Can You Solve This?

**Updated 1.30.08 - see link to solution below!

Supposedly, this is an IQ Test given in Japan for employment in the IT industry. I don't know how valid that is, but this is interesting anyway. Apparently, the average person takes 15 minutes to figure it out. Yeah...good luck with that!

Before you try it, you will need to know the following info. The objective is to get all the people across the river.

I suggest you open the link in a new tab or window so you can refer back to these rules:

• Only 2 people on the raft at a time
• The father cannot stay with any of his daughters without their mother's presence
• The mother cannot stay with any of her sons without their father's presence
• The thief (striped shirt) cannot stay with any family member if the Policeman is not there
• Only the Father, the Mother, and the Policeman may operate the raft
• To move the people click on them. To move the raft, click on the red pole on the opposite side of the river.

Okay, go here for the test. (This IS work safe!) Click the blue circle to begin!

Leave me a comment if you would like the solution sent to you.....otherwise, I'll post it in a few days!! (And I promise you that there is a solution, because I've done it!)

*So as not to spoil this for anyone who hasn't done it yet...I've put the answer in a separate link. Click for the solution!

Newness

New year. (Hope you all have a great '08)

New month. (It's January!)

New stories. (Eventually!)

New pictures. (In a bit.)

New problems. (See below.)


Okay, first let's get the problem out of the way. It's not a major problem, though...just more of an inconvenience. As some of you know, I hurt my wrist last week on Thursday when I tripped going down my basement steps. Stupid slippery slippers. Anyway, I am always trying to be so careful because of my back (herniated disc, remember?). So when I started to lose my balance, I tried to sit back on a step, but realized there was way too much momentum going, and "sitting" was not going to happen.....therefore, I tried to brace myself by leaning my left hand down against the step so my back wouldn't hit...and then, just owww.

Unfortunately I came down on the outside edge of my left hand, so there's a bruise there. From the picture, it would be the Carpals/Ulna area of my left hand & wrist. It was very swollen at first but that went down a good amount after icing it. I've also had some numbness, swelling and tingling through my fingers. I went to see my doctor on Friday morning and he ordered an x-ray...he briefly looked at it and said he didn't see a break, and that it was more than likely a bad sprain. But, then I got a call today that they want me to come in for some more x-rays because, after looking at it more thoroughly, they can't say there's definitively not a break or crack there. The strange thing is that I am really not having any serious pain...so hopefully having more x-rays is just a precaution and will not mean something worse.

Thank you to Patrick, my personal Physician Assistant, for wrapping it up so nicely for me to drive home from his house the other night :o)


Onto the new pictures...

Pictures and Video from Wii Night @ Patrick & Kendra's:




The Video!

Watch Out For Those Flying Crayons!

Am I the only one who finds this funny? Click the link below to read the article!

Educational Puppet Pelted With Crayons

EVERETT, WA-In an attack denounced by teachers as "uncalled-for," Donny Dungarees was struck down with a barrage of crayons.

Unique Christmas Gifts

Want to give someone a gift that you can guarantee he or she doesn't already have? Because I'm cool like that, I've put together a little list for you. While these will make spectacular Christmas gifts, they will also bring cheer to your family and friends year-round!

My Top 10 Unique Gift Ideas:

Music and Games:


1-The iCarta - Stereo Dock for iPod Bath Tissue Holder

2-Soduku Toilet Roll

Apparel:

3-Wearable Instrument Shirt (WIS) - (make sure to check out the video)

4-Pacman Tie

5-Old School Video Game Scarves

Relaxation and Stress-Relief:

6-Pebble Pillows

7- Stretchy Brain Stress Reliever

Miscellaneous Fun:

8-Shut Up Tape

9-Mounted Jackalope

10-Holy Toast Stamper
(Hey you might even be able to sell your toast on eBay!)

**Disclaimer: No liability is held by me if your friends or family do not like your unique gifts or you somehow find out they've been re-gifted.

Child Goes Ballistic Over...N64??

So I used to think the commercial using this video was funny...

But, here's the thing...having seen the actual full-length video clip, I now can't stand it. Wow.

However, I must say I find the slo-mo exorcist voice quite hilarious.

