• NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 6, 2011): Count the Equilateral Triangles

    Updated: 2011-11-06 14:44:00
    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 6, 2011): Count the Equilateral Triangles: Q: Take 15 coins. Arrange them in an equilateral triangle with one coin at the top, two coins touching below, three coins below that, then four, then five. Remove the three coins at the corners so you're left with 12 coins. Using the centers of the 12 coins as points, how many equilateral triangles can you find by joining points with lines?Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes, but I know the answer is much smaller than that.

  • NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 30, 2011): This Singer Keeps Company with a Logo?

    Updated: 2011-10-30 21:58:02
    : Blaine's Puzzle Blog Weekly discussion on the NPR puzzler , brain teasers , math problems and . more Sunday , October 30, 2011 NPR Sunday Puzzle Oct 30, 2011 This Singer Keeps Company with a Logo NPR Sunday Puzzle Oct 30, 2011 This Singer Keeps Company with a Logo Q : Name a well-known singer . Drop the first and last letters of the singer's first name and you'll get the letters of a well-known company . Drop the first and last letters of the singer's last name , and you'll identify the logo that the company is classically known for . Who is the singer and what's the company Musical clue : Adele Lil Wayne Posted by Blaine at 7:33 AM Email This BlogThis Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Labels : lists names npr 24 comments : Blaine said . Here's my standard reminder . don't post the

  • Log Jam

    Updated: 2011-10-27 21:33:00
    : skip to main skip to sidebar Brian's Damn Puzzle Blog A chronicle of my descent into the realm of the . puzzle-obsessed October 27, 2011 Log Jam Log Jam is made by Creative Crafthouse and was designed by Vesa Timonen . It was entered in the 2002 Puzzle Design Competition under the name Lox in Box Logs in Box The folks at Creative Crafthouse were kind enough to send me a copy to review . Thanks It is quite nicely crafted out of hardwood and has a good fit and finish . Creative Crafthouse added a compartment to store one of the pieces , so it can be displayed unsolved without looking too messy , which I . liked I had seen this puzzle before but never had a chance to give it a try . From seeing pictures , I had a few ideas for how it would probably work , but it turns out that I was way off

  • NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 23, 2011): Retail Store to Electronics Manufacturer

    Updated: 2011-10-24 10:26:55
    NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 23, 2011): Retail Store to Electronics Manufacturer: Q: Think of a two-word name of a nationally known chain of retail stores. Insert the second word of the name into the exact middle of the first. The result will spell the name of a well-known electronics manufacturer. What are these names?Edit: Time to reveal the answer.A: Pier One (Imports) -- Pioneer

  • Connoisseur's Dilemma

    Updated: 2011-10-21 21:07:00
    : skip to main skip to sidebar Brian's Damn Puzzle Blog A chronicle of my descent into the realm of the . puzzle-obsessed October 21, 2011 Connoisseur's Dilemma Connoisseur's Dilemma is a cute disentanglement puzzle by Creative Crafthouse that can hold a bottle of wine hostage until solved . It was given to me by the folks at Creative Crafthouse to review . Thanks I have seen puzzles like this available from a number of places , but never had a chance to give one a try . I figured it probably wouldn't be too challenging since it was intended for mass-market appeal , but who knows The craftsmanship of this one is quite good , with a nice smooth finish on the wood and good quality . rope As you may expect , it comes disassembled to save space and so they don't need to ship it with a plastic

  • Cast ABC

    Updated: 2011-10-20 21:01:00
    : skip to main skip to sidebar Brian's Damn Puzzle Blog A chronicle of my descent into the realm of the . puzzle-obsessed October 20, 2011 Cast ABC Cast ABC is a level 1 6 puzzle in Hanayama's Cast Puzzles series . This particular version is branded as Puzzle Master , but it appears to be the same as the Hanayama's version only with a different finish . The Hanayama version has a brown finish , while the Puzzle Master version is . silver The goal of this puzzle is to separate the C piece from the AB piece . The starting position is with the C linked to the hole at the top of the A , not the position shown in the . photo It works a lot like your standard ring-with-a-gap grooved-maze design , with an additional little hiccup : not all of the grooves are actually traversable . This makes it a

  • Redstone Box

    Updated: 2011-10-19 21:14:00
    : skip to main skip to sidebar Brian's Damn Puzzle Blog A chronicle of my descent into the realm of the . puzzle-obsessed October 19, 2011 Redstone Box Redstone Box a.k.a . Melting Block is Creative Crafthouse's version of this classic packing puzzle designed by Thomas O`Beirne . The folks at Creative Crafthouse were kind enough to send me a copy to review . Thanks The puzzle consists of a box with a lid , with a red block on the top serving as the handle to help slide the lid off . Inside , you'll find that the box is packed completely full . So what's the puzzle To find room for the red block on the top of the box The fun of this puzzle is that it seems impossible , but indeed is quite . possible This puzzle uses a commonly used principle whereby a tiny amount of wiggle room in the

  • Puzzle Chest Box

    Updated: 2011-10-18 21:14:00
    : skip to main skip to sidebar Brian's Damn Puzzle Blog A chronicle of my descent into the realm of the . puzzle-obsessed October 18, 2011 Puzzle Chest Box Puzzle Chest Box is Creative Crafthouse's version of the classic Moroccan puzzle box . The folks at Creative Crafthouse were kind enough to send me a copy to review . Thanks This is quite a popular design and is frequently available in trinket markets in various countries , though the quality varies and the design may differ somewhat . The main thing that they have in common is that there is a hidden keyhole and a hidden key , and you need to find both to open the box Sort of a simple sequential discovery puzzle if you will . I didn't actually have one of these boxes in my collection yet , so I was quite interested in checking out

  • Interlock Four

    Updated: 2011-10-17 21:05:00
    : skip to main skip to sidebar Brian's Damn Puzzle Blog A chronicle of my descent into the realm of the . puzzle-obsessed October 17, 2011 Interlock Four Interlock Four is a nice little four-piece puzzle designed by Stewart Coffin . This version was crafted by the folks at Creative Crafthouse and they were kind enough to send me a copy to review . Thanks The four pieces assemble into a 3x3x3 cube and are serially interlocking , meaning that the pieces must be added in the correct order . This makes it somewhat more difficult , since you may need to backtrack a bit if you don't get the right order to start . with It is a good size which gives it a nice heft , about 3 inches square and weighing about 9 ounces . The finish is quite good : it has been sanded smooth and given a nice bevel on

  • NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 16, 2011): Two-word Rhyming Phrases

    Updated: 2011-10-17 06:46:16
    : Blaine's Puzzle Blog Weekly discussion on the NPR puzzler , brain teasers , math problems and . more Sunday , October 16, 2011 NPR Sunday Puzzle Oct 16, 2011 Two-word Rhyming Phrases NPR Sunday Puzzle Oct 16, 2011 Two-word Rhyming Phrases Q : Think of a familiar two-word rhyming phrase that starts with the letter F , like fat cat . Change the F to a G and you'll get another familiar two-word rhyming phrase . What are these phrases My wife and I came up with the same answer and we need to get a hint up quickly , so I guess we'll go with that . I like the first as a familiar two-word rhyming phrase , but I'm not as excited about the second . Posted by Blaine at 7:15 AM Email This BlogThis Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Labels : npr phrases rhymes 28 comments : Bob Kerfuffle said . It

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