Quantum Twenty Questions

[Grey]

I was reading something by John Wheeler the other day, and in it he makes a reference to a game of Twenty Questions he played that was a little unusual. (I'm actually not certain whether this ever actually happened, or if he was just using it to make a point, but no matter). He was asking one question of each person in the room, and what he found strange was that he'd ask something simple like, "Is it edible?", and the person would think for a while, and then finally say, "No." This went on until he was finally guessing actual objects and the same thing would happen. He'd ask, "Is it a cloud?" The person he asked thinks and thinks, and Wheeler can't figure out how this can be a hard question, and then the person finally says, "Yes", and the whole room breaks up into laughter.

What he discovers is that the other people hadn't actually picked a word when he left the room. Rather, they'd just agreed that anyone Wheeler asked could answer however they chose, provided that they could think of something that would satisfy the answer to the new question, as well as all the answers previously given. So they were having as hard a time as he was in figuring out what the object was. (He was using this as an example of how the properties of quantum particles are in some sense determined only when we actually try to measure the properties, rather than existing beforehand.)

In any case, entirely apart from the point he was making, this sounded amusing, and I thought folks on the BABB might be just silly enough to appreciate the game, modified to suit the forum. So, here are the rules.

1. Anyone can ask any question. All questions (except for the first traditional one) must be answerable with "yes" or "no".

2. Anyone else can answer the question, but the person answering should have something in mind that could in fact satisfy all the questions so far answered, including the current one.

3. If someone thinks that there's no way something could exist which fulfills the requirements, that person can challenge the last person who gave an answer to tell what he or she was envisioning. If that person cannot do so (within, say, a day, to allow for the vagueries of bulletin board communication), the challenger wins that round. However, if the challenged person can do so, he or she wins immediately.

4. If a question stumps everyone (that is, nobody can think of a way to answer it and still imagine something that could fulfill the requirements), the person who asked the question wins the round. Call the time limit for an answer to be posted the same one day. For the entertainment of those playing, the person who gave the last answer should announce whatever he or she was imagining.

5. Similarly, if no one is able to devise a suitable question within a day, the person who gave the last answer may announce the object envisioned, and win the round.

6. Of course, as in traditional twenty questions, someone who guesses the object wins. Since anyone who answers is always free to try to come up with something else that satisfies the criteria so far established (and is encouraged to do so, particularly early in the round!), this method of winning may be tricky. See this message (http://www.badastronomy.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?p=421986#421986) for more discussion.

7. The winner begins the new round. Since the first question is traditionally "Is it animal, vegetable, or mineral?", it probably makes the most sense to begin the round be answering this question, rather than wasting the time to have someone ask it.

So, I'll start things off: the first unknown thing is Vegetable in nature. Anyone want to join me?

[edit to explicitly allow winning by actually guessing the answer and having it accepted]

[A Thousand Pardons]

Does it grow on earth?

No.

[Grey]

Does it grow on earth?

No.
Foul! As you'll note form reading rules 1 and 2, you aren't supposed to answer your own question. But I'm glad to see someone else here, at least. Anyone else care to answer?

[Candy]

Does it grow on earth?

No.
Foul! As you'll note form reading rules 1 and 2, you aren't supposed to answer your own question. But I'm glad to see someone else here, at least. Anyone else care to answer?
I have a feeling ATP did that on purpose. I'm watching, does that count? :)

[TravisM]

Yes. It does count. :)

[Candy]

Does it grow on earth? 8-[

I got to know Grey's answer.

[Nicolas]

no

is it tasty?

[AstroRockHunter]

No.

Is it green???

[Nicolas]

yes

have you ever owned one?

[PyroFreak]

Two things.

First, (grey please clarify this) I think you are either suppose to answer the last question, OR pose a new question, not both (hence rule #5).

Second, I challenge Nicolas on this one. There can't be anything that exists (that we know of) from the clues given.

