As much as we may admire the rugged individual who seems to be able to do everything themselves, we also have to accept that we’re going to need someone’s help at some point.
Whether it’s because they have more training or experience in a given subject than we do, there will come many times in our lives when not listening to someone who knows what they’re talking about will only make our problems worse. Our pride isn’t always as helpful as it feels, after all.
But while there are many serious ways this reality can apply to our lives, we’re going to discuss a much simpler and less consequential one today.
For while these people’s lives may not have fundamentally changed if they never identified what they found, it’s nonetheless amazing how quickly Reddit’s r/whatisthisthing community satisfied their curiosity.
When this giant unit was parked in this neighborhood, people became unsurprisingly curious about it.
If they live near a power station, then that’s almost certainly where this circuit breaker is about to go.
This heavy duty model apparently uses a compound called sulfur hexafluoride to interrupt electric currents.
After someone squeezed a little lemon into their water, they started noticing these little brown specs in the bottle.
And what commenters immediately figured out was that the lemon they squeezed wasn’t quite ripe yet because these are actually seeds that haven’t developed.
After the uploader’s father passed away, they ended up with something they didn’t recognize at all in their possession.
Although identifying this instrument was complicated by the apparent fact that it’s damaged, that didn’t seem to stop people from realizing this is an old Chinese fiddle known as an erhu.
This person came across an engraved plastic object with a dinosaur engraved in it and all they knew was it had nothing to do with *Jurassic Park*.
What they didn’t realize was that it was from a different mega-successful property because Power Rangers fans were quick to recognize this as the Red Ranger’s power coin.
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Since this was apparently hiding under a false ceiling behind a door, it’s no surprise that the uploader became so surious about it.
Unfortunately, learning what it is doesn’t necessarily make it clear as to what someone was planning to do with it.
This is a shower mixing valve but since it was the only sign that anyone ever planned to put a shower in this room, it’s possible they tried to use it for something else.
Since we don’t normally picture a motorcycle helmet as including a box with tubing coming out of it, this setup left someone scratching their head.
However, it turns out that this person may be better off with this device than those who don’t have it because it’s a vent fan kit that keeps the visor from fogging up.
At the very least, it reduces the effect.
When someone found this mass on an Australian beach, they said it felt like hard jello.
But while some people worried that the uploader had just touched a jellyfish, others soon realized that this is actually an egg sac belonging to a moon snail.
If the shape of this key seems familiar to you, it turns out you’re not alone.
It’s unclear how the uploader ended up with this in their possession but they soon learned that it came from a Masonic order.
The inscription apparently suggests that this key “closes what is opened” and “opens what is closed” and someone figured out that it belonged to an eighth degree Mason but the uploader will have to talk to a member to learn more.
Assuming they’re willing to share that information, of course.
It’s hard not to be concerned when a strange black and brown growth appears on your lawn and this one definitely filled the uploader with questions.
What they soon learned and could later confirm themselves as these stems decayed was that they had come across a cluster of dead mushrooms, possibly honey mushrooms.
This tower looks almost futuristic but it’s really just designed this way to accommodate areas where space is limited.
You’ve almost certainly seen similar towers carrying high voltage power lines but they’re usually much larger and are supported by four legs spread across a large area.
Obviously, whoever installed this one didn’t have that luxury so they went with a model supported by one round tube instead.
Although the uploader didn’t quite know what they were looking at here, the small case made it clear that it was something fancy.
And considering that it’s a kind of corkscrew that’s specifically made to tap into champagne bottles, the level of sophistication here seems appropriate.
Neither this person nor the staff at the thrift store where they took this picture could tell what this clamp they found is supposed to do.
All they could say was that the pointy end at the top opens and closes when you turn the knob next to it.
For commenters, this seemed to help confirm that this is a vice used for tying fishing flies.
Although this didn’t have the cash dispensing slot you see in ATMs, the uploader definitely saw a resemblance to them when they found it in a vacant lot.
As far as anyone could tell, this is a self-service kiosk that accepts cash payments.
As for how it got here, it’s likely that somebody stole it and attempted to break the cash out of it before they realized it was sturdier than they expected.
When the uploader found this device in the basement at work, they soon ruled out the possibility that it was a carbon monoxide detector.
Soon, someone else filled in the remaining blank for them and let them know that this was an ultrasonic device that’s supposed to scare off rodents bothering humans.
Unfortunately, research from McGill University suggests the jury’s still out on whether these actually work or not.
While they were taking apart an old laptop, the uploader came across this long, yellow stick and wondered what it did.
And when they carefully opened it on the advice of some commenters, they discovered that it was called a “resume battery” and was filled with some long-dead power cells.
Since this thing consists of two adjustable wooden rods and an open case, it’s not hard to understand why they were confused about its purpose.
Apparently, it’s made specifically to display a stack of business cards “in style.” If Patrick Bateman was a real person, I’m sure he’d have one.
While it’s appropriate that the uploader found these in the back of a cleaning cupboard, that doesn’t make it easier to figure out what these are.
After all, these air freshener pellets are apparently designed to be sucked up by a vacuum cleaner before they start working.
That certainly wouldn’t have been my first guess.
Judging by its look, the uploader could certainly be forgiven for thinking they stumbled across an unexploded artillery shell.
However, the happier reality is that this device is significantly safer than that.
Although comments were split as to its purpose, it is definitely a float designed to be attached to a ship and buoy another apparatus.
It’s apparently unclear as to whether it’s supposed to support fishing nets or a mine sweeping kit, but I suppose it’s not impossible to use it for either purpose.
While this seems to be an unusual bathroom fixture, a bathroom isn’t necessarily the only place you might find one.
That’s because this station is specifically designed to make Wudu — a Muslim ritual in which someone washes their hands, face, hair, arms, and feet before praying — easier.
After all, it’s a lot harder to wash the feet in a sink than it is to wash the other parts mentioned.
As the uploader wrote, “Found in the intercom room of an abandoned asylum labeled ‘science object.'”
Honestly, it’s hard to imagine that whoever wrote that label could have thought of a less helpful description if they tried.
This is especially true when you realize it’s just a light bulb that goes inside of a slide projector.
