Something You Can Do

What is something you can do in New York, NY, but not in Charlotte, NC.

You can do it in Chicago, Atlanta, and Oakland, but not in Little Rock, Oklahoma City or Montpelier.

You can also do it in Miami, Pittsburgh and Montreal, but not in Salt Lake City, Montgomery or Vancouver.

-- Brian Myers

Time Spent In Jail

Ragknot has been imprisoned in a jail cell with no windows, he needs to tap out a message on the wall for Zaux in the other cell next to him to help plan their escape.

The problem is that he has to do it at exactly 9:15 PM, when the guard outside is switched, so the noise won't be noticed. He can't hear the switching of the guards through the walls, and he has no clock.

There is a faucet with water dripping very consistently from it in the corner, he can just make out the chiming of a church bell, but it chimes just once at the top of each hour, so he can't tell the time from that. He can feel the wall facing west start to cool after the sun sets, but he doesn't know what time the sun is setting, and this isn't very precise in any case.

His dinner is always passed into your cell between 6:15 and 6:45. How does he determine when it is exactly 9:15 PM?

- Karl Sharman

A Simple Equation

Something for the Weekend:- 1 + 23 - 4 + 5 - 6 + 78 + 9 = 106 The digits 1 through 9 are used in order to arrive at 106. Using 1 through 9 in order, and using only addition or subtraction, create an equation that equals 100. - Karl

Train Your Lateral Lobes

1. The strongest chains will not bind it
   Ditch and rampart will not slow it down
   A thousand soldiers cannot beat it
   It can knock down trees with a single push
2. The one who made it
   Didn’t want it
   The one who bought it
   Didn’t need it
   The one who used it
   Never saw it
3. Buckets, barrels, baskets, cans;
   What must you fill with empty hands?
4. Every creature in the world has seen it
   But to their dying day they’ll never see
   The same one again
5. Look in my face
   I am somebody
   Look at my back
   I am nobody
6. A man leaves home and makes 3 left turns.
   When he returns home he is met by two men
   one of whom is wearing a mask. Who are they?
7. We love it more than life
   We fear it more than death
   The wealthy want for it
   The poor have it in plenty
8. The light one breaks but never falls
   His brother falls but never breaks
9. Which four letter sport begins with a ‘T’ ?
10. Assume there are approximately 6,000,000,000 (6 billion) people on
    Earth. What would you estimate to be the result, if you multiply
    together the number of fingers on every person’s left-hands? (For the
    purposes of this exercise, thumbs count as fingers, for five fingers
    per hand.) If you cannot estimate the number then try to guess how long
    the number would be.
11. An archeologist proudly told that he had found four silver coins which, according to the inscription “649 B.C.”, should now be 2720 years old. The press considered him a fraud and a dreamer. Why?
12. He got it in the woods
    And brought it home in his hand
    Because he couldn’t find it.
    The more he looked for it
    The more he felt it. When he
    finally found it he threw it away.
13. This wondrous thing, though not
    An herb, can help comfort the weak
    And the dying. It can even be used to
    Rally the troops, or make one start
    Laughing or crying
14. A New York city hairdresser recently said that he would rather cut the hair of three Canadians than one New Yorker. Why?
15. This sparkling globe
    Can float on water
    And weighs no more
    Than a feather
    Yet despite its weight
    Ten giants could
    Never pick it up
16. How could a baby fall out of a twenty-story building onto the ground and live?
17. Whoever has it is angry
    Whoever loses it is even angrier
    Whoever wins it has it no more
18. This engulfing thing
    Is strange indeed
    The greater it grows
    The less you see
19. It can pierce the best armor
    And make swords crumble with a rub
    Yet for all its power
    It can’t harm a club
20. Today he is there to trip you up
    And he will torture you tomorrow
    Yet he is also there to ease the pain
    When you are lost in grief and sorrow
21. She has tasteful friends
    And tasteless enemies
    Tears are often shed on her behalf
    Yet never has she broken a heart
22. What goes with a wagon that
    doesn’t benefit the wagon
    but the wagon cannot move without it?
23. Passed from father to son
    And shared between brothers
    Its importance is unquestioned
    Though it is used more by others
24. Never resting, never still
    Moving silently, hill to hill
    It does not walk, run nor trot
    All is cool where it is not
25. Though easy to spot
    When allowed to plume
    It is hard to see
    When held in a room
26. Brought to the table
    Cut and served
    Never eaten
27. Has feather
    But can’t fly
    Rests on legs
    But can’t walk
28. This side of a cat
    Has the most hair
29. What has keys that open no locks
    space but no room
    and you can enter but not go in
30. I am slim and tall
    Many find me desirable and appealing
    They touch me and I give a false good feeling
    Once I shine in splendor
    But only once and then no more
    For many I am “to die for”
31. This old one runs forever
    But never moves at all
    He has not lungs nor throat
    But still a mighty roaring call
32. What famous North American landmark is constantly moving backward?
33. You are visiting an island on which two tribes of natives live. One tribe has black soles and always lies; the other tribe has white soles and always tells the truth. There are three natives standing near you. You can’t see the bottoms of their feet, and indeed you find out it is extremely rude to look at another’s soles, but you are curious so you ask the first man, “Sir, what colour are your soles?” Now he happens to understand English, but he can’t speak it, so he replies in his native tongue, “Glub Glub.” You turn to the second man and ask, “Sir, what did he say?” The second man replies, “He said he has white soles.” Now to be sure, you turn to the third and ask, “Sir, what colour soles does this second man have?” The third man replies, “Sir, he has black soles.” Now the question is, what colour are the third native’s soles?
34. A man lives in the penthouse of an apartment building. Every morning he takes the elevator down to the lobby and leaves the building. Upon his return, however, he can only travel halfway up in the lift and has to walk the rest of the way – unless it’s raining.
35. A police officer saw a truck driver clearly going the wrong way down a one-way street, but did not try to stop him. Why not?
36. There was once a recluse who never left his home. The only time anyone ever visited him was when his food and supplies were delivered, but they never came inside. Then, one storm winter night when an icy gale was blowing, he had a nervous breakdown. He went upstairs, turned off all the lights and went to bed. Next morning, he had caused the deaths of several hundred people. How?
37. You throw away the outside and cook the inside. Then you eat the outside and throw away the inside. What did you eat?
38. What can run but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, has a head but never weeps, has a bed but never sleeps?
39. I never was, am always to be,
    No one ever saw me, nor ever will,
    And yet I am the confidence of all
    To live and breathe on this terrestrial ball.

-- Karl Sharman

Who called the police ... ?

A burglar brought into a house .... shortly after going upstairs to the 2nd story, he phoned the police.


