cornerstone

You don't need me to tell you that you got that right! Quick fire answers, asthmatic question delivery! WINNER! Right this is back in 'annoying' territory, in the sense that there are lots of plausible answers, but one good one on the card. Use your imagination and humour.... Sam whistled a tune as he turned his taxi off the motorway and headed into the heart of the city. In the distance he could see a man flagging him down. Bill climbed into the taxi clutching a bouquet of flowers and a bottle of wine. "And where are we going my good man?" Inquired Sam. "I'll be having the time of my life at 312 Ocean Drive," replied a cheery Bill. Sam said nothing as he drove off in the direction of 312 Ocean Drive. "I'll tell you what," began Bill, "I won't be too long so you can swing by in a couple of hours and pick me up." At that point Sam stopped his taxi, pulled out a gun and shot Bill between the eyes. Dead. Since Sam and Bill had never met or even knew each other's names, what could be Sam's motive for killing him?

He shoots....he scores! Yes, the answer is two minutes. WINNER @JTB! Aye, Ken - you only seem to come back for the algebra ones! Right...here's the 'fast money round' It'll probably take me longer to type than to get. But it's topical (Australian / NZ VC medal sold yesterday)... Captain Frank and some of the boys were exchanging old war stories. Arthur Bragg offered one about how his grandfather led a battalion against a German division during World War I. Through brillian manoeuvres he defeated them and captured valuable territory. After the battle he was presented with a sword bearing the inscription: "To Captain Bragg for Bravery, Daring and Leadership. World War One. From the Men of Battalion 8." Captain Frank looked at Arthur and said, "you don't really expect anyone to believe that bullshit do you?" What's wrong with the story?

....in Oz!! Droughts aside, of course...

Jeez - quality bump! I hadn't noticed. Yes - that was exactly right Pugwash! Because x-x = 0 the answer will always be zero! (Belated) WINNER! Here we go - this shouldn't take too long to settle one way or the other.... There is a train one km long, travelling at a rate of one km per minute through a tunnel which is one km long. How long will it take the train to pass completely through the tunnel?

It's a nice blue. Great project!

And you've got a new Narikaa watch coming to prove it! Don't feel you have to sit anything out - everyone is welcome to take a punt at any time, and if they don't want to, well, tough nuts to them! I'm happy to keep knocking these out until everyone is thoroughly bored. Of course you're right - the EMS prices are horrendous. Fedex just quoted US$202 for 1kg from Iceland to Argentina. And, of course, easy-peasy penguins live in the Antarctic not the Arctic. ( OT: I have had a little Chinese EMS arrival today! ) This is a bit different: What is the product of the following series? (And why?) (x-a) x (x- b ) x (x-c) x (x-d)......(x-z)

Goal Texas! Great work....again! WINNER! It's three. Right, trying to mix them up here. Here's a nice lazy afternoon one - no maths, just eggs: Even if they are starving, natives living in the Arctic will never eat a penguin's egg. Why not?

I could eat that much cake - love cake! But only have a mandarin on my desk.... Anyway the card says..... "It's good, but it's not right...!"

Yes he did!! Congrats irongambit! WINNER! Here we go: If a man and a half can eat a cake and half in a minute and a half, allowing the same situation, how many men would it take to eat sixty cakes in thirty minutes?

I see what you mean....verrrrry interesting looking watch!

Just as well you're past the cupie doll prizes now, Ken, because I'm running low on stock! Of course, you're right again! Hmm...here we go.... What was once round but looks like it just melted? or failing that, here's a proper question... How can you physically stand behind your father while he is standing behind you?

Not just correct - almost word for word correct! WINNER! (Do you need to see the doll again, Ken or is one enough? ) This is a more straightforward, less controversial type question. A cup of tea and a biscuit kind of question.... There is a cage at Dubbo Zoo that contains both peacocks and wild pigs. If there is a total of 30 eyes and 44 feet, how many of each are in the cage?

