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Topic: Merrin here. The solution to the horse/fly lateral thinking problem.
Father Dave !RsSxeehGwc started this discussion 1 month ago#131,781
Hello friends! As some of you may remember I had promised to give the solution to the horse/fly lateral thinking problem on Christmas Eve, so I'm setting up this thread in advance.
Several people have PMed me to clarify if Christmas in Russia is January 6th or 7th. The answer is January 7th, so expect the solution in this thread on January 6th.
Until then feel free to keep on trying to puzzle it out yourselves, or ask me for more clues.
Have a fantastic holiday season everyone! And for those of you who celebrate the Catholic Christmas tomorrow, I wish you a very merry one indeed! ππ
> Hello friends! As some of you may remember I had promised to give the solution to the horse/fly lateral thinking problem on Christmas Eve, so I'm setting up this thread in advance. > > Several people have PMed me to clarify if Christmas in Russia is January 6th or 7th. The answer is January 7th, so expect the solution in this thread on January 6th. > > Until then feel free to keep on trying to puzzle it out yourselves, or ask me for more clues. > > Have a fantastic holiday season everyone! And for those of you who celebrate the Catholic Christmas tomorrow, I wish you a very merry one indeed! ππ
the best kind troll. as old as the first computer bug maybe even older. bravo for the dedication and merry new holiday christmas years to you π
> Several people have PMed me to clarify if Christmas in Russia is January 6th or 7th. The answer is January 7th, so expect the solution in this thread on January 6th.
Fake anon !ZkUt8arUCU joined in and replied with this 1 month ago, 14 hours later, 1 day after the original post[^][v]#1,408,913
@previous (Oatmeal Fucker !BYUc1TwJMU)
The only logical thing that can happen is the solution is provided when you have been told it will. Unless, of course, there is some new reason for delay...
Fake anon !ZkUt8arUCU replied with this 1 month ago, 3 hours later, 2 days after the original post[^][v]#1,408,973
@1,408,914 (H)
Well if someone does ask for an extension it would be incredibly rude not to grant it. @previous (Green !!bO/s3MBcD)
January 6 2027 feels very close. You are more optimistic than I.
What is? The 960th anniversary of the coronation of King Harold? The 71st birthday of beloved comedian and actor Rowan Atkinson? 5 years since MAGA's storming of the Bastille? If yes, then yes!
> He didn't specify the Christmas Eve of which year though, just January 6th so he can say January 6th 2027 lol
I hardly think the people here are going to need another full year to finally solve this thing! I don't share your pessimism in their lateral thinking abilities.
Father Dave !RsSxeehGwc (OP) double-posted this 1 month ago, 15 minutes later, 3 days after the original post[^][v]#1,409,125
And again about Flakes, I remembered that if your estate had an upmarket ice cream van the guy would stick half a Flake in your 99. Those of us on council estates tended not to get that, we'd get some Aldi knock-off version. Still cost 99p though.
Father Dave !RsSxeehGwc (OP) triple-posted this 1 month ago, 2 minutes later, 3 days after the original post[^][v]#1,409,126
Feel free to use this thread to reminisce about your ice cream men and their wares while we wait to see if anyone comes up with the solution to the horse/fly problem before 6pm (GMT) January 6th.
Anonymous Z-7 joined in and replied with this 1 month ago, 6 hours later, 3 days after the original post[^][v]#1,409,251
Would you please delay releasing the answer? I bought a supercomputer cluster made out of 1024 PlayStation 4 and have turned it into an AI machine. I did this solely to find the answer for the brain teaser.
> Would you please delay releasing the answer? I bought a supercomputer cluster made out of 1024 PlayStation 4 and have turned it into an AI machine. I did this solely to find the answer for the brain teaser. > > Thanks!
With respect, a supercomputer or AI will not help you. People here have already tried using the latter, with farcical results. What's needed to solve this riddle is not computational power but rather lateral thinking. It's like that time in the 60s when NASA spent 30,000 dollars trying to design a pen that could write in space, while the Soviets simply took a pencil. Solving the horse/fly problem depends on HOW you think. Not how powerful your computer is. I've said before that the solution is so elegant in its simplicity that even a child could, in theory, solve it.
So no, I'm sorry but I won't delay giving the answer for that reason, because a supercomputer will not help you. You just have to think laterally.
> It's like that time in the 60s when NASA spent 30,000 dollars trying to design a pen that could write in space, while the Soviets simply took a pencil.
That's an urban legend that was debunked by American astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts. Both sides used space pens.
Anonymous Z-12 joined in and replied with this 1 month ago, 10 hours later, 4 days after the original post[^][v]#1,409,418
@1,408,665 (boof)
what the london look am i watching? I get the distinct feeling this is one of them really out there yahoo groups fetishes that can slide by age locks due to how fuckin esoteric it is.
Green !!bO/s3MBcD replied with this 1 month ago, 2 days later, 1 week after the original post[^][v]#1,409,760
Ok, I think I've got it. It's so simple but it has to be the answer. The horse is on a plane. It's not the fly that flies back out, it's the horse. The horse is gone because it's flying on a plane.
> Ok, I think I've got it. It's so simple but it has to be the answer. The horse is on a plane. It's not the fly that flies back out, it's the horse. The horse is gone because it's flying on a plane.
As deliberately (I hope) silly as this is, there's a detail of it that is actually not a million miles away from being on the right lines.
Killer LettuceπΉ !HonkUK.BIE joined in and replied with this 1 month ago, 46 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^][v]#1,409,945
I figured it out a while ago. The answer is that the real horse was the fun times we all had together pondering this question. That's what Dave is doing here.
Green !!bO/s3MBcD replied with this 1 month ago, 2 hours later, 1 week after the original post[^][v]#1,409,967
Is the the horse being eaten? Also I want to take the opportunity to thank Father Dave for this invigorating puzzle! I didn't think laterally before but this problem has caused me to think outside the box!
boof replied with this 1 month ago, 5 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^][v]#1,409,971
*ahem* The "horse" is the constellation Equuleus. The fly is at a latitude such that Equuleus is at the horizon. The rotation of the Earth itself hid the horse from view.
Killer LettuceπΉ !HonkUK.BIE replied with this 4 weeks ago, 5 minutes later, 1 week after the original post[^][v]#1,410,930
I think I've solved it. Dave himself is the horse, for he is gone whenever a solution to the riddle is promised. The fly is, I don't know, our excitement to get the answer or something.
> The answer is that Dave posted a riddle with multiple solutions. That's it, that's what happened.
Then when he set a date for the answer as always he didn't give it. But I believe his big mistake that brought on loads of butthurt was...Instead of giving some kind of answer he started another puzzle thread looking for answers. Right after that he disappeared. Sounds like he might have pushed his luck a little. He's still here but he will only post anon now.