Weird Universe Blog — January 24, 2023
Sidney Cornell’s Geyser Relays
Over the years there have been a lot of ideas proposed to solve Southern California's water shortage. One of the more unusual, from back in the early 1950s, was Sidney Cornell's geyser relays.His idea was that, instead of moving water from Northern to Southern California by means of pipelines or canals, one could use hydrocannons to shoot it through the air.
He envisioned a series of powerful hydrocannons each positioned a mile apart. A geyser of water would be blasted from a cannon, a mile through the air, and collected in a funnel at the next pumping station. It would then be blasted to the next station in the chain, continuing like this for four-hundred miles.
Durham Herald-Sun - Jun 17, 1951
Mechanix Illustrated - Oct 1951 (via California WaterBlog)
San Pedro News-Pilot - Aug 8, 1951
The idea seems so harebrained that it's hard to understand how Cornell thought it could be even remotely possible. I'm guessing he was persuaded by the phenomenon of laminar flow, by means of which it's possible to get a jet of water to remain tightly focused, with minimal turbulence or scattering. See the video below for an example.
But even so, I'm sure that winds would push the water off-course, despite Cornell's claim that this wouldn't happen. And the cost would be significant.
Posted By: Alex - Tue Jan 24, 2023 -
Comments (8)
Category: Engineering and Construction | Crackpots | 1950s
Coconuts: Production, Processing, Products
Every now and then, WU strives to find a video or book or practice so boring that it merges into true weirdness. I think 311 pages on the humble coconut might qualify. Learn about the ten different cuts of coconut meat, and so much more!
Posted By: Paul - Tue Jan 24, 2023 -
Comments (3)
Category: Boredom | Food | Industry, Factories and Manufacturing | Books
January 23, 2023
Cologne Drunkards
In the late nineteenth century, a brief moral panic emerged about the alleged existence of "cologne drunkards" — society women who inebriated themselves by means of sugar cubes soaked in cologne.Seems like an expensive way to consume alcohol, but I guess it's plausible that some women really did this.
Good Health magazine - Apr 1885
Philadelphia Times - Feb 7, 1893
Posted By: Alex - Mon Jan 23, 2023 -
Comments (1)
Category: Inebriation and Intoxicants | Nineteenth Century | Perfume and Cologne and Other Scents
Mystery Gadget 104
What's so special about this glass brick? What was its origin and use?The answer is here.
Or after the jump.
More in extended >>
Posted By: Paul - Mon Jan 23, 2023 -
Comments (1)
Category: Technology
January 22, 2023
Welsh translation
2008: Since all official road signs in Wales are bilingual, transportation officials emailed the English text of a new sign to a translator and promptly received back a response in Welsh, which they placed on the sign. And the sign went up on the road.Welsh speakers later pointed out that the Welsh text read, "I am not in the office at the moment. Send any work to be translated."
According to Google Translate, the correct Welsh text should have been: "Dim mynediad i gerbydau nwyddau trwm. Safle preswyl yn unig."
More info: BBC News
Posted By: Alex - Sun Jan 22, 2023 -
Comments (0)
Category: Mistranslations
Follies of the Madmen #553
In 1970, everything was psychedelic, including kids' vitamins. The subtext of handing out groovy pills could not be denied.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Jan 22, 2023 -
Comments (1)
Category: Advertising | Children | Nutrition | Psychedelic | 1970s
January 21, 2023
Ballads for the Age of Science
The whole playlist is here.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Jan 21, 2023 -
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Category: Education | Science | Vinyl Albums and Other Media Recordings | Children | 1960s
‘The Girl With Whom I Would Most Like To Go Skiing For Two Weeks in the Cairngorm Mountains’
Dec 1966: Instead of simply being called 'Miss Cairngorm Mountains,' or something similar, June Fletcher was awarded the oddly specific title of 'The Girl With Whom I Would Most Like To Go Skiing For Two Weeks in the Cairngorm Mountains'.
Lincolnshire Echo - Dec 2, 1966
Posted By: Alex - Sat Jan 21, 2023 -
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Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests | Sports | 1960s
January 20, 2023
Noses
Read it here.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Jan 20, 2023 -
Comments (0)
Category: Body | Science | Psychology | Self-help Schemes | 1950s
Midwatch In Verse
A new book explores the obscure poetic tradition of sailors in the U.S. Navy writing the first deck log of the new year in verse. As explained by the NW Arkansas Democrat-Gazette:The records, quasi-legal documents, were a requirement of each ship to note various bits of technical information -- ship speed and direction, even the number of propeller rotations and other things that would only be useful or make sense if you were in the Navy.
But one time of year, sailors were allowed to deviate from the benign record keeping and exhibit creativity with brief storytelling. During the first watch of the New Year, from midnight to 4 a.m., the Officer of the Deck could record in verse.
No one is sure when, or why this tradition began. The earliest known example (reproduced below) dates back to 1926, but the tradition was apparently already well established by then.
More info: midwatch-in-verse.com
| I stand on the deck at midnight As the clocks are striking the hour And I’ll keep the watch until morning To the best of my humble power. We are anchored in Pedro harbor Tho there isn’t much of a lee And why they call it a harbor Is something I never could see But our hook is in hole A seven And our center anchor chain Has forty-five in the hawse pipe And a very gentle strain. When we anchored our trusty leadsman Made a very careful cast Finding eight and a half good fathoms As the bugler blew the blast. And down below in the fire rooms Which the black gang ought to man The steam is blowing bubbles In number seven can. All the battleship divisions Swing nearby on the blue Except the West Virginia And the Mississippi too. The Senior Officer Present Floats peacefully in his sleep On the good ship California The guardian of the deep. At one fifteen Roskelly A pill rolling pharmacist’s mate Returned from his leave on schedule He’s lucky he wasn’t late. That’s all the dope this morning Except, just between us two If the Captain ever sees this log My gawd what will he do? E.V. Dockweiler, Ensign, U. S. Navy |
Posted By: Alex - Fri Jan 20, 2023 -
Comments (4)
Category: Military | Books | Poetry
