For over 50 years, the Do Nothing Machine has entertained the public eye with its complex machinery, a mountain of over 700
gears put together for the express purpose of doing nothing.
Your automobile's differential is easily one of its most important components. This becomes crystal clear to anyone that has ever had to pony up to replace one. The differential, that mathy-driven, mechanically complex system
that keeps axles and pinions running smoothly was invented by a watchmaker - for a watch.
For centuries, Switzerland has been considered home to the greatest watchmakers in the world. Works of fine beauty and optimal precision have been the norm there seemingly forever.
Outside of our industry, there's a whole slew of hobbyists working with gears to make clocks, art pieces, watches and all manner of bizarrely shaped gears (you know, all the people that usually end
up featured right here in our Addendum section).
It's hard for me to think of a
massive Christmas exhibit as
being the fifth largest tourist
attraction in the entire country.
I mean, sure, it's still a tradition to show
up at the local Macy's to check out the
Christmas decorations, but for my generation,
the idea that a Christmas exhibit
could draw out 1.5 million visitors, more
tourists than either Yellowstone Park or the
Statue of Liberty received, is stunning. But
at the height of its popularity, that's exactly
what the Ford Rotunda was.
Having read about an automobile race in France, Kohlsaat
decided he'd host America's first auto race in Chicago. The year
was 1895 and automobiles were still a great curiosity. Kohlsaat,
owner/publisher of the Chicago Times Herald, planned to exploit
the growing interest in motoring by sponsoring a 54-mile race
from downtown Chicago to nearby suburb Evanston, Illinois,
and back. The match was open to all comers, foreign or domestic,
whether powered by gas, electricity, or steam. The top prize:
$2,000 (that's 50,000 2016 dollars).
We've been in the business of making things small and portable for a long time. But when it comes to shrinking things down, a team of scientists from Germany, Italy and Spain led by Roberto Di Leonardo decided to go big.
According to his official biography, Martin Molin specializes in vibraphone and music box as the ringleader of the band Wintergatan (Swedish for
The Milky Way).