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‘What Is This Thing?’: 50 Times The Internet Solved The Mystery Of Unidentified Objects (All-Time Best)
We’ve never lived in a time such as this, where information is always at our fingertips. That’s why it’s called the Information Age. We can Google what the weather is outside and what song is currently playing, and we can even ask AI to make us a meal plan for the week. But there’s one niche that Google hasn’t conquered yet – identifying mysterious and weird objects.
That’s the job for the What Is This Thing? subreddit. We’ve covered the community many, many times here on Bored Panda throughout the years. And now has come the time for the best of the best, the cream of the crop – the very top “What Is This Thing?” posts of all time. So, we present to you the ultimate compilation of people identifying strange, unknown objects!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
What Are These For In An Outdoor Area Of A Hospital?
Answer: These are emergency showers. An affected person (chemical spills, laboratory mishaps, etc) will pull the level on the top and tepid water (OSHA defined between 60F and 100F) will douse the affected from the shower head (above) and boot sprayer (below). The duration of these showers is required to be 15 full minutes at approximately 20 PSI. Source: I design these systems.
shanila.pheonix_ 1 year ago
They have these in my science classrooms at my school! if theres a lab accident, you can pull a lever and water will come! its rlly cool
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Debby Keir 1 year ago
They're called drench showers. Soime processes require things like cyanide, and thus there must be drench showers nearby. These seem to be for 'mass' problems - eg firefighters or emergency workers contaminated after some kind of accident.
Barong 1 year ago
We trained with these on our building and similar decontamination systems after the threat of terrorism from chemical, biological, and and radiological dirty bombs following 9/11 and the 2003 ricin letters. We had similar showers and others that we were able to set up quickly in the parking lot including a pool and contaminated water sequestration. We trained with HAZMAT level A suits with SCBA breathing apparatus for those with close and initial contact with people contaminated with known highly dangerous toxic or radioactive substances. These allowed us to evaluate and decontaminate individuals that could not scrub and shower themselves. These suits sucked as they were heavy, awkward, and incredibly hot especially in summer. We could only wear them for 20 minutes max.
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Ali H M Salehuddin 1 year ago
They should be chains with pull handles for quick access. The attachment holes are there on the levers.
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Upstaged75 1 year ago
Contamination showers. Most medical professionals hope to never have to use them!
RELATED:
#2
What Is The Point Of Such A Device?
Answer: USB charging condom. This way you can plug your phone into a random USB port and be sure that no data is exchanged. Only the power pins are passed through to the phone. Also called a sync stop.
crousleystephens 1 year ago
You all talking about the nails, maybe this person is at work and has a dirty job and didn't think they needed a manicure to post a damn picture
TheOGpandaHavana 1 year ago
Wow, I didn't even notice his nail until everyone started ranting about it. You will realize the attention should be on the condom, right? Who cares what other people's have look like. Everyone can do what they want as long as it doesn't hurt others and he isn't hurting anyone but you all are with your negative, judgey comments.
#3
I Found This Blue Disc In A Packet Of Sour Cream Crisps. Its Has The Words "Ferrous 25mm Bst, Cert Number 213026b" On It. What Is This Thing?
Answer: It's a testing chip. It goes through the metal detectors to ensure they're working. There's a problem here though. You send X number of testers you get X number back. If you get X-1 or some other number you stop the line until you find your chip. The entire purpose of the test is to make sure that stuff like this--which is supposed to simulate a foreign object--does not get through. There's usually paperwork to document this. Write to the outfit and tell them what you found and rest assured there will be a s**tstorm on the other end.
Hippopotamuses 1 year ago
This is really interesting. I'd always wondered how companies detected metal etc. in their products/packaging.
Vaughn Spurlin 1 year ago
75 years ago when I was 6 I broke a tooth on a small screw in a Nabisco graham cracker. My mother mailed the screw to Nabisco with a letter explaining what happened. A few days later a guy showed up on our doorstep with samples of everything Nabisco made and a polite request to accept their apology and please sign a waiver. My mother cheerfully signed, since the tooth was a baby tooth I'd loose soon anyway. So, that's why the blue test chips were invented.
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Russell Rieckenberg 1 year ago
Having worked in food manufacturing, I find it mind boggling incompetent that this wound up in the customer's bag.
Dick Fint 1 year ago
But unfortunately, they don't have hair or mouse poop detectors, or any way to find other nasty bits that get into food today. And since it costs money to do that, they aren't interested either.
Bob Brooce 1 year ago
Yeah, but the FDA allows them to include some hairs and mouse poop.
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Liz Downing 1 year ago
Decades ago my friend found an actual piece of metal in a piece of chocolate. She wrote to the company. She received SO many boxes of free See's chocolates.
Teresa Spanics 1 year ago
And don't be surprised if you get a lifetime supply and be signing a waiver.
Communities like the "What Is This Thing?" Subreddit really showcase how curious we can be as people. And, of course, knowledgeable – let's not forget that the mystery objects get identified by none other than by the Internet sleuths themselves. There are a lot of sister Subreddits that identify more specific categories of things as well.
There's r/WhatIsThisBug for weird bug identification and r/WhatIsThisPlant for finding out what kind of shrub or flower you're looking at. Then there's r/WhatIsThisBird, which, as a person who has trouble differentiating same-sized birds, I'm a big fan of. Even r/WhatIsThisRock, r/WhatIsThisPainting, and r/WhereIsThis, for identifying places, exist! So when all acquaintances and Google fail, it's nice to have a Subreddit to fall back on.
#4
What Are These Blue Reflecting Markers For? Mounted On A Pole, Facing The Field
Answer: They are reflecting the headlights of cars to the fields, so that deer avoids crossing the road. So it's for safety of cars and animals.
DC 1 year ago
Blue reflectors are said to be more effective. But, I've also seen CDs, or polished stripes of metal wrapped around trees. The CDs ... I know a forester, who, some 20 years ago, was given ilegal copies of CDs, made unreadable, to use as material for these. A thousand or so Robbie Williams CDs, illegally made and sold, looking quite regular. I don't know how effective they are, and if the blue ones really make dent over CDs and stripes and white reflectors, but at least, some places take responsibility and try to avoid such accidents (like those mesh signs above for bats). Green bridges are the proudest development associated with Autobah and similar roads, IMO.
v 1 year ago
How effective are they when mounted on the back side of the pole, away from the light of the vehicles?
Bec 1 year ago
Looking at the angle here, it is perpendicular to the road and angled back, the light would shine into the woods where the deer see it
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Patti Smith 1 year ago
In California blue reflectors on the road indicate where a fire hydrant is located, for emergency personnel
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
*donates a gazillion AOL CDs*
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#5
Found This On The Side Of The Road In My Neighborhood. Thought It Was A Brain, Then Dissected It And Now I Have No Idea. Lots Of Small Lobes, Fuzzy Inside, Rubbery?
Answer: You my friend, have just dissected dog poop. Someone’s dog has eaten paper towels in abundance. They can’t digest it and it comes out like this
laura lee 1 year ago
Me neither I was expecting like insulation foam or the like
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xolitaire 1 year ago
yeah... dog breeds that basically inhale anything they think is food (like labs) do poop like this on occasion. Our lab also often ate the fingers of garden gloves and pooped them out
Astro 1 year ago
Our lab ate a pack of crayons once and had some very colourful poops the next day
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ConstantlyJon 1 year ago
wait, you thought it was a brain so you just DISSECTED THE BRAIN???!?!
Samantha Angell 1 year ago
Can't say I've ever found something on the side of the road and said to myself "I'm going to dissect that" but I admire the commitment to learning.
#6
Posts With Nets On Top On Side Of Street In The Netherlands
Answer: these are to help bats orientate themselves, until the trees are larger. Did they recently cut down trees along this road? Bats need to hear reflection of their sound to know where they are going. These things will replace the leaves in that.
Verena 1 year ago
We have this in the middle section of relocated motorways in Germany, when they cross their habitat. Sometimes compromises are necessary, even though it would be by far better to not build the road there. Bats can cope with the normal width of a road (one lane each direction), but motorways are way wider (safety area, emergency lane, two to three lanes, direction separator, two to three lanes, emergency lane, safety area).
Cosmikid 1 year ago
Ethologists and Mammalogists and Wildlife Biologists...
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Willem Andries Oosterhof 1 year ago
Here are more examples. This road was widened and so some trees were cut down. These were important references for bats to navigate. This structure is now part of the bats' highway. https://www.google.com/maps/@53.1528549,6.0202466,3a,75y,150.35h,79.04t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sk0JxQ66gVzdawuE5nzobyQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu Here's another one. 5https://www.google.com/maps/@53.0002176,6.2308604,3a,75y,218.06h,87.6t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sBKDko3eNFEy3CnA5CxPGcQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu
But communities like these are a part of the broader net of platforms that help to satisfy our curiosity. Humans are inherently curious beings. One might even say that Adam and Eve got us into this whole shebang because of their curiosity. Yet the invention of the Internet drastically changed the way we are curious and how we can satisfy our curious minds.
"The internet, in essence, has evolved into a boundless curiosity machine, a space where questions are indulged and answers are incessantly pursued," Neuroscientist Dr. Suzi Travers writes. The "What Is This Thing?" community is a great example of people from all corners of the world coming together to answer one simple question: "Can we identify this thing?"
#7
Object Found While Hiking Off-Road In Bosnia. Notice The Spikes Near The End! Wondering What It Is
Answer: DON'T GO HIKING IN BOSNIA IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE ARE YOU GOING. it is full of unmarked mine fields.
michael Chock 1 year ago
It's for people that want to end their hike with a bang. Not in the good way.
Serial pacifist 1 year ago
Bosnian here. That’s true, although much less frequent nowadays. It is an extremely rare incident, vast majority of ED have been deactivated.
rorschach-penguin 1 year ago
Not compared to hiking in some random part of Western Europe or North America, it isn't.
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Alexandru Bucur 1 year ago
That, by the way, is the booster section of a 90mm M79 Osa Anti-Tank rocket without the actual warhead. This one should be inert, but any area that has such war relics in it is full of potential UXOs (Unexploded ordnance) so it's best just to keep clear.
#8
My Security Camera Caught This Individual With A Large Device, Possibly Scanning For Something? The Individual Noticed The Camera And Changed Their Mind It Seems, But What Have They Got And What Are They Doing?
Answer: this person is probably a car thief scanning for keyless car keys. . never leave them near windows and doors.
Verena 1 year ago
Our police (yes, here they are the helpful guys) recommends to place the keys at least 5 m from the area around your house, everybody can access easily. If you can't, use a tin box. Danish cookies, anyone?
