Author: Robert J. Marks

AI Robots Delve into the World of Books and Documents for Unmatched Knowledge: Revolutionizing Education, ChatGPT, AI Generative, AI lawyer, machine learning. Generative AI

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post

Robert J. Marks
Date
January 15, 2026

Categorized
Language

Tagged
AI, Common sense, Headlines, Language, Lists, Meanings}

125 Flubbed Headline Prompts to AI

_{Double meanings, double trouble: The art of reading between the lines} _{Robert J. Marks
January 15, 2026

10

Language}

Flubbed headlines are fun. There are typically two meanings. One is the obvious meaning, meant by the writer of the headline. The second is an interpretation, which can be hilarious. Read More ›

3D illustration, embossed mesh representing internet connections, cloud computing and neural network.

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post

Robert J. Marks
Date
January 12, 2026

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
ADALINE and MADALINE, AI, Bernie Widrow, Copper plating, Networks}

A Pioneer Ahead of His Time: Bernard Widrow and the Origins of Modern AI

_{While history has not always granted him the recognition he deserved, every modern neural network quietly echoes Widrow's ideas.} _{Robert J. Marks
January 12, 2026

10

Artificial Intelligence}

Widrow called his learning machine a neural network because it was loosely based on the 1943 McCulloch-Pitts model of the biological neuron. Read More ›

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post

Robert J. Marks
Date
January 9, 2026

Categorized
Logic

Tagged
Acoustics, Brubeck, math, Sound Waves, Take Five}

Monday Micro Softy 61: Take Five

_{Crack the beat: a logic puzzle in rhythm and time} _{Robert J. Marks
January 9, 2026

5

Logic}

The western scale is based on natural acoustic harmonics from the physics of vibrating strings and resonant acoustics from sound columns. Read More ›

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post

Robert J. Marks
Date
January 5, 2026

Categorized
Logic

Tagged
Air pressure, Featured, GunsmokeNet.com, James Arness}

Monday Microsofty 60: Here’s a Puzzle From Gunsmoke

_{Told to “get out of Dodge” after a shooting, a gunslinger does so at a nearly inexplicable time. Can you solve the puzzle?} _{Robert J. Marks
January 5, 2026

6

Logic}

To solve Microsofty 59, recall that direction of air flow is due to pressure — not size. Which tire is under more pressure? Read More ›

Changing tire on roadside, spare tire and tools visible, car nearby, outdoor maintenance situation

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post

Robert J. Marks
Date
December 30, 2025

Categorized
Logic, Physics

Tagged
Monday Microsofties}

Monday Microsofty 59: Alfred Hitchcock’s Low-Pressure Tire

_{Could the tire in the old Hitchcock film really be reinflated in the way shown?} _{Robert J. Marks
December 30, 2025

6

Logic, Physics}

The solution to last week’s puzzle is to ask whether the way each of the relationships is created makes any difference. Read More ›

Closeup of male fingers playing 5 stringed electric bass guitar

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post

Robert J. Marks
Date
December 22, 2025

Categorized
Logic

Tagged
Monday Microsofties, Robert J. Marks}

Monday Microsofty 58: Is a Famous Bassist His Own Grandfather?

_{A Rolling Stone bassist can make such a claim but how far can he take it? Is he also his own grandson?} _{Robert J. Marks
December 22, 2025

6

Logic}

We are reversing our usual order and giving the answer to #57 first. Ben could have one of two possible family relationships to me. Read More ›

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post

Robert J. Marks
Date
December 15, 2025

Categorized
Logic, Mathematics}

Monday Micro Softy 57: My Mother’s Mother-in-Law

_{Can you figure out this relativity puzzle?} _{Robert J. Marks
December 15, 2025

4

Logic, Mathematics}

Part of the trick to solving Monday Microsofty 56 is to decide whether or not to give it a high five. Read More ›