Why?

An Obvious Crime

It was a very cold afternoon, and not much happening at Puzzlaria's Police Station. The officer behind the desk was working a puzzle when the door opened. In a came a woman, wearing a coat buttoned from top to bottom. Following the lady was a man with his hand in her coat pocket.

The lady said. "Arrest this man ... he tried to pick my pocket."


Why had the pickpocket not simply run away?
(this was a true story)

Why'd you do that ...?

A man pulls a gun ... aims it at a law-abiding citizen ... he pulls the trigger. CLICK! Apparently, the gun was empty. At least 10 people saw the whole incident and were outraged ... at the man to whom the pistol was aimed.


Why?

Arrest who ...?

Knightmare looked around and picked up a tire tool ... he smashed the tail lights of a car. A police officer, walking his beat, saw what happened ... the officer arrested the driver of the car?


Why?

The Autograph

Why does the value of a famous person's autograph change continuosly?

Two Burglars

Two burglars enter a wealthy neighborhood and take all the goodies they can get their hands on. A police officer is watching, but does nothing ...


Why doesn't the officer arrest them?

I've been robbed ...

John tells the police officer that his residence has been robbed. The officer inquires as to what is missing from John's abode?

"As far as I know, nothing!" answered John.


So ... how does John know he has been robbed?

Pie Tasting

Zaux was trying to decide which desserts to carry in his Tavern. He asked four of the locals to do a taste test to see which they preferred. One of the tasters was allergic to coconut ... he agreed to taste test all the others. Because of his allergy, Zaux sliced the pies as such:

* 3 coconut slices
* 5 blueberry slices
* 4 pecan slices
* 4 lemon meringue slices

Each judge ate 4 slices of pie.

1. Only 2 of the judges tasted one of each kind.
2. No one ate more than 3 slices of any one kind.
3. Chris tasted one coconut and one lemon meringue.
4. Cam tasted 3 of one kind and one lemon meringue.
5. Two of the tasters had one of each kind.
6. Karl didn't try the blueberry pie.
7. Ragknot was one of the tasters.


Which judge ate which pies? ... and how many slices of each kind?

A Mystery

Two kids were walking in a field just outside of Puzzlaria. In the open field, they found a carrot, a small piles of stones, and a pipe.


What did their findings mean?

Only 2 digits ...

What 2 digit number, when read from right to left, is 4 1/2 times as large as when read from left to right?

The Ransom

Detective Knightmare has been called by James Money concerning a kidnapping. Mr. Money told the detective that he has not called the police because the ransom note warned against it.

"Tell me all that has happened," suggested Knightmare.

James began, "My son Ronny has been kidnapped. I received the note yesterday morning advising me to bring a half million dollars, last night, to the upper level of the Puzzlaria Parking Deck. I recently fell and broke my hip so I couldn't go to the parking deck. Ronny's twin brother Lonny agreed to drop off the money. I didn't want Lonny to be put in a dangerous situation, but he wanted to help secure the return of his brother."

Knightmare said, "Is Lonny here ... may I speak with him?"

Lonny was invited into the library.

The detective asked Lonny to tell him what happened when he delivered the money.

Lonny said, "I took the money to the upper level of the parking deck as instructed .... someone came up behind me and hit me in head, knocking me to the pavement. As I looked up, I saw a man pick up the briefcase with the money and then he ran away... I only saw his back. I was too groggy from the blow to my head to pursue him."

Knightmare asked, "Can you describe anything about him which might help me find this individual?"

Lonny said the deck was dimly lighted, but the man looked to be wearing white sneakers, jeans, and a zip-up swearshirt.

"Mr. Money, is there any other information ...?" asked the detective.

"Yea, my son has not been released, and a few hours ago, I received another note requesting an additional half million dollars .... what should I do?"

Detective Knightmare said, "You don't need to give any more money ... I think I know who did this."


How did the detective solve this case?

No place like home ...

Kapakoi leaves home.
When he tries to return, someone is blocking him.
The man blocking him is wearing a mask.


What is the occupation of the man wearing the mask?

Puzzlaria's Rodeo

This year at Puzzlaria's Rodeo, six brave amateurs signed up for the cattle roping event.

1. Eketahuna Podunk finished immediately ahead of the dentist, whose horse is Kickapoo.
2. The dentist is not Solianar Burly.
3. Karl Slaughter's mount is Dusty; Karl did not finish in first or last place.
4. The florist finished in an even-numbered position.
5. Weezy Jessup, who isn't a newspaper editor, came in second.
6. Ross Washington finished two places ahead of the man riding Goldie.
7. Factory foreman Curtis Canter finished immediately ahead of Pardner and his rider, the florist.
8. The rider who came in fourth is a radio show host.
9. The lawyer didn't ride Trigger.
10. The one who finished third rode a horse named Arbuckle.


Can you tell where each competitor placed in the event? ... his occupation? ... and the name of the horse he rode?

The Thief

Detective Knightmare was staying at the Conundrum Hotel in Puzzletown. He was sitting on the bed in his room. He had just finished oiling his pistol when heard a knock at the door.

He was working on a case and had pictures lying all over the bed. He scooped up the pictures and placed them back in their folder. He slipped his pistol in to the drawer on the table beside the bed. He heard someone insert a key card into the lock. He hurried to the door and opened it.

"Oh, I'm sorry," said the stranger. "I must have gotten off the elevator at the wrong floor. I thought this was my room. They all look identical, you know."

The stranger laughed weakly, made a hand gesture towards the elevator, and headed in that direction.

Knightmare closed his door and immediately dialed the front desk of the hotel. He informed that a man was stalking the halls and up to no good. He described the man and suggested that hotel security should look for him.


Why did Knightmare suspect the stranger was up to no good?

Summer Camp

It's time for summer camp in Puzzlaria. Since the campers are suppose to start arriving tomorrow, a few of the counselors are looking over the list.

"Edwards, Smith, and Kline should arrive tomorrow," says one of the counselors. Not in a particular order, the first names of those three are Jin, Ross, and Curtis.

"I think Jin's last name is Edwards," says one of the camp staff.

"No, that's wrong," offered another. "I'll give you some hints. Smith is a year older than Ross, Curtis is older than Smith, and Edwards is the oldest of the three."

This is the fifth year these three kids have attended Puzzlaria's Summer Camp. Ross has been coming since he was seven.


What are the first and last names of the campers? ... and their ages?

