HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: mouse@thunder.mcrcim.mcgill.edu (der Mouse)
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles
Subject: Re: Random Points on a Sphere
Date: 23 Nov 92 02:15:31 GMT
Organization: McGill Research Centre for Intelligent Machines

In article <1992Nov22.020105.27398@hubcap.clemson.edu>, mjfreem@hubcap.clemson.edu (Matthew J. Freeman) writes:
> isaak@aurora.com (Mark Isaak) writes:

>> Four points are randomly selected from the surface of a sphere.

Without further information, I'll assume the distribution over the
surface of the sphere is uniform - that is, the expected number of
points falling inside an area is directly proportional to the area,
independent of where it is on the sphere.

>> What is the probability that all four lie in the same hemisphere?

> Think of placing 4 points on an otherwise featureless sphere.  The
> first three points will define a hemisphere no matter where they are
> placed, and the probability that the fourth is in the same hemisphere
> is 1/2.

No, they will all fall in the same hemisphere[%], but they do not
*define* a hemisphere.  Consider three points clustered near one
another: provided the fourth point doesn't fall in a small area
antipodal to the triangle formed by the cluster, all four will still be
in the same hemisphere.

Given three points, the fourth point will fall so as to put all four
points in the same hemisphere with probability equal to the fraction of
the total spherical surface area which lies outside the (spherical)
triangle formed by the three points.  This is because any point which
is not antipodal to a point inside that triangle will permit a
hemisphere that includes all four points.

This lies between 1/2 and 1, depending on how closely the first three
points cluster to one another.  So answering the question amounts to
computing the expected fraction of the sphere's area covered by the
triangle formed by the first three points.  My knowledge of spherical
geometry is insufficient for this.

[%] Throughout this posting, I am ignoring boundaries.  Cases where the
    first three points all fall on the same great circle, or the fourth
    point falls antipodal to a boundary, I dismiss as a set of measure
    zero, not affecting the probability.

					der Mouse

			    mouse@larry.mcrcim.mcgill.edu
From: jlamb@ux4.cso.uiuc.edu (Jeffrey Richard Lamb)
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles
Subject: Re: Billion-Year Survivability
Date: 16 Nov 92 16:38:21 GMT
Article-I.D.: news.BxtI80.3IK
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana


>If I were to make such a message to last a billion years, I'd put it it
>DNA sequences.   Chapter 30 "Extraterrestrial Messages in Our Genes"
>in MAZES FOR THE MIND: COMPUTERS AND THE UNEXPECTED goes into great 
>detail on this subject: exactly how you would code the message, and the
>care that must be taken so that the message does not mutate over the
>great strectch of time.  In this book chapter, scientists discover that
>the genetic sequence of a tarsier codes for the digits of pi.
>(St. Martin's Press, NY, 1992)

Why not engineer the genetics of everyone to have the message on the 
foreheads of everyone? Link it to a gene that counteracts a fatal gene.
This way anyone without the gen would die. And the characteristic would
continue. Flame me if this is impossible.


-- 
H. Ross Perot | "How do you always manage to    | Jeff R. Lamb
for President | decide?" 			| Midnight Arrow
of the United | "How do you let others decide   | Champion of Reality
States in '96 | for you?"	   -Ayn Rand 	| (jlamb@ux4.cso.uiuc.edu)
From: carl@SOL1.GPS.CALTECH.EDU (Carl J Lydick)
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles
Subject: Re: Special sentence
Date: 17 Nov 1992 19:12:06 GMT
Organization: HST Wide Field/Planetary Camera
Distribution: world
Reply-To: carl@SOL1.GPS.CALTECH.EDU
NNTP-Posting-Host: sol1.gps.caltech.edu

