#1: Sylvain "WCPman" (qwerty) on Sep 14, 2008

This is a new idea I just got.

Each week starting with week 3 I'm going to ask 3 question to the winner of the WC. I he or she is willing to respond it will help us better know all those amazing creator posting so many great puzzle online each week

So first 3 quetion interview coming right now

Congratulation Telly on this victory this week

so here I come with the quetion

#1: After 3 week of competition you manage to stay in the top three each week, that consider do you feel any kind of pressure coming in in week four?

#2: Of all the puzzle you create for this website (WC or not) wich one are you the most proud of and why ?

#3: Non-puzzle question of the week: if you can me any person (dead or alive) and ask him(her) a question who would it be and what would you ask?

thanks you in advance
Sylvain

#1: Yes, There are so many great puzzle makers on this site that the competition is always fierce. I'm very honored that mine have been selected so often.

#2: Probably puzzle 2670 or 3457. I really like both of those because of the originality and I really enjoyed drawing them.

#3: TOUGH. I would like to meet Jesus Christ and ask him if I'm doing okay...where I need to improve. (Sorry to get religious on you).
:)

well thank you for your participation hope it was not to tough on you.

Stay tune next week for another 3 questions interview with the winner of WC#4

Hourray for Marz !!!!

so here my 3 questions this week

#1: You have create 157 puzzle so far, if you have to choose only one of them as your definitive work here at Webpbn wich one would it be?

#2: As a lucrative creator can you tell us your approach when you start a new image like in the WC ?

#3: non-puzzle question: Except from the puzzle here can you tell us about your other hobbies or favorite activity?

Thankyou Sylvain!

#1: Gosh, you are making me think real hard now, I think my African animal series are the best, because I love animals and I put a lot of time into them. I love the giraffe. Another of my favourites is Salty Siren #1161.

#2: Well first I have to be in a creative mood, so many times I have started to create a puzzle and ended up wiping it, I have probably more wiped puzzles than finished ones.
Usually with the weekly challenges I get an image as soon as I have read the topic, then I will think of it for a few days and imagine it in pixel form, then go from there.

#3 I do a few arty crafty kinds of stuff. I love the beach, my second home. I love reading, cooking and gardening. Spending time with the kiddies and my dog Rocco. Creating and solving pbn puzzles is my most favourite thing to do though :)
Thanks for the interview, it was fun!

THank you Marz for your answer and congratulation again on winning this week WC

See you all next week with the winner of WC#5

congratulation Telly
here we go

#1: Nearly each week you submit your puzzle near the end of the delay, is that strategy or just because you don't have enought time to submit early in the week?

#2: When you solve a puzzle what is your favorite technique, are you going only by logic or do you like to guess or go by trial and error?

#3: non-puzzle question: What is your all time favorite movie and why?

thank you

new theme


WC#6: Starting with the letter P


anything as long as its start by P

#1: No strategy. It just takes me a while to come up with an idea that I like. I also usually have more time on Saturday and Sunday to create so that's another reason.

#2: I hate guessing...but sometimes, of course, I have to. I like logic alone (edge logic, smile logic, etc.)

#3: I think A&E's Pride and Prejudice is one of my all time favorite movies. I love Jane Austen's novels and think that this is the best movie of them. I watch it whenever I'm sick, bored, or need something to cheer me up. :)

thanks you Telly

see you all next week with another 3 questions interview with the WC#6 winner

Isn't the new theme supposed to be announced in item 112?

it is now.

oups it was my fault I was in a rush

thanks Nancy for correcting me

:)

Congratulations to this week winner Jack Thorn (ravenskuld)

here we go

#1: Jack your fairly new to this website and you getting a win on your 5th puzzle here how do you feel about it?

#2: If you where a judge this week who yould have win instead of you?

#3: What was your inspiration for this winning puzzle?

#1: Jack your fairly new to this website and you getting a win on your 5th puzzle here how do you feel about it?
it's really cool. my life is busy enough to not allow me too many opportunities to be creative here, but i try to make puzzles that have fun themes, and puzzles that i myself would enjoy solving. so, i am glad others find them fun, as well.

#2: If you where a judge this week who yould have win instead of you?
#3716: WC#6 Ruins - by Travis Rusin (tapsrat). that puzzle was a slow, constant solve. i didn't find any gaps in time trying to complete it, so there was definite work involved, but it never got boring. and i could tell the image took some thought to put together.

#3: What was your inspiration for this winning puzzle?
a trio of things:
1. my wife. she comes from Rockport, Texas, which used to be a pirate town way back; the pirate theme still stands there, and every time we go there, i come back with something that has the skull-and-crossbones on it. [tho, the last time went there, we got trapped by Hurricane Ike - so much for a vacation!]
2. i am from Pittsburgh, where our [extreme awful] baseball team is the Pirates.
3. i'm a rock musician, so skulls are always welcome [the silly "bad boy" thing about being a musician! LOL]

here we go with the 3 questions interview

#1: Jesse your fly got the attention of all 3 judges what was your inspiration for it?

#2: This is only your third puzzle on this website did the WC inspire you to try creating new puzzle?

#3: people who solve your past puzzle know the answer but tell us about your favorite sport team


thank you

Why are there no answers. Come on we all want to know.

okay I really dont care about #3 but im sure some people do.

check topic #114 :)

#1 When I read the new categories, I like to think of something that is different than the obvious. To give a little flare and uniqueness. Instead of something being displayed, I thought I would actually draw something that was physically "on" the screen. I hate it when flies and other light attracting bugs are on my screen!


#2 I would say that the weekly challenge helped me get started. Creating a puzzle was something I knew I could do, I just needed enough motivation to get started.


#3 I attended the University of Oklahoma, and played in the marching band, so I gotta stick for my Oklahoma Sooners!! Even though they just lost to Texas :-(

Hey Telly welcome back to the 3Q interview

#1: Your two puzzle are on an Icon of the 80-90 but are you a fan of MJ?, If so what your all time Wacko Jacko best hits?

#2: Once again you come up with your puzzle at the very last minute, sincerely are you trying to turn us judges crazy with dead line puzzle to solve :-) ?

#3: Your puzzle was about music and since you already told us about your favorite film what is your favorite album of all time?

thank you

#1- Ummm, Yes and no. I really like his music in the 80's but dislike his strangeness. I really like Thriller, especially at this time of year.

#2- No, really! Saturday and especially Sunday are just better days for me to create puzzles. I have more time then.

#3- That's so tough because I have so many favorites and in so many different genre's. I really like soundtracks to movies because they have more diversity. My favorite soundtrack is "Runaway Bride". My favorite alternative band is "They Might Be Giants". I have their full collection. My favorite Broadway album is "Phantom of the Opera". My favorite 90's group is "Boyz II Men", 80's group is "The Bangles", 70's group is "ABBA". My favorite soft rock artist is Josh Groban. etc.
So, I guess I couldn't give you just a single answer. Sorry.

thank you so very much

here are the 3 questions

#1: After many time in the top 3 how does it feel to finally achieve first place?

#2: With a title like you give to your puzzle do you really think you could loose this one?

#3: If you could choose a question to ask in this interview what would it be? ( and what would the answer be?)

thank you

#1. FINALLY!! lol... no seriously, I don't enter win, I just enjoy the challenge to create a puzzle

#2. rofl, couldn't think of a good title that wouldn't give it away

#3. in creating & solving puzzles what do you prefer... creating=detailed color, solving detailed B&W a max of 50x60 in size (HINT - HINT just in case someone want to create a few)

So once again congratulation on winning this week WC

here we go

#1 Your now doing a new serie call lil' monster was this week theme an inspiration on those puzzle or just a great coincidence ?

#2 When you look back at all the puzzle you have create here do you have a favorite one and if so why ?

#3 Most of us know that you are from Australia, but tell us something about this wonderful land that most of us wouldn't know about Australia :)

thank you

First I would just like to thank the judges for making me a winner this week, I am sooooo happy! :)

#1 Yes, I did get the inspiration from this weeks theme, after creating my weekly challenge puzzle I just wanted to do more, and with monsters there is no limit on creativity.

#2 You asked me this one before Sylvain lol! I don't really have a favourite, I like my African Safari series the best I think, because I love animals. I like any that have a horse in them, horses are my favourite animal. I love my mermaid puzzle, because I love the ocean. :)

#3 hmmm, something about Australia that most of you wouldn't know, well......kangaroo meat makes excellent sausages and steaks and it is really low in fat and very high in iron. Yummy!!! Koalas are actually evil, the males anyways, they are not sweet and friendly, they are aggressive and forceful towards the female koalas, really nasty things. They will hurt the babies, and they smell.

note to self : re-read past interview before asking question next week.


Done

Bonus question to Marz: if you could ask one question to any of the judges to who and what would it be?

haha, really? What fun! Ok, um.....Sylvain; when you 3 judges get together on chat to discuss the entries, do you all agree quickly who should win and take second and third place, or is there disagreement and heated arguments? LOL! :)

I'll say that usually we pretty much agreed on what 3 puzzle are, but often we don't have the same order. When two of us have the same view usually the third judge go with it. In a couple of occasion we debate on a certain puzzle if one of the judge really like this puzzle in particuliar but the two other don't get why.

Finally when its impossible to have a clear decission we sometime put more than 3 puzzle in the winning seat.

But I would add that after 10 week we always get a unanimus vote on 1st place, its more when its time to select 2nd and 3th that we have to argue sometime a little.

Perfectly said, Sylvain, in the way you described our "little debates." LOL

Well thankyou for answering that Sylvain, it is good to get a little insight into what goes on with the judging, keep up the great work, you guys are doing a fantastic job. :)

Hourray!!! for Jota this week winner

#1: You finally made it to first place this week, how does it feel to achieve it after week and week of coming close ?

#2: Who is your favorite creator here on this site and what was the puzzle you were most proud of solving

#3: Tell me if you can choose a theme for a WC week what will it be?

thnak you

# 1 OMG almost 3 months worth of suffering. I kept trying and getting better and I made it. I' so happy! Thanks! It's been lots of fun

# 2 With so many good artists here is difficult to choose, but being the creator of the site, I'll have to say Jan, his puzzles are never to big or small, always challenging and for the most excellent pictures One of my favorites is # 4 (Hummingbird) I was very proud to solve it.

# 3 An animal, so many possibilities!

Thanks

Congratulation again Agneta here we go

#1 You create 15 puzzle so far here at webpbn and it was your first participation in the WC were you surprise to win this one ?

#2 What kind of puzzle attract you the most here on the website, classic b&W, hyper colour one, giant size like Adam and Nancy often do or smaller more friendly puzzle?

#3 This week was really hard to judge with so many good small puzzle, if you could pick one that was not mention in the top three to be add to the list wich would it be?

thank you

#1: Well, actually I was a happy runner-up in WC#6, but I was very surprised to win this one, since it had so many really good ones.

#2: I have a special love for the black/white ones, mostly because it feels good to put a proper ending to a finished group of black squares, and because I only need one pencil when solving on paper. I always make horrible mistakes with colour on paper (Murphy's law), and then it can't be erased... :o) I like all sizes, but stick to those smaller than 30x30 when solving online, and do bigger ones on paper.

#3 Oooh, the toughest question! I did actually solve them all this time, and they all brought much happiness. Both of Marz's were just perfect, Telly's #4040 won my heart, Aeribela's #4020 was indeed a very good beginner's puzzle, jack's #4005 my favourite subject music. Just to mention a few... No I can't choose one, impossible!

Thanks! And congratulations also to Tonia and Rea!

Congratulation Teresa

here we go

#1: You are fairly new to this website and you catch trhe first place in your first participation in the WC ( three first participation) are you surprise to have win it this week ?

#2: Your puzzle is particulaiar in the way of using the shadowing and the perspective in a way not many puzzle do, tell us how you achieve such a great effect

#3: Being new here can you tell us what attract you the most to this wonderful website, the puzzle, the community or something else ?

thanks

What fun! Here goes...

#1. I am VERY surprised to be a first place winner. I wanted to make a puzzle that would give the solver that "aha!" experience that we all enjoy. This wasn't easy, as I had to work on it, making several attempts until I achieved the effect I was going for. I did it mostly as an experiment to see if you guys would like it.

#2. Okay, I will tell you my secret. (Although I'm surely not the only one to use this technique.) I was in bed that morning, still half asleep, thinking "There must be an easy way to create this kind of image." Then it came to me - Photoshop! I jumped out of bed, ran to my computer, and got started. I tried different effects, until I ended up with the image for this puzzle. I can't wait to try it again.

#3. There are three things I like about webpbn: the intuitive program (Jan you are a genius!) with all the helpful features; the ability to create my own puzzles (I have wanted to create my own for a long time); and this wonderful community of interesting characters. I look forward to getting to learn more about each of you.

Bravo again Mara

#1: only your 3rd puzzle here and you win your first week of WC in your second attempt, did you think your puzzle was that good when you post it?

#2 Do you like working with an impose subjet like in the WC, if so what advantage do you see in it?

#3 Your puzzle was inspire from FFX-2 are you a big gamer? What are your favorite game?


thanks

#1: Yes I definitely thought it had a great possibility of winning because so many people really like the "artsy-shading" effect on puzzles.

#2: Yes I like having a subject given to me. The advantage is that I know it's a puzzle people are looking forward to solve.

#3: Yes I'm a very big gamer. My all-time favorite video game is Final Fantasy X. I also love Knights of the Old Republic. I've been gaming since Nintendo ES on all platforms.

Congratulation again Jota

here we go

#1 : Starting officialy this week (WC#16) you are acting as the 3rd judge does finishing the competition with a win help you jump the gate to the other side???

#2: We didn't get many puzzle post this week do you personnaly think the theme was to hard to come up with something, and what eas your inspiration on your puzzle?

#3 You been here less than a year ( or maybe even less than 6 month) but you are nor consider among the big time regular here at Webpbn. What do you like the most solving, creating or commenting in the diffrent forum?

thank you

It's Monday afternoon, I just got home and was so curious to see this week's results ... OMG I'm so happy ...
#1. I want WC to succeed no matter what, so I'll be a judge, a very happy one for having won first place just before retiring as a contestant.
#2 When we reached midweek and nobody had posted a puzzle, I said: Jota you're always among the first to post, go for it. A while back somebody made a "puzzle piece" and I though it was brilliant, so it inspired me to make a puzzle of a puzzle.
#3 At first it was all about solving. Then, very timidly I began to create and to enjoy the comments. Adam made a series of "Close Ups" and I started commenting on those and got hooked. By now, It's the whole experience and I even have become "friend" on facebook with some of you guys, so now there faces to the names and families behind the faces ... It's fantastic!!!!

why dont we have a fan of Webpbn group in facebook? Can someone wake one? That would be a great way to finde each other...

are you on facebook Rea? if so find me & add me :)

me too

sylvain ducharme

me three!

me four!

I'm on facebook too. I made a group. Go here: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=38295942458

Ok-- I joined the group and friended everyone I recognized. If I missed anyone, I'm Theresa Richardson.

By the way, a warning, especially to those of you who know me on myspace. I'm a wee bit more political on facebook. I'm an idealistic humanities grad student, so it's against the rules for me not to be! But the election's over, so hopefully I won't post anything too annoying for you. And if I do, just ignore me! ;)

cool...I joined too :)

I'm there ! This is fun !

yay to everyone.. i'v tried finding a few in the pas but got more than one with the same name so... I try again later today gotta go to work now

Meg here we go

#1: Its your 1st participation in the WC and you win it. How you surprise to get it at your first try

#2: You been know to create great serie of puzzle, how do you come up with all those excellent puzzle ?

#3: you create nearly 80 puzzle to date is there one that you are prouder than the other ?

thank you

Er... I hope these questions are meant for me (and that there's not some other Meg who entered the WC).

#1: I think I might have entered the very first WC... Maybe. Anyway, I'm not sure this is my 1st participation. It might be my second. I'm just glad I decided to try digging through the forum to see who won! I'm almost never in this part of the WPN site.

#2: No idea. :-)

#3: Yeah - I like my Ganesh puzzle, in the World Religions series.

Thanks!

let do this rigth away

#1: You did 2 Frosty in this week competition and one of them was pick as winner did we choose the good one in your mind?

#2: Since we talk about Christmas song this week what is your favorite x-mas song ?

#3: Being 4 day from Christmas tonight can you share with us your best Christmas memorie ?

thank you

Lets go rigth now to the questions

1: after two runner-up puzzle you finally win a WC do you feel it was really your best puzzle to date here?

2: If you could name one user that you feel you must do all of is puzzle who you it be ?

3: Any theme idea you would like to see in the WC for an upcoming week?

thank you

here we go rigth now

#1: third participation in a WC and already two win, do you think you can go after Telly at this rythme ?

#2: You did numbrous serie here on wpbn and they all got great review from other user, are you still nervous of what other might think of your puzzle when you post on on the site?

#3: if I let you decide WC21 theme what will it be and why?

#1: Probably not - I'm too inconsistent about participating. :-)

#2: Mostly, I seem to be more critical of my own puzzles than other people are. Also, my favorite puzzles aren't usually the ones that people rate highest, or leave the most comments on. So I'm often surprised by other people's reactions to my puzzles.

#3: Er... how about a Inauguration Day special? Anything to do with the US of A and her presidents, past and present (and future). That would seem appropriate, considering all the excitement around Obama right now.

you got it WC#21 theme will officialy be "US of A past, present, futur"

scoop

Teresa: Congrats on your win!
Here are your three questions:
#1. So far you have created 84 puzzles in a short time, where do you get the time and inspiration?
#2. Apart from WC, which puzzle do you consider your best and why?
#3. Of all the 445 puzzles you've solved, not including yours, which one stands out as the best?

Great questions, Jota!

#1. Where do I get the time? I have no idea. I hold down a part-time job, a volunteer position, and I am constantly advocating for my two disabled adult children. Time seems to just materialize when I need it, and I "need" lots of puzzle time to maintain my sanity. Where do I get the inspiration? I am inspired by life's little moments, by the interesting comments of my peers, and by a seemingly bottomless well of creativity.

#2. I think my best puzzle is Endymion's Beloved because it is based on an art piece my sister gave me, so I put a lot of heart into it, and because I had to work on it a long time to get it just right. I think it satisfies all the criteria that Jan has written about. I always strive for that, but I don't always reach that goal.
http://webpbn.com/index.cgi?id=4612

#3. My favorite puzzle? Well, I love doing Nancy's portraits. I really enjoyed Adam's close-ups. I always have fun doing Jan's earlier puzzles. But I'd have to say the very best is Meg's Zodiac #10. Let me tell you why - It was done in B&W; good size (big enough for a decent image but small enough to work in "bigger" mode); lot's of intricate detail; excellent image that was recognized with that "aha!" experience; and challenging but still solved with logic. It was fun to work from beginning to end. If you haven't worked it yet, here it is:
http://webpbn.com/index.cgi?id=2468

Jota this interview was really good ( thank you for responding Teresa) you can have the job full time ....

teresa as a winner or me as an interviewer ?

both teresa as to work hard to be in this spot again you on your part just have to say yes

congratulation once again Petra here we go now

1st: Your winning puzzle had to be redrew since the original was to big, was it hard to keep to same idea and redoing it for the WC ?

2nd: As of late you been doing superbe B&W portrait, what make you choose your subjet for those puzzle?

3rd: You did 32 puzzle so far here at Webpbn of all those wich one make you most proud and why?

thank you very much

1: No, I chose a different angle and kept the other puzzle. I thought the idea was to good to just drop it, and that the 50x50 puzzle was good the way it was. I never thought I'd win though, wow!

2: I want to chose subjects people will recognize. I usually look for thumbnails online to help me get a good resemblence. They also need the right balance between black and white, and an interesting angle, like this one.

3: I still like one of my first the best, it's called Icon and it's rather big, 60x60. I worked on it forever to make it solvable by logic alone. It has 4 colors, but it would be impossible to solve with less, and the colors are needed for the picture, too. It wouldn't be the same w/o them.
It was one of my first, but was still very popular, which surprised me.

I'm very proud of this one too. I found the subject hard as I'm not American, and I didn't know how to use the colors at first, but I like the result!

Congratulations! It's great to have you back!
Here are your questions:
a.- You are the number 1 so far and by far (76 points), do you still get excited about the competition ? and why.
b.- What advice can you give people who want to start creating puzzles?
c.- What characteristics do your favorite puzzles have?

Thanks!
A. Yes, I just enjoy creating puzzles and it's nice to have a topic to help inspire me.

B. Start small and look at what others have done to get ideas on what is considered good or fun to solve.
Don't get discouraged if your quality rating isn't great with small sized puzzles.
Use the checker to see if the puzzle is logically solvable without guessing. We All prefer solvable, non-guessing puzzles!
I personally say: don't do pattern or word puzzles. I don't find them enjoyable.
Focus on an image that can be done with a few colors.

C. I love Black and White or 2 color puzzles the best. I like it when the size is one that fits on my screen in the "Bigger" format. I like representational puzzles (puzzles of people, objects, etc. not random patterns or word puzzles).

Congratulations on winning first place once again!

And heeeere are the questions:

#1.- You've said before you've used photoshop for your images, can you elaborate on that for the benefit of others who would like to try it ? Did you use it this time?

#2.- You are now on second place in the rankings, how bad do you want to be first?

#3.- On November 2008 you said you were looking forward to learning more about us, what have you learned about each of at least 3 of us?

Bonus Question: Who do you want your kiss-prize from?

#1.- You've said before you've used photoshop for your images, can you elaborate on that for the benefit of others who would like to try it ? Did you use it this time?

Yes, I used Photoshop for this one. Many of my puzzles are done in Photoshop (like “Not Mad” and “In the Mirror”), some are “pixel painted” using an object or image as a model (like “Endymion’s Beloved” and “Traveling Art”), and some are done purely from imagination (like “Magical Wishes” and “WC #18 Winter Scene in Arizona”). Those are the ones I enjoy the most, but the Photoshop puzzles get the better ratings. And you want me to elaborate on my elaborate Photoshop technique? Okay, but I will put it in a different topic, as it is a bit complicated.

