It seems that no one can get over their own solves

[goldwatch]

It's a shame, and hard on people, but without a resolution to the correct solve people just can't let go of their own solve. 
They just won't believe anyone else but the Finder. 

[davebakedpotato]

I think it will be hard for the finder to remain anonymous indefinitely. The more you exploit the solution, the more contact you have with people you don't know, some of which might not be as disciplined as Forrest at keeping their mouth's shut. Once the finder is revealed it's a matter of time before the solution is hounded out of them.

This is avoidable if the solution is revealed officialy, but at the moment the solution is financially exploitable, so you'd need a good reason to give it away for free.

Since I was obviously going to find the chest (ho ho), I made a plan - the best compromise I could think of was to stay anonymous long enough to sell the treasure and spend/gift/invest the money, then go public.

[annie]

I can’t get over my own solve i feel that i need to post it! In order to get some sort of closure.

[sangre]

I’m not buying anything from the finder. If he comes out with anything it will get out to the public for free on the internet. There’s no value in the correct solve. There’s only the value we place in our own thoughts and imaginations.

[edgewalker]

I don't know about that. I don't think I have any trouble getting over my opinion that Forrest was involved in some subterfuge regarding the apollo program and moon landing. Sure, I may have made several posts about that on several thread in the past week. I may still be looking on google for more evidence to support or refute that theory. I may wake up at night with a new thought.

Never mind, I get your point now.

[thetruthisoutthere]

Jun 21, 2020 0:58:24 GMT -5 goldwatch said:

It's a shame, and hard on people, but without a resolution to the correct solve people just can't let go of their own solve. 
They just won't believe anyone else but the Finder. 

Since we don't have a way to analyze or judge our solves yet, it's hard to let them go. Maybe we can come up with other ways to rate ourselves. I think my solve would be rated highly on sticking with just the poem and imagination, while others see it as word stew with too many ingredients. Other's solves I would rate highly on the number of ATFs that were used, number of words in the poem used in a puzzle, creative use of scripture, number of historical references, number of anagrams or Spoonerisms found, etc. I've looked at solves since the find with my usual critical eye and haven't commented because I found them unconvincing. I'll try to shift to looking at them for good elements and creative ideas instead of reading just enough to be able to dismiss it based on my biases and beliefs about the poem.

I probably won't though since my solve is 110% correct, making it 10% more correct than all of the others.

[goldwatch]

Jun 21, 2020 9:14:57 GMT -5 edgewalker said:

I don't know about that. I don't think I have any trouble getting over my opinion that Forrest was involved in some subterfuge regarding the apollo program and moon landing. Sure, I may have made several posts about that on several thread in the past week. I may still be looking on google for more evidence to support or refute that theory. I may wake up at night with a new thought.

Never mind, I get your point now.

Well, we all know that Forrest... ummm... procured... the lost Russian crown jewels and smuggled them out of Russia under the guise of trying to set up sales of Russian art here in the US. 
So nothing would surprise me. 

You all really thought that Spanish Emerald Ring was Spanish? Ha-ha-ha-ha! 

[goldwatch]

Jun 21, 2020 16:50:45 GMT -5 thetruthisoutthere said:

Jun 21, 2020 0:58:24 GMT -5 goldwatch said:

It's a shame, and hard on people, but without a resolution to the correct solve people just can't let go of their own solve. 
They just won't believe anyone else but the Finder. 

Since we don't have a way to analyze or judge our solves yet, it's hard to let them go. Maybe we can come up with other ways to rate ourselves. I think my solve would be rated highly on sticking with just the poem and imagination, while others see it as word stew with too many ingredients. Other's solves I would rate highly on the number of ATFs that were used, number of words in the poem used in a puzzle, creative use of scripture, number of historical references, number of anagrams or Spoonerisms found, etc. I've looked at solves since the find with my usual critical eye and haven't commented because I found them unconvincing. I'll try to shift to looking at them for good elements and creative ideas instead of reading just enough to be able to dismiss it based on my biases and beliefs about the poem.

I probably won't though since my solve is 110% correct, making it 10% more correct than all of the others.

I'm going to be posting my solve.
It's, shall I say, got a really cool architecture. 

[annie]

Maybe there should be 4 separate sections for solves that are in either Montana Wyoming Colorado and New Mexico. Each person could look at their search state and drill down into it to share thoughts. When you work on a solve independently it is too easy to let your imagination run away, and looking at some solves = they make NO sense whatsoever.
The right solve = i imagine will be fairly straightforward? No need for history books, knowledge of roman numerals, latin, local information or folklore. As Forrest said all the information you need is in the poem.

[thetruthisoutthere]

Jun 21, 2020 17:22:52 GMT -5 goldwatch said:

I'm going to be posting my solve.
It's, shall I say, got a really cool architecture. 

OK, let me try to unravel your hint. Despite your earlier misdirection we all know it was the Amber Room, not the crown jewels, that Forrest smuggled out of Russia. Fechin and the other Russian painters let slip where it was hidden one drunken night at the Taos Inn. So you're saying that the Amber Room is the blaze, which is cool (to the touch) and architectural? I'll buy it. Did you also figure out that warm waters halt is the Fabrege tea set he smuggled out for Jackie and Ari?

[goldwatch]

Jun 22, 2020 2:59:59 GMT -5 thetruthisoutthere said:

Jun 21, 2020 17:22:52 GMT -5 goldwatch said:

I'm going to be posting my solve.
It's, shall I say, got a really cool architecture. 

OK, let me try to unravel your hint. Despite your earlier misdirection we all know it was the Amber Room, not the crown jewels, that Forrest smuggled out of Russia. Fechin and the other Russian painters let slip where it was hidden one drunken night at the Taos Inn. So you're saying that the Amber Room is the blaze, which is cool (to the touch) and architectural? I'll buy it. Did you also figure out that warm waters halt is the Fabrege tea set he smuggled out for Jackie and Ari?

It all makes you wonder what else this nefarious man is guilty of, eh? 
(I do hope everybody gets that this is joking around. Yikes!) 

[jakebrakes]

Hi All- New Guy here - If you liked your own solve enough to spend time and money and blood, sweat and tears to make trip after trip out to the Old West to search it, then it makes perfect sense to me that you are not going to be able to give it up without some kind of positive identification from FF.

[crm114]

Jun 21, 2020 8:39:05 GMT -5 sangre said:

I’m not buying anything from the finder. If he comes out with anything it will get out to the public for free on the internet. There’s no value in the correct solve. There’s only the value we place in our own thoughts and imaginations.

Forrest sold about 50K copies of TTOTC. What's the market for a solve book? 5k? 10k? I can't imagine a book is worth it for the finder trying to remain anonymous and shielded from lawsuits.