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50 Times People Had No Idea What They Were Looking At And Asked The Internet For Help (New Pics)
Curiosity isn’t a sin, so long as you don’t go poking your nose into spooky dungeons and haunted fortresses without preparation. I firmly believe that curiosity and the bright-eyed search for knowledge are what truly make us human. Many of us are willing to put our ego and pride aside to ask for help when we’re stumped. Even more fortunate still is that the world’s chock full of people willing to lend a helping hand.
That is where the popular ‘What is This Thing’ online community comes in. A subreddit that’s home to nearly 2 million members, r/whatisthisthing helps people identify mysterious artifacts and peculiar-looking items, wherever they might be found. They’ve got a great track record and it sometimes feels like there’s nothing that their collective wisdom can’t figure out. Either that or they’ve got an endless supply of Scrolls of Identification hidden somewhere safe.
Today, we’re featuring the subreddit’s best recent posts. We’re pretty sure that these will awaken your inner sleuth, not your inner sloth. Scroll down, upvote your favorite pics, and let us know in the comments if you’ve got any bizarre unidentified items at home. In the mood for more amateur detective work? Don’t sweat it, Bored Panda has got it covered. You’ll find our previous articles about r/whatisthisthing right over here, here, and here.
More info: Reddit | Frequently Asked Things
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
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.
Brian Bennett 3 years ago
Nice to know someone somewhere thinks that bats aren't all vampires!
Foxxy (The Original) 3 years ago
In my state at least, we have a few expressways/highways that have mesh attached to the concrete wall barricade thingys. Found out they are koala ladders so they don't get trapped on the roads.
DaVo 3 years ago
We have a lot of these in The Netherlands. Like this one; Vleermuisp...813648.jpg 
Elsker 3 years ago
wow... lived in the netherlands my whole life and never knew this... Guess i haven't been around bat-inhabited areas much
RELATED:
#2
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.
Samantha Lomb 3 years ago
Seems like covering that when you aren't home/ using it would be a good idea
Sawdust 3 years ago
Here's a video with an in-depth explanation of how a sunshine recorder works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ODhM5UzQsU
Brîndușa 3 years ago
Thank you!I just watched the video.Very interesting.
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#3
Found This Glass Like Tube “Shell” Washed Up On A Beach In North Carolina, Any Idea What It Is?
Answer: Stingray teeth
Chancey 3 years ago
It's actually a sting ray mouth plate that is somewhat curled up. That is not a tooth. "Upon spotting any prey, they suck it up by forming a vacuum with their mouths, and crush it with their strong jaws lined with several rows of broad teeth. Then, the prey’s soft flesh is swallowed, while any sharp or hard parts are regurgitated."
Vicky Z 3 years ago
Am i the only one that I'm scared to touch things i have no idea what they are?
Mary Rose Kent 3 years ago
Not the only one! You never know what’s poisonous...
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Cold Contagious 3 years ago
It does look super interesting. That's exactly what I thought.
Load More Replies... Mimi La Souris 3 years ago
as my mommy said : if you don't know, don't touch ! :) look like an alien armor !
Kay blue 3 years ago
Yep, they need them to eat the small crunchy things in their diet.
Load More Replies...The subreddit has been steadily gaining fame and helping solve mysteries, simple and serious alike, for over a decade. It was founded way back in September 2010 and has grown by leaps and bounds since then. Just a couple of years ago, the sub had 1.17 million fans. Getting nearly a million extra members in that time is quite an achievement.
However, it’s very easy to see why the subreddit’s such a big hit online. First of all, the photos pique our curiosity. We’re not know-it-alls, so naturally, we’re a bit intrigued when we see something unfamiliar and can’t wait to expand our minds.
Secondly, the subreddit’s community is incredibly warm and friendly. They’re always happy to lend a helping hand and assist others with their queries. And finally, it really does look like the sub’s got everything figured out. There are rarely any cases when somebody doesn’t respond with the correct answer.
#4
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.
Devil's Advocate 3 years ago
Too much tech with "security" that's bypassed by a cheap and easily available scanner. Bring back keys!!
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DaVo 3 years ago
There are already special pouches with a special lining called Faraday Titan. Very appropriately.
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Bob Belcher 3 years ago
Are they sure it's not a Pineapple? (Yes that is the right word. Google it). These are used for same thing but to scan and capture your WiFi so a hacker can access your internet and later your computer.
abby smink 3 years ago (edited)
Not only for that reason, but if you gotta bust ass out of your bedroom for some reason in the middle of the night, and it's possible to escape out a window or sliding glass door, you're gonna want your car keys with you for an easy escape.
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Brandi VanSteenwyk 3 years ago
This information should be forwarded to EVERY CLIENT of these type of security systems AND posted for ALL to see. It may very well be one of the most important bits of new on Panda today.
EP 3 years ago
Amen! I come here for laughs. Tonight I’m scared and not laughing!
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K 3 years ago
could be that the door has a keycode and/or keyless entry (my first apartment had this, no physical keys)
Load More Replies... Cold Contagious 3 years ago
Some homes are keyless entries, maybe she was having a moment and got confused, thinking she could get into the house.
OBGYN KENOBI 3 years ago
I'm guessing because people tend to leave their car keys by the door that she is trying to scan for them.
Load More Replies... #5
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
Johnny Ferrell 3 years ago
I thought they may be used to knock down spider webs while hiking in the woods.
Mary Rose Kent 3 years ago
And then not know where the spiders are? No thanks!
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Olga Dremina 3 years ago
I would think these are snowshoes or bogshoes. The shape is slightly odd, but it's a pair.
#6
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.
Lauren Caswell 3 years ago
Put them back then I guess, it's where they are meant to be? Or is it a pollution problem?
Robert T 3 years ago
If they are soft, then they are likely to be made of lead, so better that they are out of the water!
Mary Rose Kent 3 years ago
And be sure to wash your hands very well...take your time!
Load More Replies... Abhijeet 3 years ago
The numbers are written in Marathi, a language spoken in Maharasthra state of India. Can confirm since Marathi is my mother tongue.
