Category:
Technology

Mystery Gadget 68



What is this hook used for?

The answer is here.

And after the jump.



More in extended >>

Posted By: Paul - Sat Nov 17, 2018 - Comments (2)
Category: Technology, 1930s

The television set that shattered things

Back in 1960, Brian Eppley of Gaffney, South Carolina became convinced that "frequency waves emitting from his television receiver" were causing objects around his house to shatter.

The broken objects included: a vase, serving tray, ash tray, sea shell, and a glass of milk held by his wife.

Eppley also complained that watching the TV would cause him to get a headache because of the "pressure, beyond the area of hearing, from these waves."

Could the Eppley's TV set be an example of resistentialism? (See Paul give a talk about resistentialism in this post from 2013).

The Greenville News - May 15, 1960

Posted By: Alex - Tue Nov 13, 2018 - Comments (2)
Category: Technology, 1960s

Expando-Vision

Introduced in 1983 by Stimutech. It was a device that could flash subliminal messages on your TV screen as you watched TV. The maker emphasized the ways this could be put to use for self-help (weight-loss, stop smoking, stop drinking, etc.). But they did sell a "Sexual Invitation" program that surreptitiously flashed messages of seduction: "Sex is OK, Let us make love, I am OK, We share sexually, Let us kiss, Let us caress, Let us be naked, We explore bodies, Let us be together.”



John Dvorak, InfoWorld - Dec 26, 1983



Lansing State Journal - Dec 4, 1983

Posted By: Alex - Fri Oct 19, 2018 - Comments (2)
Category: Innuendo, Double Entendres, Symbolism, Nudge-Nudge-Wink-Wink and Subliminal Messages, Technology, Psychology, 1980s

Smalt

It was intended to be a hi-tech salt shaker that could play music, had mood lights, and could sync with Amazon’s Alexa, while also dispensing salt in measured amounts. Plus it would track your salt intake. Its creators were looking for $25,000 in crowdfunding to start production, but only raised $9426.

More info: indiegogo



Posted By: Alex - Tue Oct 16, 2018 - Comments (5)
Category: Inventions, Technology

Compliment Mirror

A new, weird invention from Japan. A mirror that compliments you. More info from JapanTrends.com:

The mirror, apparently only available as a prototype right now, has a sexy male voice that will compliment and chat with the woman looking into the mirror. Incorporating a monitor display, camera, and speaker, the device can scan and read the emotions of the user from her face, changing the way it interacts accordingly.

This reminds me of the Digital Wife I posted about recently. Seems like another device aimed at the large number of Japanese people who seem to live alone.

The company website



Posted By: Alex - Fri Oct 12, 2018 - Comments (2)
Category: Inventions, Technology, AI, Robots and Other Automatons, Love & Romance

Miss Printer’s Devil 1953





Miss Printer's Devil. Joanne Sullivan, Harbor Jr. College's 'Miss Printer's Devil' will reign over College's First Annual Printer's banquet and ball tonight (Friday). She is shown puzzling out words in galley in school's print shop. Joanne Sullivan (see above) is being shown how to press keys of Linotype by Ronnie Wilson, 18, printer major, who is studying to be a print shop teacher. Linotype requires exact touch to prevent pie (?) of type fonts."


Source.

Posted By: Paul - Thu Oct 04, 2018 - Comments (5)
Category: Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Contests, Races and Other Competitions, Newspapers, Technology, 1950s

Mystery Gadget 66



What's it for?

The answer is here.

Or after the jump.

More in extended >>

Posted By: Paul - Fri Sep 28, 2018 - Comments (4)
Category: Technology

Mystery Gadget 65



What's this machine do?

The answer is here.

And after the jump.

More in extended >>

Posted By: Paul - Thu Sep 20, 2018 - Comments (5)
Category: Technology, 1910s

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Who We Are
Alex Boese
Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes.

Paul Di Filippo
Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1.

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