be a huge a huge help for me. The contest winners are by the number of votes first and rating second. So while rex has a very high rating, he doesn't have enough votes yet (shy by about 6,000). Thanks to all of you who have already supported this blog by voting for Rex. Together you can make this happen for me, and for that I am grateful.

I've update the final challenge screen captures below and added descriptions to help clear up how to make it through all five final challenge puzzles quickly. For other images see http://www.imgplace.net/codefinal/ Hope this helps somebody win the Google Da Vinci Code Quest Challenge. Good Luck and Click Fast!

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Da Vinci Code Final Challenge Final - Puzzle #5

The last challenge is the Geography Challenge, or the Jigsaw Challenge. You have a puzzle broken into about 20 or 25 pieces. Put the peices together and you are finished.

From Pyro: it's a shifting image of several screens from the movie; I glimpsed Silas stalking toward [someone], hands holding a Cryptex, an old man cowering in terror (Sauniere?), and a close-up of a man's face. There were probably a couple more as well, though I didn't have enough of it together to tell what they were.

Hopefully we can get a screen shot of these different images. Possibly by leaving one peice undone until the puzzle rotates through all images? If not just do your best working from the outside in.

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Da Vinci Code Final Challenge Final - Puzzle #4

The fourth challenge is the chess challenge, except that you have no questions for help as you did in the original chess challenge. You must understand the game of chess. You will have to make 3 moves to complete the game and each move will have 4 possible choices each move.

Alternatively, choice 2, choice 2, and then choice 4 seem to work for everyone. If this is not the case please correct me in the comments section of this post.

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Da Vinci Code Final Challenge Final - Puzzle #3

The third puzzle is the curator challenge. The curator challenge you'll remember is where you hang paintings on a wall. You must hide all of the hooks to complete the challenge correctly.

The trick to this challenge is to flip through your choice of pictures and get the hand (or set) your pictures onto the wall first. There are only a few places that the biggest pictures can hang (or sit). Once you have the big boys out, follow your instincts and place the rest of the pictures on the wall. Alternatively, you can use the following screen capture from Patrick:

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Da Vinci Code Final Challenge Final - Puzzle #2

The second puzzle is the restoration challenge. You recall the challenge where you have to move the paint splotches around.

The trick to the restoration challenge is to work from the inside out leaving a few of the outer pieces to save you at the end since they are all clumped in the middle. David Yang created an algorithm to solve the restoration challenges using a depth first search, but he will not be posting the source until after the quest is complete. His blog can be found here. So your alternative is to use the following key provided by Nick (stonefry).

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Da Vinci Code Final Challenge Final - Puzzle #1

The first quest is a standard suduku puzzle with the 3x3 blocks. The only difference is that 9 symbols are used instead of the standard numbers 1-9.

Solution: Use a solver or a screen capture.

From Joel:

http://www.thepcmanwebsite.com/media/sudoku_solver/ http://www.puzzle.ro/en/sudoku_solver.htm http://www.foxfordservices.co.uk/Home/Free-Online-Sudoku-Solver.asp

From Patrick:

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Vote for Rex / Solve the Restoration Puzzle

Hey everyone, I'll try to make this the last time I blatently spam link my own blog. Please vote 10 for Rex at http://www.1800petmeds.com/petcontest/vote/6006037436590614018

It will only take a moment to click on the link and vote for my dog rex, but if I win the contest it would be a huge benefit to me. Less than 10% of you have supported me in this endevour as of this moment and I will need full support in order to win. The contest winners are by the number of votes first and rating second. So while rex has a very high rating, he doesn't have enough votes yet (shy by about 6,000). Thanks to all of you who have already supported this blog by voting for Rex. Together you can make this happen for me, and for that I am grateful.

Hope everything is going well for the finalists. I am still waiting on H-sizzle's screenshots which should be coming in soon. For now that we have a great update for the restoration (splotches) puzzle, this alone may bring a grand champion from the GoogleFact blog. Much thanks goes to Nick (stonefry) for unselfishly sharing this image with the GoogleFact community.


Again, please vote 10 for Rex at http://www.1800petmeds.com/petcontest/vote/6006037436590614018 and thank Nick for taking the time to compile that image.

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Final Screen Shots

First, Don't forget to help me out (since I don't get to play) by visiting this link and voting 10 for my dog Rex http://www.1800petmeds.com/petcontest/vote/6006037436590614018.
You have to admit he is pretty cute.

Second, visit the forums for tips on how to solve the puzzles quickly. http://googlefact.iphorum.com (they may be a little slow but it is worth the wait)

Third, here is a slideshow of the screen captures we have receive thus far. Thank you Steven from http://www.imgplace.net for graciously putting this together. We will continue to update this as we receive more images.


Finally, please send me your screen shots (davincicodequest@gmail.com also send them to davinci@imgplace.net) rather than post them in the comments. We are going to create a slideshow of the final solutions, so make sure to email the screenshots to both email addresses. I will give you credit for the image and a link back if you want one.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

From Patrick:

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The Beginning of the End

The 19th is here and you can now begin your final quest of The Da Vinci Code Challenge. Here is a screenshot [copied with permission from Micheal] of the final puzzle and a quote from the official rules. Here is Micheal's site also.


Once a Finalist logs into the Final Puzzle Challenge and clicks "Begin" the Finalist will be timed. Timing will stop when the Finalist correctly and sequentially completes all five puzzles and clicks "Submit."

DO NOT PAUSE, LOG OUT OR RESTART THE FINAL PUZZLE CHALLENGE.

Finalists who attempt to pause, log out or restart the Final Puzzle Challenge will be instantly disqualified and ineligible to continue playing. The Finalist who correctly and successfully solves the Final Puzzle Challenge in the least amount of time (as measured by the official computer determining timing) will be declared the Grand Prize Winner.

