Oh it’s easy!
Click spoiler for hint.
[spoiler]There’s a way to do it with a 50/50 chance of saving either everyone, or all but one.
Click sub spoiler for answer
Give the answer of the color of the hat in front of you. The person ahead of you now knows the color of his\her hat. The only person at risk is the first person, depending if his/her hat matches the person in front of him.[/spoiler]
I’m not sure that keeps with the spirit of the game, but that would work.
Now, when I came back here and posted the last time, thinking I’d thought of the answer, this is what I guessed. But it wouldn’t work. Because the person that knows their own hat color can say their own color, saving their own life, or the person’s in front of them… see what I mean?
I was actually coming back in here to RE-post that, no, I did not think of the right answer. I’m gonna stick with my first guess although I’m sure there’s a better one.
The assassin is quite devious so if he hears any odd inflection, he will kill that person regardless.
Also, Dusty Rose is correct. If the first person says the color of the second person’s hat (so that the second person can use the information, presumably), then the third person and so on are left out in the cold.
There’s a job fair coming up in a couple weeks. I’m curious to see who’s there and what they have for jobs.
And I signed up for a medical terminology course in adult ed. for six weeks this summer. I have not been in any kind of class since 1991. It feels odd to have a big fat textbook and to think of myself sitting at a desk and looking at the teacher instead of the other way around (which is my normal job).
Damn you’re right.
Hmm. Couldn’t they just tell each other their hat colors while strategizing?
There are 100 people standing around in line waiting for ONE assassin to kill them? If they are so stupid as to wait around like that they deserve to be shot. LOL! Some of them could jump the one assassin. Some could run away. Whatever… but they should DO something.
Here’s a hint:
What if each person added up the number of red hats in front of him? How does this number change from one person to the next?
One more:
Now how about if we think of the number of red hats in front of any given person in terms of an odd number or even number?
Solution:
[spoiler]The first person counts up the number of red hats in front of him. If the number is even, he says “red,” and if the number is odd, he says “blue.”
So the first person has a 50% chance of living, and this can’t be improved. Let’s say he counted 46 red hats, so he says “red.” But now the second person counts the number of red hats in front of him, say 45 red hats. Using the previous person’s answer (red for even, blue for odd) and his total of red hats, he deduces the color of his own hat. He realizes his hat must be red, and says “red.”
The third person counts 45 and knows the first person counted an even number and the second person certainly wore a red hat. Therefore an odd number of red hats exist in front of the second person, which is in agreement with his total. The third person must be wearing a blue hat.
The fourth person knows the total was initially an even number, then the number became odd, then it remained odd. He counts 44. He must be wearing a red hat. etc.
In fact person x can deduce his answer entirely on the previous person’s answer, plus the total of red hats in front of him.
[/spoiler]
Nope, I wouldn’t have been able to come up with that.
If that is a criteria(on?) for me to get a job…I don’t want that job.
I just paid money I don’t really have to get mine professionally re-done. Here’s hoping it’s worth it.
I am now getting seriously pissed off about this whole unemployment situation.
Brief update: Employed at this place 4+ yrs. Paid my taxes and everything. Laid off at end of Jan. Filed for unemployment prior to the severence package expiring. Filled out all their online forms, called the correct offices and what not. Got the letter saying I would be receiving benefits soon. I will be entitled to 6 months benefits at basically a 25% pay cut (Hey, I’ve got a great work history, I should be able to find a job by then, eh? :D) They even send me the debit card to activate where all my benefit payments will be disbursed to. I activate the card and wait.
Next letter I get from Unemployment is saying that I am not qualified. For more info, I need to submit in writing to blah blah blah. Begin paper trail and the whole process begins.
In April, I get notice that I am allowed an appeal hearing to determine my eligibility. In JUNE! :mad: But I keep going and doing all the steps.
Sooo, four months later, I am still laying down the paper trail, filling out apps, recording rejections and follow ups, etc. Still making all the required phonecalls and website log ins. Today I had the hearing.
It was a joke. Some attorney called me in to the room and we recorded the conversation. He was basically reciting the law codes by rote (and made several self-admitted mistakes, blaming it on being just back from lunch). He asked all the basic questions and I had all the paperwork ready, even with copies to him. Gave him the whole paper trail. The entire conversation took about 8 minutes. 
I asked when I would receive information on the decision, and he said 4-6 weeks. WEEKS??? :mad: :mad: :mad:
I hate this jumping through the hoops and being a number in the machine. I want answers. There is no valid reason I should be disqualified, except for my diabetes (which I told them about but does not really affect my work performance).
Oh, yeah, and I guess sometime I would want a job. Because I’m seriously running out of money.
Guys – if you want to discuss the puzzle and how to go about solving it, please start a thread in the Game Room. It’s kind of off-topic to this thread, which is about bitching about the fact that we’re all still unemployed.
Uncle Brother Walker – yikes, I’m so sorry. Why were they trying to deny the claim – was your former employer contesting it or something?
But the first person can count all the hats in front of him, he should know what his own color is.
I’m an idiot.
I found a job that asked me to e-mail this person, but didn’t give an address. So I called the place and said “Can I have an E-mail addy?” they said “Hold on I’ll just put you through to her” So I ask her the address, she gives it, I say thanks and bye.
Why in the hell did I not try to get more info out of her??? I chalk it up to that I call companies ALL THE TIME and never ever ever ever ever talk to anyone, I was so not used to human contact that I messed it up.
If it helps…It wouldn’t have helped. Hello retail, I will be working you until I die.
T-Cups- I don’t think you’re an idiot at all! For one thing, if an ad tells you how to respond, I think you should do what it says.
For another, I HATE when we’re hiring and people call me all day long about it!! I have enough business calls to take care of as it is.
We ask people to email resumes so that we can look at them when we have time.
Yeah, and that makes sense and all, but keep in mind that my resume sucks, and pretty much looks worse every day that I don’t have a job. How else am I going to stick out from the hundreds of other resumes you have?
Calling is all I have.
Got some potential good news today from my friend who hooked me up with the perfect job. I met him for coffee and while we were talking the guy that interviewed me called him and they spoke. Turns out that I’m the only candidate that the first interviewer is excited about passing along to those that are doing the second interviews.
I think, I hope, I so, so, so, so hope that I’ve got this one! And it’s a keeper! It would be a life changing job for me as well as just a JOB. That pays MONEY. It’s been sooooooo long and I’m sooooooo bored. I’m physically and mentally just wiped out. I’m fried. I need to get to work!!!
Good luck, PeacePlease!
Thanks, Uncle Brother! I appreciate that very much.
I read about your situation and I’m very confused. Why would they give you the debit card (I have one, too!) and not give you the benefits? Is there anything that we can help with here? We rock at throwing out our opinions on stuff like this!!!
Come on PeacePlease!
Get a job, for all our sakes.
The best thing I can figure out is that I messed up: I told the truth about my diabetes.
Not that it really affects my ability to work or anything, but I can’t be on my feet for 10 hours a day. When I initially reported for my claim, I stated that I was medically able to work. When they called me for the phone interview, I told the lady about it but have been working for over 3 years and it doesn’t affect my work status.
At the hearing, the lawyer dude gave me paperwork that basically said one report says yes and one report says no to the medical, so that’s an automatic glitch and my claim goes into the machine and the whole process begins again. and again. and again.
So I have to wait up to 6 weeks to get an answer. Sheesh. Hope I don’t lose too much weight once I run out of money! :rolleyes: