LinkNotes: history

Showing posts with label history. Show all posts

2012-11-21

Brother's 'Last Typewriter' sent to Science Museum

The last U.K. typewriter has rolled off the production line - latimes.com

The last typewriter to be made in the U.K. has rolled off the production line -- and straight into London's Science Museum.

Brother has been making typewriters in the U.K. since 1985, the BBC reports, producing 5.9 million typewriters at its Wrexham factory. Since the advent of computers, demand has gone down. Way down.

[...]

The last typewriter will join 200 others in the Science Museum's collection. "This object represents the end of typewriter manufacture in the UK, a technology which has developed over the last 130 years and has been important to so many lives," said Rachel Boon, assistant curator of technologies and engineering. "This model will enable us to tell the story of how technology has evolved in accordance with our communication needs."

Source: The last U.K. typewriter has rolled off the production line - latimes.com

UK's 'last typewriter' produced - YouTube

Source: UK's 'last typewriter' produced - YouTube

LAST EVER British typewriter manufactured in Wales • The Register

The first commercially successful typewriter

Brother stopped making typewriters in Britain because demand had fallen so much in the country, but it still sells Asian-made machines to the US market.

From as early as 1714, inventors were tinkering about with various "writing machines" and patenting their efforts, but none of the early inventions got much interest. It wasn't until Remington, then a manufacturer of sewing machines, signed an agreement with a patent holder in the 1870s that the Sholes and Glidden Type-writer was born, coining the name and the QWERTY layout that would prove so popular.

Brother started manufacturing portable typewriters in the 1960s and produced its first electronic typewriters in 1985.

Source: LAST EVER British typewriter manufactured in Wales • The Register

Oh Brother! Last typewriter comes off production line at company's factory which made five million | Mail Online

The original: This machine dates back to July 1985 and was the first to be made at Brother's Wrexham factory

Made in Britain: Rachel Bloon from the Science Museum is handed the artefact by Craig McCubbin and Phil Jones from Brother UK

Source: Oh Brother! Last typewriter comes off production line at company's factory which made five million | Mail Online

Related

2011-09-15

Gladiator School Found Buried in Austria

Gladiator-school ruins unveiled in Austria - YouTube

A group of Austrian archaeologists have discovered the ruins of an ancient gladiator school east of the capital, Vienna.
Using radar technology, the archaeologists have produced a computer simulation showing what the school used to be in the third century.

Press Release | Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology

An international team of archaeologists, geophysicists and computer specialists from the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology (LBI-ArchPro) is using the latest non-invasive technology to reveal archaeological remains hidden beneath the soil in unprecedented detail. The team’s work attracted international attention last year after locating a new wooden henge only 900 m from the great stone circle at Stonehenge, and recent finds using ground penetrating radar includes burial mounds and settlements dating from the Viking Age in Norway and Sweden. Now, the interdisciplinary team has discovered a unique Roman building complex at Roman Carnuntum, 20 km east of Vienna in Austria and this will shed new light on how Roman gladiators lived and died in the provinces alongside the river Danube.

Archaeologists discover remains of a Roman gladiator school in Austria | Mail Online

Mock-up: A virtual video presentation shows the Roman gladiator school discovered by underground radar on the outskirts of Vienna

Rare find: The school, which contains sleeping cells, a bathing area, a training hall with heated floors and a cemetery, is the only one of its type to have been discovered outside Italy

A Once Lost Treasure Now unearthed Gladiator School detected In Austria - YouTube

Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology

The Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology is dedicated to the development of new techniques and methodological concepts for landscape archaeology.
It combines geophysics, computer science, geomatics and archaeology to develop efficient and universally applicable methods and techniques for the non-destructive detection, documentation, investigation, visualisation and integrative interpretation and spatial analysis of the cultural heritage of archaeological landscapes.

Related

2011-04-26

Monowheels Then and Now

Monowheel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A monowheel is a one-wheeled single-track vehicle similar to a unicycle. However, instead of sitting above the wheel, the rider sits either within it or next to it. The wheel is a ring, usually driven by smaller wheels pressing against its inner rim. Most are single-passenger vehicles, though multi-passenger models have been built.

Pedal-powered monowheels were built in the late 19th century; most built in the 20th century have been motorized. Some modern builders refer to these vehicles as monocycles, though that term is also sometimes used to describe motorized unicycles.

Today, monowheels are generally built and used for fun and entertainment purposes, though from the 1860s through to the 1930s, they were proposed for use as serious transportation.

Collected from: Monowheel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

YouTube - Evolution of Monowheels

Collected from: YouTube - Evolution of Monowheels

The First Monowheel?

This elegant monowheel cycle- the word "bicycle" seems somehow inappropriate, though there are certainly two wheels involved- dates back to 1869. It was built by Rousseau of Marseilles.

Collected from: Motorwheels monowheels

THE DYNOSPHERE: 1932
The Dynosphere (or Dynasphere, in some sources) was invented Dr J H Purves. It differed from the other monowheel designs in that it was wide enough to stand up by itself, without the need for continuous balancing. The outside of the wheel was part of the surface of a sphere.

In the picture below, the son of the inventor is at the controls, and apparently having some difficulties in steering; leaning this monowheel to one side is clearly not going to be easy. The Dynosphere was reported to have reached 30 mph on this run, powered by a 2.5 hp petrol engine. Since the wheel was said to have weighed 1000 pounds, I have some doubts about these figures.

Collected from: Monowheels: Page 3

YouTube - Dr. Purves's "Dynasphere" Monowheel, c. 1932

Collected from: YouTube - Dr. Purves's "Dynasphere" Monowheel, c. 1932

The Cover of "La Science et la Vie" N°69 - Mar 1923

While it is unconfirmed, this cover painting is probably of the Cislaghi machine, given the date of 1923. The top picture in this section is from a much later issue of "La Science et la Vie"- they were recycling their old material, no doubt.

The table of contents describes it as "Un curieux monocycle automobile".

Collected from: Monowheels: Page 2

Welcome to Kerry McLean’s Machines | Inventor of the McLean Monocycle | Contact Us Today About Customizing Your Toy!

Kerry McLean is probably best known for his one wheel monocycle, the McLean Wheel and the Rocket Roadster. In 2001, Kerry was fortunate to have survived a horrific crash with his V8 monocycle when on its virgin test run it began to wobble out of control and flipped through the air slamming Kerry into the pavement. Afterwards, Kerry determined the cause of the crash, made numerous design changes and completely rebuilt the machine. Today, Kerry continues to make improvements to the monocycle and he enjoys inventing and building other very cool things.

Collected from: Welcome to Kerry McLean’s Machines | Inventor of the McLean Monocycle | Contact Us Today About Customizing Your Toy!

YouTube - Kerry McLean & His Monocycle

Collected from: YouTube - Kerry McLean & His Monocycle

Ben Wilson Design

Ben Wilson is a 3D Industrial designer working with mass produced products and one off hand made commissions. His work has been extensively published and exhibited worldwide.

[...] Over the years the myth of the monowheel has become an equal fascination. Since the 1860's many patents have been filed in the monowheel's name and today there are even rumors of a production monowheel in China, but as it stands there is nothing currently available. As we can't buy a monowheel we made one,The attraction of this project is venturing into the unknown. [...]

Collected from: Ben Wilson Design

Collected from: WheelSurf

monovelo - Home

Welcome to monovelo.com
We are happy that we can offer the newest and first human powered Monowheel.
It was used at the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympia 2008.