ClubFloyd Transcript:
A Beauty Cold and Austere by Mike Spivey
As played on ifMUD on February 11 and 25, 2018

The idea behind ClubFloyd is that each week at a pre-arranged time, a group of people meet online to cooperatively play a game of interactive fiction.

Below is a transcript of A Beauty Cold and Austere written by Mike Spivey. Beauty received 7th place in the 2017 IFComp. This is release 2, published December 18, 2017. You can learn more about the game, including how to download it, by visiting IFDB.


WARNING! Below you will find a transcript of people playing this game, and it goes without saying that the transcript is full of spoilers. So, if you've never played this game, and think you might like to at some point, I do not recommend reading any further. Instead, you might want to return to the interactive fiction page.


ToyShop & Floyditorium
#ClubFloyd Discussion



Guenni asks, "Soo??? now???"
DavidW says, "I'm still trying to wake up."
Jacqueline says, "Well, there is no rule that says we must play"
Knight_Otu says, "Jacq suggested A Beauty Cold and Austere last week."
Jacqueline says, "Are people not up for it today? Or shall I launch A Beauty-- yeah, that"
Knight_Otu says, "That would be fine by me."
DavidW says, "It'd be pleasant for me to watch people play ABCAA."
Guenni says, "The title doesn't sound post apocalyptic, so it seems fine. :-)"
DavidW says, "I was up all night making a map for Ballymun Adventure."
Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "load sleepmask beautycoldandaustere2"
Floyd ]
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | "Mathematics, rightly viewed, possesses not only truth, but supreme
Floyd | beauty - a beauty cold and austere, like that of sculpture, without
Floyd | appeal to any part of our weaker nature, without the gorgeous
Floyd | trappings of painting or music, yet sublimely pure, and capable of a
Floyd | stern perfection such as only the greatest art can show."    --
Floyd | Bertrand Russell
Guenni says, "That sounds like numbers. :shudders."
Knight_Otu says, "Yep."
Guenni pushes the green 'space' button.
Floyd ]
Floyd | Would you like to...
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |    Play through the tutorial               :       T
Floyd |    Start the story - from the beginning    :    (SPACE)
Floyd |                    - from a saved position :       R
Floyd |    Quit                                    :       Q
DavidW says (to Guenni), "This is a game about mathematical concepts."
Guenni says, "Even worse. :-)"
DavidW says, "No, it's actually fun."
DavidW says, "Well, I enjoyed it, at least."
Guenni asks, "Is the tutorial important? Or just for complete if newbies?"
zarf arrives, full of fun, but no funk. DavidW says, "The tutorial is useful mostly for reminding you that you can use AND with nouns."
DavidW says, "It's a short tutorial and painless."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "t"
Floyd ]
Floyd |
Floyd | "Closing time!"  The voice echoes in the space around you.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | You slowly open your eyes to find your face pressed against a book.  A
Floyd | book you've been drooling on.
Floyd |
Floyd | One thing at a time.  Let's focus on the book.
Floyd |
Floyd | Type EXAMINE BOOK, or X BOOK for short.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x book"
Floyd ]
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X BOOK
Floyd |
Floyd | This is your textbook for Math 058, Concepts of Mathematics.  (Or is
Floyd | it Math 314?  Or Math 272?  You really ought to remember this.)  The
Floyd | book has some drool on it.
Floyd |
Floyd | So it's your math book.  That helps some.  You might be up to a wider
Floyd | glance around now.  Try LOOK, or just L for short.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd ]  College Library
Floyd | >
Floyd | > L
Floyd |
Floyd | Right.  The library.
Floyd |
Floyd | College Library
Floyd | The library is a great place to study - or so you've been told.  You
Floyd | hadn't seen the inside of it until today.
Floyd |
Floyd | (You've also been told it's a good place to sleep.  Well, you can
Floyd | vouch for that now.)
Floyd |
Floyd | On the study table in front of you are your math book and an empty
Floyd | yogurt cup.
Floyd |
Floyd | The librarian spots you and begins walking in your direction.  Oh, no.
Floyd |
Floyd | You might have time to look up one more topic in your math book.
Floyd | Newton, maybe.  He'll probably show up on the final tomorrow.  Or
Floyd | maybe Professor Glasser will expect you to wax philosophical about
Floyd | mathematics in general.  You could LOOK UP NEWTON or LOOK UP MATH.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "look up math"
Floyd ]  College Library
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK UP MATH
Floyd |
Floyd | (in your math book)
Floyd | There is considerable debate as to the exact definition of
Floyd | mathematics.  Is it the study of numbers?  Shapes?  Is it discovered,
Floyd | or is it invented?  Aristotle called mathematics "the science of
Floyd | quantity," but some modern areas of mathematics like topology don't
Floyd | really fit that definition.   Bertrand Russell said that mathematics
Floyd | can be reduced to logic, but his own efforts in that area were
Floyd | punctured by Gödel's incompleteness theorems.  Most modern
Floyd | mathematicians take a "I know it when I see it" view, when they bother
Floyd | to think about the definition of mathematics at all.
Floyd |
Floyd | Regardless of its definition, since the 1600s mathematics has proven
Floyd | to be particularly useful to science.  For example, Isaac Newton's
Floyd | second law of motion, F = ma, or force equals mass times
Floyd | acceleration, single-handedly reduced a wide variety of problems in
Floyd | physics to a simple equation.  Modern physics, engineering, chemistry,
Floyd | economics, computers, and even large parts of biology and the social
Floyd | sciences would not be possible without mathematics.  Galileo even went
Floyd | so far as to claim that mathematics is the language with which God has
Floyd | written the universe.
Floyd |
Floyd | Is mathematics art or science?  Science owes much to mathematics, and
Floyd | Gauss called mathematics "the queen of the sciences."  But some
Floyd | mathematicians sound more like artists when describing their work.
Floyd | Russell, in the following quote, makes that comparison explicit:
Floyd |
Floyd | "Mathematics, rightly viewed, possesses not only truth, but supreme
Floyd | beauty - a beauty cold and austere, like that of sculpture, without
Floyd | appeal to any part of our weaker nature, without the gorgeous
Floyd | trappings of painting or music, yet sublimely pure, and capable of a
Floyd | stern perfection such as only the greatest art can show. The true
Floyd | spirit of delight, the exaltation, the sense of being more than Man,
Floyd | which is the touchstone of the highest excellence, is to be found in
Floyd | mathematics as surely as poetry."
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Wow.  That's a lot to digest.  You're never going to remember all of
Floyd | this for tomorrow.
Floyd |
Floyd | The librarian is getting closer.  You probably should take the
Floyd | initiative and GREET HER.  Maybe if you're friendly she'll let you
Floyd | stay a little longer.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "greet librarian"
Floyd ]  College Library
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GREET LIBRARIAN
Floyd |
Floyd | "Hello!" you say brightly.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Hello," the librarian responds.  "I'm afraid it's time for you to
Floyd | leave."
Floyd |
Floyd | It looks like you might need more than friendliness here.  Let's go
Floyd | for pathos.  Try TELL LIBRARIAN ABOUT FINAL.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "I wish more games would support GREET."
Guenni nods.
Knight_Otu says, "Many just support greed."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "tell libririan about final"
Floyd ]  College Library
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TELL LIBRIRIAN ABOUT FINAL
Floyd |
Floyd | (to the librarian)
Floyd | "Um, I have my final exam in conceptual mathematics tomorrow," you say
Floyd | in your best respectful-of-authority voice.  "I really need to do some
Floyd | more studying.  May I please, please stay here for just a little
Floyd | longer?"
Floyd |
Floyd | "No," she replies.  "I'm sorry, but I have to close up the library
Floyd | now."
Floyd |
Floyd | Well, that didn't work.  She's probably heard it all before.
Floyd |
Floyd | You might as well just head back to your dorm room.  You'll need to
Floyd | pick up your things first, though.  Try GET BOOK AND CUP.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "get book and cup"
Floyd ]  College Library
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET BOOK AND CUP
Floyd |
Floyd | your math book: You pick up your math book.
Floyd | empty yogurt cup: You pick up the yogurt cup.
Floyd |
Floyd | (Notice that you can GET more than one object at a time.)
Floyd |
Floyd | "I hope you're not planning to remove any library books," the
Floyd | librarian says.  "The borrowing period for this academic year has
Floyd | ended."
Floyd |
Floyd | You should check your inventory to show her.  Try INVENTORY, or just I
Floyd | for short.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "i"
Floyd ]  College Library
Floyd | >
Floyd | > I
Floyd |
Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd |   an empty yogurt cup
Floyd |   your math book
Floyd |
Floyd | "Good," says the librarian.  Then her eyes focus on the yogurt cup.
Floyd | She frowns.  "I'll take that," she says.
Floyd |
Floyd | Try GIVE CUP TO LIBRARIAN.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "give cup to librarian"
Floyd ]  College Library
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GIVE CUP TO LIBRARIAN
Floyd |
Floyd | You give the empty yogurt cup to the librarian.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Thank you," the librarian says.  "Next time, please try to follow the
Floyd | rules about food in the library.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Good luck on your final," she adds, pointedly indicating the exit to
Floyd | the south.
Floyd |
Floyd | There's really nothing left to do but head back to your dorm room.
Floyd | Try SOUTH, or just S.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | You walk out, flashing the librarian a weak smile as you go.  She
Floyd | closes and locks the doors behind you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Then you trudge back to your dorm room, thinking about how you got
Floyd | here...
Guenni pushes the green 'space' button.
Floyd ]
Floyd | This ends the tutorial.
Floyd |
Floyd | You've just seen several of the most useful commands in the game:
Floyd | EXAMINE object (or X object)
Floyd | LOOK (or L)
Floyd | LOOK UP topic (in your math book)
Floyd | GREET character
Floyd | TELL character ABOUT topic
Floyd | GET an object (more than one if you want)
Floyd | GIVE object TO character
Floyd | INVENTORY (or I)
Floyd | SOUTH (or S.  The other seven compass directions - and their
Floyd | abbreviations - are allowed, too, plus UP and DOWN).
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | You can review these commands and many others by typing HELP at any
Floyd | time.  In-game HINTS are available as well.
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | [Please press SPACE to continue.]
Guenni pushes the green 'space' button.
Floyd ]
Floyd | A Beauty Cold and Austere
Floyd | An Interactive Digression by Mike Spivey
Floyd | Release 2 / Serial number 180112 / Inform 7 build 6M62 (I6/v6.33 lib
Floyd | 6/12N)
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Professor Glasser's survey course in conceptual mathematics seemed
Floyd | like a good idea at the start of the term - no graded homework, no
Floyd | midterm exams - just an oral final at the end.  As the semester
Floyd | progressed, cutting a few classes didn't really seem to matter.
Floyd | Neither did skipping a reading assignment - or a homework set - here
Floyd | and there.   But "a few, here and there" slowly turned into "several,"
Floyd | which turned into "most."  Eventually you were too embarrassed to show
Floyd | up to class anymore, and for the better part of the second half of the
Floyd | term you did an impressive job of forgetting about the final exam.
Floyd |
Floyd | Until this morning.
Floyd |
Floyd | Cramming has never worked for you, but what choice did you have?  You
Floyd | already made your choices, you suppose - repeatedly, throughout the
Floyd | semester.
Floyd |
Floyd | Blaming yourself now isn't going to do any good, though.  You can
Floyd | blame yourself all you want after tomorrow.  Focus on the final.
Floyd | Focus on the final.
Floyd |
Floyd | How, though?  It's late.  You need more sleep.  But you're not sure
Floyd | you remember much (anything?) from today's library cram session.
Floyd |
Floyd | You've got to pass that final because you've got to pass the class.
Floyd | What will happen to your scholarship if you don't?
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | With these pleasant thoughts running through your head as you walk
Floyd | across campus, you finally return to...
DavidW says, "hm. I don't think the prof had an actual name in version 1."
Taleslinger says, "A sequel to the original Halloween, or the remake"
Taleslinger says, "ilac"
Guenni pushes the green 'space' button.
Floyd ]  Your Dorm Room                                       0/100
Floyd | across campus, you finally return to...
Floyd | Your Dorm Room
Floyd | Apparently your roommate moved out today.  The room looks pretty bare
Floyd | with only your stuff left in it...not that you had much to begin with.
Floyd | The only decorations that remain are a few of your posters hanging on
Floyd | the walls.
Floyd |
Floyd | You hear loud noises coming from the hallway to the south.  It sounds
Floyd | like your hallmates have begun celebrating the end of the academic
Floyd | year.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can see your bed and your desk (on which are a medicine bottle and
Floyd | a note) here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "read note"
Floyd ]  Your Dorm Room                                       0/100
Floyd | >
Floyd | > READ NOTE
Floyd |
Floyd | It's from your roommate.  "Good luck on your final!  I've left you the
Floyd | last of my study pills.  I promise you they are perfectly safe,
Floyd | all-natural, and organic - although they may not work exactly like you
Floyd | expect."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x pills"
Floyd ]  Your Dorm Room                                       0/100
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X PILLS
Floyd |
Floyd | Your roommate claims these pills are good for your memory, but you've
Floyd | always been skeptical.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Those pills sound suspicious."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x bed"
Floyd ]  Your Dorm Room                                       0/100
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X BED
Floyd |
Floyd | Your bedsheets feature characters from one of your favorite childhood
Floyd | shows.  Particularly prominent is a purple puppet vampire, who is
Floyd | endearing rather than scary.  You don't care that your friends
Floyd | occasionally make fun of you for these sheets.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "Well, sleeping doesn't seem to be an option with that level of background noise. So might as well give the pills a try."
DavidW says (to Floyd), "x bottle"
Floyd ]  Your Dorm Room                                       0/100
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X BOTTLE
Floyd |
Floyd | These study pills are ones that your roommate picked up at that
Floyd | sketchy health-food store downtown.  Your roommate swears by them, but
Floyd | you've always been skeptical.  The bottle is closed, and there is
Floyd | something written on it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Sure."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "read bottle"
Floyd ]  Your Dorm Room                                       0/100
Floyd | >
Floyd | > READ BOTTLE
Floyd |
Floyd | On the bottle is written "Blorple Pills: Explore a nearby object's
Floyd | mystic energy field via the power of dreams!"
Floyd |
Floyd | Mystic energy field?  Power of dreams?!  You thought these were
Floyd | supposed to be study pills.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Huh."
Guenni says, "Sounds like we're in for very graphic math lessons. :-)"
Guenni says (to Floyd), "open bottle"
Floyd ]  Your Dorm Room                                       0/100
Floyd | >
Floyd | > OPEN BOTTLE
Floyd |
Floyd | You push down on the bottle's cap, twist it, and pull... and the
Floyd | bottle opens easily.  Whew!  Sometimes these "childproof" medicine
Floyd | bottles are really hard to open.  There is one pill left in the
Floyd | bottle.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Magic pills."
Knight_Otu says, "Or pill, rather."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "take pill"
Floyd ]  Your Dorm Room                                       0/100
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TAKE PILL
Floyd |
Floyd | A bit hesitantly, you swallow the pill.  Hopefully this will help with
Floyd | your studying.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "put textbook under pillow"
Floyd ]  Your Dorm Room                                       0/100
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT TEXTBOOK UNDER PILLOW
Floyd |
Floyd | You can't see any such thing, at least as described.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni sighs. So much for true and tested methods.
DavidW says, "I don't think there's any pillow object."
DavidW says, "Just keep the book in your inventory."
Guenni says, "I really didn't think there would be. But it was worth at try. :-)"
Guenni says (to Floyd), "get on bed"
Floyd ]  Your Dorm Room                                       0/100
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET ON BED
Floyd |
Floyd | You get onto your bed.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "sleep"
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SLEEP
Floyd |
Floyd | You curl up with the math book.  Whether by exhaustion or the effects
Floyd | of the pill (or both), you quickly fall asleep.
Floyd |
Floyd | Your dreams are strange.  Images from today's cramfest run through
Floyd | your mind in rapid succession, combining, reforming, and producing new
Floyd | images, each of which sinks into your unconscious.  Eventually your
Floyd | thoughts slow down, and as they do you can feel your mind empty.  Your
Floyd | dream coalesces into...
Guenni pushes the green 'space' button.
Floyd ]  Point                                                2/100
Floyd |
Floyd | Point
Floyd | You find yourself in a deep dark blue - almost black - expanse of
Floyd | space that extends as far as you can see in all three dimensions.  The
Floyd | only thing that breaks up this space is the white disk floating in
Floyd | mid-air that you are standing on.  While the disk doesn't appear to be
Floyd | supported by anything, there is a hole in the middle of it.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Arithmetic has increased.  You estimate
Floyd | that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by two
Floyd | points.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "score"
Floyd ]  Point                                                2/100
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SCORE
Floyd |
Floyd | You estimate that you would score 2 out of 100 on tomorrow's final
Floyd | exam.  If you remember Professor Glasser's grading scale correctly,
Floyd | this would earn you an F in the course.
Floyd | (For a more complete breakdown of your score, use the FULL command.
Floyd | To toggle reporting of your grade in the status line, use the GRADE
Floyd | command.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Oy feel smorter olreaday."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x disk"
Floyd ]  Point                                                2/100
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X DISK
Floyd |
Floyd | The disk is pure white and has a diameter of about 8 feet.  There is a
Floyd | hole in the middle of it, large enough for you to enter.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "hm. GRADE command is new."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "grade"
Floyd ]  Point                                                2/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GRADE
Floyd |
Floyd | (Grade reporting is now on.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "enter disk"
Floyd ]  One                                                  2/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > ENTER DISK
Floyd |
Floyd | You clamber down the hole.
Floyd |
Floyd | One
Floyd | This is more of an abstract space than a physical place, but it gives
Floyd | you a sense of unity, wholeness, and beginnings.  A hole leads back
Floyd | up.  You sense another exit, too - one in a deeper, "downward"
Floyd | direction from this space.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  Void                                                 2/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way down.
Floyd |
Floyd | Void
Floyd | This space feels formless, as if it consists of as-yet unshaped
Floyd | matter.  You can sense a way out above you.
Floyd |
Floyd | The only solid thing you can discern here is a white wand, floating
Floyd | upright in the void.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "take wand"
Floyd ]  Void                                                 2/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TAKE WAND
Floyd |
Floyd | You take the white wand from the void.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x it"
Floyd ]  Void                                                 2/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X IT
Floyd |
Floyd | This white wand is in the shape of a snake - a one-eyed adder,
Floyd | actually.  The adder's eye is a dark sapphire.  The wand has the word
Floyd | "Increment" inscribed along it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Adder. Ow."
DavidW says, "heh."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "wave wand"
Floyd ]  Void                                                 2/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > WAVE WAND
Floyd |
Floyd | You wave the wand, and the word "Increment" on it glows briefly before
Floyd | fading.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "I guess we can grow or shrink with it."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd ]  Void                                                 2/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > L
Floyd |
Floyd | Void
Floyd | This space feels formless, as if it consists of as-yet unshaped
Floyd | matter.  You can sense a way out above you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  One                                                  2/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up through the void.
Floyd |
Floyd | One
Floyd | This is more of an abstract space than a physical place, but it gives
Floyd | you a sense of unity, wholeness, and beginnings.  A hole leads back
Floyd | up.  You sense another exit, too - one in a deeper, "downward"
Floyd | direction from this space.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "wave wand"
Floyd ]  Two                                                  2/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > WAVE WAND
Floyd |
Floyd | You wave the wand, and the word "Increment" on it begins to glow.  It
Floyd | glows brighter and brighter.  Finally, the wand emits a dazzling flash
Floyd | of light - and disappears!  Wandless, you feel yourself
Floyd | increment.
Floyd |
Floyd | Two
Floyd | This is more of an abstract space than a physical place, but it's
Floyd | marked by a feeling of duality, as if it somehow contains opposites
Floyd | within itself.  The only exit is a hole leading up.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni asks, "Ok, is this good or bad?"
DavidW says, "It's good."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 2                                     3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up.
Floyd |
Floyd | As you climb through the hole, at first it appears you are entering a
Floyd | dark blue nothingness.  But then you see, off to the "west," the white
Floyd | disk you were standing on earlier.  The white wand is lying on it,
Floyd | pointed in your direction.  As you stare at it, the wand begins to
Floyd | change shape!  It widens and flattens until it is the width of the
Floyd | disk.  Then the tip stretches toward you, the wand soon extending far
Floyd | beyond its original length.  The tip picks up speed, and it passes you
Floyd | almost faster than you can follow.  You get a last glimpse of the tip
Floyd | off in the distance before it is lost from sight.  Looking around, you
Floyd | find that the wand has become a line with numbers marked on it, a line
Floyd | that extends as far as you can see to the "east."  With some
Floyd | trepidation, you step onto this new line.
Floyd |
Floyd | Positive Axis: 2
Floyd | You are in a dark blue expanse of space, standing on a white line that
Floyd | stretches to the west and as far as you can see to the east.  The
Floyd | number 2 is marked on the line here.  There is a hole next to the 2
Floyd | large enough for you to climb down into.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Arithmetic has increased.  You estimate
Floyd | that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by one
Floyd | point.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Good, I'd say."
DavidW says, "You are discovering new things."
Guenni says, "Ok, that one even I get."
DavidW says, "You discovered Two by incrementing One."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  Two                                                  3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You clamber down the hole.
Floyd |
Floyd | Two
Floyd | This is more of an abstract space than a physical place, but it's
Floyd | marked by a feeling of duality, as if it somehow contains opposites
Floyd | within itself.  The only exit is a hole leading back up to the
Floyd | positive axis.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 2                                     3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up.
Floyd |
Floyd | Positive Axis: 2
Floyd | You are in a dark blue expanse of space, standing on a white line that
Floyd | stretches to the west and as far as you can see to the east.  The
Floyd | number 2 is marked on the line here.  There is a hole next to the 2
Floyd | large enough for you to climb down into.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "I say we stay positive for now, that's east. :-)"
Guenni says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 2                                     3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | You walk along the positive axis for a while, tracing the passage of
Floyd | the tip of the white wand.  You see marks for 3, 4, 5, and larger
Floyd | numbers.  There are no holes or anything else featured on this part of
Floyd | the positive axis, though, and you soon decide return to the 2 mark.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Aw."
Guenni says, "Looks like we have to cross cero after all."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 1                                     3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd | Positive Axis: 1
Floyd | You find yourself in a deep dark blue - almost black - expanse of
Floyd | space that extends as far as you can see in all three dimensions.  The
Floyd | space is broken up by the straight, flat white line floating in
Floyd | mid-air that you are standing on.  The line begins here and stretches
Floyd | out of sight to the east.  The number 1 is marked on the line.  While
Floyd | the line doesn't appear to be supported by anything, there is a hole
Floyd | in the middle of it here, next to the 1.
Floyd |
Floyd | Since the disk you were standing on earlier has now become the
Floyd | location of 1 on the positive axis, you find yourself wondering if
Floyd | this is the only space that has changed.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "You haven't discovered Zero yet."
Guenni says, "I just noticed."
Guenni says, "But so far, this is fun."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  One                                                  3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You clamber down the hole.
Floyd |
Floyd | One
Floyd | This is more of an abstract space than a physical place, but it gives
Floyd | you a sense of unity, wholeness, and beginnings.  A hole leads back up
Floyd | to the positive axis.  You sense another exit, too - one in a deeper,
Floyd | "downward" direction from this space.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  Form                                                 3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way down.
Floyd |
Floyd | This space seems more formed than it did the last time you were here.
Floyd |
Floyd | Form
Floyd | The space is now partially-formed, but it is still mostly unshaped
Floyd | matter.  Besides the way up to the manifestation of one, you can now
Floyd | sense several more "paths" through the void: north, south, east, and
Floyd | west.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni asks, "any preferences?"
zarf says, "check out zero first"
Guenni says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way west through the void.  As you do, you feel an
Floyd | electrical impulse course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Great Hall
Floyd | You are standing in the great hall of a large, cobwebby castle.  A
Floyd | long table stretches from one end of the hall to the other.  The
Floyd | entryway of the castle is to the east.  Exits west and south lead to
Floyd | other parts of the castle.
Floyd |
Floyd | On the long table is a pile of old coins.
Floyd |
Floyd | A large purple puppet is here, counting several coins laid out on the
Floyd | table.  He is talking to himself.  "... eight, nine, ten!  Ten coins!"
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW asks (of puppet), "Didn't I see you on my bedshets?"
zarf says, "fine, don't listen to me :)"
Knight_Otu says, ">count count"
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x puppet"
Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X PUPPET
Floyd |
Floyd | The Count is not a man but a purple puppet.  There is no one animating
Floyd | him, yet he talks and moves about.  You're definitely dreaming.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x cup"
Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X CUP
Floyd |
Floyd | You can't see any such thing, at least as described.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x coins"
Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X COINS
Floyd |
Floyd | This is a huge pile of coins.  You wonder if the Count knows exactly
Floyd | how many there are.  He probably does.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "ask count about coins"
Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > ASK COUNT ABOUT COINS
Floyd |
Floyd | It would be more polite to greet the Count first.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "greet count"
Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GREET COUNT
Floyd |
Floyd | The puppet looks up at your approach.  "I am the Count of this castle,
Floyd | and I love to count!  But I have a problem.  Maybe you can help.
Floyd |
Floyd | "I have ten different coins here that I have been flipping.  I want to
Floyd | count how many ways I can flip the ten coins and have half of them
Floyd | come up heads and half come up tails.  For example, one way is
Floyd | HHHHHTTTTT.  Another way is HTHTHTHTHT.  A third way is HTHHTTTTHH.
Floyd | That's three.  But there are a lot more than that, and I can't seem to
Floyd | count them because I can't keep track of all the combinations!
Floyd |
Floyd | "Here are some ideas.  I know that if I want 0 heads, then the answer
Floyd | is 1: TTTTTTTTTT.  I know that if I want 1 head, the answer is 10:
Floyd | HTTTTTTTTT, THTTTTTTTT, and so on, with one head for each of the other
Floyd | coins.  It took me a long time to find the answer with two heads, but
Floyd | I'm pretty sure I got it: 45.  But with three or more I can't keep
Floyd | track of what I've counted and what I haven't.
Floyd |
Floyd | "If you know the answer, please tell me!
Floyd |
Floyd | "I will be happy to let you have one of my coins if you can help me."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask count about big bird"
Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > ASK COUNT ABOUT BIG BIRD
Floyd |
Floyd | "I haven't seen him in a while," the Count says.  "I probably should
Floyd | go visit sometime soon."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says (to Floyd), "ask count about coins"
Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > ASK COUNT ABOUT COINS
Floyd |
Floyd | "Can you tell me how many ways there are to flip ten coins and get
Floyd | five heads and five tails?"
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "Gods, if I get tat correctly it's one less than the answer is like a safe with numbercombinations just with two and not nine."
Guenni says, "And yes, that only makes sense in my head."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "99"
Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > 99
Floyd |
Floyd | I didn't recognize that command.  (There is a list of recognized
Floyd | commands in the HELP menus.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "I *think* the answer is 252"
DavidW says (to Guenni), "I suggest coming back to this puzzle a bit later. There's stuff in the game that'll help answer it."
Guenni says, "ok."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Form                                                 3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move east, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Form
Floyd | The space is now partially-formed, but it is still mostly unshaped
Floyd | matter.  Besides the way up to the manifestation of one, you can now
Floyd | sense several more "paths" through the void: north, south, east, and
Floyd | west to the Great Hall.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way north through the void.  As you do, you feel an
Floyd | electrical impulse course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd | You stand in the Lyceum, a collection of buildings and open spaces in
Floyd | ancient Athens.  There is a stadium to the west, a temple lies north,
Floyd | and you can see a private home with an ornate doorway to the east.  A
Floyd | road leads northeast out of Athens, and the rest of the city lies
Floyd | south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Southern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Temple of Number, Southern End
Floyd | You stand in the southern end of the Temple of Number.  The temple is
Floyd | made of white stone and features imposing Ionic columns.  There is an
Floyd | inscription on the wall, the rest of the temple is to the north, and
Floyd | the exit to the Lyceum is south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "read inscription"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Southern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > READ INSCRIPTION
Floyd |
Floyd | "Number is the origin of all things."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Temple of Number, Northern End
Floyd | You stand in the northern end of the Temple of Number.  The temple is
Floyd | made of white stone and features imposing Ionic columns.  Instead of
Floyd | the half-expected statue of Athena Parthenos, though, stands a large
Floyd | statue of Pythagoras.  Behind the statue is a small passageway heading
Floyd | north.
Floyd |
Floyd | An acolyte is here, silently cleaning up the area around the statue.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can also see a trash urn and a scrap of papyrus here.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte picks up the scrap of papyrus from the floor.  She reads
Floyd | it carefully, nods, and tosses it in the urn.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x urn"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X URN
Floyd |
Floyd | This large urn is decorated with tasteful depictions of various
Floyd | numbers.
Floyd |
Floyd | In the trash urn is a scrap of papyrus.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte polishes an already spotless part of the statue.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "take scrap"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TAKE SCRAP
Floyd |
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte pokes at a corner of the temple with her broom.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "read it"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > READ IT
Floyd |
Floyd | This appears to be a piece torn from some religious scroll.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Number is the origin of all things.
Floyd |
Floyd | Number has two basic forms: The odd and the even.  Each thing is odd
Floyd | or even or is a ΛΟΓΟΣ, or ratio, made from odd and even.
Floyd |
Floyd | 1.  Odd things include the statue of Him in our temple, which is one.
Floyd |
Floyd | 2.  Even things include the primary sources of light in our sky - the
Floyd | sun and moon, which are two.
Floyd |
Floyd | 3.  ΛΟΓΟΣ things include the seasons, which represent the ratio of
Floyd | one
Floyd | year into four parts.
Floyd |
Floyd | Nothing which is not odd, even, or a ratio from odd and even can
Floyd | exist."
Floyd |
Floyd | [If the Greek letters are not displaying correctly, you may type
Floyd | SYMBOLS OFF to turn off the use of Greek letters and mathematical
Floyd | symbols for the remainder of the game.]
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte polishes an already spotless part of the statue.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x statue"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X STATUE
Floyd |
Floyd | This large statue of Pythagoras dominates the north end of the temple.
Floyd | A small passageway is behind the statue, leading north.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte picks up a speck of dust from the floor of the temple.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "We probably want SYMBOLS OFF."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "greet acolyte"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GREET ACOLYTE
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte is focused on her cleaning, and she ignores you.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte sweeps the area in front of the statue.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "That's probably the job you'll end up in, if you mess up this exam."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte stops you.  She shakes her head silently.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte polishes an already spotless part of the statue.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "i"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > I
Floyd |
Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd |   a scrap of papyrus
Floyd |   your math book
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte pokes at a corner of the temple with her broom.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni asks, "Is this a matter of not yet, or a matter entering without stuff?"
DavidW says, "Mostly not yet, because you need something to help you here which you don't have yet."
Knight_Otu asks, "She might be objecting to the papyrus that you took out of the urn?"
Knight_Otu says, "Oh."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "put scrap in urn"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT SCRAP IN URN
Floyd |
Floyd | You put the scrap of papyrus into the trash urn.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte sweeps the area in front of the statue.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte stops you.  She shakes her head silently.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte gazes up at the statue with a reverent look on her face.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "Don't forget that you can look up topics in your math book."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "climb statue"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > CLIMB STATUE
Floyd |
Floyd | That would be rather sacrilegious.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte polishes an already spotless part of the statue.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "drop book"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > DROP BOOK
Floyd |
Floyd | Dropped.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte picks up a speck of dust from the floor of the temple.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte walks over to where you dropped the math book and looks
Floyd | around.  Not seeing anything, she returns to her work.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte stops you.  She shakes her head silently.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte polishes an already spotless part of the statue.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "take book"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TAKE BOOK
Floyd |
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte gazes up at the statue with a reverent look on her face.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x statue"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X STATUE
Floyd |
Floyd | This large statue of Pythagoras dominates the north end of the temple.
Floyd | A small passageway is behind the statue, leading north.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte pokes at a corner of the temple with her broom.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "look up pythagoras"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK UP PYTHAGORAS
Floyd |
Floyd | (in your math book)
Floyd | Pythagoras was an ancient Greek mathematician.  He also founded a
Floyd | quasi-religious order whose key belief was that numbers (by which they
Floyd | meant the positive integers) are the basis of everything in the
Floyd | universe.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Pythagorean Theorem says that the square of the diagonal of a
Floyd | right triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of the sides, or, in
Floyd | symbols, a² + b² = c².  While this
Floyd | theorem
Floyd | is named for Pythagoras, there is no conclusive evidence that he
Floyd | actually proved the theorem.  It probably led to the downfall of his
Floyd | religious cult, though.  If you take a right triangle with sides of
Floyd | length 1, the Pythagorean Theorem says that the length of the diagonal
Floyd | must be the square root of 2.  The proof that the square root of 2 is
Floyd | irrational - by one of the Pythagoreans - invalidated their key belief
Floyd | in numbers.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte picks up a speck of dust from the floor of the temple.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x acolyte"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X ACOLYTE
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte is wearing pure white robes and wields a broom.  She
Floyd | doesn't look much like the conversational type.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte pokes at a corner of the temple with her broom.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "Goodness, my mudclient allows superscript-2."
Guenni asks, "What's that?"
Guenni says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Southern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Temple of Number, Southern End
Floyd | You stand in the southern end of the Temple of Number.  The temple is
Floyd | made of white stone and features imposing Ionic columns.  There is an
Floyd | inscription on the wall, the rest of the temple is to the north, and
Floyd | the exit to the Lyceum is south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "The character in the equation above."
DavidW says, "²"
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x columns"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Southern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X COLUMNS
Floyd |
Floyd | These imposing columns are made of white stone and feature Ionic
Floyd | capitals.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x capitals"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Southern End                       3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X CAPITALS
Floyd |
Floyd | You see nothing special about the capitals.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd | You stand in the Lyceum, a collection of buildings and open spaces in
Floyd | ancient Athens.  There is a stadium to the west, a temple lies north,
Floyd | and you can see a private home with an ornate doorway to the east.  A
Floyd | road leads northeast out of Athens, and the rest of the city lies
Floyd | south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni asks, "Home or stadium?"
Knight_Otu says, "I'd say home first."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | Some force blocks you from stepping through the doorway of the home.
Floyd | Ignorance may be bliss, but a little knowledge would go a long way
Floyd | here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "Moot point. You won't be able to enter the home yet."
DavidW says (to Floyd), "x doorway"
Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X DOORWAY
Floyd |
Floyd | There is a rather ornate doorway here - but no door.  Written above
Floyd | the doorway is the phrase "Let no one ignorant of geometry enter."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "So we noticed. :-)"
Guenni says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Stadium                                              3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Stadium
Floyd | This is a stadium in ancient Athens.  The stadium itself consists of
Floyd | raised ground on either side of a race track about 200 meters long.
Floyd | The rest of the Lyceum is back east.
Floyd |
Floyd | Achilles sits by the side of the race track with his head in his
Floyd | hands.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Now where do we get a tortoise."
Guenni says, "Sounds more like a broken foot to me."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "greet achilles"
Floyd ]  Stadium                                              3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GREET ACHILLES
Floyd |
Floyd | Achilles looks up.  "I'm the fastest man in Greece.  Then this guy
Floyd | Zeno challenged me to a 200-meter race with a tortoise, under two
Floyd | conditions: (1) I had to be willing to give the tortoise a head start
Floyd | of 100 meters, and (2) every time I got to where I last saw the
Floyd | tortoise I had to look up and mark its position.  Of course I can beat
Floyd | a tortoise, even with that much head start, right?  But no.  Watch."
Floyd |
Floyd | Achilles snaps his fingers, and from somewhere in the grass of the
Floyd | raised ground comes a tortoise.  The tortoise ambles to the 100-meter
Floyd | mark, and Achilles heads to the start.  They take off.  When Achilles
Floyd | reaches the halfway mark, he looks up, and the tortoise is ahead of
Floyd | him.  Achilles notes its position, races to that position, and looks
Floyd | up.  The tortoise is still ahead of him.  He does this again.  The
Floyd | tortoise is still ahead.  And again.  The tortoise is, once more,
Floyd | ahead.  Every time Achilles looks up he's closer to the tortoise, but
Floyd | he never quite catches up to it!  Finally he stops running and looks
Floyd | over at you forlornly.  The tortoise crosses the finish line, flashes
Floyd | a chelonian smile at Achilles, and disappears to wherever it was
Floyd | before.
Floyd |
Floyd | Achilles says, "You see?  I can't catch up to the tortoise if every
Floyd | time I run to where it was before, it's still ahead of me!"
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "Tortoise does cameo-entrances and exits."
zarf says, "let me just say that no tortoise has ever won a race from the inside of a soup tureen, if you know what I mean, and I do mean soup."
Guenni says, "Ok, you were right and I get a discworld flashback."
DavidW says, "Shame we didn't bring a dictionary into this dream as well so we could look up 'chelonian'."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x track"
Floyd ]  Stadium                                              3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X TRACK
Floyd |
Floyd | The race track is made of hard-packed clay and is about 200 meters
Floyd | long.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "I've never had turtle soup or mock turtle soup."
Guenni says, "me neither."
Knight_Otu says, "I've once read a novel where Zeno ruled a world that ran on this paradox."
Guenni says, "I don't think we can do much here."
Knight_Otu says, "Or related ones, at least."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd | You stand in the Lyceum, a collection of buildings and open spaces in
Floyd | ancient Athens.  There is a stadium to the west, a temple lies north,
Floyd | and you can see a private home with an ornate doorway to the east.  A
Floyd | road leads northeast out of Athens, and the rest of the city lies
Floyd | south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Yeah, not sure what we can do here yet."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Form                                                 3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move south, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Form
Floyd | The space is now partially-formed, but it is still mostly unshaped
Floyd | matter.  Besides the way up to the manifestation of one, you can now
Floyd | sense several more "paths" through the void: north to the Lyceum,
Floyd | south, east, and west to the Great Hall.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "There's more of the Count's castle, and areas east and south of Form."
Guenni nods. We just meant the stadium
DavidW says, "oh, and a track northeast from the Lyceum."
Guenni says, "Yeah, My inner map got confused. I hadn't planned on leaving athens just yet"
Guenni says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way north through the void.  As you do, you feel an
Floyd | electrical impulse course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd | You stand in the Lyceum, a collection of buildings and open spaces in
Floyd | ancient Athens.  There is a stadium to the west, a temple lies north,
Floyd | and you can see a private home with an ornate doorway to the east.  A
Floyd | road leads northeast out of Athens, and the rest of the city lies
Floyd | south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni has had her fill of playing for now, and goes back to the Lounge.
Guenni arrives, full of fun, but no funk.
Guenni says (to Floyd), "ne"
Floyd ]  Royal Road                                           3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > NE
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Royal Road
Floyd | This flat, paved road runs from southwest to northeast.  However, you
Floyd | also spot a steep path leaving the road and winding its way north up
Floyd | the hillside.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "It is a bit misleading of an description"
Guenni says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Hilltop                                              3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | It's an arduous trek up the path.  By the time you reach the top you
Floyd | are winded.
Floyd |
Floyd | Hilltop
Floyd | You stand on top of a small hill just north of Athens.  A winding path
Floyd | leads south, back down to the Royal Road.
Floyd |
Floyd | The great geometer Euclid is sitting here.  He appears to be lost in
Floyd | thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "greet geometer"
Floyd ]  Hilltop                                              3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GREET GEOMETER
Floyd |
Floyd | "Oh!  Hello.  Sorry.  Please accept my apologies if you've been
Floyd | standing there a while.  Sometimes I don't notice what's going on
Floyd | around me when I'm doing geometry."
Floyd |
Floyd | You give Euclid a nod, as if to say that there's no need to apologize.
Floyd | He interprets it as interest.
Floyd |
Floyd | "I was just thinking about the postulates in my Elements.
Floyd | These are what I call the basic truths on which I build all of my
Floyd | geometric arguments.  I'm happy with the first four, but the fifth one
Floyd | is too... I don't know... wordy?
Floyd |
Floyd | "It's basically equivalent to saying this: Given any straight line and
Floyd | a point not on that line, there exists exactly one other straight line
Floyd | that passes through the point and never intersects the first line.
Floyd | This is true no matter how far you extend the two lines.  So there's
Floyd | exactly one other line that's parallel to the first line and
Floyd | that goes through the point.
Floyd |
Floyd | "I'm trying to figure out how to derive this one from the first four
Floyd | so that I don't have to claim it as a postulate.  But I can't seem to
Floyd | do it.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Is it obvious that if you start with a point and a line, there's
Floyd | exactly one other line that goes through the point and never touches
Floyd | the first line?  Or is that not even true?
Floyd |
Floyd | "If you have any ideas about how to prove this, or run across any
Floyd | examples where there are no lines or two or more lines through the
Floyd | point that don't touch the first line, please tell me about them!
Floyd |
Floyd | "And here.  This will help you remember my postulates."  He hands you
Floyd | a scroll.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "read scroll"
Floyd ]  Hilltop                                              3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > READ SCROLL
Floyd |
Floyd | "First postulate: You can draw a straight line from any point to any
Floyd | other point.
Floyd |
Floyd | Second postulate: You can extend a finite straight line continuously
Floyd | in a straight line.
Floyd |
Floyd | Third postulate: You can draw a circle with any center and any radius.
Floyd |
Floyd | Fourth postulate: All right (90 degree) angles are equal to each
Floyd | other.
Floyd |
Floyd | Fifth postulate (rephrased, also known as the parallel
Floyd | postulate): Given a line and a point not on the line, there is
Floyd | exactly one other line that goes through the point that never touches
Floyd | the first line."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Eschar arrives, full of neither funk nor fun.
Guenni says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  Royal Road                                           3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You make the somewhat less arduous trek back down the path.
Floyd |
Floyd | Royal Road
Floyd | This flat, paved road runs from southwest to northeast.  However, you
Floyd | also spot a steep path leaving the road and winding its way north up
Floyd | the hillside.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "ne"
Floyd ]  Dead End                                             3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > NE
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Dead End
Floyd | Apparently the royal road doesn't lead anywhere; you've come to a dead
Floyd | end.  You may follow it back to the southwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "sw"
Floyd ]  Royal Road                                           3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SW
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Royal Road
Floyd | This flat, paved road runs from southwest to northeast.  However, you
Floyd | also spot a steep path leaving the road and winding its way north up
Floyd | the hillside.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Eschar enters a generic vehicle.
Guenni says (to Floyd), "sw"
Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SW
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd | You stand in the Lyceum, a collection of buildings and open spaces in
Floyd | ancient Athens.  There is a stadium to the west, a temple lies north,
Floyd | and you can see a private home with an ornate doorway to the east.  A
Floyd | road leads northeast out of Athens, and the rest of the city lies
Floyd | south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "Ok, the authors' map is the confused one. :P"
Eschar gets out.
Eschar exits the vehicle. DavidW asks (of Guenni), "hm?"
Guenni says, "It says the rest of the city lies south and the way out is northeast."
Eschar plays a piece on the keyboard, somewhat reminiscent of something written by Schubert, but at a seemingly slow pace, and still missing half the notes, for that matter. Knight_Otu says, "I don't think it's confused, just misleading."
Eschar punches the dummy.
Eschar stomps the dummy.
Eschar throttles the dummy.
Guenni says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Form                                                 3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move south, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Form
Floyd | The space is now partially-formed, but it is still mostly unshaped
Floyd | matter.  Besides the way up to the manifestation of one, you can now
Floyd | sense several more "paths" through the void: north to the Lyceum,
Floyd | south, east, and west to the Great Hall.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Eschar fires the dummy, from a small cannon.
DavidW says (to Eschar), "Could you not do that? We're in the middle of a game."
Eschar says, "I apologize."
Eschar disappears through an invisible gap in the MUD. You think you may have heard the sounds of chatting before the gap closed again. Guenni says, "You know, "please" rarely hurts."
DavidW asks, "Did I make a mistake?"
Guenni asks, "Ok, once more into the castle?"
Knight_Otu says, "Sure, castle."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way west through the void.  As you do, you feel an
Floyd | electrical impulse course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Great Hall
Floyd | You are standing in the great hall of a large, cobwebby castle.  A
Floyd | long table stretches from one end of the hall to the other.  The
Floyd | entryway of the castle is to the east.  Exits west and south lead to
Floyd | other parts of the castle.
Floyd |
Floyd | On the long table is a pile of old coins.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Count is here, sitting at the table.  He mumbles something that
Floyd | sounds like "three."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Castle Chapel                                        3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Castle Chapel
Floyd | This small chapel does not appear to be dedicated to God or gods;
Floyd | instead, it looks like a place for the worship of numbers.  Icons are
Floyd | placed at regular intervals around the walls.  The exit to the Great
Floyd | Hall is back east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "I don't think you made a mistake, David."
Knight_Otu says, "Though you may have sounded sterner than intended."
DavidW says, "I know my leadership skills aren't the best."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x icons"
Floyd ]  Castle Chapel                                        3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X ICONS
Floyd |
Floyd | Most of the icons are highly stylized representations of a single
Floyd | number, such as three, one, or four.  One icon, though, is a little
Floyd | different: It consists of a number triangle.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x triangle"
Floyd ]  Castle Chapel                                        3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X TRIANGLE
Floyd |
Floyd | The number triangle on the icon looks like this:
Floyd |
Floyd |  1
Floyd |  1   1
Floyd |  1   2   1
Floyd |  1   3   3   1
Floyd |  1   4   6   4   1
Floyd |  1   5  10  10   5   1
Floyd |  1   6  15  20  15   6   1
Floyd |  1   7  21  35  35  21   7   1
Floyd |  1   8  28  56  70  56  28   8   1
Floyd |
Floyd |  The words "Pascal's Triangle" appear underneath the numbers.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "Ok a triangle is above my visual/mental capabilities."
Guenni says, "At least, a triangle like this."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "look up pascal"
Floyd ]  Castle Chapel                                        3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK UP PASCAL
Floyd |
Floyd | (in your math book)
Floyd | Blaise Pascal was a French mathematician, scientist, philosopher, and
Floyd | theologian.  He is known for constructing one of the first mechanical
Floyd | calculators, for his work in projective geometry, and for his work in
Floyd | hydrodynamics.  A unit of pressure is named after him, as is the
Floyd | triangle of numbers known as "Pascal's triangle."
Floyd |
Floyd | Pascal was also one of the founders of the field of probability.
Floyd | While his initial work in probability was to solve gambling problems,
Floyd | he applied his insights to other areas of human knowledge as well.
Floyd | For example, Pascal's wager consists of one of the first uses
Floyd | of expected values.  In it, Pascal argues that, in the absence of
Floyd | conclusive evidence as to the existence of God, the payoffs for
Floyd | believing in God (infinite happiness if God exists, nothing if God
Floyd | does not) versus not believing in God (eternal damnation if God
Floyd | exists, nothing if God does not) are such that it is more reasonable
Floyd | for humans to bet on belief in God.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
yournamehere arrives, full of fun, but no funk. DavidW says, "You can look up pascal's traingle, as well."
DavidW says, "er triangle"
Guenni says (to Floyd), "look up pascal's triangle"
Floyd ]  Castle Chapel                                        3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK UP PASCAL'S TRIANGLE
Floyd |
Floyd | (in your math book)
Floyd | Pascal's triangle is a triangle of numbers that have several
Floyd | interpretations.  One meaning is that the number in the nth
Floyd | row, kth column (denoted C(n,k)) is the number of
Floyd | committees of size k that can be formed from n
Floyd | people.  An equivalent interpretation is that C(n,k) is the
Floyd | number of sequences of 1's and 0's that have length n and
Floyd | contain exactly k 1's.
Floyd |
Floyd | Another, different kind of meaning of the numbers in Pascal's triangle
Floyd | is that they are the coefficients when expanding
Floyd | (x+1) in powers of x.  For example,
Floyd | (x+1)⁵ = x⁵ + 5x⁴ + 10x³ +
Floyd | 10x²+ 5x + 1, and the coefficients 1, 5, 10, 10, 5,
Floyd | 1 are the numbers in row 5 in Pascal's triangle.
