Self-revealing hints are available below. It is recommended looking at them one at a time, and only in case of frustration. Do not spoil the satisfaction of having the “aha-moment”!
You may prefer to request a personalized hint by email. In that case, please mention which puzzle you are working on, and what you have tried so far. If you’d like only a small nudge, you may try to ask only a few yes/no questions.
Puzzle 1: Virtual Confusion
Hint 1 (click to display)
You should be able to identify all participants of this Zoom call, likely with the help of a relevant webpage.
Hint 2 (click to display)
The transition to a virtual meeting left each participant somewhat mixed-up.
Hint 3 (click to display)
Use the extraordinary feature of each participant to spell out the answer.
Puzzle 2: Obscure Elements In Sequences
Hint 1 (click to display)
Each ink stain covers exactly one integer. Each line represents a sequence, and the lines are independent. If you can’t guess the sequence, feel free to look it up.
Hint 2 (click to display)
The title is a clue for a very useful website to look for sequences.
Hint 3 (click to display)
To find the number under the fourth ink stain, do the same work again.
Hint 4 (click to display)
The final answer is not a number, it should be an English word.
Puzzle 3: A Piece Of Advice
Hint 1 (click to display)
Every line is a reference to a preprint. If you don’t know where to look, ask an archivist, or even better, an arxivist!
Hint 2 (click to display)
Examine the title of each paper you found. Can you figure out anything special?
Hint 3 (click to display)
The last step is the same as the previous 10 steps 😉
BONUS Puzzle: International Party
Hint 1 (click to display)
Hint — Pista — Indice — Hinweis — Indizio: Multilingual teams have an advantage when solving this puzzle. The others will have to use a few dictionaries.
Hint 2 (click to display)
Some words are especially important in the announcement.
Hint 3 (click to display)
The white rectangles hide the same type of information as the other elements of the sequences. Notice that the numbers in these rectangles are not always in the same position.
Solving Fun 