Michael Andersen
@mjandersen.bsky.social
Stares at numbers at Simon and Schuster, runs ARGN.com - more ARGs, escape rooms, immersive theater, and puzzle stuff than you probably want to hear
Pinned
Noticed an uptick in followers over the last few days and based on the bios, I suspect I have the @noproscenium.com Starter Pack to thank. So, it's probably worth doing a brief intro!
Hi. I'm Michael: I run ARGN.com, and am based out of the NYC area.
Hi. I'm Michael: I run ARGN.com, and am based out of the NYC area.
FYI, I was talking about "This Puzzle Was Here the Whole Time" with this post.
And I even got mentioned in the Author's Note, because Matthew Stein is a delightful and gracious human being!
And I even got mentioned in the Author's Note, because Matthew Stein is a delightful and gracious human being!
I feel extremely targeted by that last puzzle, and greatly appreciate it.
January 21, 2026 at 6:04 AM
FYI, I was talking about "This Puzzle Was Here the Whole Time" with this post.
And I even got mentioned in the Author's Note, because Matthew Stein is a delightful and gracious human being!
And I even got mentioned in the Author's Note, because Matthew Stein is a delightful and gracious human being!
I feel extremely targeted by that last puzzle, and greatly appreciate it.
January 16, 2026 at 7:04 PM
I feel extremely targeted by that last puzzle, and greatly appreciate it.
Hunt Kickoff!
MIT Mystery Hunt 2026 Kickoff
YouTube video by MIT Mystery Hunt 2026
youtu.be
January 16, 2026 at 4:56 PM
Hunt Kickoff!
Mystery Hunt starts soon, so expect anything I post for the next three days to be some combination of vague and confusing.
...which actually might not be that much of a change.
...which actually might not be that much of a change.
January 16, 2026 at 1:59 PM
Mystery Hunt starts soon, so expect anything I post for the next three days to be some combination of vague and confusing.
...which actually might not be that much of a change.
...which actually might not be that much of a change.
Two sleeps until Mystery Hunt!
January 15, 2026 at 2:17 AM
Two sleeps until Mystery Hunt!
Somehow missed learning about the Black Letter Game when it initially circulated, but made it through the teaser campaign for its return!
Got sent the trail since one of the puzzles resembles something hanging in my office at work.
Got sent the trail since one of the puzzles resembles something hanging in my office at work.
blackletterlabs.com
January 14, 2026 at 3:55 AM
Somehow missed learning about the Black Letter Game when it initially circulated, but made it through the teaser campaign for its return!
Got sent the trail since one of the puzzles resembles something hanging in my office at work.
Got sent the trail since one of the puzzles resembles something hanging in my office at work.
Fell down the rabbit hole of looking into an extremely prolific "Reddit commenter" who is clearly running a GenAI bot - full on five paragraph essays every minute, across multiple different subs.
The fascinating thing is seeing how bad it is at maintaining coherence across conversations.
The fascinating thing is seeing how bad it is at maintaining coherence across conversations.
January 13, 2026 at 6:39 PM
Fell down the rabbit hole of looking into an extremely prolific "Reddit commenter" who is clearly running a GenAI bot - full on five paragraph essays every minute, across multiple different subs.
The fascinating thing is seeing how bad it is at maintaining coherence across conversations.
The fascinating thing is seeing how bad it is at maintaining coherence across conversations.
Obsessed with this new "what if Wordle was 10x more evil" format that I learned about via @puzzlesnacks.bsky.social.
The Bonus Question in particular is borderline sorcery.
The Bonus Question in particular is borderline sorcery.
Showy Homes by Blookerstein
Short word puzzle with a twist
blookerstein.itch.io
January 12, 2026 at 9:20 PM
Obsessed with this new "what if Wordle was 10x more evil" format that I learned about via @puzzlesnacks.bsky.social.
The Bonus Question in particular is borderline sorcery.
The Bonus Question in particular is borderline sorcery.
Starting up "The Game", for my first time viewing it. Cracked open my bottle of ARG wine, and everything.
Time to see why the community loves it so much.
Time to see why the community loves it so much.
January 11, 2026 at 4:35 PM
Starting up "The Game", for my first time viewing it. Cracked open my bottle of ARG wine, and everything.
Time to see why the community loves it so much.
Time to see why the community loves it so much.
...and now, for some context.
January 11, 2026 at 3:07 PM
...and now, for some context.
Tomorrow.
January 10, 2026 at 9:18 PM
Tomorrow.
How much human does one need to eat for it to count as cannibalism.
Also is it purely a question of quantity, or does intent factor in?
Also is it purely a question of quantity, or does intent factor in?
January 10, 2026 at 7:26 PM
How much human does one need to eat for it to count as cannibalism.
Also is it purely a question of quantity, or does intent factor in?
Also is it purely a question of quantity, or does intent factor in?
The Philly Film Fest's "PFF For You" programming was incredible at getting locals exposed to the local scene, so glad to see NYC taking similar measures to celebrate theater.
NYC: Want a free ticket to an immersive show?
Llontop by Anonymous Ensemble is part of Mayor Mamdami's just announced Under the Radar for All program.
Free tickets are available for shows January 16 to 18 with code UTRFREE. utrfest.org/under-the-radar-f...
Llontop by Anonymous Ensemble is part of Mayor Mamdami's just announced Under the Radar for All program.
Free tickets are available for shows January 16 to 18 with code UTRFREE. utrfest.org/under-the-radar-f...
