how to – It's Dai Time

Good puzzles are hard to craft, challenging to solve, and give the person who does eventually figure them out a great sense of satisfaction.

Good puzzles are also hard to come by. Back in college, Microsoft would sponsor a yearly puzzle competition that required a full-day commitment and a team of 3 or 4 people. I only participated in it one year, but it was a very fun day.

I have, since then, judged puzzles against the ones that were a part of that competition. There are, to me, several factors that take an OK puzzle and make it great. Here they are, in descending order of importance.

Minimalism: the best puzzles are ones where every element is integral to the solution, meaning that by definition, it is a minimalist puzzle. Put another way, this could read “no red herrings.” Not every aspect of the puzzle has to point directly toward its solution, but no part of the puzzle should be there for no reason. Even more importantly, no part of the puzzle should be there to intentionally throw the puzzle-solver off-track. That’s mean and, for a good puzzle, completely unnecessary.

Multiple Epiphanies: all good puzzles should contain moments when the solver suddenly understands something; a certain code or representation will suddenly click, or the relationship between two elements in the puzzle suddenly becomes clear. The trick is to have multiple epiphanies. Conventionally, these will build upon each other, but if solving portions of the puzzle independently also has its own reward. Solving one code and applying it three times isn’t too fun. Solving three integrated codes and having to apply each one differently is much more rewarding.

Strong Causality or Interlocking Parts: so your puzzle has multiple parts to give the solver multiple chances to discover things. Take it up one more level, and create a way to interconnect them, so that a solver will be given hints on how to solve section B after solving section A. If you’ve designed the puzzle really well, solving section B first will also give hints on how to solve section A.

Originality: this is the X factor and isn’t something that is as easy to engineer as some of the other factors. But the most brilliant puzzles are those that use mechanics and hooks that haven’t been seen before. Or, perhaps, a mechanic that has been used before but tweaked in a new way. At the very least, you want to avoid a puzzle that makes something think, “oh, this is just like that other puzzle.”

So, go make me some puzzles! And maybe I’ll make you some.

We went to IKEA today. We bought some furniture, then put it together and now, here we are. Going to IKEA isn’t hard, but coming out of there feeling like you won? That’s a bit tougher. Here are a few simple tips that will make you an IKEA hero.

Learn the Map: You don’t have to know where everything is, but know the general paths (almost always a clover-like shape) and the general sequence of rooms. That way, if you need to move quickly, you’ll know where to cut through the center and what loops of the main path you want to hit. Of course, if you’ve got time, walking the full path is a lot of fun.

Use That Little Pencil: Each of those little IKEA papers you use to write down aisle numbers of items you want to pick up in self service is large. The empty list that stares back at you when you pick it up is very long. So, don’t worry about writing down too much. Take notes, write down any piece of furniture that looks interesting, and make sure you get those aisle numbers the first time you go through the store.

Eating at the Cafe: First, do it. The food is a great deal and the meatballs are delicious. How many meatballs should you order? Figure out how many you think you’d eat, and then add 5. Also, if you get a drink, try the lingenberry juice. You can get soda anywhere; there’s no need to get it here.

Labels Out and Checkout Calculations: If you’re taking home a stack of boxes from the self-service area, put them onto your cart with the labels out. It’ll make checking out twice as fast, especially if you get a self-checkout lane. Also, when deciding what lane to go into for check out, look at the numbers of “loose” items that people have. Checking out with a stack of furniture boxes, be they 2 or 10, takes less than a minute. A family with a cart full of knick=knacks, baskets, and small storage solutions will take much longer.

Think Beyond Furniture: IKEA has great deals on furniture, sure. But did you know they also sell cookware, flatware, bed/bathware, and men’s wear? Well, not men’s wear…yet. If you’re looking for a cheap set of forks or a inexpensive wok and have a trip to IKEA planned, add it to your list. More often than not, you’ll find quality goods at a price cheaper than what you’ll find at your local Target or Bed, Bath, and Beyond.

As you become more and more of an IKEA aficionado, you’ll find your own ways to become the best honorary Swede that you can be, but these tips should help you well on your way to being an IKEA hero. And if there’s anything this country needs, it’s more IKEA heroes.

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Day 70: puzzling

Day 67: the ikea guide

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