How to Make Decisions
Issue 71

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 kill a Unicorn

Legend says that the lion is the only creature capable of defeating a unicorn. Bollocks! You too can us the lion’s method to best a unicorn in combat.

Step 1: Stand in front of a large tree.

Step 2: Taunt the unicorn mercilessly, provoking an attack.

Step 3: Allow the unicorn to charge.

Step 4: Sidestep the unicorn’s charge. This will cause the unicorn’s horn to become lodged into the trunk of the tree, rendering it helpless to your counter attack.

Being a magic-based (and fictional) creature, it is unknown how effective the use of firearms would be against a unicorn. Be that as it may, I would not recommend the use of a handgun against the beasts, favoring a rifle or a shotgun loaded with rifled slugs.

How to Stop a Modular Robot
Source: Daniel H. Wilson’s How to Survive a Robot Uprising
(Buy the book.)

Modular robots may be the most dangerous type of robot. These complex machines are actually made up of many smaller machines, called modules, much like humans (and other living things) are made out of cells. They can assume various shapes, self repair, and can be all sorts of trouble if you are trying to keep Eddie Furlong alive. Never engage a modular robot unless absolutely necessary.

The best way to defend yourself against these evil-natured robots is to attack them when they are vulnerable, i.e. during a transition phase. Daniel H. Wilson offers several useful techniques in his magnificent book, the best of which may be pouring a thick opaque liquid over the robot to disrupt communication between modules.

Word of the Week

uzzard – a third-generation bastard
(Source- There’s a Word for it by Charles Harrington Elster)

This Week’s Puzzle (Difficulty: Probably Hard)

What do the following words have in common?

colonial
modern
vernacular
T-type

Last Week’s Puzzle (Difficulty: Bought for a song)

What letter replaces the question mark in the following sequence?

T T L S
H I W W Y A
U A T W S H
L A D I T ?

Robert Ortega was our winner, offering:
T(winkle) T(winkle) L(ittle) S(tar)

? = S(ky)

Last 5 posts by ML Kennedy

• How to Make Decisions (72) - June 19th, 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
• How to Make Decisions (67) - May 15th, 2007