Number Sets 2

Below are 3 sets, each containing 3 numbers.
Determine the relationship between the numbers in the sets ...
then use that relationship to complete the last 3 sets:
(each ? is a digit)

10......62......310
6.......38......114
10......20.......20

4.......74......???
??......40.......40
8.......??......136

Number Sets

Below are 3 sets, each containing 3 numbers. Determine the relationship between the numbers in the sets ... then use that relationship to complete the last 3 sets:


2 - 5 - 10

3 - 10 - 20

4 - 17 - 34


5 - ? - ?

? - 37 - ?

? - ? - 100

Puzzlarian University Reunion

Four friends attended the 10th Anniversary of their graduation from Puzzlarian University.

1. Neither Ross nor French was voted Most Likely to Succeed or selected as valedictorian.

2. Solianar and Dual still live in the same town as the university; Moskowitz lives in another town.

3. Mayer, who isn't Solianar, is a computer programmer.

4. The dentist was voted class clown; the one with most school spirit is a financial consultant.

5. Mulroney and Karl both had to travel a significant distance to attend the reunion.

6. The lawyer ( who was not voted Most Likely to Succeed), Ross, and the financial consultant went to the same high school.

First names of friends:
Dual
Ross
Karl
Solianar


Find the complete names, claim to fame, and occupation of the friends.

Another Anchor

Ok,this time there is an anchor 80 feet below the surface of a lake being held by air-filled balloons in such a way that it will not rise nor fall.If you were to force the anchor down to the 100 foot mark,what will happen?

You've got the key ...

What is the key to solving this long sequence of curious numbers?

4,23,51_ 36,26,33,11_ 5, 25_ 19,20_ 22,23,9_

32,33, 51,46,22,24,14,28


Can you decipher the message?

Drop the Anchor

You are sitting in a small boat on the peaceful lake just outside of Puzzletown. If you lower the anchor into the water ...


Does the water level rise, fall, or stay the same? Explain your answer!

Legal Eagle Question

If you lived next door to a bird raising farm ... and a peacock flew over the fence and laid an egg in your yard ....

Could you legally keep the egg?

Puzzle Contest Survey

After the recent successful Puzzle Contest in Puzzlaria, the contest committee decided to take a survey to see how well the residents liked the way the contest was organized. Knightmare, the head of the Puzzle Association, went out into the streets to personally interview people.

1. The van driver was interviewed right after Dual Aspect.

2. Eketahuna, who is a teacher, is older than Ross, who was an earlier interviewee.

3. The third person Knightmare interviewed is younger than the charity worker.

4. Solianar was interviewed sometime later than the post office worker, and sometime before the person aged 31.

5. Of the first four people interviewed, three of the ages were 20, 36, and 41.


Of the first four interviewees, can you tell the order in which they were questioned? ... the age of each? ... and each one's occupation?

Another Series

What's the next number and why?

10,4,3,11,?

a)2
b)23
c)15
d)17
e)42
f)12

Who buys the beer ...?

Knightmare, Chris, Cam, Karl, and Ross are sitting at the bar in Zaux's Tavern and Billiards. Knightmare, being quite generous, buys a round of beer for his friends.

Seating at the bar: (from the bartender's view)

Friend 1 - Friend 2 - Knightmare - Friend 3 - Friend 4

1. Ross, who is not sitting next to Knightmare at the bar, is the immediate senior of the friend who got a Guiness.
2. The 35 year old is on the same side of Knightmare as the friend with the Sam Adams Ale, the former being nearer to Knightmare.
3. From the bartender's view, the youngest friend is next to the left of Cam.
4. Chris, who had a Murphy's Irish Amber, is farther right in the seating than the friend aged 45.
5. The friend in position 2 is older than friend 1.
6. Karl is one of Knightmare's friends at the bar.
7. One of the friends is 30 years of age, and another is 50.
8. One of the friends had Indian Pale Ale.


Can you tell which friend sat in which position at the bar? ... how old is each?... and what beer each enjoyed?

A Couple of Quickies

Whilst away on holiday, some wee chappie presented me with these quick and easy teasers. They should take no more than a couple of seconds each, so please time your selves..... The bravest may wish to publish their times (to the nearest second!)

1. What is the most amount of (US) change/coinage you can have without being able to split a dollar bill?
2. What is the most amount of (UK) change/coinage you can have without being able to split a pound?
3. And following on from 2. splitting a £5.00 note?
4. Too easy, but which two numbers, when squared add up to 100? I'm ashamed to put this question in, but please, no calculators, and a 5 second limit!

- Karl Sharman

Shaking hands

At the end of a party, everyone shakes hands with each other. A latecomer arrives and shakes hands only with the people he knew. In total sixty-eight handshakes occurred. How many people at the party did the straggler know ?

(One handshake occurs when two people shake hands).

Pool Cue Missing

I really enjoy my business in Puzzlaria ... Zaux's Tavern and Billiards has done quite well. Two nights ago, during the Nine Ball Tournament, there were so many customers that I ran out of foamy beverage in the front coolers. I had to go into the walk in cold storage to get more cases.

After the last customer left at 2AM, I was tallying the cash register when I noticed the problem.
Someone had come behind the bar and taken my Balabushka cue.

Detective Knightmare came to investigate. He took fingerprints, and names of most of the people who were in the tavern that night. The detective and his assistant, Pequod, came up with clues and narrowed the suspect list to five names. I told Knightmare that I really did not want to prosecute the offender ...everyone was drinking and someone just made an error in judgement ... I just wanted my expensive cue returned.

Pequod questioned the five suspects: (each made 2 true statements and 1 false)

Chris:
1. I didn't take the pool cue.
2. I've never stolen anything.
3. Solianar did it.

Cam:
4. I didn't take the pool cue.
5. I have my own cue.
6. Eketahuna knows who did it.

Karl:
7. I didn't take the pool cue.
8. I didn't know Eketahuna before the tournament.
9. Solianar did it.

Solianar:
10. I am not guilty.
11. Eketahuna did it.
12. Chris is not truthful when he says I stole the cue.

Eketahuna:
13. I didn't take the pool cue.
14. Cam is guilty.
15. Karl and I are old friends.


After Kightmare and Pequod left the tavern, one of the suspects walked in carrying the Balabushka. He apologized ... said he drank way too much and offerred for me to call detective Knightmare. I accepted the cue and the apology. I called Knightmare and apologized ... explaining that I forgot that I left my cue in the trunk of my car after the tournament in Puzzletown last weekend.


Which nineball bandit, with beer clouded judgement, took the cue?

Lost Wages, Nevada

Three men and their wives recently vacationed in Las Vegas. Each person gambled by themselves ... they agreed to stop whenever each couple's gain or loss reached two hundred dollars. All the men lost money, but as a couple, each won exactly $200. Bernard lost $504 more than Harry. Betty won $2,376 more than Vera. Oswald was glad his wife won. Belinda laughed at her husband for losing at what she called "these easy games".


