Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with mystery

Good mystery movies to watch?

jsturgill — Thu, 16 May 2013 22:44:31 -0800

I'd like to get some good mystery movie recommendations from the 80s on. It's OK if they veer toward the thriller, like Michael Clayton, ridiculous like Ford Fairlaine, noirish like Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, or are a more standard outing with a strong, interesting, well developed detective lead like Zero Effect. Drawing room mysteries totally A-OK too. Super bonus points if I can stream them now on Hulu plus or Netflix.

10 dollar art mystery

bongo_x — Thu, 16 May 2013 11:40:08 -0800

Does anyone know what happened with the 10 dollar art mystery? It’s been a while and I can’t find a resolution. There’s the Wiki, but if it has any more information I didn’t see it.

Won't you help me solve a thirty-year-old puzzle?

FAMOUS MONSTER — Tue, 14 May 2013 10:39:23 -0800

Hello darlings. I'd like your help, specifically in the form of looking at a painting and telling me if you recognize any parts of it from the city you live in, especially if that city is Boston. There's a fair amount of background in terms of what to look for, so please do bear with me. It's all relevant, I promise. I hope you'll pardon me if I am a little obtuse about this - this is a very niche hunt, and if too many details are released to the internet at large, I'm sort of afraid that someone else will figure this out before me and then go get the thing I'm looking for. Normally I'm not so selfish, but I've been trying to solve this for about a decade now and I would be a bit put out, you know? Also, I first found out about this hunt when I was just a wee MONSTER, reading a preview of it in one of FAMOUS FATHER's issues of National Lampoon. I found the actual book about a decade ago (it's long out of print) and only in the last few years found out that other people remember it and are still working to solve it.

About thirty years ago, a man put out a book which contained clues that would, when solved, lead intrepid explorers to twelve locations in North America where little sculpted boxes were buried. Inside each box was a key, and each key could be redeemed for a precious stone, worth about a grand apiece. Two of them were found (one in the eighties, one in the last decade), and exchanged for stones. In 2005, the man who buried them (and the only person who knows the solution to all the puzzles) died in a car crash, and there will be no more jewelry, but whatever, there's still boxes and keys and I'd like to find one or at least figure out where it once was, and this is where you come in.

So it's like this. Ten of them are still out there. Clues to the location of each one (in terms of city and state) are hidden in images in the book. Most of the people working on this have a pretty solid idea about nine of the images; there are recognizable outlines of states or landmarks or what have you. There's one that we're not sure about, and for reasons to do with other content in the book, some people suspect that it might lead to Boston. This would be excellent news for me, since I live there.

First, the two solved images, so you can see what to look for. The notes in these images may refer to verses or months - just ignore that for now. The landmarks are the part we care about. I'm sorry, I know this is a lot, but it's crucial to the question I'm asking.

One was found in Chicago. Here is the image found in the book. Here is an annotated version of that image, showing which parts are Chicago landmarks.

The other was found in Cleveland. Here is the original image, and here is the annotated version, as above.

So as you can see, some elements in each image were painted from photo reference and are realistic depictions of statues or sculptures or buildings or whatever, in their respective cities. Some are not (unless the Chicago Warty Castle-Headed Goblin is just a really well-kept local secret, I guess), and for the purposes of this question, we don't care about those.

Keeping all of the above in mind, we arrive at the actual question I'm asking.

Kindly regard this image.

Do you see anything in the above image which looks (with a degree of accuracy similar to that found in the previous two) like anything - buildings, sculptures, the recognizable outline of a public park, whatever - in or near the city of Boston? Failing that, do you recognize anything(s) from a different city? You may have to turn the image upside down, or sideways, or maybe you're looking for an outline, like the Terminal Tower in the Cleveland image.

Caveats:

1. The book was published in 1982, so anything which was built after that would be an astonishing feat of prescience on the artist's part but wouldn't be useful here. The date also means that no Photoshop trickery would be required to solve this, et cetera (though turning it upside down, for example, is fine). It's entirely possible that the painting may depict something that has disappeared in the last thirty years, and that's okay. The box may or may not still be there and I know the odds aren't great, but I'd be happy just knowing I'd figured out where it was. Or, if you recognize things from a completely different city, I'd be happy knowing I can stop looking in Boston.

