I have just done a G-search on Gurgle A (all questions) that pulled up 16 hits. 

The third 'question' on the list, priced at $0.00, was dated 31 December 1969.

There was nothing in the box relating to the question and both the
'Category' and the 'Asked By' boxes were also empty.

Similarly, the name of the GAR and the Rating (if given) were not stated.

Understandably, given the date, the question had 'expired'. But had
it? It seems more likely that the Question had been removed by the
Editors on the grounds of 'inappropriate content', the usual
explanation when excision instructions have arrived from NSA.

What do you suppose was the Question and also what would have been the Answer?

Please note that I do not want any mundane explanations!

Bryan

Note to Pinkfreud: Versification welcome.

Note to Steph53 and Timespacette: You are the Prime Suspects.

Note to Everyone: I wonder if the date tallies with any UFO siightings
or similar phenomena?

I think the question was about Hiking in New Mexico. See:

test Hiking in New Mexico  
http://answers.google.com/answers/search?q=test+Hiking+in+New+Mexico++&qtype=all

I think the answer was to wait till December.  ;-)

Alas, the record for quick question answering has already been set by:

app_security-ga
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=750868
--one minute. Heck, it tales me that long to read a question. I could
never beat that! But I still fall asleep knowing Bryan wrote (or
found) that Ode to Cynthia that made my day, or many of them, since
I'm still talkin' about it!

Incredible, I think app_security is in with those tin-hat folks that
pinkfreud was talking about in her post below, either that or the New
Mexico desert is growin sumthin' really strong, and we're all being
hailed by rocks like mary Magdeline. Anyway, back to the story...

I think timespacette was at the helm, and Steph53 was her right hand,
and I am now convinced pinkfreud was on board, although she is not apt
to admit it, she was the fleet shrink, and I don't mean wrap (or rap),
and when they crashed in the lonely New Mexico in July 1948, they had
ignored the San Juan, WA [native anerican] elders advice to go in
December, and as a result they were unable to get back north, they are
TRON-ified, stuck in cyberspacette and are fully responsible for the
1969 question being blank. I think right now they are cooking up a
blank question that will appear with a future datette.

In other words, it's all app-security's fault, it was pinks sworn duty
as a member of the cyberette brigade to report New Mexican defectiors
immediately, and since she failed when her verbal utterance got caught
up in a chrono-synclastic infundibulum or somethin', and app_security
failed to secure the application of cyberspacette and by golly, the
blank questions showed up on GA these many years later.

That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it until further notice. 

The end.

---

Clarification of Answer by cynthia-ga on 02 Aug 2006 01:02 PDT

Bryan,

I was so thrilled you accept my version of the truth that I forgot to
say Thank You!

~~Cyndy  ;-P

---

Clarification of Answer by cynthia-ga on 02 Aug 2006 01:05 PDT

CORRECTED LINK:

app_security
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=750868

*sorry*

---

Request for Answer Clarification by probonopublico-ga on 02 Aug 2006 11:29 PDT

Hi, Again, Cyndy

I just remembered that you asked about the time here in the UK ...

Well, it's now almost 7:30 pm.

Am I right in thinking that you are in Sunny Cal?

And what time is it wherever you are?

Bryan

---

Clarification of Answer by cynthia-ga on 02 Aug 2006 11:36 PDT

I live in the beautiful city of Seattle, WA - 98037, the birthplace of
Starbucks, Boeing Aerospace, and Bill Gates/Microsoft. It's 11:35am...

Marvellous Cyndy, 

Very Many Thanks for confirming that strange elements have been
playing tricks on us all.

Of course, you do realise that if you ever search for this question
again it will have disappeared as well having been re-dated as 31 Dec
1969?

YES please note the Date Format!

That's how we do it here in the UK but not usually in the US - unless
aliens have been at work. This is the acid test!

Please take good care of yourself in these testing times.

Worried of Hove

UFO siightings - That's the best freudin typo I've seen in months.
How about UFO Seyeghtings? Doesn't look near as cool.

Oh! About the question dated 1969... you mean this one?

test question 31 Dec 1969    
http://answers.google.com/answers/search?q=test+question++31+Dec+1969++++&qtype=all

I think they were checking the system before beta launch and have no
method to totally remove a question.

I think the question was about Hiking in New Mexico. See:

test Hiking in New Mexico  
http://answers.google.com/answers/search?q=test+Hiking+in+New+Mexico++&qtype=all

I think the answer was to wait till December.  ;-)

freudin=freudian (sheesh)

Cyndy

You've got it in one!

Well done - even though I used a different search striing.

(I've started doubling my i's to show that I'm wide awake.)

Sorry but 'Checking the System' is a boringly mundane explanation.
There just has to be a more tantalising reason. No?

I suspect that answerfinder-ga and tutuzdad-ga know the REAL
explanations but they are probably bound by their Hypocrytic Oath from
revealing all.