I might end up eating this one and looking stupid, but that's part of the game.
:)

[A Thousand Pardons]

I might end up eating this one and looking stupid, but that's part of the game.
Good thing it's tasty. I was thinking of seaweed.

[PyroFreak]

a veggie that doesn't grow on earth? I don't buy it. (unless you are considering earth as something other than the planet)

[Nicolas]

seaweed is a possibility indeed. It is green and does not grow on earth (but in sea). Mind that "earth" did not have a capital hence does not refer to the planet.

I was thinking of a carrot at first which does not grow on earth but in earth :). Then I changed it into a carrot which isn't ripe (?) yet. But now I came to think that young carrots are small and orange, not small and green :oops: . Seeweed wins then (I am so fair! :)).

ATP: start the next one if you like. (I think the game works with answering+posing, it is included in "anyone can answer and anyone can pose"). If not, please clarify.

[Nicolas]

a veggie that doesn't grow on earth? I don't buy it. (unless you are considering earth as something other than the planet)

It could have been spacegrown beans too mind.

[pghnative]

post deleted because I'm way too slow and three other posters beat me to the same point :oops: :oops:

[PyroFreak]

hmmm....I forsee future complications with this game, in that different people have different opinions on word phrasing/meaning (such as ON earth as opposed to IN) yadda yadda so on. Anyways, I won't get hung up on this anymore, just giving a fair warning, and also wanting to know how word for word literal we are gunna get here.

It sounds like a fun game, and I want to participate, but I want a more definite idea of what boundaries there are so that I can call someone out (or answer a question) when it is time.

[Nicolas]

hmmm....I forsee future complications with this game, in that different people have different opinions on word phrasing/meaning (such as ON earth as opposed to IN) yadda yadda so on. Anyways, I won't get hung up on this anymore, just giving a fair warning, and also wanting to know how word for word literal we are gunna get here.

It sounds like a fun game, and I want to participate, but I want a more definite idea of what boundaries there are so that I can call someone out (or answer a question) when it is time.

Spacegrown beans still would have been possible with a very normal interpretation of words here. I'm only not sure whether they are tasteful, but I guess earthgrown are better :).

I guess the fun in this game is that people aren't taking sentences in their obvious literal meaning, but are creative with words to arrive at funny original solutions (like seaweed, which doesn't grow on earth, but in sea).

[PyroFreak]

Fair enough, as long as everyone agrees to it - or else we'll probably see some disputes later. From my point of view, none of those answers fit what I understood the criteria to be. But enough with it, Lets start a new one. Where is ATP? Start it up!

[A Thousand Pardons]

Is it an animal?

[Nicolas]

(you should start affirmative I think)

So I'll answer with


yes

[Nicolas]

Is it furry?

[pghnative]

no

[Cougar]

Is it A Thousand Pardons?

[Nicolas]

no

is it human?

[Severian]

no

[Ilya]

I was reading something by John Wheeler the other day, and in it he makes a reference to a game of Twenty Questions he played that was a little unusual. (I'm actually not certain whether this ever actually happened, or if he was just using it to make a point, but no matter). He was asking one question of each person in the room, and what he found strange was that he'd ask something simple like, "Is it edible?", and the person would think for a while, and then finally say, "No." This went on until he was finally guessing actual objects and the same thing would happen. He'd ask, "Is it a cloud?" The person he asked thinks and thinks, and Wheeler can't figure out how this can be a hard question, and then the person finally says, "Yes", and the whole room breaks up into laughter.

What he discovers is that the other people hadn't actually picked a word when he left the room. Rather, they'd just agreed that anyone Wheeler asked could answer however they chose, provided that they could think of something that would satisfy the answer to the new question, as well as all the answers previously given. So they were having as hard a time as he was in figuring out what the object was.

I read about that back in 1980's, and used this very trick when I taught a Computer Theory course in 1991. Unfortunately, I do not remember now what exactly I was illustrating with that game (it certainly was not quantum physics!), nor what object did the class eventually came up with.

