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Thread: What time is it?

  1. #1
    Grand Master GraniteQuarry's Avatar
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    What time is it?

    As per title - approx. what time of day was the below 'photo' taken?

    Posted on the CIA twitter; a bit less tricky than the GCHQ teasers so make of that what you will


  2. #2
    Morning, schoolchildren have just arrived at school, sun rising, street lights haven't gone off yet.

    or

    Afternoon, buses waiting for the children to leave school, sun setting street lights have just come on.

    R
    Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.

  3. #3
    Master Skier's Avatar
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    When this was originally posted three options were listed:

    7am
    11am
    3pm

    Not difficult to work out with one being able to be discounted almost immediately.

  4. #4
    Master Skier's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ralphy View Post
    Morning, schoolchildren have just arrived at school, sun rising, street lights haven't gone off yet.

    or

    Afternoon, buses waiting for the children to leave school, sun setting street lights have just come on.

    R
    Nobody skiing or on the lifts, no pedestrians and just once car moving.

  5. #5
    Master Maysie's Avatar
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    Late afternoon, assuming the image is from the northern hemisphere.

    The sun comes from the south of the buildings, image shows shadows to the east, then it must be afternoon as the sun is setting in the west.

    4pm(ish) due to the school buses.

  6. #6
    3pm going by the tyre tracks and the street light being on. most cars seem frost free too.

  7. #7
    Grand Master hogthrob's Avatar
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    Trick question; it isn't a photo.

  8. #8
    Master Maysie's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Skier View Post
    Nobody skiing or on the lifts, no pedestrians and just once car moving.
    Lockdown?

  9. #9
    Master Christian's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Maysie View Post
    Late afternoon, assuming the image is from the northern hemisphere.

    The sun comes from the south of the buildings, image shows shadows to the east, then it must be afternoon as the sun is setting in the west.

    4pm(ish) due to the school buses.
    Sorry...genuine question and I might be being dumb, but how do you work out which way is North? That photo could have been taken from any direction?

  10. #10
    Grand Master jwg663's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by hogthrob View Post
    Trick question; it isn't a photo.
    It's a photo alright, but it's a diorama & thus the photographimage could have been captured at any time of day.

    Just off out to check the dead-letter drop...
    ______

    ​Jim.

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Christian View Post
    Sorry...genuine question and I might be being dumb, but how do you work out which way is North? That photo could have been taken from any direction?
    Sun rises in the east and sets in the west, so early sun = shadows created from east to west and late sun = shadows created from west to east.
    Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Skier View Post
    Nobody skiing or on the lifts, no pedestrians and just once car moving.
    Are the slopes more likely be north-facing or south-facing?

    R
    Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.

  13. #13
    Master Christian's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ralphy View Post
    Sun rises in the east and sets in the west, so early sun = shadows created from east to west and late sun = shadows created from west to east.
    But couldn't that photo have been taken from any position relative to the buildings? We don't know whether we are looking north or south.

    - - - Updated - - -

    CIA twitter says 7am was the right anwer.

  14. #14
    Master Maysie's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Christian View Post
    But couldn't that photo have been taken from any position relative to the buildings? We don't know whether we are looking north or south.
    I agree - I have argued myself around in a full circle.
    I think it is early morning.

  15. #15
    Grand Master Rod's Avatar
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    I think it's about 2.30 am. 😁 If it's somewhere like Iceland, it's pretty much light all day long?

  16. #16
    Grand Master hogthrob's Avatar
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    Yellow school buses suggest that it's America. In the absense of any children though, what's to say they aren't parked there overnight?

  17. #17
    Master Maysie's Avatar
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    To be honest, I think we may all be over-thinking it a tad, as their (CIA) usual Twitter puzzles (aimed at tempting new recruit applications) appear to be mainly 'spot the difference' cartoons.

    ...says the bloke who overthought it - and then got it wrong...

  18. #18
    Master Christian's Avatar
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    Agree...I took a look at the twitter feed and there are a couple of these "guess the time" pictures and a load of "spot the difference" cartoons. Think we are trying to solve a puzzle that isn't really that scientific.

  19. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by Christian View Post
    But couldn't that photo have been taken from any position relative to the buildings? We don't know whether we are looking north or south.

    - - - Updated - - -

    CIA twitter says 7am was the right anwer.
    In which case the sun (rising in the east) is casting the shadows from the right of the image towards the left and therefore north is to the top and the image is captured from a southern perspective.

    R
    Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.

  20. #20
    Grand Master hogthrob's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ralphy View Post
    In which case the sun (rising in the east) is casting the shadows from the right of the image towards the left and therefore north is to the top and the image is captured from a southern perspective.

    R
    Looks like moonlight to me :-P

  21. #21
    Grand Master Andyg's Avatar
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    I wouldn’t say it early morning purely because of the lack of snow on the cars. I would also say it northern Germany because they have yellow school buses and yellow phone booth.

    Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
    Friedrich Nietzsche


  22. #22
    Perhaps it's to do with the orientation of the church building. Aren't the older ones always orientated North-South or something?

  23. #23
    Master Maysie's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alpha4 View Post
    Perhaps it's to do with the orientation of the church building. Aren't the older ones always orientated North-South or something?
    East-west generally.
    What church?
    I thought the big building was a ski-lodge/hotel.

  24. #24
    Craftsman
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    Early morning, lights still on nobody on ski lifts, apres ski has taken its toll

    Sent from my SM-A750FN using Tapatalk

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