Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with whatisit

Knot a potato?

Toekneesan — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 08:29:11 -0800

GardenFilter: We just harvested some potatoes and came across these potato-like knot things. We found about five or six in a bed that hosted both potatoes and garlic, though they were found kinda far from the garlic and well under ground—at least four inches. What are they? Cut-up old potatoes, and babies from last year's harvest that we cellared, were what we seeded with. We grow organic and did get a slight case of the potato bug, but again, not sure it's relevant

Inside they have the consistency of a potato or a root. Didn't see them obviously attached to a plant. Thought about them being garlic heads but they seemed too deep when we found them, and they're more solid than a garlic seed head, unless it fused together.

I joked with my wife that maybe they're truffles, and while I really doubt that, I wouldn't rule out a fungus of some kind.

Anyone else ever find these?

Waht is this (apparently NOT popcorn-like) food?

Midnight Rambler — Tue, 12 May 2009 13:56:05 -0800

What is this mystery food and how do I prepare it? I found it in the bargain bin. I originally thought it looked like some kind of snack food,but initial tests reveal that it definitely needs to be prepared.

What are these old copper printing plates?

gemmy — Sun, 10 May 2009 17:24:35 -0800

Anyone recognize these old copper printing plates? They were used to print some sort of encyclopedia or other information book, but which one? In the late 90s, my mom and I picked up some old copper printing plates [link goes to Flickr set] from an estate sale in Connecticut. We spent an hour or so picking out a few neat-looking ones from a huge set (I would estimate about 100-150) of these printing plates, stored in boxes and wrapped in old newspaper (the newspaper was from the 1950s, if I remember right). Each plate has a volume designation and a number. I did some serious looking in libraries and such at the time, but couldn't find anything about what these plates might have been used for. I have looked less seriously every few years since, but haven't found anything useful.

It looks like the copper plates were used for an encyclopedia type book, but the text from the plates isn't turning up anywhere online. For example, one of the plates says that Richard Wagner told Franz Liszt "Your God makes a lot of noise". But I can only find one place online that even mentions that Wagner quote, in a book from 1921. I only took photos of the ones I have hanging on my wall. I have two more plates in the closet - one is a picture and text about Tian Tan in Beijing, the other is a picture and text about the Great Wall of China.

I know it's a long shot, but do these plates look familiar to anyone? Any ideas what book they might have been used to print? Any suggestions for finding more information would also be appreciated. Thanks!

Take a look at this tool

cosmicbandito — Sat, 02 May 2009 21:52:32 -0800

Help me identify this weird tool I found while metal detecting. Here's a picture:
http://picasaweb.google.com/matthew.hoy/UnidentifiedTool#
I found it near the foundation of an old cabin on a river.
It's about 4 inches long and 1/4" thick.

What is this animal?

not_on_display — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 22:57:55 -0800

Help me identify this animal. More details on the link to the flickr page. Thanks!

What are these weird posts on the sidewalk in Manhattan?

dcjd — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 22:25:12 -0800

What are these weird posts on the sidewalk in Manhattan? I recently have seen rectangular posts installed on the sidewalk in lower Manhattan. (south of 14th street) They are painted gray, have two circular yellow barriers on the street side to prevent cars from hitting them, and have a scary sticker on the top warning of electrocution. Another hint: the wet paint sign on one says Department of Transportation on it.

Here are two pictures of what I am talking about:

Picture 1

Picture 2

Is this a rim? a lead cover? Thor's discus?

royalchinook — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 06:09:25 -0800

I found this gigantic item in my backyard when I moved in here. It's really the only thing in the back yard that is like this - it's not like there's a pile of junk like this lying around. It is about 3 feet wide, a foot high, and the metal is about an inch thick. I tried to move it with another guy and it took a lot of effort just to budge it, any idea what it is for? what type of metal it's made of?

For you reference, the inscription as I can tell is:
Rim Tec
02 450 022 IF2
RT 356M5 54

FYI2 - I'm located on a half acre in the Fraser Valley, BC (near Vancouver), if that helps at all.

Show me some mystery objects.

djstig — Fri, 09 May 2008 03:23:02 -0800

Are there any good online resources for "Mystery Object" games? A friend teaches EFL students and once a week takes a quiz with them. We decided that showing mystery objects and asking the students to talk about what they could be would be a good way of making learning fun!!

However I can't find many websites with mystery object pictures, can you help. They could be a random object that people are not sure what it does, or preferably a close up of a well known object.

I can find a lot of "What the hell is this thing?" - especially on AskMe & Flickr. But sites with a collection of different pictures (with answers) would be very handy.

Help me identify the solo violin melody/recording from Crispin Glover's "What Is It?"

treepour — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 15:16:17 -0800

What composition/recording does the eerie melody played by the solo violin in the trailer to Crispin Glover's film What Is It? come from? Does anyone recognize the tune and/or recording? (YouTube link to trailer inside). I realize it could have been composed for the film, but I was under the impression that the film's soundtrack was a mashup of various recordings.

