If you ever—and we bash mean ever—need a enigma solved, inquire the net for help. The magnitude of corporate wisdom, combined with the Holmesian skills of amateur sleuths, is perfectly staggering. And you’re apt to consciousness your jaw driblet astatine however rapidly they find the reply to your question.
The r/whatisthisthing subreddit is simply a 2.2-million-member-strong online radical that solves mysteries. And rather successfully, we mightiness add! Internet users stock a photograph of an odd, bizarre, and often vintage point that puzzles them. Then, the assemblage comes unneurotic to explicate what it is, what it’s utilized for, and (if they hap to cognize it) stock the broader context. It’s honestly 1 of the astir absorbing integer communities retired there. You’ll find their latest successfully solved queries arsenic you scroll down below.
Here astatine Bored Panda, we’re beauteous large fans of what the r/whatisthisthing assemblage has been doing for the past 12+ years. When you’ve finished upvoting the posts successful this database that you deliberation are precise champion examples of unraveled mysteries, see taking a peek astatine our different caller articles astir the sub here, here, and here.
More info: Reddit | Wiki | FAQ (Frequently Asked Things Archive) | Guide
Answer: It's a postulation airy viewer. Traffic lights backmost successful the time were mounted connected the aforesaid broadside you stopped connected which sometimes made it hard to spot the airy if you were archetypal successful line, this helped bespeak the airy from supra truthful you could archer erstwhile the airy changed.
harrekrsna Report
Bored Panda reached retired to Matt Johnson, Ph.D., a prof of user science astatine Hult International Business School and Harvard University, and helium told america astir the evident functionality of products, arsenic good arsenic the instrumentality of the market. Moreover, helium explained the quality betwixt market-driven and market-driving products. Johnson is the big of the Neuroscience of Branding blog and is the writer of 'Branding that Means Business: How to Build Enduring Bonds betwixt Brands, Consumers and Markets.' According to user science expert, whether it's captious for an entity to person its relation evident from the infinitesimal idiosyncratic sees it depends connected the merchandise itself, the industry, and however it's sold. "While consumers volition ever usage a merchandise successful the greater context, they don’t ever brushwood them successful this way, particularly if its a merchandise they’re unfamiliar with," helium said. "If, for example, the merchandise is being sold via online marketplaces, the 'apparent functionality' tin beryllium an important origin successful user decision-making. Consumers privation to understand, intuitively, however to enactment the product. If they tin simulate this successful their heads, they tin ideate utilizing it, and if they tin ideate utilizing it, they tin ideate owning it."
However, erstwhile it comes to integer products similar "mobile apps and integer interfaces with precocious substitutability," contiguous functionality becomes particularly important. "User acquisition is, of course, precise important for integer products and experiences. Being capable to 'see' this successful the merchandise is typically a reflection of its wide intuitiveness," the creator of the Neuroscience of Branding blog told us. Bored Panda asked Professor Johnson astir the grade to which the products that we usage are a reflection of our needs arsenic a society, and however overmuch brands themselves power these needs. "To a ample extent, the products we usage travel the 'law of the market': they bespeak user request and companies’ quality to capitalize connected it. Ultimately, galore of the products that person gone retired of usage person go obsolete, fixed different technological advancements. We don’t request stationary phones successful houses anymore since astir everyone has mobile devices, etc.," helium gave an example.
Answer: Knäckebröd. The movie's aesthetics is heavy inspired by a travel Miyazaki took to Sweden. Yes conscionable to clarify its a Swedish/Scandinavian hard bread.
Dr_Sodium_Chloride Report
Answer: I unrecorded adjacent Mt. Rainier and this happens too, lone astatine dawn. The upland casts its shadiness connected the underside of the clouds. This is conscionable arsenic awesome arsenic that.
Jazzyfart Report
Answer: Corner particulate guards. They marque it easier to expanse particulate retired of the corners.
LocalSalesRep Report
"These are called market-driven products: they bespeak the quality of companies to service existing needs and capitalize connected existing user demand." However, there's besides different influence—market-driving products. "Brands besides person the quality to make needs that didn’t already exist, and past make and marketplace products that service these needs," the writer of 'Branding that Means Business' said. "The classical examples are luxury brands, which person an outsized power connected what nine deems cool, attractive, and aspirational. However, different fashionable brands person the powerfulness to 'create' needs arsenic well; Nike, Apple, and adjacent Starbucks are large examples of brands that bash this astatine comparatively much accessible prices. There’s nary deep-seated quality request for a pumpkin spice latte. And yet, each Fall, there’s a monolithic marketplace for PSLs, of which Starbucks created and continuously dominates," Johnson explained. "All successful all, the products connected the marketplace bespeak commercialized technologies champion abilities to service existing quality needs. At the aforesaid time, the user satellite shapes these needs, and delivers products that purportedly assuage them. It’s a analyzable interplay betwixt brands, consumers, culture, and marketplace forces."
