Feb 2011 puzzles **16KB PIC**

[rkawakami]

Yes it is but I'd still classify it as an animal, as opposed to mineral or vegetable .

[killer]

Fair enough ... and a good try, but still way off target.

[killer]

When I posted a puzzle about Trafalgar and Waterloo there were a few boos and hisses about being too European. Now I've posted one about Pennsylvania it has all gone very quiet.

RBS's signature that led me to compile the puzzle. It is a straightforward puzzle, but, AFAIK, the answer isn't on Google which makes it more fun.

An animal from Pennsylvania with 5 letters?

If it's any help the middle letter is 'n'.

Come on, big brains, stop playing war games and use your grey matter instead. You could be the next boffins to solve a future Enigma code.

[rkawakami]

Well, I'm .

[automobus]

I do not understand how the cryptic puzzles work. Can the answer always be made out of the letters from the puzzle? The answer is not donkey, but for a short moment I thought I won.

[Harryc]

Snail
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_a_snail_an_animal

[poshgeordie]

I've no idea why these would be the answer but are all animal related with 5 letters and an "n" in the middle:

genet
panda
randy

And since you got the idea from RBS's sig, I'm going for panda

I've wasted half an hour on this instead of getting up for work!

[killer]

One of those answers is correct, poshgeordie. Which one are you going for?

[poshgeordie]

It's got to be......


panda

But other than the RBS clue, I've no idea why and even less with the other two!!

[killer]

Correct! Pennsylvania is abbreviated to PA. P and A = Panda.

[poshgeordie]

Mmm no comment!!

Very clever

[NorrisCell]

McMinnville, Oregon. My father in law works for the company across the street that owns the museum. Went there to visit in August. The Spruce Goose is the centerpiece (Look it up, it's worth it) but there are tons of things worth seeing there. Awesome museum. Below is the link to a pic I took of the inside of the place while I was there. Spruce Goose is the gigantic silver one.

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g226/ ... 111309.jpg

There's a real Blackbird on display at that airplane museum up in Oregon. McMenville, or sumpin' like that. Saw it(and some other really neat stuff) a couple of summers ago. Pretty impressive in the flesh.

[killer]

Blimey, that Spruce Goose is huge! I love the tiny Sopwith Camel parked next to it.

[poshgeordie]

Any more quizzes?

Those planes are amazing. Would love to go to a museum like that.

[killer]

Quiz time is overdue. I've been a bit tied up with a load of Parish Council stuff lately.

[Harryc]

You are alone at home and can't ask anyone for help. There are three switches downstairs where you are standing. Each corresponds to one of the three light bulbs in the attic. You can't see the attic from where the switches are located. You can turn the switches on and off and leave them in any position. How would you identify which switch corresponds to which light bulb, if you are only allowed one trip upstairs?

Furthermore, based on answers to questions posed in this thread;
Each switch is connected to and controls (turns on and off) one of the bulbs in the attic. The house and all outlets/switches have power. The bulbs are working and light up.

[poshgeordie]

I've been a bit tied up with a load of Parish Council stuff lately.

Are you a member of the Bondage party?

Good on yer mate - I can imagine it's a thankless but very valuable task for the community. I'll listen to David in the Archers even more closely now that I "know" someone who actually does the job!!! (Now our USA friends will be wondering what the heck I'm on about...)

[poshgeordie]

The switches are not actually connected to the light bulbs.

First of all you get a dyno labeler and label the switches 1 - 2 - 3 respectively

You then go upstairs and label the three bulbs 1 - 2 - 3 in any order you want.

Job done, since it doesn't actually say that any of the switches have to turn any bulbs on or off but just be "identified" with a bulb.

[automobus]

Further, we do not know if the house is even getting power. And do we know that there are working bulbs in the fixtures?

[Harryc]

Each switch is connected to and controls (turns on and off) one of the bulbs in the attic. The house and all outlets/switches have power. The bulbs are working and light up.

[poshgeordie]

OK, this will work:

You turn one switch on and go upstairs. One light will be on which corresponds to that switch.

you then remove one of the off bulbs and put a piece of metal across the bulb holder contacts.

You go downstairs and switch the remaining switches on. The one which blows the fuses is the one with the short circuit across the contacts.

Thus you've identified the three switches and their bulbs.

[Harryc]

LOL... there's an easier way without short circuiting the house or starting fires .

[poshgeordie]

Another answer knowing it's not right...

Put one switch on, knowing it will turn one bulb on.

attach a piece of string onto one of the other switches and go to the attic taking the string with you.

When you're upstairs pull the string which will turn the switch on. You'll see the second bulb come on and so you know which switch connect to which bulb.

Last answer having now got rid of the silly answers for everyone else

[Harryc]

Good one , but not the answer I was looking for.

[automobus]

I was thinking the same thing, actually. But that strategy calls for a string that can reach the attic, and a complicated pulley system. One might have more luck finding something that will change state or position after a while, like maybe ice or an animal. Be creative: suspend a weight on one end of stright, the switch tied at the other end. In between, ice or an animal keeps slack between itself and the switch. Head up stairs with one switch in the odd position and wait for one of the other two lights to toggle. That should relate all three lights with their switches.

Another way: start again with one switch odd, head up, and note it. Use whatever tools necessary to attach a powerline network device to one of the other two circuits. Head down, use tools again to add a socket to the circuit, and use a second powerline network node. That should relate all three lights with their switches.

[Harryc]

Wow, some nice creativity here...but the answer is much simpler.

[AMATX]

http://users.ameritech.net/iamperfect/r ... htm#Answer

Interesting puzzle...I like that the answer is out-of-the-box thinking...way too easy to get hung up on visuals here, and ignore 'other' distinctions between bulbs turned off or on.

[Harryc]

Ah, you cheated...I should have said no Google allowed . You are correct, the answer -

[AMATX]

Yup; plagiarism is alive and well in the new millenium

Kinda had me stumped, tho; good puzzle...not bad for a moderator

Keep 'em coming...

And, OF COURSE, this crowd would know the puzzle and answer about the guy found hanging from a noose around his neck in his prison cell, with his hands tied behind his back, righto? He was far enough off the ground that he couldn't just bend his knees and fall over, or do some kinda jump, etc. Didn't jump off of the bed or anything like that.

Only clue is a puddle underneath him, and it there ain't no bodily fluids in that puddle...

An oldie, but a goody...

[automobus]

The heat, right! The puzzle seemed so familiar, I knew I saw it before. This time, I will not forget the solution. As for the hanging person, I have no ideas.