Monday, January 25, 2010

Retro-Technology

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Vacuum Tube Radio / Interior Design Piece

One obscure shop in Japan sells these:

Technology, Gadgets, Consumer Electronics
Technology, Gadgets, Consumer Electronics
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An alarm clock with all its cog-wheels spilling out.
...from the same store:

Technology, Gadgets, Consumer Electronics
Technology, Gadgets, Consumer Electronics
Technology, Gadgets, Consumer Electronics
Technology, Gadgets, Consumer Electronics
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Speaking about cool steampunk-ish clocks, these ones go on your computer desktop.
Technology, Gadgets, Consumer Electronics
Technology, Gadgets, Consumer Electronics
Technology, Gadgets, Consumer Electronics
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Recently you could buy on Ebay this cool Cold War-era Russian phone
(from a subterranean nuclear bunker):

Technology, Gadgets, Consumer Electronics
- but it would only work if you speak in Russian.
(the text says: "Remember! The Enemy is listening!")

and a quite collectible retro calculator:
Technology, Gadgets, Consumer Electronics
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Cool Steampunk Computer Case Mod

Found on a Russian site
The original link is here

Technology, Gadgets, Consumer ElectronicsTechnology, Gadgets, Consumer Electronics
Technology, Gadgets, Consumer Electronics
Technology, Gadgets, Consumer Electronics
Technology, Gadgets, Consumer Electronics
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For the more radically inclined (not satisfied with mere external case modifications) - there is a Tinkertoy wooden computer. Entirely in a class of its own, this is a unique, if rather slow computer concept:

Technology, Gadgets, Consumer Electronics

Read its description here. Apparently it's good enough to beat humans at the "tic-tac-toe" game.
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Nixie Tube clocks
Exotic, practical clocks built around wonderfully obsolete Nixie display tubes.

Technology, Gadgets, Consumer Electronics
Technology, Gadgets, Consumer Electronics

"NIXIE" numeric displays: introduced in 1952, they quickly became the most common numeric display device in laboratory/industrial equipment until they were instantly forgotten in the early 1970's.

Source: WPS
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Unique Clock-Voltmeter

Technology, Gadgets, Consumer Electronics

Believe it or not, this is also a clock. "The Model 13 is a one of a kind clock, partially a design study in the use of an analog meter movement for information display. The clock is housed in a portable AC voltmeter, available from the late 1930's through the mid-1950's. The original meter movement was retained, and the meter card recalibrated with scales necessary to display time and date. A fairly complex set of software routines are necessary to accurately present time on the primitive and decidedly nonlinear meter movement.
As far as is known, no commercial clock ever used this type of display, though it is compact and efficient. Its meter scale shares the same principles with the slide rule."
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...We finish with something altogether wild:
A hair dryer from the Twenties:
(found by Bluefenox)

Technology, Gadgets, Consumer Electronics

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Stunning Examples of Fractal Art in History

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Mandelbrot? Never heard of him

Before anybody knew Mandelbrot, artists were seeing fractals in nature and transfered the patterns in painting, design and sculpture. Fractals, as you know, are geometric patterns that are repeated on smaller and smaller scales to produce intricate designs outside the scope of classical geometry. They are described by a Mandelbrot equation.

Art, Exhibitions, Collections

Friday, January 22, 2010

America's Industrial and Urban Photography

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Library of Congress "American Memory" project contains a significant amount of Pre-War photography. Usually seen only in the movies and in the pulp fiction illustrations, this time period is gloriously reflected in genuine shots of real people and life situations, done in color and with exceptional clarity. The following are some of my favorites:
(click to enlarge)

American History, Travel, Photography

Pennsylvania R.R. (railroad) ore docks, unloading ore from a lake freighter by means of "Hewlett" [i.e. "Hulett"] unloaders, Cleveland, Ohio

American History, Travel, Photography
American History, Travel, Photography
American History, Travel, Photography
American History, Travel, Photography

The Monstrous Ore-Loading Machine:
(click to enlarge to see the miniature humans)

American History, Travel, Photography

Chicago Skyline
- bears an uncanny resemblance to Gotham City.



Chicago Skyline as seen from the railroad:

American History, Travel, Photography

American History, Travel, Photography

American History, Travel, Photography

American History, Travel, Photography

American History, Travel, Photography

American History, Travel, Photography

American History, Travel, Photography

American History, Travel, Photography

American History, Travel, Photography

Various ladies and gentlemen, involved in the war effort.
(Sky Captain is obviously one of them)

American History, Travel, Photography

American History, Travel, Photography

American History, Travel, Photography

American History, Travel, Photography

American History, Travel, Photography

American History, Travel, Photography

American History, Travel, Photography

American History, Travel, Photography

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Magical Amazon Kingdom

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