Jan 31, 2009 One Word Wonder Puzzle

Here is everyone's favorite - a stereogram! Yea!!
Now, if you need some assistance, here are some resources for viewing techniques and helpful hints:

http://www.vision3d.com/3views.html
http://www.magiceye.com/faq_example.htm
http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-See-a-Magic-Eye-3D-Stereogram&id=1888296

Bah! I thought we weren't going to see anymore of these. Well, I can't see them and never will....

I looked down and found a word, but it's not the answer and doesn't help me move forward. I too cannot see stereograms, so if that's required to solve, then "Boo! Hiss!"

Love them, myself.

you COULD get the answer without being able to view the stereogram just by using the clues.

Crossing your eyes is a real no-no.
- Do that and what do you see?

Parallel vision is the sure way to go.
- Is this a trick question?

(5) Yes indeed, and in hindsight, I can see the answer by looking carefully at the words and noticing subtle changes.

Got this using a stereogram decoder (one of those who can't see these - crossed eyes actually are better, but the reverse depth always makes me miss the actual image). The solver didn't give a very clear mono image, but did point out the correct letters to use (and which rows to ignore). Please no stereograms in the future! If you use the decoder I did, set the distance to 160 and the blocksize to 9.

[7] used the one listed on Purple Hell riddle tools. nice image manipulator. never knew it existed.

I love sterograms prob because I can view them.

[8] That's the one I used. I just tried it on the unfeatured stereogram from a few weeks back (http://www.tanga.com/puzzles/4470-12-27-2008) and it allowed me to "see" the image within a few seconds. Guess that's another tool for the Tanga puzzle-solving box.

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It's definitely a love-it-or-hate-it kind of puzzle. [6] is right that with very scrutinizing eyes on the microscopic level there ARE visible differences between the two images.

Likely we won't see (many) more of these, because of it's inherent viewing challenge - but this one has been kicking around for awhile and, well, being worth only 3 points it's not a big prize even IF you can easily get it.
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Even with the Purple Hell decoder I can't see anything. Glad it's just an unfeatured puzzle.

every puzzle will have an inherent viewing challenge.

depending on the viewer ofc. we are all challenged on certain puzzles.

this is no different than someone being color blind, but we still see puzzles where color is key to solving it.

some of us are math challenged when it is a bit more advanced math. some of us still need to run to the periodic table of elements because we never saved those to our memory banks.

IMHO. I still see this as a good puzzle. Especially when Rocketeer included such great clues. It is solvable by just using those clues and looking for the answer within the puzzle image.

I would rather get help on the serious math puzzles than have them omitted. As I am sure the color puzzles won't be omitted as others can ask for help there. Now we know there is a tool to help with these puzzles.

Rock on with the stereograms as I have said IMHO.

I see a big distinction between the viewing challenge of a stereogram and a puzzle with color. For color, as often happens, there can be a post stating that "a is green, b is yellow, etc". There isn't a way to hint a stereogram if you can't see the hidden image. The tool is neat, but it is so specialized that its use is not the same as a memory jog or a math or time shortcut. It use is to deal with something many solvers can never do - see the stereogram. An anagram solver may significantly speed the process, but a solver can work out the solution on their own. A stereogram-challenged solver has no personal recourse but hope a tool will fill in the gap. While many puzzles seem to require some external tool to assist in solving, the stereogram seems the most extreme example - you either use a tool or you don't solve it.
My math-challenged brain often struggles on the advanced math puzzles, but that is due to a lack of math experience, not an inability to do the math. Sometimes, I've been able to do the advanced ones when hinted at the math area to research. You can't research a stereogram.
If there are clues that allow for an alternate, non-visual, path to solution, that's OK. The solution here is quite an obscure word (to me), and that made the hinting less helpful as an alternative, though the solution does match those clues (and I should have at least tried to Google related phrases). I don't mean to take away from the work Rocketeer put into making this.

No more stereograms (unless the puzzle has more than one solve method), please, IMHO.

[12] I totally agree.

I hate the math puzzles but I do get help with them. Stereograms I can see. This is a nice puzzle Rocketeer. Hope we get more.

[13] Well said. I couldn't agree more. Stereograms are indeed unfair.

Used the Purple Hell decoder and got the answer right away.
Thanks!!!!

[7] Which decoder did you use? I Googled the Purple Hell one that others mentioned, plugged in your numbers, and got a mess.

Forfeited my points to "see" the solution, and am sure I'd never have found it from the clues provided. Just a headache from trying to make sense of the "decoded" image.

Again I say, "Boo! Hiss!"

How's that quote go ... "life, liberty, and the requirement that every puzzle on Tanga be completely solvable by me."

It's not just the color-blind connection, but look through the archives and you'll see lots of stuff. Some puzzles are solvable only if you know the avatars of long gone users, or are in on inside "butter" type jokes, or if you're really good at image recognition, or American-centric cluing, or ...

I don't view the puzzles around here as an unalienable right. I try to solve the ones I can and leave the rest for those who like them. I almost always pass on heavy image recognition puzzles or HCs with too many clues. That's just my preference.

You don't have to try solving a stereogram if you can't see it. Let it go. It's just a puzzle. Some people like making them. Other people like solving them. Let them have their fun.

For those who can't see this particular stereogram, trust me ... it's very well done. The appropriate elements pop right out almost immediately. It's not easy to make these things, and this one is very, very good.

Wow! Never saw *that* in a puzzle before. Excellent, Rocketeer!!!