.Plastic Raincoat for Hats
A civilian adaptation of the waterproof hat covers worn by service men during the war is now available. Called Rainat, the cover is made of transparent vinyl plastic film, and is provided in three sizes.
General
.The Miracle of the BAR BELLS
Within the past few years more than three million muscle-mad males have taken the weightlifting way toward keeping fit.
By Morris Hall
AN astonishing wave of elbow-bending is sweeping the country these days. And the surprising fact is that those who indulge regularly become trim physical specimens!
.Artist Makes Pasteboard Masks
A NEW sculptor’s medium has been devised by Stanislaw Raczinsky, Polish artist, who utilizes colored pasteboard, skillfully cut and clipped together, to make striking, modernistic masks.
.Acid Etching Now Used in Novel Way to Make Dainty Glassware
Glittering modernistic patterns in pressed glassware, in the form of goblets and vases, are now on the market. The photographs on this page, taken recently in the workshop of a Paris glass-maker, show how such pieces are made.
Sand, the raw material of glass, is melted at a temperature of 1,100 degrees centigrade. In this molten state, it is dropped into a mold that has been carefully designed by artists. A press descends and then rises immediately. The shaped piece is removed from the mold and baked. After it has cooled it is examined for imperfections and if flawless, it is polished on a rotary wheel. Parts that are to remain transparent are coated with Judean tar. Acid makes exposed parts opaque.
.The Fuel Cell – electricity from air…
The life blood of electronics—electricity—is now being concocted directly from gaseous fuels.
THERE’S a- fuel cell in your future. Dozens of scientists and engineers all over the world are racing to perfect this new way—that is also one of the oldest ways—of making electricity.
Yes, the big advantage of voice recognition is that it allows you more time to sexually harass your secretary.
.I’d like to see them make
Cartoons by SYD LANDI
Everybody has his own pet idea of some gadget he would like to see in general use. What is YOURS? Popular Science Monthly will pay five dollars for every such suggestion that its editors decide to publish.
.PORTABLE LIFT TO SAVE FIRE-TRAPPED VICTIMS
Ladders as means of escape from a burning building may be replaced by a portable elevator invented by M.E. Hayman, a member of the Portland, Ore., fire department. In case of a fire, the elevator is rushed to the scene and by hand or motor power it is raised in front of the desired window.
.Inventions New and Interesting
LAWN RAKE
This new fan-shaped rake has prongs of tempered, flexible steel that are rigid enough for raking and springy enough for sweeping. Grass is not torn up from the lawn and leaves do not clog the steel prongs.—Master Mfg. Co., 138 Davis Ave., Dayton, Ohio.
.Unpuzzling Color
Color Names Cause Confusion… A New System is Being Developed to Bring About Definite Standards… Like Sections of Grapefruit
By JOHN H. CRIDER
IN an age when science reproduces with dazzling accuracy the myriad colors of nature, we are inclined to take color for granted. Until related colors are examined closely, side by side, or until someone disagrees with us over the description of a color, we do not worry much about color names. After all, “what’s in a name?”
.AN ELECTRIC KALEIDOSCOPE
By MERRILL M. HUNTING
HE thrills of pleasure that came to us in our childhood, as we gazed at the ever changing beauties of the kaleidoscope are vividly recalled to our memory by a recent achievement in electric sign construction.
