Pet Peeve n+1: Thinking outside the box

The phrase "Think outside the box" ranks right up there with "Have a nice day :-)." and just barely below fingernails scraping on blackboard.

Most people use the phrase to mean "ignore the rules."

Trucker #1: Why are you stopping?
Trucker #2: Look at the sign on that overpass.
Trucker #1: Yeah, it says "Clearance 11 ft. 6 in." So what?
Trucker #2: The trailer we're pulling is 12 feet tall.
Trucker#1: (looks around) I don't see any cops. Let's go for it.

See. Trucker#1 is thinking outside the box the way most people use the phrase.

The origin of the phrase is a classic logic puzzle. Given nine points arranged in a 3x3 grid:

  X  X  X
  X  X  X
  X  X  X

Draw a continuous series of four line segments that passes through each point exactly once.

The solution (which you know, right? (if not, there's a hint below)) involves extending the lines beyond the "borders" of the array. Hence, "Thinking outside the box."

You don't solve this puzzle by thinking "outside" the box. You solve it by realizing that there is no box outside of which to think! [Look again, do you see any box?]

Understanding the true constraints on a problem and finding creative solutions within those constraints -- good. Ignoring the constraints that happen to be inconvenient -- bad.


All of which applies to programming, too!

Hint:

  X  X  X  x
  X  X  X
  X  X  X
  x