August 2017
 

The IBM website spoiled us for a while, but not yet this month...
[URL]https://www.research.ibm.com/haifa/ponderthis/challenges/August2017.html[/URL]
(not yet there, despite 31st of the month, and Shabbat being over)

[QUOTE=Batalov;464550]The IBM website spoiled us for a while, but not yet this month...
[URL]https://www.research.ibm.com/haifa/ponderthis/challenges/August2017.html[/URL]
(not yet there, despite 31st of the month, and Shabbat being over)[/QUOTE]

30th here and last month's puzzle had almost 40% of the solutions submitted before the month the puzzle was for had started.

[URL="http://research.ibm.com/labs/haifa/index.shtml"]IBM Research - Haifa[/URL] is the largest lab of IBM Research Division outside of the United States. Founded as a small scientific center in 1972, it grew into a major lab that leads the development of innovative technological products and cognitive solutions for the IBM corporation.

Challenge: 31/07/2016 @ 12:00 PM EST is the time of the start of last years August puzzle. Based on that, it will take until tomorrow at 1 PM Atlantic time until it starts.

Last year's date has no connection to this year (the calendar shifts).

Curiously, the pattern is that the puzzlemaster never posted on a Saturday or a Friday over the last few years. All other days are more or less equally likely; small preference for Sundays (because for him it is a Monday). >10% of the puzzles were submitted on or after the 1st of the month, too.

Am I detecting withdrawal symptoms?

Only boredom. ;-)

Sure it is. I believe you.

[size=1]That's what they all say. I could give it up any time I like, I just choose not to give it up yet. :razz:[/size]

The puzzle is online!

[QUOTE=R. Gerbicz;464606]The puzzle is online![/QUOTE]
So it is! I went to the [url=http://www.research.ibm.com/haifa/ponderthis/challenges/August2017.html]August 2017 - Challenge[/url] and read it. But when I tried the link to "Last month's solution," I got sent to the [url=http://www.research.ibm.com/haifa/ponderthis/solutions/June2017.html]June solution[/url] instead. I tried changing the URL from June2017 to July2017, but got a "page not found" error.

Hmm. On the July 2017 Challenge it says

Solution: 02/08/2017 @ 12:00 PM EST

There is an update (posted today):
"Update (2/8): The idea was not to place balls on the rails, and even then you can place more than 8; allowing placing the balls on the rails let you place many more. A bonus '*' will be awarded for the best solutions for each case."