If you have the electronic "20 Questions" game . . .

[Hal_Briston]

@FatBaldGuy

My daughter tried to get it to guess “baby” and after 3 tries, the guesses were zombie, armadillo and cadaver.

Make sure you also try it with baby zombie armadillo cadaver.

[Sailboat]

@Hilarity N. Suze

1–animal, mineral, vegetable, other–ANIMAL
2–is it small? YES
3–is it usually colorful? YES
4–does it live in the forest? YES
5–can you buy it at a store? NO
6–does it bring joy to people? YES
7–do you know any songs about it? NO
8–does it stand on two legs? YES
9–is it involved in movies? NO
10–does it have a bill or a beak? YES
11–can it climb? DK
12–does it have a long tail? NO
13–is it heavier than a pound of butter? NO
14–can it fit in an envelope? NO
15–is it something you can purchase? NO
16–is it smaller than a loaf of bread? YES
17–does it have claws? NO
18–does it live in groups? DK
19–does it have a tail? YES
20–can it be stolen? NO

It’s a hummingbird?

Don’t hummingbirds have claws?

Sailboat

[Dung_Beetle]

I also think I could fit one in an envelope (if it were dead, or very cooperative).

[ftg]

@Hilarity N. Suze

13–is it heavier than a pound of butter? NO

As opposed to a pound of margerine.

[Troy_McClure_SF]

Wow… I guess this thing is taking the country by storm. There were two at my friend’s family’s house yesterday.

[vivalostwages]

A friend and I tried to trip it up with Superman, guitar, slot machine, and sanitary napkin.
Didn’t work. It guessed every one of them.

[Dung_Beetle]

I remember being surprised that I tripped it up with “bra”.

[Scarlett67]

Funny, when I was thinking of an apron, it guessed “brassiere.”

I’m usually opposed to handheld electronic entertainment, but I like these because you at least have to think a little and you can set them to be QUIET! Now that we have two of them (bought one for ourselves, got one as a gift), Mr. S and I were watching TV last night and each playing 20Q at the same time.

The logic is a little screwy sometimes – I’ve had it ask (usually the first question), “Do you hold it when you use it?” (answer YES) and then later it asks, “Can you hold it?” Well duh. But on the other hand it often has the right idea even when it’s wrong: e.g. I was thinking of knitting needles and it guessed “a chopstick” and then “tweezers.”

Oh, and mine have never guessed before 20 questions were up.

[AskNott]

I goofed halfway thru the first try. Here’s the first one.

1.Animal y
2.Small y
3.usually colorful y
4.in the forest y
5.buy it in a store n
6.tail y
7.heavier than pound n
8.4 legs n
9.found on farm s
10.on 2 legs y
11.bill or beak , I hit the no button, then reset and tried again

1. animal y
2. small y
3. swim n
4. fur n
5. smaller than loaf of bread y
6. heavier than a pound n
7. mammal n
8. found on farm s
9. flexible y
10. found in zoo dk
11. usually colorful y
12. something you can purchase n
13. make a sound y
14. awake at night n
15. have a tail y
16. 2 legs y
17. bill or beak y
18. buy at store n
19. can it climb n
20. be hunted n
    First guess: Dragonfly
21. fit into an envelope y
22. have claws y
23. live in groups n
24. bring joy s
25. live in jungle dk
    Human head.

[AskNott]

Then I tried Human Head. It guessed Badger, then lemur. Isn’t that strange? Think of hummingbird, and it guesses dragonfly, then human head. Think of human head, and it guesses badger, then lemur.

I got this thing yesterday for Christmas. So far, it’s been right about half the time.

[John_DiFool]

The online one has quite a number of factual errors. For example I had “Black Lab” in mind,
and while it eventually guessed “Yellow Lab”, it thought that police never use them, or that
they never live on farms, or that they never stink (anyone who has owned a Black Lab
undoubtedly is familiar with their tendency to roll around in extremely stinky stuff), or never
dig holes (yeah right). YMMV of course since I don’t own the take-home version…

[Charger]

It guessed fart and booger correctly for me. Inspired by my sister’s husband, it guessed “sphincter” for asshole.

It guessed Spiderman and then Superman when I was thinking of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. I tried to think of the most harmless thing. Something that could never, ever possibly destroy us.

[vivalostwages]

Hmmmm…I wonder if it could guess vomit. I’ll try that and let you know.

I answered something wrong when I first did Superman and it ended up guessing “nurse.”

[vivalostwages]

Yep, it got vomit correctly by Q20!

Wow. Perhaps we should try the other bodily fluids?

[AThingWithFeathers]

I don’t have mine handy, but true to its name it has guessed asshole, sphincter, and appendix in 20 questions before.

[blondebear]

Pardon me, but the Human Head that people are talking about–is it attached?

Just curious.

[Not_a_Platypus]

@AskNott

First guess: Dragonfly
21. fit into an envelope y
22. have claws y
23. live in groups n
24. bring joy s
25. live in jungle dk
Human head.

So, uh, what kind of envelope does this thing think a human head fits into?

[vivalostwages]

I tried to get it to guess blood, but I think I answered something wrong, because first it came up with cloud, and then rain.

[Mbossa]

@Thorny Platypus

So, uh, what kind of envelope does this thing think a human head fits into?

Ahh…I see what the problem here is. You’re thinking of a standard human head. The game, however, is thinking of one of those human heads that has two legs, claws, a beak, and a tail. That kind of human head fits quite snugly in your everyday household envelope.

[Hilarity_N.Suze]

@Sailboat

Don’t hummingbirds have claws?

Sailboat

well…okay, maybe they do. I ain’t no hummin’ bird expert.

But it got the answer anyway.