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
Those little butter ones in the sewing tin? They're so good dipped in coffee.
Load More Replies... Mason Kronol 1 year ago
I effing hate our new truck's key fob set up. it also recognizes mine vs. my husbands and sets up the seat and xm radio accordingly, so even if he's driving but i get in first and have the keys in my purse it recognizes me and vice verve. Which also sucks because OnStar insurance discount-he's a shltty driver, hard stops, tailgating...sometimes show it's me.
Idgafwyt AllDat'N'ABagOfChips 1 year ago
He's ruining your good driving record. Literally taking $ from you, if you get some type of reward for good driving? I would suggest if you are going somewhere together in the truck, whomever isn't driving should leave their key fob at the house.
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Javelina Poppers 1 year ago
Geez fella, there's a literal hand crank on the front of my motor carriage.
MaxMi 1 year ago
I tested and it works : putting the key fob into a metal box won't open the car in proximity, however it's matter of just how capable of receiving their device is. With a strong receiving capability I won't be surprised they can get a flebile signal trough the box tough, wherever you put it far from outside doors.
Red Reilly 1 year ago
I saw a video of a guy using this in the UK, it was nuts, he just goes up to the front door with the device, opens the car and off he goes.
Ken Beattie 1 year ago
It's funny this was just on the news here within the last week. If you're interested google "flipper device". Apparently the police and customs are blocking imports of them now because crims are using them for this.
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Cyber Returns 1 year ago
We have our keys in RFID shielded wallets. Blocks all signals and prevents this sort of thing happening
#9
Thin Slabs Of Ivory With Days Of The Week On The Top Found In My Closet. What Is This Thing?
Answer: Fabulous antique early Victorian chatelaine aide memoir from mid 1800s. Made of sheets of bone, it would have hung on a lady's chatalaine chain or been kept securely in her pocket and she would have used it to make note and appointments for the week to come. It has 6 pages for the days Monday to Saturday, of course a lady would never have made appointments on a Sunday
KariAdoresHerKats 1 year ago
It's brilliant isn't ? These are the types of articles i love.
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UKGrandad 1 year ago
Yes, wth a pencil rather than an ink pen. Think of it as a Victorian dry-wipe note pad.
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Cat Chat 1 year ago
Omg, I need this so much. Only because I am a Chatelaine lady....no, really.... that's my last name. My French teacher was always telling me how I pronounced my name wrong. But that's because we go by the way Italians pronounce it, since that's where all our ancestors come from, dating to Cleopatra and Mark Anthony times (an ancestor was one of his handmaidens apparently).
TheGoodBoi 1 year ago
Here I thought it was to help remember what day of the week it was. The explanation sounds better...
But professionals also warn that the Internet might stifle our curiosity. Vice President of Developer Community at Microsoft Scott Hanselman writes that people might be unwilling to learn about technology itself. It's ironic, isn't it? Like the Internet serpent eating its own tail: we have a supercomputer in our pockets at virtually all times and can find out almost anything, but do we want to find out how the device and the Internet themselves work?
#10
My Girlfriend's House Has This Panel Next To The Basement Door That Lights Up Whenever The Basement Light Is On. Why?
Answer: It’s to tell you that the basement light is on.
SBocker78 1 year ago
That was my thought. To make sure no one enters while film is being developed.
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Ken Beattie 1 year ago
Yep. I have a similar one for my garage (two story house, garage is downstairs). There is a switch in my lounge room for the garage light along with a little red indicator light so you know if you've forgotten to turn it off.
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Ranger Kanootsen 1 year ago
That jacket looming in the doorway scared the absolute s**t outta me
A Jones 1 year ago
That's pretty handy if you want to indicate someone's in the basement so you don't shut off the light accidentally or detecting ghosts/burgulars.
TheGoodBoi 1 year ago
Oh the fear and anxiety when it starts blinking and you're the only one home O_o
Load More Replies... Flora Porter 1 year ago
I need on of those outside the front door so I don't have to go back in and check one more time.
Blue 1 year ago
I would assume maybe a means of making sure nobody gets trapped down there. I know sometimes the door only has a one-way handle... Why, I don't know. But that's how I understand it. Maybe I'm wrong. But, anyway, this would be a means of telling you someone was down there. Maybe kinda like the flags the used to install into caskets... In case your were buried alive...
Deleila Charlie 1 year ago
No, it's simply to make sure you see the light is still on. I have one for the attic light. It's from when electricity was really expensive
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#11
Found This Glass Like Tube “Shell” Washed Up On A Beach In North Carolina, Any Idea What It Is?
Answer: Stingray teeth.
King Joffrey 1 year ago
Neither would I and I was actually bitten by a stingray.
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Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
You wouldn't think so if they were your dentures!
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#12
I Saw This In My Yard. Is This Just A Type Of Worm? Or Is There A Parasite On It? (I Saw It Breathing/Have Some Sort Of Heartbeat, So It’s Alive)
Answer: that's two worms making more worms.
Sarcastic and Proud 1 year ago
When a mommy worm and a daddy worm love each other very much...
TheGoodBoi 1 year ago
They decide to...wrestle. All in loving fun of course.
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Blue 1 year ago
How lucky to witness such a thing! You ever seen Slugs making babies? Apsoloutely beautiful, I'm serious
María Hermida 1 year ago
The words "slug" and "beautiful" in the same paragraph make a perfect oxymoron.
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"I took apart my toaster, my remote control, and a clock-radio telephone before I was 10," Hanselman writes in his blog. "Didn't you? What's the difference between the people [who] take toasters apart and the folks that just want toast? At what point do kids or young adults stop asking 'How does it work?'"
"As each new layer of abstraction becomes indistinguishable from magic we may be quietly killing curiosity. Or shifting its focus. Is the stack so deep now that we can't know everything?" Hanselman asks.
#13
This Was Found By A Cleaner Hidden Under My Dresser In My Bedroom (She Told Me Very Discreetly About This Which Has Me Concerned), I’ve Tried To Google It To No Avail. What Is This Thing?
Answer: voice recorder, doesn't transmit using wireless though so whoever placed this thing, will be back. If this was in your home, chances are there are cameras as well.
HTakeover 1 year ago
OP had a controlling BF (took away her phone & such). She dumped him but they still lived together in his house while she was looking for a new place because he appeared to be "normal" during it all. So high chance of being deliberately placed. She was advised repeatedly to GET OUT IMMEDIATELY and get help. No further comments from her.
kate h 1 year ago
EVERYONE: This is from a 5 year old Reddit post. Nobody on ANY of these BP posts is reading replies here. You can look at the original post on these types of BP "articles" by clicking on the small link on the left side under the photo.
Robert Millar 1 year ago
Lights off, use your phone flashlight to scan rooms for camera lenses. Take appropriate action.
Deborah B 1 year ago
If this was in your home, chances are your spouse put it there, because they suspect you of cheating.
Idgafwyt AllDat'N'ABagOfChips 1 year ago
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
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Alexandra 1 year ago
Better do a sweep of your house yourself or hire someone to do it for you.
kate h 1 year ago (edited)
This situation was posted on reddit 5 years ago. They aren't reading replies here even if it occurred yesterday.
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#14
Old Ruler. I Don’t Know How It Is Used Or What Does It Measure
Answer: Slide rule, logarithmic calculating device. These put humans on the moon.
Scott Rackley 1 year ago
Yes. The fact that not only do I know what it is, but can use it. I still have my grandfather's.
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Not-a-Clue (she/her) 1 year ago
I have a couple of these that my dad used in the 1940s onward. He was a mechanical engineer.
Šimon Špaček 1 year ago
My grandpa had it too. He was not an engineer, but he was able to calculate a lot of things with this tool.
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John Leavitt 1 year ago
Learned how to use one in High School, it was the calculator of the 1960s.
Pieter LeGrande 1 year ago
Me too, and had to learn the circular slide rule.
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andrew jack 1 year ago
Anything invented or designed between about 1800 & about 1975 was designed on a slide rule.
Mary Hiers 1 year ago
My dad used sliderules all the time in his engineering career! He taught me how to use them to do multiplication, but you can do amazingly complex stuff on them too. I believe the numbers are based on natural logarithms.
Kitty White 1 year ago
My husband, my sons, and I all learned to use slide rules in school (yes, we’re old). My sons are young enough that they had computers in school, but were still taught how to use slide rules. We have several that belonged to the generation before us, who did not have computers or even calculators, and they were all engineers who needed them for work. We even have a pocket-sized one in a red leather case, which my husband’s dad used when he was an officer in the Greek Navy.
Noyfb noyfb 1 year ago
“Don’t know nothing ‘bout the Middle Ages. Look at the pictures and I turn the pages. Don’t know nothing ‘bout no Rise and Fall. Don’t know nothing ‘bout nothing at all.”
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Iron Cone On Either Side Of A Gate Outside The Entry To A Building In Bath England
Answer: It's a snuffer. A visitor to your house would use it to put out their torch.
Epona 1 year ago (edited)
Torch as in “torch and pitchfork”, not what people in the UK call a flashlight. *Edit* I meant this as a helpful bit of info for those who might not be familiar with the other definition of the word torch. I wasn't expecting to have people come after me.*
UKGrandad 1 year ago
Pedantic point: that is an extinguisher, not a snuffer. A snuffer was used to trim the wick of a candle.
Aranora 1 year ago
To out pedant you... Wikipedia "Candle snuffers date from the 17th–mid 19th centuries. Scissor-type tools that cut and retain the snuff trimmed from candle wicks are also sometimes called snuffers, though technically a separate tool called a candle wick trimmer."
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Tom Brincefield 1 year ago
It's in England, it's old. I visited one place where the new section was from the 1920s. The oldest section was a wall from 1067. With a lot built in between.
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Hanselman divides people into two clear binaries: the curious and the not-curious. He claims that people might start viewing new technological advancements as magic. And as that magic becomes harder and harder to understand, curiosity might disappear from the picture.
"As each new layer of abstraction becomes indistinguishable from magic we may be quietly killing curiosity," he writes. "Or shifting its focus. Is the stack so deep now that we can't know everything?"
#16
Tooth? Found At Myrtle Beach, Sc
Answer: that’s a broken megalodon tooth.
UpQuarkDownQuark (he/him) 1 year ago
My wife found a fossilized shark’s tooth a Myrtle Beach a few years ago, but that tooth is amazing!
