So you just type stuff in here and it appears on the screen huh
typed for your pleasure on 13 December 2007, at 3.18 amSdtrk: ‘Jackie Onassis’ by Milky
Saturday! Traditionally known throughout history as a Day of Acquiring Knowledge and Stuff. And with my mates and I, that’s exactly what happened!
Our Algonquin End Table this Saturday past consisted of Jeff (aka Zip Gun) Derek et Steph, and Joe (aka SafeTinspector). We convened at Jeff’s digs at about 1.30, piled in D&S’s van, and sped off to the wild, largely uncultured city of Dearborn, as the Henry Ford Museum (now referred to as simply ‘the Henry Ford’, in an effort to make the place sound ‘hip’ and ‘with it’) had something we wanted to see: they were holding a temporary exhibit entitled ‘Best of Friends: Buckminster Fuller and Isamu Noguchi‘. Initially SafeT told me about it a number of weeks ago, and he and I had made arrangements to see it, and Zip Gun and D&S elected to come with, as it was something different from our usual week-end fare.
On the way to the Fuller/Noguchi exhibit, we stopped to look at the car John F Kennedy was assassinated in. Upon reflection, I should’ve gotten a pic of myself near it, for Extra Ballard Points.
Having looked through the info provided on the Dymaxion house, we had to actually queue up for about ten minutes for a guided tour, as there were quite a few interested people there with us as well. The Dymaxion house was, like a lot of Bucky Fuller’s ideas, startlingly ahead of its time. Essentially after WWII, there were hundreds of American soldiers returning home to find there was a housing shortage, while at the same time, aircraft manufacturers were laying off employees left and right, due to the decreased demand for fighter planes. Bucky Fuller presented a design that he’d been refining since the Twenties to the aircraft manufacturers that would solve both problems: by using excess aluminum material, he would retrain the employees into building homes instead of planes.
It was very ace thinking. The house was like an IKEA house: all parts were shipped in a rather large tube, and the whole assemblage took only three days to build — two days for the major assembly, and the third for installing the bathroom and electricals. As the home was built using cables suspended off an enormous central pole, not only could you raise or lower it, as it needed no foundation, but if you didn’t like where you lived, you rung up the builders, they came round and broke your home down, and set the whole thing up again in your new locale. 1000 sq.ft of self-contained living, featuring a gutter that collected rainwater for later use, ‘Ovolving’ (vertically rotating) shelves built into the walls for clothing storage, and other such fab amenities. Very forward thinking, especially for the late Forties. Unfortunately, as per usual, the general populace wasn’t ready for such a thing as kit housing, which is why the homes never went into production. The Henry Ford has one of the two prototypes in existence, and over the course of three years, restored it to its finery.
I regret not getting more pics of the house — the tour we were with probably had about fifteen people, so it was kinda cramped — but I did get this pic of the Dymaxion car, which was part of the Fuller/Noguchi tour proper, and as such, isn’t a permanent exhibit.
Four hours later, we made our leave. If we’d had more time, we would’ve gone to see the seat where Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, as well as the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile, but ZG had fatherly duties to see to. However, we made a brief stop in what passes for Dearborn’s downtown district, and hit up the comic store Green brain, as we were in the area. They’ve got quite a selection, although I didn’t see too much manga, but perhaps I just overlooked it. I did grab something that completely slipped under my radar: the trade paperback for ‘The gifting’, the all-new Tank girl series. When I bought it, I was a wee bit hesitant, as Jamie ‘The Hewll’ Hewlett wasn’t the artist — too busy working with Mr Albarn, undoubtedly — but art duties were competently handled by someone named Ashley Wood. Tank girl’s new character design wasn’t what I was used to, as sometimes it veered from somewhat sketchy to sub-Hewll, but since Alan Martin was still writing all the stories, it was just like meeting an old friend after a twelve-year long absence. A sweary, lager-swilling, heavy-ordnance-toting friend who lives in a tank with her kangaroo boyfriend. And we all know someone like that, right?
