Palindromes

Amee wuz at da doctor's yestahday, and dey had a poozle book in da waytin room. Zhe fownd dais poozle and thod TcT wud lyke id, cause id haz tah dew wid palindromes.



A man iz drivin awn a trip. He notices dat da mileage awn hiz odometer juz turned ova tah 15951 miyellz. He feels pleased dat he haz notissed dat dais iz a palindrome and tinkz id iz a rare occurrence. Dare4 he iz surprised whin 2 hours lader anothah palindrome appears awn da odometer. Wat wuz da nu palindrome numbah, and ow fazt wuz he drivin in da 2 hours?

Easter Season

Whin Ize relised id wuz Ash Wezday 2day, id mayd mee tink dat spring reelee iz coming. Ize am nutt dat religious, butz id zeems da Easter seezun (aka Lent) iz upon us. Ize leave u tah ponder dais poem written by Robert Frost in 1915. Ize am nutt entirely zur aboot itz meaning. Sumding elze tah poozle.

A Prayer in Spring

Robert Frost (1915)

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers to-day; And give us not to think so far away As the uncertain harvest; keep us here All simply in the springing of the year. Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white, Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night; And make us happy in the happy bees, The swarm dilating round the perfect trees. And make us happy in the darting bird That suddenly above the bees is heard, The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill, And off a blossom in mid air stands still. For this is love and nothing else is love, The which it is reserved for God above To sanctify to what far ends He will, But which it only needs that we fulfill.

Advenchures in Moovin

Gud luck tah Max awn hiz latezt moovin advenchure tah hiz nu cat-friendly apahtment!

Star Scope For Tineecee

Wel, Tineecee gets anothah stah. Ize wanted tah dew sumding difrunt dais tyme, zo Ize lookeed foah ideas awn da indernette. Wat Ize ended upe creating caym frum an idea Ize gotz heah. Ize tink Tineecee wiyill be yntarezded in da stah polygons witch dat lynk wiyill tayk u tah.

Mye idea wuz tah put shapes inzyde ov udda shapes. Dais stah scope (mye mayd upe nayme, cuz id reminds mee ov a collideoscope) starded wid a triangle inzyde a square, inzyde a pentagon. Denn id juz gets twisted aroond a a lot. Id wuz fune tah create.

My new garden apprentice in training

Tile a square solution

Trust me. I didn't play around w/ Cuisenaire rods till they tiled together. But I did realize I could lay out the rods according to the solution my tiny-c program produced.

Once again, even BuBe couldn't do this w/o a computer program. This is WAY beyond CAB=(AB)^2.

I hope and trust I have not spoiling anybody's fun trying to do this. You might have got to the stage where you realized it had to be four rectangles around the edge and one in the middle (visualizing what the necessary Geeometree had to be was key) and you may also have started writing down equations the sides had to obey (or maybe not) but keeping ten nested loops in your head ... that might have proved challenging.


Please visit http://primepuzzle.com/tc/tile.html for the details.

Geeometree

Wel, tyme iz upe awn da lazt poozle. Tineecee gets a 3-dee stah foah dat wun. Heah wee hav a nu poozle. Ize tried tah dew dais wun myzelf befoah luking at da anzer. Ize caym close, butz wasn't able tah getz id. Gud luck!

U r tah form five rectangles uzin each integer wunce frum 1 tah 10 az da lengths ov da sides. Ow cayne u tile a square, without overlapping, wid da five rectangles? Theah r 4 pawzible antsirs.

PS: Da rectangle graphic iz Max inspired, frum a design he mayd in Photoshop.

Anothah Sign ov Spring

Ize went foah a walk awn da beech yestahday. Amee let mee borrow er camrah. Mohst katz don't lyke da beech, butz u kno ow much Ize lyke wada. Ize lyke tah chase da seagulls alzo.

Ize notissed dat da zun wuz stronger, and warmer. And thod aboot anothah sign ov spring, mowa daylight. Da dayz r getting longer. And wee set da clawkz ahead awn Mahch 8th. Az u cayne zee, heah in Portlande wee r gaining aboot 17 minuets ov daylight just dais week!

--Tobee

Discovering "Gawd"

The Tevatron is located at Fermilab near Chicago

Europe's particle physics lab, Cern, iz losing ground rapidly in da race tah dizcuvah da elusive Higgs boson, or "Gawd particle", its US rival claims.

Da particle, whose existence haz bin predicted by theoreticians, wud elp tah eggsplain why mattah haz morass.

Finding da Higgs iz a major goal ov Cern's Lahge Hadron Callidah (LHC ).

Butz da US Fermilab sayz da odds ov its Tevatron accelerator detecting da famed particle fuhst r nuhow 50-50 at worst, and upe tah 96% at best.