[Grey]

Two things.

First, (grey please clarify this) I think you are either suppose to answer the last question, OR pose a new question, not both (hence rule #5).
I had intended it to be one or the other. However, it's technically true that by the rules as given, it would be perfectly legitimate to answer a question and then immediately ask one of your own ("anyone can ask any question"). More importantly, it seems to work fine with answering a question and then following up with one of your own. I'll leave the decision to each individual as to whether to immediately ask a question or to simply answer and let the next person ask one.

hmmm....I forsee future complications with this game, in that different people have different opinions on word phrasing/meaning (such as ON earth as opposed to IN) yadda yadda so on. Anyways, I won't get hung up on this anymore, just giving a fair warning, and also wanting to know how word for word literal we are gunna get here.
I'd thought of that as well. I think it means that if you want to pin the answer down carefully, you might have to be precise with your questions. :)

[Grey]

Oh, and is it scaly?

[A Thousand Pardons]

Second, I challenge Nicolas on this one. There can't be anything that exists (that we know of) from the clues given.
Challenge Nicolas? As near as I can tell, you're saying that there is no existing animal that is not furry, and is not me?

I'm going to have to ruminate on the implications of that. :)

[Nicolas]

I'm not taking the challenge yet, as their indeed are sooo many examples of non-furry non-human non-ATP animals. The challenge seems to be a misunderstanding. If not, challengeme again please.

"Is it scaly?"

No

Is it loved?

[Grey]

Second, I challenge Nicolas on this one. There can't be anything that exists (that we know of) from the clues given.
[Challenge Nicolas? As near as I can tell, you're saying that there is no existing animal that is not furry, and is not me?

I'm going to have to ruminate on the implications of that. :)
Whoops. That was actually a quote from PyroFreak, since I was answering his questions. Somehow I seem to have managed to remove the quote attribution but leave the text in, rather than removing it entirely as I'd intended (since I wasn't replying to that part). I've edited the original message to correct that. Thanks, Nicolas, for realizing that I couldn't possibly be serious. :)

[Grey]

Oh, and yes, it's loved.

[pghnative]

Is it an aquatic mammal?

[Wally]

Oh, and yes, it's loved.

"loved" as in pleasing to the pallet?

[Nicolas]

You'll have to come up with the interpretations yourself Wally, that's the whole key to an original winning solution :)

No, it is not an aquatic mammal

Is it beautiful?

[pghnative]

sure, why not.

Does it have legs?

[A Thousand Pardons]

Yes.

I can kinda see where this is going

[pghnative]

Is it Michael Jackson?

(this does not necessarily conflict with previous questions :D :D )

[Candy]

Is it Michael Jackson?

(this does not necessarily conflict with previous questions :D :D )
http://www.clicksmilies.com/s0105/sprachlos/speechless-smiley-040.gif

[Nicolas]

no

does everyone think it is beautiful?

[pghnative]

No,

Does it fly?

[Nicolas]

No

is it famous?

[pghnative]

yes (that'll narrow the options)

[Nicolas]

is it evil?

[Grey]

No.

Is it human?

[Nicolas]

Still no :)

(that question was posed before)

[Grey]

Still no :)

(that question was posed before)
#-o

Does it live in the desert?

[Nicolas]

no

[pghnative]

Q: Was it in a movie?

[Nicolas]

yes

[Grey]

Interesting. We may have transitioned from quantum uncertainty to classical uncertainty. That is, Nicolas clearly has something in mind, but I actually can't think of what it might be. So the properties are now completely defined, but unknown (well, to some of us), rather than being indeterminate.

Is it fictional?

[Candy]

Interesting. We may have transitioned from quantum uncertainty to classical uncertainty. That is, Nicolas clearly has something in mind, but I actually can't think of what it might be. So the properties are now completely defined, but unknown (well, to some of us), rather than being indeterminate.

