# 53 bicycles: A lateral thinking puzzle **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [July 9, 2017, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868 "2017-07-09T19:51:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 115
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2281 "2018-01-03T17:51:18Z")
**Quartz** , if you’re thinking what I think you’re thinking, that was my first thought, too, but he’s already said that the doves weren’t carrying a message, and that it wasn’t relevant to computing, and that it could have been done in the 19th century or earlier. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2282 "2018-01-03T18:01:13Z")
\*reply to \*\*Quartz \*\*\* ××××× Is there a RFC about this? **[RFC](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.ietf.org/rfc.html&ved=0ahUKEwi5s5bJrrzYAhVENd8KHU0oAmAQFghVMAs&usg=AOvVaw1OTlojBp_6mpHsVrHgO1eP)? I may be slow, but I am a bit confused by the term even after reading the link.** ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2283 "2018-01-03T18:03:48Z")
\*reply to \*\*Chronos \*\*\* ××××× **Quartz** , if you’re thinking what I think you’re thinking, that was my first thought, too, but he’s already said that the doves weren’t carrying a message, and that it wasn’t relevant to computing, and that it could have been done in the 19th century or earlier. \*\*This summation is correct \*\* ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2284 "2018-01-03T18:08:23Z")
[RFC](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.ietf.org/rfc.html&ved=0ahUKEwi5s5bJrrzYAhVENd8KHU0oAmAQFghVMAs&usg=AOvVaw1OTlojBp_6mpHsVrHgO1eP) ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2285 "2018-01-03T19:42:52Z")
OK, it just tripped my brain. Is this the very first photograph? ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2286 "2018-01-03T19:45:45Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > OK, it just tripped my brain. > > Is this the very first photograph? \*\*No \*\* ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2287 "2018-01-03T19:45:50Z")
Did the doves survive the experiment? ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2288 "2018-01-03T19:51:33Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Did the doves survive the experiment? **No doves died as a result of this experiment.** ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2289 "2018-01-03T20:16:50Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Did the doves survive the experiment? See post #2279 Just to be clear, were the doves dead before the experiment started ? Were they fossils? ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2290 "2018-01-03T20:28:40Z")
Were the doves passenger pigeons? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2291 "2018-01-03T20:47:03Z")
I know some of this is repetitive/redundant, but: Does this have to do with doves being a symbol of peace? Were the doves drawings? Did this involve science at all? ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2292 "2018-01-03T21:35:15Z")
\*reply to \*\*Peter Morris \*\*\* ××××× Just to be clear, were the doves dead before the experiment started ? \*\*No \*\* Were they fossils? \*\*No \*\* ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2293 "2018-01-03T21:36:18Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Were the doves passenger pigeons? \*\*No \*\* ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2294 "2018-01-03T21:38:21Z")
\*reply to \*\*Mahaloth \*\*\* ××××× Does this have to do with doves being a symbol of peace? \*\*No \*\* Were the doves drawings? \*\*No \*\* Did this involve science at all? \*\*No \*\* ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2295 "2018-01-03T22:29:31Z")
Did the doves actually physically exist at all? Were the doves alive at any time before the test? Were the doves alive during the test? Were the doves alive after the test? Were they some sort of artistic representation? Were they some sort of abstraction? (for example a computer simulation) ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2296 "2018-01-03T23:04:23Z")
\*reply to \*\*Peter Morris \*\*\* ××××× Did the doves actually physically exist at all? \*\*No \*\* Were the doves alive at any time before the test? \*\*No \*\* Were the doves alive during the test? \*\*No \*\* Were the doves alive after the test? \*\*No \*\* Were they some sort of artistic representation? \*\*No \*\* Were they some sort of abstraction? (for example a computer simulation)\*\*Yes \*\* ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2297 "2018-01-03T23:53:41Z")
Were they a computer simulation? ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2018, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2298 "2018-01-03T23:58:16Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Were they a computer simulation? \*\*No \*\* ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2299 "2018-01-04T00:31:10Z")
OK, so we have doves (which specifically means white pigeonlike birds) which are an abstraction, and therefore neither dead nor alive, but which are not a work of art, nor a computer simulation, being used in an experiment which has nothing to do with science. Is that accurate? Because if so, I’m pretty much lost. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2018, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/2300 "2018-01-04T00:38:03Z")
Were / are the doves on a coin? A medal? A monument? A building? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868.md?page=114) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868.md?page=116)