# 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:** 61
**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 21, 2019, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1201 "2019-12-21T17:12:42Z")
Was Roger physically handicapped? ---
**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 21, 2019, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1202 "2019-12-21T17:34:51Z")
> [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser](#): > > Oh, it’s that thing where they almost illegalized pinball because they considered it gambling, and some pinball factory brought a particularly good pinball player to prove it was a game of skill, isn’t it? Yes, it’s Roger Sharpe. Pinball was considered a gambling machine and Sharpe was paid to come in and demonstrate his skill in the game. He called his shot and then followed it up by doing exactly what he said. When they saw that, the council immediately realized it was a game of skill and legalized them. [Read the whole story here.](https://gizmodo.com/how-one-perfect-shot-saved-pinball-from-being-illegal-1154267979) ---
**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 21, 2019, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1203 "2019-12-21T17:50:18Z")
_Moe owned a tree cutting business. One day a customer came with a strange request. He wanted Moe to cut down several large trees on his property, but \* this is important, he wanted to make sure all the trees fell in an east-west direction, and not north to south. Moe completed this job and over the next several months he received similar jobs from people all over the region; all with the same unusual request. East/west, not north/south. After a few months of doing a lot of this service for multiple clients, this type of job dwindled and went away. Moe was back to doing his normal cutting. So why did he have this sudden business spurt in east/west tree felling?_\* ---
**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 21, 2019, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1204 "2019-12-21T17:54:19Z")
Did he leave the trees as they were, or did he dispose of them immediately? Is the time the story takes place relevant? Was Moe an inusual woodcutter in some way? ---
**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:** [December 21, 2019, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1205 "2019-12-21T18:07:24Z")
Are property lines relevant? Is an easement of some sort (such as for a road or power lines) relevant? Are prevailing winds relevant? Is a geographical feature (such as a ridgeline or river) relevant? Would it have been fine with the customers if all of the trees fell eastward? Would it have been fine with the customers if all of the trees fell westward? Would it have been fine with the customers if Moe decided randomly for each tree whether to fell it eastward or westward? ---
**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:** [December 21, 2019, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1206 "2019-12-21T18:09:24Z")
If circumstances had been only slightly different, would Moe have instead gotten requests to fell trees only in a north-south direction? ---
**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 21, 2019, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1207 "2019-12-21T18:17:22Z")
**reply to Go\_Arachnid\_Laser** Did he leave the trees as they were **Yes** , or did he dispose of them immediately? **No** Is the time the story takes place relevant? **Yes** Was Moe an inusual woodcutter in some way? **No** ---
**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 21, 2019, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1208 "2019-12-21T18:24:21Z")
Was it wartime? ---
**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 21, 2019, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1209 "2019-12-21T18:25:30Z")
**reply to Chronos** : Are property lines relevant? **No** Is an easement of some sort (such as for a road or power lines) relevant? **No** Are prevailing winds relevant? **No** Is a geographical feature (such as a ridgeline or river) relevant? **Yes** Would it have been fine with the customers if all of the trees fell eastward? **Yes** \* Would it have been fine with the customers if all of the trees fell westward? **Yes** \* Would it have been fine with the customers if Moe decided randomly for each tree whether to fell it eastward or westward? **Yes** \* \*\*\* Sometimes I am sure it would not have been OK. For instance if the tree would have fallen on a house by going in a certain direction, that would probably not have been acceptable. It is also likely that some customers wanted trees to go a certain way for other specific reasons. But in general it is not important.\*\* ---
**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 21, 2019, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1210 "2019-12-21T18:27:05Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > If circumstances had been only slightly different, would Moe have instead gotten requests to fell trees only in a north-south direction? **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:** [December 21, 2019, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1211 "2019-12-21T18:28:55Z")
> [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser](#): > > Was it wartime? **No.** ---
**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 21, 2019, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1212 "2019-12-21T18:31:13Z")
Is the time of the year relevant? Is the specific year relevant? Is there a river near the houses? ---
**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 21, 2019, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1213 "2019-12-21T18:44:58Z")
**reply to Go\_Arachnid\_Laser** Is the time of the year relevant? **Yes, we are talking about a specific time period, though the time of year is not relevant any more than that.** Is the specific year relevant? **Yes, see above. This happened during a fairly specific time** Is there a river near the houses? **Yes** ---
**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:** [December 21, 2019, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1214 "2019-12-21T19:01:31Z")
Did the river run entirely east-west in the region in question? Did the river run entirely north-south in the region in question? Was it desirable for trees to fall into the river? Was it desirable for trees to not fall into the river? Is there any relevant geographical feature other than the river? Is the river a relevant geographical feature? Is the motion of the Sun through the sky relevant? Is the Earth’s magnetic field relevant? ---
**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 21, 2019, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1215 "2019-12-21T19:03:31Z")
Were the trees supposed to help prevent flooding? ---
**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:** [December 21, 2019, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1216 "2019-12-21T19:06:28Z")
If one of the customers had instead had a tree cut in a north-south direction, would that have been in violation of any human-made law? Is the species of the trees relevant? Is the position of any man-made structure(s) 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:** [December 21, 2019, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1217 "2019-12-21T23:17:03Z")
**reply to Chronos** : Did the river run entirely east-west in the region in question? \*\*No \*\* Did the river run entirely north-south in the region in question? \*\*Yes, pretty much for the most part \*\* Was it desirable for trees to fall into the river? \*\*No \*\* Was it desirable for trees to not fall into the river? \*\*Yes \*\* Is there any relevant geographical feature other than the river? \*\*Yes \*\* Is the river a relevant geographical feature? \*\*Not especially \*\* Is the motion of the Sun through the sky relevant? \*\*No more than usual 🙂 \*\* Is the Earth’s magnetic field relevant? \*\*See above \*\* ---
**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 21, 2019, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1218 "2019-12-21T23:18:17Z")
> [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser](#): > > Were the trees supposed to help prevent flooding? \*\*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:** [December 21, 2019, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1219 "2019-12-21T23:19:27Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > If one of the customers had instead had a tree cut in a north-south direction, would that have been in violation of any human-made law? > Is the species of the trees relevant? > Is the position of any man-made structure(s) relevant? \*\*No to all \*\* ---
**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:** [December 22, 2019, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193/1220 "2019-12-22T00:44:20Z")
Were the trees cut down because it was inconvenient/annoying/troublesome/whatever for them to be in the locations where they were? Were the trees cut down to harvest some resource (such as wood) from them? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=60) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-lets-do-it-again/842193.md?page=62)