Friday, January 09, 2026
Thursday, January 08, 2026
It's one of the intriguing joys of life, that as time goes by, I learn more about a specific topic, and the eventual outcome... like the tv series Space Patrol tv series, that I posted about, I just learned they took it around the country on a publicity tour, prior to giving it away
Ten-year-old Ricky Walker won the first prize in the Space Patrol TV show's Name the Planet Contest sponsored by Ralston Purina.
The grand prize was a 40-foot long rocket clubhouse on a trailer, a replica of Commander Buzz Corry’s battlecruiser, the Terra IV, and a truck to pull it. Ricky's winning name for Planet X was "Cesaria," and the Ralston Rocket clubhouse was delivered to Ricky on 12 January 1954 in the town square of his home town, Washington, Illinois.
Schwinn World Traveler bicycle were the second prizes.
Eventually the novelty wore off and Ricky’s parents sold the rocket playhouse to a traveling carnival for the sum of $1000.
In 1985 it was discovered on the property of a small construction company in Gent, New York.
Then they destroyed it and sold the metal as scrap
https://atomicscout.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/ralston-rocket-at-night.png
this surprised me, the history of the song Convoy! One of my favorites, of course
The song was created by a fictional musician, C.W. McCall, a character created for Old Home Bread Company’s advertising campaign, resulting in a Clio award
An advertising executive collaborated with Mannheim Steamroller founder
The song was a response to the 1974 federal speed limit of 55 mph, from 75 mph that truckers were used to
The lyrics were changed for the 1978 movie made by Peckinpah, starring Kris Kristofferson, Ali MacGraw, and Ernest Borgnine
Toyota's worst seller this year, the Mirai, was still outsold by the car discontinuation in 2023, the Venza
Over the entirety of 2025, Toyota only sold 210 Mirais, down 57.8% from 2024's 499 units. That makes at least two years in a row that it came in at the bottom of the company's sales chart.
This year, though, comes with an additional sting. The Toyota Venza managed to outsell the Mirai.
The Venza was discontinued following the 2025 model year, and it announced that discontinuation back at the end of 2023.
The 707 Venzas sold last year would have been leftovers of a dead model, and they were still enough to outdo the Mirai.
https://carbuzz.com/toyotas-biggest-flop-2025-sold-fewer-than-1000/
Standing ovation to the B52 maintenance crew that invented a better, safer, faster pylon-loading fixture tool! It cuts pylon-loading time from four hours to about 30 minutes while reducing the risk of injury and aircraft damage.
Airmen who maintain B-52 Stratofortress bombers won the Air Force’s top innovation prize after designing a simple adapter that makes one of their most dangerous maintenance jobs faster and safer.
The team from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana took first place at Air Force Spark Tank, the service’s championship round for innovators, for a work platform that cuts pylon-loading time from four hours to about 30 minutes while reducing the risk of injury and aircraft damage.
“We just had to create an adapter … to basically fix it to the lift truck, so it would interface between the pylon and the lift truck,”
“The ALE 25 Pylon Loading Adapter was born out of real-world challenges faced by maintainers,” the research lab release said. “By cutting task times from four hours to just 30 minutes and eliminating risky manual lifts, it’s transforming safety and efficiency for B-52H Stratofortress operations.”
Another finalist, Tech. Sgt. Tylar Cravens, a C-130J Super Hercules engine mechanic at Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo, represented his team at the competition. His project, Star Forge, uses advanced 3D printing to produce full-scale composite engine models, allowing maintainers to train without removing aircraft from service.
Star Forge reduced training equipment costs dramatically — in one case from $89,000 to $1 — and is expected to improve training for about 2,300 aircraft maintainers, according to the research lab.
https://www.stripes.com/branches/air_force/2026-01-05/air-force-spark-tank-b52-repair-20303218.html
“We just had to create an adapter … to basically fix it to the lift truck, so it would interface between the pylon and the lift truck,”
“The ALE 25 Pylon Loading Adapter was born out of real-world challenges faced by maintainers,” the research lab release said. “By cutting task times from four hours to just 30 minutes and eliminating risky manual lifts, it’s transforming safety and efficiency for B-52H Stratofortress operations.”
