Hi everyone, thinking about it further, I’m not sure if I still agree with the original conclusion that this was a fair puzzle to everyone, computer programmers and normal citizens alike. Since the answer (well, the key text) ends up starting in the middle of a paragraph halfway through a long book, there really wouldn’t be any way that a person was just going to stumble across it unless they had a computer checking every possibility of the entire text. This was marketed as a way for any normal person to have a shot at winning $100,000, but with the way the key text was chosen, it was basically impossible to be found until Holland revealed the final clue that massively narrowed down the possibilities. As I said in the video, I understand why it was done like this, since Holland wanted to ensure he could sell enough of the product to be worth manufacturing it, before the puzzle was solved. But, since he added the stipulation that anyone who solved it before the deadline would split the prize, that actually isn’t as much of a concern. I don’t know, I think it definitely has a few more flaws that I necessarily pointed out in the video, and I don’t want you all to think I’m hypocritical for having issues with the way David Dobrik went about it but not pointing out the same flaws here (especially since they were being sold for the same price point after accounting for inflation). I still stand by what I said at the end of the video, that there must be some way to do this kind of puzzle contest that more fairly balances luck and skill. But, anytime you offer such a huge prize, there are always going to be issues that come along with it. So do you think that the puzzle was fair? What do you think of how Holland went about it compared to David’s version? I’d love to hear your thoughts 🧩
Nah.. I dont think this puzzle was fair. The answer was in a book not everyone had access to. Also, trying to figure it out without computers, made those with less means at an even more disadvantage. So those who needed the money.. Were less likely able to get the answer. If we could do something like that today, the cutoff date would have to be a week due to google giving all the answers in minutes.
@@Reggie_la Well, like she said, more than a million of them were sold, so it's not a really rare item. Looking on ebay, it's only 19 dollars, plus shipping, so I don't think there's a problem with opening one up.
Makes you wonder if the algorithm was even necessary since the MIT students missed the deadline. If I’m understanding correctly, the rest of the winners (some or most of them) used skill/time to solve it.
I love seeing how your channel is evolving. This is such an interesting turn. As a former math professor who studied a bit of cryptography as an undergrad this was absolutely enthralling. Great story telling which I would never expect from a niche youtube channel on puzzles.
Thank you! I'd love if you could ask around to other cryptography friends you have to see if anyone knows the answers to the Decipher II and III ciphers!
Honestly! for someone who says this sort of stuff isn't for her, she did a wonderful job telling the story. I know a bit about crypto but she made it sooo accessible to people with no knowledge about it! Meanwhile, Ive taken a crypto class and watched videos about the zodiac ciphers, the cicada 3301 puzzles, etc LOL. this stuff fascinates me so much
Yeah! That’s true! I watch a lot of science channels. And Karen’s way of describing this (and the addition of the little breaks!! Genius!) was a lot more clear than a lot of those science communicators. Nothing against them, but it hit me how clear and fun her explanations were, despite how tricky the subject matter was.
@@hopegold883 exactly! it was a very different approach that i really liked. i watch a TON of the educational channels and they assume some knowledge. I loved how karen didn't do that because her audience may not have that background info. I also really liked the idea of the breaks - it was something i never thought about! But i can absolutely see people getting overwhelmed. shes very thoughtful
You said it is "above your pay grade." I work in computer science and I disagree. I would say it is "outside of your pay grade." We have different sets of skills and, more importantly, different interests. Your artistic abilities are as valid and as important as my science ones. Be proud of your achievements. :)
To be honest I think karen have the skills necessary fo computer sciences. Her displays of logic in puzzle solving are building blocs for computing, and the creativity from arts are very usefull in solving plblems and comming up with algorithms. I mean, equations may look scary but when you break them down in the actual reason for each term it can be quite intuitive or at least make sense. And I have dregres in both arts and science and work with neural networks so I know a thing or two about that.
When you gave the list of authors, I immediately thought "Impossible, did any of these have books in the public domain in 1984? Many were still alive." The conclusion (which I didn't think of) is that it must be one of them QUOTING from a text in the public domain, as was actually the case (Wilkins 1638), but I wonder if anyone thought of that back then. It would have narrowed down the search immensely. The MIT guys didn't, even after the solution was published. In a footnote to their paper they say (p. 17): "An anonymous referee pointed out that Cosmos is copyrighted and hence not in the public domain. In clue 1 did Holland use the phrase 'in the public domain' for its colloquial meaning of 'publicly available'?"
When I started this video and saw the it was over 42 minutes long, I thought I would watch a little bit at the beginning and skip to the end. But the explanation and description Karen provided for this puzzle was so compellingly interesting and entertaining, I was gripped right to the very end. What a great video. So much research was necessary. And despite claiming "above my pay grade" there was a tremendous understanding of every aspect of the history and the theory of cipher. Great job and thank you for this whole video. It was a well spent 43 minutes of my life!!!
What gets me is how much variety there is on this channel. Every week I’m so surprised it’s something completely new! I was perfectly happy with the earlier videos, just seeing all the different companies and beautiful patterns. But wow. Karen really goes out of her way. Idk if this is my fave channel, but it’s definitely the one I click on the fastest.
