I once wrote a description of how coordinate checkers can
sometimes make possible a brute force solution to a puzzle cache.
By using the data provided on the cache page a programmer can
produce a list of possible coordinates and if enough data is
available, that list can sometimes be short enough to try every
possibility within a reasonable time frame. There's another type of
brute force find, too, the MotorBug kind. There the finder doesn't
use the coordinate checker at all. He or she just uses the
information on the page, including logs, and knowledge of the
neighborhood and the owner's habits to go search logical places
physically. This cache is susceptible to both kinds.
I've often enjoyed solving puzzle caches in a team approach, so
I have designed a cache that should be suited to that approach. If
you put together a team and split up the work, I believe the
coordinates can be derived in a reasonable time. If you have a good
programmer on your team this can probably be done in two or three
hours. I can see several ways the work can be split up and of
course, it helps to have many hands trying coordinates in the
checker.
All of the information on this page is truthful and there are no
intentional red herrings. Here are your clues:
1. The cache is within two miles of the posted coordinates.
2. The cache is within 1/10 of a mi. of a cache I found prior to
2005. (Call that Cache X). Cache X's posted coordinates = its true
coordinates and it's not a premium member cache.
3. When written in normal 15-digit degrees decimal minutes, the
decimal portions of the minutes of both latitude and longitude do
not share any digits. That is, those six digits are all
different.
4. If you place all 15 digits together as a single string (e.g.
37abcde12gfhijk) and take each overlapping 3-digit string (e.g.
37a, 7ab,...,ijk) there is exactly one such 3-digit string that is
a prime number, no more no less.
5. If you do the same using 4-digit strings, there is more than one
prime number.
6. The checksum of the 5-digit zip code where the cache is located
differs from the checksum of the 8-digit longitude by 3 or 4.
7. I don't know how many people hid or own Cache X, but the name on
the cache page ("A cache by...") suggests the "owner" is more than
one person (e.g. Mutt and Jeff, TeamXYZ, The XYZ Family, etc.)
Although the cache is in a public area and accessible 24 hours a
day, I am concerned that excessive attention to the location by
searchers could cause problems (I am reminded of The Matchmaker
among other fiascos). So please be discreet when searching. I
encourage team solves, but it is not necessary for a crowd to
gather at the cache site. I have made the hide and location hint
easy so that the find can be quick and discreet. I suggest you grab
the cache, move to a more discreet location to sign it, then return
it, especially if there are several of you. The area can be
surprisingly busy at almost any hour.
It is not my intention to crash the certitude server, but it
wouldn't bother me if it did. I've always hated The Simpsons, a
harbinger of the decline of intelligence and taste in the American
population. So team up and kill Homer for me. I was going to offer
a financial reward for FTF, but that might cause unwanted attention
to the cache so instead I'll offer a different valuable FTF prize:
a strong hint on how to solve Purgatory.
You can validate your puzzle solution
with certitude.