A man takes several steps forward.

He does this is the same place everyday.

Nobody infront or behind him.

He doesn't look up from whatever is keeping him busy.

This day is different.

The man looks up and therefore stops.

His life is saved.

Is this man doing this for his health?
Is he in a hospital? a gym?

Is this man doing this for his health? No
Is he in a hospital? No
a gym? No

Is this man old? young? middle aged? (10s? 20s? 30s? 40s? 50s? 60s? 70s? 80s? 90s? 100s? 110s? 120s? more?)

is he walking someplace?

to work?

I would say that it doesn't matter, but he probably either fits into 10-18 or 30-50s....

hi guys!

**waves hello**

is he walking someplace? Yes

to work? No

i want to stay and riddle.....i have to go...

Ohh *looks back*, HI person stuck in the past!

was he walking someplace specific?

lol

Maybe it'll still be here when you get back.

same place every day?

i can hope

was he walking someplace specific? Not a specific place, no.

same place every day? Yes

is what ever it is keeping him busy the same every day?

Does the walking change his location? (Does he ever get anywhere?)

is what ever is keeping him busy the same every day? Not nessecerely, irrelevant.

Does the walking change his location? (Does he ever get anywhere?)

Does the walking change his location? Yes

was it another person who caused him to look up?

was it another person who caused him to look up? Uhm... indirectly... very indirectly....

Is he boarding something?

Is he boarding something? What?

like a plane...or a train?

(Me=Stupid)

like a plane...or a train? Ohh, no.

what is the invisible writing supposed to mean?

is he going up stairs?

Uhh, I thought by boarding he meant something else that Americans wouldn't get...

is he going up stairs? No

is he going downstairs?

Lol, no.

but he's american too...

boarding =  renting a room, right?

That's what I thought...

And... so what if he's an American.... he's been with you britianers longer than I

not renting a room......food included when renting a room

or getting on a vehicle

i'm american

In meland:

Boarding (v.): 1. To take a place as residence 2. To reside in a specific place.

I never said you weren't

then why do they say room and board?

I have no clue, just... grrr!!

Get on with it...lol

And... so what if he's an American.... he's been with you britianers longer than I

I never said you weren't

uh yes you did..

Is 'several' like two or three?  down the hall?  across the street?

You meaning plural... lol

there isn't anyone else here.....just us 3 americans....

Is 'several' like two or three? More

down the hall? No

across the street? *cringe* Yes

then he hears a horn and is not run over by a car! (?)

I meant as in he's been on this forum which is predominantly everythingelseican and *BSoD*

then he hears a horn and is not run over by a car! Not that easy!

danm

s/car/bus/ ?

(if you read regex)

synth ...i know what you meant....but...you said "been with you".....

there is no one else here.

Drawing a diagram might help...

s/car/bus/ ? Uhh... me no regex...

could it have been a bus?

synth ...i know what you meant....but...you said "been with you"..... That's appropriate grammar...?

could it have been a bus? Yes, but irrelevant...

you are wrong...i'm right....

end of story.

*backing up* did the man cross the street?

dj......don't solve the riddle.....

i'll be back later...

dj......don't solve the riddle..... no promises, but it is synth's riddle.

which means the answer could be completely out there.....

and therefore....my odds are good?

Synth, you still there?

... doesn't look like I'll be able to solve the riddle without the riddle writer here to wrangle.

did the man cross the street? Yes

my odds are good? Very much so

Synth, you still there? No

Is the man blind?

Is the man blind? No

Deaf?

Disabled?

Deaf?

Disabled?

Good questions. In no way is he disabled (well, possibly, but that'd be irrelevant...)

that is, those are not necessary to the riddle?

Is there something/someplace on the other side of the road that will save his life?

Is he purposely going there?

Does the actual 'crossing the road' save his life?

he stops, which saves his life

that is, those are not necessary to the riddle? Correct. All that you should know is he is not physically disabled, or in any other way that would prevent him from crossing the street in the same method as others.

Is there something/someplace on the other side of the road that will save his life? No

Is he purposely going there? Yes

Does the actual 'crossing the road' save his life? No

he stops, which saves his life Exactly

I interpreted it as he looks up, then stops

ok..

I interpreted it as he looks up, then stops He does....

Well does the looking up save his life?

or the stopping?

"...the stopping..."

on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being least and 10 being most, how relevant is the looking up to this riddle?

Uhmmmm.... it saves his life...

but you just said it didnt...

maybe changing the line to:

"The man looks up and therefore stops."

Would help?

is he at a crosswalk or jaywalking?

so he stops when he looks up, and the entire process saves his life?

is he at a crosswalk or jaywalking? Well... neither

so he stops when he looks up, and the entire process saves his life? Ugh... because he stopped he lived. He stopped because he looked up.

he's about to cross a road and looks up at the pedestrian sign and stops because it says so? then he doesn't walk into the traffic and doesnt die?

is he at a crosswalk or jaywalking? Well... neither

... but he's crossing the street

he's about to cross a road and looks up at the pedestrian sign and stops because it says so? then he doesn't walk into the traffic and doesnt die? No. He crosses at the same point every day (or so, depending on the variating specifics of the riddle) disregarding everything around him as usual, but today he doesn't, therefore he lives.

