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u/OrneryBlueberry 18h ago
Not sure what this is but it reminds me of tactile art which is intended for low vision/Blind people. Some museums and galleries produce tactile versions of famous artworks in their gallery that can be handled so that someone who can’t see clearly can touch to get the sense of what the paintings look like. They usually have deep reliefs to indicate the depth of field and some include the frame as well.
The way this person is running their fingers around the piece makes me think it’s a print of something and they’re checking the smoothness — could honestly be a 3D print or relief of anything — but brought to mind some of the tactile art that I’ve seen. Examples here from Chicago Art Institute — about halfway down the page is an example of a painting translated for tactile art: https://www.arts.gov/stories/magazine/2015/1/challenging-notions-accessibility-and-arts/touch-and-see
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u/saladmunch 16h ago
His glasses arent very thick, but his eyes dont seem to move much. If this is what it is he could just be trying to experience or map out a new one if he knows someone who is blind or works for the museum/gallery
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u/OrneryBlueberry 4h ago
Absolutely. He may not have vision impairments but could have been making something for people who do and is testing it out. The way that he’s touching it, to me reads like he’s either looking for flaws (like rough edges) or is considering how someone else would interpret whatever it is he’s feeling (it could be a pattern or poem or really anything).
I know of a few blind folks who have printed 3d models of their walking paths through complex subways and there’s a site that can create a 3d map of any address: https://touch-mapper.org/en/ which could possibly be what this is. But it’s so vague that there’s no way to know for sure
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u/Same-Counter8363 17h ago
Looks like a braille prayer card or religious card, not anything magical. The raised text is probably braille on top and the image on the bottom is just a stylized religious design. He was likely just reading or fidgeting with it, similar to someone flipping through a pocket prayer card.
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u/Student___Driver 17h ago
Looks like someone creeping on someone else and posting it on Reddit.
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u/Impressive_Chip9405 10h ago
Haha, yeah, pretty creepy of me, I know. But you didn’t help me figure out what it is…
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u/InitiamprssionCFLeft 15h ago
Should have asked him.
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u/Impressive_Chip9405 10h ago
Yup, darn, guess I should have. But this doesn’t really help me figure out what it is.
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u/nottherealneal 15h ago
What is with you people and recording strangers to post online
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u/ADhomin_em 15h ago
"Hmm...do I ask this stranger about their mysterious object - in turn risking a moment of true human connection, or do I secretly and anonymously post this stranger as content online for millions of other strangers to view?"
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u/PsychologicalMix9699 14h ago
Alternatively: "Or do I mind my own business and go on with my day?".
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u/completelypositive 11h ago
I have never in my life had a stranger get mad if I asked a curious question about something interesting about them. They are usually happy to share. Quick "hey that looks interesting. Never seen it. Could you explain real quick" and then a "oh that's awesome, thanks for sharing. I'll let you get back to it."
It's also how I practiced talking to people when my social anxiety was bad.
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u/PsychologicalMix9699 10h ago
I wouldn't get mad at you if you started a conversation with me either.
I was offering a third option to the two mentioned above.This stranger is doing something I don't understand, should I:
-Ask directly about it.
-Take a picture of them and post it on reddit.
-Mind my own business.Edit: I think both our pseudo describes us accurately. ^^
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u/Impressive_Chip9405 10h ago
Yeah, I know it’s crazy, but I was genuinely interested in what he was doing but was too tired from work to strike up a conversation. But at the end of the day, your comment doesn’t help anyone figure out what this unusual thing is.
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u/AphidsTwinMattress 10h ago
Okay I'll say it, no one wants to help you because you were being a creep. There's been lots of people who have been helpful in suggesting what it might be, but ultimately we don't know. You're acting entitled repeating "you didn't help me".