Floyd |
Floyd | Pascal's triangle can be generated very easily: The numbers in the
Floyd | leftmost column are all 1's, and the numbers in the right diagonal are
Floyd | all 1's as well.  Otherwise, to get C(n,k), you add
Floyd | C(n-1,k) and C(n-1,k-1).  In other words, to obtain
Floyd | the number you want, you add the number to its "north" and to its
Floyd | "northwest" in the triangle.
Floyd |
Floyd | Pascal's triangle is indexed starting with 0 rather than 1: The
Floyd | initial row is row 0, not row 1, and the leftmost column is column 0,
Floyd | not column 1.
Floyd |
Floyd | (Unfortunately, the page giving the first several rows of Pascal's
Floyd | triangle appears to be torn out of your math book.  You did buy it
Floyd | used, after all.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "I guess that's better for our mathal health, anyway."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Great Hall
Floyd | You are standing in the great hall of a large, cobwebby castle.  A
Floyd | long table stretches from one end of the hall to the other.  The
Floyd | entryway of the castle is to the east.  Exits west and south lead to
Floyd | other parts of the castle.
Floyd |
Floyd | On the long table is a pile of old coins.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Count is here, sitting at the table.  He mumbles something that
Floyd | sounds like "two."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Solar                                                3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Solar
Floyd | This is a smaller, cozier room than the great hall to the north.  A
Floyd | sumptuous tapestry hangs on one wall, and there is a side table
Floyd | beneath it.
Floyd |
Floyd | A large bronze box lies on the side table.
Floyd |
Floyd | Another large purple puppet is here, fiddling disgruntledly with the
Floyd | bronze box.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x puppet"
Floyd ]  Solar                                                3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X PUPPET
Floyd |
Floyd | She looks much like the Count, except that she sports a large mop of
Floyd | blonde hair.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "greet puppet"
Floyd ]  Solar                                                3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GREET PUPPET
Floyd |
Floyd | You approach the purple puppet and introduce yourself.  She steps back
Floyd | from the bronze box and says, "Please forgive my manners!  I was
Floyd | preoccupied with my mechanical calculator.
Floyd |
Floyd | "I am the Countess of this castle.  Like my husband, I love to count!
Floyd | And I love to work large multiplication problems with my mechanical
Floyd | calculator.  Unfortunately, it seems to be broken now, and I'm not
Floyd | sure how to fix it.
Floyd |
Floyd | "If you have any questions for me, please feel free to ask.
Floyd | Otherwise, I'd really like to get this fixed."
Floyd |
Floyd | She turns back to the bronze box.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu exclaims, "This is getting out of hand, now there's two of them!"
Guenni laughs.
DavidW says, "Two! Two purple puppets, ha ha ha."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x box"
Floyd ]  Solar                                                3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X BOX
Floyd |
Floyd | This bronze box has several knobs and small wheels on it.  It appears
Floyd | to be a primitive mechanical calculator.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni asks, "What, no Abacus?"
Guenni says (to Floyd), "ask puppet about box"
Floyd ]  Solar                                                3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > ASK PUPPET ABOUT BOX
Floyd |
Floyd | "It seems to be broken.  It would be nice to have it fixed!"
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x tapestry"
Floyd ]  Solar                                                3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X TAPESTRY
Floyd |
Floyd | This is a beautiful tapestry, consisting of several mathematical
Floyd | symbols woven together in an intricate pattern.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x symbols"
Floyd ]  Solar                                                3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X SYMBOLS
Floyd |
Floyd | They're symbolic.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "Of course they are."
Guenni blows bad pun trumpet.
Guenni says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Great Hall
Floyd | You are standing in the great hall of a large, cobwebby castle.  A
Floyd | long table stretches from one end of the hall to the other.  The
Floyd | entryway of the castle is to the east.  Exits west and south lead to
Floyd | other parts of the castle.
Floyd |
Floyd | On the long table is a pile of old coins.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Count is here, sitting at the table.  He mumbles something that
Floyd | sounds like "three."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Form                                                 3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move east, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Form
Floyd | The space is now partially-formed, but it is still mostly unshaped
Floyd | matter.  Besides the way up to the manifestation of one, you can now
Floyd | sense several more "paths" through the void: north to the Lyceum,
Floyd | south, east, and west to the Great Hall.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says (to Guenni), "Really, you should play cymbals."
Knight_Otu says, "Ow."
Guenni drums on her keyboard.
Guenni asks, "East or south?"
Knight_Otu says, "Let's not harp on these puns anymore."
Knight_Otu asks, "South?"
Guenni says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Librarian's Office                                   3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way south through the void.  As you do, you feel an
Floyd | electrical impulse course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Librarian's Office
Floyd | This appears to be the head librarian's office in the Great Library of
Floyd | Alexandria.  Scrolls litter the floor.  The main part of the library
Floyd | is north of you.
Floyd |
Floyd | The numbers from 1 to 100 are carved on the wall here, in some kind of
Floyd | puzzle.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x puzzle"
Floyd ]  Librarian's Office                                   3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X PUZZLE
Floyd |
Floyd | On the wall are carved numbers from 1 to 100, in ten rows of ten each.
Floyd | It looks like you could push any of the numbers.  Next to the numbers
Floyd | is a switch, with two settings: "Remove Number," and "Remove Larger
Floyd | Multiples of the Number."  The switch is currently set to "Remove
Floyd | Number," although you could easily move it to the other setting by
Floyd | flipping the switch.  The numbers currently look like this:
Floyd |
Floyd |  1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9  10
Floyd | 11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20
Floyd | 21  22  23  24  25  26  27  28  29  30
Floyd | 31  32  33  34  35  36  37  38  39  40
Floyd | 41  42  43  44  45  46  47  48  49  50
Floyd | 51  52  53  54  55  56  57  58  59  60
Floyd | 61  62  63  64  65  66  67  68  69  70
Floyd | 71  72  73  74  75  76  77  78  79  80
Floyd | 81  82  83  84  85  86  87  88  89  90
Floyd | 91  92  93  94  95  96  97  98  99  100
Floyd |
Floyd | At the bottom is a challenge from the librarian: "To access the map
Floyd | room, leave just the primes between 1 and 100 by pushing only five
Floyd | numbers."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Hm. 2, 3, 5, 7, 11. If we switch to larger multiples and push those, I think that would be it."
Guenni asks, "Do we want to tackle this now?"
Knight_Otu says, "I do think we're able to."
Guenni says, "It sounds at least doable."
DavidW says, "This puzzle is very doable now."
Guenni says, "I'd say we should check what's the highest prime number is first."
yournamehere has had his fill of playing for now, and goes back to the Lounge.
DavidW says (to Floyd), "look up primes in book"
Floyd ]  Librarian's Office                                   3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK UP PRIMES IN BOOK
Floyd |
Floyd | A positive integer is prime if it is divisible by exactly two positive
Floyd | integers: itself and 1.  The numbers 7, 29, and 43 are all examples of
Floyd | primes.  The number 1 is not prime because it is only divisible by one
Floyd | positive integer (itself), rather than two.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "look up prime numbers"
Floyd ]  Librarian's Office                                   3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK UP PRIME NUMBERS
Floyd |
Floyd | (in your math book)
Floyd | A positive integer is prime if it is divisible by exactly two positive
Floyd | integers: itself and 1.  The numbers 7, 29, and 43 are all examples of
Floyd | primes.  The number 1 is not prime because it is only divisible by one
Floyd | positive integer (itself), rather than two.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "Well, I knew that. I had hoped for a table."
DavidW says, "Still, it means that KO's guess won't work because 1 would still be on the board."
Knight_Otu says, "Yeah."
DavidW says, "You were close, though."
Guenni says, "I hadn't thought much further."
Knight_Otu says, "I don't think we need the 11. Every multiple that matters would be eliminated by the others."
DavidW says, "Yes. Because 11 squared is greater than 100."
Knight_Otu says, "That would free up pushing 1 with the switch on eliminate number."
Guenni says, "Eleven is a prime number, so it has to stay anyway"
Guenni asks, "Or won't the numbers themselves be removed if the switch is switched?"
Knight_Otu says, "True, but with the switch on larger multiples, it wouldn't have been removed."
DavidW says, "The multiples setting doesn't remove the number itself, correct."
Guenni says, "Well if we use 3 6 and 9 multiples will go away as well."
Guenni says, "And with 2 we get all the even numbers."
DavidW says (to Floyd), "look up sieve in book"
Floyd ]  Librarian's Office                                   3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK UP SIEVE IN BOOK
Floyd |
Floyd | That topic is not listed in the index.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Yeah, so we push 1, switch the switch, then push 2, 3, 5, and 7."
Guenni nods.
DavidW says (to Knight_Otu), "yes."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "push 1"
Floyd ]  Librarian's Office                                   3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH 1
Floyd |
Floyd | The number 1 fades into the wall until you can barely see it anymore.
Floyd | The numbers now look like this:
Floyd |
Floyd |      2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9  10
Floyd | 11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20
Floyd | 21  22  23  24  25  26  27  28  29  30
Floyd | 31  32  33  34  35  36  37  38  39  40
Floyd | 41  42  43  44  45  46  47  48  49  50
Floyd | 51  52  53  54  55  56  57  58  59  60
Floyd | 61  62  63  64  65  66  67  68  69  70
Floyd | 71  72  73  74  75  76  77  78  79  80
Floyd | 81  82  83  84  85  86  87  88  89  90
Floyd | 91  92  93  94  95  96  97  98  99  100
Floyd |
Floyd | You have used 1 push so far.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "push switch"
Floyd ]  Librarian's Office                                   3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH SWITCH
Floyd |
Floyd | You flip the switch to "Remove Larger Multiples of the Number."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "push 2"
Floyd ]  Librarian's Office                                   3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH 2
Floyd |
Floyd | All visible multiples of 2 larger than 2 fade into the wall until you
Floyd | can barely see them anymore.  The numbers now look like this:
Floyd |
Floyd |      2   3       5       7       9
Floyd | 11      13      15      17      19
Floyd | 21      23      25      27      29
Floyd | 31      33      35      37      39
Floyd | 41      43      45      47      49
Floyd | 51      53      55      57      59
Floyd | 61      63      65      67      69
Floyd | 71      73      75      77      79
Floyd | 81      83      85      87      89
Floyd | 91      93      95      97      99
Floyd |
Floyd | You have used 2 pushes so far.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "push 3"
Floyd ]  Librarian's Office                                   3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH 3
Floyd |
Floyd | All visible multiples of 3 larger than 3 fade into the wall until you
Floyd | can barely see them anymore.  The numbers now look like this:
Floyd |
Floyd |      2   3       5       7
Floyd | 11      13              17      19
Floyd |         23      25              29
Floyd | 31              35      37
Floyd | 41      43              47      49
Floyd |         53      55              59
Floyd | 61              65      67
Floyd | 71      73              77      79
Floyd |         83      85              89
Floyd | 91              95      97
Floyd |
Floyd | You have used 3 pushes so far.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "push 5"
Floyd ]  Librarian's Office                                   3/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH 5
Floyd |
Floyd | All visible multiples of 5 larger than 5 fade into the wall until you
Floyd | can barely see them anymore.  The numbers now look like this:
Floyd |
Floyd |      2   3       5       7
Floyd | 11      13              17      19
Floyd |         23                      29
Floyd | 31                      37
Floyd | 41      43              47      49
Floyd |         53                      59
Floyd | 61                      67
Floyd | 71      73              77      79
Floyd |         83                      89
Floyd | 91                      97
Floyd |
Floyd | You have used 4 pushes so far.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "push 7"
Floyd ]  Librarian's Office                                   6/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH 7
Floyd |
Floyd | All visible multiples of 7 larger than 7 fade into the wall until you
Floyd | can barely see them anymore.  The numbers now look like this:
Floyd |
Floyd |      2   3       5       7
Floyd | 11      13              17      19
Floyd |         23                      29
Floyd | 31                      37
Floyd | 41      43              47
Floyd |         53                      59
Floyd | 61                      67
Floyd | 71      73                      79
Floyd |         83                      89
Floyd |                         97
Floyd |
Floyd | After the fifth push, the wall flickers, but the numbers remain as
Floyd | they were.  Only the prime numbers between 1 and 100 are now visible!
Floyd |
Floyd | A part of the south wall slides open, revealing a room beyond.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Number Theory has increased.  You
Floyd | estimate that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by three
Floyd | points.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "yay"
Guenni exclaims, "Yeah!"
Guenni says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Map Room                                             6/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Map Room
Floyd | This room is quite large to be a side room just off the librarian's
Floyd | office.  The walls are covered with maps, and an exit leads back north
Floyd | to the librarian's office.
Floyd |
Floyd | A huge globe sits on a pedestal in the center of the room.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu exclaims, "Woo!"
Ellison arrives, ready to play with the toys. Guenni says (to Ellison), "Be ready for mental math."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x globe"
Floyd ]  Map Room                                             6/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X GLOBE
Floyd |
Floyd | This appears to be the librarian's model of the earth, and it is much
Floyd | larger than you are.  It's incomplete, as it only shows the parts of
Floyd | the world that were known in Alexandria at this time.  However, it
Floyd | does have lines of latitude and meridians of longitude marked on it.
Floyd |
Floyd | The globe doesn't fit perfectly on its pedestal, though; there is a
Floyd | small gap between the pedestal and the globe.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x gap"
Floyd ]  Map Room                                             6/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X GAP
Floyd |
Floyd | Since the globe doesn't fit perfectly on the pedestal, there is a
Floyd | small gap between the edge of the pedestal and the globe.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x pedestal"
Floyd ]  Map Room                                             6/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X PEDESTAL
Floyd |
Floyd | This short pedestal supports the globe.  The globe doesn't fit
Floyd | perfectly on the pedestal, though; there is a small gap between the
Floyd | pedestal and the globe.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Ellison says (to Floyd), "spin globe"
Floyd ]  Map Room                                             6/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SPIN GLOBE
Floyd |
Floyd | The globe rocks slightly on its pedestal - thanks to the small gap
Floyd | between the edge of the pedestal and the globe - but you're not strong
Floyd | enough to push it off.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Euclid may want to know about the globe."
Guenni says, "If you say so."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x maps"
Floyd ]  Map Room                                             6/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X MAPS
Floyd |
Floyd | The maps are mostly of parts of the eastern Mediterranean world:
Floyd | Egypt, Libya, Greece, Palestine, Anatolia.  None of them look
Floyd | particularly useful.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Librarian's Office                                   6/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Librarian's Office
Floyd | This appears to be the head librarian's office in the Great Library of
Floyd | Alexandria.  Scrolls litter the floor.  The main part of the library
Floyd | is north of you, and a side room lies to the south.
Floyd |
Floyd | You have solved the number puzzle on the wall here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x scrolls"
Floyd ]  Librarian's Office                                   6/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X SCROLLS
Floyd |
Floyd | There are many scrolls here.  None of them particularly catches your
Floyd | eye.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Form                                                 6/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move north, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Form
Floyd | The space is now partially-formed, but it is still mostly unshaped
Floyd | matter.  Besides the way up to the manifestation of one, you can now
Floyd | sense several more "paths" through the void: north to the Lyceum,
Floyd | south to the Librarian's Office, east, and west to the Great Hall.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               6/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way north through the void.  As you do, you feel an
Floyd | electrical impulse course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd | You stand in the Lyceum, a collection of buildings and open spaces in
Floyd | ancient Athens.  There is a stadium to the west, a temple lies north,
Floyd | and you can see a private home with an ornate doorway to the east.  A
Floyd | road leads northeast out of Athens, and the rest of the city lies
Floyd | south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "ne"
Floyd ]  Royal Road                                           6/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > NE
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Royal Road
Floyd | This flat, paved road runs from southwest to northeast.  However, you
Floyd | also spot a steep path leaving the road and winding its way north up
Floyd | the hillside.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Hilltop                                              6/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | It's an arduous trek up the path.  By the time you reach the top you
Floyd | are winded.
Floyd |
Floyd | Hilltop
Floyd | You stand on top of a small hill just north of Athens.  A winding path
Floyd | leads south, back down to the Royal Road.
Floyd |
Floyd | The great geometer Euclid is sitting here.  He appears to be lost in
Floyd | thought.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "greet euclid"
Floyd ]  Hilltop                                              6/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GREET EUCLID
Floyd |
Floyd | "Do you have any ideas about how to prove my parallel postulate?"
Floyd | Euclid asks.  "Or have you found any examples with no other lines
Floyd | through the point that don't touch the first line?  Or maybe examples
Floyd | with two or more lines through the point that don't touch the first
Floyd | line?  If so, please tell me about them!"
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "tell euclid about globe"
Floyd ]  Hilltop                                              6/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TELL EUCLID ABOUT GLOBE
Floyd |
Floyd | "A spherical model of the earth, huh?  Aristotle argued that the world
Floyd | is round, and so I'm not surprised that someone has created one of
Floyd | these.  Anything interesting marked on it?"
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni asks, "Damn, do you remember anyything?"
Knight_Otu says, "latitudes and longitudes."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "tell about latitudes"
Floyd ]  Hilltop                                              6/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TELL ABOUT LATITUDES
Floyd |
Floyd | (to Euclid)
Floyd | Euclid says, "I don't think that will help me prove or disprove my
Floyd | parallel postulate."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "tell about latitudes and longitudes"
Floyd ]  Hilltop                                              9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TELL ABOUT LATITUDES AND LONGITUDES
Floyd |
Floyd | (to Euclid)
Floyd | You describe the meridians of longitude that you saw on the globe in
Floyd | the Library of Alexandria.  Euclid becomes more and more agitated.  As
Floyd | you finish, Euclid almost cuts you off in his excitement.
Floyd |
Floyd | "That's it!" he says.  "If you take a meridian of longitude and a
Floyd | point not on that meridian, a second - parallel - meridian that goes
Floyd | through the point must intersect the first meridian at both the north
Floyd | and south poles!  So my parallel postulate is actually false:  If we
Floyd | think of lines as meridians of longitude, then there is no other line
Floyd | through the point that doesn't intersect the first line!
Floyd |
Floyd | "Wait."  He stops himself and thinks carefully for several minutes.
Floyd | You're afraid to interrupt him.  Suddenly, he starts laughing.  Soon
Floyd | he is laughing so hard he is doubled over, holding his stomach.  It
Floyd | takes him a few minutes to pull himself together.
Floyd |
Floyd | "I've been asking the wrong question!  The meridians of longitude
Floyd | don't prove my parallel postulate false; they just represent a
Floyd | different system of geometry!  The parallel postulate as I first
Floyd | stated it is true on a flat plane. The meridians of longitude
Floyd | help describe a 'parallel postulate' that would be true on a
Floyd | sphere!  You get a different system of geometry if you're on a
Floyd | flat plane versus a sphere!
Floyd |
Floyd | "The meridians of longitude were a brilliant suggestion!  I can't
Floyd | thank you enough, but please take this as a token of my appreciation."
Floyd | He hands you a copy of his Elements.
Floyd |
Floyd | "I've got to go write this down.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Hmmm...  No, on second thought I won't bother.  Trying to prove my
Floyd | parallel postulate will give mathematicians something to do for the
Floyd | next two thousand years!"
Floyd |
Floyd | Euclid walks down the winding path, laughing as he goes.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Geometry has increased.  You estimate
Floyd | that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by three
Floyd | points.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "Ok, with his explanation I got it."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "i"
Floyd ]  Hilltop                                              9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > I
Floyd |
Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd |   Elements
Floyd |   a scribbled scroll
Floyd |   your math book
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "And now that you know some Geometry, you should be able to enter that home now."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x emblement"
Floyd ]  Hilltop                                              9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X EMBLEMENT
Floyd |
Floyd | You can't see any such thing, at least as described.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "i"
Floyd ]  Hilltop                                              9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > I
Floyd |
Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd |   Elements
Floyd |   a scribbled scroll
Floyd |   your math book
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "elements"
Guenni says, "Ok, with his explanation I got it."
Guenni asks, "thanks. And did I mention hate and client lately?"
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x elements"
Floyd ]  Hilltop                                              9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X ELEMENTS
Floyd |
Floyd | This is a copy of the Elements of Euclid.  It's actually
Floyd | divided into thirteen books.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  Royal Road                                           9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You make the somewhat less arduous trek back down the path.
Floyd |
Floyd | Royal Road
Floyd | This flat, paved road runs from southwest to northeast.  However, you
Floyd | also spot a steep path leaving the road and winding its way north up
Floyd | the hillside.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "sw"
Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SW
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd | You stand in the Lyceum, a collection of buildings and open spaces in
Floyd | ancient Athens.  There is a stadium to the west, a temple lies north,
Floyd | and you can see a private home with an ornate doorway to the east.  A
Floyd | road leads northeast out of Athens, and the rest of the city lies
Floyd | south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Courtyard                                            9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | A force pushes back on you at the doorway.  You feel it testing your
Floyd | knowledge of geometry.  It seems to relent, grudgingly, allowing you
Floyd | to step into the private home.
Floyd |
Floyd | Courtyard
Floyd | You are standing in the courtyard of a home in ancient Athens.  The
Floyd | owner does not appear to be about.  A passage leads down, and the
Floyd | Lyceum is to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | In the middle of the courtyard stands a group of six elegant
Floyd | pedestals.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x pedestals"
Floyd ]  Courtyard                                            9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X PEDESTALS
Floyd |
Floyd | Five of the pedestals are arranged in a circle around the sixth.  The
Floyd | pedestals are distinguished by their tops: The five on the outside
Floyd | have tops in the form of a large triangle, a medium-sized triangle, a
Floyd | small triangle, a square, and a pentagon.  The top of the pedestal in
Floyd | the center is in the shape of a circle.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  Cave                                                 9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Cave
Floyd | Shadows dance along the wall of this dark cave, in the dim light
Floyd | filtering down from the courtyard above.  Pieces of broken chains lie
Floyd | scattered about the floor of the cave.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x pieces"
Floyd ]  Cave                                                 9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X PIECES
Floyd |
Floyd | The chains are all in pieces.  Whoever was imprisoned here must have
Floyd | escaped.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "take pieces"
Floyd ]  Cave                                                 9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TAKE PIECES
Floyd |
Floyd | The broken chain pieces are all worthless; they are not worth
Floyd | bothering with.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  Courtyard                                            9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Courtyard
Floyd | You are standing in the courtyard of a home in ancient Athens.  The
Floyd | owner does not appear to be about.  A passage leads down, and the
Floyd | Lyceum is to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | In the middle of the courtyard stands a group of six elegant
Floyd | pedestals.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "Hm, I don't see what we can/shell do here."
DavidW says, "Nothing just yet."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd | You stand in the Lyceum, a collection of buildings and open spaces in
Floyd | ancient Athens.  There is a stadium to the west, a temple lies north,
Floyd | and you can see a private home with an ornate doorway to the east.  A
Floyd | road leads northeast out of Athens, and the rest of the city lies
Floyd | south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Form                                                 9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move south, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Form
Floyd | The space is now partially-formed, but it is still mostly unshaped
Floyd | matter.  Besides the way up to the manifestation of one, you can now
Floyd | sense several more "paths" through the void: north to the Lyceum,
Floyd | south to the Librarian's Office, east, and west to the Great Hall.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way east through the void.  As you do, you feel an
Floyd | electrical impulse course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Scholar's Study
Floyd | You are in the House of Wisdom in early-medieval Baghdad, standing in
Floyd | what appears to be someone's private study.  The walls are covered in
Floyd | intricate geometric designs, and a low table stands in the middle of
Floyd | the room.  A small room lies to the south, and the rest of the House
Floyd | of Wisdom is to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | On the low table are a small coffer, a square root, and a formal note.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "Directions arent't his forte."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x coffer"
Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X COFFER
Floyd |
Floyd | This coffer appears to be of Indian origin.  It is currently closed.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "open coffer"
Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > OPEN COFFER
Floyd |
Floyd | You open the small coffer, revealing a white ring.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "take ring"
Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TAKE RING
Floyd |
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "The directions are sound. You're just not appreciating what it means."
Guenni says, "I think the cero might be around the corner."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > L
Floyd |
Floyd | Scholar's Study
Floyd | You are in the House of Wisdom in early-medieval Baghdad, standing in
Floyd | what appears to be someone's private study.  The walls are covered in
Floyd | intricate geometric designs, and a low table stands in the middle of
Floyd | the room.  A small room lies to the south, and the rest of the House
Floyd | of Wisdom is to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | On the low table are a small coffer, a square root, and a formal note.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "read note"
Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > READ NOTE
Floyd |
Floyd | The note reads,
Floyd |
Floyd | "Al-Khwarizmi,
Floyd |
Floyd | Our most recent investigations indicate at least two types of objects
Floyd | of power: Those activated by more-or-less normal use, and those
Floyd | activated by the appropriate word of power.
Floyd |
Floyd | This square object was recently given to the caliph.  It appears to be
Floyd | of the latter type.  Please examine it and let us know what you
Floyd | discover of it."
Floyd |
Floyd | Instead of a name, the note is signed with the first few digits of π:
Floyd | 3.1415.
Floyd |
Floyd | There is also a postscript: "By the way, thank you for the hint on
Floyd | your problem with the balances.  I had not realized that the weight of
Floyd | an object has nothing to do with that object's color."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni asks, "A piece of pie anyone?"
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x root"
Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X ROOT
Floyd |
Floyd | This is an unusual object.  It appears to be made of some tough
Floyd | vegetable matter - perhaps the root of a tree.  It's also in the shape
Floyd | of a perfect square. The word "EXTRACT" is written on it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW asks, "Cherry? Mince?"
Guenni says, "One of 42 kinds. :-)"
Guenni says (to Floyd), "take it"
Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TAKE IT
Floyd |
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Alcove
Floyd | This is a small, plain room just south of the study.
Floyd |
Floyd | The room is dominated by three large double-pan balance scales: a
Floyd | bronze one, a silver one, and a gold one.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "I've been to two different pie shops and neither has 42 kinds of pie at once."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x scales>"
Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X SCALES>
Floyd |
Floyd | You can't see any such thing, at least as described.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "You just didn't get far enough out into the galaxy."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x golden"
Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X GOLDEN
Floyd |
Floyd | You can't see any such thing, at least as described.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > L
Floyd |
Floyd | Alcove
Floyd | This is a small, plain room just south of the study.
Floyd |
Floyd | The room is dominated by three large double-pan balance scales: a
Floyd | bronze one, a silver one, and a gold one.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x gold"
Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X GOLD
Floyd |
Floyd | (the gold balance scale)
Floyd | This is a double-pan balance scale made of gold.  The left pan
Floyd | contains a yellow x block, a yellow z block, and
Floyd | four sand pebbles; the right pan contains a yellow y block
Floyd | and eight maize pebbles.  Inscribed on the base of the gold scale is
Floyd | the single letter z.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x silver"
Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X SILVER
Floyd |
Floyd | (the silver balance scale)
Floyd | This is a double-pan balance scale made of silver.  The left pan
Floyd | contains three gray y blocks and six ash pebbles; the right
Floyd | pan contains a gray x block and ten slate pebbles.  Inscribed
Floyd | on the base of the silver scale is the single letter y.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x bronze"
Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X BRONZE
Floyd |
Floyd | (the bronze balance scale)
Floyd | This is a double-pan balance scale made of bronze.  The left pan
Floyd | contains two brown x blocks and two tan pebbles; the right
Floyd | pan contains twelve sepia pebbles.  Inscribed on the base of the
Floyd | bronze scale is the single letter x.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Iria arrives, full of funk, but no fun. Guenni says, "Here's an equation for you Guenni -loo =wet chair."
Knight_Otu says, "So I guess the goal is to have the letter blocks on their respective scale, and the scales balanced."
Guenni says, "back in a minute."
Guenni says, "Back. and agrees."
Guenni says, "But don't really know how."
Guenni says, "I also think with the letters it's somehow about the three dimensions."
Knight_Otu says, "It's probably variables, as in x + 2 = 12"
Guenni says, "That's also possible."
DavidW says, "2x + 2 = 12, actually."
Knight_Otu says, "Right."
Knight_Otu says, "I misread that."
DavidW says, "So, solve for x."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "take one x"
Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TAKE ONE X
Floyd |
Floyd | (the brown x block)
Floyd | As you lift one of the brown x blocks off the left bronze pan
Floyd | it disappears.  The left pan rises somewhat and the right pan drops
Floyd | somewhat.
Floyd |
Floyd | Now the left pan of the bronze scale contains a brown x block
Floyd | and two tan pebbles, while the right pan contains twelve sepia
Floyd | pebbles.
Floyd |
Floyd | The bronze scale is out of balance and tips over.  As it rights
Floyd | itself, you see that all the blocks and pebbles have returned to the
Floyd | bronze pans just as if you had never taken any of them.
Floyd |
DavidW says, "This is where the AND in the tutorial is useful."
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "Because, to keep a scale in balance, you have to take from both pans at the same time."
Guenni says, "It was less about the mechanics and more about the fact that my last conscious equation solving was a while ago. :-)"
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x bronze"
Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X BRONZE
Floyd |
Floyd | (the bronze balance scale)
Floyd | This is a double-pan balance scale made of bronze.  The left pan
Floyd | contains two brown x blocks and two tan pebbles; the right
Floyd | pan contains twelve sepia pebbles.  Inscribed on the base of the
Floyd | bronze scale is the single letter x.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "I'd start with >TAKE TWO TAN AND TWO SEPIA."
Guenni nods. Reading just takes a while sometimes.
DavidW says, "Which would reduce the equation to 2x = 10."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "take two tan and two sepia"
Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TAKE TWO TAN AND TWO SEPIA
Floyd |
Floyd | two tan pebbles: After you lift the tan pebbles from the left bronze
Floyd | pan, they disappear.  The left pan rises somewhat and the right pan
Floyd | drops somewhat.
Floyd | two sepia pebbles: After you lift the sepia pebbles from the right
Floyd | bronze pan, they disappear.  The right pan rises somewhat and the left
Floyd | pan drops somewhat.
Floyd |
Floyd | Now the left pan of the bronze scale contains two brown x
Floyd | blocks, while the right pan contains ten sepia pebbles.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Ellison goes back to Squeamhurst..
Ellison has disconnected.
Guenni says (to Floyd), "take five tan and one x"
Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TAKE FIVE TAN AND ONE X
Floyd |
Floyd | You can't see any such thing, at least as described.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x bronze"
Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X BRONZE
Floyd |
Floyd | (the bronze balance scale)
Floyd | This is a double-pan balance scale made of bronze.  The left pan
Floyd | contains two brown x blocks; the right pan contains ten sepia
Floyd | pebbles.  Inscribed on the base of the bronze scale is the single
Floyd | letter x.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "careful. There's other X's on the other scales."
DavidW says, "It's safer to refer to colors, I think."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "take one brown and five sepia"
Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TAKE ONE BROWN AND FIVE SEPIA
Floyd |
Floyd | brown x block: As you lift one of the brown x blocks
Floyd | off the left bronze pan it disappears.  The left pan rises somewhat
Floyd | and the right pan drops somewhat.
Floyd | five sepia pebbles: After you lift the sepia pebbles from the right
Floyd | bronze pan, they disappear.  The right pan rises somewhat and the left
Floyd | pan drops somewhat.
Floyd |
Floyd | Now the left pan of the bronze scale contains a brown x
Floyd | block, while the right pan contains five sepia pebbles.
Floyd |
Floyd | From the bronze balance scale you hear a click.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x bronze"
Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X BRONZE
Floyd |
Floyd | (the bronze balance scale)
Floyd | This is a double-pan balance scale made of bronze.  The left pan
Floyd | contains a brown x block; the right pan contains five sepia
Floyd | pebbles.  Inscribed on the base of the bronze scale is the single
Floyd | letter x.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "Bronze scale solved. x = 5."
DavidW says, "Do the silver one next and solve for y."
Guenni asks, "Do you want to drive/solve silver, KNight?"
Knight_Otu says, "Can try at least."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x silver"
Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X SILVER
Floyd |
Floyd | (the silver balance scale)
Floyd | This is a double-pan balance scale made of silver.  The left pan
Floyd | contains three gray y blocks and six ash pebbles; the right
Floyd | pan contains a gray x block and ten slate pebbles.  Inscribed
Floyd | on the base of the silver scale is the single letter y.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "3y+6=x+10"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get one gray x and five ash"
Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET ONE GRAY X AND FIVE ASH
Floyd |
Floyd | gray x block: After you lift the gray x block from
Floyd | the right silver pan, it disappears.  The right pan rises somewhat and
Floyd | the left pan drops somewhat.
Floyd | five ash pebbles: After you lift the ash pebbles from the left silver
Floyd | pan, they disappear.  The left pan rises somewhat and the right pan
Floyd | drops somewhat.
Floyd |
Floyd | Now the left pan of the silver scale contains three gray y
Floyd | blocks and an ash pebble, while the right pan contains ten slate
Floyd | pebbles.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "so,.. a gray x and five ash... right."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get ash and one slate"
Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET ASH AND ONE SLATE
Floyd |
Floyd | ash pebble: After you lift the ash pebble from the left silver pan, it
Floyd | disappears.  The left pan rises a little and the right pan drops a
Floyd | little.
Floyd | slate pebble: After you lift the slate pebble from the right silver
Floyd | pan, it disappears.  The right pan rises a little and the left pan
Floyd | drops a little.
Floyd |
Floyd | Now the left pan of the silver scale contains three gray y
Floyd | blocks, while the right pan contains nine slate pebbles.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get two gray y and six slate"
Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET TWO GRAY Y AND SIX SLATE
Floyd |
Floyd | two gray y blocks: As you lift two of the gray y
Floyd | blocks off the left silver pan they disappear.  The left pan rises
Floyd | somewhat and the right pan drops somewhat.
Floyd | six slate pebbles: After you lift the slate pebbles from the left
Floyd | silver pan, they disappear.  The left pan rises somewhat and the right
Floyd | pan drops somewhat.
Floyd |
Floyd | Now the left pan of the silver scale contains a gray y block,
Floyd | while the right pan contains three slate pebbles.
Floyd |
Floyd | From the silver balance scale you hear a click.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "y=3"
DavidW says, "Correct."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x gold"
Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X GOLD
Floyd |
Floyd | (the gold balance scale)
Floyd | This is a double-pan balance scale made of gold.  The left pan
Floyd | contains a yellow x block, a yellow z block, and
Floyd | four sand pebbles; the right pan contains a yellow y block
Floyd | and eight maize pebbles.  Inscribed on the base of the gold scale is
Floyd | the single letter z.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "x+z+4=y+8"
DavidW says, "yes"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get yellow x and five maize"
Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET YELLOW X AND FIVE MAIZE
Floyd |
Floyd | yellow x block: After you lift the yellow x block
Floyd | from the left gold pan, it disappears.  The left pan rises somewhat
Floyd | and the right pan drops somewhat.
Floyd | five maize pebbles: After you lift the maize pebbles from the right
Floyd | gold pan, they disappear.  The right pan rises somewhat and the left
Floyd | pan drops somewhat.
Floyd |
Floyd | Now the left pan of the gold scale contains a yellow z block
Floyd | and four sand pebbles, while the right pan contains a yellow
Floyd | y block and three maize pebbles.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get yellow y and three sand"
Floyd ]  Alcove                                               9/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET YELLOW Y AND THREE SAND
Floyd |
Floyd | yellow y block: After you lift the yellow y block
Floyd | from the right gold pan, it disappears.  The right pan rises somewhat
Floyd | and the left pan drops somewhat.
Floyd | three sand pebbles: After you lift the sand pebbles from the left gold
Floyd | pan, they disappear.  The left pan rises somewhat and the right pan
Floyd | drops somewhat.
Floyd |
Floyd | Now the left pan of the gold scale contains a yellow z block
Floyd | and a sand pebble, while the right pan contains three maize pebbles.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get one sand and one maize"
Floyd ]  Alcove                                               13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET ONE SAND AND ONE MAIZE
Floyd |
Floyd | sand pebble: After you lift the sand pebble from the left gold pan, it
Floyd | disappears.  The left pan rises a little and the right pan drops a
Floyd | little.
Floyd | maize pebble: After you lift the maize pebble from the right gold pan,
Floyd | it disappears.  The right pan rises a little and the left pan drops a
Floyd | little.
Floyd |
Floyd | Now the left pan of the gold scale contains a yellow z block,
Floyd | while the right pan contains two maize pebbles.
Floyd |
Floyd | From the gold balance scale you hear a click.
Floyd |
Floyd | As you isolate the last variable on the scales, a small compartment
Floyd | near the base of the gold scale opens.  Out falls a blue gem.  The
Floyd | compartment then closes, leaving no trace.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Algebra has increased.  You estimate that
Floyd | your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by four
Floyd | points.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get gem"
Floyd ]  Alcove                                               13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET GEM
Floyd |
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x it"
Floyd ]  Alcove                                               13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X IT
Floyd |
Floyd | This small, dark blue sapphire is quite beautiful.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "hm. Interesting. It was a key in Version 1."
Knight_Otu says, "z = blue gem. :p"
Guenni says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Scholar's Study
Floyd | You are in the House of Wisdom in early-medieval Baghdad, standing in
Floyd | what appears to be someone's private study.  The walls are covered in
Floyd | intricate geometric designs, and a low table stands in the middle of
Floyd | the room.  A small room lies to the south, and the rest of the House
Floyd | of Wisdom is to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | On the low table are a small coffer and a formal note.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x designs"
Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X DESIGNS
Floyd |
Floyd | These designs consist of intricate combinations of squares, circles,
Floyd | and other geometric figures.  The overall structure of the patterns is
Floyd | clear to you, and you can make out several buttons hidden in the
Floyd | designs.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x buttons"
Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X BUTTONS
Floyd |
Floyd | There are five buttons hidden in the geometric designs: a circular
Floyd | button, a button in the shape of two juxtaposed parentheses, a
Floyd | triangular button, a square button, and a pentagonal button.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "I guess these somehow relate to the pedestals."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | From here, south and west are the only possibilities.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "That seems likely, yes."
Guenni says, "Want me to press anyy just for the explosion? :-)"
DavidW says, "Other than being about geometry, they don't have much in common."
Guenni says, "Oh, ok, so let's really look what happens."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x buttons"
Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X BUTTONS
Floyd |
Floyd | There are five buttons hidden in the geometric designs: a circular
Floyd | button, a button in the shape of two juxtaposed parentheses, a
Floyd | triangular button, a square button, and a pentagonal button.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "Baghdad didn't have gunpowder yet, I don't think."
Guenni says, "But chemical experiments gone wrong."
DavidW says, "It took me a while to understand what the buttons meant, and even longer to understand what to do with them."
DavidW says, "But you guys might be quicker on the uptake than me."
Guenni says, "I'd just press them from least corners to most, But the paranthesis don't fit with that system."
Knight_Otu says, "I'm not sure what to make of the buttons right now."
DavidW says, "In Japanese escape games, the parentheses button would be an L shape instead."
Guenni says, "Well, let's see if something might have changed upstairs."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Matter                                               13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move west, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | The space here feels much more formed than before.
Floyd |
Floyd | Matter
Floyd | The space here is now mostly formed, though the floor is still hazy.
Floyd | You can now see an inscription on the wall.  Several "paths" through
Floyd | the space are clear: up to the manifestation of one, north to the
Floyd | Lyceum, south to the Librarian's Office, east to the Scholar's Study,
Floyd | and west to the Great Hall.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "Form became Matter."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x inscription"
Floyd ]  Matter                                               13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X INSCRIPTION
Floyd |
Floyd | The inscription reads,
Floyd |
Floyd | "Euclid alone has looked on Beauty bare.
Floyd |  Let all who prate of Beauty hold their peace,
Floyd |  And lay them prone upon the earth and cease
Floyd |  To ponder on themselves, the while they stare
Floyd |  At nothing, intricately drawn nowhere
Floyd |  In shapes of shifting lineage; let geese
Floyd |  Gabble and hiss, but heroes seek release
Floyd |  From dusty bondage into luminous air.
Floyd |  O blinding hour, O holy, terrible day,
Floyd |  When first the shaft into his vision shone
Floyd |  Of light anatomized! Euclid alone
Floyd |  Has looked on Beauty bare.  Fortunate they
Floyd |  Who, though once only and then but far away,
Floyd |  Have heard her massive sandal set on stone."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Iria says, "What's today's game"
Guenni says, "That's to philosophic for my brain at this late hour."
DavidW says, "A Beauty Cold and Austere, release 2."
Guenni says, "We could also try the temple passage again."
DavidW says (to Floyd), "i"
Floyd ]  Matter                                               13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > I
Floyd |
Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd |   a sapphire gem
Floyd |   a square root
Floyd |   a white ring
Floyd |   Elements
Floyd |   a scribbled scroll
Floyd |   your math book
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "I wonder what that gem is for. It's completely new to me."
zarf says, "'Euclid alone has looked on Beauty's butt. He liked it, and he cannot lie; nor Euclid tell the truth. Which one...?''"
zarf says, "sorry"
DavidW says (to zarf), "hee hee"
Guenni asks, "So, up or temple or down?"
zarf walks off through the wall; vivid gold light flares briefly around him. DavidW says, "I think up might be helpful."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  One                                                  13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up.
Floyd |
Floyd | One
Floyd | This is more of an abstract space than a physical place, but it gives
Floyd | you a sense of unity, wholeness, and beginnings.  A hole leads back up
Floyd | to the positive axis.  You sense another exit, too - one in a deeper,
Floyd | "downward" direction from this space.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Doesn't look like we can go down. Since we're here already..."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 1                                     13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up.
Floyd |
Floyd | Positive Axis: 1
Floyd | You find yourself in a deep dark blue - almost black - expanse of
Floyd | space that extends as far as you can see in all three dimensions.  The
Floyd | space is broken up by the straight, flat white line floating in
Floyd | mid-air that you are standing on.  The line begins here and stretches
Floyd | out of sight to the east.  The number 1 is marked on the line.  While
Floyd | the line doesn't appear to be supported by anything, there is a hole
Floyd | in the middle of it here, next to the 1.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 2                                     13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Positive Axis: 2
Floyd | You are in a dark blue expanse of space, standing on a white line that
Floyd | stretches to the west and as far as you can see to the east.  The
Floyd | number 2 is marked on the line here.  There is a hole next to the 2
Floyd | large enough for you to climb down into.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "enter 2"
Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 2                                     13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > ENTER 2
Floyd |
Floyd | You can't see any such thing, at least as described.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "enter hole 2"
Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 2                                     13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > ENTER HOLE 2
Floyd |
Floyd | I didn't understand that.  The first word or two on their own might
Floyd | suffice, though; perhaps it would work to just enter the hole.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "enter hole"
Floyd ]  Two                                                  13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > ENTER HOLE
Floyd |
Floyd | You clamber down the hole.
Floyd |
Floyd | Two
Floyd | This is more of an abstract space than a physical place, but it's
Floyd | marked by a feeling of duality, as if it somehow contains opposites
Floyd | within itself.  The only exit is a hole leading back up to the
Floyd | positive axis.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Nothing new here. (yet?)"
Guenni nods
Guenni says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 2                                     13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up.
Floyd |
Floyd | Positive Axis: 2
Floyd | You are in a dark blue expanse of space, standing on a white line that
Floyd | stretches to the west and as far as you can see to the east.  The
Floyd | number 2 is marked on the line here.  There is a hole next to the 2
Floyd | large enough for you to climb down into.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 2                                     13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | You walk along the positive axis for a while, tracing the passage of
Floyd | the tip of the white wand.  You see marks for 3, 4, 5, and larger
Floyd | numbers.  There are no holes or anything else featured on this part of
Floyd | the positive axis, though, and you soon decide return to the 2 mark.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 1                                     13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Positive Axis: 1
Floyd | You find yourself in a deep dark blue - almost black - expanse of
Floyd | space that extends as far as you can see in all three dimensions.  The
Floyd | space is broken up by the straight, flat white line floating in
Floyd | mid-air that you are standing on.  The line begins here and stretches
Floyd | out of sight to the east.  The number 1 is marked on the line.  While
Floyd | the line doesn't appear to be supported by anything, there is a hole
Floyd | in the middle of it here, next to the 1.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 1                                     13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd | You can see absolutely nothing in the blue darkness off the positive
Floyd | axis.  Stepping off it doesn't sound like a good idea.  Going down is
Floyd | an option, though.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "throw ring w"
Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 1                                     13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > THROW RING W
Floyd |
Floyd | I didn't understand that.  The first word or two on their own might
Floyd | suffice, though; perhaps it would work to just throw the white ring.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "I'm not sure if I should hint or not. Jacqueline would probably tell me to be quiet."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "throw ring"
Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 1                                     13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > THROW RING
Floyd |
Floyd | You really shouldn't take out your frustrations on the white ring.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x ring"
Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 1                                     13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X RING
Floyd |
Floyd | This ring is white and is in the shape of a one-eyed adder biting its
Floyd | tail.  The adder's eye is a dark sapphire.  The ring has the word
Floyd | "Identity" inscribed along the outside.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "put ring on line"
Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 1                                     13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT RING ON LINE
Floyd |
Floyd | Putting things on the positive axis would achieve nothing.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "Hm, with this description it's not a cero after all"
DavidW says, "It's a finger ring."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "wear ring"
Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 1                                     13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > WEAR RING
Floyd |
Floyd | You put on the ring.  The word "Identity" on it glows briefly before
Floyd | fading.  The ring enlarges slightly - just enough to slip off your
Floyd | finger.  Then the ring shrinks back to its original size.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 1                                     13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > L
Floyd |
Floyd | Positive Axis: 1
Floyd | You find yourself in a deep dark blue - almost black - expanse of
Floyd | space that extends as far as you can see in all three dimensions.  The
Floyd | space is broken up by the straight, flat white line floating in
Floyd | mid-air that you are standing on.  The line begins here and stretches
Floyd | out of sight to the east.  The number 1 is marked on the line.  While
Floyd | the line doesn't appear to be supported by anything, there is a hole
Floyd | in the middle of it here, next to the 1.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
olethros asks, "not an olympic ring?"
Guenni says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  One                                                  13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You clamber down the hole.
Floyd |
Floyd | One
Floyd | This is more of an abstract space than a physical place, but it gives
Floyd | you a sense of unity, wholeness, and beginnings.  A hole leads back up
Floyd | to the positive axis.  You sense another exit, too - one in a deeper,
Floyd | "downward" direction from this space.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "That response makes it seem we have no identity. :O"
Guenni says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  Matter                                               13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way down.
Floyd |
Floyd | Matter
Floyd | The space here is now mostly formed, though the floor is still hazy.
Floyd | You can now see an inscription on the wall.  Several "paths" through
Floyd | the space are clear: up to the manifestation of one, north to the
Floyd | Lyceum, south to the Librarian's Office, east to the Scholar's Study,
Floyd | and west to the Great Hall.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "Identity is usually associated with the number one."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x floor"
Floyd ]  Matter                                               13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X FLOOR
Floyd |
Floyd | (There is no need to refer to the walls, floor, or ceiling during this
Floyd | game.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way north.  As you do, you feel an electrical impulse
Floyd | course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd | You stand in the Lyceum, a collection of buildings and open spaces in
Floyd | ancient Athens.  There is a stadium to the west, a temple lies north,
Floyd | and you can see a private home with an ornate doorway to the east.  A
Floyd | road leads northeast out of Athens, and the rest of the city lies
Floyd | south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "As for the Olympics, imagine if Achilles had been to one."
Knight_Otu asks, "Does he get a head start or not?"
Guenni says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Southern End                       13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Temple of Number, Southern End
Floyd | You stand in the southern end of the Temple of Number.  The temple is
Floyd | made of white stone and features imposing Ionic columns.  There is an
Floyd | inscription on the wall, the rest of the temple is to the north, and
Floyd | the exit to the Lyceum is south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Temple of Number, Northern End
Floyd | You stand in the northern end of the Temple of Number.  The temple is
Floyd | made of white stone and features imposing Ionic columns.  Instead of
Floyd | the half-expected statue of Athena Parthenos, though, stands a large
Floyd | statue of Pythagoras.  Behind the statue is a small passageway heading
Floyd | north.