My advice is to wait for some of those group #1 people to finish and leave feedback before starting your quest. This is the post to leave comments on the final challenge. Additionaly, you can visit the googlefact forums at http://googlefact.iphorum.com (the first page load is a little slow sometimes but after that it runs well) to discuss the final challenge.

Also, while you're waiting, please help me win a contest rather than just getting the "hope this makes you feel better that you lost" email. You can help me by visiting this link and voting 10 for my dog Rex http://www.1800petmeds.com/petcontest/vote/6006037436590614018. You have to admit he is pretty cute.

I will post more details on the final quest as I receive them. If you have trouble with the forums or you want me to update this post with specific information, shoot me an email at davincicodequest@gmail.com

Good Luck Everyone!

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GoogleFact Forum

But I digress, I have a huge favor to ask of all of you. As you know I wasn't able to win a prized cryptex, and I know you all felt bad for me. My spouse felt bad for me too and found a contest that I can win with your help. It's a cutest dog contest!! O.K. so all you have to do is go to this link and vote 10 for our dog. You guys/gals are the best, thanks for helping a fellow blogger out. Now for the forum details.

I created a forum for everyone after the suggestion by MistressRoninS. You can find it at http://googlefact.iphorum.com/. I know, I'm sorry I couldn't host it myself but my servers are down because of the move and I wanted to put something out there to make it easy for the finalists to discuss the grand prize challenge.

I have also created a forum for the eurostarquest at the same location. H-sizzle has already volunteered to be one of the first to do the challenge and is going to inform me via email what she discovers after she completes the puzzles. It should benefit you to have at least some knowledge of the type of questions that will be asked before you start, so I will update the blog as soon as I hear from her.

Tekee has modified his cryptex to make all of the pins usable. His modded cryptex and tutorial can be found at his blog http://tekee.blogspot.com/. Good luck to everyone tomorrow.

Thanks again for everybody who has participated in this blog, you've made it a lot of fun for myself and others. Hopefully the forums will allow us to have more discussion as we continue to solve puzzles and examine Google's products and services. Cheers

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More Puzzles ++

As usual, GoogleFact readers are on top of the latest news. Here is a screenshot of the the updated Da Vinci Code Quest Module.

I am looking forward to these puzzles as they will certainly be more challenging then the original quest. Yes I will provide the solutions for the puzzles as I solve them. Hopefully people will be more open to this blog providing solutions since there is no prize associated with the new puzzles.

For those of you wondering how I know that I've had 97,387 hits since March 30th (the day I started tracking with analytics, which is the free version of Urchin), see this post. I suspect tomorrow I'll be making a 100,000 hits post!!

Good Luck tomorrow everyone, and hopefully this time it will take a little more than luck.

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The Fickle Blogosphere

I must thank legacy and allyson for bringing this comment by Wei-Hwa Huang to my attention. Before you read further visit that link and read his post for Tuesday May 16th. It will also help you better understand this post if you know that Mr. Huang helped create The Da Vinci Code Quest Challenge Puzzles. Additionally, X = Google, Y = Sony.

I personally would be interested to find out which blogs he's read to come to the conclusion that he arrived at. Have I said negative things about Sony? Sure, I haven't bought a Sony product since my Sony Walkman about 10 years ago. Have I said a lot of positive things about Google? Yep, I think Google is a great technology company that is developing a lot of interesting products and services. But, this quest hasn't changed my feelings toward these two companies so I can't see how that makes me fickle. The only negative thing I've said thus far is that someone (either Sony or Google or both) failed miserably with load balancing the server requests on the last day, and that’s a fact that can't be disputed.

So Mr. Huang's question is, "What can we learn from this story?"

First, we didn't just start talking about how cool Google is, we've been talking about that for a long time. Second, its going to take a lot more than The Da Vinci Code Quest to get people to start associating "cool company" with Sony. Third, it's no surprise Sony is doing strange things that make a lot of people unhappy... again. Finally, don't try to pass the blame when things go wrong. If your friend Joe Shmoe throws a rock through a window and your standing right next to him when he does it, chances are your going to get some backlash, even if you weren’t the one who broke the window.

So by logical reasoning we can safely say both Google and Sony were at fault in this here "Da Vinci Hoax". At the same time, is it really worth the time to sit around complaining about it? Those of you who finished at 2 minutes after 1:00 PM, but didn't make the finals, be thankful that you at least have braging rights, my puzzle didn't even finish loading until 20 minutes after 1. Here is something to chew on, why did Google/Sony make the final puzzle an observation challenge which has one unique answer. If they would have made the last puzzle a curator, restoration, or symbol challenge we wouldn't be having this discussion.

When it's all said and done though, I'm not mad at Google or anymore frustrated with Sony than I was before I started the quest. I am still delighted in the fact that they came up with idea for the quest in the first place. I know its frustrating having spent the time completing all of the puzzles only to find out your prize is a discount for Da Vinci Code merchandise, but hey things could be worse, right?

Honestly, the Eurostarquest is 1000 times better than the Google Quest in my opinion, even though the prizes may not be as grand, the puzzles are better.

Oh, and what is way better than tagging? Notebooking!!! Check out Google's new notebook service. This is what I've been waiting for and why I love Google. They just need to allow public comments on the notes. Here is a link to my public notebook.

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Final Strategy Advice

A lot of you have been asking what I am going to do for the finalists. I am more than happy to try and help someone win the Grand Prize, so let me know what you need me to do.

To make this managable, if you have information that is helpful and you would like it contained in a blog post, please email me the information directly to davincicodequest@gmail.com with a subject line finalinfo.

