Puzzle

I've recently come into possession of various types of geek paraphernalia, the most engaging of which is a puzzle. It's not of the jigsaw variety, but one of those "there's a solution somewhere in here if you give it some sort of thought or tinker for hours.' More specifically, it's a cast iron marble trapped in a cast iron square, and it's up to me (or whoever I throw it at in frustration) to pull apart both the square and the circle. As you can imagine, it's tricky as hell. I've picked it up four or five times while writing to try and pull it apart.

But I got to thinking and I, as I thinker with this stupid thing, why it is that I prefer the physicality of things to an implied idea. I prefer holding this puzzle in hand than trying to do the same kind of task on a screen or even writing it possible solutions of paper. I prefer visually and tangibly figuring something out rather than looking at a diagram or a 3D model on a screen. The reality of things verses and implication. Not to say that I'm firmly 'it only exists if I see it and feel it,' but when it comes to things I need to work out I prefer the material to the vital.

Now if I can only get this stupid ball in the middle to slide this way, I'd have this figured out...