# 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:** 21
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/401 "2013-06-16T22:35:23Z")
Damn! After reading thru 13+ pages of posts, I’m dying to know what in the Hell that thing is! 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/402 "2013-06-16T22:36:15Z")
> [@CC](#): > > 1. What is “art for art’s sake”? and how does it differ from art? Okay, as long as Someone Who Isn’t Me has re-animated this thread, I’ll throw in this tangential remark: There used to be a very off-beat art gallery in Cambria (touristy beach town on Central California coast) called [What Iz Art?](https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/p480x480/74922_517780254920768_1906713346_n.jpg) that specialized in very off-beat art. Their motto was: [Good Art Won’t Match Your Sofa](https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/p480x480/3425_546443952054398_1366300348_n.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/403 "2013-06-16T22:36:34Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Priceless. A great case of I don’t know much about Art, but I know what I like, fuck you very much. +1! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/404 "2013-06-17T01:31:18Z")
Damn, being bumped I thought someone had solved this. ---
**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/405 "2013-06-17T14:07:41Z")
Given the OP is still active and was on-line today, I do rather hope he will drop past and put us out of our misery. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/406 "2013-06-17T22:06:41Z")
> [@Toucanna](#): > > (Not worth starting a new thread, so I’m re-animating this one. Also, emphasis is mine.) > > I respectfully beg to differ: [3ders.org - The art of 3D print failure | 3D Printing news](http://www.3ders.org/articles/20121025-the-art-of-3d-print-failure.html). 😃 You found out what it is? You found out what it is? You found out… AWWWWWW! ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2013, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/407 "2013-06-18T11:45:08Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > 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. I’m going with an engineering prototype. They know its not fit to operate. They are demonstrating the concept of an assembly that astronauts can put together and maintain. The whole thing was made with molten drink cans so it didn’t cost much. (could be worth a lot as aluminium scrap, but they are keeping it in case they want to use it again ? Perhaps mount it in a building foyer ? Or sell it to the Louvre ?) ---
**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:** [June 19, 2013, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/408 "2013-06-19T00:08:10Z")
I’m still going with “final project for some sort of class in metal casting”. ---
**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:** [June 29, 2013, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/409 "2013-06-29T14:09:08Z")
> [@Francis\_Vaughan](#): > > Given the OP is still active and was on-line today, I do rather hope he will drop past and put us out of our misery. Sorry, I don’t subscribe to any threads because I post in far too many of them, so topics sometimes drop below my radar. There is no question in my mind that the grid ball is an art project. I’ve visited it several times in past months. The yard managers actually moved it - and scared the hell out of me, I thought it was gone - and it’s still piled with a dozen other large dismantled sculptures. I am going to make another serious attempt at buying it, but the salvage yard materials are in a “no man’s land” of ownership between several different entities, and each swears they have no jurisdiction over the item’s disposition. I wish I had the balls to just drive over there with a hoist truck this weekend and take the stupid thing (and then make a donation to the U’s art program or something.) But I’d probably end up with a felony burglary rap or such. Crap. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/410 "2013-06-29T15:20:56Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > There is no question in my mind that the grid ball is an art project. **I’ve visited it several times in past months.** The yard managers actually moved it - and scared the hell out of me, I thought it was gone - and it’s still piled with a dozen other large dismantled sculptures. “It’s such a cruel world we live in. But don’t worry honey. One day you’ll be mine, and we’ll never be apart again.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/411 "2013-06-29T15:56:51Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > I wish I had the balls I know of this huge metal one… ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/412 "2013-06-29T19:04:41Z")
Just read this & followed all the links. Most interesting & fun. I am now blind, time to go watch TV. ---
**Author:** ![Neidhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/413 "2013-06-29T21:09:11Z")
I can’t see it. IE tells me that [dgath.com](http://dgath.com) is a known malicious website! ---
**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:** [June 29, 2013, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/414 "2013-06-29T21:27:44Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > “It’s such a cruel world we live in. But don’t worry honey. One day you’ll be mine, and we’ll never be apart again.” _sigh_ I visit the location once a week and have about an hour to kill there, and it’s tremendously photogenic. I wander all over the place shooting odd things in various weather. The grid ball just happens to be in the center of the facility. > [@Neidhart](#): > > I can’t see it. IE tells me that [dgath.com](http://dgath.com) is a known malicious website! No feckin’ way. It’s one of my private hosting sites and there are no “active” files or platforms of any kind there, nor any outside upload capability. I hate these generic profile evaluators. ETA: Just checked using several browsers; no warnings encountered. If you see it again, please PM me. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/415 "2013-06-29T21:54:13Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’m still going with “final project for some sort of class in metal casting”. I’m still going with: “once Amateur Barbarian gets into their garage it will hatch.” ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2013, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/416 "2013-06-30T01:25:18Z")
**Grid Ball Unmasked At Last!** Funny this thread should pop up again today, just when we find this in a nearby thread: > [@What the heck am I seeing here? \[optical illusion\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-heck-am-i-seeing-here-optical-illusion/662210/1): > > “25 of the most mind-blowing optical illusions ever posted on the Web” > > [http://now.msn.com/funny-optical-illusions](http://now.msn.com/funny-optical-illusions) > > All of these photos are fun to study and I can figure out what is weird and why it looks weird for all of them except one. What are we seeing in the second (of 25) picture which looks like a globe of grass? **ZenBeam** was quick to notice this, at Post #4: > [@What the heck am I seeing here? \[optical illusion\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-heck-am-i-seeing-here-optical-illusion/662210/4): > > Oh no, another [grid ball](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=678744)! No, maybe this is _the Grid Ball!_ 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2013, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/417 "2013-06-30T02:57:55Z")
> [@GusNSpot](#): > > Just read this & followed all the links. > Most interesting & fun. > I am now blind, time to go watch TV. Jesus, I know people like to read GQ and all. But what they say about going blind isn’t really true. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2013, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/418 "2013-06-30T03:51:05Z")
Something tells me this thing is the third word that ends in -gry. ---
**Author:** ![Valorous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/76d3ee/32.png) [@Valorous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valorous)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2013, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/419 "2013-06-30T14:00:20Z")
It looks very similar to this, especially with that outer tube/ring. > **[File:Comex diving sphere mg 6144.jpg](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Comex_diving_sphere_mg_6144.jpg)** ---
**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:** [June 30, 2013, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/420 "2013-06-30T16:46:51Z")
Vaguely, but there’s no way the object of this thread is watertight, much less pressure-tight. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989.md?page=20) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989.md?page=22)