How to Make Decisions
Issue 62

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.

Balloons

Dear HTMD,
Why do balloons that float when you get them not float the next day?

Well first off, the question is: Why do balloons float?

The short answer to that question is that a balloon filled with helium (He) displaces an volume of air which has a greater mass than it’s own, i.e. buoyancy.

Helium is the second smallest element, and the material of balloons isn’t a perfect barrier. The Helium leaks out, the balloon shrinks due to the elasticity of the material. The balloon grows more dense, and thus less buoyant. The balloon that floated yesterday was bigger than the balloon that sinks today.

Mylar creates a better barrier than standard cheapie balloon rubber. You’ll notice that those ones float a lot longer.

How to make a James Bond Martini
Source: The New New York Bartender’s Guide by Sally Ann Berk

In the movies, Bond orders a “Vodka martini, shaken not stirred.” The drink referred to as a James Bond martini is actually a gin/vodka hybrid.

1. Combine 3 oz. gin with 1 oz. vodka and 0.5 oz. Lillet blanc over cracked ice in a cocktail shaker.

2. Shake well.

3. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

4. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Word of the Week

misodoctakleidist – a person who hates practicing the piano
(Source- There’s a Word for it by Charles Harrington Elster)

This Week’s Puzzle (Difficulty: Small Change)

On the Earth’s equator, if you drop a nickel (mass 5 grams) from a height of one meter, will it fall more quickly through water at 50 degrees Fahrenheit or water at 20 degrees Fahrenheit?

Last 5 posts by ML Kennedy

• How to Make Decisions (72) - June 19th, 2007
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