# 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:** 93
**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:** [October 26, 2017, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1841 "2017-10-26T12:15:57Z")
> [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](#): > > Mice? A better mousetrap and all that No. > [@Chronos](#): > > A bit meta, but… > > Is there any relevant information to figure out besides the species of organism that was killed? Yes. > [@Biotop](#): > > Rodent? NO > Reptile? NO > Fish? NO > Bird? YES > Mammal? NO > Harmful to humans? NO > Harmful to the environment? NO > Disease carrier? NO > Pest? NO > > Is the time period relevant? MAYBE. NOT REALLY Time period is not super relevant. You can ask if you like. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2017, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1842 "2017-10-26T12:32:54Z")
Was this man a painter? Photographer? ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2017, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1843 "2017-10-26T13:13:43Z")
Is it Colonel Sanders? ---
**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:** [October 26, 2017, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1844 "2017-10-26T15:08:24Z")
Is it Chairman Mao? (IIRC in one period of famine he promoted the eating of birds like finches, swallows, etc.) ---
**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:** [October 26, 2017, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1845 "2017-10-26T16:44:28Z")
> [@Paintcharge](#): > > Was this man a painter? Photographer? No > [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](#): > > Is it Colonel Sanders? No > [@Quartz](#): > > Is it Chairman Mao? (IIRC in one period of famine he promoted the eating of birds like finches, swallows, etc.) No, though I thought he advocated the elimination of birds because of their diseases. They shot tons of pigeons and small birds in the 60’s and 70’s. Then again, food makes sense too. They were starved back then. ---
**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:** [October 27, 2017, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1846 "2017-10-27T02:58:05Z")
Was the killing of birds the main reason for the man’s actions? Would MORE birds have died without the man’s actions? Windmills? Would there have been something worse than a bunch of bird deaths had the man not acted? ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2017, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1847 "2017-10-27T06:45:03Z")
Something to do with testing jet engines with live bird strikes? ---
**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:** [October 27, 2017, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1848 "2017-10-27T13:34:14Z")
Did the birds carry a disease dangerous to humans? ---
**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:** [October 27, 2017, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1849 "2017-10-27T14:13:48Z")
Are the birds poultry? Chickens? Turkeys? Pheasants? Is the killing of the birds associated with the fast food industry? Is the killing of the birds associated with the egg industry? Is the man Bernard Matthews? Is it the process of killing the birds that’s important? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2017, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1850 "2017-10-27T15:38:06Z")
Is it [Robert C. Baker](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEa8wqv4QM0)? ---
**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:** [October 28, 2017, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1851 "2017-10-28T01:00:21Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > Was the killing of birds the main reason for the man’s actions? NO > > Would MORE birds have died without the man’s actions? NO > > Windmills? NO > > Would there have been something worse than a bunch of bird deaths had the man not acted?\*\* I don’t think so\*\* > [@Dead\_Cat](#): > > Something to do with testing jet engines with live bird strikes? No. > [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Did the birds carry a disease dangerous to humans? No. > [@Quartz](#): > > Are the birds poultry? Chickens? Turkeys? Pheasants? > > - **CHICKENS** > > Is the killing of the birds associated with the fast food industry? NO > Is the killing of the birds associated with the egg industry? NO > > Is the man Bernard Matthews? NO > > Is it the process of killing the birds that’s important? YES > [@Gyrate](#): > > Is it [Robert C. Baker](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEa8wqv4QM0)? 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:** [October 28, 2017, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1852 "2017-10-28T01:46:41Z")
Was the man killing the birds in the process of testing some device? Would the man have been surprised if the chickens had survived? Would the man have been upset if the chickens had survived? Was the man prominent prior to whatever it was he did with chickens? Could he have accomplished his goal using some animal other than chickens? Could he have accomplished his goal using a non-bird animal? Was his work of interest to the military? ---
**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:** [October 28, 2017, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1853 "2017-10-28T15:43:12Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Was the man killing the birds in the process of testing some device? NO > > Would the man have been surprised if the chickens had survived? NO > > Would the man have been upset if the chickens had survived? NO > > Was the man prominent prior to whatever it was he did with chickens? NO > > Could he have accomplished his goal using some animal other than chickens? I’m not sure. Probably. > > Could he have accomplished his goal using a non-bird animal? I’m not sure. Again, probably. > > Was his work of interest to the military? NO Embedded answers. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2017, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1854 "2017-10-28T15:51:00Z")
Were the chickens killed by disease? Were the chickens killed by mechanical action (being hit or crushed)? Were the chickens killed by ingesting a substance? ---
**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:** [October 28, 2017, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1855 "2017-10-28T16:28:47Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > Were the chickens killed by disease? NO > Were the chickens killed by mechanical action (being hit or crushed)? NO > Were the chickens killed by ingesting a substance? YES Embedded. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2017, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1856 "2017-10-28T17:28:18Z")
Was the man testing whether the substance the chickens ingested was harmful? At the time of ingestion, did the man think that the substance could be used as chicken food? At the time of ingestion, did the man think that the substance could be used as human food? At the time of ingestion, did the man think the substance could be used as medicine? For chickens? For humans? ---
**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:** [October 28, 2017, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1857 "2017-10-28T21:49:49Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > Was the man testing whether the substance the chickens ingested was harmful? YES, pretty much. > > At the time of ingestion, did the man think that the substance could be used as chicken food? NO > > At the time of ingestion, did the man think that the substance could be used as human food? NO > At the time of ingestion, did the man think the substance could be used as medicine? For chickens? For humans? NO Embedded. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2017, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1858 "2017-10-29T02:11:12Z")
Was the substance ingested by the chickens fertilizer? Was it a pesticide? Was it a genetically modified crop? Was it irradiated? Is the substance currently known to be harmful to humans? ---
**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:** [October 29, 2017, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1859 "2017-10-29T03:15:01Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > Was the substance ingested by the chickens fertilizer? NO > Was it a pesticide? NO > Was it a genetically modified crop? NO > Was it irradiated? NO > Is the substance currently known to be harmful to humans? I don’t think so. Embedded. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2017, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868/1860 "2017-10-29T03:58:18Z")
Was the substance ingested by the chickens plant matter? Was it mineral? Was it something created by humans in a lab? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868.md?page=92) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/53-bicycles-a-lateral-thinking-puzzle/790868.md?page=94)