#17
What Is This Thing In My Classroom? Makes Subtle Fan-Like Sounds And Changes Colour On Top
Answer: AV1 is a personal avatar for children suffering from long-term illness, helping them to continue their education and maintain the normality of daily life despite no longer being able to access mainstream education. Through an app, the user can remotely log into the class from their home or hospital. Looking through the robots eyes, the child can watch the lesson, through the robot’s ears they can hear greetings from their friends and they can speak through the robot to interact with the rest of the class.
Idgafwyt AllDat'N'ABagOfChips 1 year ago
A bit strange that the teacher didn't even know what it was, at all, never mind the ability to explain what it does.
Load More Replies... rorschach-penguin 1 year ago
...but the people in the class don't know about it? Shouldn't they?
Jenna Kay 1 year ago
Could be a privacy issue thing. Often times there protected information and it it may be, that students were not supposed to know.
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Marnie 1 year ago
Is this still in use? How is this different or better than just having a laptop and an open Zoom meeting with the child?
SageHare37 1 year ago
I was a long-term sick kid that missed a lot of school (long before smartphones and Zoom). While modernly Zoom isn't a bad idea if adaptive systems were installed for a wider "classroom style" camera angle and a mic that could be focused at the teacher. For most kids who are sick long term, looking presentable is exhausting. If they have energy at all, it shouldn'tbe wasted worrying about how they will look on camera. A system like this with no view of the sick kid is ideal. Also, this device is less tempting for the classroom kids to mess with if it has no buttons.
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Uriel Grey 1 year ago
I would totally tape the kids face next to the eyes so their friends would feel like they are talking to them vs just camera and thry would look in the camera enough for it to feel like they were looking at the sic kid
JessieJ&LilyLovebug 1 year ago
If it's her classroom, one would assume she is the teacher, so why did no one tell her that?
#18
What Is This Ring My Uber Driver Would Randomly Click?
Answer: Hes praying, thats a counter. The prayer involves repeating a phrase a certain number of times. Traditionally you kept track on your fingers or with a string of beads. This device does the same job.
CK 1 year ago
Sometimes people who work at amusement parks or such use them to count the number of people going in, I think.
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MushroomHead22 1 year ago
as long as the prayer isn't something along the lines of "jesus take the wheel" i think we're good.
Robert T 1 year ago
Actually he's on the Ring Road in Ancoats and will be turning on to Cheetham Hill Road in 0.5 miles. To be precise, he's here: https://www.google.com/maps/@53.4840595,-2.2314009,3a,75y,55.73h,92.97t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sIareCeUw08hLL2y6MzbpCw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu
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Watermelon 1 year ago
It's an alternative for a tasbeeh, which is a string of beads. Basically, Muslims praise God 100 times each time they are doing this (it's called dhikr). It's a great gift for kids, too. My friend's younger siblings were so entertained and did not talk at all, just happily clicking away.
Stan Chung 1 year ago
Thought so, could be traffic lights or blocks or police
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Dr. Travers also touches upon this in her essay. She worries that we might not want to reflect, be in deep thought, or engage in an organic evolution of ideas anymore. The never-before-been-easier process of getting answers to almost any question we can find kind of makes our brain lazy, doesn't it?
#19
Came Across This While Hiking Behind An Old Mine In Southwestern Pennsylvania. Several Miles Off Of The Old Access Road. Appears 40 Feet Long, Nothing Written On It, Appears Nothing Is Inside Of It. 25 Feet Or So Off Of The Ground. No Sign Of Life Around It For Miles
Answer: That, my friend, is the daddy of all deer stands.
Javelina Poppers 1 year ago
My buddy from Pennsyltucky identified it correctly right off the bat.
The Darkest Timeline 1 year ago
I was about to say that’s more like 25’ long and 10’ off the ground.
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ConstantlyJon 1 year ago
My immediate though was "kinda seems like it could be a deer stand. But let's see what it really is... OH LOOK
#20
This Weird Wrapped Car. The Lights Were Wrapped In Cloth. Serial Numbers All Around. Anything Significant Or Just Tacky?
Answer: It obscures the car while being test driven, so the yet-to-be-released models are not photographed and published. The random "wave" patterns effectively hide the body contours and lines.
Rizzo 1 year ago (edited)
In Germany they are called "Erlkönig" (Erlking). An Erlking stalks children who stay in the woods for too long, and kills them by a single touch. (Wikipedia) The Erlking is a famous poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe about an invisible force stalking a father and his child who are riding through the woods in the middle of the night.
[>.<]/ 1 year ago
Dem Vater grauset’s, er reitet geschwind, Er hält in den Armen das ächzende Kind, Erreicht den Hof mit Müh’ und Not; In seinen Armen das Kind war tot.
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Marianne 1 year ago
We see lots of them in the Munich area, because BMW has their headquarters in Munich.
ShellsBells 1 year ago
I saw a bunch of Mercedes on the Grossglockner in Austria wrapped. They were testing the EQS.
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R Dennis 1 year ago
See those here is SE Michigan a lot... especially Ford and GM. Saw a Porsche once and that surprised me.
Kzincat 1 year ago
Yup. My office is in Ford’s Dearborn campus. I see them every day.
Load More Replies... Javelina Poppers 1 year ago (edited)
Used to see a ton of something similar on the streets when GM had their proving ground near me. Weird place surrounded by tall berms topped with razor wire fencing and thick bushes to keep the spies away.
#21
Found On Counter In Medical Exam Room: String Of Plastic Numbered Oval Beads. My Own Doc Had No Idea. Pen For Scale
Answer: orchidometer. Used for sizing testicles.
Javelina Poppers 1 year ago
Oh now you're just making things up. And everyone knows you use a banana for scale.
Will Cable 1 year ago
The best time when using a Banana for scale may have given them the idea as to what they are.
Tom Brincefield 1 year ago
Too big or too little can indicate health problems.
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TheGoodBoi 1 year ago (edited)
No joke this had me investigating my own. I can't get an accurate measurement without a banana! 😭😭
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Nikolaj Christensen 1 year ago (edited)
Everybody says I've got Great balls of fire
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Tee Pussi 1 year ago
Since we evolved to not have testicles shaped like bananas
Load More Replies... María Hermida 1 year ago
Just a stupid question, but... Why eill people need to size testicles? I mean, a doctor should know whether they look "normal". Is there a real medical reason for this "thingy"?
XanthippeⓐWulf🇨🇦️️🇬🇧 1 year ago
Not a "stupid question " at all. The doctor may know, but some people need visuals to fully comprehend. This is why when I worked in clinic, I had an array of anatomic models to help people understand what is going on with their pets, or what "normal" looked like vs "abnormal."
Load More Replies... Pieter LeGrande 1 year ago
Is the colour significant? Because mine don't match any of them. Personally I thought it was for classifying tomatoes.
Bob Brooce 1 year ago
You won't see the actual color unless you bust out the utility knife. A scalpel is better, but most people don't have one handy.
Load More Replies..."When answers are instantaneously available at our fingertips, it can bypass this process, depriving us of the valuable moments of pondering, hypothesizing, and testing our theories," Travers writes.
"By offering instant gratification, the Internet may inadvertently deter individuals from cultivating deeper, sustained interests and passions. The quick-fix nature of online information can, paradoxically, impede the very curiosity it seeks to satisfy."
#22
This Sticker On The Inside Cover Of A Second-Hand Bible. Pretty Sure It Depicts A Partridge And A Fig Tree, Both Of Which Have Biblical Connections But No Idea What It Means
Answer: No Bush/Quail. 1992 election sticker.
General Anaesthesia 1 year ago
United States Vice-President Dan Quayle, Republican, 1989-1993. Famous for correcting a 12-year-old's correct spelling of 'potato' to 'potatoe' at a spelling bee in 1992, an election year.
#23
My Mom And Dad Were Doing Some Landscaping In The Backyard And Found This Weird Slate With Writing Etched Into It. The Months Are Spelled Out And The Year States 1827. This Was Located In Southern Missouri
Answer: a practice gravestone scrap. Someone who carved gravestones would practice engraving lettering and drawings on this broken piece of stone.
Idgafwyt AllDat'N'ABagOfChips 1 year ago
It really is amazing how they did all this by hand, back in the day. The text and drawings are almost perfect, I wonder if they used some type of stencil or template to carve out all the lettering?
Cosmikid 1 year ago
I know people who do fancy calligraphy - they work freehand-
Load More Replies... UKGrandad 1 year ago (edited)
Wrong material; weren't they supposed to have been gold?
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#24
IKEA Coffee Mug, What Is The Thing At The Bottom?
Answer: So water doesn't stay on the bottom if you put the mug in the dishwasher and stops wet mugs suctioning themselves to coasters. Pretty clever design actually.
CK 1 year ago
I love this particular mug. It's the perfect size, stackable, and as this comment mentions, doesn't trap water when upside down or suction itself to coasters.
Sandella 1 year ago
I despise the tiny handle on these mugs! I have them and they're my least favourite to use grrr
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Connie Wade 1 year ago
All mugs should have this! I hate that water spills out when unloading mugs from the dishwasher.
Upstaged75 1 year ago
Smart. I hate when the tops of cups are full of water when they come out of the dishwasher!
Mary Tonningsen 1 year ago (edited)
I need to get some mugs at IKEA. I hate that when water gets trapped and makes such a mess on the dishes below.
The neuroscientist also worries that the Internet encourages superficial curiosity only. She gives examples of how people read articles nowadays – most just look at the headline or skim the whole thing through in a minute. By using eye-tracking studies, marketing researchers found in 2020 that nothing much has changed since 1997 – people still skim rather than read articles.
#25
This Structure I Found While Walking In The Woods, The Metal Bit Is About 2 Feet Wide And Looks Like It Could Uncomfortably Fit A Person In It. My Guesses Are A Well, Sewer Or Time Capsule. For Context I Live In Eastern Massachusetts. We Plan On Going Back To Open It
Answer: Definitely a man hole. Do not open it. DEFINITELY DO NOT GO IN IT! Manholes are notoriously deadly because they contain low oxygen percentages and high concentrations of poisonous gases such as hydrogen sulfide and methane. First responders usually find two dead people in manholes - the first one that went in and succumbed and their friend who watched them pass out and rushes in to help.
Rostit.. . 1 year ago (edited)
Radon would be the least of your worries. It takes a lot of exposure to build up dangerous levels. Long term exposure. Plus this is a sewer. It's a sealed system for the most part. Radon mostly came from building materials or foundations built over areas with radon. The chances of radon in a rain sewer like that are slim and your have to live in it for a while. Source: grew up in a house with radon. Because it was built using some sand in the mortar with remnants from radium production. There was a fan to vent the air and it was fine.