Frogs Are Fun

You must try this...but please, don't send me any hate mail if you can't figure it out!


www.kyrene.org/schools/brisas/sunda/2nd_grade_computer_test.xls


(P.S. It's completely work-safe too)

Flash Scare Compilation

Have you ever been sent a supposed flash game that asked you to concentrate really hard to achieve something? Most of the time these games end up with something scary popping up and screaming in your face when you least expect it. Now imagine what you might look like if someone took video of your reaction when you saw it. Check out these poor people...it is hard not to laugh even though most of us probably empathize with them. My personal favorite is the guy towards the end of the video labeled as "Absolute Amateur."

http://www.bofunk.com/video/3110/flash_scare_compilation.html

Give It a Little Tappy...Tap, Tap, Taparoo

Ever have a melody stuck in your head and can't figure out what song it is? Well, you must try The Song Tapper. Basically, it's as easy as tapping the rhythm of the song on your keyboard's spacebar. The site suggests humming out loud so you make sure to tap each syllable you hear. I tried tapping a couple different songs and had my results in less than a minute...each time, my song did show up on the list, if not as the first match. If you are not good at tapping well then, sorry...you might be SOL.

They also give you the option of listening to a midi of your tapped song afterwards. However, at first you may not even recognize the song you tapped! That's because it comes out sounding very monotone; it is only recording the taps themselves. However, if you pay attention to just the rhythm, you can hear it.

One of my tries was "Happy Birthday" (I wanted to pick something with a fairly simple rhythm). If you wish, you can listen to my tapping here. If it doesn't open for you, you might have to right-click and Save As, before opening in an external application.

What Have I Gotten Myself Into?

So if you've been reading my blog lately, you'd remember I added the Stickam feature. I've already talked to quite a few of you, my friends, while live on my webcam. I knew it would only be a matter of time before someone played a joke on me. And, tonight, it finally happened.

See, someone logged on to chat with the initials "E.V." which, at first, was a huge tipoff that it was probably a person I knew...it had to be someone who knew I'd pick up E.V. = Eddie Vedder. So, okay, I decided to play along and try to quiz the person to see if I could pick up any clues. With the amount of Pearl Jam knowledge this person had, I had it narrowed down to Patrick, Tim, & Keith. One of the things "E.V." said was that it was "such a cold and windy night"...which is what it's been like here tonight...so at that point I figured it had to be someone I knew...because, as I told Mr. E.V., "winter may not be the same where I live, so how do you really know?" ...but "E.V." kept up the charade anyway.

At one point, "E.V." told me his name was actually Carl from Nyack, NY. Then, I genuinely started to feel bad because I was accusing him of being someone I knew, even though he said he wasn't. So, I let it go for awhile and just chatted in a friendly manner, mostly about Pearl Jam (still very skeptical, mind you). I even went so far to explain my skepticism to E.V., er, Carl, because I told him I had to be wary of friends who would play a joke on me. Carl then told me he had to go because he had to get up early for a flight to Denver in the morning. A few minutes later, I got a call on my cell from none other than PATRICK..."Carl" had finally revealed himself. Darn you, Patrick...I will get you back...someday.

Don't Say I Didn't Warn You

I'm not really sure where my head is lately...but I've been a little, let's say, off. By this, I mean, just really goofy. The video you see posted below is directed at Alicia, but is for anyone who wants to see me making a fool of myself. However, I care so little, that I'm willing to risk that.

**EDIT: VIDEO REMOVED

Disclaimer: If you choose to watch the video, you may not ask for these 2 minutes of your life back.

Escapa Revisited

A few days ago I posted about the game Escapa that I was addicted to. I was "challenged" by my friend Chris, so I got to practicing a few more times. Anyone who knows me knows that I don't take challenges lying down. I played again for about 10 minutes the other night and have now beat my old record (23.284 seconds) as well as Chris' record (24.734).

In trying to beat Chris' record, I had gotten 24.565, then 26.298...

So, Chris, this is for you...my new GINORMOUS record, for you to attempt to beat:

37.454 seconds

hehe...BRING IT ON!!!

Mindless Entertainment

Everyone needs it once in awhile. Check out the Escapa game, aka The Red Square Game. Don't ask me why I like it, but it was sent to me in an email, and now I'm addicted. My current score is 23.284 seconds after playing for about 10 minutes.

So, do you think you can beat my score?? Let me know what you get.

Holiday Pictures

These are just a few of my recent pictures from Christmas and New Year's Eve. You can see all of my crazy holiday pictures in my Online Photo Albums. I never realized how many times my camera was hijacked...