# The Singularity is Near! (Internet 20 questions) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 25, 2010, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308 "2010-01-25T02:50:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/81 "2010-01-26T00:36:32Z")
It hasn’t heard of Cecil Adams. It thought I was talking about Gary Larson, which I guess is a compliment. (Also someone named Chad Vader). ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f08c70/32.png) [@Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Brother_Walker)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/82 "2010-01-26T01:02:42Z")
My first tries: Dr. Frank N. Furter (from Rocky Horror) in 20. Michael Weston (from Burn Notice) in 17. But I managed to take it all the way to 37 with King Diamond. So it’s not unwinnable. ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/83 "2010-01-26T01:32:10Z")
Cripes, it’s really not bad. Stanley Tweedle in 20 exactly (thought I’d win that one). 20 exactly for Ted Kennedy, too, and Al Swearengen as well. Hamlet in 17. Tycho Brahe (of Penny-Arcade) took 25. Bob Loblaw in 15. Vercingetorix the Gaul in 17. Rita Repulsa took 24. I did stump it with Ray Fillet (of TMNT) and Monkian (of Thundercats), neither of which were in the database. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/84 "2010-01-26T01:32:18Z")
Stumped it on the Fedex Pope (a character from Conan O’Brian). It kept guessing characters from Seinfeld. It confirmed after 12 that I was thinking of a member of Black Sabbath, but took 6 more questions to narrow it down to Ronnie James Dio. (Geezer Butler also took 18 questions, Bill Ward 17, Tony Iommi 15, Ozzy only took 14.) ---
**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:** [January 26, 2010, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/85 "2010-01-26T01:38:58Z")
I tried it in French with a French author just to test its database for non-american characters, and it found Alexandre Dumas senior in 20 questions - I was impressed by that. I’ll have to try more non-american people tonight. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/86 "2010-01-26T01:39:49Z")
Alton Brown in 17 and the last four questions were about hosting a TV show, motorcycles, working with food and being a blond. ---
**Author:** ![Coalcracker0](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b38774/32.png) [@Coalcracker0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coalcracker0)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/87 "2010-01-26T01:53:21Z")
It guessed Joanna Lumbley for Jennifer Saunders!! ---
**Author:** ![hobscrk777](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a6a055/32.png) [@hobscrk777](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hobscrk777)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/88 "2010-01-26T02:00:27Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > …words… Well, now we’ve established that your a wet blanket. Thanks for playing! ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/89 "2010-01-26T02:05:31Z")
Stumped it with Charlie the Alligator from the Maisy the Mouse books/show. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/90 "2010-01-26T03:39:00Z")
Wow…damn…it guessed Michael Carpenter, from the Dresden Files, after 20 questions. I was thinking of Harry Dresden, from the same series. I think the question ‘Does your character fight with guns?’, which I answered negatively, might have skewed it, cause he was awfully close. Harry doesn’t fight with guns typically though, hrm. Anyway…that was cool. ---
**Author:** ![Headrush042](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a5b964/32.png) [@Headrush042](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Headrush042)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/91 "2010-01-26T03:43:55Z")
Got Strong Bad in 20. Got Charlotte Wessels (lead singer, Delain) in 40. Got FitzChivalry Farseer in 19, but I stumped him with Chade. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/92 "2010-01-26T03:44:11Z")
It’s not too bad once you eliminate the repeated questions. The first few times I tried it was pretty bad, then I realized I had used up my knowledge of people that were: – Famous – Not famous enough that it won’t get it – and, that _I_ know enough about its questions to answer them reasonably reliably. As it is it got Gerard Way in about the same number of questions I had expected it to (around 16) but I had to use wiki to answer some of its questions. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/93 "2010-01-26T03:45:41Z")
> [@Headrush042](#): > > Got Strong Bad in 20. > > Got Charlotte Wessels (lead singer, Delain) in 40. > > Got FitzChivalry Farseer in 19, but I stumped him with Chade. Haha, nice! I was going to try The Fool but figured that was never gonna happen. 😉 It couldn’t get Martha Washington, though it guessed Betsy Ross and Mary Todd Lincoln. ---
**Author:** ![Headrush042](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a5b964/32.png) [@Headrush042](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Headrush042)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/94 "2010-01-26T03:48:16Z")
The Fool is actually in the database (it was the first wrong guess for Chade, hehe) ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Credible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a8b319/32.png) [@Justin\_Credible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Credible)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/95 "2010-01-26T03:54:16Z")
I thought of John Bonham, and after 20 questions, it guessed Keith Moon. Strangely enough, the next ten questions were way out there and not at all related to the previous line of questioning, but it did guess Bonham at 30 questions. I think it already had it down to those two after 20, and it just had to put 10 more guesses out there before it could answer again. Oh geez, now I’m thinking of The Witch King of Angmar, and it’s 8th question is “has your character played in The Lord of The Rings?” after just asking basic things like real/fictional and man/woman. Damn genie. ---
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/96 "2010-01-26T03:57:05Z")
> [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](#): > > It hasn’t heard of Cecil Adams. It thought I was talking about Gary Larson, which I guess is a compliment. (Also someone named Chad Vader). Chad Vader (IIRC) is the lead on a Youtube television show featuring Chad Vader, Darth Vader’s brother who works the night shift in a grocery store. Much of the humor comes from him acting in a stereotypical “evil overlord” manner in a grocery store, where that sort of behavior is unusual. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Credible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a8b319/32.png) [@Justin\_Credible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Credible)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/97 "2010-01-26T04:13:05Z")
I won with “Fat Yellow Bird” from Bill Willingham’s Fables series. It guessed Woodstock, The Ugly Duckling, and some weird looking dinosaur called Monster Hunter. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/98 "2010-01-26T04:16:31Z")
> [@Justin\_Credible](#): > > I won with “Fat Yellow Bird” from Bill Willingham’s Fables series. It guessed Woodstock, The Ugly Duckling, and some weird looking dinosaur called Monster Hunter. He got Big Bird in 15. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2010, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/99 "2010-01-26T04:43:38Z")
> [@Headrush042](#): > > The Fool is actually in the database (it was the first wrong guess for Chade, hehe) I stand humbled and corrected. Or is that kneel? :dubious: ---
**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:** [January 26, 2010, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/100 "2010-01-26T04:57:46Z")
> [@](#): > > Stumped it on Tracy Partridge and William of Baskerville. > [@](#): > > I stumped it with Charles Wallace Murry from A Wrinkle in Time though he was in the data base. Interesting, it gave me both of those in less than 20. What surprised me was that it actually got Deep Blue. I would have thought that it’d get confused about a character that really exists and is made of metal. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308.md?page=6)