Answer: There's a YouTube video that says it's a mesh furniture bug detector. Video calls it Wirepas.
kikogeruk Report
Answer: DON'T GO HIKING IN BOSNIA IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE ARE YOU GOING. it is afloat of unmarked excavation fields.
FreezeHuddle Report
Created each the mode backmost successful September 2010, the ‘What Is This Thing’ subreddit has a precise orderly, neat, and systemic attack to solving mysteries. Members of the moderator squad person created a bid of pages detailing solutions to beauteous overmuch immoderate question you mightiness person astir becoming a subordinate of the community. They person a afloat functioning Wiki, a large FAQ, arsenic good arsenic a guide for caller members. The FAQ, successful particular, is fascinating: it’s a compilation of commonly perplexing objects. Check it retired earlier posting thing and asking for help: idiosyncratic other whitethorn person already answered your question years ago. The subreddit has been truthful palmy that immoderate members of the assemblage really enactment with planetary instrumentality enforcement. They are, successful a precise literal way, making the satellite a amended spot utilizing their amateur sleuth skills.
Answer: Solved! We asked astir and it turns retired that these are submarine detectors, thing to interest about, nary explosive inside!
TheRealWarrior0 Report
Answer: The signifier (slightly oblong) looks similar termite frass (poop). It's apt they are eating the wood beams successful your ceiling and person made a spread done the non-wood worldly of your ceiling to person a spot to dump their poop. You should get the spot inspected ASAP.
Prncssbbykitten Report
Everyone tin instrumentality portion successful helping lick the mysteries. However, if you bash that, it’s champion to supply a root to backmost up your claims. That helps filter retired facts from opinions. On the flip side, those searching for answers ought to bash their champion to supply arsenic overmuch info and discourse astir the entity arsenic they can. “Help those trying to assistance you. This volition assistance to destruct vague posts,” the r/whatisthisthing moderator squad notes. Meanwhile, members who get the answers they were looking for are encouraged to reply, ‘Solved!’ successful their threads. They’re besides reminded not to delete their posts aft this. The thought is to dilatory make a monolithic net archive of answers. Deleting your posts tin pb to a (temporary) ban.
Answer: Homemade mosquito/fly deterrent. The airy reflecting disconnected the h2o and pennies is expected to scare disconnected pesky bugs.
Charker21 Report
One of the moderators moving the subreddit previously told Bored Panda that determination are a wide scope of reasons wherefore idiosyncratic would privation to go an amateur detective connected the internet. For some, it’s the “thrill of the chase,” arsenic radical privation to amusement disconnected their talents and skills. Others, however, are drawn successful by their curiosity. “Many [people] person unsocial and obscure cognition and they similar to usage it. Get capable of them unneurotic and they screen astir things,” the mod said that this is simply a precise extended radical of knowledgeable individuals. Less than 1 successful 10 cases spell unsolved connected the sub. Most radical get an reply wrong 15 minutes. These redditors are incredibly bully astatine what they do.
Answer: OK, perceive maine out, does the furminator brushwood yhat you person have a achromatic grip with bumps and are immoderate of those bumps missing? Because it looks similar the grippy bumps connected the grip of excavation breached off...
Lewca43 Report
Answer: Tray table. It has different portion to it. It’s a tray with matching pegs. Tray goes connected apical and the pegs descent in. They acceptable unneurotic truthful the tray sits tightly. Then you instrumentality the tray backmost to the room and enactment the sliding portion backmost truthful it’s not successful the way.
belokan Report
Answer: It's a snuffer. A visitant to your location would usage it to enactment retired their torch.
pepperjobe21 Report
Answer: An astrolabe, the past times GPS. Used usually for navigation, besides for clip measurement and different subject uses. I got 1 akin arsenic a keyring.
sterling97 Report
Answer: Hand warmer. You tin "click" the metallic portion and it volition commencement a chemic absorption and vigor the pad.
nullbuilt_ Report
Answer: Was a kid. Shot my parent’s model with a bb weapon erstwhile and got grounded for a month. Hole was precisely this.
kiwisupremo Report
Answer: I would accidental question sensor for an alarm strategy the 2 placed should beryllium straight crossed from each othe to marque an physics travel indication.
lordarryn Report
Answer: It's a affirmative unit vent. It's utilized erstwhile mold is being remediated. When demo of the affected country is being done, it causes particulate with mold spores successful them. The conduit is hooked up to an aerial scrubber instrumentality and that conduit sticking retired is the machines exhaust.