A little tip: if you don't want the dust, gently shake the bag for about 20 seconds with one tip down (it can't be 🟥, it has to be 🔶 to work), and most of the dust will accumulate in the bottom. Then, carefully cut a small piece of that tip (be aware it will make a mess beyond this point, so do it over a trashcan or a bag), it has to be small enough so no pieces will fall but big enough so the dust can pass it easily and ta-dam! Brush that tip with your fingers and almost all the dust will be gone and then the puzzle will be cleaner not only for this time, but all the times you put it together. It really helps when your desk is white, and it is also good because your fingers won't be dirty (I personally hate the feeling of the dust in my fingers because I have sensory issues). The last step is: enjoy the puzzle!!!
I'm just finding out that there is so much more than just doing jigsaws, I also like searching for their history and a "jigsaw Puzzle Bible" would be great help... I'll be looking out for it in the future.
So let's say that you don't find history on those two Decipher puzzles, you could make a video and let others figure out the answer. It could be like a community project to solve the cipher and you would be the primary source of information about them on the internet.
Definitely! A recurring Sunday lunchtime event so that people abroad can join in without missing too much sleep. New clues and methods etc could be presented and we could send findings to a designated email address to supplement the live chat.
I can imagine them at 3am, thinking they still had like 8 hours to go, and then someone rereads the instructions and goes oh shit and the whole gang runs to the post office to see if they can get it in in time.
I had the same thought watching as I paused to read the directions and see what I could figure out before hearing the rest of the story. I had guess #2 was the alphabet and the last clue beginning with C so CS was the initials of the author or novel. I would have check all books and authors with C as the first word and S as the second word. Then when the author clue came it it would have focused things down. The "cube...if you are geometrical inclined" threw me though as I thought it was a play on words. A cube sliced at an angle would be an incline so I thought is was something like the volume of a cube cut in half or a variation. Way off there. it would have been fun to do in real time though.
I wasn't even born when these puzzles came out, but the idea of putting a cipher on a finished jigsaw puzzle is very intriguing. If I had been alive back then, I definitely would have tried it. 😅
This reminds me of a few years ago when the NSA wanted to hire a crypto-analyst or something, and so they sent out a tweet that was actually a cipher and it said something about applying for the job if you figured it out, and it worked. That's how they hired someone. Sounds pretty cool. Side note, at the NSA campus in Maryland, they have a very cool crypto museum (National Cryptologic Museum) all about ciphers and all of the ways codes have been used in the history of the US.
Your comment reminded me of the imitation game. The story of how mi6 hired mathematicians to break the Nazi's code. And they put a crossword in the paper to recruit people and built a computer to solve it.
@@lovesmusic916 That's awesome. The codebreaking machines that the british and americans were using during WWII are in that cryptologic museum. They have enigma machines that the nazi's used until the british learned how to break their codes. It's a very cool place.
I'm so glad I found your channel in 2020!! I got my first jigsaw puzzle last week because you inspired me! thank you Karen for your genuinely wonderful energy!
@@KarenPuzzles I've tried mentioning this in other comments, but I haven't done a puzzle in over 10 years but seeing your video on the 3D Color Sphere made me want it so much I actually bought it and have it sitting on my shelf just like you!! Now I'm on my third puzzle since. 😁❤️
your channel and antscanada are truly getting me through quarantine. i love seeing people who are passionate about what they do, even if it’s not *my* thing.
This is such a cool video! And I really respect the fact that you spent so much time looking up all this, trying to understand everything about the "cipher" yourself, and then finding a way to explain this as clearly as possible to all of your viewers. And you did a very good job at that! So thank you, I enjoyed this video enormously!
Karen, this was absolutely excellent. You explained and gave your thoughts so clearly even though the mechanics are beyond most of us. Well done. I hope you are able to keep going with this channel, your ideas go from strength to strength. Cypher.
I just recently discovered her channel, and never would have thought it could be so entertaining to watch someone put jigsaw puzzles together and talk about them!
That was probably something all of the puzzlers thought they were going to figure out in a few hours and then you had to be not only good but a genius on the cipher thing. Thank you for such a detailed video. Hope you find information on the last 2 😊
Cipher! I still have that Eternity puzzle collecting dust on top of a cupboard. I bought it back in the 90s and never figured it out. I am so much looking forward to seeing you tackle it, Karen.
Omg, I've had the smaller version of this puzzle worked for as long as I can remember( still in my closet with the red bag) and never knew what became of it; this is the most personally interesting video you could have made. Thank you!!!
This was suuuuuch a good video Karen. I loved every second of it. You explaining what it was, then doing it, explaining how to figure it out, who won ect. Loved it all.
this was the first thing that this reminded me of! I still think about that Cipher hunt that Alex Hirsch put together for the fans at the end of the show, it was so epic following it online. I really want to go visit the Bill statue but I live halfway across the world.
thank you for another entertaining video. There definitely is no such thing as simply puzzling the pieces together when you point out how the cypher to it unlocks a whole story worth telling.
