Arts: What?s That Thing? Mysterious Wires Edition

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Brow Beat What's That Thing? Mysterious Wires Edition By Mark Vanhoenacker Posted Tuesday, Apr 24, 2012, at 12:39 PM ET The first in a new occasional series in which we examine mysterious or overlooked objects in our visual landscape. If you would like to suggest an object for the series, see the email address provided below. Look closely at the picture above. See the wire attached to the lamppost? While the photo above was taken in New York, such wires can also be seen in St. Louis, Denver… even Overland Park, Kansas. They are easy to miss. Here's another nearly invisible example: What is that thin line, flickering in the sunlight? I'll give you a few guesses: a) They're supplemental electrical wires. When the strain on a local power grid reaches a certain point, these supplemental cables equalize static charges between adjacent sections of the grid.   b) They're a religious thing. To faithful observants, the wires mark a boundary between two different kinds of "domain." c) They're leftover guerilla marketing. When Leonard Cohen toured the U.S. in 2005, a PR firm put up wires as a visual pun on the songs "Bird on a Wire" and "Everybody Knows." Most were unlicensed in the first place and were never taken down. d) They're used for public construction. When repair or installation crews need to pull a telephone or telecom cable over a busy road, they can attach it to the wire and pull it across to the other pole, without having to interrupt traffic on either the road or the sidewalk. Did you make ... To continue reading, click here. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate Income Inequality: Is the Problem the Top 1 Percent or the Bottom 60 Percent? Weigel: The New Romney Spokesman Who Deleted Everything Interesting From His Twitter Feed A History of The Simpsons Dissing the Fox Network	Advertisement
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