Watercooler Stories

Man beats computer at crossword puzzles

NEW YORK, March 19 (UPI) -- Dr. Fill, a computer program designed to work crossword puzzles, came in 141st among 600 human puzzle solvers in New York City this weekend.

Matthew Ginsberg, who designed Dr. Fill, had expected his software puzzle solver would finish in the Top 50 -- better if he was lucky and worse if he was not -- at the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, The New York Times reported.

"It was within the range, but I wish it had done better," Ginsberg said Sunday. "I'll be back next year."

Dr. Fill does well with conventional crosswords and finished the difficult seventh and final puzzle without a hitch. But Dr. Fill, which has problems dealing with humor or unusual themes, struggled with earlier ones, including one in which words had to be spelled backward.

"Two of the puzzles were bizarre in ways that were bad for it," Ginsberg told the Times.

The winner of the event -- for the third year in a row -- was Dan Feyer.

Morning sickness nets driver $366 fine

HAWTHORN, Australia, March 19 (UPI) -- An Australian driver says she was "shocked" to be fined $366 for her unfortunate choice of streets to pull over when she felt the need to vomit.

The 36-year-old Highgate woman, who only gave her name as Natalie, told Adelaide Now she was pregnant at the time when she became nauseous while driving last November and turned onto a side street in Hawthorn where she could pull over and grab a paper bag in which to throw up. The urge to regurgitate passed, but a police officer confronted her and said he had to write her a ticket.

It seems the street she had turned on is closed during afternoon rush hour to discourage motorists from using it as a shortcut -- what they call a "rat run" down under.

"I was shocked that I didn't just get a warning based on common sense and compassion for my situation," she said.

Natalie is challenging the stiff fine, but so far hasn't gotten any satisfaction from the powers that be, the newspaper reported Monday. A letter she wrote to the police explaining what happened brought only a reply from an official who said he appreciated the circumstances but the fine "will stand."

Member of Parliament David Pisoni has stepped up to the plate on her behalf.

"There's no doubt this government has become addicted to revenue-raising through traffic fines, which has put police under pressure to err on the side of revenue-raising rather than using their discretion to give a warning," he said.

Her case will now be reviewed to determine whether the matter goes to court or whether the fine be withdrawn.

Camel milk ice cream on the table in UAE

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, March 18 (UPI) -- United Arab Emirates residents will be able to cool themselves down this summer with ice cream made with camel milk, officials said.

Abdullah Saif al-Darmaki, the chief executive officer of the Al Ain Dairy, told Gulfnews.com the company has spent large sums of money to create four camel milk ice cream flavors -- date, saffron, caramel and chocolate.

"We have spent a lot of time creating flavors that we feel are different and most importantly not available in the market … We wanted to do something completely different, which is why we have invested in new technology to produce a range of camel milk ice creams in niche flavors," al-Darmaki said. "We know that there is a demand for this product that we can truly satisfy in an innovative way."

Darmaki also said his company plans to offer new flavors of camel milk, including chocolate, date, saffron, cardamom and rose-flavored milk.

Camel milk is slightly saltier than cow's milk and carries numerous health benefits, Gulfnews.com said.

Umbrella sets off campus gun scare

ROCHESTER, N.Y., March 17 (UPI) -- A college campus in Rochester, N.Y., was briefly locked down after someone mistook an umbrella for a gun, police said.

The original alarm at the Rochester Institute of Technology came from a campus bus driver at about 8:20 a.m. Friday, WROC-TV, Rochester, reported. The all-clear was given within an hour.

An e-mail was sent to students warning them to stay indoors: "Person allegedly with rifle spotted outside Kate Gleason residence hall. Shelter in place. People in the area of the residence halls are advised to stay inside until further notice."

The Monroe County sheriff's department said they located the supposed gun-carrier and interviewed him, WHAM-TV, Rochester, said. Deputies quickly determined he was carrying only an umbrella, albeit one with a handle that bore some resemblance to a Samurai sword.