Things Every Sudoku Fan Must Have

I order quite often puzzle books from Amazon because I very rarely find those books in book stores in Finland. Since there are lots of different publishers they seem to invent something original like THE SUDOKU DIET or Revenge of Killer Sudoku and for kids Scary Sudoku Sticker Puzzles Book (Mickey Mouse Clubhouse). But like all celebrities, Sudoku has also all kinds of additional products for fans. Here are some interesting things I found.

Clothing

Even though I have tried to collect only things with sudoku to be solved I had to add these baby clothes from sudoku.ca. The text says: "If Mum is playing, tell her I'm hungry!"

T-shirts have even more variations than books. The largest collection of all kinds of products I found in Cafepress. All the products I have not linked elsewhere are from cafepess. The other shirt is from The Lighterside.

For underwear there are thongs and boxers:

You can also sleep in a Sudoku (there is a small piece of the fabric shown), or you can make clothes with your own design. The pajamas are from The Pajama Company and the fabric was on eBay by jandofabrics.

When you go out, you have to have a suitable outfit and you can use these. Of course your dog must match your clothing. The shoes are from Zappos.

Accessories

In addition to suitable clothes, you need personal things like pencils to fill the Sudoku’s, key chains and bags. The pencil is from Crane & Co., key chain from eBay and the bags from cafepress.

You can also replace your jewelry with Sudoku and for the safekeeping of the necklace (This Next) and the gold watch (Amazon) you can use a keepsake box. You don’t have to work with your computer without Sudoku’s around. The mouse mat comes also with a pen (playr.co.uk). There are lots of coffee mugs to satisfy your coffee addiction (News from gadgets’ world).

Home decoration

You can start by welcoming your quests with a Sudoku doormat (The Lighterside). Of course you will have self made handicraft on the walls. Patterns for these pieces of art can be found in Scarlett Rose. If you don’t have time to do them yourself you can also use designs from artists (Bigmint). The clock and pillows complete the impression.

You can serve beer from ceramic steins, and use the tiles as drink coasters. I would like to use them tiling the space between the working space and cupboards. Napkins have also Sudoku’s (Jumping Giraffe).

The last one is my favourite. Sudoku toilet paper (Gadgets.co.uk) could however mean that the toilet visits last much longer than normally.

Miscellaneous

For children or childlike people they make bath time ducks (HELPTHEAGED) and Teddy bears.

Also all kinds of game variations can be found like Glass Tabletop Sudoku Set (GadgetFind), Grand Master Wooden Su Doku Set (playr.co.uk), Double Sided Crossword and Sudoku Jigsaw in a can (Jumping Giraffe) and sudocube (News from gadgets’ world).

If these were not enough, you could of course take a sudoku tattoo!

Finnish metal music doing good!

After Lordi won the Eurovision song contest our music has not had this big news. I heard the first time about this on the radio and using my connections, a British friend, found the right site. A Finnish band, Children of Bodom has reached number one in UK Rock Album Chart!

The following is clipped from a Finnish blog:

clipped from metal-music-videos.com

Finnish death metal band Children of Bodom is doing great in America. With their Blooddrunk album C.O.B. has climbed up to 22nd position in American Billboard album list. So far only “love metal” band HIM has been more successful Finnish band in America. Blooddrunk has been successful also in other countries. It is seventh in Canada, 12th in Japan and 44th in UK. In Germany the album is tenth and in Austria it is 19th. Notice that these are “general” lists. In the rock list of UK Children of Bodom’s Blooddrunk is currently the first one. In Finland the situation is naturally the same.

I also added the video here. If this is doing good, I think Teräsbetoni should be just fine in this year's Eurovision Song Contest.

Mathematics and Baking

Wacław Franciszek Sierpiński (1882 - 1969), a Polish mathematician, is known for outstanding contributions to set theory, number theory, theory of functions and topology.

Three well-known fractals are named after him (the Sierpinski triangle, the Sierpinski carpet and the Sierpinski curve).

The construction of the Sierpinski carpet begins with a square. The square is cut into 9 congruent subsquares in a 3-by-3 grid, and the central subsquare is removed. The same procedure is then applied recursively to the remaining 8 subsquares, ad infinitum.

