#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.

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