1. Walking in Circles
A classic puzzle describes the hunter who walks a mile south, turns and walks a mile east, turns again and walks a mile north. He is surprised to find himself right back where he started. He then shoots a bear. What color is the bear? The answer is usually given as “white”, because the hunter must have started his 3 mile walk at the North Pole. Can you find some other places on the globe where you could follow those same directions and end up at your starting point?
Hint: No polar bears near any of those places!
2. Out of Sight
Fred has designed a new machine for the factory where he works. His design was followed perfectly, but he forgot to specify the order, and the labels, for four light switches on the control console. These four on-off switches are wired to four ordinary light bulbs on the far end of the machine—out of sight from the control panel. He knows that each switch is correctly wired to one of the lights. He knows that all the bulbs are new and working, and he even knows the on and off position of the switches, but he doesn’t know which light is connected to each switch.
Fred’s boss is on the way out to the factory floor to see a demonstration of the machine, but Fred must determine how the switches and lights are wired before he can give a successful demonstration. He only has time for one trip down to the far end of the machine where the lights are mounted. How can Fred determine which switch controls each light in a single trip without anyone to help him?
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“A Taste of Japan” Cultural Observance”
Recognizing the value and importance of diversity in today’s workplace and society in general, AutomationDirect has chosen to periodically sponsor programs that endorse continued awareness of different cultures. In early May, we hosted “A Taste of Japan,” an educational and food sampling event to coincide with the Golden Week season in Japan. Since our parent company is Koyo Electronics (see image above), learning more about Japanese customs was appropriate and meaningful. All teamers enthusiastically participated, some even sporting traditional Japanese attire.
Golden Week, one of Japan’s three busiest holiday seasons, is an annual celebration held the first week of May to celebrate Greenery Day, Constitution Memorial Day, and Children’s Day. Many companies close for several days, allowing people to travel, sightsee and participate in the festivities.
We kicked off our event in late April by decorating our main lobby with colorful carp flags and streamers, which symbolize strength, power and success in life. In Japan, this is a traditional practice of parents to commemorate the health and future success of their sons. (A Girls Festival is celebrated March 3.) Our flags were proudly placed in honor of our Japanese team members.
As we tasted authentic Japanese foods prepared by Mr. Ono, our guest sushi chef, volunteers from the Atlanta Japanese Cultural Center introduced us to culture, art, clothing and other traditions. Many thanks to our Japanese team members and their families for the success of “A Taste of Japan” at AutomationDirect.
From left, Mr. R. Nakamura, Executive Director, Production and Purchasing, Koyo Electronics,Mr. T. Nakayama, Director, Head of Sales Team, Koyo Electronics, Mr. Tim Hohmann, founder and Company Captain, AutomationDirect, Mr. K. Nobetani, Deputy Director, Assistant to Head of Sales, Koyo Electronics Mr. Y. Kohroki, Manager, Overseas Sales Department, Koyo Electronics