Receipt spike
Staples calls this a “black wire memo spike.” I think it’s used to poke administrative assistants when they forget something. I personally use it to keep all my proofs of purchase for later review. (Though I’m not sure why I need to keep Starbucks receipts. I can’t imagine ever invoking a warranty request on a latte.)
The review occurs when an unwieldy bloom of heat-sensitive paper starts to take over my desk. At that point most of the receipts are thrown out. Only the truly important receipts (e.g., electronics, cappucinos) remain on the exalted spike, waiting for the next review.
I don’t really need it, but it serves as my desk’s sole memento mori. A reminder that not only are we all doomed to the garbage can, we might also enjoy our demise stabbed through the heart, prone, and fading.
Also, I’m not sure of a good way to dispose of something this pointy.