Tag: puzzles

July 17, 2024 – Observing Problem Solving

July 17, 2024 /

I am a firm believer that the mind needs exercise. I think that as a lot of people age, they kind of give up and watching TV all day does nothing stimulating for the brain. I believe that watching a screen dulls the brain. This can be kind of good when you are sick, but too much of anything is not great. Heck, too much exercise is not good either.

While my wife and I were staying at family housing, she asked if I wanted to do a puzzle with her. I said sure, I like to do them and what else was I going to do anyway. This is something that I found very fascinating. It was how different we approached the activity.

I can’t say that what I am about to talk about is 100% accurate but it seems to fit. A few years ago I was having a conversation with a boss. He told me that there were two types of problem solvers and he used a football analogy. Some problem solvers use the long bomb method. Eventually enough attempts were going to score. When that happens, it seems like going from problem to solution without much work in between.

The other kind of problem solver is like the west coast offense. The goal for every play to get two to four yards. Enough of those plays and you will score every drive. You just continually moving the ball forward until the other team makes a mistake or you have run out of field.

Getting back to puzzles. My wife and I have two different tactics. I usually let her do the boarder while I sort the pieces into groups. The groups are by the different subject matters on the puzzle. She tends to pick the easiest stuff next whereas I tend to go toward the most difficult part of the puzzle. I usually do this to give us separation between what we are working on because it is hard. With two people trying to place pieces in the same place.

What really makes us different is how we go about the piece identification and placement. She picks up a piece and studies the picture deeply. She searches the picture until she finds where exactly the piece goes. If it is able to be placed, she will and if not she will put the piece in close proximity to where the finished location will be. It is the precision of a sniper.

I on the other hand group pieces by relative color. My technique is to look at the shape of the where the pieces go and match them to the possible options. I quickly sort through orientation and relative grouping until I find the fit. Often times, I place three to five pieces to her one. But sometimes I misinterpret where I am at with the picture and what pieces I have left causing handle pieces many ties more than necessary.

Both techniques work. Since we work on the same puzzle all the time it is hard to say what is more effective. In order to know, we would have to each do the same puzzle or time ourselves. I don’t think it really matters but I do find the subject matter interesting.

End Your Programming Routine: Honestly, if I had a choice to build a team I would like some of both types of problem solvers. My preference would be to have more of the west coast offense with a few long bombers. I think that is the best of both worlds. Each of us could learn to do both types problem solving if we want to. That is the great news of being aware of the different techniques.

September 13, 2023 – Once I Start, I Can’t Stop

September 13, 2023 /

This must be how addicts feel. Once I start doing a puzzle, I can’t stop doing it. I will literally skip eating, sleeping or anything else to keep looking for pieces. I have to physically force myself to stop. Sometimes even then, I don’t stop. Just one more piece turns into another hour.

Puzzles are something that we occasionally do (fortunately). It is usually a long weekend/holiday activity. In our climate, it is also a beach activity. I guess what I appreciate about them is that it is a family activity. Since I despise most TV and movies, I am not interested in sitting around for hours for little gain. So, it is also an activity that we can be in close proximity.

There must be some sort of connection in the brain between puzzles and programming. When I used to do that, I would get the same sort of feeling. I would start writing a routine and I couldn’t stop. Just one more time would turn into hours and pretty soon it was two in the morning.

I have to believe that it must be good for the brain. I know that my grandfather used to do a lot of puzzles. He was also a big reader and not much of a TV watcher. So, maybe it is in the genes. I was curious, so I did some quick research and here are some links.

https://fortune.com/well/2022/10/02/mental-health-benefits-puzzles/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brain-workout/200904/puzzles-and-the-brain

It also turns out that this kind of research can be a real rabbit hole. I started watching videos on how to do puzzles quickly. Back on topic! I observe that there are two kind of methodologies. I observe my wife doing a lot of brute force. I some cases, that may be all you can do when everything is the same color or you are just starting. I actually look at both the color and the shape. This allows me to automatically rule out certain sides of even pieces.

I have been accused of finishing the puzzle without my partner. For that reason, I try to focus on the most difficult aspects of the puzzle. I will do the sky or the water because it slows me down. Granted, it is not the most fun part of the activity but I feel like I can really dig into the lessor appreciated aspect.

One thing that I am getting more and more familiar with is that lighting makes a huge difference. I find that when it is daylight, I can see so much better than under artificial light. A lot of that is aging and over the last couple of years I have noticed a significant decline in my eyesight. Fortunately, it is not bad yet but I do have to strain a lot more than I used to. This isn’t great news for that rainy Saturday night.

I wouldn’t call it a tradition, but it is becoming something we routinely do during Christmas vacation. It makes a good family gift and we spend time working together. If your kids are ho-hum about it, the subject can be something that they are interested in to kind of get them going. At least, this is what we do.

End Your Programming Routine: It would seem like this is a good activity to keep doing considering what experts are saying. I am not really much into word games or soduku but maybe I should be as an aging person. It seems like puzzles along with games provide good stimulus to combat some of the worse effects of aging.