As with Shuffle the graphic represents an unfolded cylinder but with two rotatable rings around its girth. Each band contains nine blocks.

There are three vertical slots which intersect these bands; the slots will always carry 3 blocks although their length is for four.

At any one time, if a block in one vertical is moved up or down, the blocks in the other slots move simultaneously in the same direction.

Horizontal bands may be rotated left or right as many places as you wish (but one place per click).

	x   x     x R M H U T N P P A S M E Y A P Y R C

to the download position.

Your objective is to create a 9 letter word, all letters different, in the top band which has some relevance to the problem's title (a medium perhaps). As a secondary bonus the lower band should confirm both your word and the title.

No, I am beginning to be less surprised as to how computers may be used to solve problems.

At this point I haven't taken thorough time to understand what Charlie has really done although I perceive the concept.

I do note that Charlie, in an email suggested something like 500+ button pushes, and a related figure appears in his comments.

Now, in the email he acknowledged that my backtracking record (which I unfortunately do not have) would be considerably shorter, which it was. 

I'm wondering if, should any of the destinations derived have been legitimate, on the base that PARCHMENT was the 9 letter word, could the program be used to generate my start position, given MY as the first letters in the second line?

I have a sense that my posed position was no more than 15 moves (the Up and Downs were clearly far less than the horizontals) and as such some of those 15 may have been composite like 3L, 4L; I didn't consider that backtracking would be a huge issue. 

That said, there were obvious clues in the text such that one should have seen by manipulation of the graphic what might be the intended solution.

Posted by brianjn on 2009-01-16 07:51:09