Wednesday, December 9, 2020

Weird Things Whose Purpose Was Unknown Until the Internet Came to the Rescue, Part 1

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From: 


People asked on the internet what the following items were for. The internet came to their aid . . . 
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A jar opener
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Stainless steel soap. Apparently if you rub your hands on it after chopping onions or garlic. It gets the smell off. 
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Lacewing eggs. Lacewings are insects easily recognised by their long, transparent, lace-like wings. Female lacewings lay their eggs on a thread of hardened mucus attached to a leaf, so they are suspended in the air. Or attached to the underside of kitchen counters. 
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Hammock holders. According to Reddit, these are hammock stands, used for swinging, sleeping, or resting. 
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A testing chip. It goes through the metal detectors to ensure they’re working. Ironically, this chip shows that the test has ultimately failed, because a foreign object has gotten through. 
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A shaving scuttle. It used to be used to keep soap lather warm and ready for shaving. 
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A yawning dance mask. This Balinese ‘yawning’ dance mask looks like a miniature version of the actual masks used in Balinese dance performances. Traditional Balinese masks are considered sacred, and represent divine messengers. 
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A ceremonial chonta. It is a traditional healer item used in traditional healing ceremonies. The carved wooden staff is made from the wood of the chonta palm, and sits at the head of a ceremonial altar. 
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A bird flight diverter. The spinning wind turbine clipped onto the power lines is a bird flight diverter which provides an economical means of reducing the hazard to both lines and birds.” 
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Underground gas vents 
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Ranger beads. They are used to count distance through a known pace. 
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Hopewell culture arrowhead. An arrowhead made for Hopewell Indian culture arrows from about 2,000 years ago. The Hopewell tradition is a Native American culture that existed in the northeastern and midwestern Eastern Woodlands during the Middle Woodland period. 
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A Roman oil jar. It is a Roman oil jar made of terracotta. Tthe ancient Romans made huge amounts of pottery, and terracotta pieces can be found all over the former Roman Empire. 
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A delimbing tool. According to online advice, this isn’t an axe. It’s a delimbing tool. You use it to reach high limbs and cut them with a swift pass. These things are razor sharp. 
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Sediment filter. This is a sediment filter, which sieves particles out of water. According to Reddit, this one has a “very old filter cartridge inside.” 
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Audio head demagnetizer. According to internet advice, to answer what it is you need to go back in time to the 1960s. The cassette was invented in the ‘60s, and this contraption was used to remove built up magnetism in the tape path. 
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A spacer wheel. us that this is construction equipment – “It is called a spacer wheel or chair. It’s meant to hold rebar in place prior to pouring the concrete.” 
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A double inkwell. These were commonly used in the 19th century. Apparently, the second well can be used to wash one’s pen after writing so that the ink doesn’t dry and clog up the tip. Or, you could use two colors of ink. 
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Electrostatic animal guard. According to a helpful internet contributor, this item is an electrostatic animal guard, explaining that when an animal touches the spokes, it receives an electric shock. Basically, this is like an electric fence that keeps livestock from wandering, but smaller. 
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The flower frog. This is a “flower frog” for arranging flowers. It uses a number of holes that stems could be fit through for arranging. It turns out that flower frogs come in a range of designs and styles. 
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A grid reflector. This “yellow thing” on a telephone pole is similar to road cats’ eyes and could be specific to this particular state. Apparently these yellow mesh objects are called grid reflectors, their purpose being to help motorists see and avoid utility poles. 
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