Do these things still work?

Photo by Barry Wallace

I spot these things (above) along King Township roads all the time.  They are usually brown or pale green and many are mangled to varying degrees, like the one above.   They are some kind of a telephone-connection-thingy and I see them being worked on by Bell Canada technicians all the time, in any weather, and in any season of year.   The thing that mystifies me is that after the Bell guys have worked on these things, they always look the same, but seem to be operational.   They remain mangled, or missing there covers, or sorely misaligned or unprotected.   If they are still functional, then they are triumphs for technology.   I they are no longer functional, why aren't they hauled away?   Are there no longer spare parts for these contraptions?   I'll be the first to admit that many of my repair jobs around home look just the photo above.   Is this the new normal for land-line telephone service or are these cast-offs being passed-off as some sort of nouveau, roadside art form?   Well, this little fit of pique is over and yes I do have better things to do, so I'd better get at them.

Please comment if you wish.

BtheB