Frisinator 3 years ago
Gotta love the internet! You can post anything like this and get an answer!
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Kirsten Kerkhof 3 years ago
They're fish that were added to food as it cooked to add extra iron. And to make sure people actually used them, they were sold as good luck charms.
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
I think I remember reading that on a previous one of these lists, but they didn't mention the good luck part.
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A while back, one of the moderators helping manage r/whatisthisthing told me that there are several reasons why people become amateur online detectives. Part of this is due to the “thrill of the chase” and folks wanting to show off their research skills. While another reason why people help others identify obscure items, they told Bored Panda, is that everything simply looks incredibly interesting and they can’t help but get drawn in.
“Many [people] have unique and obscure knowledge and they like to use it. Get enough of them together and they cover most things,” the moderator explained to Bored Panda that the community has a lot of great experts in their midst.
According to them, it’s very rare indeed for someone to share a photo on r/whatisthisthing and for nobody to know what exactly it might be. They told me at the time that under 10 percent of all cases don’t get solved on the subreddit. Which is a tiny fraction when you consider how large the online group actually is.
“A majority of things are solved within 15 minutes of posting,” the moderator said.
#7
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
John David Miller 3 years ago
No Lunkers, that’s what us fisherman call the big boys
Load More Replies... #8
Ammunition With A Weird Shiny Tip, Could Be 30mm? Worried If Inert Or Not. Found On Glacier In Swiss
Answer: Artillery expert here
What you have there is a projectile from the 35x228mm Oerlikon Flab Kan 63/90 (Same gun that is on the Flugabwehrkanonenpanzer Gepard).
From the fact it has an aluminium dummy fuze (the large cutouts make it obvious there is not enough space for the fuze mechanism) and it looked like it was painted bluish-grey, that makes it an "Übungsgranate" - a Target Practice shot. Be advised that doesn't mean it's inert, because even a TP shot can have active pyrotechnic devices like tracers and I can't see the bottom of it.
My advice, is, as always, call EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal, AKA the "bomb squad") and they'll sort it for you, because you don't do demining over the internet.
Moneythink 3 years ago
Love "you don't do demining over the internet". To which the internet replies "Hold my beer". I don't know anything about artillery, but I'm convinced that you are indeed an expert.
Alexandru Bucur 3 years ago
Thanks! Unfortunately, you are right. Whenever someone posts a potential UXO (unexploded ordnance) on r/whatisthisthing about half the people there will suggest "hit it with a hammer to see what it does"...
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Bender Bending Rodríguez 3 years ago
I finished reading "Oerlikon Flab Kan 63/90 (Same gun that is on the Flugabwehrkanonenpanzer Gepard)" and a demon appeared. They really need to put warning before summoning spells.
Alexandru Bucur 3 years ago
Nice to see this made it onto BP - this answer got me something like 4.6k karma, and it turned out to be something innocuous, when the whole reason I spend time on that sub is to try and catch any potential UXO (unexploded ordnance) that is NOT recognized as such. Disturbingly, those cases are not rare at all. The one I'm particularly proud of was this person finding a fired, unexploded US Civil War shell in their garden of a design that is VERY dangerous to manipulate once the safety shear wire has been broken on firing - basically, turning it upside down might set it off and this type has already claimed the life of several people, especially because it's not immediately identifiable as a shell - it looks more like a rusty metal egg. After I informed them what they had OP called EOD and they conformed that yes, it was live... So yeah, if you find a projectile, don't know what it is and post it on r/whatisthisthing I might identify it for you, but, for Pete's sake call EOD first.
Gerard Neaux 3 years ago
This is all so cool to know! Thanks for sharing!
Load More Replies... Whatshername 3 years ago (edited)
Yep, in Germany (and The Netherlands) they like to make words as long as possible 😂 flug=flight abwehr=defense kanonen=cannons panzer=tank. Or anti-aircraft cannon tank.
Load More Replies... Mary Rose Kent 3 years ago
Many people store away bits of arcana in fields that truly interest them.
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Tenacious Squirrel 3 years ago
"Worried if inert or not" - whilst having taken it from where they found it and now holding it inside what looks like their house?!
#9
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.
Brian Bennett 3 years ago
A mouse in a violin no wonder sit sounds like something screaming if I try to play!
Mary Rose Kent 3 years ago
I love your game name on many different levels!
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Requiem 3 years ago
So why would crap get inside your violin and not guitars? and all gather into a ball
Mary Rose Kent 3 years ago
Smaller opening? Being held with the top facing up rather than outward? I’m just speculating...
Load More Replies... It’s not all just fun and games, however. Internet users are putting their deductive skills to the test in real-life scenarios as well. The subreddit has an offshoot called Trace an Object that searches for objects linked to child abuse cases, posted by Europol.
“We've had some luck in identifying some things, but there's more yet unsolved and more to come as Europol does release some new information every few months,” the moderator said.
#10
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.
Josy Bannon 3 years ago
Gives you an idea of the size of this thing if the spirals are truck roads, eery.
Otter 3 years ago
There are some HUGE mines near Tucson. There's a town called Green Valley south of Tucson where I've stayed, there are giant manmade bluffs looming over the town... containing monstrously large chemical settlement ponds.
May 3 years ago
What do they mine it these pits? When I picture I mine, I always picture the kind that's in mountains - it's the only kind we have in Norway.
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Barbara Cass 3 years ago
Google Butte Montana on google earth. One of the largest copper mines in the world. At one time anyway.
Queen Jackson. 3 years ago (edited)
If you squinch, on the fifth step from the top you can see the banana for scale
SPQRBob 3 years ago (edited)
Here's one near Salt Lake City (copy and paste link into new tab): https://earth.google.com/web/@40.45208301,-112.20176206,8890.04120406a,0d,35y,19.6156h,52.9876t,359.991r?utm_source=earth7&utm_campaign=vine&hl=en
Susan Reid Smith 3 years ago
Could you please give us the name of the mine?
Load More Replies... #11
What Is This Random Set Of Stairs With A Platform? It’s Located At The Entrance To A Local Forest With Walking Trails
Answer: This is for horse mounting.