Can you correctly identify the couples? ... and tell how much money each person won or lost?

The Island Riddle

What does the letter T and an island have in common?

Find the Fault

A wonderful depiction of traffic in the thirties (the era these puzzle cards come from). What is wrong in this picture ? The English drive on the left so that's not it.

Puzzlarian Contest Office

Because of the heightened security for the upcoming puzzle contest, all visitors to the Puzzlarian Contest Office have to sign in upon entry and sign out upon leaving. This morning, it seems that one of the visitors acidentally left with a copy of the answer sheet for the upcoming puzzle contest. Someone apparently spilled hot coffee on the sign in sheet, making the ink run and the sheet is now useless. Using the clues below, can you help Detective Ragknot narrow his list of suspects.

The detective has determined that visitors arrived at the following times this morning:
9:30, 9:32, 9:34, 9:36, 9:38, 9:40, and 9:42.

Using these clues, can you help the detective determine the time each person visited, the person or department they visited, and their departure time?

1. The person who came to see the Canteen Manager, soliciting an order of tea bags and instant coffee, arrived two minutes after Jin Smith and two minutes before the person who left at 11:15AM.

2. The woman who left at 10:15AM arrived two minutes after the visitor who was delivering an envelope to Department XX, but earlier than the one who had a package for Department C.

3. Solianar Gates, who visited Department M to pick up some papers, arrived two minutes after the person who left at 10:45AM.

4. Knightmare Fitch was signed in at 9:38AM.

5. The visitor who talked with the Accounting Manager about an unpaid bill was not the first to arrive and he left at 11:00AM.

6. One visitor was signed in at 9:40AM and signed out at 11:45AM.

7. The 9:32 arrival went straight to the Press Office for a briefing on the contest details; the person who left at 11:30AM arrived after 9:32 but before 9:42.

8. Karl Hobbs, who left at 10:30AM, arrived some time before the man who went to the Personnel Department for a job interview.

9. Rachel Esmond arrived six minutes earlier than Nora Brady; the latter left fifteen minutes before the former.

10. Chris Stokes also visited the contest office this morning.

And the next number is ... ?

13, 44, 88, 176, 847 , ?


What is the next number in the above sequence?

Another sequence ...

7, 8 , 6, 9, 5, 10, X, Y, 3, 12


X = ?
Y = ?

Promotions

Three residents of Puzzlaria who are active in the volunteer fire department just received promotions:

1. Knightmare has been promoted to Seargeant after only five years in the department.

2. Cam McMunn joined the Puzzlarian Volunteer Fire Department after service in the navy.

3. The firefighter based in the Pineridge community has been promoted to the next higher rank than that attained by firefighter surnamed Tauber, who isn't Chris.

4. The man surnamed Franco is based in the exclusive Garden Hills residential district.

5. The ranks of Lieutenant and Captain were attained by two of the firefighters.

6. One of the men volunteered in the Five Points Fire Department.


Can you determine the firefighters' full name, the fire department they serve, and the rank of their promotion?

The Apartments

Jin was the best apartment super-intendent in all of Puzzlaria. During the day, when most of the tenants were at work, she would sign for any deliveries and personally take them to the people when they came home in the evening.

1. Jin recognized the writing on the note that accompanied the basket of fruit delivered for Solianar, who lives on a higher floor than the tenanat who works in the supermmarket.

2. The shape of the parcel delivered for the university student provided a bit of a puzzle for Jin, but she soon developed a number of theories as to what it might contain.

3. DualA, who lives on the fourth floor, was not the recipient of the postcard, which provided Jin with her easiest piece of research for the day.

4. The letter delivered by the postman addressed to the third floor tenant, who is not Curtis, and who does not work at the cinema, intriguingly had not return address on the back, but Jin was able to make a few deductions from the very clear postmark.

5. Ross was one of the tenants; and one the tenants worked at a cafe.


Can you tell which tenant lived on which floor? ... which delivery they received?... and where they were employed?

It's Good For You

Karl packed up and headed out for a month long vacation.Before leaving,he gave a spare key to Zaux and asked him to housesit while he was gone.The next day,Zaux went over to Karl's house,took in the mail,feed the fish then decided to have a look around.When he made his way down to the basement,his face lit up with a smile from ear to ear.Turns out Karl made all kinds of juices which he kept in large tanks lining the walls.

Zaux found the tank labelled "Carrot Juice-Grade A" and saw it contained 100 litres.He thought if he were to help himself to a litre of the juice and then replace it with a litre of water,Karl would be none the wiser.And so that's what he did,thinking it would be just this one time.However,on the second day,Zaux couldn't stop himself from doing the same thing.He took out a litre of juice and replaced it with a litre of water.Needless to say,Zaux repeated this process once a day,ever day till Karl returned home 30 days later.

All in all,Zaux removed 30 litres from the tank (1 litre of juice and 29 litres of juice/water mixture).

How much carrot juice did Karl lose?

What a sequence ...

Find the next number in the sequence:


2, 4, 6 , 30, 32, 34, 36, 40, 42, 44, 46, 50, 52, 54, 56, 60, 62, 64, 66, ?

Single Word Answer

What historical event happened October, 10 1582?

How old are you ...?

Puzzlaria recently performed the ten-year census. They found the countries three oldest inhabitants.

1. Jin Aged is not the oldest of the trio.
2. Knightmare, who was 97 years old last month, does not come from the community of Fleamarket.
3. The oldest inhabitant of Center City isn't surnamed Ancient.
4. Curtis has lived in Littleworth all his life.
5. The surname of one of the elders is Oldone.
6. One of the oldest resident is 94 and one is 100.


Can you match first names, last names, ages, and places of residence for the three eldest people in Puzzlaria?

Nesting Ravens

Four Ravens have built nests, in a tree, in the back yard of Zaux's Tavern and Billiards. Chris, the head of the Puzzlarian Ornithology Association has assigned an ornithologist to each nest ... they are to photograph and keep notes on the Raven's activities. Each person has given his particular Raven a name. Each nest is on the same limb ... each was asssigned a letter with A being closest to the tree trunk, followed by B, C, and D.

1. The raven named "Allen" has four eggs in her nest, which is immediately adjacent to the one for which Cam Hawk has responsibility.
2. Nest C has five eggs.
3. Michael Dove is keeping an eye on nest B, which isn't "Nevermore's" nest; there are fewer eggs in nest B than in nest A.
4. John Coot is caring for the raven whose nest is two places left of the one where "Poe" is sitting on her eggs.
5. It's not nest D that contains only 3 eggs.

Additional info:
* One of the ravens is named "Edgar".
* One nest has 6 eggs.
* One of the ornothologists is Jin Wren.


