"Missing" Autopuzzle threads

[Tom_I]

Apologies if this has already been discussed, but I'm becoming convinced that some threads have disappeared from the site.

For some time now there have been a few puzzles which others have suspected to be reposts, but where the original couldn't be found.

I hadn't really thought too much about it, but yesterday a puzzle appeared which I was absolutely convinced was a repost, principally because I remember solving it as a rookie, but it's not there now. I have tried the search function, I've looked through the Solved Autopuzzles section for the appropriate period, and I've trawled through my own posts, and it's gone.

This led me to delve a bit more into my own earlier posts, and up to the time when I posted my first puzzle, at which time I must have had at least 20 Autopuzzle points, I can only account for 14 up to that point. So six puzzles I answered seem to have gone walkabout.

Now, for a site this size, the loss of a few threads is hardly significant, but I wanted to see if this rang bells with anyone else, mainly to convince myself that I am not imagining it. It seems to me that the missing threads (at least in my own case) would have been posted around the end of April and beginning of May this year.

Is anything known about this? Having been (in another life) a moderator and admin deputy on another car forum, I know that these things happen, for reasons which can sometimes be explained, and sometimes not.

I just wondered if anyone else had noticed anything similar.



Admins, please remove this is it has already been discussed elsewhere. Thanks.

[Otto Puzzell]

Which solved puzzles, specifically?

[Paul Jaray]

I had the same feeling..
I know we already had this one:
http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=13920.0
..it was one of yours, Otto, or one of Allemano's.
Carnut made a search, then gave me the answer and I searched it too...I remember the pic from the puzzle (same car, during a race) but can't find it. 

[Otto Puzzell]

Must have been Allemano's. It doesn't look familiar to me.

[barrett]

Well personally, when my account was accidentally deleted earlier in the year, all my puzzles went with it. I believe i'd had about 13 at that point, so maybe some of those were your points.
As for not finding them by searching, the search function has become rather erratic. Sometimes it displays zero, or maybe 3 results, other times it throws up 43 pages of non-results...

[woodinsight]

I have the same problem with the search engine - sometimes no results (perfect), sometimes one page (great), sometimes 15/16 pages (not really what one requires) or over 40 pages where it is impossible to find anything. if you scroll to the last page you can sometimes find what you are looking for but what is shown between page 1/2 and 40/50? Personally I don't have time to search for results in this way but I hope that a solution can be found to pinpoint what has appeared on the site in the past.
NOT criticism but I'm merely pointing out the present shortcomings.

[Tom_I]

Which solved puzzles, specifically?

I didn't want to identify it, as it's an ongoing puzzle, but this is the car I identified. It may well be one of Barrett's which was accidentally deleted.

Sorry, but I can't bring to mind what any of the other ones were at the moment.

I would add that this is not a fault of the search function. As mentioned above, I tried two other ways of finding this thread, but failed.

Could Barrett maybe PM me what his deleted puzzles were? That might jog my memory.

[Tom_I]

Update: Barrett has been kind enough to PM me with information about his early puzzles, and I think this is the answer.

The puzzle I mentioned above was definitely one of his, and I think the other missing ones probably were as well. I seem to remember Barrett's puzzles fitting in well with my main areas of interest.

Sorry to have taken up people's time with this.

Admins, please remove this thread if you think fit.

Many thanks

Tom

[Ultra]

Mysteries are what this site are all about. Don't apologize for bringing this one to our attention.

Thanks, Tom.

[fyreline]

Whatever happened to the Sunbeam Venezia puzzle?  It was there for a day or two, now it seems to be gone.

[Allemano]

Must have been Allemano's. It doesn't look familiar to me.

Definetely not my puzzle!

[Otto Puzzell]

Whatever happened to the Sunbeam Venezia puzzle?  It was there for a day or two, now it seems to be gone.

It was a re-post. The poster of the original puzzle (who had not changed the header of his puzzle when it was solved some months ago) PM'd on Sunday. I replaced it.

[Allan L]

Whatever happened to the Sunbeam Venezia puzzle?  It was there for a day or two, now it seems to be gone.

It was a re-post. The poster of the original puzzle (who had not changed the header of his puzzle when it was solved some months ago) PM'd on Sunday. I replaced it.

T'was I. Sorry about that, but three years ago we were not as diligent in revising the headers as we should have been.

[Otto Puzzell]

No need to fall on your sword, Allan. 

[Carnut]

Which solved puzzles, specifically?

I didn't want to identify it, as it's an ongoing puzzle, but this is the car I identified. It may well be one of Barrett's which was accidentally deleted.

Sorry, but I can't bring to mind what any of the other ones were at the moment.

I would add that this is not a fault of the search function. As mentioned above, I tried two other ways of finding this thread, but failed.



Could Barrett maybe PM me what his deleted puzzles were? That might jog my memory.

Atually that was my puzzle Tom: it got solved and can be found here:

www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=13918.0


Since the changes we have a new button that allows you to remove the entire thread, which I have done two or three of times (not really more) when I've done a re-post and for one reason or another I can't change the picture (I work from 4 or 5 different computers..).  On a couple of them there have been comments/incorrect guesses from others but I still thought it best to remove the whole thing and save someone the work of having to merge..

[Tom_I]

Sorry, I must have missed this post. Thanks for that, Carnut, but the missing puzzle was of the coupé version of the Neckar Jagst 770, and it was one of Barrett's early ones. Others from the same time that disappeared include a Heuliez-bodied Simca, an early 50s MG by Ghia-Aigle and a Ford Anglia by Frua (though I'm not sure if I solved that last one or not).

Anyway, it's not of any great importance - I just feel happier knowing that there's a rational explanation for it all!

[faksta]

I can't find my F#147 which I have posted yesterday. The others are at their place, but F#147 doesn't appear after search as well 

[Otto Puzzell]

I can't find my F#147 which I have posted yesterday. The others are at their place, but F#147 doesn't appear after search as well 

It was a re-post, and was merged:

http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=5605.msg37157#msg37157

[faksta]

Got it I've been searching by the word 'Bagnall' (both before making a puzzle and after loosing it  ), but it didn't appear - I guess that's because the search engine has identified 'Bagnall-Jaguar' in the previous thread's name as a single word and has not parted it.

[Carnut]

Got it I've been searching by the word 'Bagnall' (both before making a puzzle and after loosing it  ), but it didn't appear - I guess that's because the search engine has identified 'Bagnall-Jaguar' in the previous thread's name as a single word and has not parted it.

If you can't find your post you can always trace it by looking at your own profile then clicking on 'show recent posts'.  Click on the post for your puzzle and it will take you straight to where it is now.

[faksta]

I should have thought about it... Thanks! 

[Carnut]

I should have thought about it... Thanks!  

Thinking about it further there is actually a "Show Own Posts" in the top left hand corner of every page anyway so you don't even need to go into your profile!