Vicky Z 3 years ago
I'm not an expert but I recognized this and funny thing is that the one time i used it, it wasn't enough for me 🙄 the horse was huge and I'm very short! I need an elevator
Mary Rose Kent 3 years ago
How short are you, Vicky? I’m 5’3” and am definitely in my shrinking years...
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Upstaged75 3 years ago
I wish they had one of those around our local trails! If you get off (or fall off) your horse we search for the tallest tree stump or rock to help get back on - and it's usually not very graceful. :) And before you ask, mounting a horse from the ground is much harder than you think. Especially once you start to get old!
#12
Trunk Full Of Chemicals In 1920's Home, What Is It/For?
Answer: It says "International Correspondence Schools" which still exists.
Probably a course on chemicals?
Now, be careful. Chemical regulations in the 20's were not the same as now. Based on your pictures, you could have nasty toxic chemicals that can go through a glove and kill you (the mercury vial), explosive degradation products (ammonium) and other surprises like that. Earth near from them could be contaminated too.
I suggest you do not linger near from them. Perhaps you can arrange a meeting with a university chemical lab and know more about the set, including safe disposal options.
Brian Bennett 3 years ago
I've got one of these did not know how to dispose of theses chemical so thanks!
WilvanderHeijden 3 years ago
Don't you have recycling centers where you can hand in all chemical waste for free? In the Netherlands you can unload all your chemical waste like paint left overs, dead car batteries and all other toxic / chemical waste in a recycling center. Beats emptying paint cans in the sewer.
Load More Replies... Devil's Advocate 3 years ago
My brain went straight to Bedknobs and Broomsticks with her international correspondence college of witchcraft
Janus Rhiadra 3 years ago
Some of the old kits contained radioactive materials and potentially explosive chemicals. so handle as little as possible and call a local hazardous waste disposal place for advice. You might need to get someone to come out to safely collect it and decontaminate the area if needed.
If you’re planning on joining r/whatisthisthing, there are a few rules that you need to be aware of. Naturally, you’re encouraged to be helpful and civil. What’s more, members are not supposed to joke around: they ought to be serious and to the point.
Meanwhile, if you’re answering someone’s query, you really should add a link so that others can help fact-check things. On the flip side, if you’re the one asking for help, you should reply ‘Solved!’ when the mystery’s been unraveled. Though don’t delete the post once you’ve got the knowledge you sought. Leave it up there for others to find so they can sate their curiosity, too.
#13
It’s Upside But Looks To Be A Feeder Or Nester Of Some Sort, Attached To The Top Of The Fence By Previous Owner. What Is This Thing?
Answer: It's for bees, particularly Mason bees
Travis Fox 3 years ago
Mason bees are amazing. Super pollinators not at all aggressive and RARELY sting. I'm Highly (Epi pen) allergic to bee stings and I have these all around my yard. They make my flowers and garden very happy without a big risk to me.
Ruby 3 years ago
Well the caption and the photo show it's on the place it's supposed to be, hopefully they didn't remove it!
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Daniel Marsh 3 years ago
I got stung by a Mason bee, but probably because I was trying to learn its secret handshake. (Bees do have secret shakes!)
Katie Lutesinger 3 years ago
I have one of those on my outside wall! So far it's provided homes for a couple of mud wasp nests and some spiders.
Foxxy (The Original) 3 years ago
I've seen a few of these and know them as insect hotels. So far the only thing I have ever seen in them is lots of webs so I presume the spiders have taken up residence.
Mary Rose Kent 3 years ago
From Wikipedia: Species of the genus include the orchard mason bee O. lignaria, the blueberry bee O. ribifloris, the hornfaced bee O. cornifrons, and the red mason bee O. bicornis. The former two are native to the Americas, the third to eastern Asia, and the latter to the European continent, although O. lignaria and O. cornifrons have been moved from their native ranges for commercial purposes. Over 300 species are found across the Northern Hemisphere. Most occur in temperate habitats within the Palearctic and Nearctic zones, and are active from spring through late summer.
#14
What Is This Thing Hanging Outside My Fireplace. It Seems To Have Gears Inside Of It, And Pivots Into The Fireplace
Answer: it's a clockwork spit turner for turning a roast or other meat automatically.
Cold Contagious 3 years ago
It looks extremely interesting and cool for the time period in which they were created.
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Jods 3 years ago
Once upon a time they had tiny dogs bred for the specific job of turning the spit.
#15
Blue Nets Tied Between The Trees. Found While Hiking In The Cinque Terre National Park In Italy
Answer: these are nets for catching the fruit from the tree - currently rolled up because there is no fruit. They were spread out to cover the area beneath the trees when I was there in late summer.
Glynna Bowood 3 years ago
No, just easier to gather up the net full of fruit.
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#16
What Are These Strands/Threads Coming Out Of My Crackers?
Answer: This is 100% frayed edges of the conveyors that take the crackers through the sheeting process before being transferred to the oven band.
tuzdayschild 3 years ago
My first thought was long haired rat. Thank God, it's not from a long haired rat. I can sleep now.
d bradley 3 years ago
they are my grandma's last perm results. she works there watching the conveyor belt roll by
#17
This Fancy Hotel Has A Shallow Tub With Two Sides. When The Button Is Pressed, One Side Lights Up With A Red Light And Hot Water For About 30 Seconds. Then The Other Side Lights Up With Blue Light And Cold Water And Shuts Off After The Same Amount Of Time
Answer: This is very common in Germany, we call it "Wechselbad". You're supposed to keep your feet in the warm water first and then quickly put them in the cold water (repeat a few times). This is supposed to help with circulation although I'm not sure if there's actually scientific evidence for that.
We usually have these in spas and other wellness or health related facilities.
Brian Bennett 3 years ago
Maybe you could warm your butt and cool your feet without getting your knees wet!
