This puzzle is really pissing me off! I have faith there's a smart user out there who can solve it and put me out my...

This puzzle is really pissing me off! I have faith there's a smart user out there who can solve it and put me out my misery! Pic related.

(Competition entries are closed by the way - shortlist.com/news/win-shortlist-magazine-puzzle-cipher-competition)

Doubt this is a clue but here's a message from the editor!

Will drop a couple of bumps in case someone out there is crunching it!

I thought I could see a vertical pattern when I simplified it to squares and circles but it wasn't consistent enough to use.

What are they even looking for? The next shape in the sequence? A 'correction' in this sequence? The odd one out? FML

Take the pictures in groups of 3's. That should help.

Thanks user, but you really need to put me out my misery! Admittedly I haven't spent much time looking at groups of 3 but I'm not seeing anything.. it's just a load of bloody shapes

what exactly do you need to do to solve it? i feel pretty retarded

You guys failed me!

Honestly don't know, that's part of the challenge I guess

This. You need an goal, you can't just show someone a picture and say solve it with no endgame because you'll never know when you are right.

It says:

WELL DONE THE NEXT CLUE IS HIDDEN WITHIN THE EDITOR'S LETTER

It's just a simple substitution.

maybe thats just a distraction.... ?

You fucking wizard! How stupid do I feel now. I even listed out the number of occurrences of each shape but didn't know what to do with it. Cheers.

I put the editors letter in the second post. Is there more or does he just want an email?!

this adds up, but how did you cipher letters from the shapes?

The wording is certainly odd in the editor's letter, as certain words are forced into place or odd selections are made in order to fit a code. Probably a cipher as well.

It isn't hard. You just assign a letter to each shape. The first in the left corner is A, the second is B, then you have CC......etc.

It doesn't appear that the instragram is printed correctly. His actual instagram is j_mackertich.

So...let's check k_mackertich for a clue.

Guess not. Nothing but sleeping dogs here.

look for jack

I'm too lazy to work it out. But assign every different shape as a variable. Each line or each column should add up to the same number. Then use simple algebra to work it backwards and find out how much each variable is worth in regards to the lowest variable. Then add it up and the answer is the sum of each row/column.

You'll probably have to do it twice, one for the row, then again for the columns. Odds are it's one or another.

Had this sort of thing in my Medical school entrance tests. 60 seconds to solve a 6x6 one

Could the editor's letter actually be a "letter" which can then be linked back to the puzzle to get the shape, (and that shape be the answer).

You know what, I'm just chuffed the first part is solved, I'm a mathematician so that puzzle would have been playing in my mind for hours, the next bit doesn't trouble me as much

I think it's "k"
That's the editors letter.

letters on left of editors letter spell look for jack

nice

"Jack" is in the editors name if that's at all useful

Joe is the editor's name. Uh.

So Jack is something else entirely.

I can't believe I missed that though let's see here.

I don't guess we can flip through the magazine looking for the word JACK on one of the pages, can we?

You guys are good.

Sorry you don't have the mag as you're left hanging a little bit. Just flicked through the whole sodding magazine and look what I spotted on the last page (bottom left)

i think there may be more to find in the editors letter..

that quote isn't in the film
that's another clue
there's something at the start of the magazine

...is that some sort of answer though? I mean...usually there's a big "THE ANSWER IS _________" at the end of these, clear as day.

Jack Nicholson must be the solution??

I knew I could count on you guys, it was a shaky start, nearly lost faith but sure enough you delivered. Happy Easter.

Yeah, do this. Flip to the start of the magazine and see what we find there.

The start of the mag is that puzzle, apart from an advert (completely unrelated jeans advert)

show us please

What's on the first page after the jeans advert?

first page with a nose?

Ok, I will, hang on

ugh, now I'm engaged this thread will 404 and I'll go nuts

Front cover (next 4 pages to come too)

Page 1
Derp

Page 2

Page 3

You got nice feet, OP. Can we get a pic of them? Just kidding.

Page 4

Honestly think we've cracked it as Jack Nicholson guys

I'm not so sure. the quote from Jack isn't all from the movie. The bit saying "it was under your nose from the start" reads like another clue.

I genuinely saw that coming too haha, gave up checking the borders of my photos towards the end.

Needed to drive to my mates ages ago and I haven't even eaten or showered or anything, this has wasted so much of my day but I'm glad it's over lol.

Please don't say you think the watch without a face is another clue linked to the nose lol

I guess if you're content with that.

It's hard to solve without a copy of the magazine, I guess.

Anyway, thanks for the distraction, OP. If you get another ShortList puzzle and want help, post before the deadline, and we'll help you solve it.

Now I'm wondering what's on page 26

Please no haha

autism article

Cheers budd. Normally just lurk, nice to see there's still a few good souls here!

Signing out - sorry if you think there's more!

ah

I'm getting too into this. 3%, "triple" on page 30
Something about 3

If this is the end of the thread then I hope they publish the answer next week

Solving the cover cypher and "lookforjack" were the important bits, I guess. That's all that is important...flipping pages is a very passe puzzle regardless.

Just for you

thank you ! oh look... the background design is the same

this aint over guys!

>obviously its in a mental instutition
any articles about that in the mag?

Could you just take photos of every page of the magazine, OP? Just kidding again.

lol

Now I g2g.
P30 to keep you content.

Will check after my shower if this thread is still alive...

thank you
I think the next step is to do with pages 26 and 27
the background is the same design

The next 2 pages have that background too. I don't think it's linked.

I think answer is Jack Nicholson lol

well either way, it was fun
I have to dive to Cambridge now

derp