What Is It? Blog

What Is It?

What Is It? is a place for engineers to test their knowledge (and sense of humor). Each week (or month, or...) the CR4 team will post an unidentified picture of an object, tool, animal, something. We're looking for your best (or funniest) guesses at what it might be in the comments.

Yes, we take [appropriate] submissions. Send them to cr4admin@ieeeglobalspec.com.
Previous in Blog: What Is It? for 11/19/12   Next in Blog: What Is It for 12/16/2012
Close

Comments Format:






Change Mode
Close

Subscribe to Discussion:

CR4 allows you to "subscribe" to a discussion
so that you can be notified of new comments to
the discussion via email.

Close

Rating Vote:







Add Vote
37 comments
Rate this Comments: Nested

What Is It? for 12/2/2012

Posted December 02, 2012 12:00 AM
Pathfinder Tags: games puzzles what is it

Can you guess what this item is and when it was used?

Click here for the answer!

Reply

Interested in this topic? By joining CR4 you can "subscribe" to
this discussion and receive notification when new comments are added.

Comments rated to be Good Answers:

These comments received enough positive ratings to make them "good answers".

Comments rated to be "almost" Good Answers:

Check out these comments that don't yet have enough votes to be "official" good answers and, if you agree with them, rate them!
Hendrik
Guru
Popular Science - Biology - New Member Hobbies - Musician - New Member APIX Pilot Plant Design Project - Member - New Member Hobbies - CNC - New Member Fans of Old Computers - ZX-81 - New Member

Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Centurion, South Africa
Posts: 3921
Good Answers: 97
#1

Re: What Is It? for 12/2/2012

12/02/2012 2:29 AM

3D viewer for black holes.

__________________
 Never do today what you can put of until tomorrow - Student motto
Reply
3
JohnDG
Guru
United Kingdom - Member - Not a New Member Hobbies - Musician - New Member Hobbies - Fishing - New Member

Join Date: May 2006
Location: Reading, Berkshire, UK. Going under cover.
Posts: 9684
Good Answers: 468
#2

Re: What Is It? for 12/2/2012

12/02/2012 4:54 AM

Ranging periscope.

__________________
 "Love justice, you who rule the world" - Dante Alighieri
Reply Good Answer (Score 3)
Go to Next Good Answer
lyn
Guru

Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 42376
Good Answers: 1692
#4
In reply to #2

Re: What Is It? for 12/2/2012

12/02/2012 9:34 AM

I like it.
Reply
Del the cat
Guru
Popular Science - Weaponology - New Member United Kingdom - Member - New Member

Join Date: May 2007
Location: Harlow England
Posts: 16510
Good Answers: 669
#3

Re: What Is It? for 12/2/2012

12/02/2012 7:08 AM

A Ronco Seebackroscope
Allows you to check the back of your head, yours for only £11.99
Del

__________________
 health warning: These posts may contain traces of nut.
Reply
IdeaSmith
Guru

Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Out of your mind! Not in sight!
Posts: 4424
Good Answers: 108
#5

Re: What Is It? for 12/2/2012

12/02/2012 10:13 PM

Zenith star finder.

__________________
 Common Sense Dictates
Reply
IdeaSmith
Guru

Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Out of your mind! Not in sight!
Posts: 4424
Good Answers: 108
#6

Re: What Is It? for 12/2/2012

12/02/2012 10:19 PM

Time dilatation radioscope

__________________
 Common Sense Dictates
Reply
IdeaSmith
Guru

Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Out of your mind! Not in sight!
Posts: 4424
Good Answers: 108
#7

Re: What Is It? for 12/2/2012

12/02/2012 10:19 PM

Gorgon Spotter!

__________________
 Common Sense Dictates
Reply
jt
Guru

Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 719
Good Answers: 25
#8

Re: What Is It? for 12/2/2012

12/02/2012 11:51 PM

Over the trench top viewer/range finder?

jt. (just a shot in the dark.)

CR4 Admin - Deleted Portion of Post: Vulgar/Rude/Improper Behavior: Part of this post was deleted because it did not adhere to the behavioral policies of the site. Please review Section 14 of the CR4 Site FAQ and the CR4 Rules of Conduct.
Reply
Epke
Guru
Popular Science - Weaponology - New Member Netherlands - Member - New Member Fans of Old Computers - Commodore 64 - New Member

Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Japan
Posts: 2703
Good Answers: 38
#9

Re: What Is It? for 12/2/2012

12/02/2012 11:57 PM

Industrial metronome?

