Randall from XKCD has collected a bunch of thought-scoping exercises here about how to solve fairly basic problems (such as how to dig a hole) and then extrapolated to some less-basic ones (such as building a lava moat around your house) in such a way that gets you considering the notion of problem-solving by indirect routes. The linear logic of it’s delightful, as if cheese would be a normal building material to use to make an above-ground pool from – it doesn’t matter that the idea’s ridiculous: the question is more one of “having worked out how to do it, where does that get us?”.

I found this really hard to put down. Instant classic.