As a former library clerk I highly suggest researching local newspapers and articles around the company's home town. I also suggest emailing the company itself which probably would be more helpful for your research. I checked their website and its not working at all so maybe there's an email or phone number you can call to ask around.
this was SO interesting!!! i loved this a lot, you are a great storyteller and puzzle history fascinates me! would love to see a video about the other two puzzles if you end up finding the solutions!
I have to say it was good to see something new. It must be hard to always put things up on TH-cam but since I love watching your vids I am just to anxious. Thanks for this. Kathleen
I'm an ongoing fan of your channel, but this video in particular is AMAZING! The mystery! The custom cipher graphics! The research! You've crossed over from putting puzzles together with some interesting facts along the way to producing full-on, full-length puzzle history shows (and I love it).
I love this kind of storytelling: puzzles about puzzles about ciphers. Thank you! I can't wait for to watch any updates on the second and third version, plus the Eternity puzzle. This is excellent fun. I was intrigued to read that a teen age girl was one of the winners. I'm deeply impressed and would love to know more about her too. Thanks, Karen. What a perfect video.
I love the amount of effort you put into these videos. It’s easy to deCIPHER how much you love puzzles! Thank you for sharing your passion with us and for such an informative video!
This video is an absolute gem of Puzzle history. The amount of work you went through to make this into a great documentary, is just mind-blowing. Thank you for this awesome content.
Omg, never knew Jigsaw puzzle could have such a great history behind it! I loved the way your video was structured as well, keeping me intrigued until the very end! Btw, because of you I convinced my boyfriend to gift me my first puzzle in almost 15 years for Valentine's day)))
Wow that was so much fun listening to you telling the story of this puzzle. Thank you and your sister for all the research and time you both spend for this.
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 you kept us listening for 45 minutes!! That must have been so hard to keep interesting and easy to understand! Amazing job Karen. I have the feeling that you will go viral for this video hahahah you deserve it 👏🏼
I love the idea of a "Puzzle Pouch". Though I feel like it should be a nice leather material rather than velvet because cardboard doesn't friction well with cloth. But how cool would it be to just like store puzzles in their own stylized pouches.
this was such an interesting video, didn't notice it was 40 minutes long while i was doing the 1000 gradient puzzle from cloudberries, your recomendation!! really cool video!
I only discovered your channel a few weeks ago and I’m obsessed, I can’t stop watching your videos from the newest ones to ones that were posted like 1 to 2 years ago 💜
Wow, I was so entertained and intrigued by the whole story and you made it so much more understandable that I can't imagine how much work all the research and editing was. A really great video!
Regarding the later cipher puzzles and the lack of information, I am thinking that the key (ha ha) is to (1) contact the companies that made or marketed the puzzles (2) contact Holland or his heirs. (I'm assuming that if Holland were still alive you would have thought of reaching out to him.) (3) contact the insurance company that insured the first puzzle, since they may have ensured the next ones. (4) Contact one of the MIT students. They probably remember what happened with the next ones. (5) contact the other people named as winners of the first puzzle. I'm a journalist and a good finder (yes, I'm a Hufflepuff). Contact me privately if you want some help!
I love how much effort you put in your videos! Not only do you spend tens of hours solving jigsaw puzzles and then probably another tens of hours ediring all the footage. You also do a crapton of research to make sure the video is as interesting as possible and has as much info as possible! This is amazing! Huge thumbs up! Now about the puzzle itself... am I the only one who's really disappointed with the solution? Even now that I now where the key was, looking back at those clues I can't imagine how would anyone ever be able to figure out what book the key is in. There are so many authors with initials CS! The clues were really bad in my opinion and that's the reason the puzzle was unsolved for so long. There was just no way someone was randomly going to find the correct book. I really wish the answer would be in the instruction manual as you suggested, that would be so cool and clever and satisfying!
This was such a fascinating video to watch. I found your channel because John Green mentioned it in a vlogbrothers video and I'm so glad he did. Puzzle fun plus really captivating story-telling!
Just wanted to say thank you for reigniting my love of puzzles. I just got off of a puzzle party zoom and it was so fun to gather with people all around the country and do a puzzle together. It's all due to you (and a Costco sale on Dowdle puzzles...) Cypher
Fun video! I very much remember buying and putting together this puzzle back in the day-the one-sided version of the puzzle, not the double-sided version. I never solved the CIPHER of course but thank you, Karen, for revealing the mystery of how it *was* solved. 👍
Wow I can't wait for the $1 Million prize puzzle video! I really hope you can find out more information about Decipher II and III, so fascinating! I gotta say I was not expecting this video to be more than 10 minutes but it was so interesting hearing the history about the puzzle I didn't realize I was already over half hour in! Lol Thank you Karen for all your hard work and (I'm sure) hours of research in making this video ♥️ Random fun fact: I was born in March 1983 (Pi-day to be exact 😉) and had no idea this puzzle existed till now!
You did an incredible research work here, making a very entertaining and special video. Thank you Karen! Can't wait to know about the updates on part II and III.
