Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Sudoku or sex?

I admit, I am a creature of habit. This makes me pretty normal because most of us behave as a normal every day. We all know that some habits - even desires - healthy, effective and good for us, others do not. Some help us feel happy and for our inner joy, others not.

So what is Sudoku, Mystery, the data now in newspapers in addition to the ubiquitous word games and puzzles? When I first saw the> Sudoku, I immediately recognized the inherent danger of addiction.

Already burdened by a tendency to go slightly to take breaks while writing Solitaire on my computer, I was not sure it was a good idea to investigate the Sudoku craze. However, I found myself to read, even to experiment a bit ' . Fortunately, at least at first glance it seems too complicated and too linear for me, not worth the time and effort to learn ... until I sit on a planenext to someone by filling in the fields in the airline magazine! With some tips from her, I was up and running - again, I could not find a puzzle filled with another person!

For those of you still do not bite, is composed of nine squares in each of the nine square Sudoku, a number is filled with longing every 1:00 to 9:00. Each puzzle starts with some squares filled, the rest is up to you. It is a process of sound logic, since the only dataappears only once in each square column, and row. Whenever you find a real number, there is a little jolt of dopamine, the chemical energy of well-being that the brain produces at times of excitement.

In Sudoku, when executed, that a number of other ports, inspired by a feeling of satisfaction that there is another. A sense of targeted and focused attention to increase the amount to load. In fact, mental activity is required to Sudoku is supposedly good for ourBrain, perhaps even delaying the development of Alzheimer's disease!

But no habit or pastime innocent fun can inch its way to harm if you take time, the place could be better spent on other. Sudoku is Japanese for "single number." Noting that it was next to each number more important than making love with my husband, I knew I was hooked.

Our relationship means a lot to me. Because I was brooding on the empty fields to the nearest number to find, while my place loved bymy page unattended, unnoticed?

And 'that the pleasure is in the hand is worth two in the bush? (Pun intended).

We are all vulnerable to escape valves used occasionally. It is human nature.

If you want to start a project, we consciously or unconsciously invite flow of creative energy in our system. Often, the energy that will surprise you with its power. We are not prepared for it. We have the shoulders and a break in order to reduce pressure. Unfortunately, if the break we were rewarded with aEnergy-momentum and sometimes we forget the project was originally committed back!

And I'm very busy, my love story to maintain a standard of living! Typically, the stroke associated with sex is focused on orgasm, the climax, the culmination and completion. However, there is another advantage of sex - another award that another type of dependency is quality. Making love can be connected so as to bring joyHis heart and the heart of your partner that, like a catapult shot together in a state of being blessed.

So what is it that my husband Sudoku last night glued to the page, instead of mine? One reason why I was left with the puzzle the same for any addiction that keeps us. I was seduced by this automatic chemicals released into my brain.

And ... I had forgotten for a moment, how important is our love - as we are both filled with such incredibleHappiness. To compensate for this oversight - what has happened so easily - my husband and I actually make calendar entries for sex every day! We have a tantric practice as "peaceful Passion," which is light and easy and takes only ten minutes a day of development. (Tantra, a spiritual path that includes sexuality, and Sudoku, both roots stretch so far back in history!)

Together with dopamine, the chemicals released in the brain during our peaceful oxytocin do love the passion, loveHormone. As with Sudoku, there are often kept busy most of us it is intended. But there's nothing to do in life more important than love, which is a dependency, which is a good, healthy and successful in creating a lasting and loving relationship.

Sex or Sudoku? What is your program?

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Mind Fitness Puzzles and Mind Teasers

It has been proved scientifically that playing mind fitness puzzles and mind teasers have a long term benefit in growth of hippocampus. Yes, challenging brain with new and innovative mind fitness puzzles and mind teasers help to keep brain active and wards off age-old diseases such as Dementia and Alzheimer.

What is mind fitness puzzles and mind teasers?

Just as we need to do regular exercise such as swimming, jogging or walking a mile to keep our body fit and muscles toned, similarly challenging the mental faculties and our area of cognition helps to keep our brain active.

