Picasa Web Volvo Treasure Hunters

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More Eurostar Quest Winners

I've created my latest post to reflect the new collection of Eurostar Quest Winners. You can read more about them here.

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Darth Nuts - Eurostar Quest Winner

So you are looking for the winners of the Eurostar quest? (a.ka. Eurostar Quest Winners Google)

Yes one of our very own, Darth Nuts is a winner of the Eurostar quest. See this post for additional details.

Congratulations Darth Nuts!

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NBC Treasure Hunters

The latest Google Fact posts can be found at http://www.googlefact.com

The Best Place on the Web to Talk About NBC's Show Treasure Hunters is at http://www.nbctreasurehunters.com

The masterminds behind Treasure Hunters
For the few of you interested in the makers of this new series here is the brief list with quoted text from their respective wikipedia articles (when available).

Online Treasure Hunting
On the official site there will be online puzzles and riddles similar to the ones on the actual show that you will complete. They'll be promoting http://www.ask.com/ as the search engine (but we all know you'll be Googling for the answers). Oh, and If you watch the show, you may be able to get additional clues that you can pay for via SMS/text message.

What is NBC Treasure Hunters?
I transcribed the following synopsis from the trailor video for NBC Treasure Hunters.
America has many treasures, some natural, some historic. But there’s one buried treasure worth millions, locked in time in a secret location. But if you’re clever enough, the clues to find it are all around you.

Treasure Hunter Challenge
I have created the following forum Guess the order in which the teams will leave the show. The idea is to play the psychic and put the teams in order that you think they will leave the show.

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Wei-Hwa's Puzzle Challenge 3 - June 9th, 2006

For the solution to this puzzle see the forum discussion on www.steeplemedia.com

June 9th, 2006: The Google US Puzzle Championship is next Saturday, June 16th. It's used to select the US Puzzle Team, but puzzle-lovers of all sorts should find something interesting in the puzzles. Let's have a big "G" (for Google):


Here's a puzzle based on Erich Friedman's "Distance," from the 2003 Google U.S. Puzzle Championship. Label 14 of the circles above with different numbers from 1 to 14, such that the distance between 1 and 2 is less than the distance between 2 and 3, and so on. Four circles should remain empty.
If the "±" sign is selected, you can click on the top part of a circle to increase it and click on the bottom to decrease it. Or, select a number in the palette and click on a circle to fill that number into the circle. Deselect the active selection to create a blank. You win if all the "distances" to the right turn green.

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www.steeplemedia.com

Hey everyone the new site is up, please head over and register at the site. It would also be a huge help if you could start testing the forums to make sure everything is up and operating. The site is at www.steeplemedia.com and you can get to the Google Fact blog from http://gf.steeplemedia.com or www.googlefact.com

When you register you will be sent an email with your password. I have been told the email may take up to 5 minutes to receive but you will get it. Thanks again for all your support and understanding during this transition.

I also am working on the new NBC Treasure Hunters blog at www.nbctreasurehunters.com

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My Latest Post on Saving the Internet

Check out my latest post on saving the Internet at http://www.googlefact.com. Please consider registering on the site. If you are reluctant to register because you have to submit an email address, leave me some comments in this post and I will change it. I want everyone to have an opportunity to participate in the forums and the other ideas that we have planned for the site, but you will need to be registered.

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www.SteepleMedia.com Partial Change is Good

Look the new site is done. You are looking at the newly redone, Google Fact blog!! Do you like it? Just joshin with ya.

Here is the quick and dirty. I was trying to import all of my blog posts and comments into the new site. As fate would have it, the process failed miserably. In the process I had to change some publishing settings and so I lost my template and all kinds of other joyous things.

Consequently, I am going to ask that you begin beta testing the new site. Please register on the site, hammer the forums, and help promote the site launch. I will be in the process of making some aesthetic changes as well as adding older content from the Google Fact blog. I was hoping to have more completed before I released the site, but because of the problems I felt it necessary to go ahead and start the migration.

New Site: www.googlefact.com , www.nbctreasurehunters.com

Description: I decided to expand my blog and write about more than just Google related topics. I needed a generic domain where I could host this content and I choose steeplemedia as the domain. I can now host the GF blog and the NBCTH blog from the same site. Additionally, I wanted a place where there would be more dialogue and less monologue, so now we have forums tied right into the site.

Status: The site is in its early stage and I need your help to register and test the forums as well as testing the blog comments. Please provide we with feedback and let me know what I can do to make the new site better. Additionally, I would like to have a blog in which every member of the GF community could be a contributor on. I think it would be fun to see all of the different topics that you would discuss.

