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I am loved by many,
even if sometimes people are angry to me.
You can find me in different places,
yet you won't always find me stable.
Sometimes you must use your talent,
sometimes you need wisdom to be my best friend.
I was born before NATO's first SACEUR is appointed,
yet I am not old fashioned.
You can tear me apart,
but then you will find radius and patella.

Hint 1 (20 hours after the riddle):

radius and patella are not crypted (Regan thinks that it may be), you just need to think about their meanings. What are their properties?

Hint 2 (2nd day):

Desmond Hung's radius and patella reference is the closest so it may lead you thinking in similar ways: "You can remove the cover from a microphone. The microphone itself looks like a radius while the cover looks like a patella."

Hint 3:

It is not "organically" alive

Hint 4:

closest answer so far is : internet, but because of different reasons. think more about this. make a connection with hint #2

Hint 5:

Answer is 2 words

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  • $\begingroup$ The first four lines instantly made me think of the Internet. I've had some pretty pitiful experience with Internet access in the past.. :c $\endgroup$
    – SpiritFryer
    Commented Jan 28, 2016 at 12:05
  • $\begingroup$ why not keep building on your clue? :) $\endgroup$
    – canova
    Commented Jan 28, 2016 at 15:49
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    $\begingroup$ after reading the hint 2, some un-postable things are coming to my mind. $\endgroup$
    – manshu
    Commented Jan 29, 2016 at 7:45
  • $\begingroup$ your avatar and comment is epic, +1 to you $\endgroup$
    – canova
    Commented Jan 29, 2016 at 7:46
  • $\begingroup$ It's probably not a mushroom, is it? The patella and radius clue made me think of something like that $\endgroup$
    – nine9
    Commented Jan 29, 2016 at 8:34

6 Answers 6

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Just wanted to sign up for trying to answer. I think the answer is:

Video Game, since the asker told closest answer so far is internet, and consisting of 2 words

I am loved by many, even if sometimes people are angry to me.

nearly everybody loves playing video games, but people become angry because of difficulty or multiplayer games

You can find me in different places, yet you won't always find me stable.

pc, mac, playstation, xbox. mobile. different platforms, but not the same behaviour in all, most cross-platform games work better on console, and crashes at computers

Sometimes you must use your talent, sometimes you need wisdom to be my best friend.

you must have skill for FPS games but you must use your brain for MMO games. best friend must refer to becoming expert at it.

I was born before NATO's first SACEUR is appointed, yet I am not old fashioned.

The first publicly demonstrated electronic game was created in 1950. Bertie the Brain was an arcade game of tic-tac-toe, built by Dr. Josef Kates for the 1950 Canadian National Exhibition. The first SACEUR (1951-1952) was General Dwight Eisenhower. So it is before 1951, and today video games are still popular

You can tear me apart, but then you will find radius and patella.

Because of the microphone reference, I think patella references 0 with the shape, and radius references 1 with the shape. 0 & 1 are known as computer's core so it may refer to games consist of 0&1 code programming

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  • $\begingroup$ patella is of triangular shape...so it might be the keys of playstation or xbox console..i m not sure which one of these two though... $\endgroup$
    – manshu
    Commented Feb 2, 2016 at 15:29
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    $\begingroup$ such a blasting entry my friend...cant give the bounty for next 22 hours... i will give it tomorrow... $\endgroup$
    – manshu
    Commented Feb 2, 2016 at 15:32
  • $\begingroup$ this was the answer I was looking for :) no as I gave a hint for the microphone answer, I considered them to be circular and linear objects respectively. anger part is half correct but same idea, some people don't like their partners to be spending time with video games instead of them. anyways, good job! $\endgroup$
    – canova
    Commented Feb 2, 2016 at 15:33
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    $\begingroup$ First of all, i dont know what a bounty is and first time looking to stack exchange. My coworker sent a mail to this question if any of us had any clue, and i decided to answer. Just right place, right time i guess :) $\endgroup$
    – Gizem ALAGOZ
    Commented Feb 3, 2016 at 7:38
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    $\begingroup$ shiver me timbers. The answer matches :D well done. Good riddle as well, the last part about radius and patella are splendid! $\endgroup$
    – nine9
    Commented Feb 3, 2016 at 9:49
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I am unsure but will try

Uranium

I am loved by many, even if sometimes people are angry to me.

Lots of people would love to have enriched uranium, though it clearly has negatively impacted many.

You can find me in different places,

Uranium naturally occurs in low levels in soil, rocks, etc.

yet you won't always find me stable.

A reference to unstable isotopes

Sometimes you must use your talent,

A reference to Uranium Talent Search Examination?

sometimes you need wisdom to be my best friend.

I sure hope people who get stockpiles of uranium are wise with it!

I was born before NATO's first SACEUR is appointed,

Nuclear weapons preceded Eisenhower's appointment in 1950.

yet I am not old fashioned.

Nuclear weapons are still highly desirable.

You can tear me apart, but then you will find radius and patella.

Is this a semi cryptic clue? Take some of the letters of uranium and rearrange them (tear apart) to get "arm" and "ni" which sounds like "knee". Radius is an arm bone and patella is the kneecap.