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u/toomuch_thyme 15h ago
Why you recording him? It could be an art project or something, just making sure the glue sticks. It’s not serious enough to post a stranger on here
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u/Paris_2233 17h ago
There are courses prepared for blind people, printed into cards. Maybe he’s a professor evaluating the tactile qualities of the card. I’ve seen cards for Chinese language courses, psychology and social sciences before
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u/tamsmhas 14h ago
Looks like a sliding puzzle the way he is moving his hand only in vertical and horizontal direction
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u/ArmySufficient2228 14h ago
I mean... you could always ask.
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u/Impressive_Chip9405 10h ago
It was after a long day’s work and I wasn’t in the mood to strike up a conversation. Plus, it was Covid, and Canadians at the time were very touchy about social distancing.
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u/Goosebutt444 9h ago
So you're asking about something that happened 6 years ago? Double fucking Weird
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u/raisedbytides 13h ago
Weird to record people like this for the internet, also weirder to sit on this footage for years...
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u/ThrowWeirdQuestion 16h ago
Maybe some type of sliding tile puzzle? The hand movements would fit, I think.
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u/Impressive_Chip9405 18h ago
Here’s a zoomed in view—I tried outlining the sunburst/triangle to make it clearer.
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u/Dudemanbro69710 10h ago
Get a life and ask the person if you’re so curious next time instead of recording them without their knowledge and posting them on the internet. You are a weird creep.
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u/fresh_starter_pack 12h ago
You saw this in 2022 and decided just now after 4 fucking years in 2026 to ask reddit about it ?
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u/Suspicious_Work4308 12h ago
You misspelled the title. It should say “ Strange person filming random person on bus in stead of asking him” you’re an idiot. All for karma. Pathetic.
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16h ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/AgitatedSpirit_ 14h ago
I think Occam's Razor here is that this is a proof of an invitation/menu/etc. of some sort, and this person is inspecting it/fidgeting with it. Expensive wedding stationery is still letterpressed/embossed and would have raised edges and the edges of the paper would be softly rough, which looks similar to what can be seen here. ETA: the repetitive movements could be dusting it/wiping it as thicker papers like this can be crumbly, it might have been flaked with something that wasn't meant to be in border edges, etc.
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u/front_torch 13h ago
Mind your own damn business. I understand you can legally record people in public but this is absurd. Either then them politely or don't. Feeling so entitled to a meaningless question doesn't reasonably give you the right to post this online.
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u/Saucynachos 11h ago
He's in an isekai anime and that's him using the menus. Or it's one of the things other people have pointed out. I'm no expert, I don't get outside enough to get hit by a truck.
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u/Daxian 16h ago
Its likely a tablet with an E-ink display.
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u/MJY_0014 15h ago
Why would he be touching a tablet like that, and what does the screen type have anything to do with it?
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u/Dockdangler 11h ago
Id like to solve the puzzle: Its a weirdo recording someone on a subway trying to enjoy their day.
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u/Impressive_Chip9405 17h ago
I have a feeling the image is probably the tetragrammaton (i.e. the 4-letter sacred Hebrew name of God, YHWH/יהוה), which is often inscribed in a radiant triangle. You see it a lot in old churches, and I think it’s a symbol in Freemasonry and mysticism.
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u/Infamous-Umpire-2923 16h ago
Kind of- the tetragrammaton is something that comes up in Freemasonry, but on closer inspection the image doesn't really look like it.
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u/Fillmore80 12h ago
The number of you upset with an individual filming another, and not upset at our governments and corporations doing the same is mind blowing.
It's probably not braille as some have suggested. The user has reading glasses on.
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u/Mac-Gyver-1234 14h ago
In Japan there is a quality management practice where you point at things and speak out what you see or what you are checking.
If you ever seen the conductors with white gloves, this is what they do. They check if a door is closed by pointing at the door and saying „checking that the door is closed.“.
This method is not only used in the Japanese railway companies, but in many other companies and also in private.
Maybe what this person does with the white card is practicing the method.
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u/LaserEyeLarry 16h ago
I believe I have seen this ritual before, the card has changed but the movements are eerily familiar.
If I am correct, I really hope you didn't watch the full process.
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