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SearchResearch Challenge (3/24/21): What ARE those things?

Dan Russell • March 24, 2021
 SearchReSearch
Republished with permission from SearchReSearch
SearchResearch Challenge (3/24/21): What ARE those things? Dan Russell

I constantly ask why, what, where, who, and how...

Gratuitous curious internet cat image, although she's probably
wondering why you haven't delivered her next meal yet...

... yes, that means I'm as curious as a cat, but if you read this blog, you're probably equally curious.


Today's Challenges are about those moments when you're wandering around and you spot something that you just don't understand. I my case, I usually take a photo and then SearchResearch it when I get home.

Here are three images I took recently that I had to think about. Can you figure these out as well? Perhaps you see things like this and wonder, curiously, what's going on. Let's figure these out together.


1. What's going on here? Or, more properly, what happened here? This seems a bit... unusual, no?

Link


2. And what's this thing? This is from Southern California, and you see them everywhere... but I've always wondered what they're doing. What it this and what does it do? (They usually have the yellow warning post, but not always...)

Link


3. Finally, this is a common thing to see along roadsides in more rural parts of the state. What is that silver canister with the orange label? What does it do?

Link


These are full, clickable images (if you want to download them at full resolution).

Let us know what you think they are--and, of course, HOW you figured it out!

We want to learn from the best of our SearchResearch practice.


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. While I work at Google, my blog and G+ posts reflects my own thoughts and not those of my employer. I am FIA's Future-ist in Residence. More »

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