Some guy playing author.
A Narcississtic Method of Attributing Value To Others
Published on October 30, 2005 By bigrickstallion In Misc
Ensconced in a total "golly-gosh-am-i-bored-and-really-sick-of-people-at-the-moment-so-theres-no-point-in-calling-anyone-for-a-whats-up" session, i decided to download and try my hand at Sudoku (sudoku.com).

The seed had been planted a couple of nights before by some local news coverage. Apparently "everyone was playing it", which is simply not true. As far as i can tell no-one plays it. Except for the terminally bored that is.

Suduko is a numbers based crossword puzzle and requires that you be able to count all the way to 9. The idea is that given a 9 by 9 grid you have to fill that grid with numbers such that each column, row and 3 by 3 grid contains the numerals 1-9.

At first the idea of an intellectual challenge seemed just the thing to jump-start me out of the confines of my boredom. However, all too quickly i realised that i was just filling in squares with numbers. Uurgh!

With Sudoku, as with a crossword puzzle, the further along you get, the easier it becomes. A design flaw if you ask me.

Having completed just 25% of the grid it was easy to see that the "puzzle" had for all intents and purposes been solved and all that remained was the drudgery of completing the remaining 75%. Although the obsessive compulsive part of my personality screamed at me for recognition and demanded it be satiated, I wasn't about to blow a good 10 minutes worth of life doing something I didn't want to do, just so I could say I'd done it. So I saved and quit.

By not trudging through to the puzzles endpoint, I realised that the "save-and-quit" functionality of this puzzle was something of an analogy for many of the people in my life. Their purpose is simply to work the hand-offs I push their way. I was stunned by the realisation that these people who routinely bore, annoy, frustrate and just plain bother me, do in their own right possess some intrinsic value.... to me.

Without these people diligently trotting about finishing what I start, nothing I do would have any value because it wouldn't get done. Whilst I would never make the mistake of actually admitting it to them, the fact of the matter is that I "need" these people. I couldn't and wouldn't be the stallion-esk, visionary, go-getter that I am if it weren't for these people. My independance is founded on inter-dependance.

My advice therefore to anyone wishing to get something done is too gather yourself some good underlings. Afterall someones got to do the work for which we want credit. And while you should never show them their value, you should always know their value. That way you can manipulate them more masterfully.

And therein lie the basis of The Sudoku Teachings.

Its no great feat to be the most important person in an empty room. The value of your importance is directly related to the number of people beneath you. So while you should publicly need no-one, good advice would be to privately court everyone.

Comments
on Oct 30, 2005
Unneccessary profanity has been removed in order to increase accessibility.
However underlying themes may still irk "Hansel and Gretel", "One world", "love thy brother", "head in the sand", "Survivor is just a game " mentality types.

..
on Oct 30, 2005
Amazing what you can learn playing a game, isn't it?

I've always said, if you want to know what someone (including yourself) is all about, play a few games with them.
on Oct 31, 2005
'Suduko is a numbers based crossword puzzle and requires that you be able to count all the way to 9.'
The fact that Sudoku uses numbers is incidental. It might just as well use the letters A - I, or any 9 random symbols.Counting is definitely not involved.

'With Sudoku, as with a crossword puzzle, the further along you get, the easier it becomes. A design flaw if you ask me.'
Not so, in either case. (If it was, nobody would ever get one answer in a crossword without being able to finish the puzzle!) BRS, if you'd got further than a quarter of the way through the sole game you appear to have started, or even - gasp - attempted a second puzzle, perhaps you would have been more likely to have worked this out for yourself.

Any JoeUsers interested in trying these intriguing puzzles for themselves can find examples of varying degrees of difficulty here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sudoku
on Oct 31, 2005
'and probably strokes other bits of himself ...'
And even then gives up when he's only a quarter finished!
on Oct 31, 2005
It might just as well use the letters A - I, or any 9 random symbols.


Except that it doesn't.

Counting is definitely not involved.


Of course it is. Given that the "range" of numbers 1-9 is involved, one must be able to discern which numbers fall within this range. Therefore one must be able to count from 1-9.

Not so, in either case. (If it was, nobody would ever get one answer in a crossword without being able to finish the puzzle!)


You pick the stupidest things to quibble about. Either way consult any mathematican. A crossword puzzle by definition had a finite answer consisting of series of clues which themselves have a finite answer. Correctly answering one clue more often than not provides additional clues and hints that help in answering the reminaing clues and hence complete the puzzle. Therefore through a process of elimination the puzzle becomes mathmatically easier to solve the further along one gets by reducing the size of the possible solution set.

BRS, if you'd got further than a quarter of the way through the sole game you appear to have started, or even - gasp - attempted a second puzzle, perhaps you would have been more likely to have worked this out for yourself.


Soaking dribble in sarcasm doesn't render unto it any additional value. Until your actually capable of taking me down a peg or two, you shouldn't bother trying. Your merely playing out an exercise in futility.
on Oct 31, 2005
Of course you have to convince yourself that you COULD have solved it, (and quite easily, of course, yawn...sigh..)but it simply wasn't worth your precious, precious time. (Even though you admitted you were bored...)