In article <1992Nov16.233117.20615@hellgate.utah.edu>,
tolman%asylum.cs.utah.edu@cs.utah.edu (Kenneth Tolman) writes:
>What is special about these sentences?
>
>  Simon now is!
>  Axis six v.
>  3 moss is some.
SPOILER
Well, the second more or less reads the same way if you rotate the paper it's
typed on 180 degrees, and if it's printed in the right font.  The first,
however, when you do that, results in "Simou uow is," not "Simon now is," and
the third in "3 woss is sowe," not "3 moss is some."  Are you perchance a bit
dyslexic?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carl J Lydick | INTERnet: CARL@SOL1.GPS.CALTECH.EDU | NSI/HEPnet: SOL1::CARL

Disclaimer:  Hey, I understand VAXen and VMS.  That's what I get paid for.  My
understanding of astronomy is purely at the amateur level (or below).  So
unless what I'm saying is directly related to VAX/VMS, don't hold me or my
organization responsible for it.  If it IS related to VAX/VMS, you can try to
hold me responsible for it, but my organization had nothing to do with it.
From: dsbb@ns1.cc.lehigh.edu (D. SPENCER BEECHER)
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles
Subject: Re: the question is the answer ?! (spoiler, absolut)
Date: 17 Nov 92 00:13:07 GMT
Organization: Lehigh University


>> >Q: How many letters are there in the answer?

"the answer"
 123 456789

Nine, in all.
-- 
                   _ _     _ _     _ _
  -Spence         [O.O]   )x.x(   )O.O(
                    O       O      -*-
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles
From: kanad@quip.eecs.umich.edu (Kanad Chakraborty)
Subject: Re: Trig. inequality
Organization: University of Michigan EECS Dept., Ann Arbor
Date: Sun, 22 Nov 1992 05:19:45 GMT

In article <1992Nov22.030801.4773@dartvax.dartmouth.edu> J.Theodore.Schuerzinger@dartmouth.edu (J. Theodore Schuerzinger) writes:
>In article <1ekddfINNi96@uwm.edu>
>radcliff@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (David G Radcliffe) writes:
>
>> Show that (sin x)^(sin x) < (cos x)^(cos x) when 0 < x < pi/4.
>> 
>> --
>> David Radcliffe                                
>> radcliff@csd4.csd.uwm.edu  
>
>Simple math.  Remember that (sin x)^2+(cos x)^2=1.  An identity from my
>trig class back in high school.  Setting sin x equal to cos x, we get
>(sin x)^2=1/2.  The answer to this is x=pi/4.  And since sin x
>increases from 0 to 1 as x increases from 0 to pi/2, it's obvious that
>cos x will be greater than sin x.  As neither is negative in this
>range, (cos x)^2 will be greater than (sin x)^2 from 0<x<pi/4.  I
          ^^^^^^                        ^^^^^^^^
Where did you get (cos x)^2 and (sin x)^2 from ?  You need to
show that (cos x)^(cos x) [which is not the same as (cos x)^2]
is greater than (sin x)^(sin x).

>haven't taken any math since freshman year of college, but this was
>easy!          
>
>
>--Ted Schuerzinger
>email: .zed@Dartmouth.EDU
>"I should have realized it would be bad vodka when all the label said
>was 'Russian Vodka'."

Consider the following approach :

The function f(x) = x^(1/sqrt(1-x^2)) is monotonically increasing for
0 < x < 1, easily verified by taking the derivative. 
Since 0 < sin x < cos x < 1 for 0 < x < pi/4, f(sin x) < f(cos x).
But f(sin x) = (sin x)^(1/cos x) and f(cos x) = (cos x)^(1/sin x).
Raising both sides to the power (cos x.sin x), we get the desired
result.

Kanad  Chakraborty
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles
From: ypay@leland.Stanford.EDU (daniel cory)
Subject: Re: Songs containing states
Organization: DSG, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 92 19:02:42 GMT

In article <1992Nov13.211056.9143@news.media.mit.edu> paul@media-lab.media.mit.edu (Paul Dworkin) writes:
>Could people send me ideas for various states?

