Comments on: Don’t fold now!

By: Labdav

Labdav — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 17:46:32 +0000

complete thru puzzle 7, Bring on 8!!!!

By: Kenton

Kenton — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 06:32:12 +0000

Never mind!

By: Kenton

Kenton — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 03:55:38 +0000

Argh! I’ve been over Puzzle 7 again and again, and it seems so clear that I have the pics and letters in the right order, but I just can’t figure out the message. Am I lost in some Puzzle 3 nightmare?

By: Kim

Kim — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 18:38:29 +0000

Ken, Come out, come out, wherever you are. Beginning to get a worried we haven’t heard from you on the latest puzzle and I swear, I have an alibi for the last couple of days! I have finally (maybe) conceded defeat so for those of you who have found these puzzles easy to solve, here’s a simple little puzzle to work on while you wait for Ken’s next diabolical dilemma. What do the following words all have in common: Word, Hush, Tact, Canted, Poll?

By: Dwest

Dwest — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 00:53:54 +0000

Number 7 was another fun puzzle, thanks Ken. Onto number 8 in less than 48.

By: Steve

Steve — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 22:37:45 +0000

Walt and Mary Ann make good points. If you’ve solved #6, you know where the folding instructions get touch-and-go toward the end. But if you don’t get the right shape in the end, you have NOT followed them as written. They DO work. It’s just that in the beginning you’re holding a flat sheet with all the print on one side. Toward the end, the paper is convoluted. What “side” is “up” now?
Hey, where’s the snappy post about puzzle #7?

By: John

John — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 19:34:38 +0000

Regarding hint-giving, I often wonder if the hints provided by others (except Ken) are not aimed at creating even more red herrings! A truly devious player might provide “hints” at sending people down wrong paths to increase his or her own chances, or perhaps that is just my own cynical skepticism at work. I suspect the last two puzzles will generate no hints from anybody, except from perhaps the truly devious.

By: Mary Ann

Mary Ann — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 18:00:31 +0000

Initially I thought there were errors in a couple of the final origami steps but my husband, working alongside me at his first-ever origami and generally following my directions, realized on his own how those folds should look if the directions are followed as written. The directions appear to be correct.

By: Walt

Walt — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 17:33:23 +0000

@Ellen. Tim and others: steps X and Z have an ambiguity — I wouldn’t quite call it an error — in the direction of the “valley” folds they call for. Up until then, all folds described as “mountain” and “valley” were true relative to which side the number is printed on, and also true relative to which side is currently face up (except for some of the fold lines in some of the squash folds, that are described as “hidden.” ) In steps X and Z, the called-for valley folds on 34, 35, 39, and 40 are valley folds relative to the side that’s currently face up (per step W, “with (31) up…”) but mountain folds relative to the side the numbers 34, 35, 39, and 40 are printed on. Therefore calling them mountain folds would also have been likely to cause some confusion! However, once the valley fold along (30) is made in step V, there is only one way each of those reverse folds in steps W, X, Y, and Z can go. And see my previous post about the thinness of the dividing line between clear how-to instructions, and puzzles.

By: Tim Emrick

Tim Emrick — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 05:49:25 +0000

Excellent puzzle! However, My wife and I we are pretty certain that one of the steps very near the end has a mislabeled fold type, though it didn’t prevent us from solving the puzzle, and we’re pretty sure our completed origami is the right shape.

By: Ellen

Ellen — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 03:57:51 +0000

OK, took too many stabs at origami puzzle. But I think there may be an error in the directions. Take a look on the photo on twitter today. Not the one posted a couple of days ago, the one truly showing the answer. I distinctly see mountain folds for 34 (and 35), but the directions call for valley folds. That changes things a bit, although other folks don’t seem to be having any problem. Unless I am missing something, but I got all my other folds just fine (the first time, and I’ve never done origami). I only write in case there are others that are valley folding 34 & 35, when mountain folds appear to be the only way to an answer. Otherwise, having a great time – thanks!

By: Kristopher Johnson

Kristopher Johnson — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 15:03:13 +0000

I agree with Duff. Many thanks to @stephaniemz for a few helpful hints that helped pushed me in the right direction. I am using these puzzles in my 8th grade Pre-Ap History class as supplemental instruction. So if she is willing to share helpful hints so that I can provide instructions and helpful hints for my classes. So if you have a problem with that then maybe you should stay off twitter. @Kenjennings thanks for doing this the first puzzle was very fun and I used it in my history class to introduce the Declaration of Independence. I enjoyed watching you on Jeopardy

By: Dwest

Dwest — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 04:13:51 +0000

Caught up now, Solved 3,4,5 & 6 the last couple days, ready for 7. Each puzzle is unique and clever, thanks Ken.

By: Chris

Chris — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 23:34:38 +0000

Ken and team, I thoroughly enjoyed puzzle 6! Very straightforward, fun to do, and delightfully creative. Puzzle 5 was great, too, and provided a generous helping of that good feeling when you break through. Of course, like many others, 3 & 4 have me tearing my hair out.

Anyhow, thank you for the really enjoyable puzzles. I’m getting a real kick working through them. It’s nice to have a mental challenge like this. Glad I haven’t seen any of the hints from other folks… that kind of takes the fun out of the whole thing.

Cheers!

By: Walt

Walt — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 16:28:44 +0000

We like to think that puzzles and instruction sheets are opposites. Puzzles are supposed to be cryptic and challenging, and instruction sheets are supposed to be clear and simple. And yet, as anyone who has assembled furniture or filled out tax forms knows, the line separating how-to instructions from puzzles is actually very thin, and sometimes nonexistent. Even people who love challenging puzzles often solve puzzles that are easy for them, for relaxation, and many will complain (see #3 and #4 in this contest) if a puzzle doesn’t present a clearly marked path to solution. At the same time, even the best-written instructions cannot include every detail, leaving gaps to be filled in by logic, experience, or trial and error, just like a sudoku or crossword. Kudos to Ken Jennings for #6, for presenting a puzzle that stretches the definition just a little bit. And for resisting the obvious temptation to mess around with the instructions somehow, to make it more “puzzle-like.”