Hmm... I thought you might mean such as a large intersection. It is not a large intersection. He would be following all traffic rules this day (though obviously being oblivious on the other days isn't smart*)

train/tram crossing on/over the road?

train/tram crossing on/over the road? No

Is TRTETA an acronym?

Is TRTETA an acronym? Yes

If i work that out, will it solve the riddle?

If i work that out, will it solve the riddle? Nope

But if you can, let me know.

Will it provide a substanital clue?

Does each letter stand for something different? eg 6 words?

*was about to look up the word that The Knights Who Formerly Said Ni currently say* @Synth's misspelling of No (Ni)

I have no idea what it means....

Yay! Remembered!

"The Riddle to end them all"

LoL!!!

That doesn't help at all!

I know

If it helps at all, I did this riddle today, thus providing the inspiration for it. It could be written alternatively as:

A man takes several steps forward.

He does this is the same place everyday.

Nobody infront or behind him.

He doesn't look up from whatever is keeping him busy.

This day is different.

He dies.

...Except I didn't die today.

Each of them provides the same explanation, just with different results (his/my life).

The person (me) however, is smart enough to explain the riddle, so I don't exactly feel like killing myself off yet.

That's more confusing

Haha... just thought I should let you know...

Forthepurposeofconfusion!

Isn'tWhitetextAmazing? 

are the smilies a clue?

Is it the man in the traffic light?

how would his life be saved?

I dunno....

All I have is an answer... doesn't mean I've thought it thru

is what the man doing while he is walking important?  (should we care, or was it just something distracting?)
Did this activity hinder his hearing?

LOL... bluegirl still doesn't get synths new obsession

it's ok soon she will learn

you never know when  whitetext 

will come in handy

Is it the man in the traffic light? No

is what the man doing while he is walking important?  (should we care, or was it just something distracting?) Just distracting
Did this activity hinder his hearing? Sure, yes.

construction zone?

does he see a shadow on the ground that appears to be getting bigger, so he stops, looks up in time to see a piano/anvil/jet engine smash on the ground where he would have been if he hadn't stopped?

construction zone? No

does he see a shadow on the ground that appears to be getting bigger, so he stops, looks up in time to see a piano/anvil/jet engine smash on the ground where he would have been if he hadn't stopped? Hahaha that's astounding! But alas, no.

I cannot believe that you still haven't figured it out!

...

It's so easy! (Maybe)

is there usually traffic on the road?

is it odd that he normally doesn't take heed of the traffic?

is there usually traffic on the road? Yes
is it odd that he normally doesn't take heed of the traffic? You could say that, yes.

he's not mad, retarded or suicidal?

he's not mad, retarded or suicidal? Correct

does he expect that his life is in danger?

doing this funny walk

is it related to a job?

does he expect that his life is in danger? When?

is it related to a job? No

doing this funny walk? No

when he walks across a busy road like a moron

is he doing it because he 'has to'

when he walks across a busy road like a moron You mean normally? No.

is he doing it because he 'has to'? Uhm... sort of.

ahhh

ok, so he doesn't think that there would be danger... even though it sounds pretty obvious that there would be

so... his hearing, sight, etc are not impaired by any outside or internal force?

double checking...

ok, so he doesn't think that there would be danger... even though it sounds pretty obvious that there would be Correct
so... his hearing, sight, etc are not impaired by any outside or internal force? Correct

is he happy about 'having' to do this daily walking?

is he happy about 'having' to do this daily walking? Umm... impartial... but he'd probably not do it if he had a choice.

is he wandering around in a post-apocaliptic deserted city, and didn't expect there to be someone else around doing something dangerious

is he wandering around in a post-apocaliptic deserted city, and didn't expect there to be someone else around doing something dangerious? No

is the reason that there's no one in front or behind him because ....

it would be dangerous?

he is repellant in some way?

they can't get near him?

does this man have a job of some kind that's relevant?

it would be dangerous? No
he is repellant in some way? No
they can't get near him? No
does this man have a job of some kind that's relevant? No

It's not 'there's nobody infront of him or behind him' in the way that you are thinking....

g2g play RB2

k

if there's nobody infront/behind, are they to the side or above?

when you say he looked up, does that mean he was looking at the floor and then looked at something at eye level...or he looked at something above his head?

if there's nobody infront/behind, are they to the side or above? Yes
when you say he looked up, does that mean he was looking at the floor and then looked at something at eye level...or he looked at something above his head? He was looking down, now he's looking at eye level.

is there 1 person?

is there more than 1 person?

are they to the side?

are they above?

is there more than 1 person? Yes
are they to the side? Yes

is the exact number of people relevant?

is the exact number of people relevant? Uhm... more like the range of number of people...

But finding the exact number might make it make more sense

what!?!

you mean there is a variable amount of people?

Sorry... If you haven't figured out yet, I'm not so good at explaining this...

