I also think the solution is idiotic. No way could anyone find it without not one but two hints:
- "One small now is tall."
- Picture with Alice with letter "W" marked all over it.
What's the point of a puzzle that can not sustain itself, and relies on numerous hints to be solved?
I agree with this. This was terrible, and there were many points in the puzzle that relied on incredibly arbitrary leaps of logic, and therefore, clues from OP. I'm not a genius at puzzles, but who would've swapped the 'W' case without being told about it? I think the answer is obviously: nobody.
I don't think so, some people have solved Cicada 3301 puzzles way more complex without anybody's help.