Unharnessed Brainpower

[Eamonn Magrath]

I often thought, since I started coming here, what a great amount of relatively unharnessed brainpower exists in the GL.

What if this could be collectively applied to real-time problems?

Most problems, real or concocted, require a bit of clear, perhaps lateral, thinking to solve … the rest is usually hard slog.

What if a Forum were set up where anyone could post anonymously with real problems requiring brainstorming? ( Not the normal day-to-day things like how to pay one’s bills on a small salary!) Many of the existing posts in the Visitor Submitted Puzzles Forum are effectively brainstorming contributions which eventually (usually) lead to solutions.

Members (or visitors) could contribute their 2 cents worth and perhaps come up with some answers.

I’m sure a Forum would give great satisfaction to many of the good people who come here.

[firemeboy]

I like this idea. It is fun when you are solving a 'real' problem. In fact, I wouldn't even be averse to seeing puzzles like paing bill on a small salary. Since I am quite poor at math I never know what exactly to do with my 'savings' (both quarters).

Just as a quick example. I have a student loan that is at a rate of 5% over 10 years. My mortgage is at 7.25% over 30. Do I drag out my student loan for the 10 years and make extra payments on the house? Or do I make the extra payments on the student loan, then put all of the money toward the house.

Nobody needs to solve this, I just post it as an example of a real puzzle that many would find interesting. I personally use this puzzle to fall asleed with at night...

[Ghost Post]

Is there a consensus that we need more Forums, particularly to break out the categories of VSP? If yes, please post your suggestions for VSP subcategories.

[Quailman]

Here's my two cents for starters:

Math & Numbers
Lateral Thinking and Logic
Wordplay
Games
Miscellaneous

The Games category would be for 'interactive' games such as Boticelli or 20 Questions, where the additional feedback is required from the topic starter, as opposed to the typical puzzle where all information is provided in the first post. This forum could be flushed out periodically as this type of thread is usually less interesting on an archival basis.

I just put Miscellaneous as a catch-all.

Chess problems belong somewhere, but I don't know if they warrant their own category. Maybe in with Math & Numbers?

[This message has been edited by Quailman (edited 08-18-2000).]

[Tom]

Here's a couple of things I've thought in the past -

It would be nice to split the Off-topic into "Discussions" and "Misc"; there are a few nice discussions (aliens, going back in time, running FTL, etc) which pop up in VSP, OT, etc, as no one really seems to know where to put them. They're not puzzles as such, but they seem a bit odd being in the same forum as "Let's make the biggest thread ever" or other such post, which could go in Misc.

Also, what about a "Help!" forum, where people could posts puzzles they want a quick answer to (ie ones where everyone probably knows the answer) rather than is posing as a puzzle. Things like "Help - my friend has set me this riddle ..." or my question the other day about myths of destruction by wind. A bit of an "Ask the Labyrinthians" forum, I suppose. It might stop VSP getting cluttered up with repeats, too.

What does anyone think?

[daniel801]

pay your mortgage first, you get 2.5% better return (plus monthly compounding)

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anger is a gift

[Quailman]

daniel: Don't forget the deductibility of the Mortgage interest. You have to consider the after-tax cost.

[Murray]

Interest on student loans is now deductible too.

I think the proposed breakdowns of VSP are pretty good. I definitely think "chess" should be a category.

Off Topic doesn't seem unwieldy enough to merit a breakdown. There's not enough there that I want to have to keep on top of it all by hopping around.

[mithrandir]

i suppose we would need to move all the puzzles into their respective categories, huh? fun...

i have two things against spliting vsp...

one, i like being able to go to one forum and seeing all the puzzles... having to go to four or five or more forums to keep up with all the new puzzles might be a hassle.

two, it is just the nature of these forums to fluctuate between one type of puzzle to the next... we've seen surges of 3x3, trivia, games, etc... one of the things i love about this place is the wide variety of ideas and puzzles thrown together. if i had come here originally and it had been split up into categories, i would likely have spent all my time in math and would never have found all the other types of puzzles i have grown to love.

i do however see the benefits of splitting it up. my suggestion is that you make a new forum for games... i'd say recently there have been as many game posts(i don't mean threads, the game threads tend to be longer), as everything else combined. then, if it is decided we need more, you can act appropriately. i do think the real life "puzzle" forum is a good idea also.

[CzarJ]

hmm...
I don't know...
I also see the benefit of splitting up forums. However, If we split them up, as mith said, we would have to move all the puzzles into their respective categories. And there have been some problems with moving entire threads in the past. (for example, the poster's name showing up in the # of posts) I see the potential, but I also see a few potential problems.

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[carebear]

The general idea makes sense, but what about the puzzles that fall into multiple categories? Or evolve from one type of puzzle to amother? Take the "It's Alive" thread. The puzzles there are so diverse that you wouldn't really be able to say what type of puzzle the entire thread is. And it would increase the amount of "hopping" around from topic to topic. I don't know. It's just a thought.

[Eamonn Magrath]

Although I posted this originally I am now having second thoughts. The current break-up is O.K. but you can easily see by the number of posts that certain forums get little use.
Could some be re-named?
Perhaps the answer is to ask all to sort of categorise their post titles i.e. Chess, Math, General Puzzles etc. by including something appropriate, maybe just the initial letter(s), in title.(Many do already.)
It just seems a pity that due to the number of threads going simultaneously in the VSP that some go unfinished unless someone gives them a bumb back up the list.

[This message has been edited by Eamonn Magrath (edited 08-22-2000).]

[Zarriar]

I agree with mithrandir, I don't like the idea of multiple VSP forums. Having no guidelines for puzzle type helps people become more creative and makes it easier to access a good mix of puzzles.

[HyToFry]

I missed this thread... I think...

I like the idea of the new forum.

We don't really need a new forum, just rename "Ask the Minotaur". Unregisterds can already post there, so if someone wanted to post anonimously they could. Plus, most of the posts in ATM forum get yelled at for misunderstanding the forum, then moved to VSP or here.

btw, GREAT idea Eamonn. [=

[jesternl]

Now here's my punishment for reading only a few of the forums
I think splitting up into a couple more forums is a good idea, espewcially the "ask the Labyrinthians" Many puzzles posted are posted before, and are just new to some. People can check quickly if it's a chestnut or not. On many boards the mods have an option to move threads from one forum to another if it's inappropriate (For that specific forum)
It also makes the threads a little bit better viewable, meaning that puzzles are less likely to get pushed of the page.
And if people are worried about having to switch to more different forums, there's always the "view todays active thread" button.

Just my opinion...



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GRTZ,
Jester
www.geocities.com/jesternl/antibill.html

The most exciting phrase to hear in science,
the one that heralds new discoveries, is not
"Eureka!" (I found it!) but "That's funny..."
-- Isaac Asimov

[Lepton]

Wow, the thread that spurned VG...

I do agree that something has to be done do deal with chestnuts and such, and the idea of renaming ATM doesn't sound too bad.

ATM and FR could easily (mentally, not computeralogically) be combined into one forum, because much of the content is similar.

[Alfie]

"computeralogically" Is that a word?

[HyToFry]

It is now. [=

[Handsome Dan]

Method to fix the chestnut problem (and any others associated with newbies) :

Make a newbie forum. One forum that answers their questions and provides guidance. This would be the place for and inside joke thread (well maybe not, er, um...) or a chestnut thread. If it is kept minimal it could be quite effective.

Then again, I could be making stuff up again...

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Never leave something in your other pants, people will not believe you.

See my movie at www.duj.org/features/lcls
It's funny, I swear.