A: It is a wave-powered desalinator that is owned by Oneka Technologies, a firm in Quebec. It takes seawater and turns it into fresh water. It is powered by the motion of the waves.
1
My grandfather told us to NOT remove this when renovating.
A: Aztec calendar. Funny thing, I remember a bunch of these a while ago being smuggled over the border and they were made of meth.
2
Mostly concerned about why is this thing...
A: For doing surgery on the cow.
3
Water flows from a culvert beneath a trail into this circular pool, then continues on into the woods. What's the pool's purpose?
A: Settling pond for erosion control and improving the downstream water for happier fish.
4
What are these for in an outdoor area of a hospital?
A: These are emergency showers. An affected person (chemical spills, laboratory mishaps, etc) will pull the level on the top and tepid water (OSHA defined between 60F and 100F) will douse the affected from the shower head (above) and boot sprayer (below). The duration of these showers is required to be 15 full minutes at approximately 20 PSI.
5
Weird squirming living Lovecraftian nightmare on our lawn chair this morning.
A: Hag moth caterpillar with fuzzy “false arms” on its back to make it look like a dead leaf. (We’re looking at the belly).
6
Ikea Coffee mug, what is the thing at the bottom?
A: So water doesn't stay on the bottom if you put the mug in the dishwasher and stops wet mugs suctioning themselves to coasters.
7
Thin slabs of ivory with days of the week on the top found in my closet.
A: Fabulous antique early Victorian chatelaine aide memoir from mid 1800s. Made of sheets of bone, it would have hung on a lady's chatalaine chain or been kept securely in her pocket and she would have used it to make note and appointments for the week to come. It has 6 pages for the days Monday to Saturday, of course a lady would never have made appointments on a Sunday.
8
When you pull the ring on this, four little pins come out. What is it used for?
A: It's an anti-theft device for pocket watches.
9
My mom and dad were doing some landscaping in the backyard and found this weird slate with writing etched into it. The months are spelled out and the year states 1827 but that’s all the information here. I can send more pics in PM. Also, this was located in Southern Missouri.
A: A practice gravestone scrap. Someone who carved gravestones would practice engraving lettering and drawings on this broken piece of stone.
10
What is this thing in my classroom? Makes subtle fan-like sounds and changes color on top.
A: AV1 is a personal avatar for children suffering from long-term illness, helping them to continue their education and maintain the normality of daily life despite no longer being able to access mainstream education. Through an app, the user can remotely log into the class from their home or hospital. Looking through the robots eyes, the child can watch the lesson, through the robot’s ears they can hear greetings from their friends and they can speak through the robot to interact with the rest of the class.
11
Grainy-like things? They appear inside and on my closet, and reappear whenever I clean them. What are these?
A: Termite poop.
12
Hey, my boss just got married, and due to a combination of Indian tradition and him being a bro, he brought us these little snackboxes. He left before I could ask him much about them. What are they called and what are they made out of?
A: The white block to the left is made with cashew nuts and sugar: It is called kaju barfi. The yellow block looks like it is mango flavored barfi. The circular one looks like dried fig with nuts stuffed in it. The shiny ones have edible silver foil and are also made from almonds, cashews and pistachio nuts. They are all made with clarified butter and are delicious desserts.
13
Growing from the basement ceiling at a very rapid rate. It is also leaving on the table below it, grayish particles.
A: Those are the studs from your walls — redistributed by your termites.
14
Mini harpoon thing found when changing bedding in a hospital room.
A: Patient had been tased. It's a taser dart.
15
What are these swirly things? Found on Google Maps - located in Cogdell, Georgia, USA.
A: Checked the tax records... It is or was an alligator farm.
16
What are these things I keep seeing on nearly all the London bus stops in my area?
A: It's potato art... And I'm not even kidding... The artist is unknown (some say by an artist called NoNose), if you look for 'London bus stop potato art' you can find many more articles written about it.
17
Found in deep creek MD
A: Stonefly larvae. Good sign for the water quality.
18
I’m not doing my dishes until I know what this beautiful thing is.
A: That’s a bacteria pellicle.
19
What are these circular metal things on these stairs? I just hit my knee and goddamn did it hurt.
A: Skateboard prevention device. Keeps em from grinding on edges.