Thank you for this information! It has sparked my interest about ciphers and puzzles. I am new to puzzling, and you make me happy and excited to do puzzles! Well, I need to go now. Keep puzzling!
I’ve only recently discovered your channel and I love it! This episode was so amazing. Thank you for telling this story in such an interesting manner. Like other commenters I too didn’t realize it was 40 minutes long. I was so absorbed in the story. I hope you learn about puzzles II And III so I can hear you tell those stories too. I also look forward to watching you put together and talk about other puzzles. I’m waiting for episode 2 of the 24,000 piece puzzle! Keep up the good work! Cipher.
I love this video Karen is I'm definitely going to try to look up some info on the other two "cypher" puzzles because of how interesting those will be.
What a great video, Karen! I loved the way you talked us through the cipher, you explained it so well and the visuals were so helpful. Can't wait to see your future videos about these wild 80s puzzles :)
This was a great video Karen! You are such a good story teller and provide clear information in a logical sequence. It kept me on my toes the whole time! And I understood all the complex information! I can't wait for puzzle 2 and 3!
Fascinating story, and one I hadn't heard, despite being around that the time. Maybe news of it didn't hit my neck of the woods? And what an impish tease for the Eternity puzzle at the end, there. Naughty! Now, to try and work out a way to fit the word cipher into a sentence. Oops, done it ;-)
They way you described how the puzzle would be solved reminded me of when LOST was on tv. Blogs, radio shows, podcast, reddit thread where so many people with screen grabs, theories, clues, etc.
Hi everyone, thinking about it further, I’m not sure if I still agree with the original conclusion that this was a fair puzzle to everyone, computer programmers and normal citizens alike. Since the answer (well, the key text) ends up starting in the middle of a paragraph halfway through a long book, there really wouldn’t be any way that a person was just going to stumble across it unless they had a computer checking every possibility of the entire text. This was marketed as a way for any normal person to have a shot at winning $100,000, but with the way the key text was chosen, it was basically impossible to be found until Holland revealed the final clue that massively narrowed down the possibilities.
As I said in the video, I understand why it was done like this, since Holland wanted to ensure he could sell enough of the product to be worth manufacturing it, before the puzzle was solved. But, since he added the stipulation that anyone who solved it before the deadline would split the prize, that actually isn’t as much of a concern.
I don’t know, I think it definitely has a few more flaws that I necessarily pointed out in the video, and I don’t want you all to think I’m hypocritical for having issues with the way David Dobrik went about it but not pointing out the same flaws here (especially since they were being sold for the same price point after accounting for inflation). I still stand by what I said at the end of the video, that there must be some way to do this kind of puzzle contest that more fairly balances luck and skill. But, anytime you offer such a huge prize, there are always going to be issues that come along with it.
So do you think that the puzzle was fair? What do you think of how Holland went about it compared to David’s version? I’d love to hear your thoughts 🧩
Nah.. I dont think this puzzle was fair. The answer was in a book not everyone had access to. Also, trying to figure it out without computers, made those with less means at an even more disadvantage. So those who needed the money.. Were less likely able to get the answer. If we could do something like that today, the cutoff date would have to be a week due to google giving all the answers in minutes.
Question! Do you ever feel bad or wrong for opening old puzzles that were never open? Or nah
No I don't think it was that fair... Most people probably didn't have that book at home.
@@Reggie_la Well, like she said, more than a million of them were sold, so it's not a really rare item. Looking on ebay, it's only 19 dollars, plus shipping, so I don't think there's a problem with opening one up.
Makes you wonder if the algorithm was even necessary since the MIT students missed the deadline. If I’m understanding correctly, the rest of the winners (some or most of them) used skill/time to solve it.
you can see wich side you supposed ot start on with the double sided one cause the final number in the ccode had a . instead of a ,
lol I should have noticed that. Everyone go click like on this comment so more people see it 🤦🏻♀️
@bas van der werff Eagle Eyes Award goes to you. Bravo!
it's part of the challenge :^)
@@KarenPuzzles you can pin this comment
Brilliant! Great logic!
I love seeing how your channel is evolving. This is such an interesting turn. As a former math professor who studied a bit of cryptography as an undergrad this was absolutely enthralling. Great story telling which I would never expect from a niche youtube channel on puzzles.
Thank you! I'd love if you could ask around to other cryptography friends you have to see if anyone knows the answers to the Decipher II and III ciphers!
Honestly! for someone who says this sort of stuff isn't for her, she did a wonderful job telling the story. I know a bit about crypto but she made it sooo accessible to people with no knowledge about it! Meanwhile, Ive taken a crypto class and watched videos about the zodiac ciphers, the cicada 3301 puzzles, etc LOL. this stuff fascinates me so much
Yeah! That’s true! I watch a lot of science channels. And Karen’s way of describing this (and the addition of the little breaks!! Genius!) was a lot more clear than a lot of those science communicators. Nothing against them, but it hit me how clear and fun her explanations were, despite how tricky the subject matter was.
