Theme: Galactic
Rules: Paint some squares to create a continuous wall of connected cells. Number(s) in a cell indicate how many painted cells are contained in a continuous black cell block in its surrounding cells. If there is more than one number in the cell, there has to be at least one white cell separating the black cell blocks. Painted cells cannot form a 2x2 cell. Clue Cells cannot be painted.
Rules: Draw lines through unshaded cells and place circles in some of the unshaded cells. Every line goes through exactly three circles: One on each endpoint, and another somewhere in the middle. Lines cannot cross or branch off or form loops. Two circles cannot be orthogonally adjacent. Circles belonging to the same line cannot share a row or column. Given numbers indicate the number of circles in the 4 orthogonally adjacent cells.
Theme: Five free clues
Rules: Shade some cells such that each given tells how many cells sharing a border with it are shaded. No two shaded cells can share borders. Then draw a single, non-intersecting loop, vertically or horizontally, through the centers of all of the empty cells. Given clue cells cannot be shaded.
Rules: Paint some squares to create a continuous wall of connected cells. Number(s) in a cell indicate how many painted cells are contained in a continuous black cell block in its surrounding cells. If there is more than one number in the cell, there has to be at least one white cell separating the black cell blocks. Painted cells cannot form a 2x2 cell. Clue Cells cannot be painted.
Theme: I am Tapa
Rules: Paint some squares to create a continuous wall of connected cells. Number(s) in a cell indicate how many painted cells are contained in a continuous black cell block in its surrounding cells. If there is more than one number in the cell, there has to be at least one white cell separating the black cell blocks. Painted cells cannot form a 2x2 cell. Clue Cells cannot be painted.
Last November marked unprecedented buzz in the tech world very few are probably still unaware of. A couple months later, I took to social media (saying I have a meager presence is an understatement) to express my views on the second coming of deep learning models and their likely impact in the years to come. And that hasn't changed.
I am both a proponent and an opponent. My tone in the rest of the post should tell you where I am leaning. Biological Evolution is a profound phenomenon, made elusive by disputable and often laughable theories, many of which even flout and mock the very idea. If evidence is anything to go by, our experiences—from the food we eat to the work we do and don't—all of those constantly shape and reprogram the DNA over years. Evolution is indeed a thing of reality.
Every sensory experience is registered. Alterations in the genes are passed down through generations without our noticing. Tech, in particular, comes with instant results and gratification. The advent of AI models has been overwhelming, and without question, they are profoundly gene-altering stuff—so was the mobile phone, even if to a smaller extent.
I had pressed on the need for introducing regulations—and there aren't any yet—on these products, and I maintain that half a year later. We are devolving all the time, thanks to the phone and the AI that has proven itself increasingly indispensable. Our brains will shrink, and they are shrinking faster than we know; reduced activity and stimulation are to blame. There is also this unlikely, yet much-debated possibility of AI backfiring and overpowering/eliminating humans. As biological descent looms, the question is really what lawmakers can do to get the good out of AI and nip the bad in the bud. With all the good these models can do to improve daily lives and raise productivity by leaps, they undeniably bring enough peril to be wary of.
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Theme: No Business with Symmetry
Rules: Paint some squares to create a continuous wall of connected cells. Number(s) in a cell indicate how many painted cells are contained in a continuous black cell block in its surrounding cells. If there is more than one number in the cell, there has to be at least one white cell separating the black cell blocks. Painted cells cannot form a 2x2 cell. Clue Cells cannot be painted.
Tapa became a mainstay soon after it was introduced. Puzzle enthusiasts have since tapped into the goodness of the puzzle with all their skill and passion. Soon, I will be running a tapa tournament at Puzzle Duel. If you are a tapa enthusiast, you don't want to miss. I hope the contest fulfils the puzzle instincts of those participating.
In the build-up to the tournament, and as more details emerge on the site in mid-July, I am posting a tapa puzzle every Sunday hoping to help get the readers into the groove.
Theme: At the core of the offering
Rules: Paint some squares to create a continuous wall of connected cells. Number(s) in a cell indicate how many painted cells are contained in a continuous black cell block in its surrounding cells. If there is more than one number in the cell, there has to be at least one white cell separating the black cell blocks. Painted cells cannot form a 2x2 cell. Clue Cells cannot be painted.