Author: Robert Kimberly

Four Atlanta Thanks and a Question

Thank you to …

1) … our new apartment for the free architectural drawing of the Golden Gate Bridge that looks quite nice on the wall,
2) … our neighbor who has an unsecured wireless internet connection and lets us use it while waiting for Comcast to bless us with their presence,
3) … our new building, for now making us neighbors with the owner of Jake’s Ice Creams & Sorbets. I love ice cream!
4) … and the streets of Atlanta for providing me with some free lumber (“Free” is what the sign said) for a corner computer desk.

Now, the Question…

…what advice would you have for someone renting an apartment that has an angled floor? Our whole building has settled and our place is affected. The floor slopes noticeably and affects the desk the most. What common/cheap solutions are there to be found?

I know I can’t be the only one here in town (or many other places) that has this problem.

I Love the Future That Never Was: Transport Lust


I love retro. Chrome, curves, color. Love it! So inventor Paul Lewis’ “Fascination” makes me so very happy. If it towed an Airstream, it would be heaven on wheels.


I think an Aermacchi Chimera matches quite nicely. For more motorcycles (from the Guggenheim Exhibition) and other pix, check out my Flickr page.

So Very Green And Wet: Atlanta, First Night

Atlanta’s main gift to us was waiting until the truck was mostly unpacked to pound the city with a downpour.

We took this as a sign to get dinner. As we drove to Mali, we learned how locals drive in the rain (mostly slow with a 15% chance of freaking dangerous), noticed 2 traffic lights on Ponce no longer working, and passed a dedicated jogger who couldn’t have been more wet had he been underwater.

Mali continued to impress. A fine Thai meal helped restore us to tackle the remaining stuff in the truck. The rain had stopped, there was still light in the sky. Before getting home there was some police excitement. One of the city’s finest was having no luck pulling over two motorcyclists, with one cutting through a parking lot going west on Ponce, and the other doing a 360 before cutting north across Ponce and disappearing into the neighborhood. Angry cops blew across the intersection but I’m betting no dice.

Biker Boyz 1, Cops 0

Moving, Can't Blog


Kinderlust!
Originally uploaded by MisterEric.

Me and the Mrs. have been packing our Vegas digs. I’m hoping to post about the last First Friday I attended.

In lieu of a real article, I leave you with Unfortunate Childrens Books. This collection of sad books proves that not all reading is fundamental.

When You Read the Weekly, The Terrorists Win


Atlanta, the enemies of freedom love when you read Creative Loafing, instead of working hard at your crappy job.

****************************************************

535130
The enemy laughs when you loaf. Stay on the job. Don’t slow up the ship!, ca. 1942 – ca. 1943
Office for Emergency Management. War Production Board. (01/1942 – 11/03/1945)
Photographs and other Graphic Materials
Item from Record Group 179: Records of the War Production Board, 1918 – 1947
Still Picture Records LICON, Special Media Archives Services Division (NWCS-S), National Archives at College Park, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park
MD 20740-6001
PHONE: 301-837-3530
FAX: 301-837-3621
EMAIL: stillpix@nara.gov
ca. 1942 – ca. 1943
Series: War Production Board, 1942 – 1943

The Best Photographs the Federal Government has to Offer – 2

Even though I am no mechanic, at one time I used to work with motorcycles every day. Not to fix them, but put them on display. The New York City-based Guggenheim Museum opened two satellite museums here in Vegas. It was all very daring, an oasis of culture where none existed before, or so the many people believed.

The first show in the large gallery was The Art of the Motorcycle. This was an amazing collection of privately owned motorcycles, art and innovation on wheels. I was on the crew that uncrated, cleaned, and placed the bikes on display. It was during this time that I met many of the art installer/artist friends that I have here in Vegas. Unfortunately, hubris towards attracting locals, low tourist attendance due to post 9-11 travel worries, and a lack of interest in general doomed the expensive venture, and it closed a year and a half later. Sometime in the near future I will post pictures of that exhibition.

In the meantime enjoy this picture, from the Library of Congress’ American Memory website. If my dad and his friends rode motorcycles instead of going golfing, this is what I could see them doing. The online collections have loads of great images, audio files, and movies. There is the option of purchasing the images in the collection. To find this image and its page, go to the American Memories site, and search for “DN-0089272”, the number noted at the bottom of this entry.

This picture makes me want to start a band so I can make this the cover art.

*********************************

CREATED/PUBLISHED
1929.

SUMMARY
Image of a policeman riding a motorcycle performing a jump on the field at Soldier Field, located at 1600 South Lake Shore Drive in the Near South Side community area of Chicago, Illinois, during practice for a police meet. Policemen are sitting on motorcycles on both sides of the policeman.

NOTES
This photonegative taken by a Chicago Daily News photographer may have been published in the newspaper.

Cite as: DN-0089272, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago Historical Society.

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Neon Poisoning: The Best Photographs the Federal Government has to Offer – 1

Hi-Tech Done Old-School

I like old things. Art deco, mid-century mod, sweet rides. So when I saw Mister Jalopy’s vintage-radio-console/digital media center (MegaGiant Wood Ipod Eliminates Mugging Threat!) I saw a man after my own heart. To eliminate the shiny white iPod, a real wood iPod by ZapWizard would finish off the project beautifully.

I’ve had visions of the same concept. My dream system would be housed in a Zenith Stratosphere (Model 1000Z, 1935-1938) with a touch screen replacing the large radio dial. The whole thing would be powered by an Apple of some sort. The image of the Stratosphere radio to the right is from Old Radio Zone.

The best execution of the retro/modern electronic idea are the lovely cable-ready reproductions from Telstar, The Official Predicta Television Company (see the bottom image). They offer both floor and table versions of these great TVs. While the original Philco Predicta models are occasionally available, the new ones from Telstar have color-tubes, remote controls, and are built from scratch.

For the full history of the Philco Predicta (or the even more striking West German Kuba Kornet) go to The MZTV Museum of Television site’s 3-D Interactive Gallery.

The Cycle of Life: Or Something to That Effect

In two bits of irony, on Friday:

A) at 12 noon I got a frantic phone call, the Las Vegas Art Museum needed help finishing the installation of a show opening at 6:30 pm because their head art installer went to the hospital. What little that needed to be finished was done in time and they all seemed happy.

Why ironic? Because I got hired by the LVAM as the head art installer in 2001 when I got a similar panic-stricken call. But that time the then-newly hired director fired the same guy that fell ill on Friday. What kind of director fires their only main guy in the middle of an extremely brief turnaround? But it got me a job until I left for the Guggenheim Las Vegas. Which closed a year and a half after it opened, and now got turned into this.

B) Same day I met Diana from Global Art Transport (Vegas based? Maybe.)

Why ironic? Hers is the kind of company I wished I could have worked for instead of the non-art related job that I had for the last 2 years.

My wife commented on the irony, told me to get over it and keep packing! Whoophah!

Bouncy Balls: They've got the Bounciest Balls of Them All


more bouncy balls
Originally uploaded by sem.

I have a love of foolish ideas well executed. This was seen in some street in San Francisco, a huge collection of superballs dumped from a high distance. Originally found on Boing Boing

See SF Superball Swarm and Other San Francisco Stories at Gridskipper for more details.