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- 1Samon: A Zen Garden Raking Puzzle Explained●Samon: Designing a Zen Garden Raking Puzzle https://gwern.net/doc/design/2026-10-03-gwern-samon.html # HackerNews # Tech
Gwern Branwen has published a write-up on Samon, a puzzle game based on raking patterns in a Japanese Zen garden. The design article walks through how the raking mechanic works and how the puzzle was constructed, and it is drawing attention from Hacker News readers interested in game design and logic puzzles.
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Paul Halmos's classic 1973 essay 'The Legend of von Neumann' is drawing renewed attention online. The piece, hosted on Gwern.net, is a personal and mathematical tribute by the mathematician Halmos to John von Neumann, recounting the legendary breadth of his contributions to mathematics, physics, computing and game theory, and the anecdotes that grew around his reputation.
- 3Paul Halmos's 1973 Essay 'The Legend of von Neumann' Recirculates●The Legend of von Neumann [pdf] Article URL: https:// gwern.net/doc/math/1973-halmos .pdf Comments URL: https:// news.yc
A 1973 essay by mathematician Paul Halmos about John von Neumann is circulating again online, shared as a PDF hosted on Gwern.net. The piece recounts anecdotes and reflections on von Neumann's legendary intellect and personality. Readers are discussing the mathematician's outsized influence on computing, mathematics and game theory, renewing long-standing fascination with one of the twentieth century's most celebrated scientific minds.