@@hopegold883 exactly! it was a very different approach that i really liked. i watch a TON of the educational channels and they assume some knowledge. I loved how karen didn't do that because her audience may not have that background info. I also really liked the idea of the breaks - it was something i never thought about! But i can absolutely see people getting overwhelmed. shes very thoughtful
She’s so wholesome, she’s what TH-cam needs right now not to be cheesy 😂
You said it is "above your pay grade." I work in computer science and I disagree. I would say it is "outside of your pay grade." We have different sets of skills and, more importantly, different interests. Your artistic abilities are as valid and as important as my science ones.
Be proud of your achievements. :)
Oh I love this
To be honest I think karen have the skills necessary fo computer sciences. Her displays of logic in puzzle solving are building blocs for computing, and the creativity from arts are very usefull in solving plblems and comming up with algorithms. I mean, equations may look scary but when you break them down in the actual reason for each term it can be quite intuitive or at least make sense.
And I have dregres in both arts and science and work with neural networks so I know a thing or two about that.
Not gonna lie, this was kind of a dickish thing to say.
@@themadhattress5008 what was a darkish thing to say? Her comment about herself or my response?
Awww I love this! 💗 We all have value even if we have different skill sets 💕
When you gave the list of authors, I immediately thought "Impossible, did any of these have books in the public domain in 1984? Many were still alive." The conclusion (which I didn't think of) is that it must be one of them QUOTING from a text in the public domain, as was actually the case (Wilkins 1638), but I wonder if anyone thought of that back then. It would have narrowed down the search immensely.
The MIT guys didn't, even after the solution was published. In a footnote to their paper they say (p. 17): "An anonymous referee pointed out that Cosmos is copyrighted and hence not in the public domain. In clue 1 did Holland use the phrase 'in the public domain' for its colloquial meaning of 'publicly available'?"
When I started this video and saw the it was over 42 minutes long, I thought I would watch a little bit at the beginning and skip to the end. But the explanation and description Karen provided for this puzzle was so compellingly interesting and entertaining, I was gripped right to the very end. What a great video. So much research was necessary. And despite claiming "above my pay grade" there was a tremendous understanding of every aspect of the history and the theory of cipher. Great job and thank you for this whole video. It was a well spent 43 minutes of my life!!!
What gets me is how much variety there is on this channel. Every week I’m so surprised it’s something completely new! I was perfectly happy with the earlier videos, just seeing all the different companies and beautiful patterns. But wow. Karen really goes out of her way.
Idk if this is my fave channel, but it’s definitely the one I click on the fastest.
I’m so glad other people are finally recognising how cool puzzles can be
A little tip: if you don't want the dust, gently shake the bag for about 20 seconds with one tip down (it can't be 🟥, it has to be 🔶 to work), and most of the dust will accumulate in the bottom. Then, carefully cut a small piece of that tip (be aware it will make a mess beyond this point, so do it over a trashcan or a bag), it has to be small enough so no pieces will fall but big enough so the dust can pass it easily and ta-dam! Brush that tip with your fingers and almost all the dust will be gone and then the puzzle will be cleaner not only for this time, but all the times you put it together. It really helps when your desk is white, and it is also good because your fingers won't be dirty (I personally hate the feeling of the dust in my fingers because I have sensory issues).
The last step is: enjoy the puzzle!!!
😮 Thank you for this!
i was thinking she should use a sifter lmfao😭 or a strainer
Only Karen would have a Jigsaw Puzzle Bible.... and we love her for that. :D
It's a great book!
@@KarenPuzzles I bet so, best for Jigsaw Puzzle lovers.
Huge hug from Ecuador, Karen. Love your videos.
@@KarenPuzzles I wish someone would reprint it! It's hard to find and expensive! With puzzles so popular I wish it was on Kindle!
I'm just finding out that there is so much more than just doing jigsaws, I also like searching for their history and a "jigsaw Puzzle Bible" would be great help... I'll be looking out for it in the future.
So let's say that you don't find history on those two Decipher puzzles, you could make a video and let others figure out the answer. It could be like a community project to solve the cipher and you would be the primary source of information about them on the internet.
This.... a whole community project 😁
Cypher thread!! cypher thread!
Count me in!
That would be so cool if we could all try and solve it!
Definitely! A recurring Sunday lunchtime event so that people abroad can join in without missing too much sleep. New clues and methods etc could be presented and we could send findings to a designated email address to supplement the live chat.
The fact that the MIT students solved it, but send it 1 day later, sounds like engineer students to me lol
😂😂
I can imagine them at 3am, thinking they still had like 8 hours to go, and then someone rereads the instructions and goes oh shit and the whole gang runs to the post office to see if they can get it in in time.
Yea they sat around overthinking prob for 3 days.
Howard wolowitz
It’s interesting that when you said the “3,19” & CS & a novel starring with C clue, my first thought went to CS Lewis and Chronicles of Narnia lol
I had the same thought watching as I paused to read the directions and see what I could figure out before hearing the rest of the story. I had guess #2 was the alphabet and the last clue beginning with C so CS was the initials of the author or novel. I would have check all books and authors with C as the first word and S as the second word. Then when the author clue came it it would have focused things down. The "cube...if you are geometrical inclined" threw me though as I thought it was a play on words. A cube sliced at an angle would be an incline so I thought is was something like the volume of a cube cut in half or a variation. Way off there. it would have been fun to do in real time though.
