Monday Mutant 14: Fencing Match (crosslink)

Monday Mutants is a series in which I will attempt to experiment with "mutant" puzzles. These could be existing puzzle types with an unusual change in the rules, hybrids combining elements from multiple puzzle types, or puzzle types neither invented nor popularized by Nikoli.
In this Fencing Match puzzle, the loop may pass through a dot twice, but only if the loop goes straight through that dot both times, once horizontally and once vertically. The rules are otherwise unchanged.

Monday Mutant 13: Fencing Match (crosslink)

Monday Mutants is a series in which I will attempt to experiment with "mutant" puzzles. These could be existing puzzle types with an unusual change in the rules, hybrids combining elements from multiple puzzle types, or puzzle types neither invented nor popularized by Nikoli.
In this Fencing Match puzzle, the loop may pass through a dot twice, but only if the loop goes straight through that dot both times, once horizontally and once vertically. The rules are otherwise unchanged.
Again, I must give credit to MellowMelon for inspiring this Monday Mutant.

Puzzle 396: Seek and Spell 9

This puzzle, like the so-called "ring" in which the sport of boxing takes place, is a square. Formerly, groups of fighters would travel around to challenge local men, using a ring of rope to demarcate the site of the fight; even when the modern square "ring" became standard, the name stuck. This is also the source of the phrase "to throw one's hat in the ring", a phrase now more associated with politics, because that was literally how one would challenge the boxers at the time.

Monday Mutant 12: Fencing Match (liars)

Monday Mutants is a series in which I will attempt to experiment with "mutant" puzzles. These could be existing puzzle types with an unusual change in the rules, hybrids combining elements from multiple puzzle types, or puzzle types neither invented nor popularized by Nikoli.
In this Fencing Match puzzle, exactly one number in each row and in each column is wrong. The rules are otherwise unchanged.
I would be very remiss not to give credit to MellowMelon for introducing me to this variation, if not inventing it.

My 22nd birthday cake!

Long-time readers may recall that I designed a logic puzzle to be put on my 22nd birthday cake; circumstances beyond my control meant that this cake could not be ordered until two days ago. We ordered it from a baker we've trusted for many, many years, and just picked it up today. Here is the design they were supposed to follow:
(Note: Do not, as one reader has, confuse this puzzle with MellowMelon's original puzzle Colorlink. The colors in this puzzle are purely an aesthetic to clarify that the givens are arranged in the shape of the number 22.)

And, here's the result:

I observe three things:
1) The dragée grid dots aren't aligned perfectly; it would have been easy to use a strip of paper or something else that's straight to ensure proper alignment.
2) All of the numbers save for the red 2 in the upper left and the black numbers in the second column are one space to the right of where they should be, yielding an unsolvable puzzle.
3) The numbers that ended up off of the right edge of the grid were iced over. What the heck was the decorator even thinking? Did they think I'd not notice if they just put icing on the edge of their mistake?

I can't believe I waited almost 11 months for this piece of, to put it as politely as possible, crap. Look, it's just a grid of 121 dots and 40 numbers -- it's not like I was asking for them to recreate something complicated like Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam. Are logic puzzles just not supposed to go on cakes? :(

I really, really want to cry.

(Edit: In all fairness, the cake tasted delicious.)

P.S. My parents are decidedly not big on logic puzzles, and even they agree the cake was done amateurishly.

Puzzle 392: Crowd Nine 8

I was born on May 26, 1987, but due to unfortunate circumstances, we haven't been able to order the cake I designed with which to celebrate the 22nd anniversary of this event until today, almost eleven months later. With any luck, the same thing won't happen on my 23rd birthday. :)

Monday Mutant 11: Streaming Content (cipher)

Monday Mutants is a series in which I will attempt to experiment with "mutant" puzzles. These could be existing puzzle types with an unusual change in the rules, hybrids combining elements from multiple puzzle types, or puzzle types neither invented nor popularized by Nikoli.
In this Streaming Content puzzle, the given numbers have been replaced by letters; all instances of a particular letter represent the same number, but two different letters must represent different numbers. The rules are otherwise unchanged.

Monday Mutant 10: Twincognito (domino)

Monday Mutants is a series in which I will attempt to experiment with "mutant" puzzles. These could be existing puzzle types with an unusual change in the rules, hybrids combining elements from multiple puzzle types, or puzzle types neither invented nor popularized by Nikoli.
In this Twincognito puzzle, instead of no two black cells being allowed to share an edge, every black cell must share an edge with EXACTLY ONE other black cell. The rules are otherwise unchanged.
Say, this puzzle looks familiar. . .

Puzzle 391: Twincognito 19

No comment.

Puzzle 390: Totally Awesum 20

I have a most exciting announcement to make. Ahem.

I now have 100% completion in New Super Mario Bros. Wii!!!

That had absolutely nothing to do with this puzzle, but I felt that it was imperative to announce it nonetheless.

Let's talk about Tiger Woods.

I'm not really a fan of celebrity news, but everyone's talking about Tiger Woods and his mistress. I really don't understand what the deal is. I mean, sure, he may have the wrong lock of hair, but why would that ruin his reputation?






Edit: Well. . . that was embarrassing. As the anonymous commenter on this post has pointed out to me, a mistress is something completely different from what I thought it to be. I have truly done the world a disservice by not looking the word up beforehand. That being said. . . Tiger Woods needs to be burned at the stake.

Some type of political rant, I guess.

Obamacare? More like, Oba-MOCK-care!

The U.S. government sure is full of insane ideas. Where does Obama think he'll get the money to pay for this plan? There are only two sources of money: trees, and taxpayers. Also, I lied about trees. Therefore, he will be forced to raise taxes. Unfortunately, we Americans can't afford to pay higher taxes -- we're in enough of a recession as is. If Obama raises the taxes, I'll be forced to move to another country, preferably as far away as possible from Obama and everything he's doing. I'm thinking Afghanistan.

Actually, maybe I didn't lie about trees; maybe they could cut down every tree in Washington D.C. and sell them to loggers to raise some funds. Speaking of logs, didn't Lincoln live in a log cabin? That's it -- we should sell the Lincoln Memorial as well. I think Canada will pay a hefty price for something as priceless as that.

A Cleverly-Titled Logic Puzzle Blog is no more.

As of today, fellow logic puzzle blogger MellowMelon has announced that he will no longer post puzzles on his blog. Probably, you will agree with me that today is a tragic day for the logic puzzle community. Regardless, what I am about to announce will probably be even more shocking.

I am MellowMelon.

"Ludicrous!" you are probably all thinking. Far-fetched as it sounds, I have managed to pull off an alternate identity. Owing to the fact that MellowMelon and I are the same person, neither of my blogs will be updated with any more puzzles. Only posts which have nothing to do with puzzles will be made on this blog from now on. Lamentable as it is, this is how it must be from here on out.

So long, and thanks for all the fishes.

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