How to Make Decisions
Issue 48

We welcome your letters, questions and desperate pleas for help in this uncaring world. As always, e-mail WBXylo at Gmail.com. Don’t fret about e-mailing me with puzzle problems; I won’t yell at you.

Christmas Drinking!

If it is December, and you are getting a Beef on Weck, you should drink a Tom and Jerry
(unless you are a teetotaler like me).

Tom and Jerry

4 parts light rum
2 parts brandy
12 parts hot milk
1 egg, separated
nutmeg
Sugar

Beat the separate parts of the separated egg, separately. (Naturally.) Then, mix the two in a coffee mug. Add sugar, and stir.

Pour in the alcohol and milk, stir gently, and garnish with nutmeg.

(Drink raw egg at your own risk.)

For those who desire a stronger drink:
Cool Yule Martini

6 parts Vodka
1 part dry vermouth
1 tsp. peppermint schnapps
mini candy cane.

Shake the first three ingredients together with cracked ice. Strain and pour into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with the little candy cane.

(Martinis are perfect drinks for throwing in people’s faces!)

Quote of the Week

When you’re in the muck you can only see muck. If you somehow manage to float above it, you still see the muck but you see it from a different perspective. And you see other things too. That’s the consolation of philosophy.
-David Cronenberg

This Week’s Puzzle (difficulty: oh shit!)
(from Mindtrap)

Dan Manly was revisiting his home town when an old friend called, “Hey Dan, how have you been? It must be 15 years since we last saw each other.”
“At least that,” replied Dan. “I’ve been keeping well, but tell me about yourself.”

Dan’s friend answered, “I’m married now but to someone that you wouldn’t know. By the way, this is my daughter.” Dan looked down at the little girl and asked her name.

“It’s the same as my mother’s,” the little girl replied.

“Then I bet your name is Susan,” said Dan.

How could he know?

Last Week’s Puzzle (difficulty: Hardish)

What is next in this sequence?

1, 2, 6, 12, 60, 60, 420, 840, ?

(The two 60s are not a mistake.)

ANSWER:

IP’s Greg Wind came up with the answer most quickly, 2520. His method? Cheating.

For those who didn’t cheat, the key thing here is Factors. the first number has 1 as a factor. The second has 1,2 as factors. The third has 1,2,3 as factors. And so on.

Last 5 posts by ML Kennedy

• How to Make Decisions (72) - June 19th, 2007
• How to Make Decisions (71) - June 12th, 2007
• How To Make Decisions (70) - June 5th, 2007
• How to Make Decisions (69) - May 29th, 2007
• How to Make Decisions (68) - May 21st, 2007