June 2009 will mark the 50th anniversary of the Disneyland Monorail System. Let's all let out a lusty cheer for the mass-transportation breakthrough of the future which is always and forever just around the corner of feasibility. Maybe you'd even like to join THE MONORAIL SOCIETY to celebrate.
Vinyl records maintain a certain level of popularity these days. But I don't think anyone plans on reviving the Flexi Disc, which ceased production in the year 2000.
Visit this great site for a history of this odd phenomenon. Be sure to look at the Flexi Disc stamps from Bhutan!
At the beginning of the 20th Century, gasoline was difficult to store safely and therefore was considered a bad choice for a motor vehicle fuel. Steam engines were a highly refined technology and widely understood by the public. Steam powered cars ran on kerosene, which does not explode when burned. The one drawback was that you had to let your car build up a head of steam for up to half an hour before you could drive it. The car pictured below is a Stanley Steamer. Stanley made cars from 1896 to 1924.
The Singularity: an indeterminate post-human future. Hooey, or prophecy? Perhaps the new movie Transcendent Man debuting at the upcoming Tribeca Film Festival, will explain it all for us.
What is this gadget? It is a UV light that will reveal pee stains in the dark. It is sold here, in a pet-owners catalog, but I cannot believe it would not be of great use for other purposes. How many incidents in NEWS OF THE WEIRD involve urine, to one degree or another? Thousands! Just imagine how the Pee Light could help solve crime, solace your family and neighbors, and confound bad guys. Every home should have one!
Alex's post today of tiny man with big cat brings up the topic of Tilt Shift Miniature Faking, by which odd camera angles can render real-world scenes toylike. (And didn't the LORD OF THE RINGS films use a similar technique to turn normal-sized actors into hobbits?)
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Category: Fairs, Amusement Parks, and Resorts, Futurism, Music, Technology, Cartoons, 1950's, Yesterday's Tomorrows