What would I do if I were in your shoes. Well first I would tell you that I can generalize the finalists into 3 categories, and they are:

1. Those who could care less if they win the grand prize.

2. Those who don't really care if they win the grand prize, but will try hard now that they have been given the opportunity.

3. Those who will do anything to win the grand prize.

Now, if someone from the blog wants to win I suggest the following. Order the finalists in each group ( IE. group 1. (1, 2, 3..., n) followed by group 2. (n+1, n+2, n+3, ..., m), followed by group 3. (m, m+1, m+2, m+3, ..., l). Each of you should play the puzzle one at a time according to your numbering and then report back your findings to the blog.

The first group, since they don't mind to sacarifice in order to benefit the whole, should take their time and take down as much detail (in the form of questions asked and screenshots) as possible.

The second group should work from the knowlege gained from the first group and play the puzzles as quick as possible, but if new information can be gathered that would be beneficial to the whole, the second group will stop and take the time to collect that data rather than just pushing through to try and finish quickly.

The final group of finalists should take the time to read through all of the material and information provided by the first two groups and then play the challenges as quickly as possible. It might also be beneficial the third group of finalists to start a chat room on an IRC server (or msn conference or something of that nature) and then schedule a time to meet. But how beneficial that would be depends on if the answers require research.

Here is how I see it. If the answers are such that there is an answer that can be provided from memory, everyone has lost to that one person, that Ken Jennings out there. If it is one that can be deduced by formula or must be acquired through research, then you might find it helpful to have more than one person working on the problem with you. If it is a simple chess game, you will probably lose to a Grand Master.

Good Luck Everyone! Let me know how I can help. Don't forget about the Eurostar quest, see http://eurostarquest.blogspot.com for more details.

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NOT A FINALIST - The Da Vinci Code Quest on Google

Late last night everyone received their emails. As expected, I of course got my NOT A FINALIST email. I am going to try to keep everyone up to date on the Final challenge. I can't post strategy details at this very moment, but I will do my best to get to it around noon today.

Also, for those of you sending me emails with information, thank you, please continue to do so at davincicodequest@gmail.com. I am working hard to try and get all of your comments and links onto the blog. Moving forward please use the subject line "readmenow" for emails that are time sensitive or emails that have content you want added into a post. Thanks!!!

This web page from Steven has great information on how to re-code your cryptex, that is if you are lucky enough to have a cryptex. I also got your Not a Finalist and Finalist emails. Thanks for sending them. More to come later. Thanks for all the input.

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Summary of Finalists Comments

First off, let clear up any confusion by saying, nobody has recieved the official email from Google. I personally think sending an email would have been a boring way to disclose the winners, and I am pleased that Google notified the 10,000 finalists via the U.S. Postal Service.

Let me digress for a moment to say, if you haven't read The Fred Factor, by Mark Sanborn with a forward by John C. Maxwell, pick up it from amazon for 9.72 cents. It is a true story about Fred, and his life and work as a U.S. Postal employee.

Here goes my synopsis of the 300+ posts we've had today:

Jayshree was the first GoogleFactor to notify us of the cryptex distribution via U.S. Mail.

Phi told us know that using a PO Box does not eliminate you, despite what the rules stated. You will still receive a cryptex if you are one of the 10,000 finalists.

tait2001 let us know that if you didn't finish it (The Da Vinci Code Quest), it's your own fault.

Net Man was the first to find a cryptex on ebay here currently selling for 55.95 with 1 bidder.

A number of GoogleFact readers have accused a number of other GoogleFact readers of lying, only to find out later they wern't actually lying, and consequently apologizing profusley.

I've hypothesized that no one will no how many of the mailed cryptex prizes mailed were lost (cough, cough, stolen ehhemm) in mailing.

We've all concluded that Google has sent absolutely zero emails confirming the finalists.

Idreamincode supplied us with some great images at his website. Here is one of them, copied without permission.

Now everyone go over and start the Eurostar quest with me. The url for the blog is http://eurostarquest.blogspot.com. Congratulations to everyone who received a cryptex. For those of you who didn't get one, feel comfort in the fact that at least one other person didn't get one, that person being myself. Cheers!

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If Your a Real DVC Finalist, Please Stand Up

For all of you finalist out there, today is the day you have all been waiting for, the release of your anxiety. I haven't had the luxery of feeling that way, since I already know I've been excluded from the list thanks to what I am calling the "Da Vinci Hoax" aka "Poor Load Balancing". But for the rest of ya's, go ahead and gloat in your glory and let everyone know you made it.

Also, someone forward me a copy of their email so I can post it for all to see. Email it to davincicodequest@gmail.com Thanks!!

And don't forget to check our the next quest we are all participating in called the Eurostar quest. You can find out more about the quest at this blog (yes, I am the publisher of that blog, so join up and let's do another quest together)

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The Eurostar Quest

I created the Eurostar Da Vinci Code Quest Blog at http://eurostarquest.blogspot.com/ Nothing much there but tell me what you think of the template and also post preliminary comments to the initial post. I will be back to comment more after I have finished moving. Thanks for understanding my absense. Look forward to hearing from everyone.

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The First Email and The New Challenge

Everybody received the following email (including me):

Thank you for participating in "The Da Vinci Code" Quest on Google.This email is to confirm that you have completed all 24 puzzles within the quest and successfully registered for a chance to participate in the final challenge. Well done!We will be contacting the 10,000 finalists on Monday 5/15 via email regarding their cryptex shipment. Within that email the 10,000 finalists will also receive instructions on how to participate in the final challenge.All remaining players who finished the quest will also receive a surprise message via email.Thank you all for participating in "The Da Vinci Code" Quest on Google and making it such a success. We hope you enjoyed playing.The Da Vinci Code In Theaters 5/19
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You are receiving this email as part of your participation in THE DA VINCI CODE QUEST ON GOOGLE.