2. To keep this question between the buoys as much as possible, I'm really only looking for definite matches - something where you look at an element in the image, and you know what it is and ideally can link to a picture of the landmark that you believe corresponds to it. Again, it won't just be something that looks sort of like the landmark - it will be an extremely close match. Speculation (say, on what the numbers mean, or that you noticed the triangle inside the square is evocative of the Citgo sign but isn't a photo-referenced painting of it, etc) is fine but you should probably just MeMail me with it.

Okay? Okay. Thanks so much for reading, and thanks in advance for whatever help you can give. You're the best. I could just kiss you.

The Case of the Invisible Lice

Andrhia — Sat, 11 May 2013 17:03:04 -0800

What in the world could be causing itchy scalp and neck for three members of the same family... but isn't lice? Oh god please help.

About a month ago, I got my hair dyed. Some week and a half later, I noticed my scalp had become crazy itchy, and I was getting red bumps and sores behind my ears and on my neck. Ah-hah! I thought, I have become allergic to my hair dye at last! (Lot of allergies in this house.)

I mentioned it to my dermatologist while I was there for, uh, cancer treatment, and got a cortisone solution to put on my scalp twice a day. Great! Except... my two daughters started having crazy ichy scalps and necks too... so not the hair dye, huh?

Here are the facts as we know them:

* Itchy scalp, itchy neck, in general itchy places where hair touches your skin. I at least have bumps as well, especially around the hairline in back.

* I have checked the girls for lice a few times, no dice. The school nurse has also checked them at least twice and come up empty. Lice is periodically reported in the school but they've never come home before now.

* We share combs and brushes. We do not normally use the same haircare products.

* Except! One new conditioner, which we all used for about two weeks, which has since been replaced by a conditioner we had all used off and on with no irritation for years before now. The new conditioner and the itching did occur at about the same time. And yet the itching continues now that it is gone...

* In general the girls are conditioner-only; I've been using a new shampoo recently but they're not allowed to touch it.

* My husband is having no similar itching problem. But he doesn't use any of the same stuff we do, not even the combs.

* We all feel better when our heads are wet in the shower, but the itching returns quickly.

* The cortisone treatment helped me at first, but doesn't help consistently. Eg. I've used it three times in the past day and a half and now the itching is worse than ever.

I know I should go back to the dermatologist and drag them to the pediatrician, just my doctoring limit has been overwhelmed by dealing with my (superficial, non-life-threatening, easily scraped away) skin cancer. I will be going back in a couple of day, but meanwhile...

What the heck could be troubling us? And how can we stop the itching? Should I treat us all for lice on general principal? Is there some super hypoallergenic or anti-vermin or anti-fungal shampoo and/or conditioner we should be trying? (Allergies to contend with include peanut, dairy, gluten, lavender.) Extra bonus points for solutions that don't strip the very expensive salon color from my hair. *scratch, scratch*

My lawn! My perfect lawn! It's... under attack.

kbanas — Sat, 11 May 2013 08:26:50 -0800

So, about a year and a half ago, we bought a house! Awesome. For the first time, I have a back yard and a front yard and a lawn and... stuff, and I don't know, maybe because I'm old and boring now, I've started to give a crap about making my lawn look nice. Something is really starting to piss me off... We're in Michigan, if that helps from a geographical perspective.

Here's a wide shot of the scene of the battle. This is the foe. And this. And this.

My first thought was my old nemesis, Glechoma hederacea, or plain old ground ivy, but it doesn't seem quite right. The leaves don't look the right shape, and each of these little buggers seems autonomous, as opposed to being part of some kind of hive mind.

The other crazy idea I had is that maybe the seeds from the tree were falling down and germinating and sprouting, but that's crazy, right? .....Right?

Other thoughts? I just want to know what it is. So help me identify, hive mind!

Help me find this book featuring a female police detective!

cherrybounce — Wed, 08 May 2013 17:44:53 -0800

It's actually a series. The protagonist is a female detective, who seems to be in love with her ex-husband, and at some point has to live with him and his new wife because she is injured. I think she has lived with her elderly mother, too. Sorry, not much to go on!

Is this a scam? What's the angle here?

spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints — Wed, 01 May 2013 10:38:24 -0800

Something fishy is going on in my store, but I can't wrap my head around it. Why would a customer buy/return around $25,000 worth of merchandise over the course of a few months? I work in a bike shop with a very liberal return policy.

