Lateral Puzzles • View topic

by **Doriana** » Sun Sep 20, 2020 11:11 am

Hi all! Back on the LTPF briefly for a short puzzle - could be a quickie! Based on a true story, so me = yours truly Doriana (H/A/F).

Christina's (H/A/F) joke made me laugh. The follow-up comment, not so much.

by **irishelk** » Sun Sep 20, 2020 12:53 pm

Was the comment made by: Christina? you? another person present?

Is the comment about the joke itself? about the subject matter of the joke? about Christina? about you?
Is the comment offensive? boring? mean? confusing/non-sensical? Just un-funny? If yes to any of these, was it intended to be that?

by **AlbatrossLover** » Sun Sep 20, 2020 9:29 pm

Was Christina's joke actually a joke? Did the follow up comment make you realise she was serious? Did it make the joke retroactively unfunny? Offensive?

by **trebor** » Mon Sep 21, 2020 5:21 am

Were you and Christina in the same room when she made her joke? Talking on the phone? Texting? Zoom calling? Did she make the joke in conversation with you? Was she in front of an audience? Is she a comedian?

Relevant where you were? or she was? when she made the joke? Were either of you at work? At home? In a public place? A coffee shop? Restaurant/bar?

by **Doriana** » Mon Sep 21, 2020 7:54 am

irishelk

Was the comment made by: Christina? This you? another person present?

Is the comment about the joke itself? Yes about the subject matter of the joke? Yes about Christina? Yope about you? Yope
Is the comment offensive? boring? mean? confusing/non-sensical? Just un-funny? No to all, with a tiny -ish for "mean" If yes to any of these, was it intended to be that?

AlbatrossLover

Was Christina's joke actually a joke? Yes Did the follow up comment make you realise she was serious? Did it make the joke retroactively unfunny? Offensive? No to rest

trebor

Were you and Christina in the same room when she made her joke? Talking on the phone? Texting? Zoom calling? This (a very 2020 question to ask...) Did she make the joke in conversation with you? Yes, but... Was she in front of an audience? Is she a comedian? No to rest

Relevant where you were? Only insofar that I was on Zoom or she was? Same when she made the joke? No Were either of you at work? At home? It was a work-related Zoom call, but I think we were both at home In a public place? A coffee shop? Restaurant/bar? No to rest

by **AlbatrossLover** » Mon Sep 21, 2020 8:02 am

So the fact that this happened during a Zoom call is relevant? Did anyone hear/see some thing they were not supposed to? Were there other people besides you and Christina on the call?

by **Doriana** » Mon Sep 21, 2020 9:19 pm

So the fact that this happened during a Zoom call is relevant? Yes Did anyone hear/see some thing they were not supposed to? No Were there other people besides you and Christina on the call? Yes, about 15 to 20 people

by **Balin** » Tue Sep 22, 2020 1:39 am

Was something relevantly visible in the background of your camera view? Christina's background? Someone else's background?

by **Doriana** » Wed Sep 23, 2020 7:17 pm

Was something relevantly visible in the background of your camera view? No Christina's background? Not in the background, but... Someone else's background? No

by **trebor** » Fri Sep 25, 2020 6:37 am

In the foreground? On a plane level with Christina? On Christina's person?

Was the something actually a someone? Perhaps a child? Or pet?

Was the follow-up comment related to the joke? Related to the "something"? Are either related to the point of the call? Did the follow-up comment make you feel badly for having laughed at the joke? Dread something that was upcoming? Is the nature of the joke relevant? (For instance, it was about her, or you, or a co-worker? Or about "Oh great, another Zoom meeting!"? Something 2020-related? Work-related?)

by **AlbatrossLover** » Sun Sep 27, 2020 6:41 pm

Did the comment make you the butt of the joke? Was the relevant visible thing something on Christina's device (i.e she was screensharing/doing a presentation)?

by **Earnest** » Tue Sep 29, 2020 6:57 am

is the joke made specifically to you? To everyone in the conversation?
Had you not been on a zoom call would the joke be possible? Did Christina change her voice somehow? Manipulate something? Change computer? Used two computers and two cameras to join the zoom meeting?

During the joke, did you think that: Christina left the camera on unintentionally? Christina left the microphone on unintentionally? Christina did not want you to see/hear something? That Christina was in danger? That someone was making a joke to Christina?