So we are all finalists’ right? Afraid not. You won't know if you’re a finalist until 5/15 as stated in the original rules and this new email.

If your in my dingy, you'll be receiving the oh so special "surprise message". Alternatively, if you’re on the other ship you'll be receiving instructions for phase 2. I am personally looking forward to my surprise message which will probably say something like "Great job, now visit this link from Sony's website" which will then redirect you to a page that says "go pay $9.00 to see the Da Vinci code".

In the mean time I am thinking we get started on the eurostar quest (thanks for the link arttxgirl). I am going to find out more details about the quest and fill ya'll in on it shortly. I am thinking that I will need to create a quest oriented blog for this rather than using this googlefact blog. I do also happen to have this davinci quest blog which I could use, but I was also thinking about using a different service as opposed to using blogger.

Also, I am going to be moving this weekend. If everything goes well I will only be out of Internet service for 1 day. But if for some reason you don't hear from me, you'll know what happened. So I need to know:

1. How many people want to do the eurostar quest together? (Respond Yes, No, Maybe)

2. If you respond yes, should I create a new blog (if so should I use blogger?) or should I use the other blog I have? If your response is no, what do you suggest we do instead?

Finally, keep submitting links to blogs or websites that you want to promote, but please also do me the following good turn. If the link you are promoting has any form of the word porn in it (ie pr0n p0rn porn pizzorn nrop) or any other form of the word you can fabricate, don't bother posting it. I don't want to have to waste my time deleting the comment. No offense to your good intentions, but the internet has enough junk on it without my blog adding to the chaos. Thanks!!

One last note: It might not be a bad idea to visit google analytics and sign up for an invitation. It will only take you a moment (since you have a Google Account now) and if you happen to get one fairly soon they are selling for $100+ on ebay. And the interesting part is that until Google opens up the tool to the general public, $100 is a small price to pay considering the tool's value to a webmaster.

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Thanks for Everything

The Da Vinci Code Quest is over for some of us (that blasted flash loading page is going to haunt me for weeks), and almost over for the rest of ya's, but it has been a fun ride for all. I am flattered by the dozens of emails and comments that you have sent and posted telling me how much you appreciate this blog.

This post is to thank everyone who participated in this blog over the past 24 days. This blog wouldn't have been much without your comments and thoughts along the way. This quest has brought together an extraordinary group of people in a quest to collectively conquerer a unique challenge. My only regret after these 24 days with all of you is that I have not been able to think of, or find, another quest for all of us to participate in as a community. How can we continue this fun? Any thoughts?

Also, send me your websites / blogs so that we can share them. I have already highlighted Krupo's Blog (accounting / photos / funnies) and Brotherj's Blog ( Da Vinci Controversy). I will filter the links so you don't have to. Thanks again for everything!

Get all of the MSN Conspiracy Game Answers here

The Da Vinci Code Quest / Google Fact Stats

Here are the GoogleFact blog stats for The Da Vinci Code Challenge (excluding today's 9,000+ hits) I know some of you were wondering about these numbers and others could care less.

I was asked to clarify the finalist status. Nobody has received any notice from Google. If they had, they would have posted the content of the email in one of the 400+ comments we had today or at least notified me via email. All we can do is wait right now, I imagine Google is trying to sort out the mess they are in with all of the problems they had today. I encountered 3 different error messages myself in the first 10 minutes after the puzzle's release today.

Here is what will probably happen, transparent to Da Vinci Quest players. Google will probably go back and look at logs and determine which 10,000 players were the fastest to finish the puzzles regardless of what messages were displayed. Whatever you do, don't let it bother you, it is only a game. Yes I know it's fun to win games, but there are a lot more important things to worry about in this life then this quest. So don't let the man (or in this case Google's lack of preparation) get you down.

Finally, I need to thank both WRfly10 and Kate for so kindly offering up their cryptex and also an opportunity to play phase 2 of the challenge. As I mentioned in a previous post, if I would have won the cryptex it probably would have ended up on Ebay, so go ahead and keep it guys, but I do appreciate the generousity and unselfish spirit. I would like to at least post the questions from the final challenge so do keep me informed as that process evolves.

This type of thoughtful unselfish giving is something that is rarely displayed in our modern day world. Everybody and everything is cut throat, take what you can get and get what you can take. We do not often consider others before ourselves or give gifts out of the kindness of our hearts, just for the sake of giving it (as opposed to giving a gift for a tax break or birthdays) So thank you for your example WRfly10 and Kate, I hope we can all learn something from your examples. Alright enough of the emotions, you were wanting some facts.

April 17th - May 9th  (Excluding the 

final challenge day, May 10th)


Total Visits: 72,344
Avg Daily Visits: 3,145

Pageviews: 188,911
Avg Daily Pageviews: 8,213

Unique Visitors: 60,208
Avg Daily Unique Vistors: 2,617


Browsers  Visits
Internet Explorer 39009
Firefox   28393
Safari   3085
Opera   689
Netscape  555
Mozilla   377
Camino   174
gzip   34
Mozilla Compatible Agent13
Konqueror  6

Top Content      Uniq. Views Pageviews
da-vinci-code-quest-solution-8-of-24.html 5167  7573
da-vinci-code-quest-solution-10-of-24.html 4756  6545
da-vinci-code-quest-solution-7-of-24.html 3607  5148
da-vinci-code-quest-solution-3-of-24.html 3539  5412
da-vinci-code-quest-solution-2-of-24.html 3432  4484
da-vinci-code-quest-solution-12-of-24.html 3188  5216
da-vinci-code-quest-solution-1-of-24.html 3119  3696

