Wow.
Apr 272023
Apr 262023
Both the phone and the typewriter arrived today. The phone, as can be seen, seems to fit just about perfectly, indicating that the Samsonite briefcase is the correct one (though a number of virtually trivial details are different). The phone has a cord that seems to be pretty permanently attached, but I am loathe to just lop it off. My goal is to keep all the vintage bits as intact as possible, so I’ll either disassemble the phone or go straight to making a silicone mold of it and casting it in fiberglass. I hope to remove only a few keys from the typewriter, assuming I can figure out how to remove them without damaging them, then mold/cast resin copies. Other than a cracked frame the typewriter seems intact and functional. And while there is about zero chance I’ll ever use a typewriter again… I cringe at the idea of wrecking such a nifty bit of functional analog mechanical genius.
The phone and the keys are the wrong color, so casting copies seems to be the correct way to go in any event. This would also open the door for a very limited run “kit” for those vanishingly few who want this. I plan on making the parts out of a combination of cast resin and fiberglass; hand laid up fiberglass cloth components would be strong, light and *hollow,* allowing those with a mind to to install electronics. A functioning keyboard and monitor would be spectacular, though a functional fiberglass phone seems maybe a bit dubious.
Note the obligatory feline photobomb.
Apr 252023
The riverfront in Davenport, Iowa, has moved a little inboard.
Apr 252023
The first artifact has arrived, a Samsonite briefcase. I am *largely* certain that this is the correct case; there are certainly a largish number of them readily available on Ebay. There are some minor differences between this one and the prop, most of the differences explainable as modifications: the key locks have been removed and replaced with featureless aluminum disks/cylinders; the tabs on the prop have concave ends rather than just squared-off ends. There is a small placard affixed to the middle of the briefcase… I can see “Honeywell,” then something that might be numbers, and then “EXECUTIVE.” The interior lining needs to be removed and the whole thing cleaned, the metal polished and the metal base that the handle is fixed to painted black.
And, of course, the current residents evicted. This took about five seconds; it is a box, after all.
I will wait a little bit before launching into a full preparation. The intercom/phone should be the next item to arrive, and if it fits in this case as it should, then I’ll be off to the races. If it doesn’t… well, I’ll need to rethink the case, I guess. Pretty confident, though.
Apr 242023
Pretty sure I got this component nailed:
This appears to be a “Pyramid” compact tripod. There are a bunch of ’em on ebay in the United Kingdom, largely for reasonable prices; but international shipping is anything but reasonable these days. Fortunately I found a vaguely reasonably priced tripod in the US that, while not called out as a “Pyramid,” appears to be exactly the same thing:
Features to note, common to the prop and to the “Pyramid”:
1) black shafts
2) silver caps on either end
3) Black elliptical rubber “feet”
4) Rounded ends on bottom caps with knurling
5) Slightly enlarged diameters at the tops of the upper caps
The prop tripod seems to be either missing the top camera-platform, or it’s folded down out of view.
Once again, I’d *swear* that somewhere along the line I saw a photo of the prop with the camera removed and set up on the tripod. Anybody have any pointers to that…
Apr 242023
I don’t know how many times I’ve seen this, but I never fail to be impressed with the delivery. Steven Spielberg, director of “Jaws,” gave Robert Shaw permission to write this monologue about the sinking of the USS Indianapolis (after the great John Milius had a crack at it). Shaw then delivered it, reportedly, drunk. And it’s one of the most amazing bits of understated acting in film history. One of the details I’ve always liked is how Hooper goes from jovial to “Oh Crap” in one breath when Quint says that his removed tattoo is of the USS Indianapolis.
I’m a bit disturbed that so many of these reactors are unaware of the story of the Indianapolis. But given how ignorant so many people are about so many things anymore, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.
“Jaws” is still eminently watchable, one of the great films of all time.
Apr 242023
110 years in prison for selling flat pieces of metal.
Apr 242023
On the left of the briefcase computer are numeral keys. These seem to have come from a Remington Rand Printing Calculator or something similar; that was 1957 vintage, so likely starting to become broken and obsolete by the time the prop department was looking for stuff to strip. Unfortunately these items are rare and expensive. Fortunately, very similar keys seem to have been used later on a series of Remington adding machines, which are much more numerous and much cheaper. the keys themselves look about the same, but the fonts used are different… compare the “8’s”.
I’ve not found the keys with the mathematical functions. Those looks structurally identical to the keys from the Super Riter typewriter, so they’re doubtless also a Remington product. However, for a prop reproduction cast copies with appropriate symbols printed on them would seem perfectly acceptable.
Above the numbers are six low buttons. Not quite sure what these are… might be push buttons, might be indicator lights.
Apr 222023
Thanks to commenter “Mr_Hiena: ” the phone component of the “laptop” appears to be a Bogen TQ12a intercom:
Fortunately there were (“were“) two of these on eBay. The two were identical to each other, but *not* to the unit shown above; the unit above, and the one in the “laptop,” have little tabs on the handset rest (which is also taller in the prop unit) that aren’t on the ebay units. This difference could be fixed easily enough, along with changing the color. However, they otherwise seem essentially the same, including the hatchwork on the back of the handset.
One component down…
Apr 202023
The script writers are doubtless already hard at work. or at least, busy feeding news reports into chatbots to do the work for them…
Massive gold heist at Pearson International Airport investigated by Mounties
A news report Thursday said that 3,600 pounds of gold — worth more than $100M — being moved through the airport had been stolen
Nearly two fricken tons of gold just… walked off.
Yeah, movie time.