Why hasn't anybody suggested state songs? Virtually every state will have an
official state song and it will almost always have the name of the state in it.
North Carolina's is called 'The Old North State' so maybe it doesn't count but
I'm pretty sure the phrase "North Carolina" is in the song.

Just from titles of state songs (as given by 'The Universal Almanac' 1990
edition, ed. John W. Wright)

Alabama: "Alabama"
Alaska: "Alaska's Flag"
Arizona: "Arizona March Song", "Arizona"
Arkansas: "Arkansas"
California: "I Love You, California"
Colorado: "Where the Columbines Grow"
Connecticut: "Yankee Doodle"
Delaware: "Our Delaware"
DC: no song listed
Florida: "Old Folks at Home" ("Swanee River")
Georgia: "Georgia", "Georgia on My Mind"
Hawaii: "Hawaii Ponoi"
Idaho: "Here We Have Idaho"
Illinois: "Illinois"
Indiana: "On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Way"
Iowa: "The Song of Iowa"
Kansas: "Home on the Range" (the state march is "The Kansas March")
Kentucky: "My Old Kentucky Home"
Louisiana: "Give Me Louisiana", "You Are My Sunshine"
Maine: "State of Maine Song"
Maryland: "Maryland, My Maryland"
Massachusetts: "All Hail to Massachusetts" (state folk song is "Massachusetts")
Michigan: "Michigan, My Michigan"
Minnesota: "Hail, Minnesota!"
Mississippi: "Go, Mississippi"
Missouri: "Missouri Waltz"
Montana: "Montana" (state ballad is "Montana Melody")
Nebraska: "Beautiful Nebraska"
Nevada: "Home Means Nevada"
New Hampshire: "Old New Hampshire"
New Jersey: no song listed
New Mexico: "O, Fair New Mexico", "Asi es Nuevo Mejico"
New York: "I Love New York"
North Carolina: "The Old North State"
North Dakota: "North Dakota Hymn" (state march is "Spirit of North Dakota")
Ohio: "Beautiful Ohio"
Oklahoma: "Oklahoma!" (state waltz is "Oklahoma Wind")
Oregon: "Oregon, My Oregon"
Pennsylvania: "Pennsylvania"
Rhode Island: "Rhode Island"
South Carolina: "Carolina"
South Dakota: "Hail, South Dakota"
Tennessee: "When It's Iris Time in Tennessee", "The Tennessee Waltz", "My
            Homeland, Tennessee", "Rocky Top"
Texas: "Texas, Our Texas", "The Eyes of Texas"
Utah: "Utah, We Love Thee"
Vermont: "Hail, Vermont!"
Virginia: "Carry Me Back to Old Virginia"
Washington: "Washington, My Home"
West Virginia: "The West Virginia Hills", "West Virginia, My Home Sweet Home",
               "This Is My West Virginia"
Wisconsin: "Oh, Wisconsin!"
Wyoming: "Wyoming"

So, just from the titles of state songs (and folks songs and marches), we cover
all the states except Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida,
Indiana, New Jersey, North Carolina, and South Carolina. However, if we had the
text of the songs, I bet we could knock off a few more.

Dan Cory
-- 
Dan Cory
If you look up through a eucalyptus tree, you see very few leaves.
Date: Friday, 20 Nov 1992 08:41:27 +01
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles
Subject: Re: Songs containing states
From: Andre' Pirard <pirard@vm1.ulg.ac.be>
X-UserAgent: Nuntius v1.1.1d11
X-XXDate: Fri, 20 Nov 92 07:29:26 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: Universite' de Lie`ge (Belgium)

Containing "states", you said?
There's one with a lovely pun about 'em all, that goes:

Tes e'tats d'a^me sont pour moi, E'ric,
Comme les e'tats d'Ame'rique...

Title: "Tes e'tats d'a^me, E'ric"
Singer: Luna Parker
3'36

As to what she means, I am almost sure it's _not_ in the FAQ ;-)
Reply by e-mail, I'll summarize ;;-)

-----
Andre Pirard          SEGI, Univ. de Li`ge         139.165 IP coordinator
B26 - Sart Tilman     B-4000 Li`ge 1 (Belgium)            +32 (41) 564932
pirard@vm1.ulg.ac.be  alias PIRARD@BLIULG11.BITNET
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles
From: sousa_dab@ccsua.ctstateu.edu
Subject: Re: Special sentence
Organization: Yale University, Department of Computer Science, New Haven, CT
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 22:05:22 GMT

In article <1992Nov16.233117.20615@hellgate.utah.edu>, tolman%asylum.cs.utah.edu@cs.utah.edu (Kenneth Tolman) writes:
> What is special about these sentences?
> 
>   Simon now is!
>   Axis six v.
>   3 moss is some.
	
	They make no sense in english? :-)
> 
> What are others?
	8 Five could?
	b debuts wide.
	Perch never now.

David B. Sousa
From: varhus@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Kristofor A Varhus)
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles
Subject: Re: Mini-FAQ
Date: 22 Nov 92 06:32:19 GMT
Organization: University of Pennsylvania

In article <62246@mimsy.umd.edu> sjsmith@cs.umd.edu (Stephen Joseph Smith) writes:
|>The rec.puzzles FAQ is incredible.  It covers an enormous range of puzzles.
|>
|>The only problem is... it's *too* big.  Few first-time posters to the
|>newsgroup are going to read it all.
|>
|>I propose that somebody creates a mini-FAQ containing the *really*
|>frequently asked questions...  Proposed entries:
|>
|> [...]
|>
|>What do you think?
|>
|>- Stephen

Great idea!!!!

Do it!!!

--
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kristofor A. Varhus			|       THIS SPACE AVAILABLE
varhus@eniac.seas.upenn.edu		|        E-MAIL IMMEDIATELY!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles.crosswords
From: guy@ulysses.att.com (Guy Jacobson)
Subject: Re: The Real Official PCWC 4 results
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1992 22:41:11 GMT
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories

I'm happy to come in second in PCWC 4, but I'm steamed that somebody beat me
out in the "maximum standard deviation" department.  Who was the mystery
setter of clue #9?  I have my suspicions -- you can send me E-mail if you
want to remain anonymous.  Also, why was this clue so ill-liked?  I was the
outlier who gave it top marks, by the way.

-- Guy

-- 
_________________________________________________________________
Guy Jacobson   (908) 582-6558              AT&T Bell Laboratories
        uucp:  {att,ucbvax}!ulysses!guy	   600 Mountain Avenue
    internet:  guy@ulysses.att.com         Murray Hill NJ, 07974
From: msm@src.dec.com (Mark S. Manasse)
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles.crosswords
Subject: Silver CWC
Date: 20 Nov 92 00:44:13 GMT
Reply-To: msm@src.dec.com
Organization: DEC Systems Research Center


         CLUE WRITING COMPETITION NUMBER 25

Welcome to the Clue Writing Competition's silver event (devised by 
Ian Gent).  The rules, and this article, are much the same as used 
in earlier rounds. 

The dates for CWC 25 are:

  Thursday  26 November  23:59 PST   Deadline for CWC25 entries
  Friday    27 November              I'll post the CWC25 winners
  Friday    27 November              I'll post an annotated list of entries.

The rules:

Later on in this posting you'll find two words or phrases.  The first 
is chosen to be fairly easy to write a clue for; the second is intended 
to be more awkward.  

You may submit clues for either or both words.  I will accept only one
clue per person for each word; If you send more than one for a word, I
will accept the first one I receive.  E-mail the clues, along with your
name and e-mail address, clear explanations of how your clues work, and
whether or not you could run the next contest, to me at the following
address:

             msm@src.dec.com

After the deadline, I'll pick my favorite clue for each word; thus
there will be two winning clues.  I'll pick my favorite of these two as
the overall winner, inviting its writer to set the next round of this
competition.  I'll post separately a list of runner-up clues, and all
the remaining clues, with as much commentary as I see fit.

