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The joyful, perplexing world of puzzle hunts

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Alex Rosenthal |

TED Salon: Radical Craft

• November 2018

Welcome to the strange, deviously difficult and incredibly joyful world of puzzle hunts. Follow along as Alex Rosenthal lifts the veil on one of the world's most complex puzzle hunts, the MIT Mystery Hunt -- and reveals how puzzles can be found in the most unexpected places. (Hint: see if you can spot the puzzle hidden in this TED Talk.)

Welcome to the strange, deviously difficult and incredibly joyful world of puzzle hunts. Follow along as Alex Rosenthal lifts the veil on one of the world's most complex puzzle hunts, the MIT Mystery Hunt -- and reveals how puzzles can be found in the most unexpected places. (Hint: see if you can spot the puzzle hidden in this TED Talk.)

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

About the speaker

Alex Rosenthal

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Alex Rosenthal takes everyday experiences and turns them into mind-bending puzzles.

Alex Rosenthal | YouTube | Watch

"The Aha Moment"

This is a YouTube channel I created for the purpose of introducing new solvers not just to puzzles, but the process of solving them. I film myself solving a puzzle and document all of the dead ends, as well as the insights that eventually get me to the answer. The channel's been on hiatus while I've been working on the 2019 MIT Mystery Hunt, but I plan to revive it in the coming year.

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"MIT Mystery Hunt"

This is where you can find all information on the MIT Mystery Hunt, including puzzles from past years.

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If you've never solved a puzzle hunt style puzzle before, Puzzled Pint is the perfect place to start. If you happen to live in one of the cities they list on their website (and are of legal drinking age in your country), they host a short (about five-puzzle) hunt in a bar that's ideal for first-time solvers (and fun for veterans, too). And even if you're not in one of those cities or are too young to attend, there are tons of great puzzles on the "puzzles" page of their website that you can print and solve at home.

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"The Room Escape Artist Blog"

Another low barrier of entry way of getting into the world of puzzles is through Escape Rooms, which you can find just about anywhere. The Room Escape Artist Blog is by far my favorite resource for surfacing the best rooms. They also frequently cover other puzzle-related topics.

Dan Egnor | Explore

"Puzzle Hunt Calendar"

The best way (that I know of) to stay on top of upcoming puzzle hunts (both online and location specific).

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.