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Google Puzzles Blog

Howdy folks. I'm happy to be here writing to you at this time. I am almost done developing the content for the new website. I have a few more tasks to finish up and then it will be ready. I am still shooting to have it released before the weekend, we'll see.

This post is to tell you about a great new blog out there created for the Wei Hwa Puzzle Challenges called Google Puzzles. The author not only gives tips and solutions but also provides additional insights into the puzzles which make the blog a great read. There are other puzzle related tidbits that you may also find interesting.

And that's not all, if you are like me and can't get enough Google related reading material, the author of the blog is also covering Google product releases like the new spreadsheet application.

Now if I can just bribe him into contributing for GF also....

On a side note, if you know of a graphic designer that could help me out with a new logo / banner for the new site, that would be a huge help. Have them email me at gfacts@gmail.com, thanks!!

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Go Meg! MSN Conspiracy Game Solutions

As I mentioned in my last post, I am getting closer to having the new website/blog up and running. But, in the mean time I have to admit that I have been a bit negligent in providing you with solutions to recent puzzles and also providing you with info on new Google content (like the spreadsheet signup). I promise that it will all be worth it in the end.

Thankfully GF readers always come through in the spirit of community to help one another. Meg, who has been a faithful GF reader has provided solutions and tips for the MSN Conspiracy Game on her blog which can be found here. Now what is really great is that on the new site (which I am tirelessly working on) each of you can have a blog and contribute content, all in one location and with a forum included. I am very excited about this and cannot wait to make it available to you.

Thanks again Meg, and thank you all for continuing to visit the GF blog on a daily basis.

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General Status Update

Hey everyone, I hope that you are all doing well. I am currently busy getting the new server up and ready for the new NBC reality show, Treasure Hunters. Fear not though, as I am not neglecting my faithful GF readers. I have a new blog and forum that will be coming online at the same time.

The new makeover is going to make the blog much more engaging. You will be able to register with a single username and make posts in the forum and comments in the blog. Additionally, I will be able to create multiple blogs and aggregate the posts onto the homepage which will make it much easier to follow. For instance, I'll create a new blog for the MSN game, one for the AWR, and one for general Google topics so that the content will be separated, but together.

I am very excited about this change and I think it will make the time you spend on this blog more enjoyable. The new server will also be much quicker and more reliable then blogspot and the iphorum forum. I am working hard on it and hope to have it finished before the weekend. I will still try and keep the content rolling with a few posts on the MSN game soon.

Thanks for your understanding through this transition.

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Wei-Hwa's Puzzle Challenges Part 2

Man, somebody needs to send me an email when he randomly decides to release these puzzles. Here the second challenge has been out for a day already and I haven't had the opportunity to even look at it. I guess I didn't do much Googling today.

Anyways, I'll get to it in a little while here and let you know what I find. From a first glance it looks like a tough one.

June 2nd, 2006: If a tree falls in the woods because of a wound, then what little object will not hear the sound? Answer: a deaf leaf.

A Why Me Rhyme is a pair of words that look like they should rhyme (after all, only their first letter is different), but don't really. For example, depending on the colorist, Etrigan could be considered a lemon demon. See if you can figure out these twelve Why Me Rhymes from their descriptions:

I debated about posting the solutions in the blog content. I was going to wait until the next challenge is released before I provided the answers but now I'm not. For now I am going to post the solutions to these puzzles. If I get enough feedback telling me to just post hints and tips then I will revert back, otherwise solutions it is. So here they are.

What is heard when your little girl is having fun DAUGHTER LAUGHTER
A disgustingly dirty sticker FECAL DECAL
A siesta for weirdos FREAK BREAK
A friendly rejection GENIAL DENIAL
Lists of all sorts of animals to be eaten GENUS MENUS
An unrefined crucifix GROSS CROSS
A type of bar bet, maybe? LAGER WAGER
Makes a news agency irrelevant NEUTERS REUTERS
Stamps that someone refuses to return POSTAGE HOSTAGE
Makes contact with feminine hygiene products TOUCHES DOUCHES
A price reduction given only to certain noblemen VISCOUNT DISCOUNT
Newer style of patio furniture YOUNGER LOUNGER

How do I know these are right? I cheated, I looked in the source code for the answers. O.K. So this does take the fun out of doing the puzzles. But, I am here to provide you with the answers when you get stuck right? Cheers!

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The MSN Conspiracy Game 2

The second challenge in the MSN Conspiracy Game was related to Alice in Wonderland, England, and Scotland. We were asked to find "Which does the winner's destiny involve?" in reference to symbols.

