# 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:** 50
**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:** [December 13, 2019, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/981 "2019-12-13T00:52:12Z")
> [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser](#): > > It’s cool. > So, something that can be see with the naked eye? > > Something visual? > > In their clothes? > > In their bodies? > > In their hair? > > In the way they acted? > > In how they moved? YES, though perhaps not the way they moved. ---
**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:** [December 13, 2019, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/982 "2019-12-13T04:43:10Z")
Did the researchers apply something to the body, clothing, or hair of the participants? Did the researchers give something to each participant before searching for them? Did one or more of the researchers meet and/or interact with all the participants before the search? If so, was this interaction necessary in order to try to locate them later? ---
**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:** [December 13, 2019, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/983 "2019-12-13T15:08:33Z")
Were Mike and his cohorts human? (I’m thinking this is something like researchers charting the flight patterns of geese) ---
**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:** [December 13, 2019, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/984 "2019-12-13T20:54:58Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > Did the researchers apply something to the body, clothing, or hair of the participants? > > NO(I don’t think so) > > Did the researchers give something to each participant before searching for them? > > They gave them some guidelines and brief training. > > Did one or more of the researchers meet and/or interact with all the participants before the search? > > YES > > If so, was this interaction necessary in order to try to locate them later? > > NO. > [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > Were Mike and his cohorts human? > > (I’m thinking this is something like researchers charting the flight patterns of geese) YES, everyone is human in this. ---
**Author:** ![Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_Arachnid_Laser_1)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2019, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/985 "2019-12-14T00:34:07Z")
Where the researchers looking for something related to… Color? Shape? Hue? Size? ---
**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:** [December 14, 2019, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/986 "2019-12-14T00:56:36Z")
> [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser](#): > > Where the researchers looking for something related to… > > Color? > > Shape? > > Hue? > > Size? Really they just asked them all questions. Can anyone figure out why they would do all of this? Play some kind of loose hide-and-seek game? ---
**Author:** ![Personal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Personal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Personal)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2019, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/987 "2019-12-14T01:05:14Z")
Did the participants observe an event/activity? Were they asked their observations? Were the participants trying to see something in particular? An object? ---
**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:** [December 14, 2019, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/988 "2019-12-14T02:18:03Z")
> [@Personal](#): > > Did the participants observe an event/activity? > > Not really. > > Were they asked their observations? > > No. > > Were the participants trying to see something in particular? An object? > > No. I’m ready to reveal if people are tired of this one. I think it may have taken too much time. Do you guys want the answer? ---
**Author:** ![Personal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Personal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Personal)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2019, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/989 "2019-12-14T03:23:54Z")
Let a few chime in, but I’m ready. ---
**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:** [December 14, 2019, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/990 "2019-12-14T04:17:56Z")
I am out of ideas. ---
**Author:** ![Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_Arachnid_Laser_1)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2019, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/991 "2019-12-14T08:28:28Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Really they just asked them all questions. Can anyone figure out why they would do all of this? Play some kind of loose hide-and-seek game? But you said: > [@Mahaloth](#): > > Was the method to detecting the players questions? > > NO > > Was it something purely visual? > > YES Is this still true? ---
**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:** [December 14, 2019, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/992 "2019-12-14T14:43:33Z")
I’m going to reveal, because I think we’ve reached the “answer will not be too satisfying for the effort we put in” time. Mike was in NYC and was paid $85 to go out at night and mix-in/hide with the homeless that are difficult to count at night(“unsheltered” homeless is the term). Researchers go out and do a homeless-census at night and see how many “fake” homeless(from their research) they can find. They see how many they can not find and use that data to determine how many real untrackable homeless are out there. Like a census. They use this information to determine how much food and other services to prepare for. They find 90% of the “players” they put out there and simply bump their genuine count up 10% to get a pretty accurate count of people out there. [New York pays people to be homeless](http://nowiknow.com/why-new-york-city-may-pay-you-to-pretend-to-be-homeless/) Now, when you go back, you can probably see my errors in Q answering. Anyone have a new one? ---
**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:** [December 14, 2019, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/993 "2019-12-14T16:15:39Z")
I have another, but am going to wait until tonight to allow someone else go. I am optimistic my next one is less frustrating, but the truth it that I am never able to predict what will be guessed quickly and what will not be. 🙂 ---
**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:** [December 14, 2019, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/994 "2019-12-14T17:13:27Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I have another, but am going to wait until tonight to allow someone else go. I am optimistic my next one is less frustrating, but the truth it that I am never able to predict what will be guessed quickly and what will not be. 🙂 Here, I will throw out one that should be fast and easy. **His chuckling was a crime. 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:** [December 14, 2019, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/995 "2019-12-14T18:19:13Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > **His chuckling was a crime. Why?** Does chuckling mean laughing? Was it the location he was in that made it a crime? Is he human? Was he chuckling too loud? Too soft? Was he in court? ---
**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:** [December 14, 2019, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/996 "2019-12-14T19:01:28Z")
\*\*reply to Mahaloth \*\* Does chuckling mean laughing? YES Was it the location he was in that made it a crime? NO Is he human? YES Was he chuckling too loud? NO Too soft? NO Was he in court? NO ---
**Author:** ![Personal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Personal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Personal)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2019, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/997 "2019-12-14T19:37:36Z")
Does illegal mean in contravention of a state, federal or municipal law? Was he playing a game? ---
**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:** [December 14, 2019, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/998 "2019-12-14T19:51:21Z")
**reply to Personal** : Does illegal mean in contravention of a state, federal or municipal law? YES Was he playing a game? 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:** [December 14, 2019, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/999 "2019-12-14T22:40:39Z")
Was he arrested? Did he suffer any negative consequences for his chuckling? Does it matter what he was chuckling about or at? ---
**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:** [December 14, 2019, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1000 "2019-12-14T23:21:35Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Was he arrested? > > Did he suffer any negative consequences for his chuckling? > > Does it matter what he was chuckling about or at? No to all. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=49) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=51)