# What is this thing? \[Strange grid ball\]

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989>\
**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:** 7\
**Page:** 24

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**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\
**Post date:** [October 10, 2015, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/462 "2015-10-10T15:04:52Z")

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It may be art, but I think it is also packaging. Because I found the thing that [it](https://flic.kr/p/zDmvn2) [contained](https://flic.kr/p/zkXoTM). It was clearly an immature Death Star egg.

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**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\
**Post date:** [October 10, 2015, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/463 "2015-10-10T16:02:06Z")

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> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#):
>
> The only reference to an artist name is “Bart.”

Hmmmm

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**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\
**Post date:** [October 10, 2015, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/464 "2015-10-10T16:06:04Z")

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If it turns out to be a famous but lost work of art they might want to to be on a panel and talk about your experiences.

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**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/465 "2018-02-21T22:59:19Z")

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A very similar object, though much larger. A tank for holding acid used in paper production, circa 1938.

> **[If you want to see the 400,000-pound ‘acid ball’ being moved, here’s where to go](https://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/local/article201185479.html)**
>
> A more than 400,000-pound artifact of the waterfront’s industrial past will leave for its new home starting Wednesday morning.

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**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/466 "2018-02-21T23:17:18Z")

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It’s obviously a Coulomb compressor used for manufacturing Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulators(™).

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**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/467 "2018-02-22T00:47:32Z")

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> [@Projammer](#):
>
> It’s obviously a Coulomb compressor used for manufacturing Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulators(™).

No, it’s not. And I would know…

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**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-thing-strange-grid-ball/646989/468 "2018-02-22T03:42:23Z")

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Methinks thou dost protest too much.

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