__________________
 From the Movie "The Big Lebowski" Don't pee on the carpet man!
Reply
WAWAUS
Guru

Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 740
Good Answers: 24
#10

Re: What Is It? for 12/2/2012

12/03/2012 12:35 AM

attack tripod poised to strike ..... BEWARE!
Reply
2
Leonf
Power-User
Engineering Fields - Electrical Engineering - Not so new Member Popular Science - Weaponology - New Member Hobbies - Fishing - New Member, old hobby.

Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Windhoek, Namibia, South west africa
Posts: 410
Good Answers: 23
#11

Re: What Is It? for 12/2/2012

12/03/2012 1:21 AM

Tool for the wife to see if the garage door is opened high enough to get the car out.

__________________
 tHe days of good inglisH haz wented.
Reply Good Answer (Score 2)
Go to Next Good Answer
2
corbinstein
Power-User

Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 188
Good Answers: 6
#12

Re: What Is It? for 12/2/2012

12/03/2012 8:05 AM

Old WWII Trench periscope?

this way one could look around the battlefield and not get your head blown off....
Reply Good Answer (Score 2)
No more Good Answers. Go to first "Almost" Good Answer
kendall
Power-User

Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Posts: 343
Good Answers: 32
#13

Re: What Is It? for 12/2/2012

12/03/2012 9:03 AM

What it is, is too short!

__________________
 Humans are just smart enough to fool themselves.
Reply
Anonymous Poster #1
#14

Re: What Is It? for 12/2/2012

12/03/2012 9:44 AM

Parade viewing tool for latecomers.
Reply Score 1 for Good Answer
Go to Next "Almost" Good Answer
Del the cat
Guru
Popular Science - Weaponology - New Member United Kingdom - Member - New Member

Join Date: May 2007
Location: Harlow England
Posts: 16510
Good Answers: 669
#15

Re: What Is It? for 12/2/2012

12/03/2012 9:52 AM

Kris tells me it's a thingy to let you see into those high widows in the girls changing rooms...
Del

__________________
 health warning: These posts may contain traces of nut.
Reply
PWSlack
Guru
United Kingdom - Member - Indeterminate Engineering Fields - Control Engineering - New Member

Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: In the bothy, 7 chains down the line from Dodman's Lane level crossing, in the nation formerly known as Great Britain. Kettle's on.
Posts: 32161
Good Answers: 838
#16

Re: What Is It? for 12/2/2012

12/03/2012 10:08 AM

It's a well-over-engineered cat scratching post. Just ask Kris.

__________________
 "Did you get my e-mail?" - "The biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place" - George Bernard Shaw, 1856
Reply
Johannescnc
Power-User

Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Hannover, Germany and Jacksonville, Florida
Posts: 141
Good Answers: 8
#17

Re: What Is It? for 12/2/2012

12/03/2012 11:16 AM

Eye of Sauron locator...

__________________
 Johannes
Reply
LakeGrl
Power-User
Hobbies - Musician - New Member Technical Fields - Technical Writing - New Member

Join Date: May 2010
Location: Upstate NY
Posts: 278
Good Answers: 5
#18

Re: What Is It? for 12/2/2012

12/03/2012 3:18 PM

It's a night camera sensor on a tripod

__________________
 LakeGrl
Reply
Doorman
Guru
Hobbies - DIY Welding - Don't Know What Made The Old Title Attractive... Popular Science - Weaponology - New Member United States - US - Statue of Liberty - 60 Year Member

Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Yellowstone Valley, in Big Sky Country
Posts: 7182
Good Answers: 292
#19
In reply to #18

Re: What Is It? for 12/2/2012

12/03/2012 3:46 PM

Why would you want to sense a night camera?