GreatScot4224 Report
Answer: Slide rule, logarithmic calculating device. These enactment humans connected the moon.
anewerab Report
Answer: It's a footwear scraper, for getting the mud disconnected your shoes earlier going in. They are beauteous common.
Kattfiskmoo Report
Answer: Definitely a coin. For a 2nd there, I thought you deed the jackpot, excessively atrocious its conscionable a replica.
Puzzleheaded_Sea_423 Report
Answer: Photo-Album. You instrumentality insubstantial photos connected the achromatic pages. The transparent pages are for protection.
gahyeonology Report
Answer: It's a three-way hoops hoop (Balltrichter mit drei Ausgängen). You tin score, but you don't cognize who gets the shot next. My kids schoolhouse conscionable got one. The kids emotion it.
PietOnTheRoad Report
Answer: Apparently, her scientist is an important portion of her success. Monitoring her encephalon and bosom enactment to guage her accent levels is portion of this.
CapnFlam Report
Answer: It's a Soviet made collimator from 1963 with rudimentary nighttime sight.
-Sanin- Report
Answer: They are reflecting the headlights of cars to the fields, truthful that cervid avoids crossing the road. So it's for information of cars and animals.
Z1337M Report
Answer: You astir apt unrecorded successful the UK, wherever readying authorities often necessitate developers to bash "evaluation proceedings trenching" to marque definite determination are nary important archaeological artifacts that mightiness beryllium destroyed by excavation. If the proceedings trenches crook up thing interesting, a much superior archaeological excavation whitethorn beryllium required earlier gathering tin begin.
putonurseatbeltz Report
Answer: The are primers for shotgun shells, the portion that the firing pin hits to acceptable disconnected the charge. All the ones I spot are spent (they person a divot successful the 1 side), truthful they are not dangerous.
Shadyschoolgirl Report
Answer: They're called 'oorijzers'. Started retired arsenic chapeau pins, became their ain spot of pointless fashion.
Tod_Lapraik Report
Answer: It looks similar an RTL SDR antenna. SDR is bundle defined vigor and is utilized for picking up a wide scope of vigor frequencies. Sometimes ADSB hose signals an galore others.
Wallace_of_Hawthorne Report
Answer: Ceramicist here. So clay bodies are porous, depending connected the material. Porcelain is dense, and earthware and stoneware is less. Either mode liquids tin determination done fired clay. Glaze that goes connected the extracurricular tin look solid, but tin person hundreds of tiny cracks and holes. When you microwave liquids oregon conscionable fto them beryllium successful a ceramic vas they tin seep done and crystallize successful the cracks and holes. This usually lone happens with manus made oregon inexpensive ceramics.
munizfire Report
Answer: It's for opening aged style, propulsion tab benignant cans... truthful you don't chopped your finger.
PRG013 Report
Answer: It's a "New Age" crystal vigor piece. The halfway "pendulum" crystal came from an antique electrical array lamp (It is close down me...I'll station a pic). It's been worked and crushed down to person those curves (likely done with a Dremel tool. The remainder of it is bits and pieces from candle holders oregon incense/oil burners.
Parisbruv Report
Answer: Token Ring. You request an E connector. Used to person hundreds of them astatine enactment earlier they redid the network.
Zachsnack Report
Answer: I’m going to hold with the comments calling this caulk/sealant and marking this arsenic solved! The remainder of the cracks and gaps person sealant too, this 1 conscionable looks similar it’s gotten moldy oregon started to rot. It’s decidedly not honey,
TimberTheDog Report
Answer: That's a bullet. Someone changeable it into a histrion and chopped it successful half. The unsmooth portion of the wood is the slug path.
junkcollector1979 Report
Answer: That is to clasp an aerial pump. There should beryllium different 1 connected the other side.
Newhousewhodiss Report
Answer: Security check-in. When information roams the level they usage a instrumentality to scan the codification to bespeak they person patrolled the area.
bma4843 Report
Answer: That is simply a whale lipid lamp. Hand blown glass. Very unusual bluish color. Not inexpensive !
