Took A While, But Thanks Much Folks!

The 1964 Visual Telephone System From Bell Labs

60s Skype – the world’s very first “PICTUREPHONE set” unveiled at the World’s Fair, 1964. (From the Bell Telephone Magazine, 1964, via Prelinger Archive)

One wonders why such a huge time lag in developing this technology for everyday use.

(via THE PUBLIC DOMAIN REVIEW)

Check Out The Earliest Known Officially Licensed 1963 Batmobile

Earliest Known Officially Licensed 1963 Batmobile

1963 Officially Licensed Batmobile, Missing For Decades, Ready To Roar In Upcoming Auction:

Built in 1963, toured in 1966 by DC Comics licensee ALL STAR Dairies and believed to be the earliest custom car in existence, used as an officially licensed Batmobile, one of only two known designs used as real Batmobiles during that era; now restored to full Batman glory and will cross the block at Heritage Auctions Dec. 6.

To read more about this fab car’s wild ride since its creation click here.

Are you Mad About MAD Mag? Issue #1 Is On Auction This Weekend @heritageauction

For decades nothing has said American satire like MAD magazine. If you’re one of those folks who’s a fan/collector of the mag, and you’ve stashed away that extra change over time hoping to get that elusive first issue, you have a chance this weekend.

Mad #1 (EC, 1952)

Heritage Auctions is offering MAD #1 (EC, 1952) for bids until Sunday, November 16 at 04:00 PM CT. This historic issue features the top story and cover by Harvey Kurtzman. With inside art by Kurtzman, Wally Wood, Jack Davis, John Severin, and Bill Elder ~ Legends All. The go-to collector’s reference, Overstreet 2014, values the comic at $834.00. The current leading bid is $332.60 (with the Buyer’s Premium). So, it looks like someone may have a great chance to get a good deal on this piece of mid-century print history.

Click here to get to the page.

These Collapsible Shades Are 1950s Funtastic

The seller of these way cool sunglasses (Vintage Luxury) doesn’t know who designed or manufactured them, and a fairly thorough web search yielded no results. All that is known for sure is that they’re from the 1950s and are very rare and unique.

Not only do they look like wow when worn, they also collapse/fold into rather artistic shapes making for a great conversation piece. These one-of-a-kinders are up for grabs at 1stdibs marketplace. If you have an extra $225 to spare, you can find them here.

They have a kind of retro-sci-fi super hero goggle look.

Apart from the design shape they might seem like any other kind of sunglasses. But…

When they are folded, they assume an oddly interesting appearance. Here the sunglasses take on an alien-like look.

Just imagine them on a transparent being from another dimension.

If you have any info about these please feel free to mention it in the comments.

(Photos via 1stdibs/Vintage Luxury)

Evocative, Bold, And Somewhat Intimidating: The Film Guild Cinema, NYC, 1929

The Film Guild Cinema, 1929

The Film Guild Cinema, Greenwich Village, NYC, by Frederick Kiesler, 1929

Photo: Ruth Bernhard, 1946

(via: kateopolis)

Imagine How We’d Have To Dress For A Flight Without Pressurized Cabins

GE electric flying suit for the U.S. Air Corps – 1941

When GE designed this electric flying suit for the U.S. Air Corps, pressurized airplane cabins were not yet in use. At high altitudes, cabins could reach temperatures capable of freezing flesh to metal.

The image above shows a test of a GE electric flying suit at 63 degrees below zero in a cold room at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey in 1941. GIF by Kevin Weir / flux machine.

(via generalelectric)

The Short Life Of A Beautiful Idea: The Soviet ‘Sormovich’ Passenger Hovercraft

‘Sormovich’ was built in 1965. During the tests she reached the speed of 120 km/h (75 miles/hr), and went above the surface at a height of 0.25-0.3 m (approx. 1 ft), – she had easily overcome the shallow water and landed gently on the beach.

It looks like an airplane’s fuselage zipping on the water…

The Soviet Sormovich: A gas-turbine passenger hovercraft that operated on an experimental passenger line along the Volga River (Gorky – Cheboksary) in 1971-1972, which was 274 km (170 miles). A round trip from Gorky to Cheboksary took one day.

The ship had a crew of 3 people and could carry up to 50 passengers. The passenger lounge was placed at the bow. Operation was complicated by problems with the dispensing gear that failed. According to the statistics the Sormovich served about 6,000 passengers.

The Sormovich In A More Pastoral Scene

1971 Sormovich winter conditions test.

In 1971, tests were conducted with the Sormovich to determine the feasibility of passenger traffic in the winter.

The tests were successful, but the idea of ​​passenger traffic in the winter was refused.

This decision was unclear, because the ship was designed to operate in the winter months. Perhaps it was connected with almost completely absent infrastructure for winter navigation on the Volga river.  (English Russia)

The Sormovich decommissioned, abandoned, and in disrepair.

The gas-turbine hovercraft was decommissioned in 1974. The Sormovich met her end on a base in the Gorky Region. There it fell into a complete state of disrepair. It was cut into pieces of lifeless metal.

(Source material and photos: English Russia)

An Actually Useful Tchotchke: Scotty, The Peeing Dog

My maternal great-grandparents were both originally from the city of Danzig and were of Prussian descent. Danzig was a very cosmopolitan city and my great-grandfather spoke five languages. One of the words that had passed down the generations is an old yiddish term, tchotchkes. Tchotchkes are those kind-of useless little kitschy-like knick-knacks you find around the house. They were very popular in early to late mid-twentieth century America and some folks have made it their life’s mission to collect the most desirable ones. They are quite amusing and every once in a while one pops up that can be just hilarious.

Enter Scotty, The Not Housebroken Dog ashtray. Scotty’s advert was featured in the February 1939 issue of Science And Mechanics. This tchotchke was not at all useless:

Scotty Ashtray Advert – February 1935 (Photo: Modern Mechanix)

NOT HOUSE BROKEN!
We call him Scotty. When your guests put cigarettes in the ash tray- and pat Scotty’a head he’ll raise his little hind leg and-PUT OUT THE CIGARETTE. Convenient water sack inside Scotty is easily filled. At last a canine’s most inconvenient habit has been turned into a practical and extremely funny use! Scotty mounted on ash tray both in attractive bronze finish.

Scotty may be had for $1.50 postpaid. Money back if not completely satisfied.

Pretty clever. An eBay search just might be in order.  Ha!

Introducing: The First Crash-Test Dummy, Elmer

Elmer, the Pilot’s Friend – Continental Oil Co., 1952.  Illustration: James R. Bingham

‘Born’ in the CAA machine shop, Elmer is a remarkably lifelike steel and rubber dummy, designed for studies in improving shoulder harness for pilots. Elmer is so cleverly designed that his compressibility, flexibility, center of gravity, muscular contraction and natural relaxation are almost exactly that of the human body. He even has a roll of ‘flesh’ above the belt when he is bent over! Elmer is an example of how Civil Aeronautics Administration scientists worked to improve air transportation.

(Source: Plan59)