This week’s Random Object is brought to us by Tore Bellis.  Check out his bio by clicking here.

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Tore:  “I know you said random object but are there rules?  How random an object?  I am at a loss as to which of the thousands of random flotsam from my apartment would be best to photograph.  And I choose the word flotsam deliberately. Stuff collects in my place like shipwrecked cargo floating in on the tide.”

I was certain I’d like anything Tore selected.   Plus I haven’t influenced others in their selection of random objects—I figured I’d leave it up to him to decide.

He handed me several objects to choose from… actually, it was a never ending assortment of items to choose from.  One of them I politely looked at and wondered how in the world I’d make the item interesting.  It looked a bit boring to me.

Then he began to read the manual that accompanied the item.

There was a Large indicator and a Small indicator… hereby known as “L” and “S”.  He instructed me on how to properly move the indicators…

Tore:  “Let’s solve the problem:  5 x 7. ”

I looked at him and the device in my hands with doubt.  One, I know the answer and two… that’s why we have calculators!

Then he told me to slide “L” to 5 and “S” to 10.

Tore:  “Now slide “L” until the “S” is at 7.  What number does it land on?”

By this time I couldn’t remember what problem we were solving.

Denise:  “35.”

Tore:  “That’s it!”

Suddenly this strange device seemed quite interesting and a good candidate for Random Object Wednesday.

He flipped through the manual to more complicated topics that bored me.

Then he chuckled and said,  “My dad found a typo.  He wrote the correct answer in the manual.”

That’s when this object became the right choice for Random Object Wednesday.

I don’t personally know the original owner of this Slide Rule—just that it’s Tore’s father—who has been deceased for many years.  Anyone that can find such a tool useful and who can discover typos in the manual has to be a brain—which Tore has confirmed with various stories about his father.

I’m hoping this selection of photos pays a nice tribute to the memory of Tore’s father.  I was particularly fond of the photo above because it had the human element with the handwritten correction in the manual as well as the last name ‘Bellis’ written on the storage case for the slide rule.

Tips:
Anything can be interesting if you take enough time to learn more about it and its connection to another person.

Cameras used:  
Canon G11
Canon EOS 5D Mark II (Big Bertha)  I used the Compact Micro 50mm lens.
Date:  October 2013

Random Object Wednesday
All are invited to participate in Random Object Wednesday!  Check out the calendar for upcoming participants and openings.