#2.- You are now on second place in the rankings, how bad do you want to be first?

Winning is fun for anyone, getting points and seeing my name in the rankings is exciting, but being first is not that important to me. In fact, that increases everyone’s expectations and I would have to work harder to please everyone. Not a bad thing, but not really important. What makes me happiest is when I make a 100% creative puzzle (without Photoshop) that everyone enjoys.

#3.- On November 2008 you said you were looking forward to learning more about us, what have you learned about each of at least 3 of us?

I’ll start with Jan. I learned he is a serious environmentalist and a nice daddy and verrrrrry smart and generous too. Now this is what I know about the Judges: I learned that Silvain is an adoptive parent (like me) and also a birth parent (like me) and that he is super creative (thinking up the WC and all the cool themes that inspire us, not to mention his great puzzles). Jota, I have learned you are married and came to the U.S. from Venezuela, that you were named Maria but everyone calls you Jota (love that name), and that you are gifted at conducting interviews. :) Nancy is from Hawaii, moved to California, and recently moved again (still in California?), she is a real artist and makes beautiful portrait puzzles (and I’ll bet she does not need to use Photoshop either). I have to include Adam here, as he is one of the most interesting individuals in this community. I’ve learned that Adam is neither a monkey nor a boy, would like to be called “Doc” enjoys being mysterious, is sometimes impulsive but also can show great self control. If I were a judge, I would really like to interview Adam, because, in spite of his sharing his thoughts and opinions so freely, he has revealed very little of himself personally (intentionally I guess?). I’ve learned a lot about many others in the community by reading past Forum threads. Wow – such diversity. There are a few things you all have in common though: higher than average intelligence, amazing creativity, and a little bit of OCD and/or addictive personality traits. LOL But what could be better for the brain than solving puzzles!

Bonus Question: Who do you want your kiss-prize from? Hah! The judges are either married or female or both, so I’ll tell you what. Find me a nice single, straight, tall, handsome, intelligent, emotionally stable, older guy, and I’ll not only accept the prize, I’ll give it right back to him. Okay, he doesn’t have to be tall. I think I just described Mr Smarmy (http://webpbn.com/index.cgi?id=4948). Thank you for the honor, this was fun.

Thanks, Teresa. You described me very well. :-)

:) Teresa thank you for the compliment (I would like to find out about photo shop..does it make puzzle making easier & is it something that you download?)........
but I was born & raised most of my life in Southern & Central California (my dad & his family is from Hawaii..I am so intrigued by my heritage) I lived in Washington state for a very short bit & I've lived in central California since 2000, so you were very close (maybe I said something in the past to confuse others, if so I apologize)
thank you again :)

Nancy we miss you darling

soon my PBN Canadian sweetheart soon :)

Dear Joanna: Congratulations!!!
#1 You've only created 2 puzzles and you are a winner, did you think you'll achieve the 1st place on your first WC entry? Why?
#2 Both your puzzles have been ranked "high quality" what's your secret?
#3 Of the 652 puzzles you've solved, which one is your favorite?

Congratulations "codenumerator"!
I hope you will answer this 3 questions:
1.- I believe you made your first puzzle in December last year, have participated on 9 WC and already a winner, how do you feel about it?
2.- Your puzzles are usually different and very informational, where do you get your inspiration?
3.- What do you like and don't like about the WC ?

1. I like making puzzles for the WC. When you make a general puzzle, it is hard to decide what to make. Using the WC theme makes it a bit easier to decide which types of puzzles to do.

2. I like making the titles a bit devious or deceiving, in the way that a good crossword puzzlemaker might do it. Sometimes the tangents are weird and the information is just a byproduct of explaining the title twists.

3. I like just about everything about the WC. I guess if I had to pick one thing, it would be that the small puzzles don't stand much of a chance against the more detailed ones. Back in the early weeks of the contest, the weekly theme was the beginner puzzle. I liked the results of that contest.

Sorry to take so long to respond - I didn't see the comments.

1. I thought I might win because I knew the minute I thought of Escher that it would be a fun puzzle. But I wasn't sure.

2. My "secret"? Basically I've got a busy life, so I only take the time to do a puzzle when I know I have a good idea. And I did them both myself before posting them to make sure they would actually be fun and solvable.

3. 652? I'm spending way to much time on this! Nothing springs to mind immediately. I generally prefer black and white, though.

thank you Joanna

Hey WC Winners! How about supporting this weeks WC#26 by posting an entry?

Congratulations Steve, you are a winner!
1. -You've created excellent puzzles like 4808, 4872 and 5030. What's your approach and technique ?
2.- Which is the best puzzle you've solved on this site (out of 519)?
3.- What theme would you like to see for a WC?
Thanks !!!

1. Since I mostly do portraits, my approach is to select someone with "character" meaning something that stands out in their face that I can take advantage of (ie: Droopy eyes, big brows, crooked smile Etc.

My technique is to find a subject and turn it into a stamp of the image to see if it is possible to re-create it well enough. I will not publish a portrait unless I can see and know who the person is WITHOUT A DOUBT. Unfortunately, I have trashed many many more portraits than I have published.

2. There are many really great puzzles by many talented creators. If I had to pick just one I would have to say Adams puzzle # 4933 (I don't want tot give him a big head) (get it).

http://webpbn.com/index.cgi?id=4933

3. Wow! If I would have known I had to think - I might not of entered the WC contest (kidding). How about tools you use around your house or things you keep in the trunk of your vehicle.

Thanks for that wonderful compliment, Steve. I appreciate it. (and LOL at the big head comment). BTW, I like those ideas for WC themes.

You winners do I have to beg you every week to post an entry for the WC?

Teresa you did it again! Congratulations!

You are so close to being number 1 ... are you feeling the pressure? I think you need more competition so ... heeere are the questions:

1.- Why would you recommend the WC?
2.- What theme do you think will inspire more people to participate in the WC?
3.- What changes would you make to the WC so more people participate?

1. The Weekly Contest is so fun. I thought, "I shouldn't enter, because so many others are way better than me." But I entered anyway, and what a thrill to be on the Honors page. The WC challenges us to be more creative, to do our best, to have fun.

2. I think WC themes that are fun or bring out the kid inside or inspire creativity will entice people to participate. Here are a few suggestions:

* Make Believe: Your favorite fantasy or Fairy Tale.
* Great Escape: Your ideal get-away place or vacation spot.
* What's your favorite hobby (other than webpbn)?
* Out of the Past: A treasured toy or favorite game from your childhood.
* What would you do if someone gave you one million dollars?

3. To encourage people to enter the WC, you could award 5 bonus points to first time winners.

Tonia: Congratulations on winning this week's WC.
For some reason, when you won the first time back in January, you didn't answer the 3 question interview from Sylvain, so not to let those questions go to waste, heeeere they are again:

1: After two runner-up puzzles you finally win a WC do you feel it was really your best puzzle to date here? (Please answer for both puzzles 4620 & 5382)

2: If you could name one user that you feel you must do all of his/hers puzzle who you it be ? And why?

3: Any theme idea you would like to see in the WC for an upcoming week?

Hi, Jota, and thank you, judges! I am so honored to have won again; honestly, there is so much talent on this site, I never enter expecting to even place; so to win the top spot just blows me away! Sorry about not responding in January; when I finally noticed that I had won and saw my questions, for some reason there was no comment box on the page, and I couldn't post a response. So now, here are my answers...
1) I really can't say what my best or favorite puzzles are - I think that's up to the solvers. I seem to get the most favorable response from scenery puzzles, like #4620 and #5382, and to me they seem easy to construct. One of my favorites was #3318, with the cat on the screen door; maybe my sense of humor is just a bit different!
2) Name just one user? No way...As I stated, there is just too much talent here; the constructors that I favor are probably the same as yours, and probably for the same reasons; good quality, nice challenge, and rewarding result. I always appreciate a touch of humor or silliness!
3) Teresa's ideas are great! Let me see... Perhaps nursery rhymes, or favorite childhood story (no words - image only); an unusual pet, or pet trick; the ugliest lamp ever; something you bought (or wish you bought) at a yard sale; mythical creatures; your ideal career; what hangs on your wall?
Thanks again, judges; I love webpbn!!!

Congratulations Marshall !!! (I couldn't call you cyclingwv unless you want me to and you explain what it means).

1.- You are fairly new to wepbn, you've been creating only this month, this is just your second WC participation and you are already a winner, How do you feel?
2.- What do you think is the best about the WC?
3.- To date you've solved 356 puzzles, which one would you say is your favorite and why?

Well, I'm only new to creating puzzles. I've been solving them for a while now. I did take a sabbatical from the PBN scene for a while and to now win the WC on my second try is wonderful. I think it is fun to solve a theme of puzzles which is why I enjoy solving the WC puzzles.

My favorite puzzle would be #5304: For the Teachers for a few reasons; because it is a great looking puzzle that is fun to solve and it is my daughter's first puzzle.

Congratulations Telly, here are your questions:
1. Why didi you take such a long vacation from the WC?
2. Are you afraid of losing the first place and that's why you felt the need to come back now? Were you checking the results?
3. Whose puzzles do you enjoy solving now days and why?

1. I've been kinda sick the last little while and so wasn't able to take the time to create.
2. That's not the reason I'm back for a while. I do like winning but like I said, I haven't been well...and will probably be out of commission again for a while. I do check the results and there have been many phenomenal puzzles created and that deserved to win instead of anything that I'd create.
3. I love b&w puzzles, as you know, so my favorites are by authors who do those puzzles such as Nancy, Adam, Teresa, you (Jota), etc. Lately I've also enjoyed vindersloon's cat ones too...they're usually small and so the multiple colors don't get too distracting. :)

Thanks, btw. :) It's an honor to win!

I hope is nothing serious! Seriously, I hope you are well ! Thanks for placing me next to great "puzzlers" including Red Cat creator.

I'm fine...just...well, pregnant. :) tomorrow I'll be having a c-section. thanks for your concern. :)

well congratulation to you mommy.... :-)

CONGRATULATIONS !!! Let us know how everything goes !!!

Good Luck !!!

That's awesome, Telly. You haven't been creating too many puzzles because you've been busy creating a little human. :-) Good wishes as you heal and as get to know your little one.

Thanks you guys. It's going as well as can be expected... I'm not sleeping! :) But needed some "me" time now that I'm out of the hospital and the baby is napping.
BTW: He's the cutest baby ever! Maybe when I find more time I'll do a puzzle of him. :)

Wow - you are up and at the computer again already! Thanks for taking the time to check in with us. I look forward to seeing your New Baby puzzle. Enjoy your little cutie. :-)

thanks

Enjoy him Telly, I wish I could be around you 2?
Besos

thanks. he's amazing

Congratulations Ugo! Heeeere we go:
#1. You have participated several times in the WC, in fact in the WC 27 you were a runner up and last week you got an honorable mention, how do you feel about winning?
#2. We have seen you improve since you started creating in January this year, to what do you attribute this improvement?
#3. Who in this site inspires you?

Thank you! Here are my answers:

#1: Winning feels great but most importantly it is really nice to know that I brought some happiness into the life of other users enjoying my puzzles.

#2: I think I'm slowly realizing that there is no need to exaggerate with unnecessary details. Often simpler puzzles are more enjoyable.

#3: This is a difficult one to answer. As you said I joined the site just a couple of months ago. I don't want to mention any names. I do prefer users putting some efforts into the puzzles they create. I start recognizing some names and looking forward to their new creactions.

Ugo

Congratulations Meg! Heeeere we go:
1.- You gave us 3 entries last week and 2 this week, what's your secret to understanding the theme so well that your creativity starts flowing?
2.- Pink Floyd was popular this week, why do you think that was?
3.- We got more and better puzzles this week, what do you believe was the reason?
Bonus Question: What do you think about people's reaction to the swine flu?

Oh, fun questions!

1. - Actually, what happened last week (and this week!) was that I made one WC challenge puzzle and then decided I didn't like it that much. So then I made another. I stopped at 2 this week because I was very happy with my cow.

2. - Because Pink Floyd is Awesome. Seriously.

3. - The stars were in a good alignment? Maybe if I knew why more people participated this week, I'd also know why canvassing (Kidney Foundation) in March netted my charity only 15 dollars, while canvassing (Cancer Society) in April got us 145 dollars (yay!).

Bonus Question: I think (I hope) it's just another flu, no worse than any of the other influenza strains out there. So I expect the hysteria will die down soon, and then we can all get back to business as usual.

Thanks, Jota!

What no knew question for our friend Meg ??? Jota must be preparing this interview with great care. We'll have to wait and see... :-)

Jota wrote:

"Congratulations Meg! Once again heeere we go:
1.- Was it difficult to decide publishing 2 of your 3 puzzles this week?
2.- Do you set your cellular to a ring tone or vibrate?
3.- How did you know my favorite song is: Fly me to the moon?"

My answers:

1.- Swear to god, I was only going to post ONE puzzle. Just one. I'm really trying not to spam the contest. But it didn't look like anyone else was going to post those particular battery operated toys, sooo...

2.- I'm ashamed to admit that I don't have a cell phone. I lost it somewhere in the house and I don't know the number so I can't call it to find out where it's gone. But I'm sure it will turn up eventually! (Everything always does...)

3.- It is? Uh, I mean, yeah. I totally knew that!

Meg you are really gaining terrain! Congrats on your third consecutive win!

#1. Have you found your cel?
#2. Do you think Teresa will enter a fierce battle to keep you from passing her in the rankings? What would your strategy be? Of the 2 of you who do you think knows more about being Tacky?
#3. What would you like to share with us about you? Something I have never asked and you have been waiting to answer?

1. Yes! It was in my raincoat pocket (it hadn't rained in a long time, so I forgot it was there). I think my son has it now...

2. I hope she does! I'd love to see what Teresa would do with the challenge. As for who is tackier... er, well, I did make those two "adult" puzzles. ;-) So I think I'd give her a run for her money.

3. I like knitting socks. In really bright colours, with yarns made out of weird stuff like baby lama wool and silk and milk fiber and chitin.

Mail me one pair in size nine as fellow canadian it won't be that much trouble...lol

You'll have to join the queue, after my kids (currently I've got one finished sock for each of them), my husband, my mother and the new baby across the street. At this rate I should get around to you some time in 2011. ;-)

what is chitin? I'd like a pair too. :)

The chitin in the Tofutsies yarn is made from shrimp shells, apparently. It's mixed in with wool and silk to make a really strong thin yarn that works well in socks. And according to their website, it's also antibacterial. Very cool!

oh. cool. thanks.

UGO! Congrats! Your puzzle rocks!
1. -Where you considering buying one of this devices or did you just stumble on it?
2.- With this win you pass me in the rankings, aren't you worried at the repercussions?
3.- Is your new strategy to go after the ladies?

Thanks!

1. I don't even have an i-pod so I guess that particular docking station is not on my shopping list.
2. repercussions? If that means being challenged with even higher quality puzzles I'm looking forward to them!
3. I have no alternatives. There are just ladies at the top of the chart!

sorry to be late but this week WCP is way over by now

I just post the winner and the new theme is

SUMMER TIME

Congrats Meg! Once again you gave us high quality and originality.
Since this is fathers day and I've ask you just about anything but your bra size, how about you honoring our "father" judge and ask him 3 questions? Deal?

Deal!

Sylvain, here are your questions:

1. Que vous a mené a faire et résoudre des puzzles?

2. Quelle sont tes autres passe-temps?

3. Quelle est votre boisson préférée?

ok let me answered and translate this

( by the way Meg thanks for putting the effort off writting this in french)

1 What bring me to make and solve puzzle?
Answer: Well my wife and I always like those kind of brain puzzle and one day she start playing Sudoku and after I try I find out real fast that I was no good at all at it so I look for other king of puzzle. A bit later I found a book with pbn in it and I love it onstantly so I check the internet to see if I could find more end up here. later I decide to see if I could make some great image and did a couple.

2 What are my other hobby
Answer: I got plenty of hobby I got to share the little free time I got on. First I am a real movie and tele maniac so I often end up with less than 5 hour of sleep cause I start watching a movie at 10 pm after all is done. I also like comicbook, videogame and role playing. Plus in the summer I'm 5 days a week on the soccer field playing and coaching soccer

3 What is my favorite drink
Anwser: for soft drink I'm a Pepsi gu, other than that well being Canadian I love good beer. Plus anything Vodka base is usually a winner with me

hope that answer all your question

BTW: I won't tell you MY bra size neither :-)

lol. great interview Meg and Sylvain. :)

New Theme

WCP#38: Africa

Africa: millions of people, multitude of animal specie, many unique culture, some of the world most beautiful scenery and so many puzzle possibility.....

Synthia congrats!
1.- This is your first time as a first place winner, how do you feel about it? Did you know you were going to be a winner?
2.- Did you think that making a very patriotic puzzle was going to be a hit? Or what did inspired you to make a 4th of July puzzle?
3.- What will be a theme that you would like to see in the WCP?

1. I didn't expect to win at all, so I didn't even check to see who the winner was. Of course, I think it's pretty cool. Thanks for choosing me.
2. It didn't start out patriotic. I was creating the graphic themed puzzles and wanted to do one in just red and blue and, of course, white. A "stripey/starry" pattern just evolved and I realized that it fit the contest theme.
3. How about a story book/fairy tale/nursery rhyme character theme? (If that hasn't already been done; I haven't checked to see what all the themes have been).

Congratulations Ugo, once again we have you here !

1.- What thought process took you from Africa to BK?

2.- Do you think you inspired Monkeyboy to another great twist in the theme? Or just by coincidence you both thought outside the box?

3.- So far which is your favorite puzzle (yours or someone else)?

Thanks!

1. My first thought was to do something connected to Egypt as hieroglyphs are kind of ‘pbn’ friendly symbols but was not able to come up with a nice picture. I then thought of mummies and wanted to do a bandaged head (just a few a stripes across the picture and 2 eyes in between) but again I wasn’t happy with the results. Finally I started working on BK.

2. It’s just a coincidence. Great pbn puzzle developers such as Monkeyboy always come up with great ideas.

3. For the moment one of my favorites is #1209: Fortunata Re . However, I still have plenty of puzzles to go through…

Thank you to question #2, in comment #131.

wcp 39 is close

result and new theme coming soon

Congratulations Robyn !!!
1.- This is your 1st win on the WCP and I think you didn't expect it, since we had to "beg" you to enter it in the competition, why isn't this your favorite kind of puzzle to solve?
2.- Of the 20 you've created, I love your "Peek-a-Boo" puzzle (6270) what's your favorite puzzle, yours or from someone else?
3.- What's Ginkgo 100? Are you from Texas?

Thanks for choosing my puzzle!

1. Honestly, it just didn't occur to me to enter it until someone mentioned it! I got the idea and created the puzzle before the theme was announced. It was the blocky city buildings that prompted my comment; I don't like solving those totally "regular" designs as much.

2. I have a hard time picking just one favorite. Of my puzzles, I think my favorite is "Fossey's Friend" (6344). I also like the ones with my two boys (of course), "Peek-a-Boo" and "Pendulum" (6306). Of other people's, I've seen a lot of stunning puzzles on this site. A few are "Armstrong's Patch" (130), "Good to Eat" (478), and "Born Ham" (3626).

3. Yes, I live in Texas in the Houston area. Ginkgo100 is an Internet handle I've used for over ten years. I chose "ginkgo" because it's a unique tree and also an ancient one (I was studying paleontology at the time). The 100 was because "ginkgo" was taken. If I could go back, I might choose a different name because it's hard to spell.

Congratulations Teresa!!! You gave us a beautiful challenging puzzle, among all excellent puzzles!!!
By now, We all know a lot about you, not only from this interviews, but from your comments, so today I find myself in a very difficult position for this interview, so I let YOU ask me or Sylvain (whomever you want) the 3 questions.
OK?

LOL

I can ask whomever I want? Oh goodie! that's such a great idea, Jota. I really would like to ask all the judges the same three questions.

1) What is your favorite childhood memory?

2) What is the nicest thing someone else has ever done for you?

3) If someone gave you two tickets to any event any time, anywhere, all expenses paid, what event would you choose and whom would you take with you?

I would like to see replies from you, Sylvain, Deanna, Nancy, and Adam! Well, you said "whomever"! :-)

1) Being dropped on my head. Again and again. :-)

2) Asked me to answer the 3 question interview. :-)

3) To the day my mother choked me until I passed out. I would take her so she could (hopefully) feel bad about it. :-)

1.- One of my favorite childhood memory is going to the movies to see "101 Dalmatians", I felt SO happy.

2.- Bringing me to life is the nicest thing someone ever did for me

3.- Going to Yankee Stadium with my nephew Rodrigo is a dream I have, may be next year...

ok my turn

1- playing hockey in the street 'till we can no longer walk with my chilhood friends

2- giving birth to my 2 first child

3- probably the Roger Water and Friend The wall event on the actual site of the former Berlin wall. I be there with an old friend that teach me what great music was all about

great interviews...Adam??? be a bit more serious? lol

Sorry. Ok.

are you going to really answer them?

I can ask whomever I want? Oh goodie! that's such a great idea, Jota. I really would like to ask all the judges the same three questions.

1) having the wind fly me into the air as I topped the hill top

2) stopped on a busy freeway & gave me, my kids & 2 nephews a ride all the way to Disneyland, where my family was waiting..(it was 102 degrees & the car was graveyard dead)

3) I would take my mom with me to Ireland (her roots)

Congrats Robyn!

1.- Another win and gaining terrain in the ranks, do you feel the accomplishment or is just about creating ?
2.- What made you participate with Anna Frank's Diary?
3.- So we get to know you a little bit more: What's your favorite movie and why?

Sorry for not answering sooner. I lost the thread and was too forgetful to look for it. I found it. Obviously.

1. Both. I have just enough competitiveness that it is inspiring... but I really just enjoy creating puzzles, contest or no. The contest just adds some interest.

2. Honestly, I thought it was a subject that would be appealing to people. She is now an important symbol in Western history. Also, I wanted to try another portrait. I liked my other entry better, actually, but I did not think its appeal would be as wide. Later I found the winning (honorable mention?) WCP puzzle on the SAME THING by somebody else. Oops, didn't mean to be repetitive...

