# What's his secret? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 20, 2007, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-his-secret/419908 "2007-09-20T20:10:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dunawake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dunawake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunawake)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2007, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-his-secret/419908/1 "2007-09-20T20:10:03Z")
**Stranger on a Train** , that is! šŸ†’ From everything Iā€™ve seen in his posts, he knows a ridiculous amount of detail about dang near _everything_. So my current pondering is trying to figure out how he does itā€¦ Brain implant linking him directly to Wikipedia? Photographic memory of every book heā€™s ever readā€¦and he lives in the Library of Congress? Cecilā€™s lost brother? šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2007, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-his-secret/419908/2 "2007-09-20T20:11:58Z")
'Tis more machine than man. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2007, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-his-secret/419908/3 "2007-09-20T20:27:57Z")
[QUOTE=Dunawake] ā€¦Brain implant linking him directly to Wikipedia? [/QUOTE] This isnā€™t a good idea. It could malfunction, go into reverse and force him to think whatever people edit into it. ---
**Author:** ![Lionne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Lionne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lionne)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-his-secret/419908/4 "2007-09-21T14:21:31Z")
Has he seen this thread? Someone PM him! ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-his-secret/419908/5 "2007-09-21T14:29:21Z")
Sometimes the police arrest him just so they can have a conversation with him. Heā€™s a righteous dude. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-his-secret/419908/6 "2007-09-21T14:37:07Z")
In my short time here, Iā€™ve narrowed it down to two possibilities: 1) heā€™s really ten people posting under one user name; 2) heā€™s ten times smarter than me. One of these is more likely than the other, I fear. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-his-secret/419908/7 "2007-09-21T15:25:14Z")
The SDMB has a fair few people who are nearly as good as **Cecil**. **Polycarp** and **Qadgop** to name but two. **Gfactor** ā€™s in the running too. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-his-secret/419908/8 "2007-09-21T16:13:43Z")
Unless Iā€™m mistaken, **Stranger on a Train** suffers from RFS\* syndrome. There are a double handful of Dopers who do. ā˜¹ - Really Fuckinā€™ Smart, as opposed to RDF (Really Damn Funny) syndrome, which **Cervaise** is the poster child for. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-his-secret/419908/9 "2007-09-21T16:26:34Z")
[QUOTE=Bayard] In my short time here, Iā€™ve narrowed it down to two possibilities: 1) heā€™s really ten people posting under one user name; 2) heā€™s ten times smarter than me. One of these is more likely than the other, I fear. [/QUOTE] Or he could be incredibly good at the fine art of Baffling Them with Bullshit. šŸ˜ƒ I kidā€¦I kidā€¦he is a gem and a credit to the boards. ---
**Author:** ![illoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a3d4f5/32.png) [@illoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/illoe)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-his-secret/419908/10 "2007-09-21T20:02:59Z")
Not only does he appear to have wide-ranging, near-eidetic recall of technical arcana, but he is evidently a fine woodsman with a keen sense of culture who cooks. (And heā€™s single? Is this a hoax, socal girls?) ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-his-secret/419908/11 "2007-09-21T20:11:09Z")
Iā€™m just glad he doesnā€™t play against me in the Mafia games!! ---
**Author:** ![badbadrubberpiggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@badbadrubberpiggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badbadrubberpiggy)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-his-secret/419908/12 "2007-09-21T20:34:30Z")
Heā€™s a true Renaissance man, from what I can gather. Plus, I use his recipe for making pizza dough. I always remember good food. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-his-secret/419908/13 "2007-09-21T20:39:26Z")
[QUOTE=illoe] Not only does he appear to have wide-ranging, near-eidetic recall of technical arcana, but he is evidently a fine woodsman with a keen sense of culture who cooks. (And heā€™s single? Is this a hoax, socal girls?) [/QUOTE] What?! We need to circulate a memo or somethinā€™. No way a fine specimen like this should go unhindered. I mean -loved! Unloved! šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2007, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-his-secret/419908/14 "2007-09-21T22:12:55Z")
I think I found his pic [here](http://icanhascheezburger.com/2007/06/20/smrt/). [sub]Sorry, couldnā€™t resist[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2007, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-his-secret/419908/15 "2007-09-22T05:07:35Z")
Count me in for being impressed. I recall him saying that he writes extemporaneously, and I have to believe it. 'Cause if I wrote that much, Iā€™d never get any work done (well, Iā€™m unemployed, and Iā€™m sure I get less done than **Stranger)**. He sure as hell writes pretty good for some damn scientist nerd. Plus, heā€™s got pretty good taste in cinema, and I seem to recall heā€™s a huge fan of Toyota FJ40ā€™s. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2007, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-his-secret/419908/16 "2007-09-25T04:35:34Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] 'Tis more machine than man. [/QUOTE] ā€œTwisted and evil.ā€ There is still good him in him, though, I know. šŸ˜‰ Seriously, thanks for the accolades. (And thanks for pointing out the thread to me, **lieu**.) I fear my reputation may have overextended me, though. Iā€™d like to think Iā€™m halfway to smart but not half as smart as half of you think I am, and half less again than the other half opine. It is the fact that in no small measure my vast array of technical and refernence literature which I consult with serious frequency must share some of the kudos awarded. And **ivylass** , it is the sign of true genius to excel in the art of bafflement with excrement, which further demonstrates that I miss the mark of genius by at least a few notches; Iā€™ve been called out by my betters on more than a few occasions and I hope that I have had the graciousness to recant, or at least skulk away silently. In addition to the names **Quartz** mentions, I think that **Q.E.D.** , **Chronos** , **Voyager** , **Darwinā€™s Finch** , **bibliophage** , **Colibri** , **Una Persson** , and many others whose names I am currently unable to recall but will remember with regretful but delinquent urgency as I wake in a cold sweat at 2 a.m. far exceed my knowledge in their own areas of expertise and likely elsewhere. However, **Wile E** , thatā€™s clearly not me. I have brown hair. Otherwise, it is an astonishingly close resemblance. Again, thanks to all. It has brightened a day otherwise filled with soul-devouring, thankless work for my corporate masters. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2007, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-his-secret/419908/17 "2007-09-25T04:46:51Z")
Oh, hey! Why, just this very evening before seeing this thread I was marveling (yes-marveling!) at how common-sensical and intelligent and well-spoken the subject of this thread is. I guess I hadnā€™t really noticed him before, not that I had anything against him- but just so happens that lately the planets aligned just right, the barometric pressure was at just the right point, and weā€™d posted in the same couple of threadsā€¦ and I noticed him. And I was impressed. I thought, wow- he always knows just the right thing to say with just about any subject. Serendipitous thread. ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2007, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-his-secret/419908/18 "2007-09-25T08:41:04Z")
I taught him everything he knows. ---
**Author:** ![Burrido](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Burrido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Burrido)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2007, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-his-secret/419908/19 "2007-09-25T13:59:24Z")
I would also like to nominate John Mace, Colibri, and Chronos (amongst many others) to the list. I swear Mace is some kind of fuckin computer. ---
**Author:** ![Jurph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/50afbb/32.png) [@Jurph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurph)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2007, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-his-secret/419908/20 "2007-09-25T14:06:52Z")
As a _bona fide_ Rocket Scientist, I am always happy when **Stranger on a Train** posts in the GQ aerospace threads, because it means I get to learn something about rockets that I probably didnā€™t know. Itā€™s like getting my Masterā€™s in Aerospace Engineeringā€¦ three minutes at a time. šŸ˜ƒ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-his-secret/419908.md?page=2)