IMPORTANT: Please DO NOT post your own clues, or anything else that
might give away the answer words!  Some readers of this group want to
try solving the winning clues; please don't spoil it for them.

The words for CWC25 follow, "rot13" encoded for extra security,





















CVREPVAT

FGNGR BS TENPR




_________________________________________________________________ 
The second phrase isn't that hard to clue, so I'm looking for extra 
nasty, humorous, twisted clues. 

Mark S. Manasse (msm@src.dec.com)
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles.crosswords
From: guy@ulysses.att.com (Guy Jacobson)
Subject: ACC 14 announcement
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 14:49:51 GMT
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories

	Araucaria Clueing Competition Number 14
	---------------------------------------

Welcome to ACC 14.  To enter, E-mail a cryptic clue for the word given
below (only one clue per person, please) to me.  I'll post my choice
of winning clue soon after the deadline, and a list of all clues I
received.  The winner will be invited to judge the next ACC, so please
indicate in your mail if you are available to moderate the next contest.

The word to clue (cleverly disguised in rot13 mode) is:

        PUNFGR

The deadline for receipt of clues is:

        Sunday 29 November 1992  23:59 EST
-- 
_________________________________________________________________
Guy Jacobson   (908) 582-6558              AT&T Bell Laboratories
        uucp:  {att,ucbvax}!ulysses!guy	   600 Mountain Avenue
    internet:  guy@ulysses.att.com         Murray Hill NJ, 07974
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles.crosswords
From: ilana@kiowa.scd.ucar.edu (Ilana Stern)
Subject: The Cryptic Name Game
Organization: NCAR/UCAR
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1992 15:57:35 GMT

			The Cryptic Name Game

Below you will find a number of cryptic clues, and below that you will find 
a list of names of rec.puzzles.crosswords readers who have submitted these 
clues for their names.  The object is to match each clue with the name it 
represents;  word lengths have been omitted to keep things interesting.

Don't send me answers;  this is for your own amusement.  I will post the 
answers (with explanations) next Wednesday.  


CLUES:
------------
Father-to-be called out "I want a son!"

All is before a male, without a mix up or great mess intervening!

A love song around noon for Pat's sweetheart

Fewer than one doctor in ten ever initially has gold for me

I take a hundred from an ancient royal house north, to find a mountain dweller

I follow crazy unsure raw fish eater?

Man added fertilizer after misinterpreting one barn direction

Two-legged design going after steady kind of ladder

Attorney left for Y following decapitated monster (bloody mathematician)

Ex-seaman's arranged it for him

Roman emperor returned terns, upset Apple employee

The Caledonian horse-like camels bleated my name

Cheap Ale Mike is broken man

Male family man after favourite queen

I and king take directions;  a pedestrian clue for this non-contest

Have to mess around and holler for that programmer

Bostonian and Aussie pal in a spree with homo number

Drive nail into signal for rail fan?

===
NAMES:
------------

JACOB BERGMANN 
MARK BRADER
TOM DENEAU
ALLISTER GORMAN
TOVAH E. HOLLANDER
SCOTT HUMPHREYS
GUY JACOBSON
PETER KING
GREGORY LAWLER
MARK MANASSE
ANIL NAIR
MICHAEL PEAKE
BRIAN SPOLLEN
ILANA STERN
OREN STERN
WARREN USUI
ANDREW WALKER
IAN WATSON 

-- 
/\     There may be honor among thieves, but there's none among politicians.
  \_][ <--NCAR Ilana Stern dod#009 r.b. cliff swallow ilana@ncar.ucar.edu    
      \______________________________________________________________________
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles.crosswords
From: steiner@andy.bgsu.edu (Ray Steiner)
Subject: Re: PCWC5
Organization: Bowling Green State University B.G., Oh.
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 21:19:46 GMT

Here is my clue for PCWC5:

--------------------------------------------------------------
King Phillip ruled this land with a metal club and odd bits
of iron ordnance(9)

        MACE + anag AND+IO

---------------------------------------------------------------
I would be able to moderate the next PCWC.
SIncerely,
Ray Steiner(steiner@andy.bgsu.edu)
-- 
steiner@andy.bgsu.edu
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles.crosswords
From: kennedy@asuvax.eas.asu.edu (Ralph Kennedy)
Subject: CWC24 Winners
Organization: crosswords
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1992 22:42:08 GMT

The winning clues for CWC24 are:

       Pile of gold or lead? (9)

              submitted by Mark Manasse (msm@src.dec.com), and

       Make certain company trains deliverer to make speech  (11)

              submitted by Greg Lawler (jose@math.duke.edu).

I have chosen Mark's clue as the overall winner, and
invite him to moderate CWC25.

--Ralph Kennedy      {ames,gatech,husc6,rutgers}!ncar!noao!asuvax!kennedy
                        {allegra,decvax,ihnp4,oddjob}--^
                                          ^---------------The Wrong Choice
                             internet: kennedy@asuvax.asu.edu
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles.crosswords
From: hutch@bellman.lanl.gov (John Hutchinson)
Subject: Re: Mac Crossword Software for sale
Reply-To: hutch@bellman.lanl.gov
Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 20:22:21 GMT

This software has been sold.  Thank you all for your interest.
---

___________________________ John "HUTCH" Hutchinson _________________________
_________________ Fair Dinkum Technologies     Member - IAAD  _______________
________________ "No worries, mate... it's from Fair Dinkum!" _______________
____________ email: hutch@bellman.lanl.gov   GEnie: FAIR-DINKUM _____________
From: msm@src.dec.com (Mark S. Manasse)
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles.crosswords
Subject: The Silver CWC
Date: 20 Nov 92 01:12:34 GMT
Reply-To: msm@src.dec.com (Mark S. Manasse)
Organization: DEC Systems Research Center


         CLUE WRITING COMPETITION NUMBER 25

Welcome to the Clue Writing Competition's silver event (devised by 
Ian Gent).  The rules, and this article, are much the same as used 
in earlier rounds. 

The dates for CWC 25 are:

  Thursday  26 November  23:59 PST   Deadline for CWC25 entries
  Friday    27 November              I'll post the CWC25 winners
  Friday    27 November              I'll post an annotated list of entries.

The rules:

Later on in this posting you'll find two words or phrases.  The first 
is chosen to be fairly easy to write a clue for; the second is intended 
to be more awkward.  

You may submit clues for either or both words.  I will accept only one
clue per person for each word; If you send more than one for a word, I
will accept the first one I receive.  E-mail the clues, along with your
name and e-mail address, clear explanations of how your clues work, and
whether or not you could run the next contest, to me at the following
address:

             msm@src.dec.com

After the deadline, I'll pick my favorite clue for each word; thus
there will be two winning clues.  I'll pick my favorite of these two as
the overall winner, inviting its writer to set the next round of this
competition.  I'll post separately a list of runner-up clues, and all
the remaining clues, with as much commentary as I see fit.

IMPORTANT: Please DO NOT post your own clues, or anything else that
might give away the answer words!  Some readers of this group want to
try solving the winning clues; please don't spoil it for them.

The words for CWC25 follow, "rot13" encoded for extra security,





















CVREPVAT

FGNGR BS TENPR




_________________________________________________________________ 
The second phrase isn't that hard to clue, so I'm looking for extra 
nasty, humorous, twisted clues. 

Mark S. Manasse (msm@src.dec.com)
Newsgroups: rec.puzzles.crosswords