Both machines ope tah zee evidence ov da Higgs by colliding sub-atomic mattah at vewy hieye speeds. If id exists, da Higgs shud emerge frum da debris.

Da LHC haz bin owd ov akshun zins lazt September whin an accident damaged summ ov da magnets dat make upe its giant colliding wring.

Project leedah Lyn Evans conceded da enforced downtime might cost da European lab wun ov da biggest prizes in physics.

Cern and Fermilab officials squared upe at da Amayericun Association foah da Advancement ov Science (AAAS) annual meeting in Chicago.

Grand prix

Identifying da so-called Gawd Particle haz bin a target foah da European Organization foah Nuclear Research (Cern) ever zins da LHC wuz fuhst conceived in da early 1980s.

"Wee r increasing dayta set vewy quickly. And dey [Cern] r feeling da heat." (Dmitri Denisov, Fermilab)

At da lawnch ov da LHC neah Geneva in September, summ scientists predicted da Higgs wud be revealed az zoon az summah 2009.

Butz juz wun week lader, an accident occurred witch wiyill halt xpurriments at da accelerator foah at least 12 munths.

Fermilab haz tayken advantage, cranking upe da intensity ov research at their Tevatron accelerator in Illinois.

Director Pier Oddone presented da Tevatron's latezt dayta at da AAAS meeting.

"Wee nuhow hav a vewy, vewy gud chaunce dat wee wiyill zee hints ov da Higgs befoah da LHC wiyill ,"sayd hiz Fermilab colleague, Dr Dmitri Denisov.

"Ize tink wee hav da nex 2 years tah find id, based awn da start date Lyn Evans haz toled us.

"And by dat tyme wee expect tah za sumding vewy strong.

"Da probubbillitee ov owah discovering da Higgs iz vewy gud - 90% if id iz in da hieye morass range.

"And da chances r evun hieyer - 96% - if its morass iz aroond 170GeV (giga-electron volts ).

"In dat case wee wud be tawkun aboot ceeing hints ov da Higgs by dais summah."

Treasure hunt

Da smaller da morass ov da particle, da mowa diffeeculd and time-consuming id wiyill be foah Fermilab tah detect.

Butz evun at da lowest end ov da range, da chances r "50% or abuv", according tah Mr Oddone.

"Tevatron iz running extremely wel. Wee r in da peak ov owah shape," added Dr Denisov.

"Wee r increasing owah data-set vewy quickly. And dey r feeling da heat.

"Instead ov having their usual Kristmaz break - ov 2 munths - [LHC scientists] r planning tah run awl da way throo.

"Itz a race. Whoever iz fuhst iz fuhst."

Fermilab estimates dat da Tevatron haz awlready picked owd aboot eight collision events witch may be hints ov da Higgs.

Butz unetill da numbah crunching iz dun, id iz nutt pawzible tah distinguish deez frum "background noise".

Fired upe

Sittin shoulder-to-shoulder wid Dr Denisov wuz hiz counterpart Professor Lyn Evans, LHC project leedah.

"Da race iz awn," he toled BBC Nooz.

"Da Tevatron iz wuking betah dan Ize ever imagined id kud. Dey r accumulating dayta lyke mad.

"Da setback wid da LHC haz given dem an extrah tyme winnough. And dey certinlee wiyill make da mohst ov id.

"If dey dew find da Higgs, gud luck tah dem. Butz Ize tink itz unlikely dey wiyill find id befoah da LHC comez online. Dey may wel be in a position tah getz a hint ov da Higgs butz Ize don't tink they'll be in a position tah dizcuvah id.

"And ov course, if itz nutt in da morass range dey tink id iz, dey hav no chaunce ov discovering id at awl. Pier Oddone put da odds at 50-50 butz Ize tink itz lezz dan dat.

"In wun yeer, wee wiyill be competitive. Aftah dat, wee wiyill swamp dem."

Da competition wuz healthy foah "both parties", added Professor Evans. Tho mizzing owd awn da Higgs wud be a "sour consolation", he admitted.

"Da trouble iz, da LHC haz bin sold awn being built foah da Higgs.

"Butz don't ferget, theah iz alzo a holee spectrum ov physics tah be investigated at da LHC witch da Tevatron cayne nevah dew."

Translation by http://primepuzzle.com/blog/jspeek.html
using a 1426 word dictionary.

My favorite spring sentiment

Putting In The Seed

Robert Frost



You come to fetch me from my work to-night
When supper's on the table, and we'll see
If I can leave off burying the white
Soft petals fallen from the apple tree.
(Soft petals, yes, but not so barren quite,
Mingled with these, smooth bean and wrinkled pea;)
And go along with you ere you lose sight
Of what you came for and become like me,
Slave to a springtime passion for the earth.
How Love burns through the Putting in the Seed
On through the watching for that early birth
When, just as the soil tarnishes with weed,
The sturdy seedling with arched body comes
Shouldering its way and shedding the earth crumbs.