Load More Replies... Upstaged75 1 year ago
Don't open random hatches you find in the woods! (Unless your plane crashed on a tropical island) Everyone around here knows those are sewer entrances and you don't want to mess with them.
Cat Chat 1 year ago
Sorry, but even if your plane crashes on an island, if that hatch has random numbers, I'd suggest you run away instead.
Load More Replies... Cosmikid 1 year ago
You'll notice it does not have an "easy open" top- hands won't do it, you need a special tool. This is Engineer-speak for "No idiots allowed." Good idea to take them seriously.
Andy Frobig 1 year ago
The Massachusetts part is important. In Maine this would be a clownhole
Michelle my Belle. 1 year ago
"We plan on going back to open it"... And here we have our newest Darwin award winner. Seriously dude. Why would you do that?
gabrielle wolf-stahl 1 year ago
Also could be a survivalist bunker...yet another reason to NOT enter...
Boris Long-Johnson 1 year ago
I actually trained with an infrastructure provider - at one point I was certified to go into “up to” 2 level manholes. Do as others have said - DONT DO IT unless you just what you’re doing. Some of the gases that build up, they will kill you before you realise you’re in trouble.
#26
What Is This Big Hole That Is Usually Found On Milk Cartons?
Answer: It’s a pressure relief hole. If you dropped it, instead of exploding, the hole would pop out.
Bubba Jones 1 year ago
I can tell you it doesn't work all the time tho. Don't ask how I know that.
Hadley King 1 year ago
it also helps you know when the milk is expired, the thing will pop out.
Marcellus II 1 year ago
"There's weird sour clumps in my milk, but I'm not sure if it's gone off... let's see what the pop-out hole says!" ??
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Chickens are fluffy 1 year ago (edited)
I thought it was to tell if the milk spoiled and built up gas?
Rocket Surgeon 1 year ago
It's also (and I thought primarily) for if the milk gets frozen it can expand in the container.
Shaunn Munn 1 year ago
Also helps if it's frozen, because otherwise, the milk would expand and burst the bottle.
#27
Ok, I Know It’s A Chair, But What’s With The Extended Arms?
Answer: It looks like a plantation/planters chair. You’d put your sore swollen legs up on the arms after sitting on a horse all day, like a pregnant woman with her legs up in the same fashion. This is why the back is so sloped as well. If you sit up straight it wouldn’t be comfortable to put your legs up like that, but in a reclined position it’s good for blood flow and air flow.
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
There's this new thing called an ottoman.... (ottoperson?)
Šimon Špaček 1 year ago
I need to make one for my garden. After a long day of gardening (well, we are now in the stage where you move a lot of rocks, dirt and other things) it would be nice to sit down, put feet up and have a cold beer.
Pieter LeGrande 1 year ago
Sometimes comes with only one long arm. Always thought it weird that we call it an arm whn you actually rest your leg on it.
Dr. Travers, therefore, warns that our curiosity online might be only surface-deep. According to her, it can hinder knowledge retention. That means that we might see, hear, and watch a lot of interesting or useful information, but it most likely goes into one ear and out the other. "In the long run, such transient engagements could compromise the depth and breadth of our understanding in various fields," Dr. Travers explains.
#28
Found This In House I’m Tearing Apart In A Book Like Someone Wanted To Keep Them Don’t Think It’s Real Money
Answer: Its money from the Philippines when it was occupied by Japan in 1941.
Dave Walters 1 year ago
It's very common and has little or no value. They issued millions of notes for countries they did invade and countries they intended to.
Cosmikid 1 year ago
not necessarily "no value" - I'd check with a dealer/expert.
Load More Replies... Cosmikid 1 year ago
Philippines native languages are myriad; English was in broad common use. Not sure if they still do but just a few years ago Philippine "news talk" shows spoke Tagalog-Spanish-English all together in once sentence. Nobody thought twice about it.
Load More Replies... censorshipsucks 1 year ago
wow I was just wondering when Japan invaded Mexico and then I saw Philippines and that explained it nicely.
#29
I Found This Metal Object. No Text Or Numbers. Can Retract To Be The Size Of A Bracelet. What Is This Thing?
Answer: It's the top (closure part) of a purse or small handbag.
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
It's been a long time since I saw a bag with that sort of closure. I'd forgotten they existed.
Momma Jess 1 year ago
If I found one of those I would totally make a chainmail pouch and put that on the top for a closure, that's amazing
Mary Tonningsen 1 year ago
Oh, I remember my grandmother had a fancy little bag that opened and closed that way! It was velvet with beading on it. So pretty!
#30
Help Identify What These Are And What They Were Used For? Passed Down By Family - UK
Answer: An apprentice final piece before becoming a journey man engraver.
Pandamanda 1 year ago
Those are stunning! If it was my family heirloom I'd frame them and display them.
But not everyone is this pessimistic. Astrophysicist and author Mario Livio thinks the Internet is great for answering simple, very specific questions. And he doesn't worry that it will snuff out people's curiosity.
"The digital age helps us because we can find that [simple] information, and that may drive us to look for something else about this. And that would drive perhaps epistemic curiosity, which is this love of knowledge and wanting to learn new things."
#31
This Belonged To My Great Grandfather. What Is This Thing?
Answer: If it's legit, that's a really old Gibson, from between 1903 and 1933. It's going to be worth more than you think, so be really careful with it. Seriously.
Zedrapazia 1 year ago
For anyone who cares about the value of it: Between 10'000 and 400'000. The person who delivered the answer is right, be SUPER careful with it because this thing is possibly as expensive as an American house.
Cat Chat 1 year ago
What is that valued as, though? If you mean USD, you can't get a house for that in America, these days.
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Sue Phillips 1 year ago (edited)
This is a Gibson short-necked banjo, a/k/a banjolele, like ukelele. Oh, man. My grandfather had one just like this, which I shadow boxed and have hanging on a wall in my family room. Papa's banjo still has everything on it, strings, frets, etc., but is not in as good condition as this one. The case is identical, though, right down to the worn handle and green lining. Under the neck in the case, there is a compartment for picks, a tuning instrument (horn? whistle?), and sheet music if you fold it up.
Cosmikid 1 year ago
Wonderful information!! thank you! And take a look at the value estimate above!!
Load More Replies... DC 1 year ago
It's a Banjolin. Equipped with strings equivalent to a Mandolin, even double ones like it's supposed, but built like a Banjo, and therefore, sounding like one, but in the range and arrangement of a Mandolin. Would you be my neighbour, I'd try to negotiate it out of you, because it's cool, and because I'd not allow it to go to waste or rot off. Take care of it! Or, find a musician who appreciates this type of instrument, and can play it, and therefore, brings it to life again.
Mason Kronol 1 year ago
Yeah, I'm not even much of a guitar person and from the pic was thinking "holy c**p" That's some museum quality right there.
sofacushionfort 1 year ago
Now lots of girls I've had to jilt, for they admire the way I'm built It's a good job I don't wear a kilt, when I'm cleaning windows
Glenn Cuneo 1 year ago
It's a 1923 Gibson MB-1 Trapdoor Banjo Mandolin. Based upon it's poor condition It's value is about $1,000, if that.
The Darkest Timeline 1 year ago
Are you kidding? That is in great condition. Nothing appears to be broken or damaged, it just needs cleaned up a bit and restrung. I bet it’s worth way more than $1K.
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#32
What Is The Hollow Part Of This For? Never Seen Anything Like It Before. Cat For Size Reference
Answer: phone table with storage space for the phone book.
ERIN W. 1 year ago
I believe you're right! I like this sizing "tool" MUCH better 🙂😸❤️
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Upstaged75 1 year ago
Those things we used to sit on as kids when we were too short to reach the table. :)
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Heather Talma 1 year ago
Seems very short. Are you supposed to sit on the floor to use the phone? Or at least dial it?
#33
Grandmother Received This From Her Friend After His Death. Nobody At The Senior's Center She Lives At Knows What It Is. What Is This Thing?
Answer: Opium pipe.
Flora Porter 1 year ago
Always a mistake to assume anyone older than you has always been the way you know them.
Nikolaj Christensen 1 year ago (edited)
So... he indirectly called her an OLD crack pipe? 🤣 seems like a dying man's last joke
#34
Found This White Fuzzy Thing In My Basement, Mother Freaked Out. What Is This Thing?
Answer: Spiders infected with fungus look like this.
Chickens are fluffy 1 year ago
I kinda want to burn the house down after seeing it
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DC 1 year ago
The spider, likely, isn't much alive anymore within this. Well, she still has mucles and stuff, but they stumble around pretty aimlessly, and whatever is left of the spider's nervous system ... is either out of service, or experiencing much distress. Euthanize these, please, if you happen to meet them. Spiders don't deserve any bad, let alone THAT bad!
Cosmikid 1 year ago
ah, but fungi are clever- how do you know the spider is not the happiest she's ever been??
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Katie Lutesinger 1 year ago
Thank goodness this can't happen to humans. *theme from The Last Of Us starts playing*
Cosmikid 1 year ago (edited)
Ah, but down in the cellars of the Smithsonian, there is a door marked "Things no one wants to know"... that's where they keep the spider mummies....
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laura lee 1 year ago
He's busy throwing out cookies for a sewing notions container
Load More Replies... SheamusFanFrom1987 1 year ago
Cordyceps spider aka zombie spider. Chinese cuisine uses cordyceps in soup too so yeah, I'm having conflicts about having those now as well. Fortunately, they cannot survive the human body temperature but if The Last of Us is any indicator, evolution is a scary thing -_-"
#35
Glass Items Seen At Yard Sale. They Aren't Doorknobs And Some Look Like One Solid Piece?
Answer: Knife rests.
censorshipsucks 1 year ago
I was going to go with victorian buttplugs but that's just my onetrack mind.
PSimms 1 year ago (edited)
Victorian Buttplugs is a great name for a punk band.
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#36
Sunset Pic I Took From JFK Airport. Could These Shadows Be The Manhattan Skyline?
Answer: I live near Mt. Rainier and this happens too, only at dawn. The mountain casts its shadow on the underside of the clouds. This is just as impressive as that.
ConstantlyJon 1 year ago
Crazy combination of nature and human structures. Love this to death.
Geoffrey Scott 1 year ago
When the conditions are perfect, one can stand on the SE shore of Lake Michigan and see the Chicago skyline "floating" on the horizon.
