Picross is deep, man

The result of a lengthy and indepth discussion on the logical (and consequently, philosophical) implications of the game Picross (goon owned and operated), expressed in monologue form by Happy Epsilon, o.k.a. Januarygirl.

Additional: This particular monologue concerns level 11, which is a son of a bitch.

[01:16] HappyEpsilon: god, you were so right about this fucking game
[01:16] HappyEpsilon: this level is all about super guessing and playing out the possibilities
[01:17] HappyEpsilon: but that one dude claimed out never had to guess
[01:17] HappyEpsilon: so either he is a liar, or i am missing something
[04:01] *** "HappyEpsilon" signed off at Tue Jul 19 04:01:21 2005.
[08:28] *** "HappyEpsilon" signed on at Tue Jul 19 08:28:12 2005.
[12:49] *** Auto-response sent to HappyEpsilon: I am currently away from the computer.
[13:11] HappyEpsilon: oops, nope, i am finding a way to do this without guessing again
[13:12] HappyEpsilon: using just one row or column
[13:12] HappyEpsilon: and LOGIC, my best friend LOGIC
[13:14] HappyEpsilon: but before that, i WAS guessing, and my guesses forced me to see contradictions which then forced me to see a new box to fill iin which led to other moves
[13:14] HappyEpsilon: i suppose i shouldn't claim one row or and/or plus one column is what is necessary for a move to become apparent
[13:14] HappyEpsilon: but i am still doing this thing where i don't have to compare more than 2 lines at a time, any way you slice it, to come up with a move
[13:32] HappyEpsilon: i am making serious progress now
[13:33] HappyEpsilon: so there is no "guessing" involved still as you can look and see where you are FORCED to put an X or box, instead of just testing it to see if it works, you can use logic to see that it MUST be there or MUST not be there
[13:36] HappyEpsilon: so this particular puzzle is extremely difficult, and i may not see the place where a box MUST or MUST NOT be, but it is still there, and if i start "guessing" i may well find a spot where i realize a box MUST or MUST NOT be, but there is still a logical reason for that that was available to me before guessing that I just failed to notice, so after guessing, i see the rule and can go back and fill in the correct spaces, but the rule was there all along and i did not have to guess, i just guessed because i couldn't see the answer
[13:36] HappyEpsilon: i hope that all makes sense
[13:38] HappyEpsilon: fyi- i keep making progress then getting stuck and resorting to guessing, so i have two tabs open where i keep one that i KNOW is right and then play with the other
[13:43] HappyEpsilon: but after guessing twice and finding moves and restarting boards, i have made tremendous progress without any more "guessing"
[13:47] HappyEpsilon: solved it
[13:48] HappyEpsilon: so i never had to "guess" insofar as the board is governed by rules, and i can use those rules to know with certainty where a box must or must not go
[13:48] HappyEpsilon: and if i follow the moves i can make for certain, i will find more moves i can make for certain based on the rules of the board
[13:48] HappyEpsilon: i never once have to guess, the moves are there, but it is a matter of whether or not i see the required moves
[13:49] HappyEpsilon: if i cannot locate the required moves, it is not because they are not there, but because i am not seeing them
[13:49] HappyEpsilon: so guessing is not required
[13:49] HappyEpsilon: but may become necessary for an individual if she cannot find the moves that must be made
[13:49] HappyEpsilon: which is the fault of the player and not the game
[13:50] HappyEpsilon: i can show you what i mean and how this works if you would like
[13:50] HappyEpsilon: preferably today though, as i might not remember where to find moves a few days from now, despite knowing they are there
[13:50] HappyEpsilon: though i am fairly certain i could defeat this puzzle again without guessing
[13:51] HappyEpsilon: it was my unshakeable faith in the fact that guessing wasn't required that allowed me to pursue these puzzles with glee before
[13:51] HappyEpsilon: then you cast a doubt on my belief, and i became disgruntled, but determined to defeat it anyway
[13:52] HappyEpsilon: then i saw i was right, and that no guessing is necessary to the game, but i had made it necessary to myself through my own inability to see the move and partially my lack of faith that such a move existed
[13:52] HappyEpsilon: once i had convinced myself agian that such moves exist, i quit guessing altogether and systematically beat the level
[13:52] HappyEpsilon: i am actually pleased that you managed to shake my faith in math
[13:53] HappyEpsilon: because now it is renewed and i have better reason for my faith :)
[13:53] HappyEpsilon: so now i am back at my previous stance that these games do not require any sort of guessing, but rather logic skills
[13:54] HappyEpsilon: and it is not required that you think many moves in advance
[13:54] HappyEpsilon: at most, you only have to compare two lines to see where a box must or must not go
[13:55] HappyEpsilon: though i am still curious about our definition of guessing
[13:55] HappyEpsilon: goddammit, wake up and revel in my absurd logical skillz
[14:01] HappyEpsilon: i am doing it again from the beginning to prove my dominance over this game :)
[14:11] HappyEpsilon: done
[14:11] HappyEpsilon: i am utterly confident in my ability to show this level now