Could You Explain These Things?


“What is this thing bolted near the door of our garbage disposal area in Germany? It’s a bit bigger than my fist. It’s not a lock.”

It’s called a Schlüsselrohr. The dumpsters are probably locked to prevent dumpster diving and this contains the key.

“My girlfriend brought it when we moved in. What is this?”

It’s an abs exerciser.

“What is this thing on my wall with a round hole and a small screen inside?”

It’s a pool access alarm to detect if the gate door has been left open mostly so children or pets don’t wander in and potentially drown.

“What is this thing? The inside opens up to empty space, it’s disconnected from the desk below.”

It’s a bed/lap desk. There’s supposed to be a metal bar underneath that slots into the wooden tray, so you can prop it up at different angles for reading and stuff.

“What is this little ramp thingy on the bottom of a lotion bottle?”

It’s for the manufacturing of the product so that it can be turned while standing up.

“What is this box with arrows on it? Found after an event in our facility, it has no power, no plugs, just these arrows on the top of it.”

This is a cigar humidifier. You either put it in moisturizer onto the arrows to fill it up, then place it in your cigar storage box to keep them humidified.


“What is this? Was doing some filling in the yard and found this. Wife says it’s a gravestone. I think it’s a survey marker.”

That’s a grave marker. Not sure what the police might do unless you think there’s a grave on your property that you’ve uncovered. Worth a shot. Alternately perhaps an office of public health might be able to figure it out. In any case, it would be nice to ensure that a grave wasn’t dug up by a developer and the remains and someone just dumped as fill.

“What is this thing on this pocketknife? The first one has a little spinning thing. What is it for?”

Pocket glass cutter.

“What is the purpose of this little door in the door?”
It’s called a ’speakeasy’ and it’s for talking to someone without having to open the door. 

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