What is this?

[glatt]

I have no idea. At first glace it looks like an electrical box for home wiring, but then when you look at it closer, you see nothing to back that theory up other than the color and general shape.

I'm imagining a spring wound spool in the center with two strings or cables coming off of it, and a lever action button on top to release/lock the spool. It looks like the two strings/cables would come out where those notches on the bottom are. But they are fully retracted right now.

What is it? I have no idea. What retracts? Some sort of double action retractable clothes line?

Edit: Actually if I go with my clothes line theory, the the cables make a 90 degree turn and come out the front.

[BigV]

Originally Posted by glatt

I have no idea. At first glace it looks like an electrical box for home wiring, but then when you look at it closer, you see nothing to back that theory up other than the color and general shape.

I'm imagining a spring wound spool in the center with two strings or cables coming off of it, and a lever action button on top to release/lock the spool. It looks like the two strings/cables would come out where those notches on the bottom are. But they are fully retracted right now.

What is it? I have no idea. What retracts? Some sort of double action retractable clothes line?

dwellars take note:

this is how glatt thinks.

"I have no idea"

This is a good start and fair because I deliberately presented a good puzzle of a picture. It's not obvious.

"an electrical box?"

An idea at last (or at first). You have to start somewhere. But...

"just the color and shape suggest this, nothing else"

So, no electrical box.

"I imagine a spring wound spool in the center..."

I've gone back to this picture after reading that phrase and I don't see what suggests spring wound spool, but no biggie, we're just thinking out loud here...

"two strings/cables coming off of it, and a lever action button on top to release/lock the spool"

You *can* see a lever at the top and for the observant (and imaginative) there is the suggestion of a latch of some kind where the sides of the end of the lever are not parallel. *spoiler* it's a knob action lever to release the spool, but we're getting ahead of ourselves

"with the strings coming out of the notches on the bottom"

well, um. yeah. right.

"but they are fully retracted right now"

see above. with your freakin x-ray vision.

"What is it? I have no idea. What retracts? Some sort of double action retractable clothes line? "

Here is glatt's only mistake. No, not mistake, but he misspeaks. "I have no idea" Like hell he doesn't we've just walked through his idea. Then, naturally, he names it.

It is a double action retractable clothesline.

Here's the front.