******* 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: A Most Unsavory Cup of Coffee RAY: This puzzler came from a fellow named Jim Kugler. It's, well... it's a few years old. TOM: He's probably dead! RAY: That's what I'm hoping for. Actually, he isn't really the author. He says, "This is a re-worked question from a Mensa quiz." So, he stole it from Mensa. Did I mention that I had to obfuscate? Okay. Here it is: My friend Richard bought himself a fancy European sports car. One day he received a letter from his dealership asking him to stop by for a recall. The inspection would be completed within 30 minutes while he waited, of course. Richard made an appointment, dropped off his car, and was directed to the waiting room. The hospitality hostess-this is a very fancy dealership, as you can tell-- pointed out the magazine rack, directed him to a café table, and asked him if he would like some coffee and a brioche. Richard said, "Yes," and soon the hostess returned and provided him with a steaming cup. Just as he was about to put the cup to his lips he saw an extinguished match floating in his coffee cup. He called the hostess over to his table and pointed out the used match. She cried out, "Mon Dieu!" She immediately removed the offensive cup and quickly returned, saying, "I'm so sorry, sir. Here's a fresh cup." After he calmed down, Richard tasted his coffee, and then indignantly slammed his fist on the table, and bellowed, "What are you trying to pull? This is the same cup of coffee! All you did was take out the match!" How did he know? Think you know? 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? Two little cubesŠ and too many numbers. RAY: I didn't have to obfuscate this puzzler a whole lot, but I did make a few little changes. This came from Jonathan Cox, from across the pond. He writes: "I'm getting old and a little absent-minded, so my friends got together and bought me a stylish little desk calendar. It's a cradle for two cubes, each with one number per face. "They figured I probably had enough left in me to figure what year it was and what month it was, but the date was going to elude me. So, this little gift was going to show the date. So, for example, if it were the 21st, I'd rotate one cube until a 2 was showing, and the other would show a 1. The next day I would know to rotate one cube so, together, the two cubes would read 22. "With the two cubes, I was able to express every date. For example, if it were the 2nd of the month, it would be expressed as '02.' If it were the 18th you'd put up a 1 and an 8, and so on. "Here's my question. If you were designing the cubes, what numbers would you paint on each one so you could express all the dates from 01 to 31? "Here're a few hints: you're going to run into a problem because you're not going to have enough faces. Maybe. There are several right answers and lots of wrong answers. But all the right answers have one thing in common." Wondering what that is? Well, here you go: 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? 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. P.S. Here's this week's Lame Joke Of The Week, courtesy of Mike Walters: Why don't cannibals eat clowns? They taste funny. Bad, eh? We sure thought so. Fortunately, Mike also sent us this one: A horse walks into a bar. The bartender says, "Why the long face?" Unfortunately, it wasn't any better. Quite lame, weren't they? *************** Write Tom and Ray -- Please! Been meaning to write us a witty, genius, evocative, insightful letter? No? All right, forget genius then. How about sending us something funny we could read on the air? 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/ ******************** Miss the puzzler? Losing sleep over it? Add your e-mail to our Car Talk Puzzler Psychic Friends Network and we'll personally hand deliver Ray's new puzzler to your inbox every Monday. http://www.cartalk.com/ct/maillist.jsp?puzzler_list=subscribe#psychic ******************* Embarrassed by having e-mails from Car Talk in your inbox? Can't say that we blame you. Unsubscribe any time, via http://www.cartalk.com/ct/maillist.jsp?mailing_list=subscribe
