A user finds a strange USB stick in her husband’s jacket pocket. She is puzzled about what it is for, and even her husband cannot identify the device. The community immediately suspects her husband is cheating, and she snoops on him. However, the solution turns out to be quite simple.
A user explained on Reddit that while cleaning an apartment, she found a strange USB stick in her husband’s pocket. But neither her husband nor she knew what the device belonged to. At least the duo discovered that it must be a dongle:
When I found it, I assumed it was the USB connection for his wireless mouse. He was confused, went to his laptop, and we saw that the USB connector of his mouse was still plugged into the laptop, so we had no idea what the thing was or how it ended up in his pocket. He said it couldn’t be from work because they don’t use that kind of technology in his department.
What is the dongle for? The USB dongle is for a third-party gaming controller made for the PlayStation 3. Therefore, the controller must be quite a few years old.
The brand Afterglow belongs to the manufacturer PDP, which is now part of the American company TurtleBeach, specializing in headsets and controllers.
The community’s reaction: The initial reactions are surprisingly negative, accusing the woman of spying on her husband because she is rummaging through his pockets. Someone explains on Reddit that this is typical for the strange community:
This thread really shows how many stereotypes about Reddit users are actually true. You are damn weird if your first reaction to someone searching their partner’s pockets is to think they are snooping, rather than that they are performing an incredibly basic hygienic task that requires searching the pockets if you are even remotely competent.
Identifying an Unknown USB Dongle: Here’s How to Do It Easily
If you find a USB dongle at home that you cannot identify because it is unlabeled or does not carry a manufacturer name, there is still an option to find out what it is:
- Open the Device Manager (Windows) or System Information (macOS/Linux).
- Look for new entries that appear after plugging in the dongle. Search for the device names, manufacturers, and check the hardware ID (VID/PID or Vendor ID/Product ID).
- Then you can search the found Vendor ID and Product ID online and usually find a product that can be clearly identified.
- In some cases, the corresponding product is already listed in the Device Manager, so you can skip the extra search.
What other option is there? In some cases, an installation wizard for the related software automatically starts after plugging it in. This is the case, for example, with the manufacturer Razer or with Logitech devices (Logitech Options+).
A German artist started an unusual project 14 years ago. He cemented a handful of USB sticks into walls. Today there are over 400 such “Dead Drops” in Germany. Worldwide, 2,300 data carriers are hidden in walls, forming an offline network: In Germany, there are over 400 USB sticks protruding from walls – What is the “Dead Drops” project?