Ąåřţđęşịɠŋȿ 1 year ago
so, the answer was mountain or building shadows... not sure by that answer
Bob Brooce 1 year ago
You can also see it happen at sunset. I know it sounds crazy, but you have to be on the other side of the mountain because the sun sets in a different place than it rises. There won't be nearly as many people there to look for it, but the lower topography on the west side results in a slightly longer window when the sun is shining up at the summit. Once the sun is level with the summit the shadow can't be cast upwards, but of course it can often be seen on the top of low clouds if you're high enough on the mountain or in a plane.
Joanne Earle 1 year ago
I've seen that shadow from Mt Rainier too and it's amazing. Only happens from late Nov to about mid Jan.
Bob Brooce 1 year ago
It can happen at any time of year, but the location of the shadow will change substantially. At the winter solstice the shadow will point right towards Tacoma, where there are plenty of people to (possibly) see it. Perhaps meteorological conditions are better more often in the winter, and it definitely requires just the right conditions. (deleted post without image) Untitled-6...c5ef47.jpg 
#37
Found A Rock On The Porch Of My New Home, Flipped It Over And Saw This. Is That A Fossil?
Answer: Yup, that's a fossil. Tree trunk impression.
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
How does one do a tree trunk impression? Stand in one spot and bark?
TheGoodBoi 1 year ago
I got weird looks so I don't think that works sadly
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Ken Beattie 1 year ago
I'm not sure whether that's a tree trunk or some sort of crocodilian. Looks almost like the scale pattern on a large croc. Though it might be a little too uniform and regular for that.
David 1 year ago
I'm skeptical. Can anyone name the type of tree? I've never seen a tree trunk with that pattern. Which doesn't mean it doesn't exist of course - but that in itself seems pretty rare.
Jenna Kay 1 year ago
See comments above by Ael and Cosmikid - they label the it.
Load More Replies... #38
What Is This Ice Phenomenon I Found On The Forest Floor Today?
Answer: The term for it is frost flower and has to do with moisture freezing as it escapes plant tissue.
Cosmikid 1 year ago
actually, these are Alien Ectoplasm; just look at one and it will invade your brain........
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Tammilee Truitt 1 year ago
Had A LOT of these around the Hill Country of Texas this past January '24. We got 7-8 days of beow freezing. I'd never seen them before. Very cool to happen across.
#39
This... Thing... Showed Up Inside The Humid Jar Of My Carnivorous Plants. What Is This Thing?
Surenu 1 year ago
Okay but what kind of toys do they need? Do they need walks or am I fine with kitty litter? Do they bite? Will they get along with my neighbor's cat?
SheHulk 1 year ago (edited)
Slime moulds are super interesting. Here mapping Tokyo rail system. slimemould...61c157.jpg 
Tammilee Truitt 1 year ago
What if you don't want to keep it? Is it dangerous is unleash it into the human population?
Cosmikid 1 year ago
probably not dangerous; just one of the many "common but unnoticed" critters out there.
Load More Replies... Ham Fright 1 year ago
"The next time you're walking through an alley and slip on something, it wasn't an accident, it was an attack."
Knitting Panda 1 year ago
They have a weird kind of intelligence. Not as we would define the term, but in some alien way. Learn what you can about your new friend and enjoy it.
SobyKay 1 year ago
I keep weird pets (snakes, tarantulas) and I dont think I could be jealous of someone's pet slime mold....🤣
JayWantsACat 1 year ago
Slime molds are crazy. IIRC, they're single cell organisms, can "learn" and pass on information, and are generally really cool. Check out the docs on YT if you're remotely interested because they're super interesting.
#40
I Found This Ring In My Backyard While Doing Gardening. After Cleaning It, It Doesn't Look Like A Normal Ring. Any Ideas ?
Answer: It's a Georgian/early Victorian mourning ring. The initials belong to the lost loved one. They were typically made from gold (18k+) and enameled in black. Yours looks like it was made around 1820s-40s.
Bookworm 1 year ago
Probably not life-changing amounts - there's a lot of Victorian mourning jewelry out there, and (not an expert but) I get the impression people are more interested in the stuff that seems off-the-wall now, like the hair jewelry and death portraits. Still, there's a market for it and I bet you could sell it for reasonably good money. Especially if there was a way to find out who the deceased was.
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#41
This Is About The Size Of My Hand, Made Of/With Some Kind Of Metal (I Think Copper)
Answer: This is mostly likely thousands of years old - a Pre-Columbian artifact. You should take it to a university or museum for analysis. DO NOT polish it or clean it.
whineygingercat 1 year ago
Turn it sideways. With the curve to the side. It's an axe head or other type of cutting tool
Šimon Špaček 1 year ago
It can be also "moon knife" used nowadays for cutting leather, but it can be also used for butchering.
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Dave Walters 1 year ago
Randy's correct, Chinese knife type money dating to around 500 BC. Valued around £50 gbp (Im a coin & currency dealer)
Randy Sanders 1 year ago
It's ancient Chinese money. Ax heads, knives, spades, were all shapes they used.
UKGrandad 1 year ago
Right, because pre-Columbian peoples in the Americas used Chinese currency.
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Lyone Fein 1 year ago
Precolumbian means before Columbus......so hundreds of years probably. Not thousands.
#42
Found This Small Kettle Years Ago. Tried Searching For A Similar One But Have Always Come Up With Nothing. Anybody Have An Idea Why This Has This Unique Shape?
Answer: a portable men’s urinal for bedbound patients. It is used to pee when you cannot get out of bed.
Sunny Day 1 year ago
Reminds me of the old joke - What's the difference between a rectal thermometer and an oral thermometer? Answer - the taste.
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Saphyre Fyre 1 year ago
TOO LATE, SHE HAS HAD IT FOR YEARS!!! Screenshot...89764.jpeg 
Will Cable 1 year ago
When you get a poor cup of tea and claim it takes like 'gnats p**s'......though how do they know what that tastes like
#43
4in By 4in Scissors. Uncomfortable To Hold, In Either Hand, Two Or Four Fingers. What Is This Thing?
Answer: they're childrens' training scissors. Like for pre-schoolers. The extra holes are so a grown-up can co-scissor and help the kid.
María Hermida 1 year ago
It's a bit stupid, though. "lefty" scissors are useful if the tips are different or bent and the finger rings are different (finger ring and thumb ring). These are totally symmetric, so it doesn't matter what hand you use to hold them. Source: I'm left-handed, and I hate "normal" scissors and can openers.
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SheamusFanFrom1987 1 year ago
Not gonna lie, it looks like someone attached scissor blades to a set of knuckledusters in anticipation of who knows what XP
Huddo's sister 1 year ago
Being a kinder teacher, I recognised these immediately. I've never used them though.
#44
Small Round “Shelf” In Old Mail Box. What Is This Thing?
Answer: for leaving change for postal worker to add postage. USPS delivery people are required to have stamps and you don't even need to catch them to buy some. If you have a piece of mail without postage you can put it in your mailbox with cash and the carrier will bring back change (if needed) the next day.
Perry Downing 1 year ago
I think most people still are, our brains just overvalue negative events. The advances in communication have just made us think we’re more dishonest because we hear about more events.
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Spooky beck 1 year ago
I am a mail carrier. They like us to carry stamps, but we are not required to. I do. But if I did not have one, I would take the change and the letter and buy one once I return to the post office and put it on the letter and send it on its way.
Jenna Kay 1 year ago
Holy helper! So glad to know this!! And thank you Postal Worker Beck - if you're anything like my letter carrier, you work crazy hours and I have so much respect for you!
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John Nelson 1 year ago
We did this when I was a kid. We never bought stamps, just put the change on top of the letter we wanted to send. Our mailbox didn't have the little change shelf in it though. Our local gas station also kept the pumps on after closing. The owner had a box on top of each pump with a river rock in it. You pumped your gas and put the money under the rock so the wind wouldn't blow it away. If you needed change, you stopped by the next day or so to pick it up. That was a long time ago!
Mike F 1 year ago
Yeah, we used to tape pennies on the letter. It cost 6¢ to mail a letter back when I was a kid.
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Rebecca O’Donnell 1 year ago
Going by the state of the mailbox this could be something we did in the past. A good letter carrier will carry stamps because they care about their customers but it is not a requirement. Source, I am a retired letter carrier.
David 1 year ago
This is another "I'm old" picture. We didn't have that but back in the early 70s if you didn't have enough postage or sometimes an incoming mail came with postage due (yes, that was a thing) the letter carrier would leave a small envelope in the box with a note saying how much you owed. You put the money in the envelope - they picked it up on their next delivery.
MacintoshID 1 year ago
We used to buy stamps thru our rural post box too. Put the money in an unsealed envelope, write on the front what it is for and the carrier would leave the stamps back in the envelope
#45
Found On The Dashboard Of An Old Gmc. A Lucite Like Material, With Ridges
Answer: It's a traffic light viewer. Traffic lights back in the day were mounted on the same side you stopped on which sometimes made it difficult to see the light if you were first in line, this helped reflect the light from above so you could tell when the light changed.
Mark 1 year ago
Notice how instead of a giant lens, it is staggered. Lighthouses used to use similar glass, and it is just a curved lens with any rectangular prism where light wouldn't refract but make the lens heavier, removed.
John Leavitt 1 year ago
I am starting to feel really old when people don't recognize things like this!
Willem Andries Oosterhof 1 year ago
Or as traffic lights are mounted in the rest of the world.
#46
Weird Squirming Living Lovecraftian Nightmare On Our Lawn Chair This Morning. What Is This Thing?
Answer: Hag moth caterpillar with fuzzy “false arms” on its back to make it look like a dead leaf. (We’re looking at the belly)
Nadine Bamberger 1 year ago
I immediately thought "Australia", but they can be found in North America, mainly on the east coast.
Joanne Earle 1 year ago
EEek I live on the east coast! Hope I never see one! I also though 'Australia'.
Load More Replies... _physically_insane_(he/him) 1 year ago
it is. i dont know how people could call it nightmare fuel (also the adult form is cute too it has fluffy legs)
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#47
Found On A Hike In The Highlands In Scotland. Looks And Feels Handmade, Wooden Handle And Mesh Made Of Wire
Answer: Fire beaters. Used to extinguish small fires.
Robert T 1 year ago
They also have some that look like witches broomsticks, which are parked in a similar kind of rack. Can't find a pic, but we used to comment on them whilst on holiday as a kid.
Billy Maguire 1 year ago
Used one many times as a teen in Ireland, to put out Gorse fires in Killarney National Park. The Foresters would gather up all available able-bodied people (usually from the Pub) they could find and bus to fire location. Free pints for all when the job was done.