Bryan

Hi Brian,

On July 20, 2006 I answered this question.

NAMES AND ADDRESSES OF TARRANT COUNTY, TEXAS PHYSICIANS
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=747838

My answer was very very long.

Now if you search for the title of my question;  NAMES AND ADDRESSES
OF TARRANT COUNTY, TEXAS PHYSICIANS, the result will be an expired
question from 31 Dec 1969.
http://answers.google.com/answers/search?q=NAMES+AND+ADDRESSES+OF+TARRANT+COUNTY%2C+TEXAS+PHYSICIANS+&qtype=all&btnG=Google+Search

It seems that answers that are extremely long show up as expired in 1969.

Bobbie7

I think timespacette was at the helm, and Steph53 was her right hand
woman when they crashed in a lonely desert in New Mexico in July 1948,
they had ignored the San Juan, WA [native anerican] elders advice to
go in December, and as a result they were unable to get back north,
they are TRON-ified, stuck in cyberspacette and are fully responsible
for the 1969 question being blank. I think right now they are cooking
up a blank question that will appear with a future datette.

That's my take on it.

Well, Bryan, I'll tell ya. I vaguely remember having asked a question
on 31 December 1969. I was at a New Year's Eve party with a bunch of
former university chums, and, all jollied up by cheap champagne, I
asked "Hey, guys, do you think the '70s will be as groovy as the
'60s?" Of course, as we now know, the '70s turned out to be a good
deal less groovy than the '60s, but I was young, optimistic, and full
of the bubbly, so it seemed like a good question at the time.

Somehow my verbal utterance got caught up in a chrono-synclastic
infundibulum or somethin', and by golly, it showed up on GA these many
years later. When the Google Answers Editors spotted it, they deleted
it in a panic, since it popped out of the aether as soon as the system
cranked up, and at that time nobody had the faintest idea who
"pinkfreud" might be. Somehow, an echoing vestige of the question
reappears from time to time, like a ghost from a wishing well or a
politician without a speechwriter.

That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it until I can think of something better.

Bobby:

Aha the plot thickens!

Cyndy

Your explanation makes A LOT of sense. Please post it as an Answer
immediately and see if you can set a world record!

Bryan

Hi Pink

And now we have another credible explanation but Cyndy arrived first.

Don't worry, I will set amother question directed at you ...

I would love to learn more.

Bryan

Wow Bryan!  Thanks SO MUCH!  5 stars!  --a FANTASTIC Tip!  You are too
kind.  What the heck time is it there?  I thought I was all alone
here.

Did you check out that 1 minute answer?  That is so strange. Look at
the client's username, and the name of the company that wrote the
"white paper" --and the username of the Researcher !!

I'm certain it would take me longer than 1 minute to read the
question, lock the question, find that white paper and confirm it is
--at a minimum-- relevant, and then type the answer and post. 
Irreardless of the lack of proper formatting and such, it is VERY
fast.

Now THAT --is a mystery!

Although this question has already been answered I would like to refer
to two related questions (both asked in August 2005):

Subject: Source of phantom question dd. 31 dec 1969
and
Subject: Date & Time Calculation
http://answers.google.com/answers/search?q=%2231+Dec+1969%22

But, perhaps a comment too "mundane".

A link to some additional information:
http://forums.searchenginewatch.com/showpost.php?p=22300&postcount=29

Right on, Fp, I asked that question.

"Hiking in New Mexico" was the subject of another question, indeed,
that phrase appears in 8 or 9 subject lines.
Many G-A searches (in the box below) of mine on different words have
found the phantom question, even two of them, but sometimes G-A does
show the same question twice, at least, it happens the first time I
hit the search button  - and then only noticed since the big freeze on
that long weekend.
Perhaps that pre-beta question was just a mass of random words to
allow checking of the search function.  I am surprised Bryan has just
come across it/them.
It/they sometimes come up on early pages with my search using only the
space key in the search box, which is funny, since the questions are
supposed to appear in latest first order from the most recent
activity.

Anyway, great answer Cynthia.   

And who the dickens is App_security-ga?  Perhaps a new GAR who had a
friend post a question so he could get online.

Myo

Many thanks Freddy & Myo

I wasn't aware that the phenomenon had been aired previously but what
really caught my eye was the Comment by philnj-ga ...

BTW, the end of time is somewhere in 2038, when the number of seconds
since 1/1/70 overflows a 32 bit word.  It will be like Y2K all over
again.  I view it as an employment windfall just before I retire.

THAT was another new one on me!

Must tell Tony Blurr so that he can witter on about it.

Bryan

Bryan....

That 1969 question popped up for me before and I actually posted a
question, with "December 31, 1969" in the subject box,  on August 11,
2004.

The Gurgle Honchos "closed" the question immediately:

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=386431

For your information, I was at the same New Years party as Pink. I
guess she didn't recognize me as I was lying in the corner under some
discarded empty champagne bottles.

Steph53