I found wonderful Sierpinski cookies in Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories

Here is the recipe for the dough from Instructables

2.5 cups flour,
3/4 cups sugar, blitzed in a food processor until fine
1/4 tsp salt
two sticks of butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces, at room temperature
2tsp vanilla extract
2tbs cream cheese, softened

Using a stand mixer, mix the dry ingredients, then add the butter piece by piece, and process until the dough looks wet and crumbly looking.
Toss in the cream cheese and vanilla, and keep going until it starts to form large clumps (30sec).

You'll need dough of contrasting colors (food coloring or chocolate).

The method starts with an initial pattern. Once that is made, it is stretched out to make it small enough to form the basis of the next iteration, which is in turn stretched out and folded to make the next iteration.

To make a batch of chocolate dough, reduce the flour by 1/4 cup and substitute 1/4 cup of cocoa powder. Also reduce the butter by a tablespoon and mix about a tablespoon of melted bittersweet chocolate into the cream cheese before adding it to the dough. Chilling the dough isn't necessary, as you want it to be soft enough to be workable.

For the first block, you'll need to roll out eight strips of one color and one of the contrasting color. After rolling them out, form each one into a square, then stack them to form a larger block with the contrasting color in the center. You'll want to slice off the end of the stack to even it up. Use a sharp knife and cut carefully so you don't squish the pattern.

To draw the block out longer and thinner without disturbing the pattern, turn it over frequently. You can either squeeze the sides, then rotate, or press the top, then rotate. It helps to pull it out twice as long as it was, then cut in half, and repeat until you have eight equal pieces, each about as long as the original block. Parchment paper is a good work surface for this. Keep an extra sheet handy for when the one you're working on gets too sticky.

Roll out another length of the contrasting color, using the same amount of dough you used for the original pieces. Form it into a square, and stack the pieces up with the contrasting piece in the center again.

As you draw out the block, the edges of the individual sections will merge. If you want to cut samples of the different iterations, this is the time to do it - just after the edges have merged sufficiently. Again, lengthen it until it is twice as long, cut, and lengthen those pieces, cut again and repeat.

When you add another piece of contrasting color and stack everything up, the pieces will again be somewhat separate. You will want to draw it out a little smaller to merge the blocks before slicing.

With three iterations, it's now ready to slice. (If brave, feel free to try more iterations.) Chilling it would probably be a good idea, but if you're impatient, be sure to rotate between slices to keep the pattern from getting too squished in any one direction. Slice carefully with a very sharp knife or a cheese wire.

One final (but optional) step is to gently roll each cookie out to smooth the surface texture out.

Puzzles for Blondes

I am a blonde and I am already used to all the blonde jokes. My dear friend sent me a link to these. I just wonder if Conceptis should consider making a new difficulty level :)

clipped from www.keithwhite.us

The website contains mote puzzles like Spot the difference. Check them and see if you can solve them all.

Blogging from Facebook

I just found out that blogging is possible from my Facebook account. This a test to prove that this really works. The application should also be able to post to WordPress and Vox, where I have my Finnish blogs.

Decorations for Gamers

I found more fun stuff for game addicts in technabob. Tetris was the first puzzle game I played on the computer. My first game had not even colours. Now I could decorate my wall with Tetris blocks. The set of vinyl stickers can be arranged the way the decorator likes. The set has 7 colours.

It would have a real challenge arranging the stickers. I still remember the feeling when the screen started to fill up. I think I might get anxious in a room decorated like this…

Actually the pieces in Tetris are also mathematical. The definition from Wikipedia:

Tetromino, also spelled tetramino or tetrimino, is a geometric shape composed of four squares, connected orthogonally. This is a particular type of polyomino, like dominoes and pentominoes are.

Ordinarily, polyominoes are discussed in their free forms, which treat rotations and reflections in two dimensions as congruent. But due to the overwhelming association of tetrominoes with Tetris, which uses one-sided tetrominoes, people recognize seven distinct tetrominoes:

The free tetrominoes additionally treat reflection (rotation in the third dimension) as equivalent. There are only five free tetrominoes: I, L, O, S, and T.

