Here is the link to my blog on the D & C site:
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=Pluck...
Picture the Impossible is a community-based game developed jointly by the Lab for Social Computing at the Rochester Institute of Technology, and the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. It is intended to engage members of the community in exploration of the City of Rochester, and to encourage both creativity and charitable giving in the community. The game includes a range of activities, including casual web-based games, games that bring players out to events and locations throughout the community, and games that involve the tangible aspects of the Democrat & Chronicle newspaper itself. The game begins on September 12th and ends on October 31st of 2009. More...
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Excellent write-up! It captured the essence of what I went through too. I still don't know what a Photosynth is though.
I joined in Week 4, did four weeks of web games in one week and suffered such sleep deprivation that I burst into tears, something I don't normally do. I thought of quitting then, but saw the group's letter to you. It was helpful to know that I wasn't the only one feeling frustrated. I figured if frustration was the norm, then I'd better use it to figure out a way to get to the goal.
Staying up until well after midnight 5 days a week for the remaining weeks to get a start on the next day's puzzles & decoding texts, and then getting four hours of sleep before arising for work kept the sleep deprivation coming. Interestingly, it contributed to a constant sense of immediacy.
On that last day, though, that sense of immediacy turned to nauseating dread as I struggled with the gear puzzle software. For me, it would have been hours faster to have used paper and pencil to solve it as a math problem.
The sense of immediacy was a great motivator. However, I heartily second the several suggestions to give access to the next day's puzzles at 8 p.m. and not midnight.