Pentomino puddles

Divide the grids into the 12 different free pentominoes.


Open space

A puzzle type I spotted at the 2015 WPC. It allows for quite spare clueing, but then it is very susceptible to uniqueness arguments.

Open space rules: Paint some empty cells black. Black cells share neither side nor corners. Clues indicate the sum of visible squares in the four cardinal directions, including the clue cell. Black cells and grid edges obscure sight.

The online solver is for Kuromasu: Consequently, all its' complaints are legal, but it will accept wrong solutions.

http://pzv.jp/p.html?kurodoko/11/11/j7l8obt3i3zl9i6y6lcwbj

Look-Air

I had to learn the rules of this one by experimentation. They are:

Form distinct squares of various sizes by painting cells black. Consecutive squares in any line or column are of different sizes. Clues describe the number of black cells in the 5 cell cross shape with the clue as its centre.

Look-Air

PZV now supports tapa puzzles

Handles

Rules of Bag. Par 2:00
http://pzv.jp/p.html?bag/9/9/g6t2m4j23y32j5m2h4m7k

Purging

There is a giant, growing file on my desktop; I vomit anxiety into it. Financial graphs and calculations, on both personal and macro matters. Incoherent dissertations, aborted blog posts and morose entries for a non-existent diary. Stuff like this week-old gem:

I told you so. Right down to the date. I wish I was wrong.

"You" in this case refers to those who suffer me in meatspace. I had been going on about the breakdown in Greece's arrangements with its lenders' Troika, and the subsequent imposition of a bank holiday and capital controls. I listened to the official announcement while sitting in my balcony, enjoying a lovely breeze, a glorious sunset, and some delicious pastry after a quick game of Carcassone. Lunch was a rather rich mousaka. I went full stereotype.

Greece has had an interesting week after defaulting on the International Monetary Fund. If you need a quick summary on how the last several years ended up here, here's a quick recap of the state of play, in three charts and thirty-three hundred words. Hey, Greeks are supposed to be rather fond of both endless epics and tragedies.

Today is Deeply Sketchy Plebiscite Day, and, at 7 in the morning, I was so very ready to yell FRIST! to the confusion of all present. As on the Internet, somehow two people had beat me to it. Yes, Sherlock, our ballot boxes are indeed made of acrylic glass. So I prayed in the form of marking a tiny cross by the Erised question, and cast it to preserve the nationwide illusion of control.

Here are the de-obfuscated choices:
  • Honour, Dignity and Rationing FTW! In practical terms, the re-introduction of a national currency, and a giant nominal devaluation to follow the giant current internal devaluation. But after that unpleasantry, our heroic, muscular government will lead us to Socialist Utopia. Venezuela is often cited as an example, unironically. Supported by the ruling radical left party, and a couple of shades of regressive right, including national socialist black.
  • Telling Mutti we're very sorry to have upset her, that we'll really like our new bank haircut, we'll do all our immigrant beating chores, and that we understand our naughtiness is the reason she has to take all state assets and sovereignty from us. In practical terms, inescapable and permanent depression is the best of possible outcomes of this path. Supported by the parties that got us into the mess in the first place, and their cronies, clients and bosses.
So I vomited democracy into a clear box first thing in the morning. Tomorrow, a close result of questionable validity will be making the day interesting again.

Bag of post on Greece

Rules of this Bag / Corral / Cave / whatever puzzle. Par 2:25. You might need your eraser.
http://pzv.jp/p.html?bag/10/10/g7r3p3h4r2h3h2j3h2h3u2p3i7h6m

As you probably noticed, Greece lives in interesting times. This makes it fodder for the chattering classes across the globe. Chatter with rather shoddy factual basis as it turns out. So please ask me any questions, of any specificity, you may have on Greece, its economy, and the crisis, and I'll do my best to answer.

Kurotto

Chipped Diamond

Average Masyu, although clue density may scatter focus.
http://pzv.jp/p.html?mashu/11/11/11090000a390i61310i00023a020i9a3000093600