# Rock Scissors Paper ....Spock? Lizards? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 21, 2009, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-scissors-paper-spock-lizards/497141 "2009-05-21T04:18:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-scissors-paper-spock-lizards/497141/21 "2009-05-21T19:48:36Z")
For that matter, can you do the Spockian single eyebrow raise? Right brow only? Left brow only? Inner corner? Outer corner? ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-scissors-paper-spock-lizards/497141/22 "2009-05-21T21:50:05Z")
> [@Nancarrow](#): > > WTF? You hold your hand up, palm facing the other guy, and part your middle and ring fingers. What’s unable to be done about that? When I was in grade school I wasn’t able to do it. I would sit through a whole hour of classes with my hand pointed down and fingers pressed against the desk to force my hand into the Vulcan salute. After a while of doing this I was finally able to say “Live Long and Prosper” with the correct hand gesture. My brother, on the other hand, was able to do it easily and constantly taunted me, hence my efforts at school. I can wink with my left eye (lower the left eyelid while the right eyelid stays up) but I am unable to wink with my right eye. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-scissors-paper-spock-lizards/497141/23 "2009-05-21T21:59:04Z")
> [@Terminus\_Est](#): > > For that matter, can you do the Spockian single eyebrow raise? Right brow only? Left brow only? Inner corner? Outer corner? See my old thread on this subject. > **[Can you raise one eyebrow?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=342486)** > > Can you raise a single eyebrow? Leonard Nimoy can do it, so can Roger Moore. (So can the Straight Dope. :dubious: ) I’ve never been able to do it. Can you? Could it be a genetic thing, like rolling your tongue? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2009, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-scissors-paper-spock-lizards/497141/24 "2009-05-21T22:54:06Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Can you wiggle your ears or roll your tongue or flare your nostrils? > > I can do two of those three, but no matter how hard I try, I can’t wiggle my ears. > > If you’re not wired to do those things, it won’t happen. Not only can I do all of the above AND the Vulcan salute with _either_ hand AND the single-eyebrow raise with _either_ eyebrow… … I can almost do the Vulcan salute with my _toes_. Yes, really! I still need to refine the gesture a bit, but I knew I was making progress when my husband caught me doing it and said “You FREAK! _I’m_ supposed to be the biggest Star Trek nerd in the family!” ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-scissors-paper-spock-lizards/497141/25 "2009-05-22T02:08:41Z")
Feh. The Spock hand is easy. _I_ can touch the back of my left hand with the middle finger _of the same hand_. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-scissors-paper-spock-lizards/497141/26 "2009-05-22T02:30:54Z")
> [@](#): > > Dunno if it’s true about Quinto, though. On an important issue like this, I’m ready with a [cite](http://videogum.com/archives/behind-the-scenes/zachary-quinto-is-a-terrible-h_069052.html). ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-scissors-paper-spock-lizards/497141/27 "2009-05-22T02:37:21Z")
> [@](#): > > No, that’s about right. You can do it with any number of symbols as long as it’s an odd number. Basic rock-paper-scissors has 3 so you have a 50/50 chance against them (1 winner, 1 loser). The expanded spock version has 5 symbols but you still have a 50-50 chance (2 winners, 2 losers). You could make a version if you like of 101 symbols (50 winners, 50 losers) like the dynamite one linked to. Okay. But reading subsequent posts, I’m betting there’s a deeper strategy out there. You just need to analyze the physical difficulty of performing the various gestures and then map out the relative probabilities of each ones being used. With these probabilities you can then determine which gestures have a weighted advantage against the “easy” gestures that are more likely to be used. Sheldon, of course, has already done this. ---
**Author:** ![melodyharmonius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/melodyharmonius/32/21310_2.png) [@melodyharmonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melodyharmonius)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-scissors-paper-spock-lizards/497141/28 "2009-05-22T02:51:17Z")
As a child, I was not spock-abled. However, after years of knuckle cracking and practicing, I’ve now forced my fingers in to submission and can do it at the blink of an eye. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-scissors-paper-spock-lizards/497141/29 "2009-05-22T03:09:14Z")
I can do the Spock salute with both hands simultaneously whilst touching my nose with my tongue … and playing blindfold chess too! ---
