Author Topic: Episode #83 (Read 20513 times)

IRON MAN · « **Reply #15 on:** Feb 25, 2007, 12:30:55 AM »

Here's the lines along which I am thinking ...

Because I do not hope to know

Know about sex, or in the biblical sense "to know" a man?

This mystery at this late hour

Because the "late hour" is when people generally do the horizontal mambo, and sex is a mystery to a virgin.

Because I do not think

Because it's a sin to even think about sex?

Because I shall not know

Well not after signing up you wont ...

Once thought to fuel this power was alcohol

Alcohol historically blamed for sexual desire/promiscuity?

Which I cannot drink

Never seen a pissed* nun that I can recall ...

Because I cannot know

That's the rules an' all.

Why it doesn't happen to tree or flower

Plants don't do the aforementioned mambo.

Perhaps this bad habit is the link

Entirely cryptic = "Habit" is the link? And promiscuous sex is also considered a "bad habit" historically/religiously?

Because I refuse to know

If you're a chick in the 19th century and you don't want to get married you've only got one other option ... and a rather dour one at that ...

My impulsive human reaction seems dour

Or rather, "dower". Which is to bring a religious dower when you sign up at the nunnery.

And whatever bits remain

Remaining sexual impulse that you are unable to purge?

Boy it sure does stink

Yep, it sux alrighty ...

*Australian colloquialism for "drunk" as well as "angry" but not necessarily at the same time. In this context, I mean, "drunk", exclusively.

IRON MAN · « **Reply #16 on:** Feb 25, 2007, 07:14:57 AM »

Quote from: "Viking054"

What about spontaneous human combustion? Sounds a lot like "impulsive human reaction," no?

Alcohol, cigarettes... all thought to be a factor at one time or another...

Nice. That certainly would fit with the skeptical nature of the riddles we've come to expect.

skidoo · « **Reply #17 on:** Feb 25, 2007, 10:55:12 AM »

Quote from: "Kdub"

I think the answer is what cosmicvagabond said, without the corpse, and most of the poem is just filler to throw you off course.

Yeah I agree. That seems to be the best answer so far. I'll refer to the actual proposed solution as "A1," so as to avoid giving away the...scent.

I am confused by the structure of the riddle. It reads at turns like one of those where you have to figure out who "I" is, but clearly the narrator is asking us to figure out what this other thing is.

We know stuff about "I," but maybe it's superfluous stuff?

Quote from: "Evan"

Because I do not hope to know
This mystery at this late hour
Because I do not think

So is this stanza just a throwaway? At least in terms of the info necessary to solve the riddle? Is it just saying, "I'm tired, so this is perplexing to me?" I dunno.

Quote from: "Evan"

Because I shall not know
Once thought to fuel this power
Was alcohol, which I cannot drink

Again, what is the relevance of the "I" and its lack of knowledge?

But OK, the rest is seemingly straightforward: This mysterious power was once thought to be "fueled" by alcohol. I'm not an authority on the history of human understanding of A1, and a minute or so of Googling didn't enlighten me further, but it sounds reasonable, the idea that people thought alcohol causes A1. And trees and flowers are where alcohol comes from, so to speak.

As to Evan's temperance, that sounds personal.

Quote from: "Evan"

Because I can not know
Why it doesnt happen to tree or flower
Perhaps this bad habit is the link

But see, the narrator could know (*should* know) why A1 "doesn't happen to tree or flower." Which makes me wonder if the identity of the narrator is somehow part of the riddle.

Quote from: "Evan"

Because I refuse to know
My impulsive human reaction seem dour
And whatever bits remain, boy, it sure does stink

The narrator doesn't appreciate the finer points of A1, so his low opinion of it isn't really fair? Humans do have consisently impulsive and negative reactions to A1. Despite the fact that it is a critical...well, you know.

"Whatever bits reman?" Oh man, that's gross. lol

I dunno. Now I'm hung up on A1, but it's probably something completely different.