A customer has repeatedly purchased and returned the same bicycle worth nearly $4,000. The first time it was returned, he said it was because it was too small for him. He returned about a month later and purchased it and then returned it a few hours later, telling a different employee that it was purchased for his wife, but she decided it was too large. Another month goes by and he's done the same thing again, telling a different employee that it was for his brother-in-law, but again was returned because it's the wrong size. This has now happened four times, each with a different employee, and he tried it again this week.

We denied the sale to him this time because we all know the story and his name by now. He said he wanted to purchase it for his wife, but when we said "yeah, did you buy this for her about four months ago but said it was too big?". He seemed to get nervous, and we gave him an out by suggesting he bring his wife in so we can properly fit her.

When we pulled his purchase history across our stores, we see that he's purchased and returned over $25,000 worth of merchandise just this year. Every penny's worth of goods have been returned a few days later in perfect condition.

We've thoroughly checked the bike out to make sure that every part on there is what it should be. It's fine. We feel confident the bike is never ridden, and honestly it was probably never even taken out of his car. Buy, wait a day or three, return. Wait a month. Repeat.

I don't think he's ripping us off. We haven't gotten any chargebacks. Like I said, everything he returns is in mint condition, and we're able to sell it at full retail value. We've thoroughly inspected the bike every time and it's pristine and original. All purchases have been made with a credit card, and refunds go back to that card. It's not like he's buying with a card and getting refunded cash, or vice versa. Our best guess is that we're being used to launder money in some fashion. The guy seems shifty, and I don't get the impression that his purchases are a compulsion or obsession.

What could explain this?

What's this little creature found in my pond?

2N2222 — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 20:35:12 -0800

I saw this little critter swimming around in my outdoor goldfish pond. It's maybe a little over 1/8" in diameter, seems to paddle around carelessly with feet/paddles on its underside. It's kind of flat, roundish and transparent, except for some spidery markings/innards. Seems to have a hint of a tail, and a couple eye-like spots. A search for baby crawfish turns up nothing quite like this. Mysterious how he got in the pond in the first place.

I'm pretty sure the first letter was G, but maybe it as a 2.

Admiral Haddock — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 12:23:39 -0800

How do police departments use/search partial license plate information in their investigations? Or incomplete information about cars generally? The events in Boston have gotten me wondering how the police track down leads, and track down leads with respect to cars in particular.

For instance, say someone sees a car speeding away from the scene of a crime. It was a blue SUV, and all they could catch was the first three (of six) characters on the license plate. The witness may or may not be confident in their interviews what the characters were, but assume say they emphatically "remember" 012. But say it really was CIZ (or any number of alternative combinations). And say the witness wasn't sure what state's plates it was, but the lettering wasn't red (but might have been blue, black, or green).

Is that enough for the police to find the car's registration? Do the police automatically run plates based on every permutation of potential character (C/O/0/Q,9/6/G,1LI, etc), in every possible state with the right color plates? Is this done by some computer somewhere, or by brute force detective work?

And how much investigative weight is put on license plates, given how easy it would seem to make passable fakes (I remember making plastic ones at a kid's birthday party a million years ago), or steal them from other vehicles?

Alternatively, it seems like the police would get a lot of incomplete info about cars in general (it was an SUV, I think, er, maybe a station wagon, and it was blue, black, dark green, but maybe brown, I'm not sure)--do they actually run searches on that basis, or do they just keep it in their back pockets as corroborating information as other leads unfold?

Mystery Implement, kitchen edition

sandettie light vessel automatic — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 08:17:56 -0800

Going through our kitchen gadget drawer, we can across what looks like nothing so much as a wand. It has a label on it that says it's from Scotland. What is this thing?

books about bright young things behaving badly

Ralston McTodd — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 17:59:51 -0800

The Secret History. The Talented Mr. Ripley. Can you suggest any more books about evil prep-school types? Mystery or psychological thriller elements a plus, but not necessary. Nonfiction is okay too.

I have the world's largest collection of WEG Pottery, but who was WEG?

katinka-katinka — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 15:07:10 -0800

I have a pretty big collection of mod pottery that is all marked WEG. Cake plates, espresso cups, martini pitchers, vases, beatniks smoking on little dishes, horses running around mugs, it's all there. I have been to antiques roadshow, asked a million ebay sellers about the different stories they use to sell it, grilled antique dealers, and more and have not been able to track down the mysterious WEG. See flickr set here. I bought my the first martini sort of pitcher of this WEG pottery about 2000 at a local New Jersey consignment store. After that, I just found it different places: ebay, antique stores, yard sales, that sort of thing.