There has to be a minimum amount of people for this to work, but it'd only really need/make sense to have that number of other people...

you mean there is a variable amount of people? To foreshadow, yes.

right...ok......still no help.....

ugh... ask more questions and it'll start to make more sense, I guess...

it's a parade.

or some sort of motorcade..

those are guesses......forgot my question marks..

it's a parade. No
or some sort of motorcade.. Stop making statements!!! GRR!!!
those are guesses......forgot my question marks.. Ohh...

so it's not a motorcade?

so it's not a motorcade? Nope

why not?

i liked the parade idea

how about a gang of bikers?

why not? You have your answers, and I have mine. Mine are correct.
how about a gang of bikers? No.

Guessing the end result isn't going to get you anywhere....

Part of a funeral procession?

Part of a funeral procession? No

is it the people who are putting him in danger?

is it the people who save him?

(maybe these were answered a while ago......i'm too lazy to scroll up......and i'm in the middle of doing my homework)

is it the people who are putting him in danger? No

is it the people who save him? Uhm... sort of... or the polar opposite.

there are many people in a line, of which our protagonist is one of them.  They are all walking, and then all but him stop. He looks up and realizes that everyone else has stopped.

i thought the people weren't in front of him...

It's a presence thing.  Have you ever been walking next to someone, and then noticed they were gone?  Same thing here.

um....i have a 3 year old....duh...

lmao

there are many people in a line, of which our protagonist is one of them.  They are all walking, and then all but him stop. He looks up and realizes that everyone else has stopped. No

i thought the people weren't in front of him... Right

It's a presence thing.  Have you ever been walking next to someone, and then noticed they were gone?  Same thing here. No

They're to the side

If you wanted to be exact, they're at perfectly a 180 degree angle from him...

but only when he reaches the point where he looks up?

or are they walking along with him?

but only when he reaches the point where he looks up? No

or are they walking along with him? Well, not 'with' him, per se, but alongside him...

G'night.

night , synth....

sweet dreams.

was he having a seizure then came out of it? (horrible guess but ive been gone all weekend)

was he having a seizure then came out of it? No, but not that bad of a guess... lol...

I tell you, you're getting nowhere with these random stabs (And it's starting to hurt...)

So there's some number of people, walking directly to the side of him.

Are they there every day?
Is there anything important to find out about these people?

Normally he would just walk while busily looking down at something, today he looks up

Is it important what he's normally busy with?
Does he look up because the people are there?
Does he look up because of something the people do?

He then stops...

Do the other people stop too?
Did he stop because he saw some kind of impending danger to react to?

And it saves his life

Did anyone else die?
Was the thing that would have killed him related to the people walking to his side?
  ...some kind of natural phenomenon?
  ...something artificial or otherwise man-made?

are these other people following/shadowing him?

So there's some number of people, walking directly to the side of him. Correct

Are they there every day? Usually ( Almost always)
Is there anything important to find out about these people? Specify

Normally he would just walk while busily looking down at something, today he looks up. Correct

Is it important what he's normally busy with? No
Does he look up because the people are there? No
Does he look up because of something the people do? No

He then stops...

Do the other people stop too? Erm... incorrect...? *AHEM* My split personality who is good at answering riddle questions would like to take over for a moment. You are basing that question off of a fact that you *think* is true, but far from it.

Did he stop because he saw some kind of impending danger to react to? Yes

And it saves his life. Yes

Did anyone else die? No
Was the thing that would have killed him related to the people walking to his side? No

are these other people following/shadowing him?  No

are the people walking beside him today?

are the people walking beside him today? No

Is it the absence of people that makes him look up?

Does the presence of the people normally mean he doesn't have to worry about traffic? (If I remember rightly, he's crossing the road?)

Did he walk out into traffic?

Did he cross without the crosswalk being green?

My thought was that the people being there would mean he can just go with the herd (without looking for himself), since they're not going to walk out in front of a bus... and drivers would have to stop for a big mass of people.

Is it the absence of people that makes him look up? Yes

Does the presence of the people normally mean he doesn't have to worry about traffic? (If I remember rightly, he's crossing the road?) Yes

Did he walk out into traffic? No

Did he cross without the crosswalk being green? No

My thought was that the people being there would mean he can just go with the herd (without looking for himself), since they're not going to walk out in front of a bus... and drivers would have to stop for a big mass of people. You're catching on, but remember, there are only (2) other people. Making a 3 way-stop diagram with the individuals' projected paths might help.

these people arent' crossing guards....are they?

i can't make a diagram.......i'm not really sure which direction everyone is going.....or would be going if they were there......or if they had continued on their merry way..

these people arent' crossing guards....are they? Wow... that's an answer that... would actually work... I'm jealous....

That's not my answer, however, even though I give you kudos... it's more complicated than that...

damn you....

i can't make a diagram.......i'm not really sure which direction everyone is going.....or would be going if they were there......or if they had continued on their merry way..

Well, that's why the riddle doesn't make sense to you right now... I was suggesting that you do that in place of asking me "Did person A move to G15?"... As in, you'd still have to guess, but it'd be easier for all of us.

lol

did person A move to G15?

LOL no...

damn you....

have we established that these other people were also on foot?

have we established that these other people were also on foot? I dunno, have we? Either way, they are.

are these people cops walking a beat?

are these people cops walking a beat? Qawaaaahht? Is that some sort of idiom?

are you kidding me?

you don't know the term walking a beat?

