Google's Math Puzzle

An anonymous reader writes "Commuters in Cambridge, Mass., are scratching their heads over signs challenging passers-by to solve a complicated math problem. The mysterious banners are actually a job-recruiting pitch from Google."

I'm a Reebok Sales Engineer!

[garcia]

NPR is clueless. That's why I am the one getting hired by Reebok! The URL was really 1828675309.com and let you to an OGG of Blink182 singing the standard Reebok commercial. At the end you were asked to go down to Foot Locker and buy a specific pair of shoes. On the bottom of the shoe was a keypad. Once you dialed 1829675309 you were connected with a Reebok HR rep and giving a job at a local Foot Locker.

Job as a Google engineer, sheesh. What a load of crap! Would you like whitener or a pair of extra soft socks with your shoes? Perhaps a Nuggets jersey?

Make it hard next time...

[Mateito]

Easy peasy japonesy [42.com]

Dangerous?

[Alizarin Erythrosin]

I hope that drivers who see that can still pay attention to the road. Regardless of whether they are trying to think about it or not.

Re:not that complicated

[benito27uk]

Or just use Google! [google.com]

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Of course...

[Realistic_Dragon]

...you could just google for the answer:

7427466391 [7427466391.com]

Now, is that a better or worse answer than figuring it out yourself?

The answer...

[vchoy]

Screw the answer...I just want the job @ colorful Google!!!

Are you trolling?

[mfh]

The URL was really 1828675309.com
That's not resolving and I think I know why...

Jenny, I got your number
I need to make you mine
Jenny, don't change your number
8675309 (8675309)
8675309 (8675309)

aaah

[gowen]

I hate "what is the next number in the sequence" type puzzles. The correct answer is always the same.

Anything I damn well like. I understand polynomial interpolation

Re:not that complicated

[artemis67]

As you can imagine, we get many, many resumes every day, so we developed this little process to increase the signal to noise ratio.

Yes, that is, until somebody posted your link on Slashdot...

Re:not that complicated

[vchoy]

Quote: As you can imagine, we get many, many resumes every day, so we developed this little process to increase the signal to noise ratio. We apologize for taking so much of your time just to ask you to consider working with us.

Well done, you have successfully increased the noise to signal ratio! :P

Hmmm. I went to 42.com...

[jbarr]

...and it just displays some guy's resume. Maybe 42 isn't the answer after all!

Re:not that complicated

[grub]

Just think, they're probably up to about 500 hits and climbing by now.

So long as Google's mail servers filter out messages with text such as "g00gl3 r0x0r555 h1r3 m3, f4gg0rzzz!" they've likely just hit double digits.

Re:I'm a bit of a maths dunce but

[samhalliday]

or am I missing something?

yes, the answer...

Re:Make it hard next time...

[ajayvb]

Even easier... http://www.google.com/jobs/ [google.com] Worked for me. I got through two interviews on the phone before being kicked out.

Why? Isn't there enough road rage already?

[IronChefMorimoto]

Does Google not realize what these billboards are going to do? Think of the poor embattled commuters sitting in suburban to urban traffic clog.

Honking at each other.

Bitching on their cell phones about their wives while pissing off the person(s) behind them who are also on their cell phones bitching about the guy that is jabbering on his phone and not moving forward with traffic.

Bumping each other and causing just enough damage to their cars to NOT really want to risk an insurance claim but also enough to want to get it fixed before the neighbors think they drive a shitty car.

Flipping over and killing each other because one of them thought that he/she had to get to work about 30mph faster than everyone else, because that one person has a much busier day of meetings than everyone else on the highway.

Enter Google -- further frustrating drivers with friggin' math problems on billboards. What? You don't think people will look at them enough to be distracted and frustrated at learning that they're not really Google material?

I call bullshit. 'cause that bitch on the uncontested divorce for $299 billboard torments me every day. Not because I don't like my marriage or want a divorce. No -- she begs the question -- "Can you beat me in court if you want the dog and the 50" plasma TV? Eh, buddy?"

Fuck you lady. Fuck you and your uncontested divorce. And fuck Google for teasing me with a job that I probably will have never known existed if it weren't for people that are actually qualified to answer the math problem having posted the g'damned answers here and made feel stupid as shit.