Floyd |
Floyd | An acolyte is here, silently cleaning up the area around the statue.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can also see a trash urn (in which is a scrap of papyrus) here.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte gazes up at the statue with a reverent look on her face.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte stops you.  She shakes her head silently.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte sweeps the area in front of the statue.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Southern End                       13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Temple of Number, Southern End
Floyd | You stand in the southern end of the Temple of Number.  The temple is
Floyd | made of white stone and features imposing Ionic columns.  There is an
Floyd | inscription on the wall, the rest of the temple is to the north, and
Floyd | the exit to the Lyceum is south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd | You stand in the Lyceum, a collection of buildings and open spaces in
Floyd | ancient Athens.  There is a stadium to the west, a temple lies north,
Floyd | and you can see a private home with an ornate doorway to the east.  A
Floyd | road leads northeast out of Athens, and the rest of the city lies
Floyd | south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "ne"
Floyd ]  Royal Road                                           13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > NE
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Royal Road
Floyd | This flat, paved road runs from southwest to northeast.  However, you
Floyd | also spot a steep path leaving the road and winding its way north up
Floyd | the hillside.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "ne"
Floyd ]  Dead End                                             13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > NE
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Dead End
Floyd | Apparently the royal road doesn't lead anywhere; you've come to a dead
Floyd | end.  You may follow it back to the southwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "sw"
Floyd ]  Royal Road                                           13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SW
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Royal Road
Floyd | This flat, paved road runs from southwest to northeast.  However, you
Floyd | also spot a steep path leaving the road and winding its way north up
Floyd | the hillside.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "ok, now I'm out of ideas."
DavidW says, "You were almost right with the ring. You just chose the wrong spot to wear it."
Guenni says, "We could check up on the hill, but I think we're done there."
Knight_Otu says, "I suspect so, yes."
Guenni says, "Soo?? :looks westward and makes hopeful eyes."
Knight_Otu says, "I'm assuming we're supposed to wear the ring in the One room."
DavidW says, "You can also do something with the square root."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Royal Road                                           13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | From here, north, northeast, and southwest are the only possibilities.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says (to KO), "yes"
Guenni says (to Floyd), "sw"
Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SW
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd | You stand in the Lyceum, a collection of buildings and open spaces in
Floyd | ancient Athens.  There is a stadium to the west, a temple lies north,
Floyd | and you can see a private home with an ornate doorway to the east.  A
Floyd | road leads northeast out of Athens, and the rest of the city lies
Floyd | south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Matter                                               13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move south, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Matter
Floyd | The space here is now mostly formed, though the floor is still hazy.
Floyd | You can now see an inscription on the wall.  Several "paths" through
Floyd | the space are clear: up to the manifestation of one, north to the
Floyd | Lyceum, south to the Librarian's Office, east to the Scholar's Study,
Floyd | and west to the Great Hall.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way east.  As you do, you feel an electrical impulse
Floyd | course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Scholar's Study
Floyd | You are in the House of Wisdom in early-medieval Baghdad, standing in
Floyd | what appears to be someone's private study.  The walls are covered in
Floyd | intricate geometric designs, and a low table stands in the middle of
Floyd | the room.  A small room lies to the south, and the rest of the House
Floyd | of Wisdom is to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | With your increased knowledge of geometry, the designs on the walls
Floyd | make more sense to you now.
Floyd |
Floyd | On the low table are a small coffer and a formal note.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x designs"
Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X DESIGNS
Floyd |
Floyd | These designs consist of intricate combinations of squares, circles,
Floyd | and other geometric figures.  The overall structure of the patterns is
Floyd | now clear to you, and you can make out several buttons hidden in the
Floyd | designs.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni asks, "Did we have some kind of crash, or was it just my client?" DavidW says, "There was no crash here."
Guenni grits teeth.
Knight_Otu says, "Not that I'm aware."
Guenni says, "Hate and client."
Guenni says, "It somehow jumps to other lines in my input window."
Guenni says, "But the ring still didn't help."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Alcove                                               13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Alcove
Floyd | This is a small, plain room just south of the study.
Floyd |
Floyd | The room is dominated by three large double-pan balance scales: a
Floyd | bronze one, a silver one, and a gold one.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Scholar's Study
Floyd | You are in the House of Wisdom in early-medieval Baghdad, standing in
Floyd | what appears to be someone's private study.  The walls are covered in
Floyd | intricate geometric designs, and a low table stands in the middle of
Floyd | the room.  A small room lies to the south, and the rest of the House
Floyd | of Wisdom is to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | On the low table are a small coffer and a formal note.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Iria says (to Floyd), "x note"
Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X NOTE
Floyd |
Floyd | The note reads,
Floyd |
Floyd | "Al-Khwarizmi,
Floyd |
Floyd | Our most recent investigations indicate at least two types of objects
Floyd | of power: Those activated by more-or-less normal use, and those
Floyd | activated by the appropriate word of power.
Floyd |
Floyd | This square object was recently given to the caliph.  It appears to be
Floyd | of the latter type.  Please examine it and let us know what you
Floyd | discover of it."
Floyd |
Floyd | Instead of a name, the note is signed with the first few digits of π:
Floyd | 3.1415.
Floyd |
Floyd | There is also a postscript: "By the way, thank you for the hint on
Floyd | your problem with the balances.  I had not realized that the weight of
Floyd | an object has nothing to do with that object's color."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "put root on square"
Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT ROOT ON SQUARE
Floyd |
Floyd | (the square root)
Floyd | I'm not sure even a master topologist could pull that off.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x root"
Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X ROOT
Floyd |
Floyd | This is an unusual object.  It appears to be made of some tough
Floyd | vegetable matter - perhaps the root of a tree.  It's also in the shape
Floyd | of a perfect square. The word "EXTRACT" is written on it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "eat root"
Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > EAT ROOT
Floyd |
Floyd | You're not particularly hungry.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "yeah, you've already eaten a blorple pill today. And yoghurt."
Knight_Otu says, "Against library regulations, even."
DavidW says, "Livin' the dream."
Guenni says, "Yeah, seems to be a filling meal."
DavidW says, "oh, I see, you wanted a SQUARE meal."
Guenni asks, "What's that?"
Knight_Otu asks, "Rooting around for puns again?"
Guenni says, "Non native speaker here. :-)"
DavidW says (to Guenni), "oh sorry"
DavidW says, "A square meal is a complete meal. Meat, potatoes, veggies, coffee, the works."
Guenni says, "Ah."
Guenni asks, "So where we rooting?"
DavidW says, "well, unless you're solving the buttons puzzle, I'd use the root somewhere else."
Knight_Otu says, "I suspect the root is for the 2 room."
Knight_Otu says, "Or the inner temple."
Guenni says, "Let's try giving a gift."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Matter                                               13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move west, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Matter
Floyd | The space here is now mostly formed, though the floor is still hazy.
Floyd | You can now see an inscription on the wall.  Several "paths" through
Floyd | the space are clear: up to the manifestation of one, north to the
Floyd | Lyceum, south to the Librarian's Office, east to the Scholar's Study,
Floyd | and west to the Great Hall.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way north.  As you do, you feel an electrical impulse
Floyd | course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd | You stand in the Lyceum, a collection of buildings and open spaces in
Floyd | ancient Athens.  There is a stadium to the west, a temple lies north,
Floyd | and you can see a private home with an ornate doorway to the east.  A
Floyd | road leads northeast out of Athens, and the rest of the city lies
Floyd | south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Southern End                       13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Temple of Number, Southern End
Floyd | You stand in the southern end of the Temple of Number.  The temple is
Floyd | made of white stone and features imposing Ionic columns.  There is an
Floyd | inscription on the wall, the rest of the temple is to the north, and
Floyd | the exit to the Lyceum is south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Temple of Number, Northern End
Floyd | You stand in the northern end of the Temple of Number.  The temple is
Floyd | made of white stone and features imposing Ionic columns.  Instead of
Floyd | the half-expected statue of Athena Parthenos, though, stands a large
Floyd | statue of Pythagoras.  Behind the statue is a small passageway heading
Floyd | north.
Floyd |
Floyd | An acolyte is here, silently cleaning up the area around the statue.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can also see a trash urn (in which is a scrap of papyrus) here.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte pokes at a corner of the temple with her broom.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "give root to woman"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GIVE ROOT TO WOMAN
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte is focused on her cleaning, and she ignores you.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte gazes up at the statue with a reverent look on her face.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x statue"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X STATUE
Floyd |
Floyd | This large statue of Pythagoras dominates the north end of the temple.
Floyd | A small passageway is behind the statue, leading north.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte picks up a speck of dust from the floor of the temple.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "put root on statue"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT ROOT ON STATUE
Floyd |
Floyd | Putting things on the statue of Pythagoras would achieve nothing.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte polishes an already spotless part of the statue.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "I kinda want to dump a bag of confetti here, just so she has something to clean up."
Guenni nods.
Guenni says, "I think we need to cook soup or something with the root because of the "extract"."
Iria goes home. Knight_Otu says, "The note that was in the study makes me think extract is the verb to use the root."
Guenni says, "But with the pi signature close by it is possibly also circle related."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "put root on gem"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT ROOT ON GEM
Floyd |
Floyd | Putting things on the sapphire gem would achieve nothing.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte picks up a speck of dust from the floor of the temple.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says (to Floyd), "look through gem"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK THROUGH GEM
Floyd |
Floyd | You find nothing of interest.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte gazes up at the statue with a reverent look on her face.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says (to Floyd), "take eye from ring"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TAKE EYE FROM RING
Floyd |
Floyd | You can't see any such thing, at least as described.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Southern End                       13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Temple of Number, Southern End
Floyd | You stand in the southern end of the Temple of Number.  The temple is
Floyd | made of white stone and features imposing Ionic columns.  There is an
Floyd | inscription on the wall, the rest of the temple is to the north, and
Floyd | the exit to the Lyceum is south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd | You stand in the Lyceum, a collection of buildings and open spaces in
Floyd | ancient Athens.  There is a stadium to the west, a temple lies north,
Floyd | and you can see a private home with an ornate doorway to the east.  A
Floyd | road leads northeast out of Athens, and the rest of the city lies
Floyd | south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Matter                                               13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move south, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Matter
Floyd | The space here is now mostly formed, though the floor is still hazy.
Floyd | You can now see an inscription on the wall.  Several "paths" through
Floyd | the space are clear: up to the manifestation of one, north to the
Floyd | Lyceum, south to the Librarian's Office, east to the Scholar's Study,
Floyd | and west to the Great Hall.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  One                                                  13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up.
Floyd |
Floyd | One
Floyd | This is more of an abstract space than a physical place, but it gives
Floyd | you a sense of unity, wholeness, and beginnings.  A hole leads back up
Floyd | to the positive axis.  You sense another exit, too - one in a deeper,
Floyd | "downward" direction from this space.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 1                                     13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up.
Floyd |
Floyd | Positive Axis: 1
Floyd | You find yourself in a deep dark blue - almost black - expanse of
Floyd | space that extends as far as you can see in all three dimensions.  The
Floyd | space is broken up by the straight, flat white line floating in
Floyd | mid-air that you are standing on.  The line begins here and stretches
Floyd | out of sight to the east.  The number 1 is marked on the line.  While
Floyd | the line doesn't appear to be supported by anything, there is a hole
Floyd | in the middle of it here, next to the 1.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "put gem on line"
Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 1                                     13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT GEM ON LINE
Floyd |
Floyd | Putting things on the positive axis would achieve nothing.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "drop gem"
Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 1                                     13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > DROP GEM
Floyd |
Floyd | Dropped.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x line"
Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 1                                     13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X LINE
Floyd |
Floyd | This flat white line begins here and runs as far as you can see to the
Floyd | east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "take gem"
Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 1                                     13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TAKE GEM
Floyd |
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "I'm thinking the gem is likely for a white thing we haven't seen yet."
Guenni says, "probabbly"
DavidW says, "The adder wand had a sapphire eye, and the adder ring does as well."
DavidW says, "If we find an eye-less adder, I'll put the gem in its socket."
Guenni nods
Guenni asks, "So now what?"
Knight_Otu says, "Speaking of the ring, I think it is for the room down from here."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  One                                                  13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You clamber down the hole.
Floyd |
Floyd | One
Floyd | This is more of an abstract space than a physical place, but it gives
Floyd | you a sense of unity, wholeness, and beginnings.  A hole leads back up
Floyd | to the positive axis.  You sense another exit, too - one in a deeper,
Floyd | "downward" direction from this space.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "To be worn there, that is."
DavidW says, "Yes. Go down to One and wear the ring there."
DavidW says, "here"
Guenni says (to Floyd), "z"
Floyd ]  One                                                  13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > Z
Floyd |
Floyd | Time passes.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "exits"
Floyd ]  One                                                  13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > EXITS
Floyd |
Floyd | I didn't recognize that command.  (There is a list of recognized
Floyd | commands in the HELP menus.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "turn ring"
Floyd ]  One                                                  13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TURN RING
Floyd |
Floyd | Nothing obvious happens.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "i"
Floyd ]  One                                                  13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > I
Floyd |
Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd |   a sapphire gem
Floyd |   a square root
Floyd |   a white ring
Floyd |   Elements
Floyd |   a scribbled scroll
Floyd |   your math book
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "I think the reason there's both a One location and a Positive Axis: One location is because the former is the number itself, and the latter is its representation. That's was numerical operations aren't done on the number line."
DavidW says, "er That's why"
DavidW says (to Guenni), "Wear the ring."
Guenni nods. But how does that help us now?
Guenni says (to Floyd), "squeeze root"
Floyd ]  One                                                  13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SQUEEZE ROOT
Floyd |
Floyd | That wouldn't make you feel any better.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "Maybe I should've said 'please'."
Guenni asks, "How did you get back there now?"
DavidW says, "I don't know what you're asking about."
Guenni says, "Well, the "interuption" was a while ago now, so I was just curious why you came back to it."
Knight_Otu says, "David is wondering why you're not wearing the ring."
DavidW says, "oh. I mean, maybe I should've said 'please' to YOU because I've asked you to wear the ring and you won't do it. So maybe I should've said PLEASE WEAR THE RING."
Guenni says, "Oops! I thought one of you had typed it."
Guenni says, "I thought we were wearing it the whole time."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "wear ring."
Floyd ]  Zero                                                 13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > WEAR RING.
Floyd |
Floyd | You put on the ring.  The word "Identity" on it begins to glow, the
Floyd | ring enlarging as it does so.  Soon the ring slips off your finger.
Floyd | Yet it continues to grow, larger and larger, until it is large enough
Floyd | to encircle you.  Then the ring emits a dazzling flash of light, and
Floyd | you feel yourself shift as you are pulled into the space in
Floyd | the center of the ring.
Floyd |
Floyd | Zero
Floyd | This is more of an abstract space than a physical place.  Besides the
Floyd | hole leading up, you sense nothing here.
Floyd |
Floyd | Well, actually...  You can see an empty set here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "whew. And yay."
Knight_Otu says, "I try not to interrupt the driver. I don't always succeed, but I try."
Guenni says, "Oh no, now I remember, it fell off."
DavidW says, "Yes, the ring fell off when you put it on earlier."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "take sack"
Floyd ]  Zero                                                 13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TAKE SACK
Floyd |
Floyd | You can't see any such thing, at least as described.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "take set"
Floyd ]  Zero                                                 13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TAKE SET
Floyd |
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x it"
Floyd ]  Zero                                                 13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X IT
Floyd |
Floyd | It's just a pair of curly braces.  You could probably put things into
Floyd | it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "That'll be helpful."
Guenni asks, "Would the calculator be happy about these?"
DavidW asks, "The Countess?"
Guenni asks, "Did we have some kind of crash, or was it just my client?" Guenni says, "yes to your question."
DavidW says, "No crash."
Knight_Otu says, "Client, I suspect."
Guenni nods.
DavidW says, "You didn't even leave."
DavidW says, "I don't think the Countess would have anything to say about the set, but I dunno for sure."
Guenni clears her input window and hopes that helps. {>; :nods.}
DavidW says, "It won't fix her machine."
Guenni says, "I'm not really sure what "curly braces" are."
DavidW says, "I know you can show things to her, though, and ask her about stuff, but most of the characters except the acolyte are friendly enough for that."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "x braces"
Floyd ]  Zero                                                 13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X BRACES
Floyd |
Floyd | It's just a pair of curly braces.  You could probably put things into
Floyd | it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "It's mathematical notation for the empty set. They're the squiggly brackets."
Guenni says, "Ah ok."
DavidW says, "{}"
DavidW says, "Of course, once something's inside the set, it won't be the empty set anymore, but that's okay."
Guenni says, "We could put the root in there."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "put root in braces."
Floyd ]  Zero                                                 13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT ROOT IN BRACES.
Floyd |
Floyd | You put the square root into the set.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "We can put everything into the set. Except itself."
DavidW says, "Sets have infinite capacity."
Guenni says, "But I can't really remember doing that. Usually you put that before them."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd ]  Zero                                                 13/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > L
Floyd |
Floyd | Zero
Floyd | This is more of an abstract space than a physical place.  Besides the
Floyd | hole leading up, you sense nothing here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "Doing what? Put what before what? I've lost the context."
Guenni says, "Put the root before the braces when writing down equations."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  Beginning of Positive Axis: 0                        14/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up.
Floyd |
Floyd | Climbing through the hole, you enter what seems to be a mostly empty,
Floyd | dark blue expanse of nothingness.  The only thing you can see is the
Floyd | end of the positive axis off to the "east."  The enlarged white ring
Floyd | is resting on the axis.  Then the ring begins to roll toward you.  As
Floyd | it does, the ring widens and flattens until it is the width of the
Floyd | positive axis.  The ring rolls past the end of the axis, still heading
Floyd | toward you, but it is now unrolling as it goes, effectively
Floyd | extending the positive axis in your direction.  The end of the ring
Floyd | soon reaches you, at which point it ceases unrolling.  No traces that
Floyd | this new line segment was ever a ring remain.  With only a bit of
Floyd | hesitation, you step onto the new line.
Floyd |
Floyd | Beginning of Positive Axis: 0
Floyd | You are in a dark blue expanse of space, standing on a straight, flat
Floyd | white line that stretches as far as you can see to the east.  The
Floyd | number 0 is marked at the very beginning of the line here.  There is a
Floyd | hole next to the 0 large enough for you to climb down into.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Arithmetic has increased.  You estimate
Floyd | that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by one
Floyd | point.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW asks, "uh, no?"
Guenni says, "We did that, sometimes. having an addition or whatever in the braces and having to extract the sqr from that. So the root is written in front "or above" the braces. It's possible you sighted folks write that a bit diffferently."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  Zero                                                 14/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You clamber down the hole.
Floyd |
Floyd | Zero
Floyd | This is more of an abstract space than a physical place.  Besides the
Floyd | hole leading back up to the positive axis, you sense nothing here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "Well, "nothing, is rather fitting. :-)"
DavidW says, "yeah, perhaps. I don't normally see braces in equations at all. Brackets, yes, but not curly braces."
Guenni says, "I'm also happy that I was kindd of right with the ring being the cero."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  Beginning of Positive Axis: 0                        14/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up.
Floyd |
Floyd | Beginning of Positive Axis: 0
Floyd | You are in a dark blue expanse of space, standing on a straight, flat
Floyd | white line that stretches as far as you can see to the east.  The
Floyd | number 0 is marked at the very beginning of the line here.  There is a
Floyd | hole next to the 0 large enough for you to climb down into.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 1                                     14/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Positive Axis: 1
Floyd | You find yourself in a deep dark blue - almost black - expanse of
Floyd | space that extends as far as you can see in all three dimensions.  The
Floyd | space is broken up by the straight, flat white line floating in
Floyd | mid-air that you are standing on.  The line stretches to the west and
Floyd | out of sight to the east.  The number 1 is marked on the line.  While
Floyd | the line doesn't appear to be supported by anything, there is a hole
Floyd | in the middle of it here, next to the 1.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "Yes, the ring was meant to suggest a zero."
Ellison arrives, ready to play with the toys. Knight_Otu says, "I think I should mention that it's getting late over here."
Guenni says (to Ellison), "We.re still mathematizing."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  One                                                  14/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You clamber down the hole.
Floyd |
Floyd | One
Floyd | This is more of an abstract space than a physical place, but it gives
Floyd | you a sense of unity, wholeness, and beginnings.  A hole leads back up
Floyd | to the positive axis.  You sense another exit, too - one in a deeper,
Floyd | "downward" direction from this space.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "It's after 5 pm for me."
Knight_Otu says, "I'm not sure how long I'll stay on."
Guenni says, "Yeah, the midnight lurks around the corner here."
Guenni asks, "Want to do the rest next week?"
DavidW says, "At some point, I'll need to put on real clothes and find food."
Ellison says, "that's 14 points out of 100? long game, it seems"
DavidW says, "It's a large game, yes."
Knight_Otu says, "Yeah."
Guenni asks, "Whom did you answer?"
Knight_Otu says, "Kind of everyone, I guess? But yeah, continuing next week would be good from my perspective"
Guenni asks, "Any protests?"
DavidW says, "Looking at my notes, this game has 71 locations in it."
DavidW says, "I have no objection."
Ellison says, "I protest with all my might, you quitters"
Guenni says, "Oi, sounds like we won't get done next week either."
Guenni says (to Floyd), "save"
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SAVE
Floyd | %% Enter a save filename to write:
Guenni says (to Floyd), "cf1"
Floyd ]  One                                                  14/100 (F)
Floyd | > SAVEOk.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "That might get overwritten."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "save"
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SAVE
Floyd | %% Enter a save filename to write:
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "cfbeauty1"
Floyd ]  One                                                  14/100 (F)
Floyd | > SAVEOk.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "That's better"
Knight_Otu exclaims, "Good night, then!"
Guenni asks, "I thought "cf" stands for club floyd. So why would it get overwritten until next week?"
Knight_Otu goes home. DavidW says, "Because other people sometimes use the save function who aren't ClubFloyders."
Guenni asks, "Yeah, but won't other people other names, and not "cf"?"
Guenni asks, "use other names?"
DavidW says, "nope"
Ellison has had his fill of playing for now, and goes back to the Lounge. DavidW says, "It's just not safe to assume."
Guenni asks, "Any other reasons for that,than people are idiots sometimes?"
DavidW asks, "People are idiots more often than sometimes?"
Guenni says, "Ah."
Guenni says, "Well, it's nearly z time in this household."
Guenni hollers, "Night everyone!"
Guenni goes home. DavidW says, "People do use Floyd outside of ClubFloyd sessions, but because the only way they see Floyd used is by Club... oh never mind, you're gone already."
DavidW says, "I can't type fast enough sometimes."
*** SESSION TWO ***
DavidW says, "I may need to bow out early. I'm way tired this week."
Jacqueline says, "heh. I only just woke up and had to pry myself up because of CF"
Jacqueline says, "But I was having this crazy spy adventure dream and would love to try to pick back up where it left off."
DavidW says, "I've been awake nights and sleeping days lately."
Guenni says, "Well, we weren't finished with the math cramming session yet."
Jacqueline says, "I'm still diurnal, but I have had a fairly rough go of things since mid January and this is my first real weekend to recharge."
Knight_Otu says, "Drug dream, you mean."
Jacqueline says (to KO), "No, spy dream."
Plover signed NightFloyd Suggestions. Guenni says (to Jacq), "He meant the game."
Knight_Otu says, "I meant the math cramming - right."
Knight_Otu says, "I mean, we took a "magic pill" and then have a strange math dream..."
Jacqueline says, "Oh."
Jacqueline says, "From last week."
Guenni says, "Yep."
Jacqueline says, "I was thinking that Guenni was helping someone study for an exam."
Jacqueline says, "Maybe I'm still sleeping."
Guenni says, "With math? If it's above middle school I'm the wrong one."
DavidW says, "I remember that they'd found the empty set but haven't used the square root yet."
Knight_Otu says, "I'm assuming that we extract the root in room "2", and the set may be for the coins."
Jacqueline says, "Hm. So, Perry is still logging from last week, and you all have a game you're in the middle of that I know nothing about, so I shall leave you all to it, I think."
Guenni says, "Erm, I got curious and mathematized for myself on my own pc."
Guenni says, "But I'm fine with lurking and help to stir if needed. :-)"
Jacqueline says, "Just remember that the one you want to load beautycoldandaustere2"
Jacqueline says, "That's the post-comp version that I believe you were using."
DavidW says (to Floyd), "load sleepmask beautycoldandaustere2"
Floyd ]
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | "Mathematics, rightly viewed, possesses not only truth, but supreme
Floyd | beauty - a beauty cold and austere, like that of sculpture, without
Floyd | appeal to any part of our weaker nature, without the gorgeous
Floyd | trappings of painting or music, yet sublimely pure, and capable of a
Floyd | stern perfection such as only the greatest art can show."    --
Floyd | Bertrand Russell
DavidW pushes the green 'space' button.
Floyd ]
Floyd | Would you like to...
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |    Play through the tutorial               :       T
Floyd |    Start the story - from the beginning    :    (SPACE)
Floyd |                    - from a saved position :       R
Floyd |    Quit                                    :       Q
DavidW says (to Floyd), "r"
Floyd | %% Enter a save filename to read:
DavidW says (to Floyd), "cfbeauty1"
Floyd ]  One                                                  14/100 (F)
Floyd | Ok.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline asks, "Do you all need your transcript from last week for reference?"
DavidW says, "I don't, but I'm about to crash, I think."
Knight_Otu says, "I think I can go without, but if anyone needs it..."
Guenni shakes head. It should be fresh enough that I'll remember things when I read them again here.
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd ]  One                                                  14/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > L
Floyd |
Floyd | One
Floyd | This is more of an abstract space than a physical place, but it gives
Floyd | you a sense of unity, wholeness, and beginnings.  A hole leads back up
Floyd | to the positive axis.  You sense another exit, too - one in a deeper,
Floyd | "downward" direction from this space.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "i"
Floyd ]  One                                                  14/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > I
Floyd |
Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd |   a set (no longer empty)
Floyd |     a square root
Floyd |   a sapphire gem
Floyd |   Elements
Floyd |   a scribbled scroll
Floyd |   your math book
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Heh. No longer empty."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x scroll"
Floyd ]  One                                                  14/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X SCROLL
Floyd |
Floyd | This scroll is made from papyrus.  Euclid has scribbled his five
Floyd | geometric postulates on it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "read it"
Floyd ]  One                                                  14/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > READ IT
Floyd |
Floyd | "First postulate: You can draw a straight line from any point to any
Floyd | other point.
Floyd |
Floyd | Second postulate: You can extend a finite straight line continuously
Floyd | in a straight line.
Floyd |
Floyd | Third postulate: You can draw a circle with any center and any radius.
Floyd |
Floyd | Fourth postulate: All right (90 degree) angles are equal to each
Floyd | other.
Floyd |
Floyd | Fifth postulate (rephrased, also known as the parallel
Floyd | postulate): Given a line and a point not on the line, there is
Floyd | exactly one other line that goes through the point that never touches
Floyd | the first line."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline disappears through an invisible gap in the MUD. You think you may have heard the sounds of chatting before the gap closed again.
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "read elements"
Floyd ]  One                                                  14/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > READ ELEMENTS
Floyd |
Floyd | This is a copy of the Elements of Euclid.  It's actually
Floyd | divided into thirteen books.
Floyd |
Floyd | Elements contains far too much material to read through.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  Matter                                               14/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way down.
Floyd |
Floyd | Matter
Floyd | The space here is now mostly formed, though the floor is still hazy.
Floyd | You can now see an inscription on the wall.  Several "paths" through
Floyd | the space are clear: up to the manifestation of one, north to the
Floyd | Lyceum, south to the Librarian's Office, east to the Scholar's Study,
Floyd | and west to the Great Hall.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Getting the 0 doesn't seem to have changed this room yet."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  One                                                  14/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up.
Floyd |
Floyd | One
Floyd | This is more of an abstract space than a physical place, but it gives
Floyd | you a sense of unity, wholeness, and beginnings.  A hole leads back up
Floyd | to the positive axis.  You sense another exit, too - one in a deeper,
Floyd | "downward" direction from this space.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "Changes to the Matter room(s) requires increasing your score."
Knight_Otu says, "I guessed as much."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 1                                     14/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up.
Floyd |
Floyd | Positive Axis: 1
Floyd | You find yourself in a deep dark blue - almost black - expanse of
Floyd | space that extends as far as you can see in all three dimensions.  The
Floyd | space is broken up by the straight, flat white line floating in
Floyd | mid-air that you are standing on.  The line stretches to the west and
Floyd | out of sight to the east.  The number 1 is marked on the line.  While
Floyd | the line doesn't appear to be supported by anything, there is a hole
Floyd | in the middle of it here, next to the 1.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 2                                     14/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Positive Axis: 2
Floyd | You are in a dark blue expanse of space, standing on a white line that
Floyd | stretches to the west and as far as you can see to the east.  The
Floyd | number 2 is marked on the line here.  There is a hole next to the 2
Floyd | large enough for you to climb down into.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "Don't forget, you can probably solve the Count's puzzle as well."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  Two                                                  14/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You clamber down the hole.
Floyd |
Floyd | Two
Floyd | This is more of an abstract space than a physical place, but it's
Floyd | marked by a feeling of duality, as if it somehow contains opposites
Floyd | within itself.  The only exit is a hole leading back up to the
Floyd | positive axis.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Yeah, but I want to try the root as well."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get root"
Floyd ]  Two                                                  14/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET ROOT
Floyd |
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "extract root"
Floyd ]  Irrational: Between 1 and 2                          16/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > EXTRACT ROOT
Floyd |
Floyd | The root vibrates quietly, as it extracts the square root of the
Floyd | essence of the space around it.  You feel yourself shift.
Floyd |
Floyd | Irrational: Between 1 and 2
Floyd | This is more of an abstract space than a physical place, but it feels
Floyd | large beyond your understanding, as if it encompasses infinitely more
Floyd | space than the single-number locations beneath the positive axis.  A
Floyd | hole leads up to the positive axis.
Floyd |
Floyd | A proof is lying here.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Number Theory has increased.  You
Floyd | estimate that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by two
Floyd | points.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
zarf arrives, full of fun, but no funk.
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x proof"
Floyd ]  Irrational: Between 1 and 2                          16/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X PROOF
Floyd |
Floyd | This is a mathematical proof that the square root of 2 is irrational.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get proof"
Floyd ]  Irrational: Between 1 and 2                          16/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET PROOF
Floyd |
Floyd | (putting your math book into the empty set to make room)
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "That's for the temple, I guess."
Guenni nods.
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  Positive Axis: 1                                     16/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up.
Floyd |
Floyd | As you step onto the positive axis, the hole behind you closes.
Floyd | Rather than standing at an unmarked spot between 1 and 2, you head
Floyd | back to 1.
Floyd |
Floyd | Positive Axis: 1
Floyd | You find yourself in a deep dark blue - almost black - expanse of
Floyd | space that extends as far as you can see in all three dimensions.  The
Floyd | space is broken up by the straight, flat white line floating in
Floyd | mid-air that you are standing on.  The line stretches to the west and
Floyd | out of sight to the east.  The number 1 is marked on the line.  While
Floyd | the line doesn't appear to be supported by anything, there is a hole
Floyd | in the middle of it here, next to the 1.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  One                                                  16/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You clamber down the hole.
Floyd |
Floyd | One
Floyd | This is more of an abstract space than a physical place, but it gives
Floyd | you a sense of unity, wholeness, and beginnings.  A hole leads back up
Floyd | to the positive axis.  You sense another exit, too - one in a deeper,
Floyd | "downward" direction from this space.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  Matter                                               16/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way down.
Floyd |
Floyd | Matter
Floyd | The space here is now mostly formed, though the floor is still hazy.
Floyd | You can now see an inscription on the wall.  Several "paths" through
Floyd | the space are clear: up to the manifestation of one, north to the
Floyd | Lyceum, south to the Librarian's Office, east to the Scholar's Study,
Floyd | and west to the Great Hall.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           16/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way west.  As you do, you feel an electrical impulse
Floyd | course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Great Hall
Floyd | You are standing in the great hall of a large, cobwebby castle.  A
Floyd | long table stretches from one end of the hall to the other.  The
Floyd | entryway of the castle is to the east.  Exits west and south lead to
Floyd | other parts of the castle.
Floyd |
Floyd | On the long table is a pile of old coins.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Count is here, sitting at the table.  He mumbles something that
Floyd | sounds like "six."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "i"
Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           16/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > I
Floyd |
Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd |   a proof
Floyd |   a square root
Floyd |   a set (no longer empty)
Floyd |     your math book
Floyd |   a sapphire gem
Floyd |   Elements
Floyd |   a scribbled scroll
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "put coins into set"
Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           16/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT COINS INTO SET
Floyd |
Floyd | (first taking the pile of old coins)
Floyd | Those belong to the Count.  I wouldn't just take one without his
Floyd | permission.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "greet count"
Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           16/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GREET COUNT
Floyd |
Floyd | "If you know, please tell me how many ways you can flip ten coins and
Floyd | have them come out half heads and half tails!" the Count says.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "show set to count"
Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           16/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SHOW SET TO COUNT
Floyd |
Floyd | The Count is unimpressed.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Plover says (to Floyd), "SAVE"
Plover says (to Floyd), "cf3"
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SAVE
Floyd | %% Enter a save filename to write:
Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           16/100 (F)
Floyd | > SAVEOk.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "ask count for coins"
Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           16/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > ASK COUNT FOR COINS
Floyd |
Floyd | (the Count first taking the pile of old coins)
Floyd | The Count ignores your request.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "ask count about coins"
Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           16/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > ASK COUNT ABOUT COINS
Floyd |
Floyd | "Can you tell me how many ways there are to flip ten coins and get
Floyd | five heads and five tails?"
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Plover says, "What are you playing"
Knight_Otu says, "It's called A Beauty Cold and Austere."
DavidW says, "(release 2)"
Knight_Otu says, "Also, you may want to talk on the channel by typing #Clubfloyd (text)." Guenni says, "I have to admit I cheated for that one."
Knight_Otu says, "After the first time, you can abbreviate #clubfloyd as ;"
Roger arrives, full of fun and funk. Knight_Otu says, "I might be using the wrong words, I guess."
Guenni says, "No, you have to give just the answer to the count."
Knight_Otu says, "Maybe I'll check out the temple first if I don't find it."
DavidW says, "Probably either something like SAY 43 or ANSWER 208"
Knight_Otu says, "Oh, okay."
DavidW says, "With the correct number, of course."
Guenni nods.
DavidW says (to Floyd), "say 42"
Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           16/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SAY 42
Floyd |
Floyd | (to the Count)
Floyd | The Count arches his eyebrow.  "That's not the right answer."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "say 252"
Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           19/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SAY 252
Floyd |
Floyd | (to the Count)
Floyd | "That's it!  That's it!  I know that's it!  Thank you, thank you,
Floyd | thank you!"  The Count hands you one of the coins from his pile.  "If
Floyd | you lose this one, feel free to come back and take another.  I have
Floyd | plenty!"
Floyd |
Floyd | (You put the scribbled scroll into the set to make room.)
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Combinatorics has increased.  You
Floyd | estimate that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by three
Floyd | points.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu exclaims, "Woo, I was right last week!"
DavidW says, "yes, you were."
Plover says, "i’m new here."
Guenni asks, "Is it ok if we set the game to "brief"?"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x coin"
Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           19/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X COIN
Floyd |
Floyd | This old coin is of eastern European origin.  It is probably quite
Floyd | valuable.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Sure, if I need the room, I can just look."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "brief"
Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           19/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > BRIEF
Floyd |
Floyd | A Beauty Cold and Austere is now in its "brief" printing mode, which
Floyd | gives long descriptions of places never before visited and short
Floyd | descriptions otherwise.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "thanks."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Castle Chapel                                        19/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Castle Chapel
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           19/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Great Hall
Floyd | On the long table is a pile of old coins.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Count is here, looking rather bored.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Matter                                               19/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | The Count calls after you, "If you find something else for me to count
Floyd | I would be grateful!"
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move east, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Matter
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Plover says, "yes"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               19/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way north.  As you do, you feel an electrical impulse
Floyd | course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Southern End                       19/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Temple of Number, Southern End
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       19/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Temple of Number, Northern End
Floyd | An acolyte is here, silently cleaning up the area around the statue.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can also see a trash urn (in which is a scrap of papyrus) here.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte polishes an already spotless part of the statue.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "show proof to acolyte"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       19/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SHOW PROOF TO ACOLYTE
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte is focused on her cleaning, and she ignores you.  There
Floyd | must be some way to make her notice the proof.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte picks up a speck of dust from the floor of the temple.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       19/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte stops you.  She shakes her head silently.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte gazes up at the statue with a reverent look on her face.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "read proof"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       19/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > READ PROOF
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Proof that the Square Root of 2 is Irrational
Floyd |
Floyd | Suppose the square root of 2 is rational.  Then it can be expressed as
Floyd | a fraction x/y in lowest terms, so that x
Floyd | and y are integers with no common factors.  Since
Floyd | x/y is the square root of 2, squaring
Floyd | x/y must yield 2, and so we get 2 = x² /
Floyd | y².  This means that 2y² = x².
Floyd |
Floyd | Since y is an integer, so is y².  Since x²
Floyd | is 2 times an integer, x² must be an even number.  The only
Floyd | way that the square of a number can be even, though, is for the number
Floyd | itself to be even.  Thus x is even.  So x =
Floyd | 2z, where z is some other integer.
Floyd |
Floyd | Substituting 2z for x, our equation now looks like
Floyd | 2y² = (2z)² = 4z².  Divide both sides by
Floyd | 2
Floyd | to get y² = 2z².  By the same logic as before, this
Floyd | means y is even.  So x and y are both even.
Floyd |
Floyd | But x and y can't both be even because they have no
Floyd | common factors.  We now have a logical contradiction.  Since our
Floyd | supposition that the square root of 2 is rational leads to a logical
Floyd | contradiction, the only possibility left is that the square root of 2
Floyd | is, in fact, irrational.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte picks up a speck of dust from the floor of the temple.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni asks, "Want a hint?"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "recite proof"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       19/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > RECITE PROOF
Floyd |
Floyd | I didn't recognize that command.  (There is a list of recognized
Floyd | commands in the HELP menus.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Not quite yet."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "drop proof"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       19/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > DROP PROOF
Floyd |
Floyd | Dropped.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte sweeps the area in front of the statue.
Floyd |
Floyd | Then the acolyte picks up the proof.  On her way to the trash urn, she
Floyd | glances at it.  Then she stops and reads through it carefully.  Her
Floyd | face tightens.  She shakes the proof at you, spluttering.  "This...
Floyd | this is blasphemy!  All things must be odd or even or a ratio!  You
Floyd | are in error!  I will show it to you!"
Floyd |
Floyd | She reads over the proof again.  "The error is here, in the second
Floyd | line.  No... the mistake is in the assumption that...  In this place,
Floyd | you can't claim that this follows from...  Aarrrgghh!  This proof is
Floyd | wrong!  I know it is!"
Floyd |
Floyd | She reads the proof a third time.  And then a fourth time.  The anger
Floyd | slowly fades from her face.  "How did you come by such sacred
Floyd | knowledge, and why, why did you share it with me?"  Tears drop onto
Floyd | her cheeks.  Giving you a last mournful glance, she runs sobbing out
Floyd | of the temple.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Poor attendant."
Knight_Otu says, "We're shattering her faith."
DavidW says, "Math is a harsh mistress."
Guenni Yeah, sometimes, ignorance is bliss.
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       19/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > L
Floyd |
Floyd | Temple of Number, Northern End
Floyd | You stand in the northern end of the Temple of Number.  The temple is
Floyd | made of white stone and features imposing Ionic columns.  Instead of
Floyd | the half-expected statue of Athena Parthenos, though, stands a large
Floyd | statue of Pythagoras.  Behind the statue is a small passageway heading
Floyd | north.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can see a trash urn (in which is a scrap of papyrus) here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Okay, I guess she kept the proof."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Inner Sanctum                                        19/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | With the acolyte gone, no one prevents you from entering the
Floyd | passageway behind the statue.
Floyd |
Floyd | Inner Sanctum
Floyd | This small room tucked away behind the statue of Pythagoras is made
Floyd | from the same pure white stone as the more public parts of the temple.
Floyd | It feels like a holy space.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can see an octahedron, Archimedes's staff, and some exhaustion
Floyd | sandals here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x octahedron"
Floyd ]  Inner Sanctum                                        19/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X OCTAHEDRON
Floyd |
Floyd | The octahedron has eight sides, each of which is in the shape of an
Floyd | equilateral triangle.  It looks kind of like someone took two pyramids
Floyd | and glued their bases together.  This octahedron is about one cubic
Floyd | foot in volume.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get it"
Floyd ]  Inner Sanctum                                        20/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET IT
Floyd |
Floyd | You take the octahedron.  Looking curiously at it, you note that it
Floyd | has eight sides, each of which is in the shape of an equilateral
Floyd | triangle.  You feel you understand three-dimensional solid geometry a
Floyd | little better.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Geometry has increased.  You estimate
Floyd | that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by one
Floyd | point.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Plover says, "who is the game by"
Knight_Otu exclaims, "We reached D-!"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "about"
Floyd ]                     A Beauty Cold and Austere
Floyd ]
Floyd ]  N = Next                                              Q = Quit Menu
Floyd ]  P = Previous                                          ENTER = Select
Floyd |  > What is "interactive fiction"?
Floyd | How does one read/play interactive fiction? (Part 1: some IF
Floyd | conventions)
Floyd | How does one read/play interactive fiction? (Part 2: common
Floyd | commands)
Floyd |    How do I interact with other characters?
Floyd |    What else should I know to help me with this game?
Floyd |    But I'm not very good at math!
Floyd |    But I'm very good at math!
Floyd |    I think there are symbols that aren't displaying properly.
Floyd |    Hints
Floyd |    Acknowledgements
Floyd |    Contacting the author
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "q"
Floyd ]  Inner Sanctum                                        20/100 (D-)
Floyd | Inner Sanctum
Floyd | This small room tucked away behind the statue of Pythagoras is made
Floyd | from the same pure white stone as the more public parts of the temple.
Floyd | It feels like a holy space.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can see Archimedes's staff and some exhaustion sandals here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says (to Floyd), "version"
Floyd ]  Inner Sanctum                                        20/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > VERSION
Floyd |
Floyd | A Beauty Cold and Austere
Floyd | An Interactive Digression by Mike Spivey
Floyd | Release 2 / Serial number 180112 / Inform 7 build 6M62 (I6/v6.33 lib
Floyd | 6/12N)
Floyd | Identification number: //0BFE11AF-82A9-4491-A740-AB7155B81DCA//
Floyd | Interpreter version 1.3.1 / VM 3.1.2 / Library serial number 080126
Floyd | Standard Rules version 3/120430 by Graham Nelson
Floyd | Rideable Vehicles version 3 by Graham Nelson
Floyd | Conditional Undo version 4/140510 by Jesse McGrew
Floyd | Serial And Fix by Andrew Plotkin
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "There ya go. It's by Mike Spivey."
Knight_Otu says, "Thanks. I should always expect a menu."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x staff"
Floyd ]  Inner Sanctum                                        20/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X STAFF
Floyd |
Floyd | This thin staff is surprisingly strong.  It is longer than you are
Floyd | tall.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get it"
Floyd ]  Inner Sanctum                                        20/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET IT
Floyd |
Floyd | (putting Elements into the set to make room)
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "I imagine the haze is gone from the floor in Matter now."
Knight_Otu says, "Give me a big enough lever..."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x sandals"
Floyd ]  Inner Sanctum                                        20/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X SANDALS
Floyd |
Floyd | This pair of exhaustion sandals is the embodiment of Eudoxus's
Floyd | principle of exhaustion.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "... and I can move the world"
Knight_Otu says, "Or a globe, for that matter."
Guenni nods.
Knight_Otu says, "Not sure why yet, though."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get sandals"
Floyd ]  Inner Sanctum                                        20/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET SANDALS
Floyd |
Floyd | (putting the sapphire gem into the set to make room)
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says (to Floyd), "look up eudoxus in math book"
Floyd ]  Inner Sanctum                                        20/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK UP EUDOXUS IN MATH BOOK
Floyd |
Floyd | Eudoxus was an ancient Greek mathematician.  He is most well-known for
Floyd | his method of exhaustion.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says (to Floyd), "look up exhaustion"
Floyd ]  Inner Sanctum                                        20/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK UP EXHAUSTION
Floyd |
Floyd | (in your math book)
Floyd | The method of exhaustion was a technique used by various ancient Greek
Floyd | mathematicians to find areas and volumes of geometric objects like
Floyd | circles, spheres, cones, and cylinders.  It can be thought of as a
Floyd | precursor to more modern techniques that use limits.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Plover says, "I've never done a ClubFloyd playthrough before, sorry if I'm interfearing."
Knight_Otu says, "I was getting there."
DavidW says (to KO), "sorry"
Knight_Otu says, "You're not interfering."
DavidW says, "I just wanted to remind everyone that the book was still around."
Plover says (to Floyd), "RESTORE"
Plover says (to Floyd), "cf3"
Floyd | >
Floyd | > RESTORE
Floyd | %% Enter a save filename to read:
Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           16/100 (F)
Floyd | Ok.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Eep."
Guenni asks, "What did you do that for?"
Knight_Otu says, "That wasn't good."
DavidW says (to Plover), "THAT WAS INTERFERING."
Plover says, "′"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "i"
Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           16/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > I
Floyd |
Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd |   a proof
Floyd |   a square root
Floyd |   a set (no longer empty)
Floyd |     your math book
Floyd |   a sapphire gem
Floyd |   Elements
Floyd |   a scribbled scroll
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Plover says, "orry, i’ll keep quiet."
DavidW says, "You'll have to replay almost everything we've done so far today."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "say 252"
Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           19/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SAY 252
Floyd |
Floyd | (to the Count)
Floyd | "That's it!  That's it!  I know that's it!  Thank you, thank you,
Floyd | thank you!"  The Count hands you one of the coins from his pile.  "If
Floyd | you lose this one, feel free to come back and take another.  I have
Floyd | plenty!"
Floyd |
Floyd | (You put the scribbled scroll into the set to make room.)
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Combinatorics has increased.  You
Floyd | estimate that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by three
Floyd | points.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Matter                                               19/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move east, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Matter
Floyd | The space here is now mostly formed, though the floor is still hazy.
Floyd | You can now see an inscription on the wall.  Several "paths" through
Floyd | the space are clear: up to the manifestation of one, north to the
Floyd | Lyceum, south to the Librarian's Office, east to the Scholar's Study,
Floyd | and west to the Great Hall.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says (to Floyd), "brief"
Floyd ]  Matter                                               19/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > BRIEF
Floyd |
Floyd | A Beauty Cold and Austere is now in its "brief" printing mode, which
Floyd | gives long descriptions of places never before visited and short
Floyd | descriptions otherwise.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "If you do something like that, at least give some kind of warning, so people have a chance to protest."
Knight_Otu says, "Oh, right, the brief. Thanks."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               19/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way north.  As you do, you feel an electrical impulse
Floyd | course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Southern End                       19/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Temple of Number, Southern End
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       19/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Temple of Number, Northern End
Floyd | An acolyte is here, silently cleaning up the area around the statue.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can also see a trash urn (in which is a scrap of papyrus) here.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte polishes an already spotless part of the statue.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "drop proof"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       19/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > DROP PROOF
Floyd |
Floyd | Dropped.
Floyd |
Floyd | The acolyte sweeps the area in front of the statue.
Floyd |
Floyd | Then the acolyte picks up the proof.  On her way to the trash urn, she
Floyd | glances at it.  Then she stops and reads through it carefully.  Her
Floyd | face tightens.  She shakes the proof at you, spluttering.  "This...
Floyd | this is blasphemy!  All things must be odd or even or a ratio!  You
Floyd | are in error!  I will show it to you!"
Floyd |
Floyd | She reads over the proof again.  "The error is here, in the second
Floyd | line.  No... the mistake is in the assumption that...  In this place,
Floyd | you can't claim that this follows from...  Aarrrgghh!  This proof is
Floyd | wrong!  I know it is!"
Floyd |
Floyd | She reads the proof a third time.  And then a fourth time.  The anger
Floyd | slowly fades from her face.  "How did you come by such sacred
Floyd | knowledge, and why, why did you share it with me?"  Tears drop onto
Floyd | her cheeks.  Giving you a last mournful glance, she runs sobbing out
Floyd | of the temple.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Inner Sanctum                                        19/100 (F)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | With the acolyte gone, no one prevents you from entering the
Floyd | passageway behind the statue.
Floyd |
Floyd | Inner Sanctum
Floyd | This small room tucked away behind the statue of Pythagoras is made
Floyd | from the same pure white stone as the more public parts of the temple.
Floyd | It feels like a holy space.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can see an octahedron, Archimedes's staff, and some exhaustion
Floyd | sandals here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get all"
Floyd ]  Inner Sanctum                                        20/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET ALL
Floyd |
Floyd | octahedron: You take the octahedron.  Looking curiously at it, you
Floyd | note that it has eight sides, each of which is in the shape of an
Floyd | equilateral triangle.  You feel you understand three-dimensional solid
Floyd | geometry a little better.
Floyd | Archimedes's staff: (putting Elements into the set to make
Floyd | room)
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd | exhaustion sandals: (putting the sapphire gem into the set to make
Floyd | room)
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Geometry has increased.  You estimate
Floyd | that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by one
Floyd | point.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Northern End                       20/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Temple of Number, Northern End
Floyd | You can see a trash urn (in which is a scrap of papyrus) here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Temple of Number, Southern End                       20/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Temple of Number, Southern End
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               20/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW asks, "Was there something else we did?"
Plover asks, "What’s happening so far?"
Knight_Otu says, "We did the root thing, but thatwas before the save."
DavidW asks, "So I guess you ought to try using one of the three new items next?"
Guenni says, "If it was already in brief mode. I think we are where we were before."
DavidW says, "yeah, we were lucky"
Plover speaks into the microphone on his radio, hoping somebody is alive out there... Knight_Otu says, "I'm guessing the lever is for the globe, and the octahedron for the villa."
Guenni nods.
Plover speaks into the microphone on his radio, hoping somebody is alive out there... Knight_Otu says, "I'm not sure about the sandals. My first thought was Achilles, but that doesn't seem likely."
Knight_Otu says, "Well, anymore."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Courtyard                                            20/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | You step through the doorway of the private home, confident in your
Floyd | knowledge of geometry.
Floyd |
Floyd | Courtyard
Floyd | In the middle of the courtyard stands a group of six elegant
Floyd | pedestals.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "not completely wrong. But not quite there yet. :-)"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x pedestals"
Floyd ]  Courtyard                                            20/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X PEDESTALS
Floyd |
Floyd | Five of the pedestals are arranged in a circle around the sixth.  The
Floyd | pedestals are distinguished by their tops: The five on the outside
Floyd | have tops in the form of a large triangle, a medium-sized triangle, a
Floyd | small triangle, a square, and a pentagon.  The top of the pedestal in
Floyd | the center is in the shape of a circle.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Plover asks, "How does Floyd work?"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "put octahedron on large triangle"
Floyd ]  Courtyard                                            20/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT OCTAHEDRON ON LARGE TRIANGLE
Floyd |
Floyd | You put the octahedron on the large triangular top pedestal.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "It's a boot where you can load if games."
yournamehere arrives, full of funk, but no fun. Karona asks, "What does "boot" mean in this context?"
Knight_Otu asks, "Bot. I think it's basically an interface between if interpreters and the mud?"
DavidW says (to Plover), "I don't know exactly how he's programmed, but he acts like an emcee. He runs the game on his machine, tells us what the game says and passes on commands to the game from us."
Plover says, "How do I load IF games,"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get octahedron"
Floyd ]  Courtyard                                            20/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET OCTAHEDRON
Floyd |
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "Could we talk about this later please? We're in the middle of a game here."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               20/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter                                          20/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move south, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | You enter a now fully-formed space.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter                                          20/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > L
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter
Floyd | This space is made of some spongy gray matter.  You can see an
Floyd | inscription here, and you can go north to the Lyceum, south to the
Floyd | Librarian's Office, east to the Scholar's Study, and west to the Great
Floyd | Hall, or up to the manifestation of one from this space.  Now that the
Floyd | space has taken on a complete shape, you can also see a passage
Floyd | leading down.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "New path."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Librarian's Office                                   20/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way south.  As you do, you feel an electrical impulse
Floyd | course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Librarian's Office
Floyd | You have solved the number puzzle on the wall here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd ]  Librarian's Office                                   20/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > L
Floyd |
Floyd | Librarian's Office
Floyd | This appears to be the head librarian's office in the Great Library of
Floyd | Alexandria.  Scrolls litter the floor.  The main part of the library
Floyd | is north of you, and a side room lies to the south.
Floyd |
Floyd | You have solved the number puzzle on the wall here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Plover says (to Floyd), "nolth"
Floyd ]  Librarian's Office                                   20/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > NOLTH
Floyd |
Floyd | I didn't recognize that command.  (There is a list of recognized
Floyd | commands in the HELP menus.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Map Room                                             20/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Map Room
Floyd | A huge globe sits on a pedestal in the center of the room.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "lever globe with staff"
Floyd ]  Map Room                                             22/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LEVER GLOBE WITH STAFF
Floyd |
Floyd | You slide the staff into the gap between the pedestal and the globe.
Floyd |
Floyd | You push down on the staff.  The globe starts to shift.  You push
Floyd | harder.  With this additional leverage, the globe pops off the
Floyd | pedestal!  It rolls a few feet and comes to rest against the wall.  It
Floyd | looks like there was something underneath the globe.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Physics has increased.  You estimate that
Floyd | your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by two points.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Plover says (to Floyd), "iventory"
Floyd ]  Map Room                                             22/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > IVENTORY
Floyd |
Floyd | I didn't recognize that command.  (There is a list of recognized
Floyd | commands in the HELP menus.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Plover says (to Floyd), "inventory"
Floyd ]  Map Room                                             22/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > INVENTORY
Floyd |
Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd |   an octahedron
Floyd |   some exhaustion sandals
Floyd |   an old coin
Floyd |   a square root
Floyd |   a set (no longer empty)
Floyd |     a sapphire gem
Floyd |     Elements
Floyd |     a scribbled scroll
Floyd |     your math book
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd ]  Map Room                                             22/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > L
Floyd |
Floyd | Map Room
Floyd | This room is quite large to be a side room just off the librarian's
Floyd | office.  The walls are covered with maps, and an exit leads back north
Floyd | to the librarian's office.  A short pedestal stands in the center of
Floyd | the room.
Floyd |
Floyd | The huge globe lies on the floor.
Floyd |
Floyd | On the short pedestal is a tetrahedron.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can also see Archimedes's staff here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x tetrahedron"
Floyd ]  Map Room                                             22/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X TETRAHEDRON
Floyd |
Floyd | The tetrahedron, more commonly known as a pyramid, has four sides.
Floyd | Each side is in the shape of an equilateral triangle.  This
Floyd | tetrahedron is about one cubic foot in volume.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get it"
Floyd ]  Map Room                                             23/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET IT
Floyd |
Floyd | You take the tetrahedron.  Looking curiously at it, you note that it
Floyd | has four sides, each of which is in the shape of an equilateral
Floyd | triangle.  You feel you understand three-dimensional solid geometry a
Floyd | little better.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Geometry has increased.  You estimate
Floyd | that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by one
Floyd | point.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Plover says (to Floyd), "version"
Floyd ]  Map Room                                             23/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > VERSION
Floyd |
Floyd | A Beauty Cold and Austere
Floyd | An Interactive Digression by Mike Spivey
Floyd | Release 2 / Serial number 180112 / Inform 7 build 6M62 (I6/v6.33 lib
Floyd | 6/12N)
Floyd | Identification number: //0BFE11AF-82A9-4491-A740-AB7155B81DCA//
Floyd | Interpreter version 1.3.1 / VM 3.1.2 / Library serial number 080126
Floyd | Standard Rules version 3/120430 by Graham Nelson
Floyd | Rideable Vehicles version 3 by Graham Nelson
Floyd | Conditional Undo version 4/140510 by Jesse McGrew
Floyd | Serial And Fix by Andrew Plotkin
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Librarian's Office                                   23/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Librarian's Office
Floyd | You have solved the number puzzle on the wall here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter                                          23/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move north, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               23/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way north.  As you do, you feel an electrical impulse
Floyd | course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Courtyard                                            23/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | You step through the doorway of the private home, confident in your
Floyd | knowledge of geometry.
Floyd |
Floyd | Courtyard
Floyd | In the middle of the courtyard stands a group of six elegant
Floyd | pedestals.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "pu tetrahedron on large triangle"
Floyd ]  Courtyard                                            23/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PU TETRAHEDRON ON LARGE TRIANGLE
Floyd |
Floyd | I didn't recognize that command.  (There is a list of recognized
Floyd | commands in the HELP menus.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "put tetrahedron on large triangle"
Floyd ]  Courtyard                                            23/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT TETRAHEDRON ON LARGE TRIANGLE
Floyd |
Floyd | You put the tetrahedron on the large triangular top pedestal.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get tetrahedron"
Floyd ]  Courtyard                                            23/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET TETRAHEDRON
Floyd |
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "By the way, you can abbreviate solids' names by dropping the -hedron part."
Knight_Otu says, "Good to know,thanks."
Knight_Otu says, "I guess I'll keep them until I have the full set."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               23/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter                                          23/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move south, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW asks, "Now what? Sandals or down from here?"
DavidW asks, "Or something else?"
Knight_Otu says, "Okay, unsolved puzzles we know about. The Countess' calculator."
DavidW says, "Also the buttons to the east."
Knight_Otu says, "Achilles. The buttons in the study."
Guenni says, "The countess solution is lying around somewhere."
Knight_Otu says, "I'll try giving Achilles the sandals first, I guess."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               23/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way north.  As you do, you feel an electrical impulse
Floyd | course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Courtyard                                            23/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | You step through the doorway of the private home, confident in your
Floyd | knowledge of geometry.
Floyd |
Floyd | Courtyard
Floyd | In the middle of the courtyard stands a group of six elegant
Floyd | pedestals.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               23/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Stadium                                              23/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Stadium
Floyd | Achilles sits by the side of the race track with his head in his
Floyd | hands.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "If you figure out the button solution without a nudge You'll earn a heap of respect from me."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "give sandals to Achilles"
Floyd ]  Stadium                                              23/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GIVE SANDALS TO ACHILLES
Floyd |
Floyd | Achilles looks at the exhaustion sandals rather skeptically ("I always
Floyd | run barefoot," he says), but he agrees to try them.  After lacing them
Floyd | up, he snaps his fingers, and the tortoise appears.  They find their
Floyd | places as before, and take off.  Achilles runs to the halfway mark,
Floyd | looks up, and sees the tortoise ahead of him.  He notes the tortoise's
Floyd | new position, races to it, and sees the tortoise still ahead.
Floyd | Achilles doesn't give up, though, and every time he looks up he finds
Floyd | himself closer to the tortoise.  As they approach the finish, Achilles
Floyd | is so close to the tortoise you can't see much distance between them.
Floyd | However, the tortoise crosses the finish line just barely ahead of
Floyd | Achilles.
Floyd |
Floyd | The tortoise disappears again, and Achilles jogs back to you.  He
Floyd | returns the exhaustion sandals.  "Thanks for letting me try the
Floyd | sandals.  I felt myself almost overtaking the tortoise, but the
Floyd | sandals weren't quite enough."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "I figured the buttons out on my own."
Plover asks, "is Rideable Vehicles an Inform game?"
Knight_Otu says, "So you earn a heap of respect from Guenni."
Guenni says, "Sounds more like an addon to me."
DavidW says (to Plover), "It's an extension."
Guenni pushes over a heap of respect to David.
DavidW says, "Most library extensions for Inform 7 are on the Inform 7 website."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               23/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter                                          23/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move south, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  Darkness                                             23/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way down.
Floyd |
Floyd | Darkness
Floyd | The darkness in this space feels different than simply the absence of
Floyd | light - both weaker and stronger, somehow.  You can still perceive
Floyd | yourself and what you're carrying, but a foot or so away from you the
Floyd | darkness seems palpable, almost alive.  You do sense an exit above
Floyd | you, though.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can just perceive a white mirror floating here in the darkness.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Plover takes a sip of coffee
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x mirror"
Floyd ]  Darkness                                             23/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X MIRROR
Floyd |
Floyd | You would probably get a better look at the mirror if you were holding
Floyd | it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get it"
Floyd ]  Darkness                                             23/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET IT
Floyd |
Floyd | (putting the square root into the set to make room)
Floyd | You take the white-framed mirror from the darkness.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "Looks like Rideable Vehicles, however, is a built-in extension."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x it"
Floyd ]  Darkness                                             23/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X IT
Floyd |
Floyd | This mirror is not made of glass but rather of some tougher material.
Floyd | Encircling the mirror and forming its frame is a one-eyed white adder,
Floyd | although there is a small hole where the eye should be.  The word
Floyd | "Inverse" is inscribed on the bottom of the frame.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "That adder again."
Knight_Otu exclaims, "It haunts us!"
Guenni nods.
DavidW asks, "We still have the gem, I hope?"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "put gem in mirror"
Floyd ]  Darkness                                             23/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT GEM IN MIRROR
Floyd |
Floyd | You push the sapphire gem into the eye hole of the adder on the
Floyd | white-framed mirror.  The sapphire glows briefly as it slides into
Floyd | place.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter                                          23/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up through the darkness.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  One                                                  23/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up.
Floyd |
Floyd | One
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "inverse mirror"
Floyd ]  One                                                  23/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > INVERSE MIRROR
Floyd |
Floyd | Nothing happens.  Perhaps the mirror is activated some other way.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "look in mirror"
Floyd ]  Negative One                                         23/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK IN MIRROR
Floyd |
Floyd | You look in the mirror and see an inverted image of yourself reflected
Floyd | back at you.  As you gaze at your image, the word "Inverse" on the
Floyd | mirror's frame begins to glow.  In response, your image in the mirror
Floyd | grows larger.  Soon your face fills the entire mirror.  You lean in
Floyd | closer, and your nose brushes the mirror's surface.  The mirror emits
Floyd | a dazzling flash of light, and you feel yourself invert as
Floyd | you are pulled through the mirror.
Floyd |
Floyd | Negative One
Floyd | This is more of an abstract space than a physical place.  You get a
Floyd | general feeling of opposition here.  The only exit is a hole leading
Floyd | up.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can see a phase inverter here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x inverter"
Floyd ]  Negative One                                         23/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X INVERTER
Floyd |
Floyd | This complicated mechanism appears to have a place to insert objects.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get it"
Floyd ]  Negative One                                         23/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET IT
Floyd |
Floyd | The phase inverter does not appear to be portable.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "i"
Floyd ]  Negative One                                         23/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > I
Floyd |
Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd |   some exhaustion sandals
Floyd |   a tetrahedron
Floyd |   an octahedron
Floyd |   an old coin
Floyd |   a set (no longer empty)
Floyd |     a square root
Floyd |     Elements
Floyd |     a scribbled scroll
Floyd |     your math book
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "put sandals in inverter"
Floyd ]  Negative One                                         23/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT SANDALS IN INVERTER
Floyd |
Floyd | You briefly insert the exhaustion sandals into the phase inverter.
Floyd | The inverter hums as it adds π units to the essence of the exhaustion
Floyd | sandals.  If something has changed about the exhaustion sandals, it's
Floyd | difficult to see what.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "put coin in inverter"
Floyd ]  Negative One                                         23/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT COIN IN INVERTER
Floyd |
Floyd | You briefly insert the old coin into the phase inverter.  The inverter
Floyd | hums as it adds π units to the essence of the old coin.  If something
Floyd | has changed about the old coin, it's difficult to see what.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "I see a question mark, but I know from playing before that it's the symbol for pi."
Plover says, "I'll try and come here every Sunday, but mytime zone is Greenwich."
Knight_Otu says, "Hm."
Knight_Otu says, "I do see the pi."
Guenni says, "My timezone is even further east."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  Number Line: -1                                      24/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up.
Floyd |
Floyd | As you climb through the hole, you enter the dark blue expanse of
Floyd | space surrounding the positive axis.  Off to the "east" you can see
Floyd | the back of the now-enlarged white-framed mirror, supported by nothing
Floyd | but standing upright just on the edge of the positive axis.  The top
Floyd | of the mirror begins to pivot towards you, while the bottom of the
Floyd | mirror remains where it is.  As the mirror continues to rotate, you
Floyd | see that it is reflecting a second copy of the positive axis.  This
Floyd | copy is rotating with the mirror, as if it is a ray of light bouncing
Floyd | off the mirror.  At the instant the mirror passes through the plane of
Floyd | the positive axis, the mirror disappears!  The reflected copy of the
Floyd | positive axis remains, though, passing right by you and running as far
Floyd | as you can see to the "west."  You feel fairly comfortable stepping on
Floyd | the now fully-formed number line.
Floyd |
Floyd | Number Line: -1
Floyd | You are in a dark blue expanse of space, standing on a white line that
Floyd | stretches as far as you can see from west to east.  The number -1 is
Floyd | marked on the line here.  There is a hole next to the -1 large enough
Floyd | for you to climb down into.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Arithmetic has increased.  You estimate
Floyd | that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by one
Floyd | point.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Plover says, "be If I can’t ake it, there’s lw the transcripts on allthingjaq.com"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Number Line: -1                                      24/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd | You walk along the number line for a while, noting marks for -2, -3,
Floyd | -4, and the other negative integers.  There are no holes or anything
Floyd | else featured on the this part of the number line, though, and you
Floyd | soon decide return to the -1 mark.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Plover says, "If I can’t make it, there’s lw the transcripts not llthingsjaq.com"
Knight_Otu says, "It can take a while for the transcripts to appear."
Plover asks, "Do you meet here every Sunday?"
Guenni says, "90% of the time, yes."
DavidW says, "Usually. There have been exceptions."
Knight_Otu says, "But the ones already there are worth a read if you haven't already."
Knight_Otu says, "There are occasional breaks, and on some days, there's no one there."
Knight_Otu says, "Haven't seen the latter much though, yet."
Plover says, "How long is aClubFloyd"
Guenni says, "Somewhere between one and four hours. Both are extremes."
Knight_Otu says, "We aim for two hours as far as I've seen."
DavidW says, "We aim for a 2 hour session, generally. But we've definitely had shorter and much longer sessions."
Knight_Otu says, "But as Guenni says, there are expections."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Number Line: 0                                       24/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Number Line: 0
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Number Line: 1                                       24/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Number Line: 1
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  One                                                  24/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You clamber down the hole.
Floyd |
Floyd | One
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter                                          24/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way down.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  Darkness                                             24/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way down.
Floyd |
Floyd | Darkness
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter                                          24/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up through the darkness.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Plover asks, "What’s the difference between ClubFloyd and NightFloyd?"
Guenni says, "You might give the "darkness" a closer look."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  Darkness                                             24/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way down.
Floyd |
Floyd | Darkness
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd ]  Darkness                                             24/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > L
Floyd |
Floyd | Darkness
Floyd | The darkness in this space feels different than simply the absence of
Floyd | light - both weaker and stronger, somehow.  You can still perceive
Floyd | yourself and what you're carrying, but a foot or so away from you the
Floyd | darkness seems palpable, almost alive.  You do sense an exit above
Floyd | you, though.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "NightFloyd used to run on Thursday nights. But we haven't had a NightFloyd in ages."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x darkness"
Floyd ]  Darkness                                             24/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X DARKNESS
Floyd |
Floyd | The darkness surrounding you feels like more than just the absence of
Floyd | light.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Plover says (to Floyd), "SAVE"
Plover says (to Floyd), "cf4"
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SAVE
Floyd | %% Enter a save filename to write:
Floyd ]  Darkness                                             24/100 (D-)
Floyd | > SAVEOk.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "touch it"
Floyd ]  Darkness                                             24/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TOUCH IT
Floyd |
Floyd | You've got to be kidding.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "I was wrong, sorry."
Knight_Otu says, "No problem."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter                                          24/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up through the darkness.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Plover says (to Floyd), "this"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter                                          24/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > THIS
Floyd |
Floyd | I didn't recognize that command.  (There is a list of recognized
Floyd | commands in the HELP menus.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Plover says (to Floyd), "north"
Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               24/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > NORTH
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way north.  As you do, you feel an electrical impulse
Floyd | course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Plover says (to Floyd), "verbose"
Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               24/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > VERBOSE
Floyd |
Floyd | A Beauty Cold and Austere is now in its "verbose" mode, which always
Floyd | gives long descriptions of locations (even if you've been there
Floyd | before).
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Plover says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter                                          24/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move south, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter
Floyd | This space is made of some spongy gray matter.  You can see an
Floyd | inscription here, and you can go north to the Lyceum, south to the
Floyd | Librarian's Office, east to the Scholar's Study, and west to the Great
Floyd | Hall, or up to the manifestation of one from this space.  Now that the
Floyd | space has taken on a complete shape, you can also see a passage
Floyd | leading down to Darkness.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Plover says (to Floyd), "south"
Floyd ]  Librarian's Office                                   24/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SOUTH
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way south.  As you do, you feel an electrical impulse
Floyd | course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Librarian's Office
Floyd | This appears to be the head librarian's office in the Great Library of
Floyd | Alexandria.  Scrolls litter the floor.  The main part of the library
Floyd | is north of you, and a side room lies to the south.
Floyd |
Floyd | You have solved the number puzzle on the wall here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "We're keeping the game in brief on purpose."
DavidW says (to Plover), "We're playing brief for a reason."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "brief"
Floyd ]  Librarian's Office                                   24/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > BRIEF
Floyd |
Floyd | A Beauty Cold and Austere is now in its "brief" printing mode, which
Floyd | gives long descriptions of places never before visited and short
Floyd | descriptions otherwise.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter                                          24/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move north, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      24/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way east.  As you do, you feel an electrical impulse
Floyd | course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Scholar's Study
Floyd | On the low table are a small coffer and a formal note.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x buttons"
Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      24/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X BUTTONS
Floyd |
Floyd | There are five buttons hidden in the geometric designs: a circular
Floyd | button, a button in the shape of two juxtaposed parentheses, a
Floyd | triangular button, a square button, and a pentagonal button.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "You could check the count. I'm not sure he was still solved after the restoring."
DavidW says, "If we have the coin, we solved his puzzle."
Knight_Otu says, "That was the first thing I did, I think."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "i"
Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      24/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > I
Floyd |
Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd |   some exhaustion sandals
Floyd |   a tetrahedron
Floyd |   an octahedron
Floyd |   an old coin
Floyd |   a set (no longer empty)
Floyd |     a square root
Floyd |     Elements
Floyd |     a scribbled scroll
Floyd |     your math book
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "yeah"
Guenni says, "Hmm makes sense."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x circular"
Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      24/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X CIRCULAR
Floyd |
Floyd | You see nothing special about the circular button.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Plover says, "who selects the driver for ClubFloyd? I'v for ClubFlod and it says only the driver can enter commands"
DavidW says, "Common concensus."
Guenni says, "That happens, somehow, at the beginning of every session."
Plover disappears through a gap in the MUD. Oh dear, you'll see Plover next time.
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "push circular"
Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      24/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH CIRCULAR
Floyd |
Floyd | You hear a click as you push the circular button.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "push parentheses"
Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      24/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH PARENTHESES
Floyd |
Floyd | You hear a click as you push the parentheses button.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "push triangular"
Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      24/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH TRIANGULAR
Floyd |
Floyd | You hear a click as you push the triangular button.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "push parentheses"
Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      24/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH PARENTHESES
Floyd |
Floyd | You hear a click as you push the parentheses button.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "If this was a Japanese escape game, the parentheses button would be a L button instead."
Plover arrives, ready to play with the toys. Knight_Otu says, "I recall you saying that last time. I'm not quite sure what that means, though."
Plover enters a generic vehicle. DavidW says, "I suppose it's a weak hint on my part. Too weak to matter, I guess."
Plover gets out.
Plover exits the vehicle.
Plover has had his fill of playing for now, and goes back to the Lounge.
Plover arrives, full of neither funk nor fun. Knight_Otu says, "I'm still not sure about the buttons. My inclination was that the buttons are mathematical operations (+, -, ()), and 0, 1, but that seems not it."
DavidW says, "It's simpler than that."
Knight_Otu says, "Hm."
Guenni asks, "I was out for a moment. Did he find the "recipe" yet?"
DavidW says, "not yet"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      24/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > L
Floyd |
Floyd | Scholar's Study
Floyd | You are in the House of Wisdom in early-medieval Baghdad, standing in
Floyd | what appears to be someone's private study.  The walls are covered in
Floyd | intricate geometric designs, and a low table stands in the middle of
Floyd | the room.  A small room lies to the south, and the rest of the House
Floyd | of Wisdom is to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | On the low table are a small coffer and a formal note.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x note"
Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      24/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X NOTE
Floyd |
Floyd | The note reads,
Floyd |
Floyd | "Al-Khwarizmi,
Floyd |
Floyd | Our most recent investigations indicate at least two types of objects
Floyd | of power: Those activated by more-or-less normal use, and those
Floyd | activated by the appropriate word of power.
Floyd |
Floyd | This square object was recently given to the caliph.  It appears to be
Floyd | of the latter type.  Please examine it and let us know what you
Floyd | discover of it."
Floyd |
Floyd | Instead of a name, the note is signed with the first few digits of π:
Floyd | 3.1415.
Floyd |
Floyd | There is also a postscript: "By the way, thank you for the hint on
Floyd | your problem with the balances.  I had not realized that the weight of
Floyd | an object has nothing to do with that object's color."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "push triangular"
Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      24/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH TRIANGULAR
Floyd |
Floyd | You hear a click as you push the triangular button.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "push circular"
Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      24/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH CIRCULAR
Floyd |
Floyd | You hear a click as you push the circular button.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "This looks promising."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "push square"
Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      24/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH SQUARE
Floyd |
Floyd | (the square button)
Floyd | You hear a click as you push the square button.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "mmhm"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "push circular"
Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      24/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH CIRCULAR
Floyd |
Floyd | You hear a click as you push the circular button.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "push pentagon"
Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      24/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH PENTAGON
Floyd |
Floyd | You hear a click as you push the pentagonal button.  A part
Floyd | of the east wall swings open, revealing a room behind it!
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "hooray!"
Guenni pushes over the promised heap of respect. :-)
Knight_Otu says, "Man. I'm not sure I'd have gotten there without DavidW's hint that I was thinking too complicated."
Guenni says, "I mean, figuring out what buttons to push wasn't the problem. But using the note was to big of a leap for my brain."
Knight_Otu pushes the heap back.
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Hidden Room                                          24/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Hidden Room
Floyd | This is a small, nondescript room to the east of the study.  Its walls
Floyd | are plain and unadorned.
Floyd |
Floyd | In the center of the room is a large wooden chest.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can also see a cube here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x cube"
Floyd ]  Hidden Room                                          24/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X CUBE
Floyd |
Floyd | This featureless cube has six sides, each of which is in the shape of
Floyd | a square.  The cube is about one cubic foot in volume.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "oh, don't worry, there's more math in this game."
Plover says (to Floyd), "ve"
Floyd ]  Hidden Room                                          24/100 (D-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > VE
Floyd |
Floyd | I didn't recognize that command.  (There is a list of recognized
Floyd | commands in the HELP menus.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Plover says (to Floyd), "save"
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SAVE
Floyd | %% Enter a save filename to write:
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get it"
Floyd ]  Hidden Room                                          24/100 (D-)
Floyd | > SAVEOk.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get it"
Floyd ]  Hidden Room                                          25/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET IT
Floyd |
Floyd | You take the cube.  It is just a cube, but there's something about it
Floyd | that holds your attention.  You feel you understand three-dimensional
Floyd | solid geometry a little better.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Geometry has increased.  You estimate
Floyd | that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by one
Floyd | point.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x chest"
Floyd ]  Hidden Room                                          25/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X CHEST
Floyd |
Floyd | Carved into the side of this ornate chest is the expression
Floyd | (x+1)⁴.  It also has a set of five dials embedded in its
Floyd | lid.
Floyd | It appears each dial can be set to an integer between 0 and 9.
Floyd |
Floyd | The first dial has x⁴ marked below it.  The first dial is
Floyd | set
Floyd | to 0.
Floyd |
Floyd | The second dial has x³ marked below it.  The second dial is
Floyd | set to 0.
Floyd |
Floyd | The third dial has x² marked below it.  The third dial is set
Floyd | to 0.
Floyd |
Floyd | The fourth dial has x¹ marked below it.  The fourth dial is
Floyd | set to 0.
Floyd |
Floyd | The fifth dial has x⁰ marked below it.  The fifth dial is
Floyd | set
Floyd | to 0.
Floyd |
Floyd | The chest is currently closed.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "case in point."
Plover says, "Can you play Zork on Floyd"
Guenni exclaims, "In general yes. Right now. NO!"
Plover enters a generic vehicle.
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "set first dial to 1"
Floyd ]  Hidden Room                                          25/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SET FIRST DIAL TO 1
Floyd |
Floyd | You set the first dial to 1.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "set second to 1"
Floyd ]  Hidden Room                                          25/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SET SECOND TO 1
Floyd |
Floyd | You set the second dial to 1.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Plover gets out.
Plover exits the vehicle.
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "set third to 1"
Floyd ]  Hidden Room                                          25/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SET THIRD TO 1
Floyd |
Floyd | You set the third dial to 1.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "set fourth to 1"
Floyd ]  Hidden Room                                          25/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SET FOURTH TO 1
Floyd |
Floyd | You set the fourth dial to 1.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "set fifth to 1"
Floyd ]  Hidden Room                                          25/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SET FIFTH TO 1
Floyd |
Floyd | You set the fifth dial to 1.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Plover goes south through the orange door.
Plover enters from the south, through an unauthorized orange door.
Plover kicks the banana machine and it spits out a banana! He deftly catches it.
DavidW says (to Plover), "If you're that bored, you have the entire rest of the mud to explore."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "open chest"
Floyd ]  Hidden Room                                          25/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > OPEN CHEST
Floyd |
Floyd | You can't get the chest open.  It appears to be locked.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Thought so."
Guenni says, "Since my screen reader didn't display the equations in a readable way, I had the perfect excuse to also cheat with this one."
Plover gives banana to Knight_Otu. DavidW says, "We could try SYMBOLS ON, if I remember the command correctly."
Plover kicks the banana machine and it spits out a banana! He deftly catches it. DavidW asks, "Or is it SYMBOLS OFF we want?"
Knight_Otu says, "I'm not sure,but I do see power symbols."
DavidW says, "I only saw three of them."
Guenni says, "Since I don't have to really read it now. We don't need to experiment if it's ok for everybody else."
Knight_Otu says, "^0, ^1, to ^4."
Plover turns on the cork nut dispenser, which proceeds to hum for several moments.
A cork nut materializes in the middle of the room. It's not entirely clear where it came from. Guenni says, "Ah, ok."
Plover grabs the cork nut before Alex can get to it. DavidW says, "When I played, I solved this puzzle the hard way, by actually multiplying the expression."
Knight_Otu says, "Of course, 2^4 is already 16, which seems out of bounds of the dials."
Plover cracks open a cork nut and snacks on the corky goodness within.
Guenni says (to Plover), "Plese! stop! moving! around! in! here!! right!! now!!."
Plover turns on the cork nut dispenser, which proceeds to hum for several moments.
A cork nut materializes in the middle of the room. It's not entirely clear where it came from.
Guenni says (to Floyd), "symbols off"
Floyd ]  Hidden Room                                          25/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SYMBOLS OFF
Floyd |
Floyd | [Use of mathematical symbols is now off.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline arrives, full of fun and funk.
Plover turns on the cork nut dispenser, which proceeds to hum for several moments.
A cork nut materializes in the middle of the room. It's not entirely clear where it came from.
Plover picks up the icy corknut. His hands look cold. Guenni says (to knight), "You still with us? :-)"
Knight_Otu says, "Thinking, thinking."
Jacqueline says (to Plover), "There is a gaming session going on in this room, and you are being quite disruptive."
Plover turns on the cork nut dispenser, which proceeds to hum for several moments.
A cork nut materializes in the middle of the room. It's not entirely clear where it came from. Knight_Otu says, "But maybe I'm taking too long."
Plover picks up a chocolate cork nut.
Plover turns on the cork nut dispenser, which proceeds to hum for several moments.
A cork nut materializes in the middle of the room. It's not entirely clear where it came from. DavidW says, "I thought maybe all the corknuts were distracting you too."
Knight_Otu says, "A bit."
Plover acquires a nearby pink corknut.
Jacqueline says (to Plover), "Please stop or one of our moderators will be forced to take action."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x chest"
Floyd ]  Hidden Room                                          25/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X CHEST
Floyd |
Floyd | Carved into the side of this ornate chest is the expression
Floyd | (x+1)^4.  It also has a set of five dials embedded in its
Floyd | lid.  It appears each dial can be set to an integer between 0 and 9.
Floyd |
Floyd | The first dial has x^4 marked below it.  The first dial is
Floyd | set to 1.
Floyd |
Floyd | The second dial has x^3 marked below it.  The second dial is
Floyd | set to 1.
Floyd |
Floyd | The third dial has x^2 marked below it.  The third dial is
Floyd | set to 1.
Floyd |
Floyd | The fourth dial has x^2 marked below it.  The fourth dial is
Floyd | set to 1.
Floyd |
Floyd | The fifth dial has x^0 marked below it.  The fifth dial is
Floyd | set to 1.
Floyd |
Floyd | The chest is currently closed.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "set second to 4"
Floyd ]  Hidden Room                                          25/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SET SECOND TO 4
Floyd |
Floyd | You set the second dial to 4.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "ah, that's easier to read. For me, at least."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "set third to 6"
Floyd ]  Hidden Room                                          25/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SET THIRD TO 6
Floyd |
Floyd | You set the third dial to 6.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "set fourth to 4"
Floyd ]  Hidden Room                                          29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SET FOURTH TO 4
Floyd |
Floyd | You set the fourth dial to 4.  The lid of the chest gives a
Floyd | click.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Algebra has increased.  You estimate that
Floyd | your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by four
Floyd | points.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Right. Those numbers."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "open chest"
Floyd ]  Hidden Room                                          29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > OPEN CHEST
Floyd |
Floyd | You open the large wooden chest, revealing The Compendious Book on
Floyd | Calculation by Completion and Balancing.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x book"
Floyd ]  Hidden Room                                          29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X BOOK
Floyd |
Floyd | Which do you mean, The Compendious Book on Calculation by
Floyd | Completion and Balancing, Elements, or your math book?
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "I can now tell you that the Pascal's Triangle is also useful for that puzzle."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x compendious"
Floyd ]  Hidden Room                                          29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X COMPENDIOUS
Floyd |
Floyd | This is a copy of al-Khwarizmi's Compendious Book on Calculation
Floyd | by Completion and Balancing, or, more simply, Algebra.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "read algebra"
Floyd ]  Hidden Room                                          29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > READ ALGEBRA
Floyd |
Floyd | This is a copy of al-Khwarizmi's Compendious Book on Calculation
Floyd | by Completion and Balancing, or, more simply, Algebra.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and
Floyd | Balancing contains far too much material to read through.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get it"
Floyd ]  Hidden Room                                          29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET IT
Floyd |
Floyd | (putting the old coin into the set to make room)
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "Yeah, I also remembered that after seeing the numbers."
Knight_Otu says, "Right, it would be."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Scholar's Study                                      29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Scholar's Study
Floyd | On the low table are a small coffer and a formal note.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter                                          29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move west, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way west.  As you do, you feel an electrical impulse
Floyd | course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Great Hall
Floyd | On the long table is a pile of old coins.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Count is here, looking rather bored.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Castle Chapel                                        29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd | The Count calls after you, "If you find something else for me to count
Floyd | I would be grateful!"
Floyd |
Floyd | Castle Chapel
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x triangle"
Floyd ]  Castle Chapel                                        29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X TRIANGLE
Floyd |
Floyd | The number triangle on the icon looks like this:
Floyd |
Floyd |  1
Floyd |  1   1
Floyd |  1   2   1
Floyd |  1   3   3   1
Floyd |  1   4   6   4   1
Floyd |  1   5  10  10   5   1
Floyd |  1   6  15  20  15   6   1
Floyd |  1   7  21  35  35  21   7   1
Floyd |  1   8  28  56  70  56  28   8   1
Floyd |
Floyd |  The words "Pascal's Triangle" appear underneath the numbers.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "I guess there's no puzzle here, then."
Jacqueline says, "Sorry for the distraction, folks. It appears to have paused for now. Please ping me if it starts back up."
Guenni says, "No, it's just an information."
DavidW says, "I think if you look up Pascal's Triangle in the book, it'll mention how it's handy for quadratic expressions like the one the chest used."
Guenni says, "The triangle, I mean."
DavidW says (to Jacqueline), "Thanks."
Jacqueline waves and makes an isquiesque departure for home. Knight_Otu says, "Yeah, thanks."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Great Hall
Floyd | On the long table is a pile of old coins.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Count is here, looking rather bored.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni seconds that.
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Solar                                                29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | The Count calls after you, "If you find something else for me to count
Floyd | I would be grateful!"
Floyd |
Floyd | Solar
Floyd | A large bronze box lies on the side table.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Countess is here, fiddling disgruntledly with the bronze box.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x box"
Floyd ]  Solar                                                29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X BOX
Floyd |
Floyd | This bronze box has several knobs and small wheels on it.  It appears
Floyd | to be a primitive mechanical calculator.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x knobs"
Floyd ]  Solar                                                29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X KNOBS
Floyd |
Floyd | You can't tell what the knobs are supposed to do, exactly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "look up calculator"
Floyd ]  Solar                                                29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK UP CALCULATOR
Floyd |
Floyd | (in your math book)
Floyd | That topic is not listed in the index.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "look up mechanical calculator"
Floyd ]  Solar                                                29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK UP MECHANICAL CALCULATOR
Floyd |
Floyd | (in your math book)
Floyd | That topic is not listed in the index.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "look up pascal"
Floyd ]  Solar                                                29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK UP PASCAL
Floyd |
Floyd | (in your math book)
Floyd | Blaise Pascal was a French mathematician, scientist, philosopher, and
Floyd | theologian.  He is known for constructing one of the first mechanical
Floyd | calculators, for his work in projective geometry, and for his work in
Floyd | hydrodynamics.  A unit of pressure is named after him, as is the
Floyd | triangle of numbers known as "Pascal's triangle."
Floyd |
Floyd | Pascal was also one of the founders of the field of probability.
Floyd | While his initial work in probability was to solve gambling problems,
Floyd | he applied his insights to other areas of human knowledge as well.
Floyd | For example, Pascal's wager consists of one of the first uses
Floyd | of expected values.  In it, Pascal argues that, in the absence of
Floyd | conclusive evidence as to the existence of God, the payoffs for
Floyd | believing in God (infinite happiness if God exists, nothing if God
Floyd | does not) versus not believing in God (eternal damnation if God
Floyd | exists, nothing if God does not) are such that it is more reasonable
Floyd | for humans to bet on belief in God.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "Unless the game has changed a lot from version 1, I don't think we can help the Countess any time soon."
Knight_Otu says, "Okay, thanks."
Knight_Otu asks, "That leaves Achilles, and the inverter, I think?"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "i"
Floyd ]  Solar                                                29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > I
Floyd |
Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd | The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and
Floyd | Balancing
Floyd |   a cube
Floyd |   some exhaustion sandals
Floyd |   a tetrahedron
Floyd |   an octahedron
Floyd |   a set (no longer empty)
Floyd |     an old coin
Floyd |     a square root
Floyd |     Elements
Floyd |     a scribbled scroll
Floyd |     your math book
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "And the Darkness."
Guenni says, "I don't know about soon. But at least not as directly as you try right now."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Great Hall
Floyd | On the long table is a pile of old coins.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Count is here, looking rather bored.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter                                          29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | The Count calls after you, "If you find something else for me to count
Floyd | I would be grateful!"
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move east, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  Twilight                                             29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way down.
Floyd |
Floyd | This space feels a little less dark than the last time you were here.
Floyd |
Floyd | Twilight
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd ]  Twilight                                             29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > L
Floyd |
Floyd | Twilight
Floyd | This space now exhibits a kind of semidarkness.  You can't see
Floyd | anything clearly in the space itself, but you do perceive exits north,
Floyd | south, east, and west, as well as one above you to Gray Matter.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "Also the Count wants something to count, but that also won't be found soon."
Knight_Otu says, "I was about to say that, but I thought it might be a red herring"
Guenni says, "That depends on the season. :D"
DavidW asks, "Are the herrings blue in the wintertime?"
Guenni says, "Ignore the last comment until much much later. It's not helping in any form."
Knight_Otu says, "I also was about to say that I didn't think that we have anything for the inverter, but I guess we may have one."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Grassy Area                                          29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way north through the darkness.  As you do, you feel an
Floyd | electrical impulse course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Grassy Area
Floyd | This is a grassy area between buildings at some university.  Dusk is
Floyd | falling, and no one else is around.  There is a log table at the edge
Floyd | of the grassy area.  It looks like there is a small laundry facility
Floyd | in the building to east, and a gate lies south of you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Someone has left their trigonometry homework on the log table.  A
Floyd | slide rule is lying next to the trig homework.
Floyd |
Floyd | On the grass lies a funny-looking soccer ball.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "You can put anything into the converter. We just have nothing useful for it."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x soccer"
Floyd ]  Grassy Area                                          29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X SOCCER
Floyd |
Floyd | Something about this soccer ball doesn't look quite right.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to david), "in that specific case the specific object(s) change with the seasons."
Knight_Otu says, "That, I noticed... right, pi. My guess was wrong then."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x table"
Floyd ]  Grassy Area                                          29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X TABLE
Floyd |
Floyd | This wooden table was constructed from several large logs.
Floyd |
Floyd | On the log table are the trig homework and a slide rule.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x homework"
Floyd ]  Grassy Area                                          29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X HOMEWORK
Floyd |
Floyd | The homework is covered with equations involving sines, cosines, and
Floyd | tangents.  There are also a couple of graphs drawn on the homework,
Floyd | labeled "sin x" and "cos x."  Each graph consists of
Floyd | a wavy line that switches from positive to negative every Pi units.
Floyd | Circled at the top of the homework is the phrase "Review
Floyd | Logarithms!!!"
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "And of course it's on the log table."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x slide"
Floyd ]  Grassy Area                                          29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X SLIDE
Floyd |
Floyd | The slide rule consists of three pieces of wood: the two on the
Floyd | outside are attached to each other, while the third - in the middle -
Floyd | can slide between the other two.  Numbers are marked on all three
Floyd | pieces of wood.  You have no idea how to use a slide rule.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "Where else? :-)"
DavidW asks, "y'know, I missed that pun until just now?"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get ball"
Floyd ]  Grassy Area                                          29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET BALL
Floyd |
Floyd | You reach for the soccer ball, but it rolls away as your hand gets
Floyd | near.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "The game did set the pun tune with the adder."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get rule"
Floyd ]  Grassy Area                                          29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET RULE
Floyd |
Floyd | (putting the octahedron into the set to make room)
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Karona groans.
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Laundry Room                                         29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Laundry Room
Floyd | This small laundry room, presumably for student use, contains a single
Floyd | washing machine and a single dryer.  A sign hangs nearby.  The exit is
Floyd | west.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x sign"
Floyd ]  Laundry Room                                         29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X SIGN
Floyd |
Floyd | The sign is handwritten in black ink.  It reads, "The dryer won't
Floyd | tumble, and the washing machine is completely broken.  Won't anyone
Floyd | fix anything around here?!"
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Apparently not, just ask the Countess."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x washing"
Floyd ]  Laundry Room                                         29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X WASHING
Floyd |
Floyd | This washing machine does not look like it has been treated well.  The
Floyd | washing machine is currently open and off.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x dryer"
Floyd ]  Laundry Room                                         29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X DRYER
Floyd |
Floyd | This dryer does not look as if it has been treated well.  The dryer is
Floyd | currently open and off.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Grassy Area                                          29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Grassy Area
Floyd | Someone has left their trigonometry homework on the log table.
Floyd |
Floyd | On the grass lies a funny-looking soccer ball.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Twilight                                             29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move south, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Twilight
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  West of House                                        29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way east through the darkness.  As you do, you feel an
Floyd | electrical impulse course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | West of House
Floyd | You are standing in an open field west of a white house, with a
Floyd | boarded front door.  A path leads west into the forest.
Floyd |
Floyd | There is a small mailbox here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "tada!"
Knight_Otu says, "Huh."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x mailbox"
Floyd ]  West of House                                        29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X MAILBOX
Floyd |
Floyd | The mailbox is closed.  It has a small hole in it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "open it"
Floyd ]  West of House                                        29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > OPEN IT
Floyd |
Floyd | The mailbox is closed tight.  You can't see how to get it open.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "No one expects the West of House anymore."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x hole"
Floyd ]  West of House                                        29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X HOLE
Floyd |
Floyd | The small hole contains screw threads that are oriented
Floyd | counterclockwise.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x door"
Floyd ]  West of House                                        29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X DOOR
Floyd |
Floyd | There are boards over the front door, but the boards look somewhat
Floyd | rotten.  There is also an inscription on the door.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x inscription"
Floyd ]  West of House                                        29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X INSCRIPTION
Floyd |
Floyd | The inscription reads,
Floyd |
Floyd | "You have to spend some energy and effort to see the beauty of math."
Floyd | - Maryam Mirzakhani.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "exits"
Floyd ]  West of House                                        29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > EXITS
Floyd |
Floyd | I didn't recognize that command.  (There is a list of recognized
Floyd | commands in the HELP menus.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Karona says, "Oooh."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x boards"
Floyd ]  West of House                                        29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X BOARDS
Floyd |
Floyd | The boards were once securely fastened, but now they are starting to
Floyd | rot.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "remove boards"
Floyd ]  West of House                                        29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > REMOVE BOARDS
Floyd |
Floyd | The rotting boards fall apart in your hands as you remove them from
Floyd | the front door.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "in"
Floyd ]  Living Room                                          29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > IN
Floyd |
Floyd | (first opening the front door)
Floyd |
Floyd | Living Room
Floyd | This is the living room of the white house, and it looks to be the
Floyd | only room still intact.  A sofa sits against one wall, and a bookcase
Floyd | stands against another.  The sole unblocked exit is through the front
Floyd | door to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x sofa"
Floyd ]  Living Room                                          29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X SOFA
Floyd |
Floyd | The sofa features a faded floral-print pattern.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "search it"
Floyd ]  Living Room                                          29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SEARCH IT
Floyd |
Floyd | You find nothing in or under the sofa.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "look under it"
Floyd ]  Living Room                                          29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK UNDER IT
Floyd |
Floyd | You find nothing under the sofa.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x bookcase"
Floyd ]  Living Room                                          29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X BOOKCASE
Floyd |
Floyd | The bookcase looks like it has space for twelve books.  It is
Floyd | currently empty.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "i"
Floyd ]  Living Room                                          29/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > I
Floyd |
Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd |   a slide rule
Floyd | The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and
Floyd | Balancing
Floyd |   a cube
Floyd |   some exhaustion sandals
Floyd |   a tetrahedron
Floyd |   a set (no longer empty)
Floyd |     an octahedron
Floyd |     an old coin
Floyd |     a square root
Floyd |     Elements
Floyd |     a scribbled scroll
Floyd |     your math book
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "put elements in bookcase"
Floyd ]  Living Room                                          30/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT ELEMENTS IN BOOKCASE
Floyd |
Floyd | (first taking Elements)
Floyd | (putting the tetrahedron into the set to make room)
Floyd | You put Elements on the bookcase.  As it slides into place
Floyd | you hear a faint click.  Then you hear a voice.  You're not
Floyd | sure where it's coming from, but it sounds like Professor Glasser.
