Asking For Things
Here are some of the found objects that people got in their Asking For Trouble boxes, kindly written, photographed and drawn by the finders.
If you'd like to join in, contact me with your name and location, a description of what you think you have and a photo, scan or drawing of it. We'd really appreciate it!
Thing #1 - Japanese Coin
Woo, I get to do the first thing. I'd like to say I picked my thing at random but of course I really went through the entire box of things sent by Simon P and went 'OOOOH, I WANT THAT' constantly. I did want a fair few things though but finally decided on this coin, in the hope that it is a 10 million yen coin, hoho. I'm not certain it's Japanese, it looks more Chinese really but lots of Simon's things are from Japan so I assume it is Japanese. It's very big, bigger than a 50p piece, a lovely gold, and blackened as if it had been rubbed with a crayon. I like the inexact wobbly outer edge best and the noise it makes when you shake the box.
Marceline Smith, Glasgow
Thing #2 - Fugazi sticker
My thing is a Fugazi sticker, which humorously declares "This is not a Fugazi sticker". It doesn't create a good sound when my box is shaken (unlike Marceline's coin), but I do like it. In fact, I'm tempted to stick it on something. But if I do that, I'll have partially destroyed my item, and therefore my box. So I'm not going to stick it on something.
Simon Minter, Oxford
Thing #3 - Eyeball
In my box was an eyeball. It is scared of the dark, so I took it out of the box, and it now sits on my desk, where it watches me work. Sometimes it blinks. I think it is starting to get a bit bored with just being on my desk, because sometimes out of the corner of my eye I think I see it looking around the room, trying to see out of the window. Luckily it has a pin clip at the back, so maybe next week if it behaves I will pin it to my shirt and take it for a walk around the neighbourhood. There's a really nice park across from my house, so I think we'll go there for a while and watch people coming and going.
Simon Proffitt, Cardiff
Thing #4 - Piece of paper
my thing is a piece of paper. it's somewhere between grey and green and is folded into quarters, with a portion of one quarter ripped out, as if it's been used for roach, or to make a small, useless telescope. it has various, nonsensical bits of writing on it in different handwriting. one bit says 'RICHTER It was there Baudelaire' and on the other side it reads 'menu - wap vodafone & vizzavi GPRS - yes' and has a phone number on it. i have tried to work out what it is but have not yet had any success. one day i will work it out.
Stuart Fowkes, Oxford
(This was actually some pre-gig setlist doodling from members of Trail of Dead)
Thing #5 - Japanese bunny badge 
In my box was a small badge from Japan with a cartoon bunny posing with a football. I assume its only use is for looking cool in a sort of cutesie way. However, mine shall stay in its wrapper where it will retain the box's value the most.
Declan Roney, Glasgow
Thing #6 - Motor Cool business card 
In my special exclusive band members' box is a Motor Cool Automotive Air Conditioning Services metal business card presented by Dave Knight. I don't know about you, but I think a metal business card is pretty impressive. If I had an automobile with air conditioning problems, I'd be calling these geezers.
Declan Roney, Glasgow
Thing #7 - Computer disk
I have a computer disk with 'songs # 2' written on it in pencil, and crossed out in red pen. In the same red pen it says 'THE RING' on it in ominous capital letters. Initially, I must admit I was a little disappointed. Ungrateful little sod that I am. Computer disks remind of me of school and coursework, and I don't have a computer at home to play them on, so I had to wait until the following morning to find out what it was. It turns out that the disk had a file on it called 'Ringu.gif' 529KB) which, when opened, turned out to be a rather disturbing, distorted version of a band I know called Sunnyvale. It's a little animated gif, actually, and as well as the picture of the band with weird faces, it shows a little girl in a white dress with long black hair, with her head hanging down, and then some kind of eyeball and screaming mouth. Most disturbing. Not what you need for a summer's morning at all.
Ben Beaumont, Oxford
Thing #8 - Box of fuses 
I got a little yellow box of fuses. So I need never suffer the darkness, or indeed The Darkness.
Fraser Campbell, Glasgow
Thing #9 - Blank chipboard
I got a blank chipboard as my free gift and I'm going to build a computer with it that can play your songs better than you can.
Phil Carnegie, London
Thing #10 - The Earldom of Chester
I got The Earldom of Chester. Or rather, I got a piece of cardboard that has seemingly been attacked by a child with some crayons, bestowing my earldom upon me. I will be visiting Chester as soon as possible to claim my title and hopefully chuck some peasants off my land, whilst laughing evilly. With a cape on.
Ben Ulph, Oxford
Thing #11 - Gala membership card 
I got a membership card for the Gala Bingo. Nice, today I feel like a winner :-) Two fat ladies...
Adam, Glasgow
Thing #12 - Photo of blurred traffic
I got a photo of blurred traffic, (as far as I can make out).
Mac, Southampton
Thing #13 - Great big negative
My thing is a great big negative of what must be a great big photo. It has ultra modern devices on it which look like they belong in a kitchen with women but probably do something technological beyond my powers of comprehension. I can see a fire extinguisher on the wall in the background and some red taps which would be fun to turn. I plan to use my object to look at the sun through during the next solar eclipse. I'm not advocating the use of other things for this unless your thing is a pinhole projector. I'd also quite like to know who got the thing which used to be part of my underwear, but you can spare me the details of what you plan to use it for...
Moira Mehaffey, Gillingham
Thing #14 - The Story of Art 
My thing is 'The Story of Art' by Emma Kay. It's a book documenting artists and art form in alphabetical order, written from memory. It was published to accompany her show of the same name at Tate Modern from December 2003-Spring 2004. From Abdu'allah, Faisal to Zubaran. Cracking.
