July 26, 2011
Does anybody know what a “slush shovel” is?
March 27, 2011
Smiley’s Bar, Bolinas, CA
I heard a story that the “Bolinas Border Patrol” removes all the signs pointing to town, so Cliffy and I had to go check it out. Border patrol or not, there are no signs, but Smiley’s bar is my kind of place. Given the story about the signs, I worried they’d be leery of outsiders, [...]
June 3, 2010
Donut Tour 2010: The Video
We planned the donut tour. We did the donut tour. We ate donuts. We made five stops on the tour, but this video only covers four of them. We were too stuffed to say anything about Japonais, even though the donuts there were delicious. Here’s the full lineup: Donna’s Donuts (Yelp!) Ziggy’s Donuts (Yelp!) Kane’s [...]
May 30, 2010
Museum of Family Camping Closed
Memorial Day weekend is universally recognized as the start of summer. Tradition allows that we can start wearing white, gather family and friends for barbecue, and, for those so inclined, go camping. For the past many years it’s also been the start of the Museum of Family Camping‘s season. The museum told the story of [...]
July 13, 2009
Do Air Taxis Actually Work?
I just thought to follow up on this 2007 story about DayJet, a high-flying air taxi service that planned to operate tiny, three-passenger Eclipse 500 jets. The story doesn’t deviate from economic trends: DayJet ceased operations in September 2008, and the aircraft manufacturer entered Chapter 7 in February 2009. The Air Taxi Association says their [...]
February 13, 2009
The World’s Greenest Roller Coaster
This pedal-powered roller coaster is Washuzan Highland Park‘s Skycycle in Okayama prefecture, Japan It appears that the only CO2 emissions are the huffing and puffing of riders peddling to the top. The park does have three traditionally powered steel coasters (the Ultra, Star Jet, and Chupy).
January 8, 2009
If I Ever Find Myself In Prague…
Ilya Schurov thinks this is the time capsule from from Isaak Asimov‘s The End Of Eternity. It’s really the elevator and stair (or ramp)-way in Prague‘s Old Town Hall. A clock and great views of the square are at the top. Thinking of interesting elevators to be found in Europe: The Paternoster.
December 11, 2008
Woodman Institute, Dover, NH
The Woodman Institute Museum in Dover NH is famous for having a four-legged chicken, but that’s only a small example of the weirdness you’ll find inside. A big collection of snakes and bugs and bears in top hats along with other examples of taxidermy fills the first two floors. The top floor is dedicated to [...]
November 21, 2008
The USS Albacore, Portsmouth NH
The Albacore is a post World War II experimental submarine now on display in Portsmouth NH. Seeing the sub on land, some height above sea level, is a bit surprising, and it’s clear that moving it there was no small task. Five dollars will get you inside the sub’s tight and awkward quarters, where you’ll [...]
October 8, 2008
Tracking Aircraft Movements
June 19, 2008
Abandoned Malls
What is it about abandonment that’s so compelling? From Chernobyl and Pripyat to mental hospitals to lost theme parks from Korea to California, we can’t help but stare at darkly vacant buildings. Now add malls to the list. And put South China Mall, in Dongguan at the top of it. Unlike most every other expanse [...]
March 15, 2008
Zach Houston’s Poem Store
Walking north on Valencia I heard the characteristic snap snap snap of an old manual typewriter’s hammers striking paper on the platen. I was more than a bit curious about who might still use such a classic machine even before its operator called out to ask if I wanted to buy a poem. Still, it’d [...]
February 11, 2008
Moscow Subway’s Underground Palaces
Photographer farflungphotos describes: All the stations in Moscow’s metro are completely different from one another. Some of them are so opulent, with grand marble halls and chandeliers, all hidden away underground. People seemed to be using them as places just to hang out and meet up with friends. The trains were really frequent too, practically [...]
What kind of trade marks did Ames use on shovels before the Civil War?
Posted in Technology, Travel | Leave a Comment »