Pascal Derrien

4 years ago · 2 min. reading time · ~10 ·

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That's Smart

That's Smart

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The writing thingie came back to hunt me again the last few days but purposely I thought I (and most probably you too) would welcome a step away from the human psyche and its exploration. While I am not ready to write about the seven best ways about the seven best ways just yet I thought that maybe I could talk about something that caught my attention recently. 

Hang on and don't get overexcited because I am telling you now its pretty ordinary. That said I like mundane there is something almost poetic and reassuring in everyday existence isn't it ? So what am I talking about? I think its a urban artifact. Some may call it street furniture but I cannot tell you what the thing is precisely. Its an electric box of some description which seem to have an engineering function. I guess they are pretty useful and serve a definite purpose since I have come across quite a few of them while running or cycling. 

They are normally concentrated in urban areas, I am not sure but since most of them seem to have mushroomed near traffic lights I guess they must be a command center of some kind. Frankly they look pretty dull, they don't have an imposing size either. Maybe I should make some research and tell you exactly what it is but that's not what I want to talk about, if you know please feel free to enlight us. In the meantime how about we tacitly decide to park that aspect for a while.

I don't know if it is the local city council, an artist or the company looking after the traffic lights but somebody came up with the idea that maybe there was an opportunity to jazz up the visuals and add a bit of funk to those metallic boxes. Well whoever that was kudos to whoever then :-)

I went on a small cycle spin yesterday and I took the photo above for you. Its pretty nice well at least it's much better than dirt or crappy graffs sprays in my opinion. There are roughly ten of them who have been customised within my catchment area. All the themes are pretty different and cover football, trees or abstract. One has even a beautiful peacock on it.   

I am no expert in urbanism , I cannot tell you if it refers to X or Y and I could not care less. I am not going to come up either with some smoky theories about off the ground concept or pop intent. No, none of that au contraire. The only reflection that came to mind when I got back on my bike yesterday was pretty down to earth. I think I mumbled something along the lines of...

That's Smart 



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Written Material Copyright 2019 -Pascal Derrien-

#Photo Credit #-Pascal Derrien- #Material Copyright #Smart #way
Comments

Fay Vietmeier

4 years ago #33

Pascal Derrien Thanks Pascal for sharing the song I'll look it up the "dogs" will argue ;~)

Pascal Derrien

4 years ago #32

#32
@faye only one girl Evie aka Fifille a doll with her mind of her own as the famous aristocats song goes , everybody wants to be cat !!!

Fay Vietmeier

4 years ago #31

#31
Pascal Derrien Then you are with me a member of the "Fellowship of Felines" What is your feline friends name? (mine are: Joyful-Oreo ... who looks like a skunk & eats like a pig ;~) Princess Graceling "Gracie" ... meaning survivor /Dharma my emotionally intelligent feline ... and Jeremiah "canned honey") You may enjoy my post from awhile back "Herding Cats" “A cat has absolute emotional honesty: human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a cat does not.” Earnest Hemingway https://www.bebee.com/producer/@fay-vietmeier-pennsylvania/herding-cats-wise-herdsmen-coaching-collaborating-and-compromising-for-consensus-202453

Pascal Derrien

4 years ago #30

#28
I am a cat whisperer according to my kids 🐈 I have great discussions with our cat 🐱

Pascal Derrien

4 years ago #29

#29
many many 🙏 thanks for confirming my initial guess 😉

Fay Vietmeier

4 years ago #28

Pascal Derrien @AliAnani Jim Murray Debasish Majumder John Rylance Proma \ud83d\udc1d Nautiyal Tausif Mundrawala I did a quick search / 99% this is the "mystery" box is "Sitraffic" (traffic control & management + more) https://new.siemens.com/global/en/products/mobility/road-solutions/traffic-management/strategic-management-and-coordination/centrals/advanced-traffic-management.html https://assets.new.siemens.com/siemens/assets/api/uuid:5b21b17c86faa4bb6c3b2766d2f4c303f46abdf3/version:1520603474/sitraffic-centrals-v2-en-180120.pdf

Fay Vietmeier

4 years ago #27

Pascal Derrien That made me smile "Kat" How did could get dubbed "Kat"?

Pascal Derrien

4 years ago #26

#26
the funny thing is that my nickname is .... Kat 😺

Fay Vietmeier

4 years ago #25

Pascal Derrien my response reflects my curious nature ... I think I have been too long keeping company with cats ... who are reputed to be curious creatures ... I guess the expression "curiosity killed the cat" might apply here It did not occur to me that the "Mystery Box" is locked;~) Locked does mean "no entry" ... or only those with an approved key and would signal - we are not supposed to ask or know ;~) My son calls me the "queen of questions" ... my curiosity is always seeking answers ;~) The "mysteries" I love are found on the pages of Louise Penny's books Glad your biking and taking care of your "jar of clay"

Pascal Derrien

4 years ago #24

#24
Fay Vietmeier no I did not even attempt to open my assumption is you need a special key that said it never occurred to me to do so 🤔 was a bit cold so got cycling relatively weekly I am actually ok not knowing it keeps the whole thing on mystery terms 😉

Fay Vietmeier

4 years ago #23

Pascal Derrien I like your conclusion Pascal Did you lift the lid & look inside? and what is the bag laying by the mystery box? I am a very curious creature ... I probably go to some "authority" and ask WTHAT?... WATH?