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  • $\begingroup$ I had the same idea. My main objection to it is that it sounds too straightforward and would make for a not so interesting riddle if it were true. "Radius" would probably be a reference to the element radium, one of the radioactive byproduct elements in the uranium decay chain. Patella could hint at another such element (I thought cobalt was a possibility since it comes up in a Google search for as the material some artificial knees are made of. However I still haven't found the precise isotope of uranium that has cobalt in its decay series). $\endgroup$
    – user17947
    Commented Jan 28, 2016 at 4:12
  • $\begingroup$ I really liked your approach :) but unfortunately it is not correct. I will add to my question as a hint: "radius and patella are not crypted, you just need to think about them. start looking for patella first" $\endgroup$
    – canova
    Commented Jan 28, 2016 at 7:44
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You are

a microphone.

I am loved by many,

Many would find a microphone useful.

even if sometimes people are angry to me.

Sometimes angry protesters use microphones to make their opinions heard.

You can find me in different places,

Microphones are used in many different places.

yet you won't always find me stable.

Feedback problems can occur.

Sometimes you must use your talent,

You can sing and play instruments into a microphone.

sometimes you need wisdom to be my best friend.

Or you can give intelligent and interesting talks.

I was born before NATO's first SACEUR is appointed,
yet I am not old fashioned.

The condenser microphone and the dynamic microphone commonly used nowadays were invented in the early 20th century. NATO's first SACEUR was appointed in 1951.

You can tear me apart,
but then you will find radius and patella.

You can remove the cover from a microphone. The microphone itself looks like a radius while the cover looks like a patella.

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    $\begingroup$ no, not a microphone. but +1 for radius and patella thinking :) will add your reference as a hint to guide people $\endgroup$
    – canova
    Commented Jan 29, 2016 at 7:37
  • $\begingroup$ I think this answer fits every clue, regardless of what OP had in mind. It should be marked as correct (because it seems to be a solution) unless someone can point out a convincing flaw. $\endgroup$
    – user1717828
    Commented Jan 30, 2016 at 6:15
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This is the first time I reply in this site, I hope it do it the right way. Could it be...

A bicycle / motorcycle ?

I am loved by many,
even if sometimes people are angry to me.

There are many cyclist and they drive automobile (and pedestrians) crazy

You can find me in different places,
yet you won't always find me stable.

Bicycles/motorcycles are popular everywhere in the world; but they are not stable as they only have two wheels, and would fall if they don't have a sidestand to support them.

Sometimes you must use your talent,
sometimes you need wisdom to be my best friend.

Learning how to ride a bicycle/motorbike requires time and skills.

I was born before NATO's first SACEUR is appointed,
yet I am not old fashioned.

It took this one literally: the first bicycles/motorcycles date from the 19th century and NATO first SAUCER would be mid 20th century.

You can tear me apart,
but then you will find radius and patella.

This would almost be a literal one too: bicycles/motorcycles can be put apart, and some of the pieces would be the spokes (radius/radios in some countries) and a leg (pata/patilla/patella?)

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  • $\begingroup$ unfortunately not. different approach, but missing some points :) check out the hint again if you did not. $\endgroup$
    – canova
    Commented Jan 28, 2016 at 14:53
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I know this question has been answered but I think another nice guess could be

Junction transistor

I am loved by many, even if sometimes people are angry to me.

It is used in many devices; devices that people love. But the same people can get angry if those devices doesn't work.

You can find me in different places, yet you won't always find me stable.

Again, used at many devices. When output voltage is kept constant, then input current increase suddenly even at the increase of small input voltage.

Sometimes you must use your talent, sometimes you need wisdom to be my best friend.

It's hard to work with them.

I was born before NATO's first SACEUR is appointed, yet I am not old fashioned.

First bipolar junction transistor was invented on June 23, 1948. Patent filed on June 26, 1948.

You can tear me apart, but then you will find radius and patella.

transistor It is denoted by this sign in electronics. Radius could refer to the circle. And patella to the thing in the circle. As it is in the circle so it also explains the 'tear me apart' sentence of this puzzle.

This answers also seems to fit the other hints. However the accepted solution is at its best.

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It's kind of a partial match (it goes better before taking hints into account) and I'm posting after there's already an accepted answer, but I sort of like what went through my head upon reading this, so thought I'd share.

The answer is (not really):

Harmony, which works in both the peaceful and the musical sense.

I am loved by many,
even if sometimes people are angry to me.

Most people dream of world peace, but some thrive on dissonance and chaos. Everyone loves music, but there is the classic "Dang kids and their music" where every generation hates the next generation's taste to some extent.

You can find me in different places,
yet you won't always find me stable.

Even in peaceful nations, there are times of unrest. Harmony plays an integral part in all forms of music, sometimes including some measure of dissonance.

Sometimes you must use your talent,
sometimes you need wisdom to be my best friend.

It takes a certain amount of talent to be successful at diplomacy, and some of the most world-famous wisemen are also regarded as the most peaceful (e.g. Buddha, Dalai Lama, Gandhi). Not everyone has the talent necessary to perform music. The best performers have extensive knowledge of music theory whether through study or practical application.

I was born before NATO's first SACEUR is appointed,
yet I am not old fashioned.

This is where it gets shaky since SACEUR is so specific. However, NATO does have to do with peace, so that part is alright-ish. Harmony never goes out of style. :)

You can tear me apart,
but then you will find radius and patella.

H-ARM-O-NY -> "H" + "ARM" + "OH" + "NEE (knee)" -> Radius is one of the two bones of your lower arm and Patella is your kneecap.

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  • $\begingroup$ Fantastic point of view :) $\endgroup$
    – canova
    Commented Feb 18, 2016 at 21:36

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