I wasn't even born when these puzzles came out, but the idea of putting a cipher on a finished jigsaw puzzle is very intriguing. If I had been alive back then, I definitely would have tried it. 😅
This reminds me of a few years ago when the NSA wanted to hire a crypto-analyst or something, and so they sent out a tweet that was actually a cipher and it said something about applying for the job if you figured it out, and it worked. That's how they hired someone. Sounds pretty cool. Side note, at the NSA campus in Maryland, they have a very cool crypto museum (National Cryptologic Museum) all about ciphers and all of the ways codes have been used in the history of the US.
Your comment reminded me of the imitation game. The story of how mi6 hired mathematicians to break the Nazi's code. And they put a crossword in the paper to recruit people and built a computer to solve it.
@@lovesmusic916 That's awesome. The codebreaking machines that the british and americans were using during WWII are in that cryptologic museum. They have enigma machines that the nazi's used until the british learned how to break their codes. It's a very cool place.
Lol was also the premise for the start of Stargate:Universe
Google when they were good did something similar
I'm so glad I found your channel in 2020!! I got my first jigsaw puzzle last week because you inspired me! thank you Karen for your genuinely wonderful energy!
That's amazing! Have fun with it!
@@KarenPuzzles I've tried mentioning this in other comments, but I haven't done a puzzle in over 10 years but seeing your video on the 3D Color Sphere made me want it so much I actually bought it and have it sitting on my shelf just like you!! Now I'm on my third puzzle since. 😁❤️
your channel and antscanada are truly getting me through quarantine. i love seeing people who are passionate about what they do, even if it’s not *my* thing.
I absolutely love this kind of content. Completely engrossed; didn't even notice it was 40 minutes long.
Also, cipher
This is such a cool video! And I really respect the fact that you spent so much time looking up all this, trying to understand everything about the "cipher" yourself, and then finding a way to explain this as clearly as possible to all of your viewers. And you did a very good job at that! So thank you, I enjoyed this video enormously!
I agree !!!!!
please make more videos about puzzles with similar stories, this one is amazing
I have two more vintage puzzles on deck with stories just like this one!
@@KarenPuzzles can't wait to see them 😄
@@KarenPuzzles that’s awesome! I think you did a great job walking through the details of the cipher and the logics, was really enjoyable!
Karen, this was absolutely excellent. You explained and gave your thoughts so clearly even though the mechanics are beyond most of us. Well done. I hope you are able to keep going with this channel, your ideas go from strength to strength.
Cypher.
Very interesting Karen, I didn't even realize that I have been sitting and watching this video for over 40 minutes now.
I didn't even realize the video was 40 minutes until I saw this comment 😅
I just recently discovered her channel, and never would have thought it could be so entertaining to watch someone put jigsaw puzzles together and talk about them!
Cipher
I didn't realize it was that long until just reading your comment and then checking lol.
"What a great piece of puzzle history," is just such a Karen phrase.
LOL I thought the same thing!!! 😂
Thought that was an insult when I first read it lol
@@lawlietlovebot I'm going to assume it still is an insult
I thought "a Karen phrase" was a pun 😂😂😂😂😂😂
I love when she runs her hand over finished puzzle piece.. ❤️
This video content was so engaging that I didn't even realize the video was 42 minutes until I was almost done
"Oh have i ever!" (as she pulls out the Eternity puzzle) ... 😆😆😆 I laughed soooo hard!
Sneaky moment!!!! lol
That was probably something all of the puzzlers thought they were going to figure out in a few hours and then you had to be not only good but a genius on the cipher thing. Thank you for such a detailed video. Hope you find information on the last 2 😊
Cipher! I still have that Eternity puzzle collecting dust on top of a cupboard. I bought it back in the 90s and never figured it out. I am so much looking forward to seeing you tackle it, Karen.
You did the puzzle but never tried to decipher it, or do you mean you never even tried to do the puzzle? lol
Omg, I've had the smaller version of this puzzle worked for as long as I can remember( still in my closet with the red bag) and never knew what became of it; this is the most personally interesting video you could have made. Thank you!!!
Me looking at the maths equations : RUNNNN
no stay! She makes it soo accessible to people with no knowledge about cryptography and the like!
Dont worry Im a certified Mathematical genius in arithmatic Ill help with the equations
I had to pause it to look them over. The s-hat one is a formula for a test statistic of some sort.
I could listen to Karen talking about puzzle history for hours 😆
This was suuuuuch a good video Karen. I loved every second of it. You explaining what it was, then doing it, explaining how to figure it out, who won ect. Loved it all.
This could absolutely be a Gravity falls episode with Mabel helping Dipper solve the puzzle and Dipper helping her solve the cipher!
this was the first thing that this reminded me of! I still think about that Cipher hunt that Alex Hirsch put together for the fans at the end of the show, it was so epic following it online. I really want to go visit the Bill statue but I live halfway across the world.
CIPHER! Me not even realizing I've been watching this video for over 40 minutes and enjoyed every minute of it. Awesome video and breakdown!
