2016-12-01



This is the 133-piece, dual-sided Infinite Galaxy Jigsaw Puzzle created by the folks at Nervous System. It's based on the shape of a Klein bottle so that it can be constructed in thousands of different ways. What the hell's a Klein bottle? SPOILER: nothing like a Heinz bottle. I think it's like a more complicated Möbius strip. I don't know, I'm not a very smart person.

Topologically, the Infinite Galaxy Puzzle maps to a Klein bottle, an impossible 3D shape where the inside and outside are mathematically indistinguishable. What this means is that it tiles with a flip. Pieces from the right side attach to the left side but only after flipping over. Just like the Klein bottle's surface has no inside or outside, the puzzle has no up or down side. You can start the puzzle anywhere on any side, making it extra challenging. This puzzle is adorned with a photograph of the galactic center of the Milky Way. The image is continuous from one side of the surface to the other, so one cannot see the entire photo at once. Explore the galaxy while assembling the puzzle in multiple ways.

Man, I remember the first time my friends and I played spin the Klein bottle. Julie spun and it landed on me so I closed my eyes and waited for a smooch and she kissed me but when I opened my eyes she'd disappeared! I dunno, maybe she was sucked into a black hole or something. "She puked and ran home." Please, just let me have this.

Keep going for several more shots and an explanatory video.


Thanks to Kenny, who agrees the key to finishing a puzzle is eating all the pieces you can't figure out where to put.

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