The Yarn Spinner

  Chanel No. 5                                                                                                            Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel was born on August 19, 1883, in Saumur, France. Her father abandoned her after her mother died and Coco was   raised in an orphanage where she acquired a skill that ultimately promoted her to fashion fame: she could sew.   By the time Coco was 27, she had opened a shop in Paris selling clothing   of her own design that was   simple and elegant, in sharp contrast to the fashions of the time which were very petite and romantic, with bright and dove colors as purple, pink, and peach and a lot...

  Paul Fisher’s Space Pens                                                                 NASA spent millions of dollars developing an 'astronaut pen' that would work in outer space, while the Soviets fixed the problem easily using  Карандаши ( pencils).   Is this true? Certainly, if you are like the woman in the 2012 State Farm   television commercial who claimed everything on the Internet is true just before her Internet date with a “French Model” comes on scene.   No, this is not true, but every falsehood seems to contain a touch of truth.   Both U.S. astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts initially used pencils on space flights, but pencils were not ideal; something better was needed. And when a solution   to the problem of providing astronauts with a ballpoint pen that would wor...

  The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly   Now here Hollywood got it right. It’s a scene from the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. A one-armed bounty hunter (Al Mulock) thinks he has a bubble-bathing Tuco (Eli Wallach) right where he wants him, with his pants down – actually off.   Tuco shoots and kills his adversary with a hidden pistol. Bath scenes were rightfully rare in Westerns because   bathing in the Old West was as well. Pioneers and cowboys initially   held a peculiar notion that washing often   would harm their health. They feared that frequent bathing would leave their pores vulnerable, becoming breeding grounds for bacteria and disease. And simply put, it was a hassle - a real pain in the _ss   - to haul buckets of water into the house, heat them up, and fill a tub. Then you had to empty it. Besides, there was no way to buy a real tub until Sears, Roebuck & Co. began publishing mail-order catalogs in 1894. In 1895. A Sears catalog tub cost...

  Industrial Ecology “If it doesn’t add value, it’s a waste.” Henry Ford   I watched as a mechanic (Mike) worked on the car; it was not mine although I wished it was. He was one of only two auto technicians certified to service the vehicle at this Ford dealership. Was I yearning to conquer the streets and track with a 2025 Mustang GTD with a supercharged 5,2 L V-8 power plant? No.   (I am more a ’57 Chevy Bel Air guy) The car I was admiring was a well-cared-for and somewhat older   Ford model – about 100 years older in fact - a 1925 Ford Model T. “You know the Model T engines were shipped to the assembly plant in a wooden crate,” Mike explained. “….and there was just enough wood from the crate to make the floorboards.” ( More knowledge for Trivia Night.) This practice was part of Henry Ford’s   effort to improve efficiency and reduce waste in his manufacturing process. The Model T, produced from 1908 to 1927, was notable for its affordability, durability, an...

  The Nodding Donkeys of Sherwood Forest                                                                                                  You find yourself encircled by towering trees that form a cathedral’s canopy overhead, filtering sunlight and eclipsing shadows on the moss-covered rocks and fallen logs. Easily missed by the unfamiliar eye   are the smaller ones -   trees that grow no more than the height of   a long bow with   dappled grey trunks, straggly branches and clusters of ovate grey-green leaves. It is the legendary hideout of the fabled outlaw Robin Hood. It is Sherwood Forest - the royal hunting ground for kings and nobles. The winding trails invite you to ...