PHOTO: COURTESY URI DIGITAL ARCHIVES
Spring 2024 Winners
Winning Captions
“Though impressive at the time, the first laser pointers were inefficient and cumbersome to use by today’s standards.”
—Jon Gaboriault ’88
“Klaatu barada nikto.”*
—Luke Blanchette ’07
Runners-Up
“In seven minutes, your hot dog is done.”
—Joseph H. Crowley ’72, M.B.A. ’75
“Quick, tune it in. The Sox are on.”
—George Labossiere ’81
“Ladies and gentlemen, get your glasses on for the total eclipse of the sun! If you miss it, the next one is April 8, 2024.“
—Robert Skiffington, ’74
* “Klaatu barada nikto” is a phrase from The Day the Earth Stood Still, a 1951 sci-fi movie. It was also used in the 2008 remake starring Keanu Reeves as Klaatu. There is no official translation of the phrase, but the sci-fi world has engaged in lots of speculation over the years.
Is it a Telescope? A Microwave? A Radio?
This photo from the 1952 Grist appeared in a section titled, “And then … the books were put away,” with the caption, “Things Are Looking Up.” While we’re not entirely sure what’s happening in this photo, you sure had lots of interesting ideas.
Many of the captions you sent were eclipse-themed, which makes sense, given this year’s April 8 solar eclipse (see back cover), during which Rhode Island saw about 90% totality and URI students, faculty, and staff gathered on the Quad for an eclipse viewing party hosted by the physics department.
Other captions played on some good non-eclipse themes—from extraterrestrials and laser pointers to hot dogs and the Red Sox. And who can argue with aliens, hot dogs, and baseball for some good summer fun?
We were a little surprised there were no Mork and Mindy entries. Oh, well. Until next time—nanu nanu!
Share your vintage URI Photos!
Would you consider sharing some of those vintage photos for the photo caption contest—or just for fun? If so, we’d love to consider sharing your photos in URI Magazine. Please scan or take a good-quality photo of your snapshot and mail to urimag@uri.edu.