3. I actually don't watch a lot of movies! (Not even when I didn't have little kids.) And I don't have a single favorite. I like the sci-fi and action/adventure genres best. I also like comedies in principle, but most comedies seem to be too low-brow and immature for me to really enjoy. Most "chick flicks" I find boring. My husband does not complain.

Congratulations Gator!
1.- It's the first time you compete and you are a winner! If not your puzzle which one would you have chosen to win?
2.- You come from another site, what makes this one much better?
3.- Why the name Gator:
a.- Because of the 1976 movie?
b.- Because your first name is Ali?
c.- Another reason, which one?

Thanks!

1. Either "Cute even by itself" or "For Left Handed Babies".
2. The sense of community, the feedback on puzzles, the h and v keys, save/restore, etc.
3. c. It is how the last two syllables of my last name are pronounced.

Dear Ugo, welcome back to the winners circle! Your contribution this week was amazing ...
1.- You've improved with every win and this is your 4th, with Telly on leave¿? and Meg on vacation¿? Do you think you can easily beat Teresa? What subject would you like to see to accomplish that?
2.- Last April, you said you were way to new to choose a favorite "puzzler", can you now mention who are the people that have inspired you the most, and why?
3.- What's the most important thing you think you can teach your daughter?

Thank you for your kind comments!

1. I certainly feel no need to beat anybody. It’s just fun to see that my puzzles are appreciated. However, I do think I have my best chances when the subject is open to uncommon interpretations.

2. uhm, another tricky question calling for a tricky answer… My favorite puzzles are generally black and white and don’t try to include unnecessary details. The best puzzles are the unexpected pictures presenting something common under a different point of view. So my favorite puzzler got to be the developer of my favorite puzzles…

3. It continuously changes. Right now I’m trying to teach her that bigger problems can be split into smaller steps. And last Sunday we started a 2000 pieces puzzle…

lol on your 2nd answer...clever. :)

Welcome back to the winners circle Teresa, congratulations :

1.- Why would you have given first prize to Gator?
2.- Why would you have given first prize to Robyn?
3.- Why wouldn't you give first prize to Bluepaint?

1. I think Gator's puzzle deserves first place because it has the right combination to please the most people: It's colorful, it was challenging to solve, a bit tricky but not so difficult as to be frustrating, but very satisfying to solve, and the image was awesome, with realistic action effects.

2. I think Robyn's puzzle showed great skill. I know how hard it is to portray a person's entire figure in such a small space, but Robyn did it with nice detail, excellent proportion, and it was fun to solve. Of course, I'm partial to B&W, and appreciate what it takes to make a good one.

3. I didn't say I wouldn't give first prize to BluePaint. :-) I think if "I Love Crafts" were to become a contest entry, it would be a contender for first place. I am really impressed with BluePaint's puzzle making skills, with a nice variety and creativity. Definitely my new favorite creator! I certainly hope we see more from her/him.

Ditto 1/2 of #154.

Congrats Ugo!

1.- Do you think, relatively speaking, that Einstein was more influential than Disney?
2.- Don't you think that Einstein within "Time" is redundant?
3.- In the last 10 years, who would you compare to Einstein?

Thanks!

1. Compared to Disney’s, Einstein's influence is probably a bit more hidden to the general public. However, without Einstein many of the technologies we take for granted wouldn’t exist. For example GPS systems without relativistic corrections would be useless (http://www.physicscentral.com/explore/writers/will.cfm)
2. “The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once.” – Albert Einstein
3. There are brilliant minds but none of them can compare with the sheer genius of Einstein. Only when finally somebody will come up with a new idea for quantum gravity and summarize it with a simple equation we can start comparing it to Einstein.

Way to go Martin! You've created 9 puzzles, 7 of which you've submitted to the WC and you already are a winner! Congratulations!

1.- To what do you attribute the fact that this week we gave you first place? (We want a serious answer, not the obvious funny one)
2.- You usually participate in the comments sections of puzzles and have solved almost 1300 puzzles, who is your favorite character at the webpbn?
3.- What do you think of a woman who gets her college degree at age 58?

1 - It must be just that I'm such a nice guy. Oups - should've read the whole thing. You want a serious answer. I think it's that I took the time to think of a puzzle that fit the theme well (as did everybody's), found a creative way to render it and made it entertaining.

2 - It's hard to pick just one. On the one hand, Jan and I have some very interesting things in common:
*We're the same age, birthdays only a few days apart
*Both progeny of immigrants
*Both incredibly intelligent and cute
*Not necessarily the best puzzle solvers or creators but that doesn't stop us from trying.
*Both play(ed) musical instruments, etc.
I kind of have this mad proffesor image of Jan (meant in a positive way) who lurks about the website keeping an eye on his sometimes unruly child and more creating glimpses into the lives of other people rather than just having a place for people to go and play.

3 - I think it's highly admirable and hope to do the same. While I finished four years of college, several distractions interfered with me completing my degree. Since then, life has been enough of a distraction that I haven't gotten around to going back and completing it as planned. That probably won't be as easy now that I'm fifty and it's been some time, but I'd still like to start taking some classes at some point to at least add to the education I've had.
I have the utmost respect for Teresa having done it, knowing that she faces some other life challenges (and still has the time to create some really awesome and challenging puzzles). Truth be told, completing the degree at any age is admirable but doing so later in adult life adds its own hurdles. All one can say is well done.

As usual, someone put in a nickle and I spewed out a quarters worth. I'm honored to have been selected this week. Thanks!

Welcome to the winners circle Sallie!

1.- You are fairly new in the business of "creating" puzzles (only 12) but they have a nice quality to them, what's your approach?
2.- You've solved 358 puzzles, in your opinion, what makes a "great" puzzle for you? What makes you tickle?
3.- What's your take on the "rating" of puzzles? Do you "rate" ? Do you look up puzzles because of the ratings? Do you think that the fact that the "base of users" is so spread in age terms, the rating lacks significance?

Sorry Jota, I didn't mean to be ignoring you! It took me a day or so to even realize I'd won ("You like me, you really like me!"), and then I've been thinking about my answers. Here goes!
1) Creating puzzles is definitely a challenge for me. I try to do things that are clear, recognizable images, and then it's kind of a bonus if they're also fun to solve. I still haven't completely figured out how to intentionally make things more or less challenging and/or interesting to solve.
2) Wow, 358 already? No wonder my house is such a mess, LOL! Anyway, I like things that are pictures rather than patterns. I don't have a strong preference for color or black and white. I especially enjoy really well-rendered, artistic images, and also things that are kind of tongue-in-cheek. I also like puzzles that I can clearly see how to start with line or edge logic, even if the rest is more challenging. I tend to shy away from puzzles that are made up of primarily 1- or 2-square bits of color, unless I have a good block of uninterrupted time so I can focus. I enjoy puzzles that are part of a series, too, like the Sports Piktos or Teresa's Homophones.
3) I do rate puzzles, though I'm kind of subjective about it. Mostly I give higher ratings to really nice pictures, but if I laugh out loud at the image that gets a high rating too (here I'm thinking of things like the Geico money or the Swedish chef). I do look up puzzles at least a little bit by the ratings -- I tend to resent having solved most of the puzzles that just get a 1 for quality (and I do recognize that that's kind of a silly way to feel), and I can't solve puzzles that are rated more than about 3.5 for difficulty. In general I find that I rate puzzles about the same as their current rating, so I do think the rating system is useful. It's hard, though, when I don't know the age of the puzzle creator, because what seems kind of lame from an adult often looks much better if the creator is only 10 years old.
And now, since I've probably said way more about all of that than anyone wanted to hear, I'll be done!

well said Sallie

Congratulations Bluepaint!
1.- Only 10 puzzles and already a winner, do you believe in quality vs. quantity?
All of your 10 puzzles have high ratings.
2.- Can you tell us the process you went thru to create your "Lonely one"? What was the inspiration and how did you approached it.
3.- What theme would you like to see in an upcoming WC?

Thanks so much :) I'm glad you guys liked the puzzle, and I'm really surprised I won this one. There were some awesome and super-witty pun-tastic entries.

1) I'm surprised everybody thinks so highly of them, and I'm really glad people like them. I think the reason I have so few is because I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so every one of my puzzles takes a lot of time to get right. I also am really bad at coming up with good ideas, so I really like entering the weekly challenge :)

2) I'm one of those annoying people who attaches song lyrics to everything. If someone tells me that they're excited, I always ask them if they "Just can't hide it?" So like all the other WC's I've entered, the "number" theme got "One is the Loneliest Number" stuck in my head, and it wouldn't leave until I was done! Most of the concern in actually creating the puzzle was in not making it too easy with all the black, and in making the "one" look like the number one, and not just a blob of red. I had to go back and forth a few times between "super easy" and "unsolvable" :)

3) I had a ton of fun doing UP and DOWN puzzle than any of the others, and I think it was because of the funny shape! I'd love to do another WC with a specific size or color requirement. Or maybe something really silly, like "awful movies" or "illustrate a joke".

note taken Blue I'll see what new theme come out of my strange mind in the first week of 2010

Congrats Ugo!
1.- Do you or would you like to have Snoopy's ability to "speak" your thoughts?
2.- Would you rather live inside or on the roof top a doghouse?
3.- Do you, like Snoopy, have to retreat into a fanciful world in order to survive?

Thanks and happy 2010!

1. Oh no! No way! My thoughts are private.
2. On the roof top so I could see the stars and dream.
3. I don't need to retreat in a fanciful world, I already live in one. No matter where I am, I just need a little bit of madness...

Congrats Kai! Two times a runner up and finally a winner!

1.- What can or would you like to tell us about yourself?
2.- According to us this is your best puzzle, which one is it according to you?
3.- You don't comment a lot when solving puzzles or do you? Why?

1. If you want a lot. I'm 48 years old, married, from Berlin, germany. I do wpn-type-puzzles for several years. but not that intense. finding this website changed my intensity a lot. and after solving I told to myself: why not trying to create? You know, I'm not that creative type in painting. I deal with words, I'm a Journalist at a sports desk from a newspaper. so my first puzzle-creations were the sports piktos. It worked well and the comments convinced me to go on.
2. Yes, I think it's my best so far. And many thanks for the honor to have won this competition. it makes me very proud. Nevertheless I like some of my piktos very much. #42 for example. but I had also great fun creating "Genesis". I think practicing will bring you to better results. so for everyone: try it!
3. I'm so sorry. There a some reasons. Sometimes I would like to express something, but my english is not good enough. sometimes - I have to admit - I am to lazy. But I comment - and I promise to do it more in the future

ok let go rigth now:

#1: only 4 puzzle were enter in this week theme in your opinion why so litte entry for this theme?

#2: You did a puzzle on the WTC attack, from your vision of the world ( being in Europe) how was this tragedy perceive in the rest of the world

#3: if you could choose 1 event from the decenny before that one 1990-1999 what would it be ?

thank you

1. A good question. Maybe it is very difficult to produce a satisfying puzzle in the size of 60 columns. But that could not be the only reason, cause even in the competitions before there weren't that much entrys. some of the great creators maybe tired in these days. I hope they come back, cause the competion should never die!!!!!

2. It was the same shock as in the States or canada! I was sitting in my sports desk at the newspaper. we had early afternoon, when the first plane crashes in the tower. all of our tv's were powered on immediately. The fear of world war III was immense. maybe much higher than in North America. And I felt shame, when I heard that Mohammed Atta, Pilot of one hijacked airplane, lived long in Hamburg/Germany planning the attack.

3. I'm German. So it will be the Reunification of the two Germanys. It was the beginning of the globalized world we live in now. and the end of the east-west-conflict.

Welcome back and congrats Telly both on the win and on the baby being 10 months old today!

1.- Has motherhood changed the way you view the world? If yes, in which way?

2.- Do you enjoy the winter olympics? What's your favorite competition and way?

3.- Can you believe I'm writing this questions while listening to "The Who", what 's your opinion on them being chosen for 1/2 time?

1- Yes, I'm more cautious. I'm sweep a lot more (lol). I'm more understanding of what my parents went through and what other parents go through. You really don't understand until you've experienced it yourself. I'm more worried about gang problems in schools and about how I feel the world isn't as good as it was even 20 years ago. I could keep going, but you're probably bored by now.

2- Yes! I really like the bobsled races ever since the movie, Cool Runnings. When the Olympics were in Salt Lake City 8 years ago I saw cross country skiing live and that made me enjoy it more...but my favorites are ski jumping and speed skating. not sure why.

3- I think they're too old for the younger generation to know or care about. I think a lot of people channel surfed during their halftime show.

Congratulations Teresa !!!

1.- So far you've created more than 500 puzzles (the most by any user). Do you prefer creating rather than solving? Why?

2.- Do you think that new users are discouraged from participating in the WCP for lack of experience? Should they?

3.- What do you think about young people who participate on sporting events that can cause their death?

This is the best part of being the winner - getting to answer your interesting questions.

1. Do I prefer creating rather than solving puzzles? Hmmmm. They are two totally different experiences, each with their respective rewards. Solving puzzles that someone else creates gives me the joy of anticipation at the beginning, the challenge of solving with logic in the working of a good puzzle, and the very delightful "aha!" experience when the image is suddenly recognized. In the creation of a puzzle, the joys are different - taking an idea in my head and making something new that others will hopefully enjoy, and then reading comments and seeing others' reactions. That gives me great pleasure. But I can't say I prefer one over the other. They both are so much fun.

2. Should new users be reluctant to participate in the WCP because of their lack of experience? Heck no! I entered my first contest the first week I was here. I figured it would be fun, and there is nothing to lose. The more who participate, the more fun it is for everyone!

3. What do I think about young people who risk their life in dangerous sports? Ah, you are asking an overprotective mother. When the young man lost his life in the accident just before the opening ceremony of the Olympics, my first thought was, "His poor mother!" Her grief must be so deep. I think it is tragic and probably preventable. My son Chris likes to ski and snowboard - fast! He loves the thrill. There is something about the risk of speed sports that draws the risk taker in people. It's the risk that makes it exciting, or they wouldn't do it. The release of dopamine in the brain drives some people to take unnecessary risks. "The need for speed" can be addictive. I prefer safety to risk. But that's me. I like to get my dopamine thrills from solving puzzles and entering the WCP contest. The biggest risk for me here is that someone will tell me that they are "board" with my puzzles. LOL

Great questions, Jota. You are a superb Mistress of Interrogation. :-)

LOL @ the "board" comment. :-)

Third time's a charm Kai!

1.- You gave us three very good entries this week: your wife's was hilarious ... Did you think you were going to win with yourself?

2.- Your Sportspikto series seems to be over, now we are enjoying detectives and the WCP, which of this gives you more pleasure to create?

3.- Would you give us our opinion on the death penalty? Thanks!!!

1) No, not at all. But I like it... My wife is a little bit jealous... There were some tremendous entrys. And much more entrys than in the last challenges. This is wonderful. And I wanna thank you, Jota and Sylvain, for doing such a great work for us. The WCP brightens my days...
2) The Sport Piktos were my first tries on creating. The last ones were better than the first I believe. Improving satisfies. But you need some ideas. And that's why the WCP is so good. Your themes are well chosen. Wide enough but in a certain frame. And the Detectives are special. They are big, too big for the most. But sometimes you need the size to create the details in a way you need for a picture that satisfies me. And sometimes I try to make some very small ones. for a quick fun.
3) Puh. What a question. I am against it. In Germany there is no death penalty. But I admit, there are some crimes that are so unbelievably - so I think: Jail is not enough for it... Difficult!

Wow! Jota, your 3rd question was tough!
Good answers Kai.

Welcome back Kai, at this rate we will run out of question...lol

but for this time I'm still ok

1- Your winning puzzle this week was "minimalist" in the sense that you use very few pixel to do the image in a grid of a good size. Was that the idea being it or it just happen that way while creating your puzzle?

2- You are fairly new to the WCP considering this was the week number 55 already. If you check back on the past theme that you miss for not yet being a member wich one would you like to see coming back?

3- You being German what do you consider being the worst misconception people of the world have about your country and your people? ( for exemple I'm canadian and many people still think that we live in perpetual winter and have traditional indian living in tipi as neighbour) ( ok I agree that on the indian thing the olympic opening ceremony was not the best way to stop that but that another subjet...)


thank you

1) The main idea was the perspective of the penguin. while creating I recognized that I need a large size to make it look realistic and detailed. and it surprised me that it was solvable that easy despite being so minimalistic in a big size. it was a lot of fun. And I'm very proud and thankful that you all liked it that much!!

2) "Beginner's puzzle" was great! And "Real Size Puzzle" sounds very interesting.

3) Oh there are still many prejudices about germans. I tell you how we really are:
We DO have a sense of humor!
We CAN party for a long, long time (remember the World Cup in 2006?)!
We DO NOT like to work the whole day!
We ARE NOT on time everytime!
We DO NOT win every soccer game!
We DO like foreigners, cultures, arts.
We ARE people like you and me (most of them...)

LOL @ #3 (of entry #181)

You should have the job Sylvain! Great interview!

Congrats Kai! You had a very productive run with this theme, thanks!

1.- Why do you think we only had 4 participants in this 3 week contest,
because it was about awfulness?

2.- What's the most awful meal you have ever had?

3.- What's the most awful puzzle you have solved in this site?

Please wait for my answers. I`m in holiday now and have only some minutes in the web right now.
Coming back in a ten days theres more from me.
Thanks for now a til then.
Haave a good time at wpbn.

Being back from holiday - and get my flight on schedule despite the island-volcano! Juchee!

1) Difficult theme? I don't know. But I'm glad there are eight participants for the actual competition right now. Be couragous. It doesn't hurt...

2) You will not believe this (when you see at my winning puzzle), but it is true: I hate tomatoes! Since the time when my father made me a tomatoe-bread when I was 6 years old.

3) This is a tough and difficult question. I will not answer, but I promise it's no Jota-puzzle!!

Hope you had a great vacation, welcome back!

Thanks! You should see my brown skin...

Not jealous I just got back from the BVI :-D

I'm jealous of both of you. I just got home from work.

isn't life a permanent Holiday, Martin?
Oops, I think we discuss this in a wrong topic...

Congratulations Juan!

1.- You've been creating only recently and 6 of your 11 published puzzles have been entries to the WC, has it help you to have a theme? Or how did it inspire you?

2.- After solving +200 puzzles, which one is your favorite?

3.- There are 2 forums # 24 and # 43 that ask: where are you from and what's your age, would you care to answer any of those questions?

Thanks!

It has been a surprise for me to win the contest. I'll try to answer your questions:
1.- The inspiration came from my six years old daughter, Paula, that has a little coulrophobia, and i remembered Pennywise, the clown from the film "It", and thought "Why not?".
2.- I prefer black & white nonograms, and small ones. It's easy to make a 1000x1000 nonogram with quality and details, but doing a 30x30, 20x20 or 10x10 good nonogram it's very difficult. Teresa's ones are (almost) always very good.
3.- I'm from Spain (perhaps you realize it in my 'bad' english) and i'm 42 years old. If you want to know a little more about me, search for my last puzzle "Me".
To finish, i threaten to make more puzzles.
Thanks to you.

Gracias!

I look forward to you completing that threat Juan...and your english is very good!

Sorry for being late this week!
Congratulations Sanane!
1.- Is this your first or your last name? Or is it a made up name? Can you give us an insight into it or not?
2.- You are a veteran of the site and yet only recently decided to compete in the WCP, Why?
3.-What's your opinion on "cloning"?

Congratulations Mendy! Your puzzle had everything needed to be a winner: fun to solve, nice image, right on the theme and a very clever description.
1.- So far you have only created 4 puzzles but all have high ratings, what's your secret?
2.- Is there something that you think should be smaller in real life?
3.- Where yo born on March 2nd 1973?

Thank you so very much, Jota!

1. I am not sure that I have a "secret", but I used to be an artist; so maybe that artistic talent helps me when I create puzzles.

2. This has been a difficult question to answer, since so many things are already engineered to be as tiny as possible. The only answer I have is the "Gulf Oil Leak"; if it were smaller than a puzzle on here, then it would not be so ecologically (and economically) devastating.

3. Yes, I was! :-)

sorry for my late response, i did not have any idea about this entry. the answers:

1. neither. sanane means "none of your business" in turkish. also, samanye means "eat hay" and is my real last name.
2. i work hard and i clear my mind in webpbn. it is some kind of solitude in office. thus, creating and solving puzzles are my peaceful actions, but competitions are not. this is the only exception because i thought the topic was fun.
3. we should clone everything and create as many as possible. lets play god.

David congratulations !!! I loved the puzzle, the question and particularly the answer ...

1.- Where did you get such an idea?
2.- You are fairly new to the site and already gave us 2 "weird" entries this week, are you weird by nature?
3.- Do you believe that angels can really dance in this day and age?

It's funny to me that my answer got as much attention as it did. I had never really thought about the question being anything more than rhetorical, so I had never considered a response. Anyway, without further further delay...more answers:

1.- My mind was still in the mode of tiny-things-made-bigger from WCP #59 when this theme was announced. Couple that with my philosophy minor in school and you get this...what I've always thought was a weird way to go about arguing a weird point.
2.- You don't know the half of it :)
3.- Absolutely. How else would you explain why 15 are hanging out on the head of this pin on my desk?

Alicia !!! Congratulations !!!
1.- You never heard of FIFA before, you had no idea what the WCP contest was, Tom asked you for an entry and you become a winner, how do you explain this?
2.- Are you really an artist or is it a hobby?
3.- How much does your sense of humor help you in your everyday life?

i just found this link and read through these comments
there are some interesting people here tho it seems lots of them are gone now

Wow, I'm honored. Thank you, judges. :) And good questions, Jota..

1. I'd never heard of FIFA because I'm not a big fan of sports and had never heard of WCP because I'm still new to this site but I am learning as I go and Tom is quite informative. I'd explain my winning entry primarily as Beginner's Luck. And.. I'd like to thank Google for educating me on FIFA. (and for providing me with the image for my puzzle!) lol :)

2. I'd chalk it up as a hobby mostly. I've always loved drawing and painting (and other artsy things) even though I'm not always good at them. Sometimes it takes SEVERAL rough drafts to get to a final copy. And sometimes I'm lucky enough to end up seeming like an artist.

