Revolving Doors

The revolving door is an amazing invention. Think about it: what's better than a door that's never really open?

Apparently, the first revolving door was invented in Germany in 1881 by a man named Bockhacker - ten years after the unification of Germany (Question: could Germany's unification have played a part in the development of the revolving door? No! Not even a little bit, dumb-ass!). Bockhacker ended up calling his invention "Tür ohne Luftzug" or "Door without draft of air" (Wikipedia), a very descriptive name. Legend has it that Bockacker was originally going to call his revolving door "The Uber-Sexy Entry Experience" but was talked out of it by both his mother Chlodwig and his aunt Engelbertha.

Anyhow, there should be more revolving doors. Obviously, they are energy efficient - they can save both heat and cold air. Drawbacks? It's difficult to get a large amount of people quickly through revolving doors (Look up the fire at the Cocoanut Grove in Boston for proof). I've tried many times, and the results have been disastrous - including several fatalities. I have usually done pretty well when using revolving doors. I walk proudly through them, knowing I have saved energy by avoiding those lame doors that still use handles. Sometimes, though, I have entered a revolving door only to find that someone has come up behind me and walked into the same revolving door section. This, obviously, is extremely frustrating. When two people are in the same section of a normally sized revolving door it becomes rather difficult to move. I have always wondered what would possess an individual to assert themselves like that and encroach on another individual's revolving door personal space. I'm sure others have had the same thing happen to them, or can at least imagine what it would be like to have two people in the same revolving door section. It is terrible. The person who used the revolving door properly is unfairly punished by the transgressor behind them. They step on the back of your feet and sometimes rub up against you. An injustice followed by more injustices.



Here is what an image search for revolving doors produced:

The common revolving door:


Some kind of revolving door patent:


A revolving door diagram (my favorite, but really confusing! I don't get it!):


A revolving door band:


And, of course, revolving door cats:


Check out this "clever" and "amusing" youtube clip!

Historical Figures

This is a picture of a cemetery at night. It has nothing to do with the rest of this post. Well, not really.

There are a lot of companies that like to use the names of famous historical figures in order to sell their products.

Examples:

1. Ethan Allen (Furniture)
2. Sam(uel) Adams (Beer)
3. Ben Franklin (Bank)
4. John Hancock (Insurance)

I'm sure there are many more that I cannot think of right now.

I wonder what these historical folks would think if they saw their names being used to sell furniture, beer, savings accounts, or insurance.

I guess using historical names for business just doesn't sit well with me.

And nor should it with you...

Rush'N Attack

I remember I used to play this game called Rush'N Attack. In this game, player one's character is some kind of commando who is dressed completely in blue and wears a fashionable beret (player two wears a red ensemble with a red beret). The commando has inexplicably entered the Soviet Union and must kill a large amount of Soviets by running up to them and stabbing them in the stomach. Once these Soviet soldiers die, they mysteriously evaporate. If I remember correctly, the commando possesses the ability to actually jump completely over a Soviet soldier's head (if need be).

I never really progressed very far in this game. I think I usually died while trying to avoid land mines in level two. Level two is particularly difficult because it also involves a barbed wire (a Pamela Anderson movie)fence and Soviets who shoot down at you from guard towers. At the time, I was too young to realize that I was being indoctrinated with hate for the Soviets. Anyhow, this game reminds me of that terrible movie "Red Dawn," starring Patrick Swayze and other 80s phenoms. I will never forget the first scene of "Red Dawn" when Cuban communists land in a field beside a Colorado (I think it's Colorado) high school. The communists proceed to bust into the high school and kill the history teacher and other innocent victims.

I think the idea of "Red Dawn" was that too many Americans were too soft on Communism and the movie would serve as a hypothetical wake up call. The producers must have felt that if Americans didn't take direct military action and kill Communists (the only possible solution to anything), then they would come here, invade our schools, kill our history teachers (maybe some home economics teachers too), and force teenagers to hide up in the mountains.

Mr. Boogedy

Mr. Boogedy Part II, or whatever the actual name of the sequel may be, is actually a good movie. I remember watching it as a kid when I stayed home sick from school. Man, that was one of the best days of my life. I should have stayed home sick from school more often.

Anyhow, I can see myself then - eating cherry jello on the couch while my mother talks on the phone with my gossipy aunt...

Missile Command

Look at that high score!

Scarecrow

I saw this evil scarecrow one day and, subsequently, photographed it.

Over-shot? Perhaps.