# SDMB Challenge: Find Your Way Back To This Thread Using Only Mouse Clicks. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 23, 2004, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-challenge-find-your-way-back-to-this-thread-using-only-mouse-clicks/281364 "2004-12-23T19:18:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-challenge-find-your-way-back-to-this-thread-using-only-mouse-clicks/281364/1 "2004-12-23T19:18:54Z")
I admit, this is a difficult but intriguing game. I once read that all websites are separated by 6 degrees of separation much like Kevin Bacon is to other actors. I doubt that but we will see how close it is. I am going to give you a website that I chose rather randomly and you job is to make it back to this thread and post the number of clicks that it took you to do it. There are a few rules however: 1. The primary navigation tool is just clicking on links from each page until you get closer and closer to this thread. 2. You are absolutely not allowed to use any search boxes located on a page. 3. THERE IS NO TYPING allowed on any page. DISREGARD YOUR KEYBOARD. 4. You cannot cheat and cut and paste into anything. 5. You can use drop-down boxes on pages but website links are you primary tool. 6. Feel free to use your BACK button but that counts as a point for each click. 7. The person with the lowest score takes the lead (and please be honest). In summary, your job is to get back to this thread from the page below in the fewest number of clicks possible using only your mouse with no cutting and pasting and no keyboard. I accomplished this one myself and got a terrible score of 314. It is possible to get back here. Beat 314 and you are ahead. Here is the start page: Ready. Set. Go! [http://www.afghanistan.com/](http://www.afghanistan.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-challenge-find-your-way-back-to-this-thread-using-only-mouse-clicks/281364/2 "2004-12-23T19:25:31Z")
does drag and drop break rule 4? If not I did it in two clicks. (well one drag and one click) ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-challenge-find-your-way-back-to-this-thread-using-only-mouse-clicks/281364/3 "2004-12-23T19:27:53Z")
One. I used the drop down box called History. Maybe I don’t understand. ---
**Author:** ![Earthworm\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f07891/32.png) [@Earthworm\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthworm_Jim)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-challenge-find-your-way-back-to-this-thread-using-only-mouse-clicks/281364/4 "2004-12-23T19:27:57Z")
4 Clicks. Clicked the DDLB that is my address bar. Selected “[http://boards.straightdope.com](http://boards.straightdope.com)” MPSIMS Here I am. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-challenge-find-your-way-back-to-this-thread-using-only-mouse-clicks/281364/5 "2004-12-23T19:28:51Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > 1. Feel free to use your BACK button but that counts as a point for each click. Well, that was easy. I clicked on the URL, then I clicked on the “back” button. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-challenge-find-your-way-back-to-this-thread-using-only-mouse-clicks/281364/6 "2004-12-23T19:29:13Z")
Damn, now I have two pages open to the same page Doh. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-challenge-find-your-way-back-to-this-thread-using-only-mouse-clicks/281364/7 "2004-12-23T19:29:25Z")
How about also setting rules that you can’t set this page to be your homepage, or any other unnamed rule that violates the spirit of the thread. And why not amend the “you can use the Back button” rule to “you can use the Back button only to get yourself out of a dead end”? ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-challenge-find-your-way-back-to-this-thread-using-only-mouse-clicks/281364/8 "2004-12-23T19:31:40Z")
> [@matt\_mcl](#): > > Well, that was easy. I clicked on the URL, then I clicked on the “back” button. in IE, clicking the link opens it in a new window, with a greyed out back button ---
**Author:** ![Berkut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@Berkut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Berkut)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-challenge-find-your-way-back-to-this-thread-using-only-mouse-clicks/281364/9 "2004-12-23T19:34:47Z")
I found a path that only takes 18 clicks, but I forgot to count how many clicks it actually took to find it so I’m not claiming that as a score. So, for anyone playing, it can be done in 18 (maybe less) if you do everything right. Something to shoot for, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![yBeayf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e274bd/32.png) [@yBeayf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yBeayf)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-challenge-find-your-way-back-to-this-thread-using-only-mouse-clicks/281364/10 "2004-12-23T19:34:54Z")
22, with NO cheating or loopholes. How I did it: From [afghanistan.com](http://afghanistan.com), I went to the “Travel Visas” link at the top, then to the US Immigration Agency, then to “Links”, then to [linkpartners.com](http://linkpartners.com), then to a link at the bottom of that page to Google Ads, then to the Google main page, Google directory, drilled down to the Chicago Reader, from there to the Straight Dope front page, SDMB, and this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-challenge-find-your-way-back-to-this-thread-using-only-mouse-clicks/281364/11 "2004-12-23T19:40:21Z")