Geo Location

Country/Region/City P/Visit
United States 51196
United Kingdom 8838
Australia 4129
Canada 1859
India 413
Netherlands 354
Israel 306
New Zealand 270
Brazil 241
Portugal 228
Singapore 220
Mexico 219
(not set) 212
Ireland 211
France 210
Hong Kong 204
Malaysia 200
Germany 168
Argentina 168
Italy 147
Turkey 147
Sweden 130
Belgium 125
Denmark 118
Spain 112
Philippines 111
Taiwan 111
Korea  Republic of 98
Russian Federation 90
Japan 82
Greece 78
Puerto Rico 67
Venezuela 65
Ukraine 63
Romania 63
Finland 62
Thailand 60
Switzerland 50
Chile 49
Czech Republic 49
Poland 45
United Arab Emirates 42
Egypt 35
Yugoslavia 35
Bulgaria 35
Peru 35
Lithuania 35
Colombia 32
Cyprus 29
Norway 29
Slovakia 27
Indonesia 25
Europe 24
Hungary 24
Satellite Provider 24
Jordan 20
South Africa 20
Slovenia 19
Bermuda 19
Macedonia 17
Dominican Republic 17
Austria 14
Costa Rica 14
Macau 12
Iceland 11
Bolivia 11
Malta 11
Guatemala 10
Bahrain 10
Croatia 9
Jamaica 9
Uruguay 9
Estonia 9
Virgin Islands  U.S. 7
Oman 7
Iran  Islamic Republic of 7
Azerbaijan 6
Bangladesh 5
El Salvador 5
Kuwait 5
Bosnia and Herzegovina 4
Latvia 4
Barbados 4
Sri Lanka 4
Fiji 3
Qatar 3
Syrian Arab Republic 3
Netherlands Antilles 3
Pakistan 3
Vietnam 3
Guam 3
Kenya 2
Andorra 2
Guyana 2
Anonymous Proxy 2
Saudi Arabia 2
Trinidad and Tobago 2
Palestinian Territory 2
Brunei Darussalam 1
Algeria 1
Luxembourg 1
Sierra Leone 1
Lebanon 1
Nigeria 1
Morocco 1
Cameroon 1
Cambodia 1
Panama 1
Nicaragua 1

Get all of the MSN Conspiracy Game Answers here

Finalist Post

If you made it as a finalist you can use this post to comment on phase 2.

By the way, I think we can all agree this contest came down to some manner of luck rather than knowledge or skill. Even though I didn't make it as a finalist, due to technical difficulties on Google's part, I still enjoyed playing and discussing the quest.

Good Luck to all of the finalists!!

I doub't this means anything at this point but here it is. I am sure they will go back and look at time submissions. And since my original submission errored, I am doubtful of actually being a finalist. But, keep trying to re-register if you didn't get the following screen. Maybe you'll get lucky.




If you want to play one of the puzzles again but noticed that you can't, try this link from Sagron (Thanks!!)

http://www.google.com/ig/davinci/puzzle.html?puzzle=1
(add 1-24 to the end)

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The Da Vinci Code - Quest Solution (24 of 24)

Well thats it for me guys. I didn't make it thanks to my puzzle freezing half way 3 times during loading. The answers were

2

so dark the con of man

madonna of the rocks

Congrats to all who made it. Sorry for those who didn't, but hey it's just a game. If you are a finalist congrats. Email me if you want me to post something. (Oh and as a consolation price for me, help a brother out and click on a link)

Update: Based off of the findings from this post, I am going to assume the questions and answers are:

1. Cryptography is all about noticing numbers and patterns. Here's a simple one to start with: how many glass panes are visible on each of the doors to Sir Teabing's mansion? 9

2. Although it refers to words not spoken, we hear it spoken three times. What is that word? secret

3. This final question will really test your powers of observation. What is the name of the character shown holding a votive candle holder? Silas

If the questions are not the above (which is very possible). I will repost the actual answers as I discover or get word of them. If however those are the correct answers, type fast.

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Here it is guys, the 24th consecutive and final post for The Da Vinci Code Quest Challenge. I know that a few of the GoogleFact readers think that provided the last answer isn't fair, and that's O.K. I am hoping that Google and Sony are smart enough to make the last question completely random, which is the only way to make the challenge completely "fair", but if they don't, as Mr. Reichard always said, "Soooo Sorry". Don't worry about the other blogs doing the same thing, I check them everyday and they are always 30 minutes or more behind this blog. Enough about that though and we’re moving on to the next topics.

Procedure: Find Solution, Fill out completion form, Post Solution on GoogleFact (For more on that read my previous post)

Hint: We are thinking that this video will be the video used for today's final challenge. For those of you who are trying to be honest and fair, don't click on that link until after 1 P.M.

Comment: There is also a big hubbabaloo going around about the Christianity / Da Vinci Code theory. Even Tom Hanks has had to formally address this issue. While you are waiting for the final puzzle to release, have a look at this GoogleFact reader's thoughts on the subject. It's a quick read and worth the time.

Advice: Good Luck and Refresh this page repeatedly at 1 PM

Afterword: Visit again later today or tomorrow to find out who has qualified as a finalist and read my post detailing this blogs unique visits/page views statistics during the challenge.

Final Thought: Post your solution to the 24th challenge in the comments to this post.

Get all of the MSN Conspiracy Game Answers here

How to be a Finalist and Win a Cryptex

Well, we've all made it here, to the 24th and last day of puzzles. Everybody wants to know how to finish this series of challenges, qualify as a finalist, and have a chance at the Grand Prize. Heck, I want to be a finalist, not so much for the cryptex (which I may pawn on Ebay), but just to blog about the final challenge. So let's break it down.

