# What is this thing? \[Strange grid ball\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 12, 2013, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989 "2013-01-12T20:37:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 15
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2013, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/281 "2013-01-20T19:08:59Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > Clearly said. So clearly, in fact, that it is reminding me of a principle laid out by archaeologists: shouldn’t we be assuming it is some sort of religious artifact as our null hypothesis? Are there any skeletal remains near it? That’s the answer; it’s a votive object. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2013, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/282 "2013-01-20T20:35:59Z")
> [@Fubaya](#): > > And to add that I don’t think it’s a mold of any sort because people would go crazy taking it apart and putting it back together. There must be 400 bolts on that thing. I estimate about 1000 pieces, most sharing 4 bolts with adjacent pieces. That’s 2000 bolts on the sphere (never mind the pipes). > [@Mangetout](#): > > You make a good point - we have somewhat been assuming that the person who designed this thing _knew what the hell they were doing_. I was thinking, it may be a failed experiment or bad design, and abandoned due to that. ---
**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2013, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/283 "2013-01-20T23:06:57Z")
I’m thinking that unless some actual person can actually vouch for the thing, I doubt that any answer will satisfy. After 12,000+ thread views, I believe this one’s even beyond The Master. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2013, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/284 "2013-01-20T23:14:51Z")
One of my friends, an engineer, said this: \*it is not a UFO, it could be some kind of septic tank, but who knows. \*I checked for images of septic tanks and could not find one that even remotely could be this. So no help there. ---
**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:** [January 20, 2013, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/285 "2013-01-20T23:33:11Z")
A thought occurs to me: This thing appears to be made out of some uncommon metal (titanium, or magnesium, or perhaps aluminum). A chunk of metal that big would have significant scrap value, and whoever made it originally (and who thus had to procure the raw materials) would be strongly aware of that fact. And given that it’s not expected to ever serve its original purpose again (else it wouldn’t be sitting out in the elements), we can conclude that whoever threw it out just didn’t think of the possibility of selling it for scrap. This implies that whatever it was used for originally, it was used for it for an extended time, until after the original creator had died, retired, or otherwise moved on. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2013, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/286 "2013-01-20T23:44:46Z")
Just a quick heads-up: I believe the questions have been answered. Let me create some web-scale photos and I will post them. Get a fresh beer and some popcorn… ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2013, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/287 "2013-01-20T23:54:45Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > …we can conclude that whoever threw it out just didn’t think of the possibility of selling it for scrap. But would a university researcher have any incentive to sell it for scrap? Even if the university rules allowed for it, the money will likely not go to that researcher. Most researchers would find it easier to “excess” the item. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/288 "2013-01-21T00:02:23Z")
So I happened to get back to the site today, unexpectedly. Here are the original photos, for reference: [ul] [li][Grid Ball 1](http://www.dgath.com/misc/grid_ball.jpg)[/li][li][Grid Ball 2](http://www.dgath.com/misc/grid_ball_2.jpg)[/li][li][Grid Ball 3](http://www.dgath.com/misc/grid_ball_3.jpg)[/li][/ul] And here are some new ones that will probably answer every question raised: [ul] [li][Grid Ball 4](http://www.dgath.com/misc/grid_ball_4.jpg)[/li][li][Grid Ball 5](http://www.dgath.com/misc/grid_ball_5.jpg)[/li][li][Grid Ball 6](http://www.dgath.com/misc/grid_ball_6.jpg)[/li][li][Grid Ball 7](http://www.dgath.com/misc/grid_ball_7.jpg)[/li][/ul] FWIW, I am sure it’s an aluminum alloy, and I’d guess its weight at about 250-300 pounds. ---
**Author:** ![Notassmartasithought](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c0e974/32.png) [@Notassmartasithought](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Notassmartasithought)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/289 "2013-01-21T00:06:43Z")
Oh yeah, Nitro, that helps me a lot. Not! ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/290 "2013-01-21T00:07:23Z")
> [@NitroPress](#): > > And here are some new ones that will probably answer every question raised… Those pix raise more questions than they answer. Is #5 an interior shot? ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/291 "2013-01-21T00:08:20Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Those pix raise more questions than they answer. I don’t think so. It’s clearly a nonfunctional object, made from very poorly cast and fitted components. (Yes, #5 is an interior shot - look at the poorly cast elements compared to the other, better-made ones.) Art. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/292 "2013-01-21T00:09:05Z")
Thanks! Looks even more insane now. I think we can rule out the “mold” theory, given that there are some bolts on the inside, and the inside surface is inconsistent (some segments are chamfered and others aren’t). I’d have to go with the “art” theory. ---
**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:** [January 21, 2013, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/293 "2013-01-21T00:17:21Z")
The interior shot puzzles me, since the pieces clearly aren’t identical. Some have those rounded-off corners, while some are sharp. I can’t imagine _any_ reason why that would be so: No matter its purpose, surely it’d be easier to make all of the segments on a given latitude identical? And that pole is just plain sloppy. Hm, perhaps the individual segments weren’t all made by the same person? I’m picturing an engineering class, maybe (on metal casting or machining, or whatever), where the students have as their final project making the individual segments, and when they’ve all made their segments, they’re put together into the big ball. The ball itself wouldn’t have any purpose once it was completed, and so it was thrown out. And some of the students did a better job than others, hence the irregular interior and the hole in the one pipe and so on. Basically, I’m importing the “masterwork piece” explanation from the Roman dodecahedron thread into this one. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/294 "2013-01-21T00:21:53Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > Could it be a sculpture? You said there appears to be a dismantled sculpture nearby. Maybe this is one, too. :clears throat: ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/295 "2013-01-21T00:25:59Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > :clears throat: Your intuition is noted. I also noticed at least one other large metal sculpture dismantled in the area. Game, set, match. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/296 "2013-01-21T00:26:27Z")
So, somebody’s building their own Cerebro, but gave up when they couldn’t a sufficiently powerful psychic hamster to put in the center of it. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/297 "2013-01-21T00:27:40Z")
Photo #4 is the clincher, I think - it’s either an ill-concieved attempt to make something functional, or it’s a display/art piece - the top segments don’t fit together at all. I’m going with ‘art’, primarily to be viewed from the angle seen in photo #6. ---
**Author:** ![Troppus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a587f6/32.png) [@Troppus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troppus)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/298 "2013-01-21T00:29:22Z")
S’that the landmine that floated up on Gilligan’s Island? ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/299 "2013-01-21T00:35:09Z")
Is there anyone on the premises that might be able to shed some light on the situation? A classroom, a teacher, a janitor, a Jedi? ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2013, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/300 "2013-01-21T00:37:25Z")
Tolja. Art. Imprecise, leaky, beholder-or-no, ART. Gotta admit, tho - really had us going for a while there. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989.md?page=14) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989.md?page=16)