What is this mystery object?

kennith

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
I really feel like it should be obvious... Someone heard a noise at night, poked their phone over a fence and took this shot. Then asked me to identify it.

It looks like a folded sheet steel container with a large metal lug that slides up and down tracks, or has some kind of belt. It almost looks like something is supposed to go inside the thing, but there's just not enough data to get more information than you see here. I can pull shapes a bit and extrapolate, but I'm just guessing right now.

57805

If that's a belt the teeth are on the side I wouldn't expect, given the shape of the end. Likewise, I can't see if there's room for metal tracks to slide out the end. Whatever got caught on it has made it very difficult to identify. I feel like that tuft of fur or whatever is right in the way of what I need to see.

Obviously it would be better if that text was legible, but to do anything at all with that will take me a while.

Cheers,

Kennith
 
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kennith

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
JUKE179r said:
The picture isn't coming up on neither of my PC or iPhone.
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It should be there now. I think I started the thread too close to the forum update last night.

Too bad I can't just say "enhance" a bunch of times and get the answer. :ROFLMAO:

Cheers,

Kennith
 
kennith

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
ERover82 said:
It's nearly 2020 and you drop this UFO-sighting quality photo on us? Have him march his ass back there with a real camera.
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That was my first suggestion, but they insisted the object was gone the next day.

It's clearly some manner of common equipment, but the angles, the resolution, the fuzz... I'm going to have to trace that thing. It's reminding me of something, but I can't quite put my finger on what. I thought it might be a funny log splitter I'd never seen at first, and then tried to consider that the lug might be a weight if one is on the other side, as well.

The shot must have been snapped with an old feature phone, but it was taken only a couple of months ago. I spoke with them, and they're genuinely paranoid in regard to the experience, despite how pedestrian it seems. Hell, the next day they were willing to pay me to identify it, but I made it quite clear that photo analysis doesn't work like it does on TV.

Now it's just a matter of curiosity, and bugging the shit out of me. It looks like the largest part is built like a cheap muffler, with the folded seams. There seems to be some manner of intake or other part in the fur covered section, and I'm certainly seeing geared tracks or a belt in there.

None of my ideas seems to correspond to any object someone would be carrying around at night, though; and none have matched anything so far. Maybe I'm seeing what I'm used to seeing, and not really seeing what's actually there. I debated whether or not to actually include my observations, as they might pollute others who try to figure it out.

Cheers,

Kennith
 
Tugela

Tugela

Well-known member
May 21, 2007
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Seattle
I'm less interested in what the object is and more interested to know why the photographer is "genuinely paranoid" about it. You're only sharing part of the context. What was the noise? What were the circumstances? What about the experience caused such anxiety? Why doesn't the photographer ask the neighbor directly?
 
kennith

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
Tugela said:
I'm less interested in what the object is and more interested to know why the photographer is "genuinely paranoid" about it. You're only sharing part of the context. What was the noise? What were the circumstances? What about the experience caused such anxiety? Why doesn't the photographer ask the neighbor directly?
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You have the information I have.

They could provide no further detail of any use and, from my estimation of their bearing and features, were prone to drunkenness. It seemed a bother.

I just never could figure out what the hell it was.

The only way to know would be to own or work with that device regularly enough to recognize it.

Cheers,

Kennith
 
kennith

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
JUKE179r said:
Is it right side up or down? I need to see a better picture.
Click to expand...

If I recall correctly, it's upside down in that picture, but that doesn't necessarily mean the ULO (Unidentified Leaning Object) was upside down.

That's the only picture, and that's the full resolution, aside from cropping out white bands at the top and bottom. I think it was taken with a feature phone first, and then sent to a budget smart phone via Dropbox; thus leaving aspect ratio bands.

Cheers,

Kennith
 
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