Please ask the idiot only simple questions, so as to not to confuse me and/or others based on my confused answers (you can also refer to me as the idiot from time to time, but it gives me -100 self confidence, so I wouldn't do it that much)

okay......from cambridge dictionary online:

Definition

be on/walking the beat
A police officer who is on/walking the beat is on duty, walking around rather than driving in a police car.

No

i would never mess with someone's self confidence.....i have my own to deal with

You forgot teh (on purpose) /sarcasm... that hurts.

/sarcasm

/sarcasm

/(sarcasm-sarcasm^π)

then let me explain something to you.....

i realize that i can be sarcastic......and seemingly mean.......

but i am only sarcastic (and/or mean) to people i like........i'm not sure why i do this...

but, rest assured ......i like you..

i think you are smart and funny....

but you kill me with your frickin' riddles...

lol... I am getting bored here with you ameteur riddlers... I shall move on to bigger and better things-- But first I leave you to ponder, for all your base are belong to us.

Of course I am but kidding as I would:

a) Never use that meme
b) Uhm... never use that meme. Again.

...Oh yea, something sentimental about being with my peeps, too!

Are the 2 people directly next to him, or are they a bit down the road on either side?

As in this handy diagram

(The coloured blobby things are cars)

i got that....very nice..

Oh THAT'S IT!!! ( I had an idea before and then I completely lost it )

Is he playing frogger?

(or similar)

Is he playing frogger? No

As I said previously, it's a 3 way stop. Nice try, however.

As I said previously, it's a 3 way stop.

   Oh, I guess I missed that

*goes back to re-read*

I'm sorry, SK. I do give that picture an A for effort, though. Much better than I could have done with fingerpaints.

is there some kind of danger headed towards him him, or is he walking into something dangerous or something? and the people fled, causing him to look up, he stops and doesnt get bodied (killed in some way).

Does "looking up" mean "going from watching down, to looking ahead", or does he actually "start looking up into the air"?

Is he a prisoner who would be shot by nasty guards if he disobeyed?

nice guess..

is there some kind of danger headed towards him him, or is he walking into something dangerous or something? Irrelevant
and the people fled, causing him to look up, he stops and doesnt get bodied (killed in some way). No

Is he a prisoner who would be shot by nasty guards if he disobeyed? No

I already answered your other question.

does he in any way communicate with the other people?

When you say a 3 way stop, do you mean a T junction or a more Y-shaped kind of affair?

Do road regulations (like the rules for priority of traffic for example) play any part in the answer to the riddle?

And you still didn't answer - would the 2 people normally be directly next to him, or would they they a bit down the road on either side?

We know that on a normal day they're somewhere along a line running perpendicular to the direction he's facing, but not how far they are from him.

this whatever it is that nearly killed him.....accidental or deliberate?

You also missed the tail end of my earlier questions:

Was the thing that would have killed him...
  ...some kind of natural phenomenon?
  ...something artificial or otherwise man-made?

are the other people real?

or maybe his reflection in shop windows?

does he in any way communicate with the other people? No

T

And you still didn't answer - would the 2 people normally be directly next to him, or would they they a bit down the road on either side? Well... in a T it works differently, so I'm not exactly sure what you're saying.

this whatever it is that nearly killed him.....accidental or deliberate? Accidental, but still irrelevant

You also missed the tail end of my earlier questions: IT'S IRRELEVANT.... gawd... lol.

are the other people real? Yes

or maybe his reflection in shop windows? No

if they had all continued moving, would they have ended up at the same point?

or would they all have continued straight ahead and ended up in a row?

{insert appropriate graph here}

or are you going to say it's irrelevant?

or would they all have continued straight ahead and ended up in a row? Yes, but they don't really end in the same place.

Also, the starting locations are incorrect.

you do realize that i hate you, right?

Hehe.... the riddle ends up making a great deal of logical sense.

As SK said before, there's safety in numbers, so keep that in mind. Also, blue, unless I am very confused (and I have a very bad headache right now so it's possible) nobody is crossing any street in your diagram.

my diagram isn't showing the street........just the potential direction(s) our theoretical people are moving or would be moving if they hadn't stopped.

and i'm sure it will make sense once we know the answer......they usually do.

Huh? Okay, now I am confused...

oh no.....what's confusing?

ok.....fine.

here:

you know i'm supposed to be studying for a test and finishing my essay due tomorrow......

...i don't have time to be making diagrams....

sawwy.... and no, that's not it. Here's a diagram I made that you can use.

(The red, blue and green dots are the 3 people's starting locations)

You're welcome.

show off.

(and thanks)

lol!

I can show off my msPaint mastery once in awhile...

doesn't help me at all....

back to my essay.

(Red is off of the sidewalk because I couldn't fit them all on, it's not relevant that he/she isn't on the sidewalk with them)

Good Luck!

just to clarify.....(with my study schedule i don't have time to scroll up)...

...the danger is coming from above?

Above?

oh no......

like, falling on them? no.

i thought the danger is coming from above..

oh dammit.

lol....

STOPPIT!! 

