Sunday 12 August 2018
horseless carriage
Friday 27 April 2018
head-over-heels
(More than) Just a Car Guy introduces us to an unusual model of bicycle called the Velocino designed in 1933 by Bolognesi engineer Ernesto Pettazzoni at the behest of Benito Mussolini, who wanted a compact urban vehicle that could be easily stored. The semi-recumbent assembly had a normal-sized rear wheel and tiny one in the front, with adjustable, opposing handle-bars that made under seat steering a possibility. I doubt I’d ever have the confidence to navigate such a set-up at speed.
Friday 6 October 2017
petit voiture
Just a Car Guy graces us with the bracing find of a 1903 model of a De Dion-Bouton vis a vis voiturette (a four-wheeler) charging through the streets of Paris, outfitted with pneumatic tyres, patented by a French inventor named Alfred Ducasble, to ride rough-shod over the cobblestones without sustaining wear and tear. Gifted toymakers turned automotive engineers Georges Bouton and his brother-in-law Charles Trรฉpardoux, under the patronage of automobile pioneer and marquis Jules-Albert de Dion, founded the automobile and railcar company in 1881 and originally made steam- and electric-powered models before turning to the internal combustion engine, and was until the 1920s the largest automotive manufacturer in the world, churning out a volume of two thousand vehicles annually from its factory on the banks of the Seine in Puteaux.
Saturday 1 July 2017
le grand large
Back in 1989, a sportscaster convinced Dear Leader to lend his brand and sponsorship to a bicycle race through the US mid-Atlantic states meant to rival and eventually supplant in popularity the Tour de France. As the Tour de Trump was being organised, Dear Leader’s legal team prepared to undermine and file charges against a bike race being held in Colorado called Tour de Rump—claiming libel and infringement on the name of this “inaugural” event would cause confusion.
The suit was dismissed and there’s been a lot of mileage to be had from the apt similarity ever since, which as the Colorado race was scheduled independently and far in advance of the East Coast one was a comparison that Dear Leader brought on himself. The first competitors included members of the Soviet national men’s cycling team among others and was jeered by (prescient) protestors during its first stage in upstate New York through to the final stage that passed by his casinos in New Jersey, waving placards that advised to “Fight Trumpism!” and “Die Yuppie $cum!” The race was held for a second year under Dear Leader’s patronage before he surrendered his stake to the chemical company that was co-sponsoring the event, with the last Tour de Trump to be won by Mexican national Raรบl Alcalรก Gallegos.
Friday 21 April 2017
6x6
squeeze-box: Dear Leader finally delivers an enjoyable performance
venzone: an Italian hamlet rebuilt after being devastated by a recent earthquake declared most beautiful in the country
brick & mortar: complimentary to the retail apocalypse, urban centres are seeking relief from bustling mail order services
teach a man to fish: neurosurgeon visiting Tanzania trained a non-medical doctor how to operate on the brain, who in turn taught others, beginning to alleviate a critical shortage—via Super Punch
bespoke: tyre company soon to produce airless wheels for bicycles and other vehicular applications
pale blue dot: as a parting shot as the space probe prepares for its grand finale, Cassini captured an image of the Earth in between Saturn’s rings
Sunday 11 September 2016
fahrradtour: baderland
H and I took a little bike trip from Bad Karma, our fair city, through Bad Kissingen to Bad Bocklet to have a drink and rest for a minute before heading back in the twelfth century palace, Schloss Aschach.
Biking along the flood plain of the Frรคnkische Saale, a tributary of the River Main, we got to see Bad Kissingen from a new point of view and saw sites that we didn’t know where there, like a regional airport, mainly for hobby-gliders, and this fascinating Salien, a saltern—that is an installation constructed for extracting salt by evaporation, and has been in operation since before the year 800.
It was a pleasant day and not too hot but the blast of cool, salty air emanating from the was more amazing than the best, optimised air-conditioning system.
A bit further on, we passed the bore-fountain (Bohrbrunnen) called Luitpoldsprudel. Named after the Bavarian Prince-Regent of the early 1900s, it produced naturally carbonated water (Sprudel) for decades.
Thursday 29 November 2012
velocipede or internet for robots
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