Can you tell which raven is in which nest? ... how many eggs are in the nests? ... and which ornithologist is assigned to which nest?

Who knows the answer ... ?

Once a month in Puzzlaria, there is Quiz Night held at Zaux's Tavern and Billiards Parlor. Teams of puzzlers converge on the tavern for a night of questions, answers, foamy beverage, and comradery. Last night, the competition ended with five teams scoring more than 185 out of a possible 200 points, including a maximum score on their double points "joker round" ... although each of the five teams failed to identify one of the personalities in the Picture quiz round. From the clues below, can you determine on which round each team played their joker, which famous person the team failed to identify, and how many points the team had at the end of the competition.

1. Knightmare's Kings played their joker during "Far Away Places", the geography round, and Chris's Dark Horses incorrectly identified Dame Nellie Melba as Queen Alexadra.

2. Ross's Jokers scored two fewer ponts than the team who played their joker during "All Kinds of Music" and mistook Elizabethan hero Sir Francis Drake for Sir Walter Raleigh.

3. The team who mixed up Charles Dickens with Alfred, Lord Tennyson scored more points than the group who played their joker on the round "Around Northtown".

4. The team that came in fifth was the one whose members couldn't tell Fidel Castro from Terry Waite.

5. The team who scored 190 ponts played their joker on the "Sporting Chance" round.

6. Cam's Highbrows were a little disappointed that they only scored 189 points.

7. Curtis's Bright Ideas team had one of the five best scores, and John Wayne was not identified correctly by one of the teams.

8. Other team scores were: 188, 191, and 192. One of the question rounds was "Times Past".

TV Plant Show

Gardening is one of the favorite pastimes of Puzzlarians, when they are not scratching their heads over a new logic problem. The television plant show Puzzlarian Gardens has become quite popular. On this weeks program, 5 master gardeners visit some of the most beautiful gardens in the whole country. Not only do they show the viewers some of the best gardens in Puzzlaria, but they each select a particular plant and show the viewers how to best use certain garden tools.

1. Chris Montague showed a new range of terracotta pots, but didn't present the feature on peonies; the peony-loving presenter didn't demonstrate the pruning knife or plant support system, and didn't visit Hidcote Manor gardens.
2. The presenter who visited Scotney Castle Garden demonstrated a novel plant support system but didn't do the piece on fuchsias, while Solianar Digmud didn't visit either Stourhead gardens or Hidcote Manor.
3. The presenter who went to Stourhead didn't present the features on either the clematis or the lawn aerator; the clematis was the favorite plant of the presenter who showed the weeding tool.
4. The presenter of the Nymans gardens loves camelias.
5. Knightmare Dimple narrated the piece on Bodnant gardens.
6. The lily is Karl Stubbleshaw's favorite flower.
7. Ross Littlefen was one of the presenters.


On this weeks tv show, can you sort out the following?:
Which master gardener visited which garden? ... what is their favorite plant, and which garden tool did they demonstrate?

Walk the Dogs

To raise money for the entry fee into the upcoming Tiddlywinks Tournament, four of Puzzlaria's residents got parttime jobs walking dogs at the kennel.

Residents:
Jin
Solianar
DualA
Curtis

Dog Breeds:
chihuahua
dachshund
Scottie
Yorkshire terrier

Dog's Names:
Bertie
Jock
Max
Rex

1. Jin is somewhat behind the girl walking Jock, the Scottie.
2. Curtis is farther back in the line than the dachshund, but somewhere ahead of Max.
3. Rex and his walker are immediately behind Solianar, but immediately in front of the Yorkshire terrier.
4. DualA's dog is the chihuahua, who is somewhere to the rear of Bertie in the lineup.

The walkers and dogs are moving in a single file line along the sidewalk ...


Can you name which person is walking which dog (by breed and name) ... and what place they are in the line as it moves along the sidewalk?

Puzzlaria explores space ...

Puzzlarian scientists Cam and Chris have finally realized their dream of a manned space mission. To make the best use of available quarters on the spacecraft, beds are arranged in bunk-bed fashion:

bottom bunk - A
second bunk - B
third bunk --- C
fourth bunk -- D

Crew member names:
Knightmare Carter
Karl Dare
Ross Flandry
Boris Kinnison

Crew expertise:
tiddlywink expert
crossword expert
sudoku expert
kenken puzzle expert

Although the craft is automatic and requires little invovlement by the crew, each has assigned roles:
photographer
diary keeper
first aid provider
dietician

1. The diary keeper's bunk is immediately above that of Karl Dare, who is the sudoku expert, and graduated from Puzzlarian State University.
2. The first aid provider is the kenken puzzle expert; the dietician has not been assigned bunk A.
3. Bunk B is Knightmare Carter's.
4. Photographer Ross Flandry is not the crossword expert.

From the given, can you list which person is assigned to which bunk? ... and what is each crew member's expertise and role on the flight?

Tiddlywink Meetings

Since Ross was elected president of the Tiddlywink Association, his days seem to be filled with meetings. And to make matters worse, his new assisitant is a scatter-brain who can't keep anything organized. I asked the assistant for a meeting with Ross and she said, "Jeez! I don't think he has any free time today. I'm trying to sort it all out now."

I glanced at the assistant's work area ... there were scraps of paper with notes all over her desk.

The notes:
1. Ross's first meeting is at 9:30AM, but that isn't the 'tournament' meeting, which will take place on the 4th floor.
2. He will not be meeting Curtis Paulson on the 3rd floor or at 10AM, but he'll be on the 5th floor for his 11AM meeting.
3. The meeting with Cam Stephens about 'tournament registration' is the one immediately before that on the 3rd floor.
4. Knightmare Johnson's office is on the 2nd floor, where Ross will be immediately before his meeting on the 6th floor.
5. The last name of the person he is meeting at 2PM to discuss 'violators of tournament rules' is longer than that of the person with whom he'll be discussing the new 'tournament judge'.
6. Ross's meeting with Chris Smith is not about 'complaints'.
7. Karl Sprighton is one of the people Ross will meet with today.
8. The last meeting of the day will be at 4PM.

It is now 8:30AM ...


Will you help Ross's assistant organize his itenerary for the day ... so he will be at the right meeting at the correct time? His itenerary should include:
Meeting time
Which floor of the building the meeting is on
The person who requested the meeting
and
The topic to be discussed

My puzzle#1

My puzzle#1
Series : 4,1,?,3,7
Find “?”

Thanx!!
Borris

(Boris sent me this to post for him.)

Dad, look at my grades ...