Vicky Z 3 years ago
This is something that is recommended by many doctors and physiotherapists actually at least in my country we learnt that at physio school
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
Yeah, the professional athletes often have these after a game
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Kat Hayden 3 years ago
When i sprain my ankle or wrist, i put heat on then cold and repeat for up to a hr, next day all better, my dad taught me and i swear by it
Denise Aitchison 3 years ago
I was told to do this kind of thing to help relieve bone spur pain. It helped.
#18
I Know This Isnt Exactly An Object But Was Hoping You Guys Could Still Help Me Out. What Is This Purple Smoke?
Answer: it's a byproduct of burning rubbish with a high iodine content
Lillukka79 3 years ago
Ain't that the truth! Burning iodine smells like a**e.
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Two_rolling_black_eyes 3 years ago
This most often occurs at medical incinerators. By law a bunch of medical waste is required to be burned to prevent the spread of infection. Heat kills pretty much everything. Iodine is a primary agent in almost every surgical scrub and they fall in the category of things you have to burn.
Lauren 3 years ago
You'll also find discolored smoke at crematoriums. There's one behind my house and it's extra spooky when the cloud is purple.
Load More Replies... Mary Rose Kent 3 years ago
Purple haze, all in my brain...excuse me while I kiss this guy
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#19
Real Life Looking Eyeball, Maybe Glass? With 3 Holes On The Metal Piece. Found At A Flea Market
Answer: Its a promotional key ring for a company that makes glass eyes for taxidermy
AJ the hedgehogger 3 years ago
This reminds about a part in a book I read recently. The bad guy had a glass eye fused to a monocle that was used to unlock a secret passage.
#20
What Are These Vest With Liquid Pouches Worn By Olympic Sailors For? Worn By Dutch Sailors Bekkering And Duetz During A Post Race Interview
Answer: They are cooling vests
Cold Contagious 3 years ago
Or Gatorade pouches that you can pop into like Capri Sun 🌞
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PJ Constantino 3 years ago
They would also help them hike and keep the boat flat by adding weight.
PJ Constantino 3 years ago
They are also called ballast vests. I'm not sure the original answer is correct.
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#21
Two Of These Buildings On A Lot Where New Housing Is Going To Be Built
Answer: Bat house
MCathenaE 3 years ago (edited)
This thing looks huge! My bat box is the size of a shoe box, not a tree fort.
Beth L 3 years ago
Seems awfully large for a bat house... are we sure it isn't a hunting blind?
Marlowe Fitzpatrik 3 years ago
Well, it doesn't look much like the bat-houses I know. But a hunting blind wouldn't need "keep-cats-out"-thingies on the stands. So it might be true about the bats.
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#22
Full Tub With Deep Front Half. USA. Listing Calls It A Mailman Tub. Google Results In Rule 34
Answer: a hip bath
C. Wade 3 years ago
Umm I'm sorry but the answer below the photo only raised more questions for me lol
Boudica 3 years ago
Ever wish you'd not searched online when you've only just woken up!? 😉 Here you go: 'Sitz baths, or hip baths, can promote healing of an a**l fissure. By soaking the rectal area in a tub of warm water -- two or three times a day for 10 to 15 minutes -- you can clean the a**s, improve blood flow, and relax the a**l sphincter.' I'm still not sure where the mailman comes into it though! 😳
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Nasta Klein 3 years ago
Those are commons in France's old bathroom, they are called "baignoire a sabot".(Sabot is a kind or wooden heeled shoes , "hoof") They are named like this because the form or the bath mimics them. The sitting area being like the heel of the shoe and the bottom where the legs stands being like where the toes sits in a shoe. But they are slowly diseapearring as they are very old fashioned. They are made more for taking a shower seated and waching feets easely than for full bath. Its convenient for elders. I used to have one in an old flat in Poitiers, France, which is a very old city. It was cosy but the old tub was yellowish and never looked fully clean whatever product or time I spent on it. It drove me nuts.
Eucritta 3 years ago
I was thinking it looked like a footbath integrated into a tub, which would also explain the description of it as a 'mailman tub.'
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Linda Jansen 3 years ago
it's just a sit bathtub . handy for people who have a small bathroom, or are having physical problems with getting up in a full bathtub
Molly Block 3 years ago
How they did it before they started offering that fancy walk-in tub you see on TV these days. The one that has the door that opens? And looks like it would major leak in a few years? This is the old school version, and the one I'd want. Heck, I want one anyways, it looks so comfy!
#23
Heavy Black Balloon (?) Hanging Under White Net In A Field
Answer: Home made horse fly trap
Kirsten Kerkhof 3 years ago
They really do work well for what they are. At the camp site I go to in summer they have one of these near the swimming pool. It really helps to get rid of the horse flies that used to be there.
Lauren Caswell 3 years ago (edited)
But how? Do they get in but can't get out?
Load More Replies... David Beaulieu 3 years ago
Yes, but not home made. Round black ball moving in the wind looks like a horse/cow belly. Flies are not particularly smart and struggle to fly down. So they just stay in that net until they die. Want to see the grossest thing ever, hang a store bought fly trap with stinky bait bag in a horse barn. Have not been grossed out until you see a stinky bag of 10-20,000 flies.
Mary Rose Kent 3 years ago
Dude, I’m completely grossed out just reading this!
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Foxxy (The Original) 3 years ago
I need one of these. Hate those pesky horse flies, their bites suck, Literally lol.
KombatBunni 3 years ago
My grandpa once took one out on the wing with a tea towel..just watched it buzz around and then snaps the towel out and boom, one dead fly. It was awesome and very satisfying!
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I I 3 years ago
horse flies give a nasty bite , my dads was bitten on the face by one and it looked like he'd had a stroke , his face was messed up fpr months
Anna Snorrepot 3 years ago
horse flies fly upwards after they bite the horse, in this case the sun warmed black ball. They get trapped in a fluid filled container at the top. It works very well and this is not home made.
#24
These Strange Dust Patterns Keep Showing Up On Screens Of My Apartment Windows
Answer: Previous tenant smoked w a fan in the window. I’ve seen this so many times turning over apartments for work.
Brian Bennett 3 years ago
Once it's cleaned should they not be gone? Keeps appearing a smoking ghost?
