Monday, June 30, 2008

Catch That Bus!

The local bus leaves Ashwood at 9:21 am and arrives in Baytree at 12:06 pm on the same day. The express bus leaves Ashwood at 10:00 am, traveling the same route, and arrives in Baytree at 11:40 am. At what time does the express bus pass the local bus if each is traveling at a constant speed?

Thursday, June 26, 2008

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 22): Who are these TV personalities?

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 22): Who are these TV personalities?
Q: Think of a famous TV personality whose last name has six letters. Drop the last letter, reverse the order of the remaining five letters, and you will get the name of another famous TV personality. Who are they?
I was all set with my answer of Johnny Carson and Oscar the Grouch until I reviewed my answer and discovered I didn't answer the question correctly. By the way, both names are last names.

Edit: Clues "reviewed" and "didn't answer the question correctly"
A: Who are Alex TREBEK and Roger EBERT?
(Correctly phrased in the form of a question...)

Thursday, June 19, 2008

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 15): English Tea Anagram

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 15): English Tea Anagram:
Q: Rearrange the letters of ENGLISH TEA to name a famous person with a prominent mustache — first and last. Who is it?
I had a couple thoughts when approaching this puzzle. I first thought that the person must have some relevance to today, being it is Father's Day. My second thought was that the person might have been in the news recently; Will Shortz often does that (for example Harrison Ford was the subject of a puzzle around the time Indiana Jones IV was being released). Well, I don't think either of these things apply... or do they?
My hints: The person is a man. And there is only one L and one T available in the letters, so don't misspell his name.

Edit: The main clue was "Today"... and there were lots of good clues in the comments about being "critical", mentions of "onions", etc.
A: GENE SHALIT

Thursday, June 12, 2008

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 8): 5-Digit Sequence

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 8): 5-Digit Sequence:
Q: A calculator displays a five-digit number. The first four digits are 8735. These digits form a logical sequence. What is the fifth number in the series?
I was led down the wrong path initially because I didn't read the puzzle carefully. There's an important clue in the question which you'll see if you are bright.


Edit: The key to the puzzle was to realize that these digits were on a calculator. I mentioned that in my clue along with the additional hints of "LED", "see" and "bright". I mentioned the word "segment" in one of my comments too.
A: The next digit is also 5. Each digit is the number of LED/LCD segments that are lit in the prior digit.

Saturday, June 07, 2008

Guess this Social Security Number

A certain Social Security Number has the following qualities:
  • It uses each of the digits 1 to 9 exactly once (with no zero).
  • The digits from 1 to 2 (inclusive) add up to 12.
  • The digits from 2 to 3 (inclusive) add up to 23.
  • The digits from 3 to 4 (inclusive) add up to 34.
  • The digits from 4 to 5 (inclusive) add up to 45.
  • The digit 3 is NOT next to a dash (XXX-XX-XXXX).
What is this unique Social Security Number?

Friday, June 06, 2008

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 1): Movie Star Synonyms

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Jun 1): Movie Start Synonyms:
Q: Name a famous male movie star. Change the first letter of his first name to a G and change the last letter of his last name to a T. The result will be two words that are synonyms. Who is the movie star and what are the words?
The first time I tried to figure this out I was little lost, but at last, after 3 or 4 attempts, the answer was completely clear.

Edit: It was crystal clear...
A: HARRISON FORD --> GARRISON, FORT
Click the link for Harrison Ford's first uncredited movie role (yes, that's the extent of it) as the bellhop.

Sunday, June 01, 2008

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 25): I.O.U. a clue

NPR Sunday Puzzle (May 25): I.O.U. a clue:
Q: The phrases 'part time' and 'time share' are familiar phrases with 'time' in them, and the adjoining words, 'part' and 'share,' are synonyms. Find two phrases that work similarly with the word 'child.' What are they?
Even with an extra day over the long weekend and I wasn't able to figure this one out yet. I have a couple answers where the words don't seem like strong synonyms, so I don't think either is the answer. One has 4 letter words for both parts. The other has words that start with the same letter. This week I'm hoping the commenters will come up with good clues in my place.
A: The accepted answers are up on the NPR website. Personally I have issues with all of them so I won't transcribe them here.