Our purchases duly made, ZG, SafeT and I dashed upstairs to Stormy records, to see what they had on offer. My purchase there? ‘Merzbear‘, by Merzbow. As it is, I’m gonna have to give it a good solid listening-to, as so far, it’s proving to to be wildly mediocre — too much like ‘Houjoue’ and not enough like ‘Oersted’. Masami, you’re killin’ me, man!
DAVECAT (flipping through the Merzbow section): ‘I can’t keep up with all of his releases!’
ZIP GUN: ‘Who can?’
Upon getting back to Zip Gun Towers, we split our separate ways for dinnair, as unusually enough, we couldn’t come to a decision as where to eat. SafeT and I filled up at Quiznos, then the lot of us (minus Steph, as she called it a day) returned to ZG’s, for several unbridled hours of Godzilla: Unleashed. I still can’t get entirely used to properly using those Wiichucks! This means I am old.
The end!
Random similar posts, for more timewasting:
'This is not your sawtooth wave' on November 7th, 2005
Be a Good Consumer on January 14th, 2007
December 13th, 2007 at 6.50 am
What is it with americans and shooting people. I mean us brits just spit on them and complain untill they resign! If all else fails we go into the counsel ourselves! Hyde x
December 13th, 2007 at 11.18 am
There was a Kids in the Hall sketch once, where Dave Foley played a tourist on a tropical island. He was having a conversation with a native boy (played by Scott Thompson); the boy asked the tourist what nationality he was, and the tourist replied ‘Canadian’. Upon seeing the boy’s quizzical look, he further explained, ‘It’s like being an American, only without the gun.’
I can’t honestly say why 85% of all Americans are constantly packing heat. Relatively speaking, this is a young nation, and unlike Europe, Asia, etc, it’s not fully worked out its violent tendencies. Not to say that other countries don’t have their share of bored and whooped-up aggressors — happy-slapping ASBOs, anyone? — but it seems the States has a surplus of arseholes with guns and a tendency towards macho posturing.
Granted, guns are fascinating… I’ve got about eight airsofts myself. But then, I’m into replicas. 🙂 And it’s not necessarily a case of everyone who owns real weaponry is a potential danger. However, it’s just that there’s a disproportionate number of people who do have real weaponry who don’t have the brains/self-control to handle it responsibly.
December 14th, 2007 at 6.18 am
Well, lara croft has guns, and she’s my idol! I guess its because most british people are obsessed with knives, i have about 12 myself, but i use them for cooking..:)
December 14th, 2007 at 10.54 am
O, right, ‘cooking’. Yeah, gotcha. *winks conspiratorially*
Well to be honest, my many references to the Liston knife are only due to its second-most famous wielder, Jack the Ripper, who, as you know, was a very famous Englishman from before your time. But why is it that the people of Great Britain prefer the cold embrace of steel?
And you can’t answer ‘guns for show, knives for a pro’.
December 14th, 2007 at 3.08 pm
Firstly because obtaining a gun lisence is quick tricky over here. There is no reason for an average person to have one, and they wouldn’t allow you too unless you were a member of a club or you needed it for perst control reasons. Pretty much rules them out. I’ve never actually seen a gun in the..um..metal, and I don’t think I know anyone who has. They just aren’t part of our culture, thankfully. I hate the ole’ “guns dont kill people…” slogan though, as Eddie Izzard rightfully points out, you’d have to have a dodgy ticker to die if someone stood beseide you saying ‘BOOM RATATATAT!’
