Question

FME Challenge: Name the Transformer (Now With Solution!)


Userlevel 4
Badge +25

Sometimes I think it would be fun to be an FME transformer, sitting inside the FME engine, waiting to be given work to do.

 

 

I can even imagine each transformer being a different human being, each with a unique human name.

 

 

There's Alf, who is very popular with the GIS users; and Mary, who - in short - I rarely ever meet.

 

Ian likes to break things into smaller pieces; while Lee turns them inside-out.

 

Max goes to extremes to find the information you want; but Ben is not detail-oriented (quite the opposite)

 

Ava likes to do her own thing - in a limited way; while Tom sticks to his job with military precision.

 

Both Uma and Ann have an obsession with size and shape; and Dan comes from a large family, with 8 or 9 siblings.

 

 

But who are these eleven, anthropomorphic, transformers? Your challenge for the week is to name them.

If you want, post your answers in a text file - or a workspace! - so that no-one else will see them below.

Hint #1: All of these people are at the core of FME. None of them live on the hub, or visit the store.

Hint #2: There are lots of transformers I can call Don, but none that I would call Dale.

Hint #3: Like a car, you need a special license to use Dan and his family. If you don't have one, then they might be invisible to you!


19 replies

Badge +9

Too funny ! This requires some thought

Userlevel 3
Badge +13

I was thinking we may want to turn this contest into an animated Seth Rogen film -- "Transformer Party"!

 

 

Or not.
Badge +22

Going with my gut because I can think of 4 Ians off the top of my head.

 

anthropomorphic.fmw
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Nice challenge, I think I got all but two

http://pastebin.com/5cHMfEKc

Userlevel 4

name-the-transformer-davidr.fmw

Fun challenge.

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cfmechallenge-transformernames.fmw

Here's my suggestion, btw a nice and funny quiz to get to know new transformers :)

Badge +4

Mark,

You let the "camels" loose with this wonderful FME transformers challenge!

Here is my submission

Cheers

SRG

Userlevel 4
Badge +25
No, it's probably quite easy if you think the way I do. Whether that's a good thing or not I don't like to say!

 

 

Userlevel 4
Badge +25

Going with my gut because I can think of 4 Ians off the top of my head.

 

anthropomorphic.fmw
Ooh, no. Sorry. Those are incorrect. I wonder how you came up with that list. It's not what I was thinking for sure. But as I said to David, thinking like I do may or may not be desirable.

 

 

Anyway, do try again!

 

Userlevel 4
Badge +25

Nice challenge, I think I got all but two

http://pastebin.com/5cHMfEKc

Yes, very good. If you couldn't get the last two it makes me think you must have figured all of these out the hard way. If so, I salute you. Great work!

 

 

Userlevel 4
Badge +25

cfmechallenge-transformernames.fmw

Here's my suggestion, btw a nice and funny quiz to get to know new transformers :)

Not quite... I'll give you a score of 1.5 out of 11 (1 is definitely correct, 1 is sort of half-correct).

 

But please do try again...

 

Userlevel 4
Badge +25

Mark,

You let the "camels" loose with this wonderful FME transformers challenge!

Here is my submission

Cheers

SRG

Close. Very close. 10/11 - you got Dan wrong. But that's OK. Like a car, you need a special license to use Dan and his family, and I'm wondering if he might be cloaked in invisibility if you don't have one!

 

Food for thoughts:

You'll get many options for a Don, but none for a Dale ;-)

Food for thoughts:

You'll get many options for a Don, but none for a Dale ;-)

Right! I meant to use that for Hint #2 today, but when I sat down at my desk on Monday morning, I had completely forgotten it. Glad you have the same thoughts as me, and that you (unlike me) were smart enough to write it down here! I'm going to post it above if that's OK.

 

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Turns out I was thinking way too cryptic about this one. Think I've got them now. No Kim in FME sadly!

You must've spent ages thinking of these. Well done, I had a good laugh! And found some never-used Transformers in the process.

Badge +4
Close. Very close. 10/11 - you got Dan wrong. But that's OK. Like a car, you need a special license to use Dan and his family, and I'm wondering if he might be cloaked in invisibility if you don't have one!

 

Thanks Mark.

 

I think I got the Dan, Don and Dale...

 

http://pastebin.com/JTQk0XGM

 

 

Thanks Mark.

 

I think I got the Dan, Don and Dale...

 

http://pastebin.com/JTQk0XGM

 

 

That's it! You got it.

 

 

Userlevel 4
Badge +25

Turns out I was thinking way too cryptic about this one. Think I've got them now. No Kim in FME sadly!

You must've spent ages thinking of these. Well done, I had a good laugh! And found some never-used Transformers in the process.

Absolutely correct. Well done.

 

 

Userlevel 4
Badge +25
OK folks. Time to close this challenge. Well done to everyone who cracked the puzzle. The people are:

 

 

Alf: SpatialFilter

 

Mary: SummaryReporter

 

Ian: Triangulator

 

Lee: DonutHoleExtractor

 

Max: RasterBandMinMaxExtractor

 

Ben: SherbendGeneralizer

 

Ava: JavascriptCaller

 

Tom: LatLongToMGRSConverter

 

Uma: MinimumAreaForcer

 

Ann: MinimumSpanningCircleReplacer

 

Dan: MRF2DDangleReplacer

 

 

The important thing is not just that the person's name is in the name of the transformer, but that it's the only transformer that name will bring up in Quick Add.

 

 

For example, if you type "Don" into Quick Add there are many transformers that appear. Type "Dale" and non appear. But type "Alf" and there is only one transformer: the SpatialFilter.

 

 

Here's a short demo movie to prove it! Remember, store/hub transformers are ignored.

 

 

Apologies for using only English names. I am sure there must be French, German, Swedish, etc names that could be used. Andre is one for sure. But I will let you find those for yourself.

 

 

Congratulations (and reputation points) to all those who got the correct answers.

 

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