From BuBe

Soooo cute!

Angelic

DeeDee's tulips reminded me of my Angelic Tulips from last spring - they almost look like peonies, they are so large and full. Am hoping the moles and voles leave a few of the bulbs alone so I will have some nice surprises this spring.

Tink Spring

Hi Everybody!

Tobee heah. Amee gotz summ twolips. Nuhow, u kno ow mach Ize lyke twolips, butz Ize hav bin a vewy gud boy and hav nutt eaten any. Egzpecialy zins Amee puts da twolips awn top ov da fridge at nite, tah keep mee away frum temptation.

Wyill Ize hav nutt bin eating da twolips, Ize hav bin lizzenin tah dem. Wat r dey zayin? Dais twolip in da piccha zeem tah be zayin, "Tink spring !" Id mayd mee tink tah cownt da numbah ov dayz unetill da fuhst day ov spring, witch iz Mahch 20th. Gezz wat? Onwy 33 mowa dayz! Datz juz a yiddle ova a munth! Zo lets nutt let awl dat zno owdzide and cold temperatures getz us down, cuz spring iz coming!

Happee Valentymes's Day frum Max

Happee Valentymes Day!

Happee Valentymes Day!

Clickz da lips!

Seltzer Wada

Wel BuBe, zins u had zo mach fune wid da lazt poozle, heah iz anothah wun. Dais wun iz a yiddle easier, at least in mye ohpinyon id iz. Da original poozle involves beeyah, butz Ize am changing id tah seltzer wada zins wee r a somewhat sober bunch.

A bartender haz a 3 pint glazz and a 5 pint glazz. A customer walks in and orders 4 pints ov seltzer wada. Without a measuring cup butz wid an unlimited zupply ov seltzer wada ow duz he getz 4 pints in eder glazz (hint: 4 pints exactly, don't say fill the 5 pint glass 4/5 full)? Theah r 2 solutions tah dais probelem. Ize wiyill accept eder wun.

Translation by http://primepuzzle.com/blog/jspeek.html
using a 1419 word dictionary.

Nice Work!

Lee, Congratulation on getting the tutor's position at Tunxis Community College in Farmington! NICE WORK! As I was making my ROYAL STAR for your accomplishment today, it occurred to me that since this is a very special star (limited edition of one) you might want to make about 67 copies of it and give it out ONLY to those students you feel deserve a "gold star" for work you think demonstrates excellence -- when they fully understand the lessons you provide them with. These stars are not for good work. They are for work that shows a clear understanding of problems you feel are of the EXTRA CREDIT type. You have just earned one. This is the first of its kind and YOU get it.

Ize gotz da job!

Ize juz gotz a kawl frum Tunxis Community College. Ize gotz da Math Tutor job!

Translation by http://primepuzzle.com/blog/jspeek.html
using a 1419 word dictionary.

Wun amoeba, 2 amoeba...

Tobee mayd a nu poozle. He haz a jar wid wun amoeba in id. Eweree minit, eweree amoeba turns into 0, 1, 2, or 3 amoebae wid a probubbillitee ov 25% foah each case(dies, duz nuddin, splits into 2, or splits into 3 ).Wat iz da probubbillitee dat da amoeba population eventually dies owd?

Trail Blazers and Snow Angels

Happy Sweethearts Day to all

3Dee Gold Stah

Heah iz a 3Dee gold stah, drawn by DeeDee (would she be 2Dee?), foah everybody! Tanx foah awl ov yur elp wid dais poozle.

Tobee

Teamwork

DeeDee poasts poozle. TcT adds a new twist (4 machaz / 16 ryet angles -> 3 machaz / 12 ryet angles). Max poasts progress on GD 6. TcT spots errant spelling of "dymenshunull." DeeDee begins to think about 3D stahs. TcT finds cut out stah template and threatens to akshully build something. Max goes bananas with 5263 word treatise on how to build a 3D stah. TcT makes good on promise. Max retracts early ideas, realizing first take is way to go. Max poasts 6-pointed snowflake 100% nachural stah. Who knows what we'll do next?! Life is the most beautifully unpredictable sequence imaginable.

TcT

Fynul Thawts awn 3-D Stars

Reighn kat-mailed mee (Max) tah za zhe tinkz Ize had id ryet da fuhst tyme whin Ize talked aboot gluing wun stah onto da back ov anothah stah. Zhe sayd dat Ize wuz tinking too mach aboot spheres and id wuz mowa important too keep da original stah shape butz tah juz "expand" awn dat somehow. Zo, Ize (Max) wud nuhow lyke tah reemoove wat Ize sayd aboot awl dat x-y-z azis syztum stufe.

