I remember when I was a kid there was a picture book (by David Maccaulay, I think) about future archaeologists digging up a present day motel, and trying to explain the things they found.<p>The default explanation for everything (coffee makers, toilet seats, etc) was that it served some religious purpose, because if you can&#x27;t figure out a useful purpose for some object, &quot;religious relic&quot; can pretty much fit anything.