Another finalist, Tech. Sgt. Tylar Cravens, a C-130J Super Hercules engine mechanic at Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo, represented his team at the competition. His project, Star Forge, uses advanced 3D printing to produce full-scale composite engine models, allowing maintainers to train without removing aircraft from service.
Star Forge reduced training equipment costs dramatically — in one case from $89,000 to $1 — and is expected to improve training for about 2,300 aircraft maintainers, according to the research lab.
https://www.stripes.com/branches/air_force/2026-01-05/air-force-spark-tank-b52-repair-20303218.html
I didn't know Giancarlo Esposito is Italian... but Fiat did, and hired him to promote the Fiat 500. But, you already probably guessed, that the problem, is that the car isn't desirable in any way, and no amount of star power can get people to buy a lemon
According to the Washington Post, his father was an Italian stagehand and carpenter from Naples and his mother was a classically trained opera singer from Alabama, and they met at a small opera house in Milan
I doubt Fiat has anything left in the pipeline that can rescue the company. I can't imagine why they are still making 500s, that started in 2011... and they never sold well, and a LOT were lemon lawed
They were made in
2007–2024 (Poland) 2011–2019 (Mexico)
2023–present (Algeria)
Model years 2007–present
2012–2019 (US/Canada)
I take it that means that the newest on a US dealership lot, are 6 year old models. I worked at a new and used car dealership from 2014 to 2020, and the used car lot almost always had a half dozen that were lemon lawed, and could be bought for about 9k apiece. Crazy good deal for high school and college students
A helicopter pilot with the Montana National Guard has pleaded “no contest” to using a govt Black Hawk helicopter to snag elk horns from a private ranch
“Protecting the public trust is paramount to the Montana National Guard and we take any misuse of government resources seriously,” Brigadier General Trent Gibson said in a statement shared with Outdoor Life. “Yet, this matter involves two distinct issues. One concerns alleged trespassing, which falls under the jurisdiction of civilian courts. The other is the appropriate use of government resources"
The Montana National Guard acknowledged the incident at the time, and public affairs officer Major Ryan Finnegan seemed to imply in a statement that the three men knowingly landed the Black Hawk helicopter on the ranch to collect elk sheds.
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/army-helicopter-antlers-guilty-plea/
He was fined 500 dollars in court, the article did not state what the military levied as a punishment (the pilot is a CWO)
check out Casey's extra cool mini bike!
Wheels are off a Razor scooter, frame is 3/8" Aluminum bar stock, chain drive is #25 chain, (used in small industrial conveyor systems)
frame is a model of a Taco 22 scratch built.
Just for show on a shelf or if I can train a small squirrel to ride a 18,000 rpm direct drive minibike without getting hurt.
thank you Casey!
because this is my blog, and not some subscription .com site that sells advertising... I feel free, now and then (but rarely, maybe once a year) to just comment or rant
that's really what blogs were meant to be.
Then Facebook was invented, and that is seriously a daily blog format.
Anyway, it occurred to me the other day, as I sit and wait for the new job to commence, as they did job interviews a month ago, then took 2 weeks off for holiday vacations, and now are waiting for the results of the standard background check and drug test (that could have been done and in process while this companies HR was on vacation) results to come back.
So far the back ground investigation amateurs have had ME do the research on the companies I've worked for and get their emails, addresses, phone numbers, etc. Twice. Not just once, and that's because they suck at THEIR job and I'M the one doing the work for them.
I had to upload a pay stub/paycheck and time card to prove I worked there. OMFG. Ever had to PROVE you worked somewhere? WHY? Just do YOUR damn job and use your computer to look me up after getting my drivers license and social security card, and have the programs and applications you're paying for do all the digging and bring up search results.
