I have a soft spot for graphic t-shirts with things from my youth: Ducktales, Beavis and Butt-Head, TMNT etc. My wife absolutely hates them

 

Bought these two vintage keys on a flea market!
I like antiques and also work with!

 

I had one of these when I was a Kid. In some ways it was more of a family thing and kept with the other games and puzzels.

When I was in college I attempted to replace the inside guts with LEDs as micro controllers were coming into popularity. I always regretted that as this was sort of a unique item. Every now and then I run across a small part from the old one in a drawer. (unless I look specifically for it.) Could be that I am remembering the last time I saw the part. Dissembling the toy was a regret.

I never really knew what it was called. I never saw another one till a couple of weeks ago in the background image of 1960s educational computer toys. I only remembered that I had a mechanical computer that read question cards. I learned that the toy was called a Think-A-Tron. An online search indicated that these come up for sale in online auctions fairly regularly. They sold new for under 10USD. Now they sell for twice or three times that.

I found one and it came this week. The main spring was jammed. There are websites that show the inner working. I was able to find that a retainer for the card was jamming the main wheel. I temporarily replaced the main spring with a rubber band.

The operation is quite simple. One winds the spring with the center crank. The card is notched and when inserted releases the main wheel with a flashlight bulb behind it. The patterns look like the traditional blinking lights. The inside is not unlike that of a clock striking or repeater watch mechanism.



It is interesting how ones appreciations change over time. Back in the 1970 I wanted to see it display more than the 5 letters. The questions on the cards are quite dated. It does get old quickly. So I can see why I wanted to "Improve it."

I was fascinated how groups of dots could create images. I was also fascinated with printing and typography.

Now I find I appreciate the nostalgia of it. When microcomputers were new. The idea of rows of blinking lights seemed old fashioned. The sleek CRT screens were the style. Computers offered a minimalist approach. Clean solutions to complex problems.

 

Not today, but recently bought a planter for the back deck, and we assembled it (with Remi's "help" of course)...



Better shot of it outside...



It has a built in water reservoir underneath, and there's a little float in the fill tube to let you know when it needs water. It also drains excess automatically when it rains a lot. My wife just ordered another one - hope to have these full of veggies in a month or so...

 

This planter is beautiful. May I ask the brand it is or where you purchased this?

 

Costco...made in Canada so not sure if it would be available in the US...

https://www.costco.ca/cedarcraft-elevated-cedar-planter-76.2-cm-(30-in.).product.100858154.html

 

Had a great day scouring charity shops in a nearby town and found myself another project

 

Splurged on a medium format camera lens!

 

I turned 50 on Tuesday. My father sometimes puts some money in my account, sometimes not. If he does it's usually enough for a beer or two. I appreciate the gesture, anyway this year he put quite a large chunk of change in my account.

I was thinking about what to spend it on. I don't want any watches in the price range of what he sent me but after a day or two I started looking at fountain pens and eventually decided on this one.

I could have just put the money into the travel kitty, but I think it is nice to buy something that marks both my 50th birthday, and the fact that it is essentially a gift from my dad.



It's a Caran D Arche Leman pen. I had to order it and have it shipped to a friend who will bring it back with him next weekend. I am looking forward to using it.

 

Oh my god, that's disgusting, why would somebody do something like that, I thought this was supposed to be a watch forum and you're posting these kinds of images, are there no moderators here? Must make you feel like a really powerful man.

 

If you're so offended by a nine year old post on a non-watch related thread in the Open Discussion forum you can simply click on the OPTIONS button and report the post to the moderators.

There's no need to slag me for posting photographs of feral animals that are decimating our native wildlife.

 

Ban.

Also, I bought a lovely jar of tomatoes and sherry vinegar this morning.

 

What do you use sherry vinegar for? Does it work on salads or is it better for cooking with?

 

Also, you should read the book “Some we love, some we hate, some we eat” by Hal Herzog if you haven’t already. There isn’t much logic to why humans adore cats and hate hyenas and are okay with eating chickens for example. I assume based on your comment that you are a vegetarian and don’t use animal products which is a very respectable position. But humans aren’t the only animals that kill for various reasons. It’s natural. It is indeed a watch forum but the discussion topics are pretty broad here.

 

It’s really nice and versatile. My favourite is to give roasted / grilled meat a drop or two. On fattier cuts especially (ribeyes, tri-tip) it is a fantastic way to cut the unctuousness.

 

I bought this rare surgical knife from Wilhelm Walb!
It is so sharp!

 

What is a knife like that for exactly?

 

I found this online.

 

Picked this up today from a friend who built it up from a 1:24 model kit (all white plastic) for me. It's an Australian GMH Holden Kingswood Tri-matic 1975. Built and painted with Painstaking detail to accuracy. The seats took hundreds of passes of paint so thin that the evaporation of the paint was a major issue but that was part of the exacting process to get a leather effect over the plastic. My photos are rubbish, but you get the idea. Btw this car was my first ever new car and I recall paying the princely sum of AUD2,850 on the road. In 1987 we bought two, one for myself and one for Mrs Blubarb, at a cost of $750 each. Nice easy to work on long red motors. Today they cost between AUD35k yob$80k - how times have changed.

My photos are pretty crappy but you get the idea. The interior is so much better than what the pics show. Tomorrow I will spend some time to improve on the photos.

 

First time I've peeked into this thread . . .

A quick looks indicates all manner of purchases contained within.

Not exactly "today," but close enough, I hope.

These are built to order and were ordered about two months ago, but came in last Thursday and I installed them over the past weekend. This weekend I will add the power strip and lighting.



A bit later later . . .





As it is today . . .



Nice fit and finish . . .



Moduline made in Brockton, Mass.

Cheers,

~ Joe