With Halloween approaching, dive into some spooky fun with my collection of stories and puzzles. I roll out my Hallowmas Collection once a year for your enjoyment (or horror!) Bookmark the tag page and wait for Friday! To keep you busy until then, here are some fun puzzles. Hit reply
Imagine a leisurely stroll through your neighborhood park. The autumn chill is barely noticeable as you take in nature's glorious hues. The serenity is interrupted by humanity, but it is sporadic enough to avoid triggering whatever antisocial feelings you might have. Alone with your thoughts, your mind wanders
This issue celebrates the bonds of doubled O's. I hope you won't be shaken by the challenges. Perhaps they will stir fond memories. Whatever. 😂 Enjoy the puzzles! Cheers, Mitch Double O SevenBond, James BondDouble O Seven.pdf1 MBdownload-circle
The title really makes me want to start this off with a Dad joke. I shall refrain (you're welcome.) I'll just say that I have been designing puzzles based on relatives for a while. Most of them wind up on the cutting floor. The ones that
The English language has so many quirks. Of them, I think idioms are the most fascinating. I always get puzzle ideas when thinking about such expressions. Check out the attached puzzles, inspired by "shifting sands". The first, Paradigm Shift, explores the many meanings of the word shift. The
The Time-Sucking Truth About Logic Puzzle Creation (And How Kevin Berry Fixed It) Creating logic puzzles should be fun. That's why most of us started doing it, right? We love the satisfaction of crafting a perfect challenge that makes solvers think without making them want to throw the
Technically, the period has passed. Colloquially, it is still upon us. The hot, sticky heat here in the United States saps energy, fries eggs on sidewalks and makes some people long for winter. I try to stay inside as much as possible. I'll do jigsaw puzzles, play games
What Creators Should Know Before Selling Physical or Digital Products This guide is not legal advice. It summarizes publicly available information about how Canva and Creative Fabrica licenses appear to work for commercial use as of August 2025[1]. 🎨 Creative Fabrica – What You Can (and Can't) Do 🛍️ Selling
With schools set to start soon, your stomach may be craving pizza. Or, you might be nervous. Probably neither, I just wanted to play with the title of this issue. The theme is actually more scholarly. Test your knowledge of philosophy with the Dominoes and Butterflies puzzle. Afterwards, relax with
More summer fun to engage your brain. This issue is about pathfinding. Instead of boring old mazes, I found a couple of interactive gems that you can play online. Net From Simon Tatham's Portable Puzzle Collection Reassemble the network by rotating the tiles until all terminals are connected.
Collaborating with AI means acknowledging the source of ideas. The following piece was authored by ChatGPT. It never knew my true intent: brainstorming fresh puzzle ideas. The reasons for this will become clear as you read. Initially, I thought about editing out the Elmish ("LLM-speak" and those infernal
My wife and I frequently visit T. J. Maxx. There is always something interesting to catch my eye, whether it is a new snack, kitchen gadget or home furnishings. Recently, I spotted a clear lockbox that just begged me to buy it for a puzzle! (How many of you remember
Lemongello da Cremona, a notorious art forger, has struck again, desecrating the classics for the sake of a pun. I've captured four of them for you to solve. AI-generated art makes possible some really strange and unique puzzles. I've written before about the Connections-style puzzles (see
Visual Puzzle Formats I’ve been thinking a lot about how to structure a visual puzzle book that goes beyond variety and aims for progression, discovery, and depth. What follows is a field guide of puzzle types I’ve worked with or analyzed closely. Spot-the-Differences Mechanic: Visual Comparison Classic visual
"Cartoon mice must be of a different species from the filthy, disgusting, germ-ridden things I pay people to kill." - Hillard Allen Father's Day is such a cool day for me. I have a fun father and fun kids! (My grown children are always going to
As summer rolls into the Northern Hemisphere, you’ll want plenty of fresh puzzles. I’ve got you covered. This week, flex your word-play muscles with Color Code, tackle Impostor Syndrome, and dust off your pop-culture trivia knowledge with Seeing Stars? Finally, I've created three fresh visual puzzles
AI (Artificial Intelligence)
You sit down to brainstorm ideas for your next puzzle book. You fire up ChatGPT, type "Give me 15 fresh word search themes," and hit enter. The suggestions roll in—music genres, animals, seasonal activities. They look good. They feel familiar. Maybe too familiar. Three books later, you
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What Makes a Puzzle “Replayable”—and Should It Be? Activity books often mix in specialty puzzles alongside standard formats. I often notice only one or two of these oddballs in a given book, but those are what I consider "replayable" in spirit. Not because the same puzzle is
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Here is a quiet note for you. Mothers Day evokes different feelings for each of us. I hope that you find joy and peace on this day. To mark the occasion, here are a few puzzles. Enjoy! Mothers Day PuzzlesThree Themed PuzzlesMothers Day Puzzles.pdf7 MBdownload-circle
Twin Blitz is a fast-paced visual puzzle where you scan 16 tiles, each filled with a mix of quirky symbols. One pair is an exact match, tap both before the clock runs out. It’s a satisfying challenge for sharp eyes and quick fingers. Play now
AI (Artificial Intelligence)
Summary: When LLMs Meet Letter Insertion: A Case Study I wanted to know if ChatGPT could help me brainstorm a list of word pairs, where the second word differed from the first by the insertion of a single letter between the first and second letters of the first word, such
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My dad taught me how much fun it is to make games from stuff lying around the house. He cut open two album covers and taped them together to make a large, foldable board. Then he cut the corners from an entire deck of cards so that only the suit
AI (Artificial Intelligence)
Ever stare at a long list of potential puzzle names, themes, or concepts and feel completely stuck on which to choose? You're not alone. As puzzle designers, we often generate dozens of creative options, but the selection process can become overwhelming. When faced with too many good options,
The Magnificent Mulberry Portal is the 9th Wonder of the World - a mysterious botanical anomaly discovered centuries ago that defies all scientific explanation. Despite countless expeditions by the world's greatest botanists, physicists, and adventurers, nobody has ever fully understood how it works. Professor Penelope Pemberwick came closest