Before clicking on the NSFW link, please be aware that the trailer contains some bizarre, disturbing, and possibly offensive imagery.

The solo violin starts around 0:52.

Help identify strange swamp cabbage on our property?

JMOZ — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 13:58:34 -0800

Can anyone help me identify this odd cabbage-like plant that we have tons of growing on our property? Pictures and more description inside. It's springtime in Delaware (well, in lots of places, but we're in Delaware), and so we get to enjoy seeing what plants we have at our new house. We're trying to identify a strange, cabbage-like plant that grows (from "horns a few months ago") in the marshy areas near the stream which runs through our yard. There are a ton of them, and so we'd like to know what they are!

I'm no horticulturist, but I know some of you may be. Anyone know what this is/may be? Any info would be helpful. We're not so much concerned as extremely curious.

Overview picture
Closeup
Picture of plant and horn

God loves a terrier, but what's that thing he's wearing?

acorncup — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 20:59:44 -0800

Watching last night's Westminster Kennel Club dog show, what is this thing attached to the terrier's lead under his throat? It's made of metal and it isn't a tag.

What's this?

MtDewd — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 15:37:29 -0800

Any idea what this is? My sister has it in her kitchen, but doesn't know what it is. Our guess is it has something to do with grapefruits, but doesn't look like a regular knife or spoon. Grapefruit spork? Oh, yeah... it's about 5-6" long.
In very tiny letters is:
Vitacaille
Nogent-Inox
France
Péposé
(Some of those letters may be different- very hard to read)

What is this mystery coin?

deadfather — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 21:57:21 -0800

One day about six years ago I was headed out to lunch when I found something in the parking lot. What is it? It looks like a coin, and is about the size and weight of a dime. There is an eagle within a crest on one side, and on the other an inscription reading "Brother, you're the best / OT&T".

Side 1
Side 2

Every once in awhile I run across it and it bugs me that I still don't know what it is. The parking lot in question was in Houston, Tex.

Technology 0.5?

trip and a half — Sat, 09 Dec 2006 16:30:59 -0800

Any idea what this object is/was once used for? I'm fairly certain it represents an obsolete technology, but I'm curious. It's quite well-made. I'd imagine it (photo set) was made in the early 20th or late 19th century, judging from the design and manufacturing process. But what was it used for?

On the cast-iron base, the stamped inscription reads:

NORTHERN ELECTRIC CO
CHICAGO
27

The handle is of painted, carved wood. As you can see, it has a brass-colored metal ball joint on the top end, and is designed to be lifted from the cast iron base using the hand, presumably to be carried around. The 'NoElCo' inscription has me thinking some sort of lamp (or other powered implement?) would have been attached at the top. But what would have been the purpose? There would have been some sort of cord attached, right? So wouldn't that hamper the mobility that has obviously been designed into this thing?

Anyway, if you know what this thing is/was, please tell me. If you don't know, but have an informed guess, I think that will help me, too.

Thanks in advance.

(Oh yeah. My floors really are that dirty. Pity me. Also, that was my first day with the digi-cam, which is only part of the reason the pictures are so awful.)

Do you know this insect?

MasonDixon — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 17:02:37 -0800

What is this? Found in Boston on my trash can. Six legs, which I presume makes it an insect. No apparent antennae , although there may be two very small, short ones pointing downward on each side of its head or those may be a small set of ant-ish mandibles. It's so tiny it's hard to tell.

What food is this?

pealco — Fri, 03 Feb 2006 12:13:38 -0800

Help my identify what food this is a picture of. (Picture inside.)

What is the font used on these covers?

majcher — Fri, 24 Dec 2004 14:57:02 -0800

What is the font used on these covers? I've tried the usual online automated font-identifiers, with no luck.

Blue steel columns - what's up with that?

tomharpel — Sat, 18 Sep 2004 16:42:09 -0800

Occassionally found on the sidewalks of Seattle, and probably other cities, steel blue columns stand about three feet tall, bolted down to the concrete. About seven inches in diameter, they are topped with a cap one foot tall with a door in the side. A padlock keeps the door shut. What are these things? My Flickr buddy Tonx says, "In NYC there were similar thingamajigs that belonged to the phone company where periodically they would plug a big tank of coolant into it - possibly liquid nitrogen." Any corroboration? What is the phone company doing with the liquid nitrogen?

Hawkman Car Decal

COBRA! — Thu, 04 Mar 2004 12:10:54 -0800

I keep seeing a weird decal on cars- it's a circle, maybe 8" diameter, with this weird hawk-man thing inside flexing its wings/arms and screaming. This is in Minneapolis- I don't know if this is purely local, or nationwide. Does anyone know what the hell it signifies? Is it some sort of hawkman army planning a violent revolt?