__________________
 Semper Ubi Sub Ubi
Reply Off Topic (Score 4)
Del the cat
Guru
Popular Science - Weaponology - New Member United Kingdom - Member - New Member

Join Date: May 2007
Location: Harlow England
Posts: 16510
Good Answers: 669
#20
In reply to #19

Re: What Is It? for 12/2/2012

12/03/2012 4:44 PM

Because you can't see it in the dark?
Del

__________________
 health warning: These posts may contain traces of nut.
Reply Off Topic (Score 5)
LakeGrl
Power-User
Hobbies - Musician - New Member Technical Fields - Technical Writing - New Member

Join Date: May 2010
Location: Upstate NY
Posts: 278
Good Answers: 5
#21

Re: What Is It? for 12/2/2012

12/03/2012 6:11 PM

Scuuuuuzzze me, it is a motion sensor for a night vision camera - to only take a picture if something steps into view.... like a cat out wandering at night or something unidentifiable you might find out in the remotest part of North Dakota.

__________________
 LakeGrl
Reply
PWSlack
Guru
United Kingdom - Member - Indeterminate Engineering Fields - Control Engineering - New Member

Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: In the bothy, 7 chains down the line from Dodman's Lane level crossing, in the nation formerly known as Great Britain. Kettle's on.
Posts: 32161
Good Answers: 838
#27
In reply to #21

Re: What Is It? for 12/2/2012

12/04/2012 4:51 AM

What about in the remotest part of Harlow?

__________________
 "Did you get my e-mail?" - "The biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place" - George Bernard Shaw, 1856
Reply
lyn
Guru

Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 42376
Good Answers: 1692
#22

Re: What Is It? for 12/2/2012

12/03/2012 6:46 PM

It's a boat mounted underwater, weedless Arkansas Fish Looker®, in the up position.

LynDoor™Industries NMD (Niche Marketing Division©) has done well in some demographics with this product.
Reply Score 1 for Off Topic
leveles
Guru

Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 1753
Good Answers: 59
#23

Re: What Is It? for 12/2/2012

12/03/2012 8:41 PM

A periscope for sure. one dial is for vertical alignment of the picture. The other is for the horizontal agreement = distance. User view point.
Reply
WAWAUS
Guru

Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 740
Good Answers: 24
#24

Re: What Is It? for 12/2/2012

12/03/2012 11:09 PM

seriously for a moment - I know its hard, but .....

did you notice the antenna and 'N' Type connector, and possible a mount for a second one - perhaps a video for peering into bird's nests and such with an RF link back to a central monitoring station....
Reply
Epke
Guru
Popular Science - Weaponology - New Member Netherlands - Member - New Member Fans of Old Computers - Commodore 64 - New Member

Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Japan
Posts: 2703
Good Answers: 38
#25

Re: What Is It? for 12/2/2012

12/04/2012 12:35 AM

Endoscope for tall people?

__________________
 From the Movie "The Big Lebowski" Don't pee on the carpet man!
Reply
Del the cat
Guru
Popular Science - Weaponology - New Member United Kingdom - Member - New Member

Join Date: May 2007
Location: Harlow England
Posts: 16510
Good Answers: 669
#26
In reply to #25

Re: What Is It? for 12/2/2012

12/04/2012 3:25 AM

There's no end o' scope for tall people. Basket ball, highjump, window cleaning...
Del

__________________
 health warning: These posts may contain traces of nut.
Reply Score 1 for Good Answer
Go to Next "Almost" Good Answer
Out of Box Experience
Guru
Engineering Fields - Manufacturing Engineering - Hobbies - Musician - Engineering Fields - Mechanical Engineering - Popular Science - Weaponology -

Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Eden
Posts: 1476
Good Answers: 39
#28

Re: What Is It? for 12/2/2012

12/04/2012 10:24 AM

Forward Observer scope for calling in artillery strikes (Vietnam War)
Reply Score 1 for Good Answer
No more "Almost" Good Answers.
SolarEagle
Guru

Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: by the beach in Florida
Posts: 33322
Good Answers: 1810
#29

Re: What Is It? for 12/2/2012

12/04/2012 11:07 AM

It's a camera for short people, that want to take tall pictures....

