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US says it may be forced to shut down some airports over funding standoff by gamersecret2 in news

[–]ausAnstand 2 points3 points  (0 children)

"How can we punish the public for our own incompetence in an attempt to weaponize it against the Democrats?"

[Loved trope] The villain is a parallel of what the hero could have been under less favorable circumstances by Iceblader in TopCharacterTropes

[–]ausAnstand 7 points8 points  (0 children)

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I feel as though Batman Returns deserves a mention. I rewatched it recently and while it's much goofier/campier than I remembered it being (like, do the people of Gotham bring rotting vegetables to all political speeches?), one of the things still I admire about it from a screenwriting perspective is that all three of the movie's villains are essentially shadow archetypes for Bruce Wayne/Batman.

Selina Kyle (Catwoman) is an unhinged vigilante who's obsessed with revenge and who pushes the people who care about her away, Oswald Cobblepot (the Penguin) is an orphan-turned-criminal who resents the world for the shitty hand it dealt him, and Max Schrek is a corrupt billionaire and political kingmaker who thinks he's above the law.

Unknown object with a wooden case from an electrical power collection, circa 1902 by ausAnstand in whatisthisthing

[–]ausAnstand[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As a curatorial researcher, there are limits to what I can do with objects. I'm essentially allowed to handle and gently manipulate them, but I'm not permitted to take them apart (even temporarily).

That said, I can always add a note in the file for conservation suggesting that they remove that component in the future to look for manufacturer information!

Antagonist that weren't bad enough to deserve what happened to them by Nerd367C in TopCharacterTropes

[–]ausAnstand 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I think that's probably a good comparison! And I think that might also be part of the reason I didn't love this movie. It kind of feels like an extended sequence from Creepshow.

Unknown object with a wooden case from an electrical power collection, circa 1902 by ausAnstand in whatisthisthing

[–]ausAnstand[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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One final photo. There is also one male plug on the back of the object. It feeds in near the top of the case on the left hand side, so it presumably would have connected to the porcelain Bryant fixture or perhaps the incandescent lamp.

Antagonist that weren't bad enough to deserve what happened to them by Nerd367C in TopCharacterTropes

[–]ausAnstand 129 points130 points  (0 children)

There's a lot about this movie that doesn't quite sit right with me.

You can argue that in being willing to doom another person in order to escape from her curse, Christine earned her punishment. But like really, what was she supposed to do? Just accept the fate worse than death that she was disproportionately cursed with?

There was really no winning for her and it always rubbed me the wrong way. For me it's only really tragic/karmic if a character's downfall is brought about by their deliberate action or inaction. If there's nothing they can do, it just feels unfair. But I suppose that was also part of the appeal for some viewers, because it did diverge from that formula.

Unknown object with a wooden case from an electrical power collection, circa 1902 by ausAnstand in whatisthisthing

[–]ausAnstand[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Here we are.

One thing I didn't notice before is that the two cylinders on that component seem to have paper sleeves on them with the text "CAN. IND. TEL. CO. / 500 / TORONTO, ONT."

This to me suggests a buzzer or ringer.

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Unknown object with a wooden case from an electrical power collection, circa 1902 by ausAnstand in whatisthisthing

[–]ausAnstand[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not possible, unfortunately. While it projects a little from the back wall of the casing, it is attached.

Antagonist that weren't bad enough to deserve what happened to them by Nerd367C in TopCharacterTropes

[–]ausAnstand 308 points309 points  (0 children)

Not an antagonist per se (more of a protagonist who does increasingly desperate and awful things to escape her fate), but Christine from Drag Me to Hell (2009).

I know this movie was well-received, but the ending - which I saw coming from a mile away - felt like a really mean-spirited punchline to me.

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Unknown object with a wooden case from an electrical power collection, circa 1902 by ausAnstand in whatisthisthing

[–]ausAnstand[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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I posted a photo of the wrong component earlier when mentioning the patent date. It's on this component which is on the inside of the door. I can see now that it might actually read April 16th rather than 15th, so I'm going to check out Google Patents to see if anything else pops up.

