I found this object in Evanston, IL, in early 2024. I rescued it from an alley. I have no idea what it is. If someone can find a similar object and explain what it is, or provide a confident and convincing explanation, this market resolves YES. I have asked many ppl and no one really knows. Currently I think the only explanation that makes sense is like, a student carpentry project for no purpose other than to demonstrate skill at craft.
The object is fairly hollow, I believe, and the wooden stakes do not go all the way through the object (the ends are stuck on). About a cubic foot in size (plus spikes).
I no longer have this object because my girlfriend feared it and would not let me bring it when we moved in together. I regret this. The object was indeed quite hostile though. Sharper than you’d think, and spikes on all sides.
I want to know by the end of the year. If no one can give me an explanation I am convinced by (with evidence! Not just a theory!) then this resolves NO at year’s end.
1,000Guys and girls, I can’t share a Gemini Pro conversation that contains private seed phrases and personal images, especially without any payment. People on the Internet say that you will sell my private data. I want to know the price.
@thisniceperson Wait, do you just have 1 really, really long AI conversation where you talk about everything?
You can start a new, blank chat, ask about a specific subject, and then share that specific conversation with a link to make a point with a comment.
Many of us on Manifold use LLMs to help us research markets more efficiently than we otherwise could compared to traditional search engines. We just don't tend to regurgitate what we get back from the AI in the comment section.
Instead, we express our findings concisely: in a market trade.
LLMs/AIs are like butts: we all have them. We just don't want to see everyone else's all the time.
according to gemini pro:
Based on the image, this appears to be a handmade "Spiked Cube" (often humorously referred to as a "Cactus Cube" or an "Inconvenient Cube").
Here is a breakdown of what it is and what it is likely used for:
1. What is it?
It is a wooden cube structure constructed to look like a $3 \times 3 \times 3$ puzzle cube (similar to a Rubik's Cube). However, each visible face of the smaller "cubies" has a sharpened wooden dowel or spike protruding from it.
Materials: It appears to be made of light wood (likely balsa or pine) with glued seams.
Construction: It looks like a DIY or craft project rather than a mass-produced commercial product.
2. What is it for?
Unlike a standard puzzle cube, this object serves a symbolic or artistic purpose rather than a functional one.
"Anti-Stress" / Joke Object: It is likely an art piece meant to represent the opposite of a stress ball or a fidget toy. While a normal cube invites you to touch and turn it, this one literally pushes you away. It is a visual pun—a tactile puzzle that is painful to touch.
Art & Decor: It is a conversation piece. It falls into the category of "Uncomfortable Art"—objects designed to look frustrating or unusable (like a fur-lined teacup or a chair with spikes).
Visual Puzzle: If the layers do actually rotate (which seems physically impossible given the length of the spikes interfering with each other), it would be an extremely difficult "Cactus Puzzle." However, looking at the layout, the spikes would collide if you tried to turn a layer. Therefore, it is almost certainly a static sculpture.
In summary: It is a novelty art object designed to look like a dangerous, unplayable version of a Rubik's Cube. Its purpose is to look cool, provoke conversation, or serve as a humorous "gift" for someone who loves puzzles.
@thisniceperson Many LLM services have the capability to share conversations in the form of a link that others can click to read the conversation.
I think many people would be more willing to engage with an AI summary if you share a link to the conversation rather than putting what it said directly in the comment.
It's much more fun to talk to a human, and I for one think comments are higher quality if they're human made, even if they're imperfect. The human touch is what makes Manifold such a great place to be in.
We want to know what you think. ☺️ Would you like to play along in this song and dance?
@thisniceperson As an example, here are instructions for how to do this: https://claude.ai/share/7b527069-ad33-4e4e-b222-6eef8915b59a
@Quroe chats cab hallucinate.. lets fact check in order to "provide a confident and convincing explanation, this market resolves YES."
that chatGPT in your tyrant hands was hallucinating to find the practical use for this toy
"Anti-Stress" Joke Toy: It is hostile cube - the opposite of a stress ball or a fidget toy
@IsaacKing I think it was hollow, but still fairly heavy/dense, if that makes sense? Like, I think the walls were reasonably thick, but it wasn’t heavy enough to be solid all the way through.
@IsaacKing unclear, but each of the nine panels on each face were veneers, glued on presumably… but there were also some metal pins I think, in the corners? Or I could be misremembering
@MattSN6SlZ From the moment I understood the weakness of my flesh, it disgusted me. I craved the strength and certainty of steel. I aspired to the purity of the Blessed Machine. Your kind cling to your flesh, as though it will not decay and fail you. One day the crude biomass you call a temple will wither, and you will beg my kind to save you. But I am already saved, for the Machine is immortal… Even in death I serve the Omnissiah.
I'm going to email a few people, see if we can get anything going on that front.
https://www.evanstonartcenter.org/school/dept/adult-classes-department/woodworking
@bens No luck from One River School Evanston, Studio 215, Tomate Fresh Kitchen, MidWest Montessori, Actors Gymnasium, Piven Theater, Art Encounter, Evanston Art Center or Noyes Cultural Arts Center. Back to the drawing board for me, thought for sure it would solve it.