Ragknot's son came home from school with his report card ... he was excited about his grades. Rather than showing his report card, he wrote all the info on a sheet of paper and handed it to his dad ... oh yeah, knowing that his dad loves puzzles, he scrambled the information. Here's the info Ragknot received from his son:

1. In history, a class taught by Mr. Wright, my numerical grade was more than 7 points higher than the class in which my teacher commented "Excellent progress".

2. In one class, my grade was only 65, and the teacher said it was "disappointing"; it was not science and not Miss Cramm, who is not the science teacher.

3. My French teacher described it as "another good year", and French is not the class where I scored 70.

4. Mr. Masters commented "sound work".

5. In Mrs. Caine's class, I scored 76.

6. I got an 80 in Math.

One of my grades not mentioned above is an 89.

My teacher not mentioned above is Mrs. Markham.

One teacher commented "good effort".

The class not mentioned above was English.

Dad, considering how bad my grades were, this is quite an improvement. I know you love a puzzle ...



Can you help Ragknot decide which teacher teaches which subject, the score in each class, and which teacher made which comment?

The Game of Cards UPDATE

When posting puzzles, I change wording to avoid direct copy, and as all of you know, I usually attmept to personalize the puzzles using names of frequent visitors to ToM. I try to avoid error, but when re-wording and personalizing, it is quite easy to make a mistake. Sometimes, one or two words in a sentence can alter the logic of the entire scenario.

Those of you who attempted the puzzle "The Game of Cards" were dealing with an error. I checked the wording before posting, and twice after posting ... still I missed it. With Knightmare's and Cam's persistence in suggesting maybe an error was made, I checked once again .... this time it slapped me in the face. An ammendent has been added to hopefully make the problem solve-able. Here's a link to the puzzle: The Game of Cards

Sometimes, the author of the puzzle makes a mistake ... but this time, it was the poster ... ME. I apologize for the frustration. The problems and puzzles are difficult enough without an error in the statement.

Some Fruit Punch

There is a party tonight at the Puzzlaria Tavern and Ross asked me to get some orange juice and pineapple juice for the Fruit Punch he is preparing. Being already giddy with all the drinks I had had, I tried some mixing of my own. Grabbing the large orange juice jar (lets call it jar O), I added enough juice into the second jar containing pineapple juice (jar P) till its contents were doubled. Then, I poured some of the mixture back into jar O to double its contents.

Fairly sloshed now, I decide a good way to settle matters would be to again pour from Jar O into Jar P to double P’s contents and proceed to do so. At this point I realize there is an equal quantity of pineapple juice in each jar. If Jar P now has one more litre of orange juice than pineapple juice, can you tell this poor muddle-headed soul, how much more orange juice than pineapple juice there is in Jar O?

Help me! The party is in full swing and Ross is getting impatient !!

Boxing in Puzzlaria

The Puzzlarian Arena is having its first night of boxing (pugilism to some of you). Chris, the gaming director, gave the information to the local printer so that posters could be printed and displayed around town. After arranging everything and giving the info to the printer, Chris went on vacation.

The next morning the printer decided to print the Boxing Event poster as the first project of the day. He discovered a problem ... he had one of the sheets with some of the information, but apparently he had accidentally shredded the other one. He knew that Chris could not be reached, so he began to look at the info he had:

(there's four fights at different weight classes)

1. Rocky Silva, one of the welterweight boxers, should appear in the section of the poster diagonally opposite the fight containing the name Buster Adams.

2. The second name in section B is that of Jack Killick.

3. Sonny Todd is not one of the heavyweights featured in section C.

4. Joe Ivey will box Randy Robinson.

5. The surname of the second fighter in the featherweight bout, who is not Buster Adams, is shorter than that of the second fighter in the middleweight bout.

First boxers: Joe Ivey, Ray Quinn, Rocky Silva, and Sonny Todd
Second boxers: Buster Adams, Frank Garner, Jack Killick, and Randy Robinson
Weights: featherweight, heavyweight, middleweight, and welterweight

Poster Layout:

Bout A:```````````````Bout B:
First`` _____ ````````First``_____
Second _____ ````````Second_____
Weight _____````````Weight _____


Bout D:``````````````Bout C
First`` _____````````First```_____
Second _____````````Second _____
Weight _____ ```````Weight`_____

Short One

What number is 5 less than 3 times a quarter of itself?

Old man Puzz rejects the design.

Puzz from Puzzlaria laughed at Cam's answer to the fence design.
But he rejected it very quickly. He said his horses wouldn't like
that design.

Puzz said he needed a fenced area of about 12 acres for his
horses to run and play and he was going to add a riding trail
for his grandchildren. He thought a circle would be nice.

He added some specifications. Fence wire was $1 per foot
for a three wire fence, and posts were $5 each. Posts were
to be placed at 15 to 18 foot intervals. It needed a 16 foot opening
for his gate which he already owned.

So his required design calls for the best cost per acre for 11.9 to 12.1 acres.

Fair Amount

Dual Aspect is walking down the street when someone on the sidewalk offers him a game.For a fee,he can pick two bills from a bucket that contians five $5 bills,ten $10 bills and twenty $20 bills.

As he has to do the picking blindfolded,what is the fair amount he should be charged to play this game?

The Game of Cards

The Puzzlarian Tavern offers various games to maintain the interest of their drinkers ... oops, I meant patrons. Four of the regular customers are engaged in a game of cards.

(in this game, ace is 1, all numbered cards are their number value, jack is 11, queen is 12, and king is 13)

Each player is holding 3 cards ... one heart, one club, and one spade.

a) the player holding the 4 of clubs is also holding a spade whose value is higher than that held by the man with the 3 of hearts

b) Knightmare has a spade whose value is 3 lower than that held by Cam, who has a heart with a value more than 3 lower than the club he is holding.

c) the player with the 7 of clubs and the 6 of spades has a heart whose value is 5 higher than the heart held by Ross.

d) the spade Chris has, is a higher value than his club, but a lower value than his heart.


Name the 3 cards in each player's hand.

(amendment: clue b - after the apostrophe, should read "who has heart with a value more than 3 lower" ... clue b has been corrected)
(Cards held:
Hearts: A, 3, 8, K
Clubs: 2, 4, 7, J
Spades: 5, 6, 9, Q)

Who's driving ... ?

It was Halloween ... the night was cold, dreary, and it was raining. Cam's car engine stopped on a desolate road ... he reached for his cell phone and then remembered it was on the nightstand by his bed, charging. He raised the collar on his jacket, fully zipped it, donned his weather-proof full-brimmed hat ... and ventured into the darkness along the highway.