Comment and/or joke related to: COVID? a taboo topic? Your PhD defense?

The follow-up comment, not so much. --> because it could seriously affect you/ someone else? Because it was embarrassing? a bad comment? offensive? Could be offensive (e.g. racist, homophobic, sexist...)?

Was the comment made by Christina? Is turning the camera/microphone on/off relevant?

by **Doriana** » Tue Sep 29, 2020 8:14 am

trebor
In the foreground? On a plane level with Christina? On Christina's person? This

Was the something actually a someone? No Perhaps a child? Or pet?

Was the follow-up comment related to the joke? Yes Related to the "something"? No Are either related to the point of the call? No Did the follow-up comment make you feel badly for having laughed at the joke? No Dread something that was upcoming? No Is the nature of the joke relevant? Yes (For instance, it was about her, or you, or a co-worker? It was about her Or about "Oh great, another Zoom meeting!"? Something 2020-related? Work-related? No to rest)

AlbatrossLover
Did the comment make you the butt of the joke? No, tiny -ish Was the relevant visible thing something on Christina's device (i.e she was screensharing/doing a presentation)? No

Earnest
is the joke made specifically to you? To everyone in the conversation? This
Had you not been on a zoom call would the joke be possible? Under specific circumstances, yes Did Christina change her voice somehow? Manipulate something? Change computer? Used two computers and two cameras to join the zoom meeting? No/irrel to all

During the joke, did you think that: Christina left the camera on unintentionally? Christina left the microphone on unintentionally? Christina did not want you to see/hear something? That Christina was in danger? That someone was making a joke to Christina? No to all

Comment and/or joke related to: COVID? a taboo topic? Your PhD defense? No to all

The follow-up comment, not so much. --> because it could seriously affect you/ someone else? No Because it was embarrassing? Noish a bad comment? offensive? Could be offensive (e.g. racist, homophobic, sexist...)? No to rest

Was the comment made by Christina? Yes Is turning the camera/microphone on/off relevant? No

by **Earnest** » Tue Sep 29, 2020 3:29 pm

are filters relevant?

by **Doriana** » Wed Sep 30, 2020 10:08 pm

are filters relevant? No

by **Balin** » Thu Oct 01, 2020 1:31 am

Is your & Christina's relationship relevant? Are you friends? Coworkers? Employer/employee? Fellow students?

by **Doriana** » Thu Oct 01, 2020 9:46 am

Is your & Christina's relationship relevant? Not really Are you friends? Coworkers? Friends and co-workers Employer/employee? Fellow students?

by **GalFisk** » Mon Oct 05, 2020 9:45 am

Did the comment change the joke? Was the comment also meant as a joke? Was it meant to cause the reaction it caused? Was the comment also directed to everyone?

by **Doriana** » Mon Oct 05, 2020 1:20 pm

Did the comment change the joke? No Was the comment also meant as a joke? Yesish Was it meant to cause the reaction it caused? It was meant as a joke(ish), but I think Christina might have been aware of a range of reactions it might cause Was the comment also directed to everyone? NO, good question!

by **GalFisk** » Mon Oct 05, 2020 5:14 pm

Was it directed at you? Someone else in the meeting? Someone not int he meeting? Did anyone relevantly misunderstand who it was directed to? Was ti related to the joke itself? The the understanding of the joke? The response of the joke? Did it indicate that someone was slow on the uptake? That someone had a humor problem?

by **Doriana** » Mon Oct 05, 2020 5:49 pm

Was it directed at you? Yes Someone else in the meeting? But also yes Someone not int he meeting? No Did anyone relevantly misunderstand who it was directed to? No Was ti related to the joke itself? No The the understanding of the joke? Yes The response of the joke? Yes Did it indicate that someone was slow on the uptake? That someone had a humor problem? No to rest

by **GalFisk** » Tue Oct 06, 2020 9:29 pm

Was it directed at everyone in the meeting? Everyone the first joke was directed to? Everyone who had a certain reaction to the first joke?

by **trebor** » Tue Oct 06, 2020 10:20 pm

Did the comment reference an inside joke between you two?