__________________
 All living things seek to control their own destiny....this is the purpose of life
Reply
RG2
Power-User

Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Kansas
Posts: 159
Good Answers: 9
#30

Re: What Is It? for 12/2/2012

12/05/2012 1:29 AM

Is it a vertical transit? I would think that a vertical transit would have been used to verify the correct angle of Apollo and Saturn Rockets on the platform before blasting off from Cape Kennedy (Cape Canaveral). They (vertical transits) could also be used in skyscraper building industry.
Reply
SavvyExacta
Guru
United States - Member - Lifelong New Yorker Popular Science - Biology - Animal Science Technical Fields - Technical Writing - Technical Writer

Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: NY
Posts: 2313
Good Answers: 59
#31

Re: What Is It? for 12/2/2012

12/05/2012 7:14 AM

Lots of (inventive) guesses on this one! Several were correct in identifying it as a WWII trench periscope via http://bozeman.craigslist.org/atq/3357817247.html.
Reply
Anonymous Poster #2
#32
In reply to #31

Re: What Is It? for 12/2/2012

12/06/2012 12:45 AM

You sure it is a parascope???
Reply
SavvyExacta
Guru
United States - Member - Lifelong New Yorker Popular Science - Biology - Animal Science Technical Fields - Technical Writing - Technical Writer

Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: NY
Posts: 2313
Good Answers: 59
#34
In reply to #32

Re: What Is It? for 12/2/2012

12/06/2012 7:10 AM

Thanks, wise-guy - I've fixed the spelling error. I have something flu-like and my brain wasn't working well enough to spell check. PS I removed your link because it doesn't quite comply with CR4's terms of use.
Reply
Anonymous Poster #2
#35
In reply to #34

Re: What Is It? for 12/2/2012

12/06/2012 8:45 PM

No harm done I hope!
Its just for none native speaker we have to look up some words every ones a while!
Reply
RG2
Power-User

Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Kansas
Posts: 159
Good Answers: 9
#36
In reply to #35

Re: What Is It? for 12/2/2012

12/07/2012 12:09 AM

"ones a while" or once in a while?

"none" or non

hehehe
Reply
Leonf
Power-User
Engineering Fields - Electrical Engineering - Not so new Member Popular Science - Weaponology - New Member Hobbies - Fishing - New Member, old hobby.

Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Windhoek, Namibia, South west africa
Posts: 410
Good Answers: 23
#37
In reply to #36

Re: What Is It? for 12/2/2012

12/21/2012 2:44 AM

the days of good inglish has wented ?

__________________
 tHe days of good inglisH haz wented.
Reply
Epke
Guru
Popular Science - Weaponology - New Member Netherlands - Member - New Member Fans of Old Computers - Commodore 64 - New Member

Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Japan
Posts: 2703
Good Answers: 38
#33
In reply to #31

Re: What Is It? for 12/2/2012

12/06/2012 3:13 AM

Parapara (scope)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iIwJdQDcSA

__________________
 From the Movie "The Big Lebowski" Don't pee on the carpet man!
Reply Off Topic (Score 5)
Reply to Blog Entry 37 comments
Interested in this topic? By joining CR4 you can "subscribe" to
this discussion and receive notification when new comments are added.

Comments rated to be Good Answers:

These comments received enough positive ratings to make them "good answers".

Comments rated to be "almost" Good Answers:

Check out these comments that don't yet have enough votes to be "official" good answers and, if you agree with them, rate them!
Copy to Clipboard

Users who posted comments:

Anonymous Poster (2); corbinstein (1); Del the cat (4); Doorman (1); Epke (3); Hendrik (1); IdeaSmith (3); Johannescnc (1); JohnDG (1); jt (1); kendall (1); LakeGrl (2); Leonf (2); leveles (1); lyn (2); Out of Box Experience (1); PWSlack (2); RG2 (2); SavvyExacta (2); SolarEagle (1); WAWAUS (2)

Previous in Blog: What Is It? for 11/19/12   Next in Blog: What Is It for 12/16/2012

Advertisement

Got Something to Say?
Ask a Question
Start a Discussion

Search this Section
General Discussion:
Go

Search this Blog
What Is It?:
Go

Recent Blog Entries

Blog Links

CR4 Sections
Aerospace
BioMech & BioMed
Chemical & Material Science
Civil Engineering
Communications & Electronics
Education and Engineering Careers
Electrical Engineering
General Discussion
Instrumentation
Manufacturing
Mechanical Engineering
New Technologies & Research
Software & Programming
Sustainable Engineering
Transportation

Site Directories
Forum Directory
Blog Directory
User Group Directory
RSS Feeds

CR4 Rules of Conduct
CR4 FAQ
Site Glossary

Who's Online (54 right now)
Show Members
Advertisement