I'd complain more, but this guy behind me in his gas guzzling SUV is honking at me to move forward one car length while we drive past an accident. Thank god for WiFi in the car. If he honks again, I'm threatening him with the Airsoft 9mm I have in the glove compartment.

IronChefMorimoto

Re:not that complicated

[robslimo]

I don't suppose the referrer field that says "slashdot.org" that all the browsers will passing out like bus tokens will cause any notice at google, eh?

Nah, they'd have to be pretty web-savvy to notice that.

Re:Really really lame

[Anonymous Coward]

Failed it, did you?

SCO's new hiring ad...

[gosand]

SCO has just released a similar billboard puzzle.

1. Sue IBM
2. ???
3. Profit!

If you have the answer to #2, please contact Darl McBride at SCO.com. We have an immediate opening for someone who can solve this riddle.

Welcome aboard!

[MarkGriz]

That's just kind of clever thinking we're looking for. How does a corner office and $150K/year sound?

Re:Spoiler.........

[Anonymous Coward]

The site is going slow, so I've mirrored the answer here: 5966290435

Posting anonymous because I'm not karma farming.

Re:Welcome aboard!

[grozzie2]

Sounds like a move to an undesirable part of the world, a pay cut, and a requirement to actually commute into somebody else's office. Thanks, but, no thanks.

I see their strategy...

[kahei]

...hire only those who like to goof off and write toy programs at their desks instead of doing work... brilliant I tell you brilliant!

Stewie

[Anonymous Coward]

Damn you Tommy Tutone!!

Re:not that complicated

[grazzy]

References: I read slashdot.

Re:Stewie

[Anonymous Coward]

111-1111... Lois? Damn! 111-1112... Lois? Damn!

Re:not that complicated

[Tablizer]

I took the other route: paid an Indian PhD 50-cents to solve it for me. In case you call it cheating, that better reflects the (new) reality of the work world anyhow: Brains are a cheap global commodity. They should put up a people-skills test instead.

Re:I'm a Reebok Sales Engineer!

[tiled_rainbows]

Dude,
you are lying!

1828675309 is not prime - it is equal to 37 * 49423657.

And they said I was wasting my time learning the 37 times table up that far...

Re:Google GLAT ( Google Labs Aptitude Test )

[AndrewHowe]

Remember last year?
Probably, this year's traffic
Same shape, but scaled up.

Re:Hmmm. I went to 42.com...

[Odin's Raven]

Maybe 42 isn't the answer after all!

Maybe you're just asking the wrong question... ;-)

Re:I'm a bit of a maths dunce but

[poot_rootbeer]

Get file with copy of prime numbers. ...all of them?

Re:Are you trolling?

[da3dAlus]

I've always wondered, where's the "niii-eee-iiine" key? I can't dial the number correctly without it!

Re:not that complicated

[gowen]

I know. Thats what you get when you miscopy the number into Mathematica. I'll get my coat.

Re:not that complicated

[kelzer]

ROFL. Somebody please mod parent up. That's so funny.

Never use a $4 calculator when you can use a $1600 software package instead (and then make an invalid conclusion because it rounded off for you!).

Not at all -- they want the slashdotters too

[xant]

And here's why: The people who did the hard math to solve the problem--hey, they'll make great coders, welcome aboard.

Those of us who googled it or read the /. article successfully got other people to do the work for us, and then took credit for it.

Welcome aboard, manager!

Re:Really really lame

[taybin]

Totally. :)

In capitalist USA...

[Mxyzptlk]

employees interview themselves for YOUR company.

Autistic in Seattle

[macmurph]

I saw that bill board in downtown Seattle. My immediate reaction was, "That's dumb... Why would anyone want the URL http://www.7427466391.com/ ?"

Re:I'm a Reebok Sales Engineer!

[Anonymous Coward]

I usually round the value of e up to 3. This way it is easier to work with and is equal to Pi, which I usually round down to 3.

Re:not that complicated

[Anonymous Coward]

Add the digits, beeyotch!!! Those are the first four 10 digit segments of e that add up to 49. They're looking for the fifth. Dumbass. I'm only 8 years old and I figured that out in approximately .1415 nanoseconds.

Love, Will Hunting.

Re:not that complicated

[arose]

/. raising the noise to signal ratio since 1997