GameBanshee Forums

RAY: Our erstwhile Producer, Dougie Berman, was diagnosed recently with a rare disease -- chronic laziness. If not treated, it could be fatal.

The doctor, prescribed two different kinds of pills, and said, "They have to be taken simultaneously, at bedtime, every night. Take one from one bottle, and one from the other. It's the interaction of the two pills that is the key."

Dougie's got 10 pills in each bottle. But, if he makes the mistake of taking two of the same pill, he's done for.

TOM: What if he only takes one pill?

RAY: Done for, again.

He decides to convalesce at his remote mountain cabin, and he begins the six-hour drive to get there. But his car breaks down, and he has to walk the last 20 miles clutching these two bottles of pills -- the only thing between him and the Grim Reaper.

He arrives after dark. He's so weak that delirium has begun to set in.

TOM: How would he know?

RAY: Good question.

As he makes his way to the kitchen sink, he stumbles and falls and, you guessed it, he spills all the pills. When he wakes up, he finds that one of the containers has two pills in it, the other container is empty, and there are 18 pills scattered all over the floor.

He begins to gather up the pills. As he's looking at them he discovers to his horror that they all look alike. They're the same color, shape and size. There's no way to tell them apart.

He's getting weaker by the minute. But, he remembers that he has his very own, very accurate, "analytic" scale—the kind that a pharmacist would use.

But, by the time he weighs the 11th pill, his worst fear is confirmed. Not only do they all look and feel and smell alike but they all weigh the same.

There's absolutely no way to distinguish one pill from another.

Is there a way for him to take the recommended dosage and save his life, or should we let the Grim Reaper in and start looking for a new producer?

RAY: John and Mary are married. They agree to go out to dinner with four other married couples. So, there are five couples, or ten people, altogether.

They arrive at the restaurant, and, because there are some people who don't know other people, there are some handshakes that take place, and introductions. Anyone who doesn't know somebody will shake hands with that person. People will not shake hands with anyone they already know, and, of course, you don't shake hands with your own spouse.

TOM: Unless you're meeting her for the first time.

RAY: Right. At the end of the dinner, John asks all the people there, including his own wife, how many hands each of them shook.

He gets the following answers: 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7, and 8.

There are 9 other people there, and they give him 9 different answers.

Here's the question: How many hands did John's wife Mary shake?

Now it may seem that you don't have anywhere near enough information to solve this problem. But you do.

A prisoner is told "If you tell a lie we will hang you; if you tell the truth we will shoot you." What can he say to save himself?

The more you have of it, the less you see. What is it?