The Sphinx's Lair

logical-deduction computer-puzzle

7:39 AM

Q: Numbered, 3x3x3 Cube

This is a normal Rubik's Cube: Now, here's my new modified Rubik's Cube: So what's the difference? Well, in my special type of Rubik's Cube, it has a net so that, if you are looking directly onto the certain face of the cube, you will see the layout: So now, here is my puzzle: Make it so that...

2 hours later…

Anonymus 25- Reinstate Monica

9:25 AM

I currently have a Tik Tok song stuck in my head, any suggestions to get it out?

John Dvorak

I thought all music on Tik Tok was stolen?

4 hours later…

Jafe

1:01 PM

the thief must have returned it

1 hour later…

Anonymus 25- Reinstate Monica

2:12 PM

The Wellerman song is the stuck one, I don't think it was stolen

Mithical

and the name of the ship was the Billy O' Tea

samm82

3:13 PM

I fail to see the problem

Q: Clever or interesting or elegant or beautiful ways to write "80"

3:38 PM

A wonderful friend who is a maths professor, is turning 80 next month. He's just published his 22nd math textbook! [Prof John Vince.... his books are about math for computer graphics] I would love to put some clever mathematical expression for "80" onto his cake. Could be an equation, a series, a...

untagged

4:11 PM

@Sphinx CVs requested

"Clever", "interesting", and "beautiful" are not objective qualities. This isn't a puzzle, it's an open-ended, subjective, popularity contest. Voted to close. — bobble 3 mins ago

1 hour later…

5:31 PM

I couldn't think of a better title and welcome suggestions. (The current one is a line from the song "Palisades Park".) — msh210 24 secs ago

Q: When you stop at the top of a Ferris wheel

This is a Palisade puzzle. The rules are: Thicken some of the squares' sides so the thick borders outline cells of ten squares apiece. Any square with a number in it indicates how many its sides are thickened. Note that if the square is along a side of the entire diagram, then that side counts a...

logical-deduction grid-deduction

6:12 PM

I'm confused why samm82's comment has so many upvotes, but the question itself only has my close-vote and one Leave Open vote. Are there arguments in favor of its topicality?

2 hours later…

John Dvorak

7:42 PM

Of course it gets solved with a detailed explanation just minutes before I'm done just solving it. Great puzzle nevertheless.

8:35 PM

@JohnDvorak Thanks. Nicely solved, too. I did it slightly differently (in the top-right corner, where he used the yellow) but his way was more elegant.

samm82

8:47 PM

@bobble I completely forgot to vote - just did

I really like these kinds of questions, but I get that they're off-topic - if only there was another place for them

Chat, maybe?

But the proliferation of answers, where none is better than another - it's off topic

samm82

True true

@Deusovi I know you recommend composing grid puzzles as you solve them (or vice versa). For Palisade / n-Cells, would you recommend starting with a blank rectangle and filling in both walls and numbers as you solve, or starting with walls and filling in only numbers as you solve?

Deusovi

9:49 PM

the former - the latter is "starting with the solution" still

and the same goes for other puzzle types - don't start with a particular solution in mind unless there's some particular reason to

@Deusovi Thanks. I'll try that next time. This time I did the latter way, and I think it turned out okay (though would love to hear if you differ).

Deusovi

10:20 PM

it turned out *okay*, but it could have been better - a lot of the puzzle was fairly trivial. if you instead build up the solution at the same time as you build up the puzzle, you make it possible to use clue setups that are prettier:
https://puzz.link/p?fivecells/15/15/p1223031313222b2k3b2k1b3k1b1c11322c3b3c3c3c1b3c2c0c3b3c3c3c2b3c12122c3b3k0b0k3b3k2b3221230313132p

or minimalist: https://puzz.link/p?fivecells/10/10/m0m0m0m1b0m0m0m
https://puzz.link/p?fivecells/10/10/h1b11a1k11e1f1b1a1b1m1c11d1a1r1d1a

...and the logic will be more interesting too, because there will be a 'tighter' solve path

10:31 PM

Got it. Thanks.

@Sphinx part of the problem with this migration is it came in with a very high vote score and a bunch of answers, giving the impression that we like subjective open-ended list questions, without any time for improvement/closure. (And now people keep answering it with their One Cool Idea, further proving that it's not a puzzle, it's a random idea generator)