Tough Sudoku for 20/March/2007

I may be beating the drum too hard, but...
Today's tough puzzle easily resolves with a Y Wing Style.
One can find the path I decided to illustrate in yet another new blog page. The link to this page is located in the usual place, upper right column, under Check out the Sudoku Blog.

I took this photo coming back from Perth after Christmas about an hour's drive from Albany, hence the very dry paddocks.

5:55 Maen. Easiest tough I've ever had... more like a hard!

love the picture, Anne.

That's another great photo Anne. A typical Aussie summer scene. Visitors to our country, particularly those who come from UK and Europe generally are unprepared for our bright sunlight, clear blue skies, straw-coloured paddocks and dull green, rather than bright green trees - unless they arrive during a cyclone!

Hello Ian - you're up very late tonight. I don't usually see your comments until the next day.
Thanks for the compliment about my photo.

Nice picture. It looks like it is very hot?

Have a great day everyone.

No guesses.

Another great one, Anne!

Easy Tough today.

When is the cyclone season in Australia?

Ian, re: the picture next to your name. Is that the tail of a C-130 Hercules?

10:55 Hi to all. Very easy tough! Anne keep them coming lovely to see your part of the world.

Not too bad. Nice rural pic

24:09

After following Steve's explanation on Y-wings, I did the puzzle again in 9:56. Perhaps now I understand the theory.

I would really love to visit Australia some day. All your photos have looked wonderful, Anne!

Anne, I woke up in the middle of the night, made a cuppa and decided to see what was happening on sukudo.

HalT, yes it is a photo of the fin of a C130H bearing the badge of my old Squadron - a Rampant Stallion.

12:53; Y wing, when you can wing it!

maeN! 28 minutes.

This one was relatively easy for me.
1) UPs a9=1, i1=1, c8=4, g2=6
2) 5 locked into hi3
3) If b3=7, then we have
a) f1=7 and 5 locked in def2
b) a7=7, c9=3 and b7=6 implying a blind pair
67 in c46,
but part b) forces a blind pair 25 in c12 and
part a) says neither can be true. Thus we may
deduce that b3=4.

The rest is pretty straight forward.

Cheers,

Jyrki

Wonderful picture from 'Albany' ,and 'Albany' means 'ANNE'.
Very nice picture ANNE.

Good afternoon to all! Great photo Anne, and I see the cats playing under those trees!

Almost looks like California, except our eucalyptus trees are usually in suburban areas and our grassy areas have oaks, instead.

Hiya all....wow, it would be so nice to visit the other side of the world one day :)

Ian, from Sydney: Wow, a comrade in arms from AU. I've got over 3000 hours in the MC-130E (Combat Talon). IMHO, the Herk is one of the greatest aircraft ever built. Were you a flyer?

3 min. 37 sec.

HalT - I can't recall seeing you on the site for a while.

Almost home Anne.
Nice Photo

10:59

Lovely photo Anne, and so very Australian. Ian, Rampant Stallion?? Who thinks up these names - is it a result of popular decision or handed down by the powers that be?

Anne - Thanks for your concern. I try to visit daily to work the puzzles, but don't seem to have the time to comment as much as I used to.

Ian - Is Rampant Stallion the 36th Squadron?

giblet - I have it on good authority that each country's military headquarters (the Pentagon, for example), has an office whose sole responsiblility is to think up names for operations, units, strike forces, and every other type of military thing you can think of. However, if you quote me on any of the above, I will deny any knowledge of it. (This tape will self-destruct in five seconds.)

HalT, I flew C130A,E, and H models. Yes, I was a fellow pilot and yes it is the badge of Number 36 Squadron, RAAF. How did you know?

giblet, all the Australian military badges are approved by the College of Arms in London. I know this because I used to take the badges over for approval by the Garter King of Arms when I was working in London. The rampant stallion is a legitimate heraldic symbol which was suggested by the members of the squadron during a time when I was working elsewhere. The horse is a symbol of strength, the pose is rampant. However, I suspect that someone in the squadron had a twinkle in his eye when the badge was first suggested.

GIBLET - hello, how are you?
Are you still a supporting member or not? I couldn't find your name in the member's list and you've posted on my page but not as a supporting member.
Cheers,
Anne

Hi Everyone,

Super busy today, implementing total fluff:

*Horoscopes*

Yep, check to the right of the page & you'll see a link to todays (incredibly accurate) prediction.

Members can also now store their birthday and their horoscope will be automatically displayed.


Gath

Thanks for the proof, Jyrki!
One could shorten your step 3 a tad, using much the same information:
abc1=7 == f1=7 -- f1=5 == def2=5 -- c2=5 == c2=3 -- c9=3 == a7=3 -- a7=7 == b7=7 => b3 ~7.

Jyrki, using your jargon, one could write:
b3=7 ==> f1=7 => def2=5 => c2=3 => a7=3 => b7=7, thus b3 cannot be 7. (One must perform a forbidding step and then an accepting step at each => sign)

After much eye strain I finally know what Ian's avatar is thank you Halt for asking. Typical Aussie scenery Anne well done.

Ian - Actually, I was an EWO (Electronic Warfare Officer) in the AF. (For what it's worth, I do have a private pilot license.) I found the info on the 36th on line by searching for C-130H.

Steve! Thanks for streamlining my solution. May be next time I will try writing my solution using fcs.
I have been somewhat reluctant to do that as their
logic hasn't become a second nature to me yet.