I learn when I read the responses that give various approaches. Part of what I learn is the pros and cons of such approaches, and part is simply learning the thought process behind solutions that I might not even have considered. An 'outlandish' solution might not be all that useful to the immediate question, but it may provide me with a tool that is useful in some other situation. ...that's what I get out of reading a broad range of solutions.

Then there's the flip side; writing solutions. I may know full well that the most simple and/or efficient solution has already been provided. And yet I may work my way through a completely different solution; one that might be seen as pretty "out there". But the practice of doing this becomes a learning process for me too. ...an opportunity to explore some new dusty hallway of Perlish potential. And I'll often post such findings, because just as discovering the outlandish solution has helped me learn a new trick, it may help someone else too.

At first I thought that people were putting out there the more creative solutions as a way of one-upping everyone else... showing off. But I've since seen the light. These "Other Ways to Do It" aren't just opportunities to show off, they're often much more than that. Often, they are public explorations into new ways of thinking about a problem. That may be more than a novice Seeker of Perl Wisdom is looking for, but it's part of the fun that the more advanced users stick around for.