If you are a follower of Facebook, you know that seemingly every other day there is a brain teaser posted by someone.
You’ve all seen them, the image of a chart filled with hundreds of letter “O”s except one. You are asked to find the lonely letter “C” hiding ever so cleverly among them. Or the one where there are hundreds of images of a man’s face and all but one are exactly alike. Yes, there’s one that’s actually winking at you, but you’ll never find it! Or whether you can count how many times a particular letter appears in a sentence.
But if you succeed, you are asked to just click “like” so as not to spoil it for the others, who are still laboriously searching and getting close to committing hari-kari over thinking they are the only one in the world who can’t find the “2” among all the “z”s in the chart, in this poor man’s game of “Where’s Waldo?”
So how do I know that I’m a genius? Because I’ve always been able to find the one that was different. Why, I’m such a whiz, I can even find it well within the allotted time frame given. I don’t know, I guess it’s a God given gift. I know this smacks of self-aggrandizing, but it’s hard to be humble when you’re this good. And the thousands upon thousands of people who click “like” are not fooling me. They’re just doing it to look smart. They’re totally exasperated at their lack of discernment and don’t want everyone to know it.
Well, I won’t dwell on my obvious Einsteinian capabilities any longer so as not to offend my less talented readers. Besides, I have to finish my Mensa application and get it in the mail.
But for all my loyal readers who may be snowbound from a winter storm, I leave you with this:
How many times did the letter “i” appear in this blog?
The Cvillean 
Ans: at least one more ‘i’ than is grammatically/spellingifically allowed.
It is actually three more than is grammatically/spellingifically allowed. I was wondering if anyone would catch that. I’m forwarding a Mensa app for you as well.
Tricky, tricky you are! And gracious, too.
Oh Al, you are so clever. But will you think I’m cleverer than your average blog reader when I answer your question with “one?”
Look at your question: How many i’s appear in “this blog.” Only one that I can count: the “i” in “this.”
I’m not just a literary gal, I’m a literal one, too! 😉 🙂
Yes, you are very clever and while you are technically correct, I want you to write on the chalkboard 100 times “I will not be so literal about Al’s blogs in the future.”
Apparently, after all that chalkboard writing, I inhaled too much dust. I have a blinger of an upper respiratory infection. Thanks a lot, Pal. Oh, was I not supposed to actually write that sentence 100 times? Shizzle.
How many F’s are there? 10
How many i’s? Too many. I’ll guess 46.
Yes, it’s quite obvious you’re a genius!
Thanks, Susie. Now I’m glad I put you down as a reference on my Mensa application.
You can engrave it for posterity.
How long do we get to count the “i”s? I have to work all week – can I get started next Saturday?
You may invoke the WordPress “work exemption clause”, to be used only by people that have an actual life.
I always knew you were a genius or something. You should get a job at the Apple store (they have a genius bar).
Who do you think the geniuses at the Genius Bar call when they don’t know the answer? I just prefer anonymity.
It being Sunday here, and with the thought that even the most exercised of brains deserve their day of rest can I get away with saying “Quite a lot.”
I already knew you were a genius so that is not surprise to me 🙂
It is a smart man indeed that recognizes that our more advanced brains need time off to regenerate so we may continue benefiting the rest of mankind.
I immediately looked through the comments to find the answer as I often do on FB puzzles… not a ton of choices so I guess I’m going with 99. 🙂
Me too.
I always knew you were a genius Al…..
Thanks, Tricia. Let’s get together someday so we can discuss the theory of relativity. It’s really quite simple, don’t you think?
OH my yes, simplicity to the max. 😉 Somehow I think a conversation between you and I on the theory of relativity would veer far off topic.
That’s what the search and find on the computer is for, isn’t it?
Are you saying the computer is smarter than me? Glad I haven’t mailed that application yet.
I give up. How many? Oh, you said snowbound. The rain washed it all away, now we’re floating.
Yes, aren’t we fortunate that we’re on the very fringe of the snow fall. My family in Charlottesville is buried.
I don’t envy them and clean-up at all! It’s the same story at our daughter’s in Fredericksburg. Her 2-year-old looked outside and said “Ready to go!”
99 (not counting the title)
See you at Mensa.
You’re just using that number to get me to count them too. Not falling for that one!
It’s hurts me that you would doubt my veracity. If you count them, you will find there are indeed 99. I got the answer in 30 seconds. I have superpowers.
So this is what keeps you off the streets and in the house during the big storm and high tides, aye? Hope you 4 are all snug and warm. Wonder if we will actually be able to get there Tuesday???? And by the way, not a lot of contributions yet to our go fund you site…..but I keep hoping…….XXX
Yes, it doesn’t take much to amuse a simple man like me. Didn’t realize you were coming east next week. How long will you be here?
I took the pups over to the beach at high tide yesterday to see what it looked like, but forgot my phone. It looked more like a winter storm in the North Sea than the normally calm Chesapeake. We couldn’t step off the ramp because the water was overlapping the steps.
Since I am not snow bound, I think I am excused from counting all the “Ayes”, ‘eyes or letter ‘I’s!
That’s a shame because I really wanted to know! I’m too lazy to count them myself.
Real truth, I didn’t want to take my socks to aid my counting… ten fingers are not enough!