Mind fitness puzzles and mind games are designed and being developed with a purpose. Playing these kinds of games since young age can be of great help as brain training exercise program. Brain exercises are very important to stay fit and healthy.

Mind fitness puzzles and mind games are categorized based on the area of emphasis such as memory, attention, processing speed, spatial information and ability to retrieve visual information.

How these games help improve cognitive function?

Playing these games help increase blood flow into the brain. Increased blood flow implies enhanced oxygen level and thereby the organ performs better. Chemical changes that take place inside the brain will have a positive impact on brain functioning with greater flow of blood into the brain.

Which are some of the popular mind fitness puzzles and mind teasers?

There are traditional mind fitness puzzles and mind teasers such as Sudoku, crossword puzzles and scrabble, but most popular ones these days are the online mind teasers that help you to stay connected and play anywhere and everywhere. These games are now being designed to be downloaded in mobile devices and play stations. Getting hooked with these games from early age has a long term positive health benefit in the form of better working memory, quicker thinking ability, recalling visual patterns and ability to take quick decisions.

Some of the popular online mind games are Familiar Faces, Monster garden, Playing Koi, Raindrops, Memory Match, Lost in Migration and many more. One of the games is Speed match in which the processing speeds to retrieve information is greatly enhanced, boosting the cognitive function. In this game on the screen will flash two cards with symbols. One needs to register this information on the grain and then recall it to match the information given now with previous symbols.

You need to be relaxed and should not get overworked to play these mind games to ensure faster speed and better cognitive function.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

The History of Sudoku

Sudoku is a challenging logic-based puzzle that has become a worldwide sensation in only the last few years. Many sudoku players wish to know the history of this addictive puzzle. This article will outline the puzzle's origins, how it came to be so popular, and where we can expect the history of sudoku to take us tomorrow.

Magic Squares

The history of sudoku begins here...with the magic square. Magic squares are a group of numbers arranged into a square. Within this square each row, column, and often times diagonal will equal the same total number...as if by magic.

Magic Squares are old enough to be legendary; two separate cultures claim to be its origin.

The Yih King (an ancient Chinese book) speaks of the Lo Shu legend. According to the story, the "river god" demanded 15 sacrifices and communicated this demand by spitting out a turtle with a magic square on his back...all numbers miraculously equaling 15 in any order.

The Jabirean Corpus -Islamic writings compiled in the late 9th / early 10th century - is also cited as the first recorded appearance of the magic square. The writings say that magic squares (known as wafq in Arabic) can ease childbirth.

Really, magic squares have little in common with sudoku puzzles, and their history is more entertaining than important to our study. They can look similar ...but that's about it. There's no arithmetic involved when solving sudoku, and numbers don't even have to be used (a puzzle maker could use colors, fruits, letters...whatever; the puzzle would still be solvable).

I mention magic squares here for one reason; they spawned the creation of the next step in our journey...the Latin Square.

Latin Squares

Latin Squares are a device used in statistical analysis and also in multiplication tables. The Latin Square must have the same set of symbols in each row and each column, and any number can occur only once in each row or column. This makes Latin Squares more closely related to the modern day sudoku puzzle.

Leonhard Euler, a Swiss mathematician, is credited with the creation of the Latin Square in 1782 or 1783. His paper, entitled "Investigations on a new species of Magic Square", was the first appearance of the Latin Square. The paper was based on Euler's extensive research on the Magic Square, including the paper entitled "On Magic Squares" presented to the St. Petersburg Academy in 1776.

It is important to note that Euler did not view his creation as any type of puzzle, and many rules that sudoku puzzle makers now follow are not necessary in the creation of Latin Squares.

"Number Place" - Sudoku gains popularity

In 1979, Dell Magazine published the first 'sudoku' puzzle (it wasn't named that yet) in its Pencil Puzzles and Word Games magazine. They entitled it "Number Place". The Latin Square is said to be the inspiration for "Number Place".

The puzzle designer is not recorded, but there are two theories. One names Walter Mackey, one of Dell's puzzle constructors.

However, Will Shortz (New York Times puzzle editor) used a rather impressive deduction to name an alternate possibility. Shortz went through the list of contributors in several Dell magazines, taking note of a single name that was always present when a Number Place puzzle was published, and absent otherwise.

That single name is Howard Garnes, a retired architect and freelance puzzle constructor.

How Sudoku Got Its Name

Japanese company Nikoli published the puzzle for the first time in Japan. This happened in April 1984, and was published in the paper "Monthly Nikolist". The original title was 'Suuji wa dokushin ni kagiru'. Kaji Maki, the president of Nikoli, later shortened this to "Sudoku", which translates to "unwed number" or "single number".

Also, Nikoli were the first to add two new rules that make Sudoku what it is today: First, puzzle makers can give no more than 32 clues in each puzzle. Second, each puzzle must be 'symmetrical'.

Another interesting tidbit to note: Nikoli holds trademark over the name Sudoku in the country of Japan. All competitors in Japan must title their puzzles differently to avoid copyright infringement.

Sudoku and Computers

Computers aided in the explosion of the sudoku craze. How? They allowed the ability to create unique puzzles quickly and without much human effort or mistake.

Loadstar/Softdisk published the first home computer version of Sudoku in 1989 for the Commodore 64. It was entitled "Digihunt" and is still available to this day.

But the real craze began under the tutelage of Wayne Gould.

Wayne Gould, a retired Hong Kong judge and computer programmer, developed a computer program to create sudoku puzzles quickly. Gould accomplished this feat over a 6-year time span (1997 to 2003).

Showing an astute marketing mind, Gould solicited The Times, a British paper, to include his puzzle for free. The only catch: they had to include his web address with each puzzle he submitted. The Times agreed and published "Su Doku" on November 12, 2004.

The Sudoku Explosion

The Times inclusion of Sudoku puzzles set an International enthusiasm for the move. Sudoku is now a household name. There are websites, online forums, blogs, articles and all kinds of products dedicated to Sudoku. It would be difficult, a major newspaper, not the puzzle on a daily basis to see themselves.

The future of Sudoku

A question left to ask. If the enthusiasm just a fad?

It 's hard to say. If Google Zeitgeist Write the end of 2007, as each indicator, so the questionfor sudoku may be subsiding. In fact, it's ranked 8th in the list of fastest falling search terms.

But newspapers are still printing new puzzles at breakneck speeds, new books on sudoku are published every month, sudoku tips abound on the Internet, and thousands of people can't get enough of the challenging puzzle.

So, what does this all mean? Nobody knows for sure. One can only hope that the history of sudoku will span far into the future... keeping us all focused on the missing numbers, pencils clenched in hand.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

How to Teach Kids to Solve Sudoku Puzzles

Sudoku puzzles are an extremely enjoyable and fascinating past time. At first glance these puzzles may not appear to be appropriate for kids. Sudoku looks complicated and appear to require advanced math skills. However, neither of these assumptions is true.

Sudoku puzzles are totally appropriate for kids of all ages. Kids find sudoku puzzles fun and rewarding and won't even realize that by completing puzzles they are boosting their mental capacity, increasing their concentration span and developing basic math and logic skills.

To ensure kids get the most rewarding experience, it is important to ensure children are only doing age appropriate puzzles. Kids quickly become frustrated and give up when given puzzles to attempt that are too difficult. It is equally important to ensure that kids are given simple, easy-to-follow instructions on how to properly attack and solve sudoku puzzles.

Objective of Sudoku

Every puzzle is different, but the object of all is the same. Although they may have varying sizes and levels of difficulty every puzzle can be solved in the same way, following the same rules.

The objective of all sudoku puzzles is to fill in the blank squares with the correct numeral. Figuring out the correct numeral can be the tricky part. However, there is a method which can be used to easily discover the correct answer for any puzzle.

Explain to children that to correctly solve a sudoku puzzle the following rules must be adhered to:

• Every row of the puzzle must contain the numerals 1 - 9
• Every column of the puzzle must contain the numerals 1 - 9
• Every sub-section of the puzzle must contain the numerals 1 - 9

(Although the rules above use the example of a 9 x 9 puzzle, they apply to puzzles of all sizes, eg. a 4 x 4 puzzles would require each row, column and sub-section to contain the numerals 1 - 4.)

Tips to Help Kids Solve Sudoku Puzzles

One of the easiest ways to help kids with solving sudoku puzzles is to ensure they use a pencil. Mistakes, which are often made (not just by kids, adults too!), are so much easier to correct if a pencil has been used.

The best way for kids to start solving a sudoku puzzle is to look for limited squares. Limited squares are empty spaces for which there is only one possible answer. A limited square will usually occur because it is the only one left blank in a row, column or sub-section.

Spaces which have only two possibilities are also quite easy to solve, so suggest children also look for these.

If children become stuck, suggest they write all the possibilities (possible answers for one particular empty square) in each empty space. Having the possible answers visible in each space often allow kids to see the correct answer more easily.

Puzzles get easier and easier to solve as more spaces are filled in.

With just a little help and a push in the right direction kids will be flying through sudoku puzzles, in no time, all on their own.

Most importantly, encourage children to have fun with sudoku! You may just find kids develop a healthy addiction, which may just last a life-time.

Free Printable Sudoku Puzzles For Your Enjoyment

Do you prefer to utilise your relaxation time but do not know how to get through it? You are probably worn out and used to the regular games that everybody plays. Fed up with the same old games you do during your leisure time? Maybe you're thinking about venturing to other games that is worth spending your precious leisure time on.

Do you need a game that's playable anytime you want to play with? What kind of characteristics that you desire in a game apart from the delightment it provides? Of course apart from recreation, you also would like to exercise how your mental capacity functions, correct? Whenever you're searching a special game that doesn't merely provides enjoyment but brain exercise as well, you might like to earnestly consider with the idea of making sudoku as your favourite mind challenging game.

There's no age boundary in taking on sudoku games as everyone is welcome to unite and enjoy the game. This establishes sudoku games ideal for families that would like to spend quality time together. Sudoku number placing games are as well perfect in working out the mental capacity for anyone interested. Imagine a game that allows you to enjoy and learn something new simultaneously. While there are also games that can offer you the equivalent benefit but the total result on what sudoku has on you is totally different.

The Internet has a lot of loads in terms of free printable sudoku puzzles. Usually, you have to copy it from the net and paste it so you can print it and play with it afterwards. You can always find it in websites that give away free printable sudoku puzzles. Search engines can give you assistance when it comes to the search. In just a few clicks away, you will be in touched with the different enjoyable and fun sudoku puzzle games. So finding one is never a hassle.

But there are still those who prefer the traditional pen and paper approach to solving Sudoku puzzles. Most sudoku game providers online offer for free printable sudoku puzzles. You may either print them all at one go and consume them all or just simply print them out in batches and go slow. Some say that solving a Sudoku puzzle on a piece of paper sharpens the mind more compared to when a puzzle is solved using the computer. Whatever the reason for your preference, you can check out the various sites out there so you can download and print lots of Sudoku puzzles to your hearts' content.

To most people, Sudoku is a nice way to awaken the mind every morning or during coffee break. Since it is the printed Sudoku, you can bring it with you on a weekend vacation with your family. For sure, your family will be engrossed in trying to complete the puzzle that perhaps in return, that you will not hear them asking "will the journey take long" for a hundred times. Remember, each of the puzzle has over a million of combinations that can surely work. Find out how many combinations you and your family or friends can make.

Getting a Sudoku puzzle print out is very helpful. This will give you lots of opportunities to practice. You also can access a puzzle featured in a magazine or in a newspaper, or you can just simply have to print it out from websites providing free printable sudoku puzzles and subsequently hand-solve it on a standard sized paper with sufficient space for your notes.

Aside from the free printable sudoku puzzles there are also downloadable sudoku games that are compatible with PC or Mac. There are also downloadable sudoku game puzzles for mobile phones.

To conclude this, sudoku games can give you a degree of confidence as well as sense of achievement especially after solving a very hard puzzle. Another important thing to remember about sudoku games is that each number puzzle has a unique solution that can be obtained using logic and without resorting to guessing. Plus you can never cheat on a sudoku puzzle which makes sudoku even more challenging and worthwhile. Enjoy!

