Saturday, September 4, 2010

What can't we do?

A sign in a gas station in Brcko District, Bosnia, August 31 2010
I just got back from Brčko district, Bosnia, where I saw this confusing sign at a gas station. Can anyone tell what specifically is being banned here?

I get the fire one, but what is that other thing? A seal? A vacuum? An arthropod?

27 comments:

Ninjasuperspy said...

Looks like an angle grinder...? Is using power tools at the gas station a problem in Bosnia?

Galspanic said...

I think it might be a catfish or a squilla, but it seems pretty angry.

Galspanic said...

By the way, very cool name that district has.

Galspanic said...

Also, hello ninjasuperspy!

Litcube said...

Is it a gas pump handle?

AI-BU9 said...

No Slave-1 parking here.

Hn. Vic G Dada said...

Do not surprise the power tool.
Do not threaten the angle grinder, it has spider sense.

Lungclops said...

No crawling out of the primordial muck to take your first tentative steps on dry land?

Galspanic said...

Do not touch the screaming headless robot who is fucking a archery target?

FAKA! said...

I second the No Slave 1 parking as mentioned by AI-BU9... apparently Boba Fett is not popular in Bosnia... though No Button Pushing Robotic Catfish would be my other guess.

Heeero said...

I thought it was just a robot doing push ups. What's wrong with an android trying to get some exercise?

Mr. Pony said...

Maybe if you are that thing or are carrying that thing, you know that this sign means you.

Hn. Vic G Dada said...

No sparks.

Litcube said...

I'd bet my balls that Ninjasuperspy + Hn. Vic G Dada = correct answer. They're trying to show "no sparks".

http://www.google.ca/images?hl=en&rlz=1G1ACAW_ENCA392&q=angle%20grinder&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1659&bih=844

kamapuaa said...

I asked my Bosnian friend about this, and she had no idea either. She's checking with the home country, so hopefully we'll get an answer.

Mr. Pony said...

OH DEAR GOD THAT GUY'S FACE

kamapuaa said...

Is it maybe a badly rendered bluetooth headset?

Mr. Pony said...

Are we voting? Because it's an angle grinder. I once used an angle grinder to cut through the cord of that very same angle grinder.

Galspanic said...

That's funny, because I once used a power saw to cut through the cable of the very same power saw.

Why do you think that guy put an angle grinder to his face, anyway?

Ruby Tenneco said...

Yes, my friend James also spotted it as an angle grinder, and I think the 'no sparks' theory is probably good.

But were they really having problems with people grinding angles into things while they were buying gas?

I do also like the possibility that Boba Fett ruined his reputation in Bosnia at some point and isn't allowed to fuel up there.

Litcube said...

Dudes, it doesn't matter if it's an angle grinder (which is totally is). The message is "no sparks". Sparks are bad if you're at a gas station. I suppose they figured that the angle grinder would be synonymous with the creation of sparks!

Lungclops said...

No one's asking the important question, which is: What does it say about Bosnian culture that an angle grinder is assumed to be immediately recognizable to the average gas station patron?

bekah said...

That is a an important questions IF you think it's an angle grinder. I'm going with a robot who has fallen over into a puddle of gasoline so don't light a match.

Mr. Pony said...

I wonder what the powerful angle grinder lobby has to say about this sign.

Litcube said...

Seriously, though, it's a shitty infographic of an angle grinder.

kamapuaa said...

Footnote to this thread: my Bosnian connection informs me that this does indeed mean "usage of any devices that can create a spark is forbidden".

Galspanic said...

Wow, wait...so we actually had someone look into this?

That's AMAZING!