Novel Toy Bus Makes Stops To Discharge “Passengers”

A novel toy bus available scoots along the floor, flashes a red light rearward, stops automatically, opens its front door, waits while a bell rings, closes the door, and starts on its way again. Modeled after streamline buses of the type used on transcontinental runs. The toy has a spring motor, solid-rubber wheels, and front and rear rubber bumpers.

Folding Board Makes It Easy To Rest

Perfect relaxation is declared possible with an adjustable “posture board” designed by a California inventor. Recently placed on the market, the device is shown above in use by a seashore sun bather. With head back, and knees comfortably elevated, it is easy to “let go” completely, according to the maker. For carrying the board or storing it in the home when it is not being used, the hinged wooden sections fold compactly.

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Uncle Sam Counts Noses

HOW AMAZING MACHINES HELP TAKE THE CENSUS

LAST month the census taker came to call. He unfolded a big white sheet of paper and began firing questions. Name? Age? Birthplace? And so on until he knew all the answers, and departed with his pencil-checked list. All over the country, 120,000 fact finders were doing the same. So far as foresight in planning could provide, they overlooked no dwelling’s occupants; they even visited auto trailers, marking them with stickers to avoid recounting!
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Cape, Stick, Vanity in Beach Umbrella

BESIDES shielding its user from the sun, a versatile new beach umbrella can be used as a walking stick, a vanity case, or part of a bathing costume. The detachable fabric top may be worn over a bathing suit as a cape, or will serve as a skirt. The rest of the umbrella folds within a lightweight metal tube, forming a staff to aid in walking over the sand. Flipping open the lid of an oblong cap, at the end where the umbrella ribs converge, reveals a small mirror and make-up in handy form to be applied after a dip.

Atom Smasher Made from Spare Parts

Spare parts collected from the physics laboratory and skillfully assembled make up the midget atom smasher illustrated above that helps teach Columbia University students the effects of static electricity. Built from commonplace materials, which include a rapidly moving belt of adding-machine paper onto which is sprayed a direct current of 750 volts, the thunderbolt apparatus is capable of producing charges of more than 300,000 volts and of hurling bolts of lightning a foot long between the spherical poles seen at the top. The device employs the principles of several machines used for advanced electrical research.

Talkie Unit Helps Clinch Sale

JUST as visualized in the Charles Chaplin picture, Modern Times, the salesman can now break down sales resistance with a talking film device produced by a Ft. Wayne, Ind., manufacturer.

The carrying case, containing a projector, amplifier, screen and shadow box, records, needles, and films is very compact.

Office Recorder Puts Three Hours of Talk on Ten-Inch Disk

A new office recorder makes it possible to record three hours of conversation, dictation, and the like on a single ten-inch plastic disk. Paper-thin, the disk is curved on a special turntable while the machine is in use. Sound, picked up by a microphone or by connection to a telephone line or radio, is amplified to provide power for molding an actual image of the sound wave on the record material. Recording is done on both sides, each side good for 1-1/2 hours. Disks can be stored in an ordinary filing case.

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Popsy – A Simply Made But Very Lifelike Dummy for the Amateur Ventriloquist

By KENNETH MURRAY

POPSY is an intriguing ventriloquist’s dummy you can construct from inexpensive materials without any special skill or shop equipment. His name comes from Popular Science Monthly, for which he was specially designed. He wags his jaw realistically and, if you want to take a little extra trouble, he can be made to wink, wiggle an ear, smoke, spit, or even blush!

Teaching him to talk takes a little practice, of course, but it’s not nearly so hard as commonly believed, and once you learn the trick, you will be able to entertain and astonish your friends.
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