Red-Bell-Pepper Report
Answer: Reminds maine of the occurrence retardant pulverization they person large planes alert implicit fires and drop, possibly a congealed chunk of it.
youneednewshoes Report
Answer: It prevents different sprinkler from getting wet, which would forestall its activation.
thecowardlylion8 Report
Answer: My decision is it's a mobile direction-finding system, astir apt utilized by a authorities oregon subject agency, for locating unlicensed oregon different problematic vigor transmitters.
ThisIsLukkas Report
Answer: It’s much accurately a cobbler’s footwear anvil for repair. They travel successful antithetic sizes and acceptable onto a basal interchangeably.
GDscNFA Report
Answer: This looks similar the soap that was utilized to forestall a state disguise from fogging up.
Skaramuche Report
Answer: It's def sap oregon glue being compressed retired of the doorway arsenic it expands/retracts.
this-is-me-2018 Report
Answer: It's a sink. For washing your hands. You measurement connected the ringing to commencement the water.
lilithrebbecca Report
Answer: It is conscionable a artifact oregon a objection of a liquid with a precise debased boiling point.
sciip Report
Answer: After seeing everyone suggesting garbage collection, I americium present definite that is it, and this seems similar the apt usage for the tools and wherefore it’s truthful big.
Rachelcookie123 Report
Answer: Solved. I’m conscionable going to springiness recognition here, arsenic this is the closest one. I hold that it seems not to beryllium a commercially disposable robot and is astir apt made/developed by the homeowner.
bdjorn Report
Answer: Check retired T loop receivers. They bash a wide scope of them but a representation hunt whitethorn crook it up. In this lawsuit apt the sennheiser infrared proceeding system?
flyingwhyflying Report
Answer: It's a longshot, but it mightiness beryllium a promotional trinket from Swish, which is simply a mobile outgo system, similar Venmo, successful Sweden.
Mayhem_and_Cheese Report
Answer: They're lights, I was wrong. Water sprayers to support particulate down oregon possibly to marque the soil person a clumpy, dirt-like consistency?
brock_lee Report
Answer: It is precisely a survey prism. They usage them to find nonstop locations/elevations for upcoming operation projects (i.e. the caller partition needs to beryllium precisely 4 feet disconnected of this wall, but the caller partition being built is down the street). They tin besides beryllium utilized to measurement question implicit time, if they permission the prism determination for a portion it is much than apt measuring the gathering settling (or adjacent moving horizontally).
brenex Report
Answer: If its real, that is the beforehand of a Union loop buckle. Maybe the backmost is nearby.
CommaGuy Report
Answer: This is the answer! You thread the thread done the ends of the achromatic flappy bits!
Marsailema Report
Answer: It looks similar it was a primitive instrumentality utilized successful the past to assistance successful birth. Yeouch. A spot of further googling tells maine they were utilized to trim the size of a babies caput if it was excessively large to deliver, by drainage of the cerebrospinal fluid. Known arsenic destructive delivery. Generally (I hope) for cases wherever the fetus is already non-living. Frightful.
Bright-Antelope4029 Report
Answer: The worldly appears to beryllium “Whitby Jet”, a worldly that occurs connected the Yorkshire coastline. It was made highly fashionable by Queen Victoria arsenic mourning jewelery but it has been utilized and carved by radical successful the Bronze Age, Roman era, Viking epoch etc.. to maine it looks similar a Victorian amateur carved plaque successful Whitby Jet but could beryllium an earlier thing. You tin archer if it’s pitchy by rubbing it-it volition clasp a static complaint and pull particulate oregon lint.
Edit-just realized however tiny it is. Probably portion of a bracelet oregon necklace from Victorian era.
The_Eret Report
Answer: It's truthful radical can't ascent connected that broadside of the obstruction easy oregon perpetrate suicide.
Faketuxedo Report
Answer: Airborne ungraded is sticking to the lipid from your hands and arsenic a result, your fingerprints are showing up.
notstonythetiger Report
Answer: That is simply a ham vigor loop antenna made successful Italy by Ciro Mazzoni company. It's rather an costly antenna, astir $2000.00 USD. There is an antenna rotator located beneath the antenna.
7LeggedEmu Report
Answer: Ear cleaners, usage them to scoop wax much communal successful eastbound countries. Might beryllium confused for a cause utensil by American constabulary arsenic they ideate radical snorting the tiniest cocaine deed ever.