Abstract Numbers background - Mathematical, Numbers concept. 3d rendering

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post

Robert J. Marks
Date
December 8, 2025

Categorized
Language, Mathematics}

Micro Softy 56: Elon Musk Parody’s Circle of Numbers

_{The circle of numbers looks pretty simple until you start thinking about it...} _{Robert J. Marks
December 8, 2025

3

Language, Mathematics}

If you suspected that last week's talk of baseball was just a distraction from the real puzzle hint, now you can find out. Read More ›

A Collage of Baseball Players and Memorabilia

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post

Robert J. Marks
Date
December 1, 2025

Categorized
Language, Logic, Mathematics

Tagged
It Happens Every Spring (film 1949), Monday Microsofties, Ray Milland}

Monday Micro Softy 55: “It Happens Every Spring”

_{Baseball, that is. Here’s a puzzle that takes in baseball's favorite season, summer} _{Robert J. Marks
December 1, 2025

5

Language, Logic, Mathematics}

To solve last week’s puzzle, you don’t need to know the distance. Check the problem again for the number you do need to know. Read More ›

Two Commercial Airliners Pass Each Other at High Altitude

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post

Robert J. Marks
Date
November 24, 2025

Categorized
Logic, Mathematics

Tagged
Featured, Monday Microsofties}

Micro Softy 54: A Plane Problem for Aspiring Engineers

_{The senator is leaving Washington to avoid the governor and their planes are headed in opposite directions} _{Robert J. Marks
November 24, 2025

5

Logic, Mathematics}

Today’s Micro Softy tests whether you are clever enough with math to code computers or be an engineer. Here’s the story: Senator Kornn did not like Governor Friar. Both were from Texas. When Kornn learned that Governor Friar was visiting Washington, DC, Kornn said “This town’s not big enough for the both of us.” So Kornn decided to leave DC for that period. Kornn and Friar get on planes at the same time. One was at Reagan International Airport in DC and the other was at the Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) Airport. So each was flying to the other’s airport. Both planes took off at the same time. After a while, Kornn looked out of his first-class window and saw Read More ›

Empty driveway in front of the big white luxury dream house in the evening. Residential home building exterior, expensive dwelling, wealthy rich family property and yard. Glowing mansion

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post

Robert J. Marks
Date
November 17, 2025

Categorized
Logic, Mathematics

Tagged
Monday Microsofties}

Monday Micro Softy 53: Kicking In the Door

_{To solve this puzzle, you will need to sharpen your abductive reasoning skills} _{Robert J. Marks
November 17, 2025

5

Logic, Mathematics}

There are actually two possible solutions to last week's puzzle, depending on how you interpret the pattern of the arithmetic. Read More ›

A pile of light bulbs, one bulb is glowing bright while the others are dark can symbolize creative thinking or innovative ideas being born from simple concepts Generative AI

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post

Robert J. Marks
Date
November 10, 2025

Categorized
Logic, Mathematics

Tagged
Featured, Monday Microsofties}

Monday Micro Softy 52: Elon Musk Parody Asks: Are You a Genius?

_{The puzzle comes from a parody X account but it is a genuine stumper} _{Robert J. Marks
November 10, 2025

4

Logic, Mathematics}

Last week’s puzzle is easy to solve if we recall how many parents a child needs and of what type… Read More ›

Male mechanic hold and rolling tire at repairing service garage background. Technician man replacing winter and summer tyre for safety road trip. Transportation and automotive maintenance concept

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post

Robert J. Marks
Date
November 3, 2025

Categorized
Logic, Mathematics

Tagged
Monday Microsofties}

Monday Micro Softy 51: A Tale of Two Auto Mechanics

_{I recognized the two mechanics when I went to the garage…} _{Robert J. Marks
November 3, 2025

3

Logic, Mathematics}

To solve Microsofty 50, about cutting a loaf of cornbread into eight pieces by making three slices, try thinking in three dimensions. Read More ›

