What is this thing?

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Let us help you identify that mysterious object you’ve found.

Currently in CHALLENGE mode: If you've got something obscure knocking about, post a picture, and let's see how we do. Please prefix such posts with "CHALLENGE:" so we know we've got a fighting chance.

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I noticed somebody was carrying this printed sheet of paper in their pocket recently.

Long shot, but just wondering if anyone has seen it before? It kind of looks like an instruction manual? Or some kind of printed flyer.

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I've had this part stored in my bedside drawer for years and I can't remember what it's for.

My best guess is it's from an overlocker that I no longer have(?)

SOLVED: It's a hinge cover for a fridge freezer set that clips together to look like one large machine. Thanks to everyone that contributed.

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[Solved] Whose are these? (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 4 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
 
 

Pretty sure these are eggs... But what creatures will emerge?

Finger for scale

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The info wore off the grip and I do not recall what it was. I think it was a German brand. These have been one of my favorite tools for a decade. The jaws are much more narrow than what is typical for side cutters and these handle like a surgeon's scalpel. Best of all, they can be sharpened many many times. Unfortunately, these are getting close to end of life from all of my sharpening and pivot pin wear. I want to get another set, but I have never been able to figure out the brand to find them again. They were given to me by a tech for a computerized Guru bicycle fit machine we had installed in one of our bike shops in 2012.

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The magnet is around an order of magnitude more powerful on the coil side versus the back, so must be Eddie/Maxwell magic mathsticism of some wizard variety. Are these style drivers typically rare earth magnets? The sticking power feels like a rare earth magnet, but I don't know that factually is the case. Perhaps the flux is unintuitive when guided well.

Is the port shape intended to increase the Reynolds coefficient... (Is that even a valid question at this limited displacement volume? Like, I don't even know how, or if, this falls between laminar and turbulent regimes, or if such a system should be modeled more like a spring and damper or something like that.) Do you think the little square volume in the lower left is intentional or a byproduct? Does this port design have a niche name specific to the zigzag?

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submitted 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
 
 

Outside a local school window.
I'm guessing it has to do with networking but I'm curious about why they're outside, especially as they're not that high off the ground and can easily be tampered with from the street.
Stickers on them read "ROCK" and "ROLL".

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What is this black thing, roughly the size of a coffee mug, cylindrical in shape, attached to a circular bracket, on the side of my neighbours house? Its position can be adjusted, doesn’t light up or make noise. Not sure on weight as it is fixed to the wall. We think that it’s plastic.

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You can see the outside on the edge of the top speaker (bottom-right corner). The wood is thin, maybe 2mm, and glue applied likely by a machine, yet the slot length looks like it was intended for tuning frequency response. But why wood, and only for this one side of the one slot in an otherwise plastic housing?

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It is more flexible in tight spaces without collapsing. The color and texture remind me of RTV gasket making silicone in automotive applications, but these (very old) tubes do not have any hint of the pungent oder of RTV gasket maker, or anything else for that matter.

I'm looking for a hose that is more flexible than typical rubber (like automotive) and PVC (gardening/aquariums) hose in a 1/4in or 6mm ID for ethylene glycol at pressures between 1 & 2 bar and at 30-100 C. I need to turn around a 50mm radius reliably with flexibility and without substantial (~15%+) constriction... If any experts are around – TIA

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Looks like a Molex connector but I cannot find what type. The closest I've found have the 'D' and square prongs in the wrong configuration. Does anyone know what type/model connector this is? (From a battery charger for a lawn mower)

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More photos in the comments. Is it supposed to be connected to the motherboard? I found it in the case. It wasn't connected. I think that the backside is some sort of thermal patch. I can tell that it's not a camera but I'm very confused and the connection reminds me of more of a laptop or phone connection not something you would see in a PC. The data matrix contains the same text as the white sticker.

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kithenaid part (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 1 month ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
 
 

this came in my fridge. its a kithenaid. what it do?

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Thought it might be a battery pack at first so I wasn’t going to touch it but it appears to be plastic.

Possibly broken at the top? Unsure.

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Sorry for potato quality, but it's soft and fuzzy on the outside, and the inside is somewhat mushy and is a light yellow/green color, and it's about 2 inches long.

Found under some trees at our city park in South Mississippi.

Edit: I'm now seeing a number of the fuzzy peels laying around one of the picnic tables, so is it some sort of food?

Edit 2: It doesn't seem to have any notable smell that I can tell.

Edit 3: Solved - Magnolia Flower Bud

We're actually sitting under a Magnolia tree right now and I just looked up and saw one still on the tree, so this is now 100% confirmed.

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submitted 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
 
 

I found this going though some things but can't figure out what it's from. All the dice are wood, with the six on the outside having a standard 1-6 numbering, while the middle one counts by tens, from 10 to 60. The plastic case doesn't open and doesn't have any markings. They are loose enough you can 'role' the dice by rubbing the whole thing on the palm of your hand. It can kind of act like a fidget spinner, but I'm pretty sure it predates them. Any searching I've done has either turned up actual fidget spinner dice or sets of roleplaying dice, so I'm turning to all of you.

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I have no idea (programming.dev)
submitted 1 month ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
 
 

There are multiple of these in my city. Kinda giant bird feeder looking

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Why are these wires on this water tower? What do they do?

Update:

Caught it with the curtain up!

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What's this device (circled in blue) that's attached to my furnace? It recently got replaced and I forgot what the HVAC technician called it, or what its function is.

I do rember that they said to put some vinegar in the U-bend (circled in red) once or twice a year. I forgot to ask why this is necessary, but I'd guess that it tends to collect moisture, and the vinegar will prevent mold?

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Southern Finland. I've found these and some more bluish ones. They are fairly small (the flower itself is about 4-6cm) and have these long, pretty thick leaves. It isn't visible in the photos, but the petals have this glittery look on them. Here's one of the blue ones, in a vase: I've mostly seen them near yards or gardens, so I think they aren't native.

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Found this in the attic of a house built a few years before Oklahoma's statehood. Looks old, but also looks like a reproduction of something old. It's at least old enough to be super brittle and has tannin staining on the back where it was mounted to a piece of wood for a LONG time.

22
 
 

I know they are some sort of nail, but I had one in my tire and at the store found a near identical one and now I'm beginning to think my tire guy is playing shell games. I mean, what are the odds?

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submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
 
 

A brittle rock made of glitter. It breaks in this linear fashion and can be pound into sand by a mortar and pestle.

Anyone got any clues?

Edit: Thanks for all the answers. I found it in Romania and after searching for forums of minerals from Romania, I got a few other clues.

It isn't conclusive to me yet, but the possibilities are:

  • Pyrit
  • Mica
  • Schist
  • Nagyágit
  • Calaverit
  • Sylvanit

Of these, Mica and Sylvanit fit the best (imo).

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I've acquired this thing recently. It's solid wood and none of the parts move. The handle is firmly attached. It measures 14" tall. It comes with three different sized holes: 1-1/4", 1", and 7/8".

So far, my guesses are: misc. tool holder, tobacco pipe rack, communion cup holder, crochet needle holder, or shot glass flight tray. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

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