The numbers that we are so familiar with and use everyday have more history and mathematical logic than we realize. Mathematics as used in our base 10 system is represented as follows 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,0. With these same numbers, we also represent all the other bases.

Have you ever asked yourself why do we represent these numbers with the character representation that we have? For example, why is 1 represented as a 1 character?

Funway has a post with a diagrammatic representation of each number. The number characters are depicted as written in Arabic symbols, which is where our numbering system comes from. Each number is written with the number of angles that the number represents.

How many times can a joke be rehashed?
Does it make the joke worse to be rehashed?
Which joke is the original and which is rehashed?

Blonde Puzzler #1
A blonde calls her boyfriend and says, ‘Please come over here and help me. I have a killer jigsaw puzzle, and I can’t figure out how to get started.’

Her boyfriend asks, ‘What is it supposed to be when it’s finished?’

The blonde says, ‘According to the picture on the box, it’s a rooster.

Her boyfriend decides to go over and help with the puzzle.

She lets him in and shows him where she has the puzzle spread all over the table.

He studies the pieces for a moment, then looks at the box, then turns to her and says, ‘First of all, no matter what we do, we’re not going to be able to assemble these pieces into anything resembling a rooster.’

He takes her hand and says, ‘Second, I want you to relax. Let’s have a nice cup of tea, and then ‘ he said with a deep sigh, …

‘Let’s put all the Corn Flakes back in the box.’

Blonde Puzzler #2

A blonde calls her husband on his cellphone.
Blonde: “I’ve got a problem!”
Husband: “Tell me.”

Blonde: “I’ve just bought a puzzle, but I can’t solve it!”
Husband: “Is it that difficult?”
Blonde: “Yes, I don’t know where to start; all pieces look similar!”
Husband: “What’s the image on the cover of the box?”
Blonde: “A red cock, but I really can’t solve it.”
Husband: “Wait a minute, I’ll be right there and we will solve it together!”
…
A few minutes later the husband walks in.
Husband: “And where is this puzzle of yours?”
Blonde: “It’s right her on the table…”

Deep silence falls, and then a sigh…
Husband: “Okay, we will do the following: you’ll put all cornflakes back into the box and I’ll forget the complete incident.”

Blonde Puzzler #3

One morning this blonde calls her friend and says “Please come over and help me. I have this killer jigsaw puzzle, and I can’t figure out how to start it.” Her friend asks “What is it a puzzle of?” The blonde says “From the picture on the box, it’s a tiger.”
The blonde’s friend figures that he’s pretty good at puzzles, so he heads over to her place. She lets him in the door and shows him to where she has the puzzle spread all over the table. He studies the pieces for a moment, then studies the box.
He then turns to her and says: “First, no matter what I do, I’m not going to be able to show you how to assemble these to look like the picture of that tiger.”
“Second, I’d advise you to relax, have a cup of coffee, and put all these Frosted Flakes back in the box.”

Blonde Puzzler #4
One day, a blonde named Sally was putting together a puzzle. She was really stumped and very frustrated, so she decided to ask Her husband for help.
“It`s supposed to be a tiger!” Sally cried.
“Honey,” said Dan, “Put the Frosted Flakes back in the box!”

Blonde Puzzler #5
A blonde calls her fiancé and says, “Please come over here and help me…I have a killer jigsaw puzzle, and I can’t figure out how to get it started.” Delighted that his bride-to-be has taken up such a mind-bending hobby, he rushes over. Upon arrival he asks, “What is it supposed to be when it’s finished?”
The blonde says, “According to the picture on the box, it’s a tiger .” She hands him the box and sits down to the scattered puzzle pieces on the table. Her fiancée looks at the box and sits down, bewildered, next to the blonde.
“Honey,” he says, “I don’t think we’ll ever make this puzzle look like a tiger. Why don’t we just have a nice cup of coffee……and put these frosted flakes back in the box?”

Blonde Puzzler #6

A blonde calls her husband at work one day and asks him, “Can you help me when you get home?”
“Sure,” he replies. “What’s the problem?”

“Well, I started a really hard puzzle and I can’t even find the edge pieces.”
“Look on the box,” he said. “There’s always a picture of what the puzzle is.”
“It’s a big rooster,” she said.
The husband arrives home and tells his blonde wife, “Okay, put the corn flakes back in the box.”

This French video “La Chance” caught my attention
It is a complete puzzle that some people can be so lucky and get away with the most amazing narrow escapes and others well just are not so lucky.

I came across this post by Google of a new geeky toy they have introduced to their senior engineers. They refer to the toy as bloxes. The bloxes concept was invented by Jef Raskin who created the Macintosh project. A bloxe is a box that has six interlocking sides and was originally designed to create modular workstations.

Google have taken the concept added a few color bloxes and created something special at head quarters. Google first let their engineers at the bloxes in the lounge area but now it looks like Google have used it as a brain engager. Engineers use it to doodle and create things as they talk about bugs.

The whole idea of building a sculpture using elemental pieces is as old as the first puzzle or probably the first alter that Adam and Eve built when kicked out of the Garden of Eden. There seems to be something liberating about adding bloxes or puzzle pieces together or any other building block for that matter to create a whole.

Next time you need inspiration start adding things to things. The challenge is to build something. Perhaps a paper clip tower or whatever is at hand and then tell us how the creation process stimulated your creative juices.

Puzzles are Problems

Puzzles represent problems, a muddle or something to solve. Puzzles have solutions, for example “life’s puzzle, the solution = death” or “2+2=4”. The puzzles solution may be easy, obvious or known. The solution can also be hidden, intricate, complex and completely unknown. The “puzzle” and the solution to the puzzle, only exit’s for us if we are aware of and want to solve the puzzle.

Around almost every corner there are puzzles waiting for us to solve. Life presents us with challenges related to work, family, health, relationships and so on. In determining the solution to the problems that we deal with daily, we are very goal focused and outcome driven.  Invariable the glory of puzzle success is a lot shorter in duration than the path taken in solving the puzzle.

Life’s great puzzle

One of life’s greatest puzzles is how to shoe horn everything into a specified amount of time? Because of this puzzles dimensions; it impacts all of the other puzzles we are engaged in. We look forward to the end and completion of the tasks at hand placing great pressure on ourselves to find the solution to the problems and tasks presented to us. We try doing this in the shortest amount of time possible. This creates internal pressure which affects the way we live, our health and relationships, not to mention sanity.

Puzzle pressures

Firstly we choose to do or not to do certain puzzles and challenges. At times we avoid participating in puzzle solving situations that present themselves e.g. put off the decision of what to have for lunch until junk food is the only option left.
Secondly we rush through the activity of solving the problem without enjoying what is actually happening in the present. I heard an old adage recently – Tomorrow is the future, yesterday is the past and right now is the present, and so named because it is a gift.

Puzzle Lovers

What are the characteristics of a puzzle lover? I believe that it is accepting and grasping the challenges that are presented. Puzzle lovers try not to let an opportunity pass them by. Puzzlers are people that accept and enjoy a challenge. They are excited and enthusiastic about life. They see life as a progressive experience.  They are happy to take advantage of the present and not hanker after the future.
If I could tell the world a thing or two about themselves and puzzles it would be to do puzzle that have beautiful pictures. I would tell the world to enjoy adding the pieces one by one. I would tell the world not to fret if the picture lies incomplete for a time. I would tell the world to revel in the process of creation.