# 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:** 29
**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:** [August 20, 2023, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/561 "2023-08-20T21:36:16Z")
> [@dirtball](#): > > Did the missionary make this suggestion knowing it would impair the ponies’ efficiency? > > **NO** > > If the above answer is “I don’t know,” might it have been reasonable (in your opinion) to expect someone to anticipate the impairment? > > **NO** > > Did the suggestion “directly” involve the ponies? For example, “Ya know, it would be a good idea if you did such and such with the ponies”? > > **NO** > > Or was the suggestion something that wouldn’t necessarily involve ponies, but it was logically extended to include them? > > Logically? I mean there was a lateral thinking puzzle way it did, but I doubt they realized it. It is logical in retrospect. KKKKK ---
**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:** [August 20, 2023, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/562 "2023-08-20T21:36:27Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Did folks start riding the ponies more, so as to go sin a good distance away? NO. Good thought, though. ---
**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:** [August 20, 2023, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/563 "2023-08-20T21:39:02Z")
Did the ponies unproblematically do X amount of work every day before the missionary arrived — and then did X+Y for six days and efficiency dropped by Day 6, and then everyone took a break from work on the Sabbath? ---
**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:** [August 20, 2023, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/564 "2023-08-20T21:40:06Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Did the ponies unproblematically do X amount of work every day before the missionary arrived — and then did X+Y for six days and efficiency dropped by Day 6, and then everyone took a break from work on the Sabbath?. **NO** ---
**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:** [August 20, 2023, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/565 "2023-08-20T21:41:55Z")
So, on the face of it, without lateral thinking, this suggestion the missionary made would seem to have nothing to do with the ponies or their efficiency. Is that correct? ---
**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:** [August 20, 2023, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/566 "2023-08-20T21:45:20Z")
Did people ride the ponies more often, so as to get to church services? ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2023, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/567 "2023-08-20T21:56:13Z")
Were the ponies being mistreated prior to the missionary’s arrival? Did they put a stop to that? ---
**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:** [August 20, 2023, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/568 "2023-08-20T22:07:25Z")
Was the diet of the ponies relevant? (I’m remembering something about how one of the vitamin-deficiency diseases became understood, though I think the case I remember involved chickens, not ponies) ---
**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:** [August 20, 2023, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/569 "2023-08-20T22:08:27Z")
> [@dirtball](#): > > So, on the face of it, without lateral thinking, this suggestion the missionary made would seem to have nothing to do with the ponies or their efficiency. Is that correct? **CORRECT** > [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Did people ride the ponies more often, so as to get to church services? **NO** > [@Larry\_Borgia](#): > > Were the ponies being mistreated prior to the missionary’s arrival? Did they put a stop to that? **NO AND NO** > [@Chronos](#): > > Was the diet of the ponies relevant?. NOPE ---
**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:** [August 20, 2023, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/570 "2023-08-20T22:12:17Z")
Did carrying out this suggestion have the effect of reducing the amount of sleep the ponies were getting? ---
**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:** [August 20, 2023, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/571 "2023-08-20T22:24:49Z")
Was the suggestion a suggestion for a different way of doing mining work? Was the suggestion a suggestion for something for humans to do for recreation/entertainment/amusement? Was the suggestion for something humans should do for religious/spiritual reasons? Was the suggestion for how to carry out some non-mining-related other day-to-day work (such as buying groceries, or cleaning the house)? Was sex relevant? ---
**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:** [August 20, 2023, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/572 "2023-08-20T22:51:15Z")
> [@dirtball](#): > > Did carrying out this suggestion have the effect of reducing the amount of sleep the ponies were getting? NO > [@Chronos](#): > > Was the suggestion a suggestion for a different way of doing mining work? > > NO > > Was the suggestion a suggestion for something for humans to do for recreation/entertainment/amusement? > > NO > > Was the suggestion for something humans should do for religious/spiritual reasons? > > YES > > Was the suggestion for how to carry out some non-mining-related other day-to-day work (such as buying groceries, or cleaning the house)? > > NO > > Was sex relevant? > > NO KKKKKK ---
**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:** [August 20, 2023, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/573 "2023-08-20T23:01:49Z")
Is mining relevant at all? That is to say, if the missionary had come to some other town with ponies working in some other industry, would he have likely made the same suggestion? And would that suggestion have had the same effect on those working ponies? ---
**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:** [August 20, 2023, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/574 "2023-08-20T23:26:02Z")
As far as I can tell, mining is not relevant. Like, it didn’t have to specifically be mining. So, yes, it would have had the same effect on working ponies in another industry. ---
**Author:** ![Ana\_Byrd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Ana\_Byrd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ana_Byrd)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2023, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/575 "2023-08-21T00:07:23Z")
Was the loss of efficiency because of the loads they carried? The shoes they wore? The distance they traveled? The kind of care they received? You say they weren’t mistreated before the change, but were they mistreated after? ---
**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:** [August 21, 2023, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/576 "2023-08-21T00:21:08Z")
> [@Ana\_Byrd](#): > > Was the loss of efficiency because of the loads they carried? > > The shoes they wore? > > The distance they traveled? > > The kind of care they received? > > You say they weren’t mistreated before the change, but were they mistreated after?. **No to all.** ---
**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:** [August 21, 2023, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/577 "2023-08-21T00:40:37Z")
Did the suggestion have something to do with scheduling? ---
**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:** [August 21, 2023, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/578 "2023-08-21T01:04:30Z")
> [@dirtball](#): > > Did the suggestion have something to do with scheduling?. Nope. ---
**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:** [August 21, 2023, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/579 "2023-08-21T01:29:45Z")
Before the missionary came, did the ponies have any job or use other than their “day job” in the mines? How about after? Is horse manure relevant? Is water consumption relevant? ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2023, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/580 "2023-08-21T01:44:09Z")
So, the suggestion was something the missionary thought people should do for religious / spiritual reasons … Did it involve prayer? Did it involve other formal religious practices, like attending church or visiting a shrine or something? Did it involve fasting? Some other abstinence-based practice? Was it something that people would typically do at work? During their leisure time? Were the people who normally worked with the ponies / in the mine putting this suggestion into practice while they were working? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214.md?page=28) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214.md?page=30)