Floyd |
Floyd | The voice says, "Euclid's Elements is the most influential
Floyd | mathematics book of all time.  Containing numerous results on geometry
Floyd | and number theory, and used as a textbook for over 2000 years, its
Floyd | logical, deductive approach has also served as a model for how pure
Floyd | mathematics should be done."
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Mathematics Texts has increased.  You
Floyd | estimate that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by one
Floyd | point.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "put algebra in bookcase"
Floyd ]  Living Room                                          31/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT ALGEBRA IN BOOKCASE
Floyd |
Floyd | You put The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and
Floyd | Balancing on the bookcase.  As it slides into place you hear a
Floyd | faint click.  Then you hear the same voice as before - the
Floyd | one that sounds like Professor Glasser.
Floyd |
Floyd | The voice says, "While systematic methods for solving equations had
Floyd | been used before, the branch of mathematics known as algebra is often
Floyd | dated to this work by Al-Khwarizmi.  In fact, the Arabic word
Floyd | al-jabr, translated here as 'Completion,' is the origin of
Floyd | our word 'algebra.'  Among the book's other contributions is a
Floyd | classification of quadratic equations and a discussion of their
Floyd | solutions."
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Mathematics Texts has increased.  You
Floyd | estimate that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by one
Floyd | point.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "out"
Floyd ]  Living Room                                          31/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > OUT
Floyd |
Floyd | But you aren't in anything at the moment.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  West of House                                        31/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | West of House
Floyd | There is a small mailbox here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Twilight                                             31/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move west, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Twilight
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Casino                                               31/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way west through the darkness.  As you do, you feel an
Floyd | electrical impulse course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Casino
Floyd | Your senses are assaulted by the gleaming lights and jangly sounds of
Floyd | this casino.  An interesting poker game is going on to the north of
Floyd | you, while the casino's exit appears to lie to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | A gaming machine near you catches your eye.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x machine"
Floyd ]  Casino                                               31/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X MACHINE
Floyd |
Floyd | This gaming machine has the words "TOP TWO GAME" written across its
Floyd | side.  There are several buttons on the machine, each with a different
Floyd | label.
Floyd |
Floyd | White: "Instructions."
Floyd | Black: "Start New Game."
Floyd | Green: "Accept Current Number."
Floyd | Orange: "Reject Current Number."
Floyd | Red: "Reject Next 10 Numbers."
Floyd | Blue: The label for the blue button has been torn off.
Floyd |
Floyd | The screen currently reads, "Press white button for instructions, or
Floyd | press black button to start a new game."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "press white"
Floyd ]  Casino                                               31/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PRESS WHITE
Floyd |
Floyd | You push the white button.  The screen clears, and the following text
Floyd | appears.
Floyd |
Floyd | "In this game you will be presented with 100 numbers, one at a time.
Floyd | For each number you are presented, you must decide whether to accept
Floyd | it or reject it.  Once you reject a number it is gone and you cannot
Floyd | go back and select it.  Once you accept a number the game ends.
Floyd |
Floyd | You win the game by having the number you selected be one of the two
Floyd | largest numbers out of the 100 total numbers.
Floyd |
Floyd | Hint: The best strategy for this game gives you a greater than 50%
Floyd | chance of winning."
Floyd |
Floyd | The instructions disappear from the screen, and it once again reads,
Floyd | "Press white button for instructions, or press black button to start a
Floyd | new game."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Poker Game                                           31/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Poker Game
Floyd | You stand next to a poker table in the casino.  The lights and noise
Floyd | here are just as overwhelming as in the rest of the casino.  The
Floyd | gaming machine is to the south.
Floyd |
Floyd | Pascal, Bayes, Kolmogorov, and Diaconis are here, playing an intense
Floyd | game of poker.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Plover disappears through a gap in the MUD. Oh dear, you'll see Plover next time.
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x poker"
Floyd ]  Poker Game                                           31/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X POKER
Floyd |
Floyd | Which do you mean, the poker game, the poker cards, or the poker
Floyd | table?
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "game"
Floyd ]  Poker Game                                           31/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GAME
Floyd |
Floyd | You watch the poker game for a while.  Pascal is making huge wagers
Floyd | and winning big.  Bayes is trying to use prior knowledge of previous
Floyd | hands to plan his strategy, but that doesn't seem to be working out
Floyd | too well for him.  Kolmogorov appears to be more interested in
Floyd | constructing some elaborate theory of poker than winning; not
Floyd | surprisingly, he is losing as well.  Diaconis is dealing, and he is
Floyd | winning more than losing.  Cards fly out of his hands as if by magic.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x cards"
Floyd ]  Poker Game                                           31/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X CARDS
Floyd |
Floyd | They look like a standard set of poker cards.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x table"
Floyd ]  Poker Game                                           31/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X TABLE
Floyd |
Floyd | This is a standard casino poker table.  The only thing somewhat
Floyd | unusual about it is that its top is five-sided.  Pascal, Bayes,
Floyd | Kolmogorov, and Diaconis are playing an animated game of poker at the
Floyd | table.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Okay, I'm not going to dive in here now."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Casino                                               31/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Casino
Floyd | A gaming machine near you catches your eye.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Twilight                                             31/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move east, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Twilight
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Physician's Office                                   31/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way south through the darkness.  As you do, you feel an
Floyd | electrical impulse course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Physician's Office
Floyd | Judging from the odd assortment of medical instruments scattered
Floyd | around this room, you are in the office of some Renaissance-era
Floyd | physician.  You can leave the office to the north.
Floyd |
Floyd | There is a strange mechanism in the center of the office.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can also see a parchment and a square piece of metal here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x parchment"
Floyd ]  Physician's Office                                   31/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X PARCHMENT
Floyd |
Floyd | This is a small, square piece of parchment.  Written on the parchment
Floyd | are a couple of equations:
Floyd |
Floyd | 2A + X = 5Y + 8Z,
Floyd |
Floyd | 3B - Z = 7C + 4Y.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x metal"
Floyd ]  Physician's Office                                   31/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X METAL
Floyd |
Floyd | (the square piece of metal)
Floyd | This small, square, flat piece of metal has five rectangular holes cut
Floyd | into it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Karona goes home.
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get it"
Floyd ]  Physician's Office                                   31/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET IT
Floyd |
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x mechanism"
Floyd ]  Physician's Office                                   31/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X MECHANISM
Floyd |
Floyd | This mechanical device contains, among other things, a turnable crank,
Floyd | three interlocking gears, a metal bar attached to one of the smaller
Floyd | gears, and an access panel.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x crank"
Floyd ]  Physician's Office                                   31/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X CRANK
Floyd |
Floyd | It's fairly large.  It looks like you could probably turn it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x gears"
Floyd ]  Physician's Office                                   31/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X GEARS
Floyd |
Floyd | The two smaller gears have about half the radius of the large gear.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x bar"
Floyd ]  Physician's Office                                   31/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X BAR
Floyd |
Floyd | This bar is attached to one of the smaller gears.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x panel"
Floyd ]  Physician's Office                                   31/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X PANEL
Floyd |
Floyd | The access panel is closed.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "open it"
Floyd ]  Physician's Office                                   31/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > OPEN IT
Floyd |
Floyd | You open the access panel.
Floyd |
Floyd | Inside is some complicated machinery.  A sine wave is intertwined with
Floyd | the machinery.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x wave"
Floyd ]  Physician's Office                                   31/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X WAVE
Floyd |
Floyd | The sine wave goes up and down and up and down and up and down...
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Right."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "turn crank"
Floyd ]  Physician's Office                                   31/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TURN CRANK
Floyd |
Floyd | You turn the crank, which causes the two small gears to rotate around
Floyd | the large gear.  As the small gears rotate, they move the metal bar
Floyd | back and forth in a straight line.
Floyd |
Floyd | Then the strange mechanism emits an aura of positive power that fills
Floyd | the room.  You briefly feel happier, as well as more optimistic about
Floyd | your chances on tomorrow's exam.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get wave"
Floyd ]  Physician's Office                                   31/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET WAVE
Floyd |
Floyd | You carefully take the sine wave from the strange mechanism.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "I need one of those machines."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "turn crank"
Floyd ]  Physician's Office                                   31/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TURN CRANK
Floyd |
Floyd | You turn the crank, which causes the two small gears to rotate around
Floyd | the large gear.  As the small gears rotate, they move the metal bar
Floyd | back and forth in a straight line.
Floyd |
Floyd | Nothing else happens (although converting rotational motion to linear
Floyd | motion is pretty cool in and of itself).
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "Yeah, I could use one for "my" radio station."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x instruments"
Floyd ]  Physician's Office                                   31/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X INSTRUMENTS
Floyd |
Floyd | You search through the medical instruments, but they all look more
Floyd | painful than useful.  One does say, "Property of G. Cardano" on it,
Floyd | though.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "look up cardano"
Floyd ]  Physician's Office                                   31/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK UP CARDANO
Floyd |
Floyd | (in your math book)
Floyd | Girolamo Cardano was a practicing physician, mathematician, and
Floyd | inventor: a true Renaissance man.  His inventions include the Cardan
Floyd | gear, used to convert rotational motion to linear motion, and the
Floyd | Cardan grille, an early cryptographic technique in which secret
Floyd | messages are revealed by placing a thin sheet with holes cut out of it
Floyd | over a paper containing an ordinary-looking message.  Cardano also
Floyd | contributed to the development of (and sometimes is credited with the
Floyd | invention of) the combination lock.
Floyd |
Floyd | Mathematically, he was the first person to make systematic use of
Floyd | negative numbers.  His work features the first use of complex numbers,
Floyd | too, as well as the first published solutions to the general cubic and
Floyd | quartic equations.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "i"
Floyd ]  Physician's Office                                   31/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > I
Floyd |
Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd |   a sine wave
Floyd |   a square piece of metal
Floyd |   a slide rule
Floyd |   a cube
Floyd |   some exhaustion sandals
Floyd |   a set (no longer empty)
Floyd |     a tetrahedron
Floyd |     an octahedron
Floyd |     an old coin
Floyd |     a square root
Floyd |     a scribbled scroll
Floyd |     your math book
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "put metal on scroll"
Floyd ]  Physician's Office                                   31/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT METAL ON SCROLL
Floyd |
Floyd | (the square piece of metal on the scribbled scroll)
Floyd | You place the piece of metal on the scribbled scroll, but you can't
Floyd | seem to align it in such a way that letters clearly show through the
Floyd | holes.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "I guess the paper in the temple might."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Twilight                                             31/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move north, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Twilight
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "What you're looking for is still lying in front of you."
DavidW says, "yeah."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Physician's Office                                   31/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way south through the darkness.  As you do, you feel an
Floyd | electrical impulse course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Physician's Office
Floyd | There is a strange mechanism in the center of the office.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can also see a parchment here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Doh."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "put metal on parchment"
Floyd ]  Physician's Office                                   33/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT METAL ON PARCHMENT
Floyd |
Floyd | (the square piece of metal on the parchment)
Floyd | You place the piece of metal on the parchment, aligning it so that it
Floyd | covers the parchment completely.  Through the holes you can see five
Floyd | letters: "XYZZY."
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Cryptography has increased.  You estimate
Floyd | that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by two
Floyd | points.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "What else."
DavidW says, "heh"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "xyzzy"
Floyd ]  Physician's Office                                   33/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > XYZZY
Floyd |
Floyd | You speak the word of power confidently.  A part of the wall slides
Floyd | open, revealing a niche.  Inside the niche is Ars Magna.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni smiles.
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x ars"
Floyd ]  Physician's Office                                   33/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X ARS
Floyd |
Floyd | This is a copy of Ars Magna, by Girolamo Cardano.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "We must have our in-joke fun."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "read it"
Floyd ]  Physician's Office                                   33/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > READ IT
Floyd |
Floyd | This is a copy of Ars Magna, by Girolamo Cardano.
Floyd |
Floyd | Ars Magna contains far too much material to read through.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get it"
Floyd ]  Physician's Office                                   33/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET IT
Floyd |
Floyd | (putting the exhaustion sandals into the set to make room)
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Gray                                                 33/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move north, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | The darkness has mostly lifted.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray
Floyd | Off to the side sits a gray storage bin.
Floyd |
Floyd | A gray, translucent ghost flits around the storage bin.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x bin"
Floyd ]  Gray                                                 33/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X BIN
Floyd |
Floyd | It's just a storage bin that happens to be gray.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "a g-g-ghost!"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x ghost"
Floyd ]  Gray                                                 33/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X GHOST
Floyd |
Floyd | She looks a lot like the college librarian - except older, more
Floyd | translucent, and, well, grayer.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
olethros asks, "are you playing Scoobie?"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "greet ghost"
Floyd ]  Gray                                                 33/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GREET GHOST
Floyd |
Floyd | "Hello?" you say tentatively, unsure of the proper greeting for a
Floyd | ghost.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Hello!" she replies.  She looks at you carefully.  "You know, you've
Floyd | got enough running around in your head right now."  As an aside she
Floyd | adds, "I suppose that includes me."
Floyd |
Floyd | Shimmering slightly, she continues.  "Anyway, I'm here to help you
Floyd | organize your thoughts.  Show me any possession of yours, and I'll
Floyd | tell you whether I think it will still be useful for you.  Go on.  Try
Floyd | me!"
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "yi-he-he-he"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "i"
Floyd ]  Gray                                                 33/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > I
Floyd |
Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd |   Ars Magna
Floyd |   a sine wave
Floyd |   a square piece of metal
Floyd |   a slide rule
Floyd |   a cube
Floyd |   a set (no longer empty)
Floyd |     some exhaustion sandals
Floyd |     a tetrahedron
Floyd |     an octahedron
Floyd |     an old coin
Floyd |     a square root
Floyd |     a scribbled scroll
Floyd |     your math book
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "show root to ghost"
Floyd ]  Gray                                                 33/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SHOW ROOT TO GHOST
Floyd |
Floyd | (first taking the square root)
Floyd | (putting the cube into the set to make room)
Floyd | The gray lady looks carefully at the square root.  "I would definitely
Floyd | hold on to that," she says.  "You're not likely to find much that is
Floyd | more useful."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "That could have gone both ways."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "show scroll to ghost"
Floyd ]  Gray                                                 33/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SHOW SCROLL TO GHOST
Floyd |
Floyd | (first taking the scribbled scroll)
Floyd | (putting the slide rule into the set to make room)
Floyd | The gray lady looks carefully at the scribbled scroll.  Then she says,
Floyd | "I'm not sure you'll have any more use for that."  She takes the
Floyd | scribbled scroll from you and places it in the gray storage bin.  "If
Floyd | you ever want it back, though, feel free to just take it," she adds.
Floyd | "I might be wrong."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "show metal to ghost"
Floyd ]  Gray                                                 33/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SHOW METAL TO GHOST
Floyd |
Floyd | The gray lady looks carefully at the square piece of metal.  Then she
Floyd | says, "I'm not sure you'll have any more use for that."  She takes the
Floyd | square piece of metal from you and places it in the gray storage bin.
Floyd | "If you ever want it back, though, feel free to just take it," she
Floyd | adds.  "I might be wrong."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "I guess that's convenient."
DavidW says, "yeah."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  West of House                                        33/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way east.  As you do, you feel an electrical impulse
Floyd | course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | West of House
Floyd | There is a small mailbox here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Living Room                                          33/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Living Room
Floyd | There are currently two books on the bookcase:
Floyd | The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and
Floyd | Balancing
Floyd | Elements
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "put ars in bookcase"
Floyd ]  Living Room                                          34/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT ARS IN BOOKCASE
Floyd |
Floyd | You put Ars Magna on the bookcase.  As it slides into place
Floyd | you hear a faint click.  Then you hear the same voice as
Floyd | before - the one that sounds like Professor Glasser.
Floyd |
Floyd | The voice says, "Cardano's great work on algebra contains the first
Floyd | published solutions to the general cubic and quartic equations.  It
Floyd | includes the use of negative numbers, which were not widely accepted
Floyd | in Europe at the time, and it also features the first use of complex
Floyd | numbers (in the context of solving a quadratic equation)."
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Mathematics Texts has increased.  You
Floyd | estimate that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by one
Floyd | point.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  West of House                                        34/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | West of House
Floyd | There is a small mailbox here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Gray                                                 34/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move west, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray
Floyd | Off to the side sits a gray storage bin.  In the storage bin you see a
Floyd | square piece of metal and a scribbled scroll.
Floyd |
Floyd | A gray, translucent ghost flits around the storage bin.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd ]  Gray                                                 34/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > L
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray
Floyd | The darkness has mostly lifted, but now everything in this space looks
Floyd | gray.  The darkness does continue to pool around your feet, though.
Floyd | There is an inscription on the wall, and there are exits up to Gray
Floyd | Matter, as well as north to the Grassy Area, south to the Physician's
Floyd | Office, east to the white house, and west to the Casino.
Floyd |
Floyd | Off to the side sits a gray storage bin.  In the storage bin you see a
Floyd | square piece of metal and a scribbled scroll.
Floyd |
Floyd | A gray, translucent ghost flits around the storage bin.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter                                          34/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  One                                                  34/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up.
Floyd |
Floyd | One
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  Number Line: 1                                       34/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up.
Floyd |
Floyd | Number Line: 1
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Number Line: 0                                       34/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Number Line: 0
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Number Line: -1                                      34/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Number Line: -1
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  Negative One                                         34/100 (D)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You clamber down the hole.
Floyd |
Floyd | Negative One
Floyd | You can see a phase inverter here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "put sine in inverter"
Floyd ]  Negative One                                         36/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT SINE IN INVERTER
Floyd |
Floyd | You briefly insert the sine wave into the phase inverter.  The
Floyd | inverter hums as it adds Pi units to the essence of the sine wave.
Floyd | The sine wave shifts phase, becoming a negative sine wave.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Trigonometry has increased.  You estimate
Floyd | that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by two
Floyd | points.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu exclaims, "D+!"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  Number Line: -1                                      36/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up.
Floyd |
Floyd | Number Line: -1
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Number Line: 0                                       36/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Number Line: 0
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Number Line: 1                                       36/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Number Line: 1
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  One                                                  36/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You clamber down the hole.
Floyd |
Floyd | One
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter                                          36/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way down.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW asks, "uh, did you want the wave back?"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  Gray                                                 36/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way down.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray
Floyd | Off to the side sits a gray storage bin.  In the storage bin you see a
Floyd | square piece of metal and a scribbled scroll.
Floyd |
Floyd | A gray, translucent ghost flits around the storage bin.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu asks, "oops?"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "i"
Floyd ]  Gray                                                 36/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > I
Floyd |
Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd |   a square root
Floyd |   a negative sine wave
Floyd |   a set (no longer empty)
Floyd |     a slide rule
Floyd |     a cube
Floyd |     some exhaustion sandals
Floyd |     a tetrahedron
Floyd |     an octahedron
Floyd |     an old coin
Floyd |     your math book
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "oh, you still have it."
Knight_Otu says, "Good, we do have it."
DavidW says, "I thought it might've been left in there."
DavidW says, "sorry. continue."
Knight_Otu says, "That didn't even ocur to me."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Physician's Office                                   36/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way south.  As you do, you feel an electrical impulse
Floyd | course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Physician's Office
Floyd | A part of the wall has slid open, revealing a niche.
Floyd |
Floyd | There is a strange mechanism in the center of the office.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can also see a parchment here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "put wave in gears"
Floyd ]  Physician's Office                                   36/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT WAVE IN GEARS
Floyd |
Floyd | That can't contain things.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "put wave in panel"
Floyd ]  Physician's Office                                   36/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT WAVE IN PANEL
Floyd |
Floyd | You carefully insert the negative sine wave back into the strange
Floyd | mechanism.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "The inverter gives stuff back automatically."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "turn crank"
Floyd ]  Physician's Office                                   36/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TURN CRANK
Floyd |
Floyd | You turn the crank, which causes the two small gears to rotate around
Floyd | the large gear.  As the small gears rotate, they move the metal bar
Floyd | back and forth in a straight line.
Floyd |
Floyd | Then the strange mechanism emits an aura of negative power that fills
Floyd | the room.  You briefly feel more depressed, as well as more
Floyd | pessimistic about your chances on tomorrow's exam.
Floyd |
Floyd | For just a moment, the square root glows, as it absorbs the negative
Floyd | power emitted by the mechanism.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says (to Guenni), "I forgot."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x root"
Floyd ]  Physician's Office                                   36/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X ROOT
Floyd |
Floyd | This is an unusual object.  It appears to be made of some tough
Floyd | vegetable matter - perhaps the root of a tree.  It's also in the shape
Floyd | of a perfect square. The word "EXTRACT" is written on it.
Floyd |
Floyd | The square root has also absorbed negative power from the machine in
Floyd | the physician's office.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Gray                                                 36/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move north, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray
Floyd | Off to the side sits a gray storage bin.  In the storage bin you see a
Floyd | square piece of metal and a scribbled scroll.
Floyd |
Floyd | A gray, translucent ghost flits around the storage bin.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter                                          36/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "A square root with negative power...."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  One                                                  36/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up.
Floyd |
Floyd | One
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  Number Line: 1                                       36/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up.
Floyd |
Floyd | Number Line: 1
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  Number Line: 1                                       36/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You can see absolutely nothing in the blue darkness off the number
Floyd | line.  Stepping off it doesn't sound like a good idea.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Number Line: 2                                       36/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Number Line: 2
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  Two                                                  36/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You clamber down the hole.
Floyd |
Floyd | Two
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "extract root"
Floyd ]  Irrational: Between 1 and 2                          36/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > EXTRACT ROOT
Floyd |
Floyd | The root vibrates quietly, as it extracts the square root of the
Floyd | essence of the space around it.  You feel yourself shift.
Floyd |
Floyd | Irrational: Between 1 and 2
Floyd | This is more of an abstract space than a physical place, but it feels
Floyd | large beyond your understanding, as if it encompasses infinitely more
Floyd | space than the single-number locations beneath the number line.  A
Floyd | hole leads up to the number line.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  Number Line: 1                                       36/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up.
Floyd |
Floyd | As you step onto the number line, the hole behind you closes.  Rather
Floyd | than standing at an unmarked spot between 1 and 2, you head back to 1.
Floyd |
Floyd | Number Line: 1
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Number Line: 0                                       36/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Number Line: 0
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Number Line: -1                                      36/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Number Line: -1
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  Negative One                                         36/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You clamber down the hole.
Floyd |
Floyd | Negative One
Floyd | You can see a phase inverter here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "extract root"
Floyd ]  Imaginary Unit                                       36/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > EXTRACT ROOT
Floyd |
Floyd | The root vibrates quietly, as it extracts the square root of the
Floyd | essence of the space around it.  You feel yourself rotate
Floyd | clockwise, swinging in an arc that takes you halfway back to the
Floyd | positive part of the number line.
Floyd |
Floyd | Imaginary Unit
Floyd | This is more of an abstract space than a physical place.  It feels
Floyd | different than the spaces just below the number line - not less real,
Floyd | but more as if this space exists in a different dimension.  A hole
Floyd | leads up, maybe to the number line?
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "No object to pick up? :("
DavidW says, "Not this time."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  Imaginary Axis: i                                    38/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up.
Floyd |
Floyd | As you climb through the hole, at first it appears as if you are
Floyd | climbing into a dark blue nothingness.  But then a thin, infinitely
Floyd | long vertical line appears out of that nothingness, widens, and
Floyd | rotates 90 degrees to run north-to-south.  You confidently step onto
Floyd | the new line.
Floyd |
Floyd | Imaginary Axis: i
Floyd | You are in a dark blue expanse of space, standing on a white line that
Floyd | stretches as far as you can see to the north.  To the south you can
Floyd | perceive where the imaginary axis crosses the number line.  The number
Floyd | i is marked on the line here.   There is a hole next to the
Floyd | i that you might be able to climb down into.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Complex Numbers has increased.  You
Floyd | estimate that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by two
Floyd | points.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Origin                                               38/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Origin
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Real Axis: 1                                         38/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Real Axis: 1
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  One                                                  38/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You clamber down the hole.
Floyd |
Floyd | One
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter                                          38/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way down.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  Gray                                                 38/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way down.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray
Floyd | Off to the side sits a gray storage bin.  In the storage bin you see a
Floyd | square piece of metal and a scribbled scroll.
Floyd |
Floyd | A gray, translucent ghost flits around the storage bin.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Grassy Area                                          38/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way north.  As you do, you feel an electrical impulse
Floyd | course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Grassy Area
Floyd | Someone has left their trigonometry homework on the log table.
Floyd |
Floyd | On the grass lies a funny-looking soccer ball.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x homework"
Floyd ]  Grassy Area                                          38/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X HOMEWORK
Floyd |
Floyd | The homework is covered with equations involving sines, cosines, and
Floyd | tangents.  There are also a couple of graphs drawn on the homework,
Floyd | labeled "sin x" and "cos x."  Each graph consists of
Floyd | a wavy line that switches from positive to negative every Pi units.
Floyd | Circled at the top of the homework is the phrase "Review
Floyd | Logarithms!!!"
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x ball"
Floyd ]  Grassy Area                                          38/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X BALL
Floyd |
Floyd | Something about this soccer ball doesn't look quite right.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "kick it"
Floyd ]  Grassy Area                                          38/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > KICK IT
Floyd |
Floyd | The soccer ball remains still, and your foot connects with a solid
Floyd | "thud."  As the ball flies through the air it begins to transform,
Floyd | becoming less round and more pointed.  It bounces off one of the
Floyd | buildings and rolls across the grass, coming to a stop near you.  You
Floyd | look down to see an object that is no longer quite a soccer ball.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x it"
Floyd ]  Grassy Area                                          38/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X IT
Floyd |
Floyd | The icosahedron has twenty sides, each of which is in the shape of an
Floyd | equilateral triangle.  It kind of looks like a more pointy version of
Floyd | a soccer ball.  In fact, you realize that if you cut its vertices off
Floyd | in the right way and inflated it to make it more round you would have
Floyd | a soccer ball.  This icosahedron is about one cubic foot in volume.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get it"
Floyd ]  Grassy Area                                          39/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET IT
Floyd |
Floyd | You take the icosahedron.  Looking curiously at it, you note that it
Floyd | has twenty sides, each of which is in the shape of an equilateral
Floyd | triangle.  You feel you understand three-dimensional solid geometry a
Floyd | little better.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Geometry has increased.  You estimate
Floyd | that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by one
Floyd | point.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "You can call this an 'ico'."
Knight_Otu says, "Thanks."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Laundry Room                                         39/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Laundry Room
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "look in dryer"
Floyd ]  Laundry Room                                         39/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK IN DRYER
Floyd |
Floyd | The dryer is empty.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Plover arrives, ready to play with the toys. Guenni says, "Thanks for putting the song from "rain man\" into my head."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "look in washer"
Floyd ]  Laundry Room                                         39/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK IN WASHER
Floyd |
Floyd | The washing machine is empty.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Plover says, "are you still playing"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "fix washer"
Floyd ]  Laundry Room                                         39/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > FIX WASHER
Floyd |
Floyd | You have no idea how to fix the washing machine.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "Yes."
Knight_Otu says, "Yep."
Plover says (to Floyd), "version"
Floyd ]  Laundry Room                                         39/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > VERSION
Floyd |
Floyd | A Beauty Cold and Austere
Floyd | An Interactive Digression by Mike Spivey
Floyd | Release 2 / Serial number 180112 / Inform 7 build 6M62 (I6/v6.33 lib
Floyd | 6/12N)
Floyd | Identification number: //0BFE11AF-82A9-4491-A740-AB7155B81DCA//
Floyd | Interpreter version 1.3.1 / VM 3.1.2 / Library serial number 080126
Floyd | Standard Rules version 3/120430 by Graham Nelson
Floyd | Rideable Vehicles version 3 by Graham Nelson
Floyd | Conditional Undo version 4/140510 by Jesse McGrew
Floyd | Serial And Fix by Andrew Plotkin
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Grassy Area                                          39/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Grassy Area
Floyd | Someone has left their trigonometry homework on the log table.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "finish homework"
Floyd ]  Grassy Area                                          39/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > FINISH HOMEWORK
Floyd |
Floyd | I didn't recognize that command.  (There is a list of recognized
Floyd | commands in the HELP menus.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Guessed so."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd ]  Grassy Area                                          39/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > L
Floyd |
Floyd | Grassy Area
Floyd | This is a grassy area between buildings at some university.  Dusk is
Floyd | falling, and no one else is around.  There is a log table at the edge
Floyd | of the grassy area.  It looks like there is a small laundry facility
Floyd | in the building to east, and a gate lies south of you.
Floyd |
Floyd | Someone has left their trigonometry homework on the log table.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "i"
Floyd ]  Grassy Area                                          39/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > I
Floyd |
Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd |   an icosahedron
Floyd |   a square root
Floyd |   a set (no longer empty)
Floyd |     a slide rule
Floyd |     a cube
Floyd |     some exhaustion sandals
Floyd |     a tetrahedron
Floyd |     an octahedron
Floyd |     an old coin
Floyd |     your math book
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "I think that one's only for showing you how the sin wave works."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x slide"
Floyd ]  Grassy Area                                          39/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X SLIDE
Floyd |
Floyd | The slide rule consists of three pieces of wood: the two on the
Floyd | outside are attached to each other, while the third - in the middle -
Floyd | can slide between the other two.  Numbers are marked on all three
Floyd | pieces of wood.  You have no idea how to use a slide rule.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "Take the homework. Show it to the ghost. No need to leave stuff around."
Knight_Otu says, "Right. Adventurer cleptomania."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get homework"
Floyd ]  Grassy Area                                          39/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET HOMEWORK
Floyd |
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Gray                                                 39/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move south, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray
Floyd | Off to the side sits a gray storage bin.  In the storage bin you see a
Floyd | square piece of metal and a scribbled scroll.
Floyd |
Floyd | A gray, translucent ghost flits around the storage bin.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "show homework to ghost"
Floyd ]  Gray                                                 39/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SHOW HOMEWORK TO GHOST
Floyd |
Floyd | The gray lady looks carefully at the trig homework.  Then she says, "I
Floyd | think you may still find some use for that.  You never know, though,"
Floyd | she adds.  "I might be wrong."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "At least you'll know if it's still useful or not."
Knight_Otu says, "Yeah."
Knight_Otu says, "So I don't think I'm up for the casino section today, I suspect we dried out the office, and we need a screw for the mailbox."
Knight_Otu says, "There's still the laundry area, Achilles, and the calculator."
Guenni says, "You could try to solve the pedestals upstairs."
DavidW says, "hm. That sounds right."
Knight_Otu says, "And whatever rooms come below :p"
Knight_Otu says, "Right, the pedestals."
DavidW says, "I think we're missing at least one of the solids for the pedestals."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "i"
Floyd ]  Gray                                                 39/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > I
Floyd |
Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd |   the trig homework
Floyd |   an icosahedron
Floyd |   a square root
Floyd |   a set (no longer empty)
Floyd |     a slide rule
Floyd |     a cube
Floyd |     some exhaustion sandals
Floyd |     a tetrahedron
Floyd |     an octahedron
Floyd |     an old coin
Floyd |     your math book
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "The dodecahedron."
Guenni says, "Oh, yeah."
Knight_Otu says, "Yeah, I think there's five pedestals."
DavidW says, "Six, but there's only five solids."
Knight_Otu says, "Right, I wasn't counting the center one."
DavidW asks, "I assume you know by now who owns that villa?"
Knight_Otu asks, "I guess I should. Plato?"
DavidW says, "Yes."
Guenni says, "Yep."
DavidW says, "The cave was also a clue."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "look up plato"
Floyd ]  Gray                                                 39/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK UP PLATO
Floyd |
Floyd | (in your math book)
Floyd | Plato held that mathematical reasoning serves as a model for how to
Floyd | think philosophically.  There is a legend that the phrase "Let no one
Floyd | ignorant of geometry enter" was written over the door to his Academy.
Floyd | The five Platonic solids - the tetrahedron, the cube, the octahedron,
Floyd | the dodecahedron, and the icosahedron - are named for him.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Right, there was that thing with the shadows and the world, or how that went."
DavidW says, "That's a thought experiment called Plato's Cave."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x rule"
Floyd ]  Gray                                                 39/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X RULE
Floyd |
Floyd | The slide rule consists of three pieces of wood: the two on the
Floyd | outside are attached to each other, while the third - in the middle -
Floyd | can slide between the other two.  Numbers are marked on all three
Floyd | pieces of wood.  You have no idea how to use a slide rule.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "slide rule"
Floyd ]  Gray                                                 39/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SLIDE RULE
Floyd |
Floyd | What do you want to slide the slide rule under?
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Okay."
Guenni says, "My parents actually used these in school."
DavidW says, "I had one when I was young."
DavidW says, "They had stopped teaching logarithms when I got to high school, though."
DavidW says, "Calculators finally became commonplace when I reached grade 11."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  Gray                                                 39/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You must name something more substantial.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter                                          39/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "Interesting. We learnt what they were, but used the calculator for solving them."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               39/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way north.  As you do, you feel an electrical impulse
Floyd | course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Stadium                                              39/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Stadium
Floyd | Achilles sits by the side of the race track with his head in his
Floyd | hands.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "show rule to achilles"
Floyd ]  Stadium                                              39/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SHOW RULE TO ACHILLES
Floyd |
Floyd | (first taking the slide rule)
Floyd | Achilles frowns.  "I don't see how that will help me beat the
Floyd | tortoise."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Me neither, but it was worth a try."
Knight_Otu says, "I'm assuming we don't have what it takes yet."
Guenni nods once more.
DavidW says (to Floyd), "look up achilles in math"
Floyd ]  Stadium                                              39/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK UP ACHILLES IN MATH
Floyd |
Floyd | The story of Achilles and the tortoise is a paradox related to the
Floyd | nature of infinity.  It was devised by Zeno of Elea.
Floyd |
Floyd | In the paradox, Achilles is racing a tortoise who is given a head
Floyd | start.  Zeno claims that Achilles can never catch up to the tortoise
Floyd | because "In a race, the quickest runner can never overtake the
Floyd | slowest, since the pursuer must first reach the point whence the
Floyd | pursued started, so that the slower must always hold a lead."
Floyd |
Floyd | The paradox of Achilles and the tortoise, as well as Zeno's paradoxes
Floyd | in general, are important in mathematics because they helped force
Floyd | mathematicians to consider carefully what they mean by continuous
Floyd | quantities that are infinitely divisible, as well as infinity itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Some mathematicians believe that the limit concept, which not only
Floyd | provides a rigorous method for handling infinite quantities but also
Floyd | put calculus on a firm theoretical foundation, resolves the paradox of
Floyd | Achilles and the tortoise.  However, limits were not developed until
Floyd | over 2000 years after the death of Zeno.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "But you're on the right track for making someone else happy."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Stadium                                              39/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd | From here, the only exit is east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               39/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "I think Ihave an inkling."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter                                          39/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move south, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           39/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way west.  As you do, you feel an electrical impulse
Floyd | course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Great Hall
Floyd | On the long table is a pile of old coins.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Count is here, looking rather bored.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Solar                                                39/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | The Count calls after you, "If you find something else for me to count
Floyd | I would be grateful!"
Floyd |
Floyd | Solar
Floyd | A large bronze box lies on the side table.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Countess is here, fiddling disgruntledly with the bronze box.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "show rule to countess"
Floyd ]  Solar                                                39/100 (D+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SHOW RULE TO COUNTESS
Floyd |
Floyd | You show the slide rule to the Countess.  "This is an interesting
Floyd | device," she says.  "Do you know how to work it?"  You shake your
Floyd | head, and she returns the slide rule to you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Right."
Knight_Otu says, "Should have guessed that much."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "look up slide rule"
Floyd ]  Solar                                                41/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK UP SLIDE RULE
Floyd |
Floyd | (in your math book)
Floyd | The only mention of slide rules in the index refers to a unit on
Floyd | logarithms, so you turn to that section.
Floyd |
Floyd | A logarithm is a function whose output is an exponent or power.  For
Floyd | example, the base 10 logarithm of 1000 is 3, since 10^3 is 1000.
Floyd |
Floyd | The earliest practical use of logarithms was to convert a
Floyd | multiplication calculation to an addition calculation via the
Floyd | logarithm property log(xy) = log x + log y.
Floyd | The slide rule operates on this and other properties of logarithms.
Floyd |
Floyd | (There follows a detailed description of how to work a slide rule to
Floyd | do multiplication using logarithms.)
Floyd |
Floyd | Using the example, you practice with the slide rule until you
Floyd | understand how to use it to do multiplication.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Logarithms has increased.  You estimate
Floyd | that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by two
Floyd | points.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "show rule to countess"
Floyd ]  Solar                                                43/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SHOW RULE TO COUNTESS
Floyd |
Floyd | You show the slide rule to the Countess, and you carefully explain to
Floyd | her how to use it to do multiplication.  She immediately grasps the
Floyd | concept.  "With this, I don't need to fix my mechanical calculator!
Floyd | Do you mind if I have it?"  You give your assent, and the Countess
Floyd | smiles widely.
Floyd |
Floyd | "If this does multiplication, it could also do division."  She begins
Floyd | playing with the slide rule.  "And it should be able to calculate
Floyd | powers of a number."  She performs a few more calculations on the
Floyd | slide rule.  "Yes!" she says.  "Here, let me show you what I've done."
Floyd |
Floyd | As the Countess explains how to use the slide rule to do division and
Floyd | exponentiation, you realize that she is essentially showing you two
Floyd | more logarithm properties: log(x/y) = log x - log
Floyd | y, converting division to subtraction, and log x^n =
Floyd | n log x, converting exponentiation to
Floyd | multiplication.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Thank you so much for the slide rule.  What an ingenious device and
Floyd | valuable gift!" she says.  "I must reciprocate!"  She produces a small
Floyd | bell from somewhere and rings it.  A servant rushes in, and the
Floyd | Countess whispers something to him.  The servant disappears, but he
Floyd | soon returns, hands a book to the Countess, and disappears once more.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Countess gives the book to you.  "This is a wide-margin copy of
Floyd | Diophantus's Arithmetica.  We used to have a copy with narrow
Floyd | margins, too, but we gave that one to Fermat."
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Logarithms has increased.  You estimate
Floyd | that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by two
Floyd | points.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Hah."
Guenni exclaims, "Toeroe!"
Knight_Otu asks, "But are the margins wide enough for Fermat's mythical proof?"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x arithmetica"
Floyd ]  Solar                                                43/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X ARITHMETICA
Floyd |
Floyd | This is a copy of Diophantus's Arithmetica.  As the Countess
Floyd | indicated, it does have wide margins.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "look up fermat"
Floyd ]  Solar                                                43/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK UP FERMAT
Floyd |
Floyd | (in your math book)
Floyd | Pierre de Fermat was a contemporary and sometime rival of Descartes.
Floyd | He was the greatest number theorist of his era, invented analytic
Floyd | geometry about the same time as Descartes (but did not publish his
Floyd | results), and his method of tangents was a forerunner to the
Floyd | derivative concept used in calculus.  Fermat was actually a lawyer and
Floyd | did mathematics for fun in his spare time.
Floyd |
Floyd | Fermat is most well-known for his conjecture that become known as
Floyd | "Fermat's Last Theorem":  There do not exist solutions in nonzero
Floyd | integers a, b, c, and n > 2, such
Floyd | that a^n  + b^n = c^n.  In his copy of
Floyd | Diophantus's Arithmetica Fermat claimed to have found a
Floyd | "truly remarkable proof of this theorem which this margin is too
Floyd | narrow to contain."  No one has ever found Fermat's proof, and,
Floyd | despite an enormous amount of effort, nobody succeeded in proving it
Floyd | themselves until 1995, more than 350 years later.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           43/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Great Hall
Floyd | On the long table is a pile of old coins.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Count is here, looking rather bored.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "count count"
Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           43/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > COUNT COUNT
Floyd |
Floyd | You get exactly the number you expected.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter                                          43/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | The Count calls after you, "If you find something else for me to count
Floyd | I would be grateful!"
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move east, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Two                               43/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way down.
Floyd |
Floyd | The darkness is completely gone now, revealing a passage down.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter, Level Two
Floyd | Off to the side sits a gray storage bin.  In the storage bin you see a
Floyd | square piece of metal and a scribbled scroll.
Floyd |
Floyd | A gray, translucent ghost flits around the storage bin.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Plover disappears through a gap in the MUD. Oh dear, you'll see Plover next time.
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  Confusion                                            43/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way down.
Floyd |
Floyd | Confusion
Floyd | This space is filled with some kind of swirling, ethereal fog that
Floyd | plays tricks with your mind.  You can't make much sense of the space
Floyd | or anything in it.  However, you do sense an exit above you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x fog"
Floyd ]  Confusion                                            43/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X FOG
Floyd |
Floyd | This gray fog is confusing your mind.  It's hard to focus on it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Two                               43/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up through the fog.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter, Level Two
Floyd | Off to the side sits a gray storage bin.  In the storage bin you see a
Floyd | square piece of metal and a scribbled scroll.
Floyd |
Floyd | A gray, translucent ghost flits around the storage bin.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Two                               43/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > L
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter, Level Two
Floyd | This space is made of the same gray matter as the one above you.
Floyd | There is an inscription on the wall, as well as exits up to Gray
Floyd | Matter, Level One, north to the Grassy Area, south to the Physician's
Floyd | Office, east to the white house, and west to the Casino.  Now that the
Floyd | darkness is gone, you can also see a passage leading down to
Floyd | Confusion.
Floyd |
Floyd | Off to the side sits a gray storage bin.  In the storage bin you see a
Floyd | square piece of metal and a scribbled scroll.
Floyd |
Floyd | A gray, translucent ghost flits around the storage bin.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x inscription"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Two                               43/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X INSCRIPTION
Floyd |
Floyd | The inscription reads, "Mathematics is like a blind man in a dark room
Floyd | looking for a black cat that isn't there."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "That's a bit mean."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  West of House                                        43/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way east.  As you do, you feel an electrical impulse
Floyd | course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | West of House
Floyd | There is a small mailbox here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Living Room                                          43/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Living Room
Floyd | There are currently three books on the bookcase:
Floyd | Ars Magna
Floyd | The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and
Floyd | Balancing
Floyd | Elements
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "put arithmetica in shelf"
Floyd ]  Living Room                                          44/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT ARITHMETICA IN SHELF
Floyd |
Floyd | You put Diophantus's Arithmetica on the bookcase.  As it
Floyd | slides into place you hear a faint click.  Then you hear the
Floyd | same voice as before - the one that sounds like Professor Glasser.
Floyd |
Floyd | The voice says, "Diophantus's Arithmetica introduced symbols
Floyd | to the study of the solutions of equations, in contrast to the prior
Floyd | method of writing everything out in words.  The book itself discusses
Floyd | a variety of techniques for solving what we would now call algebraic
Floyd | equations.
Floyd |
Floyd | Arithmetica is also famous (or perhaps infamous) for a note
Floyd | Fermat once wrote on his copy of the book.  The note conjectures that
Floyd | there do not exist solutions in nonzero integers a,
Guenni says, "Well, not everybody is a fan of the number sciences."
Floyd | b, c, and n > 2, such that a^n  +
Floyd | b^n = c^n.  Then Fermat writes, 'I have discovered a
Floyd | truly remarkable proof of this theorem which this margin is too narrow
Floyd | to contain.'  No one has ever found Fermat's proof.  This conjecture,
Floyd | which became known as "Fermat's Last Theorem," was not actually proved
Floyd | until 1995, more than 350 years later, using mathematical techniques
Floyd | far more sophisticated than the ones available to Fermat in the
Floyd | mid-1600s."
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Mathematics Texts has increased.  You
Floyd | estimate that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by one
Floyd | point.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "I noticed a new down passage from Level Two."
Knight_Otu says, "I went there by accident. It's currently confusion."
Knight_Otu says, "Maybe it's deconfused by the book points though."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  West of House                                        44/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | West of House
Floyd | There is a small mailbox here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Two                               44/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move west, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter, Level Two
Floyd | Off to the side sits a gray storage bin.  In the storage bin you see a
Floyd | square piece of metal and a scribbled scroll.
Floyd |
Floyd | A gray, translucent ghost flits around the storage bin.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  Confusion                                            44/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way down.
Floyd |
Floyd | Confusion
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd ]  Confusion                                            44/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > L
Floyd |
Floyd | Confusion
Floyd | This space is filled with some kind of swirling, ethereal fog that
Floyd | plays tricks with your mind.  You can't make much sense of the space
Floyd | or anything in it.  However, you do sense an exit above you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "i"
Floyd ]  Confusion                                            44/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > I
Floyd |
Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd |   the trig homework
Floyd |   an icosahedron
Floyd |   a square root
Floyd |   a set (no longer empty)
Floyd |     a cube
Floyd |     some exhaustion sandals
Floyd |     a tetrahedron
Floyd |     an octahedron
Floyd |     an old coin
Floyd |     your math book
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Two                               44/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up through the fog.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter, Level Two
Floyd | Off to the side sits a gray storage bin.  In the storage bin you see a
Floyd | square piece of metal and a scribbled scroll.
Floyd |
Floyd | A gray, translucent ghost flits around the storage bin.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "I guess it's cassino time."
Knight_Otu says, "I guess."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  West of House                                        44/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way east.  As you do, you feel an electrical impulse
Floyd | course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | West of House
Floyd | There is a small mailbox here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Opps"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Two                               44/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move west, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter, Level Two
Floyd | Off to the side sits a gray storage bin.  In the storage bin you see a
Floyd | square piece of metal and a scribbled scroll.
Floyd |
Floyd | A gray, translucent ghost flits around the storage bin.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Casino                                               44/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way west.  As you do, you feel an electrical impulse
Floyd | course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Casino
Floyd | A gaming machine near you catches your eye.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x machine"
Floyd ]  Casino                                               44/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X MACHINE
Floyd |
Floyd | This gaming machine has the words "TOP TWO GAME" written across its
Floyd | side.  There are several buttons on the machine, each with a different
Floyd | label.
Floyd |
Floyd | White: "Instructions."
Floyd | Black: "Start New Game."
Floyd | Green: "Accept Current Number."
Floyd | Orange: "Reject Current Number."
Floyd | Red: "Reject Next 10 Numbers."
Floyd | Blue: The label for the blue button has been torn off.
Floyd |
Floyd | The screen currently reads, "Press white button for instructions, or
Floyd | press black button to start a new game."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "push black"
Floyd ]  Casino                                               44/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH BLACK
Floyd |
Floyd | You push the black button, and the screen clears.  Then the number
Floyd | 35990 appears on the screen.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "push green"
Floyd ]  Casino                                               44/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH GREEN
Floyd |
Floyd | You accept 35990.
Floyd |
Floyd | The full list of 100 numbers now appears on the screen, in order from
Floyd | largest to smallest:
Floyd |   51724  51371  51354  51321  49341  48219  48218  48200  48010  47123
Floyd |   46137  45782  45652  45529  44844  44490  43809  43770  43386  43278
Floyd |   42248  41399  41214  40858  40777  40168  40164  40061  40001  39302
Floyd |   38961  38314  37606  37095  36410  35990  35671  35585  34899  34767
Floyd |   34369  34234  33756  33375  32494  31205  31069  30233  30070  29443
Floyd |   29137  26692  26537  26525  25817  25751  25569  24730  22275  21969
Floyd |   21851  21276  21235  20298  20279  19758  19713  19662  19318  16397
Floyd |   16139  14527  14475  14295  13315  12438  12215  11290  11185   9708
Floyd |    9123   7819   6656   6348   5674   5468   5345   4834   4642   4323
Floyd |    3653   3251   2454   2046   1470   1300   1141   1100    130    122
Floyd |
Floyd | The number you selected ranked 36, from largest to smallest, out of
Floyd | the 100 numbers.  Unfortunately, that means you did not win the game.