Load More Replies... KittyMommy 1 year ago
No, you're actually hitting the fire and breaking it up. Not meant to be used for big fires
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Russell Bowman 1 year ago
See them a lot in Australia ... where the responding fire crews are an hour(s) away
Ken Beattie 1 year ago
We had a couple on the farm but the "paddle" part was hessian. You'd soak that in water before beating the flames so it's didn't catch alight.
Load More Replies... #48
Art Nouveau Style Hook Made Of Silver
Answer: a boot button hook. Used to hook all those tiny buttons on ladies boots
Mitchell 1 year ago (edited)
Anyone else remember the book Sybil when they read this one? (Shudders with horror)
Neffla 1 year ago (edited)
Read the book Sybil Exposed by Debbie Nathan if you want to calm the shudders. The whole case was a big fake.
Load More Replies... Bill Swallow 1 year ago
Yup. The idea was, you'd put the hook end through a buttonhole in the shoe/boot, hook the hook around the button, and with a little dexterity, use it to draw the button through the buttonhole. Somewhat easier than trying to do it directly with your fingers, since there were so many buttons and they were so small. Plus the leather of the boot was less flexible than the fabric in clothing, making it that much harder to do manually.
Downunderdude 1 year ago
Rubbish. It's an Egyptian embalming tool for pulling the brains out through the nose. I thought everyone knw that.
Thomas Schwarting 1 year ago
I was thinking it was used when a lobotomy was done, ewwww! Buttons make more sense. Easier on the imagination!
#49
A Silver Utensil. When You Press The Button On One End The Grips Open. What Is This Thing?
Answer: Sugarcube holder. For tea parties with scones. Or coffee and cake.
michael Chock 1 year ago
It's fancy fingers that are used for fancy things by the fanciest of fancy people that fancy themselves more fancy than all the other fancy dandies.
Robert T 1 year ago
For retrieving knife rests from people who thought they were butt-plugs. LOL
Auntriarch 1 year ago
We had one with a longer handle for getting pickled onions out of the jar
#50
Small Elephant Filled With Water Left At Flat After Party. Debating With Flatmates Over What It’s Purpose Could Be
Answer: It's a melted reusable ice cube.
Verena 1 year ago
Usually they come in sets, different shapes/colors, to tell apart individual drinks.
Cosmikid 1 year ago
for those who want their ice cubes to be plastic, not ice; and not cubes, nayther.
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MMcD 1 year ago
My first thought was “for once everybody was talking about the elephant in the room.“
Load More Replies... Upstaged75 1 year ago
It was probably in a drink and someone took it out to look at it. I've used these and they make everything taste like plastic BTW.
Load More Replies... Sarcastic and Proud 1 year ago
So cute. Reminds me of the time my dad found a tiny jade turtle on his desk at work. To this day, nobody has come forward to say they left it there
#51
This Is A On Gate Blocking Road Access To Some Cell Towers. Why So Many Locks, And How Would Someone Even Open It?
Answer: You can open the gate by unlocking only one padlock. The way it's designed means that multiple people can use the gate, and if one person loses their keys, only their padlock needs replaced. As opposed to one padlock with many keys, you'd need to give tons of people the new key.
Javelina Poppers 1 year ago (edited)
Daisy chaining a couple of locks would seem easier. Our power company does this for private property access to work on infrastructure.
Rostit.. . 1 year ago
Not nearly as secure though. This is a far more elegant solution
Load More Replies... Jackson 1 year ago
There is a similar device used as a safety lock out to prevent access hatches from being closed or power from being turned on. Each person accessing the area or equipment puts their lock on the device to ensure their safety. I have seen over 20 locks on a single large system.
#52
What Are These Characters Found On The Back Side Of A Sign On A Woodland Trail In Alaska?
Answer: It's Stafir Móti Aðsókn an Icelandic magical sigil/stave to protect against ghosts and evil spirits
HTakeover 1 year ago
Ogham is Celtic, this is Icelandic so it would be runic. Beyond that, Ogham & runes are basically alphabets. These are sigils, which are more like images conveying a specific meaning; sometimes a spell, sometimes a thought, sometimes complex. Sigils can be made up of Ogham/runes but are not always.
Load More Replies... #53
Heavy And Small. Found In Southern Germany
Answer: Medieval pilgrim’s badge.
Weirdo with Internet 1 year ago
They would show it at passpoints and inns to show others that they are traveling for religious reasons. Kind of like a passport
Dave Walters 1 year ago
More likely a medieval or later seal matrix for impressing into wax. Pilgrims badges were normally thin lead
Mark Rudolph 1 year ago
A seal would have reverse-image letters. These letters appear to be positive images.
Load More Replies... #54
Metal 3-4 Inches, With Glass Balls. What Is This Thing?
Answer: These were how old reflectors were made, like for railroads
#55
Witt? An Unusually Shaped Sink Possibly In A Corridor, Spotted In A Property Listing On An Older House. Looks Quite Narrow, Probably Too Small For Washing Boots
Answer: It’s called a butlers sink, or cleaners sink. It’s used for cleaning, filling buckets, emptying out waste so housekeeping can wash down surfaces without wandering through the house.
Heather Atwood 1 year ago
Darn it-I want a house that is old. Mine was built in '86 and there was NOTHING cool about houses in the 80's. Sigh.
#56
What Are These Medal Things On The Corner Of These Stairs And What Is Their Purpose?
Answer: Corner dust guards. They make it easier to sweep dust out of the corners.
Surenu 1 year ago
Maybe you get one as a medal after sweeping 100 staircases?
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Emily Janssens 1 year ago
Invented by Sarah Winchester, known for continuously building on her Winchester mystery house until her death.
#57
Weird Glass Ball, Suspended By Screws, In A Metal Frame, Bronze Or Gold Colour In Appearance
Answer: It is a Campbell-Stokes sunshine recorder. You place a strip of card into one set of grooves in the piece that curves behind the sphere, point the opposite side of the sphere towards the equator, and the sphere will focus the sunlight to burn a track on the card. The card has hours marked, and more the card is burnt, the brighter the sunlight was.
Marianne 1 year ago
Don't leave this unattended close to the windows, or it will burn down your house.
J C 1 year ago
Yeah, that description doesn't make it sound super safe does it!
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#58
Anyone Know What Those Round Impressions Are Called, And What Are They For ?
Answer: Old windows were made of glass spun out into flatness. That's the center of the spin. New windows are made of glass floated on a pool of molten tin, which makes very flat panes without any annoying bullseyes. EDIT: this is also the source of the myth that glass is a liquid and flows over time. See the center pane of your picture? Someone took the time to get a "good" pane for the center of the window, without any bullseye - put your best pane in that spot, obviously. But the glass is still of uneven thickness, getting thicker closer to the bullseye. So people look at panes like that, with thicker glass in one part, and decide that "hey, the glass must have started off perfectly flat and flowed over time". But no. The glass flowed when it was molten (1500 degrees C!) and does not flow at room temperature.
Laura Williams 1 year ago
I knew how old glass was made never seen a picture though. Very cool.
Spidercat 1 year ago
Glass does flow at room temperature but extraordinarily slowly... No slower than that... Bit slower. To see the effect you need to millimetrically measure the thickness of say... Medieval glass at both the top and bottom. The bottom of the pane will exceed the top as the glass has flowed over 100's of years.
Ian Webling 1 year ago
This is not technically correct. Typically, old windows were often not of even thickness. It made sense to place the thickest part of the window at the bottom as it would be the strongest part of the window. I say not technically correct as glass does flow - it's just that it would take billions of years for that flow to be detectable to the human eye.
Load More Replies... David Beaulieu 1 year ago
Pubs and Inns would use these because they were the cheapest. People started to associate them with Pubs and Inns. So Pubs and Inns started requesting them. So even after glass was made this way Pubs would ask specifically for these so they started costing more than panes without it.
Adrian 1 year ago
I thought the glass was blown into a big bubble then cut open and flattened out and these are the stem of the "balloon". Typically, there will be far fewer of these than in this pic.
Jon Lee 1 year ago
The balloon bits were the cheapest as, if you had money you would buy the flat bits. The installer could only afford to put in one flat pane.
Load More Replies... Debby Keir 1 year ago
These are probably early 17th century. Glass was so valuable, that when they replaced the rotten wooden frames at a later date, they would then make a metal frame to fit the peices they'd already salvaged from the old frame.
pocwaddler 1 year ago
I've been in old buildings where the thick glass looks like it has flowed over time. Very striking.
#59
Why Do These Window Grills Have A Bulge. Seen In Spain
Answer: They're called "belly bars" in a lot of places. They're designed for flower boxes.
Edit: forgot to mention that the primary purpose is security. The rounded part is for flower boxes.
Will Cable 1 year ago
....Boob rails, so those with larger breasts can stand near a window without being groped?
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DadManBlues 1 year ago
The lower part also serves to allow the gate to be seen from the window sideways. Usually, only the grilles on ground floor windows have them.
#60
Scanning Family Slides From 1964 - This Was Over My Parent's House In Texas. What Is This Thing?
Answer: it's a residue of a rocket launch. It's called Twilight effect. It was done right at sunset so the sun lit the vapor/exhaust trail from underneath.
megasmacky 1 year ago (edited)
Them sciencers with their fancy book lernin, what think they're better than everyone.
Load More Replies... John Nelson 1 year ago
When I lived in Arizona, you could see the rocket launches from White Sands NM at dawn our time now and then. It was fun to watch, and because they were launching multiple rockets at once, the whole horizon would be lit up like this. As the sun continued to rise, the changing light angle would make it appear to change colors, etc. Quite the show!
ShellsBells 1 year ago
I live in Florida, and if SpaceX does launches at sunset or later, I can usually get some good vids/pics of these. I'm 160 miles (257 km) away from and on the other side of the state.
#61
What Is This Object I Found On A Beach In Yorkshire That Has Holes In And Feels Like A Mix Between Stone And Plastic
Answer: A Victorian toothbrush. The handle is made of animal bone and the holes are where the bristles (normally pig or horse hair) would go. Bristle toothbrushes like this were invented in China in the 1400s, but contrary to all that seems good and sane in this world, most Europeans weren't all that into toothbrushes until the late 1700s/early 1800s. Source: am archaeologist.
#62
What Is This? Found It By My Toaster. Please Don't Tell Me It's Some Kind Of Cockroach Molt
Amanda Rose 1 year ago
Texas native here. That is definitely a rattle! Get someone in to check out the rest of your home. There may be a nest somewhere.
