Einstein's Riddle

Here's an interesting riddle from braingle.com:

Einstein wrote the following riddle. He said that 98% of the world could not solve it. But several NIEHS scientists were able to solve it, and they said it's not all that hard if you pay attention and are very patient. Give it a try:

There are 5 houses in 5 different colors in a row. In each house lives a person with a different nationality. The 5 owners drink a certain type of beverage, smoke a certain brand of cigar, and keep a certain pet. No owners have the same pet, smoke the same brand of cigar, or drink the same beverage. Other facts:

1. The Brit lives in the red house.
2. The Swede keeps dogs as pets.
3. The Dane drinks tea.
4. The green house is on the immediate left of the white house.
5. The green house's owner drinks coffee.
6. The owner who smokes Pall Mall rears birds.
7. The owner of the yellow house smokes Dunhill.
8. The owner living in the center house drinks milk.
9. The Norwegian lives in the first house.
10. The owner who smokes Blends lives next to the one who keeps cats.
11. The owner who keeps the horse lives next to the one who smokes Dunhill.
12. The owner who smokes Bluemasters drinks beer.
13. The German smokes Prince.
14. The Norwegian lives next to the blue house.
15. The owner who smokes Blends lives next to the one who drinks water.

The question is: WHO OWNS THE FISH?

Highlight text below to see the answer:

The German sits in his Green House, smoking his Prince cigars, drinking coffee, and watching his FISH.

The rest go like this:

1st House: Yellow, Norwegian, Water, Cats, Dunhill
2nd House: Blue, Dane, Tea, Horse, Blends
3rd House: Red, Brit, Milk, Birds, Pall Malls
4th House: Green, German, Coffee, FISH, Prince
5th House: White, Swede, Beer, Dogs, Bluemasters

Source

Local Car Accident

There was a car accident near my house just two days ago. I spotted the damaged cars while riding the bus to go to work and managed to take some quick photos with one car backed into the sidewalk and the other rammed into the fence and pole. It was an unfortunate and unexpected event - it happens in life. At least no blood or bodily remains were spared.



This scene actually reminded me of the time when my sister got into a car accident. The entire car flipped over but my sister miraculously remained uninjured with no scratches or anything. Maybe it was luck. My mom believes that some higher entity (God) protected her.

Brain Foods

There were times during my previous semester in college where my brain felt a little sluggish so I thought about how nice it would be to have better memory and the ability to retain and process information more efficiently. I can learn course material quicker and possibly reduce the amount of time I spend studying. After some research I learned that cognitive abilities can be improved by merely eating the right foods.

Fish - The presence of omega-3 fatty acids - docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentenoic acid (EPA) - in fish has shown to contribute to brain development. Eating fish can also slow down dementia and possibly prevent mental illnesses like depression and bipolar disorder.


Vegetables - Certain vegetables like broccoli, tomatoes, and spinach have a high content of antioxidants. Antioxidants clean out free radicals (high reactive form of oxygen) that damage brain cells. They also improve cognitive skills and slow down the process of Alzheimer's disease. Other foods with antioxidants: fruits, green tea, garlic, soy, whole grains, and more.

Strawberries - Strawberries in particular contain a certain flavonoid (antioxidant) called fisetin. Fisetin activates neurological pathways, which helps improve long-term memory. Studies in rats have shown that eating strawberries and blueberries also improves coordination, concentration, and short-term memory. Other foods with fisetin: onions.

Eggs - Eggs contain choline, an organic compound that helps synthesize the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine. Researchers have found that boosting the amount of acetylcholine in the brain resulted in memory improvement. Other foods with choline: fish, grains, peanuts, lean meat, and soybeans.


Yogurt - Yogurt contains tyrosine, an amino acid that helps produce neurotransmitters such as dopamine and noradrenalin. Studies show that tyrosine can improve performance, alertness, and memory while under stress. Other foods with tyrosine: diary products, fish, wheat, and oats.

Sources:

http://www.crumcreek.com/library/antioxidant.html
http://www.fi.edu/learn/brain/micro.html
http://www.vitamins-supplements.org/amino-acids/tyrosine.php
http://www.wellnessletter.com/html/wl/2001/wlFeatured1001.html
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/being-human/mg18625011.900-11-steps-to-a-better-brain.html
http://www.food-info.net/uk/qa/qa-fi26.htm
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070904/brain_food_070904?s_name=&no_ads=

4th of July

Well, my 4th of July was pretty fun. I went to a party hosted by a co-worker and watched fireworks. Now I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend.