# What was that one game Dopers found that had the computer guessing who they were? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [April 25, 2011, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627 "2011-04-25T06:53:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**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:** [April 25, 2011, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/41 "2011-04-25T19:16:25Z")
Quoth **Tom Scud** : > [@](#): > > I thought I had him on the last one since the questions seemed to be leading nowhere, but he still got it. I think that this is what impresses folks most about programs like this: Humans playing 20 questions will usually go for questions to which we think the answer is “yes”, and so we think of someone getting a bunch of "yes"es in a row is a sign that he’s doing well. But when you’re confident that the answer to a question is “yes”, it’s a waste of a question to ask it: Why ask when you already know the answer? With a well-chosen question, a “no” answer will give exactly as much information as a “yes”, and so a computer that appears to be getting nowhere (i.e., it’s getting a lot of "no"s) is still making good progress. ---
**Author:** ![sachertorte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sachertorte/32/3727_2.png) [@sachertorte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sachertorte)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/42 "2011-04-25T19:47:41Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > With a well-chosen question, a “no” answer will give exactly as much information as a “yes”, and so a computer that appears to be getting nowhere (i.e., it’s getting a lot of "no"s) is still making good progress. Binary Partition Tree ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/43 "2011-04-25T20:08:52Z")
Elizabeth fuckin Bathory and he got it! I’m impressed. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/44 "2011-04-25T20:28:13Z")
Absolutely stumped him with James Ellroy (author of _LA Confidential_, _The Black Dahlia_, _The Cold Six Thousand_, etc.) Guess he isn’t famous enough. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/45 "2011-04-25T20:32:03Z")
It got Yertle the Turtle in 20 questions. It got [Magical Trevor](http://www.weebls-stuff.com/songs/magical+trevor/) in about 16 questions. That is seriously impressive. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/46 "2011-04-25T20:39:29Z")
> [@CandidGamera](#): > > It seems to have trouble with comic book characters other than the A-list top names. I stumped it with a few different members of the Legion of Super-Heroes, including Mon-El, one of the most recognizable. It got “one of the GI Joes” (I was thinking of Shipwreck). ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/47 "2011-04-25T20:43:26Z")
Thinking of Vision of the Avengers… First guess was Jetfire from Transformers … then Vision ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/48 "2011-04-25T20:43:51Z")
It got Auntie Em after about 15 questions (including a few right before the guess that I have no idea how it related to the answer). ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/49 "2011-04-25T20:51:18Z")
29 and one wrong answer for Zig from Zig and Zag. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/50 "2011-04-25T21:06:00Z")
It got Gayle King on the first guess (12-14 questions or so). I find that remarkable given that there’s absolutely nothing special about Gayle King. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/51 "2011-04-25T21:09:56Z")
It got Heckle & Jeckle ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/52 "2011-04-25T21:16:15Z")
1st incorrect guess: Ray Veccio (Due South) 2nd: Maurice Boscorelli (Third Watch) 3rd: Bubba Skinner (In the Heat of the Night) Stumped - Officer Vince Romano (TJ Hooker) ---
**Author:** ![jacobsta811](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jacobsta811/32/2893_2.png) [@jacobsta811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacobsta811)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/53 "2011-04-25T21:24:14Z")
Couldn’t get Roland Burris. (Kept trying to guess Deval Patrick or Jesse Jackson). Screwing around with it I could get it to guess Roland Burris if I answered the question “Is he a member of the current government” incorrectly with “Yes”, instead of the correct “No”. So it doesn’t appear to be entirely up to date with that. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/54 "2011-04-25T21:42:34Z")
It got “The monkey holding cards on the ad on the side of the screen” in about 8 questions, hahaha. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/55 "2011-04-25T21:47:36Z")
HO. LY. CRAP. It got Hazumu from Kashimashi Girl Meets Girl after 20 questions. 2 of which I answered ‘don’t know’ to and 2 it didn’t have an expected answer. Not a single one asking about her gender swap. Or her alien encounter. Or the fact that it’s an anime/manga series. And only tangentially the fact that she’s in a love triangle with two other girls (it asks if she’s in a love triangle, and if she’s in love with a man, but that’s it, and I wouldn’t call that enough to call it). I’m not surprised it got her. I am SHOCKED it got her with the information it had. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/56 "2011-04-25T21:53:28Z")
It got the One-Eyed, One-Horned, Flying, Purple, People-Eater in about 16 questions (first try, too) ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/57 "2011-04-25T22:01:52Z")
Got Speaker-To-Animals. Did not get Prill. Got Pham Nuwen after incorrectly guessing Louis Wu. It got Portland Mayor Sam Adams after incorrectly guessing Barney Frank. Heh. I need to stop playing with this damn thing. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/58 "2011-04-25T22:07:20Z")
It got Warden Norton from _Shawshank Redemption_ amazingly quickly with very little pointed questions. I was pretty surprised when he got it right. It didn’t really ask anything specific about prisons or even being a bad guy. The closest it asked was “did he lead a group of people” and “did he use guns” and I’m pretty sure that’s awfully broad. I even responded “I don’t know” when he asked if the character wore glasses. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/59 "2011-04-25T22:13:12Z")
Stumped him on Krista Allen, which is a bit of a surprise. Along the way it guessed Carmen Electra based on breast implants, heh. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627/60 "2011-04-25T22:51:19Z")
Antoine Dodson in 12 guesses. Hide your genies! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-that-one-game-dopers-found-that-had-the-computer-guessing-who-they-were/579627.md?page=4)