Listener 4138: The X-factor by IOA

[midazolam]

I looked down the list of letters thinking: no clue lengths, no clue numbers, no idea which is across or even, 26 numbers to choose from. Aargh! Luckily, once it gets going, things speed up and to a nice aesthetic finish. A debut in the sense that I have not solved either of IOA'a previous two Listeners (last in 2004), but this one I enjoyed - probably because it had a conversion and PDM to look forward to. Thanks IOA

[Clamzy]

Well Trux I think this one, in common with many numericals, is ninety percent logic and ten percent arithmetic. There was much more mathematics involved in 4131; the lines on a torus a few weeks ago. Apart from Bellabee I didn't notice the howls of anguish that our quarterly pleasure usually evokes:-)

[BlackHugh]

I enjoyed this one as well - although I have a great sense of regret in carrying out the instruction

[JackDeCrow]

Count me in for a howl of anguish - and I normally don't mind the numericals. Not enjoying this one though - just printed off my third clean grid!!

[trux]

I agree, Clamzy, and I think that's why I have enjoyed it so much and was able to do it one step at a time, with considerable breaks for many other activities in between, and so it has been a serial solve spanning most of the weeked. I have to agree with BlackHugh's re endgame, which perhaps didn't need to be as such (trying not to give game away). Anyhow, all very satisfying and many thanks to IOA.

[abns]

I agree with the general sentiment. I found it pretty tough but enjoyed the fact that it was largely logic over arithmetic - the whole thing was solved with a pen and the calculator on my phone without having to resort to the usual excel spreadsheet.

[Cruncher]

Enjoyed this but share my regrets about the instruction! I never manage to do these at first go - always head down a blind alley and finish up starting again - but everything finally fell into place

[JackDeCrow]

Phew. Made heavy weather of that. Once I finally realised the fact that my assumption of what one particular letter had to be kept causing me to hit a brick wall actually proved that it was NOT that number (rather than that I was making a mistake), it all started to fall into place. They say the definition of madness is to keep doing the same thing and expect a different result...oh dear.

[Ruthrobin]

Well I echo the hooooowwwwwlllll of anguish. So glad it is three months to the next one.

[trux]

RR : is that H x O^5 x W^4 x L^5 ?????? (or ?^6)

[dead-eye]

enjoyed the grid fill. a nice logical progression. unfortunately the instruction is eluding me.going to have a long soak in a radox bath then sleep on it.

[cluelessJoe]

Usual numberphobia for me ... hated the grid fill, really enjoyed reaching the end as it means another glorious 13 weeks before the next dose of trial and error and faffing about. Nice to see a few words appearing at the death - but then .... so was it all worth it?

[Speravi]

Trux (and anyone else): Please take this in the light-hearted spirit in which it is intended: a few weeks ago I gave nothing away - and was pilloried for it by some; but you have revealed nothing and seem to have got away with it!

[bellabee]

:-) [that's the first one of those i've ever done.]

[contendo]

Glad it all went so smoothly for the rest of you. As for me, I toddled along nicely until I came to fill in 10ac which clashed with 11dn. Can't see where I can have gone wrong. Anyone else have the same problem?

[Mysterons]

Suggest you first check you have the correct letters for 10 and 11 contendo - their alphabetical positions should sum to 33.

[JackDeCrow]

Yes, Contendo, I did hit that problem and fairly late on. Turned out I had got carried away in ruling out some potential higher values of an important letter in the clue that became 11. Wasn't too late to fix it luckily - hope the same applies.
Nice gag, dead-eye - hope your cogitations go well!

[aldanna]

Not for me. I hate numericals, and unlike Starwalker have no sense of pride to prevent my omitting one completely four times a year. I passed it over and Himself was progressing, in the small gaps in the rest of life. Now we have a front garden full of blown-down tree, so I think he won't be getting back to it.

[contendo]

Thanks Mysterons and JdeC. Yes, Mysterons, they added to 33 but as JdeC suggests I had one of the components of 11dn wrong. I'm on my way again now. Still got some of the higher numbers to unravel.

[Ruthrobin]

Trux - both of those - sadly, that's just about the level of chaos that I dwell in four times a year when these horrible things rise to the surface and all you clever Friday clubbers coast to your conclusions in fifteen minutes and remind me that it is nothing that we didn't learn in O level maths. Agreed, we learned how to work out 2 to the power of 4, but we didn't learn which of those horrid formulae to attack first or how to sort out the 98% logic that makes up the end of the puzzle. That's my hhhhoooowwwwlll of anguish expanded!

[DaveTheHat]

I have been staring at this for daaaaaaays with no inroads into the logic behind it. Could someone please give me a pointer to get started? Thanks.

long-time lurker, first-time poster
Dave (Times Jumbo cryptic fan)