There’s so much out there in the world that there’s no way any single person could see or know everything.
And that’s fine. That’s what the internet is for.
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Here are a bunch of weird or interesting things people needed help to identify and the internet proved it knows everything.
“Please tell me what this is so I can get some sleep.” —TelegramMeYourCorset
This was found on the pullout bed at a hotel in the Philippines. Most people identified it as some sort of insect poop, which probably didn’t help with the sleep issue.
Sometimes you have a really good cup of coffee on vacation and want to know what kind of brewer was used.
This may look like something from a mad scientist’s lab, but it’s actually just a siphon style brewing setup. Heating up the water in the lower vessel forces it up into the top with the grounds.
These strange glass ampules were found in Yankton, SD, near the site of an 1800s hotel.
Inside the glass are small pill-like capsules containing a small slip of paper with a number on it.
These were likely used for some sort of lottery or even a draft, requiring a person to smash the glass to learn what number they received.
“What is this thing attached to the side of this FJ Cruiser?” — polishskaterguy
It’s a mount to hold a camera rig when filming. It could be used in movie or TV shoots to record an actor driving, or a camera could be used when off-roading to film the terrain.
We’ve reached the era where things that used to be common knowledge aren’t anymore.
A university student wondered what this thing on the toilet paper dispenser was, especially since smoking isn’t allowed on campus.
But back when it was, this gave you a place to sit your cigarette while you did you business.
Sometimes, you’ve just never come across something that others assume is common knowledge.
ThatStickyIcky had no idea why their desk had a random piece of extra wood that slides in and out.
Thankfully, people were quite nice when they explained that it was just meant as an extra surface for working.
“Several round wet spots on one wall with ooze in the middle.” — jentrxm
This may seem gross or scary, but it’s actually just splattered lotion on the wall. Once that explanation was pointed out, jentrxm realized that it was likely coconut oil shaken off by the dog.
This weird coil and wand are apparently an instrument of some sort.
This example was found in India, but that detail just confused the issue. It’s a Meinl Helix Bowl, which makes sounds by dragging the metal wand up and down the coils.
Sometimes, you just wonder about common things in public spaces, like these circular plates found in a lot of restrooms.
Reddit | DaftRaft_42
Is it life-changing to know that it simply covers an access point to the waste line in the plumbing system? No, but now your curiosity is satisfied by knowing.
“I saw it at an auction. You can slide the ridged part on the longer part. But I don’t know what it does.” — Froodychick
This is pretty neat. It’s a Victorian-era pill roller. Medicine would be ground up and mixed with wax or syrup to make a squishy Play-Doh-like paste, then the paste would be rolled into a long sausage and pressed through the metal section, which cut the sausage into perfect, rounded pills.
When moving into a new home, it’s understandable to be wary of unknown devices attached to the internet hook-up points.
I’ve seen some cases where the device was malicious and meant to steal personal data. Thankfully, this one found by josmaate is just a cable splitter.
This metal object was found in the washing machine after visitors did their laundry.
I’ve seen enough ear cleaning tools on Reddit that I assumed this was another one, but it’s actually just a cuticle pusher from a manicure kit.
“6cm(~2.5in) bulb/lamp I found outside w/o context. It has a screwing mount on the bottom and flashes up blue like a police siren when shook/tapped. — ziokora
It’s a light for bicycle wheels. You attach it to the valve and as you ride it lights up. Some models even have smart tech in them so that you can change the color or pattern of the light.
“What are these plastic things on top of the fir saplings?” — Major_Hedgehog
There are small buds under the plastic covers, which are called “crown buds.” It’s believed that by protecting those buds from animals and weather, the tree will grow straighter and make for better lumber.
“Interesting looking lego piece. Noticed other lego sets have this piece as well. Not sure what it is exactly or what it even does.” — tekunation
It’s a brick separator. If you’ve ever struggled to get your fingernails under a skinny block that’s flush with a ground piece, then you’ll appreciate how handy these can be.
“Metal bars on buildings. Possibly for support? Venice.” — vineblinds
They got pretty close on their own. They are called anchor plates and are often added to old buildings to help protect them from earthquakes.
“It only says PAT, 3, and Made in Taiwan. What is it?” — Kasiline
It’s a ribbon shredder. if you clamp it down and then pull a ribbon through it, you’ll get one of those fancy, curly bundles of ribbons that look really fancy on a gift.
“These horizontal giant tubes coming out from the mountain.” — xelhark
They are cannon-like systems for creating controlled avalanches. Instead of using regular explosives, these ones use gas combustion.
“My wife found this on the beach in Bali.” — mrh2727
It’s a sand dollar, which mrh2727 thought it might be, but they were confused by the holes that looked man-made.
But apparently that’s perfectly normal for some sand dollars. Which is a neat thing to know.
These pod things were found on a beach in Cozumel, Mexico.
They are baby coconuts! These are produced by a palm tree common on the western coast of Central America and the southern U.S. They’re edible raw, or sometimes even candied as a treat.
“Found inside a pomelo. They are bright red. They are not co-located with the seeds. They are inside the segments.” — dragibusa
I bet this person is wishing they hadn’t opted to eat the fruit before getting an answer, because those are most likely the eggs/larvae of Asian citrus blackflies. Ew.
