Let's Play Deductions!

[Arcadia]

Uh huh. Riiii-iight. :p

 

Busy all day, didn't have time to look for something. Try again tomorrow.

[Carol the Dabbler]

(I haven't been following this thread, so please forgive me if it isn't the appropriate place for the following)

 

I got an "Amber Alert" (child-abduction notice) on my cellphone today. (Don't worry, the kid is back home now, safe and sound.) The public was asked to watch for a gray 2007 Kia, license plate number such-and-such. These alerts generally stick with me, but I immediately decided it wasn't worth my while to worry about this one. Why?

 

First step:

 

I had deduced that the kidnapper was someone the child knew pretty well (so odds were good that they didn't intend to harm the kid). But why did I think the kid knew the kidnapper?

 

 

Second step:

 

The amount of detail given on the car made it seem likely that they knew who was driving it. While it was altogether possible that an eye witness had reported a gray Kia, and might even have gotten the complete license number, unless this hypothetical witness was a car dealer, how would they know the vehicle was an '07? Cars all look alike these days!

 

And if they knew who took the child, odds were excellent that it was simply the non-custodial parent. Which it did turn out to be.

 

[SherlockedCAMPer]

Good deduction skills Carol. Sherlock would be proud. Glad the kid is ok.

[Arcadia]

Oh geez, I'm supposed to come up with something, aren't I? Well, no time now, or for the next 3 days, so if someone else has something.....

[Van Buren Supernova]

I am bored! (While I should be working on tons of deadlines) *throw carl power's shoes at Arcadia for not posting anything.* :p

 

What is it?

Looking for specific answer.

[Arcadia]

Sorry! Mind elsewhere...

Yours are better than mine anyway....


Is this something people might eat? My first thought was dried eel, for some reason.  My second thought was some sort of dried fruit or vegetable, because it has that sort of texture. My third thought was ... it's plastic!

[Van Buren Supernova]

Yes that is something that people might eat.

 

None of the above though.

There are two questions; what is it and what is it made of?

[Arcadia]

Am I right that it's something that's been dried?

 

It almost looks like something woven together, but some of it looks simply like a big jumbled pile of chips.

 

It sort of looks like dragonfruit, but you say it's not a fruit. Something that's naturally thin, like bark? Leaves? Skin? (Ewww.) Muscle? (Double ewwww.)

 

Or thin slices of something, like ... uh ... dragonfruit. Banana chips? Wait that's still fruit. Err...

 

Something manufactured, like candy? Coconut with ... no, wait, still fruit. Pure cane sugar, but shaped like chips? Not the right texture, methinks. Too fibrous. Which leads me back to trees....

 

The black spots ... seeds? Bugs? Disease?

 

That's all I got.

[SherlockedCAMPer]

Shaved ice cream or cheese comes to mind.

[Van Buren Supernova]

Something that has been dried..technically yes.

Disease? :D

Is that how it looks like?

Nope, and none of the above that you mentioned. But good effort.

 

Not shaved ice cream or cheese.

[Raspppberyl]

(I haven't been following this thread, so please forgive me if it isn't the appropriate place for the following)

 

I got an "Amber Alert" (child-abduction notice) on my cellphone today. (Don't worry, the kid is back home now, safe and sound.) The public was asked to watch for a gray 2007 Kia, license plate number such-and-such. These alerts generally stick with me, but I immediately decided it wasn't worth my while to worry about this one. Why?

 

First step:

 

I had deduced that the kidnapper was someone the child knew pretty well (so odds were good that they didn't intend to harm the kid). But why did I think the kid knew the kidnapper?

 

 

Second step:

 

The amount of detail given on the car made it seem likely that they knew who was driving it. While it was altogether possible that an eye witness had reported a gray Kia, and might even have gotten the complete license number, unless this hypothetical witness was a car dealer, how would they know the vehicle was an '07? Cars all look alike these days!

 

And if they knew who took the child, odds were excellent that it was simply the non-custodial parent. Which it did turn out to be.

 

 

 

 

Not meaning to take the conversation back to this one but I just wish to point out one thing, you can easily recognise the year of a car by the number plate. For example a 2007 car would be something like 'BD07 HJK' - This is what a standard license plate looks like (at least in the UK - I'm not sure how this would relate to other countries but I'm sure they have a similar tell)

 

The 07 in the plate refers that the car was made during the first half of 2007, if it had been the second half of 2007 it would have read '57' so 'BD57 HJK' in my example. This is how you tell a cars age and it is illegal to get a personalised plate that mimics a standard issue one save for changing the year of the car. Now I don't however know how you'd find the age of a car with a personalised plate 

 

I assume other countries must have a similar tell for their plates.

 

 

 

 

 

Edit: As for the current discussion 

 

 

Birch Tree Bark... The colour matches that of birch trees, as for the black speckles, it's more than common to find those in birch trees, especially when the bark has been shaved off... Perhaps for a bird nest.

 

[SherlockedCAMPer]

Unfortunately not in the US. Our plates are some variation of 6 characters usually split evenly between letters and numbers plus we have what are called vanity plates, custom characters up to 7 in length usually representing a word or phrase.

[Raspppberyl]

Unfortunately not in the US. Our plates are some variation of 6 characters usually split evenly between letters and numbers plus we have what are called vanity plates, custom characters up to 7 in length usually representing a word or phrase.

 

Interesting, I haven't been around US plates so I guess I hadn't known this wouldn't apply. We have personalised plates here in the UK too. The less letters (or numbers) in one of those the more the plate itself costs, some people have paid more money for their plate than their car. 

 

Oh also to continue playing the current game, I edited my earlier answer to include my theory.

[Arcadia]

Now if Van Buren would just show up and tell us if you're right ...

[Raspppberyl]

Now if Van Buren would just show up and tell us if you're right ...

 

Yes that would be nice  

[Van Buren Supernova]

Raspppberyl, good deduction.

Too bad it's not the correct answer but you have no idea how close you are!

[Raspppberyl]

Raspppberyl, good deduction.

Too bad it's not the correct answer but you have no idea how close you are!

 

Interesting, now I am intrigued haha

[SherlockedCAMPer]

If it's not birch bark could it be aspen bark as the trees are similar.

[Van Buren Supernova]

Don't worry, that is not the kind of accuracy I required, it wouldn't be fun that way.

[Arcadia]

Bird nests waiting to be made into bird nest soup?

[Van Buren Supernova]

Yes!

It's bird nest made from bird's saliva, and it's a delicacy in some parts of the world. Yes, it's bizarre.

 

Well done..!

Your turn. :p

[Arcadia]

I just keep thinking of all those poor little birdies building nests, again and again and again, and never getting to use them.

 

Then I think of people thinking spit is a delicacy and figure the birds are getting the last laugh after all.

 

And THEN I remember that your punishment reward for getting the correct answer in this game is having to find another puzzle. Ak! Will see what I can do.

[Arcadia]

Okay, here's an easy one while I go look for something really diabolical. :P

 

What is this and what do you do with it?

[SherlockedCAMPer]

That reminds me of a raw potato. Which means cook it and eat it.

[Arcadia]

Not quite!