How to Improve your Brain Image:

There are no guarantees for the prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias, but research shows there are steps we can take towards a healthy brain.  Remember this word:  IMAGE!

I is for I love a challenge!  Challenge your brain with new activities, such as using your less dominant hand to do simple tasks.  Play brain games, such as Pic-a-Pix, or other puzzles, learn a new language or learn to play a musical instrument.

M is for Mind your stress levels.  We all know that stress isn’t good for the body, so try to make time for yourself.  Keep friends and family close for their support, and get plenty of rest.

A is for Activate your social life.  Stimulating for the brain, socializing is an important aspect of brain health.  What better excuse to get together with an old friend!

G is for Get your numbers.  This is about a healthy lifestyle for your body as well, visit your doctor and stay on top of those medical risk factors.  Keep yourself informed about health.

E is for Exercise.  As well as keeping your body healthy, exercise increases brain health by “feeding” it more blood and oxygen.  Sports helmets protect your head from brain injuries and risk of damage.  As well, a healthy brain can withstand illness better.

More about this Healthy Brain IMAGE can be found online at the Alzheimer Society of Calgary. 

Diane Baher, author of logic puzzle books.

What is a Zine?

A zine – pronounced zeen – derived from magazine – is an independently or self-published booklet, … more at Wikipedea .  I have created my own zine in order to provide a little taste of my pic-a-pix puzzles:  ZinePicapix  is a two-page pdf file which only requires folding and stapling after printing.  One page will fit inside the other, as the page numbers indicate.

Why a puzzle zine?

Shelf Life Books of Calgary, an independent bookstore, suggested I create a zine to accompany their display of my first Japanese logic puzzle book titled “Pic-a-Pix the Latest Puzzling Fix”.  I agree that it would be a great introductory tool for those curious puzzle-types, you know the ones that have an eye out for something new and challenging.

Hope you enjoy it and/or share it with somebody who will.  Thanks for your time.

Diane Baher, Creator of Pic-a-Pix Puzzles

Pic-a-Pix Going World-Wide

Pic-a-pix puzzles originated in Japan back in 1987, that’s only 25 years ago.  That’s pretty young for a puzzle if you think about it, but in that timeframe, it has been spreading throughout Europe and is now spreading throughout North America.  I recently met a lovely young lady from Israel who was promoting body products containing minerals from the Dead Sea.  She told me that she has been solving this kind of puzzle from a newspaper back home.  It made me realize the extent of the popularity of this puzzle; and as long as you understand the concept of the grid and what you do with the number clues, it really is language-independent.

Transcending Boundaries

A pic-a-pix fan of mine has been blogging about myself and my book.  She relates her experience with travel and how certain things abroad don’t necessarily have a language barrier.  See her article called  Transcending Boundaries .  The major appeal of Japanese logic puzzles is attributed to their simple rules and the use of logic without special knowledge of words or math.

And of course the benefits of doing brain teasers are numerous:  satisfaction with solving and completing something difficult, increased brain health (use or lose it), development of new logic skills, and last but not least, pure enjoyment.

To learn how to solve Pic-a-pix puzzles, visit my place.

Diane Baher

What even is Spatial Reasoning?

And what does Pic-a-Pix have to do with it?

It has always been my understanding that one of the logic skills used to solve pic-a-pix puzzles is called spatial reasoning, but a good portion of us don’t know what it means.  A person who has it is good at dealing with relationships between objects in both two and three dimensions. 

For example, parallel-parking – some of us purposely avoid it while others perform the maneuver every day and never hesitate to do it.  It has something to do with the space available and visual acuity or reasoning, but the good news is that it can be learned and developed with practice.

Pic-a-pix puzzles have number clues for the columns in a grid, and number clues for the rows of the same grid, or in other words, clues for vertical and clues for horizontal directions – two dimensions.  Your brain has to jump back and forth between these two. 

Another way that you will utilize spatial reasoning is if, for example, the number clue is 6 and the grid is 10 squares, you can safely deduct that the two middle squares of that row can be colored in, because regardless if that block of 6 is to occupy the space farthest to the left or farthest to the right, those two squares will be used in either case.

For more information on spatial reasoning see this article.

Diane Baher, creator of puzzle book:   Pic-a-Pix the Latest Puzzling Fix

Fun Stuff leads to Pic-a-Pix

Grid Puzzle Good News

Can’t believe it’s been a year and a half now that the Gateway Gazette Newspaper has been featuring my picapix puzzles.  And if you haven’t heard their good news yet – they  just launched their new format of Digital Newspaper, with fresh ‘Good news only’ every day now.  Congratulations!

This is such good news for myself as well, since a new puzzle of mine is featured every other Wednesday, see Fun Stuff page.  These are a great way to practice and learn how to do picapix puzzles.

A Picture to Puzzle Over was great promotion for me.  Great stories from a great newspaper!

Diane Baher, Pic-a-Pix the Latest Puzzling Fix