First you'll need to know that pictured with Alice holding the plum-cake are a Lion and a Unicorn. Then you'll need to know that the answer to the next question, in regards to destiny, is a stone. After that you just find the red heart and you'll be on your way.


I am a big fan of the questions this game offers. Each question gives you the opportunity to learn a bit about English history, if you wish to engage in the game and do the research. Alternatively, you can always just read into the question, look around the puzzle screen, and find the answer with no research whatsoever. Either way it's a fun game for me.

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Many of you asked me to start a blog on the new reality TV show NBC Treasure Hunters that is set to premiere on June 18th. There is also supposed to be an online version of the game in which people watching the show will have an opportunity to win prizes.

I have been working hard on this for everyone and will be publishing the blog / forum / website for the show soon. Stay tuned for more details, I think it will be fun for everyone to watch the show (if you can) and discuss the challenges the players face. It should also be interesting to see what kind of challenges they present for the at home viewers.

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The MSN Conspiracy Game

Now that I have successfully completed the first 10 levels of the AWR, I decided to look into The MSN Conspiracy Game (MSNCG) presented by Microsoft. In this post I'm not going to bore you with the rules or get you excited about the prizes, but I do want to talk about the first puzzle and the promotion of Windows Live Search. I decided to finally register a new gmail account that was more general and so you can now email at gfacts@gmail.com. For the MSNCG I am only going to give out hints / partial solutions. I will give the solutions to any who wants them via email, but you are welcome to post them in the comments or in the forum if you so choose.

First, I am extreamly excited about these puzzles. I think the quality of the flash development and general concept surpasses both The Google Da Vinci Code Quest and The Eurostar Quest. My only gripe is with the implementation of the Windows Live Search feature. So I just ignore it, open up a new browser, and fire up Google.

Be forewarned, the whole Guy Fawkes conspiracy is quite intriguing so you may get distracted reading wikipedia for a quick English history lesson if you aren't careful. This screen shot should help a little if you are confused on the first challenge.


"Remember, remember, the 5th of November
The Gunpowder Treason and plot;
I know of no reason why Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot. "

Alright, now my question is this. Why is it that some of the biggest search engines still have not learned that search is all about ranking results. It doesn't matter how many times you redesign the appearence of the search/results page, if you don't have a good ranking system, people are going to use your search engine. Yes, Microsoft and ASK, I'm talking to you. Improve your search results, and you won't have to spend so much money marketing your search engine.

Cheers!

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The Amazing Web Race Leaderboard #122

I finally finished the Amazing Web Race (AWR), and not without my fair share of hints and tips. I didn't make it on my own entirely, but I feel like I struggled enough to justify my placement on the leaderboard. For those of you who haven't quite made it that far, keep working at it and I'll try to help you out where and when I can. Here are the last four screen captures from the AWR, since I provided you with the first six earlier.

Good luck to those of you who have yet to finish and remember if you are really stuck on a question you can always email me at davincicodequest@gmail.com. For the 1 or 2 of you who can't view images on the web, the 10 questions from the first part of the AWR are as follows:

1. Can't talk here. Others will hear us. Listen for the taps. When we get out, meet me in (1,4) (1,5) (3,3) (5,1) (1,5) (4,2). If I can trust you, you will be rewarded.

2. Okay, we can talk now, but we've got to get out of here. Come find me. I'll either be with Angels or Devils, whichever comes first. Bring a map.

3. Since you brought the map, I'll buy you a hot dog and a beer. The street we're on reminds me of his first movie. Let's meet there.

4. Do you have a passport? Drop the new act and go to the CITY.

5. I'm glad you made it here. If you're feeling lucky in this country, you can find some import partners. Meet me at the capital city of the smallest partner.

6. That sushi made me sick. Now I'm in In a solid pain.

7. Be careful in the Amazon. Get out of "Harm's Way" and find out what class the Indianapolis was in.

8. I think we are being followed. Seek the truth and hurry to the capital of the United States.

9. Well done. I am confident I can trust you. Where I am, form follows finance. But once you find the city, you need to find a place to park.

10. Since you're in Chicago, you could have an Italian Beef. But I prefer this kind. Solve the puzzle and then study the 6 digits from top to bottom. I hope you have your cell phone.

(Fill in the puzzle with the numbers 1 through 9, ensuring the same number does not appear more than once in any given row, column, or 3x3 section.)

Translate the city name into German, and then unscramble it. That's your final clue. Put it in the right place and you should be able to picture the last city.

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