I saw this picture tweeted by drskyskull, and I must point out that the “powerballs” are indeed, quanta in this paradigm. Not every use of the word implies that quantum mechanics is involved or being invoked.
Quantum means “discrete.” A liquid would represent a continuum.
The good news: The measurement box that had gone walkabout has been located.
The bad news: it was located just before I was able to construct a milk carton “Have you seen me?” sign to give to the owner.
The better news: They seem to have been breeding, since we found another of these boxes. They’re quite useful, so different divisions had purchased at least one and kinda lost track of how many we had. We borrow equipment from each other all the time (not so much sharing is caring as cooperation, because we are not of the Barney generation), and it didn’t help that we just called them measurement system boxes. Possibly from the town of Measurement System on Measurement System Island, near Measurement System cove. For all of our cleverness, we physicists are often an unimaginative lot when it comes to naming things.
Well, no more. The boxes are now named Larry, Moe, Curly and Harpo. Literally — they now have nametags on them. Harpo is a different model number, hence the comedy-paradigm-shift, and it does beep at us. This paints us into a corner, though. We now have to worry if we get a new model, if it is Abbot/Costello or Laurel/Hardy, and will that limit us to buying only two?