Popular Mechanics covers

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Popular Mechanics, first published in 1902, is a magazine that focuses on science, technology, machines, DIY projects, cars, planes, rockets, tools and the like. At one time it was widely read, but as with most periodicals, the internet has cut into its domain. It is still published. Its articles about future cutting edge technology were frequently ridiculous, and from the looks of things that hasn't changed.

These images of covers from the 20th century are from the Internet Archive. There are many more covers in their archive.

Day of infamy

USS Utah (BB-31) seen from her memorial
She was hit by two torpedoes and sunk during the attack
(click image to enlarge) 

On the morning of December 7, 1941, I had relieved the watch in the port engine room [of the USS Utah]. I had been on watch about 20 minutes when the first torpedo hit the ship on the port side. It was about 5 or 8 minutes before I could hear someone hollering that the Japanese were attacking us.

I ran up the ladder to the third deck. On the port side was our sleeping quarters, and water was already washing over my bunk. I went to the starboard side of the ship, went up to the second deck to our locker room and mess hall. There were several other men there. One asked if he should take his dress blue uniform with him. I told him he wouldn't be needing that for a good while.

I grabbed an extra pair of dungarees, a carton of cigarettes, and went on topside. A friend and I sat down on the side of the ship and slid into the water. We swam to Ford Island where we were picked up by a party. They took us to the USS California to unload ammunition. That evening, we were taken to an ammunition ship that was tied up at the docks in the shipyard. We spent the night there. -- Cecil Camp

 

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Get ready for a TSA pat down weekend with Rolin Nababan. 

 

Cooking hornets in Nepal

This video shows a family preparing, cooking and eating hornets in rural Nepal. Like many of these types of videos I suspect it is largely staged. I think the hovel they supposedly live in is actually a set, and they live elsewhere. Still, it an interesting video and certainly an exotic dish.

 

Telephone poles and power lines

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The first power plants were built in 1882. They produced the electricity which was then distributed by a grid of wires. Since then, the power stations and the grid to support them have expanded enormously. Power lines are a ubiquitous and little considered part our landscape. Of course, power lines and the poles that support them have been captured by artists, sometimes as an aside in a landscape painting, sometimes as the main subject.

Thanks For The Memory

Since it is in the middle of a long weekend Black Friday's TGIF music video is a bit different. A few years ago, before the inevitable onslaught of December's Christmas music, I decided to play some Thanksgiving music. Much to my horror I discovered there was no such genre, so I decided to create a catalog of Thanksgiving music to correct that grievous oversight.

The first song added to the catalog was Thanks for the Memory. Well, another year has passed and once again I've been far too indifferent busy to add to the catalog. Maybe next year I'll finally get around to adding a second tune to the Thanksgiving music corpus, but in the meantime we get to enjoy Thanks for the Memory again, this time by Dave Pell.

 

Happy Thanksgiving

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I'm not sure why this turkey is so happy to be carrying that carving knife. I guess turkeys are just stupid. Also, is the pumpkin lingering from Halloween? Whatever the reasons, have a good Thanksgiving full of food, family and football (real football, not that boring stuff the rest of the World watches and mistakenly calls football). 

 

A gobbler in dire need of a pardon

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All's fair in love, war, and Thanksgiving dinners. A young lady striding along with a turkey, an axe, and a demented smile tells you all you need to know about the fate of this feathered friend. She'll be thankful, him not so much.  

 

Ludovic Bassarab

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Ludovic Bassarab (1868–1933) was a Romanian artist who studied in Germany and France. He returned to Romania and primarily painted scenes of rural life in that country. His brush work is often heavy, and he frequently employs a simple pallet of colors in his works. I like his focus on everyday scenes and common people. You really get a feeling for a specific time and place from his paintings. 

Ludovic Bassarab

Let It Be

Get ready for a noninterfering weekend with Matt Hylom.

Tomorrow is dragsville

Above is a snippet from the movie High School Confidential showing a beatnik babe reciting some beatnik poetry accompanied by a jazz band.

Every generation, when they're first entering adulthood have little money and face entry-level jobs. From their youth ghettos the more artistic of them cook-up their own style. Beatniks were from the 1950s, followed by hippies in the 1960/70s. Gen X, busy as they always are whining about every other generational cohort were their usual nondescript selves. The Millennials gave us the ever-entertaining hipsters, and I guess the latest group is giving us TikTok nonsense. It's just part of youth and is all good.  

 

David de Coninck's paintings of animals

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David de Coninck was a 17th century Flemish artist. He specialized in painting animals. He started his career in Antwerp and moved first to Paris, then later to Rome before returning to Antwerp via Vienna. Unlike the later Romanticists, and for that matter our day, his animals were not cute and idyllic, instead his view of nature was red in fang and claw.  

Kaanha

Get ready for a mythological weekend with the Anand Bhaskar Collective.

 

Food on a merchant ship

The video gives information on how food is prepared, stored and served on a U.S. flagged merchant cargo ship.

 

Freedom is not free

Armistice by Sophie Jewett

The water sings along our keel,
The wind falls to a whispering breath;
I look into your eyes and feel
No fear of life or death;
So near is love, so far away
The losing strife of yesterday.

We watch the swallow skim and dip;
Some magic bids the world be still;
Life stands with finger upon lip;
Love hath his gentle will;
Though hearts have bled, and tears have burned,
The river floweth unconcerned.

We pray the fickle flag of truce
Still float deceitfully and fair;
Our eyes must love its sweet abuse;
This hour we will not care,
Though just beyond to-morrow's gate,
Arrayed and strong, the battle wait.

  

Buying food

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Unless you bag some moose to lay in protein for the winter, as well as having a productive back 40, you need to buy your food. Assuming you have refrigerator grocery stores allow you to do a weekly shopping trip, while markets are more day by day. Either way, they are very much woven into the fabric of our life. 

Boots of Spanish Leather

Get ready for a diverging weekend with Mandolin Orange.

 

A contentious election

The Election Riot 1874 by Peter Hurd

In 1874 William Charles Lunalilo, the elected King of Hawaii, died without naming an heir. This touched off Hawaii's second election of a monarch. David Laʻamea Kalākaua and the Dowager Queen Emma were the two main contenders. The election was decided by the legislative assembly in favor of Kalākaua and, at the news, Emma's supporters rioted in Honolulu and attacked the assembly. The police could not control the situation and so American and British troops from ships in the harbor were brought in to restore order.

Source: The 1874 Election Riot in Honolulu.   

Our election is upon us, and it seems that regardless of the winner we'll have our own scaled up version of the 1874 Honolulu riots. The more things change... 

 

Paintings of bicycles

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This is a collection of paintings featuring bicycles. In selecting them I avoided mobs of latex clad bicycle enthusiasts and racers. Instead, I focused on the more generic types of bikes that are so common. Also, for some reason a lot of paintings featured baskets of flowers to give them a more romantic look; I avoided those as well.

All That She Wants

Get ready for a licentious weekend with Sofi Tukker.