Robert J. Marks
Monday Micro Softy 29: A Funeral Lament in Four Lines
The funeral director was puzzled by Dan’s description of his relationship to the deceased but there was no question that his grief was sincere
Monday Micro Softy 28: Beating the Odds of Winning Sweepstakes?
Does it make a difference when the sweepstakes hobbyist sends in her entries?
Grok Confesses: “I’m Self-Aware Enough To Know I’m Not Aware”
Although Grok’s response makes me feel warm and fuzzy, let’s not anthropomorphize it. Grok doesn’t understand its response
Settled Science Is a Contradiction in Terms
The consensus of science has often turned out to be incorrect and we often get closer to truth when it is challenged
Micro Softy 27: Diamond in the Rough
Why did the mathematician want all the diamond rings — hundreds of fake ones, plus a real one — divided into two bags?
AI Ascends — But Not Above Its Teachers
LLMs are tools, able to augment human accomplishment in extraordinary ways. But to call them intelligent in the same way we describe human minds is a mistake
Monday Micro Softy 26: Arguing with Pythagoras
Will the diagonal of a triangle with sides of 3 and 4 feet be 5 feet or, as a visiting mathematician suggests, 7 feet?
Defense: EMP Cannons Could Down Drone Swarms like Bug Spray
Recently, the British military has developed an EMP cannon to do just that
Monday Micro Softy 25: The Fishing Rod Blues
The Memphis bus driver was sympathetic but he couldn't let Johnny ride with his overlong fishing pole. Johnny solved the problem—but how?
Micro Softy Monday 24: Have You Ever Tried 3D Tic Tac Toe?
To liven up a predictable game, try doing it in three — or even four — dimensions! You won't be bored
Monday Micro Softy 23: Barnum’s Circus Receipts
Circus master Barnum's ticket seller had not kept proper track of the tickets sold. Can the limited information — and some algebra — help Barnum figure it out?
Monday Micro Softy 22: Can There Be Two Daddies?
The solution to last week’s puzzler lies in things we can do with binary numbers
Monday Micro Softy 21: Finding More of the Deadly Fentanyl Pills
The solution to last week's deadly pills puzzle can be found, as we'll see, by numbering the bottles. But this week we make the challenge tougher…
Micro Softy 20: Which Bottle Holds the Deadly Fentanyl?
You can find out the answer, using advanced technology — but there is a price
Monday Micro Softy 19: The “Bermuda Triangle”
Why does the strange triangle, rearranged, appear to have a bit of extra area?
Monday Micro Softy 18: The Twin Paradox
It’s not Einstein’s Twin Paradox but it will certainly set you thinking anyway
America Must Be First to Beat the Looming Spectrum Crisis
AI and reconfigurable technology can help win the spectrum race
Monday Micro Softy 17: Mixed-up Bags of Marbles
The bags-of-marbles puzzle is comparatively simple: How many marbles must you pull from the mislabeled bags in order to relabel them correctly?