(no subject)

[reldnahkram]

So apparently this Soduku thing is pretty hot these days. The Metro started carrying it Friday - I was done by Haverford. In pen. Tickle me unimpressed, it's just a logic puzzle, and a not terribly interesting one at that.

Comments

[kyree.livejournal.com]

They allow one to spend time doing something (my sisters and I bought two books in the London airport during our seven-hour layover, and they helped keep us amused) that would otherwise be spent sitting and staring at the wall. And there are more advanced versions (although they are certainly not that interesting to me in a context of something to do if there are other good options).

[reldnahkram.livejournal.com]

It's also possible that the Metro's puzzle is just weak tea. Have you ever done a Metro crossword puzzle?

As far as seven-hour layovers are concerned, it seems like a perfect use for a Settlers set in a zip-loc bag, or something else similar.

[kyree.livejournal.com]

I have never done the Metro's crossword, sticking instead to the Times's, and (when at home) the slightly less good (but still decent) Washington Post's.

We played a lot of rummy on that trip, but for that layover we were all very close to brain-dead. Staring at boxes of numbers was about the right level for us.

[uncleamos]

Bridge!

[sylvansafekeepe.livejournal.com]

This is entirely possible, as I have seen some Soduku puzzles that are absolutely fiendish. There's one I've been working on, off-and-on, for the past few weeks...

[carnap.livejournal.com]

The hard ones can get really nasty. You can get stuck not making any progress without using three or four layers of contradictions.

[think-too-much.livejournal.com]

You'll appreciate this. Clue in yesterday's Times crossword, which I'm working on right now:

18-down: He surpassed Smith as the all-time winningest N.C.A.A. tournament coach. (10 letters)

Anyone who can fit that name into the grid is a Master Cruciverbialist of the highest order. I was in awe.

[reldnahkram.livejournal.com]

I don't think I could even spell that, let alone fit it into a crossword puzzle. My God.

[think-too-much.livejournal.com]

I think it's KRYZWEWSKI, but I'm not confident about the first W yet.

Two Ks, two Ws, a Y and a Z. It's crunchy.

[gallusgallus.livejournal.com]

Sudoku is a fun puzzle, but after doing 1,000,000 of them they all start (?) to look the same. Once you've got the process down, it's just a matter of going through the motions. I let my mind wander as I fill them in.

That's why I'm now interested in the theoretical questions raised by Sudoku, such as:

--How many possible distinct solution grids exist?

--Given a particular starting grid, how many possible solutions are there? The puzzles given in the newspaper always have exactly ONE solution.

--Given any arbitrary starting grid, how many different "minimal" starting grids generate that solution grid? "Minimal" means that only one solution grid is possible from the starting grid, but the removal of any one of the starting numerals increases the number of possible solutions. Is this number the same for all starting grids?

I wrote a little bit about some of this on my own LJ, and nobody cared. :(

[bigdogweigand.livejournal.com]

I got hooked on Soduku in the free USAToday at my college. Goes Monday 1star (easy) to Friday 5star(near impossible).

It's good for ppl who can't do crossword puzzles (who knows 'lassie's middle name' or 'was the first captain of an American nuclear sub'?). Also good way to kill time for those who do the R5 to 30th and Amtrak to Baltimore once a month.

- SJW