What is it? Game 4.

Nonya's right - it's placido's disc for astigmatism (but that's from the answer posted on what is it? blog ...)

I suppose Mark (#14) is the earliest to guess the function (before the answer was posted).

Placido’s disc for Astigmatism
http://pzphotosan148-a1.blogspot.com

That should be OR fire a Hercules flare, not OF fire a flare. Nano machines were battling me for control of my K-Pro keyboard, so although it is a typo it is not a mistake. I do not make mistakes.

Dr. H.

That's one of the Mesmer's murderous hypnotic dazzle-truncheons. This one was thought to be lost when Mesmer's malicious minions were defeated atop the Chase Manhattan HQ in New York some 6 summers back. I thought this one was lost when the Spellbinding Spook lost his balance in the fray and fell 60 sickening stories to the asphalt below. This is the one he held in his right hand; the one for his left hand is in my Trophy Grotto deep under the East Pole in the Himalayas.

It's about 36 inches long and it is surprisingly heavy, weighing 18 pounds. I'd like to have it to complete my souvenir collection of my daring exploits, so if you're the owner, please email me of fire a Hercules flare on a clear night no matter where you live (don't worry, the autosentries on the Sattelite of Secrecy will see it) and I'll make a generous offer to you.

Dr. H.

A glaucoma test. You tell the Optometrist/Opthamologist how many rings you can see.