Am I going to post the solution to the challenge? Yes, and before you go all Jackie Chan on me let me explain.

1. The final challenge is going to be an observation challenge. Each observation challenge thus far has been a series of 3 questions, each having a single correct response. Further these questions have been consistant for all of us, meaning my correct response was also your correct response. It would not surprise me if Google changes the question format for the final challenge, but assumming that they stay consistant, sharing the solution will benefit all (see 2. for why).

2. There has been an average of 4,500 readers per day for this blog with a peak of 7,500 in any one day. Both of those numbers are significantly less than 10,000 available finalist spots, especially considering that the total has to be distributed across US, UK, and AU. So assuming that we work together to solve the answer quickly, every GoogleFact reader would qualify as a finalist for the challenge. For those of you wondering how I know those statistics see Google Analytics

3. You have nothing to lose by sharing the solution. If you already have the solution, then you know sharing the solution won't diminsh your chance of being a finalist. On the other hand, if you don't have the answer, somebody sharing the solution on this blog may increase your chance of being a finalist. Consequently, working together collectively increases all of our chances of qualifying.

Now, what do you do once you have the solution?

1. If a participant correctly answers all 24 Daily Puzzles at any time before the Phase 1 Deadline, he/she will be immediately directed to the Daily Puzzle completion form ("Puzzle Completion Form"). The Puzzle Completion Form asks the participant to submit the Google ID the participant used to access the Daily Puzzles. ONCE PARTICIPANT FILLS IN HIS/HER GOOGLE ID AND CLICKS "SUBMIT" ON THE PUZZLE COMPLETION FORM, HIS/HER SUBMISSION WILL BE TIME-STAMPED AND WILL BE DEEMED PARTICIPANT'S OFFICIAL PUZZLE COMPLETION TIME ("PUZZLE COMPLETION TIME").

2. AFTER A PARTICIPANT HAS SUBMITTED HIS/HER PUZZLE COMPLETION FORM IN ACCORDANCE WITH THESE OFFICIAL RULES, THE PARTICIPANT WILL BE IMMEDIATELY DIRECTED TO A SEPARATE CONTEST ENTRY FORM ("CONTEST ENTRY FORM") WHICH THE PARTICIPANT MUST COMPLETE CORRECTLY AND IN FULL BY THE PHASE 1 DEADLINE IN ORDER TO BE DEEMED A POTENTIAL FINALIST. CONTEST ENTRY FORM WILL BE TIME-STAMPED AND WILL BE DEEMED PARTICIPANT'S OFFICIAL CONTEST ENTRY TIME ("CONTEST ENTRY TIME").

So tell me again, how do I win the cryptex and become a finalist?

THE DETERMINATION OF WHICH PARTICIPANTS ARE DEEMED POTENTIAL FINALISTS ELIGIBLE TO CONTINUE TO THE FINAL PHASE OF THE CONTEST DEPENDS ON HOW SOON EACH PARTICIPANT WHO HAS SOLVED ALL 24 DAILY PUZZLES CORRECTLY SUBMITS HIS/HER CORRECTLY FILLED OUT PUZZLE COMPLETION FORM AND THEREAFTER SUBMITS A CONTEST ENTRY FORM.

Click Here For The Official Rules (US) Click Here For The Prizes (US)
Click Here For The Official Rules (UK) Click Here For The Prizes (UK)
Click Here For The Official Rules (AU) Click Here For The Prizes (AU)

Good Luck Everyone! I will be creating the post for the final solution early in the day tomorrow. I will also recap what I have discussed in this post. See you tomorrow.

Get all of the MSN Conspiracy Game Answers here

The Da Vinci Code - Quest Solution (23 of 24)

Solutions. Congrats to Alice in some crazy land for being first in a super stunning time of 6 minutes. What is this observation challenge for the last puzzle? That to me is puzzling, any comments?



Surely you recognize the city of lights. Yea of course, I look at a satallite image of it every night before bed. Paris.

The sequence of numbers 0, 1, 4, 9. That's more up my alley. Sequence of Squares.

Here we are at the second to last challenge. I wreckon it has been a good journey for all. It has been a bit tedious at times, keeping up with these everyday, but I'm certian a lot of us will miss it when it's all said and done.

Please read over my earlier post and make a few suggestions for future topics for this blog. You can also check the archives to see previous posts I've made like this one about Google Video.

Post your solution to the 2nd to last phase I challenge in the comments below this post.If you are looking for more information on the Da Vinci Code Quest Challenge visit Google's Official Blog for more details.

Tonight I will be making an additional post outlining everything you need to know to be one of the 10,000 finalists. Good Luck with today's observation (huh.. observation last how annoying) cancel geography challenge.

Get all of the MSN Conspiracy Game Answers here

Having Withdraw From The Da Vinci Code Quest?

I know that many of you are not going to know what to do with yourselves after The Da Vinci Code Quest Challenge is over, and that's O.K. I also know that many of you will never visit this blog again, and that's O.K. too. But, for those of you who want to know more about the company that helped make this quest possible (or who just want to read about a topic of your choice), listen up.

I will blog about any topic that you request in the comments to this post. If you have been wondering about one of those Google products or services but wern't sure exactly how to use it or why they even created it, I will answer any and all of those questions.

I have created a short list of Google's products and services for you to choose from, but feel free to suggest any topic even if it is not on the list below. It doesn't even need to be Google related for that matter, although it would be nice since this blog is titled GoogleFact. Let me know what you want to read about and I will write about it.

