Saturday, March 06, 2010

Where is my flying platform? The damn things were perfected in 1956... what happened to them?

Hey! It's got wheels, and therefore I'm not compromising my standards! Who knew I could stretch an "Anything cool with wheels" philosophy so far and wide?

You'll notice the interesting tanker in the lower left corner, must have been detached from a semi truck?


from the LIFE archives.
For the other flying saucers that they made in the 1950's look at these three http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2010/02/proof-that-man-can-design-flying.html

A model T in skis and snow, 1924

It looks like a homecrafted wooden slat tank tracks on a double rear axle, but it's such low resolution I can't tell for sure. Via: http://www.owensvalleyhistory.com/el_camino_sierra/page76a.html

Bedford Avenue and Manhattan Avenue in New York, 1928 photo with a lot going on

on the far right is a street sweepers push cart, at the far end of that building is the streetcar. On the left is a car with a grill I don't recognize at all! via: http://roughingitblog.tumblr.com/page/3

Graham is certain it's a 1925 Buick on the left

I've been interviewed, and a newspaper wrote a story about my blog!

http://www.mininggazette.com/page/content.detail/id/509118.html

It's the newspaper from the nearest big city of the little town I grew up in, same county, and it's the only newpaper article I've been in since getting through bootcamp!

Earthquake when ever and where ever you need one, just light up a top fueler on Nitro, they'll nail 3.9 on the richter scale

As those watching took in the excitement of hearing and seeing a Top Fuel dragster in person, Dr. Doug Brittsan, of Brittsan CPT, measured the movement of the earth with a mobile seismograph.

Once the dragster had been shut off, Dr. Brittsan got to work evaluating the data. End results? The movement of the earth created by the Snap-on Tools Top Fuel dragster was equivalent to an astounding 3.9 on the Richter scale.

http://www.competitionplus.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3448&Itemid=6

Did you hear about the idea from C.A.R.B. to make it illegal to have low air pressure in your tires?

"California Air Resources Board and who have strong influence over Arnold and the Democrats in the Legislature. They want to make it a crime to have low air pressure in your tires. They use a “scientist” with a mail-order degree to certify the legitimacy of their slanted research. They pursue a unilateral, California-only approach to global warming that will cripple our economy unless the rest of the world takes a similar approach."

http://www.signonsandiego.com/weblogs/americas-finest/2010/feb/04/crusade-against-free-parking-mania-keeps-spreading/

last incredibly unreal concept from the idiots at CARB (Calif Air Resource Board) was to make it illegal to have black roofs on cars because it absorbs solar heat, makes cars warmer inside, and cuases people to run their AC more, increasing the load on a cars engine, and then decreasing the engines efficiency. Except that it really doesn't have much effect to run your AC, these aren't 1963 air conditioning units.

Why are cars trailered to races and shows?

You wouldn't ride a race horse to the Kentucky Derby, would you?

Lane splitting, I was curious and wondering about it, here's what you might like to know

According to law enforcement agencies, the California Vehicle Code doesn’t specifically say that lane-splitting is illegal. That doesn’t mean a motorcyclist might not get ticketed for it, though.
Motorcyclists could still be cited for unsafe driving and it’s up to the discretion of the ticketing officer and the court to determine what’s safe.

The California Highway Patrol’s Web site says lane splitting “is permissible but must be done in a safe and prudent manner,” while the DMV’s Motorcycle Handbook warns that lane sharing is dangerous.

San Diego police Lt. Tim Saelens, who works in the traffic division, said motorcyclists who split lanes are sometimes cited under three sections of the state Vehicle Code: Section 22350, the basic speed law; Section 21658, which governs lane changes; and Section 21755, that allows passing on the right only under safe conditions.
From http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/feb/19/sign-of-trouble/ via a tip from Zina at http://piratemonkeycult.wordpress.com/2010/02/19/molesters-and-whatnots/

Friday, March 05, 2010

Photo from an expert photographer of the great depression era, Dorothea Lange


shot in 1938, titled "Funeral Cortege, end of an era in a small valley town, Califonia"

I've posted another of Dorothea's photos, and a couple from other great well known photographers like Walker Evans, and Ansel Adams when I can find ones that have cars in them. Here's another from Dorothea https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinwlrZk4graweK2TY3UNVfxKar9nVEXgCO83TGwpVH_xXWPqSxyrtJduIx5vJVddbtRKSvQQ-e6Rtu2f7O5ckQ2WJXmqtuc842JVWe43jCezoPV1RWrnsPtVXOgryMlFGqt8lb/s1600-h/dorothea+lange+from+the+selvedge+yard.jpg

Chrondek Photo Electronic Timer, Model M-3



these two business cars are still thumb tacked to the inside of the cover, how cool!
Got it for 20 bucks at the swap meet!


and it fits into what I've invented, the 20 dollar shopping challenge... just take 20 bucks, and see what is the coolest thing you can buy at a swap meet or antique store

https://chrondek.com/

Thursday, March 04, 2010

Sam Bennett in 1921, Sidnaw, upper penninsula of Michigan, a great place for outdoorsman who trap, hunt, and fish

from the http://kentonhistoricalsociety.webs.com/apps/photos/album?albumid=3188241

Sam is my great-great uncle, and I had no idea there was a photo of him, much less one in the internet that I would stumble across.

He was a trapper for the state of Michigan, which is confirmed by the 4 wolf furs and the front license plate on that car. (Mich dept of conservation 8)

Sam lost an arm, it may have been WW1, and was setting his traps with only one arm/one hand ... what a difficult thing that must have been to do, I've set traps too, they aren't easy, and they are just a little dangerous!

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Did the art director nail the composition, or what? Outta' the park!



I ordered mine, hell yes! Gotta own this and display it, if it were poster size (the top photo) I'd effing frame it. Wait, that is brilliant! Everybody like me who has to have a poster size copy, hang on, I'm gonna see if I can talk them into it!

To order your copy of the magazine: www.fuelzine.com

In a lonesome railroad yard in Michigan



these just put follish notions in my head of getting one and making a summer place out of it, or making it railroad safe, and paying a railroad company to link up and see America by rail in my own car.... not that I have a nickel to my name, but you have to start with a dream, a hope, and if everything works out, you may see it all happen. Just look at how this blog started as things I posted so I could email a link to friends instead of emailing them all the cool and fun stuff I come across!

Tuesday, March 02, 2010

Nik finds cool stuff, that is what he does

the original is bigger and I cropped out a telephone pole, but just look at the abandoned gas station, in 1937. Ain't that just Hank Williams "So lonely I could die" lonely? Via: http://carrosantigos.wordpress.com/ who found it on Shorpy... awesome website of old photographs.