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SearchResearch Challenge (1/31/19): What’s going on in these photos?

Dan Russell • January 31, 2018
 SearchReSearch
Republished with permission from SearchReSearch
SearchResearch Challenge (1/31/19): What’s going on in these photos? Dan Russell

Every so often...

... you run across a photo that makes you ask, "What's going on here?" You take a look, and think "hmmm...."

Often, these are images that you find in things you're reading; a figure, photo, or illustration that makes you pause and wonder. And usually, the text on the page will give you a good clue about the backstory.

But then there are the decontextualized pics. Like as not, these are photos that you've taken somewhere along the way, and you run across them on your way to looking for something else.

Here are two such photos I ran across recently on my hard drive--images that made me wonder "What's going on here?"

Can you figure out what's happening in each of these images?


1. What's up with these railroad tracks? They see very odd, yet familiar. Why are there three rails? (I'll spare you the metadata extraction task. This image was taken at: 38.908711, -77.068983)

Link to original

Those rails seem awfully familiar. Any idea why? Hmmm....




2. Here's another picture I got from a friend, obviously taken late at night at the Googleplex back in December, 2013. What's the backstory on the dinosaur? Why pink flamingos? And what's with all the yarn?? (Extra credit: What's the dinosaur's name?)

Link to original

I was there, but obviously don't remember much about this incident with the dinosaur in the night. Can you fill me in on the yarn, flamingos, and dinosaur?


As always, you get virtual SRS points for figuring out the Challenge. But your name will be lovingly inscribed in platinum letters on the SRS eternal heavenly charter if you also tell us how you figured it out.

What did you have to search for to get the backstory on the triple rails? What kind of clever searching did you do to discover the dinosaur's name. (Who knew that dinos could even have a name?)

Search on!




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About the Author

Dan RussellDan Russell

I study the way people search and research. I guess that makes me an anthropologist of search. I am FIA's Future-ist in Residence. More »

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