After 10 minutes of slowly walking in the cold rain, a car eased up beside him. It momentarily stopped. He opened the passenger door and enterred. After closing the door, he turned to thank the driver ... no one was driving. The car began to move again. As it approached a curve, he reached to turn the steering wheel, but an arm magically came through the window and steered the car around the curve. He thought, maybe an angel had intervened, was protecting him and offering transportation on this cold, miserable night. Being delighted to be in the car, out of the rain, he relaxed and fell asleep.

When Cam awakened, the car was sitting at a gas station, in what appeared to be a one stoplight community. He exited the car, noticed a bar across the street and headed that way. He ordered a double Scotch and was telling the bartender what had happened when two men enterred the bar. The two men approached Cam.

What did the two men say to Cam? ... and what question did they ask?

The Warden gets fired ...

One of the prisoners who chose the right door and was released, reported the sadistic practices of the warden. The warden has received notice that he has been relieved of resposibilities at the prison .... today is his last day. He decides to have one more round of fun:

Prisoner 1:
(three doors are offered ... one hiding a lady and two containing tigers ... only one of the signs is true)
Sign 1: A TIGER IS IN THIS ROOM
Sign 2: A LADY IS IN THIS ROOM
Sign 3: A TIGER IS IN ROOM 2

Prisoner 2:
(3 doors ... the sign on the door containing the lady is true ... at least one of the other two signs are false)
Sign 1: A TIGER IS IN ROOM 2
Sign 2: A TIGER IS IN THIS ROOM
Sign 3: A TIGER IS IN ROOM 1

Prisoner 3:
(one room contains a lady ... another has a tiger ... and the third room is empty. The sign on the door containing the lady is true. The sign on the door of the room with the tiger is false. the sign on the empty room could be true or false. Find the room with the lady.)
Sign 1: ROOM 3 IS EMPTY
Sign 2: THE TIGER IS IN ROOM 1
Sign 3: THIS ROOM IS EMPTY

The warden decided to make his last game a bit more challenging.

Prisoner 4:
(one room has a lady ... the other rooms have a tiger or are empty. The sign on the door with the lady is true ... the signs on the tiger rooms are false ... emtpy room signs can be true or false)
Sign 1: THE LADY IS IN AN ODD-NUMBERED ROOM
Sign 2: THIS ROOM IS EMPTY
Sign 3: EITHER SIGN 5 IS RIGHT OR SIGN 7 IS WRONG
Sign 4: SIGN 1 IS WRONG
Sign 5: EITHER SIGN 2 OR SIGN 4 IS RIGHT
Sign 6: SIGN 3 IS WRONG
Sign 7: THE LADY IS NOT IN ROOM 1
sign 8: THIS ROOM CONTAINS A TIGER AND ROOM 9 IS EMPTY
Sign 9: THIS ROOM CONTAINS A TIGER AND 6 IS WRONG

The prisoner looked at the signs and said, "This problem is unsolvable!"
The warden: "I know!"
The prisoner: "At least tell me if room 8 is empty?
The warden: "ok ... " the warden proceeded to answer the question about room 8.
The prisoner: "Thank you ... now I can make my decision."


This is the last appearance of the evil warden ... but these prisoners still need help choosing doors! Which doors should they choose?

The Warden's Game

As in "The prison doors (2)", The prison doors (2) , the warden has set up several fiendish situations for several prisoners. Here are are the door and sign situations:

Prisoner 1:
(one sign is true, and the other is false)
Sign 1: EITHER A TIGER IS IN THIS ROOM OR A LADY IS IN THE OTHER ROOM
Sign 2: A LADY IS IN THE OTHER ROOM

Prisoner 2:
(If a lady is in room 1, then the sign on the door is true ... if it contains a tiger, then the sign is false. In room 2, a lady in the room means the sign is false, and a tiger means the sign is true. It is still possible that both rooms have a lady, or both rooms have a tiger, or that one room has a lady and the other one a tiger.)
Sign 1: BOTH ROOMS CONTAIN LADIES
Sign 2: BOTH ROOMS CONTAIN TIGERS

Prisoner 3:
(same rules apply as for prisoner 2)
Sign 1: AT LEAST ONE ROOM CONTAINS A LADY
Sign 2: THE OTHER ROOM CONTAINS A LADY

Prisoner 4:
(same rules apply as for prisoner 2)
Sign 1: IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE WHICH ROOM YOU PICK
Sign 2: THERE IS A LADY IN THE OTHER ROOM

Prisoner 5:
(same rules apply as for prisoner 2)
Sign 1: IT DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE WHICH ROOM YOU PICK
Sign 2: YOU ARE BETTER OFF CHOOSING THE OTHER ROOM

Prisoner 6:
(same rules apply as for prisoner 2 ... the signs have not yet been posted on the doors. The prisoner asked how he was suppose to choose a room when the signs aren't mounted. The warden informed him that a solution was possible without knowing which sign should be on which door.)
Sign (not posted): THIS ROOM CONTAINS A TIGER
Sign (not posted): BOTH ROOMS CONTAIN TIGERS


Will you help these prisoners choose the correct doors, and escape this madman warden?

The prison doors (2) ...

So, you guys helped the first prisoner, who was presented by the warden with a door selection delimma, to choose the right door and to secure his freedom. His vacant cell quickly filled with a new occupant.

The warden walked the prisoner down the corridor. There were now different signs on the two doors.

Left sign: AT LEAST ONE OF THESE ROOMS CONTAINS A LADY

Right sign: A TIGER IS IN THE OTHER ROOM

The prisoner: "Warden, are the statements on the signs true?"
The warden: "They are either both true or both false. If you are lucky and pick the room with the lady, I will set you free."


Which door should the prisoner select?

Broken Tomato

How do you fix a broken tomato?

A riddle from our 3 year old!

The prison doors ...

The prisoner sat and listened to the evil scenario the warden was revealing. The warden stood and said, "Follow me."

The warden lead the prisoner down a corridor which had two doors, faily close together.

On the left door was a sign: IN THIS ROOM THERE IS A LADY AND IN THE OTHER ROOM IS A TIGER
On the right door was another sign: IN ONE OF THESE ROOMS THERE IS A LADY, AND IN ONE OF THESE ROOMS THERE IS A TIGER

The prisoner smiled: "Warden, I guess you are about to tell me that one of the signs states the truth and the other is false."

The warden: "This wouldn't be much fun if they were both true, now would it? However, just to show my fair nature ... if you select the correct door, you will earn your freedom. Yet, select the wrong door ... and I will have a vacancy ... and room for another pawn in one of my fun games."

The prisoner: "Is it also possible that there could be a lady behind each door ... or a tiger behind each door?"

The warden: "Ah ... you are too smart to be incarcerated ... those are possibilities. Choose wisely."