Pascal Derrien

4 years ago #22

#22
indeed that would not be the first time in my case John ☝️

John Rylance

4 years ago #21

#19
It could be subliminal advertising, which in my case was successful and in yours a failure. Perhaps you just drop by it, while I stopped and looked, and so it goes.

Pascal Derrien

4 years ago #20

#20
I passed by the peacock this morning 🤔 a community fridge now that would a cool thing Proma \ud83d\udc1d Nautiyal

Proma Nautiyal

4 years ago #19

Hi Pascal Derrien, that is a cute piece of art, indeed. Do you think it could be community fridge or something where people can come and deposit/collect food? It does have Siemens written on it and has a lid on the top. If it indeed is, that's three cheers for both humanity and creativity. Thanks for sharing this creative brilliance. I would love to see the one with the peacock on it, too! :)

Pascal Derrien

4 years ago #18

#18
thanks John Rylance very observant I guess that’s a fair assumption I did not even noticed it 😉

John Rylance

4 years ago #17

I notice the name Siemens on the box. It's possible it contains all the local phone/internet connections. The globe in the middle suggests the World Wide Web. Next it will be trending on Social Media. Wonder if it's up for a "selfie". 

Pascal Derrien

4 years ago #16

#15
ah Harvey Lloyd since I only speak kat no wonder why I did not get it 😄

Pascal Derrien

4 years ago #15

#14
oh I like that Ian Weinberg no more flat bananas in the rear pocket then genius it is 🤣

Harvey Lloyd

4 years ago #14

It appears that our canine friends were tired of the same old fire hydrant. They too needed some urban renewal. So municipalities offered different size and color boxes for our friends to mark and let their friends know they were their. They couldn't use a touch screen so they needed places to leave their signal.

Ian Weinberg

4 years ago #13

Definately a biscuit tin Pascal Derrien - it’s for cyclists that become peckish at traffic lights🚦 Well known in urban areas!

Pascal Derrien

4 years ago #12

#11
#12 thanks for sharing that link some pretty kool stuff in there, phones and walking aren't too bad too many people on their phones while driving Ken Boddie :-)

Ken Boddie

4 years ago #11

Further to below, Pascal, and assuming that you appreciate ‘street art’ or ‘urban art’, have a look at this link: https://juddyroller.com.au/ Just make sure you’re not wearing socks! 😳

Ken Boddie

4 years ago #10

#9
#10. Hey, Pascal Derrien, perhaps the best we can hope for is that the bright paint will stop the kids walking into those boxes while on their phones. 😂 And not just kids. I almost got trampled by a big guy just now, walking with his phone in his hand, in the shopping mall I’m in. BTW I’m writing this on my phone, but sitting down having a coffee while I write. Don’t want to be charged with ‘jay talking’. 🤣😂🤣

Pascal Derrien

4 years ago #9

#9
I am simple guy I am easily amused Fatima 😉 now on the smart phone question I think we may need a bit more than fancy boxes but hey that’s a start 🤔

🐝 Fatima G. Williams

4 years ago #8

Happiness in simple things aye 😉 Pascal Derrien At least you get inspiration while you ride, most of my ideas cloud my head just when I am about to fall asleep🤨🤨 Those boxes may attract the kids off their smartphones, you think so 🤪🤪?

Pascal Derrien

4 years ago #7

#7
true most of my ideas come on a bike or while running thanks for dropping by Jim and enjoy the sauna 😉

Jim Murray

4 years ago #6

Inspiration is best gained on a bike ride. Nice simple piece. And yes there is something wonderfully reassuring about mundane stuff. I decided to have a mundane day myself. The boxes we have over here are cable junctions and they are all a kind of a dull 'don't look at me' green. Now I'm going to have a sauna. Not exactly mundane for a lot of people. But it is if you have one in your basement.

Pascal Derrien

4 years ago #5

#5
thanks 🙏 Debasish Majumder there is quite a lot of stuff happening around those traffic lights 🚦 isn’t it 😉

Debasish Majumder

4 years ago #4

excellent buzz Pascal Derrien! Today only i was thinking about the traffic signals and amazed about the devise being crafted to draw attention of the drivers of vehicles and how the speed is being controlled which can only comprehend by human eye! the varying of wave length determines a lot whether inside the brain or outside object being reflected by light which usually white! enjoyed read and shared. thank you very much for the buzz.

Pascal Derrien

4 years ago #3

#3
many thanks buddy a sight for sore eye indeed :-)

Pascal Derrien

4 years ago #2

#1
thanks for dropping by Ali the search has begun 🤔👀☝️

Ali Anani

4 years ago #1

AMbiguity has its attraction sometimes. I too wonder what the hell these boxes are. They are as amusing as these emojis are 😤😤😭😭

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