The fixed tetrominoes do not allow rotation or reflection. There are 2 distinct fixed I tetrominoes, four J, four L, one O, two S, four T, and two Z, for a total of 19 fixed tetrominoes.

Although a complete set of free tetrominoes has a total of 20 squares, and a complete set of one-sided tetrominoes has 28 squares, it is not possible to pack them into a rectangle, like hexominoes and unlike pentominoes. The proof to this an additional info you can find in the Wikipedia article

Updates

Finally the spring has started for me. In this last period I have only two courses, which makes two days at work in a week. Finally I am able to try to catch on the things I have been neglecting lately, like this blog for instance. I have all kinds of stuff stored for me to write about.

I have been very much involved in Digg lately and I have managed to get 44 articles to the front page. That is very addictive, I have to admit that.

I had also my interview published on StumbleBlogger. I have got very much positive comments about that one. Thanks for all who have sent me them.

Finally, I have been invited to take part in the Teacher Potluck Carnival. I even know already what I will be submitting…

I had a long period not using the PS2 Singstars, but lately I have again started singing, competing with my daughter. This was a song I remember from my favourites long ago in my youth, but now my daughter beats me in that, too.

Without You - Harry Nilsson

Nice Puzzle

This week's Conceptis review puzzle was so nice that I had to post it here. I did not win the T-shirt though :(

Math Trick

How to Read Someone's Mind With Math (Math Trick)

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Trick a friend with your "psychic powers" using only numbers. You don't have to be smart- just remember these steps.

Steps

1. Tell your partner to pick a number between 1- 10.
   
2. After they pick a #, tell them to multiply it by 2.
   
3. After that tell them to multiply it by 5.
   
4. After that ask them to divide their current number by their original number. (ex: in the 1st step if they pick 3, tell him/her to divide their current number (30) by 3)
   
5. Now tell your partner to subtract their number by 7.
   
6. If you did this right, it should be always be 3!
   

Tips

• How it works: so say in the first step they pick 5. In the 2nd and 3rd step, they times it 2 and 5, but actually, they multiply it by 10. so they get( in this example) 50. in the 4th step, they divide it by the original number, or 5. *so they always get 10. the 5th is optional, but it makes the trick less obvious.
  
• Try to be dramatic. After all, it is a 'magic' trick.
  
• give them some time on step 4. its kinda complicated.
  
• Don't forget the steps! This could be embarassing.
  
• Keep a straight face, but don't be too serious.
  
• If possible, give them a calculator. Step 3 is a tough one.
  

Warnings

• DON'T do this to 2 or more partners at a once.
  

Things You'll Need

• A partner( a friend, your mom, etc.)
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Perform a Card Trick Using Math
  
• How to Do a Math Magic Trick
  
• How to Learn Math
  
• How to Be a Great Prankster
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Read Someone's Mind With Math (Math Trick). All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Dog Problem or Problem Dog

I have recently been very busy with my work. The national matriculation exams have kept me busy but now the worst is over and I am having only two days work a week next period starting a week from now.

Besides Piitu has kept me busy. She is a real Houdini. We bought her a harness which is designed for problematic dogs. It should be impossible for the dog to wind out of this thing but obviously the designers have not met dogs like Piitu. She has been able to release herself twice. Nobody actually saw how she did it :)

Two days ago she got out from our backyard which has fences all around. She found a place where she could fit herself under the fence. I was totally surprised when the neighbour rang the doorbell and returned the dog!

We are now just waiting when she notices how the doors get opened. She could jump against the door and release the handle with her paw but luckily she has not figured that out yet. In case she does I think we have to get locks like this:

I am not sure how long that would hold her. She has learned to solve every intelligence toy we have bought her and they are not fun anymore :)

Cracking To Pieces

Do you ever feel like this?


I found this puzzle addictive picture in The Daily Galaxy

My Features?

Once again I found a site with quizzes and this time I did the horoscope quizz. My results were quite ¨contradictory as you can see. I am a contradictory person so I think most of this is actually true. But a good Kisser...???

Lets101 Quizzes - blog quizzes