How to Under the Radar for all – U N D E R T H E R A D A R
utrfest.org
January 10, 2026 at 4:47 PM
The Philly Film Fest's "PFF For You" programming was incredible at getting locals exposed to the local scene, so glad to see NYC taking similar measures to celebrate theater.
Going to an immersive theater thing tomorrow and I know next to nothing about it.
I know some people find excitement in having literally know idea what to expect. More often than not, though, I find "hey here is roughly what you can expect" to be comforting.
I know some people find excitement in having literally know idea what to expect. More often than not, though, I find "hey here is roughly what you can expect" to be comforting.
January 10, 2026 at 2:42 AM
Going to an immersive theater thing tomorrow and I know next to nothing about it.
I know some people find excitement in having literally know idea what to expect. More often than not, though, I find "hey here is roughly what you can expect" to be comforting.
I know some people find excitement in having literally know idea what to expect. More often than not, though, I find "hey here is roughly what you can expect" to be comforting.
Seeing first night of previews for the Chess musical!*
* the other one
* the other one
January 8, 2026 at 11:42 PM
Seeing first night of previews for the Chess musical!*
* the other one
* the other one
Reposted by Michael Andersen
After a hiatus of my white-and-cardinal hat hacking days, I'm excited to say I've accessed the MIT mainframe via AB testing that's HTML5 compatible, and now have access to the MIT Mystery Hunt's theme. See some other's I've hacked into, and the 2026 edition drops this week.
#mysteryhuntpredictions
#mysteryhuntpredictions
January 6, 2026 at 9:53 PM
After a hiatus of my white-and-cardinal hat hacking days, I'm excited to say I've accessed the MIT mainframe via AB testing that's HTML5 compatible, and now have access to the MIT Mystery Hunt's theme. See some other's I've hacked into, and the 2026 edition drops this week.
#mysteryhuntpredictions
#mysteryhuntpredictions
Saw a ConformityGate theory mentioning that what everybody's hoping happens with Stranger Things is basically how Stephen King's The Dark Tower series actually ends, and I love that take so much.
January 7, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Saw a ConformityGate theory mentioning that what everybody's hoping happens with Stranger Things is basically how Stephen King's The Dark Tower series actually ends, and I love that take so much.
"Oh hey, site's getting a lot of traffic again! Was it the new article...?"
Nope, web scrapers trying to avoid detection, again.
Nope, web scrapers trying to avoid detection, again.
January 6, 2026 at 6:19 PM
"Oh hey, site's getting a lot of traffic again! Was it the new article...?"
Nope, web scrapers trying to avoid detection, again.
Nope, web scrapers trying to avoid detection, again.
Coming Soon, to a Bluesky Thread Near You
01/11/2026
01/11/2026
January 6, 2026 at 1:47 AM
Coming Soon, to a Bluesky Thread Near You
01/11/2026
01/11/2026
...oh wow, we've really come full circle - one of my recent articles on an ARG is getting "this is fake" spam.
Yes. I was very clear in the coverage that it was a story, and even identified said story's creator.
Yes. I was very clear in the coverage that it was a story, and even identified said story's creator.
January 5, 2026 at 9:55 PM
...oh wow, we've really come full circle - one of my recent articles on an ARG is getting "this is fake" spam.
Yes. I was very clear in the coverage that it was a story, and even identified said story's creator.
Yes. I was very clear in the coverage that it was a story, and even identified said story's creator.
...StrangerThingsalamadingdong
January 5, 2026 at 8:39 PM
...StrangerThingsalamadingdong
Over the weekend, I reflected on Stranger Things' history of immersive extensions to the show (and how that might be influencing discussions of Conformity Gate).
The Immersive Side of Hawkins: From Scoops Ahoy to WSQK Radio | ARGNet: Alternate Reality Gaming Network
The final episode of Stranger Things dropped on Netflix on December 31st, allowing fans of the series to say goodbye to one of the platform's biggest hits before ringing in the new year. But that wasn...
www.argn.com
January 5, 2026 at 2:57 PM
Over the weekend, I reflected on Stranger Things' history of immersive extensions to the show (and how that might be influencing discussions of Conformity Gate).
Reposted by Michael Andersen
THREAD. In her exclusive interview in today's Daily Telegraph Magazine, the actor, influencer and designer Philippa Islington-Smythe (pictured) discusses the price of fame, her controversial new perfume, working with Margot Robbie and how becoming a parent changed her perspective on the world...
November 14, 2025 at 12:51 PM
THREAD. In her exclusive interview in today's Daily Telegraph Magazine, the actor, influencer and designer Philippa Islington-Smythe (pictured) discusses the price of fame, her controversial new perfume, working with Margot Robbie and how becoming a parent changed her perspective on the world...
Reposted by Michael Andersen
This Communal Scream Button was installed at the corner of Silver Lake Blvd and Sunset Blvd for one day but if you pressed it, we could have screamed in unison.
January 1, 2026 at 9:48 PM
This Communal Scream Button was installed at the corner of Silver Lake Blvd and Sunset Blvd for one day but if you pressed it, we could have screamed in unison.
Timed it right, so I just finished reading my first book of the new year.
Happy New Year, and may there be many more books to follow!
Happy New Year, and may there be many more books to follow!
January 1, 2026 at 5:39 AM
Timed it right, so I just finished reading my first book of the new year.
Happy New Year, and may there be many more books to follow!
Happy New Year, and may there be many more books to follow!