I'm trying to read

so the danger is coming from the street on the left?

sorry.....i can't stop....i'm on a schedule here.

grrr

You can disregard 'Tachyon Space'.

so the danger is coming from the street on the left? No.

i've dealt with it......so can you...

the danger is coming towards him?

hmm.. not today I can't....

I'll just read it later

did you get any more coffee, morgan?

i've been concerned about you.

the danger is coming towards him? No

the danger is coming from the field to the right?

the danger is rats coming up from the sewer?

Nope.... still very tired... must get back to work.... ttyl.. x

okay....sorry...

Hmm... I see another answer in this being the game 'paperboy', but nevermind... lol.

the danger is rats coming up from the sewer? No

the danger is coming from the field to the right? That's not a field... and no

where  the fuck is this danger coming from?

does someone or something just materialize in front of him?

did the guys on either side suddenly pull out knives and start fighting?

does someone or something just materialize in front of him? HAHAHA yes, Cpt. Kirk or someone... (I don't watch Star Trek)

No.

did the guys on either side suddenly pull out knives and start fighting? Why in the world would stop walking help him??? You're sick.

if it's not a field off to the right......is it water?.....is it a beach?......is it relevant?

i must solve this riddle immediately so that i can continue my work...

Not relevant, It's houses, thanks for asking... lol

is a car pulling out of a driveway?

Why in the world did people stop guessing cars?

... I could have sworn we established that the danger was a vehicle, and the man was crossing without paying attention...

is a car pulling out of a driveway? No

police chase?

kid with a learner's permit?

police chase? Nope.

It's something about the 2 others, remember. Unless he walks casually with criminals everday...

kid with a learner's permit? Could be, but the person driving is irrelevant.

ice cream truck?

is the type of vehicle relevant....even if the driver is not?

ice cream truck? Vehicle is IRRELEVANT

lol...

so it's the situation i'm trying to figure out?

are the guys next to him hitchhiking?

nevermind..

so it's the situation i'm trying to figure out? Yes, but really why he can normally stroll out with confidence and not die, whereas today is different...

are the guys next to him hitchhiking? Nope!

nevermind.. Okay!

is the size of the vehicle relevant?

is the street normally closed off to traffic?

is the specific location relevant?

is the size of the vehicle relevant? The vehicle is IN NO WAY relevant.

is the street normally closed off to traffic? Not closed per se, no. Reword. Also, we can use #1-3 to designate the three street-portions. They'll be named clockwise, starting from 1200.

is the specific location relevant? Specify?

okay...lets see...

are any of these street portions dead ends?

as far as specific......i was thinking ........like maybe the white house.....or a military base...

are any of these street portions dead ends? 3

as far as specific......i was thinking ........like maybe the white house.....or a military base... No

3 is the one off to the left?

damn you and your fuckcksaj[ riddles.

just to get the idea out of my head, is the title any kind of clue?

Correct

just to get the idea out of my head, is the title any kind of clue? No

Nice random keyboard mashing, though.

so he doesn't normally see a lot of traffic coming from the dead end?

so he doesn't normally see a lot of traffic coming from the dead end? Right!

is whatever is at the end of the dead end relevant?

is whatever is at the end of the dead end relevant? No (well, maybe a house... but I can't draw that on paint )

However, this is a morally responsible guy, he'd never just cross knowing that it's 'likely' that a car won't be coming from 1 or 2 (or 3)

i forgot.....are these companions always there?

i forgot.....are these companions always there? Good question. No.

so these guys are there today because there will be some traffic flow?

or is there traffic flow because these guys are here today?

Neither, and I'm sorry if I made the picture confusing. The picture above illustrates what NORMALLY happens, that is there are normally 2 others, and normally he doesn't die.

wait...what?

"are these companions always there?" Usually

you answered that differently 2 posts up...

are you fucking with me?

No, I didn't. Both are true; the second one is just more specific.

No, and that's also not the answer.

you answered no.

THEN REWORD YOUR QUESTION

and then you answered usually...

normally he travels with 2 other guys......and there is no traffic?

today he travels with the new guys.....and there is traffic?

normally he travels with 2 other guys......and there is no traffic? Yes

today he travels with the new guys.....and there is traffic? No, there are only him and two others in the *gestures to make a large environment* whole riddle

wth

*sigh*

so today he looks up and notices that his companions aren't there.....and avoids getting flattened by a vehicle of undetermined size with an undetermined driver?

is he bound to the other two people in any way?

so today he looks up and notices that his companions aren't there.....and avoids getting flattened by a vehicle of undetermined size with an undetermined driver? Yes

is he bound to the other two people in any way? No

G'night. Sorry.

no.

come on....i'm so close....

what do i need to determine?

why the companions aren't there?

why there is traffic today?

are these two events related?

ahhhhhhhH!

come back!!!!!!

Is 'our guy' located on the left? middle? right?

Hang on... if he normally doesn't die - what are we trying to work out?

why his life was in danger this day .....and how he was distracted....

i think.

i think our guy is middle

Is 'our guy' located on the left? middle? right? Middle

why his life was in danger this day .....and how he was distracted.... No, the reason he is distracted doesn't matter...