I can't remember the last time I've seen some outsourced agency be so inept and incompetent at their work. How did they ever get the contract to do background checks?
So that has wasted time for me, when I ought to be on the job, making real money.
Well, I've spent my time between jobs blogging like a kook, realizing that I'd be pretty happy to be turned loose with my laptop, wifi, and someone proving a paycheck that covers bills and pizza. Damn. Why the hell has the world decided that my blogging skills are not something any company needs to exchange a paycheck for?
Thank you Ray T for throwing money in my tip jar! And the compliment of the day!
Here's what Ray said today!
Jesse, after scrolling through yesterday’s posts I’m really enjoying the theme as of late.
Old stuff from the 20s 30s 40s are truly fascinating.
Especially due to the fact that you find stuff that most of us never heard of before, and would not know about if not for your tireless work that you continue to put into this blog.
I’m an old guy on a fixed income but I’m heading over to the tip jar right now.
Please don’t stop my friend.
Ray
It's unreal that there is no info online about the Kellogg's Greencoats. For a cereal that sucked so bad, it didn't last as long as corn flakes, and those really suck. Pep cereal. I've never heard of it
The small print over the car, says 1st prize Miss Personality contest at the Pantages
June 1926
There are "9 BIG Features" in the stage show including the Cyclone Revue and Mahon & Cholet. We can't see it in this shot but the feature film was "Bride of the Storm."
UNDER the marque is a arrow sign about the Miss Personality contest
Interesting mix of hub caps on the front tires and deep dish rear rims, white roof seems out of place too, but it probably made the car cooler
Norwich, Connecticut ,1942 The Elks Lodge bought this B-25 through War Bond Campaign.
This has me wondering, how many other cool "fraternal orders" similarly paid for / raised the money to pay for / a bomber. I wonder if anyone did all the research to discover this stat. No, I'm not going to spend that kind of time.
I do recall several bombers getting paid for by corporations, and by employee unions, and I remember that I've posted dozens. But I don't recall any that were from a Mooses lodge, or Lions, or Freemasons
There were a lot of animal lodges, most I'm guessing, none of us have ever heard of https://fezmuseum.com/animal-lodges/
And because I've never been a part of that world (other than posting about the women's auxiliary) I don't know jack about it, and just learned that there are a separate class of lodges/groups, that are service organizations, business leaders who wanted to make a bigger impact on their local community.
Lions, Rotarians, Kiwanis, and the Optimists https://fezmuseum.com/animal-lodges/
Wednesday, January 07, 2026
wow, this is nearly Norman Rockwell level Americana. I love this diner, which is connected to a mom n pop gas station
No, I don't see gas pump evidence, but the gas station sign is there... so it must be off camera
1910-1930 the first generation electric trams that ran from Venice to Santa Monica, open-air vehicles called “electric trams,” “Venice trams,” “electric promenade trams,” or simply “boardwalk trams.” The Venice Electric Tram operated along the concrete walkway between Venice and Santa Monica.
When Abbot Kinney opened his Venice of America in 1905, he had a small steam train running around the canals.
On the Venice Ocean Front there were wicker basket trams that were pushed from behind by people power.
By 1920 the trams were electric battery powered. They ran from Venice Pier, to the Ocean Park Pier, and then to the Santa Monica Pier, and back.
In 1923, the Venice Tram Company was formed. By the 1930s, the trams had 4 cylinder, Ford model A engines and canopy tops. There were also similar 4 cylinder, Chevy engines.
in 1908, Santa Cruz had some rich guy who went for a gravity rollercoaster of unexceptional design by todays standards, but it probably blew minds when Teddy Roosevelt's Great White Fleet went on a world tour.
The ride’s 25-mph was fast compared to autos that traveled just 10-mph back then, speed and thrills were secondary to the overall ride experience.
In the 60s, on the East coast, in Ocean City MD, they did something similar but with a sperate engine unit
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