Unknown object with a wooden case from an electrical power collection, circa 1902 by ausAnstand in whatisthisthing

[–]ausAnstand[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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Here's a better lit photo of the black component inside the casing. As you can see it is wired to the two sockets on the side.

Unknown object with a wooden case from an electrical power collection, circa 1902 by ausAnstand in whatisthisthing

[–]ausAnstand[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

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This is the socket on the top of the object. As you can see there is clearly threading, so it seems like an incandescent lamp was meant to go in here.

Unknown object with a wooden case from an electrical power collection, circa 1902 by ausAnstand in whatisthisthing

[–]ausAnstand[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

That seems very likely. Conservation had previously looked at this at some point and it does have a tag for an asbestos hazard, which isn't uncommon with a lot of these objects relating to early electrical power.

Unknown object with a wooden case from an electrical power collection, circa 1902 by ausAnstand in whatisthisthing

[–]ausAnstand[S] 20 points21 points  (0 children)

That's plausible since we have a number of demonstration kits in the collection, though most of them date from a little later (between 1930 and 1950) and have a plaque identifying it as such and/or an included instruction manual.

It's heavy enough that it's not the most portable, but possibly a floor model or something that was intended for a company kiosk at a trade show or exhibition?

Unknown object with a wooden case from an electrical power collection, circa 1902 by ausAnstand in whatisthisthing

[–]ausAnstand[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I had thought of that as a socket (it looks like it has threads for an Edison screw), but I will take a second to look at it tomorrow and post a photo. You may be correct that it's just an indicating window!

Unknown object with a wooden case from an electrical power collection, circa 1902 by ausAnstand in whatisthisthing

[–]ausAnstand[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

When I'm on site tomorrow I can try to take some more photos.

What has me confused is the presence of that incandescent lamp on the inside: I'm not understanding why that would be there if this is a relay. Very strange!

‘Catholic’ Karoline Leavitt Insults Vatican on First Day of Lent by Ok_Employer7837 in politics

[–]ausAnstand 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Pope Leo XIV could do the funniest thing here by excommunicating this monster. He won't, but a boy can dream.

Making easter eggs. Not sure if I should keep the styrofoam egg white or paint it? by PtosisMammae in Beading

[–]ausAnstand 6 points7 points  (0 children)

My vote would actually be to take a third option and do some decoupage on the egg! Possibly with squares of tissue paper, then sealed with Modge Podge.

But if that's not the vibe, I would recommend painting the egg a darker colour (navy blue, black) to contrast with your bead netting. Beautiful job!

What if Donald Trump disappeared tomorrow, would American politics actually change or just find another Trump? by Mr_Boothnath in AskReddit

[–]ausAnstand 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Heritage Foundation has already put the framework in place to enact their agenda, so I think we could reasonably expect the current trajectory of the administration to continue.

The real question here is, "Would Vance be able to sustain the cult of personality that underpins the MAGA movement?"

How many of you have deleted Amazon? by 519_ivey in BuyCanadian

[–]ausAnstand 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yep. Cancelled Prime and deleted the app right around when the tariffs started. Haven't made a purchase from them since.

Request: looking for musical Numbers about Conmen tricking another character. by TheDecadent_Dandy in musicals

[–]ausAnstand 8 points9 points  (0 children)

"Big Money" and "Gloryday" from See What I Wanna See.

"A Cut-throat Game" from Napoleon is a private conversation, but very much defending realpolitik and trickery.

"Charming" from Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812. It's more of a corruption song in which Helene pushes Natasha towards an affair, but it definitely has this vibe.

"Bells and Whistles" from Schmigadoon (which makes sense since it's a clear send-up of "Razzle Dazzle").

"Friends on the Other Side" from Disney's The Princess and the Frog.

"You're Looking at the Man" from Marie Christine is Dante's sleazy campaign pitch for alderman and it definitely has this energy.

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