# Today in Civilization I Saw **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Tags:** photo\ **Created:** [May 23, 2025, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-civilization-i-saw/1018708 "2025-05-23T15:59:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2025, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-civilization-i-saw/1018708/1 "2025-05-23T15:59:19Z")
How about a companion thread to the “[Today in Nature I Saw](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-nature-i-saw/)” thread? I’ll start: [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/31D0fmR.jpeg "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/31D0fmR) A bit of archeology. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2025, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-civilization-i-saw/1018708/2 "2025-05-23T18:21:39Z")
I didn’t spontaneously encounter this sticker in the wild; I’m the one who stuck it there. But I hope some other folks encountered it and it made them smile (or pissed them off). Probably it’s been removed by now. [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54521762009_7bee8fc961_b.jpg "Sticker2") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/45215582@N06/54521762009/) ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2025, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-civilization-i-saw/1018708/3 "2025-05-23T18:35:16Z")
Apropos of that, I saw this when walking the Little Dog yesterday: [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/bQQj7Gm.jpeg "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/bQQj7Gm) ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2025, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-civilization-i-saw/1018708/4 "2025-05-23T19:35:28Z")
The sign reads: This is not a construction site! This is art! [![](https://i.imgur.com/FmFHpWA.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/FmFHpWA.jpeg) I agree. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2025, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-civilization-i-saw/1018708/5 "2025-05-23T19:42:44Z")
I don’t have pix, but here are two recent sightings I enjoyed and posted elsewhere: > [@Does the word tactical have any meaning in advertisements?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-word-tactical-have-any-meaning-in-advertisements/1018587/70): > > We’re all familiar with truck nuts. So dumb. The other day out driving I saw something odd hanging from a pickup’s trailer hitch area. Two weird dangly things. I was far enough away I couldn’t quite tell what I was seeing. > > I finally got close enough at a traffic light. Two opaque blue things hanging that looked about like 7-11 Big Gulp cups: 6-8" tall, a narrow tapered part ~3" in diameter then a step to a larger ~5" diameter section and open at the top. With about 4 thin brightly colored tubular things leading out of the opening and up to wherever they attached to the truck’s hitch. > > Yep. Truck wire nuts. I had to laugh. Not exactly these, but close: **[Wire Nut Truck Nuts - Etsy](https://www.etsy.com/listing/1846395026/wire-nut-truck-nuts-trailer-hitch)** > [@Amusing Signs](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amusing-signs/997074/641): > > A couple weeks ago I saw something on the back of a car that looked from a distance like a campaign bumper sticker. Background was three wide horizontal stripes in bright blue / red / blue pattern. The writing was white letters and included some 5-pointed stars. So far so ordinary. > > But as I got closer I saw it said > > > GIANT METEOR > > \*\*\*\*\* 2024 \*\*\*\*\* > > Just End it Already > > I’m sure lots of us can get into that sentiment. This latter car belongs to a clerk at a nearby store. So I can get a pic if we need it. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2025, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-civilization-i-saw/1018708/6 "2025-05-24T17:33:57Z")
I do not have a picture, sadly, but heading south in Michigan on I-94 I saw a billboard of a giant cat. And the quote: “You can’t just keep putting up pictures of cats, Harold. People will think it’s weird.” With the completely unrelated business name at the bottom. I think it was a car dealership. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2025, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-civilization-i-saw/1018708/7 "2025-05-25T18:14:09Z")
I saw this unusual “Steampunk” water fountain: [![](https://i.imgur.com/goVxI7s.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/goVxI7s.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2025, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-civilization-i-saw/1018708/8 "2025-05-25T18:36:58Z")
What sort of establishment is that? Those look like apartment mailboxes on the right, but why would an apartment complex have a video return slot? Or maybe it’s a (presumably long-dead) video rental place in a strip mall, and the mailboxes are for the various businesses in the strip mall? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2025, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-civilization-i-saw/1018708/9 "2025-05-25T18:42:27Z")
