I came across this description of a mechanical hair-brush published in
Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Nov. 23, 1863. It operated by means of "an endless band of vulcanised india-rubber... that descends to within about a foot of your head and is made to revolve by machinery." Here's a description of it in action:
When I went in to get my hair thus brushed, had sat down before the glass, and been tucked in as usual, with bib and dressing-gown, the hair-dresser took up one of his circular brushes and hitched it to the revolving band over my head. In a moment I felt a silent fanning, as if some monstrous butterfly were hovering over me; this was the air of the twirling brush, which caught my hair up and laid it down, and traveled all over my head with incessant gentle penetration. It crept down my whiskers and searched my beard with the same tender and yet decided effect. There was no scratching, not even of the neck and ears, but the skin of cheeks and chin was reached and swept. It was a new sensation. I felt as if I should like to be brush continously for a month.
Evidently mechanical hair-brushes never caught on, because the only picture of one I could find
was this:
Never mind that she's playing pool in her bra, on a pool table that appears to be wet. What's going on with that hairdo?

(via
Vintage Ads)
Last week I was in Hamburg, Germany, for a literary conference. I snapped this foto at the Dammtor train station.
I am not sure of the wisdom of getting one's hair styled at a place with this name.
When I saw the words 'hair insurance', I thought "What a great idea! Finally people who suffer from any type of genetic baldness can relax." So I was disappointed when I followed the link and read the article. Turns out it's not some fabulous hair loss coverage plan. Instead, Troy Polamalu (who plays Football for the Pittsburgh Steelers) has gotten his long, flowing locks insured for one million dollars. The insurance is covered by Lloyd's of London and was purchased by shampoo brand Head and Shoulders.
You can read more about it here.
When I saw famed photog Annie Leibovitz in today's
New York Times, I instantly flashed on famed director Martin Scorsese. Has anyone ever seen these two masters of the lens in the same room together?
(Pic of Leibovitz from
Flickr user maxnoy.)
Your Daily Loser - "Honey, I can't find a babysitter to watch the kids while we go rob houses!" "That's ok dear, just bring them along." At least, I imagine that's what the conversation would have sounded like in the Santana household in April. Erika Santana of Queens, New York, had her two daughters in the get-away van when she was arrested, along with two men, for a whole crazy mess of felonies and misdemeanors.
The Story.
Your Daily Loser Bonus For Mother's Day - It's a time honored tradition for kids to bring their mother breakfast in bed. But when this man let his kids try to cook breakfast, they set the kitchen on fire ... all the while mom is blissfully unaware upstairs. Oh sure, she heard "a commotion" but she thought the kids were arguing. Meanwhile,
dad's rushing off to the hospital with badly burned hands. Remember Dads, on Mother's Day, only you can prevent kitchen fires.
Jury Duty - Either this is one of those things you do to yourself after a really long night of boozing it up with your friends, or if you hate yourself. Whatever the excuse, when Anna Clifford was arrested for driving under the influence, the mugshot officer had to make special allowances in order for her hair to fit into the picture. Her mother must be so proud.
The Story. //
The Mugshot.
CraftStylish.com has collected instructions on how to make yarn out of just about anything: newspaper, VHS tape, plastic bags, or human hair.
They link to a
story about a Romanian woman, Ioana Cioanca, who made an
entire wardrobe for herself out of her own hair. She's quoted as saying, "Long years I had to wait for my hair to grow so as to make clothes from it but I managed and I am very pleased now."
If you ever want to end a date early, that sentence, said exactly like that, could scare away almost anyone.