Puzzles (Unsolved)

I remember reading a puzzle like this in some puzzle book or another. I’m not sure where, so I can’t give credit where it’s due, but someone out there did a good job making a puzzle that’s fun to think through.

This week I had to bounce back from a long stretch of being under the weather. Results were mixed. I played trivia at a bar and by two minor misfortunes my team notched our first ever ZERO total. Not our day, but that’s fine- I did learn a few new things and it was still fun.

I’m finally on the mend, and of course the first thing I want to do when I’m feeling better is to fulfill my promise to get a puzzle out there. Still not quite near 100%, but every day is better. If you don’t like my puzzle this week, blame that.

This week’s puzzle is slightly more on the mathematical side, but I have to believe that a visual thinker would be able to come up with the optimal answer, too. Half the fun will be deciding how to approach this one- I was intentionally vague on some of the assumptions. All interpretations are fair game, although there is one specific answer I have in mind.

Fair or foul, having a puzzle where the answer is not technically correct when written, but it’s fine when spoken? Take a pile of junk, add an S at the start, and you get a wooly creature. HEAP / SHEEP. While SHEAP is not a word, it works when spoken aloud.

Do puzzles and trivia go hand in hand? Both are mental challenges, but being interested in one doesn’t necessarily mean you’re interested in both. Personally, I like both, but I prefer puzzles over trivia.

My January project is still behind schedule, but I have been moving forward with my February project as well, and I’ve got something fun planned for March already.  I’m finding my biggest challenges are committing to elements related to artistic design, but at some point soon I’ll sketch out a concept and stick to it!

This week, I’m introducing bonus elements to puzzles!  Every once in a while, I’ll add a little bit extra to a riddle, either connecting the riddle to some kind of outside reference or extra layer of challenge.  It may be fair, it may be unfair- it’s a complete grab bag!  The bonus might literally be unsolvable without advanced knowledge of Morse Code and classical literature…  Or it may be kind of easy.  Either way, it doesn’t hurt to guess.

Ten days left in January, and there’s still a lot of work to do to get the first product of the year out the door.  Given the time constraints for starting mid January, my hope is to at least have the order submitted for production by January 31st.  In the meantime, here’s a new puzzle!

It’s always tough to determine how much outside knowledge is fair for a puzzle.  Is it fair game to have a puzzle that connects to a calendar?  Roman numerals?  Pi?