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Carpal Tunnel
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Context: Curious George, a book by H A Rey (Anyone stlll have a copy? Or anyone’s children, or grandchildren?)
On page 31 are two pictures, one above the other. In the first the Man in the Yellow Hat is sitting at his desk dialing the telephone; George is watching. In the second, the man has left, and George is standing on the same chair at the desk, imitating, dialing the telephone. What fun!
On the desk are three items: 1) a telephone 2) a semicircular block with a handle on top and a blotter on the rounded bottom 3) a thing which is a three-inch circular one-inch-high base, with a foot-long stick stuck into it that curves to horizontal at the top, and hanging from it is a four-inch string attached to a –-
That’s the question. What is that gizmo? The telephone is an old one, and I recognize the blotter, but what’s hanging from the string?
Anyone familiar with the book and still have access to it?
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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I don't know, Dr Wofa, but if no one else comes up with the answer, I can check at the bookstore next week. Curious George recently hit his 50th (?) anniversary, so there's been a lot of hype, reissues, attached merchandise (I want the plush of him in a banana boat!) &c.
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addict
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I don't have a clue either, wofa, but where did you get those measurements? It's been a long time since my kids read Curious George, but I don't recall any pictures that gave dimensions for the objects illustrated. I'm confused..... 
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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where did you get those measurements?I'll bet, being of a scientific bent, he visually assessed a 3:1 ratio and then decided on the order of magnitude appropriate to the size of the other objects. OK, out of my league, I'll go back to words now. 
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Dear wofahulicodoc: I can remember seeing in some offices
a pen hanging as you describe, to keep it from being swiped.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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...or, more precisely, guestimates, based roughly on the size of the telephone. edit: what Anna said. If you look at the picture see if you think my description was at all close !
I have the book in front of me; I'm just puzzled about what that third thing is on the desk. Maybe it's a dangling pen? edit: what Bill said (There isn't an ink bottle until six pages later.)
Actually it looks most like the pendulum you can use to trace pretty patterns in a tray of sand, except that the string is too short and there isn't any sand either... Besides, I doubt they would have put a Lissajous generator into a children's book!
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journeyman
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journeyman
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Okay... just looked through the Curious George Books in the house (all 7 of them). The "thing" on the Man with the Yellow Hat's desk is only in the first book. Although his desk is seen in three of the other books, the "thing" is not on it. My guess as to what it is? It looks like one of those useless yet amusing things that men sometimes have on their desks. They sell big around Father's Day when kids want ot get their dad's something, but don't know what to get them. You know... something that you push the end of and it swings back and forth and gives you something to stare and and do while you are on the phone, or whatever...
....................... /\
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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limericks, double dactyls, and now ascii art! what next? 
formerly known as etaoin...
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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Whilst I have no idea at all what the thing is, I do have to say that I am impressed with your art-work, Tross!
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journeyman
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journeyman
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Thanks Rhubarb... I had never done one before but looking at the picture in the book, it seemed like it would be pretty easy and then everyone would know what the original poster was talking about... However it was ridiculous to do here because everything you type justifies itself to the left, so where you normally would just use spaces, I had to put in dots to keep it from being smashed against the left wall.
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Carpal Tunnel
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/\
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(with liberal application of elbow grease or the [ pre] directive.)
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journeyman
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journeyman
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Mucho impressivo!!
Okay tsuwm... how the heck did you do that??? What is the prime directive? (Don't interfere with the destinies of other civilizations... no, not that!) What is the pre-directive?
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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read the FAQ, READ THE FAQ, READ THE FAQ didn't i tell you this already? some stuff, like Þ is not in there, but pre is! (and there have been complete direction Þ, and Æ elsewhere) now go off and make a limerick about the FAQ, or RTFM! (a conservative boss asked me to do some work with an old dos program.. i had some problems, and complained i could be more productive it i had a chance to RTFM.. he then asked what i meant by RTFM and i replied "Read the Manual" somewhat slow, he repeated "RTFM", and then "read the manual" and then started to ask "what does the F stand for?" by the time the words were out of his mouth, he had figured out the answer, he blushed, and said "never mind.."
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Carpal Tunnel
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>What is the pre-directive?
it stands for "pre-formatted" and, in essence, it means "don't F with my formatting!" [see ot's post] <g>
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journeyman
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journeyman
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Crossing, crossing, crossing Keep those threads a crossing Cross 'em while you're flossing Rawhide... (sorry... having a small mental episode, I'll be fine in a minute...) I have read the damn F-A-Q I can make smiles and write text in blue But I'd skipped o'er the [pre] 'Cause it's all greek to me Of HTML stuff, I havn't a clue.
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Carpal Tunnel
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2) a semicircular block with a handle on top and a blotter on the rounded bottom
I remember those! A desk blotter for use on letters, checks, etc., when we used fountain pens and real ink!
Well, akshully, I still use a Mont Blanc fountain pen that was my Father's... a presentation pen. Great in the hand & never a cramp in fingers when writing with that.
As to the "thing" - from tsuwm's drawing it almost looks like an adjustable desk lamp - if the string was an elecic cord and the bulb was missing.
I give up. You know it's gonna' rattle around in my head - the place where I should have a brain - and drive me nuts!
Thanks? :)
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journeyman
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journeyman
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No, because the thing in the book had only ONE thing hanging down. When pushed with your finger it would provide a sort of pendulum effect except that instead of going just back and forth it would swing in any direction. It would, however, be found in the same section in the store as the ball clicking thing in your link.
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Carpal Tunnel
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you know, I'm thinking this may be a magnet hangy thingy. there's a magnet hidden in the base and the pendulum will create an interesting, almost-perpetual-motion sort of effect. gotta dig up the boys' copy of CG.
formerly known as etaoin...
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Carpal Tunnel
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Oooh. That sounds good. Wayda go, Cygne!
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"I remember those! A desk blotter for use on letters, checks, etc., when we used fountain pens and real ink!
Well, akshully, I still use a Mont Blanc fountain pen that was my Father's... "
I first encountered those blotters in the post office in the Soviet Union, when I went there in 1975. The tables had inkwells and pens to dip in them, and blotters to use afterwards.
I, too, am a fountain pen fan, a habit I picked up from my father as well as a preference for black ink.
I should have a copy of "Curious George" at home somewhere; I'm a big fan of his. Just to prove it I have a t-shirt with his image along with a mouse pad and drinking cup. And a metal pencil box with an image from "Curious George Gets a Job". He is the patron saint of liberal arts majors and people who push buttons to see what happens, because we make marginally foolish decisions and usually get away with it. I wrote an absolutely brilliant essay with the title "Deus ex machina in a big yellow hat" and my disk promptly crashed, so no one but me will ever know.
George the Curious is probably also the patron saint of three year olds, since they have a lot in common with the two previously mentioned categories.
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Carpal Tunnel
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I checked my copy of Curious George and have concluded that I have no idea what that thing is. Let me ask my ancient father...back in a sec...
He said, "I have no idea what that thing is."
So much for that.
I think it looks like a wee sardine hanging from a wee sardine fishing pole. Or little missile.
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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dear of troy I have read the FAQ, I HAVE READ THE FAQ, I HAVE READ THE FAQ and I didn't see anything about funny symbols, making things invisible or smooshing letters together. but I'm hungry so I'd probably take a cookie if you offered me one. And if you're wondering, I am neither e-literate nor illiterate just techno-pathetic. 
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Pooh-Bah
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Crossing, crossing, crossing. . .A poetic, song-adaptation,thread-crossing, smart-alec-answer limerick. Well done Tross, what a great post to make journeyman with!! Very 
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journeyman
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journeyman
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(Think Elvis...)
Ah Thank you... Thank you very much...
No, No, No... not Elvis Costello or Elvis Stroyko... you people are so odd...
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addict
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Folks, here is the A-ha! moment that you have all been waiting for...the dangly object is a...thingamajig!!
^son obvious
(sound of rapidly retreating footfalls...)
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Carpal Tunnel
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I don't know what the hell that is.
(good find, bonz!)
formerly known as etaoin...
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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Looks like a pen on a very short string to me.
I think it would have been a pencil on a piece of very stretchy elastic. There is no ink bottle, despite the roller blotter, and it would seem to predate the ballpoint pen.
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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Just me being a cyberwuss again. When I click on the "Make a shorter link" link all I get is a home page apparently inviting me to make a shorter link. Only once did I get to see the link and I DON'T KNOW HOW!!!
please helllpp meeee[sound fading into the destance e]
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old hand
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old hand
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The makeashoerterlink is still working for me - it does pause before redidecting, maybe it's a bit sluggish.
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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Aha! Thanks sjm that time it did link me. I thought I was suposed to click on something so I probably confused my computer. My vote is split: pencil on a uselessly short string or thingamajig.
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enthusiast
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enthusiast
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How about a suspenditory toothpick?
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Carpal Tunnel
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Is this the one?
http://makeashorterlink.com/?L6C4437E4
Looks like a pen on a very short string to me.
Yep, you got the picture, all right.
I would agree with Bill that it's a pen, but I don't see how it would be suspended that way and still be useful, and I have faith that artists are relatively faithful to their subject. Can anyone confirm? You recognize it because Grampa had one on his desk?
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Carpal Tunnel
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Does anyone else have the sneaking suspicion that the author popped that thingie in the picture to make us curious?
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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wow - This was my first thought.... "Wouldn't George want to play with it or touch it somewhere in the storybooks???
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