We have our own scary thugs, but I’d much rather face off with a spotty teenage who’s shouting ‘give me your fucking fish and chips or I’ll nut ya’ that someone with a gun. Even armed with a knife they have to go in for close combat (or have wicked aim :P)
December 14th, 2007 at 6.44 pm
Unfortunatly, i was brought up in the world of hunting in the country. My extended family were very fond of shooting birds and eating them *shudders* so i have seen a gun. Knives have a clean cut also which is going to make more damage then a gunshot which easyer to… Fix. And you can go down your local high street and get a knife, easy 🙂
December 14th, 2007 at 7.05 pm
Four hours? You left after only four hours? Every time I go there someone says to me “Sir, we’re closing now”! Perhaps you ran. I suppose that with a photographic memory one could retain it all.
85% of the populus packing heat? C’mon, there’s only about 250,000 people with concealed carry permits in all of MI, and a smaller number than that of armed criminals.
Miss Hyde,
Recently some of the states here have turned things on their head, legaly speaking. Instead of having to prove that you need to carry a gun to get a permit, the government must prove you shouldn’t! The end result was, basicly nothing. No wild west shootouts, and crime generaly trending down. We also have a contributing factor to the problem that most places don’t. It’s called Hollywood. Do you remember a show called “Miami Vice”? It sparked the Assault Rifle craze. They became the ultimate fashion accessory for any self respecting gangster. What was once an item only found in the collections of a few afficianadoes became a national craze. 🙁 Watch enough American TV and Movies and it will become obvious why so many idiots look at the gun as the universal problem solver.
Yes, we’re armed to the teeth. And the vast majority of people will never fire a shot in anger or defence. Every time someone does something criminal with one here, it’s global news. If someone defends themselves with one legaly, no one ever hears about it.
December 14th, 2007 at 8.15 pm
Oh my god, the typos are out in force today. Please fix it in your head so that i come off as a dry, witty and aloofly cunning linguist (:P) rather than a cat walking across a keyboard.
Cheers.
xxx
December 16th, 2007 at 3.31 pm
… We have hollywood! Its called cardiff where dr who is shot *insert picture of smexy david tennant here* oddly enough our gangs tend to carry round sonic screwdrivers, odd that….
December 17th, 2007 at 2.14 am
Miss Hyde –
Yeah, but Cardiff ain’t New York, and a sonic screwdriver, as you’ll recall, doesn’t kill, doesn’t wound, and doesn’t maim, neither in our world and the fictional world…
I was led to believe that as regards shooting shows for telly, Cardiff’s more like Vancouver than Hollywood…
La ButtonJessie –
A cunning linguist, are we? 😉 Fix’d!
And stay away from ASBOs and chavs. It’s Sound Advice! You can always buy more fish and chips — you can’t buy another you.
Unless you’ve been cloned, and there’s a national fish and chips shortage.
Mahtek –
O, I know; four hours at the Henry Ford isn’t nearly enough time, especially when most of our group hadn’t seen the place in like a decade. We did make plans to return — hopefully in under ten years’ time…
Yeah, a national gun ownership ratio of 85% is a bit of an exaggeration. But then I believe Texas is taking up the slack. 🙂 The media does go out of its way to magnify any problem or supposed concern that this country has, though. There’s a coworker of mine that, every day, talks to her cubicle mate across the aisle, and as she reads the paper every day, I hear ‘Did you read/see that story in the news about *insert tragic tale here*’ every day. That’s partially why I don’t really keep up with the news, as a lot of the stories are bleak. But not all of them are, it’s just that people tend to focus of the bad ones, especially if they’re mid-to-high profile events, like the death of JFK.
Speaking of weapon trends, remember back in the Eighties with the passel of martial arts films on theatre screens everywhere, how every fourth kid either had a shuriken, or nunchakus, or a butterfly knife?
December 18th, 2007 at 8.51 pm
Ah yes, back in the day when all you had to do is watch a few movies and you were a Kung-Fu badass! I must have witnessed at least a dozen nitwits knock themselves out or loose a few teeth showing off with nunchucks! Each one a point and laugh moment! About 4 or 5 fools needed stitches from flipping their butterfly knife wrong. Darwin had a theory about that.