Floyd |
Floyd | Then the screen clears, and it once again reads, "Press white button
Floyd | for instructions, or press black button to start a new game."
Floyd |
Floyd | You find yourself wondering what the blue button does.  If you could
Floyd | figure that out, it might help you devise a strategy.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "push black"
Floyd ]  Casino                                               44/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH BLACK
Floyd |
Floyd | You push the black button, and the screen clears.  Then the number
Floyd | 11218 appears on the screen.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "push blue"
Floyd ]  Casino                                               44/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH BLUE
Floyd |
Floyd | You reject the current number.  Then a new number, 13493, appears.
Floyd |
Floyd | The screen now reads:
Floyd |   11218  13493
Floyd |
Floyd | The number 13493 is the current number.  It is number 2 out of 100.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "push blue"
Floyd ]  Casino                                               44/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH BLUE
Floyd |
Floyd | You reject the next 3 numbers, all of which appear on the screen.
Floyd | Then a new number, 13719, appears.
Floyd |
Floyd | The screen now reads:
Floyd |   11218  13493   5193   3405  13719
Floyd |
Floyd | The number 13719 is the current number.  It is number 5 out of 100.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "push blue"
Floyd ]  Casino                                               44/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH BLUE
Floyd |
Floyd | You reject the next 3 numbers, all of which appear on the screen.
Floyd | Then a new number, 14561, appears.
Floyd |
Floyd | The screen now reads:
Floyd |   11218  13493   5193   3405  13719   2682  12584  14561
Floyd |
Floyd | The number 14561 is the current number.  It is number 8 out of 100.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "push blue"
Floyd ]  Casino                                               44/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH BLUE
Floyd |
Floyd | You reject the next 12 numbers, all of which appear on the screen.
Floyd | Then a new number, 14765, appears.
Floyd |
Floyd | The screen now reads:
Floyd |   11218  13493   5193   3405  13719   2682  12584  14561  10796   9529
Floyd |   13190   3151   7832   8864  12729   4024  11749   6429  12634  14765
Floyd |
Floyd | The number 14765 is the current number.  It is number 20 out of 100.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "push blue"
Floyd ]  Casino                                               44/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH BLUE
Floyd |
Floyd | You reject the next 13 numbers, all of which appear on the screen.
Floyd | Then a new number, 16159, appears.
Floyd |
Floyd | The screen now reads:
Floyd |   11218  13493   5193   3405  13719   2682  12584  14561  10796   9529
Floyd |   13190   3151   7832   8864  12729   4024  11749   6429  12634  14765
Floyd |    7987  13958  12392  12304   8692   8238  11872   2370  11840  14733
Floyd |    8205  10990  16159
Floyd |
Floyd | The number 16159 is the current number.  It is number 33 out of 100.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "push blue"
Floyd ]  Casino                                               44/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH BLUE
Floyd |
Floyd | You reject the next 23 numbers, all of which appear on the screen.
Floyd | Then a new number, 17483, appears.
Floyd |
Floyd | The screen now reads:
Floyd |   11218  13493   5193   3405  13719   2682  12584  14561  10796   9529
Floyd |   13190   3151   7832   8864  12729   4024  11749   6429  12634  14765
Floyd |    7987  13958  12392  12304   8692   8238  11872   2370  11840  14733
Floyd |    8205  10990  16159  13398   2327  11983   4012  14911   8649  14808
Floyd |   12373   3944     64   8137    740    726  12161  12489   7155  12727
Floyd |    9359   3074   8791   9684   3310  17483
Floyd |
Floyd | The number 17483 is the current number.  It is number 56 out of 100.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "push green"
Floyd ]  Casino                                               44/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH GREEN
Floyd |
Floyd | You accept 17483.
Floyd |
Floyd | The full list of 100 numbers now appears on the screen, in order from
Floyd | largest to smallest:
Floyd |   17847  17694  17483  17321  16996  16616  16265  16159  16111  16026
Floyd |   15990  15960  15639  15550  15279  14911  14808  14765  14733  14705
Floyd |   14561  14124  13958  13719  13493  13398  13190  12729  12727  12649
Floyd |   12634  12622  12608  12584  12489  12392  12373  12304  12161  11983
Floyd |   11872  11840  11749  11554  11507  11356  11218  10990  10796  10224
Floyd |    9684   9529   9359   8864   8791   8692   8649   8440   8238   8205
Floyd |    8137   7987   7832   7785   7155   6969   6600   6507   6429   6243
Floyd |    5646   5225   5193   5130   4484   4041   4024   4012   3944   3438
Floyd |    3405   3310   3151   3114   3074   2938   2682   2370   2327   1614
Floyd |    1433   1048    740    726    380    352    248    149     64     27
Floyd |
Floyd | The number you selected ranked 3, from largest to smallest, out of the
Floyd | 100 numbers.  Unfortunately, that means you did not win the game.
Floyd |
Floyd | Then the screen clears, and it once again reads, "Press white button
Floyd | for instructions, or press black button to start a new game."
Floyd |
Floyd | You find yourself wondering what the blue button does.  If you could
Floyd | figure that out, it might help you devise a strategy.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "push black"
Floyd ]  Casino                                               44/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH BLACK
Floyd |
Floyd | You push the black button, and the screen clears.  Then the number
Floyd | 20954 appears on the screen.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "push blue"
Floyd ]  Casino                                               44/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH BLUE
Floyd |
Floyd | You reject the current number.  Then a new number, 42391, appears.
Floyd |
Floyd | The screen now reads:
Floyd |   20954  42391
Floyd |
Floyd | The number 42391 is the current number.  It is number 2 out of 100.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "push blue"
Floyd ]  Casino                                               44/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH BLUE
Floyd |
Floyd | You reject the current number.  Then a new number, 56065, appears.
Floyd |
Floyd | The screen now reads:
Floyd |   20954  42391  56065
Floyd |
Floyd | The number 56065 is the current number.  It is number 3 out of 100.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "push blue"
Floyd ]  Casino                                               44/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH BLUE
Floyd |
Floyd | You reject the next 98 numbers, all of which appear on the screen.
Floyd |
Floyd | The screen now reads:
Floyd |   20954  42391  56065  28958  37149  24172  53866  55056  18373  19123
Floyd |   24268  52159   3999  53429  41558  41874  50778  46011  23912  22037
Floyd |   13080  25067   2259  14998  18355  16898  27194  10967  19156   7991
Floyd |   19200  40110   1322  26205  12232  38472  50378   9263  36692  19691
Floyd |   28386   4124  22790  40161   8493   7512  25199   2435  53523     52
Floyd |   32248  17543  25119  34508  40317  43474   2346  10675  54441  21502
Floyd |   26442  24581  12553  27765  50787  24785   9401  52105  41824  53869
Floyd |   14960  21150   8933  37750   4476  17426  45262  37451  27637  49725
Floyd |   37503   3049  10432   5787  45333  50749    201  47680  12364  54643
Floyd |   20122  38807  30164  32675   9736  31891   8401  26913  27160   1165
Floyd |
Floyd | This means that you have rejected all of the numbers that were left.
Floyd | You did not win the game.
Floyd |
Floyd | Then the screen clears, and it once again reads, "Press white button
Floyd | for instructions, or press black button to start a new game."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "push black"
Floyd ]  Casino                                               44/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH BLACK
Floyd |
Floyd | You push the black button, and the screen clears.  Then the number
Floyd | 5590 appears on the screen.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "push blue"
Floyd ]  Casino                                               44/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH BLUE
Floyd |
Floyd | You reject the next 2 numbers, all of which appear on the screen.
Floyd | Then a new number, 15405, appears.
Floyd |
Floyd | The screen now reads:
Floyd |    5590    855  15405
Floyd |
Floyd | The number 15405 is the current number.  It is number 3 out of 100.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "push blue"
Floyd ]  Casino                                               44/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH BLUE
Floyd |
Floyd | You reject the next 6 numbers, all of which appear on the screen.
Floyd | Then a new number, 16925, appears.
Floyd |
Floyd | The screen now reads:
Floyd |    5590    855  15405   4150   3846  13742   8281  13765  16925
Floyd |
Floyd | The number 16925 is the current number.  It is number 9 out of 100.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "push blue"
Floyd ]  Casino                                               44/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH BLUE
Floyd |
Floyd | You reject the next 9 numbers, all of which appear on the screen.
Floyd | Then a new number, 19529, appears.
Floyd |
Floyd | The screen now reads:
Floyd |    5590    855  15405   4150   3846  13742   8281  13765  16925   7961
Floyd |   13027   5004   5379  14630    598   4008  13453  19529
Floyd |
Floyd | The number 19529 is the current number.  It is number 18 out of 100.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "push blue"
Floyd ]  Casino                                               44/100 (C-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH BLUE
Floyd |
Floyd | You reject the next 54 numbers, all of which appear on the screen.
Floyd | Then a new number, 19569, appears.
Floyd |
Floyd | The screen now reads:
Floyd |    5590    855  15405   4150   3846  13742   8281  13765  16925   7961
Floyd |   13027   5004   5379  14630    598   4008  13453  19529    935  11180
Floyd |    4533   8529  11444   1397    850  13337  15032   7384  15983  10241
Floyd |    9556  18892   4323  13707  10721  18065   9971   4674   3160  17933
Floyd |   17701  15960  11295  12518  16558   3287   6158  16274   4222   5322
Floyd |    8791    734   4749  17984   1584  18086  13203  16764   2239  11427
Floyd |    5682  11796  18303  10005   5690   9211  16053   3644  13885  19213
Floyd |    1764  19569
Floyd |
Floyd | The number 19569 is the current number.  It is number 72 out of 100.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "push green"
Floyd ]  Casino                                               48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUSH GREEN
Floyd |
Floyd | You accept 19569.
Floyd |
Floyd | The full list of 100 numbers now appears on the screen, in order from
Floyd | largest to smallest:
Floyd |   19569  19534  19529  19287  19213  18892  18666  18303  18248  18086
Floyd |   18065  17984  17933  17701  16925  16764  16558  16363  16274  16053
Floyd |   15983  15960  15405  15360  15032  14630  13885  13765  13742  13707
Floyd |   13453  13337  13203  13060  13027  12518  12494  12274  12106  11905
Floyd |   11796  11444  11427  11308  11295  11180  10721  10395  10241  10005
Floyd |    9971   9556   9286   9282   9211   8791   8552   8529   8281   7961
Floyd |    7589   7384   6416   6158   5690   5682   5590   5379   5341   5322
Floyd |    5004   4983   4762   4749   4674   4533   4470   4330   4323   4222
Floyd |    4150   4008   3846   3644   3600   3510   3287   3160   2743   2239
Floyd |    2079   1764   1662   1584   1397    935    855    850    734    598
Floyd |
Floyd | The number you selected was the largest number!  This means you won
Floyd | the game!
Floyd |
Floyd | You overhear the phrase "optimal stopping problem" amidst the loud
Floyd | sounds of the casino.
Floyd |
Floyd | The screen clears, and it once again reads "Press white button for
Floyd | instructions, or press black button to start a new game."
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Probability has increased.  You estimate
Floyd | that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by four
Floyd | points.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "look up optimal stopping"
Floyd ]  Casino                                               48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK UP OPTIMAL STOPPING
Floyd |
Floyd | (in your math book)
Floyd | An optimal stopping problem is one in which you are faced with the
Floyd | problem of when to take a particular action in order to maximize a
Floyd | reward or minimize a cost.
Floyd |
Floyd | The most famous optimal stopping problem is the secretary
Floyd | problem: You want to hire a secretary.  You have n
Floyd | candidates, and you interview them one-by-one.  After each interview,
Floyd | you must decide whether to hire or reject the person you just
Floyd | interviewed.  You cannot go back and hire a candidate you have already
Floyd | rejected.  If you want to maximize your chances of hiring the best
Floyd | person for the job the optimal strategy turns out to be to
Floyd | automatically reject the first X candidates and then hire the
Floyd | next candidate after that who is better than all of the candidates you
Floyd | have seen thus far.  Surprisingly, if X corresponds to the
Floyd | first n/e (in other words, the first 37% of)
Floyd | candidates, then the probability of selecting the single best
Floyd | candidate out of the entire n candidates is about 37%.
Floyd |
Floyd | If you want one of the two best candidates instead, then you can get
Floyd | above a 50% chance using a similar strategy.  In fact, there's a wide
Floyd | range of values of X that work well in the top two case.  For
Floyd | example, if n is 100, then any choice of X between
Floyd | 22 and 39 will give you a better than 50% chance of selecting one of
Floyd | the two best candidates.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Two                               48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move east, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter, Level Two
Floyd | Off to the side sits a gray storage bin.  In the storage bin you see a
Floyd | square piece of metal and a scribbled scroll.
Floyd |
Floyd | A gray, translucent ghost flits around the storage bin.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  Less Confusion                                       48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way down.
Floyd |
Floyd | The fog in this space has dissipated some since the last time you were
Floyd | here.  You can make more sense of it now.
Floyd |
Floyd | Less Confusion
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd ]  Less Confusion                                       48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > L
Floyd |
Floyd | Less Confusion
Floyd | This space contains some kind of swirling, ethereal fog that is
Floyd | affecting your ability to think clearly.  You can make enough sense of
Floyd | this space to know that there is an exit above you to Gray Matter,
Floyd | Level Two, as well as exits north, south, east, and west.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "How did I know there'd be four more exits in here? :p"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Barn                                                 48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way north through the fog.  As you do, you feel an
Floyd | electrical impulse course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Barn
Floyd | The pleasant smell of fresh hay mingles with the less pleasant smells
Floyd | of farm animals here.  The barn opens outside to the south.
Floyd |
Floyd | A farmer is here, staring thoughtfully at a pile of wood.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x wood"
Floyd ]  Barn                                                 48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X WOOD
Floyd |
Floyd | It's just a pile of wood to you, but it must mean something to the
Floyd | farmer.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x farmer"
Floyd ]  Barn                                                 48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X FARMER
Floyd |
Floyd | The farmer is wearing blue overalls and a wide-brimmed hat.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "greet farmer"
Floyd ]  Barn                                                 48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GREET FARMER
Floyd |
Floyd | "Hi," you say, and the farmer turns to look at you.  "Howdy," he
Floyd | responds.  "What are you doing?" you ask.
Floyd |
Floyd | He says, "Well, I was just thinking about the water barrel I'm going
Floyd | to make out of this wood.  I'm trying to decide whether it should be
Floyd | short and fat or tall and skinny."
Floyd |
Floyd | "Why does it matter?" you ask.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Well, I'd like it to hold as much water as possible.  Does a short,
Floyd | wider barrel hold more water?  Or does a tall and thin one?  Or would
Floyd | it be better to make the barrel somewhere in between?  Oh, and the
Floyd | barrel will have a lid.
Floyd |
Floyd | "I've got this far," he says, pulling a thin card and a pencil from an
Floyd | inside pocket of his overalls.  He scribbles an equation on the card,
Floyd | puts the pencil back in his overalls, and hands the card to you.  "If
Floyd | you take the equation on this card and plug the radius of the barrel
Floyd | in for x, the value of y will tell you the resulting
Floyd | volume of the barrel."
Floyd |
Floyd | You take the card.  "Don't you need this?" you ask.
Floyd |
Floyd | "No," he says.  "The card was junk mail - part of a promotion for some
Floyd | theme park.  And I've got the equation memorized, too."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x card"
Floyd ]  Barn                                                 48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X CARD
Floyd |
Floyd | This small, very thin card reads "Farmer's Problem: y =
Floyd | 50x - Pi*x^3."  You remember that y
Floyd | represents the volume of the barrel the farmer is trying to build,
Floyd | while x represents the radius.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Barn                                                 48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | Before you can leave, you hear what sounds like a cowbell ringing.
Floyd | The farmer grimaces.  "Bessie's probably got herself tangled in the
Floyd | barbed wire again," he says.  "I ought to go check on her."
Floyd |
Floyd | Just then, a dog comes running into the barn, barking excitedly.
Floyd | "Yes, I heard," the farmer says to the dog.  "I'm going."
Floyd |
Floyd | He turns to you.  "If you can figure out the best solution to my
Floyd | barrel problem, I would be much obliged.  I need to go help Bessie
Floyd | now, but Pennings here can bring me anything with the solution on it."
Floyd |
Floyd | The farmer strides out of the barn.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x dog"
Floyd ]  Barn                                                 48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X DOG
Floyd |
Floyd | Pennings is a Welsh Corgi.  He wags his tail happily but expectantly
Floyd | when he sees you looking at him; he seems to want you to give him
Floyd | something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "pet dog"
Floyd ]  Barn                                                 48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PET DOG
Floyd |
Floyd | Pennings licks your face happily.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Less Confusion                                       48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move south, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Less Confusion
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Great Court                                          48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way west through the fog.  As you do, you feel an
Floyd | electrical impulse course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Great Court
Floyd | With its ornate central stone fountain, this can only be the great
Floyd | court of Trinity College, Cambridge.  From here you can visit the
Floyd | chapel to the north or the college hall to the west.  The main gate of
Floyd | Trinity College lies east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x fountain"
Floyd ]  Great Court                                          48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X FOUNTAIN
Floyd |
Floyd | This ornate stone fountain in the center of the court is its most
Floyd | prominent feature.  The fountain is currently dry.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  College Chapel                                       48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | College Chapel
Floyd | You stand in the magnificent chapel of Trinity College.  You make a
Floyd | mental note to visit this place sometime when you're truly awake.  The
Floyd | exit is to the south.
Floyd |
Floyd | At the west end of the chapel stands a statue of Isaac Newton.
Floyd |
Floyd | A beam of light shines through a window and forms a circle on the
Floyd | floor.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s statue"
Floyd ]  College Chapel                                       48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S STATUE
Floyd |
Floyd | I only understood you as far as wanting to (go) s up.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x statue"
Floyd ]  College Chapel                                       48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X STATUE
Floyd |
Floyd | This statue in white marble depicts Newton holding a prism as he gazes
Floyd | upward.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can't help but be reminded of the lines in Wordsworth's
Floyd | Prelude, describing this very statue:
Floyd |
Floyd | "The antechapel where the statue stood
Floyd |  Of Newton with his prism and silent face,
Floyd |  The marble index of a mind for ever
Floyd |  Voyaging through strange seas of Thought, alone."
Floyd |
Floyd | Wait - did Newton just wink at you?
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x prism"
Floyd ]  College Chapel                                       48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X PRISM
Floyd |
Floyd | The prism, like the rest of the statue, is made of marble.  The
Floyd | ambient light in the chapel seems to play across the surface of the
Floyd | prism.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x beam"
Floyd ]  College Chapel                                       48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X BEAM
Floyd |
Floyd | This beam of light shines through a window and forms a circle on the
Floyd | floor.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x circle"
Floyd ]  College Chapel                                       48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X CIRCLE
Floyd |
Floyd | The light in the circle seems to sparkle.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "greet newton"
Floyd ]  College Chapel                                       48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GREET NEWTON
Floyd |
Floyd | In response, the statue of Newton nods almost imperceptibly in the
Floyd | direction of the circle of light on the floor.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Great Court                                          48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Great Court
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | College Hall
Floyd | You walk into the middle of a lecture on mathematics.  The atmosphere
Floyd | feels a bit tense.
Floyd |
Floyd | The speaker glares briefly at you as you enter, and you - somewhat
Floyd | sheepishly - step back into the shadows against the wall.
Floyd |
Floyd | The speaker continues.  "And so, as I was saying, the calculus of
Floyd | Newton does not rest on a logical foundation!  Newton claims that the
Floyd | fluxion of x^2 is 2x, but one cannot have the
Floyd | "infinitely small quantity" he uses in the calculation equal to zero
Floyd | in one place and not equal to zero in another!"
Knight_Otu pushes the green 'space' button.
Floyd | in one place and not equal to zero in another!"
Floyd | You hear several "Boo" shouts from the audience.  "Go back to Oxford,
Floyd | Berkeley!" says one mathematician.  "But calculus works!" yells a
Floyd | physicist.
Knight_Otu pushes the green 'space' button.
Floyd | physicist.
Floyd | "I repeat myself," replies Berkeley.  "A quantity cannot be
Floyd | simultaneously equal to zero and not equal to zero.  As Newton himself
Floyd | says, 'The minutest errors are not to be neglected in mathematics!'"
Floyd |
Floyd | You can feel the audience's anger level rising, as Berkeley quotes
Floyd | Newton in his attack on Newton's calculus.
Knight_Otu pushes the green 'space' button.
Floyd ]  College Hall                                         48/100 (C)
Floyd | Newton in his attack on Newton's calculus.
Floyd | Then, after a tense few moments, a man in the front row storms the
Floyd | podium.  The shocked look on Berkeley's face is visible from your
Floyd | place against the wall.  Berkeley slowly backs away from the podium.
Floyd | Emboldened, several other audience members join the first man.
Floyd | Berkeley turns and runs out of the room.  The rest of the audience
Floyd | rises and chases after him.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd ]  College Hall                                         48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > L
Floyd |
Floyd | College Hall
Floyd | The normally-impressive great hall, with its wood paneling and
Floyd | Tudor-style interior, is in a state of disarray in the wake of
Floyd | Berkeley's lecture.  A podium stands at the front of the room.  The
Floyd | great court lies to the east.
Floyd |
Floyd | In his haste to flee the crowd of angry mathematicians, Berkeley has
Floyd | left his lecture notes on the podium.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x notes"
Floyd ]  College Hall                                         48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X NOTES
Floyd |
Floyd | These are Berkeley's notes describing what he considers to be serious
Floyd | logical flaws in the theoretical foundation of calculus.  The notes
Floyd | are rather extensive, but the details of his attack on the fluxion of
Floyd | x^2 catch your eye.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Newton says that the fluxion, or derivative, of x^2 is to be
Floyd | calculated like so: Adding the infinitely small quantity o to
Floyd | x causes x^2 to become (x+o)^2.  Then
Floyd | (x+o)^2 expands to x^2 + 2ox + o^2.
Floyd | Subtracting x^2 from the expansion of (x+o)^2 gives
Floyd | us 2ox + o^2.
Floyd |
Floyd | "The next step in the procedure is to divide by the infinitely small
Floyd | quantity o, producing 2x + o.  Newton says now that since o
Floyd | is infinitely small we can ignore it.  This means that the fluxion of
Floyd | x^2 is 2x.
Floyd |
Floyd | "However, is the 'infinitely small quantity' denoted 'o' equal to zero
Floyd | or not?  If it is zero, then we cannot divide by it, since there is no
Floyd | meaning to dividing by zero.  If it is not zero, then we cannot ignore
Floyd | it in the last step, and so the fluxion of x^2 cannot be
Floyd | 2x.
Floyd |
Floyd | "You cannot have it both ways: Either o is equal to zero or it is
Floyd | not!"
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get them"
Floyd ]  College Hall                                         48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET THEM
Floyd |
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "look up berkeley"
Floyd ]  College Hall                                         48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK UP BERKELEY
Floyd |
Floyd | (in your math book)
Floyd | Along with John Locke and David Hume, Bishop George Berkeley is
Floyd | considered part of the trio of great British empirical philosophers of
Floyd | the 17th and 18th centuries.  His major contribution to mathematics
Floyd | was his critique of the logical foundations of calculus.  This
Floyd | critique helped inspire mathematicians to look more closely at what
Floyd | they meant by the "infinitesimally small" quantities used in calculus,
Floyd | ultimately leading to a precise definition of the limit concept.
Floyd | Incidentally, the main campus of the University of California and the
Floyd | surrounding city are named for him.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "look up limit"
Floyd ]  College Hall                                         48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK UP LIMIT
Floyd |
Floyd | (in your math book)
Floyd | The limit is one of the most important concepts in mathematics.
Floyd | Limits allow us to define exactly what we mean by concepts like
Floyd | "arbitrarily large" and "infinitesimally small."
Floyd |
Floyd | Limits had been used implicitly in calculus since the time of Newton
Floyd | and Leibniz, but it was not until over 150 years later that the
Floyd | definition of a limit was made precise by Weierstrass, thereby placing
Floyd | calculus on a more solid theoretical foundation.  Limits are also used
Floyd | to make sense of sequences and infinite series.  Some argue that
Floyd | limits resolve Zeno's paradoxes.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x podium"
Floyd ]  College Hall                                         48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X PODIUM
Floyd |
Floyd | This podium is made of the same wood as the paneling you see around
Floyd | the room.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x paneling"
Floyd ]  College Hall                                         48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X PANELING
Floyd |
Floyd | It's quite beautiful.  Nothing at your university looks looks like
Floyd | this room.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "I love how everything in this game fits together."
Knight_Otu says, "It's true."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Great Court                                          48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Great Court
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Less Confusion                                       48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move east, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Less Confusion
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Neon-Lit Room                                        48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way east through the fog.  As you do, you feel an
Floyd | electrical impulse course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Neon-Lit Room
Floyd | The floor and ceiling of this room are black, while the walls feature
Floyd | eerie, pulsating, dark blue neon lights.  An exit leads west.
Floyd |
Floyd | A sleek laser bike is parked in the center of the room.
Floyd |
Floyd | Someone has left a crudely-drawn comic on the floor.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu asks, "Are we Tron now?"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x comic"
Floyd ]  Neon-Lit Room                                        48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X COMIC
Floyd |
Floyd | The comic consists simply of two pictures: A man singing Christmas
Floyd | carols and a man wearing an old Houston football jersey.  The Yuler
Floyd | has a large red X next to him, while the Oiler sports a large green
Floyd | check mark.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "Plover was asking about Rideable Vehicles, so you know there had to be one in the game somewhere."
DavidW says, "And yes, this is Tron."
Knight_Otu says, "Yeah."
Guenni says, "Actually that's one of them."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get it"
Floyd ]  Neon-Lit Room                                        48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET IT
Floyd |
Floyd | (putting the square root into the set to make room)
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "read it"
Floyd ]  Neon-Lit Room                                        48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > READ IT
Floyd |
Floyd | The comic consists simply of two pictures: A man singing Christmas
Floyd | carols and a man wearing an old Houston football jersey.  The Yuler
Floyd | has a large red X next to him, while the Oiler sports a large green
Floyd | check mark.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni grins.
DavidW says (to Guenni), "oh right, there is another vehicle. Forgot to count that one."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x bike"
Floyd ]  Neon-Lit Room                                        48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X BIKE
Floyd |
Floyd | Built for speed, this laser bike pulses with the same dark blue neon
Floyd | light as the rest of the room.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "ride bike"
Floyd ]  Intersection                                         48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > RIDE BIKE
Floyd |
Floyd | You mount the laser bike.  A door slides open in the east wall, and,
Floyd | without warning, the laser bike shoots through it!
Floyd |
Floyd | You briefly catch a glimpse of a grid laid out before you, with
Floyd | intersection points, lines connecting them, and several ramps
Floyd | scattered throughout the intersections.  A mechanical voice intones,
Floyd | "Starting new game.  Illuminate all grid lines.  Intersections will
Floyd | not be illuminated.  One ramp jump allowed."
Floyd |
Floyd | Then the bike launches into space, coming down in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Intersection (on the laser bike)
Floyd | You are riding a laser bike, traveling rapidly east through an
Floyd | intersection.  Dark blue neon walls surround the intersection, but
Floyd | there are grid lines that lead northeast, south, southeast, and east.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "In Germany "Oi" is mostly spelt "eu"."
Knight_Otu says, "Uff."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Intersection                                         48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | You give the laser bike a sharp turn south, and it speeds through the
Floyd | grid line to the south.  The bike leaves a laser beam of light in its
Floyd | wake.
Floyd |
Floyd | Intersection (on the laser bike)
Floyd | You are riding a laser bike, traveling rapidly south through an
Floyd | intersection.  Dark blue neon walls surround the intersection, but
Floyd | there are grid lines that lead north and east.
Floyd |
Floyd | However, the grid line to the north is lit up by a beam of light.
Floyd |
Floyd | There is also a ramp to the northeast.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "I actually thought that one was easy. But I couldn' explain why I did what I did."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Intersection                                         48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | You give the laser bike a sharp turn east, and it speeds through the
Floyd | grid line to the east.  The bike leaves a laser beam of light in its
Floyd | wake.
Floyd |
Floyd | Intersection (on the laser bike)
Floyd | You are riding a laser bike, traveling rapidly east through an
Floyd | intersection.  Dark blue neon walls surround the intersection, but
Floyd | there are grid lines that lead north, northwest, east, and west.
Floyd |
Floyd | However, the grid line to the west is lit up by a beam of light.
Floyd |
Floyd | There is also a ramp to the northeast.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "Or more exactly Why I went, where I went."
DavidW says, "I solved it mainly by outlining the outer edge, then doing the middle."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Intersection                                         48/100 (C)
Guenni says, "Yeah, same here."
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | You keep going east, and the laser bike speeds through the grid line
Floyd | to the east.  The bike leaves a laser beam of light in its wake.
Floyd |
Floyd | Intersection (on the laser bike)
Floyd | You are riding a laser bike, traveling rapidly east through an
Floyd | intersection.  Dark blue neon walls surround the intersection, but
Floyd | there are grid lines that lead north and west.
Floyd |
Floyd | However, the grid line to the west is lit up by a beam of light.
Floyd |
Floyd | There is also a ramp to the northwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Intersection                                         48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | You give the laser bike a sharp turn north, and it speeds through the
Floyd | grid line to the north.  The bike leaves a laser beam of light in its
Floyd | wake.
Floyd |
Floyd | Intersection (on the laser bike)
Floyd | You are riding a laser bike, traveling rapidly north through an
Floyd | intersection.  Dark blue neon walls surround the intersection, but
Floyd | there are grid lines that lead north, south, and west.
Floyd |
Floyd | However, the grid line to the south is lit up by a beam of light.
Floyd |
Floyd | There are also ramps to the northwest and southwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Intersection                                         48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | You keep going north, and the laser bike speeds through the grid line
Floyd | to the north.  The bike leaves a laser beam of light in its wake.
Floyd |
Floyd | Intersection (on the laser bike)
Floyd | You are riding a laser bike, traveling rapidly north through an
Floyd | intersection.  Dark blue neon walls surround the intersection, but
Floyd | there are grid lines that lead south and west.
Floyd |
Floyd | However, the grid line to the south is lit up by a beam of light.
Floyd |
Floyd | There is also a ramp to the southwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Intersection                                         48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd | You give the laser bike a sharp turn west, and it speeds through the
Floyd | grid line to the west.  The bike leaves a laser beam of light in its
Floyd | wake.
Floyd |
Floyd | Intersection (on the laser bike)
Floyd | You are riding a laser bike, traveling rapidly west through an
Floyd | intersection.  Dark blue neon walls surround the intersection, but
Floyd | there are grid lines that lead south, southwest, and east.
Floyd |
Floyd | However, the grid line to the east is lit up by a beam of light.
Floyd |
Floyd | There is also a ramp to the southeast.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Intersection                                         48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | You give the laser bike a sharp turn south, and it speeds through the
Floyd | grid line to the south.  The bike leaves a laser beam of light in its
Floyd | wake.
Floyd |
Floyd | Intersection (on the laser bike)
Floyd | You are riding a laser bike, traveling rapidly south through an
Floyd | intersection.  Dark blue neon walls surround the intersection, but
Floyd | there are grid lines that lead north, south, east, and west.
Floyd |
Floyd | However, the grid line to the north is lit up by a beam of light.
Floyd |
Floyd | There are also ramps to the northeast, southeast, and southwest.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Intersection                                         48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd | You give the laser bike a sharp turn west, and it speeds through the
Floyd | grid line to the west.  The bike leaves a laser beam of light in its
Floyd | wake.
Floyd |
Floyd | Intersection (on the laser bike)
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd ]  Intersection                                         48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > L
Floyd |
Floyd | Intersection (on the laser bike)
Floyd | You are riding a laser bike, traveling rapidly west through an
Floyd | intersection.  Dark blue neon walls surround the intersection, but
Floyd | there are grid lines that lead northeast, south, southeast, and east.
Floyd |
Floyd | However, the grid lines to the south and east are lit up by beams of
Floyd | light.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "oh yeah, brief might be unhelpful here."
Knight_Otu says, "Yeah, a bit"
Guenni says (to Floyd), "verbose"
Floyd ]  Intersection                                         48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > VERBOSE
Floyd |
Floyd | A Beauty Cold and Austere is now in its "verbose" mode, which always
Floyd | gives long descriptions of locations (even if you've been there
Floyd | before).
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "ne"
Floyd ]  Intersection                                         48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > NE
Floyd |
Floyd | You give the laser bike a sharp turn northeast, and it speeds through
Floyd | the grid line to the northeast.  The bike leaves a laser beam of light
Floyd | in its wake.
Floyd |
Floyd | Intersection (on the laser bike)
Floyd | You are riding a laser bike, traveling rapidly northeast through an
Floyd | intersection.  Dark blue neon walls surround the intersection, but
Floyd | there are grid lines that lead south, southwest, and east.
Floyd |
Floyd | However, all the grid lines are lit up by beams of light.
Floyd |
Floyd | There is also a ramp to the southeast.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "se"
Floyd ]  Intersection                                         48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SE
Floyd |
Floyd | You give the laser bike a sharp turn southeast, and it takes the ramp
Floyd | at a high speed, launching you into the air.  As you look down you
Floyd | notice that all the ramps in the grid are lowering to the level of the
Floyd | intersection.  The bike touches down in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Intersection (on the laser bike)
Floyd | You are riding a laser bike, traveling rapidly southeast through an
Floyd | intersection.  Dark blue neon walls surround the intersection, but
Floyd | there are grid lines that lead north, south, and west.
Floyd |
Floyd | However, the grid lines to the north and south are lit up by beams of
Floyd | light.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Intersection                                         48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd | You give the laser bike a sharp turn west, and it speeds through the
Floyd | grid line to the west.  The bike leaves a laser beam of light in its
Floyd | wake.
Floyd |
Floyd | Intersection (on the laser bike)
Floyd | You are riding a laser bike, traveling rapidly west through an
Floyd | intersection.  Dark blue neon walls surround the intersection, but
Floyd | there are grid lines that lead north, south, east, and west.
Floyd |
Floyd | However, the grid lines to the north, east, and west are lit up by
Floyd | beams of light.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Intersection                                         48/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | You give the laser bike a sharp turn south, and it speeds through the
Floyd | grid line to the south.  The bike leaves a laser beam of light in its
Floyd | wake.
Floyd |
Floyd | Intersection (on the laser bike)
Floyd | You are riding a laser bike, traveling rapidly south through an
Floyd | intersection.  Dark blue neon walls surround the intersection, but
Floyd | there are grid lines that lead north, northwest, east, and west.
Floyd |
Floyd | However, the grid lines to the north, east, and west are lit up by
Floyd | beams of light.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "nw"
Floyd ]  Neon-Lit Room                                        53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > NW
Floyd |
Floyd | You give the laser bike a sharp turn northwest, and it speeds through
Floyd | the grid line to the northwest.  The bike leaves a laser beam of light
Floyd | in its wake.
Floyd |
Floyd | The laser bike slows down as it comes to the middle of the
Floyd | intersection.  A long ramp drops down from the west, and the bike
Floyd | automatically turns toward it.  As the bike ascends the ramp, a
Floyd | mechanical voice intones, "Congratulations.  You have found an Euler
Floyd | circuit.  Your prize awaits."
Floyd |
Floyd | The bike re-enters the neon-lit room and comes to rest in the middle
Floyd | of the floor.  The door to the east closes once more.
Floyd |
Floyd | Neon-Lit Room (on the laser bike)
Floyd | The floor and ceiling of this room are black, while the walls feature
Floyd | eerie, pulsating, dark blue neon lights.  An exit leads west.
Floyd |
Floyd | Your prize appears to be a book: Introduction to the Analysis of
Floyd | the Infinite.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Combinatorics has increased.  You
Floyd | estimate that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by five
Floyd | points.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Okay."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get book"
Floyd ]  Neon-Lit Room                                        53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET BOOK
Floyd |
Floyd | (Introduction to the Analysis of the Infinite)
Floyd | You can't reach Introduction to the Analysis of the Infinite
Floyd | from the laser bike.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "stand"
Floyd ]  Neon-Lit Room                                        53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > STAND
Floyd |
Floyd | You dismount the laser bike.
Floyd |
Floyd | Neon-Lit Room
Floyd | The floor and ceiling of this room are black, while the walls feature
Floyd | eerie, pulsating, dark blue neon lights.  An exit leads west.
Floyd |
Floyd | A sleek laser bike is parked in the center of the room.
Floyd |
Floyd | Your prize appears to be a book: Introduction to the Analysis of
Floyd | the Infinite.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get book"
Floyd ]  Neon-Lit Room                                        53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET BOOK
Floyd |
Floyd | (Introduction to the Analysis of the Infinite)
Floyd | (putting the icosahedron into the set to make room)
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "Ok, you did a different route than me."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x it"
Floyd ]  Neon-Lit Room                                        53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X IT
Floyd |
Floyd | This is a copy of Leonhard Euler's two-volume Introduction to the
Floyd | Analysis of the Infinite.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "yeah, there's more than one valid route."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "look up euler circuit"
Floyd ]  Neon-Lit Room                                        53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK UP EULER CIRCUIT
Floyd |
Floyd | (in your math book)
Floyd | An Euler circuit is a path through a graph that traverses every edge
Floyd | exactly once.  Euler proved that the only graphs that have Euler
Floyd | circuits are those whose vertices all have an even number of
Floyd | connections.  The key idea behind this is that every time you go
Floyd | through a vertex you must enter by one edge and leave by a different
Floyd | edge, thus traversing two edges.  In order to have an Euler circuit,
Floyd | then, the total number of edges incident on each vertex must be even.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Three                             53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move west, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | The confusing fog is much less now than it was at first.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter, Level Three
Floyd | Most of the fog that was filling up this space is now gone - the only
Floyd | bit that remains swirls about your feet.  You can see now that you are
Floyd | in another space made of the same gray matter as the two above you.
Floyd | You can see an inscription on the wall, and there are exits up to Gray
Floyd | Matter, Level Two, north to the Barn, south, east to the Neon-Lit
Floyd | Room, and west to the Great Court of Trinity College.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x inscription"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Three                             53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X INSCRIPTION
Floyd |
Floyd | The inscription reads,
Floyd |
Floyd | "Even as the finite encloses an infinite series
Floyd |  And in the unlimited limits appear,
Floyd |  So the soul of immensity dwells in minutia
Floyd |  And in narrowest limits no limits inhere.
Floyd |  What joy to discern the minute in infinity!
Floyd |  The vast to perceive in the small, what divinity!"
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says (to Floyd), "brief"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Three                             53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > BRIEF
Floyd |
Floyd | A Beauty Cold and Austere is now in its "brief" printing mode, which
Floyd | gives long descriptions of places never before visited and short
Floyd | descriptions otherwise.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "All these inscriptions on your gray matter."
Knight_Otu says, "Yeah."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Roller Coaster Entrance                              53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way south.  As you do, you feel an electrical impulse
Floyd | course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Roller Coaster Entrance
Floyd | You stand at the entrance to a huge roller coaster, which sprawls
Floyd | above and around you in every direction - even into the river below.
Floyd | A notice hangs nearby.  You could climb up to the boarding platform
Floyd | above you.  The operator's office is to the east, and you can exit the
Floyd | roller coaster area to the north.
Floyd |
Floyd | Someone has dropped a brochure here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "Well, the stuff is fairly maleable."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x notice"
Floyd ]  Roller Coaster Entrance                              53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X NOTICE
Floyd |
Floyd | The notice reads, "Has anyone seen Descartes?  He seems to have
Floyd | disappeared!"
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x brochure"
Floyd ]  Roller Coaster Entrance                              53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X BROCHURE
Floyd |
Floyd | This brightly-colored brochure is an advertisement for the roller
Floyd | coaster.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "read it"
Floyd ]  Roller Coaster Entrance                              53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > READ IT
Floyd |
Floyd | "Descartes's Roller Coaster and Water Ride: Experience the thrills of
Floyd | cutting-edge analytic geometry!
Floyd |
Floyd | "With our proprietary technology, we can change the shape of the track
Floyd | to any algebraic curve!  We feature a new curve each month, so ride
Floyd | often!
Floyd |
Floyd | "For special events such as birthday parties and weddings we can even
Floyd | accommodate curve requests!  Just write the algebraic equation for the
Floyd | curve you want on one of our special cards and give it to the
Floyd | operator!  (Guests are encouraged to book well in advance, as we do
Floyd | have an extensive waiting list.)
Floyd |
Floyd | "There's more: Our patented "air bubble" technology prevents anything
Floyd | inside the car from getting wet while the car travels underwater!"
Floyd |
Floyd | Underneath, in smaller print, are some disclaimers: "Riders should be
Floyd | aware that the boarding platform may be moved to different x
Floyd | coordinates to accommodate differently-shaped tracks.  Any such
Floyd | coordinate changes are purely to maximize the riders' experience.  In
Floyd | addition, in the rare case that a track is completely underwater,
Floyd | riders will be prevented from entering the boarding area."
Floyd |
Floyd | Finally, very tiny print at the bottom reads "Construction by Meretzky
Floyd | and Co."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x card"
Floyd ]  Roller Coaster Entrance                              53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X CARD
Floyd |
Floyd | This small, very thin card reads "Farmer's Problem: y =
Floyd | 50x - Pi*x^3."  You remember that y
Floyd | represents the volume of the barrel the farmer is trying to build,
Floyd | while x represents the radius.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "turn it around"
Floyd ]  Roller Coaster Entrance                              53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TURN IT AROUND
Floyd |
Floyd | You can't see any such thing, at least as described.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get brochure"
Floyd ]  Roller Coaster Entrance                              53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET BROCHURE
Floyd |
Floyd | (putting the trig homework into the set to make room)
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "Flip card or turn card over might work."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x rollercoaster"
Floyd ]  Roller Coaster Entrance                              53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X ROLLERCOASTER
Floyd |
Floyd | You can't see any such thing, at least as described.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "flip card"
Floyd ]  Roller Coaster Entrance                              53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > FLIP CARD
Floyd |
Floyd | It isn't something you can switch.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "turn card over"
Floyd ]  Roller Coaster Entrance                              53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TURN CARD OVER
Floyd |
Floyd | You can't see any such thing, at least as described.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "I guess there aren't second sides to cards in this game."
Knight_Otu says, "Well, I'm sure enough that it's what we want."
DavidW says, "oh yes."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x roller coaster"
Floyd ]  Roller Coaster Entrance                              53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X ROLLER COASTER
Floyd |
Floyd | The roller coaster consists of a track mounted on a grid-like frame
Floyd | marked with coordinates.  For the horizontal - or x -
Floyd | coordinates, the entrance is marked at 0, and the numbers increase as
Floyd | you go east.  For the vertical - or y - coordinates, the
Floyd | water line is marked at 0, and the numbers increase as you go up.
Floyd |
Floyd | The roller coaster track starts high, goes through a loop-the-loop,
Floyd | enters the water, and returns to the platform.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "Did you find the dodeca by now? I had to step out when you started with the game machine."
DavidW says, "No, the dodeca is still unfound."
Guenni says, "I remembered where it is. In case it's wanted."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Operator's Office                                    53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Operator's Office
Floyd | The roller coaster operator's office is a small, dingy affair.  The
Floyd | only thing to commend it is that it still has a good view of the
Floyd | roller coaster.  The exit is to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | A display is set into the wall, with a slot next to it.
Floyd |
Floyd | A saying hangs loosely on the wall above the display.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can also see some correspondence and an x-finder here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "I remember where it is and that puzzle is still unsolved."
Knight_Otu asks, "Is it the poker one?"
Guenni nods.
DavidW asks, "With the five sided table? Maaaaybe?"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x display"
Floyd ]  Operator's Office                                    53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X DISPLAY
Floyd |
Floyd | The display reads "x^3 + y^3 = 3xy."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x slot"
Floyd ]  Operator's Office                                    53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X SLOT
Floyd |
Floyd | It looks like only a thin card of a certain size and shape will fit in
Floyd | it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x saying"
Floyd ]  Operator's Office                                    53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X SAYING
Floyd |
Floyd | The saying reads, "Cogito Ergo Sum."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x correspondence"
Floyd ]  Operator's Office                                    53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X CORRESPONDENCE
Floyd |
Floyd | You read through the correspondence.  It's a series of letters from
Floyd | Fermat to Descartes.  The discussions center on Fermat's method of
Floyd | tangents, which Descartes criticizes.
Floyd |
Floyd | The final letter, though, is addressed to Fermat.  In it, Descartes
Floyd | claims that his new Folium curve is so complicated that Fermat's
Floyd | method cannot be used to find its tangent lines.
Floyd |
Floyd | The letter ends with Descartes asking rhetorically, "And you believe
Floyd | your method will still work?  I think not!"  The ink is blotted after
Floyd | the final sentence, as if the quill pen Descartes had been using was
Floyd | dropped abruptly.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu exclaims, "Murder mystery!"
Knight_Otu says, "Or maybe not"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x finder"
Floyd ]  Operator's Office                                    53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X FINDER
Floyd |
Floyd | This small object shows the x-coordinate of your current
Floyd | position.  It was probably used for testing the roller coaster.  The
Floyd | x-finder is covered by some kind of waterproof plastic film,
Floyd | and it also includes a primitive-looking carabiner.
Floyd |
Floyd | The x-finder currently reads... nothing.  I suppose you're
Floyd | not at a location that has a meaningful x-coordinate.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get all"
Floyd ]  Operator's Office                                    53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET ALL
Floyd |
Floyd | Descartes's saying: (putting the thin card into the set to make room)
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd | correspondence: (putting Berkeley's lecture notes into the set to make
Floyd | room)
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd | x-finder: (putting the comic strip into the set to make room)
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "Na, no corpses here."
DavidW says, "Just courses and corpuses."
Knight_Otu says, "I didn't expect the saying to be takeable."
Knight_Otu asks, "Do we want to ride the current configuration?"
DavidW says, "I didn't either at first. Later, I realized the saying had to be takeable."
Guenni says, "It doesn't hurt, it doesn't help."
Knight_Otu says, "Okay, then I'll just use the card now."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "put card in slot"
Floyd ]  Operator's Office                                    53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT CARD IN SLOT
Floyd |
Floyd | You place the card in the slot.  With a screeching of metal and wood,
Floyd | the roller coaster track tears itself apart and reforms as the graph
Floyd | of the equation on the card.  The roller coaster appears to be
Floyd | undamaged by this process.
Floyd |
Floyd | The display now reads "y = 50x - Pi*x^3."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x coaster"
Floyd ]  Operator's Office                                    53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X COASTER
Floyd |
Floyd | The roller coaster consists of a track mounted on a grid-like frame
Floyd | marked with coordinates.  For the horizontal - or x -
Floyd | coordinates, the entrance is marked at 0, and the numbers increase as
Floyd | you go east.  For the vertical - or y - coordinates, the
Floyd | water line is marked at 0, and the numbers increase as you go up.
Floyd |
Floyd | The roller coaster track consists of a hill above the water and a
Floyd | valley below the water.  The track climbs the single hill, descends
Floyd | it, enters the water, turns around, dips down into the valley, and
Floyd | then returns to the platform.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "Same for me with the saying."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Roller Coaster Entrance                              53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Roller Coaster Entrance
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  Boarding Platform                                    53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You climb up to the boarding platform.  The ascent is a bit
Floyd | disorienting, and you're not sure exactly where you ended up relative
Floyd | to the roller coaster entrance.
Floyd |
Floyd | Boarding Platform
Floyd | You stand at the boarding platform to a huge roller coaster, which
Floyd | sprawls above and around you in every direction - even into the river
Floyd | far below.