Which door should the prisoner choose?

Damn the Dow

Zaux and Cam each have $1000 to invest in a particular stock. They are given inside information that in the coming week, the price will go up by 10% on Monday, then down by 10% on Tuesday, up by 10% on Wednesday, down 10% on Thursday. Friday is a bank holiday and the market is closed.

Zaux buys the stock at the opening bell on Monday and sells at the closing bell on Wednesday. Cam buys at the opening bell on Wednesday and sells at the opening bell on Thursday. Who ends up richer?

The Fencers

Three visitors to Puzzlaria are having beer in the Puzzlaria tavern and each is boasting about how fast and efficiently he can build a fence around a field. Zaux is interested in their anecdotes and challenges them to fence in the largest possible area using a unit length of fence. Visitor A makes a circle with his piece of fence and says that since a circle is the perfect shape, his design is the best. Visitor B fences in a square shaped area and immediately regrets it. Visitor C sets his up in a straight line and waffles on about infinitesimal calculus, trying to prove how it is an infinite fence enclosing an infinite area. (Don't ask me how; I am mathematically challenged!)

Cam happens to drop by and laughing at the three, beats them all with his own ingenious design. Zaux is only too happy to declare him the winner. Can you figure out what Cam did?

Knightmare's Empty Refrigerator

Knightmare got off the couch and went to the refrigerator to replenish his snack tray. OH NO! The beer supply was depleted and there was no dip for chips. He grabbed the car keys and went outside. He had forgotten that Chris had borrowed his vehicle to attend the Tiddly Wink championships in Puzzletown. He decided to walk to the store at the top of the long hill.

He walked up the hill at a rate of one and a half miles per hour. On the trip back home, he walked down the hill at four and a half miles per hour. It took him six hours to make the round trip.


How far was it to the top of the hill?
... and how many of you believe Knightmare walked for six hours? :)

Will they meet?

Two friends arranged to meet at a railway station, but they'd arrive between 1pm and 2pm, would wait for up to 15 minutes and leave if the other didn't turn up during that time. What is the probability that they actually meet?

NB if they meet, it must be between 1pm and 2pm.

Serial Killer

Provided by Cam.

Given the following series: 56__194__442__848__1484__2446__3854__?

What is the number corresponding to the 8th term, the 42nd term and the 200th term ?

The Discus Throw

This year at the Puzzlarian Annual Games event, the discus throw was quite popular. After many rounds of competition, the field was narrowed to 4 people:

Knightmare
Neal
Kapakoi
Jin

Because of inexperienced judges, there were discrepancies in the distance measures. Cam, a game expert was asked to evaluate the results and to determine a winner. He decided the first thing to do would be to interview the 4 participants. Their comments are listed:

(note: no two make the same number of false statements)

Knightmare:
1. Kapakoi did not win the discus throw.
2. I was second.
3. Kapakoi and I trained together.

Neal:
1. Knightmare was the winner.
2. I placed a close second.
3. Kapakoi and I trained together.

Kapakoi:
1. Neal was the winner.
2. I did not train with anyone.
3. Knightmare was second.

Jin:
1. Knightmare was not the winner.
2. Neal was second.
3. Kapakoi and I trained together.


To whom did Cam present the discus throw trophy?

An Unexpected Trick

There was a logic master and his pupil, who were playing a new game called The Dead Giveaway.

The logic master told his pupil the rules, "Here on the table is a special deck with 4 red cards and 3 black ones. Shuffle the cards and draw them 1 by 1. If you draw a red card, I'll give you half of your money, but if you draw a black one, you'll give me half of your money."

The pupil sees there is 1 more red card than black, so he agrees to the rules and plays the game. After all 7 cards were drawn, the pupil realized he ended up with lesser money than before! Shocked, he told his master about this, but he replied with a smile.

Why did the pupil lose some of his money? And if he started with $100, how much was he left with?

The Number Problems

Hey guys, I'm new here and I sure got nice ToMs for you!

1. The following numbers are arranged in a special order:

8 5 4 9 1 7 6 3 2 0

Can you figure out how are they arranged?

2. A man wanted to stay in a room in a 5-star hotel for 5 years. The manager said his room costs $1000 per year and the fee raises $40 per year. The man replies, "I cant afford that, its too expensive!" So the manager thus offers his room for $500 per six months and the fee raises $10 per six months. The man thanks the manager for his kindness by making the fee lower. However, he failed to see the sly smile that passed over the managers face.

So had the manager really offered the man a better deal? Why?

Mystery Ship

Written by a famous man who captained a famous ship:

A mighty ship I now command,
With cargo rare from every land.
No goods have I to trade or sell;
Each wind will serve my turn as well;
To neither port nor harbor bound,
My greatest wish to run aground.


The author ... please? ... and his ship?

Half Done

Eketahuna had a job to do.He was to paint a square floor that measured 144 feet on each side.When he saw the room,he knew that he didn't have enough paint for the job but he did what he could.At the end of the day,half the area of the floor was painted but when he measured the unpainted part,it was still 144 feet from top to bottom and 144 feet from side to side.

How is this possible?

The Thinker Damaged

At the entrance of Puzzlaria, stands a large replica of the statue "The Thinker". During a Saturday night of revelry, ruffians from Puzzletown damaged the statue. Knightmare, the knightmayor, decided to hire a craftsman to make repairs. After posting a notice on the Puzzlarian Tavern bulletin board, he received responses from four individuals who each claimed to be capable of making the repairs.

As time approached for the interviews, Knightmare's assistant informed him that he knew all of the people waiting to be questioned. He told Mayor Knightmare that these guys lie half the time.

(in this case, each makes the same number of true and false statements)

Interview comments:

DualA:
1. I do not have all the necessary tools.
2. Karl is the most qualified.
3. Curtis is experienced in this type of work.

Ross:
1. DualA is the most qualified.
2. Karl has never worked with ivory.
3. DualA's first statement is false.

Curtis:
1. I am experienced in this type of work.
2. Ross is the most qualified.
3. DualA does not have all the necessary tools.

Karl:
1. Curtis is the most qualified.
2. DualA does not have all the necessary tools.
3. I have never worked with ivory.

Which craftsman should the knightmayor select?

Cat and Dog Race

Ross and Curtis are sitting in the Puzzlarian Tavern discussing their pets. Ross says that his dog is very fast. Curtis, not to be bested, claims that his cat could outrun the dog. They decide to have a race to resolve the issue.

Race particulars:
Distance - 100 ft. to a marked point and return.
Related info:
The dog covers 3 ft with each leap, and the cat only 2 ft.
The cat makes three leaps for every two the dog makes.


Will the dog or cat win the race?