# Lateral Thinking Puzzles. Let's do it again! **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [October 23, 2019, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193 "2019-10-23T21:32:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 202
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2020, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4023 "2020-09-29T01:33:14Z")
Did the man have a relevant conversation with someone in the bar? Did he have an idea? Did he invent something? ---
**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 29, 2020, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4024 "2020-09-29T03:07:53Z")
reply to Zyada: Did this action happen in the main bar area? Yes The restrooms? No Employee only areas? No Was the action that he left something? No Took something? 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 29, 2020, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4025 "2020-09-29T03:09:38Z")
reply to Folly: Did the man have a relevant conversation with someone in the bar? Yes Did he have an idea? No Did he invent something? No ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2020, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4026 "2020-09-29T03:09:50Z")
Did he change the state of something in a way that it remained changed until the outage? ---
**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 29, 2020, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4027 "2020-09-29T03:27:26Z")
reply to Aspidistra: Did he change the state of something in a way that it remained changed until the outage? No ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2020, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4028 "2020-09-29T03:41:28Z")
Did the person with whom the relevant conversation was had do something related to the power outage? ---
**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 29, 2020, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4029 "2020-09-29T03:50:10Z")
reply to Folly: Did the person with whom the relevant conversation was had do something related to the power outage? No ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2020, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4030 "2020-09-29T03:52:28Z")
Was the person with whom he had the conversation an employee of the bar? ---
**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 29, 2020, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4031 "2020-09-29T04:01:54Z")
reply to Aspidistra: Was the person with whom he had the conversation an employee of the bar? 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 30, 2020, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4032 "2020-09-30T03:24:10Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > reply to Folly: > > Did the person with whom the relevant conversation was had do something related to the power outage? > > No I sort of change my mind on this answer. In one way no, but I suppose in an indirect way you could argue yes. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2020, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4033 "2020-09-30T05:07:41Z")
Did the conversation involve the transfer of relevant information from the man to the other person? From the other person to the man? Was the power outage caused by an overloaded system? By a mechanical fault? By human action? ---
**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 30, 2020, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4034 "2020-09-30T06:05:12Z")
reply to Aspidistra: Did the conversation involve the transfer of relevant information from the man to the other person? From the other person to the man? From the other to the man. Was the power outage caused by an overloaded system? Not sure By a mechanical fault? Not Sure. By human action?Yes ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2020, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4035 "2020-09-30T06:08:02Z")
Did the man who walked into the bar later do something that caused a power outage? Did he do this because of what the person he had the conversation with had said? Did he intentionally cause the power outage? ---
**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 30, 2020, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4036 "2020-09-30T06:52:02Z")
reply to Aspidistra,: Did the man who walked into the bar later do something that caused a power outage? Yes Did he do this because of what the person he had the conversation with had said? Yes Did he intentionally cause the power outage? No ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2020, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4037 "2020-10-01T11:02:08Z")
Was the person he had the conversation with employed by the power company? Did he in any way misunderstand what the person said to him? Was the action he took, that caused the power outage, intended to have a particular result? Did it have that result? Did the power outage cover more than a block? A whole city? Is the country relevant? Is the approximate year relevant? ---
**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 1, 2020, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4038 "2020-10-01T12:29:15Z")
A man walks into a bar. Later there is a massive power outage. Why? ++++++++++++++++++++++ reply to Aspidistra: Was the person he had the conversation with employed by the power company? No Did he in any way misunderstand what the person said to him? No Was the action he took, that caused the power outage, intended to have a particular result? Unsure. It is murky. Did it have that result? Open to conjecture Did the power outage cover more than a block? Yes A whole city? Yes Is the country relevant? Yes Is the approximate year relevant? No ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2020, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4039 "2020-10-01T12:53:55Z")
Did the person he had the conversation with intend for the man to cause a power outage? Does the relevance of the country relate to; local culture? technological advancement? climate? ---
**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 1, 2020, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4040 "2020-10-01T13:40:22Z")
reply to Cheesesteak: Did the person he had the conversation with intend for the man to cause a power outage? No Does the relevance of the country relate to; local culture? Somewhat technological advancement? No climate? No ---
**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 1, 2020, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4041 "2020-10-01T13:50:19Z")
Did the man commit suicide in a way that caused the power outage? ---
**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 1, 2020, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/4042 "2020-10-01T13:55:00Z")
reply to Gyrate: Did the man commit suicide in a way that caused the power outage? No [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=201) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=203)