******* 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: The Case of the Mysterious Hotel Television RAY: This puzzler is from my "travel and lodging" series. It came from a fellow named Tom Meyer, a long time ago. TOM: Is there any chance that Tom is still alive? RAY: Small. Here it is: "A few years ago, I was on a business trip and staying in a nice hotel. I got up in the morning and turned on the TV, while I washed and got dressed. When I was ready to go to breakfast, I turned off the TV and went to the hotel's restaurant. After breakfast, I returned to my room and realized that I had time before I had to leave for my meeting. So I grabbed the remote, and tried to turn on the TV. Nothing happened. "Figuring that the batteries in the remote had gone bad, I walked all the way over to the TV and pressed the power button. Zippo. Realizing that the maid had cleaned my room while I was eating breakfast, I figured she might have hit the plug with the vacuum cleaner, so I checked it. It was plugged in just fine, but just to make sure, I yanked on it and jiggled it. It didn't make any difference. "The TV didn't say it but I figured, like my computer, it might need to be re-booted. So, I slapped it around a little bit, and then I actually pulled the plug out. I waited 20, 30 seconds, plugged it back in, and that didn't help. In desperation, I called the front desk, and they sent-- are you ready for this-- the house electrician to check on my TV. "He goes around the back of the TV and he's looking at things. I don't know what he's doing. He asks me to turn on the lamp next to the TV. "It works. He says, 'I see your problem.' And he fixes it without using any tools." What did he do? Think you've got an answer? 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 Ray obfuscate the puzzler in person? Listen anytime, at http://www.cartalk.com/content/puzzler/ ************ Remember last week's puzzler? Which Blades to Buy? RAY: This puzzler was sent in by Jim Walworth. I had to change this a lot. Like, almost entirely. TOM: But, he gave you the idea? RAY: Exactly. Here it is: "As I drove home last week it began raining. I was reminded that my wiper blades were in bad need of replacing. I spotted an auto parts store and pulled over to the curb, so I could run in. "As I began to open the door of the parts store, I realized that I didn't know what size blades were on my car. So, I ran back and with an outstretched hand I estimated the blade length. I went into the store and, matching my hand to the blades hanging on the display, I determined that I needed 18-inch blades. I purchased two of them and ran out to my car. The rain was getting heavy. "Well, I figured that I could get at least one new blade installed before I got drenched. But as I began to install that first new blade, I realized that it was one inch too short. How could that be? "I was embarrassed by my error, but I went back into the store for the 19-inch blades. Rather than go through the return process before I was certain, I convinced the sales clerk to let me take the 19-inchers out to check the size. "The rain had let up quite a bit by now and, confident that I'd be on my way in short order, I removed a new 19-inch blade from its package, and began to install it. I was shocked to find out that it was an inch too long. "The question is which blades did I buy? Or, did I just give up and buy a bottle of Rain-X?" And here's the answer: 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 *************** Write Tom and Ray--Please! Been meaning to write us a witty, brilliant, evocative, insightful letter? Excellent! We're not getting any of those things from the chumps hanging around Car Talk Plaza. For that matter, we'd settle for anything better than the usual schlock Tommy reads on the air. So, what are you waiting for? Write Tom and Ray right now at http://www.cartalk.com/email/email.html ******************* Useful information alert: How to Get a Free Car Talk CD or Booklet Tired of paying auto club dues to an outfit that lobbies against environmental causes? Check out Better World Club--and in the process get a Car Talk booklet or CD for free! Better World is an auto club with genuinely decent values-- unlike some others we could name... Whose initials happen to be AAA. Better World Club cares about... *Your environmental interests -- it gives 1% of its revenue to environmental clean up and advocacy. *Your consumer interests -- it even offers discounts on hybrid rental cars. *And it has the nation's only bicycle roadside assistance program. Dump your AAA membership and join Better World! If you join via the Car Talk web site now, you'll get a free Car Talk CD, or a copy of our booklet, 10 Ways You May Be Ruining Your Car without Even Knowing It. Check out Better World Club now at Http://www.cartalk.com *********************************** 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? 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