One seller told me he and his wife had bought their WEG pottery thing in Greenwich Village while on their honeymoon sometime in the 1950s, but couldn't remember more than that.

An antique dealer who was selling a large set (which I didn't buy) confirmed that story that there was a guy who made this in Greenwich Village and it was hard to tell if she knew what she was talking about or was just trying to get me to buy it.

At one point, I took some of it to Antiques Roadshow, and they were not impressed.

At one point this site, attributed it to Frederic Weinberg (see his name in url). Currently they are selling some but don't seem to name who made it.

At some point, over the last 10 years, someone said this was made by William Elmer Gross or someone named William Gross and his partner Elmer. I have no idea where this story is from, and I have never been able to get a seller to confirm that, they all seem to grab it from previous descriptions.

Some current ebay descriptions say "it was made in the Front Street New York Studio Pottery of Elmer Gross and his partner William," "William Elmer Gross
Mid century pottery" "CREATED FROM THE FRONT STREET NEW YORK STUDIO ART POTTERY WORKSHOP OF
ELMER GROSS AND HIS PARTNER WILLIAM - MARKED WEG"....

Can anyone tell me who made this? Did William exist? Why would Elmer be the second initial and not also have a last name initial?

What's the story with this?

An early- to mid-90s computer game about mystery-solving kids?

flibbertigibbet — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 13:18:42 -0800

I'm trying to remember the name of a computer game I used to play in the early- to mid-90s. I think it was a series set in suburbia with two kids (possibly brother and sister?) tasked with solving crimes. It had suspects, a map with possible locations, and it was probably vaguely educational. It was not Carmen Sandiego-related. What was the name of the game?

Finding the lost soliders of WWI, mystery edition

MonkeyToes — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 14:14:23 -0800

Posting for a friend, who says: "While cleaning up their old barn in Esnom-au-Val, France, my relatives discovered some writings left on the wall by American GIs in the First World War...." She has their signatures, but does not know what happened next. Please help her track down their fates. Did they make it home? How can she find their survivors (if any) and reconnect them with these signatures? Can you suggest any resources or search strategies? Here is the information I have, with pictures: 1, 2, 3.

She continues:

"My ancestral home was requisitioned by the US army to house many soldiers. My great-grandmother cooked for them and became fond of many of them. Enclosed is a sample, I know it is difficult to read but it says: "Edw Clark 9cd Co. 114th US INf, Camp McClellan, Anniston Ala. In nov, in Berlin."

"I wanted to send these inscriptions left by their ancestors while serving in that horrible war, but have not been able to trace anyone, unless I am willing to pay for a research service. I do not know the hometown of these soldiers in the US. Camp McClellan, in Ala, was formed in 1917, so I should be able to obtain enrollees names and details, but no success.

"My family would like to know that these American soldiers returned safely to their homeland after the end of World War I. Can anyone help me?

"I have three such soldiers' graffiti. Here is the info on the other 2 exactly as inscribed on the wall.
"Charles Fenstermacher, 315 Inf Band 79 - July 25-Sept 5 1918"
"Vive l'Amerique et France...J.P.Barenque 326 INF HQ cO. 1 Pounders Nov 17-18"

"The writing is faint and difficult to make out, it has been 100 years, after all.

"Any suggestions or help would be appreciated."

Hive Mind, you've done amazing work at restoring old connections, and I'm hoping that you can help my friend resolve the mystery of this American grafitti. Many, many thanks.

Every step you take you make the dancefloor shake

sea change — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 21:29:09 -0800

Asking for a friend: Sometime within the last four years, I heard a dancehall/calypso song that samples/references "Every Breath You Take" in the chorus, except the line is "every breath you take, you make the dancefloor shake". Does anyone know what this song could be?

What is this thing?

Etaoin Shrdlu — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 14:14:04 -0800

What is this thing? It's chrome, about 9 inches long, and arrived in a care package from a co-worker's grandmother's house.

Whose tooth is this?

overeducated_alligator — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 07:57:53 -0800

I found an animal tooth in the couch cushions. Help me narrow down who it might have belonged to. Here are some observations of the tooth:

- it had a large chunk of calculus (tartar) on one of the buccal surfaces, it chipped off
- it was dry, which makes me think it may have come loose from a skull
- enamel wear on the occlusal surface, but not so much that dentin is exposed
- The tooth has 2 main roots and a reduced third root

My top guess right now is possibly a canid maxillary first molar. For the size, I'd suppose either a small dog or a fox, but I'm not sure.