3. Life without a sense of humor wouldn't be much of a life at all. I am a stay-at-home mom of 5 kids.. I have to have a sense of humor to keep from going crazy!!

Congrats, Alicia!

Thank you :)

good answers Alicia, and congrats!

Please keep up your puzzles/pictures Alicia ... hugssss

Dear Kai, congratulations on this WCP entries and specially on your win.
Now since the theme was Human Race, we have three special questions for you:

1.- Do you think "video replay" should be use in football (soccer) matches?
2.- What's your take on the performance of the referees in this World Cup?
3.- What do you think was Spain's advantage in the semifinal match against Germany?

We are very interested in your answers. Thanks.

Juchee, Soccer Questions!!!

1) Absolutely. The Fifa members have to accept that the play would be fairer than now. And there must be a chip in the ball also. Why should there be no techniques that are used in other sports?
2) They are poor guys, cause they don't have all those replays and cameras the viewer on TV has. See the answer to Question 1 - and all those referees look great!
3) No question, they were better. but the german team is young. brasil 2014 - jucheeee!!!!!!!!!!!!

And by the way: I'm proud winning the WC #62. Jipeee!!!!!

Forgot to say:
Congrats to Spain,
congrats to Juan Luis!

Thanks, Kai. Semi-final match between Germany and Spain was an early final. Germany played better (and fairer) than karateka-Nederlands (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5o7KPyUIm0o).

Your right, Juan!
But the best team won!

There are some extraordinary people on this site, Kai and Juan Luis are among the best. I love you men.

But Germany shouldn't have pass England but that an whole other subject.....

Skins getting red, Jota ...

;-)

Congrat Liz!

1.- You are fairly new to this site and totally new to the WCP what inspired you to compete? Have you been following it?
2.- Was your take on Vegas influenced by being a New Yorker or have you been there?
3.- What happens in Vegas ... What do you think about keeping secrets?

Ooh, I'm so thrilled and surprised to have won, first of all. Thank you. I didn't remember that the contest was being judged yesterday, and I happened to check for the new contest and saw my name!

1. I think I've been on this site for about half a year, but mostly solving. I like to solve the WCP puzzles in particular because it's interesting to see the different takes people have on the topics, but I hadn't yet seen a topic where I said, "Now that one I have to do!" (See answer to question two for the rest of the answer to this one.)

2. I actually lived in Nevada as a child (I moved to NYC as a teenager), but that was in Reno, which is about 500 miles away from Las Vegas. I've never been to Vegas. When I saw the topic I thought to myself, "now, what does a New Yorker know about Vegas?" and inspiration struck. A friend of mine from here went to Vegas and told me she'd visited that casino and it struck me as funny that she'd traveled from real New York to see fake New York.

3. Every time I hear that phrase "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" I get a mental picture of drunken people standing on tables singing karaoke, later to become horrified at having been made famous on YouTube. Some secrets are too funny to keep: hey, you drank the cosmos, you sang "Don't Stop Believin'" at the top of your lungs a la William Hung, you gotta accept the notoriety. (But other than that, I respect people's privacy and don't usually share secrets.)

Congratulatios Liz! Two times in a row, WOW!
1.- What do you think of serious themes like this for the WCP?
2.- So far you've solved more than 400 puzzles, which one do you remember more fondly?
3.- What do you think about this weeks theme?

liz is IT

WOW indeed. Thank you. We're leaving early in the AM for a whirlwind tour of colleges for my son, so I'm glad I checked the site tonight. :)

1. I think it's neat to have a variety of themes--broad and specific, serious and light-hearted. One thing that was impressive to me was that, although some of the puzzles were of such serious and even chilling topics (Hitler, the Star of David symbol that the Jews were forced to wear, the swastika), the people here had thoughtful and respectful discussions about them. You don't find that most places on the web.

2. That's like asking what my favorite music is...Rachmaninoff or Eminem? I like 'em both, and much more. As far as the puzzles, I like many different types...the intricate portraits Teresa makes, Kai's cartoons, Linda's stories, Tom's funny little commentaries. I especially love the ultra-challenging small puzzles with crazy hard logic (Gator deserves a mention) and the puzzles where the image doesn't pop out at you until the end. If I didn't mention you, I'm sorry, I like yours too.

3. You mean New York? Yeah, it will be tough to think up ideas for that. :P

Dear Juan: congrats on honoring NYC...

1.- Have you been yo NYC, if so what was your favorite thing to visit, if not what would you like to see?.
2.- What city in Spain would you like to see in the WCP and why?
3.- Being a sports fan, what's your take on Tiger Woods?
Thanks,

This has been a great surprise for me. And, the answers:
1.- I haven't been in New York City, but i'd like to visit Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building (among other ones of the many places to see in NYC).
2.- I was born in a little village called "San Martin de Montalban", in the province of Toledo, and now i live in Toledo (the capital of that province - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toledo,_Spain ). It's not as famous as Madrid and Barcelona, but it can be a good choice, because it has a lot of monuments and other things (do you remember the swords in "The Master of the Rings" films?). And i love this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Toledo_Skyline_Panorama,_Spain_-_Dec_2006.jpg.
3.- Tiger Woods is a great sportsman, and in his private life, with a bad traduction of a spanish phrase: "Every one is every one".

That's a lovely panoram.. Congrats Juan!!

Dear Linda: Congratulations on winning # 66 WCP in Jan's Honor!
1.- You finally decide to enter the WCP and you become a winner, why do you think this happened?
2.- Are you done with your series and about to dedicate all your efforts to "Woodstock"?
3.- What's your favorite Jan's puzzle and why do you think he ignored this week's challenge?

1. thank you very much, jota. i am surprised. i entered solely to honor jan, to pay him thanks for pulling me out of a 10-year artistic slump. i do not know why this happened but can only thank everybody who thought my puzzle was worthy of a win.

2. the series will continue as long as "the people in my head" keep me up at night...as for "woodstock", i can't say. i certainly would like to try. it sure is an interesting topic, though. i can't wait to see what puzzles people come up with for this one.

3. it's hard for me to say what my favorite puzzle of jan's is. "jump" is cute and was very fun to solve. "town" is elegantly constructed and laid out nicely along the grid. "dressage" is awesome and captures the formality of the event. "butcher, baker and candlestick maker" is very clever. the image isn't what one might expect. "many onions" is on my "to do" list and i suspect that this one is going to be my favorite. i was intrigued by the title and peeked at the solution and was captivated. can't wait to solve it.

i think jan was being humble. i think he was happy to be honored and just wanted to kick back and see what everyone came up with :-).

p.s. petra's portrait of jan left me speechless. what artistry.

Dear Michele, less than 2 months since your first creation and you hit a home run with 2 on base, congrats!
1.- You captured so well the essence of the festival, were you there? Wish you had?
2.- You got a very rare thing, a "compliment" from Gator, was that better than winning the contest?
3.- You are now officially the "creator of pixelated tushie", do you think we should change the "smile logic" term?

i wanna see more of her tushie :)

Michele never answered, let's hope she's ok.

Telly congratulations on your Cat Woman win!
And heeeere we go:

1.- What's your take on the death penalty? (Goes back to March 9th).
2.- On April 28th, Juan threaten us, did you bite? What do you think now?
3.- What's your take on soccer? (Goes back to July 6th).

Thanks Judges! :)

1) Well...ugh!
There are certain crimes that I think are so awful that the person deserves to die and I would love to see every sex offender castrated. But, for the most part, I'm against it. While I hate that my tax dollars pay for a criminal to live in prison, there are some people in prison who actually didn't commit the crime and it'd be horrible to know that they were put to death while being innocent.

2) I am so glad that Juan carried through on his threat and made more puzzles. They have been excellent.

3) I am not a big soccer fan, but that's only because I haven't been exposed to it much. I love most sports and so I believe I would also love soccer. Having lived in Brasil for a while I learned a little of it, and learned many of their more famous players names. But I don't live near a professional team now and so don't follow it much.

Congratulations Teresa! It was nice to share your fantasy!
1.- What do you think about the Chilean miners' rescue?
2.- Is Teresa in red one of your favorite puzzles?
3.- What do you think about us judges asking more of veterans like you?

1. I think the rescue of the miners in Chile was nothing short of a miracle. The heroic effort of the organizers and engineers was incredible. I'll bet most of those guys thought they were going to meet their Maker. I'll bet there was one miner who had strong faith who sustained the others throughout their long ordeal. I hope the miners share the book and movie royalties they receive with the state and private companies who financed their rescue. I will be more interested in reading their personal accounts about their experience than in seeing the Hollywood movie that is sure to be produced in the near future.

2. I cannot answer, because "Teresa in Red" is either a puzzle I have forgotten or one that I have not yet solved. Please give me a clue, a number, an explanation??? Wait! I just saw it in my new puzzles list. Let me go solve it, then I'll let you know. :-)

3. I think it is reasonable to expect an excellent puzzle from veteran creators like Adam and Telly and Linda and Kai (and a few others). Having said that, I also believe that all contest entries should be judged fairly, based on the criteria set forth by Sylvain when he started this contest, regardless of who the creator might be. To do otherwise is to punish talented creators for being good. If I remember correctly, the criteria include originality, quality of the image, ease in solving, and adherence to the contest rules. But I have to admit, I really enjoy seeing newcomers win! I certainly hope more of you enter this current contest. The competition brings out the best in everyone. :-)

Thanks, Teresa, for answer #3.

Teresa, your are right!

thanks for the compliment, teresa :-)

ditto...thanks for the compliment Teresa. :D
good answers

T, I love you!

me Kai? haha

it should be a secret, Tom

ROFL

I'm here waiting for my questions. :) Thanks for voting for me, and I'm already terribly excited about the new contest.

Ah, this is the best part of the contest. I can't wait to see the questions, and I can't wait to read the answers. :-)

Congratulations, Liz.

Jota's in vacation rigth now so I think I could pump up 3Q for you Liz

1- Are you a real Beatle fan or was it just because it fit great in the theme

2- You just said that you where very excited for the new theme does this mean you are a big cartoon fan, if so who is your all time favorite toon

3- When you decide to create a new puzzle what are the step you go through from start to the time you publish it


hope its all good and thanks again for entering the wcp

Great questions, Sylvain!

1. I have been a major Beatles fan since I was a small child and I used to listen to my parents' Beatles albums constantly. We used to sing Beatles songs in the car on road trips. In fact, my mom tells the story of how she fell in love with my dad because he invited her to his place (!) to listen to Rubber Soul, and she just couldn't believe what she was hearing and was so impressed with this dude who had such great taste in music. I'm especially fond of later Beatles (probably from Rubber Soul on).

2. To again invoke my late father, he was a comic collector for all of his childhood and adult life, and he was especially fond of Disney comics and cartoons. My husband can quote Loony Tunes cartoons verbatim. And I grew up in the 70s, which was the Dark Ages of cartooning, so I was constantly thirsty for the *good* older cartoons I saw on TV. When the cartoon Renaissance started happening with the Simpsons and Roger Rabbit, etc., in the late 80s and early 90s, I was thrilled! (Just realized I didn't mention my favorite toon...that's really hard, but I love the mischievous or "bad boy" toons like Bugs Bunny, Bart Simpson, and, well, the guy in the puzzle I just created for the contest.)

3.

a. I get an idea that makes me smile or seems like an interesting challenge
b. I click on the "Create Puzzles" button over there

<------

c. I google an image (actually, once, for Bugs Bunny, I used my checkbook cover) in another browser window
d. I draw the image on the blank grid
e. I tweak the image to make it solvable (hopefully not too much, but this has proven to be the longest stage usually)
f. I show it to someone in my family to get an (again, hopefully) objective opinion about whether it's any good
g. I publish it!

thank you

Dear Kai Congrats, already in second place!

1.- Are cartoons a good way to cover sports? Do you ever use them?
2.- Why do you think Japanese cartoons are so popular over the world?
3.- What's your take on adult type cartoons ( E:g: Simpson, etc.)

before reading you exemple about adult cartoon I was OMG she ask him about hentai...lol


PS: for those of you not knowing what and hentai is its those XXX japaneese cartoon that often involve schoolgirl and all kind of male from normal to monters to e.t.

these are tough questions and I am in holidays at the moment. so please give me the time to answer properly when I return on Sunday. Til then. And thanks for the judges...

Sorry for the delay, but now I'm back home.

1) Good Cartoons can cover everything, cause you can point out the main story that is about to be told. In Sports it's the emotion that counts. And yes with cartoons you can show it in an exteme way.
2) It's the quality of the painters. and the tradition. and they have found a way to create an asian way of living without denying the other worlds. and of course it's the cuteness of the figures.
3) oh I like it very much. sometimes it's very rude and shameless, but that's the way of the world.

Hey Kadou! Welcome to the winner's interview, congrats!

1.- Isn't it amazing that Bob proposed to Kate at the Alouttes game last sunday and that they married today at Notre Dame in Montreal? Now, what really caught my eye tough was Kate arriving to church in an elk-drawn sleigh. What do you think?

2.- You gave us 13 entries, did we pick your favorite or which one did you prefer? And do you think that being Canadian helped you produce so many entries?

3.- You are fairly new to this site, but a well experienced puzzler, what in your opinion makes our site the best (apart from we the judges of course)?

Thanks! I'll gladly answer your 5 questions...

1.-(1) Yes, it's amazing what money can do. Normally, you have to contact the Notre-Dame Basilica at least a few months in advance and no weddings are held on Sundays. (2) I think it was a moose-drawn sleigh just like the moose on conzick's drawing. :)

2.-(3) The winning puzzle was my early favorite. I'm also glad how the "impact" puzzle came out since it required much more work. I also have a preference for my smaller entries. I think, in the end, you made the right pick. (4) Being Canadian helped me a little, plus the fact that I had a week off, and that I already had some designs previously made which I adapted for the challenge.

3.-(5) The best part of this site is everything to do with puzzle creation: freedom of size and colors, puzzle testing, and solving helper. More designing time can be spent on the artistic side rather than testing puzzle solvability (which I previously used to do with every single version).

Dear Kai: welcome back to the winner circle! Here we go ...
1.- How many vacations do you take a year?
2.- Do you think we were right picking the wine over the Pieta?
3.- What's your take on the wiki-leaks?
Happy Holidays to you and all that read this!

Dear judges, I'm so delighted being honored again. And to answer Question 2 first: No, I think you were not right. The Pieta overwhelmed me after finishing. It's expression is extraordinary. I never thought any puzzle can "beat" it in the competition. Although I don't deny that I'm pleased by your decision... Teresa, congratulation to your marvelous entry.

1. Oh, vacations are a main part of my life. All the six to seven weeks I don't have to work are spent in foreign countries. In 2010 me and my wife were in Sweden, Portugal and Egypt. And not to forget we made a midsea-cruise with stops in Tunesia, Italy, France and Spain. To everybody living in USA or Canada: Come to Europe! Spent some time in the "old world". And take some Chianti ...
3. Oh my god, what a question, Jota! First: Freedom of speech, freedom of press are most important for the fuctionality of democracy. To publish secret papers can show the public the truth of some poltical mistakes. And maybe the public pressure can force changes. But second: The danger is high, that innocent people become victims as an effect of this publishing. And it can destroy good relations between countries. And third: What is the ambition of Mr. Assange. Is it an ego-trip or is he aeger to save the world? So how to answer this question ...?

Dear Linda: here you are again, first winner of 2011, congratulations.
1.- You surprised me with the title and the story behind it, how did you come to that very creative idea?
2.- What's the best city you've ever visited?
3.- What do you think about gays in the military?

hi jota! wow - thank you very much (and the other judges, too). i really appreciate this.
1. i had a seen a special on tv about the rhesus macaques in india, and i was floored by how crafty, manipulative and profoundly intelligent these ceatures are. they're tag team experts. i chose the taj mahal scenario because i imagine there are plenty of tourists who've tried to take a picture of it only to have a monkey jump in the way (or steal their camera).
2. probably nashville, tennessee. the city has a pulse. i was in a band back then, and just to be in a place where everyone lives and breathes music was an experience i'll never forget. food's great, too.
3. it's never bothered me. for me, the personal is not political. the only thing i care about with regard to serving one's country is that one do it willingly, competently and honorably.

again, thank you very much :-)

Welcome back Kadou!
1.- We got few but very good pictures from Thailand; we picked yours because it was very original and 20x20. Why do you think people don't rate higher the smaller puzzles?
2.- What puzzle would you have chosen for 1st place?
3.- What's your favorite movie of all times?

Thanks, sorry for the delay, but I still don't have my PC. :( I'm writing from the library!
1. Everyone has a different way of rating a puzzle, so there could be many reasons for smaller puzzles' lower rating. Could it be they solve faster or easier? Could it be a question of details? I really can't tell. It's like asking someone why they like watermelon over raisins... Is it only a question of size?
2. I really don't know since I haven't had a chance to play the other contest entries. I usually prefer to play small puzzles that can be solved in one sitting whenever I have some free time. I get lost when there too much counting involved! :)
3. Another difficult question, this one because of the quantity of movies out there that I have seen. So much of the movie watching experience depends on the circonstances around it... what age was when I saw it, where I saw it, with whom, etc. Some films, once found extraordinary, are found ordinary after multiple viewings, while others are the opposite. Some of my favorites include: "The Shawshank Redemption", "The Incredibles", "The Matrix", "The Sixth Sense", and the list goes on and on...

Thanks Kadou and I'm right there with you on the Shawshank Redemption and the sixth sense ...

Kristen: Welcome to the WCP winners circle!
You are one of the several new participants in the challenge and what a challenge this was ... Congratulations ...!
1.- Why do you think we chose your puzzle?
2.- What do you want to tell us about yourself?
3.- What's your take in what's going on in Egypt?

Thanks! I can hardly believe I won, but of course I had high hopes. :)
1. I'm sure you appreciated the elegant simplicity of my design. :) I think that harlequins are the classiest members of the clown family.
2. I'm a HUGE nerd, I love 80s music and movies, and I'm addicted to logic puzzles.
3. What the world needs now is love, sweet love (plus fewer brutal dictators and less dependence on oil from such a volatile region).

WOW! Kristen only 16 puzzles created since you came to this site and already 2 times a winner ...
1.- To what do you attribute your success?
2.- You create mostly "not huge" puzzles, only 2 (40x40), 1 (35x35) and 3 (30x30), all the rest smaller; you get lots of comments, and fairly good ratings. What's your inspiration?
3.- If you can pick a favorite 80's song and movie which ones would you choose?

Kadou: THE MASTER OF SMALL PUZZLES (My favorites BTW). Congrats!

1.- How do you feel about the title?
2.- Less than a month ago you didn't seem to be too concerned about ratings (see # 259 above) and lately you seem more concerned. Why the change?
3 .- What's your opinion on the way we judge the WCP?

1. I'd consider myself a ringer, because I was an art major. I've also solved enough of these puzzles to know what I like to see in a puzzle, and where improvements can be made.
2. I do puzzles on my son's Netbook a lot, and his 10" monitor can only handle up to 20x20 puzzles without having to scroll up and down.
I get my inspiration often from other puzzlists, or from seeing an interesting picture. I try to inject humor into my puzzles, which seems to lead to more comments.
3. Cheesetastic 80s song: The Final Countdown (Europe)
Best video: Take On Me (a-ha)
Movie's gonna be tough, but anything by John Hughes is an iconic 80s movie. I'll go with Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Was The Princess Bride 80s? I have that one nearly memorized.

1. Thanks guys, I am glad you like my puzzles... but I'm not "A" Master of small puzzles. This title goes to someone who has studied many years - I'm not even a Bachelor of any size of puzzles. I can't be a master of small puzzles if I failed to master the small puzzle challenge. :) Besides, "THE" means only one and that one is Gator.
2. I was asked if I knew why ratings for smaller puzzles were low. My concern is the same, I only decided to voice it. This time the challenge was limited to small puzzles, so the spotlight was on them. I guess I was expecting too much from raters. Why can't it be that a puzzle is excellent, good, or average for ITS size? A monkey hitting keys at random on a keyboard for an infinite amount of time will almost surely... create an average rated puzzle! :) More already in the comments for puzzle #12159.
3. Being a judge is a difficult job. What one likes is not always what everybody likes, and vice versa. You are being "judged" on your choices. You also have to withdraw yourself from the challenges. To be fair, you need to play EVERY puzzle entered.
I like the fact that you are 3 to choose (as opposed to having only 1 judge). I also like that you sometimes select smaller and/or monochrome puzzles - not always the large colorful ones. For this challenge, the fact that the actual ratings of most of the puzzles were close to average (***) didn't help you in deciding the winners. It's hard work and you're doing it respectably... How much does it pay? :)

Jota gets 2 nights a month at a french restruant

And Tom a geisha once in a while ;-)

@ Kadou:

A Master, according to the Merriam-Webster ...

... an artist, performer, or player of consummate skill, a worker or artisan qualified to teach apprentices ...

PS I play EVERY puzzle entered

sooo do I, Jota...though sometimes a toughie

I don't get anything...think I got S***W somewhere down the line...lol

thanks for your answer Kadou

I can only add that it was a priority to have many judge when I start this thing a couple of years ago. Having three judge with diffrent taste and diffrent skill set help when trying to establish the the winners. We don't always do the rigth choices but we try to at least.

Once again Kai, welcome to the winners circle!
1.- What do you think people who are "forced" to leave their countries and even die away because of political reasons?
2.-What's your take on the situation in the Middle East?
3.- What's the future of the EU?

Sorry but at the time I'm very worried about the world and you can offer an European Point of view, I'll try to be less intense next time.

First of all: Thanks to the judges decision ;-)
Second: Yes, Jota. These are serious topics.

1) I think only a few of us here at WPN can really imagine living in fear and poverty. When you really take the risk of losing your life for a chance living in freedom your days have to be very dark.

