Lately, I've been without a project to keep me busy at nights (hence all my blog posts). I'm learning python, but since my main gig is C/C++, I like to keep those skills sharp with little puzzles. While looking for interesting coding puzzles, I stumbled across a page at ITA Software that asks you to find the longest chain of movies you can. For example, "Sling Blade Runner" are two titles strung together. Seemed simple enough at first blush, but once you study the problem some, you realize it's much harder than originally thought.
So, I sat down and started hacking. Since the puzzle is a recruiting tool, I won't spoil it by giving my code, but I came up with a solution that seems to be the best one published on the web at this time.
My code averages around 270 per run, and runs take about 5 minutes. My solution is heuristic, and is guaranteed to find the longest answer, but you might have to wait till the sun swallows your computer before it finds it.
Just to throw down the gauntlet, I submit my longest movie string found (during a standard 5 minute run) -- 304 movies.
Editted to add:
It's surprising how often this movie ends up in a list. (Props to Kevin James Barker!)
Re-editted to add:
Well, It looks like I'm not King of the Hill any longer (see the comments). I guess I should get back to work on this puzzle.
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312
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY..ONLY THE STRONG..ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE A CELEBRATION OF SOUL..SOUL FOOD..FOOD OF LOVE..LOVE WALKED IN..IN GODS HANDS..HANDS ON A HARD BODY..BODY DOUBLE..DOUBLE TEAM..TEAM AMERICA WORLD POLICE..POLICE ACADEMY..POLICE ACADEMY 3 BACK IN TRAINING..TRAINING DAY..DAY FOR NIGHT..NIGHT AND THE CITY..THE CITY..CITY OF JOY..JOY RIDE..RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY..COUNTRY LIFE..LIFE OR SOMETHING LIKE IT..IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT..ONE NIGHT STAND..STAND IN..IN OLD CALIFORNIA..CALIFORNIA SPLIT..SPLIT SECOND..SECOND BEST..BEST MEN..MEN WITH GUNS..GUNS OF THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN..THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN..THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN RIDE..RIDE WITH THE DEVIL..THE DEVIL RIDES OUT..OUT COLD..COLD FEVER..FEVER PITCH..PITCH BLACK..BLACK AND WHITE..WHITE WATER SUMMER..SUMMER LOVERS..LOVERS AND OTHER STRANGERS..STRANGERS WHEN WE MEET..MEET JOE BLACK..BLACK LIKE ME..ME MYSELF I..I WANT TO LIVE..LIVE AND LET DIE..DIE MOMMIE DIE..DIE MONSTER DIE..DIE HARD..HARD TIMES..TIMES SQUARE..SQUARE DANCE..DANCE WITH A STRANGER..STRANGER IN THE HOUSE..HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN..FRANKENSTEIN AND THE MONSTER FROM HELL..FROM HELL..HELL UP IN HARLEM..HARLEM RIVER DRIVE..DRIVE ME CRAZY..CRAZY AS HELL..HELL NIGHT..NIGHT MOTHER..MOTHER NIGHT..NIGHT AND DAY..DAY OF THE DEAD..DEAD OF NIGHT..NIGHT FALLS ON MANHATTAN..MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY..MYSTERY ALASKA..ALASKA SPIRIT OF THE WILD..THE WILD..THE WILD ONE..ONE NIGHT WITH THE KING..THE KING AND I..I NEVER PROMISED YOU A ROSE GARDEN..GARDEN STATE..STATE OF GRACE..GRACE OF MY HEART..HEART CONDITION..CONDITION RED..RED EYE..EYE FOR AN EYE..AN EYE FOR AN EYE..EYE OF GOD..GOD TOLD ME TO..TO DIE FOR..FOR THE BOYS..THE BOYS..THE BOYS IN THE BAND..BAND OF THE HAND..THE HAND..THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE..CRADLE WILL ROCK..ROCK N ROLL HIGH SCHOOL..SCHOOL OF ROCK..ROCK STAR..STAR TREK THE MOTION PICTURE..PICTURE BRIDE..BRIDE OF THE MONSTER..MONSTER IN A BOX..BOX OF MOON LIGHT..MOONLIGHT MURDER..MURDER AND MURDER..MURDER IN THE FIRST..THE FIRST DEADLY SIN..SIN CITY..CITY BY THE SEA..SEA OF LOVE..LOVE AND DEATH..DEATH WISH..WISH UPON A STAR..A STAR IS BORN..BORN AMERICAN..AMERICAN HISTORY X..X THE MAN WITH THE X RAY EYES..EYES OF AN ANGEL..ANGEL BABY..BABY SECRET OF THE LOST LEGEND..LEGEND OF THE LOST..THE LOST BOYS..BOYS AND GIRLS..GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN..FUN AND FANCY FREE..FREE WILLY..FREE WILLY 2 THE ADVENTURE HOME..HOME ROOM..ROOM AT THE TOP..TOP GUN..GUN CRAZY..CRAZY PEOPLE..PEOPLE WILL TALK..TALK OF ANGELS..ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES..FACES OF DEATH..DEATH SHIP..SHIP OF FOOLS..FOOLS RUSH IN..IN COLD BLOOD..BLOOD DIAMOND..DIAMOND MEN..MEN CRY BULLETS..BULLETS OVER BROADWAY..BROADWAY DANNY ROSE..ROSE RED..RED RIVER..RIVER OF NO RETURN..RETURN TO ME..ME WITHOUT YOU..YOU CANT TAKE IT WITH YOU..YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE..ONCE AROUND..AROUND THE BEND..BEND OF THE RIVER..THE RIVER..THE RIVER WILD..WILD THINGS..THINGS TO COME..COME AND GET IT..IT TAKES TWO..TWO MEN WENT TO WAR..WAR OF THE WORLDS..THE WORLDS FASTEST INDIAN..INDIAN SUMMER..SUMMER OF 42..42 UP..UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL..PERSONAL BEST..BEST OF THE BEST..THE BEST OF EVERYTHING..EVERYTHING RELATIVE..RELATIVE FEAR..FEAR STRIKES OUT..OUT OF THE PAST..PAST MIDNIGHT..MIDNIGHT RUN..RUN SILENT RUN DEEP..DEEP BLUE..BLUE CAR..CAR 54 WHERE ARE YOU..YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE..MY LIFE..LIFE AS A HOUSE..HOUSE PARTY 2..2 DAYS IN THE VALLEY..VALLEY GIRL..GIRL IN THE CADILLAC..CADILLAC MAN..MAN ON FIRE..FIRE IN THE SKY..SKY HIGH..HIGH SCHOOL HIGH..HIGH CRIMES..CRIMES OF PASSION..PASSION IN THE DESERT..DESERT HEARTS..HEARTS OF DARKNESS A FILMMAKERS APOCALYPSE..APOCALYPSE NOW..NOW YOU SEE HIM NOW YOU DONT..DONT BOTHER TO KNOCK..KNOCK OFF..OFF THE BLACK..BLACK HAWK DOWN..DOWN WITH LOVE..LOVE LIFE..LIFE WITH FATHER..FATHER OF THE BRIDE..BRIDE OF THE WIND..THE WIND AND THE LION..THE LION KING..KING OF THE JUNGLE..JUNGLE 2 JUNGLE..JUNGLE BOOK..BOOK OF LIFE..LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL..BEAUTIFUL GIRLS..GIRLS WILL BE GIRLS..GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS..GIRLS OF SUMMER..SUMMER CATCH..CATCH A FIRE..FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN..THE MOUNTAIN MEN..MEN DONT LEAVE..LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN..HEAVEN CAN WAIT..WAIT UNTIL DARK..DARK STAR..STAR WARS EPISODE V THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK..BACK TO THE BEACH..THE BEACH..BEACH PARTY..PARTY MONSTER..MONSTER HOUSE..HOUSE OF DRACULA..DRACULA DEAD AND LOVING IT..IT HAPPENED AT THE WORLDS FAIR..FAIR GAME..GAME OF DEATH..DEATH WISH V THE FACE OF DEATH..DEATH BECOMES HER..HER MAJESTY MRS BROWN..BROWN SUGAR..SUGAR AND SPICE..SPICE WORLD..WORLD TRADE CENTER..CENTER STAGE..STAGE FRIGHT..FRIGHT NIGHT..NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD..DEAD END..END OF DAYS..DAYS OF HEAVEN..HEAVEN AND EARTH..EARTH GIRLS ARE EASY..EASY MONEY..MONEY FOR NOTHING..NOTHING BUT TROUBLE..TROUBLE EVERY DAY..EVERYDAY PEOPLE..PEOPLE I KNOW..I KNOW WHERE IM GOING..IM GOING HOME..HOME ALONE..ALONE IN THE DARK..THE DARK HALF..HALF LIGHT..LIGHT OF DAY..DAY OF THE WOMAN..THE WOMAN IN RED..RED DAWN..DAWN OF THE DEAD..DEAD HEAT..HEAT AND DUST..DUST TO GLORY..GLORY ROAD..ROAD GAMES..GAMES PEOPLE PLAY NEW YORK..NEW YORK NEW YORK..NEW YORK COP..COP LAND..LAND OF THE DEAD..DEAD BANG..BANG BANG YOURE DEAD..DEAD MAN..DEAD MAN WALKING..WALKING AND TALKING..TALKING ABOUT SEX..SEX AND THE OTHER MAN..MAN OF THE HOUSE..THE HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS..SPIRITS OF THE DEAD..THE DEAD..DEAD MAN ON CAMPUS..CAMPUS MAN..MAN TROUBLE..TROUBLE IN PARADISE..PARADISE ROAD..ROAD HOUSE..HOUSE PARTY..HOUSE PARTY 3..3 NINJAS..3 NINJAS KICK BACK..BACK STAGE..STAGE BEAUTY..BEAUTY AND THE BEAST..THE BEAST..THE BEAST FROM 20000 FATHOMS
(Edited by Jeremy to reflect correct movie string length 312 that Benjamin found.)
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[...] I posted my “Sling Blade Runner” answer, I’ve been in discussion with Benjamin Meyer about the puzzle, my solution, and other general [...]
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