Candia Lee 3 years ago
Smoke has changed the metal in some areas so doesn't "clean" the same?
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Brandi VanSteenwyk 3 years ago
Not just SMOKE.... I've seen it happen simply when a fan is used up against a screen for any extended period of time. Either to exhaust undesired air or bring desired air inside while avoiding insects and other airborne creatures.
Bruce Robb 3 years ago
Yup. I had a window fan when I was in college. When I left the room at the end of each year, the screens look like that. I never smoked, though. It was just dust.
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Gini Sarver 3 years ago
you do NOT have to smoke o have this, dust/pet dander will give the exact result as well
#25
Found This Buried. It's Flat On One Side, Concaved On The Other And Has A Hole Right Through The Middle
Answer: this is likely to be a prehistoric or Roman quernstone
Foxxy (The Original) 3 years ago
Would be nice if they explained what a quernstone even is. Had to google, so for those who want to know. A quernstone is a handgrinding tool, usually with two parts.
Brîndușa 3 years ago (edited)
In my south eastern european country i still have these stones from my grand grandparents : yes, these were used for grind corn and wheat.
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Kay blue 3 years ago
It's where the saying "the daily grind" comes from. The women of the household would have to grind enough grain each day for either pottage or bread.
Olga Dremina 3 years ago
Funny, i recognised it from a fairytale, called guess what, "Quernstones", or "Wonder Mill". That reminds me of an article, something about how no one could recognise spinning wheels but small girls, who knew it from "Sleeping Beauty"
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
I've have heard the spinning one but not that. I guess there are a few words we used in traditional/fairytales etc but the general usage has been lost. Like manger.
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F. H. 3 years ago
They were highly illegal in many parts of Europe in the middle ages. You had to get your flour made in an official mill.
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
Interesting, was it because of tax prices or quality or something?
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#26
A Small Plastic And Metal Device, Found In The Card Slot Of An ATM
Answer: a Lebanese loop used in atm fraud
Foxxy (The Original) 3 years ago
I always run my finger along the card readers at ATM's to feel for anything dodgy like what's pictured, glue or looseness etc.
Kay blue 3 years ago
Check all around it not just the card slot. I had to swab one for DNA and there was an extra bit that snapped into place along the bottom of the machine.
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Lyn Moffett 3 years ago
A scamming device. I always pull at the card reader on ATMs and check around it before using it
buttonpusher 3 years ago
Where I live if they're not skimming ATMs they're digging them out of the wall with machinery.
Joan Zatorski 3 years ago
My son does night shift at a convenience store. One night saw someone drive up in a bull dozer (?) to a store across the road with an ATM. By the time the police responded to his 911 call, they had bulldozed the ATM Out of the wall. They ran off leaving everything when they realized they were caught. They got the bulldozer from the construction site down the road!
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Eric Mac Fadden 3 years ago
In Brazil I believe ATM would be past soon. I really didn't see any kind of cash for almost two years now.!
May 3 years ago
I don't remember the last time I used an ATM. If I need cash for a gift (teenagers tend to ask for cash) I just add the cash amount to my purchase at the supermarket.
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Glynna Bowood 3 years ago
At our bank, during covid isolation, the only way you could do banking deposits, withdrawals, etc. was via the ATMs.
Load More Replies... Lauren Caswell 3 years ago
I've always known these by the name 'card skimmers', they are put on ATMs and used in other ways to swipe your card deets etc
ZAPanda 3 years ago
isn't this one just to jam the machine so that when the card is "eaten" by the machine you can pull it out?
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Inga Paškevičiūtė 3 years ago
from wiki: "Its name comes from its regular use amongst Lebanese financial crime perpetrators, although it has since spread to other international criminal groups."
Load More Replies... #27
What Is This Pot Inside Of The Fireplace Of The Apartment I Am Renting In Italy?
Answer: Looks like a bed warmer. You put hot coals/embers in it and move it over your sheets (like an iron) to warm the bed up.
Fat Harry 3 years ago
You shouldn't put hot coals in a dog, it's bad for them.
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Robert T 3 years ago
Yes, it's a bed warmer. Looks quite a deep one. They are usually wider and shallower than that.
Joan Zatorski 3 years ago
I remember my Babci (Polish Grandma) warming bricks in her coal stove, wrapping them in flannel & putting them in my bed to warm the sheets for me. This was in Brooklyn, NY, around 1958. It was a "poor person's" bed warmer. I think yours would be considered a Bona Fide antique. Why would it be left there, I wonder.
Load More Replies... Kirsten Kerkhof 3 years ago
Back in the days before central heating this was essential. My mother remembers using one of these in her 1950s childhood as only the kitchen was kept warm, and her bedroom was cold enough in winter to freeze the glass of water on her bedstand. She wouldn't go into bed unless her parents had pre-warmed her bed (BTW, they slipped it between the sheets, not on top as her blankets would stop the warmth going down quickly enough).
Lara Verne 3 years ago (edited)
My grandmother told me her family used bricks for same purpose. Apparently brick, warmed on the stove, could keep warmth for several hours.
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F. H. 3 years ago
If it has holes, you don't put coal in, but heated rocks. Otherwise you have a smoked bed.
sofacushionfort 3 years ago
Also useful for sneaking a newborn baby into the maternity bed of an infertile queen to save the dynasty.
Upstaged75 3 years ago
I do the same thing with a hairdryer when my bedroom gets cold and the sheets are freezing. No fire or coals required. ;)
#28
Metal, Plastic, And Canvas-Looking Fabric Clips. They Are A Few Inches Long And Some Say Flatex
Answer: the things attached to a garter belt to hold up stockings
Auntriarch 3 years ago
Stockings made a brief comeback in the 80s, which I appreciated as a short person. However I later discovered holdups, and the suspender belt got binned
Beatrice Multhaupt 3 years ago
Ha! Ha! Now I realize how old I really am: convent school in 1960 mandated that first grade students (!) as well as all others wear garter belts to attach their long stockings, with the help of these beauts. I fainted under a magnolia bush during a heatwave on my way home from school. Grandma found me four hours later.
