On the site Ars Technica, I found a little article on a symposium called “The Design of Mechanical Puzzles” at the American Association for the Advancement of Science conference. There is an interesting discussion of Burr type puzzles in the article and even a puzzle that you can try to solve.
I stumbled on a puzzle blog called Puzzalot and discovered a new type of puzzle created by the author called nonoriddles. A nonoriddle is a standard nonogram (paint-by-number, etc.) puzzle with an added twist. All of the squares in a nonoriddle grid contain letters. When all of the appropriate squares are filled in, the empty squares spell out a riddle to answer. It’s actually a nice touch, because it gives you something satisfying at the end of a nonogram puzzle that isn’t necessarily a picture. The interface for playing is also very nice. Enjoy!
It’s coming up this Saturday, June 14th, and you can do it in the comfort of your own home. This is always my favorite puzzle day of the year. Registration is open through June 12th. Winners who are US citizens get a spot on the US team for the world puzzle competition. But even those outside the US can take part.
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