******* 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 Missing Law Book RAY: This puzzler is from the wonderful world of law. It came in very recently from a fellow named Doug Whiting. I think it's a feather in his cap that this should be the last puzzler of the puzzler season. This is what Doug wrote: "I went to my attorney's office the other day and was seated in the conference room. While I was sitting there, I was looking around the conference room at the impressive collection of law books." I think they put you in there so you are impressed with all the knowledge your attorney has, so you don't get too upset when you get that bill for 485 dollars an hour. Did I tell you, I might be adding a little to his description? Doug continues, "Though most of the law books contained dozens of volumes and were indexed with very specific descriptions, one set of law books consisted of just two volumes. The first book was "A through M," like "Aardvark through Moron." The second was "N through W," like "Ninny through Wombat." At first, I wondered what happened to the last volume, "X, Y and Z." Maybe it was being used to research a case, and was the only book missing from the shelf. But, then I figured out there was no missing volume. These two books were it. And the question is, why was there no "X, Y, and Z?" Think you know why? 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? Hubcaps of the Undercover Police RAY: The inspiration for this puzzler was sent in a decade or two ago by a fellow named Eric Orr. Actually, it was just a few months ago. And, of course, I had to completely scrap what he sent in. TOM: He sent you the kernel of the idea. RAY: Exactly. Here it is: "I remember a day some years ago when I got into a scrape with the law. Okay, I got stopped for speeding. It was an unmarked state police car that pulled me over. As he drove off after handing me my license and speeding ticket, I looked his car over, trying to find something that would make this unmarked car easier to spot in a crowd of cars the next time. "Well, the one thing I did notice-there were no other features really-was that this car had something called 'half moo'n hubcaps. They're the kinds that cover only that part of the wheel where the lug nuts are located. They don't cover the entire wheel like traditional hubcaps. "Over the next few weeks, I began to look at lots of police cars, both marked and perhaps even unmarked. Most of them had these very same hubcaps, and not the full wheel hubcaps that most civilian cars had." The question is why do you see these kinds of hubcaps on police cars? By the way, you do see them on some civilian cars. You see them on hot rods, for example-- and it may be that they're on hot rods and police vehicles for the same reason. Well, here's why: 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.