2) North Africa and the Middle East was a time bomb that's now exploding. This is only the beginning. Oman, Yemen, Algeria, Marocco, Syria, Lebanon and even Iran and China (!) may follow. It's a massive eruption that will change the world. But in which direction? Will the Future for the people be better or even worse. How will this effect Europe? And the States? The world? If I had an answer I would make my money in political predictions.

3) The EU will be a much stronger part in the global world when they come to the conclusion that it is better working together. They are on their way despite of many problems. This will weaken the US. But the main "enemy" of EU and US will be China with it's immense economical power. But China must get the population in the boat. All people have to get their part from the cake.

Puuh! That was difficult, Jota. It had been much easier for me to answer in German ...

Sorry to put you thru this Kai, but I knew you could do it and perhaps make others who read this think about it and take a stand.

Sorry to put you thru this Kai, but I knew you could do it and perhaps make others who read this think about it and take a stand.

thanks for your imput, Kai

Hello Kit. E. Katz! Congratulations!
1.- Assuming that's your real name, how difficult was it to grow up with it? Did you appreciate your parents sense of humor?
2.- According to the records you've neither solved not created many puzzles and yet you impressed us all with your Taz, what's your secret?
3.- Your inspiration came from National Geographic, what do you think about their policy of not interfering with wild life even though sometimes they witness things that are heart-wrenching?

1. No comment, if that's OK.
2. Actually I've solved many of the puzzles using the Random Puzzle option and working my way through the list on the Honors page. I found a photo which was close to the image I had in my mind that I used as a reference (otherwise the Taz would've had a white bib like a bear instead of a crescent. But crucial help came from both the "Check" and "Helper" functions which helped me know if the image was solveable or if changes were needed.
3. Wow, that's a loaded question! No matter how one answers it, it could start a flame war. :/
First I will state that this is my personal opinion and is in no way intended to influence anyone else's. Second, I apologize if anything ends up seeming flip or smarmy, it is not meant to be.
That said, I do not entirely agree with a blanket policy, every circumstance is different:
**What should be done about Invasive species? Should we allow them to outcompete the Native species?
**I would not interfere with a carnivore's hunt for meat, unless "meat" was a person, a pet, or an extremely endangered species. Carnivores need to kill to survive; I would just hope it's a quick kill.
**If the tragedy involved a senseless death that is no direct benefit to other wildlife, I would have a hard time ignoring it (for example: an animal breaks through the ice, or falls in a pit and cannot escape on its own). After all, legend has it that dolphins have "interfered" and helped drowning sailors to shore - why should a person not "pay it forward" (if one is so inclined and danger is minimal)?
But that is my own opinion and is in no way an attempt to influence that of others; if we were all meant to think alike, we'd have been born clones. ;)

i really like your opinions, Kit

Hi Linda! Welcome back to the winner's circle!

1.- Once again you come and give us an "outside the box" entry, seems like you have learned how to impress us, can you share your secrets with the rest?
2.- What event in history would you change if you could?
3.- What do you think of the US involvement in the crisis in Libya?

dang....poor Linda

hi, jota! thank you and thanks to all of the judges and players for your kind comments and ratings. i really appreciate it :-)
1. when you enter a contest with so many great puzzlists, you have to think outside the box. of course, the veterans are gonna "bring it" (teresa, kai, liz, brian, telly, juan, kadou, travis, etc.). and newbies like kristen, kit e. katz and aldege have added a whole new and wonderful dimension to this game. as for this contest, when i saw "safari", that immediately led me to thinking "tourists", which immediately led me to thinking "locals". btw - the young lady in "keeping watch" isn't as innocent as she seems. she's got a little racket going, turning on the charm and tricking tourists out of their watches, then re-selling them. once she even tricked a tourist out of his watch and sold it back to him! but she IS saving the money so she can go to school, so i guess that's a good thing. (for her anyway).
2. i wouldn't change a thing. everything that has happened, good or bad, was necessary in order for today to be what it is. after all, we can take any event in history and see that it was actually a series of events, borne from other events, then changing into other events, and so on - which would mean there's really no such thing as "an event". it would be impossible to change one thing without its affecting something else. and maybe not for the better. and sometimes, one man's "better" is another man's "worse".
3. in light of my comment #2, it's one of those things that's supposed to happen. what things come from this, we can only guess. no, i am not ambivalent about it - i am angry that innocent people have to suffer for one man's quest for power. i pray that the u.s. involvement helps end, or at least mitigates, such suffering.

i pray along with you, Linda

Congratulations and welcome again to the winners circle!

1.- If you could have any profession in the world what would that be and why?
2.- What's the latest book you read and loved?
3.- What do you think of monarchies?

1. I would like to be independently wealthy. Who wouldn't?
2. "The Silent Miaow" by Paul Gallico.
3. Why I think they're quiet pretty with those black and orange wings! ...wait, you meant kings not butterflies, right? jk, XD

Honestly, I can't really answer that because I have never lived in a monarchy, thus have no 1st-hand knowledge to base an opinion. But based on what little world history I've read, I would have to say I would prefer to live in a democracy. "Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely." - John Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton

bravo Kit.... wanna play power games?

Thanks Kit! Matt loves that book, it's his favorite.

Congratulaciones Joel! Welcome to the winners circle!

1.- You've made only 3 puzzles to what do you attribute your success in this challenge.
2.- Your other 2 puzzles are big ones, do you favor solving those too?
3.- Can you share a personal anecdote with us?

Wow, beginners luck?

1. My daughter is working on a speech about Greek gods, so they were fresh on my mind. When I saw the challenge, Atlas came to my mind. I created a puzzle that was the wrong size so I had to modify it to fit the requirements. The new puzzle was left with space on either side, so I added columns to fill the space. It took a bit of work to make it solvable, but I did like the results.
2. I chose puzzles depending on my mood and amount of time I have. I like that longer puzzles can be saved to work on later. But, sometimes it is good to have a quick puzzle to get the fix!
3. This question I think is a good starting point for the next weekly challenge! I will use for it for my inspiration.

Thank you!

DEAR KAI!!!
Congrats I never thought Marilyn will be a WEBPBN WCP winner in this category!
1.- I guess she didn't either, what do you think?
2.- What's your take on the Euro future?
3.- What about the situation in Egypt?

1) I think only a few people had the chance to know what's really in her mind. I guess she changed her opinion very often. The only Monroe-moods were very, very happy and very, very, very sad. So - YES, JOTA - she would never expect an honor like this. but she would be very happy - for some minutes I guess.

2) He will survive. He's stronger than you may expect. Greece, Ireland, Portugal are not healthy, okay. But which country is it? I'm optimistic.

3) That's tough to say for me. I'm also far away. But the reality is: There are more difficulties than expected. The old regime tries to survive. The new wave is not that strong as it was. Egypt will be the example of what is possible for all the other nations (Tunesia, etc.). And will be very important for the realtionship between Palestine and Israel.

Puuuh! JOTA, WHY EVER SO TOUGH POLITICAL QUESTIONS????

Sorry Kai! I see you as our European correspondent ;-) Seriously I know what you can give us and is much more than your favorite color. By the way which is it?

blueredgreenwhiteblack
it's the WPBN-Color

Dear Kristen! Congratulations on your win!
1.- You had to "chop" your image to make it an acceptable enter, what made it worth it?
2.- You've made about 50 puzzles and most of the of high quality, what's your secret? What can you recommend other puzzle makers?
3.- What's your opinion of the accusations against Dominique Strauss-Kahn?

1. I wanted to do a larger image, for a change, and it wasn't until I had completely finished that I realized I'd made it too large. It was an easy decision to crop the top and left sides, because to crop the chin off would have made it look less "tiger", plus I'd made it to the right of center (I usually eyeball my images, rather than placing a grid over the picture I want to use). My only regret is that I didn't save the first version as a non-entry.

2. First, get a degree in Studio Art, with a minor in Art History. (J/K, but that's my art background) Look at a lot of beautiful art, and you'll get an idea of what compositions are the most effective. I've done at least 4 renditions of other artists' paintings.

I've also solved a lot of puzzles in here, and I know the type of puzzle that I like to solve. I try to strike a balance between a pretty picture and a fun solve.

3. I had to look him up, and I think that some people, once they've gained a certain amount of power, begin to favor power over ethics. His particular alleged crimes involve power over his victims. On a personal note, I think he's done a lousy job with the IMF. The Iraq Dinar is still not a viable currency after nearly 6 years.

Love it Kristen Thanks!

The K's continue to dominate! Congratulations!
1.-Don't you think that this winning puzzle was a master piece, Kadou?
How long did it take you to make?
2.-Do you follow the NBA in Canada? What's your take on Lebron?
3.-Have you had any parliament members involved on sexting scandals?

1.a) No, It's a good image but there are better solves. A masterpiece is the complete package.
1.b) I spent about 3 hours modifying an old creation of mine.
2.a) I follow the NHL playoffs - Final game Wednesday!
2.b) He's no Michael... No player can win a team sport alone.
3. None that I know of, but I've heard of Weiner's wiener! :)

lol #3 Kadou

Congrats Brenda :)
Just a few questions for you, you WINNER you!

1. You said you were an artist somewhere... is it true and how long have you been doing art work?

2. Do you find transfering your art to our pixel world difficult?

3. Have you ever dripped paint like in your puzzle, in real life?

4. And #4 (don't tell Sylvain) because its never asked: Do you like being here, with us puzzle nutz, in webpbn?

I don't really call myself an artist its more of just something to do for relaxation. I've tried just about every area of art from drawing to painting burning wood and crafts but i never developed any of them to get really good at it and yes i have dripped paint before. I do find it a little difficult to transfer pictures over there are a lot of ideas that i haven't figured out how to get them on here yet, but i do enjoy the challenge of it. Yes I enjoy being on webpbn its just a new way of creativity for me, but i think I like solving the puzzles as much as making them (maybe more) thanks for choosing my pic!!

4 question and your telling me its more work than you thought.... goo one Maria (and Tom)

Kit Kat....cool puz

1. Kit are you sure your depiction is just silliness? Are you afraid this will happen?

2. Do you think the quest for food will be our future goals or maybe medicine?

3. Are you really a Cat???

Congrats Kadou:

1. How does if feel to be reconized for your talent?

2. Which was it.... martini or bikini? lol

3. How long does it take you to make one of your difficult to solve puzzles?

4. Do you think us judges should give even score for difficulty and quality.... how about originality and or story telling?

Thank you judges!
1. Feels great... It's better than being recognized for one of my faults (I'm not perfect. :> )
2. It's actually a "martini bikini" (a bikini designed to look like martini glasses); so the answer is bikini. This idea came from the infomercial for the Slap-chop.
3. It used to take me hours to make an average puzzle, now it takes me hours to make a better one! :) The difficulty depends on how much more time I really want to spend on it, once I am pleased with the "look" of it.
4. Judges can have the scoring system they want, as long as we all know what it is. It's difficult to compare puzzles of varying sizes, difficulty, number of colours, and originality. I don't think a puzzle tells a story, the designer might but IMO it doesn't make for a better or worst puzzle.

Kadou: Congrats man, 2 weeks in a row!

#1. How do you relate to Scrooge?

#2. When did you first become involved with paint by number puzzles?

#3. What do you think about America having a lowered credit rating?

Thanks!
1. I can relate in that I feel Christmas is too commercialized. I only wish I had some money to save, it all goes away so fast!
2. End of January 2010, I wanted to see what "Picross" was.
3. It was bound to happen with the US not being what it was in the world economy. I hope it won't have world-wide effects.

Kadou: 3 in a row... wazzz up with dat?

1. How much for that house?
2. Can you handle the next wcp..(all colors)?
3. What was your favorite thing to do when you were a boy (admiring girls not included)?

Kadou making MTL proud my friend !!!!! I'm not really here anymore but you put on double duty win 3 win in a row Congratulation buddy

Yeah! Up is with dat! :)
1. For someone who has the money, it's a fantastic deal... actually it's a steal!
2. I can handle most of the WCPs. I can still make a monochrome puzzle for the next one. :>
3. To a 6 year old boy, girls are disgusting. :P
As a young boy, one of my favorite things to do was play hockey. Later, it was bike riding, then video game playing. Admiring girls came after and has never stopped since! 8)

Merci Sylvain!

Okay Kadou...this is getting weird; congrats again:

1. Whats this about admiration of girls?
2. Whats the code for your puzzle that Teresa gets?
3. Do you think you can do the maximum size puzzle with all colors?
4. (I cheat) Have you ever thought about helping us judge puzzles?

Thanks again!
1. I use "girls" as the feminine of "guys" to mean the female of my species. Their beauty is much appreciated! :)
2. It's E.Z.: Cut = C.U.T. = See you T. The "T." could be for "Teresa" or "Tom" or "Tatiana" or "Tiffany"...
3. Yes. "Can it be a good puzzle?" is the real question! :P
4. It's a question of time... If I had enough free time to play all the entries (i.e. small puzzles), it could be a possibility. Although, I'm probably better at creating than judging.

Marie.....
1. It's been said by you and others of your past attendance. Could you tell me & others a little about you?

2. Do you favor b/w puzzles?

3. oh.... congrats girl on your art work
but i have to ask the real Q3 or Jota will spank me

3. (really) When you start a puzzle do you just doodle or do you have an idea of what you want?

Hi all, thanks to the judges :)

1. Ok, well I live in Australia, on the eastcoast just up from Sydney. Surrounded by beaches and lakes, nice spot. I have four children, my eldest has left the nest, she is 21, I have 16 year old twins, boy and girl, and the youngest, a girl is 9. I am a single working Mumma, I love motorbikes, fishing, animals, and puzzles, especially these ones.

2. I think it obvious that I favour b/w puzzles, and smaller ones too. They are basically all I have time to solve and create at the moment, they are also easyier on my brain and eyes. In the past I created my fair share of big colourful puzzles, but nothing beats a good old b/w in my opinion.
I was so happy to discover many small, challenging, b/w and great puzzles were created while I was away, I am slowly going through them one by one.

3. Sometimes I just start doodling, and go from there, a good example of this is the puzzle 'Terry', others I will get an image in my head of what I want to create and I may need some extra help to get it just right, the puzzle of the black marlin which won this comp is the perfect example, so I have to google images to make sure I get the perspective and the proportions just right.

Ps, I am so excited about the new comp, Spain is my favourite country, It is my dream to visit there one day :)

Kristen....congrats :)
1. Have you ever been to Spain?
2. Do you agree with the bull run?
3. Why do you DO pbn?

Thanks!

1. No, I have never been to Spain, only Italy.

2. Not really, but it's a good exercise in Darwinism. That is, if you're insane enough to enter, maybe you shouldn't be allowed back in the gene pool.

3. It's highly addictive; maybe you've noticed.
Plus, I'm a sucker for logic puzzles, and visual logic is a bonus.

I like the story logic puzzles also, the ones without the grid :)

T (teresa):
1. Do you look UP (google stuff) everything we do here?
2. What kind of clothes do Tucson women wear mostly?
3. Has there been some success with your cause?
OH, congrats gurl!

Woo hoo! Thank you for the honor.

1. I google just about everything. :-) I definitely had to google cities in Asia with an altitude over 10,000 ft. to get an image that would be seen from a low flying plane, because, let's face it, an aerial view of anywhere would just not make an interesting puzzle.

2. It's so hot in Tucson that the women run around half naked. Just kidding, Tom. Some wear skinny latex bike shorts. Not me. Some wear skimpy sundresses. Not me. Some wear smart business suits. Not me. Most of us gals dress just like they do in other socially progressive cities. No L.A. or NYC high fashion, just comfortable cute outfits, sandals. We even wear coats in the winter, because it actually gets down below freezing at least once each winter. Right now our weather is just about perfect. ;-0

3. There has definitely been success with my cause. I've been doing lots of trainings for CPS, public defenders, behavioral health, and foster parents. And it really feels good to help so many families raising the kids who are affected. Very gratifying work. Thank you for asking, Tom.

For those of you who don't already know what my cause is, check this out:
http://come-over.to/FAS/news/citizen2008a.htm

Kristen:
1. Do you get into your grass often?
2. Did you enjoy the movie "honey I strunk the kids"?
3. Do you like the movie or play "Jesus Christ movie star"?

Wait, I won? I don't think I should answer that first question...

2. I loved that movie! The giant ant especially, but the scene with the Dad hanging suspended over the grass really stuck in my mind.

3. I can tell that Tom wrote these questions. He posted a bunch of songs from the movie adaptation of Jesus Christ Superstar, and I left a post or two telling him how much better the original castvrecording was.

probably smart to plead the fifth on that first question, kristen.

congrats Marie:

1. I loved your funny puzzle about walking the dog.
Where did you come up with that great idea?

2. Your puzzles, of late, have been out of sight, where do you get your ideas?

3. Tell us something personal about you, that we don't know already.

4. Can i have your number ;-) lol

1. Well Tom, as soon as I read the forum for this competition 'Living on the Moon' I just started imagining life there and doing everday earth things there, or trying to anyways, and a dog floating around on the end of a leash just popped into my head, it totally cracked me up, lol, I'm warped!

2. I get my ideas from meditation, yep, I just sit here in front of my computer with my eyes closed, an incense burning and a glass of bourbon, I clear all other thoughts from my head and just concentrate on a single image of a pixel with my third eye (usally a black pixel) and an image grows from that one pixel, so then I open my eyes, all three of them, and quickly mouse this new image down before it disappears. :D

3. Well Tom, here is something a lot of people dont know about me, I sort of keep it pretty well hidden, even from my closest of friends, but here goes....I am secretly in love with Sir David Attenborough, hence all the animal puzzles :D

4. Sure you can have my number Tom, here you go... '22', yep, that is my lucky number, has been for a very long time now and I will be happy to share it, although I am sure your number '69' has been a pretty lucky one for you :D

Great exchange !!!

Marie even if you'll have give him your number I'm not sure Tom would want to pay the EXTRA-LONG distance call that goes with calling a lovely lady on the other side of the word. lol.

Marie: Maybe the next WCP should be about the zoo we live in with red/white/green/blue colors only, while drinking scotch whiskey. (only human animals allowed) :)

:D Sounds interesting Tom.

Sylvain, he could always skype me! The best things in life are free ;)

Oh MY!

tom, only humans...but no black allowed? that's just not right.

David...you silly

Sorry to break continuity folks, but this is the first chance I've had to visit the site in these many weeks. The inter-spiders wouldn't let me on their webs. :( ;)

In response to post #304: Jul 10, 2011

1. Kit are you sure your depiction is just silliness? Are you afraid this will happen?

Nope. Not at all, the animals have plenty of advocates to speak up for their rights. Many more than there are for certain groups of humans.

2. Do you think the quest for food will be our future goals or maybe medicine?

BOTH.

Food is readily available if people are willing to embrace diversity with their palate. If people cannot be more flexible in their food choices, they risk a repeat of the Great Potato Famine.

I believe and hope the quest for medicine will continue and hopefully bring effective treatments for various maladies. But I also believe the pharmaceutical companies need to be honest in disclosing the iatrogenic damages observed in animal testing to their human "guinea pigs" before testing them; that way the participants can make a truly informed choice before agreeing to participate in testing drugs that may have potentially harmful or deadly effects. In fact they should be made to release the original unedited data and reports alongside the final "cleaned-up" version that is released to the press. Consumers need to know the whole truth about a medication before taking something that could potentially cause great harm.

3. Are you really a Cat???

Me-ow? Mew. Rarrgh...(cough, hack). **clears throat**

What I meant to say was: Sorry, nope. I don't even act "catty" when confronted with confronted with negative individuals. Fortunately they are a rare species @ this site. :)

meowwwww back ^. .^ kit

Marie, Marie again.....we gotta stop meeting like this!

1. Do you think Santa should sell his jet pack for the sleigh?

2. How does your family feel about your shining to WebPBN?

3. Do you nibble on snacks while creating puzzles? If so, tell us what that is and would you send me some. We already know what you drink. xoxo

Hi again Tom :)

1. I think he should get himself some supercharged V8 reindeer, keep the tradition alive, just speed things up a little.

2. My family like that I have webpbn, keeps me out of trouble and near the kitchen, lol.

3. Um....yes, I have cravings for chocolate right now actually, but I ran out of it :(
Chocolate, preferably dark, is my fave webpbn munchie, if it wasn't for the fact that I run around all day at work, I would be a plumpkin by now :)
You had better send me some Tom, I have none.

Thank you Judges for the win, on the honor list I have almost caught up with myself :)

Congrats Marie, well deserved. Santa has to continually speed up because of population growth, so i would imagine as some point the booster rockets will be a necessity. Also, agree with the dark chocolate sentiment. Now for the main reason I'm writing; why ARE there two of you on here?

That's how good she is!

Thank you David. I had a big break from webpbn, about 3 years, during that time I replaced my computer, it broke, so I also lost all my remembered passwords, I tried to get into my old account, but couldn't, I'd forgotten my password, so I had to make up a new account.
The reason I came back is because someone invited me to join the facebookk webpbn group page. I don't know who that person was, but I would like to thank them, thank you! I am so glad you did, it is great to be back :)

i'm glad you are back too!

Congrats Randall

1. Who are you?
2. Where are you?
3. Why do you create puzzles?
4. How often do you do puzzles?
5. ooooopsie... only suppose to be 3 questions :)

1. Short answer to a big question: I'm a high school math and physics teacher and a political activist for peace and justice causes.

2. Los Angeles, CA for about 12 years now.

3. I've been solving PBNs since I first saw them in Games magazine sometime back in the 90s. I hadn't thought about creating one until discovering this site a few months ago. I guess the reasons why I create puzzles are that this site's puzzle editor makes it so easy and the large, active web community here provides quick, interesting and rewarding feedback. (Oh, and google image search definitely helps!)

4. I come to this site about 3-4 times a week, usually doing a couple of puzzles each visit.

5. That's okay. I'll let it slide if you double my prize money. :-D

heyyy Randall... Jota handles the purse strings :)

ROFL!

heyyyy Tom ... or maybe i should answer

1. How did you get the name Tom?
2. Are you the piper's son?
3. My oh my, how did you get sucked into doing and making puzzles like these?
4. Sexual dreams....you don't have to answer, only 3 questions are required!