Google AdSense Google AdWords Google Analytics Google Answers Google Base Google Blog Search Google Bookmarks Google Books Search Google Calendar Google Catalogs Google Code Google Deskbar Google Desktop Google Directory Google Earth Google Finance Google Groups Google Images Google Labs Google Local Google Maps Google Mars Google Mobile Google Moon Google Movies Google News Google Pack Google Personalized HomePage Google Personalized Search Google Reader Google Scholar Google Search History Google SMS Google Suggest Google Talk Google Toolbar Google Transit Trip Planner Google Translate Google Web Accelerator Google Web API Google Web Search Gmail Okrut Writely Picasa Hello Google Video

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The Da Vinci Code - Quest Solution (22 of 24)

Congratulations to Annie who arrived at the solution first, and very quickly I might add. This chess challenge was again very simple. I will be making another post this evening detailing the topics of this blog for the days following The Da Vinci Code Quest.

The solution for today's puzzle is as follows:

"The leading member of the Priory of Sion is called:" The Nautonnier

"Which of these men was not rumored to be a Priory of Sion member?" Nicolas Poussin

"What is the name of the ancient Egyption goddess of fertility?" Isis

Post your solution to the 22nd challenge in the comments below this post.

If you are looking for more information on the Da Vinci Code Quest Challenge visit Google's Official Blog for more details.

Get all of the MSN Conspiracy Game Answers here

The Da Vinci Code - Quest Solution (21 of 24)

This was by far the easiest challenge to date. I will be making three posts over the next three days.

The first post will give you the statistics of this blog over the 24 days of the Da Vinci Code Quest. So if you are wondering how many people are in pursuit of one of those treasured prize items, you'll be interested in this post.

The next post will be about the last day of the puzzle. If your wondering if we will give or not give out the solution to the last puzzle, you'll want to read this one.

And finally, what are we to do after the quest is over. I will blog about any topic of your choosing. If it is related to Google that would be even better, but I won't put any restrictions on it. If there is something you have always been wondering about related to Google, you will want to read and comment on this post.




My question was about the Bishop of Cavaillon. What was the reason for the second present? dog See this link. Congratulations to David who solved this challenge in the quickest time.

Post your solution to the 21st challenge in the comments below this post.

If you are looking for more information on the Da Vinci Code Quest Challenge visit Google's Official Blog for more details.

Get all of the MSN Conspiracy Game Answers here

The Da Vinci Code - Quest Solution (20 of 24)

I hope everybody is alive and well after Cinco de Mayo. It has been extreamly busy and I haven't been able to put enough time into the last few posts. I am hoping that I will be able to conclude these final posts with as much vigor and energy as I had when this all started 20 days ago.

Thanks goes to all of you who have participated in the fun by sharing your comments and solutions throughout the challenges. We are getting closer as there only 4 more puzzles left after today. I am going to make some comments about the final days of this challenge that I think everyone will be interested to read, so visit again tomorrow to see how we are going to conclude these 24 days together.

The trick to today's restoration challenge is to work from the inside out leaving a few of the outer pieces to save you at the end since they are all clumped in the middle.

My question after I restored the painting was:

"Leonardo da Vinci's painting of The Adoration of the Magi hangs in the Royal Uffizi Gallery in Florence.What is the catalogue number in the 1890 catalogue of the museum?" 1252. The exact link for my answer was on this page. In general, you can try this link from zGerman (see comments) to find your answer.

Post your solution to the 20th challenge in the comments below this post.

If you are looking for more information on the Da Vinci Code Quest Challenge visit Google's Official Blog for more details.

Get all of the MSN Conspiracy Game Answers here

The Da Vinci Code - Quest Solution (19 of 24)

Today's puzzle is the first of the final level of difficulty. The symbol challenge increased from a 5 x 5 x 5 to a 6 x 6 x 6 which made the challenge no more difficult then prior challenges. The puzzle difficulty is completly dependent upon the starting pieces you are given. I have been able to work most of these puzzles without having to guess any of the symbol placements.

My solution to today's puzzle is below.

During his Italian Journeys William Dean Howelss enjoys a beefsteak and potatoes with a half-bottle of what kind of wine? Ligurian

Post your solution to today's challenge in the comments below this post.

If you are looking for more information on the Da Vinci Code Quest Challenge visit Google's Official Blog for more details.

Get all of the MSN Conspiracy Game Answers here

The Da Vinci Code - Quest Solution (18 of 24)

Today's challenge proved to be a difficult one for many. After the multi-multi-part solution, you were able to complete the quest and move on to the next puzzle. Here is a screenshot of the final solution (the fourth blade is at the very top of the puzzle, you can see I have circled it with a red line).

After compiling the pieces of the puzzle you are asked "Leonardo's reverse-handwriting manuscript on perpetual motion wheels can be found in this city. What is its name?(For another clue, Hyde in the north.)" The answer is London.

After finding the blades (see image above) you are asked, "You have found all four blades, and lo! they draw an X over a place just slightly north of the Victoria and Albert Museum, home of Leonardo's Codex Forster. What is its name?" Imperial College

The first GoogleFact reader to answer today's challenge was Ming Su, congratulations Ming.

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Now I will make two predictions. First, I won't be the quickest to finish today's challenge. Second, in the near future Google will annouce that they will have a new service http://magazines.google.com. Those are my predictions for this, the 4th day of May, in the year 2000 and 6.

Post your solution to today's Geography challenge in the comments below this post.


If you are looking for more information on the Da Vinci Code Quest Challenge visit Google's Official Blog for more details.

Get all of the MSN Conspiracy Game Answers here

GoogleFact SketchUp Challenge

This is the official post for the GoogleFact SketchUp challenge. This challenge is for those of you that have said, or thought, that the Google Da Vinci Code Quest challenge has been to easy. Now I realize that this is not related to the Da Vinci Code, but it is related to Google and it is a bit of a challenge to create a model in SketchUp. For the rest of the details on the challenge see this post.