Wow, the length of this thread is starting to be the downfall of it...

6 days ago...

Figure out why he normally would be safe whereas he isn't today.

Bonus points if you can tell me a 20 digit prime number before you get finished with the riddle

http://www.alpertron.com.ar/googol.pl?digits=20

Is he going to get run over by a lawn mower?

Should we know where he is going to?

oh, and by the way, they've just discovered a 13-million digit prime number

was in all the news in the last couple days

Is he going to get run over by a lawn mower? No... lol
Should we know where he is going to? Not the place, no.

oh, and by the way, they've just discovered a 13-million digit prime number

....WAAHT??

48112959837082048697

I claim bonus points 

Holy shiiioooooooo

lol, Morgan already posted a link of like 20. Including yours, if i'm not mistaken

You are mistaken, Ctrl+F doesn't find my one anywhere on that page.

...

.....

.......

Have you checked the source code?

Plus, I've already solved this riddle, so it's been VOIDED!!!!

muhuhahahaha!

As for the 13-million digit one, it's 2^43112609-1 and has 12,978,189 digits

And I just checked the page source, still no mention of my number.

Hmm... maybe you should be spending more time on solving the riddle and less time with imposssibly high prime numbers...

Have you checked the source code of Dreamweaver (which I'm assuming is what went into making the site)???

Me: *cringe*
Jeeves: "What is it, my master?"
Me: "My... my Adobe senses are tingling... TO THE DEV-C++ COMPILER!" 

Jeeves is also James Earl Jones (but he's forgotten that by now)-- he does an amazing impression of Darth Vader.

... that's cause he is darth vader

... well, the voice of darth vader

Don't tell him that!!!!!

I'm messing with my cat... with the Annoy-a-Tron...

It has Tron in the name!

Has anyone noticed that Tron has been airing recently on G4?

Does anyone watch G4?

Did you know it is owned by Comcast?

I prefer NBC Universal, what about you?

They have Scrubs... right?

I haven't seen a new episode of Scrubs in awhile...?

Don't you think there are too many hospital/medical sitcoms/ dramas?

sure synth.......so ahead and ignore me...

is it anything to do with the clocks changing? he's walking his normal route, but its an hour later than he thinks it is, so the other people have already passed through, and being distracted he doesn't notice until he is about to cross the road (which he subconsciously relies on to help him cross) stop and looks round for them and narrowly avoids certain death?

ooh...good guess...

really good guess

i dont feel like reading everything. im just gonna make random guesses.

is he actually walking across a street, or is there one of those bridge-like things that goes over it, and this one day he notices the bridge is out?

Is he homeless?

is it anything to do with the clocks changing? he's walking his normal route, but its an hour later than he thinks it is, so the other people have already passed through, and being distracted he doesn't notice until he is about to cross the road (which he subconsciously relies on to help him cross) stop and looks round for them and narrowly avoids certain death? No, but once again, I'm jealous of the answer...

is he actually walking across a street, or is there one of those bridge-like things that goes over it, and this one day he notices the bridge is out? No, it's a street... I've never heard of a 3 way intersecting bridge, lol...

Is he homeless? No.

Ignore you how, blue...?

no.

come on....i'm so close....

what do i need to determine?

why the companions aren't there?

why there is traffic today?

are these two events related?

ahhhhhhhH!

come back!!!!!!

I already told you like 3 times, figure out why he normally is alright but wouldn't be today, had he not looked up.

Does he look up when he gets to the road? before? after?

do the other 2 guys have any control over the traffic?

do the control some sort of barrier and on this particular day they opened it early letting in traffic that wouldn't normally be there at this time?

does looking up doom him?

is he on foot?

Does he look up when he gets to the road? before? Uhm... sort of before/ as he reaches it, but not before he walks onto it.

do the other 2 guys have any control over the traffic? No
do the control some sort of barrier and on this particular day they opened it early letting in traffic that wouldn't normally be there at this time? No

does looking up doom him? He isn't doomed...
is he on foot? Yes, either that or F-117, but I'm pretty sure he's walking on foot.

does looking up doom him? put him in danger?

No

So this man walks across the street every day with a person on each side of him and he is not in danger. One day the two men are gone, and then he is in danger, but he does not notice he is in danger before after he looks up. Correct?

Is the occupation of this two men relevant? Will it help to ask more questions about them?

When he left home (or wherever he left from) this specific day,did he know this two men where not with him, or did he first notice when he looked up?

Very early in the tread it was some questions about if he was disabled or not, did we establish that he was NOT disabled in any way? Or was he?

Does he see anything when he looks down this specific day? Or does he randomly look up for no aperent reason?

Does where the car (danger) come from have any relevance? It is established that the danger is a car, right (but the type of car did not matter)?

Is it established that there are normal traffic every day? Or is it less traffic on normal days?

So this man walks across the street every day with a person on each side of him and he is not in danger. One day the two men are gone, and then he is in danger, but he does not notice he is in danger before after he looks up. Correct? Correct, but the others don't stay in the same formation around him, and only he crosses street 3. Also, as stated below, he knew he was in danger before he looked up.

