Interesting Finds (30 pics)
’’This was found in the backyard. The months are spelled out and the year states 1827.’’
’’These were all over the beach. I think they were alive.’’
Answer: ’’It’s a marine invertebrate animal, called a tunicate. They also have hearts that beat and a complex circulatory system.’’
’’Weird looking thing, found in a rockpool’’
Answer: ’’That is some kind of construction glue or epoxy that has hardened’’
’’I found this little guy under the stairs in a parking garage. His hair is made by what seems like glue dipped into dirt?’’
Answer: ’’It is a worry doll. You tell your worries to it, and put it under your pillow at night. It’s supposed to take away your worries while you’re sleeping.’’
’’Found this on an apple.’’
Answer: ’’These are green Lacewing eggs.’’
’’Objects that sound like bells.’’
Answer: ’’These are clam bells, often worn by Indian dancers on their ankles or wrists to accent their movements.’’
Answer: ’’It’s a practice gravestone scrap. Someone who carved gravestones would practice engraving lettering and drawings on this broken piece of stone.’’
’’This fell out of one of my dad’s record sleeves.’’
Answer: ’’It’s for curtains. The pointy end faces up, pierces the curtain and the dull end goes in the rollers for drapes.’’
’’I saw these in sidewalks in 2 cities in Norway.’’
Answer: ’’They are snow/ice sensors.’’
’’This circular object on top of a car’’
Answer: ’’Bubbl, it’s like an Uber but targeted toward kids or those with extra concerns around who the drivers are.’’
’’My girlfriend found these in her dinner.’’
Answer: ’’These are vegetable bugs. They get stuck on the underside of leaves and on stems.’’
’’A plastic ’hook’ that is probably used as a kitchen tool.’’
Answer: ’’It’s for opening ring pull cans.’’
’’What are these things I keep seeing them at nearly all the London bus stops?’’
Answer: ’’It’s potato art.’’
’’Wooden torch-like thing, bulb-shaped end, with regular notches cut into it.’’
Answer: ’’That is absolutely a molinillo. We use it for making hot chocolate with chocolate.’’
’’These weird crystals are growing on my highlighter.’’
Answer: ’’The highlighter went through varying changes in temperature and destabilized causing oil to separate and crystallize.’’
“Cleaning out my grandma’s house to sell and found this. What is it?”
Answer: “It’s a flour duster. You use it to sprinkle flour across your work surface. You can use it to dust powdered sugar over cookies and whatnot too.”
“White porcelain with decorative gold paint lines. The middle dips down and there are handles on both ends.”
Answer: “It’s a silverware holder.”
“What kind of pan is this, and what is it used for?”
Answer: “It allows you to pour off liquids without the stuff you’re cooking to block the spout.”
“It looks like a tool to create art — or maybe it is art — I’m not sure.”
Answer: “Looks like an Indian batik or textile stamp. It’s used to print wax onto silk as a dye resist.”
“A bundle of rubbery sheets found washed up on a beach in the Caribbean”
Answer: “These are rubber sheets from harvesting rubber from rubber trees. They ship them in cubes with a bunch of these.”
“I was given a present.”
Answer: “It’s a bookmark. The long flat (wiggly) part goes between the pages, hooks over the top, and the charm then hangs over the spine.”
“What is this thing, and what’s it used for?”
Answer: “Bellows to blow on a fire”
“It looks to be a very small concrete bench or seat facing away from the road near the curb. Too small for a child.”
Answer: “They could be old carriage steps, used to help people get into and out of horse-drawn carriages.”
“Given by a neighbor who doesn’t speak English and I don’t speak Chinese.”
Answer: “This is called Zizania latifolia. You can cut it into slices and stir-fry for a minute or so, then cook with some soy sauce until the flavor goes in a bit. It has a nice unique texture, firmer than zucchini.”
“Pressed my oven’s button and this container thing popped out.”
Answer: “That’s for pouring water into to get steam in the oven.”
“About the size of my hand, found in the trash (I’m a trash man.)”
Answer: “A laser-cut ’perpetual’ calendar.”
“What is this thing? The part above the handle rotates.”
Answer: “It’s a kite spindle. I used to have one.”
“Metal spring with plastic ends, 20 cm long, no writing or markings”
Answer: “It’s a hair remover used for little hairs on one’s face.”
“What is this bubbling out of the ground? It keeps bubbling, even if I dig a thin layer down with a shovel.”
Answer: “It turned out to be from a can of expansion foam the builders had left in the yard. Water got to the can, which rusted and leaked, causing the foam to reach the surface.”
“A weird door I saw in the sea wall in Biarritz, France”
Answer: “I would guess that it is a gate for storm water runoff that drains into the ocean.”
“The base is concrete and very sturdy. It’s about 15 feet high and has metal fins along the inside of it.”