Floyd |
Floyd | A car sits at the platform, enticing you to enter.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "enter car"
Floyd | >
Floyd | > ENTER CAR
Floyd |
Floyd | You glance at the track to remind yourself what you're getting
Floyd | yourself into.
Floyd |
Floyd | The roller coaster track consists of a hill above the water and a
Floyd | valley below the water.  The track climbs the single hill, descends
Floyd | it, enters the water, turns around, dips down into the valley, and
Floyd | then returns to the platform.
Floyd |
Floyd | You enter the car, and it pulls away from the platform.  The numbers
Floyd | on the x-finder start to increase.
DavidW asks (of Guenni), "This is the second rideable, correct?"
Guenni nods.
Knight_Otu pushes the green 'space' button.
Floyd | on the x-finder start to increase.The car slows down as the
Floyd | track begins its climb up the single hill of this track.  The numbers
Floyd | on the x-finder are increasing slowly now.
Knight_Otu pushes the green 'space' button.
Floyd | on the x-finder are increasing slowly now.You reach the crest
Floyd | of the hill, and the car starts rapidly down the other side.  The
Floyd | numbers on the x-finder are still increasing.
Knight_Otu pushes the green 'space' button.
Floyd | numbers on the x-finder are still increasing.Unfortunately,
Floyd | the car was moving too fast for you to read the x coordinate
Floyd | at the crest, but it looked like it was some number between 2 and 3.
Knight_Otu pushes the green 'space' button.
Floyd | at the crest, but it looked like it was some number between 2 and
Floyd | 3.Then the car hurtles down the far side of the hill, picking up
Floyd | speed.  You splash into the river!  Yet some force field seems to be
Floyd | keeping you and your possessions dry.  The numbers on the
Floyd | x-finder continue to increase rapidly.
Knight_Otu pushes the green 'space' button.
Floyd | x-finder continue to increase rapidly.The car makes a turn,
Floyd | and you travel underwater for a while.  You're having trouble
Floyd | following the numbers on the x-finder here.
Knight_Otu pushes the green 'space' button.
Floyd | following the numbers on the x-finder here.The car takes a
Floyd | dip down further into the water, but soon comes up again, emerges from
Floyd | the river and returns to the platform.  The numbers on the
Floyd | x-finder stop changing.  You exit the car.
Knight_Otu pushes the green 'space' button.
Floyd ]  Boarding Platform                                    53/100 (C)
Floyd | x-finder stop changing.  You exit the car.
Floyd | Boarding Platform
Floyd | You stand at the boarding platform to a huge roller coaster, which
Floyd | sprawls above and around you in every direction - even into the river
Floyd | far below.
Floyd |
Floyd | A car sits at the platform, enticing you to enter.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x finder"
Floyd ]  Boarding Platform                                    53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X FINDER
Floyd |
Floyd | This small object shows the x-coordinate of your current
Floyd | position.  It was probably used for testing the roller coaster.  The
Floyd | x-finder is covered by some kind of waterproof plastic film,
Floyd | and it also includes a primitive-looking carabiner.
Floyd |
Floyd | The x-finder currently reads... 0.2.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline says, "I need some quiet time, so I'm going to tune out and mute most channels, but if you have issues again, page me."
DavidW says (to Jacqueline), "understood. And thank you again."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x carabiner"
Floyd ]  Boarding Platform                                    53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X CARABINER
Floyd |
Floyd | This carabiner is likely for attaching the x-finder to
Floyd | something.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "i"
Floyd ]  Boarding Platform                                    53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > I
Floyd |
Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd |   an x-finder
Floyd |   some correspondence
Floyd |   Descartes's saying
Floyd |   a brochure
Floyd |   Introduction to the Analysis of the Infinite
Floyd |   a set (no longer empty)
Floyd |     a comic strip
Floyd |     Berkeley's lecture notes
Floyd |     the trig homework
Floyd |     an icosahedron
Floyd |     a square root
Floyd |     a cube
Floyd |     some exhaustion sandals
Floyd |     a tetrahedron
Floyd |     an octahedron
Floyd |     an old coin
Floyd |     your math book
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline says, "You're most welcome."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x car"
Floyd ]  Boarding Platform                                    53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X CAR
Floyd |
Floyd | This car is primed for speed.  A small metal loop is attached to the
Floyd | side of the car.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x loop"
Floyd ]  Boarding Platform                                    53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X LOOP
Floyd |
Floyd | The metal loop is attached to the side of the car.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "attach finder to loop"
Floyd ]  Boarding Platform                                    53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > ATTACH FINDER TO LOOP
Floyd |
Floyd | Using the carabiner, you attach the x-finder to the metal
Floyd | loop on the car.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "enter car"
Floyd | >
Floyd | > ENTER CAR
Floyd |
Floyd | You glance at the track to remind yourself what you're getting
Floyd | yourself into.
Floyd |
Floyd | The roller coaster track consists of a hill above the water and a
Floyd | valley below the water.  The track climbs the single hill, descends
Floyd | it, enters the water, turns around, dips down into the valley, and
Floyd | then returns to the platform.
Floyd |
Floyd | You enter the car, and it pulls away from the platform.  The numbers
Floyd | on the x-finder start to increase.
Knight_Otu pushes the green 'space' button.
Floyd | on the x-finder start to increase.The car slows down as the
Floyd | track begins its climb up the single hill of this track.  The numbers
Floyd | on the x-finder are increasing slowly now.
Knight_Otu pushes the green 'space' button.
Floyd | on the x-finder are increasing slowly now.You reach the crest
Floyd | of the hill, and the car starts rapidly down the other side.  The
Floyd | numbers on the x-finder are still increasing.
Knight_Otu pushes the green 'space' button.
Floyd | numbers on the x-finder are still increasing.Unfortunately,
Floyd | the car was moving too fast for you to read the x coordinate
Floyd | at the crest, but it looked like it was some number between 2 and 3.
Knight_Otu pushes the green 'space' button.
Floyd | at the crest, but it looked like it was some number between 2 and
Floyd | 3.Then the car hurtles down the far side of the hill, picking up
Floyd | speed.  You splash into the river!  Yet some force field seems to be
Floyd | keeping you and your possessions dry.  The numbers on the
Floyd | x-finder continue to increase rapidly.
Knight_Otu pushes the green 'space' button.
Floyd | x-finder continue to increase rapidly.The car makes a turn,
Floyd | and you travel underwater for a while.  You're having trouble
Floyd | following the numbers on the x-finder here.
Knight_Otu pushes the green 'space' button.
Floyd | following the numbers on the x-finder here.The car takes a
Floyd | dip down further into the water, but soon comes up again, emerges from
Floyd | the river and returns to the platform.  The numbers on the
Floyd | x-finder stop changing.  You exit the car.
Knight_Otu pushes the green 'space' button.
Floyd ]  Boarding Platform                                    53/100 (C)
Floyd | x-finder stop changing.  You exit the car.
Floyd | Boarding Platform
Floyd | You stand at the boarding platform to a huge roller coaster, which
Floyd | sprawls above and around you in every direction - even into the river
Floyd | far below.
Floyd |
Floyd | A car sits at the platform, enticing you to enter.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get finder"
Floyd ]  Boarding Platform                                    53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET FINDER
Floyd |
Floyd | You remove the x-finder from the metal loop.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x it"
Floyd ]  Boarding Platform                                    53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X IT
Floyd |
Floyd | This small object shows the x-coordinate of your current
Floyd | position.  It was probably used for testing the roller coaster.  The
Floyd | x-finder is covered by some kind of waterproof plastic film,
Floyd | and it also includes a primitive-looking carabiner.
Floyd |
Floyd | The x-finder currently reads... 0.2.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Hm."
Knight_Otu says, "We want to detach the finder at the crest somehow, I guess."
Guenni says, "well..."
DavidW says, "I dare not say anything."
DavidW says, "Except, if you goof up, I know how to fix things afterwards."
DavidW says, "Assuming you don't save and restore."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x brochure"
Floyd ]  Boarding Platform                                    53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X BROCHURE
Floyd |
Floyd | This brightly-colored brochure is an advertisement for the roller
Floyd | coaster.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "Please don't, I didn't mess up, and want to read how the fixing play out. :-)"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "read it"
Floyd ]  Boarding Platform                                    53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > READ IT
Floyd |
Floyd | "Descartes's Roller Coaster and Water Ride: Experience the thrills of
Floyd | cutting-edge analytic geometry!
Floyd |
Floyd | "With our proprietary technology, we can change the shape of the track
Floyd | to any algebraic curve!  We feature a new curve each month, so ride
Floyd | often!
Floyd |
Floyd | "For special events such as birthday parties and weddings we can even
Floyd | accommodate curve requests!  Just write the algebraic equation for the
Floyd | curve you want on one of our special cards and give it to the
Floyd | operator!  (Guests are encouraged to book well in advance, as we do
Floyd | have an extensive waiting list.)
Floyd |
Floyd | "There's more: Our patented "air bubble" technology prevents anything
Floyd | inside the car from getting wet while the car travels underwater!"
Floyd |
Floyd | Underneath, in smaller print, are some disclaimers: "Riders should be
Floyd | aware that the boarding platform may be moved to different x
Floyd | coordinates to accommodate differently-shaped tracks.  Any such
Floyd | coordinate changes are purely to maximize the riders' experience.  In
Floyd | addition, in the rare case that a track is completely underwater,
Floyd | riders will be prevented from entering the boarding area."
Floyd |
Floyd | Finally, very tiny print at the bottom reads "Construction by Meretzky
Floyd | and Co."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "And yes. I'd know how to do it as well."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x platform"
Floyd ]  Boarding Platform                                    53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X PLATFORM
Floyd |
Floyd | Boarding Platform
Floyd | You stand at the boarding platform to a huge roller coaster, which
Floyd | sprawls above and around you in every direction - even into the river
Floyd | far below.
Floyd |
Floyd | A car sits at the platform, enticing you to enter.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "move platform"
Floyd ]  Boarding Platform                                    53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > MOVE PLATFORM
Floyd |
Floyd | It is fixed in place.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  Roller Coaster Entrance                              53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You climb down to the roller coaster entrance.  The descent is a bit
Floyd | disorienting, and you're not sure exactly where you ended up relative
Floyd | to the platform.
Floyd |
Floyd | Roller Coaster Entrance
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Operator's Office                                    53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Operator's Office
Floyd | A display is set into the wall, with a slot next to it.  There is a
Floyd | thin card in the slot.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x display"
Floyd ]  Operator's Office                                    53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X DISPLAY
Floyd |
Floyd | The display reads "y = 50x - Pi*x^3."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "It is getting late again here, I should note."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x card"
Floyd ]  Operator's Office                                    53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X CARD
Floyd |
Floyd | This small, very thin card reads "Farmer's Problem: y =
Floyd | 50x - Pi*x^3."  You remember that y
Floyd | represents the volume of the barrel the farmer is trying to build,
Floyd | while x represents the radius.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x finder"
Floyd ]  Operator's Office                                    53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X FINDER
Floyd |
Floyd | This small object shows the x-coordinate of your current
Floyd | position.  It was probably used for testing the roller coaster.  The
Floyd | x-finder is covered by some kind of waterproof plastic film,
Floyd | and it also includes a primitive-looking carabiner.
Floyd |
Floyd | The x-finder currently reads... nothing.  I suppose you're
Floyd | not at a location that has a meaningful x-coordinate.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x film"
Floyd ]  Operator's Office                                    53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X FILM
Floyd |
Floyd | This waterproof plastic film covers the x-finder.  You could
Floyd | probably remove it if you wanted.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "Yeah, the midnight isn't to far off on this peace of the bluerange."
DavidW says, "It's 5:30ish for me."
DavidW says, "5:30 pm"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "save"
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SAVE
Floyd | %% Enter a save filename to write:
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "cfbeauty2"
Floyd ]  Operator's Office                                    53/100 (C)
Floyd | > SAVEOk.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "Otherwise, you'd be probably be calld Davidow :-)"
Knight_Otu says, "at least we're more than half-way through, pointwise."
DavidW says, "yes, you accomplished a ton of stuff today."
Guenni says, "My two favorite puzzles still await."
Knight_Otu exclaims, "Good night!"
DavidW says, "good night, Good Knight"
Guenni hollers, "Night everyone." DavidW says (to Guenni), "good night to you also"
DavidW says, "I shall also crash for a bit."
*** SESSION TWO ***
Jacqueline says, "I realize we have a couple of minutes yet, but I assume you all want to continue ABC&A with your cfbeauty2 save..."
Jacqueline asks, "You're... half-way?"
Jacqueline says, "(Judging by the transcript thus far)"
DavidW says, "uhhh, not quite."
Knight_Otu says, "Approximately, yes."
Knight_Otu says, "Pointwise."
Jacqueline nods.
Jacqueline exclaims (at Guenni), "!"
DavidW asks, "must be bad connection?"
Roger says, "Like a ship passing in the night"
Knight_Otu says, "So I know some people were looking forward to me failing the roller coaster."
Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "load sleepmask beautycoldandaustere2"
Floyd ]
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | "Mathematics, rightly viewed, possesses not only truth, but supreme
Floyd | beauty - a beauty cold and austere, like that of sculpture, without
Floyd | appeal to any part of our weaker nature, without the gorgeous
Floyd | trappings of painting or music, yet sublimely pure, and capable of a
Floyd | stern perfection such as only the greatest art can show."    --
Floyd | Bertrand Russell
Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "restore"
Floyd ]
Floyd | Would you like to...
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd |    Play through the tutorial               :       T
Floyd |    Start the story - from the beginning    :    (SPACE)
Floyd |                    - from a saved position :       R
Floyd |    Quit                                    :       Q
Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "r"
Floyd | %% Enter a save filename to read:
Jacqueline says (to Floyd), "cfbeauty2"
Floyd ]  Operator's Office                                    53/100 (C)
Floyd | Ok.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "So, as I was saying, the roller coaster. The solution hit me shortly after logging off last week."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd ]  Operator's Office                                    53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > L
Floyd |
Floyd | Operator's Office
Floyd | The roller coaster operator's office is a small, dingy affair.  The
Floyd | only thing to commend it is that it still has a good view of the
Floyd | roller coaster.  The exit is to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | A display is set into the wall, with a slot next to it.  There is a
Floyd | thin card in the slot.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "i"
Floyd ]  Operator's Office                                    53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > I
Floyd |
Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd |   an x-finder
Floyd |   some correspondence
Floyd |   Descartes's saying
Floyd |   a brochure
Floyd |   Introduction to the Analysis of the Infinite
Floyd |   a set (no longer empty)
Floyd |     a comic strip
Floyd |     Berkeley's lecture notes
Floyd |     the trig homework
Floyd |     an icosahedron
Floyd |     a square root
Floyd |     a cube
Floyd |     some exhaustion sandals
Floyd |     a tetrahedron
Floyd |     an octahedron
Floyd |     an old coin
Floyd |     your math book
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "I didn't think you had quite enough info to solve solve it yet."
Knight_Otu says, "We have a formula where we need to get a local peak."
Knight_Otu says, "We have an x-finder that we can short out or something when it hits the water level, also known as 0."
Knight_Otu says, "The answer is..."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "look up differential calculus"
Floyd ]  Operator's Office                                    53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK UP DIFFERENTIAL CALCULUS
Floyd |
Floyd | (in your math book)
Floyd | That topic is not listed in the index.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "look up derivative"
Floyd ]  Operator's Office                                    53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK UP DERIVATIVE
Floyd |
Floyd | (in your math book)
Floyd | The derivative is one of the major concepts in calculus.  Roughly
Floyd | speaking, it gives a precise way to determine the ratio of two
Floyd | quantities as they become infinitely small.  Thus it can be used to
Floyd | measure rates of change, with applications like velocity,
Floyd | acceleration, and marginal cost.  It can also be used to find the
Floyd | slope, or steepness, of the graph of a function, as this can be
Floyd | thought of as the ratio of the vertical change in the graph of a
Floyd | function to a corresponding horizontal change.
Floyd |
Floyd | Another major application of the derivative is to find the maximum or
Floyd | minimum value of a function.  The maximum of a function occurs when
Floyd | the graph of the function switches from ascending to descending.
Floyd | Since the derivative is positive when the graph of a function is
Floyd | ascending, and the derivative is negative when the graph of a function
Floyd | is descending, at the maximum the derivative has a value of zero.  A
Floyd | similar scenario holds true for the minimum of a function.  In that
Floyd | case the graph of the function switches from descending to ascending,
Floyd | and so its derivative switches from negative to positive.  The value
Floyd | of the derivative at the minimum is also zero.  There are some other
Floyd | technicalities to consider, but this is the basic situation.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "That the derivative of a function hits 0 where its "parent" hits a peak or valley."
DavidW says, "yes. So far, correct."
Knight_Otu says, "So we need to derive that somehow."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "derive card"
Floyd ]  Operator's Office                                    53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > DERIVE CARD
Floyd |
Floyd | I didn't understand that.  The first word or two on their own might
Floyd | suffice, though; perhaps it would work to just derive.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Jacqueline disappears through an invisible gap in the MUD. You think you may have heard the sounds of chatting before the gap closed again.
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "derive"
Floyd ]  Operator's Office                                    53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > DERIVE
Floyd |
Floyd | Nothing happens.  Perhaps you need to be holding an object to serve as
Floyd | the focus of the word of power.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Which we can't do yet. That means we have to play poker first."
DavidW says, "goodness. You guessed a word of power before finding its object. That's very impressive."
Knight_Otu says, "At least I'm pretty sure we need that platonic solid."
Jacqueline says, "I'm going to mute this channel since I have not yet played this, but I'll be on mud for quite a while yet so if you need me, just page."
Knight_Otu says, "It helps knowing about the math involved."
Plover arrives, ready to play with the toys.
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd ]  Operator's Office                                    53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > L
Floyd |
Floyd | Operator's Office
Floyd | The roller coaster operator's office is a small, dingy affair.  The
Floyd | only thing to commend it is that it still has a good view of the
Floyd | roller coaster.  The exit is to the west.
Floyd |
Floyd | A display is set into the wall, with a slot next to it.  There is a
Floyd | thin card in the slot.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Roller Coaster Entrance                              53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Roller Coaster Entrance
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Three                             53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move north, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter, Level Three
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Plover says (to Floyd), "version"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Three                             53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > VERSION
Floyd |
Floyd | A Beauty Cold and Austere
Floyd | An Interactive Digression by Mike Spivey
Floyd | Release 2 / Serial number 180112 / Inform 7 build 6M62 (I6/v6.33 lib
Floyd | 6/12N)
Floyd | Identification number: //0BFE11AF-82A9-4491-A740-AB7155B81DCA//
Floyd | Interpreter version 1.3.1 / VM 3.1.2 / Library serial number 080126
Floyd | Standard Rules version 3/120430 by Graham Nelson
Floyd | Rideable Vehicles version 3 by Graham Nelson
Floyd | Conditional Undo version 4/140510 by Jesse McGrew
Floyd | Serial And Fix by Andrew Plotkin
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW asks, "I think power was level two and west?"
Knight_Otu says, "I wonder how all of that just now read to someone who doesn't know about this game."
Knight_Otu says, "Yes."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Two                               53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter, Level Two
Floyd | Off to the side sits a gray storage bin.  In the storage bin you see a
Floyd | square piece of metal and a scribbled scroll.
Floyd |
Floyd | A gray, translucent ghost flits around the storage bin.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "er poker"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Casino                                               53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way west.  As you do, you feel an electrical impulse
Floyd | course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Casino
Floyd | A gaming machine is here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Poker Game                                           53/100 (C)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Poker Game
Floyd | Pascal, Bayes, Kolmogorov, and Diaconis are here, playing an intense
Floyd | game of poker.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni asks (of plover), "Are you sure the third session for a specific game is a good date for your first floyding?"
Knight_Otu says, "Now let's see how this works."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "play poker"
Floyd ]  No Longer a Poker Game                               55/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PLAY POKER
Floyd |
Floyd | (the poker game)
Floyd | You place the old coin on the poker table.  Diaconis gives you a pile
Floyd | of money in exchange for the coin, and then he deals the cards.
Floyd |
Floyd | You play several hands.  At first you lose more than you win, but
Floyd | thanks to your knowledge of probability, you find that you are pretty
Floyd | good at calculating exactly how strong your hand is and what would be
Floyd | a reasonable amount to bet for each hand.  As the game continues, your
Floyd | skill increases, and your calculations become more and more accurate.
Floyd | Even though you don't know what cards the other players hold, your
Floyd | ability to determine precisely both your hand strength and the optimal
Floyd | betting amount mean that, over time, you win much more than you lose.
Floyd | The other players start to drop out - first Kolmogorov, then Bayes,
Floyd | and then Diaconis.
Floyd |
Floyd | You and Pascal continue to play, each winning several hands.  Finally
Floyd | Pascal gets a hand he's very confident of.  "All in," he says, as he
Floyd | pushes the rest of his money to the center of the table.  Glancing at
Floyd | your cards, you decide to call his bet.
Floyd |
Floyd | Pascal, grinning from ear to ear, lays down an ace-high straight.  You
Floyd | slowly put one, then a second, a third, a fourth, and finally a fifth
Floyd | spade on the table.  Pascal's smile slides awkwardly off his face.
Floyd | You gather your winnings into a pile.
Floyd |
Floyd | Shaking his head, Pascal congratulates you, as do Kolmogorov, Bayes,
Floyd | and Diaconis.  The four of them get up from the table and walk off.
Floyd | As they leave, you hear Pascal berating himself to Bayes over his last
Floyd | bet: "I should have known better.  The only thing worth wagering all
Floyd | you have is infinite happiness."
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Probability has increased.  You estimate
Floyd | that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by two
Floyd | points.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni asks, "I mean, wouldn't it make more sense to start when a new game is started?"
Plover asks, "what game are we playing?"
Knight_Otu says, "We're still on Beauty old and Austere."
Guenni says, "Same as last week "a beauty cold and austere"."
Knight_Otu says, "Er, Cold."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd ]  No Longer a Poker Game                               55/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > L
Floyd |
Floyd | No Longer a Poker Game
Floyd | You stand next to a poker table in the casino.  The lights and noise
Floyd | here are just as overwhelming as in the rest of the casino.  The
Floyd | gaming machine is to the south.
Floyd |
Floyd | A piece of paper is on the floor here.  It must have fallen out of
Floyd | someone's pocket.
Floyd |
Floyd | On the poker table are a pile of money and an old coin.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "yay the room name change."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get all"
Floyd ]  No Longer a Poker Game                               55/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET ALL
Floyd |
Floyd | piece of paper: (putting Introduction to the Analysis of the
Floyd | Infinite into the set to make room)
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd | pile of money: (putting the brochure into the set to make room)
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd | old coin: (putting Descartes's saying into the set to make room)
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Heh."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x paper"
Floyd ]  No Longer a Poker Game                               55/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X PAPER
Floyd |
Floyd | On this paper several numbers have been written, in a triangular
Floyd | pattern:
Floyd |
Floyd |  1
Floyd |  1   1
Floyd |  1   2   1
Floyd |  1   3   3   1
Floyd |  1   4   6   4   1
Floyd |  1   5  10  10   5   1
Floyd |  1   6  15  20  15   6   1
Floyd |  1   7  21  35  35  21   7   1
Floyd |  1   8  28  56  70  56  28   8   1
Floyd |  1   9  36  84 126 126  84  36   9   1
Floyd |  1  10  45 120 210     210 120  45  10   1
Floyd |
Floyd | The middle number in the last row has been smudged, and you cannot
Floyd | make it out.  Underneath the numbers is written: "Note to self: Start
Floyd | counting with row 0 and column 0, not row 1 and column 1."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Another one of those."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x money"
Floyd ]  No Longer a Poker Game                               55/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X MONEY
Floyd |
Floyd | The huge pile of money represents your winnings from beating Pascal,
Floyd | Bayes, Kolmogorov, and Diaconis at poker.  If this weren't a dream you
Floyd | would be rich.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "fwiw, you could've picked that paper out of Pascal's pocket while he was here."
Knight_Otu says, "I also realised we lost our lever that we toppled the world with."
DavidW says, "Oh, that's still in the map room."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "look under table"
Floyd ]  No Longer a Poker Game                               55/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK UNDER TABLE
Floyd |
Floyd | You find nothing underneath the poker table.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  No Longer a Poker Game                               55/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | As you start to leave, something catches your eye.  You turn and see
Floyd | that the five-sided poker table is shaking.  The poker table begins to
Floyd | transform, shrinking while maintaining its pentagonal top.  Soon you
Floyd | are no longer looking at a poker table; you are looking at a
Floyd | dodecahedron.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "It simply fell on the floor when you moved the globe."
Knight_Otu exclaims, "Ah ha!"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get dodeca"
Floyd ]  No Longer a Poker Game                               56/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET DODECA
Floyd |
Floyd | (putting the correspondence into the set to make room)
Floyd | You take the dodecahedron.  Looking curiously at it, you note that it
Floyd | has twelve sides, each of which is in the shape of a regular pentagon.
Floyd | You feel you understand three-dimensional solid geometry a little
Floyd | better.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Geometry has increased.  You estimate
Floyd | that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by one
Floyd | point.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Casino                                               56/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Casino
Floyd | A gaming machine is here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Two                               56/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move east, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter, Level Two
Floyd | Off to the side sits a gray storage bin.  In the storage bin you see a
Floyd | square piece of metal and a scribbled scroll.
Floyd |
Floyd | A gray, translucent ghost flits around the storage bin.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  West of House                                        56/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way east.  As you do, you feel an electrical impulse
Floyd | course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | West of House
Floyd | There is a small mailbox here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "That should be all five Platonic solids."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Living Room                                          56/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Living Room
Floyd | There are currently four books on the bookcase:
Floyd | Diophantus's Arithmetica
Floyd | Ars Magna
Floyd | The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and
Floyd | Balancing
Floyd | Elements
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "put infinite in shelf"
Floyd ]  Living Room                                          57/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT INFINITE IN SHELF
Floyd |
Floyd | (first taking Introduction to the Analysis of the Infinite)
Floyd | (putting the x-finder into the set to make room)
Floyd | You put Introduction to the Analysis of the Infinite on the
Floyd | bookcase.  As it slides into place you hear a faint click.
Floyd | Then you hear the same voice as before - the one that sounds like
Floyd | Professor Glasser.
Floyd |
Floyd | The voice says, "Much of the modern notation and many of the concepts
Floyd | for handling exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric functions
Floyd | ultimately derive from this comprehensive treatment of infinite series
Floyd | by Leonhard Euler."
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Mathematics Texts has increased.  You
Floyd | estimate that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by one
Floyd | point.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  West of House                                        57/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | West of House
Floyd | There is a small mailbox here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Two                               57/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move west, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter, Level Two
Floyd | Off to the side sits a gray storage bin.  In the storage bin you see a
Floyd | square piece of metal and a scribbled scroll.
Floyd |
Floyd | A gray, translucent ghost flits around the storage bin.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni nods.
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level One                               57/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter, Level One
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               57/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way north.  As you do, you feel an electrical impulse
Floyd | course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Courtyard                                            57/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | You step through the doorway of the private home, confident in your
Floyd | knowledge of geometry.
Floyd |
Floyd | Courtyard
Floyd | In the middle of the courtyard stands a group of six elegant
Floyd | pedestals.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "i"
Floyd ]  Courtyard                                            57/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > I
Floyd |
Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd |   a dodecahedron
Floyd |   an old coin
Floyd |   a pile of money
Floyd |   a piece of paper
Floyd |   a set (no longer empty)
Floyd |     an x-finder
Floyd |     some correspondence
Floyd |     Descartes's saying
Floyd |     a brochure
Floyd |     a comic strip
Floyd |     Berkeley's lecture notes
Floyd |     the trig homework
Floyd |     an icosahedron
Floyd |     a square root
Floyd |     a cube
Floyd |     some exhaustion sandals
Floyd |     a tetrahedron
Floyd |     an octahedron
Floyd |     your math book
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "put cube on square"
Floyd ]  Courtyard                                            57/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT CUBE ON SQUARE
Floyd |
Floyd | (the square top pedestal)
Floyd | (first taking the cube)
Floyd | You put the cube on the square top pedestal.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "dodeca on the pentagon, of course."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "put tetra on large"
Floyd ]  Courtyard                                            57/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT TETRA ON LARGE
Floyd |
Floyd | (first taking the tetrahedron)
Floyd | You put the tetrahedron on the large triangular top pedestal.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "put dodeca on pentagon"
Floyd ]  Courtyard                                            57/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT DODECA ON PENTAGON
Floyd |
Floyd | You put the dodecahedron on the pentagonal top pedestal.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "put octa on medium"
Floyd ]  Courtyard                                            57/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT OCTA ON MEDIUM
Floyd |
Floyd | (first taking the octahedron)
Floyd | You put the octahedron on the medium triangular top pedestal.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "put ico on small"
Floyd ]  Courtyard                                            59/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT ICO ON SMALL
Floyd |
Floyd | (first taking the icosahedron)
Floyd | You place the icosahedron on the small triangular top pedestal and
Floyd | step back.  As you do so, the air grows still.  Then a strong wind
Floyd | whips through the courtyard.  The five Platonic solids rise from their
Floyd | pedestals, rotating slowly. Then they begin spinning in the air,
Floyd | forming a single ring that revolves around and above the circular
Floyd | pedestal in the center.  They spin faster and faster - until you
Floyd | cannot distinguish them from each other.  Then, with a final loud clap
Floyd | and a blinding flash of light, the ring of solids collapses in on
Floyd | itself!  After your vision clears you look back at the pedestals to
Floyd | see a sphere resting on the circular one in the center.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Geometry has increased.  You estimate
Floyd | that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by two
Floyd | points.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x sphere"
Floyd ]  Courtyard                                            59/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X SPHERE
Floyd |
Floyd | This beautiful translucent sphere seems to sparkle as you gaze at it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get it"
Floyd ]  Courtyard                                            59/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET IT
Floyd |
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Courtyard                                            59/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | You wander around the home for a while, but you find nothing of
Floyd | interest.  Eventually you return to the courtyard.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "Pretty"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               59/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level One                               59/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move south, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter, Level One
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           59/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way west.  As you do, you feel an electrical impulse
Floyd | course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Great Hall
Floyd | On the long table is a pile of old coins.
Floyd |
Floyd | The Count is here, looking rather bored.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "I didn't know Plato was into disco."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "give money to count"
Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           59/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GIVE MONEY TO COUNT
Floyd |
Floyd | The Count eyes the money.  Then he shakes his head and says, "I'm
Floyd | sorry, but I'm really tired of counting money."  He indicates the pile
Floyd | of coins.  "Thank you anyway.  Something different would be nice."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Okay."
DavidW says, "yay. Nice try, though."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "give correspondence to count"
Floyd ]  Great Hall                                           59/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GIVE CORRESPONDENCE TO COUNT
Floyd |
Floyd | (first taking the correspondence)
Floyd | The Count doesn't seem interested.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level One                               59/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | The Count calls after you, "If you find something else for me to count
Floyd | I would be grateful!"
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move east, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter, Level One
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni exclaims, "He!"
Knight_Otu says, "So up here, that leaves the count and Achilles as puzzles."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Librarian's Office                                   59/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way south.  As you do, you feel an electrical impulse
Floyd | course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Librarian's Office
Floyd | You have solved the number puzzle on the wall here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Map Room                                             59/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Map Room
Floyd | The huge globe lies on the floor.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can also see Archimedes's staff here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "hm, yes"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get staff"
Floyd ]  Map Room                                             59/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET STAFF
Floyd |
Floyd | (putting the piece of paper into the set to make room)
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Librarian's Office                                   59/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Librarian's Office
Floyd | You have solved the number puzzle on the wall here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level One                               59/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move north, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter, Level One
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Two                               59/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way down.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter, Level Two
Floyd | Off to the side sits a gray storage bin.  In the storage bin you see a
Floyd | square piece of metal and a scribbled scroll.
Floyd |
Floyd | A gray, translucent ghost flits around the storage bin.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "show staff to ghost"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Two                               59/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SHOW STAFF TO GHOST
Floyd |
Floyd | The gray lady looks carefully at Archimedes's staff.  Then she says,
Floyd | "This would certainly be useful - and valuable - if you weren't
Floyd | dreaming.  However, I think you've exhausted its usefulness for now."
Floyd | She takes the staff from you and places it in the gray storage bin.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Good to know."
DavidW says, "Ghost is useful ghost."
Knight_Otu says, "Here, I think there was the laundry area and the mailbox."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Grassy Area                                          59/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way north.  As you do, you feel an electrical impulse
Floyd | course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Grassy Area
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Yeah, I think so."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Two                               59/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move south, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter, Level Two
Floyd | Off to the side sits a gray storage bin.  In the storage bin you see
Floyd | Archimedes's staff, a square piece of metal, and a scribbled scroll.
Floyd |
Floyd | A gray, translucent ghost flits around the storage bin.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Three                             59/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way down.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter, Level Three
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Great Court                                          59/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way west.  As you do, you feel an electrical impulse
Floyd | course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Great Court
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni says, "It's possible you won't need the laundry room."
Knight_Otu says, "Possible, sure."
DavidW says, "I didn't understand what the laundry room was for. The author told me after I published my walkthrough."
Knight_Otu says, "But then it's kind of pointless to have it."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  College Chapel                                       59/100 (C+)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | College Chapel
Floyd | At the west end of the chapel stands a statue of Isaac Newton.
Floyd |
Floyd | A beam of light shines through a window and forms a circle on the
Floyd | floor.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Plover gets bored and wanders off to the Toyshop.
Plover arrives, ready to play with the toys.
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "put sphere in circle"
Floyd ]  Giant's Shoulder                                     61/100 (B-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT SPHERE IN CIRCLE
Floyd |
Floyd | You place the sphere into the circle of light.  The beam of light
Floyd | passes through the surface of the sphere, refracting into a beautiful
Floyd | rainbow that shines across the statue of Newton.
Floyd |
Floyd | To your surprise, the statue grins at you, steps down off its plinth,
Floyd | and takes your hand.
Floyd |
Floyd | The chapel slowly fades from view, and you find yourself on...
Floyd |
Floyd | Giant's Shoulder
Floyd | You stand on the broad shoulder of a giant.  From this location you
Floyd | have a sweeping view of the surrounding landscape - a valley below
Floyd | with a lake in its center, surrounded by a forest.  A snow-capped
Floyd | mountain range is off in the distance.
Floyd |
Floyd | Sir Isaac Newton is here, gazing out over the landscape.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Physics has increased.  You estimate that
Floyd | your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by two points.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "If he's seen farther than anyone..."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "greet newton"
Floyd ]  Giant's Shoulder                                     61/100 (B-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GREET NEWTON
Floyd |
Floyd | Newton stares at you for a long time.  "You're on an epic Quest,
Floyd | aren't you?" he finally says.
Floyd |
Floyd | You nod in response.
Floyd |
Floyd | "I'm willing to assist you," Newton replies, "but if I give you my
Floyd | help now then you won't understand how to use it.
Floyd |
Floyd | "I want you to prove to me that you are worthy of my help.  Answer my
Floyd | questions, and my help is yours.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Two hints: (1) Each answer consists of a single word; you should
Floyd | ANSWER the single-word-answer.  (2) If you want me to repeat a
Floyd | question, TALK TO me.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Oh, and if you want to leave this place, just jump off the giant's
Floyd | shoulder.  Trust me on that."  Newton grins.
Floyd |
Floyd | "First question: There are three major concepts in calculus.  One is
Floyd | the limit, and a second is the integral.  What's the third?"
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "answer derivative"
Floyd ]  Giant's Shoulder                                     61/100 (B-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > ANSWER DERIVATIVE
Floyd |
Floyd | (to Isaac Newton)
Floyd | "That's correct.  The three major concepts in calculus are the limit,
Floyd | the derivative, and the integral.
Floyd |
Floyd | "In fact, the fundamental theorem of calculus, (cough, cough) which I
Floyd | first proved (cough, cough), shows that the derivative and the
Floyd | integral are inverse operations - kind of like addition and
Floyd | subtraction are inverse operations, but in a more complicated way.
Floyd | Limits get precisely defined much later, as mathematicians try to
Floyd | solve the theoretical problems with calculus pointed out by people
Floyd | like George Berkeley."
Floyd |
Floyd | Newton sighs.  "It pains me somewhat to say that 'derivative' and
Floyd | 'integral' were not my terms - I preferred 'fluxion' and
Floyd | 'fluent.'  But Leibniz won that particular battle."
Floyd |
Floyd | "Here's the second question: What's the primary graphical
Floyd | interpretation of the derivative?"
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "answer tangent"
Floyd ]  Giant's Shoulder                                     61/100 (B-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > ANSWER TANGENT
Floyd |
Floyd | (to Isaac Newton)
Floyd | "No, that's not correct.  I'll repeat the question: What's the primary
Floyd | graphical interpretation of the derivative?"
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Hm."
yournamehere says, "if y'all discover the purpose of the laundry room, please advise"
DavidW says, "Math book might help."
Knight_Otu asks, "But will he allow lookups?"
DavidW says (to yournamehere), "I know what it's for."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "look up derivative"
Floyd ]  Giant's Shoulder                                     61/100 (B-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK UP DERIVATIVE
Floyd |
Floyd | (in your math book)
Floyd | The derivative is one of the major concepts in calculus.  Roughly
Floyd | speaking, it gives a precise way to determine the ratio of two
Floyd | quantities as they become infinitely small.  Thus it can be used to
Floyd | measure rates of change, with applications like velocity,
Floyd | acceleration, and marginal cost.  It can also be used to find the
Floyd | slope, or steepness, of the graph of a function, as this can be
Floyd | thought of as the ratio of the vertical change in the graph of a
Floyd | function to a corresponding horizontal change.
Floyd |
Floyd | Another major application of the derivative is to find the maximum or
Floyd | minimum value of a function.  The maximum of a function occurs when
Floyd | the graph of the function switches from ascending to descending.
Floyd | Since the derivative is positive when the graph of a function is
Floyd | ascending, and the derivative is negative when the graph of a function
Floyd | is descending, at the maximum the derivative has a value of zero.  A
Floyd | similar scenario holds true for the minimum of a function.  In that
Floyd | case the graph of the function switches from descending to ascending,
Floyd | and so its derivative switches from negative to positive.  The value
Floyd | of the derivative at the minimum is also zero.  There are some other
Floyd | technicalities to consider, but this is the basic situation.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says (to K-O), "oh yes. You can leave and come back too."
DavidW says, "This isn't a formal exam."
yournamehere says (to dw), "right...it sounded like you were holding back to avoid spoiling it for the others"
DavidW says (to ynh), "Correct."
Knight_Otu asks, "But are we really worthy if we only know where to find it?"
Guenni says, "Newton isn't that picky. :-)"
Guenni says, "Plus, we might above his eyes at the moment. So he mighn't even notice."
DavidW says, "These aren't random questions. These questions are designed to teach what you need to know to use his gift."
Guenni says, "might be."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "answer rate of change"
Floyd ]  Giant's Shoulder                                     61/100 (B-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > ANSWER RATE OF CHANGE
Floyd |
Floyd | (to Isaac Newton)
Floyd | "No, that's not correct.  I'll repeat the question: What's the primary
Floyd | graphical interpretation of the derivative?"
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "One word answers, remember."
Knight_Otu feels his smarts drain away.
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "answer change"
Floyd ]  Giant's Shoulder                                     61/100 (B-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > ANSWER CHANGE
Floyd |
Floyd | (to Isaac Newton)
Floyd | "No, that's not correct.  I'll repeat the question: What's the primary
Floyd | graphical interpretation of the derivative?"
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "answer slope"
Floyd ]  Giant's Shoulder                                     61/100 (B-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > ANSWER SLOPE
Floyd |
Floyd | (to Isaac Newton)
Floyd | "That's correct.  The derivative measures the slope of the graph of a
Floyd | function - how steeply it is rising or falling.
Floyd |
Floyd | "So if the graph of a function is rising, its derivative is positive,
Floyd | and if it is rising sharply, its derivative is even more positive.
Floyd | Similarly, if the graph of a function is decreasing, its derivative is
Floyd | negative.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Next question: If a function's derivative is positive when the
Floyd | function is increasing, and the function's derivative is negative when
Floyd | the function is decreasing, what's the value of the derivative when a
Floyd | function is at its largest value?  At that place the function is
Floyd | neither increasing nor decreasing."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "answer zero"
Floyd ]  Giant's Shoulder                                     61/100 (B-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > ANSWER ZERO
Floyd |
Floyd | (to Isaac Newton)
Floyd | "That's correct.  When a function crosses through its maximum, its
Floyd | graph switches from rising to falling.  Thus its derivative switches
Floyd | from positive to negative.  At the instant the function hits its
Floyd | maximum, its derivative must be zero.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Well, there are some other technical considerations, like if the
Floyd | derivative doesn't exist, but we don't need to go into those.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Last question!"  Newton grins mischievously.  "What have you seen in
Floyd | your travels - something not man-made - that has slopes?"
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "answer sine"
Floyd ]  Giant's Shoulder                                     61/100 (B-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > ANSWER SINE
Floyd |
Floyd | (to Isaac Newton)
Floyd | "The sine wave you've seen does have slopes, but that particular one
Floyd | was made by Cardano.  Try again," Newton replies.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "answer hill"
Floyd ]  Giant's Shoulder                                     64/100 (B-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > ANSWER HILL
Floyd |
Floyd | (to Isaac Newton)
Floyd | Newton grins.  "Close enough," he says.
Floyd |
Floyd | Newton reaches out his hand toward the mountain range off in the
Floyd | distance and closes his eyes.  You follow the line of his outstretched
Floyd | hand, and you see the mountains moving - moving towards you.  Newton
Floyd | appears to be summoning them!
Floyd |
Floyd | Not sure of what you're seeing, you blink, shake your head, and look
Floyd | once more.  The mountain range off in the distance is gone.
Floyd |
Floyd | Instead, Newton is holding a toy model of a mountain range in his
Floyd | hand.  He gives it to you.  "Use this well," he says.  "It will
Floyd | transform the graph of a function into the graph of its derivative
Floyd | function."
Floyd |
Floyd | "A word of caution, though: this is only powerful enough to handle
Floyd | curves where y is equal to some expression involving
Floyd | x - in other words, where y is explicitly
Floyd | some function of x.  It will not handle situations in which
Floyd | x and y are merely related in some equation; i.e.,
Floyd | where y may be implicitly some function of
Floyd | x.  (You need a more powerful technique, 'implicit
Floyd | differentiation,' for that.)
Floyd |
Floyd | "Also, remember what we've discussed: The derivative measures the
Floyd | slope of the graph of a function.  If you can find where the
Floyd | derivative function is 0, that should tell you where the original
Floyd | function hits its maximum.  If you would like a reminder of this, feel
Floyd | free to come back and speak with me again.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Finally, please return the mountain range when you're done with it."
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Calculus has increased.  You estimate
Floyd | that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by three
Floyd | points.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Good."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "jump off"
Floyd | >
Floyd | > JUMP OFF
Floyd |
Floyd | You jump off the giant's shoulder and hurtle toward the ground.  You
Floyd | hear Newton calling after you, "Don't forget to return the mountain
Floyd | range when you're finished with it!"
Floyd |
Floyd | It's a long fall.  You're falling, and falling, and falling...
Knight_Otu pushes the green 'space' button.
Floyd ]  College Chapel                                       64/100 (B-)
Floyd | It's a long fall.  You're falling, and falling, and falling...And you
Floyd | hit the ground back in the chapel of Trinity College.
Floyd |
Floyd | College Chapel
Floyd | You stand in the magnificent chapel of Trinity College.  You make a
Floyd | mental note to visit this place sometime when you're truly awake.  The
Floyd | exit is to the south.
Floyd |
Floyd | At the west end of the chapel stands a statue of Isaac Newton.
Floyd |
Floyd | A beam of light shines through a window and forms a circle on the
Floyd | floor.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can also see a sphere here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x range"
Floyd ]  College Chapel                                       64/100 (B-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X RANGE
Floyd |
Floyd | This small model of a mountain range wouldn't be out of place as a
Floyd | backdrop to someone's train set.  It features a variety of slopes: up,
Floyd | down, steep, gentle, flat.  The word "DERIVE" is written on it.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Great Court                                          64/100 (B-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Great Court
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Three                             64/100 (B-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move east, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | The fog is completely gone now, and with it, any confusion you may
Floyd | have had about this space.  You can now see a passage leading down.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter, Level Three
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "Excellent progress."
Knight_Otu says, "New downwards path."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Roller Coaster Entrance                              64/100 (B-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way south.  As you do, you feel an electrical impulse
Floyd | course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Roller Coaster Entrance
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "derive"
Floyd ]  Roller Coaster Entrance                              64/100 (B-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > DERIVE
Floyd |
Floyd | The toy mountain range vibrates quietly.  With a screeching of metal
Floyd | and wood, the roller coaster track tears itself apart and reforms in
Floyd | the shape of its derivative curve.  The roller coaster appears to be
Floyd | undamaged by this process.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  Boarding Platform                                    64/100 (B-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You climb up to the boarding platform.  The ascent is a bit
Floyd | disorienting, and you're not sure exactly where you ended up relative
Floyd | to the roller coaster entrance.
Floyd |
Floyd | Boarding Platform
Floyd | A car sits at the platform, enticing you to enter.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x finder"
Floyd ]  Boarding Platform                                    64/100 (B-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X FINDER
Floyd |
Floyd | This small object shows the x-coordinate of your current
Floyd | position.  It was probably used for testing the roller coaster.  The
Floyd | x-finder is covered by some kind of waterproof plastic film,
Floyd | and it also includes a primitive-looking carabiner.
Floyd |
Floyd | The x-finder currently reads... -2.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get film"
Floyd ]  Boarding Platform                                    64/100 (B-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET FILM
Floyd |
Floyd | You pull the plastic film off the x-finder, tearing it in the
Floyd | process.  After removing it completely, you wad it up into a ball.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "attach finder to car"
Floyd ]  Boarding Platform                                    64/100 (B-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > ATTACH FINDER TO CAR
Floyd |
Floyd | Using the carabiner, you attach the x-finder to the metal
Floyd | loop on the car.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "enter car"
Floyd | >
Floyd | > ENTER CAR
Floyd |
Floyd | You glance at the track to remind yourself what you're getting
Floyd | yourself into.
Floyd |
Floyd | The roller coaster track climbs a single hill, then descends it,
Floyd | enters the water, turns around, and returns to the platform.
Floyd |
Floyd | You enter the car, and it pulls away from the platform.  The numbers
Floyd | on the x-finder are negative, and they start to increase.
Knight_Otu pushes the green 'space' button.
Floyd | on the x-finder are negative, and they start to increase.The
Floyd | car slows down as the track begins its climb up the single hill of
Floyd | this track.  The numbers on the x-finder are increasing
Floyd | slowly now.
Knight_Otu pushes the green 'space' button.
Floyd | slowly now.You reach the crest of the hill, and the car starts rapidly
Floyd | down the other side.  The numbers on the x-finder are still
Floyd | increasing.
Knight_Otu pushes the green 'space' button.
Floyd | increasing.Then the car hurtles down the far side of the hill, picking
Floyd | up speed.  You splash into the river!  Yet some force field seems to
Floyd | be keeping you and your possessions dry.
Knight_Otu pushes the green 'space' button.
Floyd | be keeping you and your possessions dry.The numbers on the
Floyd | x-finder were increasing until you hit the water, but they
Floyd | are no longer doing so.
Knight_Otu pushes the green 'space' button.
Floyd | are no longer doing so.The car makes a turn, and you travel underwater
Floyd | for a while.
Knight_Otu pushes the green 'space' button.
Floyd | for a while.Soon the car emerges from the river and returns to the
Floyd | platform.  You exit the car.
Knight_Otu pushes the green 'space' button.
Floyd ]  Boarding Platform                                    64/100 (B-)
Floyd | platform.  You exit the car.
