h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Because they both need a perch; the raven to rest his wings; and the desk a perch for writers and their writing things-and both do sit, in deep thought awaiting inspiration or the sight of lunch.

Nice one, if a little forced?

Why is a raven like a writing desk? Take the negative route:
Neither is a fish
Neither is the Eiffel Tower
Neither have muesli for breakfast.ETC.

The possibilities if you cheat in this way, are endless,
as they say.

Meself I prefer the illogical answers such as Huxley's in the article.
Because there is a b in both, etc.

Jab

because neither has three legs?

As I said, Lofts, there's an infinite number of negative answers - neither has three legs, neither is the Eiffel Tower, neither is human, neither has been to the moon etc. - you get the point,

Jab

As I said, Lofts, there is an infinite number of negative answers, such as neither is the Eiffel Tower, neither has three legs (yours), neither is the Mona Lisa etc.etc.etc. You get the point,

Jab

Sorry for the duplication, Lofty. It took so long to be added the first time that I thought I hadn't added it properly.

Jab

no problem Jab

Hey, i think i'm getting the hang of it now; if i think of anything better i will post it.

If a desk is made of wood, and a raven is a bird which makes it a relative of a duck, they both float! But so do small rocks... But rocks can count too right?

You know, that's quite a good answer. But if there if there's an if involved, it doesn't really cover it. I like the nonsense answers in my article - A8134715. Carroll intended there to be no answer at all, of course, thus making it nonsense. It is from the MAD Hatter, after all!

Jabs

because niether do kung fu!

See Post 5 Lofty...yours is one of the millions of negative answers! I've got a feeling it's sort-of cheating, it's so easy. You can argue about the cheating bit, but I invented the concept of negative answers, as stated in the article, so you'd be arguing with the inventor. You could still argue of course. Free country and all that.

Neither do judo either.

Neither play football.

Neither are mentioned by name in these two posts.


Jabs

and you know what-before i saw your last post, i was thinkng; neither was a NINJA ;D

even if tables could neither can type

even if tables could `talk` neither can type

Yeah - you've got it, Lofts, it's too easy that way. You got it when the Ninja alternative struck you.

Sorry I said 'sort-of-cheating' - that probably sounded harsh - I just meant it was easy, and not convincing, although it takes some working out to see how easy it is.

Fact is, it's not worth knocking your brains out for. It's either too easy, once you get the negative approach -and you've reached that stage now, or it's impossible or virtually impossible to answer. Remember, it's not supposed to have an answer. In the book, it's meant to be pure nonsense.

And see post 5. If there's an 'if' involved, then that changes the riddle into something easier, and is out of order, really.

The whole thing is like spending hours on 'how long is a piece of string? There are answers to that too, but no convincing ones that I know of. (I'm not trying to get you to bust your brains on that one)

Hope this doesn't sound unfriendly. Really, I'm being friendly sharing all this, Lofty.

Jabs

This is a negative one, but not quite in the same category as three legs and kung fu. On the other hand it seems 100% likely that somebody has already thought of it (though I couldn't find it - maybe I'm just unobservant. Anyway, here goes:

Because, in spite of anything you may have heard, neither has ever said the word, "Nevermore".

Verse 8:

`Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,' I said, `art sure no craven.
Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the nightly shore -
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'


Nice idea, but are you being overly pedantic or something, Infie? Like it never said, but quoth?

Jabs

...or it was a different raven altogether. That may be highly probable. But in that case you have insufficient evidence, surely.

Jabs

Shucks.

OK Jabs, pick the bones out of this.

Back in the 19th century, when Lewis Carrol was writing, both ravens and writing desks had quills on them.

And how about this.

The Queen owns both ravens and writing desks. Ravens in the Tower, and writing desks because she would, wouldn't she? She has to sit and read sign those state papers somewhere.