The longer I watch the more I'm like "How could someone have EVER solved this in a year? And without a computer?!" This is insane XD
~CIPHER~
thank you for another entertaining video. There definitely is no such thing as simply puzzling the pieces together when you point out how the cypher to it unlocks a whole story worth telling.
As a former library clerk I highly suggest researching local newspapers and articles around the company's home town. I also suggest emailing the company itself which probably would be more helpful for your research. I checked their website and its not working at all so maybe there's
an email or phone number you can call to ask around.
this was SO interesting!!! i loved this a lot, you are a great storyteller and puzzle history fascinates me! would love to see a video about the other two puzzles if you end up finding the solutions!
I have to say it was good to see something new. It must be hard to always put things up on TH-cam but since I love watching your vids I am just to anxious. Thanks for this. Kathleen
Cipher .... that was SO fun to watch!! Thank you Karen!!! 🧩
I'm an ongoing fan of your channel, but this video in particular is AMAZING! The mystery! The custom cipher graphics! The research! You've crossed over from putting puzzles together with some interesting facts along the way to producing full-on, full-length puzzle history shows (and I love it).
I love this kind of storytelling: puzzles about puzzles about ciphers. Thank you! I can't wait for to watch any updates on the second and third version, plus the Eternity puzzle. This is excellent fun.
I was intrigued to read that a teen age girl was one of the winners. I'm deeply impressed and would love to know more about her too.
Thanks, Karen. What a perfect video.
This was one of the most interesting videos ever. You did such a good job of researching and explaining the solution. Loved it.
Wow. You certainly put in a lot of research in creating this video about the ultimate cipher. Kudos to you.
I love the amount of effort you put into these videos. It’s easy to deCIPHER how much you love puzzles! Thank you for sharing your passion with us and for such an informative video!
i love how you took the time to do all the research and explain it to everyone!
I've never felt like more of a nerd but this is the most fascinating thing I have ever watched.
What an incredibly complicated marketing scheme. I do love the use of cyphers, though. Makes you feel like a detective.
Here Iam nodding like I understand half of what Karen is saying about solving the decipher.
This video is an absolute gem of Puzzle history. The amount of work you went through to make this into a great documentary, is just mind-blowing. Thank you for this awesome content.
Dear Karen: when you realse your own cipher puzzle, pleeease make sure it ships internationaly, because I would like to try and solve it
What a great cipher story! I hope you find those other puzzle solutions. I'm looking forward to those videos, too!
Omg, never knew Jigsaw puzzle could have such a great history behind it! I loved the way your video was structured as well, keeping me intrigued until the very end! Btw, because of you I convinced my boyfriend to gift me my first puzzle in almost 15 years for Valentine's day)))
Wow that was so much fun listening to you telling the story of this puzzle. Thank you and your sister for all the research and time you both spend for this.
This was an amazing video, Karen. So well planned out, produced,... and fun! Full of cliffhangers also! You outdid yourself in this one.
Can we just appreciate how Karen gave us regular brain breaks??
I was watching it back and getting overwhelmed, so I could only imagine how it would be if you were hearing it all for the first time!
Broke my brain...
Yes, it's so sweet! :D
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 you kept us listening for 45 minutes!! That must have been so hard to keep interesting and easy to understand! Amazing job Karen. I have the feeling that you will go viral for this video hahahah you deserve it 👏🏼
I love the idea of a "Puzzle Pouch". Though I feel like it should be a nice leather material rather than velvet because cardboard doesn't friction well with cloth. But how cool would it be to just like store puzzles in their own stylized pouches.
Thank your for adding the breaks to take a breather.
Wow! I'm always amazed at the research you put into your videos. This was excellently done
What an amazing Cipher and puzzle journey, I can't WAIT for the other puzzles teased in this video!!!!
Cipher, this was an amazing video I don't know why but working on puzzles always calmed me down no matter what, love your videos!
This was my favorite video of yours ever! As a math and puzzle enthusiast, this was so exiting!!
this was such an interesting video, didn't notice it was 40 minutes long while i was doing the 1000 gradient puzzle from cloudberries, your recomendation!! really cool video!
I definitely would not have thought I would enjoy a video about the history of an obscure cipher puzzle. Yet, here I am.
I also love the fact that you are into both the hardware/physical and software/untouchable data puzzles
Cipher puzzle was very interesting history given lots of work went into getting this video done I loved every minute of it thank you
I don't think that I need to go to school tommorrow. My head hurts
I love these jigsaw videos. I'm enjoying doing jigsaws since we are in lockdown in Scotland good for the brain and sanity levels ❤️.
People are so creative! Who knew there were even cypher puzzles out there? Karen Puzzles did! 😄
I only discovered your channel a few weeks ago and I’m obsessed, I can’t stop watching your videos from the newest ones to ones that were posted like 1 to 2 years ago 💜
This was great. The explanation of the Cipher was easy to follow and understand. What an interesting story to learn.
Wow, I was so entertained and intrigued by the whole story and you made it so much more understandable that I can't imagine how much work all the research and editing was. A really great video!