Snorkeldorf 3 years ago (edited)
Me too! I remember my first pair of grown-up-nylon stockings. Probably around 1970. Pantyhose were new and just starting to become a wardrobe staple. Soon we'll see a picture of pantyhose and no one will be sure what they are either.
Load More Replies... Robin Roper 3 years ago
Those are feminine stocking "torture hooks." I'm old enough to remember having to wear stocking with them. Panty hose were a miracle. Now, I never wear anything like stocking or hose on my legs - torture devices all of them.
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
One of the worst things about starting ballet classes in grade 1 was having to wear tights. After I quit I refused to wear them again for about 10 years, until I became interested in wearing skirts in winter! Now I just choose leggings instead.
Load More Replies... Eucritta 3 years ago
These were also used for belts for sanitary napkins, which used to have long tails to attach to them.
Snorkeldorf 3 years ago (edited)
But the belts used to have some kind of metal device that you had to thread the tails through and make sure they were secure. They were torture. Thankfully things evolved quickly.
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Rikke Visby Wickberg 3 years ago
We have similar clips on elastic bands to hold a non-fitted sheet on a bed. You put the clip on one side of the sheet, pull it under the top mattress and attach it to the other side of the sheet.
Ekaterina Sidiakova 3 years ago
News flash: stockings are still alive and a lot of people wear them if they like it. The belts for them have same type of hooks. Actually hosiery section in any modern shop is more likely to have stockings than holdups.
Mary Rose Kent 3 years ago
They were used on girdles and on garter belts.
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Debby Keir 3 years ago
When I was very young (in the 50's) I had to wear something called a Liberty bodice, supposedly to keep you warm. It wasn't tight but was boned, and had suspenders. Tights didn't really become a thing till the 70's so had to wear stockings for work (a nurse) like it or not.
Glynna Bowood 3 years ago
This made me laugh: these were still in use in the sixties before panty hose became common.
#29
What Is This Pool In The Middle Of Nowhere
Answer: a water reserve for fire fighting
Francesco Rotondo 3 years ago
In Sicily, Italy we have a lot of this pools used to irrigate fields.
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
Wow, I've never seen that, which is strange since Australians have so many bush fires. I have heard about them using the water from actual pools at times though (or maybe that was only in the American forest fires).
#30
What Is This Cling Film Type Stuff On Tom Daley’s Arms, And What’s It For?
Answer: Cling filmed ice packs
La Kalypso 3 years ago
He's knitting as a way to relax. This guy's awesome.
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L.a. Williams 3 years ago
He is knitting thank you Tom Daley for showing it is a skill not gender specific.
Vicky Z 3 years ago
What's the need of that since there are ice packs with velcro that you can adjust more easily on your arms?
#31
Part Of Silverware Set. It Has A Corkscrew Tip, But It Is Not Sturdy Enough To Be Used As S Corkscrew. Thoughts For Its Purpose?
Answer: It's a butter pick.
Daria Z 3 years ago
It is used to pick up slices of butter from a serving plate: https://imgur.com/gallery/KJZV66s
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Huddo's sister 3 years ago
Yeah, I wonder if there is a turtle straw or a quail egg holder in the set?
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MARIAN JESSICA VILLANUEVA 3 years ago
Twisting butter, put it in butter, twist it and wala! Your own twister butter
#32
Witt Found In Older Tool Box (At Least 10 Years Old). Part With Spokes Rotates, Spokes (Of Different Diameters) Match Up To Hole In The Oposite Side Of The Tool. Sharpie Marker For Size
Answer: It is for punching holes in leather or similar things. Like, for a belt
Brian Bennett 3 years ago
Yep I'm old enough to recognize a leather punch! Now they have them for paper on a smaller scale of course!
#33
Stainless Steel Curved Rods. Largest Is About 9 Inches. They Have Been In Family Since The 40s They All Fit Inside Of One Another. Best Guess So Far Is Glove Finger Stretchers
Answer: Nested set of seven plated medical cervical dilators
Robin Roper 3 years ago
It is very painful and there was and still is NO anesthesia in the procedures that require such devices.
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Brian Bennett 3 years ago
Now you know! If any one needs there cervix dilated - you know where to go!
marianne eliza 3 years ago
If you've had an IUD inserted, you know what a forced dilation of your cervix feels like. I spent hours curled in the fetal position after a routine replacement.
#34
In The Middle Of The Wall In My 1906 House; There Is Also One On The Other Side Of The Wall And One In A Different Room Without A Buddy In The Other Side Of The Wall
Answer: It's a capped off gas line from when they used gas lighting.
Wandaluzt 3 years ago
Who are you telling? The person posted it in Reddit months ago.
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Joan Zatorski 3 years ago
I remember seeing these in old BrooklynNY brownstone houses from the turn of the century. As a pre-school aged child, I imagined they were hats left by elves and fairies (like in the Shoemaker's Elves!). My grandparents never dissuaded me!
Kat Kirkpatrick 3 years ago
I had several of these in my first away-from home apartment in an old, old building. Instead of capping them off though, they just ran the electrical wires through the gas pipes and installed lighting fixtures. One day I smelled natural gas and didn't know where the smell was coming from so I called the gas company. When they heard the address, they sent out a supervisor/senior tech with special equipment. They arrived fast (yeah, I know it was an emergency call, but this was even faster than that), and the tech started sweeping along these things with his specialized tool. That's how I found out that the pipes had been repurposed. Fortunately, none of them were leaking gas, the smell was from a construction site three blocks away that had accidentally ruptured a gas line, and the gas had drifted to my open windows. That's also how the gas company rep managed to arrive within ten minutes of me calling it in...he was already in the area.
Tim Fountain 3 years ago
I had those in every room of the 1906 house that I had back in the Uk. The main bedroom (upstairs at the front, always) had the deluxe option - 2 capped off gas lines!