XanthippeⓐWulf🇨🇦️️🇬🇧 1 year ago
Definitely! Canadian in Texas here, and while I believe there are rattlesnakes in Canada, I don't believe they are super common(?). First time I saw one of these in the bathroom of our old house, I was like "hmmm..." cut to me opening the linenen closet and "Aaaaaaa!." I handle a lot of snakes in my profession, but it hits different when you open a closet and there's one hangin' out in there like "¡hola!" 👋
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Heather Atwood 1 year ago
Once found 3 baby rattle snakes in the basement of the care home I worked at. The exterminator said to be really worried there are lots more, and maybe an adult female nearby.
Kraneia The Dancing Dryad 1 year ago
I'd want to know what the opposite to pspsps is...
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ConstantlyJon 1 year ago
rare case where they expected something bad but it ended up being much, much worse.
#63
My Neighbors Shared An Unsettling Video Of A Woman Holding This Device Up To Their Ring Doorbell. She Walked Up, Held It Directly In Front Of The Camera While It Made A Clicking/Buzzing Noise And Then Left Quickly. Any Ideas Of What It Might Be Or If We Should Be Worried?
Answer: It's a frequency scanner. Often used by car thieves. These can read the codes from that distance and enable thieves to get into your vehicle, disable the security features in the process, and drive away with your car.
Robert T 1 year ago
Oh wow. We can say arsehole now. Yippee! I wonder what other adult words we are now allowed. :D
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censorshipsucks 1 year ago
crime reminds me of evolution. We develop a natural defence and the predator develops a new form of attack.
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
Think about oranges. They spent all those millions of years evolving thick peels no one could get into, and then here we come with our opposable thumbs. All those millions of years wasted!
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#64
Grainy-Like Things? They Appear Inside And On My Closet, And Reappear Whenever I Clean Them. What Are These?
Answer: Termite poop.
Idgafwyt AllDat'N'ABagOfChips 1 year ago
Interesting how so much poop keeps reappearing, but yet they haven't seen a single termite? 🤔
Bookworm 1 year ago
The termites are inside the wood structure of the house
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#65
What Is This Demonic Looking Creature?
️ ️~ lefty libra️ ~ 1 year ago
goodbye everyone. im staying in my house for the rest of my life
Surenu 1 year ago
Of course it's also called "Australian Horror Moth", why did I ever doubt it?
ConstantlyJon 1 year ago
one of these days I just want someone to say that it's a demon and be done with it.
Kim Shannon 1 year ago
I hope this wasn't found at the same house that had the rattle snake rattle left by the toaster
#66
What Is This Thing? Small Gold Pig Container With Removable Tiny Spoon For A Tail
Answer: Salt cellar aka salt pig
primeline31 1 year ago
I know it as a saccharine (artificial sweetener) holder. The tiny spoon allows the user more control over how sweet your coffee/tea would be. Used before or instead of those pink paper packets. (My friend's parents in the 1960's used a similar one for that purpose.)
and_a_touch_of_the_’tism 1 year ago
I have a little goldfish like this, it’s very pretty but it doesn’t have a spoon.
#67
I've Met An Old Man In Germany And He Sent Me These Little Coat Of Arms, Telling Me To Visit Each Of This Location Before I Die. What Are These Exactly Used For?
Rizzo 1 year ago
My grandpa had a walking stick full of those. He earned them by joining annual hikes through the German forests despite the fact that he had one leg blown off by a Russian grenade and therefore had to walk with a prosthetic leg.
SheamusFanFrom1987 1 year ago
I have an antique walking stick passed down to me by my late grandfather and any of these medallions would look great on it.
ElfVibratorGlitter 1 year ago
Look similar to hat pins. Which was also a thing when I was a kid in Germany
pocwaddler 1 year ago
My wife used to go on Volksmarches when she was growing up in Germany, organized hikes. The participants would get a little medallion like this, that you would then mount onto your wooden hiking stick.
#68
Found In A Bag Together While Digging A Pool In Massachusetts. Penny For Scale
Answer: Toy plates for a dollhouse.
talliloo 1 year ago
seems like a good identification but i am curious as to why there are some tiny holes in some of them. it makes me think that perhaps they may have been part of a bracelet.
Wang Zhuang 1 year ago
Could have been decorative plates for a dollhouse? So they would be hung up on the walls of the house, maybe
megasmacky 1 year ago
I used to walk past a shop selling dollhouses on my way to work. I hardly ever glanced at them but one time I glanced at one, did a double take and stopped in shock. In one of the bedrooms of a dollhouse was a little old lady figurine dressed as a dominatrix whipping an old man on the bed, wearing a little panties/bra combo. Micro-kinky!
#69
Im Waiting For The Bank To Open And They Have This Card Facing The Street. What Is It Used For?
Answer: Former bank employee here. It's definitely a safety signal. We switched ours quarterly and it is to let other employees know that it is all clear to open.
#70
Just Bought A Lake Home And Found Three Of These In The Water Next To The Pier. Criss-Cross Stack Of Corrugated Pipes Wrapped In Plastic Netting All Weight Down By Bricks
Answer: It is a fish crib. It is a device to give baby fish a place to hide from the big boys. They also make for some good fishing as the lunckers will hang around hoping for a few little ones to come out
Bisha Moten 1 year ago
Fun fact, you can get in a LOT of trouble lifting these things out of the water. Unauthorized possession of another harvester's trap gear or removal of trap contents constitutes theft.
Heather Atwood 1 year ago
This is a protective "device" to help young fish hide. It is not a trap. We have things like this around our dock at our lake house-really good for fishing for reason listed in post.
Load More Replies... #71
1.5 Inches Long, Hard And Glossy. Found 5 Feet Below The Bottom Of A Virginia River
Answer: Fossil snail casting
wellsfamily 1 year ago
Actually that is not fossilized snail casting. It is actually solidified snail poop...
#72
Water Flows From A Culvert Beneath A Trail Into This Circular Pool, Then Continues On Into The Woods. What's The Pool's Purpose?
Answer: Settling pond for erosion control and improving the downstream water for happier fish
#73
About The Size Of My Hand. Found In The Trash. (I'm A Trash Man). Any Ideas?
Answer: Laser cut "perpetual" calendar.
Regina Holt 1 year ago
It is probably in the trash because the person didn't know what it is?
Load More Replies... #74
I Found This Little Guy Under A Stair In A Parking Garage At The Mall. The Clothing Is Made Out Of Thread And His Hair Is Made By What Seems Like Glue Dipped Into Dirt?
Answer: It is a worry doll. You tell your worries to it, and put it under your pillow at night. It's supposed to take away your worries while you're sleeping.
Katie Lutesinger 1 year ago
I had a little bag of these! I took them to school for Show and Tell and another kid stole them.
Lotekguy 1 year ago
Looks like Mr. Hands found a way to shrink the poor lad.
Load More Replies... KillerKiwi 1 year ago
I got some from my grandma. I never “used” them, just thought they were fun to look at.
#75
Found In A House I Moved Into. The Chain Has Two Corks Attached On Either End
Answer: It is for wine. Ice goes in the little side container to keep it cold.
Antoinette Maldari 1 year ago
Because craftsmanship is a bit a rarity now a days.
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#76
Unknown Glass Object Filled With Unknown Liquid, Found In An Early 1900’s Barn. Any Leads?
Answer: Fire extinguisher.
Sergy Yeltsen 1 year ago
Extra detail: early fire extinguishers were thrown at the fire, like a grenade. The glass shatters, spreading the fire-snuffing liquid. Sometimes I wish we still had ones like this.
User# 6 1 year ago
This, however, is not one of the throwing kind, but an automatic. You hang it up on the ceiling. The spring on the bottom is held back by a bimetallic pin. When it heats up, the pin retracts, the spring expands and shatters the glass.
Load More Replies... Sarcastic and Proud 1 year ago
Don't ever brake this!!! The chemicals used inside could be toxic
Griffy 1 year ago
The liquid in this one is very dangerous, actually. Among other possible chemicals, carbon tetrachloride might be in it, which could cause liver and kidney damage. They sell for a good bit, but shipping them full is a bad thing. Best thing to do is take them to a fire station.
Vera Diblikova 1 year ago
Fire extinguishing liquid? Which? I would love to have some in my kitchen.
Upstaged75 1 year ago
A fire extinguisher is all you need. Less toxic too.
Load More Replies... #77
Flying Over An Area Outside Of Tucson We Saw This Hole And It Looks Like It Has Water In It
Answer: Pit mine, the spiral you see is the actual road trucks drive on to transport the materials mined from the bottom to the top.
ॐBoyGanesh 1 year ago
Don’t know why you were downvoted for saying the name of the mine. Weird people on here.
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Buz Droopy 1 year ago
And yet you use devices that depend on the material brought out of these mines.
Load More Replies... #78
Patches Of Sand Floating On Top Of Water Near Shoreline, Each Patch Around 4-10cm In Diameter
Answer: It's dry sand floating on the water tension, been picked up by the raising tide. Only happens when it's hot enough to dry the sand and absolutely flat calm.
Judy Reynolds 1 year ago
Took a minute to realize the dark blue shapes were the shadows of the sand patches!
#79
Found Inside A Musical Instrument, It Is The Size Of A Big Grape But There Aren't Any Holes Big Enough For It To Have Fallen Inside
Answer: They have these in violins. They call them the mouse. It’s just years and years of fluff and detritus. If they get repaired the repairer will put ‘the mouse’ back into the violin for good luck. It could be something like that.
Roan The Demon Kitty 1 year ago
I think my old violin that's been pretty much in storage for a long while will probably have an entire cat or dogs worth in there by now, nvm a mouse xD
laura lee 1 year ago
My cello is covered but it's been many a year since I last took it out
Load More Replies... Learner Panda 1 year ago
That's correct. The mouse is also an integral part of the violin's history.
Kate 1 year ago
Same reason the lint in the lint trap sticks together. That's what it is -- tiny bits of fiber from the bowstrings.
Load More Replies... #80
Toilet With A U-Shaped Divot In The Front
Answer: It's a type of handicap toilet, more common in Europe than the US. It's supposed to have an open-front seat, too. That allows a person to slide straight onto and off of the seat (such as from a wheelchair), without their genitals ever touching the seat or the bowl. This is more comfortable and decreases spread of disease.
Becky Samuel 1 year ago
It may be comfortable, but I get the feeling that I'd be in danger of piddling straight out of that gap and down the back of my legs.
#81
Ditches In A Field Next To An Airport. Didn't Use To Be There Before
Answer: Before construction, they are required to look for sites of archaeological interest. This is the pattern that they use to search for those. They trench a line and the dots on each side of the trench are the dirt which has been removed
Alexandra 1 year ago
They usually tend to do desk research first, to determine whether, on the basis of documentation, there is any reason to go trenching. That there are so many trenches and also relatively close to each other might indicate that they find it likely that there is something of archaeological worth there.