Is it fictional?
His wife is out of town for a week. Could this clue help? :P

[pghnative]

... Nicolas clearly has something in mind, but I actually can't think of what it might be.
Isn't that the point at which you are supposed to challenge him? :D :D

...
Is it fictional?
No. (By that I mean that the object was not fictional. Whether the movie was, is another story)

Q: Could you make bacon out of the object?

[Nicolas]

Interesting. We may have transitioned from quantum uncertainty to classical uncertainty. That is, Nicolas clearly has something in mind, but I actually can't think of what it might be. So the properties are now completely defined, but unknown (well, to some of us), rather than being indeterminate.

Is it fictional?
His wife is out of town for a week. Could this clue help? :P

Wrong track Candy. My s.o. is human, furry and evil :D :D ( :oops: she should read how I lie about her for the sake of humour :oops: [-( [-( ). And during the weeks, she's always abroad. What I told you meant that next week, she's of to "another abroad". :).

But anyway as I said, wrong track :). (that said, my s.o. indeed is human, and she's sweet and not more or less furry than average :D).
---------
Back to the game:
Yes, it is fictional

[Grey]

Back to the game:
Yes, it is fictional
Too late. Pghnative already answered this one. Maybe you don't know what the object is anymore. :)

[Nicolas]

Back to the game:
Yes, it is fictional
Too late. Pghnative already answered this one. Maybe you don't know what the object is anymore. :)

OK clarification: the movie was fictional I meant. I agree with pghnative. I hadn't seen his response.

A to the bacon question: (I see where you're getting at, but that one has some fur on top of its head).
A:No (not in the normal meaning of bacon at least, and certainly not in this part of the world :)).

pghnative: I think you challenge someone when you are quite sure there is no possible object, or you ask "is it [ANSWER]" when you think you know the solution, in order to win the round. correct?

[Grey]

pghnative: I think you challenge someone when you are quite sure there is no possible object, or you ask "is it [ANSWER]" when you think you know the solution, in order to win the round. correct?
Correct. So I'm fairly sure that you do have something in mind, which is why I haven't chellenged.

As an interesting strategy note, even if you had answer "X" in mind as of the last question, if I ask "Is it X?", you can always choose to say "No" to keep me from winning, as long as you can come up with something else that would work. So it strikes me that to actually win this way, it's necessary to be pretty careful in your questioning to make sure that you've pinned the possible answer down quite thoroughly.

[pghnative]

Can it fly?

[Nicolas]

No (not by itself at least, but anything can "fly" if helped a little, so that would have been no criterium :))

[W.F. Tomba]

pghnative: I think you challenge someone when you are quite sure there is no possible object, or you ask "is it [ANSWER]" when you think you know the solution, in order to win the round. correct?
Correct. So I'm fairly sure that you do have something in mind, which is why I haven't chellenged.

As an interesting strategy note, even if you had answer "X" in mind as of the last question, if I ask "Is it X?", you can always choose to say "No" to keep me from winning, as long as you can come up with something else that would work. So it strikes me that to actually win this way, it's necessary to be pretty careful in your questioning to make sure that you've pinned the possible answer down quite thoroughly.
Guessing the correct answer was not one of the ways of winning that you listed in the OP! And even if the answer's yes to "Is it X?" the round might not be over. Suppose someone asks "Is it a lawyer?" and I say yes, but I'm thinking of one particular lawyer. Am I the authority on whether the round is won?

Edit: Is it carnivorous?

[Nicolas]

A: yes

How can a round be won then? only by challenging someone, in which case the challenger can win when no answer comes round, or the challenged one wins when he can give a reasonable answer?

I think you can ask "is the solution ..." in order to win the round: if you pinpoint it first, the person can only answer yes and you'll have won. If he says no, he needs to find another solution for future challenges. However this could lead to endless questions untill the guesser is absolutely sure there is only 1 answer left. Difficult...