Mary Rose Kent 3 years ago
I’ve seen them in numerous places in San Francisco as well
Load More Replies... #35
A Kitchen Utensil With A Wooden Handle, Attached To A Round Metal Cup With 3 Spikes (With Holes In)
Answer: Funnel for making a portugese sweet called "Fios de Ovos" or egg threads.
#36
This Thing Is Made Of Terracotta And Has Sunflowers On Each End
Answer: That’s a taco holder.
Honu 3 years ago
But this allows you to efficiently queue your tacos for transfer from hands to stomach.
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Mary Rose Kent 3 years ago
You must come from a small family. Or maybe you never made tacos at home?
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#37
Any Ideas What Someone Left At My House Party? Small Green Ridged Brick, Hole In The Middle, Crumbles When I Scratch It
Answer: rat/rodent poison.
d bradley 3 years ago
maybe they know about the rat problem at their house party!
Load More Replies... Mimi La Souris 3 years ago
that’s what I tell myself at every post where they hold something they don’t know !
Load More Replies... C. Wade 3 years ago
Unfortunately OP never delivered on this. They just thanked the solver and never replied again. Don't know if it was malicious intent or if it was just hid behind a toilet or something by the landlords for actual rats.
Sawdust 3 years ago
Presumably it was just coincidence that they discovered it after a party.
Load More Replies... Chich 3 years ago
Don't use poison if you can avoid it. Traps are much better. You do not poison other animals and you do not end up with a few months of dead and decaying rodent aroma from somewhere in the walls.
Mary Rose Kent 3 years ago
Also, if raptors eat poisoned rodents, they too will die.
Load More Replies... Auntriarch 3 years ago
That's not good, I used to buy dental chews for my dog, which looked very similar
Snorkeldorf 3 years ago
And very dangerous to pets. What kind of freak carries around rat poison?
LynzCatastrophe 3 years ago
Don't invite that person to your house ever again. I'm not completely convinced it's rat poison but if it is, it's dangerous to leave around if you have pets or small kids. Where did you find it?
#38
My House (Built In The Mid 70's) Has One Of These In Almost Every Room. Same Size As A Switch Plate, With Copper Wire Strung To The Eleven Sockets
Answer: The three prong ones were for TV and FM antennas, and the center one was for an antenna rotator, to get better reception.
Kathryn Baylis 3 years ago
Being the youngest child, back in the sixties, I basically WAS the antenna for the rest of the family. I was always the one who had to get up, pick up the rabbit ears indoor antenna, and move it around until the picture got better. Then I had to stand that way until the TV show was over. I’m so glad for reruns, since there was a period of time when I really didn’t get to see entire TV shows…(and people call them the “good old days”—-they weren’t).
Load More Replies... F. H. 3 years ago
My granny's house (built in the 60s) had a wall socket for headphones. It never worked though, it probably was installed by the previous owner, who was an excentric artist.
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
I was watching a show called Restoration Australia recently, and they had a house from the 60s or 70s that an artist had built and he had a stereo and speakers built into the walls so you could hear it from various room. No headphone outlet though. I think they used the same speakers and just replaced the stereo with a digital radio or ipod dock or something.
Load More Replies... Huddo's sister 3 years ago
It was strange enough as a kid seeing one from the 70s that just had two prongs for the tv, in the house my grandad built. It's amazing what knowledge we have lost over the years.
Stephanie Parker 3 years ago
I guess prodding things into little wall sockets is no longer encouraged.
#39
Plastic And Hollow, Size Of A Big Suv, The Tide Never Reach It, Attached To The Ground
Answer: Large Ship bumper/fender. The are Used to keep huge ships from smashing in the pier.
Resheph Bloodthorne 3 years ago
Possibly a Kaiju Fender? I mean, it is near the ocean.
Load More Replies... #40
What Are These Small White Balls That Keep Appearing In The Corner Of My Window?
Answer: Styrofoam, but if you cut it in half, you should be able to determine if it's a spider egg or Styrofoam pretty easily
Lauren Caswell 3 years ago
The fact that they keep appearing and seem to be on webs makes me suspect the latter
Devil's Advocate 3 years ago
Depends if they have a beanbag, these definitely look like styrofoam over eggs!
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ZAPanda 3 years ago
they look too neat to be spider eggs. I've only seen widows and related spiders make eggs like this and they're never 100% perfect, they usually have dimples or spikes or something. Might also be mothballs falling from the ceiling?
Cold Contagious 3 years ago
Yeah, usually there's a tiny little peak like area where it came loose from the spinners of the spider. I know what you mean. Or little dimples in the eggsac.
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Parmeisan 3 years ago
Yeah, you'll find out which one it is, but... however you prepared for it... is anybody ever really ready for hundreds of tiny spiders swarming around you?
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Marlowe Fitzpatrik 3 years ago
Definitely, 100% certainly Styrofoam-ball. We used some of these as "insulation" but didn't consider how easily they spread - and also that the hole we used is open on both sides (yes... stupid). I have them appear in my bathroom all the time, especially when it's windy and I feel terrible that we used them since they're really bad for the environment if "escaping". And since they have static tension, they escape really easily. AND they're super-light and fly all through the house with just a breeze.
Brian Bennett 3 years ago
It's either a styrofoam ghost who's shedding or A spider laying eggs - either way I would retreat!
holly smethurst 3 years ago
Cavity wall insulation are little balls of foam like this now. We had ours done last year and I still find them, my neighbour even said she finds them in her house!
Annette Easton 3 years ago
Definitely styrofoam filler balls. We just had to clean up a bunch of these at work from a lap desk that had a hole in it.
Mooooomooooo 3 years ago
Could be from cavity wall insulation. Used to find these everywhere (albeit grey) after our walls were done
Daniel Rutherford 3 years ago
Definitely insulation that’s been blown into the cavity in the walls. When the wind blows, if there are any gaps in the walls around doors, windows, pipes, etc then they will appear. I do property surveys and have seen loads of this material in cavity walls which looks exactly like that. Saw a guy actually filling the cavity walls at one property and these were all over the ground. Polystyrene/styrofoam.
over it already 3 years ago
Black widow egg sacks are usually tougher and a little whiter than others, but also usually a bit larger than these. More importantly, black widows would never hang out in a window corner where the person is regularly checking and cleaning. They highly prefer a dark corner out of the way where you haven't been for a very long time (think garage, crawlspace, or wood pile.)