Were you trying to construct some kind of point here? Woffle wrapped in dribble, inside a blither.

I'm not surprised though, anyone who nicknames himself "bigrickstallion" obviously succumbs to the urge to stroke his own ego quite often, and probably strokes other bits of himself more often than anyone else strokes them.


Sounds like you're "still" smarting from some previous encounter.


We all know how this virtual forum represents an inordinate chunk of your woefully bounded exisitence but you really should work on getting over old hurts. Regurgitating them months later makes you seem twice as pathetic, if thats possible, as you need to seem.
on Oct 31, 2005
This doesn't make you sound as superior as you seem to think it does. It makes you sound like a quitter, someone who gives up the moment he runs into the slightest difficulty, an infantile imitation of a man--unable to follow through on his plans, complete his projects, or keep his word, and a total jack-ass to work with.


Well I hope you've got it all off your chest then? Given the subtitle i would have thought the average reader, that is someone with a base level of intelligence, would have realised the subtle satire. Although i appreciate that you're capable of little more than sledge hammer logic.

and a total jack-ass to work with.


Work. I didn't realise YOU did. I thought you were merely kept by the state.

It makes you sound (rant, rant, rant bleat)


Really. I thought it sounded very much human and mature to understand that this world requires more than just oneself in order to get things done. To realise that true independance requires involvement in interdependant processes. To realise that despite all the griping about one anothers differences its actually those dfferences combined that get the job done.

Your response makes you sound threatened by such themes. Although given you're an ex-KKK underling I dont know why Im at all surprised.
on Oct 31, 2005
Rather odd that bigdick has been silent since august, yet always seems to reappear whenever dabe is grounded or banished.


Rather odd that you should care either way? Although as above, given that this forum constitutes the bulk of your social interaction I dont mind granting you the opportunity to engage in speculative gossip surrounding my underlying identity.

Whatever wets your whistle. I will grant you that.

"Round and round and round she goes where she'll stop nobody cares."
on Nov 01, 2005
FC: 'Counting is definitely not involved.'
BRS: 'Of course it is. Given that the "range" of numbers 1-9 is involved, one must be able to discern which numbers fall within this range.'
Knowing the numbers in the range from 1 to 9 is NOT counting. Counting imposes an ORDER in which the numbers occur. This is not relevant in Sudoku, which is why I said 'It might just as well use the letters A - I, or any 9 random symbols.' Der. Seems like you missed out on some fundamentals at primary school.

BRS (1): 'the further along you get, the easier it becomes'
BRS (2): 'Correctly answering one clue more often than not provides additional clues and hints ...'
So which is it - always, or merely 'more often than not'? Given your claim that I 'pick the stupidest things to quibble about', it would be nice if you could at least manage to maintain a consistent opinion about them.

BRS: 'Until your actually capable of taking me down a peg or two, you shouldn't bother trying'
Well, in addition to the points above, you could try learning to spell; e.g. "your" in the line above should be "you're", as it is a contraction of "you are". And as for 'Narcississtic' ...

And finally:
BRS: 'Its no great feat to be the most important person in an empty room.'
Don't you mean an OTHERWISE empty room? Anyway, in your case, I would advise you not to jump to the conclusion that you achieve even this. (Oh, and your spelling is up the creek again. Please feel free to drop down another peg.)
on Nov 02, 2005
Knowing the numbers in the range from 1 to 9 is NOT counting. Counting imposes an ORDER in which the numbers occur. This is not relevant in Sudoku, which is why I said 'It might just as well use the letters A - I, or any 9 random symbols.'


Simply reiterating your previous dribble does not afford it any extra merit. Infact all you've done here is reinforce my point. Its good to see you're finally getting it.

Der. Seems like you missed out on some fundamentals at primary school.


Is this supposed to be an effective put down? Sounds like someone is still "back" at primary school with this sort of infantile nonsense. Gee you really got me there.

BRS (1): 'the further along you get, the easier it becomes'BRS (2): 'Correctly answering one clue more often than not provides additional clues and hints ...'So which is it - always, or merely 'more often than not'? Given your claim that I 'pick the stupidest things to quibble about', it would be nice if you could at least manage to maintain a consistent opinion about them.


lol. Talk about walking right into it. Like i say and as above "you pick the stupidest things to quibble about".

Well, in addition to the points above, you could try learning to spell;


Always a classic response by someone with no actual point to make. Futile as ever.
Despite your obvious motivations you're clearly still struggling to hit your mark.
Feel free to have another crack when you've got something more than spelling quips to jibe with.

on Nov 03, 2005
Ah, empty insults in the absence of any cogent counter-argument - the sure sign of a redundant position. Anyone who claims that 'The value of your importance is directly related to the number of people beneath you' warrants nothing but heartfelt sympathy. Get well soon. I'm done here.