68. Squares #24

67. 2008 Mouse Calendar

Click to download a pdf of my 2008 “mouse”
calendar in both compact and AARP sizes:

66. Squares # 23: Puzzles of Christmas Past

Unwrap the presents Ashen & Noir are giving:
• Friday, Christmas Eve ‘04 from the LA Times (pdf)
• Wednesday, Christmas Day ‘02 from The NY Times (pdf)

Or Across Lite versions of both: HERE

(Ashen is regifting a Christmas Eve present for Boxing Day.)

65. Squares #22

64. Gadzooks! Coffee

I’ve just gotten word there’s a short clip from a coffee game show pilot! on YouTube. The production values are a bit iffy, but I must admit I like the sponsor mentioned at the end.

63. Puzzles for the Kids

Here are 3 good puzzle books for the kids (and only one is mine):

1. Picture Clue Crosswords by Patrick Merrell
(ages 4-8 • $3.95 • 64 pages • 8×10)
click here for a mini-sized sample puzzle
Puzzles set up like adult crosswords, except with pictures for clues.
2. Clever Crosswords for Kids by Trip Payne
(ages 9-12 • $5.95 • 96 pages • 5×8)
These are well-made, fun puzzles. There’s a whole series; my daughter loved this one several years ago at the age of 12.
3. The Puzzling World of Winston Breen by Eric Berlin
(ages 9-12 • $16.99 or less • 224 pages • hardcover)
An intriguing, page-turning mystery with a nice variety of puzzles woven into the story.

62. Turn your computer upside down

I rummaged through my sketchbook and found these rough drawings, some of my first attempts at ambigrams. The top five (my wife, daughter, wife’s maiden name, and me) read the same when rotated 180 degrees. The bottom two are mirror ambigrams, which read the same left to right and right to left. I’ve added in the Will Shortz ambigram here because it was one of the “client” ambigrams I did at the time that worked out well.

If you want to make your own ambigram, here’s a site that’ll generate one for you. It’s not perfect, but it’s fun, and it’ll help give you a feel for how to do it: Ambigram.matic

And here are a couple of others I made in recent years:

all ambigrams ©2007 Patrick Merrell

61. Squares #21 (new every Monday)

60. Ambigrams

Speaking of ambigrams (well, Ken Jennings was on his blog), here’s one I created for Coffee Time. It reads the same when rotated 180 degrees.

And a couple of others I made several years ago:

All images © copyright 2007 Patrick Merrell

59. Gadzooks! Wrestling

Just in time for the holidays — Ruthless Aggression and Pay Per View action figures!

Now kids can reenact the violence and mayhem of professional wrestling 24 hours a day in the warmth of their own homes (lead pipe and metal chair battling accessories sold separately).

Among the many figures available are 1. Super Crazy, 2. Ron “The Truth” Killings, and 3. Royal Rumble Melina.

And don’t forget your 4. Micro Aggression Crash and Bash Playset and Cage!

Looking for something with a more intellectual slant? How about the duo of 5. Leaping Poffo the Wrestling Poet and 6. I.R.S. (Irwin R. Schyster). Playtime doesn’t get any better than this!

58. Squares #20