Load More Replies... #41
What Is This Pink "Dust" That Keeps Reappearing In The Corners Of My Kitchen Ceiling Within A Few Hours Of Being Cleaned?
Answer: grain mites
Maurettis 3 years ago
Little f*****s. You need to keep your food, especially grain in glass recipients
Meaghan Stewart 3 years ago
I had those once and they are absolutely awful and almost impossible to get rid of.
#42
Old Object With Mirror, Foldable, Can Be Opened And From "Longworth"
Answer: It is a laryngoscope
Vicky Z 3 years ago
I've seen too much ER and grey's anatomy to recognize that😅
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Otter 3 years ago
It doesn't look like the laryngoscopes I'm used to seeing at the ICU! Is this an older model than the ones with the curved tapering blades, or just a different type?
#43
New Bra I Bought Online Has A “Microchip” Inside Of It. Looks Pretty Fake To Me But Can’t Pinpoint What Is It Exactly And Why Such Lengths To Have It Inside The Hems Like This
Answer: New age "healing" stuff, like the magnetic bracelets and such.
Richard Liu 3 years ago (edited)
Just a few days ago Dutch authority announced that they found a bunch of "anti-5G" products, including necklaces and bracelets, are in fact radioactive, that users will surfer from scald burns after wearing these for long time. Better return all these fake science things.
WilvanderHeijden 3 years ago
I'm quite sure it's a chip to prevent shoplifting. If you pay for your stuff the chip gets de-activated, otherwise an alarm will go off it you try to leave the store. But the downside of these chips is that they can get activated again during washing and drying. Speaking from experience where an old hoodie set of the alarm.
Janet Blasingame 3 years ago
It's used to keep track of inventory. So many conspiracy theorists thinking they are chips to track people made tik tok correct them. (Google "Victoria's Secret bra trackers")
#44
Found This In A Random Box Of Kitchen Supplies. Is This Just For Carving Meat Or Some Other Food?
Answer: It's to slice bread
Huddo's sister 3 years ago
Same, and every time I say that my stepdad goes 'it's easy, you just have to...' Very annoying.
Load More Replies... Kathryn Baylis 3 years ago
To slice it to uniform size—-the problem we all have with unsliced bakery bread when we have to slice it freehand.
Holly Marley 3 years ago
I use mine to cleanly cut bagels in half, instead of making a mess of the thing.
Katie Lutesinger 3 years ago
My dad has one of those! It's made that way to ensure each slice is the same thickness.
Anna Drever 3 years ago
Yup. We have one. Probably 10-15 years old at the most. Does a good job.
Simon Parsons-Kilburn 3 years ago
Saw some at a Christmas craft fair in Bournemouth in the Uk a couple of years ago they're just coming back and getting more popular. Fantastic find
#45
Variable Stop Sign In Illinois
Answer: These are blinders, typically used so the sign can old be read from a narrow angle. They're also called directional shields. You'll see them on traffic lights a lot more often.
C. Wade 3 years ago (edited)
Why didn't the P get one? Edit: Ahh it's not needed thanks to the angle, isn't it? Yeah, don't mind me.
Devil's Advocate 3 years ago
More importantly, it's a stop sign, the only octagonal sign, so it can already be seen from all angles except side-on so I'm confused!
Load More Replies... Robert T 3 years ago
This is an odd one. There is not normally any need to shield static signs as they can be oriented so that they can only be seen from the direction of travel. We put them on traffic lights for two reasons - one so that the light can only be seen from the appropriate direction, which prevents confusion, but also prevents people predicting the lights and moving before they actually change - but two they shield from the sun so that the lights can be seen on sunny days. I was think it might be a kind of sunshield. Does seem rather bizarre.
M O'Connell 3 years ago
If two roads meet an an acute angle, the stop sign may be visible to cross-traffic as well. This could be potentially confusing when the cross traffic has the right of way.
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Jamma 3 years ago
This makes it more obvious when you are coming down a road as to WHICH driver is intended to stop and which is not, in spite of seeing the shape ahead. When two roads come together in a narrow wedge, it can be confusing.
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Daniel Clarke 3 years ago
Bit unnecessary. The octagonal shape of a stop sign is unique (at least where I live), so even if you can't read the letters you know what the sign means.
Ali H M Salehuddin 3 years ago
So that motorists from the other direction do not see the sign. No need to confuse these motorists as they do not need to stop (no need to yield as they have the right of way).
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Gary Davidson 3 years ago
For a traffic signal this makes sense...it reduces glare on the lights and prevents drivers on each side from anticipating the light change. This makes no sense whatsoever for a stop sign. It's not lighted so there would be no need to block sunlight. Are we not wanting people to be able to read the word "STOP" from the side? Why would that matter? Wouldn't they know it's a stop sign by the shape?
Jamma 3 years ago
That's the point. It's to let drivers know that if they are on a converging road that the stop sign isn't for them because they can't see the letters. Some country roads come together at very acute angles.
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#46
My Metals Professor In College Does Not Know What This Thing Is. We Dont Either And He Has Multiple Of Different Sizes. The Box Has No Info Besides What Is Shown In The Photo. It Is Some Kind Of Ceramic Material With An Inverted Dome In The Center. Any Help?
Answer: It is a slate dish for grinding flux.
Back in the day, you put a little water in it and rubbed a borax cone in it to make up the day’s flux.
ZAPanda 3 years ago
flux as in stuff you add to bond two pieces of metal, to help them melt (as in flow, fluvial, flux).
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Stannous Flouride 3 years ago
So it has a capacity for holding flux? Put it in a car and drive 88 mph (141.622 kph) and you can travel through time.
Martin Annau 3 years ago
If you want to forge or weld two metals together you put an amount of Borax or flux in between the both metals. It reduces the melting point and holds of the Oxygen so this two Metals can melt together seamless
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