A pomelo is an Asian citrus fruit similar to a grapefruit.
This person knew they had some kind of kitchen tool and they knew who made it, but other than that, they were stumped.
Fortunately, it didn’t seem to take long before multiple people told them this was a shrimp peeler, which is also known as a deveiner.
There’s a tool for every job, it seems.
While most of the people we’re discussing today needed help identifying a thing, this person needed help identifying a place.
This keyhole-like structure was found in the Sahara Desert and seems pretty large to be so clearly visible from this aerial view.
And indeed, an impressively detailed comment explained that this was an old French fortress known as Fort Aouchich, which was named after the nearest mountain peak.
This picture’s uploader was looking to solve a similarly unusual mystery,
Although it was obvious what this object is, they were at a loss as to what the animals that represented the letters U and X were supposed to be.
What they eventually learned was that the bird representing X was a type of gull known as a xeme , while the U was represented by a hedgehog, which used to be called an urchin in the old days.
So yeah, when some Victorian writer refers to “street urchins,” they’re comparing the children to hedgehogs, not sea urchins.
When the uploader came across this brass gauge, they could tell is was used to measure something but were unsure as to what.
And it’s understandable that they wouldn’t know because it’s unlikely that they ever found themselves having to fire an antique muzzle-loaded gun.
This device is used to measure the black powder that went into those kinds of weapons.
When somebody found this pin in a drawer, they had no idea what its origins could be.
As one commenter pointed out, that was partially because they had it upside down.
But even then, it’s unlikely that this adjustment would have made them familiar with the Rosicrucians, which The New Yorker described as a secret society of self-proclaimed mystics that supposedly sought to shape European religion and politics in the 17th century.
It’s unclear whether such a group even existed but some spiritualist orders that formed later and even some Masonic groups apparently take some inspiration from them.
This was found on the roof of the uploader’s apartment building and while they knew is was some kind of antenna that was connected to a Cat6 cable, they weren’t sure what it did.
And it’s a good thing they didn’t mess around with it because they may have cut off a lot of people’s internet access if they had.
This is an internet service dish that is often used for long range wifi.
When somebody found this in their kitchen, they neither knew what it did or what that little red ball was for.
And to be fair, a kitchen is a pretty odd place for this tool because it’s a seam ripper used in sewing. The red ball prevents people from damaging more wires than they intended.
When this person moved into a new house, they saw that it had a bunch of metal strips like this all over the walls.
And apparently, this person’s house came with as many battery-powered lights as they would ever need.
The only problem is that they have to be taken off the walls to recharge since their purpose would be a lot more obvious if they were functioning when this was taken.
While this squiggly stick seemed happy enough, it also didn’t leave the uploader with many clues as to what it is when they found it in a New York cabin.
Granted, the answer probably would have been a little more clear if it had had its partner since this is one of two plastic drumsticks that come with a children’s musical instrument playset.
“Found this in the dimly lit area behind my TV, what is it?” — dathingucoverureyesw
It’s called efflorescence and is salt that has migrated out of the cement and settled on the outer surface. It’s unsightly, but not dangerous to your health. It could be a sign of a possible structural issues, though, since it’s most common when cement or concrete regularly come in contact with salty water.
“What is this thing in my school issued ID?” — vae_grim
It’s your standard RFID chip. The red line going around the edge of the card is the antenna, which is only strong enough to sense things up close. Hence, why you have to tap or wave your card over the card reader to unlock security doors.
When moving into a new home in the Dominican Republic, this person found baby socks pinned near the ceiling in every room.
They are part of a ritual to ward off duendes, which are similar to gremlins. Small gifts are placed in the socks and in return, the duendes won’t play pranks on the family.
“What’s this sticky yellowy stuff leaking from the side of my door? Every time we clean it it comes back.”
This looks gross, but it’s actually sap leaking out of the wood. The best way to battle it would be to scrub it clean and then cover the whole door with a shellac-based primer to seal it.
After cleaning the aluminum cover of an old air conditioner, obi-jawn-kenobi found white stuff on their fingers and wasn’t able to remove it.
It’s aluminum oxide, which comes off as a very fine powder and can be a pain to clean off.
This small golden block was found while metal detecting on a beach.
The inscription says “BLEU” which after a bunch of false leads finally led it to be identified as a metal embellishment likely from a beach cover-up by the clothing brand Bleu by Rod Beattie.
GoodShark kept seeing these empty structures along the Canadian highways.
They have no walls and nothing stored underneath. They aren’t for storage, though, but nesting structures for barn swallows to help the bird population bounce back.
There are shelves and nesting cups built into the underside of the roof, giving birds a safe place to nest.
The uploader found that this blue, soft foam frame fit their head well enough but figured it seemed a little incomplete to be a helmet.
And it turns out they were right as this is apparently an insert that’s supposed to go into a football helmet, presumably to make it more comfortable and secure.
At the end of the day, whether it’s a creative hoax or an honest glitch, the mystery keeps us scrolling. Who knows what the algorithm will serve us next?
