Blackberry REACT December NewsletterQuick ClicksMotorcycles crafted from a wrist watchNot full-size motorcycles - the wheels generally are from the face of a wrist watch, for example. But all those gears, springs, and levers are shaped into teeny tiny choppers. Lunchbag artI am so bummed out. When I was a kid, I took my sandwich to school in the ubiquitous brown paper bag, and I had to refold it neatly and bring it bag for reuse. _Some_ people get paper bags that have been transformed into art. So far my favorite is Boba Fett, but you have to know who that is. Another prediction that sunspots are increasingMaybe the prediction will be right this time. The One True Way to wrap your headphone cordNow you may not even have headphones, but take a look at this video. Sailors have used this technique for untold generations to keep all their lines untangled yet readily available. You have lots of cords from your radios, computers, external drives, card readers, and more. 25 years ago, the PCJr. was introducedThen it was killed 23 years ago. DesulfatorI have no idea if this works. We've discussed at meetings that if we draw down our batteries and don't recharge them, the plates sulfate, and the battery fails to hold a charge. The page has lots of warnings, so if you want to buy a kit, read and heed. The author says he scavenges salvage yards, battery dealers, boat yards, airports, and so on; he says he has $3,000 worth of batteries that he got free that now give him 2,000AH. FCC sponsors NASCAR race carYes, that FCC. The Federal Communications Commission sponsored a NASCAR car to the tune of $350,000. The stated goal is to advertise the coming switch from analogue to digital. Unfortunately, the car crashed and burned. Because the FCC had not backed a winner, the burning car got more airtime than it ever had before. A silver lining in every cloud. Top 10 best uses for a jet engineSome seem rather mundane - strap a jet engine to a bicycle or scooter, but some are more interesting - a 70MPH portapotty, a jet-powered kayak, a 60MPH wheelchair (castor wheels are not good for speed), and more. LA earthquake exerciseThe exercise was based on a USGS report on the expected effects of a 7.8 magnitude earthquake. The goal was to have people become aware of what life would be like _after_ the big one. If you live through a massive earthquake, you then have to live for some period of time before you can be rescued. Steampunk Sewing MachineThis is pushing my limit, as it's an old sewing machine with some unused brass fittings stuck on it, but it's an old machine like the ones my mom and grandmom had. Remember the little electric bulb that used to be attached to the machine? Tomorrow's KitchenJust like aero-cars that were supposed to be flying us around by 20 years ago, the kitchens of tomorrow never made it. Here are some photos of a 1943 vision of the future, some of which are actually interesting: the pots and pas are built into the stove and serve as serving pieces, too. All the photos are clickable to see the larger size, and most are worth it to take a gander at the details. Most of the concepts are amazingly dated: washing dishes becomes a pleasure because some guy moved the spigot controls to the floor! How marvelous for the housewife to use her feet to turn the water on and off and to control the temperature as she still washes by hand. At least there are no unused brass fittings and propellors on the toaster. How to live with rising sea levels
Real 19th Century toolchest
For English translation This is not steampunk, it's real. Back in the old days, a carpenter proved his merit by his toolbox, since few could write and generate a resume. If he had a great toolbox, you knew he'd be a great carpenter. Well, here's a great toolbox. Nostalgia: Modern Mechanix, October 1955(Remember Mimi, their model?) The photo shows a woman on her bike with two toddlers on the front and rear wheels. The caption starts, "Mrs. Donald Goodrum, young Miami matron ... ." Ahhhhh, those were the days. Photographs of old computersRemember the Osbourne? NEC PC-8300, TRS-80, Compaq III, Mac Portable, Apple IIgs, IMSAI 8080, Kaypro 2000, and many more than I care to list. (The photos all link to pages with more information. Confusingly, some links appear to be to the wrong page, but scroll down for what you're looking for.) EventsProjected events for 2009:
UpdatesOur Annual Dinner is Saturday, December 13, 2008, at
6:00 pm. The location is Have a happy holiday season, and best wishes for the coming year. |