Is the occupation of this two men relevant? Will it help to ask more questions about them? No. No.

When he left home (or wherever he left from) this specific day,did he know this two men where not with him, or did he first notice when he looked up? He noticed that they weren't there when he left, but that didn't put him in direct danger until he reached the street.

Very early in the thread it was some questions about if he was disabled or not, did we establish that he was NOT disabled in any way? Or was he? He is NOT disabled in any way.

Does he see anything when he looks down this specific day? No
Or does he randomly look up for no aperent reason? No, he looks up for a reason <.<

Does where the car (danger) come from have any relevance? It is established that the danger is a car, right (but the type of car did not matter)? Correct, it could have been any vehicle, and (realistically) it could have come from any of the directions, but it was on the street.

Is it established that there are normal traffic every day? Or is it less traffic on normal days? On normal days there is the same amount of traffic, usually.

are these men actual, flesh-and-blood human beings?

i did wonder if the 'man' was in fact a dog....perfectly safe while trotting along with the other men, but when they are not there nobody notices him and he is nearly run over...

So the formation of the other people are important?

We have established that there are 3 people, right?

Did these 3 men usually stay in a straight line, but not this specific day?

Was the other 2 men present at all?

Or did they walk in a different formation than usual?

I am asking this because you said there where nobody in front of him and nobody behind him, but they will somehow be in front or behind him if they are not in a straight line.

So the the street the man is crossing is relevant, yes?

Will it help us to ask more specific questions about the street?

We want to find out why he looks up, right? Is the fact that he is looking up related to him beeing in danger, or does he look up for some other reason and then relising he is in danger?

Did he see something special (other than cars) when he looked up?

Is there any other important elements other than the 3 men, the street(s) and the car(s)? Like, is he carrying anything?

Will it help us to ask more questions about the man, or what he is carrying, etc?

are these men actual, flesh-and-blood human beings? Yes

So the formation of the other people are important? When?
We have established that there are 3 people, right? Yes
Did these 3 men usually stay in a straight line, but not this specific day? Not in the same positions, but it would be a line, yes (hence the nobody being infront or behind him... *he could be very fat, though....*)
Was the other 2 men present at all? When?
Or did they walk in a different formation than usual? Uhm... you could say there was something different about the *group*,...
So the the street the man is crossing is relevant, yes? Yep, it's pretty much the riddle.
Will it help us to ask more specific questions about the street? No
We want to find out why he looks up, right? Yep
Is the fact that he is looking up related to him beeing in danger, or does he look up for some other reason and then relising he is in danger? The latter.
Did he see something special (other than cars) when he looked up? No, not other than cars
Is there any other important elements other than the 3 men, the street(s) and the car(s)? Like, is he carrying anything? Nothing relevant.
Will it help us to ask more questions about the man, or what he is carrying, etc? Nope.

Where the other people present (but in a different formation than usual) the day he is in danger?
Will it help us to ask more questions about the formation?
WIll it help us to ask more questions about an ordinary day (not the day he was in danger)?
Does he hear or smell anything unusual that makes him look up?

So there was something different about the group? So there is still a "group" the day of the danger? Is it the same 3 people?

I have more questions, but need theese comfirmed first! Am I on the right track at least?

was this person unusually preoccupied (missed seeing something he should have/would have seen?)

Where the other people present (but in a different formation than usual) the day he is in danger? No
Will it help us to ask more questions about the formation? Uhm... it would make it make sense why he would normally disregard traffic, so yea I guess...
Will it help us to ask more questions about an ordinary day (not the day he was in danger)? No
Does he hear or smell anything unusual that makes him look up? No
So there was something different about the group? Yes
So there is still a "group" the day of the danger? ...Yes, but... [censor]
Is it the same 3 people? The same people, yes, but not nessecerily the [censor]
Am I on the right track at least? I'd say you're doing just fine.

was this person unusually preoccupied (missed seeing something he should have/would have seen?) No.

Is our protagonist a student?

Is our protagonist a student? Yep.

does that matter to the riddle?

does that matter to the riddle? If you want to be specific about the riddle, sure. It'll only help you figuring out where he's coming from.

...

D'oh!

D'oh!
I believe I now know where he's coming from.

Is he coming from school?

Is he coming from school? Yes, but more specifically...

his school?

high school?

No, like where he and 2 others are coming from between school and home that also involves walking, and they don't know each other (rule out carpool... and? )

*is confused, so resorts to random*are the other people his peers? schoolmates?  teachers?  crossing guards?

bus stop?

SchoolBus!!! yay!

You solved a completely useless part of an intense riddle that has barely any relevance to it!

Cookie?

Cookie? yes please.

did the other people come from the same bus?

did the other people come from the same bus? Yep.

*gives cookie*

are the cars the danger?

do the other students usually look out for the danger?

when he looks up, does he see the no-walk sign?

So he looks down, but does not see, hear or smell anything to make him look up? 

Was he looking for something?

Will it help to figure out why he was looking down all the time? Like, was he depressed? Was he bullied by the other two people?

Was the two other people walking with him (hmm. from school?) or did they stay at the road waiting for him? On ordinary days? On the specific day?

It is the same protagonist?

