W00t! It's time for this week's collaboration with the always perplexing What Is It? Blog. Can you tell us what the strange contraption above is used for?
Place your guess in the comment section. One guess per comment, please, though you can enter as many guesses as you'd like. Please post no URL or web link - doing so will invalidate your entry.
Two prizes as usual: the first correct guess and the funniest yet wrong guess will each win a T-shirt from the NeatoShop. Your pick (we suggest checking out our Science T-Shirts and Funny T-Shirts sections). Important: Please write your T-shirt selection along with your guess. If you don't make a selection, you forfeit the prize.
For more clues, check out the What Is It? Blog. Good luck!
Update 7/17/10 - the answer is: A British Absolute Block Signaling Instrument, used to "facilitate the safe operation of a railway by preventing more than one train from occupying a defined section of route at the same time. This system is used on double or multiple lines where use of each line is assigned a direction of travel." The Millom Station is in the town of Millom in Cumbria, England.Congratulations to Edward who got it right out of the bat, and to Uncle Mark for the gastrointestinal system status device! Sadly, he didn't choose a T-shirt.
Inner dorkiness, white, medium.
funny t-shirt: clever/stupid.
(Neatoramabot T please!)