Thanks, committee!

1) My parents were prescient and knew that someday there would be an internet invented by Al Gore, and a games spot where a sensei would create awesome puzzles for his loyal followers. They knew that this sensei's name was Tom, and that their son should aspire to the greatness of the sensei. Unfortunately, they did not invest in the internet.

2) No, but I have stolen a pig from time to time. I always get caught because I don't run fast. Hmmm, I should think about pig-poaching on skis...

3) I've always been mathematically inclined, and I found the puzzles in Games Mag a long time ago. They became my favorites but I hadn't played in years. Recently, I was wondering what would be a tremendous time-suck with almost no reward, then remembered "Paint by Numbers." After spending hours scouring through actual Paint by Numbers projects (that would mean permanence, which wouldn't do), I found this site. I knew I was home when I found that the sensei's name is Tom!

4) Do you remember the Steve Martin skit, "A Holiday Wish?" It was on SNL. Something like that...

http://www.hulu.com/watch/115715/saturday-night-live-steve-martins-holiday-wish

Oh, and I think there has been a mistake. Kai won. Congratulations, Kai!

No mistake: The BOSS Sylvain chose the theme for the next WCP. The judges Sensei and Jota chose he winning puzzle!

Thanks sensei and jota :) I didn't read it right. Thought the winning puzzle was the next theme. Hopefully, you use my theme in the future.

Tom...only one correction..Sensei is with a capital S :)

For everyone outside the U.S., this is Steve Martin's SNL skit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPVuHP3OXk0&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL229CB706D0828255

Jipee! I won, too! Thanks to the BOSS! And thank you, Tom. King, not Sensei.
Hihi

Hey, King, it was worth having you win just to read your answers! :-D Love the Steve Martin skit. And I really liked your idea for a puzzle theme. Perhaps The Judges will use it for a future contest. I think it would be great fun.

If you ask the BOSS maybe for WCP#102.... (since we already got 101 in bank you just don't know it yet...lol)

Sylvain... the mystery man

Thanks Teresa. Congratulations to you as well. You extend your lead ;) Tom, should I edit my post? I wouldn't want to create too big an ego, maybe I can be the sensei with the small case?

Please BOSS please... You can be me Sensei!!!

Actually tom, I'm not much of a Sensei anymore, I'm more of a Gene Kelly now.

I like that.. Gene Kelly. Nice. :)

Kevin:
1. Where does that plane take you?

2. Tell us of your travels.

3. Tell me more about the stewardess abroad said plane!

Abroad? Freudian slip?!

1. Its taking me across the country to Denver CO to visit the family i have there. that is usually where planes take me.

2. I'm not usually into traveling that much other the then usual trips to Denver. I am looking forward to an upcoming trip to New Orleans, ill have to start getting the PBNs ready for that flight.

3. Sorry, I don't have any good stewardess stories for you Tom

Congrats Kristen...

1. You portraits are so great...how do you do it!
2. Why are you not ruling the world?
3. Can we have a date sometime?
4. Oh... I can't have 3 come-ons...so Ignore #3

Thanks, judges!
1. I've always been a "gets lost in the details" kind of person, which seems to work well with portraits.
2. Um, I don't do well with crowds or giving speeches. You only thought George W. was bad at thinking on his feet!
I suppose I could work on my public speaking skills, if I didn't spend so much time on Web PBN...
3. I don't think my husband would be too keen on that. I suppose we could go on a double date.
4. Okay.

Kadou...what can I do to know you.

1. woh od uoy kniht eseht selzzup pu?
2. Do you dream up your creations at night?
3. Why are there no women in your puzzles?
4. NOT ALLOWED (Sylvain will kill me)

oh yeah...congrats man

No I'll pay someone to do it , its cleaner.....

Tom... you can ask me 3 questions. ;)
1. !elgooG neht dna niarb ym esu I .xob eht edistuo kniht ot ekil I
2. Sometimes, day or night, I get inspired. I will come up with ideas more or less elaborate, then I try them out.
3. Is that a request? I guess you missed the nurse, the pregnant woman, the bikini lady, Carol and the bride? There are some puzzles where the person's gender is not specified, you can imagine they're all women! :)
4. If you don't tell him, I won't! :D
Oh no, too late! 8O

Thanks!

Kadou,uodaK.... congrats

1. hmmm do you ever see in real life a future picture?
2. Are those sometimes that you get inspired mostly at night or just the daytime?
3. I would personally like to see an "inside the mind of a woman" type of puzzle. Doesn't have to be b/w 20x20 or a LLS

Thanks Online Mate!

1. I'm not sure I understand your question... maybe this answers it (or not!): I see ideas for future puzzles all around me.
2. I get inspired mostly while I'm up. I will sometimes get a more defined concept or title possibilities when I'm laying down. I hope the final result is good all around. :>
3. This is not really a question, so you can ask another one. Do you mean "a woman's point of view" puzzle?

Okay Kadou:
3. Whats your favorite color?

3. Is that a trick question?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWS8Mg-JWSg

Oh, my abs hurt from laughing. Thanks for the link, Kadou. Best 3Q answer ever! :-D

Okay Kadou... you can cross the bridge.

haha.. Monty Python is the coolest ;)

My mistake, unable to post results for the WCP 104. Asking for JAN's HELP.
Winners are:
1.- Kevin 17879
2.-Aldege 17830
3.- Kadou 17891

Congratulations, Kevin! You get to answer my first 3Q interview. :-)

1. Your redhead is quite a beauty. Were you inspired by someone in your life, in your past, or in your imagination? Tell us! Tell us!

2. What is your favorite kind of puzzle to solve?

3. What do you do when you are not puzzling here with us? (at work and away from work)

1. It is a portrait of the wonderful "actress" Nikki Rhodes.

2. My favorite puzzles are small colorful puzzles or mid sized black and white.

3. when Im at work I am a computer programmer.

I don't know who that is. I looked her up, and now I understand the quotation marks. :-D

Kevin's favorite redhead:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Nikki_Rhodes_2009.jpg

I didn't even notice the quotes until you mentioned it Teresa. Kind of appropriate that Kevin won an award for her portrait, since she herself is award-winning as well.

great that its now Teresa that is in charge of the 3Q interview since we ask her so many question in the past that she only as to reverse ingering then and she'll have question for month to come....lol

Kadou, congratulations once again!

1. I think this is your 10th time as first place winner. What is your secret to creating so many high quality puzzles?

2. About that monster in your closet... When you were a kid, were you more likely to be the kid that was scared of monsters or the kid who got a kick out of scaring everyone else?

3. Have you ever been fooled on April Fool's Day? Or have you perpetrated an April Fool's Day prank? Tell us your best story.

Thanks!

1. Patience, I guess. I probably spend more time than most on brainstorming, looking for models, creating, testing, and coming up with titles and descriptions.
2. I remember being scared of "the monster under the bed".
3. It would be hard for me to get fooled because I am skeptical of everything on April 1st. A good prank that pops to mind is toothpaste on a telephone receiver.

Sorry for the late response... been preoccupied by an undesired family matter.

Thank you for the time you put into creating cool puzzles for us, Kadou. And thanks for taking the time for the 3Q interview. I hope the family issue gets resolved quickly to everyone's satisfaction.

Key, Kadou. We have to stop meeting like this. :-)

1. The first time you won first place it was for traveling with Bob and Kate. Now you win for travelling with a Gnome. What is your favorite faraway place you have ever been?

2. We have known each other for quite some time now. So, please tell us - Is Kadou your first name, your last name or your nickname?

3. Okay, I'm gonna get real personal now. Are you ready... Here goes: Is there a significant other in your life who gets jealous of all the time you spend with your WEBPBN friends?

dang your personal girl

Yep. Not asking for myself, but for all the single gals here, ya know? :-)

Key, Teresa! :) I don't mind these virtual rendez-vous.

1. I have only travelled within the American continent, so my answer won't be some place very faraway... it's probably Disney World. We went for the kids; but, I also had a pretty good time there. It was an awesome getaway.

2. It's a nickname I've had since elementary school.

3. Puzzle #17491 answers part of your question. No, jealousy is not part of the equation. Also, I wouldn't spend all this time with you if you weren't so friendly. :)

congrats K
1. What outfits do you wear while making puzzles?
2. Who makes the best super heros...men or women?
3. Do you think of heaven often?

some thought-provoking questions, tom! i look forward to the answers.

1. Um...I don't wear special puzzle-making outfits, but when I'm painting I wear an old button-down shirt that I stole from my dad. It's been my painting shirt since 1990 or so.

2. Men do, and the reason is that comics are made for men by men, and the women are usually scantily clad and fairly useless. Black Widow, for instance, seems to have super-skank powers.

3. Not so much. Currently my idea of heaven would be a house with adequate space, a bathtub, and a dishwasher and laundry facilities. Our current "home" is 450 sq ft, and no, I did not leave off a 1.

Congratulations, Kai-Uwe.

1. You are a sports writer for a newspaper in Germany. Does that mean you are famous? As in... do people recognize you when you go out?

2. You are so handsome in your prom self-portrait "Tres Chic." High school guys can be so macho and the gals are so beautiful and sexy. But they are still children and as such are naive and vulnerable. What advice would you give to the kids who are going to their prom this year?

3. I know your best girl is your lovely wife and that you take her on several vacations (holiday) every year to other countries. What is the fanciest, coolest, most amazing place you have ever taken her, and was she impressed? Maybe you'll even show us in a puzzle some day. :-)

Thank you judges!

Oh, dear Teresa, what extraordinary questions... I'll try my best to answer.

1) Berlin is a big city and we have at least 10 daily Newspapers. So my vip-status is not that high. Some people know me - of course - but famous? No, not at all. And that's good. Cause I don't like that ballyhoo about me :-)

2) Thanks for "judging" me handsome. I like to wear it "tres chic" sometimes. But my jeans will never lose the favorite position in my wardrobe. Macho guys and sexy girls? Yes, there is no difference between the States and Europe. And I have to admit that I appreciate the girl-view. Of course, Teresa, they are still children. But you grow up faster in these days of unlimited information (Facebook, Twitter, etc.). My advice? Dont compare with Rihanna, Robert Pattinson, Jay-Z or Jenna Jameson - trust yourself and even sometimes your parents...

3. No doubt about it: It's Southeast Asia. Thailand, Vietnam, Kambodscha, Singapur. The People, the food, the beaches, the girls (ouch, my wife hit me). And of course I'll invite everyone to the Old world. Europe has great places. By the way: I've never been in the USA...

Come Kai, someday, to our Grand Canyan and take the mule trip down to the bottom. Your life sounds delightful!

it is, Tom)))

Nice exchange!

Congratulations, Kevin, and...
Happy Anniversary! It has been one year since you became one of "us" (helplessly addicted puzzle makers). You have entered every contest since you arrived, and it didn't take long for you to show up on the Honors list. You know the drill. Let us commence.

1. Aside from your name beginning with a K, to what do you attribute your success at creating winning puzzles?

2. Seeing how competitive you are in this contest, I assume you like to compete and win in other events, sports maybe? What would you say is the secret to being a good loser?

3. Tell us something unique or interesting about yourself that you have not heretofore revealed. The jucier the better. :-)

1. Im not really sure what the secret is so Ill just say its due to the K

2. Well Ive always been into sports and was on my college track team, but I wouldnt describe myself as a good loser, I guess the best advice is to always win.

3. hmmm, im not really sure what to say here...

Well, tell us something, or I'll have to ask you an embarrassing question. :-D

lol.. Teresa you are so great.

Puuh, I'm glad I had answered all of your questions...

Well, Kai, you gave us real answers. Thanks!

Maybe if Kevin doesn't want to answer Q#3, everybody else can answer it for him. I'll go first:

When I was 18 years old, my boyfriend was a member of a motorcycle gang. They were young and stupid and harmless, but still not what my Mom and Dad (saintly suburban Catholics) wanted for me.

Accckkk! I can't believe I just told you all that. Who's brave enough to go next?

When I was in terminal we call an escort on our direction. When she arrive to school we saw her get out off the car an come in. Since it was the end of school for us at the diploma celebration we ask about her to the director in front of everybody... ahhh the face on him ...priceless ;-)

Sylvain, thanks for being the ONLY one who was brave enough to answer my embarrassing question. What a bunch of wussies everyone else is. :-D

Kadou, you are really rising fast in the ranking on the Honors list! This is your 22nd win, and 12th time in first place, I believe. So it is time once again for us to get up close and personal. Hehehe.

1. Romance was our theme this time around, and we had some wonderful romantic moments portrayed. Lots of kissy face and cuddling. Oooooohhhhh! So, do you think romance is important in a love relationship? Explain your answer.

2. We know you live in Canada, and that you enjoyed your visit to Disneyland with the kids. But if you could travel abroad on an all-expenses-paid vacation, where would you like to go?

3. Some of us are more passionate about WEBPBN than others, and we may spend a fair amount of time here. But when you are not here puzzling with us, where are you and what are you doing (for fun)?

4. Yes, that's right. 4. Because Kevin was too chicken to answer his final question, it now goes to you, as a bonus question. Yeah! So, tell us something interesting, surprising, or embarrassing about yourself that we did not learn in the previous 40 questions you have been asked (count 'em if you must).

Thanks again judges!

1. Yes romance is important. It keeps the relationship exciting. It's good to remind each other of the feelings we share.

2. A land far far away! :) Probably the farthest from Montreal would be Australia. Otherwise, since I'm not paying, then somewhere very expensive, like a private island!: http://most-expensive.net/island-world

3. Once a week, you'll find me playing badminton at the gym.

4. Sylvain's story reminded me of the time in my young adulthood when I saw a "stiff" teacher of mine sitting in front of the stage in an establishment where some damsels entertain in their birthday suits. My impressions of him was not the same from then on.

Agree with 1, like 2, ROFL at 4!

Thanks, Kadou. I can now picture you playing badminton at a resort on a private island (with good Internet connection) where you are going to later romance your honey, far far away from stiff teachers. :-D

Kristen Dahlin: congrats on your artistic acheivement

1. have you studied comtemporary?
2. are you really a house wife in a 600 sq foot house?
3. Tell us something uncomforable that happened in your life
4. tell us you're really a sweetie pie (oppss, no 4 allowed)

This was a VERY difficult contest to judge. There were 35 legal entries, most of them remarkable and enjoyable. I had 18 favorites, and put them all together so I could choose my favorites more easily:
http://come-over.to/Play/PBN/WCP111.jpg

Congratulations to ALL of you who participated, your artistic talents really were appreciated. Well done!

Thanks!
1. Um, I guess I studied contemporary. I majored in Art, which had a Art History minor built in. I usually think of furniture when I think Contemporary.
2. I'm actually in a 450 sq ft house, but we're trying to get a loan to buy a proper house.
3. Living in said 450 sq ft house has been fairly uncomfortable, and social situations are usually uncomfortable, especially in an unfamiliar place.
4. I am generally thought to be a sweetie pie, by those who don't know me well. I try to be witty, but it doesn't always translate properly,

Thanks K...i think people in here (pbn)get you pretty well.

Congratulations, Mr. Cholette! This is your first time to be interrogated, I mean interviewed. Here we go with the 3Q just for you!

1. You tell us about all the fun things you do with your family - waterparks, campouts, fireworks, badminton, car shows, planning for canoe trips on the river. You even get on the swings at the playground. What is your secret to being a fun Daddy?

2. You prefer to create puzzles, rather than solve them. Do you EVER solve ANY puzzles? I always think you are missing out on most of the fun when you go straight to peeking at the solution. If you have solved puzzles, which ones are you most likely to solve?

3. We all love your story puzzles, they are so entertaining. Is there any chance of your bringing back Elvis or Mr. B? Or will you begin a new story line?

Thank you Teresa,it's a true honour to be a WCP winner.
I don't think i have a secret to being a fun dad,i think it's just because i have such fond memories of being a kid myself,and i share these stories with my kids,and i take them to see the places that i cherished as a kid. That and i still feel like a kid,and i still enjoy doing these fun things.

When Niki got me started on WEBPBN,all i did was solve B&W's on paper. If they were any higher than a 3 for difficulty,i was hopelessly lost,even 2's and 2.5's i would screw up. I could probably do better on the computer by using the L key,but i honestly don't really enjoy them. If i decide to solve a puzzle,it would likely be an easy one. I wish i did enjoy solving them more.

Thx I'm glad you all enjoy my story puzzles,i love making them. There is a very good chance that i may bring back both Elvis,and Mr. B. series puzzles,and i probably will come up with some other story series puzzles as well. Once i'm more settled in the new house,and have caught up on the chores,i will have more time to make them. Again thank you ,i love participating in the contest,it's fun.:)

I'll be brave enough to answer Kevin's question...When i was 15,i walked my girlfriend home after a date. All through our date,i was itchy and scratching in my lower extremities. I decided to take the short cut home,and i cut through Chedoke Golf Course from the railroad tracks. Once in the golf course,i couldn't take the itching any longer,so i took off my pants,removed my underwear and tossed them in the garbage can. When i got home,i found my brothers and sister Pat,all scratching and complaining to my mom,they were saying "what detergent did you use for the laundry?,was it a new one?". It turns out she washed our clothes with her fiberglass curtains.

Ms. Coolman, you are our first place winner once again, racking up points on the Honors List. It's a pleasure to invite a true artist into the 3Q Spotlight again!

1. Well, we know you are talented at painting and at creating webpbn puzzles for us. What other talents do you have that you enjoy when you are not making beautiful pictures?

2. Your Myers-Briggs type is ISTJ (Introspective, Sensing, Thinking, Judging). Or it was the last time you took it (Topic #183). That means you are serious and dutiful and honor your commitments. Have you ever made a commitment that you regretted? Probably not. So, instead, if you want, you can tell us about the best commitment you ever made.

3. Do you have any ideas for interesting, new themes for this contest? We are always open to creative suggestions from our suggestive creators. I meant that to mean "evocative" suggestive rather than "risqué" suggestive. :-)

1. I've also been known to sing from time to time.

2. We promised our friend in Grand Rapids that if he ever got married, we'd drive up for the wedding. We just got back, and I'm utterly exhausted but too keyed up to sleep. Totally worth it.

3. I'm lousy at ideas. Most of my puzzles are either contest entries or inspired by someone else's puzzle.

David! You came out on top this time, and a well deserved spot it is! You put a lot of your architect self into this one, I can tell. It has a simple but elegant design, nice clean lines, great angle, and interesting perspective. So, on to the 3Qs:

1. The Olympics are about aspiring and competing and achieving. When it comes to sports, are you more likely to be a participant or a watcher? And if you participate, what's your favorite sport?

2. The Olympics have lots of rules. The WCP pas rules. Life has rules. As an architect who has a spiritual, philosophical side, what would you say is the major rule that you live by?

3. One of my favorite David puzzles is "Not Old, But A Little Dusty" (#18276), partly because it was such a cool puzzle, and partly because you made it for your daughter. Sometimes I will go to your FB page just to read the latest cute thing your kids have said. You are such a cool Dad. So what is your favorite Daddy thing to do with your kids?

Thank you. As the link on the left implies, I am honored. So, on to the 3As:

1. I'm a blend. At one time or another in my life I have participated regularly in soccer, baseball, bowling, golf, martial arts, raquetball, softball, volleyball with healthy doses of backlot basketball and football. I certainly like watching too, but rarely have time. Watching my daughter play soccer is my favorite with college football a distant second. Right now, volleyball is probably my favorite one that I'm actively playing.

2. This is a much tougher question. I'd say my rule for myself is to mind my mental energy. I don't like to waste energy caring about people who don't like me...or what I don't have or someone else does...worrying about work problems and stresses...thse kinds of things. I like to focus on caring about people I love, enjoying my life as it is and viewing work problems as opportunities for creative problem solving.

3. My cool kids just make it seem like I'm a cool dad. Right now I get the biggest kick out of taking them swimming. My daughter is five and a half and LOVES the water! She has been without floaties for about a year...leaps off the diving board to make sure she drops all the way to the bottom of the deep end to pick up dive sticks. She recently passed her swim test at the Y with flying colors. My son (4-1/2), true to his very different nature, loves to kick back and float with his floaties...just hanging out, relaxing.

Thank you, David, for your generous and picturesque answers. It's so nice to get to know you better. :-)

Congratulations Kristen!

1.- It was difficult to choose between your 2 entries, the mohawk and the "other" guy, which one would you have chosen and why?

2.- Do you think that if we ever find life in Mars, it would be better than the one here? How?

3.- What theme would you like to see for WCP beginning the week of September 2nd.?

Thanks in advance for your response.

lol other guy

1. Thanks! I believe the Mohawk guy (Bobak Ferdowsi) was the better image, but Jan at his computer was the better tribute.

2. Mars is pretty harsh and barren. Anything that could survive the extremes in temperature would have to be pretty tough. They could probably take us in a fight.

3. I have a 5th grader, so how about Back-to-School?

Congrats Jason:

With only 7 puzzle made and took 2nd place before is wonderful.

1. Who are you?
2. How do you know about fans like you made for us to see?
3. Give us something personal about you.... married, kids, playmates, fav movies, fav foods?
4. Oh, no 4 Q's allowed: hehe fav likes of women?

Hi Tom!

Four answers for four questions:
1) I'm a software engineer by day, and a puzzle author and science fiction fan the rest of the time. I'm involved with the Seattle puzzling community, and I love writing puzzles of all sorts.

2) When I saw the theme, I knew I wanted to make a classic oscillating fan because it's a cool visual image, and because I've been wanting to play with circular objects in deep perspective like that. I used to have one in my bedroom growing up, but this one was based on an image search for something that would work as a puzzle.

3) I'm married, no kids, and I'm into all sorts of things. Thai food, Indian, Mexican, Italian - but I don't see many movies. Too much reading, I suppose.

4) Geeky people of any gender rock. I'm a fan of smart, creative people of all stripes - maybe that's why I'm here writing puzzles!

Cool answers Jason! We thanks you!

Again Kongrats Kadou:

1. Where did you learn how to do anagrams?
2. What is your favorite pastime?
3. Do you pay attention to America's politics?