So the changes in the "group":

does it have anything to do with the distance they walk from each other?

does the other people walk behind or in front of him this specific day?

Does the place they are comming from matter? And if so, do the 3 people start from the same place? Do they start from the same place both days?

ah, so they are comming from a bus. good job, Duke Jake!

so is this a non school day, which is why the others aren't there?

so the protogonist is sleepwalking and thinks he is going/comming from school

are the cars the danger? Yes
do the other students usually look out for the danger? Yes
when he looks up, does he see the no-walk sign? No

So he looks down, but does not see, hear or smell anything to make him look up? Correct
Was he looking for something? Yes
Will it help to figure out why he was looking down all the time? No...
Like, was he depressed? No
Was he bullied by the other two people? No!
Was the two other people walking with him? Not to the same destination
(hmm. from school?) Yes
or did they stay at the road waiting for him? No
On ordinary days? No
On the specific day? No
It is the same protagonist? Yes
does it have anything to do with the distance they walk from each other? No
does the other people walk behind or in front of him this specific day? No
Does the place they are comming from matter? No
And if so, do the 3 people start from the same place? Yes
Do they start from the same place both days? Yes

so is this a non school day, which is why the others aren't there? Nope, but closer.

so the protogonist is sleepwalking and thinks he is going/comming from school No.

so is it a school day, but he is coming from somewhere else?lunch maybe?

did he drop something, and that is why looks down?

or is he always looking down so he can find a lucky penny? something along those lines?

so is it a school day, but he is coming from somewhere else? NO!
lunch maybe? School Bus...
did he drop something, and that is why looks down? No.
or is he always looking down so he can find a lucky penny? No
something along those lines? No!

He's just looking down at something distracting, it doesn't matter why the hell he's looking down!

*grr...*

So he is comming from a School bus, but it does not matter where he comes from besides that?

But is the destination somewhat important?

Is the destination of these other guys somewhat important?

Becourse they are not heading for the same place, right?

If so, are they heading for the same place on usual days?

So he is looking down for no aperant reason, and what we are trying to figure out is what he is looking for when he looks up?

Is he looking for the other two guys?

Is he looking for a specific car? or any car?

Is he looking for his destination on the other side of the street?

Is he looking at the street? traffic?

You said earlier that no other elements where involved so it got to be one of these if it is important?

So he is comming from a School bus, but it does not matter where he comes from besides that? Righty
But is the destination somewhat important? Nope
Is the destination of these other guys somewhat important? No
Because they are not heading for the same place, right? Right
If so, are they heading for the same place on usual days? Yes
So he is looking down for no aperant reason, and what we are trying to figure out is what he is looking for when he looks up? No
Is he looking for the other two guys? Yes
Is he looking for a specific car? No
or any car? No
Is he looking for his destination on the other side of the street? No
Is he looking at the street? No
traffic? No
You said earlier that no other elements where involved so it got to be one of these if it is important? Right

are these two guys crossing guards?

are they students?

are they teachers?

are these two guys crossing guards? No, but good guess!
are they students? Yes
are they teachers? No

are they teammates?

athletic teammates?

academic teammates (debate team, math team, etc)?

are they teammates? No
athletic teammates? No
academic teammates (debate team, math team, etc)? No

does our protagonist know these other people personally?

does our protagonist know these other people personally? No

so, walking across the street, our protagonist notices that there is no one around him.  He looks up, and sees a car.  Instead of walking into the car's path, he stops and does not die.

Is there anything else?

so, walking across the street, our protagonist notices that there is no one around him.  He looks up, and sees a car.  Instead of walking into the car's path, he stops and does not die. Correct.

Is there anything else? Only specifics, really, but I'll illustrate that for you:

A man is coming home from school through a new route on the first day of school. He notices that person B (on the left) walks to dead-end street 3 everyday, while person C (on the right) crosses right before the intersection to cross the other street. Being smart, and now knowing that they look for cars, he can safely cross street 3 on his way home. He disregards this every day now, knowing that they'll be his eyes. One day, however, he notices that one (or both) of the others aren't on the return bus. Once again being smart, he remembers to look up, and is therefore spared.

By the way, since person C has to keep up the angle with the man (person A), he has to walk faster and crosses at >35 degree angle, making it also so that person C would have to be wary of street 1.

You could say that person B is also the only person living at dead-end street 1, and thus you wouldn't expect cars normally. I guess today she had a reckless aunt return from work early?

Good job Duke. I was honestly getting there, when he answered that he was looking for the other two guys, but you got it first. Again good job!

It only took 9 days of random guesses and repeating questions to get it

Congratulations are indeed in order.

I think Red Wolf deserves credit as well.  After his question, I knew everything (except I thought I didn't).

Well knowing that they did not know each other was a big deal also, if he knew them they'd most likely be conversing, making none of them pay attention to the traffic, or other things...

But it was a very good effort by all, and I'm sorry to those who weren't online to see the completion of the riddle.

dam you all.

Hmm, it did nor even cross my mind to ask if they were friends, but I would only have got a no anyway. The bus thing Duke Jake found out was a vital clue thou.

I'm hungry for a point now. Wanna be a part of the upper half!