Floyd | Boarding Platform
Floyd | You stand at the boarding platform to a huge roller coaster, which
Floyd | sprawls above and around you in every direction - even into the river
Floyd | far below.
Floyd |
Floyd | A car sits at the platform, enticing you to enter.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x finder"
Floyd ]  Boarding Platform                                    64/100 (B-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X FINDER
Floyd |
Floyd | This small object shows the x-coordinate of your current
Floyd | position.  It was probably used for testing the roller coaster.  It
Floyd | includes a primitive-looking carabiner.  Unfortunately, the
Floyd | x-finder has gotten waterlogged and so no longer works
Floyd | properly.
Floyd |
Floyd | The x-finder currently reads... 2.30329.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu exclaims, "Tadaa!"
DavidW says, "hooray!"
Knight_Otu says, "Now the farmer can make his barrel."
DavidW asks, "What's the dog's name, Pennington?"
Guenni says, "Yeah."
Knight_Otu says, "Man, I really wonder how that reads to people knowing nothing about the game."
DavidW asks, "I think the farmer is level 3 north?"
Knight_Otu asks, "Riding a rollercoaster to solve a farmer's problem?"
Knight_Otu says, "Yes."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  Roller Coaster Entrance                              64/100 (B-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You climb down to the roller coaster entrance.  The descent is a bit
Floyd | disorienting, and you're not sure exactly where you ended up relative
Floyd | to the platform.
Floyd |
Floyd | Roller Coaster Entrance
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Three                             64/100 (B-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move north, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter, Level Three
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Barn                                                 64/100 (B-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way north.  As you do, you feel an electrical impulse
Floyd | course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Barn
Floyd | Pennings the dog is here, looking expectantly at you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "pet dog"
Floyd ]  Barn                                                 64/100 (B-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PET DOG
Floyd |
Floyd | Pennings licks your face happily.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "give finder to pennings"
Floyd ]  Barn                                                 64/100 (B-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GIVE FINDER TO PENNINGS
Floyd |
Floyd | You can't see any such thing, at least as described.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Oops"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Three                             64/100 (B-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move south, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter, Level Three
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Roller Coaster Entrance                              64/100 (B-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way south.  As you do, you feel an electrical impulse
Floyd | course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Roller Coaster Entrance
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  Boarding Platform                                    64/100 (B-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You climb up to the boarding platform.  The ascent is a bit
Floyd | disorienting, and you're not sure exactly where you ended up relative
Floyd | to the roller coaster entrance.
Floyd |
Floyd | Boarding Platform
Floyd | A car sits at the platform, enticing you to enter.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get finder"
Floyd ]  Boarding Platform                                    64/100 (B-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET FINDER
Floyd |
Floyd | You remove the x-finder from the metal loop.
Floyd |
Floyd | (You put the pile of money into the set to make room.)
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  Roller Coaster Entrance                              64/100 (B-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You climb down to the roller coaster entrance.  The descent is a bit
Floyd | disorienting, and you're not sure exactly where you ended up relative
Floyd | to the platform.
Floyd |
Floyd | Roller Coaster Entrance
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Three                             64/100 (B-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move north, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter, Level Three
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Barn                                                 64/100 (B-)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way north.  As you do, you feel an electrical impulse
Floyd | course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Barn
Floyd | Pennings the dog is here, looking expectantly at you.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "give finder to dog"
Floyd ]  Barn                                                 71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GIVE FINDER TO DOG
Floyd |
Floyd | Pennings takes the x-finder in his mouth and rushes out of
Floyd | the barn, his tail wagging happily.
Floyd |
Floyd | Soon he returns with the farmer, who has an interested look on his
Floyd | face.  "I just finished freeing Bessie," the farmer says.  "This looks
Floyd | promising!"
Floyd |
Floyd | He does some calculations, and his look of interest turns to surprise.
Floyd | "With a radius of 2.30329 feet, the height turns out to be 4.60659
Floyd | feet, which (other than a little rounding error) is exactly twice the
Floyd | radius!  And it gives a volume of 76.7765 cubic feet, which is better
Floyd | than any other volume I've been able to find!  How did you come up
Floyd | with this?"
Floyd |
Floyd | You explain about the derivative of a function, how it measures how
Floyd | steeply the graph of the function is ascending or descending, and how
Floyd | ascending means a positive derivative and descending means a negative
Floyd | derivative.  The you describe how the largest value of the barrel
Floyd | volume function occurs where its graph switches from ascending to
Floyd | descending - a location where the derivative of the function is zero.
Floyd |
Floyd | "And so," you say, "once I hit the water on the derivative track, the
Floyd | x-finder got stuck at the radius that gives the largest
Floyd | possible value for the volume of the barrel."
Floyd |
Floyd | "Impressive!" says the farmer.  "Most impressive."
Floyd |
Floyd | He turns to Pennings.  "Go on now," he says.  "Go.  There's a treat
Floyd | for you at the back door."  Pennings gives a happy bark and runs out
Floyd | of the barn.
Floyd |
Floyd | Thanking you profusely, the farmer returns the x-finder to
Floyd | you and starts working on the pile of wood.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Calculus has increased.  You estimate
Floyd | that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by seven
Floyd | points.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu exclaims, "We've reached B!"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Three                             71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move south, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter, Level Three
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Two                               71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter, Level Two
Floyd | Off to the side sits a gray storage bin.  In the storage bin you see
Floyd | Archimedes's staff, a square piece of metal, and a scribbled scroll.
Floyd |
Floyd | A gray, translucent ghost flits around the storage bin.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Plover disappears through a gap in the MUD. Oh dear, you'll see Plover next time.
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "show finder to ghost"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Two                               71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SHOW FINDER TO GHOST
Floyd |
Floyd | The gray lady looks carefully at the x-finder.  Then she
Floyd | says, "I'm not sure you'll have any more use for that."  She takes the
Floyd | x-finder from you and places it in the gray storage bin.  "If
Floyd | you ever want it back, though, feel free to just take it," she adds.
Floyd | "I might be wrong."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Three                             71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way down.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter, Level Three
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  Blinding Light                                       71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way down.
Floyd |
Floyd | Blinding Light
Floyd | A bright, blinding - almost painful - light fills this space.  You
Floyd | can't see anything for the light, but you do sense the exit up.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW asks, "Keeping the wad of plastic, eh?"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x light"
Floyd ]  Blinding Light                                       71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X LIGHT
Floyd |
Floyd | The light is so bright it's almost painful.  It feels like you've just
Floyd | stepped from a dark building into the sunlight, yet your eyes don't
Floyd | seem to be adjusting.  You can't tell where the light is coming from.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu asks, "Oh, we kept that?"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "i"
Floyd ]  Blinding Light                                       71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > I
Floyd |
Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd |   a wad of plastic
Floyd |   a toy mountain range
Floyd |   some correspondence
Floyd |   an old coin
Floyd |   a set (no longer empty)
Floyd |     a pile of money
Floyd |     a piece of paper
Floyd |     Descartes's saying
Floyd |     a brochure
Floyd |     a comic strip
Floyd |     Berkeley's lecture notes
Floyd |     the trig homework
Floyd |     a square root
Floyd |     some exhaustion sandals
Floyd |     your math book
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x wad"
Floyd ]  Blinding Light                                       71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X WAD
Floyd |
Floyd | This useless wad was once the plastic film on the x-finder.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Three                             71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up through the bright light.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter, Level Three
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Two                               71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter, Level Two
Floyd | Off to the side sits a gray storage bin.  In the storage bin you see
Floyd | an x-finder, Archimedes's staff, a square piece of metal, and
Floyd | a scribbled scroll.
Floyd |
Floyd | A gray, translucent ghost flits around the storage bin.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "show wad to ghost"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Two                               71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SHOW WAD TO GHOST
Floyd |
Floyd | The gray lady looks carefully at the wad of plastic.  Then she says,
Floyd | "I'm not sure you'll have any more use for that."  She takes the wad
Floyd | of plastic from you and places it in the gray storage bin.  "If you
Floyd | ever want it back, though, feel free to just take it," she adds.  "I
Floyd | might be wrong."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "show piece of paper to ghost"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Two                               71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SHOW PIECE OF PAPER TO GHOST
Floyd |
Floyd | (first taking the piece of paper)
Floyd | The gray lady looks carefully at the piece of paper.  Then she says,
Floyd | "I'm not sure you'll have any more use for that."  She takes the piece
Floyd | of paper from you and places it in the gray storage bin.  "If you ever
Floyd | want it back, though, feel free to just take it," she adds.  "I might
Floyd | be wrong."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "show notes to ghost"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Two                               71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SHOW NOTES TO GHOST
Floyd |
Floyd | (first taking Berkeley's lecture notes)
Floyd | The gray lady looks carefully at Berkeley's lecture notes.  Then she
Floyd | says, "I think you may still find some use for those.  You never know,
Floyd | though," she adds.  "I might be wrong."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW asks, "If I may suggest, what about the money from the poker game?"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "show brochure to ghost"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Two                               71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SHOW BROCHURE TO GHOST
Floyd |
Floyd | (first taking the brochure)
Floyd | The gray lady looks carefully at the brochure.  Then she says, "I'm
Floyd | not sure you'll have any more use for that."  She takes the brochure
Floyd | from you and places it in the gray storage bin.  "If you ever want it
Floyd | back, though, feel free to just take it," she adds.  "I might be
Floyd | wrong."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu exclaims, "But we may need that!"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "show money to ghost"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Two                               71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SHOW MONEY TO GHOST
Floyd |
Floyd | (first taking the pile of money)
Floyd | The gray lady looks carefully at the pile of money.  Finally she says,
Floyd | "That would certainly be useful if you weren't dreaming.  However, I
Floyd | suspect it's not that useful here."  She takes the pile of money from
Floyd | you and places it in the gray storage bin.  "I'm not certain about
Floyd | this, so feel free to come back and take it."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu exclaims, "Awww, but we were rich!"
DavidW says, "You want it, take it back."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "show strip to ghost"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Two                               71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SHOW STRIP TO GHOST
Floyd |
Floyd | (first taking the comic strip)
Floyd | The gray lady looks carefully at the comic strip.  Then she says, "I'm
Floyd | not sure you'll have any more use for that."  She takes the comic
Floyd | strip from you and places it in the gray storage bin.  "If you ever
Floyd | want it back, though, feel free to just take it," she adds.  "I might
Floyd | be wrong."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "show old coin to ghost"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Two                               71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SHOW OLD COIN TO GHOST
Floyd |
Floyd | The gray lady looks carefully at the old coin.  Then she says, "I'm
Floyd | not sure you'll have any more use for that."  She takes the old coin
Floyd | from you and places it in the gray storage bin.  "If you ever want it
Floyd | back, though, feel free to just take it," she adds.  "I might be
Floyd | wrong."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "It may be fairer to give it back to the count, maybe."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Three                             71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way down.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter, Level Three
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  Light                                                71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way down.
Floyd |
Floyd | You seem to have gotten more used to the light in this space.
Floyd |
Floyd | Light
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd ]  Light                                                71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > L
Floyd |
Floyd | Light
Floyd | This space is still filled with a bright light.  While the light isn't
Floyd | painful anymore, it is still difficult to see.  You can now tell,
Floyd | though, that the source of the light seems to be coming from the
Floyd | floor.  In addition, there are exits north, south, east, and west, as
Floyd | well as the one above you to Gray Matter, Level Three.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "oo, good."
DavidW says, "More places to explore."
Knight_Otu says, "That accustoming wasn't tied to points this time."
Knight_Otu says, "I'm pretty sure the others were."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Smoky Pub                                            71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way north through the bright light.  As you do, you feel
Floyd | an electrical impulse course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Smoky Pub
Floyd | The smell of tobacco hangs in the air in this small, dark pub.  It is
Floyd | nearly deserted; even the bartender appears to have stepped out.  An
Floyd | exit leads south.
Floyd |
Floyd | Cauchy is sitting at the bar, sipping from a glass of wine.
Floyd |
Floyd | Weierstrass is next to Cauchy, drowning his sorrows in a pint of beer.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "Sometimes you rack up points quicker than the level spaces can catch up to."
Knight_Otu says, "Ah."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x cauchy"
Floyd ]  Smoky Pub                                            71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X CAUCHY
Floyd |
Floyd | Cauchy looks like he is trying to cheer up Weierstrass.  He
Floyd | occasionally takes a sip from a glass of wine.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x weierstrass"
Floyd ]  Smoky Pub                                            71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X WEIERSTRASS
Floyd |
Floyd | Weierstrass is deep into a pint of beer.  He stares morosely into his
Floyd | mug from time to time.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "So sometimes you have to do a little back up back down action to see the next stage, since all stages must be seen at least once."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "look up weierstrass"
Floyd ]  Smoky Pub                                            71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK UP WEIERSTRASS
Floyd |
Floyd | (in your math book)
Floyd | Karl Weierstrass, one of the great mathematicians of the 19th century,
Floyd | never actually completed a college degree.  He is particularly famous
Floyd | for his precise definitions of limits and continuity, which helped put
Floyd | calculus on a solid theoretical foundation.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Good to know."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "look up cauchy"
Floyd ]  Smoky Pub                                            71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK UP CAUCHY
Floyd |
Floyd | (in your math book)
Floyd | Frenchman Augustin-Louis Cauchy was the most prolific mathematician of
Floyd | the 19th century.  While he made important contributions in many
Floyd | areas, he is particularly known for his emphasis on rigor in
Floyd | mathematics and his pathbreaking work in complex analysis.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Light                                                71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move south, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Light
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Research Lab                                         71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way west through the bright light.  As you do, you feel
Floyd | an electrical impulse course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Research Lab
Floyd | Wires and pieces of metal indicate that highly complex experiments
Floyd | must have once been performed in this room.  Now, though, they lie
Floyd | scattered haphazardly here and there: Someone has cleared this place
Floyd | out.  There are open doors to the north and south, and the exit to the
Floyd | lab lies east.  A door to the west is closed.
Floyd |
Floyd | Not all of the experiments are gone, though; near the west door is a
Floyd | platform, raised slightly off the floor.   A control panel is attached
Floyd | to the wall near the platform.
Floyd |
Floyd | There is also a large fan set into the east wall.
Floyd |
Floyd | A printout has fallen to the floor.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "Don't forget you can GREET people in this game."
olethros says, "GREET SAILOR"
Knight_Otu says, "Yeah, but I want to see the new rooms."
DavidW says (to olethros), "hee hee"
Knight_Otu says, "Politeness can wait."
olethros arrives, full of funk, but no fun. DavidW says (to Knight_Otu), "certainly. :)"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x wires"
Floyd ]  Research Lab                                         71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X WIRES
Floyd |
Floyd | There are several wires here, but none appear to be worth troubling
Floyd | yourself with.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x metal"
Floyd ]  Research Lab                                         71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X METAL
Floyd |
Floyd | You are unsure what the pieces of metal are for, but they do not
Floyd | appear to be worth your time.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x platform"
Floyd ]  Research Lab                                         71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X PLATFORM
Floyd |
Floyd | Nothing is on the platform.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x panel"
Floyd ]  Research Lab                                         71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X PANEL
Floyd |
Floyd | The control panel is labeled "Transformation Matrix Prototype."  It
Floyd | features numbers in a 3 by 3 matrix.  Each number in the top row has a
Floyd | slider above it that controls the setting of that number.  The numbers
Floyd | in the second and third rows, though, seem to be fixed.  A button is
Floyd | next to the 3 by 3 matrix.
Floyd |
Floyd | The matrix currently looks like this:
Floyd |  0  -1   0
Floyd |  1   0   0
Floyd |  0   0   1
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x fan"
Floyd ]  Research Lab                                         71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X FAN
Floyd |
Floyd | This is a large, industrial-strength wall fan.  You wonder what
Floyd | experiments it was used for.
Floyd |
Floyd | The wall fan is currently switched off.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Seminar Room                                         71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Seminar Room
Floyd | The seminar room is dominated by the large table running the length of
Floyd | it.  A small window in the north wall looks out onto a courtyard, and
Floyd | a door leads south back into the lab.
Floyd |
Floyd | On the seminar table are some presentation slides.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x slides"
Floyd ]  Seminar Room                                         71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X SLIDES
Floyd |
Floyd | There are seven pages to these slides.  If you want to look more
Floyd | closely at them you should read a particular page.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "read page 1"
Floyd ]  Seminar Room                                         71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > READ PAGE 1
Floyd |
Floyd | The first page begins a discussion of three-dimensional transformation
Floyd | matrices.  It points out that the columns in a transformation matrix
Floyd | consist of the "inputs," while the rows consist of the "outputs."  For
Floyd | instance, the entry in column 1, row 2 indicates the effect of the
Floyd | first, or x, dimension of the original object on producing
Floyd | the second, or y, dimension of the transformed object.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "read page 2"
Floyd ]  Seminar Room                                         71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > READ PAGE 2
Floyd |
Floyd | Starting with the second page, there are some examples of
Floyd | three-dimensional transformation matrices.  The first involves the
Floyd | matrix
Floyd |  1  0  0
Floyd |  0  1  0
Floyd |  0  0  1.
Floyd | The fact that the first row of this transformation matrix consists of
Floyd | 1, 0, 0, means that, to produce the x coordinates of the
Floyd | output object the matrix takes only the x coordinates of the
Floyd | input object and multiplies each of them by 1.  The 0, 1, 0 in the
Floyd | second row means that, to produce the y coordinates of the
Floyd | output object the matrix takes only the y coordinates of the
Floyd | input object and multiplies each of them by 1.  The same is true for
Floyd | the 0, 0, 1 in the third row and the z coordinates.  This
Floyd | transformation matrix doesn't really do anything, then; since none of
Floyd | the coordinates are changed, the output object is the same as the
Floyd | input object.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "read page 3"
Floyd ]  Seminar Room                                         71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > READ PAGE 3
Floyd |
Floyd | The matrix
Floyd |  1  0  0
Floyd |  0  1  0
Floyd |  0  0  2
Floyd | simply doubles the z coordinates.  The output object would be
Floyd | twice as tall as the input object.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "read page 4"
Floyd ]  Seminar Room                                         71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > READ PAGE 4
Floyd |
Floyd | The matrix
Floyd |  1  0  0
Floyd |  0  0  1
Floyd |  0  1  0
Floyd | swaps the y coordinates with the z coordinates,
Floyd | while keeping the x coordinates the same.  An object would be
Floyd | transformed via this matrix to a mirror image of itself that is also
Floyd | lying on its side.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "read page 5"
Floyd ]  Seminar Room                                         71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > READ PAGE 5
Floyd |
Floyd | The matrix
Floyd |  1  1  0
Floyd |  0  1  0
Floyd |  0  0  1
Floyd | keeps the y and z coordinates the same from the
Floyd | original object to the transformed object.  However, to create the
Floyd | x coordinates of the transformed object, it adds the
Floyd | x and y coordinates of the original object.  A cube,
Floyd | for example, would be transformed into an object that looks like a box
Floyd | that has been partially crushed so that its sides are at an angle.
Floyd | (Technically the transformed object is a parallelepiped, a
Floyd | three-dimensional version of a parallelogram.)  This kind of
Floyd | transformation is known as a shear transformation.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "read page 6"
Floyd ]  Seminar Room                                         71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > READ PAGE 6
Floyd |
Floyd | The matrix
Floyd |  1  0  0
Floyd |  0  0  1
Floyd |  0  -1 0
Floyd | keeps the x coordinates the same from the original object to
Floyd | the transformed object, makes the z coordinates in the
Floyd | original into y coordinates in the new object, and turns the
Floyd | y coordinates in the original into negative z
Floyd | coordinates in the transformed object.  The effect of this is to
Floyd | rotate the object 90 degrees clockwise when viewed from the front.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "read page 7"
Floyd ]  Seminar Room                                         71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > READ PAGE 7
Floyd |
Floyd | The final page mentions that combinations of these effects as well as
Floyd | other effects can be achieved by using different matrices.  A
Floyd | three-dimensional object can even be turned into a two-dimensional or
Floyd | even a one-dimensional object by using the appropriate transformation
Floyd | matrix.
Floyd |
Floyd | At the end of the final page is a brief description of one of the
Floyd | graduate student experiments involving transformation matrices.  Thus
Floyd | far the student has constructed a prototype that allows one to apply a
Floyd | transformation matrix to a physical object.  For the prototype the
Floyd | transformations that produce the y and z coordinates
Floyd | are hard-coded; the user can only affect the transformations for the
Floyd | x coordinates of the new object.  In addition, only a few
Floyd | choices have thus far been implemented for the top row of the matrix.
Floyd | Finally, the transformation effect is thus far permanent only for
Floyd | objects made of lead.  Even for lead objects, though, the process
Floyd | seems to be permanent only once; subsequent transformations on a
Floyd | transformed lead object have so far only been temporary.  The current
Floyd | hypothesis is that the transformation process changes something about
Floyd | the lead object at the atomic level.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "i"
Floyd ]  Seminar Room                                         71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > I
Floyd |
Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd |   Berkeley's lecture notes
Floyd |   a toy mountain range
Floyd |   some correspondence
Floyd |   a set (no longer empty)
Floyd |     Descartes's saying
Floyd |     the trig homework
Floyd |     a square root
Floyd |     some exhaustion sandals
Floyd |     your math book
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Research Lab                                         71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Research Lab
Floyd | Not all of the experiments are gone; near the west door is a platform,
Floyd | raised slightly off the floor.   A control panel is attached to the
Floyd | wall near the platform.
Floyd |
Floyd | There is also a large fan set into the east wall.
Floyd |
Floyd | A printout has fallen to the floor.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x printour"
Floyd ]  Research Lab                                         71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X PRINTOUR
Floyd |
Floyd | You can't see any such thing, at least as described.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x printout"
Floyd ]  Research Lab                                         71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X PRINTOUT
Floyd |
Floyd | The note is a printout of an email.  It reads, "To my graduate
Floyd | students:  Greetings from Hawaii!  I'm having a great time at the
Floyd | conference.  It's too bad none of you could come.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Unfortunately, I have some bad news.  Most of my funding has run out.
Floyd | While I have enough to support myself, I do not have enough left to
Floyd | support any of you anymore.  Thus, all of your current projects are
Floyd | hereby cancelled.  If you want to finish your degrees you'll need to
Floyd | find another adviser."
Floyd |
Floyd | Underneath someone has written an unprintable commentary on the
Floyd | contents of the email.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x commentary"
Floyd ]  Research Lab                                         71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X COMMENTARY
Floyd |
Floyd | You can't see any such thing, at least as described.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "Aw."
Knight_Otu says, "I guess it *was* unprintable."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Graduate Student Office                              71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Graduate Student Office
Floyd | This office is small and cramped, although that hasn't prevented
Floyd | someone from squeezing several desks in here.  A door leads north,
Floyd | back into the lab.  A small window in the south wall looks out onto a
Floyd | dingy part of campus.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "heh"
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "look out window"
Floyd ]  Graduate Student Office                              71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK OUT WINDOW
Floyd |
Floyd | There isn't much of a view from this window - mostly just the back
Floyd | side of another building.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x desks"
Floyd ]  Graduate Student Office                              71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X DESKS
Floyd |
Floyd | The desks have all been cleaned out.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "search them"
Floyd ]  Graduate Student Office                              71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SEARCH THEM
Floyd |
Floyd | You can't see 'them' (nothing) at the moment.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "search desks"
Floyd ]  Graduate Student Office                              71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SEARCH DESKS
Floyd |
Floyd | The empty desks are a sad testament to the graduate students who used
Floyd | to work here.  They're not worth bothering with.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Graduate Student Office                              71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | The window is closed.  Even if it was open, though, you're too high
Floyd | up.  There is no way you would survive the drop to the hard ground
Floyd | below.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu exclaims, "But we're, like, totally dreamin', man!"
DavidW says, "Only falling from the shoulders of giants is safe."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Research Lab                                         71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Research Lab
Floyd | Not all of the experiments are gone; near the west door is a platform,
Floyd | raised slightly off the floor.   A control panel is attached to the
Floyd | wall near the platform.
Floyd |
Floyd | There is also a large fan set into the east wall.
Floyd |
Floyd | A printout has fallen to the floor.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Guenni -)
Knight_Otu says, "Whoops, I thought I scooped that up."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get printout"
Floyd ]  Research Lab                                         71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET PRINTOUT
Floyd |
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Light                                                71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move east, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Light
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Machine Room                                         71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way east through the bright light.  As you do, you feel
Floyd | an electrical impulse course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Machine Room
Floyd | Brass wheels, gears, knobs, and pipes emitting smoke are everywhere:
Floyd | This is a room out of some steampunk's dream.  The south end of the
Floyd | room opens onto a gold-colored path.  This path appears to be
Floyd | suspended in the air, with no apparent support, and to run for as far
Floyd | as you can see.  You may also exit west.
Floyd |
Floyd | The room is dominated by a large, complicated-looking machine in its
Floyd | center.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x machine"
Floyd ]  Machine Room                                         71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X MACHINE
Floyd |
Floyd | This machine is just as steampunk as everything else here, although
Floyd | there are several parts to it that look at least somewhat
Floyd | recognizable.
Floyd |
Floyd | For one, the machine has a switch that can be set to "Sequence" or
Floyd | "Series."  It is currently set to "Sequence," although you could
Floyd | easily move it to the other setting by flipping the switch.
Floyd |
Floyd | There is a button labeled "Alternate" that is currently pushed off.
Floyd |
Floyd | The machine also has a dial that can be set to "Constant," "Identity,"
Floyd | "Squared," or "Reciprocal."  It is currently set to "Constant."
Floyd |
Floyd | There is a small circular hole near the button.
Floyd |
Floyd | Finally, there is a warning light on top of the machine.  The warning
Floyd | light is dark.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x hole"
Floyd ]  Machine Room                                         71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X HOLE
Floyd |
Floyd | The circular hole is empty.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Machine Room                                         71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | As you approach the golden path you take a look at it.
Floyd |
Floyd | The path is level with the floor of the room you are currently in.  It
Floyd | consists of golden steps that seem to run on forever.  Each step has
Floyd | two numbers appearing on it, although from here you can only read the
Floyd | numbers on the six closest steps.  The first numbers on the steps are
Floyd | all the same: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, and 1.  The second numbers are the same
Floyd | as the first numbers: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, and 1.
Floyd |
Floyd | Just before you reach the path, though, it shifts: The heights of the
Floyd | steps change.  The first step is now up.  After that, though, the path
Floyd | is level with the first step.
Floyd |
Floyd | You step onto the path and follow it for a while.  It seems to stretch
Floyd | on forever, though, and so you eventually decide to turn back.  As you
Floyd | step off the golden path back into the room with the complicated
Floyd | machine the path shifts once again: It returns to being level with the
Floyd | floor.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "switch switch"
Floyd ]  Machine Room                                         71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SWITCH SWITCH
Floyd |
Floyd | You flip the switch to "Series."  Some of the numbers on the golden
Floyd | path change.  The warning light is still dark.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x light"
Floyd ]  Machine Room                                         71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X LIGHT
Floyd |
Floyd | The warning light is dark.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Machine Room                                         71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | As you approach the golden path you take another look at it.
Floyd |
Floyd | The path is level with the floor of the room you are currently in.  It
Floyd | consists of golden steps that seem to run on forever.  Each step has
Floyd | two numbers appearing on it, although from here you can only read the
Floyd | numbers on the six closest steps.  The first numbers on the steps are
Floyd | all the same: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, and 1.  The second numbers are 1, 2, 3,
Floyd | 4, 5, and 6.
Floyd |
Floyd | Just before you reach the path, though, it shifts: The heights of the
Floyd | steps change.  The first step is now up.  After that, the path rises
Floyd | evenly, each step just as much of an upstep as the previous one.  In
Floyd | fact, the path looks like a set of stairs.
Floyd |
Floyd | You step onto the path and follow it for a while.  It seems to stretch
Floyd | on forever, though, and so you eventually decide to turn back.  As you
Floyd | step off the golden path back into the room with the complicated
Floyd | machine the path shifts once again: It returns to being level with the
Floyd | floor.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Light                                                71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move west, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Light
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Window into Oblivion                                 71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way south through the bright light.  As you do, you feel
Floyd | an electrical impulse course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Window into Oblivion
Floyd | This rather plain room is dominated by a large window that fills the
Floyd | entire southern wall.  An open doorway lies to the north.
Floyd |
Floyd | A tray is attached to the wall next to the window.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x window"
Floyd ]  Window into Oblivion                                 71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X WINDOW
Floyd |
Floyd | This window looks onto an endless flat, gray plane.  You can see a
Floyd | large pile of discarded objects a short distance away in the plane.
Floyd |
Floyd | Standing near the pile, rocking back and forth and muttering to
Floyd | himself, is René Descartes.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x descartes"
Floyd ]  Window into Oblivion                                 71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X DESCARTES
Floyd |
Floyd | (René Descartes)
Floyd | Descartes is holding his head and muttering to himself, "I can't think
Floyd | here.  I can't think here."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x pile"
Floyd ]  Window into Oblivion                                 71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X PILE
Floyd |
Floyd | This pile consists of a large number of unusual objects that seem to
Floyd | fade in and out of view.
Floyd |
Floyd | A square circle catches your eye for a moment before disappearing
Floyd | again.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x pile"
Floyd ]  Window into Oblivion                                 71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X PILE
Floyd |
Floyd | This pile consists of a large number of unusual objects that seem to
Floyd | fade in and out of view.
Floyd |
Floyd | A formula for solving the general quintic equation catches your eye
Floyd | for a moment before disappearing again.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x pile"
Floyd ]  Window into Oblivion                                 71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X PILE
Floyd |
Floyd | This pile consists of a large number of unusual objects that seem to
Floyd | fade in and out of view.
Floyd |
Floyd | A solution in positive integers to x^n + y^n =
Floyd | z^n for n > 2 catches your eye for a moment before
Floyd | disappearing again.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x pile"
Floyd ]  Window into Oblivion                                 71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X PILE
Floyd |
Floyd | This pile consists of a large number of unusual objects that seem to
Floyd | fade in and out of view.
Floyd |
Floyd | An algorithm to solve the Halting Problem catches your eye for a
Floyd | moment before disappearing again.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x pile"
Floyd ]  Window into Oblivion                                 71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X PILE
Floyd |
Floyd | This pile consists of a large number of unusual objects that seem to
Floyd | fade in and out of view.
Floyd |
Floyd | A proof of the continuum hypothesis catches your eye for a moment
Floyd | before disappearing again.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x tray"
Floyd ]  Window into Oblivion                                 71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X TRAY
Floyd |
Floyd | The tray is made of metal.  It looks like it could hold one thing at a
Floyd | time.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "greet descartes"
Floyd ]  Window into Oblivion                                 71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GREET DESCARTES
Floyd |
Floyd | (René Descartes)
Floyd | Descartes looks up at you briefly, a request for help in his eyes.
Floyd | Then he grabs his head once more.  "I can't think here.  I can't think
Floyd | here," he mutters.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "put saying in tray"
Floyd ]  Window into Oblivion                                 71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT SAYING IN TRAY
Floyd |
Floyd | (first taking Descartes's saying)
Floyd | You place Descartes's saying on the tray.  The tray beeps softly, and
Floyd | a voice says, "Existence detected."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get saying"
Floyd ]  Window into Oblivion                                 71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET SAYING
Floyd |
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "enter window"
Floyd ]  Window into Oblivion                                 71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > ENTER WINDOW
Floyd |
Floyd | That's not something you can enter.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "put saying in tray"
Floyd ]  Window into Oblivion                                 71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > PUT SAYING IN TRAY
Floyd |
Floyd | You place Descartes's saying on the tray.  The tray beeps softly, and
Floyd | a voice says, "Existence detected."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x descartes"
Floyd ]  Window into Oblivion                                 71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X DESCARTES
Floyd |
Floyd | (René Descartes)
Floyd | Descartes is holding his head and muttering to himself, "I can't think
Floyd | here.  I can't think here."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "greet descartes"
Floyd ]  Window into Oblivion                                 71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GREET DESCARTES
Floyd |
Floyd | (René Descartes)
Floyd | Descartes looks up at you briefly, a request for help in his eyes.
Floyd | Then he grabs his head once more.  "I can't think here.  I can't think
Floyd | here," he mutters.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get saying"
Floyd ]  Window into Oblivion                                 71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET SAYING
Floyd |
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Light                                                71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move north, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Light
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Smoky Pub                                            71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way north through the bright light.  As you do, you feel
Floyd | an electrical impulse course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Smoky Pub
Floyd | Cauchy is sitting at the bar, sipping from a glass of wine.
Floyd |
Floyd | Weierstrass is next to Cauchy, drowning his sorrows in a pint of beer.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "greet cauchy"
Floyd ]  Smoky Pub                                            71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GREET CAUCHY
Floyd |
Floyd | You walk over to Cauchy.  "Are you guys O.K.?" you ask.
Floyd |
Floyd | Cauchy looks up from his wine.  "Hello," he says.  "Weierstrass and I
Floyd | were just commiserating on the state of our research programs."
Floyd |
Floyd | Weierstrass snorts.  "Cauchy is being kind.  I don't have a research
Floyd | program!  I need an important problem to solve, something to show the
Floyd | mathematical world I'm capable of more than teaching high school.  Not
Floyd | that there's anything wrong with that," he quickly adds, "but it would
Floyd | be nice to have a university position.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Cauchy, though, is already internationally famous.  He practically
Floyd | invented complex analysis, for one thing!"  Weierstrass falls silent,
Floyd | staring back into his mug.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "talk to weierstrass"
Floyd ]  Smoky Pub                                            71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TALK TO WEIERSTRASS
Floyd |
Floyd | Weierstrass grunts at you in response before returning to his mug.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "talk to cauchy"
Floyd ]  Smoky Pub                                            71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > TALK TO CAUCHY
Floyd |
Floyd | Cauchy says quietly, "I'm worried about Weierstrass.  I'm sure he's
Floyd | capable of being one of the great mathematicians of our age, but he
Floyd | needs the right problem to work on in order to prove it."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "look up weierstrass"
Floyd ]  Smoky Pub                                            71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > LOOK UP WEIERSTRASS
Floyd |
Floyd | (in your math book)
Floyd | Karl Weierstrass, one of the great mathematicians of the 19th century,
Floyd | never actually completed a college degree.  He is particularly famous
Floyd | for his precise definitions of limits and continuity, which helped put
Floyd | calculus on a solid theoretical foundation.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "show notes to weierstrass"
Floyd ]  Smoky Pub                                            71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SHOW NOTES TO WEIERSTRASS
Floyd |
Floyd | Weierstrass lifts his head from his mug long enough to glance at the
Floyd | proffered notes.  He grunts and starts to return to his mug - but then
Floyd | he stops.  He takes the notes from you and reads through them.
Floyd | "Berkeley's criticisms of the foundations of calculus... Yes..."  He
Floyd | thinks for a while.
Floyd |
Floyd | Then he turns to Cauchy.  "The limit concept you've used in your work
Floyd | - I wonder if that would help here.  But it needs to be more
Floyd | rigorous."
Floyd |
Floyd | Cauchy and Weierstrass are soon deep in conversation, scribbling
Floyd | mathematical symbols and scratching them out again on a bar napkin.
Floyd | About all of the conversation you can follow are the words "function,"
Floyd | "distance," "error," and "limit," each repeated several times.
Floyd | Finally, Weierstrass says, "And if we use delta for 'distance' and
Floyd | epsilon for 'error,' that should do it!"  He pockets the napkin.
Floyd |
Floyd | Weierstrass looks at you excitedly.  "I think I've got some ideas that
Floyd | would put calculus on a sound theoretical footing!  This should make
Floyd | my name, mathematically-speaking.
Floyd |
Floyd | "I owe you more than I can say, but I don't know how best to reward
Floyd | you.  Perhaps I can improve something of yours with the power of the
Floyd | limit concept?"
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "show sandals to weierstrass"
Floyd ]  Smoky Pub                                            71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SHOW SANDALS TO WEIERSTRASS
Floyd |
Floyd | (first taking the exhaustion sandals)
Floyd | Weierstrass takes the sandals and looks at them carefully.  "These
Floyd | embody the principle of exhaustion, don't they?" he says.  Then he
Floyd | closes his eyes and concentrates for a moment.  The sandals begin to
Floyd | glow, and then they start to morph.  Soon Weierstrass is holding a
Floyd | pair of shoes in his hands.  "There," he says, opening his eyes and
Floyd | handing the shoes to you.  "I've improved your exhaustion sandals to a
Floyd | pair of limit shoes.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Thanks again," he says.  He stands up, an eager look on his face.  "I
Floyd | need to explore these concepts further.  I've got an idea for a
Floyd | continuous function that is not differentiable anywhere..."
Floyd | Weierstrass downs the rest of his beer, places his mug on the bar, and
Floyd | walks out of the pub.  The bartender appears out of nowhere and whisks
Floyd | the mug away before disappearing again.
Floyd |
Floyd | Cauchy remains behind.  "Weierstrass has expressed his personal
Floyd | gratitude," he says.  "Let me offer my gratitude on behalf of
Floyd | mathematics as a whole.  Weierstrass mentioned earlier that I know a
Floyd | little something about complex analysis.  I can imbue an item of yours
Floyd | with the power of complex analysis, much as Weierstrass improved those
Floyd | sandals with the power of the limit."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "i"
Floyd ]  Smoky Pub                                            71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > I
Floyd |
Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd |   some limit shoes
Floyd |   Descartes's saying
Floyd |   a printout
Floyd |   a toy mountain range
Floyd |   some correspondence
Floyd |   a set (no longer empty)
Floyd |     the trig homework
Floyd |     a square root
Floyd |     your math book
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "show range to cauchy"
Floyd ]  Smoky Pub                                            71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SHOW RANGE TO CAUCHY
Floyd |
Floyd | Cauchy looks carefully at you for a while, as if reading your
Floyd | thoughts.  Finally, he gives a satisfied nod.
Floyd |
Floyd | Then Cauchy takes the toy mountain range and looks at it carefully.
Floyd | Then he closes his eyes and rubs his hands over it.  The mountain
Floyd | range begins to glow.  After a while Cauchy opens his eyes again, and
Floyd | the toy stops glowing.  "There," he says, handing the it back to you.
Floyd | "I've improved your toy mountain range.  It should be able to
Floyd | differentiate complex functions now.  However, unless you actually
Floyd | find a complex function the additional power won't be of any use.  I
Floyd | think I can reward you better than this."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "show root to cauchy"
Floyd ]  Smoky Pub                                            71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SHOW ROOT TO CAUCHY
Floyd |
Floyd | (first taking the square root)
Floyd | (putting the correspondence into the set to make room)
Floyd | Cauchy looks carefully at you for a while, as if reading your
Floyd | thoughts.  Finally, he gives a satisfied nod.
Floyd |
Floyd | Then Cauchy takes the square root and looks at it carefully.  Then he
Floyd | closes his eyes and rubs his hands over it.  The square root begins to
Floyd | glow.  After a while Cauchy opens his eyes again, and the square root
Floyd | stops glowing.  "There," he says, handing the square root back to you.
Floyd | "I've improved your square root.  It should be able to extract complex
Floyd | numbers now.
Floyd |
Floyd | "Thank you, once again, on behalf of mathematics," Cauchy says.  "The
Floyd | discipline will be stronger if Weierstrass can put calculus on a more
Floyd | solid foundation."  He stands up and finishes the last of his wine,
Floyd | placing the glass on the bar before walking out of the pub.  The
Floyd | bartender appears out of nowhere once more and whisks the empty glass
Floyd | away before disappearing again.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd ]  Smoky Pub                                            71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > L
Floyd |
Floyd | Smoky Pub
Floyd | The smell of tobacco hangs in the air in this small, dark pub.  It is
Floyd | deserted; even the bartender appears to have stepped out.  An exit
Floyd | leads south.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "I didn't know that the range could be improved upon."
DavidW says, "Cool."
Knight_Otu says, "The bartender won't be happy that we cleared out his pub."
Knight_Otu says, "Newton hinted at it."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Light                                                71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move south, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Light
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Three                             71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up through the bright light.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter, Level Three
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Two                               71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter, Level Two
Floyd | Off to the side sits a gray storage bin.  In the storage bin you see
Floyd | an old coin, a comic strip, a pile of money, a brochure, a piece of
Floyd | paper, a wad of plastic, an x-finder, Archimedes's staff, a
Floyd | square piece of metal, and a scribbled scroll.
Floyd |
Floyd | A gray, translucent ghost flits around the storage bin.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "u"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level One                               71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > U
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way up.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter, Level One
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "yes, he did, actually, now that you mention it."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "n"
Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > N
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way north.  As you do, you feel an electrical impulse
Floyd | course through you.  You find yourself in...
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "w"
Floyd ]  Stadium                                              71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > W
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Stadium
Floyd | Achilles sits by the side of the race track with his head in his
Floyd | hands.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "show shoes to achilles"
Floyd ]  Stadium                                              71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SHOW SHOES TO ACHILLES
Floyd |
Floyd | "Do you think these will work any better than those sandals I tried
Floyd | earlier?"
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "say yes"
Floyd ]  Stadium                                              71/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SAY YES
Floyd |
Floyd | (to Achilles)
Floyd | Achilles just looks at you miserably, and then he puts his head back
Floyd | down.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "give shoes to achilles"
Floyd ]  Stadium                                              73/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GIVE SHOES TO ACHILLES
Floyd |
Floyd | Achilles looks at the limit shoes rather skeptically, but you assure
Floyd | him that these shoes are different - more powerful than the exhaustion
Floyd | sandals - and so he agrees to try them.  After lacing them up, he
Floyd | snaps his fingers, and the tortoise appears.  They find their places
Floyd | as before, and take off.  Achilles runs to the halfway mark, looks up,
Floyd | and sees the tortoise ahead of him.  He notes the tortoise's new
Floyd | position, races to it, and sees the tortoise still ahead.  You start
Floyd | to think that the limit shoes aren't going to do Achilles any good.
Floyd | About this time, though, their inherent virtue starts to kick in.
Floyd | Yes, there are infinitely many times Achilles must note the tortoise's
Floyd | position, leading to infinitely many distances he must run, but each
Floyd | successive distance is shorter than the one before.  The power of the
Floyd | limit shoes successfully sums the lengths of these infinitely many
Floyd | shorter and shorter distances, and Achilles passes the tortoise for
Floyd | the win!
Floyd |
Floyd | Achilles jogs back to the start, a huge grin on his face, and gives
Floyd | you a crushing hug.  Slightly abashed, he steps back, thanks you
Floyd | profusely, and returns the limit shoes.  He runs away to celebrate.
Floyd |
Floyd | As you're recovering from Achilles's excitement, Zeno walks over from
Floyd | where he has been discreetly watching the race.  He picks up the
Floyd | tortoise.  As he gazes quizzically at it, he's joined by Aristotle.
Floyd | They head off, arguing over whether the limit process actually solves
Floyd | the paradox of Achilles and the tortoise.  You notice something fall
Floyd | from Aristotle's robes.
Floyd |
Floyd | [Your understanding of Infinity has increased.  You estimate
Floyd | that your score on tomorrow's final has just gone up by two
Floyd | points.]
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd ]  Stadium                                              73/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > L
Floyd |
Floyd | Stadium
Floyd | This is a stadium in ancient Athens.  The stadium itself consists of
Floyd | raised ground on either side of a race track about 200 meters long.
Floyd | The rest of the Lyceum is back east.
Floyd |
Floyd | Aristotle has dropped a papyrus scroll here.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x scroll"
Floyd ]  Stadium                                              73/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > X SCROLL
Floyd |
Floyd | This scroll contains a discussion of logical fallacies.  Two prominent
Floyd | ones mentioned are "Affirming the Consequent" and "Denying the
Floyd | Antecedent."
Floyd |
Floyd | An example of "Affirming the Consequent" is the following argument.
Floyd | "If one drinks hemlock then they will die.  Thucydides is dead.
Floyd | Therefore, Thucydides must have drunk hemlock."  The first two
Floyd | statements are true, but the third is false.  The argument is invalid
Floyd | because there are other ways that Thucydides could have died than
Floyd | drinking hemlock.  In other words, the truth of the consequent, "they
Floyd | died," does not imply the truth of the antecedent, "they drank
Floyd | hemlock."
Floyd |
Floyd | An example of "Denying the Antecedent" is the following argument.  "If
Floyd | one writes the Iliad then they will be famous.  Plato didn't
Floyd | write the Iliad.  Therefore, Plato will not be famous."  The
Floyd | first two statements are true, but the third is false.  The argument
Floyd | is invalid because there are other ways that Plato could be famous
Floyd | besides writing the Iliad.  In other words, the falseness of
Floyd | the antecedent, "one writes the Iliad," does not imply the
Floyd | falseness of the consequent, "they will not be famous."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "don't forget to pick the scroll up."
Knight_Otu says, "Yeah, still reading."
Knight_Otu says, "Which is kind of silly when it is on the ground, I admit."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "get scroll"
Floyd ]  Stadium                                              73/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > GET SCROLL
Floyd |
Floyd | (putting the toy mountain range into the set to make room)
Floyd | Taken.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu (putting the toy mountain range into the set to make room)
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "e"
Floyd ]  Lyceum                                               73/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > E
Floyd |
Floyd |
Floyd | Lyceum
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "s"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level One                               73/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > S
Floyd |
Floyd | As you move south, you feel an electrical impulse course through you.
Floyd | The space around you seems to fold in on itself.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter, Level One
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Two                               73/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way down.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter, Level Two
Floyd | Off to the side sits a gray storage bin.  In the storage bin you see
Floyd | an old coin, a comic strip, a pile of money, a brochure, a piece of
Floyd | paper, a wad of plastic, an x-finder, Archimedes's staff, a
Floyd | square piece of metal, and a scribbled scroll.
Floyd |
Floyd | A gray, translucent ghost flits around the storage bin.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "i"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Two                               73/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > I
Floyd |
Floyd | You are carrying:
Floyd |   a logic scroll
Floyd |   some limit shoes
Floyd |   a square root
Floyd |   Descartes's saying
Floyd |   a printout
Floyd |   a set (no longer empty)
Floyd |     a toy mountain range
Floyd |     some correspondence
Floyd |     the trig homework
Floyd |     your math book
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "show shoes to ghost"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Two                               73/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SHOW SHOES TO GHOST
Floyd |
Floyd | The gray lady looks carefully at the limit shoes.  "I would definitely
Floyd | hold on to those," she says.  "You're not likely to find much that is
Floyd | more useful."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "I guess level one is almost done except for the Count's need for more things to count."
Knight_Otu says, "I think so, yes."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "show printout to ghost"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Two                               73/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > SHOW PRINTOUT TO GHOST
Floyd |
Floyd | The gray lady looks carefully at the printout.  Then she says, "I
Floyd | think you may still find some use for that.  You never know, though,"
Floyd | she adds.  "I might be wrong."
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says, "No new things to drop of here, no new books for our shelves."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Three                             73/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way down.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter, Level Three
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "d"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Four                              73/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > D
Floyd |
Floyd | You make your way down.
Floyd |
Floyd | You can see most of this space now.
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter, Level Four
Floyd |
Floyd | >
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "l"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Four                              73/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floyd | > L
Floyd |
Floyd | Gray Matter, Level Four
Floyd | The light has dimmed enough (or your eyes have adjusted enough) that
Floyd | you can now see that this space contains the same gray, spongy matter
Floyd | as the spaces above you.  The only part of this space that is still
Floyd | painful to look at is a very bright patch on the floor.  There is the
Floyd | expected inscription on the wall, as well as the exits up to Gray
Floyd | Matter, Level Three, north to the Smoky Pub, south to the Window into
Floyd | Oblivion, east to the Machine Room, and west to the Research Lab.
Floyd |
Floyd | >
DavidW says, "Your square root is improved, though. And you have limit shoes still."
Knight_Otu says (to Floyd), "x inscription"
Floyd ]  Gray Matter, Level Four                              73/100 (B)
Floyd | >
Floy