[pghnative]

Post deleted, since Nicolas answered first

[Nicolas]

I already said yes :)

[pghnative]

Well, I've been pursuing the strategy that Gray commented on, which is to ask narrow questions in the hope of tripping people up. This would lead to a challenge. Regardless of who was tripped up (the challenger, or the challengee), the round would be over.

Of course, it would help if more people would be contributing answers. It also helps if the answers were more often "yes".

Q: Does it have more than three legs?

[W.F. Tomba]

Well, I've been pursuing the strategy that Gray commented on, which is to ask narrow questions in the hope of tripping people up. This would lead to a challenge. Regardless of who was tripped up (the challenger, or the challengee), the round would be over.

Of course, it would help if more people would be contributing answers. It also helps if the answers were more often "yes".

Q: Does it have more than three legs?

No.

Does it have fewer than three legs?

[Nicolas]

Oooooh I suddenly start to see a whole new range of possibilitiies (I'll have to do a thread scroll first...)

[Nicolas]

We already had the "can it fly" No question twice. Maybe it would be easier if we copy pasted an updated Q+A list in every reply (something for the next round)?. Just to keep oversight.
EDIT: sorry, I'll have to rethink before answering

[Grey]

Guessing the correct answer was not one of the ways of winning that you listed in the OP! And even if the answer's yes to "Is it X?" the round might not be over. Suppose someone asks "Is it a lawyer?" and I say yes, but I'm thinking of one particular lawyer. Am I the authority on whether the round is won?
You're correct, though I think this was oversight on my part, since it seemed obvious. As written, it would still work, but the rules suggest that anyone answering will always pursue the strategy I talked about above, and answer "No" even if someone does guess what they were thinking of, in the hopes that they won't be challenged. Or they just wouldn't answer, hoping someone else will come up with something different, but nobody else is able to do so and the questioner would win by default. I'll perhaps edit the rules to allow this, though I'd hope that most people would at least make some effort to weasel out of it, especially toward the beginning.

As for how precise you need to be, I'm willing to leave that to the person answering, but let's try to be reasonable, with the object being one that might hypothetically be chosen in a normal game of twenty questions. A specific lawyer is probably acceptable, but a specific cubic meter of ocean (if the answer were "water") isn't. Use judgment for cases between these two extremes.

[pghnative]

After wracking my brains (for, oh....about 5 minutes), I cannot answer WF Tomba's question, so I'll challenge his answer instead. I challenge him to produce a famous, loved, non-evil, beautiful (to some) animal which is not an aquatic mammal, was in a movie, is real (though the movie may or may not), is neither furry nor scaly, is not generally used to make bacon (ie, pig), does not live in the deseert, has three or fewer legs, and is neither ATP nor is Michael Jackson

[W.F. Tomba]

After wracking my brains (for, oh....about 5 minutes), I cannot answer WF Tomba's question, so I'll challenge his answer instead. I challenge him to produce a famous, loved, non-evil, beautiful (to some) animal which is not an aquatic mammal, was in a movie, is real (though the movie may or may not), is neither furry nor scaly, is not generally used to make bacon (ie, pig), does not live in the deseert, has three or fewer legs, and is neither ATP nor is Michael Jackson
Challenge accepted! In addition, it can't fly and it can't be human. Any penguin which has been in a movie could potentially satisfy these requirements (penguins' beauty is self-evident, I personally love them, and with the exception of the Batman villain they are not evil), but the one with the greatest claim to fame is probably the one that appeared in Fight Club (http://home.earthlink.net/~penguinuity/Movies/Fightclub2.jpg) since it was such a hit movie and the penguin even had a line.

Unfortunately, I don't know this penguin's name, but it certainly appears to be a real penguin.

[Nicolas]

I was thinking about birds indeed; "not furry" doesn't mean "naked to the skin". ONly I couldn't figure a non-flying famous movie bird, but I forgot about penguins. =D>

[W.F. Tomba]

OK, we've had an animal and a vegetable.

