For those who worry, I do have non-puzzle content written and ready for publication when the time is right.
Defying all boundaries of my mental abilities, Bill at Shakespeare Teacher has created a second 3-D Pic-Tac-Toe puzzle. Feel free to join me in a hair-pulling contest over there. But first, bask in the vaguely Halloween edition of Pic-Tac-Toe here.
Once again, a Pic-Tac-Toe is a puzzle in which 9 images are arranged in a 3x3 grid. Each line of images (row, column, diagonal) has a theme that unites the images somehow. Your mission, and only two of you have chosen to accept it, is to solve the 8 themes.
(Click the image to enlarge; guess in the comments section.)
SOLVED! It was a his-and-hers accomplishment, with the oft-mentioned K-Lyn and Bill getting 4 themes each.
Thinking more about the 4x4 puzzle suggestion (Pic-Tac-Toe-Nail?) I made a couple of weeks ago, and seeing K-Lyn's awesome debut of a near-wordless puzzle, I now realize there are challenging ways to create this puzzle that have nothing to do with how obscure the themes are. I could try a wordless puzzle, an all-word puzzle, or maybe one from pictures I take myself.
In honor of the World Series (and as a timely response to a request for sports themes by reader Ookami Snow), below is an all-baseball puzz well, I tried. Didn't happen.
To solve the following Dane Cook promo-free puzzle, then, come up with a theme that unites any line of 3 images. Usually that means there are 8 themes: 3 rows, 3 columns, 2 diagonals. But read on...
(Click the image to enlarge. Guess the themes in the comments.)
A few notes before you get started:
1. As usual, I would consider one theme -- the backslash diagonal (\) connecting pictures 1, 5, and 9 -- more difficult than the others. Slight warning: that theme could be viewed as a little controversial, but NOT for any religious reason.
2. There are actually 10 themes to this puzzle. I've noticed that the middle column has two completely different (yet equally correct) themes. Then K-Lyn helped me discover that you could say the same for the bottom row. So: 2 themes for the middle column, 2 themes for the bottom row, and 1 theme everywhere else. (I guess there's a lot going on in that 8th picture.)
SOLVED! K-Lyn of And She Was... is something fierce, nailing 7 of the 10 themes. Then Bill of Shakespeare Teacher picked up on the aforementioned backslash diagonal, and eventually conquered the two 2nd themes. They seem tired now.
Double themes? Maybe a bad idea.
After you create a small handful of Pic-Tac-Toes, it's no longer enough to find 9 images that fit together in a 3x3 pattern. Some of the themes have to get harder and weirder, and maybe a little irritating to the puzzle solver. Don't be afraid.
To view the past puzzles, click here. (There's also a Pic-Tac-Toe link under the "Exclusive Features" section in the right column of this page.) Your goal is the same as always: determine the theme that unites each line of 3 images. There are 8 themes total: 3 rows, 3 columns, and 2 diagonals.
(Click the image to enlarge. Guess in the comments section.)
SOLVED! K-Lyn of And She Was... weighed in with 7 correct themes, leaving the middle column unsolved. Bill of Shakespeare Teacher ran through some interesting guesses before locking in on the answer. Skip the comments if you want to remain unspoiled.
Last Monday there was an advanced screening for Elizabeth: The Golden Age. I never picked up passes for it, so I missed it. That's too bad, because I already had a title for my review:
"I guess they couldn't call it Elizabeth II"
Ah, British royalty humor.
Exhibit A: Dan in Real Life. Some people will like it more than others, but almost everyone who sees it would have to agree that Steve Carell runs through the entire comedy acting spectrum. Slapstick, buffoonery, romance, sarcasm, farce, awkwardness, dramedy... it's all there. The movie is a remarkable showcase in what only appears to be an ensemble work; the other actors exist only to frame and support Carell's high-wire act.
I caught an advance screening 2 weeks ago. Thinking about it further, I can't say that I loved the movie, but it generated a lot of my appreciation. I don't want to talk too much about the plot -- most of the audience was unaware of the central premise (not revealed in the TV ads, thankfully), and probably enjoyed the surprise more.
Carell plays a widower and single parent who faces circumstances during a family reunion weekend that open the floodgates of emotion he'd kept closed for four years. The film allows us to share in his devastation and anguish. Oh, and it's funny.
As I said, the rest of the cast acts in a supporting capacity, but it was nice to see so many recognizable faces willing to take a backseat here. And I liked seeing Juliette Binoche doing comedy. Heck, I liked seeing Juliette Binoche. Where's she been?
Back to Carell. I've seen enough of his work now that I can say this: his performance here is the first to make me realize that he's a fully formed actor, and not just a comedic TV personality. I liked him a lot in Little Miss Sunshine, but part of me wondered if it was an anomaly. No more.
I suppose I'll evaluate his future projects based on how well they utilize his talents.
I considered making this the "4x4th edition," creating a puzzle that had 16 images instead of 9, but that will take a little more time. In the meantime, I'll stick with the merely mortal 3x3 version.
Scroll down this page to see the other Pic-Tac-Toes. As always, your mission is to determine the 8 themes, each of which unites a line of images: 3 rows, 3 columns, 2 diagonals.
(Click the image to enlarge, and place your guesses in the comments. Good luck!)
SOLVED! Fresh from vacation, K-Lyn of And She Was... dominated early, with 5 of 8 themes solved correctly. Then Bill of Shakespeare Teacher got the last 3, but was particularly frustrated by the left column. I apologize. Sort of.
P.S. This is by no means an endorsement of any pro football team.
Thank you, Cleveland Indians.
But I still think Bud Selig should consider my suggestion of league contraction. Delete that pesky New York Yankees organization, and we can avoid these playoff concerns altogether.
Other baseball thoughts:
1. Regular season? Still doesn't matter. Wake me up when September ends.
2. The wild card concept has won its fair share of support, but no one has noticed an unfortunate side effect. Say the Colorado Rockies lose the NLCS. What, exactly, can they claim to have won on their caps and T-shirts? The Cubs can say they won the NL Central. The Phillies can boast winning the NL East. And if the Diamondbacks were to lose this series, they can still advertise themselves as NL West champions.
But the Rockies, or any wild cards, are a bit screwed if they lose at this stage. They didn't win their division, and they aren't representing their league in the World Series. "2007 NLDS champions" is a bit lame, the emotional equivalent of "Whee, we were the wild card." Clearly, no one has considered this.
3. I find myself indifferent about the Red Sox ever since they won the World Series. I understand that their big-budget financial moves are a necessary matter of self-preservation, but don't be surprised if the Blue Jays, Orioles, and Devil Rays now have two voodoo dolls in their clubhouses. Without competitive balance, the whole division is a bit of a yawn now. I'm beginning to understand how basketball people at N.C. State must feel.
4. Go Indians! Beat the white man and take back your land! And heck, I'll root for Cleveland, too.
I feel a little inadequate right now. Sure, I have the following Pic-Tac-Toe to share, my third so far, and have two more on deck. But after Shakespeare Teacher unleashed his phenomenal 3-D puzzle a few days ago... I mean, how do you follow that? I did my best and only solved less than half of the dang thing.
Below you will find 9 images in a 3x3 format. Each row, column, and diagonal has a distinct theme. That's 8 themes total.
(Click to enlarge. Make your guesses in the comments.)
SOLVED! Bill of Shakespeare Teacher does it again, but it took a little longer this time. He got all 8 themes and came up with a nice alternate theme for the middle column. Check the comments for the answers.
(Click the image to enlarge; guess in the comments section.)
