A puzzling tongue twister

[JWDiaz]

Well, we can't stop alltogether; so here is a tongue twister;

A passing puzzler pauses to puzzle over a fellow puzzler puzzling over a possibly impossible puzzle!

[Canuck]

Maybe that should be this year's theme at IPP     

[gibell]

A passing puzzler pauses to puzzle over a fellow puzzler puzzling over a possibly impossible puzzle!

Try saying that three times fast!   

I managed to sneak some more p's into it:

A passing puzzler pauses to puzzle over a perplexed puzzler puzzling upon a possibly impossible puzzle!

or how about ...

How many impossible puzzles could the premiere puzzler ponder if an impossible puzzle was ponderable?

[rolly_wood]

  Funny!

PS It is "puzzling" how these wordplays call differently depending on language: in Italy they do not twist the tongue, Scioglillingua means both melt and release the tongue, probably the second meaning is intended, a sort of training for speech....  

EDIT I cannot say it once slowly neither 

[JWDiaz]

It's funny how I look forward to IPP and its results every year, even when I swore I would never participate again, because two years in a row basically the same puzzle won awards, a puzzle which was just a slight variation of a very old concept. The author (who can blaming him?) keeps sending variations of the same old puzzle every year in hopes of fooling everyone once again. And inexplicably another puzzle, a ripoff from a very nice Binary Arts classic, also won an award the very next year.

I thought the contest was an effort to make public new ideas, new concepts, new wonders.

I apologize for sounding a little bitter, but it seems to me that the better puzzles, the truly new ideas are always ignored. As far as I'm concerned 'FourFit' a puzzle by Stewart Coffin should have been the clear winner of every award given in 2007, yet it wasn't even mentioned.

I had to get this off my chest. Thanks John for opening that door.

Maybe that should be this year's theme at IPP     

[JWDiaz]

Try saying that three times fast!   

I managed to sneak some more p's into it:

A passing puzzler pauses to puzzle over a perplexed puzzler puzzling upon a possibly impossible puzzle!

or how about ...

How many impossible puzzles could the premiere puzzler ponder if an impossible puzzle was ponderable?

George, I have to admit that your variations are better than the original.

[Canuck]

It's funny how I look forward to IPP and its results every year, even when I swore I would never participate again, because two years in a row basically the same puzzle won awards, a puzzle which was just a slight variation of a very old concept. The author (who can blaming him?) keeps sending variations of the same old puzzle every year in hopes of fooling everyone once again. And inexplicably another puzzle, a ripoff from a very nice Binary Arts classic, also won an award the very next year.

I thought the contest was an effort to make public new ideas, new concepts, new wonders.

I apologize for sounding a little bitter, but it seems to me that the better puzzles, the truly new ideas are always ignored. As far as I'm concerned 'FourFit' a puzzle by Stewart Coffin should have been the clear winner of every award given in 2007, yet it wasn't even mentioned.

I had to get this off my chest. Thanks John for opening that door.

Well...now that the door has been opened, my biggest gripe with the IPP Design Competition is that handcrafted wood puzzles are judged alongside plastic puzzles, or metal for that matter...don't get me wrong I really do like puzzles made from other materials but they certainly should not be in the same judging arena as wood!  (keep in mind, I'm strictly a craftsman)

The other issue I have, is with puzzleboxe's being judged against say 'take-apart', 'interlocking', ect...    ...categories need to be put in place 

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter...who knows maybe the powers that be will see this and give it some thought   

[JWDiaz]

I think that puzzleboxes should be in a category all their own.

And, although I do have a few metal puzzles in my collection, I would never allow a plastic puzzle there even if it's the greatest puzzle ever invented (I hate Rubik's Cube and all that it has spawned, and I realize the reason could be because I think I can't solve it, although I've never tried).

One of my favorite websites is Hidekuni Tamura's World of Craft Puzzles, probably because of his idea that a puzzle that hasn't been handmade isn't worth mentioning.

[gibell]

I am new to IPP but have been following the IPP competition for a few years.  I agree that more categories of prizes would be an improvement.  Right now there is just "Grand Prize" and a bunch of "First Prizes", plus possibly a number of "Honorable Mention".  Sometimes there is also a "People's Choice Award" but not always.

How about separate categories for wood vs other materials, and best interlocking, put together, etc?

[gibell]

PS It is "puzzling" how these wordplays call differently depending on language: in Italy they do not twist the tongue, Scioglillingua means both melt and release the tongue, probably the second meaning is intended, a sort of training for speech....  

EDIT I cannot say it once slowly neither 

Tongue twisters involving lots of p's in English never seem to get that hard.  The really hard ones are letters that can be pronounced several different ways, for example s. "She sells sea shells by the sea shore.  The shells she sells are sea shells I'm sure." is the hardest tongue twister in English I know of.  My kids were chanting this in the car this morning, with hilarious results!

[rolly_wood]

"She sells sea shells by the sea shore.  The shells she sells are sea shells I'm sure."

.....  I will never be able...

[Arc Light]

One of my favorite websites is Hidekuni Tamura's World of Craft Puzzles, probably because of his idea that a puzzle that hasn't been handmade isn't worth mentioning.

Now that's a puzzle collection!!!  This is also one of my favorite sites, beautifully all hand crafted, gorgeous puzzles!!!

[cubefan]

Hi

I agree alittle bit with your opinion about the design competition; f.e. last year the Gravity Cube designed by Mike Toulouzas; he mentioned only that it needs 10 moves but no piece is movable; so after that hint for me it was clear that he has some metall rods inside movable as a maze; I got one of the original and could`nt open it because I made the mistake to believe that the rods are moving round the complete cube;
so I asked this year during my visit in Mike`s house in Greece how are the moves of the rods possible; the complete maze is only in the middle cube inside and so it works; that was for me the best design idea in the last 10 IPP and I think the jury didn`t understand the hint and so he didn`t win any award; I`ll ask this year the jury about the solution of the Gravity Cube !!!

let`S hope for this year and we will see

happy puzzling
Utahfan
Bernhard

[Canuck]

Thanks Bernhard, that's very interesting...Hmmmmmmm 

[Chinnomotto]

IPP Competition,,,,,,hmmmm  ,,,,

To win 1 of 4 to 5 prizes is always the ultimate goal for any puzzler doing the comp

At least half of these 60 puzzles deserve a prize , and every year the puzzles are getting more creative
and judging the best 5 in all categories is never an easy task

I think defining 'what is fun to play with' is the key,  Everyone has different preferences to what puzzles they like. Some like it simple, challenging, some love the burrs, etc. How do you choose, so the FUN factor comes in

I like the puzzleboxes and the simple  innovative ones. For me , its a waiting game, show n tell for the next 5 years, seed planting and a game of attrition, my friends. And its also who you know,,,,,ofcourse its anomynous,,,,say no more

Beaten by a better puzzle, I can always accept, and there are always 55 loosers every year,
Sadly the Ol noggan designs are being taken over by computer generated puzzles. Check out the last 5 years

So I agree with JD that there should be loose catagories and ,also,  at least best 10 mentioned ( its nice to know yours is in the 10, we can't all win, you know)

In the meantime, taking on the Best of the Best will have to do . Its about the Spirit of the competition, the Participation,and the Challenge ( so I puke later ),. Just have fun doing it.

If I say any more, I'll be kicked out of IPP 

PS Hey, I have 2 into the Comp this year. If you are in this Forum, you will know what it is, even a Donkey can figure this out,,,,
    Hint,,,it flashes,,,,so much for annomosity