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    Can't say I completely agree here: 1) "How to" != "What's the best" 2) OP is looking for a programmic way to solve it. 3) OP is looking to do it with software. 4) True, but it doesn't need to be. 5) How is a pair matching algorithm not practical? 6) Kinda true. I'll give this one to you. Commented Jan 21, 2013 at 3:03
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    @Mysticial I appreciate the thoughtful response, but: 1) "what is the best way to pair them up efficiently with up to logarithmic extra space?" is an exact quote from the question; 2) OP specifically asks for a "general theoretical solution for a huge number of socks"; 3) OP doesn't mention "anything directly related to writing computer programs" (see stackoverflow.com/about). It's easy to get side-tracked by the fact that it's algorithmic, but it does not meet the criteria listed in our FAQ or About pages. Commented Jan 21, 2013 at 3:15
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    1) That seems a bit more like nitpicking. 2) I don't see anything particularly bad about a general algorithm? He's asking for a general algorithm to a specific problem. 3) Under that argument, we might as well start by closing every single question here. Commented Jan 21, 2013 at 3:20
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    The FAQ, although it's been tightened up considerably over the years, does allow some leeway for things like this. He faced a real problem (one that many of us have), and is asking for a programmatic solution to it (naturally, one would have to assume the presence of some rather specialized hardware in order to actually implement it). That said, I appreciate this can be a bit of a stretch, so: meta.stackexchange.com/questions/164436/… Commented Jan 21, 2013 at 3:56
  • @Shog9 are you seriously expecting him to start hashing his socks from tomorrow ? Commented Jan 21, 2013 at 12:57
  • @Shog9 also, who decides how much of a stretch is allowed ? The opinion here suggests that is in fact off-topic however borderline it may be Commented Jan 21, 2013 at 12:59
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    @Shog9: amit is free to start a blog and put his sock curiosity on there... Commented Jan 21, 2013 at 15:29