I clicked on your link. Then hit X in the top right corner. And there was this thread again. So one click. I win. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-challenge-find-your-way-back-to-this-thread-using-only-mouse-clicks/281364/12 "2004-12-23T19:45:27Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > I clicked on your link. Then hit X in the top right corner. And there was this thread again. > So one click. I win. That’s two clicks, I did it in one drag, one click. ---
**Author:** ![Sevo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sevo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sevo)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-challenge-find-your-way-back-to-this-thread-using-only-mouse-clicks/281364/13 "2004-12-23T19:48:51Z")
I give up. I’ve been trying for an hour. 314 doesn’t look so bad now. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-challenge-find-your-way-back-to-this-thread-using-only-mouse-clicks/281364/14 "2004-12-23T21:02:33Z")
For all you cheaters, the ideas is just to go from link to link on web pages starting at the first one without using any of your other buttons until you arrive back at the SDMB and then to this thread. **yBeayf** got the idea right and found a much better solution than I did. Now, try to find different or better solutions. ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_On\_My\_Sleeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/77aa72/32.png) [@Heart\_On\_My\_Sleeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_On_My_Sleeve)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-challenge-find-your-way-back-to-this-thread-using-only-mouse-clicks/281364/15 "2004-12-23T21:46:34Z")
My initial try, 61, no cheating or loopholes. I thought I could do a lot better if I had to do it again (i.e. I needed to quite a bit of backtracking the first time). After I had some practice, it took me 16 links. Google is a pretty good direction to go. I went to International Cellphones, [attwireless.com](http://attwireless.com), site map, google, directory, computer, internet, on the web, message boards, vbulletin, [big-boards.com](http://big-boards.com), The Straight Dope and then to the thread. I think it can be done in even fewer clicks. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-challenge-find-your-way-back-to-this-thread-using-only-mouse-clicks/281364/16 "2004-12-23T23:22:24Z")
My score of 314 sucked but it doesn’t sound quite as bad when you consider that I didn’t use google or any other major portal-type site. Mine were all pretty minor web pages. I will try to beat my own score a little later. Can anyone come up with an efficient route without using google or a rough equivalent? ---
**Author:** ![that\_darn\_cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/59ef9b/32.png) [@that\_darn\_cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/that_darn_cat)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2004, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-challenge-find-your-way-back-to-this-thread-using-only-mouse-clicks/281364/17 "2004-12-24T04:11:19Z")
17! boo-ya! I used orbitz to get to a chicago directory, then to the chicago public library, link to the reader, then to the dope, drill down to the thread. Could have been a bit shorter, I had to hit back a coupla times. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2004, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-challenge-find-your-way-back-to-this-thread-using-only-mouse-clicks/281364/18 "2004-12-24T04:49:57Z")
Ok, it looks like people are doing a hell of a lot better than me at this. There is nothing like getting slaughtered at a game you made up yourself. There may be something to that ‘X’ degrees of seperation thing after all. Here is another one for you to try. I picked it out randomly out of a google search of some unrelated words. I already solved it but let’s just say my score was still over 100 so there is no need to be exact. I am somebody will come in with a 5 or something. Here it is: [http://www.britishcouncil.org/argentina-arts-resources-imagine.htm](http://www.britishcouncil.org/argentina-arts-resources-imagine.htm) If you post your score, just put a #2 in the post with it. ---
**Author:** ![yBeayf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e274bd/32.png) [@yBeayf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yBeayf)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2004, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-challenge-find-your-way-back-to-this-thread-using-only-mouse-clicks/281364/19 "2004-12-24T05:03:42Z")
#2 17 Menu at top: About us -\> Learn about UK -\> UK News Online; Daily Mail; Google ads, Google, and so on. Slightly inflated because I had to hit back once or twice. Reaching Google is the key. Was your 100 figure with or without a large directory-type site? ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2004, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-challenge-find-your-way-back-to-this-thread-using-only-mouse-clicks/281364/20 "2004-12-24T05:05:14Z")
> [@yBeayf](#): > > #2 > > 17 > > Menu at top: About us -\> Learn about UK -\> UK News Online; Daily Mail; Google ads, Google, and so on. Slightly inflated because I had to hit back once or twice. Reaching Google is the key. > > Was your 100 figure with or without a large directory-type site? Mine is without but the rules don’t say that you can’t use them. I just throw in an extra challenge for myself which is pretty dumb because I am bad enough at it as it is. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-challenge-find-your-way-back-to-this-thread-using-only-mouse-clicks/281364.md?page=2)