Power Puzzle For anyone who has been desperate to find a true techno-option to presenting the puzzle at the end of Both Sides Now – one of the plethora of missions in Service, Service – look no further. Omega Complex proudly presents the new fangled drag-n-drop slide puzzle ((Which works on some browsers, but not others. Internet Explorer 6, for example, doesn’t like it… I shall tweak and twiddle to see what can be done without breaking it everywhere else.)) version of that very conundrum, right here. Enjoy responsibly!
Please Note: The puzzle requires patience and diligence – qualities we expect in all the best Troubleshooters. If you try to take short cuts, you can expect to make the whole thing a lot harder! The puzzle contains no faults, inconsistencies or frustrating glitches. The Computer maintains strict protocols and quality controls that prevent those sort of things.
Suggestion: You might consider changing the parameters of the challenge if you use this version of the Power Puzzle and make the target to complete it in 50 moves or less (which is certainly possible, even if the browser doesn’t quite work!).
PARANOIA in the Guide: 2 Frontpage feature for the PARANOIA Entry update on h2g2 – the Earth-based version of the Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
PARANOIA in the Guide BBC Communities include the Earth edition of the Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, conceived by Douglas Adams as an encyclopedia by the people for the people – similar to the objective of Wikipedia. Launched in April 1999, I have been writing for the Guide since May 1999 and have around three dozen Edited Entries on all manner of topics trivial, frivolous and serious. As well as writing my own material from scratch, I have taken to rescuing entries by other ‘Guide Researchers’ from h2g2’s Flea Market, as well as updating existing entries that have gone out of date.
The entry on PARANOIA was just such an outdated example, published into the Guide in June 2000. The original Researcher wrote with the West End Games version in mind, so many of the details don’t quite match up to the present edition. So, I wrote an update to replace the existing Edited version, featuring all the marvels of Year 214 living in Alpha Complex. We say goodbye to six-packs, followers of Moo and the limitations of yestercycle, and ‘Good Morning, citizen’ to the potentials of unlimited cloning, wealth and unrivalled utopian ideals…
Flexible Friend The Timeflex seems like a perfect area of experimentation for R&D (go to Solovyovdesign.com and click through Product and Timflex – yeah… spelling mistake on his part, but who cares…). Seeking to enhance user experience, minimise waste and maximise functionality, R&D create the Dataflex, a non-permanent, self-gumming PDC. All the functionality of a PDC without the bulk. New enhanced user interface with easy access to all favourite options. Troubleshooters can stick it to skin, clothes, weapons, walls… whatever.
So, what could go wrong? Maybe the gum dissolves in water – including sweat – and the damned Dataflex keeps slipping off. Faced with accusations of treason for losing valuable gear, Troubleshooters have to keep back-tracking to find the damned thing… Just avoided a firefight and now have to go back to find your paper-thin PDC!
Maybe Corpore Metal have been fiddling with the device and the gum provides a conductive two-way line into the Troubleshooters nervous system. Maybe the experience starts with uneasy realisation that you remembered sub-clause 345634.22/A of the new HPD&MC New Glorious Hygiene protocol before you actually looked it up… then you can quote the time without checking and know exactly the right way to the briefing room. Before you know it, half the team members have nearly verifiable proof the other half of the team have some kind of weird mutant power that lets them communicate with machines… and they’d get on their PDC to report the treachery if not for the fact they appear to have already logged the call 5 minutes ago and the guy on the Mutant Hotline wants to know why you keep calling him…
How about that Dataflex works perfectly and the gum clings like a dream – then halfway through a stealthy approach to a huddle of conspiring traitors an alarm goes off. The Troubleshooter can’t get the damned thing off his arm or clothes, and the touch-sensitive controls aren’t responding. How about – ‘User input currently offline while unit receives M1n35w33p3r Upgrade from Tech Services WiFi service hub node. Please be patient…’? What do you do? Scrape off your skin? Get your team mates to help out with an emergency amputation? Lightly sear your forearm with your hand flamer? How do you explain the loss of equipment to The Computer, the R&D Gear Futures team… and those gruff looking conspirator types with the fully loaded auto-slugthrowers?