The world is full of curious objects, bizarre discoveries, and moments that make us pause and scratch our heads. Join us as we take a tour through seventeen delightful photos and give our gut reactions to each unique find. Who knows—maybe you'll recognize something we've never seen before!
“Thin wooden slivers (5cm x 1.5cm) in plastic pouches - unscented”
Two bags of tiny wooden strips and a ruler? These look like the secret ingredients for a model-building project or maybe someone's highly specific craft supply. I can't help but wonder who needs exactly this shape of unscented wood. As it turns out, they're wooden canvas spacers or shims, used to keep canvases evenly separated or properly aligned during stretching and framing.
“Glass decanter gift with extra side opening”
This glass decanter looks like the perfect thing to unbox as a housewarming gift, only to spend hours debating how to fill it or why it has that little side spout. The rustic cork topper really ties the mysterious whole thing together. In fact, it's designed for putting ice in, keeping the wine chilled without watering it down.
“Strange metal rod attached at two points to an old house, about 1 metre long with a round thing at the top.”
This long metal rod jutting out from the house looks like it's signaling UFOs or possibly just holding up the wall in an old-timey way. Either way, it's got a great sense of dramatic architectural flair. In reality, it’s a flag pole, meant for proudly displaying banners or flags.
“This little compound with about a dozen weird white domes in rows of three is in a field in rural New Zealand, just outside Te Kuiti. I've also seen a similar one outside Pahiatua. The fences around it would be 6ft high. Any ideas?”
A field, a security fence, and a row of white domes—if this isn't the setup for an alien encounter, I don’t know what is. You drive past and just instantly start inventing conspiracy theories. In fact, it’s a Starlink ground station, part of the network that helps provide global satellite internet coverage.
“Found this above ceiling in a converted bank vault. Couple inches across, exterior metal is seemingly made of the same material as ‘explosion proof’ electrical boxes, face has a solid metal mesh, through the hole all that could be seen was a flat black material.”
You spot a metal mesh-covered device above the ceiling in a former bank vault. That's either a high-security relic or something that’s going to make you wonder if you should have watched more spy movies. In fact, it’s a pressure vent, designed so you can safely open and close the vault door.
“Spool of white plastic that looks like landscape edging”
This giant spool of white plastic just begs for a practical use—or a starring role in a DIY disaster story. It looks like it could edge a whole parade route, but honestly, it's anyone’s guess. In fact, it’s vinyl horse fencing, designed to safely contain horses while being durable and low-maintenance.
“Extendable metal rod with white base found in culinary classroom.”
An extendable metal rod found in a culinary classroom? Does someone use this to reach the top shelf, or is there a gourmet purpose I'm missing? Either way, I’m pretty sure I’d poke myself before figuring it out. In reality, it’s a cake support for tall cakes, helping to keep layers stable and perfectly aligned.
“Round hole in wall with plastic cap”
A mysterious round hole in the wall, capped with white plastic—if you don't press it to see what happens, do you even have basic curiosity? It’s probably nothing, but why does it feel so ominous? In fact, it’s a cable "hole tidy," designed to keep wires organized and neatly routed through walls.
“Plastic-ish, kinda flimsy thing, maybe for a robot vacuum?”
This odd, flimsy piece of black plastic has the kind of shape that makes you assume it must have clicked into something. Maybe for a robot vacuum? Or maybe it's just part of a plastic sculpture’s skeleton. In reality, it’s a Stihl FS240 guard deflector, designed to protect the user while operating a brushcutter.
“A two-inch grey metal tool found in a box of old screwdrivers and drill bits.”
Tiny metal tool, two inches long, clearly made for something important but almost certainly lost to time. I can only imagine how many old screwdriver boxes have relics like this, with their true function forever a mystery. In fact, it's a thread tap, used to cut or repair internal threads in metal or plastic parts.
“Found on the beach near Brora Scotland. Blue plastic triangular shaped with 50MTR stamped on it. Second one I’ve found this week.”
Another blue triangle found on the beach—each with '50 MTR' on it—means it's probably not a rare clue in a treasure hunt. But it sure does make that sand walk a bit more interesting! In reality, it’s a piece used to secure the steps of a pilot ladder or other ladder of the same construction, commonly used in commercial shipping.
“3D printed, flexible green plastic, two holes connected with flexible material, and a small protude in the center, very lightweight. Found in a bag with a dozen of them.”
This 3D-printed green thing looks cheerful and slightly useless, but it's got 'potential gadget’ energy. Found in a bag with many others, it really wants to be part of a clever hack or an unnecessarily complicated solution. In reality, it’s similar to chopstick "training wheels," designed to help beginners hold and use chopsticks correctly.