Independence Day 1906

Independence Day 1906

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Read it in its entirety, and then read it to your children.

 
 
 

#BREXIT

UK-Flag-Wooden

[Image found here.]

1930 Zukunftsphantasien

1930 zukunftsfantasien13_121930 zukunftsfantasien12_41930 zukunftsfantasien13_9

Space Station – Check.
Smart Phones – Check.
Steam Powered Dirigible from Australia via Tehran – Pending.

(Note that die Frauen trinken und Rauchen stumpft in the park next to the airstrip while keeping tabs on die Kinder.)

[Found here via here.]

Saturday Matinee: Dancebot, Johnny Cash, Howlin’ Wolf & Joe Bonamassa

Very cool bot moves. Amazing that the people can replicate their own moves, too.

Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley were competitors of sorts during their Sun Studio recording days. Here’s Presley doing Cash.
[Vid found in here.]

That’s Howlin’ Wolf in 1966. The song was a reworking of “Hey Lawdy Mama,” written and performed by Buddy Moss in 1934. Wolf’s version was covered by The Fabulous Thunderbirds and re-titled “Runnin’ Shoes.”

How Many More Years” as covered by Joe Bonamassa in a tribute concert in 2015. Pretty impressive lineup, too:

Bonamassa’s touring band, dubbed the “Muddy Wolf Band” [and] includes Anton Fig (drums), Michael Rhodes (bass), Reese Wynans (piano, Hammond organ), Lee Thornburg (trumpet, horn arrangements), Ron Dziubla (saxophone), Nick Lane (trombone), Mike Henderson (harmonica), and Kirk Fletcher (guitar) [via].

Have a great weekend folks. We’ll have some more fun tomorrow.

 

D-DAY 6 JUNE 1944

D-DAY 1944 
Many lives were lost
to save the lives of many more.

 
 
 

Here is the church and here is the steeple: Locklear’s & Elliot’s Contribution To The World

Steeple Crash

He meant to do that. Stunt pilots Lt. Ormer “Lock” Locklear and co-pilot Milton “Skeets” Elliot were filming The Skywayman, a silent movie released in 1920, and crashing the church steeple was part of the script.

From Wiki:

Principal photography on The Skywayman began on June 11, 1920, with DeMille Field 2 as the main base of operations. Despite Locklear’s public claim that new stunts “more daring ever filmed” would be involved, the production would rely heavily on models and less on actual stunt flying. Two stunts, a church steeple being toppled by Locklear’s aircraft and an aircraft-to-train transfer were both problematic and nearly ended in disaster.

Their final stunt did end in disaster, a nighttime dive that killed both Locklear and Elliot instantly when they didn’t pull up in time.

[Image found here.]

One Chord Hot Links

WHATEVER

Amazing Naval weaponry: Lasers, Railguns and Hypervelocity Projectiles. If this is unclassified, just think of the stuff that is.

Greek Fire was a weapon used successfully to thwart invasions by muslim pirates in the early 7th century.

The Crusades were fought in response to Islamic aggression in the 11th century.

Who were the Barbary Pirates?

Okay, so the carpet caught fire. Big deal. It was an act of God.

Here are the rules for Kingyo-sukui.

Ruining Rock Paper Scissors. Look. Just throw the same 3 times in a row, then double your bet and throw the one that beats your previous three.  Pocket your winnings and leave the neighborhood asap. Coming up next: How to get dibs on a baseball bat.

Wild Man From Borneo by Kinky Friedman. One of these days he’s going to have a Tribute band.

I’m not a “gamer” so I’m not sure what to make of The Stanley Parable, but it looks pretty cool.

[Top image from The Greatest Rock Video Under Two Minutes Ever.]

REMEMBER.

MemorialDay 2016

Cigar Box Bass Diddley Bow

Cigar Box Bass

I’d love to know who those guys were and what that bass sounded like. Gimme a heads up with a link if you know.

[Found here.]

Elie Aghnedes’ Contribution To The World: The 1954 Rhino

Rhino 1954

Rhino 1954 2

Greek-American inventor Elie Aghnides amassed a fortune coming up with clever inventions.

One of his more unusual creations was the “Rhino,” an amphibious four-wheeled vehicle designed to patrol and defend the vast roadless wastes of Alaska and Canada.

Weighing in at five tons, the four-wheel-drive machine could hit speeds of 45 miles per hour on the highway.

Defining features were its massive front wheels, which had six-foot diameters and weighed 1,500 pounds each. Their hollow, hemispherical shape gave the Rhino its unique all-terrain capability. As the vehicle sank into mud, sand, or other soft surfaces, the bearing surface of the ribbed wheels increased, giving it greater traction.

The Rhino’s massive wheels and low center of gravity also meant it could tip 75 degrees to either side without toppling over.

In the water, the hollow wheels provided flotation, while a rear water jet provided propulsion at speeds of about four miles per hour.

The Marmon-Herrington Company of Indianapolis built one prototype of the Rhino for demonstration. The United States military declined to purchase any, reportedly out of concern that the wheels could be punctured by gunfire, sinking the vehicle [via].

Rhino 1954

Not only could it float, it had such a low center of gravity that it was nearly impossible to overturn. Here it is in action:

Elie Aghnides didn’t stop there. He created another prototype amphibious vehicle named “The Cyclops,” but for some reason the prototype construction failed. Aghnides won a $120.5K settlement with The Marmon Group in 1972.

I want one, if only to crash Burning Man without paying.
[Images from here, here and here. Found here.]