How to Make Decisions
Issue 65

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.

How to Fake Psychokinetic Powers

This is a minimalist magic trick which can be surprisingly effective. It was good enough to fool That’s Incredible about 30 years ago when performed by a man with “psychic powers” and a bad haircut.

This trick requires no special magic training, and no expensive props.

Step 1: Talk up your telekinesis. Use your imagination. Maybe you learned the technique from your Yoga instructor. Maybe these are powers you don’t quite understand. Make it your own.

Step 2: Place a pencil on table, desk or flat surface. Set it near the edge and perpendicular to it. Rest the pencil such that half of the pencil is over the edge of the table and the other half is over the table. If you balance it just right, the pencil will have a minimal contact with the surface just at the table’s edge.

Step 3: Put on a show. Rub your temples. Do big hand movements. Walk away for a moment and come back. Study the pencil. Make it your own. During this time the pencil might just move, as it is teetering fairly precariously. If it does, take credit.

Step 4: If the pencil has yet to move (i.e. the room is poorly ventilated/ without air conditioning/ etc.) here is where the only bit of skill is needed. Make a distracting motion with your hands in order to “move” the pencil. While doing this thing, gently blow on one end of the pencil. It won’t take much to move the pencil, so the softer the better. Also, make sure not to move your face in such a manner that it looks like you are blowing.

There, you too can be the next Uri Geller!

How to Convert Centigrade to Fahrenheit

People forget the algorithm for temperature conversion, but if we examine whence comes this thing, we can more easily remember it.

First lets compare degree size. There is a 100 degree difference between the melting and boiling points of water in Centigrade. In Fahrenheit, there is a 180 degree difference (Boiling point-melting point = 212-32). This leaves us with a C to F ratio of 100:180, which simplifies to be 5:9. This tells us that a 9 degree change in Fahrenheit is equivalent to a 5 degree change in Centigrade.

Now, let’s also note that there is a 32 degree offset as 0 degrees C = 32 degrees F.

So to change from Centigrade (Celsius) to Fahrenheit we need to multiply by (9F/5C) and add 32F.

Lets look at 20 degrees Celsius. Is that hot or cold? Most Americans probably don’t know (unless they remember it as the uiquitous Room Temperature of high school science). Using the algorithm, we can divide that 20 by 5 (getting 4) multiply that by 9 (getting 36) and add 32, leaving us with the answer 68 degrees Fahrenheit.

Word of the Week

hoxter – the inside pocket of a coat or a suit.
(Source- There’s a Word for it by Charles Harrington Elster)

This Week’s Puzzle (Difficulty: Hard as hail)

Crack the code.

3 = TJ
6 = JQA
18 = USG
26 = TR
28 = WW
30 = CC
31 = HH

32 = ???

Last Week’s Puzzle (Difficulty: Blinded by Science?)

A physicist has challenged a track star to a wager. The physicist draws a line on the sidewalk in front of them. He says, “This will be our starting line, and our finish line.” The physicist points to a tree. “Each of us is going to run to that tree, touch it, and run back. I bet you 100 dollars that I can match your average velocity.”

Is this a good bet for the track star?

Pulse Wrestling All star Eric S. likes to talk about vectors:

Of course it’s a great bet for the physicist. Taken on a strictly
vector basis, the distance traveled is zero. Thus, the average velocity
(distance/time) will also be zero. Now that’s the kind of race I like
to run.

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