Saturday, December 13, 2014

Can women in tight skirts vote?

Photo: Glamourdaze.com
  The Bangor Daily Commercial on Nov. 9, 1914 stated; Resolved, Women are not fitted to vote while they adopt the present style of dress. 
  Much was said in the few years leading up to suffrage for women and the right to vote.  Here in this part of Maine the Grange was very politically active and along with the Democrat Party vowed not to let women leave the house and vote.
  There were women's groups on both sides of the issue - all active in either allowing women to vote or not.  It would be 1918 before women had that right.
  Read more, it's entertaining: http://bangordailynews.com/2014/12/07/living/should-women-in-tight-skirts-be-allowed-to-vote/

Friday, December 12, 2014

Laser guns!

A Laser weapon waiting to be loaded on to a ship
Photo: U S Navy
  The United States Navy has been looking for a way to protect ships, expensive ships, against much less expensive anti-ship missiles.  They have found an answer - the laser.
  Successfully tested a number of times at land bases and about ship the weapon is now on active duty.  One has been installed on the USS Ponce and is on patrol in the Persian Gulf.
  Read more:  http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/us-navy-laser-weapon-performing-beyond-expectations-official/ar-BBgCZxF
  Here are the results of one test.  A remotely controlled airplane is shot down by a laser:
Photo: U S Navy

Thursday, December 11, 2014

The little lost sheep was warm

Gage waiting to go home
Photo: UPI.com
  It's cold wandering around Omaha at night, but Gage, the lost sheep, had a sweater on.  It is the Season after all and Gage is well dressed.
  It seems Gage got out of his own yard and wandered around for a while.  The sheep was seen by a friend of his owner.
  His owner often dresses Gage in festive attire.
A verse from the Wiffenpoof Song
Photo: www.the-lambs.org
 

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Dodge Model 30

Model 30 made from 1914 to 1920
Photo: www.autonet.ca
  In the early years the Dodge brothers made engines and other parts and supplied the growing automobile industry.  Ford and Oldsmobile bought some of their parts.
  Horace Dodge had the idea that the Dodge brothers could compete in the "whole auto" industry and the Model 30 was introduced, it sold 500,000 units in the six year run.  It was one of the most popular cars of the day.
  For some reason they are now hard to find but Ford's Model T is more plentiful.  Of course many more Fords were built.
  Read more: http://www.autonet.ca/en/2011/08/12/time-machines--30-dodge-en
The radiator cap "hood ornament".
Photo: www.autonet.ca

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Happy Birthday Admiral

RADM Grace Hopper
Photo: www.wikipedia.com
 In 1944 Grace helped build the Harvard Mark One the first computer of the modern age.  She taught the computer to talk too.  Before her success with computer language the machines only understood math formulas we needed them to understand other directions.  She invented COBOL (helped invent) the first time computers could be used in business.
 Later when the Mark Two stopped running Grace found a dead moth that had shorted a circuit.  We now use the word "bug" when something is wrong with a computer, and we de-bug it.
 Admiral Grace Hopper would be 108 today!  Happy Birthday.  She is, as you know, one of my heroes.

Working with UNIVAC in 1960
that's just the keyboard part!
Photo: www.wikipedia.com

Monday, December 8, 2014

Out there somewhere

Acadia National Park Loop Road
a two minute time exposure. - click
Photo: Robert F Bukaty, Bangor Daily News
  Yesterday was a day that nothing got done, by me that is.  Nothing.  I went to coffee and did a couple of small errands.  Then...nothing.  I have no idea where the time went, but it's gone.
  I did buy a new electric razor, it works well and feels good, but the jury's still out.  I needed something that didn't disturb the skin patches that are affected by the Lichen planus.  That stuff is progressing now on my forehead and the back of my neck.  The medicine is working on the stuff in my mouth but doesn't phase the skin stuff.
  I hope your day was productive.  It was a Sunday and the Celtics played good basketball and won, that was fun to watch.
  There is an edit to yesterdays post about the age of the gent when he started walking in 1898 (86).  He finished at age 98.

Sunday, December 7, 2014

A long, long walk at 98 years old

Cross country.  Two times!
Graphic: www.sfgate.com
  Frank Schrom, in search of his daughters, walked from New Orleans, Louisiana to San Francisco, California and back to Mobile, Alabama.  He completed to New Orleans to San Francisco trek on December 4, 1910.
  It's just unbelievable!  But it's recorded in the New York Times in the December 6, 1910 issue.
Read: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9F00EFDD1638E333A25756C0A9649D946196D6CF

Just WOW!

It should be noted that he began walking in 1898 at 86 years old and finished in 1910 at 98.