The thing on her person: a living thing? Spilled food/drink? A tattoo? Piercing? Clothing? Jewelry? Was it on her head? Hand(s)? Arm? Torso?

by **Doriana** » Wed Oct 07, 2020 9:44 am

GalFisk
Was it directed at everyone in the meeting? Everyone the first joke was directed to? Everyone who had a certain reaction to the first joke? This

trebor
Did the comment reference an inside joke between you two? No

The thing on her person: a living thing? Spilled food/drink? A tattoo? Piercing? Clothing? Jewelry? No to all, with a tiny -ish for clothing Was it on her head? This Hand(s)? Arm? Torso?

by **GalFisk** » Fri Oct 09, 2020 8:46 am

Certain reaction: laughter? Smile? Amusement? Bemusement? Confusion? Did she say something unflattering about those who reacted that way? Make a joke on their expense?

by **Doriana** » Fri Oct 09, 2020 1:58 pm

Certain reaction: laughter? This Smile? Amusement? Bemusement? Confusion? Did she say something unflattering about those who reacted that way? DOYD of "unflattering" Make a joke on their expense? Noish

by **wunderland** » Sun Oct 11, 2020 9:01 pm

Is the thing a haircut? glasses? a headset?
Is Christina in a position of authority among your co-workers? Did her comment suggest extra work for the people who laughed?

by **Doriana** » Mon Oct 12, 2020 11:07 am

Is the thing a haircut? glasses? a headset? This
Is Christina in a position of authority among your co-workers? Irrel Did her comment suggest extra work for the people who laughed? No

by **GalFisk** » Mon Oct 12, 2020 1:10 pm

Was the joke about the headset? Was the other comment about her appeareance? Her ears? Did it imply that those who laughed were mean-spirited? Are other headsets relevant? The appearance of other participants?

by **Doriana** » Mon Oct 12, 2020 2:17 pm

Was the joke about the headset? Someone else made a comment about the headset and the joke was a response to that Was the other comment about her appeareance? Her ears? Did it imply that those who laughed were mean-spirited? Are other headsets relevant? The appearance of other participants? No to all

by **Balin** » Tue Oct 13, 2020 1:32 am

Did the headset inclue a microphone? Earbuds? Earphones?
Is the headset a particularly relevant size? Color?

by **Doriana** » Tue Oct 13, 2020 8:23 pm

Did the headset inclue a microphone? This Earbuds? Earphones? And this
Is the headset a particularly relevant size? Yes Color? And yes

by **GalFisk** » Wed Oct 14, 2020 9:21 am

Size: huge? Big? Small? Tiny? Invisible? Ill-fitting? Color: odd? Garish? Common? Added or changed after purchase?

by **Doriana** » Thu Oct 15, 2020 7:29 am

Size: huge? Big? This Small? Tiny? Invisible? Ill-fitting? Color: odd? Garish? Common? This (black) Added or changed after purchase?

by **trebor** » Thu Oct 15, 2020 2:26 pm

Any innuendos relevant?

by **Doriana** » Thu Oct 15, 2020 6:27 pm

Any innuendos relevant? I can see where you're coming from, but no

This is taking much longer than expected - quickie paradox strikes again! There are two ways to solve this, you can either keep focussing on the headset, our you can work from the information that the comment said something unflattering-ish about those who laughed at the joke

by **Balin** » Fri Oct 16, 2020 12:14 pm

(To be fair, the longer the puzzle takes, the more time you get to linger on the forum.)

Did the microphone cover part of her face? Did it look like facial hair?

by **Doriana** » Fri Oct 16, 2020 12:42 pm

Did the microphone cover part of her face? Yes Did it look like facial hair? No

by **Balin** » Fri Oct 16, 2020 12:50 pm

Did it cover her mouth? Nose? Eye(s)? Eyebrow(s)? Cheek? Chin? Forehead?

by **Doriana** » Fri Oct 16, 2020 1:03 pm

Did it cover her mouth? Nose? Eye(s)? Eyebrow(s)? Cheek? Chin? Forehead? Parts of her mouth and cheek

by **Balin** » Sat Oct 17, 2020 2:05 am

Did it look like a growth? A scar?

by **Doriana** » Sat Oct 17, 2020 8:58 pm

Did it look like a growth? A scar? No to both (it didn't relevantly look like anything except for a microphone)

by **wunderland** » Sat Oct 17, 2020 9:39 pm

Did the initial comment about the headset reference its size? its colour? something else about it?
Did the joke reference the headset's size? colour? something else about the headset?
Did the unflattering-ish comment also mention the headset? was it about the sound of the laughter?

