Do you have a list of the times and places? If you could post it, that would really be helpful.
http://www.aerostich.com/isroot/riderwearhouse/DirectPages/hang.html
Go to one of those I’m sure you’ll find a whole slew of humor.
Ferchrissake, chill. “Professionalism”? This is a messageboard, we’re not here because of some day job, we’re here to entertain ourselves in some manner or another.
Professionalism, huh? Well nobody told me.
Where’s my paycheck?
Damn! I left it in the gyrogorphotor case!
corrupt, it’s obvious to most of us that’s there’s no such thing as what you asked about. You essentially admitted as much in one of your posts. You’ve been on the internet equivalent of a snipe hunt.
Now, your original question was valid, in that you didn’t know it was a joke on you at the time. Your continuing to ask what it was after acknowledging it could be a prank was, shall we say, of dubious wisdom. Your getting bent out of shape from absurd comments which reflected the absurdity of the question strikes me as ridiculous.
If you asked where to buy striped paint, in person or on the 'net, you can bet your boots you’d get some wiseacre responses. To decry those responses as inappropriate would suggest a lack of perspective. Ask a question that can be answered seriously, and you’ll get some serious answers.
With all due respect, as a newbie you’re hardly in a position to dictate to others what is proper protocol on the SDMB. You would do well to read enough here to get a feel for how things are done. When in Rome…
I wasn’t aware that professional accreditation was required before I could post on here either.
When I can help with a question, I do so. When I think the original question is a wind-up, I’ll behave accordingly. Radical idea this, but sometimes serious discussions become humourous, and sometimes vice-versa.
I think you’ve somehow taken offence when none was intended.
Currupt:
You’re new here, so we should cut you some slack.
The twin missions of the Straight Dope Message Board are fighting ignorance and making wisecracks.
Ask an unintentionally silly question (what is this nonexistant device?) and you will receive a higher proportion of silly answers. They are jokes, meant for those with a sense of humor.
Look at Cecil’s columns. They invariably start with a wisecrack. Likewise, the great majority of threads on this board will have at least a couple of jokey replies.
Anyway, I’m glad we were able to answer your question.
Best wishes,
M4M
Okay, I haven’t given a serious answer yet. I will now.
Just go ask whoever put up the sign what the doohickey is. If they grin and snicker, you’ll know you’ve been had, if they tell you what it is and what it does, then you can start a web search.
My money is on that it’s a joke.
[Doomy voice]I’ve got your Articulated Gyrogorphotor and I shall not return it until you bring me a pie. [Doomy voice]
When I was in high school, at my job at the Hy-Vee (Iowa based supermarket chain) one day one of the"senior" stock clerks told me he needed a shelf expander. I innocently asked what that was and was told to go ask one of the managers for it.
I did.
He basically said “go away and don’t bother me,” at which point I got it.
We all make those mistakes from time to time, especially when we really don’t know what the thing might be.
This was probably one of those times, so I’d suggest you go look for the articulated gyrogophotor on an expanded shelf. 
currupt247
You mentioned (post 57) about the appropriate place for humor.
To quote Inspector Clousseau:
“There is a time to laugh and a time not to laugh, and this is not one of them.”
I’ve always wondered. Just what does a Grecian urn? Only a Roman knows?
But a segway does exist, and it’s no laughing matter to the human transporter people. Just not enough sold.
That’s articulated gyrogorphotor.
Funny how all our linguists, in their attempt to make sense of the word, broke down the meaning of ‘gyro’ and ‘photor’ and pretended the ‘gor’ didn’t exist, which it doesn’t as a root word, which is another clue that the original word in question was a hoax, a risible one, even.
Peace.
At the SDMB, not only are we unprofessionally irreverent, but we’re also pedantic.
This question got my curiousty up, and I did some searching. My first thought was that 'photor" May be short for photoreflector.
I found this cite for a Pipe-crawler.
http://www.eikimartinson.com/engineering/pipe/pipecrawler.pdf.
Its articulated for crawling, has gyros and photoreflector.
Perhaps your tool was some sort of robotic pipe/tube exploratory device.
And yes I admit I have no freaken clue where the “gor” fits into my wild-ass theory.
Like may other posters he supplies little facts nor has he exhaused sensible approaches.
Intimatee he is being prosecuted? but again no facts by an alleged $13K fine for losing it. Did he report it stolen, was he responsible for UNI van, etc. etc.
Note thread viewed 1441 times with 72 replies, 11 of them his.
He has been dissed about 1, 310 times!
Not at all, gorphotor is probably what a cop hears when someone trots out a neuron melting word like goniophotometer. Following an initial mis-hearing, the gonphotor -> gorphotor transition is a natural one for someone who’s not sure exactly what the intermediate bit of the word (io) was.
Well, professionals get paid, so I’ll tell you what: you give me five bucks, and I’ll tell you very professionally that I don’t know what an articulated gyro-doodad is.
Derleth and Mangetout,
You are ordered to report immediately to the nearest starbase and explain circumstances under which Official Dog, Peaselake, came apart under gravitational stress…
In giving information in police reports, I’ve had police officers ask me to spell my last name, even though it’s a rather common one (shared by a famous celebrity, even).
So, when confronted with, “it was a thirteen thousand dollar articulated ( GON - ee - oh - pho - TOM - eh - ter )” you think the officer ain’t gonna say, “could you spell that for me?” but instead write down (GUY - roh - gor - FOE - tor) ?
Highly improbable.
Hoax? Highly probable.
Peace.