1. http://wordsmith.org/anagram/
2. Spending time with loved ones.
3. America, the entire continent, not so much.

Tom, I hope you don't mind answering my 3 questions:
A. Where did you learn about paint-by-number puzzles?
B. What's your www.griddlers.net username?
C. Do you pay attention to the WC entries' ratings? Why?/Why not?

Hey! Kadou interviewing judges is not permitted unless I say so (remember I am the boss) :-D.

Don't you know that I get jealous if I don't get any attention. Besides, both our answers to 1. are in forum #141. The answers to 3 are all over the forum as the ratings have been discussed to death, and the 2nd question is weird.

BTW Congrats on your win!

Jota, can I please get your permission to ask Tom 3 questions?

If you let Tom answer, then you'll get my undivided attention and your own questions - not to make you jealous.

I am confused by your answer to A, because #141 refers to "What am I doing wrong to save a puzzle?".

Question C. might be answered all over the forum, but it would have been nice to read Tom's answer here regarding the role of ratings when judging WC entries.

Question B. makes sense to anyone who has seen http://www.griddlers.net/

Okay Tom, forget questions A and C; but please answer question B.

Learns Op

Congrats Kristen, we loved your puzzle :)

1. Have you had many experiences with hayrides?
2. Personal... how would you feel about losing a child of yours?
3. Would you ever give out your personal ID, to others, for other sites that you visit?

hugssssss

Thanks!
1. Mainly when we lived in Michigan, we went on a hayride each fall. Sometimes they were haunted hayrides, which were a lot of fun.
2. I'd rather not think about that.
3. Absolutely! I tell people my Facebook ID all the time, though it's the same name as this one. I'm a fairly open book, as most people who read the comments can see. Passwords are a different matter, but I *like* for people to see what I'd doing when I'm not on WebPBN.

Shameless plug: look me up on FB and view my portfolio. I'll like you even more if you buy some artwork from me! :D

CONGRATS Kurt:

1. This is you first time as #1.... how does it feel?
2. What do you do when the golf course is closed for the season?
3. You're not married... what or who are you waiting for?
Again, congrats Pal :)

Thanks Tom!

1) Feels great! It's fun to create, and I'm glad that people enjoy the puzzles I make.

2)The golf course is never really closed. The only day that I'm sure to have off is Christmas. There are millions of things to get to that you simply don't have time for during the busy times of year. What you can accomplish though, is limited to the weather. For example, it's much easier to expand/improve the irrigation system because it's already blown out for the winter(provided that the ground isn't frozen). But there are always projects to do, maintenance to the equipment, thousands of trees to prune/removal of any that died over the course of the year, etc. I've never once made my way to work and said "There's nothing to do...guys, go on home."

3)Not sure. I just haven't found the right girl, I suppose. Hopefully I'll know it when I meet her. :)

Congrats Trav:

1. Whats it like to be headless?
2. What do you think of the election process?
3. Do you agree with NYC's Marathon being cancelled?
dang, oh well
4. What to do think about cheating China?

thanks to all of you...i missed you guys
1. lol..almost found out with sandy (i live at the jersey shore)
2. i'm not a political person
3. yes i do..i don't know how safe the streets of new york would have been for the runners
4. i don't believe in cheating anybody

heyyy Emily, congrats :)

1. You have solved lots of puzzles, yet have created 6...tell us more.

2. Who are you, we have this need to know.
3. Why do you need soooo much ice? :)

Thank you Tom, I'm so excited!

1. I've always loved solving these puzzles since I found them in Games magazine years ago. I'm slowly getting the hang of creating them, but it doesn't come as naturally. I'll keep working at it!
2. I'm a recent college grad, a music student, and I moved down to New Orleans about a year ago to pursue singing. I'm working on that while I work as a AV tech at the New Orleans Convention Center. And I love all kinds of puzzling!
3. It gets pretty hot in New Orleans, and when the power goes out, there's no AC, but more importantly, no refrigeration. If you don't get all your food on ice PDQ, it will spoil! :(
Great questions, thank you for your interest! I need to get into the forums more!

Congrats Jac:

1. Nice puzzle.. where did you get the idea?
2. Who are you?
3. Having new people compete is such a joy. I hope you continue to enter.
4. Are you married, wondering minds want to know?

Randall:
1. I don't usually like design or letter type puzzles but your's was exemplary for sure. Please enlighten us as to what had stimulated you to make this creation?
2. We know little about you; can you tell us more and satisfy our wondering minds?
3. Will you continue to make more entries that will challenge others to compete?

1. My first idea for the contest theme was the Woodstock logo, until I found out that it had been done multiple times before. I wanted to try again with something more original. I've always liked the "coexist" bumper sticker, and one of my coworkers has it on his car, so I've seen it frequently. I got more excited about it as I started seeing the challenge of fitting some complex symbols in a limited space. Drawing stars in such a rectangular medium can be tricky. I'm particularly pleased with the Star of David and the Yin/Yang.

2. I'm a high school math teacher in Los Angeles. My parents had a subscription to Games magazine in the 80s and 90s, which is where I was introduced to PBN.

3. I really enjoy making puzzles, and the puzzle creating features here are outstanding. It can be tough for me to find the time when school is in session, so it's no coincidence that my last few puzzles came during winter vacation. But I'm going to try to keep it up, because I find it both relaxing and mentally stimulating.

Congrats Kai

1. What a character you choose for your puzzle. Have you followed his career a lot?
2. What do you think about your countries upcoming elections?
3. What do you think about the Martin Luther influence in America?

Thanks alot

1. I only thought of a happy face. Then this Chaplin-Song came in my mind. He's one of my alltime-favorites in acting and directing. The Movie "Limelight" is my No1.
2. Tough question. Angela Merkel will win the election in September. But she will need another coalition. What does this mean to Germany, Europe or even the World? I don't know...
3. Religion is not my theme. I think he has too much influence. Not even in the USA. Sorry for that.

I think we may need some clarification.

Martin Luther: German Monk, religious leader in 16th century, founder of the Lutheran Church, prominent figure in German history and Christianity.

Martin Luther King, Jr.: Civil rights leader, social activist, American hero, assassinated in 1968, prominent figure in American history, remembered in the U.S. each year on January 21st, Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Tom, you asked about Martin Luther. Did you perhaps mean to ask about Martin Luther King, Jr.? Kai's answer might be different. Or not.

No Teresa; I meant Martin Luther and the reformation period.

So did I

congrats Tonia:

1. I know you've been around for a bit, but not of late, so who are you?
2. Your puzzle suggest a question... what was it for us uninformed?
3. Could you, please, tell us more about your desire for making puzzles?

Wow. I don't have time for a full autobiography, so here are the cliff notes...I was born in 1956, for which I am grateful; I was too young to understand Vietnam or to attend Woodstock, but was very much influenced by the social conflicts during which I grew up. People of my generation have witnessed amazing transformations! If I could do anything over, I would have attended Cornell Univ to be taught by Joseph Campbell, my personal hero. (I didn't know about him because he wasn't famous yet - but the timing would have been perfect.) Instead, I have degrees in Interior Design, Business Administration, and Management Psychology. This is what has prevented me from being on Webpbn as much as I'd like, but I'm done with school - for now. I will always be an armchair anthropologist; I study legends, myths, shamanism, and why we do what we do. I am also a Reiki practitioner and an herbalist, so far just for myself and friends. I work in Administration at a small college in Ohio; I love it, but I'm ready for the winds of change...2) No hidden message in my Mab puzzle - just a quirky interpretation I wasn't sure would be well-received (thank you all for the affirmations!). 3)My Dad turned me on to puzzles of all kinds at a young age; he showed me my first paint-by-numbers-type puzzle, and I've been hooked ever since. I am sooooo happy that I stumbled upon Jan's brainchild, a forum that allows us to create as well as solve...and I love the Webpbn community! Thanks for letting me be a part of it!

Thanks you Tonia!

Tonia: you sound like you've had a wonderful life up to now. Campbell was one of my tutors in life. May I suggest a book to you? It's call "The magician within" by Robert Moore. Accessing the shaman in the male psyche.
Thanks for your reply.

Thank, Tom - I will definitely check it out!

Hey Tonia,I just wanted to tell you about my experience with Reiki. My mother in law from my second marriage was opening a natural health centre and asked me if I could do some renovations and make some beds for the centre. As payment for this,she offered me some free Reiki treatments for a nagging shoulder problem that I had. She had a woman who was a Reiki Master doing the treatments. After about 6 treatments my shoulder was healed and I've never had problems with it again. Good luck with your Reiki practice.:)

Aldege, I'm very happy to hear about your success! Shoulder pain is awful! Sometimes we just need that little boost for our bodies to begin the healing process...there are so many methods available beyond conventional medicine. Thanks for your encouragement!

Congrats Pal:

1. What kind of slippers do you really like?
2. What profession would you choose for Niki?
3. If you had to choose between sex, slippers, love or cars; what would be your choice?
4. I'm cheating. Who's the cutest little girl in the world?

Thx Tom buddy,I'm honoured,however there weren't a lot of people who contributed this time,but it's still nice to win.

For me or my woman? For myself,it doesn't matter as long as they have a back over the heel,I can't stand the ones you just slide your foot into. As for my wife,having her wear my Montreal Canadians hockey socks with the Montreal Canadians slippers I bought her,puts me over the edge,lol. Now if I could find slippers shaped like Molson Canadian beer cans or bottles,that would be the ultimate.:)

I think it would be great if Niki were a motivational speaker,teaching young women about the perils of getting involved with old french men.lol.

Ou,that's a tough one...I'm not that fond of slippers,so then I would have to say having great sex with the one you love,in your favourite old car,would be a dream come true. Hey wait,I lived that dream,lol.

I think we all will agree,It's Destyny.:)

Congrats Kurt:

1. Wondering minds want to know... Why did you choose the Bates Motel as you puzzle?
2. Besides comraderie; why do you like doing puzzles?
3. With all this time doing those puzzles; when do you have time for a love life?

1) the play on words was there and I thought of it immediately. ok, not the Bates hotel immediately...but I've tried to do something from the Shining before and anything else from that movie would be morbid. Those are the 2 most obvious hotel movies for me...

2)Ofc, camaraderie here is big....but I've always been a puzzle nut, not just paint-by-number ones. It's good to exercise the ol' bean. I enjoy creating because it's immensely gratifying that others take time out of their day to solve something you've made. And when they enjoy it, that's all the better. a comment like Jota made the other day, "you made my day" goes a long long way. I'm just saying that it's great that something as simple as a puzzle can affect someone else so far away....

3)My day job alone would effectively prevent me from any sort of love life. or make it extremely difficult to find and explore with a new girl, at any rate. The amount of hours alone, much less the fact that I'm on a completely different schedule from most.....but to tell the truth, it simply isn't the right time in my life for that. Trust me, I want it, but at least I have the sense to know that it's not for the best at the moment. Sometimes we have to focus on ourselves. I couldn't give someone else my all right now, and that wouldn't be fair to them. In due time, Tom....all in due time.

Awesome exchange! Thank you both!

Congrats guys:

1. Both of you: where you inspired by the movie or by the man?
2. What do you each think about the other's renditions?
3. Kai.. this is especially asked of you about one of our earlier presidents.
4. Kurt... not to ignore you... how do you feel about our current president?

1) Haven't seen the movie, so it'd have to be the man...He did what he thought was right, and was none too popular for it(as can be seen by the civil war). Respect can never be demanded by anyone, regardless of position. It's commanded by one's actions. The man definitely earned it.

2)Kai did a fantastic job!

4)Mixed feelings. I like that he tries for the things he believes in....hate the fact that politics/sweeteners/etc come into play so much. It's enough to make him ineffective....certain things I'm definitely happy about, such as bringing many of the troops home(which I doubt would have happened if a Rep were in office). Other things, not so much...

thx Kurt for candid answers :)

1) The man! There are some people being more important for the evolution and the development of man and mankind than others. He is one of them.
2) Kurt did a fantastic job!
3) Nixon was a dark chapter. Darker than Bush cause he knew what he did.

congrats Kurt
1. Where you ever in the army?
2. Inquiring minds what to know about you having a daughter in college.
3. I gave you a "1" but you still won... what gives?

LOL @ question # 3.

LOL @ question # 3.

Happy Easter everyone! out with the fam tonight....

1)no. took the ASVAB and was seriously considering, but it never happened. I did have several brothers enlist though.

2)Her name is Gabrielle, and she's 19. For those who think a 37 yr old is too young to have a daughter in college, I've got news for you. Do the math. I miss her, as I don't know her anymore. Her mother was 17 when she gave birth, and I'm obsolete in a young adult's life. (as I'm sure so many parents have felt before)

3)idk. does it matter in the big scheme of things?

It's never too late to reconnect.

Heyy buddy: congrats
1. Whats you opinion on the masters?
2. What do you think is better in Canada vs any other country?
3. Have you figured out how babies are made? :P

Thx Tom buddy.

1.It's my favourite tournament,and it's so steeped in history and tradition. I think most pros would say it's the major they would most like to win. The golf course is so beautiful and challenging. I love how the leader board will change so much during the 4 rounds,because the course will play differently each day due to pin placements. When Mike Weir won it in 2003,I was a proud Canadian.

2. I don't think there is anything per se better in Canada than in other countries. There are a lot of countries that are great countries to live in. I do feel very fortunate to be a Canadian,we have good health care and we are a prosperous nation. Anyone has the opportunity to succeed here,if they're willing to work hard.

3. I have a vague idea,lol.:)

Great answers, Aldege. Congratulations.

Well, Al - FYI just in case you're not sure about #3, see puzzles #2252 and #21693

heyyy Kurt:
1. Is that penny a copper or a silver.
2. Not this entry, but loving your small puzzles lately.
3. Is Lincoln your favorite president?

1)zinc and copper(nowadays)....ever make a "paper" penny? I know we did in high school chemistry. swirl a penny around in a cup of muriatic acid...it'll dissolve the zinc core, leaving a paper thin copper penny

2)that's not really a question, but thanks! I think they're going over well :)

3)idk...I have a few favorites. This country wouldn't be the same without the accomplishments of quite a few. Lincoln's definitely up there in my book though. As are the others who fought for what they believed in...Washington, Adams, Jefferson, to name a few. There wouldn't even be a United States of America without those 3, due to not only their efforts as President, but their hard work and determination before and during the Revolution as well. It'd be difficult to choose just one favorite

Sorry to have posted earlier 5:06 PM Easter Time. I'm in another time zone and ready to go to bed! Congrats to the winners.

Sleep tight Jota

Kai, congrats:
1. Do you really have a dog?
2. Does he/she really stay under the bed?
3. Where you live are animals treated like companions as in America?

1) Sure! A Collie. His name is - no not Lassie - Kalle. A german name.
2) Not at all. cause we have a futon bed. Not high enough for Kalle. And of course he has his own bed. But sometimes he is on the bed. So I can make another puzzle of him for the next competition!
3) The same or even better I guess. Animals are well treated and beloved. Maybe in some parts of the land even more than children...

Congrats Joe:
1. Loved the point of view you painted of your cat. Does he/she really get in your face like that?
2. How do you like being the checker now? I think Jan has made an excellent choice.
3. Do you check ALL puzzles or only ones that are in ?

Woohoo, my points went up by 66%!

Noodle is an online acquaintance, but Wombat used to curl up near my head sometimes. Our current crop of cats never do, though. Basket sometimes curls up on my wife's chest right under her chin, but he never does on me. The two boys do often snuggle up to my legs, though -- one on each side, so it's a bit like being mummified.

Having been a checker only a short time, I haven't noticed much difference, mainly that I end up doing fewer puzzles because I have to spend time keeping track of any advanced logic I do.

I check any puzzle that is not "LL/CL only" and that I feel like checking. (Ooh, the arrogance!) Since there have been remarkably few advanced logic puzzles recently, I've been checking all that I run across. I don't like doing puzzles much over 30x30 (especially if it has blue as it's hard to distinguish at smaller clue sizes), so most of those are probably going to be out of luck until Gator or Jan get to them.

Congrats Kevin

1. Yes, I drink that beer, don't tell Aldege, isn't it brewed in the Pittsburgh area?
2. What would be your second choice on that island?
3. Ask yourself a question, I can't think of another right now.

1. Its from Pottsville PA, so more like the Philadelphia area but still very popular in Pittsburgh where I am.

2. Maybe some pizza to go with the beer.

3. What am I going to do right now? It is getting late so I too tired to think of a question, instead I will be going to sleep.

Tom and Kevin,I haven't had the pleasure of experiencing that beer,but I'm sure I would enjoy it(aren't many I don't enjoy lol),as for pizza and beer now were talking haut-cuisine. It doesn't get much better,and I think the answer to your self asked third question Kevin,might be " I'm going to take a shot of Pepto-Bismal to calm the indigestion from the beer and pizza. Or do like I do and take a prescribed "Pantoloc" pill once a week and never get heartburn again.:)

Just a little hi to everyone glad to see the wcp still going on after all this time. Continue having fun my friends

Glad to hear from you!

you're missed, Sylvain

Ditto Kai and Tom!

congrats Kai AGAIN:

1. Whats your opinion about Wimbelton?
2. Do you write much about sports?
3. What do you think about some American players?

Thanks, Judges!!!

1. The greatest Tournament of all. So much tradition, such unique atmosphere. So many matches to remember.
2. I have written about sports for 22 years. This is my life. In profession and in privacy.
3. Sorry to say, but the times of McEnroe, Connors, Sampras or Evert, Shriver, Davenport are gone. But you can still play better Basketball, no doubt ...

Congrats Kurt:
1. What ya think about the new baby?
2. Is Tiger woods history?
3. Is personnel life getting any better?

1)I'm excited! It's a blessing

2)Doubtful. Time will tell, but he's got the skills. Just gotta get his head screwed on right

3)Very much so better! Life is what you make it, and mostly it's just a change in perspective that makes all the difference. I'm getting back to the things I love doing and working at being the best me I can be....and it's not turning out to be work at all! My outlook is nothing but positive, and I've learned/learning to let go of the things that bother me. To put it briefly, I know damn well that there's absolutely nothing that I can't do when my head and heart are in the right place, and they're there(or at least well on their way).

Great answer to #3 Kurt. Very inspiring. What's going on about a new baby. Is this yours and the new girlfriend,or are you going to be a grandfather Kurt?

I thought he meant you, Al....lol

I figured he meant young Prince George. :)

bingo Kristen

I wondered if Tom meant me,then I wondered if he meant the new Royal Baby,but in the end I guess I was hoping it was some wonderful news for you. Thx for saying your excited and it's a blessing about our daughter Kurt,we feel the same way.:)

I, too thought of your upcoming event, Aldege. The royal baby has more that enough attention.

ditto Norma...yw, Al :)

congrats Pal:
1. Is there really a person, with that name, in Canada?
2. Love the D puzzles, keep em coming
3. I'm sure you're thinking of puzzles about the new baby.

Yes there is Tom buddy,he played in the early 1900's,he skated on the ice for some memorial celebration the Canadiens were having for Rocket Richard. I can't remember what year that was,but I think Aurel was in his late 80's or early 90's at that time. He was pretty wobbly then but still skated not to bad.

Thanks Tom,I plan to,in fact I have one that I want to make tonight. It's really heartwarming to me how everyone has taken to Destyny and my puzzles about her. At first I was apprehensive about opening my life up for all to see,but I'm glad now that I did,even though there have been a couple of negative people making comments about Destyny. In the end I've made some wonderful friends here on webpbn and that includes you pal.

The only puzzle about Chastydy that I have in mind so far is for when she arrives. It might be interesting because there's a very good chance I'll have to deliver her in the van because it's a 21/2 hr drive to the hospital and Niki delivers in about 45 minutes. Were hoping to have her induced ahead of time because I'm sure I'll pass out if I have to deliver her,lol.:)

I am honored that you have shared your wonderful family with us and I will always look forward to you wonderful puzzles, Aldege.

an answer in a recent trivia contest of mine..."Who was the first person to score 50 goals in a season?" I got stuck on Gordie Howe...luckily my bro answered correctly "Maurice "the Rocket" Richard".

Thank you Norma,it has been a pleasure sharing all these things with you and getting your wonderful comments. I enjoy being in this webpbn family.:)

and that was in a shorter season than they have today Kurt. Nice to see here again buddy,we've been missing your great puzzles.:)

Congrats Kurt.

Dang I'm lost for words,,, hmmmm have you ever cleaned peoples windows?

Do you like playing with words?

What's your next adventure into mind games?

hahaha....nope, never cleaned anyone's windows. hell, I can't remember cleaning my own windows! lol

sure, why not? "witty" is a lost art. I'm not the neatest at it, but it sure is fun anyway! :)

idk Tom. Whatever comes my way, I'm ready! Bring it on!

congrats Kurt again
1. Do you golf yourself?
2. What's your favorite book of all times?
3. If you were the judge, who would you pick between you & Kristen?

Congrats Kurt, Kristen and Aldege.

thanks again! Congrats to Kristen and Al as well

1. I love golfing! It's extremely relaxing and focusing for me, not to mention it's nice to take the time to enjoy the beauty of nature and my hard work. I used to play 4 or 5 times/week, but that was 10 years ago now since I played that often. After 2 back surgeries, it took quite some time before I could make it more than 9 holes at a time. Now I get rather caught up in my work and don't take the time to enjoy the fruits of my labor so often, but I am trying to get out there more often and I do have plans to play tomorrow with my brother and some friends(yay!)

2.I've read and re-read the works of Tolkien sooooo many times, so I'd prob have to go with those...I'm a fan of Steve Berry and Dan Brown as well, but oddly the last book I've recommended to someone(just a couple days ago) was The Alchemist, by Paulo Coehlo.

3.Honestly, I liked Kristen's image and clever idea better. The *oooooonly* reason I can see to not choose hers is that the theme technically was "equipment".

Congrats Kurt: ... we are using your idea in this week's WCP

1,2,3 ... Please make your own questions and then answer them for me this week.

Thanks :)

hahahaha!