Tom Brogan, Clydebank
Thing #15 - Rejected tag 
This is my thing. It is a small red card that looks as though an elastic band was attatched to it. The card reads that it is a rejection card for a laser part. Apparently there are two spots that are wrong with it. It is supposed to be returned to a Nichia for credit. This was a very interesting thing. I must be honest that I am a little disappointed but not everyone can get something as sweet as "The Story of Art". I'm not even sure if I can use this. Am I allowed to trade it in for a better thing? (c:
Josh Harris, Whiteland IN
Thing #16 - Polaroid 
I got a polaroid that looks like it's been tampered with during development. It spurred some wild speculation at work as to what it could actually be a photo of; my boss Kyle suggested a row of 4 people, perhaps a band, which i guess makes sense, but personally I think all trace of the original image has been removed. I like to think this was perhaps originally destined to be a photo of a small puppy licking at an ice-cream that had been dropped by a clumsy toddler moments before. It is a hot day, the sun is glaring in the background, and the ice-cream has already begun to melt on the concrete. With an unsurprising disregard for hygiene or manners, the puppy is more than happy to sample what he can of the discarded frozen treat. Where is his owner? Did the child who dropped the ice-cream shriek and wail until he received a replacement? Why was someone taking a photo of this? We may never know.
Ollie Simpson, Indianapolis, IN
Thing #17 - Lichfield's Demerara sugar
I got a small packet of Lichfield's Demerara sugar. At first a little disappointing when I opened it up, but now I actually think it's cool. There's not much I can say about it, it looks like one of those packets of sugar you get from a coffee shop and it's demerara sugar. However, it has served a purpose because it reminded me of coffee shops and how wonderful the smell of coffee is, and I haven't drunk coffee for over a year because it started to give me migraines but this packet of sugar made me want coffee so I bought some decaff and I am now a happy man. So ok then it doesn't give me that wonderful caffeine rush but the smell is one of the best smells in the world and I like the taste of coffee, and that's good enough for me. Don't worry though, I have kept the sugar safe and sound.
Jamie, Reading.
Thing #18 - MEGGER CBT3 manual 
I got a manual for a MEGGER CBT3 Residual Current Circuit Breaker Tester. It's got 24 pages, and on pages six, there's black and white picture of some device; I never used a residual current circuit breaker tester, so I guess that's what they look like. The manual must have been locked away for years in a drawer or a locker or something, its smells like old people's homes, so I took it to the park 'cause I never do that with my grandma and I sort of feel guilty about that. I took a book with me and spent about two hours in the park, and it felt like sunday. Didn't read the manual yet, though. So, thanks a lots, Simon and Marceline.
Adrian, Zurich
Thing #19 - 3-Terminal Adjustable Regulator 
I got an electrical component of some kind. Made in Japan, reference 303-179, LM317LZ. I'm not an electrical engineer type, but this website says it's a '3-Terminal Adjustable Regulator'. I'm still none the wiser. Safe to say, this particular regulator will spend an unfulfilled life, forever sealed within its little static-proof bag, tucked inside a record box, unaware what it feels like to regulate little tiny jolts of electricity for the good of humankind.
Jon, London
Thing #20 - Japanese sticker 
I'm well happy with this 'zany' Japanese sticker.
Apparently it's a toilet humour funny, like the old "if you sprinkle when you tinkle...", meaning something like:
If you soil on the toilet, you should sweep it by yourself.
It's harder for a cleaner to sweep it later if you don't do.
This will take pride of place on my spare lavvy now.
Steve Rodgers, Sevenoaks/Fife
Thing #21 - Cheeger 
Opening my AFT box was a bit like opening a Kinder Egg, except the gifts were much better. I got a little plastic animal that has the looks of a cheetah but the stripes of a tiger. i'm calling it a cheeger. Alongside the cheeger there is a fold out plastic sheet that looks like it was made by someone on a bad acid trip. I can't decide if it's meant to be an undersea scene or a jungle scene. Maybe it's neither. I'm tempted to take the cheeger into school and let it stand on top of my white board, but i'm afraid someone might nick it like they nicked my Disco Barbie, and then my box would be devalued as a Pop Artefact, so it's back in the box it goes. And it's a bugger getting that paper band on again, you know...
The Duke Of Harringay. Exeter
Thing #22 - Monty Python Calendar Thingy 
I've got a little slip of paper from a Monty Python calendar, dated Tuesday 15th June 2004.
It's a mock-advert for "The Sensational Mr Peter Walker". I've never been one of those Monty Python obsessive types, so I don't know the reference, but I like the orange picture of him. And the description of him as a "mentalist"?. Selling yourself as a mentalist is something I hope to do one day. I don't hold out much ambition for his Sauna Bath Act though.
david, nottingham
Thing #23 - Plastic Expanding Snake
The instructions are very useful. "DO NOT SWALLOW". After chewing it for a couple of hours now I can see why not. They also warn "Do not expect results", but let's face it. Who does? The picture on the back however, suggests that after 72 hours it should be 600% bigger and angry, but not in a good way.
Martin, Glasgow
Thing #24 - Beer Mat
I also got a beer mat. It sounds great at 33 1/3 RPM.
Martin, Glasgow
Thing #25 - Bag of science lab temperature reading labels
We got a £20 note. (Actually we got a little bag of science lab temperature reading labels, but we were still quite excited)
Nightshift, Oxford
Thing #26 - Map of Osaka
Mine’s a street map of Osaka.
Jimmy Possession, Robots and Electronic Brains
Thing #27 -Double Bonus!
I appear to have received not one but two found items! The first seems to be an instruction sheet for some kind of whistle instrument. The second is rather unrelated. It is a bright red tag, with no indication of what it may be for. Using google translate I managed to decipher that it is an industrial waste request thing. Thank you very much for the records and the rather strange found items.
Suzy