Here are the submissions that I have already received. You can email your solution to davincicodequest@gmail.com or you can leave a link in the comment to this post. I will add the images to this list as I receive them. Thanks for participating and I look forward to seeing a bunch more great models. If you wish to send a link with your images I will be happy to add a link back to your site. For more information on Google and SketchUp see Google's announcement here. (Click on the images below to see the full size images)

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PHIL

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GOOGLE FACT

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ARTEMIY

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The Da Vinci Code - Quest Solution (17 of 24)

Yesterday's comments were a little weak and I am guessing that was for 1 of 2 reasons. Either the challenge was simple and the solution was the same for everybody, or I scared you off with the whole SketchUp topic. Hopefully it was the first and not the second, so continute to submit your solutions for puzzle 17 in the comments to these posts. First I'll post the solution to today's challenge and then I have a comment for those of you who are timid about the SketchUp challenge.

I dislike the observation challenge because of the video you have to watch, but here is the link to the video that you may have to watch about Sir Leigh Teabing. O.K. I came in third!! (and I may or may not have looked at Artemiy's answers). Steve and Artemiy or super quick on the solutions everyday so if you don't have a lot of time some days (ehh hemmm cough cough) GoogleFact will always have the solutions quickly (Thanks Guys!!).

The questions and answers are as follows:

"Speaking of fascinating characters, there's only one letter in the entire video that is clearly written in lower-case. What is that letter?" f

"In just one word, the noble Sir Leigh describes the pursuit that both he and you are on. What is that word?" quest

"And to bring this back to the topic of movie spectacles, how many times is Sir Leigh shown wearing his? His spectacles, that is." 7

Now, continuing from above, if it was in fact the SketchUp challenge that scared everybody off from posting comments, have no fear. Check out this model from a GoogleFact reader. I was amazed by this 3D SketchUp, have a look for yourself.





See, it can be done! If you want help using sketchUp, I can post a short tutorial on it in the next few days. If you are already a SketchUp expert, let's see some of those images. I am also going to create a post just for SketchUp, so be on the lookout for that post as I will have more images (from differant angles) of the above model.

If you are looking for more information on the Da Vinci Code Quest Challenge visit Google's Official Blog for more details.

Get all of the MSN Conspiracy Game Answers here

The Da Vinci Code - Quest Solution (16 of 24)

Congrats to AC who solved the chess puzzle in lighting speed. My offer is still on the table for a free link to the website of your chosing (it could be a nonprofit link). Since today's puzzle, the 16th puzzle released for the Da Vinci Code Quest was so simple I am going to add my very own SketchUp challenge solution to this post. The SketchUp challenge is not a timed challenge and is a lot of fun so think about participating, see my last post for the details. First today's questions and answers. (bahh, sorry for the delay I am still having trouble uploading images to blogger POC so it is taking longer to get these posted)

"The Louvre's famous Pyramid was designed by:" I.M. Pei

"What French king built the the Louvre?" Phillip II Augustus

"Which of these people in history never set foot in Notre Dame?" Pope Leo IX

Now for my solution to the all original SketchUp challenge from yesterday. Here is my best rendition of my dream home in SketchUp. Send your solution to davincicodequest@gmail.com or post a link in the comment of this post. I'll make reference to it in future posts.

Do you like it? I thought it was pretty good myself, but of course I have a biased opinion. Also, did you know you can integrate these 3D objects right into Google Earth? I know, I love Google too. Until tomorrow, keep leaving those comments, completing those challenges, and clicking on those . Well, I'll let you finish that sentence.

If you are looking for more information on the Da Vinci Code Quest Challenge visit Google's Official Blog for more details.
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Submit your solution for puzzle 16 in the comments to this post. I look forward to seeing who can solve this challenge the fastest. I will be posting my solution to yesterday's side challenge for all of you today also, so keep an eye out for that.

Get all of the MSN Conspiracy Game Answers here

The Da Vinci Code - Quest Solution (15 of 24)

Another easy challenge from Google and Sony. For those of you wondering, yes I did finish some time ago, but blogger wouldn't let me upload an image right (among other problems I have been having with blogger). For some reason, especially around 1 PM, I have a lot of trouble making blogger work for me. So I just went ahead and hosted the image off of my webserver, what a pain.


Well I thought Google was going to make these challenges more difficult but apparently I was wrong. So, to make up for the lack of difficulty, I have another fun, but more difficult, challenge for everyone. First let me post my solution for today's puzzle.


My question after I created my masterpiece was, "Translate light to french". I used http://www.googlefact.com/examples/sms.html and typed in the search box "translate light from english to french" to get 'light' in English means 'lumiere' in French.

My side challenge that I mentioned above is the following. Back in March Google acquired Last Software and their flagship product SketchUp. SketchUp is a neat little 3D modeling tool that is very powerful, yet very simple to use. Google recently made a free version available to the general public (see this post for more details). My challenge is to see who can create the best 3D model of their current living quarters using SketchUp. So get your creative juices flowing, download this free software from Google (you won't regret it), and let's see some 3D buildings.

I will create a new post over the next few days where you can leave a link to your image. Or if you email them to davincicodequest@gmail.com I will host them for you (don't worry I won't give away any of your personal information or post your email address).


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Submit your solution for puzzle 15 in the comments to this post. I look forward to seeing who can solve this challenge the fastest. I also have another side challenge coming up for all of you today or tomorrow, so keep an eye out for that.

If you are looking for more information on the Da Vinci Code Quest Challenge visit Google's Official Blog for more details.

Get all of the MSN Conspiracy Game Answers here