Here is photo reference of the tooth. I apologize for the poor quality.

1. with a dime for scale: http://i.imgur.com/UYJfnAb.jpg
2. occlusal view: http://i.imgur.com/gRxhuqH.jpg
3. apical view: http://i.imgur.com/zuo3ceo.jpg
4. slightly closer occlusal view: http://i.imgur.com/V5gNBE9.jpg

Decode This German Shorthand Mystery Letter From 1939!

The Whelk — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 12:56:03 -0800

This envelope with a letter inside was found inside a large decaying bound edition of Shakespeare auf Deutsch in a junk shop in Bushwick that was only apparently open for a few months before disappearing. The letter, postmarked 15 March, 1939 - was sent to Paris by a Mr. Henri Wolf. The contents of the letter appear to be German shorthand. Included was small piece of what looks like code, there's nothing else on the back.The letter, envelope, postcard, etc in question are at this imgur album. Hivemind: What the hell is this?

Your tracing paper is in another castle

blnkfrnk — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 20:42:23 -0800

I work in an art supply store. People ask for rolls of tracing paper very frequently, and I'm curious as to what they need them for. Unfortunately, I don't have any control over what we stock, or I'd order some. We would sell out of it on a regular basis-- rolls of tracing paper seem to be very popular (we're also the only art supply store open as late as we are in my area.) I can't just ask because it would be an impertinent question from a retail drone-- the few occasions I've tried, the answer was "tracing."

There's no common denominator amongst all the people who ask for rolls of tracing paper. None of them want anything else. We sell tracing paper pads up to 18X24 inches; but this is not good enough. I really can't imagine what you'd want to trace that you couldn't piece together a few pieces for, but maybe someone here would know. I am this side of assuming it's for some weird scavenger hunt.

So why do all these people want to buy rolls of tracing paper?

Choose the new face of Mount Rushmore (why?)

Gordafarin — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 10:52:34 -0800

Who or what is behind Rushmorevote.com? I've been seeing billboards around Cincinnati, Ohio asking people to vote for a new face to be added to Mount Rushmore. Obviously it's some sort of viral campaign or joke, but I can't find any further information about it. They've got a website, a Facebook page, and a Twitter. When you answer the survey, they then ask several questions about your demographics and how you found it.

What is this thing in my friend's bathroom?

Sully — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 20:53:20 -0800

My friend has this thing in her bathroom beside the sink and she doesn't know what it is. It was there when she moved in and the former owners are long gone. Does anyone know what it does and does it have an official name? Like, would I be able to find a new one in a store? Here is a small gallery of 3 photos I took of it. Thank you!

What's the deal with programming author Yashavant Kanetkar?

scose — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 18:40:37 -0800

This comment in a Hacker News thread introduced me to Yashavant Kanetkar. Apparently his C programming books are the worst of the worst. Yet somehow, the Indian education system uses his books pervasively. I tried to find out more about this guy and the controversy around him, but web searches turned up a flat nothing. Anyone read his books or know about the story?

What is this animal organ/fetus/embryo my cat brought in?

Locative — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 06:46:39 -0800

What is this thing my cat brought to my porch? http://i.imgur.com/cejZcGe.jpg It appears to be something between an animal fetus and organ. When I turned it over it looked the same on the other side. There were no visible eyes/mouth/features. It was larger than a quarter and there was no blood present. A possum visits regularly, and the area has many moles, birds, and raccoons.

Another Mystery Book

florencetnoa — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 21:43:27 -0800

I loved this book as a kid in the early 90s. Please help me identify it! The main character, a girl, is going to live with her mom and stepdad. She has a cat that she sneaks on board the airplane in her backpack. She then hides the cat in her room, since a parent is allergic. I think that she lives in an apartment complex, and makes friends with another kid, probably a boy. Most of the book involves her solving a mystery. The allergy to cats may play a key role in figuring it out.

Can you help identify this Christmas Present?

Fiat124 — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 12:15:28 -0800

Can you help identify this Christmas Present? My mom received, um, something, from her friend for Christmas and has been pulling her hair out trying to figure out what it is. I have no idea what it is either, so I thought I'd see if the hivemind could shed some light on what this thing is:

Mystery Pic 1
Mystery Pic 2
Mystery Pic 3
Mystery Pic 4

Thanks!