It’s a small shopping center. There’s a restaurant, bakery, 2nd-hand store, and a coffee shop. The video rental return slot is probably part of the restaurant. We are new up here, so I don’t know the history of this corner, but I’d bet it hasn’t been a video store in several decades. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2025, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-civilization-i-saw/1018708/10 "2025-05-25T20:59:17Z")
Today we were being civilized at [Petworth House](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petworth_House), deep in rural Sussex which, surprisingly, holds a marvelous art collection. For example, if you happen to be a fan of [JMW Turner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._M._W._Turner#) > Turner was a frequent guest of George Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont, at Petworth House in West Sussex, and painted scenes that Egremont funded taken from the grounds of the house and of the Sussex countryside, including a view of the Chichester Canal. Petworth House still displays 20 paintings, the largest collection of his work outside the Tate. So: the two most pleasing paintings I saw at Petworth today were not by Turner. In truth, I’ve seen them both many times, but they always make me happy. The first describes itself as The Wise Men’s Offering, but you would probably know it better as [The Adoration Of The Magi by Hieronymus Bosch](https://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/486154). Yeah, I know, it’s in the Prado in Madrid as well (the one in the Met is very different). It’s not the only time an artist banged out another copy (see: Picasso). But always a pleasure. My favorite painting at Petworth? Well, I dunno… This is [The Card Players by Jan Massys](https://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/486145). It always stops me in my tracks. Eh, I’m a sucker for Flemish painters. (Apologies, BTW, I couldn’t figure out how to post the images themselves. But follow the links, it’s worth it.) j ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2025, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-civilization-i-saw/1018708/11 "2025-05-25T22:06:42Z")
Nice, thanks for sharing! ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-civilization-i-saw/1018708/12 "2025-05-26T02:02:52Z")
Walking the dog tonight, I saw this sticker. Any idea what it means? [![](https://i.imgur.com/x9PK7sw.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/x9PK7sw.jpeg) Then, I noticed the blue-stake paint for the gas line goes right through the tree (!!) [![](https://i.imgur.com/IspvMr6.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/IspvMr6.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-civilization-i-saw/1018708/13 "2025-05-26T11:45:40Z")
Umm…blue? ---
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-civilization-i-saw/1018708/14 "2025-05-26T12:22:05Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > why would an apartment complex have a video return slot? I lived in an apt complex that had a small rotating selection of DVDs residents could check out. They only rarely had something I was interested in watching. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-civilization-i-saw/1018708/15 "2025-05-26T14:49:07Z")
[Definition of the term Blue Stake - Total House Inspection](https://totalhouseinspection.com/blue-stake/#:~:text=Also%20Utility%20Notification.,their%20service%20is%20located%20underground). ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-civilization-i-saw/1018708/16 "2025-05-26T20:08:40Z")
Thanks, ignorance fought. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-civilization-i-saw/1018708/17 "2025-05-26T20:13:33Z")
I went to the 2nd-hand store today, and looked for the video return slot. I couldn’t find it, until I realized that it was inside a tiny room, with its own door: [![](https://i.imgur.com/cVOfl8E.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/cVOfl8E.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2025, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-civilization-i-saw/1018708/18 "2025-05-26T20:17:42Z")
They did a good job with the interior decor, there. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2025, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-civilization-i-saw/1018708/19 "2025-05-27T18:01:27Z")
I wasn’t able to get a picture, but today I saw a poster alongside the road. It was a drawing of an ape with a swoosh of yellow hair, captioned, “Trump is Putin’s monkey”. It cheers me up no end to see there are still some right-minded folks among us. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2025, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-civilization-i-saw/1018708/20 "2025-05-27T20:23:50Z")
I had to drop my car off for service, so I decided to walk home along the Animas trail. [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/uahb74j.jpeg "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/uahb74j) [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/c14lSlt.jpeg "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/c14lSlt) [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/fx3pFDL.jpeg "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/fx3pFDL) [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/VNpGNhH.jpeg "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/VNpGNhH) [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/8y54zbi.jpeg "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/8y54zbi) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-civilization-i-saw/1018708.md?page=2)