******* The Car Talk Puzzler Psychic Friends Network******* >From The Desk Of
Maury Maille Puzzler Tower Car Talk Plaza Hahvahd Squayah Our Fair City This Week's Puzzler: Tommy and his SRC's Ponder a Rail Oddity RAY: My brother has always been a keen observer of people and surroundings. Lately, he's taken to hanging around the train yard, where the guys are hanging out with the big barrels with the fires in them, roasting squirrels. Not much changes from day to day. Trains come and trains go, cars get loaded and unloaded, sometimes cars get taken and sometimes cars get added. After a few days, Tommy begins to notice something odd-- a pattern, so to speak. Just about every freight train that enters the yard seems to overshoot its intended target. The engineer then puts the engine in reverse and moves the entire train backwards some distance. It's hard to believe the engineers could miss their targets with such regularity, especially considering how excruciatingly slowly the trains are moving. None of Tommy's SRCs-- Squirrel Roasting Comrades-- can come up with an explanation. But, there is one. What is it? Think you know? Well then, drop us a note via http://www.cartalk.com/email/email.html If you're right and we select your answer, we'll ship you a $26 Shameless Commerce Gift Certificate. Want to listen to Raymond obfuscate the puzzler in person? Listen anytime, at http://www.cartalk.com/content/puzzler/ ************ Remember last week's classic puzzler? In Search of Hot Water RAY: A few weeks ago, my wife and I, along with my brother and his wife, had occasion to visit New York City and stay at one of the finer hotels-that is, one of those that actually had beds and sheets. I'm sure all of you have noticed this: if you go into the bathroom in your hotel room and turn on the hot water, whether it's at the sink or the shower, you get hot water very nearly instantaneously. TOM: It's certainly not time enough to come up from the basement of the building. RAY: Exactly! So, I'm convinced that the water heater has got to be under the sink, which is called a "point of use" hot water heater. I immediately drop to my knees, and I'm on my back looking up under the sink and I see nothing. So, I decide to investigate. I walk up and down the corridor, figuring somewhere there's got to be a "Mechanicals" room where the water heater is, and it's obviously going to be right near my room. I'm in Room 1120, there's 1121 next to me, 1119 on the other side, and I'm convinced that one of them is a phony. All night long I'm tossing and turning. I can't figure this out. At 2:00 in the morning, I jump out of bed, I throw on a pair of undies and a robe, and I run to 1121 next door. I know this is the utility room. It's not a real hotel room; it's a phony room. I pound on the door, expecting no one would answer because all that's in there is the hot-water heater. A guy answers in his underwear, 'Whaddaya want?" So, I know that's not the answer. The next morning, I ask one of the chambermaids, "Where is the water heater on this floor?" She says, "There's no water heater on this floor." I ask the Concierge, "Is there a water heater above us or below us?" He says, "No, Monsieur. All ze water heaters are in ze basement." TOM: You didn't tell me you did all this! RAY: I was up all night. TOM: So was I. Some jerk was banging on my door! RAY: The question is, if the water heaters are in the basement, and I'm on the 11th floor, how can I have hot water instantaneously? Here's how: http://www.cartalk.com/content/puzzler/ So, did you figure it out? Yours in weekly puzzler torment, Maury Maille Puzzler Dissemination Specialist Car Talk Plaza *********************************** Got more time to kill? This past weekend's new, lousy Car Talk show is now on the web site, at http://www.cartalk.com/Radio/Show/ ******************** Help Ray lose the night sweats he's been getting, trying to come up with a decent puzzler each week. E-mail him your suggestion any time, via http://www.cartalk.com/email/email.html ******************** Puzzled out? You can unsubscribe to the Car Talk Puzzler Psychic Friends Network anytime at http://www.cartalk.com/ct/maillist.jsp?puzzler_list=subscribe#psychic We'll forgive you.