Mr. Crowe · « **Reply #18 on:** Feb 25, 2007, 11:36:28 AM »

I still think it's spontaneous combustion, the more I think about it. Those stinky remaining bits are usually the feet and lower legs, which are generally not fatty enough to take part in the 'wick effect.'

cosmicvagabond · « **Reply #19 on:** Feb 25, 2007, 11:42:34 AM »

Just so y'all know... I'm not in love with my own answer. Evan likes to give us clues by inserting key words into the puzzle. The word "habit" still bothers me. And it is "dour", not "dower" (see revised episode notes). But until I come up with something better, I'll stick with it.

reed · « **Reply #20 on:** Feb 25, 2007, 11:56:02 AM »

Quote from: "IRON MAN"

Quote from: "Viking054"
What about spontaneous human combustion? Sounds a lot like "impulsive human reaction," no?

Alcohol, cigarettes... all thought to be a factor at one time or another...

Nice. That certainly would fit with the skeptical nature of the riddles we've come to expect.

After reading the entry on shc, I have to agree with Viking. Alcohol, cigarettes, impulsive human reaction are all in there.
shc

skidoo · « **Reply #21 on:** Feb 25, 2007, 12:08:46 PM »

Quote from: "Viking054"

I still think it's spontaneous combustion, the more I think about it. Those stinky remaining bits are usually the feet and lower legs, which are generally not fatty enough to take part in the 'wick effect.'

That does seem nearly as plausible. And even grosser.

But why is this "impulsive human reaction" described as dour? And what do trees and flowers have to do with SHC? Hmm....

cosmicvagabond · « **Reply #22 on:** Feb 25, 2007, 12:17:18 PM »

Quote from: "reed"

Quote from: "IRON MAN"
Quote from: "Viking054"
What about spontaneous human combustion? Sounds a lot like "impulsive human reaction," no?

Alcohol, cigarettes... all thought to be a factor at one time or another...

Nice. That certainly would fit with the skeptical nature of the riddles we've come to expect.

After reading the entry on shc, I have to agree with Viking. Alcohol, cigarettes, impulsive human reaction are all in there.
shc

The article mentions that it was once thought that excessive DRINKING of alcohol could cause spontaneous human combustion. But the narrator clearly says that he/she/it cannot drink alcohol. Otherwise I might tend to agree.

reed · « **Reply #23 on:** Feb 25, 2007, 12:34:19 PM »

I agree about the "I cannot drink" part. I don't know how it fits in either.

For the "dour" part, I think he needed a rhyme for hour, power, and flower. Dour can mean gloomy, and SHC is kind of gloomy. I think "impulsive human reaction" is really where Evan was trying to give it away.

Mr. Crowe · « **Reply #24 on:** Feb 25, 2007, 12:46:38 PM »

I'm not bothered so much by the drinking thing-- it's the whole knowledge thing that I can't figure out. I do not hope to know, I shall not know, I can not know, I refuse to know... That all has nothing to do with anything so far!

cosmicvagabond · « **Reply #25 on:** Feb 25, 2007, 12:50:27 PM »

Quote from: "Viking054"

I'm not bothered so much by the drinking thing-- it's the whole knowledge thing that I can't figure out. I do not hope to know, I shall not know, I can not know, I refuse to know... That all has nothing to do with anything so far!

A corpse cannot know anything... or drink!

Mr. Crowe · « **Reply #26 on:** Feb 25, 2007, 12:57:37 PM »

Quote from: "cosmicvagabond"

A corpse cannot know anything... or drink!

But can a corpse refuse to know?

cosmicvagabond · « **Reply #27 on:** Feb 25, 2007, 01:03:59 PM »

Quote from: "Viking054"

Quote from: "cosmicvagabond"
A corpse cannot know anything... or drink!

But can a corpse refuse to know?

I cannot, shall not, and do not hope to know the answer to that question.

IRON MAN · « **Reply #28 on:** Feb 25, 2007, 02:19:40 PM »

Neutral Milk · « **Reply #29 on:** Feb 25, 2007, 02:23:31 PM »

So harsh IRON MAN