Monday, December 13, 2010

Play Sudoku Online

The internet has transformed the way people spend their time by offering different types of games that players can enjoy. One of the most common games is Sudoku online. Many players can find as many internet sites as possible that deal with countless of Sudoku puzzles to choose from. Some of these sites require the player to download a software application in order to play while others offer instant play options.

Some of these sites also offer different types of puzzles from which the player can select the one that is up to their challenge. Once they have visited the sites, the players have the option of playing the game offered or choosing their own puzzles. These games come with three levels of difficulty: easy, medium and hard. Players can start with the easy ones to learn about the basic facts of Sudoku and then proceed to the others as they continue playing. Beginner layers will also have a chance to read a number of different tutorials and guides on how to play the game.

Looking for these sites on the internet is easy. The players only need to use the search engines of their choice and type the word Sudoku and they will be provided with a list of the sites. It is up to them to know what type of site to select and start playing away. Those who want the downloadable versions should ensure that they have read and understood the system requirements that are needed, in order to install the software and enjoy the games offered.

Each puzzle has its on unique solution and the player is required to fill in the blanks with numbers from 1-9. The requirement is that digits should only appear once in each row, column and the three by three square. The solutions do not need guessing because the players can fill out the blank spaces using logic. The puzzles are usually addictive and many people are out looking for them to test their logic and to enjoy their time while at it.

Kids can also enjoy these games because there are others that are especially designed for them. Other players will also get some of the solver programs as well as hints to make it easier for them to get the gist of the game. Others also allow the players to check out how they are doing. Players do not need to worry about the timer because they can use the pause buttons to engage in other activities and then get back to their game. Some of them can also print these puzzles and solve them at their own time.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Kakuro Puzzles In The Modern Setting

Kakuro puzzles are considered by some as the harder version of its more famous partner, the Sudoku puzzles. Kakuro puzzles are also considered by puzzles enthusiasts as modified versions of crossword puzzles, where numbers, instead of words, are used.

Actually, Kakuro puzzles have several similarities to the typical crossword puzzle. For one, the grid in a Kakuro very much resembles the grid used in American crossword puzzle. Also, in a crossword game, a clue is provided but its correct answer is limited to the number of squares provided by the game as well as by the intersecting answers. This is very much the same thing with Kakuro, where a player must find the two single digits that will add up to a specific value but must be limited to the number of squares provided as well as on the intersecting sums. Note must also be given to the fact that in a Kakuro game, no sum should contain the same digit twice.

Kakuro puzzles, more commonly referred as Cross Sum in its early days of development, are not entirely new. They have enjoyed tremendous as well as continuous popularity in Japan since 1986. However, the awareness of the game's existence, especially in the United States and in many parts of the Western world, has risen only very recently. In this regard, it does not come as a big surprise to see major websites nowadays taking advantage of the puzzle's growing popularity by dedicating their page or pages to Kakuro in the past month or so. Blogs that discuss Kakuro techniques and solutions are also increasing by leaps and bounds.

The latest news about the Kakuro puzzles is that Conceptis Puzzles, the world leader in the international logic puzzles market, has launched last February a modern version of the puzzle game, which it appropriately called Conceptis Kakuro. The puzzle company has secured the services of King Features to handle the syndication of the game to daily newspapers all around the world. In addition, Conceptis is also set to release several Kakuro magazines and books in the coming months in cooperation with several international publishing houses.

Conceptis Puzzles said its version of the Kakuro puzzles involved the use of correlation algorithm to make the puzzle really easy, so that the greatest number of people possible can get to enjoy playing the game to the maximum. The Kakuro algorithm creates in the game one starting point in each one of the four blocks, and makes sure that conflicts do not emerge when players begin to solve the puzzle all the way to its logical conclusion.

Kakuro puzzles, Conceptis style, are reported to be available in six different levels, ranging from the very easy to the extremely difficult. They also come in different sizes such as the 8 by 8, the 10 by 10, the 12 by 12, the 14 by 14, just to name a few. This makes the Kakuro puzzles of Conceptis more fun and exciting to solve and a perfect fixture in many newspapers as well as books in any part of the world.