Regarding the later cipher puzzles and the lack of information, I am thinking that the key (ha ha) is to (1) contact the companies that made or marketed the puzzles (2) contact Holland or his heirs. (I'm assuming that if Holland were still alive you would have thought of reaching out to him.) (3) contact the insurance company that insured the first puzzle, since they may have ensured the next ones. (4) Contact one of the MIT students. They probably remember what happened with the next ones. (5) contact the other people named as winners of the first puzzle.
I'm a journalist and a good finder (yes, I'm a Hufflepuff). Contact me privately if you want some help!
Awesome explanation of the CIPHER and all the historic details. Thanks for putting so much effort into your videos.
I love how much effort you put in your videos! Not only do you spend tens of hours solving jigsaw puzzles and then probably another tens of hours ediring all the footage. You also do a crapton of research to make sure the video is as interesting as possible and has as much info as possible! This is amazing! Huge thumbs up!
Now about the puzzle itself... am I the only one who's really disappointed with the solution? Even now that I now where the key was, looking back at those clues I can't imagine how would anyone ever be able to figure out what book the key is in. There are so many authors with initials CS! The clues were really bad in my opinion and that's the reason the puzzle was unsolved for so long. There was just no way someone was randomly going to find the correct book. I really wish the answer would be in the instruction manual as you suggested, that would be so cool and clever and satisfying!
This was such a fascinating video to watch. I found your channel because John Green mentioned it in a vlogbrothers video and I'm so glad he did. Puzzle fun plus really captivating story-telling!
Just wanted to say thank you for reigniting my love of puzzles. I just got off of a puzzle party zoom and it was so fun to gather with people all around the country and do a puzzle together. It's all due to you (and a Costco sale on Dowdle puzzles...) Cypher
Fun video! I very much remember buying and putting together this puzzle back in the day-the one-sided version of the puzzle, not the double-sided version. I never solved the CIPHER of course but thank you, Karen, for revealing the mystery of how it *was* solved. 👍
Wow I can't wait for the $1 Million prize puzzle video! I really hope you can find out more information about Decipher II and III, so fascinating! I gotta say I was not expecting this video to be more than 10 minutes but it was so interesting hearing the history about the puzzle I didn't realize I was already over half hour in! Lol
Thank you Karen for all your hard work and (I'm sure) hours of research in making this video ♥️
Random fun fact: I was born in March 1983 (Pi-day to be exact 😉) and had no idea this puzzle existed till now!
Why did this make me cry. I love learning the history of products and the people’s lives involved in it.
You did an incredible research work here, making a very entertaining and special video. Thank you Karen! Can't wait to know about the updates on part II and III.
“But, they’re not.” Lol! I just recently found your channel and I love it!
Karen!!! SOO many cliffhangers!!! I literally cannot wait for your new content!
This was SUCH a fun video to watch. Thank you for all the time you put into filming and editing this Karen!
Very interesting and engaging puzzle history video. I didn't even know about this puzzle. I have to watch the video again to understand the Cipher.
Thank you for this information! It has sparked my interest about ciphers and puzzles. I am new to puzzling, and you make me happy and excited to do puzzles! Well, I need to go now. Keep puzzling!
I’ve only recently discovered your channel and I love it! This episode was so amazing. Thank you for telling this story in such an interesting manner. Like other commenters I too didn’t realize it was 40 minutes long. I was so absorbed in the story. I hope you learn about puzzles II And III so I can hear you tell those stories too. I also look forward to watching you put together and talk about other puzzles. I’m waiting for episode 2 of the 24,000 piece puzzle! Keep up the good work! Cipher.
This was so totally amazing thank you for all the in-depth history love your channel cipher
I love this video Karen is I'm definitely going to try to look up some info on the other two "cypher" puzzles because of how interesting those will be.
This was so much fun to watch! And thanks for the periodic breaks to breath in between explaining all that.
Very interesting story! I've heard about the Beale cipher before, but I didn't know about this one at all.
What a great video, Karen! I loved the way you talked us through the cipher, you explained it so well and the visuals were so helpful. Can't wait to see your future videos about these wild 80s puzzles :)
Wow! What a story. Thanks so much for walking us through the cypher. 💜
Thanks for the breather ❤️ that cipher was so crazy!!
This was a great video Karen! You are such a good story teller and provide clear information in a logical sequence. It kept me on my toes the whole time! And I understood all the complex information! I can't wait for puzzle 2 and 3!
Fascinating story, and one I hadn't heard, despite being around that the time. Maybe news of it didn't hit my neck of the woods? And what an impish tease for the Eternity puzzle at the end, there. Naughty! Now, to try and work out a way to fit the word cipher into a sentence. Oops, done it ;-)
Cipher. I am so glad that I found your channel... i just love your positivity and, of course, i love puzzles. Lovely greetings from germany 🥰
I absolutely adore this type of stuff. It's so fascinating and you are amazing Karen. Cypher's are great!
They way you described how the puzzle would be solved reminded me of when LOST was on tv. Blogs, radio shows, podcast, reddit thread where so many people with screen grabs, theories, clues, etc.