Sudoku
 

Good evening,
My name is John70t, and I'm a sudoku addict.

It started out as a quirk when a friend said "just try it once". I really didn't like numbers and math and counting or any of those things.
It just seemed silly doing those little puzzles.
I tried it just a little bit. "Ok, I'll just do a few easy puzzles and that's it".

Then it started.
I did the easy puzzles, and even cheated a few times.
Hmmm, all it is is just filling in some squares using set rules.
That is easy.
I'll try some medium puzzles.

The medium puzzles required a new set of rules to learn and remember.
This goes to this, that goes to that. These rules for here, those for there. Forget that box and work on the blank ones on the other side of the puzzle. Run into a roadblock, then the whole puzzle gets solved with one obscure space. Frustration builds up, then there is the release. Pop, pop, pop, pop, the whole thing is complete and finished even before I know what is happening.
Now it all makes sense.

Sudden, dormant skill-sets began erupting in my brain, like volcanoes from a flat ocean landscape filling the entire sky.

It was like completing a painting. Perspective, forms, filling in details. I was Monet.

It was like architecture. Structure, interplay, highlights. I was Frank Lloyd Wright.

It was like reverse programming when solving mistakes. I was a plugged-in Neo "I know C++".

I tried to hide this addiction from friends and family, but it had become obvious.
Even sitting and waiting at stoplights I thought about just doing a number or two.
Just one number.
One little number.

Help. What is the cure?

Hi John70t! You are not powerless against this Sudoku curse and admitting you have a problem is a first step.

In reality, I too love to work Sudoku puzzles but Freecell is my true crack experience. I actually check the statistics and get annoyed if my winning percentage is not up to my standard.

Hi John70t! You are not powerless against this Sudoku curse and admitting you have a problem is a first step.

You help me with my crossword puzzle addiction and I will cure your Sudoku curse.

Deal?

Crosswords. Oh man.
Four letter animal with horns?....bat?

(edit)The movie Wordplay was good Wordplay (2006) - IMDb

Finger arts has a smartphone and tablet version of the same called Sudoku 2. You are allowed 3 'mistakes' per game (it won't correct your mistake, only remove the errant tile). My record streak thus far is 61 games in a row with less than 3 mistakes. Oh yeah - that streak is on their expert level. Quickest time to solve an expert level puzzle was 5 minutes, 25 seconds. I play at least 2-3 games a day. According to their scoring system, my high score is 83,019, whatever that means...

It is a fantastic exercise in logic, relationships, and patters for certain.

I think I may have a problem too.

-Z

I am the opposite. I am Sudoku Averse. Not phobic, averse. It's too close to my memories of high school math. Algebra, Trig, Calculus... get all of it as far away from me as possible... along with that plate of beets. :eek:

I am an artist. Don't pester me with numbers.

have you seen kenken? similar to sudoku in that you have to fill in boxes with numbers, but it adds in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

Killer Soduko is my addiction.

I know how you feel.

I am a recovering suduku addict. 315 days.
I am also a recovering Angry Birds addict.... 177 days.....
I am also recovering from Freecell, Hard Hat Mac, Firebug, Solitaire, Drawit, Glass Tower, Firedrop, .........

The cure is to find a new fix.

At least you're not stuck in Azeroth.

I'm pretty into it and have great one on my iPhone. About six yrs. ago I was on a bus in China working in my sudoku book and the decent looking girl next to me wanted to help. It was good Chinese practice for me and I ended up hanging out with her the whole weekend once we got to Chongqing.

I have a nerd buddy. His comment? Sudoku is lame. I wrote a little program in 5 minutes that can solve any of them in a split second. ;)

I am mid aged. Too old for puzzles and too young for puzzles. I think I'll try golf before I do sudoku.

G

Your nerd buddy doesn't understand the point of sudoku - it is to excercise your brain - not to find a way to solve it without thinking!

This guy works his brain constantly. So to him exercising his brain with an benign math riddle is like a construction worker having to lift weights when he gets home from work.

I am not at the same level as this guy, but my brain is the last thing that needs exercise. In my spare time I relax the brain (PPOT) and enjoy the outdoors, the family and physical exercise ...

G

This is funny! A support group for mind-exercise games addicts!

Funny, years ago, someone tried to get me to try sudoku. I think they described it in a way that wasn't clear. I swear I thought they told me multiplication or addition or something. I'm a numbers/math guy, but it sounded like a pain in the arse, so I gave it a pass. I wasn't interested enough to ask for clarification or anything.

Recently, my wife tried it, and she hates math/numbers, but was enjoying it. She quickly described it to me, not even really trying to explain it, and I thought "that's not what I remember from before." I checked out the instructions online and found an online play that was pretty good. I played several games, then I went to "expert." It was quite a bit harder than "easy" but still not that hard. It just requires logic. I've played on my computer, on my phone and on paper. When it's expert level, I prefer paper and pencil.

I need to get a book of puzzles so I don't do all of the puzzles in my wife's book.

I've looked up some tactics for helping to solve. There are some interesting things out there, but most of the time you don't need anything tricky or advanced, you just need to be methodical.

Crosswords are interesting. I never really did them much. 15 years ago, I got into a short kick where I did them online. I noticed that they just require you to think differently, kind of outside the box, and that the more you do that, the better you get at it. I didn't keep it up though.

I will admit, I prefer when there's a theme to them vs no theme.

You kick butt!

I do one a day....is that addicted?

If a mugger approaches you, you can say. "Do not even lay a finger on me. I'm an expert in Soduko."