What a thing: the strangest finds. Issue 147
How many interesting things could have sunk into oblivion, if not for the inquisitive minds of people. With the advent of the Internet, it has become much easier to learn about things of interest, but even here there are difficulties. How to learn more about this or that discovery, if you don’t even really know how to describe it?
Fortunately, there is a "What is this thing" community for this, where users recognize things from photographs, and tell people what they have caught their eye. 
Question: “I saw this on the sidewalk in London. It's like a piece of cloth between two bolts bolted to the pavement. 
Answer:
"It used to hold the tube for the pneumatic traffic meter."
Pneumatic traffic meter is a rubber tube with air stretched across the road. Every time a car passes over it, the receiver notes the change in air pressure in the tube and registers the passing vehicle 🚗
Question: "What is that gold inside my activated carbon water filter?!" 
Answer: "This is a KDF55 copper-zinc sorbent used in water purification from heavy metals and microorganisms" 
Question: “I began to see such protection on poles in Massachusetts often. They are on many pillars, but not on all. 
Answer:
“This is a special booster to extend the life of wooden poles that have already collapsed underground. The load from the base of the post is transferred to this metal reinforcement. 
The base of wooden poles can be destroyed both due to moisture, and due to mechanical damage, insects and animals.
Question: “Found in an antique market in Wisconsin, USA. About 15 cm at the top, the hole is about 9 cm. Small spittoon?! 
Answer:
"This is a baby potty" 
The dark parts that you see on the pots — these are enamel chips, as the pots themselves are made of metal.
Question: “Some kind of large stone with various geometric shapes. He was found in the middle of the forest next to the destroyed brick gates. Any ideas?" 
Answer:
"It's not a stone, it's an old back seat of a van."
Question: “5-10 cm uneven tubules. Soft, easy to remove. Found in a garage that is over 50 years old. It seems that there is nothing inside them. 
Answer:
"These are tubular wax moth cocoons."
Wax moth caterpillars eat honeycombs with all contents, including even brood. With a strong distribution in the combs, they even begin to eat each other 🐛
Question: “A 12 cm flat metal spoon with spikes on one side. The reverse side says "stainless steel, Japan"» 
Answer:
"This is a ginger grater used to make ginger tea" 
Question: "Vertical pipes seen near the front door of a house for sale in the US Midwest. Has anyone seen something similar? 
Answer:
“This is a solar heater. On the other side there are two openings: one at the bottom, where cold air is drawn in, andthe other at the top, through which the air escapes after it has been heated.
Such systems are installed on the sunny side and operate in the same way as Trombe's solar wall.
Question: "About 12 cm long, with a decorative handle and a removable threaded metal part" 
Answer:
"This is a wood carving knife with a removable blade" 
Question: “Found in the center of Edinburgh. About half a meter in diameter, 3-4 meters in height, dark metal. Located near the road. What is it? 
Answer:
"It's a smelly sewer gas pipe."
Question: "What is this 200 m long plastic pipe that I found in the ocean?" 
The answer of the author himself:
“I talked to the locals who know what it is. Turns out it's a buoy from a shellfish farm. These are used to grow mussels and shellfish on them. Usually on farms they are attached with cables, but this one had no ropes, which means that either it disappeared during the construction phase of the farm, or it was carried away during a storm.
Question: "This thing has a wooden handle and a metal top with 5 sharp teeth. Approximately 22 cm long. Was found among a pile of antique kitchen utensils. What is it? 
Answer:
"This tool is designed to crush ice" 
In the comments, many have also stated that this tool is also great for tenderizing meat and/or holding it in place while slicing.
Question: "I found two large brown plastic containers with a tube inside them, and a connector I didn't recognize. Any ideas? 
Answer:
"These are disposable beer kegs" 
Questioner:
“Thank you all. Weird beer kegs, but what's even weirder is that I found them in a school cupboard!
Question: "Never noticed this on my wall, but now it makes noise like a speaker. What is it anyway? 
Answer:
“This is your doorbell. The doorbell button is probably stuck.
Author of the photo:
"Fixed in two seconds, thanks,"!
Question: “What are those V-patterns on the freeway. They were present on the road at a distance of at least 10 km. 
Answer:
"
This marking helps drivers maintain sufficient distance between vehicles for safe braking during an emergency on the road. Drivers are asked to keep their distance so that two of these patterns can be seen ahead. 
Question: "The big pipe from the truck to the plane" 
Answer:
“Aircraft systems do not receive power when the engine is off, so they have to use a special truck with air conditioning / power supply to supply power and air to the aircraft. Without all this, the air in the plane will be very hot, and it will be very uncomfortable for employees to clean the plane and resupply it.