by **Doriana** » Sun Oct 18, 2020 10:07 pm

Did the initial comment about the headset reference its size? its colour? The initial comment references neither directly something else about it? This, but its size and colour played a role
Did the joke reference the headset's size? colour? something else about the headset? No to all
Did the unflattering-ish comment also mention the headset? was it about the sound of the laughter? No to both

by **GalFisk** » Wed Oct 21, 2020 9:20 am

Relevant what the microphone is covering? Or what she pretends that it covers?

by **Doriana** » Wed Oct 21, 2020 11:01 am

Relevant what the microphone is covering? As established above, the microphone covers part of her cheek and mouth Or what she pretends that it covers? No pretending going on here

by **Balin** » Thu Oct 22, 2020 12:24 am

Was the comment that those who laughed at the joke had a dirty mind? (Or did the comment insinuate such?)

by **Doriana** » Thu Oct 22, 2020 7:03 pm

Was the comment that those who laughed at the joke had a dirty mind? (Or did the comment insinuate such?) No to both

HINT (in white): What could be a reason why some, but not all people laughed at the joke?

by **wunderland** » Fri Oct 23, 2020 10:31 pm

Did more than one person not laugh?
Did someone / some people not laugh because: they didn't get the joke? they understood it but thought it wasn't funny? they didn't realize it was meant to be a joke at all?
Was the headset a recognizable brand? popular with children/teenagers? and only parents got the joke?
Was it a gaming headset? was the joke about gaming? and only gamers got it?

by **Doriana** » Sat Oct 24, 2020 11:47 am

Did more than one person not laugh? Correct
Did someone / some people not laugh because: they didn't get the joke? This they understood it but thought it wasn't funny? they didn't realize it was meant to be a joke at all?
Was the headset a recognizable brand? popular with children/teenagers? and only parents got the joke? No to all
Was it a gaming headset? Unknown/irrel was the joke about gaming? and only gamers got it? No to rest

by **Balin** » Sat Oct 24, 2020 10:01 pm

Is the distinction between the laughers and non-laughers linguistic?

by **Doriana** » Sun Oct 25, 2020 10:55 am

Is the distinction between the laughers and non-laughers linguistic? As in, are there any language barriers involved? No

by **trebor** » Sun Oct 25, 2020 9:00 pm

Did the people who didn't get the joke hear the joke at all?

by **Doriana** » Sun Oct 25, 2020 9:38 pm

Did the people who didn't get the joke hear the joke at all? Yes

by **LemonCurry** » Mon Oct 26, 2020 12:55 pm

Was the joke referring to someone or something only part of the group knew?
If so, because of their age? habits? culture? interests?

by **Doriana** » Mon Oct 26, 2020 2:45 pm

Was the joke referring to someone or something only part of the group knew? Yes
If so, because of their age? YES! habits? culture? interests?

Well done, almost there! What did the follow-up comment imply?

by **trebor** » Mon Oct 26, 2020 6:48 pm

Did it imply that some people were old and useless? Young and stupid?

by **Doriana** » Mon Oct 26, 2020 10:43 pm

Did it imply that some people were old YES and useless? Young and stupid?

********SPOILER********

My co-worker Christina (which is relevantly her real name) was wearing a rather bulky, black headset on a recent Zoom call, so another co-worker said that she "kinda looks like Britney Spears". Christina jokingly replied "How dare you say that! I'm clearly team Christina!", alluding to the feud/rivalry between Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera in the late 90s and early 2000s. About half of the people, including me, laughed at the joke, while the other half didn't seem to get it. Christina then followed up with "Everyone who laughed at the joke is old", which made me realize that I'm a dinosaur compared to some of the undergrads and younger PhD students in the group.

Thanks for playing, everyone!

by **WiZ** » Mon Oct 26, 2020 10:58 pm

Nice one. I wonder if the new rap fans of today are listening to Eminem's The Real Slim Shady and wondering about the references to Britney and Christina - a red-hot pop cultural reference at the time.

by **trebor** » Tue Oct 27, 2020 6:00 am

In the words of the great Tom Lehrer: "It's people like that who make you realize how little you've accomplished. It's a sobering thought, for example, that, when Mozart was my age, he had been dead for two years."

[Doriana] can have a little puzzle

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