# 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:** 77
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2017, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1521 "2017-09-21T17:20:35Z")
Is the person testing hardware? Is the person testing software? Is the person testing computer games? ---
**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:** [September 21, 2017, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1522 "2017-09-21T17:21:24Z")
Does the service involve infants or children? ---
**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:** [September 21, 2017, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1523 "2017-09-21T17:35:30Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > Does the service involve infants or children? No. > [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > Is the person testing hardware? > Is the person testing software? > Is the person testing computer games? 1. No. 2. No. 3. 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:** [September 21, 2017, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1524 "2017-09-21T17:50:06Z")
So the performer of the service is testing how a novice would perform with some information technology by being unskilled him/herself. Is it now the specific information technology we have to guess? ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2017, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1525 "2017-09-21T17:51:49Z")
Is the person testing voice recognition technology? So the service is related to information technology, but is not software or hardware? ---
**Author:** ![snoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@snoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snoe)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2017, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1526 "2017-09-21T18:57:49Z")
Nm ---
**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:** [September 21, 2017, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1527 "2017-09-21T19:53:19Z")
Does the testing involve damaging something? ---
**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:** [September 21, 2017, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1528 "2017-09-21T20:35:46Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > Is it now the specific information technology we have to guess? Yes, and some specific information about the job would be nice. > [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > Is the person testing voice recognition technology? > > So the service is related to information technology, but is not software or hardware? 1. No. 2. Yes, I think so. > [@snoe](#): > > Nm > [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > Does the testing involve damaging something? No. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2017, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1529 "2017-09-21T21:16:50Z")
Does the testing involve some form of transportation? ---
**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:** [September 21, 2017, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1530 "2017-09-21T22:08:50Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > Does the testing involve some form of transportation? 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:** [September 21, 2017, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1531 "2017-09-21T22:18:49Z")
Is this a predictive technology? ---
**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:** [September 21, 2017, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1532 "2017-09-21T22:22:07Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Is this a predictive technology? No. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2017, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1533 "2017-09-21T23:05:01Z")
Does the testing involve a website? Does the testing involve an app? Does the testing involve the Internet of Things (Internet connected appliances like alarm systems or juicers)? Does the testing involve music? Does the testing involve education? ---
**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:** [September 21, 2017, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1534 "2017-09-21T23:18:40Z")
Is the purpose of the test to assess a first time experience? ---
**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:** [September 21, 2017, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1535 "2017-09-21T23:22:19Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > Does the testing involve a website? > Does the testing involve an app? > Does the testing involve the Internet of Things (Internet connected appliances like alarm systems or juicers)? > Does the testing involve music? > Does the testing involve education? Website - YES No to the rest. > [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > Is the purpose of the test to assess a first time experience? YES I’ll call this solved. It was never my favorite one. [The job is a guy’s Mom who tests websites for user experience. She comes in with her limited tech. knowledge and reports back how it was as a novice using it.](https://theuserismymom.com/) If she gets too good at using websites, she becomes less useful in her job. I googled if websites are considered “software” and came back with the answer “no”. This is why I said “no” to the software question. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2017, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1536 "2017-09-21T23:26:37Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I googled if websites are considered “software” and came back with the answer “no”. This is why I said “no” to the software question. I was trying to figure out what would be tech and not software or hardware, which is why I asked about websites or apps, so that answer did ultimately lead me in the right direction. I’d like to propose a new puzzle: **A woman grew up in an Irish Catholic family. Both sides of her family are proud of their Irish heritage. But when she has her DNA tested at [Ancestry.com](http://Ancestry.com), the results show that she is 50% Jewish. Why?** ---
**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:** [September 21, 2017, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1537 "2017-09-21T23:33:09Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > **A woman grew up in an Irish Catholic family. Both sides of her family are proud of their Irish heritage. But when she has her DNA tested at [Ancestry.com](http://Ancestry.com), the results show that she is 50% Jewish. Why?** Uh, are they Irish-Jews who had relatives the converted to Catholic? I know that is just spitting out the question with no development, but I think Jewish-Irish people do exist, so one could have ancestry that way without knowing. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2017, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1538 "2017-09-21T23:35:47Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Uh, are they Irish-Jews who had relatives the converted to Catholic? No. ---
**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:** [September 21, 2017, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1539 "2017-09-21T23:56:38Z")
Is there any kind of shared dna-quirks between Jewish and Irish-Catholic that fool the machine testing? ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1540 "2017-09-22T00:06:32Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Is there any kind of shared dna-quirks between Jewish and Irish-Catholic that fool the machine testing? No. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868.md?page=76) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868.md?page=78)