Kate 1 year ago
I can't imagine that many exploratory trenches, though. If you find something interesting in your first couple trenches, you usually do a full excavation, you don't keep digging trench after trench right in the same area. It doesn't look like an archaeological site to me. It would help to know where this is.
Load More Replies... #82
Found These Soft Metal Objects While Metal Detecting Under A Pier At Low Tide
Answer: they’re good luck/prayer charms that are tossed in the water on purpose.
Lyn Starsblood (she/her) 1 year ago
The top right one is the planetary symbol for Jupiter… interesting
#83
Found In My Math Teacher's Room. 100 Squares With Varying Patterns And Colors. No Patterns Seem To Be Same
Answer: They are times. For example, 4 is 2 blue, blue is 2. So 4 is 2x2. 8 has three blue 2x2x2. 96 has 4 blue 2x2x2x2 (32) x red which is 3. 32x3 is 96
ConstantlyJon 1 year ago
5 is a better example to look at. Also I would say these are times tables. Look at 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7. They are all distinct colors. 5 = YELLOW, so everywhere else you see yellow represents 5. 2 = BLUE. Therefore, 2x5 (BLUE and YELLOW) = 10. 3= RED, so 3x5 (RED and YELLOW) = 15.
Miki 1 year ago
Not exactly. All numbers are multiplication of prime numbers. Eg: 12= 2*2*3, not just 3*4 because 4 is not a prime.
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ColdSteelRonin 1 year ago
No, not unreasonable. seems pointless and overly complicated unless it serves a specific purpose as a tool for someone that has a learning disability.
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#84
Green Alien Thing That Grew On My Band Aid. What Is This Thing?
HTakeover 1 year ago
Kinda but also not really. Short version: They're a manufacturing defect. Specifically they're glue resin pellets; they melt the pellets down to make the glue and coat the sections of bandaid with the liquid adhesive. Like how you melt wax discs for waxing or chocolate discs for fountains/dipping. Somehow some unmelted pellets made it through.
#85
What In The Absolute F*ck Is On My Car?
censorshipsucks 1 year ago
"There seems to me too much misery in the world. I cannot persuade myself that a beneficent & omnipotent God would have designedly created the Ichneumonidæ with the express intention of their feeding within the living bodies of caterpillars, or that a cat should play with mice. " -- Charles Darwin.
Kitty White 1 year ago
In my effort to help the butterfly population, I have some plants in my yard that adults eat from, and others that their caterpillars eat, which is where some butterflies lay their eggs. I have learned a lot- including that some wasps will lay eggs on caterpillars; when the eggs hatch, the larvae eat the caterpillar. If you happen to find such in the wild, you can safely remove the eggs with tweezers. BUT if the eggs have already hatched, it is too late… the caterpillar will die.
I’ll have a treble thanks. 1 year ago
Can the parasites be removed without injury to the caterpillar? Poor lil fella.
Kira Okah 1 year ago
Given these are cocoons, by this point the caterpillar is mostly eaten and barely alive. The caterpillar will not survive this.
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ColdSteelRonin 1 year ago
Looks like the inspiration for one of the horrible Destiny 2 hunter cloaks
Heather Menard 1 year ago
Kill it put it out of its misery. Once those eggs hatch they will feed on it.
Kira Okah 1 year ago
These are actually cocoons, te eggs were implanted beneath the skin. The caterpillar is already mostly eaten.
Load More Replies... #86
What Are These Circles On A Window Of A Bus And What Do They Do?
les 1 year ago
having fitted these windows they missed out is most important job. it hides the glue so the vehicle looks nicer
Bookworm 1 year ago
They mentioned that - 'create barrier to stop you from seeing messy seal'
Load More Replies... CORGI QUEEN 1 year ago
I thought it was just how you can tell which windows go down and which ones are stationary
#87
Blue Glass Token Found In A Field In France, Though One Of The Ships Flags Kind Of Looks Like A Union Jack. Game Piece Or History?
Answer: It's a part of a ring warn by somone important on one of the shipping companies in the 18th century
Adrian 1 year ago
Fun fact, a Union Jack is only a Union Jack when it's flown on a ship. If flown on land, it the Union Flag. However, most people, even Brits, only refer to it as the Union Jack.
Diana Burnwood 1 year ago
Actually both are commonly accepted. Also the union jack should technically only be used when flown on a warship
Load More Replies... #88
A Silver Spoon With "Top" Part?
Answer: Vintage Christofle Orfevre a Paris Silver Plated Medicine/Invalid Feeder Spoon.
#89
Burying Our Dog In The Backyard Who Passed Today At 16 And Came Across This Underground Wall
Answer: It’s got holes in it, that’s a drywell. That thing fills up when it rains so the yard doesn’t flood.
KillerKiwi 1 year ago
Why not? Lots of dogs love water. Maybe he wants to swim in death too…
Load More Replies... #90
Small Ceramic Bowl With Three Small Cones Like Things In The Middle
Answer: It is an Ikebana Vase. It is for Japanese style flower arrangements. The flowers go in the tubes and the rest is also filled with water, usually smooth stones, or maybe a small turtle or frog sculpture.
SheamusFanFrom1987 1 year ago
From the videos shown in my Japanese class, Ikebana is seriously lovely. I'm generally not much of a flower arrangement guy but even I find myself wanting to try it at least once.
#91
Floating Home Found Tied To A Fence On The Beach In Southern California
Answer: It's floating duck house or similar structure for local waterfowl. They give ducks a place to sleep safe from predators or to escape water predators (usually snapping turtles and such).
Blue Bunny of Happiness 1 year ago
And if you’re an MP in the UK you managed to claim over £1500 on your expenses for a very fancy one of these!
#92
What Is This Piece Of Playground Equipment For? Seems Like It Must Have A Function Other Than To Just Lay On It
Answer: Manufacturers are providing a lot more pieces that are accessible to children with limited mobility. While this may seem less interesting at first glance, imagine the benefits to children who’ve never been able to climb up to a slide or fire pole.
Katie Lutesinger 1 year ago
There's a park in my area which has a swing especially designed for a kid in a wheelchair. :)
KillerKiwi 1 year ago
There is an all-abilities playground in my neighborhood, and I think it’s the coolest thing ever.
#93
Cubby Inside Kitchen Of 1950’s Home
Answer: Telephone nook/niche.
Douglas Tucker 1 year ago
Again, the big heavy azz black rotary dial phone sat on top shelf with the "White & Yellow Pages " phone directory below. This wall unit was normal in most home hallways built in the 1920s because phones were becoming more important to families plus some phone customers had the joy of listening in on what other people were talking about on the old party line system.
KillerKiwi 1 year ago
I was born in the ‘00s and I know a phone book nook when I see one
Load More Replies... #94
Promo Item I Received For Free At A Christmas Fair. It Is The Size Of My Hand, The White Top Screws On And Off And The Red Bag Part Expands And Is Pretty Thick
Answer: A mini refillable hot/cold pack for headaches or injuries.
Verfin22 1 year ago
I use mine quite often, but it is blue. The material is usually rubber so you can put it directly on skin without harm.
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ॐBoyGanesh 1 year ago
Wait, have water bottles and hot/cold packs gone so far out of use that they’re considered an oddity. I know I’m old, but I thought there’s were ubiquitous in medicine cabinets.
Huddo's sister 1 year ago
We either have rectangular ones with gel inside or wheat bags in Australia. I've only seen these on US tv shows.
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Upstaged75 1 year ago
My mom still has hers from the 80's. I remember it well. It was blue and we always wanted to play with it. :)
#95
Solid Feeling Balls That Chyme/Jingle At A Low Tone When You Shake Them
Answer: Baoding balls. They’re for stress and concentration. You're supposed to put them both in the palm of your hand and rotate them around each other in a circle.
ynyrhydref56 1 year ago
These were all the rage in the 90s. Seemed like every gift shop sold them.
ॐBoyGanesh 1 year ago (edited)
Oh sweet summer child. They were in those tourist-area gift shops (and probably still are) because they are still a young adult rage & have been since the 1960s. In the 80s, more people had these than had a copy of Bob Marley’s Legends album. 😜
Load More Replies... xolitaire 1 year ago
They are not only for stress/concentration. They are also used to help with arthritis in the hands/fingers
and_a_touch_of_the_’tism 1 year ago
I have a pair from my grandma. She calls them something else but I forget what.
#96
This Is About 3ft Talk Made Of Solid Wood. It Doesn't Weigh Much Though, Maybe 5 Or 10 Lbs. The Arm Hanging Down Swings And The Top Is Just A Handle. It Does Not Move
Answer: A boot puller, otherwise known as a boot jack. Heel in the u shaped groove, other foot on the back of that to stabilise it all, swingy bit on the top of the foot, hold the hand grips and lever the boot off the heel by lifting your booted leg up and out.
Upstaged75 1 year ago (edited)
For tall riding-type boots it's not that simple. There's a specific way you need to do it or else you end up just getting dragged around with a boot still on your leg. :) If you don't have a jack, the official way is to sit down in a chair, and have someone stand facing away from you with your leg/boot clasped between their own legs. Then with your other leg you put your foot on their butt and push. Works every time!
Load More Replies... #97
Bought A House With This Glass Structure In The Backyard, No Idea What It's Supposed To Be
Answer: It’s to grow mushrooms. Called a fruiting house. It looks like there is even substrate there that you use in growing mushrooms.
#98
Staying At An Airbnb And We Have This Little Metal Tray Embedded In The Counter Top. It's About An Inch Deep (Banana For Scale), Cannot Be Removed, And Has A Drawer Underneath
Answer: It's where a scale used to be.
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Dariusz M. D. 1 year ago
Really? You don't like posts about mother in law wearing white to her son's wedding? It always says: a family drama ensued. I saw twenty in the last year. They are riot!
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T'Mar of Vulcan 1 year ago
Saw (also on BP) a pic of a jar with a removable glass top and spout. Without looking at the answer I said, "It's for vinegar!" How I knew? We had one when I was a kid!
Dariusz M. D. 1 year ago
Really? You don't like posts about mother in law wearing white to her son's wedding? It always says: a family drama ensued. I saw twenty in the last year. They are riot!
Load More Replies... T'Mar of Vulcan 1 year ago
Saw (also on BP) a pic of a jar with a removable glass top and spout. Without looking at the answer I said, "It's for vinegar!" How I knew? We had one when I was a kid!
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