Men are creatures full of curiosity, more so than cats. We can do incredible things when we're taken over by our curiosity, proven by the centuries-long history of research. And the internet. Yes, there's just nothing Google has no explanation on, even on the most niche subjects that you have never heard of. It also lets you meet the right people to answer your questions when words can't explain.
Since the inception of the 'What Is this Thing' subreddit, multiple people have had their curiosity so well-satiated with logical and plausible answers. As people from the various background are there, you can be sure there's no question Reddit cannot answer!
“What are these strands/threads coming out of my crackers?”
IAMA_KOOK_AMA -Via
“I work in food manufacturing. This is 100% frayed edges of the conveyors that take the crackers through the sheeting process before being transferred to the oven band. Contact the manufacturer with the codes and date on the box. It will help them in their investigation, and you will most likely get some free stuff.” – SignificantGrocery6
“Found in a thrift store – glass object, plugs in, several openings with a central tube.”
macjimmy23 -Via
“It’s an old subwoofer for a computer; Apple used to sell a version back in the day. Harman Kardon sound sticks II to be precise.” – fleanine
“Seen while hiking in Iceland near a glacier. No writing or label – what is this thing?”
mitt-promney -Via
“SAR repeater.” – heisath
“What is this antique crank press/device on the wall of my friend’s house? The plate reads ‘SENGER 1952.'”
taleofbenji -Via
“It’s a corkscrew puller. There is a piece missing, the actual corkscrew. You put the corkscrew into the bottle’s cork, and this easily pulls it out.” – brock_lee
“Real-life-looking eyeball, maybe glass? With 3 holes on the metal piece. Found at a flea market.”
hippie-mom-2901 -Via
“I have one of those! It’s a promotional keyring for a company that makes glass eyes for taxidermy. I got it at a hunting convention in the 80s.” – GummoBergman
“Any idea what this is? It’s my grandmother’s, it has two clips, and it spins…”
kaisydaisy93 -Via
“That’s a really nice one. It’s known as a ‘fringe twister,’ in this case, a double since it can do two strands at once.” – travellingmonk
“Friend found at a Goodwill. Toolbelt of some kind. Anyone knows the specific use?”
ffatr2012 -Via
“Fishing pole holder.” – wesleyharrison123
“What are these wooden kitchen implements given as a gift?”
blamemyshelf -Via
“It’s an adjustable size trivet. Stacked together they fit neatly in a drawer. Placed near each other you can put a hot pot on them without scorching the surface of your table.” – g_r_th
“Chickenheart wire object with a handle.”
scruffy69 -Via
“Modern decoration made in the style of an old Rug Beater.” – reflected_shadow
“Found inside a musical instrument, it is the size of a big grape, but there aren’t any holes big enough for it to have fallen inside.”
ItIsNotBecause -Via
“They have these in violins. They call them the mouse. It’s just years and years of fluff and detritus. If they get repaired, the repairer will put ‘the mouse’ back into the violin for good luck. It could be something like that.” – OzziesUndies
“Found in our new house on the top landing banister rail. Seems like it’s meant to hold something but not sure what it is?”
Minute-Mode6727 -Via
“Appears to be a 3M Command hair dryer holder. Though given the location, perhaps previous owners were using it for something else (what I have no idea).” – ksdkjlf
“Stepped on this while cleaning out a room today. Hefty deer-shaped weight featuring two spiked prongs in the center. Owner doesn’t recognize it.”
bestofrolf -Via
“My mum used to have one of those, it should sit on a pillar on the middle spike, so it rocks back and forth.” – Upside-down_Turtle
“Two flat metal round disks with a long stem attached by hinges. No markings. Found in a new kitchen.”
nowgetbacktowork -Via
“Pretty sure it’s a flame snuffer.” – Joe_Golem
“Smooth 500g oval-shaped chrome-plated weight?”
TractorChainsawJohn -Via
“Manual scale calibration. It’s so you know the exact weight of an object when you compare it to another object, want to tare the scale, etc.” – corporateballerina
“What is this thing behind my curtains?”
racatran -Via
“Mud dauber nests. Those black wasp-looking things. They build these and lay their eggs in them. These have openings, so they are old. If they don’t have holes, that means the larva is in there along with about 20 spiders the mom left the larva to eat before they come out of the nest.” – Moose-bay
“Modular curved wooden pieces with two 1/2″ holes in each segment. Only one hole in each segment goes completely through the wood for a simple wooden dowel to keep it all together. The other hole only goes halfway.”
pocketcabbage -Via
“I made one of these in a 7th-grade shop! It’s a candle holder. my mother kept mine for years despite the fact that we could never find any candles that would fit in it.” – serving18years
“Banana sized and shaped old tool(?). Found in an old barn in Sweden. Wooden handle with rusty metal tip.”
Kesomannen34 -Via
“A seed dibber. It makes a hole in the dirt for planting a seed.” – MetallicMessiah, satriales856
“We think they were included in gift bags for different meetings my wife went to for training. Our guess is a rubber band that functions as such with advertising on the back of the white thing. What is this thing?”
jeffbobmoses -Via
“Cheap elastic bands for books. Keeps them from opening in backpacks.” – YBDum
