Sometimes, it's tough to tell what the intended purpose of a device is. Whether you choose to shrug and move on or photograph it and ask the internet is entirely up to you.
If you do opt for the latter option, though, you'll want to put it up on the r/whatisthisthing subreddit. It's a near-guarantee that you'll get an answer.
This is a monitoring system for something related to the sewer — likely water levels, gas buildup, or general water flow.
This is a fun one. It isn't a submarine, but it's related to the water. When filled with water, it's a mobile way for trainees to practice using underwater breathing devices.
This probably looks a lot more interesting than it actually is. It's a simple can crusher: drink a soda, pop the can in this thing, and pull the lever to crush it.
This is a flume, basically an old-school small-scale railway, that can carry small items. In this case, it was built to carry water from Cascade Creek into Electra Lake.
If you looked at this thing (there's another on the left side) and thought, "That looks exactly like a door hinge," you'd be entirely correct. As for why they're up there? No idea. Clearly they're a conversation starter and have possible sentimental value.
I can't give a ton of details on this one, but I can give an eBay description. According to this auction, it's an "Antique brass Middle Eastern hand crafted figural story teller tray dish plate."
That's a mouthful.
This wasn't familiar to me, but it turns out it's just one of those toilet bowl cleaners that you attach to the inside of the bowl. It's just in a different form factor.
This probably looks at least vaguely familiar to anyone who's ever drilled into their walls. It's a stud finder from Amazon Basics.
We know that this game is called Vagabond, but the rules are too weird to get into here. If you're intrigued, there's more info here.
This is actually something that would be super handy to have on a balcony. It's for hanging clothes, and if there's another one on an opposite wall, a clothesline can be strung between them.
The cross here is a bit of a giveaway. You might find something like this in a Catholic household. Fill it with holy water, then dip your fingers in it before you cross yourself.
This is one of those now-antiquated tools that used to be commonplace. It's a rug beater (I think that's the name, at least), and its intended purpose is to beat dust out of rugs.
If you looked at this and thought "bug poo," give yourself a gold star. We're not sure what bugs, specifically, this came from. All we know is that it's gross.
This one's fun because OP really, really didn't want to believe the answer. But the answer is, simply, a paperweight. I have one that looks almost exactly the same.
If you work in a certain type of facility, you know exactly what's going on here: those devices are there to stop flushable wipes from being flushed down the toilet.
This classy looking object is a vintage appetizer server. Known as a 'cocktail pick,' it dispenses little pointy picks that can be used to stab into and pick up appetizers.
This is a practical idea I haven't seen before: the glass surface is there so cups and dishes can be set down without leaving rings or stains on the tabletop itself.
I thought this was maybe just a modification for very tall people, but it's more likely that the cutouts were made to enable installation of a track, which would help a disabled person move around the house.
This is clearly an antenna, but what's it for? It seems that it's for trading a cryptocurrency called Helium. It operates on a low frequency. No idea why it's upside down.
It looks like a radon detection tube, but that doesn't explain the various warning stickers. It's most likely just a case with some stickers thrown on as a joke.
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