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        riddles >> microsoft >> Salt Shaker
        
(Message started by: Mr. Anderson on Aug 23^rd, 2002, 5:59pm)

Title: Salt Shaker
Post by Mr. Anderson on Aug 23^rd, 2002, 5:59pm

There's only one feasible answer... tequila. :D

Title: Re: Salt Shaker
Post by KT on Aug 30^th, 2002, 5:30am

Probably won't land you the job though. ;)

Title: Re: Salt Shaker
Post by Guest on May 13^th, 2003, 7:43pm

what is the question?? ???

Title: Re: Salt Shaker
Post by THUDandBLUNDER on May 14^th, 2003, 4:02am

Quote:

what is the question??

"Explain a scenario for testing a salt shaker."

Title: Re: Salt Shaker
Post by wowbagger on May 14^th, 2003, 6:01am

The question is not in the forum, but on the riddles pages. More precisely, in the micro$oft category as Salt Shaker (http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~wwu/riddles/microsoft.shtml#saltShaker).

Title: Re: Salt Shaker
Post by Muddassir Abbas on May 16^th, 2003, 12:30am

Put some salt in the Salt Shaker. Shake it for some time. Take the salt out and see if it is shaken correctly or not. Write down the results and explain your findings.

Title: Re: Salt Shaker
Post by DewiMorgan on Jun 6^th, 2006, 9:25am

Testing must be reproducible, and should return a measurable.

The desirable traits for a salt shaker are:
1) it will distribute salt over the area it is shaken at.
2) it will not distribute salt over other restaurant patrons.

3) flow rate will be sufficient to season without excessive effort: three shakes should be sufficient to coat a plate thinly
4) flow rate will be low enough that salt will not pile, overpowering the food.

5) it should "feel right".

Testing should be two phase. Alpha testing to ensure there are no gross deficiencies could be performed with an empty plate and a human shaking it. Faults would include salt landing outside the plate, salt clumping, too much salt, etc.

Beta testing would involve food, to ensure that it was right in practice.

Salt shakers are a very ergonomicl thing and a salt-shaking machine would never be suitable for testing: it must be tested by multiple humans.

Title: Re: Salt Shaker
Post by Grimbal on Jun 7^th, 2006, 3:51am

The question coming from Microsoft, I guess the only tests that make sense are those quality labels that you can put on the box or use in marketing material (like: compliance to safety regulation, dishwasher-safe, approved by dentists, suitable for children <3 years, environment-friendly, low energy consumption, etc).

Maybe in the US, you should also make sure that it can not, in any conceivable (or inconceivable) way be misused in a way harmful to oneself or to others, be used in a terrorist activity or one considered as such by the authorities, or to suggest, by any of its characteristics, an use for which it would fail to be effective.

Title: Re: Salt Shaker
Post by towr on Jun 7^th, 2006, 4:35am

on 06/07/06 at 03:51:09, Grimbal wrote:

Maybe in the US, you should also make sure that it can not, in any conceivable (or inconceivable) way be misused in a way harmful to oneself or to others

If you can sprinkle salt from it onto your food, you can also sprinkle salt into your eyes. So perfect safety is unattainable without removing the function of the salt shaker. (Even then, you can always hit someone over the head with it, or make them choke on it)

Title: Re: Salt Shaker
Post by jwhooper on Apr 30^th, 2007, 12:02pm

Fill the salt shaker will salt crystal sized wireless nanosensors and use a supercomputer to capture the trajectory of hundreds of thousands of these sensors as they simulataneously fall and collide.

Compare the salt spread perfection to highly evolved genetic algorithms modelled on the supercomputer.

Throw away your crap salt shaker. The supercomputer's genetic algorithm has defeated your puny human attempt at designing a salt shaker.

Title: Re: Salt Shaker
Post by tiber13 on May 4^th, 2007, 4:44am

if salt comes out and it deosnt explode, the shaker passes. Yippee!