# Lateral Thinking Puzzles - third time is best! **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [July 18, 2023, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214 "2023-07-18T13:39:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 212
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4221 "2026-02-20T21:57:01Z")
Did this command have anything to do with something that could, even in the loosest sense of the word, be described as “configuration”? ---
**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:** [February 21, 2026, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4222 "2026-02-21T01:54:46Z")
In the very loosest sense of the word, I can’t think of any computer command that doesn’t have anything to do with configuration. Maybe narrow that down a bit? ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2026, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4223 "2026-02-21T17:45:12Z")
I was thinking of configuration of the game software itself, or selecting attributes of a character, or something in that general area. As opposed to entering a command within the game that would be directly related to gameplay when it’s in progress. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2026, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4224 "2026-02-21T18:22:20Z")
Were you trying to turn off the game, but the computer obligingly responded to your command by turning itself off? ---
**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:** [February 21, 2026, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4225 "2026-02-21T19:07:49Z")
> [@dirtball](#): > > I was thinking of configuration of the game software itself, or selecting attributes of a character, or something in that general area. > > As opposed to entering a command within the game that would be directly related to gameplay when it’s in progress. In that case, I suppose yes. > [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Were you trying to turn off the game, but the computer obligingly responded to your command by turning itself off? No. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2026, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4226 "2026-02-23T11:09:07Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > (And I hate how Discourse makes it hard to answer that: I can’t just say “no”, and I can’t quote it and say “no”, I have to make it a full sentence) 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:** [February 23, 2026, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4227 "2026-02-23T11:41:22Z")
You could do that because there were other posts in between. You can’t do it for the immediate previous post. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2026, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4228 "2026-02-23T12:19:58Z")
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:** [February 23, 2026, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4229 "2026-02-23T13:29:34Z")
Were you trying to pause/unpause? Was it related to inventory? Visual game setting like zoom/resolution? ---
**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:** [February 23, 2026, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4230 "2026-02-23T22:06:56Z")
No to all. I’ll note that there’s a very important question that nobody has asked yet. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2026, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4231 "2026-02-23T22:09:14Z")
Given what you now know, would you do the same thing again if you were in a significantly similar situation? ---
**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:** [February 23, 2026, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4232 "2026-02-23T22:17:01Z")
I might. After all, it worked. Or I might do something else. ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2026, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4233 "2026-02-24T02:47:43Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’ll note that there’s a very important question that nobody has asked yet. was the command directly related to the game you were playing? (asking in case we’ve wrongly assumed the command and your gameplay were intentionally connected) Was the command a single keystroke? did you have to type in a multi character string of text/numbers? Did the command make a normally understood English statement? Was it an older game? or rather, can I ask, when was the game commercially released? ---
**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:** [February 24, 2026, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4234 "2026-02-24T02:53:33Z")
> [@Sigene](#): > > was the command directly related to the game you were playing? (asking in case we’ve wrongly assumed the command and your gameplay were intentionally connected) No. > [@Sigene](#): > > Was the command a single keystroke? > did you have to type in a multi character string of text/numbers? A multi-character string. > [@Sigene](#): > > Did the command make a normally understood English statement? Yes. > [@Sigene](#): > > Was it an older game? Yes. ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2026, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4235 "2026-02-24T15:07:36Z")
Was the command intended to tell a character to do something? For example, “Behead the mime”? Or to have the character say something? For example, “Ask the bystander, ‘Do you know the way to San Jose?’” ---
**Author:** ![Nauplius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nauplius/32/51_2.png) [@Nauplius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nauplius)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2026, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4236 "2026-02-24T15:39:17Z")
is the computer system you’re using a mainframe? desktop? laptop? tablet? phone? gaming console? arcade machine? vr headset? are you physically entering a command on a keyboard? are you using a game controller? ---
**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:** [February 24, 2026, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4237 "2026-02-24T21:52:10Z")
> [@dirtball](#): > > Was the command intended to tell a character to do something? For example, “Behead the mime”? > Or to have the character say something? For example, “Ask the bystander, ‘Do you know the way to San Jose?’” No to both. > [@Nauplius](#): > > is the computer system you’re using a mainframe? desktop? laptop? tablet? phone? gaming console? arcade machine? vr headset? > > are you physically entering a command on a keyboard? are you using a game controller? Keyboard on a desktop. ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2026, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4238 "2026-02-24T23:08:59Z")
> [@Sigene](#): > > was the command directly related to the game you were playing? (asking in case we’ve wrongly assumed the command and your gameplay were intentionally connected) The answer to this was ‘No’, so we can infer the command was related to something else other then the game he was playing. ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2026, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4239 "2026-02-24T23:12:04Z")
Did you type in the command on the same computer you were playing the game on? Was the command directed at another game? Was the command intended for software related to a work/business function or was it related to software for entertainment? Or something else? ---
**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:** [February 24, 2026, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/4240 "2026-02-24T23:18:36Z")
> [@Sigene](#): > > Did you type in the command on the same computer you were playing the game on? Was the command directed at another game? I typed it on the same computer I was playing the game on, and it was not directed at a different game. > [@Sigene](#): > > Was the command intended for software related to a work/business function or was it related to software for entertainment? Or something else? The command was intended for the game I was playing. I apologize for any confusion this may cause, given my previous answer (which was also true). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214.md?page=211) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214.md?page=213)