1. Do I think Aldege is worried I'm gonna catch him in the runnings?

Yes. ;) lol

2. The theme of this last puzzle was "Inspired by Autumn". What's your favorite season?

Autumn! Summer is my busy time, so the changing of the season brings a much-needed reprieve. Apart from that, the weather is just divine! I love the colors in the trees and even the smell of the air on a crisp fall night. Besides, who doesn't like Halloween and Thanksgiving, not to mention football season! And don't forget that the Cardinals are in the World Series! Go Redbirds!

3. Do I think the Cardinals will win the Series?

Damn right! They just beat the hell outta those bum Dodgers and spanked the supposed best pitcher in baseball twice....and they've got payback coming from a few years back when the BoSox broke my Cardinal-red heart

Congrats Kurt, Ellen, and Aldege!

Thx Norma.

Damn straight I'm worried Kurt,but I welcome the challenge. Let's face it though,were lucky Linda hasn't done more puzzles for the WCP,but I hope she does,and if Ellen continues to join in we could be in trouble. Good questions btw and good luck to your Cards.:)

You two are both creeping up on me. Hmmph!

uh oh, Al! she's onto us....

Let's continue the fun! And here is ...

Yes we are Kristen,but if you submit more puzzles then we have a three horse race,how exciting.lol. Oh and let's not forget that Norma and Travis keep coming up with great puzzles too.:)

great Q & A Kurt ;/

congrats to kurt, ellen and aldege :)
kurt, questions and answers were great...best of luck to your cards :)
aldege, thank you :)

and thank you too Travis buddy.:)

Congrats Kristen:
1. We know you are an artist. Is that where you get the inspiration for these puzzles?
2. Tell us more about rearing an 11 year old and does he help with your decisions of what to paint?
3. How would you like to have a contest about sci fi seeing its one of your passions?

Thx for runner up Judges,but seeing how I only got 2nd place I wish I could forfeit it to Travis for his fabulous puzzle with the cheerleaders and the one leg of the football player. I thought this was an awesome puzzle,besides you only gave me runner up cause Destyny was in mine,lol.Just Joking.:)

This was a very difficult decision, so many good entries... Kristen was outside the box, Al in the runner up mixed in Halloween and that was awesome, then ... We had to pick another one and Tonia's was so tool. Believe us it was hard.

Thanks!
1. As soon as I saw what we had to work with, I knew I wanted to obscure the original in some way, because I don't usually make little cartooney people. I had a grand thought about making a bird with big, stylized tail feathers, but it wasn't quite working in practice. The feathers started to look more like locks of hair. Tina grew from that. For most of my puzzles I use a source photo, but this one emerged organically.
2. He's 12 now. When I first joined the site, he wanted to make puzzles of his own, but he quickly lost interest. Now his main job is to walk behind me when I'm partway through a solve and say, "That's a _____." The big spoilsport.
3. SciFi does have a lot of great imagery, but don't make it a Doctor Who theme. I've seen 25 too many TARDISes.

After a while, my iPad won't let me type anymore. Maybe it has a length restriction for comments. Anyhoo, a fun topic might be a futuristic invention that we wish we already had, like a flying car or a teleporter. Has that already been done?

congrats kristen :)
thanks aldege :)...you had my vote just for the pumpkin itself lol :D

Thx Travis buddy,that pumpkin was pretty cool,i have to agree.I just dug your puzzle so much Travis,it was one of those things where a simple lone leg(nicely done)and the field and yard markers just struck me as being so cool. Thx for a great puzzle Travis.:)

congrats Kurt
1. Do you like any other sports besides golf?
2. What would you recommend to newbies, like Sonja, on good puzzle entries?
3. Ask yourself a question about next weeks contest?

Congrats to Kurt, Travis and Aldege!

It might of been you, had you entered Norman

Who's Norman? ;)

lol,your a trip Tom. Thx Norma.:)

1. Tom, you realize I purposely didn't enter the golf theme, right?

2.Solve your puzzles. always. it'll make you better.

3. I haven't looked at next week's theme yet..so I have no idea what you're asking. overall though, I'd say it's a pretty chincy thing. you'd never know how many asked me about something else and thought it was coming.... good for me though! :) I don't much care, but I'm not fond of giving things away either

congrats kurt and aldege, and thank you normA :)

sorry, in a mood when I looked at this last night. so I'll re-answer the first one. I do love the game of golf. a huge football fan too! but there are times when I get absolutely sick of golf as well. sometimes, when I'm inundated at work.... but mostly when what my real passion and the game interfere. I'm a nature lover. that is my real priority and mission. at times, the two conflict. what's best for nature is against what I must do to prep a tourney, for ex. that pisses me off. My first glance is always to nature. what is right and good for God's green earth. it's my nature. come summertime, I'm so sick of golf and USGA expectations. they just plain don't give a damn, nor does the PGA. so shameful...

Nice to have good Kurt back ;-)

Double ditto/ditto Jota

Thx Travis.:)

Congrats again Kurt. I hear where your coming from buddy. It's probably hard to get overly excited about golf when you have to put up with some of the things that we have no idea that goes on in the sport. I want to thank you again for your help Kurt,and just to let you know,Chastydy is back home and doing well. She got checked up on today by our family doctor and everything is hunky dori. Thx uncle Kurt.:)

Sooooo glad to hear Chastydy is doing good and is home with her family.

Never up to me, Al I just do what I can... a lowly servant in the big scheme.

Good Kurt, bad Kurt...is there really much difference? lol ;) naw, I know, and it moves in cycles.

Congratulations Travis!
1.- How a cop and Frosty came to your head?
2.- What's the best about Christmas?
3.- Where would you like to be right now?
PS: Sorry for the delay ...

Congratulations Travis, Kurt and Susan!

Shouldn't the next contest be 12:00am? Or did you think that our noon activities would be more interesting?

(Although, 11:59pm on 12/31/2013 would be more accurate, because 12:00am will be 1/1/2014)

thank you and congrats to kurt and susan :)
1. no weird or funny story about a cop and a snowman...whether i see, hear or read something, sometimes a puzzle just pops in my head...i had the radio on (of course) and "frosty the snowman" song came on and pop there was a puzzle
2. duh, the presents..lol...no, really being with family
3. mmm, right now i'm a little hungry, so i guess a restaurant would be nice about now
ps: there was a delay? :D
thanks again :) surprised me

kristen, i thought the same thing when i read the next wcp :D

I can't seem to find a definitive answer about whether 12:00 AM on New Year's Eve is 2013 or 2014. I saw both ways. Mostly what I found were discussions about how we shouldn't use 12:00 AM or PM. That we should use noon and midnight instead. Or if scheduling an event, use the train and airport listings of 11:59 and 12:01.

It's noon New Years Eve! Next year!

okay okay... its 2400 hrs ;/

Tom, you're just adding to the confusion. There is no such thing as 24:00 -- the day starts at 0:00 and ends with 23:59.

Norma, 12:00am is the beginning of the day, and it ends with 11:59pm.

Insurance companies and ,many government institutions say the old year ends at 12:00 and the new year begins at 12.01. lol
One argument in favor of this approach said to compare time to a ruler. If someone told you to draw a line exactly 6 inches long would you stop just before the 6 inch marker? Most of us wouldn't.
I was looking for a definitive description from , say, a scientific institution that laid it out in black and white but my feeble searches only brought blog type sites. Oh, well. Until next year............
P.S. I actually agree that the day starts at 0:00 :)

What happens is that the day doesn't end AT 11:59pm, but when 11:59pm ENDS. Which is effectively 12:00am.

So 11:59:59.99999999999999...99 is part of the eve; however, 12:00am belongs to the new day as 12:00:00.000000000000000...01 is obviously in the new day.

To again compare to the ruler -- you don't start measuring AT 1, you start from 0.

Either way, the next WCP wants to know what we're doing at noon on the last day of next year.

Joe, in the military, if you had a shift, they would have called it 1600 to 2400 hrs. ergo .. the military protects this country so I'll go along with their words.

Jota is in Florida with family... she will leave a msg soon about posting winners tomorrow.

Congrats Kurt:

You know the drill .... ask your own questions. lol
1. Did you get that kiss at midnight?

1. nope....stayed home and was watching the Walking Dead marathon. gf's dad and bro were in an accident and in the hospital the day before, so didn't see her. and now we're on the fritz...

2.Any resolutions for the new year?

No resolutions per se, but a re-dedication to being the best me that I can....slowly and in my own time, but getting back to where I once was in my life before sh*t happened. and helping people again! got some work to do yet though...

3.Any early Super Bowl predictions?

Super Bowl teams aren't set yet, but I'm going with the Seahawks! that's who I'm rooting for, anyway.... and oh yeah, I'll be looking at ya in my rear-view pretty soon Al! ;)

Seems like the New Year hasn't been kind to a lot of us. Snow damage to Aldege and Byron. I just found out I'm diabetic which was kind of a kick in the breadbasket.

But, Kurt, you are an extremely intelligent person and I know you'll be able to figure it all out. Best of luck along the way!

ditto Norma & hugssss for your new challenge

Hugs!

Thanks, Tom and Jota.

The Dr. gave me a sample of the prescription of the medication he wants me to take. When I opened the piece of paper that explains all about prescription, you know the one--the one with a thousand folds--I got to the part where it asks who should not take this drug and there I was on that list, plain as day. So this gives me an extra challenge I was not expecting. I have been doing a great deal of research so I can go in armed to the teeth with my own recommendations for my own treatment. Don't you just hate it when you have to teach someone else how to do their job?

and the student teaches the teacher...all my best to you norma :)

Thanks Travis.

Congrats Ellen
We don't know you soooooooo...
1. Why did you pick on us to display your talent?
2. Where are you & where have you come from?
3. Some of us have to know... are you married, kids, lovers?
4. ...oh there is no 4th question... You can share your dreams in puzzle form!

I haven't checked in here for a while,but I want to wish the best to Kurt and Norma. I know you guys will get through the crap thrown at you.Good luck,and remember were all here for ya.:)

congrats to ellen and noodles :)

Thanks, so much, Aldege. And congrats to the three winners. (Oops, I looked back at what I had typed and I said congrats to the three sinners.)

don't ever feel sorry for me, Al. Don't you dare do that. I know who I am and I'm not far off the mark, though I don't have the skill I once did. I might not have my full abilities anymore, but there is no way in hell that anyone else does. I'm one of a kind. period.

Hi all. Thanks Kristen and Tom for directing me here. I never knew that this existed.
Answer 1: I have been on this site for years but haven't done much as far as creating. I started creating puzzles recently and enjoy the comments from other players. I love to solve the puzzles more than creating them, though.
Answer 2: I live in Sanford, Maine, USA. I was born in Massachusetts, but have been coming to Maine ever since I was a child. After I got married we decided to settle in Sanford.
Answer 3: I have four children, girl 33, boy 31, girl 25, girl 23. I have three grandchildren by the three oldest children. Ryder,6, Lilliana, 19 months, Trey,15 months. My son and his wife just lost the twins that they were carrying, so sad for them. :( Oh, and have been married to my best friend, Larry, for 34 1/2 years!!
Answer 4: I am so glad to be part of this forum and this group. I will have to go back through all the messages in this topic to discover who you all are. Thanks to you all.

Thank you for all the information. Sounds like a wonderful family, but sad for the loss of the twins. So have you developed the short, one syllable answers that Maine residents are famous for? :)

glad you found us, Ellen

Aayup, sure enough had, Norma. :)

Kurt,sorry if I offended you buddy,I certainly didn't mean to. In fact I was actually letting you and Norma know that I'm aware of how strong you two are and that you can get through anything as can I. As for you seeing me in your rear view mirror,fat chance. All you'll see is smoke cuming(oops coming)out of my arse as I accelerate away from you.:)

Neither of us will be going anywhere if we don't get some puzzles made for this WCP. Talk to you in the comments buddy.:)

kinda busy, and hopefully a new promotion coming....like a 35,000/year new promotion! we'll just have to wait and see. no new puzzles from me, cuz I'm waaaay too busy. you don't even wanna know the latest....anyway, time tells all, and I sincerely hope everyone is doing well! be good, y'all!

Wish you tons of luck! Know that you and your puzzles are missed. Come say Hi when you can.

My sentiments exactly! Besos

Sorry for posting so late! Congrats to all!

where's the Q & A Jota?
congrats Trav:)
1. What have you been eating lately? You have made so many wonderful puzzles with so little number of days.
2. What would be your advice to newbies about the WCP?
3. Bring us up to date with your life?

first of all, thanks so much and congrats to norma and heather :)
1. wheaties, no really, thank you for the compliment.i don't work as many hours during the winter as i do the rest of the year, so i have time and stuff has just been popping in my mind and boom, there's a puzzle. so happy you're enjoying them.
2. not only newbies but all puzzlers...absolutely, make an entry :)
3. well, can't complain, things are going pretty good socially and with work. just found out i'm getting a raise. the snow is melting after a few unseasonably warm weather days and there is actually grass under there :D spring is just around the corner :)

Congrats on the raise. Hope it's a good one!

First I want to say we miss you Kurt,and I hope you get that 35K/yr raise.:)

Congrats Travis on the win and on the raise. I remember saying a while back to keep an eye on Norma and Travis because they are evolving into great puzzle creators. Well you two have proven me right,and much to our benefit. Keep them coming,please. Oh and I don't expect to see grass until July.:)

no grass for aldege :(

thanks norma, so do i :)
aldege, thanks..wow, no grass till july..by that time i'll be well into mowing the lawn every week

Normally I would be too Travis,but guess what,yesterday we got another 2 to 3 feet of snow. This is a crazy winter.:)

yes aldege it is a crazy winter...i just heard they're calling for snow sunday night until tuesday morning :(

Congrats Trav:

1. Where did you get your Krytomite?
2. What do you think about the Ucranian situation?
3. Where did you put that airplane? :)

first of all, thank you very much :)
second, congrats to aldege and heather :)

1. if you mean kryptonite, where else would i get it but on the internet...amazon.com
2. i'm not following that situation very close but i hope for the best
3. i'll bet tattoo would know..."De plane! De plane!"

Great answers, Travis!

LOL!

double LOL LOL

thanks :D

congrats, Kurt:
1. Where have you been?
2. Why did you go?
3. What happened?
4. When did you decide to enter the contest?
5. Who is the reason???

hahahaha! that's more than 3....

a lot going on, tis the season for golf!

honestly, mostly I've been busy and haven't even turned on the comp in a while. had the day off and did a few puzzles while drinking coffee this am(crosswords, sudoku, kenken,etc) and realized it was sunday and there might be a contest today and I swung on by.

only "who" I can think of is me. prioritizing things a little at the moment, and comp-time just hasn't been at the top of the list as of late. on the other hand, I've been getting out and about more(thank God winter's done!) and it's been nice seeing more of friends and fam.... :)

I'm happy you got your priorities back and congrats again.

Ditto Tom!

ty, my pleasure, but I'll be around when I am. lots going on, as always, and the near future is no exception. the next week alone will possibly be a heartbreaker for me. time will tell. be good, y'all! missed every one of you!

Could you let us know what #149 means? "Mouse view, as per Jan" means nothing, without a reference to a puzzle or comment number.

Kristen ..go check out my puzzle

hi, K....you got this one!

be good, y'all

heyyy guys we have 27 entries thus far and I hope you looked up Jan's puzzle. If anyone knows the record of entries let me know. LET'S break it this time!

hey tom, i just made another one, so that's 28 :)

congrats again trav
1. Do you have a mouse problem?
2. Do you have a cat?
3. Are you ever going to share whatever you on?
(oh yeah, thanks for trying to make a record)

thank you tom :)
congrats to rita and norma :)
1. funny you should ask...couple of weeks ago i was solving one of your puzzles and all of a sudden the mouse stopped working. i forgot i had the bunny running around and she bit right through the wire. spliced it together, some electrical tape and finished your puzzle :)
2. use to have a cat...she was 22 years old when she died...might be time for another one :)
3. oh sure, i always share :)
(no problem, did you ever find out what the record is?)

no Trav, and never thought i'd miss Adam

Congrats Uzuwave:
1. Your the new kid of the block, so we have this need to know more about you.
2. Have you always been a Beatles fan?
3. Its rare for someone to get this good at PBN in such a short time. What's your secret?

Well done Kurt!

1.- Did you watch Nadal today? What do you think of him?
2.- Are you gonna be into "Soccer World Cup"? Why?
3.- What do you dislike most in a woman?

ouchie question from Jota :D

1. and 2. sorry, not too much into the World Cup or soccer. my brother's a soccer nut, but it's just not an appealing sport to watch for me. They're awesome athletes to run back and forth nonstop like they do, but it's a long game of back and forth where the score might end up 1-0. Not a fan of hockey either, for pretty much the same reasons. I don't even know who Nadal is or who he plays for, but I assume he's good or you wouldn't mention him.

3. If they are over-emotional. I can't take it mentally, emotionally, and even can affect me physically. certain ppl I just plain have to block out.

hahahaha...I was just with my bro, and he informed me that Nadal plays tennis. oops! I don't have much time for sports, apparently. in the big scheme of things, it's not imp. you made me feel kinda dumb though, as did my bro....lol ;)

Well thanks for answering honestly! ;-)

congrats again Kurt
1. what do we do with uzu who doesn't answer our q's?
2. & 3. are up to Aldege to ask you.

idk...you sure s/he is aware there were Q's? maybe it's a shy or private person....I know I open my big fat mouth prob too much, so I wouldn't know. lol

First of all congrats again Kurt,now

2. How did you hypnotize the judges in order for them to keep me from catching up to you?

3. I'm guessing football is your favourite sport and who could blame you. Then again it may be baseball and I couldn't fault you on that either. I'm with you on soccer,but how can you say that about hockey? Anyhow,you've shown yourself to be a lover of and very knowledgable about bands and music. How did you get that way and do you play an instrument?

honestly, I am well-versed in hypnosis(not that it's used on the judges and all). I had to learn fairly early on. it's where control comes from. nothing drives you more batty than not being able to control of your surroundings. hypnosis, meditation, trance, altered states... all code for the same thing.


I know what I grew up with...and my friends and 5 brothers. ask the right Q, and I've got it. something simple to someone else might be impossible to me though. depends on what you're exposed to. Yeah, I play guitar. not all that well, and I'm way out of practice. I used to get lost in it. literally. like zoned or whatever. you do something that feels like ten minutes, and you look up and 4 hrs went by. I put the guitar down when my dad died. I wrote a song for him and really haven't picked it up since. It's time though, me-thinks. kinda sucks that I'm so busy and feel a need to make time for something that time never factored into the equation before. I'll play again. I'll write again too. never fear.

That's cool that your going to play again Kurt,I'm sure your dad would like that. You say you don't play so well but that you write,so you must be somewhat proficient. Have you ever played in a band,and if not do you ever see that in your future? I often listen to music that really moves me and it makes me wish that I was still playing bass guitar in a band. There is so much great stuff that I would like to play,I wouldn't have to play gigs,just play with other musicians for the enjoyment of playing.:)

yeah, I hear ya....jammed with others, but never in a band. you play just to play. it's one of those things you get lost in....I'd give it the equivalent of going to a bookstore(kinda-sorta) to those that don't play. you go in, pick up a book, maybe grab a coffee, listen to some music, check out a few more books, browse....etc. my point is that a five min stop on a whim into a bookstore somehow turned into 4 hrs. when I'd pick it up for a sec, somehow hours would go by and it felt like mins. you got an ear, you feel, you maybe think, poss even create a lil melody to put into your back pocket for later. I'd just get lost in it

That's your right brain taking over. Artists know this feeling well.

I've only written a couple of songs,but as a band not on my own. I can't read music,I just have an ear for it. So I can't say I totally understand the rewarding feeling that a writer would get from hearing his composition being played,I'm sure it must be exciting. Jamming is great fun,but going to a band practice with a tune you want to learn and everyone picking out their own parts,no written notes or chords and spending a whole night learning that song and being able to play the whole song with no mistakes is an indescribable thrill. The only thing better is playing a gig and the crowd just loving you.:)

congrats tea:
1. Don't know much about you, so can you fill us in?
2. Do you have a bear rug?
3. Do you have any ideas for future contest?

congrats Kurt again:
1. ask yourself why you win?
2. ask yourself why I don't ask you any more questions?
3. ask aldege why you win?
4. no more questions, just keep putting those puzzles out.

thx....

ummm, I win cuz I have multiple "K"'s in my name? ;)
(top names on the leaderboard all have "K" names--and Cholette is a k sound, right Al? or have I been mis-pronouncing it in my head?)

idk...what do you think, Al?

Congrats again, Kurt. According to some sources The Ch would be pronounced sh. How about it Aldege?

Norma is right on the pronunciation. I already stated my beliefs on why Kurt wins. He greases the judges palms. In all seriousness,he's just better than anyone else right now. There are a lot of us who could win top honours on any given WCP if Kurt didn't show up. However we all want him to show up cause we enjoy his talent. I will continue to chase him,but I have to admit,as much as I hate losing,I have to agree with the judges choices and I don't mind losing to someone who was better than me on that given day. I've said it before and I'll say it again. We are all winners when it comes to the WCP cause it inspires some great puzzles.:)

Well said, Aldege. Being a member of this site is very important to me and I consider it a special treat to be able to solve such great puzzles.

ideas for WCP themes...choose themes that gets people interest or you find out more about them. something personal. you'll get more participants that way. (I think, anyway) one idea leads to another and so on...get people to feed off each other

fav or totem animal
fav collectible
(fav anything, for that matter...)

most prized possession(think of the stories to go along with them) possibly a lot of nostalgia accompanying....

"when you wish upon a star"...(their greatest wish)

what you've regretted...
your best decision...

etc, etc, etc... make it personal! everyone is diff, so many poss diff entries that mean a lot to the creator! they'll want to make a puzz and get their story out...

Excellent Kurt! Thanks!

agreed kurt

for ex...not how do we find peace, but rather how do you find peace? get it? everyone has their own way to relax, settle in. or their own escape from the hectic-ness of the world. more possibilities...

Having a blast re-reading those old post

#nostalgy

Well, hello there. Nice to "see" you Sylvain.

heyyy Sylvain...long time

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