Of course, not everyone had bad ideas in those old issues of Popular Science. Many of the ideas for new products were quite brilliant. This series will look at ideas that were ahead of their time. Today's lesson: In Car Tape Deck.
(from the March 1954 issue of Popular Science)
For a little background, the modern tape recorder came about in 1939, but it wasn't refined enough for commercial use until the late 1940s. Reel to reel tape recorders started to become common home recording machines in the mid 1950s and as a professional home audio format in the late 1950s. The first automobile tape player was the Muntz Stereo-Pak of 1962 which evolved in the Lear Jet Stereo 8 (better known as 8 Track) in 1964. Even so, 8 track players didn't become common in cars until the late 1960s, so unfortunately A. P. Sabol had another fifteen years to wait before his request was answered...
PES is an animation company that makes, well, "unique" stop motion short films, most of which feature only every day objects. Check out their other videos at their website
This has been making its way around the internet over the past few days, but it is still interesting. The Life website has a photo gallery of 30 dumb inventions. Most of them are just terrible, like an external baby cage for your (high rise) apartment window or a phone answering robot (who just happens to be mute), but this one in particular just strikes me as a great idea: Illuminated tires.
If these were actually available, which doesn't seem likely, I would definitely buy some. They just look so cool, especially on vintage cars like the one pictured above.
Well, you can't, but your DNA can for the small one time fee of $399. Under a mountain in a nuclear proof shelter in Switzerland is where it would be stored. Not only do they store your DNA, but also your memories. Once you get your DNA kit and send it back you can upload images, video, audio and documents to the SwissDNABank for them to store forever. I guess if human cloning ever becomes legal you could always come back.
Paul Di Filippo
Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1.