The new unknown thing is mineral in nature (in the Twenty Questions sense, which is pretty broad).

[Nicolas]

is it formed in nature (I mean without human processes)

[Grey]

You're probably really pushing it on "famous" if you don't even know its name, but I suppose we can let that slide. :D A few questions back I was thinking of Opus of Bloom County, who's the most famous penguin I know, but I couldn't justify him as beautiful, so I finally gave up on that direction.

Yes, it's natural.

[W.F. Tomba]

Does it have sharp corners?

[Nicolas]

I had (untill not more than 3 legs came up) the cat of Dr Evil in mind. It is the only non-evil creature in his lair (he said himself that the cat should only be hugged), and since it had been cryogenically frozen, it had lost all it's hair (like those Chinese cats). It was a beautiful Perzian cat before.
I think soomebody thought about Babe, who doesn't have fur if we ignore the toupet and the tiny little hairs on his skin.

[PyroFreak]

Yes

[W.F. Tomba]

Does it exist on Earth?

[Nicolas]

"it is mineral in nature
Is it natural-yes
does it have sharp corners-yes"

does it exist on earth-yes

[PyroFreak]

Does it smell bad to the normal person?

[Nicolas]

"it is mineral in nature
Is it natural-yes
does it have sharp corners-yes"
does it exist on earth-yes"

Does it smell bad to the normal person? no

[PyroFreak]

Is it considered a metal?

[Nicolas]

"it is mineral in nature
Is it natural-yes
does it have sharp corners-yes"
does it exist on earth-yes"
Does it smell bad to the normal person? no"

Is it considered a metal? no

[W.F. Tomba]

Does its distribution vary with the season?

[pghnative]

Yes

[W.F. Tomba]

Is it ice?

[Grey]

It is mineral in nature.
It is natural.
It has sharp corners.
It does exist on earth.
It does not smell bad to the normal person.
Its distribution does vary with the season.
It is not ice.

[Nicolas]

is it a plant?

[pghnative]

no

[Nicolas]

is it rock?

[Grey]

It is mineral in nature.
It is natural.
It has sharp corners.
It does exist on earth.
It does not smell bad to the normal person.
Its distribution does vary with the season.
It is not ice.
It is not a plant. (mineral, remember? :) )
I'd say it is a type of rock.

[Nicolas]

Is it cilica? (the rocks prehistoric humans used to make tools)

[Grey]

It is mineral in nature.
It is natural.
It has sharp corners.
It does exist on earth.
It does not smell bad to the normal person.
Its distribution does vary with the season.
It is not ice.
It is not a plant. (mineral, remember? :) )
I'd say it is a type of rock.
It is not cilica (the rocks prehistoric humans used to make tools).

[W.F. Tomba]

Does it contain carbon?

[Grey]

Well, since nobody else has answered yet.

It is mineral in nature.
It is natural.
It has sharp corners.
It does exist on earth.
It does not smell bad to the normal person.
Its distribution does vary with the season.
It is not ice.
It is not a plant. (mineral, remember? :) )
I'd say it is a type of rock.
It is not cilica (the rocks prehistoric humans used to make tools).
It does not contain carbon.

[Nicolas]

Is it normally found in water?

[Grey]

Is it normally found in water?
Wow, that's a tough one. I'm going to say no.

[edit]
Oh, wait. Maybe I have to say yes. Yes, it is normally found in water. Sometimes. :D

[Nicolas]

Is it calcium structures (like stalactites)

[Grey]

It is mineral in nature.
It is natural.
It has sharp corners.
It does exist on earth.
It does not smell bad to the normal person.
Its distribution does vary with the season.
It is not ice.
It is not a plant (mineral, remember? :) ).
I'd say it is a type of rock.
It is not cilica (the rocks prehistoric humans used to make tools).
It does not contain carbon.
It can be normally found in water, sometimes.
It is not calcium structures (like stalactites).