Delicious, golden, and fluffy cornbread pieces, artfully stacked, enticing a feeling of warmth and comfort

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post

Robert J. Marks
Date
October 27, 2025

Categorized
Mathematics, Science

Tagged
Monday Microsofties}

Monday Micro Softy 50: Cutting Through the Cornbread

_{How did Yuri Senior cut the cornbread into eight identical portions using only three straight cuts?} _{Robert J. Marks
October 27, 2025

4

Mathematics, Science}

You can guess the answer to Microsofty 49 if you try the test question yourself at home, using a small mirror. Read More ›

Woman shop assistant working in mirror and frames store

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post

Robert J. Marks
Date
October 20, 2025

Categorized
Language, Logic

Tagged
Monday Microsofties}

Micro Softy 49: Mirror Mirror On the Wall…

_{A man is rather surprised to discover that he is the owner of a rather strange sort of mirror} _{Robert J. Marks
October 20, 2025

4

Language, Logic}

To answer Micro Softy 48, consider: How might Freddy be moving his car from place to place without exerting much physical energy at all? Read More ›

Transportation trouble. Silhouette of man driver pushing his car along on an empty road after breakdown at sunset, copy space, side view.

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post

Robert J. Marks
Date
October 13, 2025

Categorized
Logic, Sports

Tagged
Baseball, Monday Microsofties}

Monday Micro Softy 48: Why Is Freddy Pushing His Car Around?

_{And, despite being a heavy smoker, he doesn't get winded…} _{Robert J. Marks
October 13, 2025

4

Logic, Sports}

The answer to Microsofty 47 lies in considering whether it is an advantage for the outfielder to catch the ball, given the rules of the game. Read More ›

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post

Robert J. Marks
Date
October 8, 2025

Categorized
Large Language Models (LLMs)

Tagged
Band-Aids and LLMs, Hallucinations in LLMs}

Verify, Then Trust: the Human Fixes That Make LLMs Work

_{Here are some examples of fixes that programmers and other workers have applied over time to large language model (LLM) bloopers} _{Robert J. Marks
October 8, 2025

7

Large Language Models (LLMs)}

I suspect there will never be enough Band-Aids to stop all of the bleeding. So instead of “Trust but verify,” I recommend “Verify, then trust.” Read More ›

Stunning photo of a baseball player catching a baseball ball with a baseball glove

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post

Robert J. Marks
Date
October 6, 2025

Categorized
Logic, Sports

Tagged
Monday Microsofties}

Micro Softy 47: Baseball: Is This an “Intentional” Error? Why?

_{This is an incident that merits a Micro Softy; it has happened more than once in major league baseball} _{Robert J. Marks
October 6, 2025

3

Logic, Sports}

The solution to last week's Micro Softy turns on the difference it makes that one train leaves two minutes after than the other. Read More ›

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post

Robert J. Marks
Date
September 29, 2025

Categorized
Logic, Mathematics

Tagged
Monday Microsofties}

Monday Micro Softy 46: Three Loving Brothers in New York State

_{Why did Mario, who was just trying to economize on Uber trips, end up visiting Luigi five times as often as he visited Bob?} _{Robert J. Marks
September 29, 2025

4

Logic, Mathematics}

A hint for solving Micro Softy 45: Average speed is independent of the distance to the store. Read More ›

A futuristic fast food joint stands tall, its walls of gleaming metal and glass illuminated by a dazzling

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post

Robert J. Marks
Date
September 22, 2025

Categorized
Logic, Mathematics

Tagged
Monday Microsofties}

Monday Micro Softy 45: Can Tony Beat the Fast-Food Curfew?

_{An early curfew on fast food service motivated a boy to exercise more vigorously. But how fast was he pedaling?} _{Robert J. Marks
September 22, 2025

5

Logic, Mathematics}

To solve Micro Softy 44, recall that Tony doesn’t need to take the individual pills each day, only the prescribed amount of each. Read More ›