Bulletless Rifle Practice Improves Aim
No bullets or powder are needed for an odd type of rifle practice demonstrated by British soldiers in the photograph above. A sergeant, seen at the right, holds a tiny target in front of one eye, and looks through a peep hole in the center to check the soldier’s aim by seeing that his gun sights line up with the bull’s-eye.

INSTRUMENTS PUT ON AUTOS HOOD
So he can read the dials of his car’s instruments without taking his eyes from the road, a Binghampton, N. Y., engineer has redesigned his car and placed them on the hood. A streamline housing for the meters gives the car a distinctive appearance. At night the dials are illuminated by a small light on a standard just in front of the windshield. Hinges of special design are attached to the hood, enabling it to be swung clear of the instrument panel when lifted to fill the crankcase or inspect the engine.

Huge Truck FOR LAND OR WATER CARRIES SHIPLOAD OF CARGO

IMAGINE a motor truck so large that it dwarfs the biggest locomotive in the world —a veritable ship of the land, rolling on pneumatic tires as high as a bungalow. Fit this juggernaut, in your mind’s eye, with a boat-like hull, a Diesel motor, and an electric drive; add a propeller and rudder so that it can navigate in the water as well as on dry ground; fill its capacious hold with hundreds of tons of cargo, and send it roaring across the continent or through a wilderness to its destination. Then you will have a mental image of the 1,500-ton, amphibian super-truck that Eric R. Lyon, associate professor of physics at the Kansas State Agricultural College, predicts will be the freight-carrying vehicle of the future. To prove it feasible, he himself has worked out the engineering design of such a machine, which he calls the “navitruck,” and which our artist illustrates here and on the cover of this issue.
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Alarm to Keep Motorist Awake Buzzes When Chin Drops

Dozing at the wheel is a common cause of automobile accidents. To eliminate that cause, an inventor has devised an alarm that rings sharply at the motorist’s first nod. It is a small metal gong that is hung from the shirt collar. A trigger at the top sets off the alarm when the dozing driver’s chin drops on it.

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Steam Will Power Tomorrow’s Planes!

The oldest prime mover—steam—is staging a comeback. Read what amazingly logical things can be accomplished with new designs in planes through the use of steam as a power plant and control medium.

by EARL D. HILBURN
Aeronautical Engineer

EVERY once in a while we have to “get back to nature”—get back to the simple things our dads used. Often we find that we’ve been on an engineering merry-go-round and that the old gentlemen who were our forbears had some right good ideas in design, but were unable to use them to the fullest extent of their theories because the right materials were not available in iron, or steel, or something else.

And every so often the subject of what tomorrow’s airplane will look like bobs up in some writer’s mind. He is usually hard pressed to get something really new to write about, so he lays it on thick and the resulting pipe dream generally makes an air-minded man who has any air “savvy” pretty sick.
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This seems like a really good way to kill your dogs, not to mention just cruel. I don’t really know how fast dogs can run, but 35 mph seems a bit high, doesn’t it?

Car Exercises Dogs

With six racing dogs to keep in top shape, Dewey Blanton of Columbus, Ohio, has developed a “canine exerciser” that fastens to his station wagon. Blanton built a frame to support a long plank beside the vehicle. Springs fastened to the plank are attached to the dogs’ collars, permitting the dogs to run wide. Longer chains keep the dogs in check. The broad plank bumper prevents injury to the dogs as they race along at 35 miles per hour. Best of all, the dogs seem to love the exerciser.

USE SEESAW TO START STOPPED HEART
A life-saving seesaw has been invented by a University of California scientist to revive those whose hearts have stopped, as the result of certain kinds of accidents. While oxygen is forced into the lungs and heat is applied to the body, the patient will be rocked steadily up and down on the pivoted plank, to which he will be strapped lying on his back. The theory is that the steady change in position will cause gravity to send the blood coursing through the veins and will start the heart beating. The apparatus, the inventor points out, is for use only in certain cases where the patient has met with an unusual accident.

I love the side bar on the second page which predicts that WWIII will occur in late 1952.

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They Tell You About Tomorrow

Call astrology a science or just plain hocus-pocus, millions of people not only believe in it but actually live by it.

By Lester David

CAN the stars foretell your future? Can the sun, moon and planets pierce the veil which shrouds the years ahead and tell you if you will become a millionaire, warn you of tragedy swirling your way, predict how long you will live?

Three million people in the U. S. and countless millions the world over fervently believe they can. These are the devotees of astrology. They include industrial tycoons who won’t sign a contract or build a factory unless their horoscopes say they should, top diplomats and rulers eager to know about world policy trends, and Hollywood stars who won’t start a film without a nod from the heavenly bodies.

Recently, the president of one of New York City’s largest banks, accompanied by the head of a far-flung mining company, came to the office of astrologer W. Kenneth Brown in Manhattan for advice. They had an opportunity to join in the purchase of a vast stockpile of metals in England, but if the venture failed it would be a great financial blow to both. Was it a good idea or wasn’t it? What did the stars say?
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Locomotive Tries Milk Fuel

DEMONSTRATING its energy value, two tons of dried milk in the form of briquets was used in place of coal to fuel the locomotive of the Dixie Limited at the start of its run from Chicago Depot to Florida. The substitute fuel is said to have burned readily, providing as much heat as coal.

I don’t know about you but I’m one of those people who can’t pat my head and rub my belly at the same time. The idea of trying to do something else with my face while I have a sharp razor blade in my hand is not very appealing.

Motorized Toothbrush Leaves Hands Free For Shaving

As A novelty feature at a recent exhibit of inventions, one inventor displayed the odd motor-driven toothbrush above. Said to be the last word in time-savers, the device is designed to allow the late riser to get his teeth brushed while he shaves. A conventional brush is attached to a vibrating arm on the brushing apparatus.

Mirror Teaches Batting

A huge mirror mounted on a wooden frame constitutes a new method whereby baseball “rookies” are taught proper batting form at the St. Louis Cardinals’ winter training quarters at Orlando, Florida. Standing before the mirror, the player swings his bat and quickly improves his reflected form.

LIGHT PRINTS TIME ON CLOUDS

Once engaged in the development of a death ray for possible military use, H. Grindell-Matthews, British inventor, has developed a new gun for projecting light rays. A motor carriage supports the cannon-like projector, which is designed to throw signs upon clouds miles away, and is an improved model of one he demonstrated in New York City not long ago. By inserting a special clock with a transparent face and opaque hands and figures in the projector, the correct time is also thrown on clouds.