December 14, 2004

Welcome

Welcome to my blog. This is an experiment, and maybe it will fail, but I should at least give it a try. I'd like this to be a replacement for my old soapbox page, as that was difficult to maintain and has languished for a while. (The INS has been dead for over 18 months, and I think the Muslim detainees in LA have been released by now.)

So, read at your own risk and feel free to drop me a note if you'd like.

--Pat

Posted by Pat at 11:30 AM

January 01, 2005

Happy New Year

Happy New Year 2005!

Posted by Pat at 12:14 AM | Comments (0)

March 25, 2005

Kudos to some hockey players

Tonight I went to the NCAA Men's Hockey Regionals in Worcester, Mass., where I ended up watching BU lose to North Dakota. Among the fans nearby were none other than Mike Eruzione and Ray Bourque.

These guys were beseiged by autograph seekers--many kids, and a bunch of adults too...and without a frown, they signed shirts, jerseys, programs, ticket stubs, and pretty much anything else put in front of them. I think it's really cool that these guys will make themselves accessible like this, without a single complaint, and without asking for anything in return. It helps build excitement in the sport, especially with the children who play hockey and will remember such experiences for many years.

Anyway, I just wanted to publicly express my appreciation for what these guys do.

Posted by Pat at 11:33 PM

September 28, 2005

Sudoku Heuristics

Ever play that number puzzle named "Sudoku"? I figured I'd list out the heuristics I use to help solve puzzles. I'm missing at least one though.

For this discussion, "box" refers to a single box in the puzzle, in which one number fits. "Square" refers to a 3x3 group of boxes; and there are nine squares in a puzzle. Also, 9-tuple refers to any set of nine boxes belonging to the same row, column, or square, in which no two boxes contain the same numeral.

1. Trivial case: One missing digit in row, column, or square. Identify the missing number and place it in the box.

2. Missing third of a triplet (one number in each of three rows or columns) along three consecutive squares. This narrows the possibilities to three or fewer boxes. Examine the perpendicular row or column to see whether the numeral exists there, and if so, then this narrows the possibilities to two or one. If one, then place the numeral in the box.

3. Duplicate possible solution sets in row, column, or square. This is when 'x' boxes within the n-tuple share the identical set of 'x' possible solutions. For example, when two boxes in the same square can each be either "4" or "5" based on the currently known boxes in the puzzle. In this case, these numerals should be removed from possible solutions to other boxes in the n-tuple. This heuristic is not intuitive, though its degenerate case of "once you know a box's solution, that numeral cannot appear in any other boxes belonging to any n-tuple in which the solved box is a member"...that is to say, the basic premise of the puzzle.

I think there's a key heuristic missing from this list, and I'm trying to figure out what it is.

Posted by Pat at 01:50 PM

January 19, 2006

Billy Joel Concert

For the third time in my life, I went to see Billy Joel in concert! This Rock & Roll icon came to Boston tonight and played to a sellout crowd at the Shawmut Center, make that Fleet Center, no, I meant the TD BankNorth Garden. Or, as Billy Joel called it, the "something Garden, or is that `GAHden'".

I was guessing beforehand what the demographics would be, and I settled on 30's and up, with some 20's and nobody under 20. I was surprise to see lots of 20-somethings present and enjoying the classic tunes we've come to love from Billy Joel over the decades. The stories in his songs are timeless, and for many of us they are part of the backdrop of our youth.

I love seeing Billy Joel play. You look at the stage and see that it is clean of props, and full of instruments, and you know that the man and his band mean business. It's quite a band too--I lost count, but I think there were two saxophone players, two percussionists, a keyboard, guitar, and bass. Add in the guy playing flugelhorn (and I'm sorry I don't remember his last name, but he played that instrument in ways I would never have imagined!), and so far we're up to 9 people on stage. This is all about the music, and I wouldn't want it any other way.

The playlist:

Apparently Wilson Pickett passed away today, and he was a favorite artist of Billy Joel. Wait 'Til the Midnight Hour was played in tribute to his work.

All in all, a great time despite our seats behind the stage and almost in the rafters.

Thanks to Dan, Lori, Steven, and Jonathan for helping make the concert more fun by joining me and Mark.

Posted by Pat at 11:59 PM