.Inventions New and Interesting
LAWN RAKE
This new fan-shaped rake has prongs of tempered, flexible steel that are rigid enough for raking and springy enough for sweeping. Grass is not torn up from the lawn and leaves do not clog the steel prongs.—Master Mfg. Co., 138 Davis Ave., Dayton, Ohio.
Tag "whats new"
I’m sure the RIAA might have had a bit of an issue with telling people it’s ok to tape albums and then return them, but I do love the idea of a non-profit record store with the goal of providing cheap music to the masses. File this under “things that work way better on the internet”.
The patent on the bottom of the first page is, I think, probably referring to Jack Kilby’s original patent for the manufacture of microprocessors, making it essentially the foundational patent of the modern computer industry.
I also think it’s kind of funny that they mention that Hugo Gernsback was inducted into the NEDSA hall of fame, just before going on to list who the winners of the 1974 Gernsback Scholarship for home-study electronics were. Incidentally there is another, slightly more prominent, set of awards named in his honor. The Hugo Awards.
.new & timely
Low-priced music for the masses supplied by “anti-profit” shop.
Because they “didn’t want to see a society without music,” four Washington women have opened what they call “an anti-profit enterprise” to sell phonograph records at phenomenally low prices, reports the Washington Post/Potomac.
Named “Bread and Roses” after a line in an old worker’s song, the new establishment markets records of African music, blues, folk and rock at about a 9 per cent markup.
.Science in Pictures
Plastic rowboat is made of glass mat and plastic resin. Unaffected by saltwater, it can be stored in any climate. It is nine feet long, weighs 80 lbs. and holds five persons.
Folding Car at right was designed for transportation to and from airports. Here, co-inventor Dick Jenner of Wichita, Kans., pulls it out of his plane’s baggage compartment.
.Science In Pictures
Rubber Fenders are the answer to the dent problem of motorists according to Inventor (and Doctor) Clauss B. Strauch, of Hazel Green, Wis. He says it’s no gag. The rubber fenders are inflated.
Elephant on Plastic at left demonstrates strength of a new building material made of paper and cotton impregnated with phenolic resin. The panel weighs only 30 pounds (one-fortieth as much as standard building materials) while the elephant weighs four tons.
Of course the Sony Soundabout was later renamed the Sony Walkman.
.What’s New IN ELECTRONICS
Hi-fi for joggers
You don’t have to jog when listening to stereo music from the Sony Soundabout cassette player—but you could. It’s small, lightweight, designed to go anywhere, and produces high-fidelity stereo through its specially built headphones. Price: $199.95.
.NEW MACHINES FOR OLD WORK
SAFETY TEA KETTLE
PRESSING the knob raises the lid. This frees one hand.STORES POWER FOR FARMERS
THE windmill raises gravel to develop power.MODERN EQUIPMENT FOR WHALING
LARGE steel tanks are rapidly replacing the old-time cask on board the modern whale-ship. It was necessary to cool the oil before filling the old style cask because the heated oil damaged them.
.NEW in SCIENCE
Uranium Test Kit designed to fit in your pocket, will make a positive identification in five minutes. Chemical bead is formed on wire, fused with crushed ore, then examined for lemon-yellow fluorescence under Ultra-Violet light. Menlo Lab., Menlo Park, Calif.
Dust Collector made from four tank-type vacuum cleaners measures soil erosion in conservation research at Kansas State College. The portable wind tunnel, rear, starts the dust flying. Samples are taken at four different heights in tunnel.
.NEW in SCIENCE
Navy’s Newest Copter is the Kaman HTK-1 eggbeater with two intermeshing rotors. It is easy to fly and exceptionally stable. Photo at upper left shows blower for engine cooling and servo-tab on rotor blade used for control in flight.
Land-Anywhere Plane is a Piper Cub exported to Rome, Italy where Count Giovanni Bonmartini attached his trick landing gear. It is a tank-track type which enables the plane to land on rough terrain. It fits any small plane.
.NEW PRODUCTS
1. Kwik-Sand unit tits drill presses, lathes, etc. Standard 5-inch abrasive disks can be clamped onto unit in a matter of seconds.
2. TV Duette replaces small, side mounted speaker, resulting in increased frequency range; can be used for other hi-fi units.
3. Portable hi-fi speaker enclosure, designed for outdoor use. Fiberglas insulated bass reflex compartment for 8 or 12-inch speakers.
5. Hardwood legs, in various lengths, for straight or flare mounting. Steel bracket screws into furniture, legs fasten to bracket.
.WHAT’S NEW
Advanced Personal Computer Has UNIX.
NEC Information Systems’ Advanced Personal Computer III is an IBM PC compatible offering UNIX functionality. The MS-DOS operating system and GW BASIC are standard, and the multitasking, single-user UNIX System III operating system is available with special memory-management hardware.