Can't you catch them on the next lap?

Some top thinking here - I think these might well be right. However....the card says..... "It's good, but it's not right...!"

Wow! Fast! You're quite right, the plant must have been moved in the week that Bob said nobody had been in the room. WINNER! Well there go six hours of Rolex rep jokes! Right, here we go. This is more of a logic question that a 'what's the latest law' question A child is born in Boston, Massachusetts to parents who were both born in Boston, Massachusetts. The child is not an American citizen. How could this be possible?

It sounds plausible.....IT IS PLAUSIBLE! WINNER! Strictly speaking the answer on the card is: "a hole" (groan!) But obviously to put the tap in you make a hole. Okay this one is a bit different - more Sherlock Holmes than Albert Einstein...I would put it in the "annoying" category because there are all sorts of plausible answers, but it could be a laff, and it has a watch theme! Remember, the 'right' answer is what is written on the card. "I have the only key to the room containing the Rolexes of my late uncle Angus," said Bob. "Since his death a week ago, neither I nor anybody else has entered this room. I was quite pleased to hear that all the Rolexes were to be auctioned off and the proceeds given to charity,' continued Bob. Chris removed a huge plant whose broad leaves were turned towards the wall, partially covering the safe. While Bob was working the combination lock, Chris crossed the room to sit on the ledge of the large bay window. Bob opened the safe, and removed the large box of Rolexes. "I'm sure these watches will fetch a fortune for charity," said a smiling Bob. "Yeah, and I bet those Rolexes are either reps or there's a few missing," replied Chris. What aroused Chris's suspicion?

Both good answers in my book, but neither are what is written on the card....

Hmm...it sounds good...it looks good.....IT IS GOOD! WINNER! The card says: "the truck would have burned off more than 30 grams of petrol in the first two kilometres of crossing the bridge. Therefore the sparrow's weight would have no consequence." Here's a new one - a bit of a groaner I'm afraid... Cornerstone was cleaning out his old barn. He was dragging things out into the yard and filling containers with useless items he had collected over the years. At one point he rolled an old barrel out of the barn which weighed 20 kg. Cornerstone put something in the barrel and when he was finished it weighed less. What could it have been?

The card says..... "It's good, but it's not right...!"

Nice thinking - but again it's not what it says on the card... "It's good, but it's not right...!"

All I can say is, the card does not mention fat sparrows! But I like it! "It's good, but it's not right...!"

Intriguing idea. The quick answer is: that's not what the card says. I actually googled around for this to satisfy my own curiosity - there is obviously a relationship between speed and mass in E=mc2. The answer appears to be that moving objects actually increase in mass (but only by the tiniest amount until you hit the speed of light) as speed increases. To give you an idea of how small the increase is: a 100,000 kg jet travelling at 2,000mph would increase in mass by only half a milligram (roughly). All news to me! Any other suggestions out there for the truck?

It's a fascinating work of art - the guy has made several all over the world with the same theme (different figures). For anyone that is interested here is a good article in The Guardian on the Chinese one: 380,000 eyes fulfil a sculptor's vision

Actually, I'm beginning to think that the 'prose' they put at the end of the spam is better than most of the legitimate emails I get (asking me to do work, and other boring things like that). Here are some random 'end of spam' moments from my trash bin: "Like flogging a dead horse There is no accounting for taste Be a good sport - wherever you go The first step is the hardest. When yuh dead yuh nah sabee, and when yuh sabee yuh dead." "Absence makes the heart go wander. When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. You cant hurry love One good turn deserves another One good turn deserves another" "stranger. Let the flock graze. They trotted off while his own mount chomped away on the grass. He sat down cross-legged and motioned to me. Sit. We must talk." "it creaked when he dropped into it. Play, he ordered and sat back to enjoy the music. Okay, gang, ready to go! I blew into my lapel microphone and my" "Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel. He who does not honour his wife dishonours himself You cannot burn the candle at both ends Murder will out Still waters run deep"