Reighn alzo supplied mee wid a piccha zhe tuk da udda day ov a 6 pointed stah flying throo spaiz. Wun ov dem landed zo awl six points kud be easily seen. Zhe wanz tah kno if u lyke er stah.

Buy nuhow.

Thoughts on Drawing a 3-D Star

I don't really know where I am going with this, but I think it is kind of interesting. The question was: "How do you draw a 3-d star?" I could not figure out how NOT to end up with a star which had more than 5 points. There was one way, but it was not quite right. The not-quite-right way was to take this blue-green star (which I filled in with color and on which I drew these black lines and numbers) and to take another "3-d" star just like it and glue it on the back of it so it was a fatter version of what you see here, But it would not be right. It would still be too FLAT. So then I thought about what we'd have to do to make it "spherically fat." This lead me to the idea of taking THE BASES of each of the 5 3-dimensional pyramids and arranging them on such a sphere. The center points (of the bases) would have to end up being equidistant from the three nearest base point centers. This rule would have to apply to ALL points whose 3 neighbors "fit that picture." I tried to envision what this would do. The image of what would occur is not yet what we are looking for though. I think I know what would have to be done as far as physically moving and re-designing the star tips. But the math might be wicked hard to do. There would be a similar difficulty in drawing the new image, since we would have to consider the drawing in light of star points we could not actually see (but which we would need to know (if only in faint, dotted-line format). If you are still reading this, I think what would need to be done is to WIDEN the 3 angles (equally) for the interior star tips so that the ENDS of all the star point edge lines would EACH end up at one point in the converging valley of respective pairs of adjacent star point BASES. (And if you understood that, your may be highly brilliant). I have to confess I am about as clueless on how to draw this as my explanation may be accurate. One thing I am curious about is IF one of the base converging points will end up in the center of the star we see here. THAT POINT would have show up in 4 other points of equal separation on the sphere. Also, I'm pretty sure the star we have in our minds would NOT have any visible curved surfaces or exposed "sphere-only" surfaces (or would it)? Now I am beginning to think it might have to. Maybe those areas would be ellipses with pointed ends (or convex lens shapes). The biggest question I have is how the heck does one find 5 points of equal separation distance on the face of a sphere. I began by looking at the bases of the 5 pyramids, then thinking of "stretching them" so they all fit nicely around the sphere, but this whole process involves a COMPLETE SHIFT of the x-y-z axis system(s) for the star-tips. Sorry for all this thinking out loud. It may be hard to understand. It is for me. Maybe someone brilliant out there can actually answer some of these questions. Better yet, maybe they could design such a star.

3D Stah

Speaking of dimensions, I have a problem I have been working on. I was wondering if it is possible to draw a three dimensional star. I wanted to draw one as a reward to all of you for your answers to my puzzle (one dimension for each of you), but I am unable to figure out how to do it. So now I am wondering if it's possible, and if anyone else can figure out how to do it. So, I guess in a way this is a new puzzle!

Max and DeeDee got it ryet!

Hats off tah DeeDee and Max hoo gotz da 12 ryet angle / 3 match stik revision tah DeeDee's original 4 machaz poozle. Max zent a grate graphic tah mee and DeeDee zent an email tah mee proving zhe understood ow tah dew id. Wee awl tuk liberties wid Tobee Speek throughout dais "thread" zo Ize went ova awl da comments and fownd 10 nu wurds witch r nuhow offishall. Heah a bit ov nonsense dat kuntainz dem awl:

"Awl yur antsirs r awezome zo nobuddy kneadz tah make upologeeze foah da butshured Tobee Speek dey uzed. Valentymes Day iz coming upe zo sharpen upe yur hart shapes deezyning skeeills. Don't plahay wid machaz, dew eneedin illeagle, put da keyebosh awn dais cold wedder and always tri tah teyell yur frends da solooshun u comed upe wid tah whatever puzzles u."

Heah mye hand-drawn solooshun. Itz hahd tah draw 3-dimensional dings awn 2-dimensional surfaces.

TcT

Translation by Toby Speak Version 2.2m. The dishunary contains 1419 wurds.

Tyme foah a nu poozle!

Tobee wanted tah make a nu poozle. He haz 4 match sticks ov equal length. Frum doz, he cayne easily make a square. At each ov da vertices, theah iz a ryet angle, or a ninety-degree angle, zo theah r 4 ryet angles. Tobee wanz tah kno ow tah make nutt 4 butz 16 ninety-degree angles uzin doz saym 4 matchsticks without bending or breaking dem. Cayne u elp him?