That's a cool idea, though.

[Nicolas]

It didn't really comply with the "sharp corners". Are sharp edges considered sharp corners? I do think so, but sharp points shouldn't (a corner should have a length dimension, like an edge has).

[Nicolas]

are it "desert roses"? (those nicely shaped sand rocks that look a bit like flowers, not flowers)

[Grey]

It didn't really comply with the "sharp corners". Are sharp edges considered sharp corners? I do think so, but sharp points shouldn't (a corner should have a length dimension, like an edge has).
I'd agree with you. A sharp edge would definitely qualify as a sharp corner. Of course, the best example of a sharp corner would be the meeting place of three orthogonal planes.

[pghnative]

....Of course, the best example of a sharp corner would be the meeting place of three orthogonal planes.
Oh, I don't know --- if two of the planes are at a very small angle (vs orthogonal), then it would be even sharper. :D :D

To answer Nicolas, no it is not a desert rose.

[Fram]

Is it used in the kitchen?

[Grey]

Is it used in the kitchen?
Yes.

[Fram]

Is it salt?

[Grey]

Is it salt?
Well, I waited a while to see if someone else could come up with an answer other than "yes", and tried to think of something else myself, but haven't been able to. So, yes, that's what I was thinking of. For the seasonal distribution, I don't know about everywhere else, but in the winter around here there's a lot more salt scattered around than in the summer, at least on the roadways. I'm still not happy with saying it is or is not a rock. For normally found in water, I was thinking that it was found in some water, but I wasn't really that happy saying yes, since there's lots of water without salt in it. I was thinking that if I refined (:)) my answer to be rock salt specifically, then I could say no (throw rock salt in a bunch of water, and you don't have any more rock salt). But then I realized that when you scatter it on the sidewalk and the snow starts melting, there's a long period when the salt is sitting in water but hasn't fully dissolved yet, so it had to be yes even in that case.

Anyway, enough of that. Is it animal, vegetable, or mineral, Fram?

[Fram]

Oh, forgotten that I had to start it if I was the winner 8)

Let's say animal!

[A Thousand Pardons]

Is it a loris?

[Fram]

It's animal
It's not a loris.

Is it human?

[W.F. Tomba]

It's animal.
It's not a loris.
It is human.

[Fram]

Is it fictional?

[Grey]

Is it fictional?
No, it's not fictional.

[Fram]

Is it a nineteenth century writer? (well, if someone does answer yes, it narrows it down very fast :D ).

[Nicolas]

No

[Nicolas]

is it a male?

[Grey]

No.

Is it presently alive?

[Nicolas]

:D
(no problem, just somebody answer my question first, or both at a time)

[Grey]

:D
(no problem, just somebody answer my question first, or both at a time)
Already taken care of (you'll see that I edited my post to answer your question first, and then ask one of my own). :D

[Nicolas]

yes (hm this could be interesting, nowadays female humans 8) ) :lol:

[Fram]

Congratulations, it's a girl!

Is she European?

[Nicolas]

yes

[Grey]

Is she a scientist?

[Nicolas]

no

[Fram]

Does she have grandchildren?

[Nicolas]

no

(if somebody has time, we could start with an aswer summation for this riddle?)

Basically, it is a non-fictional currently alive european non-scientist woman with no grandchildren.

[Fram]

Does she wear a hat? (Sorry, I was thinking about the MB child's game 'who is it?' ) :P

Ummm... Is her mother tongue English?

[Nicolas]

no

[Grey]

Is she dark-haired?

[Fram]

No.

Does she have famous parents?

[Grey]

Does she have famous parents?
No.

Is she less than 35 years old?

[Fram]

Yes.

Is she married?

[Grey]

Is she married?
Sorry, I was away for the weekend. Yes.

Is she an actress?

