Sudoku

[pzarquon]

Re: Sudoku

On page E10 of today's Star-Bulletin, sharing the page with the New York Times crossword and the Universal Sudoku Monster, is a special treat: Scrivener's Sudoku, by one Mitchell K. Dwyer.

The shaded squares in the puzzle are the answer to the trivia question, "The First Hawaiian Center on Bishop Street is Hawaii's tallest building. How high does thebuilding [sic] reach?"

Here's the credit: "Mitchell K. Dwyer teaches mathematics, literature, computers and yearbook at ASSETS High School. Contact him at www.scrivenersudoku.com. 'Scrivener's Sudoku' is available online at www.starbulletin.com."

And here's the answer to the 'why' of this thread: The "Difficulty Rating" for this puzzle is "Kapiolani Blvd." (versus Kunia Road, Wilhemena Rise, and Hana Highway).

[scrivener]

Re: Sudoku

It's about time someone said something. I've been anxiously hitting "latest posts" since before sunrise! For the record, "thebuilding" is not my fault. Nor is the "three-by- three" (extraneous space) in the online view. However, that extra-heavy line in the lower-left corner IS my fault. I fixed that a million times and it's still printing like that for some reason. Grrr...

Anyway, it was all ZZtype's doing, so huge thanks to him. Also to Surfingfarmboy who tested the first puzzle to help me understand whether or not I could actually create these things.

It's running Sundays for now. If you enjoy the puzzle, send some feedback to webmasters@starbulletin.com !

[zztype]

Re: Sudoku

Ho, man! About time!!! I was sooooo tempted to post something but we were wondering how long it would take for anyone to notice. Apparently, a while.

Congratulations, Scrivener!

(The mistakes in the column, printed and online, are artifacts from copying the text from the PDF original. I have corrected online. We'll work on fixing the print typos next week.)

Blaine

[damontucker]

Re: Sudoku

Haven't seen it yet...

Everyone in my office does the weekend ones on Mondays...

However, congrats just for being able to create one...and less yet having it published.

I only do them on occassion...I think I start losing brain cells if I try them longer than 5 minutes.

I'll be sure to give you your credit when my co-workers are working on it.

[lavagal]

Re: Sudoku

Well, I plan to print this out, Scrivener and once the rug rats are in bed (horrors that they aren't already!), and the final housework details attended to, I will attach it to my clipboard and see how long it takes me to complete it.

I'm so proud of you! Wasn't I explaining to you how these things worked just a few months ago? Wasn't that you? Or was it surfingfarmboy? I think it was you, Mitchell!

Kudos to the Bulletin and Blaine for getting you and your project online!

@

[lavagal]

Re: Sudoku

And for you puzzle fanatics, this story in today's NYT:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/03/ar...th&oref=slogin

[scrivener]

Re: Sudoku

Thanks for the encouragement, and thanks for the GREAT link, lavagal! I've already sent it around to a bunch of my friends, and it's got me thinking about new ways to teach a few of my classes (not just the math classes!).

I get asked quite frequently how I can teach mathematics and literature, and my answer is always that they are the same subject. I really take to heart what John Keats wrote: Beauty is truth; truth beauty. I think mathematics is exploring truth in order to find beauty; I think literature (and art in general) is exploring beauty in order to find truth. I love what the writer of this piece says -- I think he confirms a lot of what I've been saying for years. That mathematics of origami link in the article is further confirmation.

That piece really has me amped. Don't know if I'll be able to sleep tonight.

[Surfingfarmboy]

Re: Sudoku

...congrats just for being able to create one...and less yet having it published.

"Hear, hear" as the British say. Or is it "Here, here"?

Regardless of the spelling, I second manoasurfer123 in extending congratulations as well. I can't imagine the logistical nightmare a sudoku puzzle creator faces. It's one thing to solve them, but creating them so that they have a obtainable solution is an entirely different matter. And then to have them published in a big-city newspaper? That is indeed an accomplishment!

Best of luck to you, Mitchell, in this latest of your many thoughtful and intellectual endevours.

[lavagal]

Re: Sudoku

Well Scrivener,
As part of my routine each night, I climbed into bed with your Sudoku. I usually do one on my Dell Axiom before I fall asleep, which has a program that does simple-easy-medium-hard-very hard-master sudoku puzzles. I've yet to finish a master!
It took me 15 minutes to do yours. I liked that there was no 5!!! Very good, I had to pause for a bit to assess what was going on.

Glad you liked the article and sorry if you didn't get any sleep as a result! I happen to think I don't get enough sleep and last night was no exception!

[Moto]

Re: Sudoku

Congrats Scrivener. I too did your puzzle and completed it. Keep up the fantastic work. As always, you came up with a way to keep me entertained for a while. Thanks.

[scrivener]

Re: Sudoku

So...did you all get the trivia answer correct, too, or did that not even matter? The trivia thing was my effort to give a little local flavor to the puzzles. Do you think they're lame, or should I keep doing that?

[lavagal]

Re: Sudoku

So...did you all get the trivia answer correct, too, or did that not even matter? The trivia thing was my effort to give a little local flavor to the puzzles. Do you think they're lame, or should I keep doing that?

you mean is First Hawaiian Tower 952 feet tall? That was my answer, haha. Sorry, I love trivia, you know that, but I don't know if I would get it all right. I certainly don't mind it and feel I learn something as a result.

[Moto]

Re: Sudoku

Did I get it wrong? I got the numbers 9, 2, and 4. I figured it would be 492 feet tall which would make the tower about 41 floors high assuming 12 feet per floor.

[Moto]

Re: Sudoku

Did I get it wrong? I got the numbers 9, 2, and 4. I figured it would be 492 feet tall which would make the tower about 41 floors high assuming 12 feet per floor. Keep the trivia, for if you know the answer, it could help you solve the puzzle a little quicker. In fact, you could even make the puzzle a little more difficult by making it unsolvable unless you know the three digits of the trivia answer. Keep up the great work, Scriv.

[lavagal]

Re: Sudoku

I was trying to remember the numbers off the top of my head...it was 942. So what? FHT cannot be that tall? Why not? It was erected by a gawd, right? hahahaha.