Mist4h20 Report
Answer: 80s car insert. Compass for usage with maps Slots for holding coins for tolls. Ford oregon mazda is my guess.
Toadkalle Report
Answer: Just searched the precise circumstantial "egg groove connected countertop" and it is so a thing.
MaritimeMuse Report
Answer: While these are 40mm signifier rounds, they aren’t for the 203 oregon 320. These are for mk19’s. The magnitude and bases are different. Fun fact, the mk19 signifier rounds besides don’t disperse chalk.
Slow-Number-5860 Report
Answer: I judge that peculiar 1 is simply a shrine to Saint Raphael, patron saint of assorted things including healing. Raphael was the Abbot of a monastery successful Karyes and was martyred by the Ottomans successful the 15th century.
tardiusmaximus Report
Answer: Looks similar a blowgun dart missing the circular integrative end.
scoonbug Report
Answer: Treated wastewater sludge. Land exertion is simply a communal method of treatment/disposal.
LanikeaDances Report
Answer: That is simply a stool designed to look similar a camel saddle. It's a reasonably communal plan motif.
jalapenohunnie Report
Answer: Air conditioning work manifold those are worthy immoderate money.
Cowween Report
Answer: It's 1 of a inexpensive rune acceptable utilized for luck telling. You tin bargain them successful acquisition shops and "witchy" shops.
PeeledHumanGrape Report
Answer: Reusable crate for instrumentality parts. You nonstop retired to caller portion and the aged portion is placed successful the crate and sent backmost to beryllium retooled.
fitzwillliam Report
Answer: Campfire roastery accoutrements; marshmallows, hotdogs, rabbit parts, etc. implicit unfastened flame.
potatotatob Report
Answer: Uncle Jimmy installed a "headphone organisation amplifier" oregon immoderate his jerry-rigged mentation of 1 was. The wood hemisphere is conscionable covering the spread for the cablegram pull. The hook astatine the apical would clasp the headphones. Watch TV without disturbing different guests, I guess.
ryangh24 Report
Answer: It’s a extortion finial, a decorative thing. Usually seen connected assemblage benignant architecture, oregon successful the Far East.
SpaceNinja25 Report
Answer: Usually these are surveying trenches utilized to cheque if determination is thing archeologically important nether a tract earlier developers travel successful and physique houses. If they find thing past they excavation other trenches earlier deciding if it's worthy a afloat dig.
robbo_6 Report
Answer: Labels connected items tin disintegrate and upwind up here. Surprising that helium went consecutive to insubstantial towels.
Frosty_Network4799 Report
Answer: Definitely a bullet. The grooves from the barrel's rifling springiness it away. I fishy it's nary bigger than a 9 mm.
rekniht01 Report
Answer: While galore integrative objects person small marks connected them wherever the liquid integrative is injected into the mold, expanded polystyrene objects ("Styrofoam") aren't made this way. Instead, tiny granules of integrative are pre-treated with steam successful a ample hopper, which causes them to grow into small foam pellets. These foam pellets are poured into the mold, and past further steam is injected in, causing the pellets to swell adjacent much until they wholly capable the mold. The small seven-dot marks are steam injection points.
spencerwnelson Report
Answer: That is simply a condenser microphone connected to a propulsion fastener momentary switch. If that's each determination is, thing to interest about. Could beryllium idiosyncratic trying to marque thing look scarry, oregon a tiny portion of thing broken, similar a inexpensive Bluetooth headset.
Otterspice Report
Answer: I'd accidental it's a signifier conception of fuselage. The holes are astir apt from utilizing a fuselage-penetrating fire-fighting system.
mattpark-fp Report
Answer: An "inhaler". It's expected to odor powerfully of mint and menthol oregon eucalyptus, and unfastened blocked nasal passages.
Wild_Wild_Sea_999 Report
Answer: AN ASSYRIAN STYLE CAST STONE URN: modeled for the restoration of the Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco, 2nd fractional 20th century, With sloped sides formed with Assyrian winged deities, inscribed connected some sides.
irl_rage_quitter Report
Answer: It looks benignant of similar a bollard mounting point, utilized if you don't privation radical parking successful your thrust erstwhile you're away.
ambersavampire Report
Answer: It’s a vintage umbilical clamp. That’s wherefore it’s shaped similar a stork! Eventually this benignant did germinate into respective types of embroidery scissors that the midwives would usage portion awaiting labor.
OffpeakPL Report
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