[Fram]

She is a non-fictional currently alive european non-scientist woman with no grandchildren. She is under 35, married, no famous parents, no native English speaker, no dark hair, and she is not an actress.

Is she over 18?

[Nicolas]

She is a non-fictional currently alive european non-scientist woman with no grandchildren. She is under 35, married, no famous parents, no native English speaker, no dark hair, and she is not an actress.

Is she over 18?

I suppose so, she 's married and European...

I'm not answering with a yes or no though. Just a comment.

[Grey]

Is she over 18?
I'll say yes. Narrows the field too much if someone says no. <g>

[Fram]

She is a non-fictional currently alive european non-scientist woman with no grandchildren. She is under 35, married, no famous parents, no native English speaker, no dark hair, and she is not an actress.

Is she over 18?

I suppose so, she 's married and European...

I'm not answering with a yes or no though. Just a comment.

In Belgium, you can marry when you're sixteen (even younger in exceptional circumstances, like a teenage pregnancy or so). But I agree, it wasn't the smartest of questions...

[Nicolas]

She is a non-fictional currently alive european non-scientist woman with no grandchildren. She is under 35, married, no famous parents, no native English speaker, no dark hair, and she is not an actress.

Is she over 18?

I suppose so, she 's married and European...

I'm not answering with a yes or no though. Just a comment.

In Belgium, you can marry when you're sixteen (even younger in exceptional circumstances, like a teenage pregnancy or so). But I agree, it wasn't the smartest of questions...

I could?? :lol: :lol: :oops:

[Fram]

She is a non-fictional currently alive european non-scientist woman with no grandchildren. She is under 35, married, no famous parents, no native English speaker, no dark hair, and she is not an actress.

Is she over 18?

I suppose so, she 's married and European...

I'm not answering with a yes or no though. Just a comment.

In Belgium, you can marry when you're sixteen (even younger in exceptional circumstances, like a teenage pregnancy or so). But I agree, it wasn't the smartest of questions...

I could?? :lol: :lol: :oops:

If your SO agrees to get pregnant first, yes :lol:
As you are studing at the university, I presume that you are over 18 though 8)

Umm, next question?
Is she best known for her sporting exploits?

[Fram]

She is a non-fictional currently alive european non-scientist woman with no grandchildren. She is under 35, married, no famous parents, no native English speaker, no dark hair, and she is not an actress.

Is she over 18?

I suppose so, she 's married and European...

I'm not answering with a yes or no though. Just a comment.

In Belgium, you can marry when you're sixteen (even younger in exceptional circumstances, like a teenage pregnancy or so). But I agree, it wasn't the smartest of questions...

I could?? :lol: :lol: :oops:

If your SO agrees to get pregnant first, yes :lol:
As you are studing at the university, I presume that you are over 18 though 8)

Umm, next question?
Is she best known for her sporting exploits?

[Grey]

Is she best known for her sporting exploits?
Hmm, I can't think of anyone that would fit offhand. Is she a musician?

[Nicolas]

Don't we need a "yes" or "no" first, Grey? Was that a "no"?

[Grey]

Don't we need a "yes" or "no" first, Grey? Was that a "no"?
That was a "no".

[Fram]

Then I'll reply a 'yes' to the question 'is she a musician', as we need to narrow it down a bit sometime!

Has she had a UK top ten hit single?

[Grey]

Has she had a UK top ten hit single?
Sure, why not?

[Conspiracy Cam]

Did she get her fame from a place like Pop Idol?

[Fram]

A non-native English speaker coming from Pop Idol (or Fame Academy or so), having a UK top ten hit? If you don't include Eurosong in the PopIdol list (and even then), I guess you'll have to say 'no' to that question if you want any possibilities left. But I may be wrong here.

You can consider this a 'no'.

[Grey]

Has she had a UK top ten hit single in the last ten years?

[Conspiracy Cam]

Yes

Is she a spice girl?