November 18, 2005

Kerosene Radio (Jun, 1956)

Filed under: Radio, Useless Tech — @ 4:03 pm
Source: Popular Science ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Jun, 1956
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“Hold on ma, let me go light the radio!”

Made in Moscow for use in rural areas, this all-wave radio is reportedly powered by the kerosene lamp hanging above it. A group of thermocouples is heated internally to 570 degrees by the flame. Fins cool the outside to about 90 degrees. The temperature differential generates enough current to operate the low-drain reciever. Regular listeners may want fur lined union suits, though: it works best in a room with open windows.

Camera Tests Eye Appeal of New Packaging Designs (Jun, 1956)

Filed under: Scary — @ 3:53 pm
Source: Popular Science ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Jun, 1956
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Am I the only one who thinks this looks like something out of A Clockwork Orange?

Taking a cue from photographers who used to clamp your head in a vise to keep it still, modern package designers made this harness to help them test the eye appeal of new packages. A camera (left foreground) is focused on the subject’s eyes to record their movements and thus rate her interest in packages on the shelves within her view. It’s a research project conducted by the Folding Paper Box Association.

November 16, 2005

“Glamour Bonnet” Provides Vacuum to Aid Complexion (Mar, 1941)

Filed under: Personal Appearance, Useless Tech — @ 5:34 pm
Source: Popular Science ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Mar, 1941
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Wow, that sure is glamorous.
Actually, I’m not quite sure how that works. The mask doesn’t look like it’s rigid, so shouldn’t it just shrink-wrap her head?

“Glamour Bonnet” Provides Vacuum to Aid Complexion
Some persons believe a mud pack is the answer to the search for a beautiful complexion, others think massage will do the trick, but Mrs. D. M. Ackerman, of Hollywood, Calif., has decided that reduced air pressure is a good treatment. So she has devised a “glamour bonnet” like a diver’s helmet with which the atmospheric pressure around the beauty seeker’s head can be lowered. The effect is similar to what a person feels who climbs a high mountain or flies high in a plane, and Mrs. Ackerman claims that the reduced pressure stimulates blood circulation and thus aids the complexion to attain its natural beauty. A window has been installed so the customers can read during treatments.

Where’s the man who doesn’t THRILL to railroading? (Mar, 1939)

Filed under: Advertisements — @ 5:22 pm
Source: Popular Science ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Mar, 1939
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I know I do.

Turn your kitchen mixer into a power tool (Mar, 1950)

Filed under: Advertisements, Kitchen — @ 5:00 pm
Source: Popular Science ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Mar, 1950
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Is it a mixer? a buffer? a sander? No, it’s TOOLZON and it’s all of the above!

Nonskid roll grips wandering weenie (Mar, 1939)

Filed under: Kitchen, Useless Tech — @ 4:55 pm
Source: Popular Science ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Mar, 1939
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“AT LAST America has it - the nonskid roll for hot dogs! A clever inventor has devised the metal mold shown at left to turn out rolls imprinted with a series of ridges. They take a masterful grip upon the delectable but elusive weenie and prevent it from slipping from it’s rightful place to fall to the floor or one’s lap.”

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