**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:** [May 22, 2009, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-scissors-paper-spock-lizards/497141/30 "2009-05-22T05:07:38Z")
How do you move the pieces while keeping both hands Spocked? ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-scissors-paper-spock-lizards/497141/31 "2009-05-22T05:38:37Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Just to make sure I’m clear on the details, the point of these expanded lists of gestures is to avoid both players choosing the same gesture, right? Or is there some subtler strategic issues raised? I would venture to guess that it makes the results more random. Myself and the president of the last company I worked for would both consistently come out as the winners in regular paper-rock-scissors against a crowd of ten others (we had a contest one day, going about ten rounds.) ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-scissors-paper-spock-lizards/497141/32 "2009-05-22T05:44:54Z")
I’m still not sure where the two additional gestures came from. Interesting thread though. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-scissors-paper-spock-lizards/497141/33 "2009-05-22T07:44:35Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > How do you move the pieces while keeping both hands Spocked? Playing blindfold, you just call out the moves: “Pawn to King 4” or “e2 to e4” - someone else has a board to make the actual moves on. (Of course, two strong blindfold players don’t need a board at all.) ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-scissors-paper-spock-lizards/497141/34 "2009-05-22T14:16:19Z")
> [@glee](#): > > I can do the Spock salute with both hands simultaneously whilst touching my nose with my tongue … and playing blindfold chess too! Slightly harder than the Spock salute, in my opinion anyway, is the “reverse Spock.” Hold your hand up. Now, keep your middle fingers (long and ring) together, and move the outer fingers (index and little) away from them. Should look like “\ || /”. The faster you can do the move, the better. Took me a few minutes practice to get it the first time, but now I can do it without thinking. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-scissors-paper-spock-lizards/497141/35 "2009-05-22T14:49:37Z")
I’ve always been able to do the Spock salute with no trouble, and I did the reverse Spock for the first time today with no trouble. Maybe I’m part Vulcan ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-scissors-paper-spock-lizards/497141/36 "2009-05-22T14:57:17Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Maybe I’m part Vulcan I think you’re Vulcan crazy. ---
**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:** [May 22, 2009, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-scissors-paper-spock-lizards/497141/37 "2009-05-22T17:37:21Z")
> [@](#): > > Playing blindfold, you just call out the moves: “Pawn to King 4” or “e2 to e4” - someone else has a board to make the actual moves on. (Of course, two strong blindfold players don’t need a board at all.) I considered that, but then the difficulty is in calling out moves while licking one’s own nose. ---
**Author:** ![runcible\_spoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc29f/32.png) [@runcible\_spoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/runcible_spoon)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-scissors-paper-spock-lizards/497141/38 "2009-05-22T18:50:40Z")
Why wouldn’t you just pick up the pieces by squeezing them with your middle and ring fingers? I just tested this, and if I can pick up a glass bottle like that, chess pieces should be cake. ---
**Author:** ![Labtrash](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/labtrash/32/528_2.png) [@Labtrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labtrash)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-scissors-paper-spock-lizards/497141/39 "2009-05-22T21:45:50Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > Slightly harder than the Spock salute, in my opinion anyway, is the “reverse Spock.” > > Hold your hand up. Now, keep your middle fingers (long and ring) together, and move the outer fingers (index and little) away from them. Should look like “\ || /”. The faster you can do the move, the better. > > Took me a few minutes practice to get it the first time, but now I can do it without thinking. Weird, I can do that easily, but I can’t do the Spock salute. ---
**Author:** ![Labtrash](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/labtrash/32/528_2.png) [@Labtrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labtrash)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2009, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-scissors-paper-spock-lizards/497141/40 "2009-05-22T21:47:08Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > I cant do it ☹ Well, OK, but you’ve got the pointy ears already, don’t ya? 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-scissors-paper-spock-lizards/497141.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-scissors-paper-spock-lizards/497141.md?page=3)