Random Picture Thread

I had to see that Ghostbusters scene where Dr. Venkman studies negative reinforcement on ESP ability with zener cards and electricity again . .

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Ye-ees - I take your point. I've never really seen Geller as anything other than an entertainer because I've never seen him on anything other than entertainment programmes. And a long time ago to be fair! He claims esp, but magicians claim magic. Perhaps that's all about helping us suspend our disbelief? We do that all the time when we are entertained watching a spooky film. From the little I know, I've never really considered Geller dangerous, like some of the other 'practitioners' previously mentioned.
Perhaps if someone markets themselves as an illusionist, that's more honest than claiming to be a magician. But is that as entertaining?
Where as Penn and Teller were a refreshing take on the scene, I can remember being particularly dissappointed in their truck trick - running over Teller with a truck with foam rubber wheels and a counterweight was just Hollywood special effects territory. So what is fair game in illusion? special effects? cgi? lying?

But, rather than the world of entertainment, I'm interested in this liminal and unclear area where there might be an unproven phenomenon, and our cultural/social/anthropological responses to it. I don't *believe* in anything 'supernatural' but I'm interested in our apparent desire/need for it.

Anyway, I'm probably getting into deep water for this thread.

 

Awesome vehicle, Jolly. I love the idea of mowing the train tracks!

 

Ru, Angel - excellent - thanks! I'd forgotten about that bit!

I shall immediately adopt Venkman's approach for my research at the University... )

 

random contraption. I think I shared these a loooong time ago:
Sails on Rails ; Sail trolleys & bogies http://www.copsewood.org/ng_rly/sailbogie/sailbogie.htm

 

here we go:

the parapsychology research unit at Edinburgh University appears to have a balanced and sensible approach:

Research overview https://koestlerunit.wordpress.com/research-overview/

 

Heh, well my memory isn't what it used to be.

 

I'll think it's exactly like you said in post #8166, the parapsychologist and near future chief ghostbuster Dr. Peter Venkman carefully picked the guy for negative reinforcement, even falsely, and also falsely spared the girl he was flirting with, something might have happened in that basement after the test . .

Random...​

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This Playmobil Toy Boat Has Been Sailing the High Seas for Almost a Year http://www.odditycentral.com/news/this-playmobil-toy-boat-has-been-sailing-the-high-seas-for-almost-a-year.html

 

Shot of the Shrimper tractor 50 seconds in:

 

Shots of the Shrimper from about 38 seconds in:

 

The Burgh Island sea tractor - an early tracked version:

 

A narrow squeak for the Burgh Island sea tractor:

 

I don't know if you've seen "South Park" , but someone on Reddit figured the blond kid might be "Butters". The kid on the left looks to be a little too serious. That must be a sister in the window propped open with a stick. We've got 10' ceilings (the old form of air conditioning) with 12 pane double hung windows like that and an adult's eyes are just below the center rails.

 

I gotta get me a hat like that, I'm tired of manual labor.
I think you have to separate drives to be able to turn corners, where the wheels have different distances to travel. The effect differentials on cars deal with. Then you have to have forward and reverse guys.
The main load is taken up by the big chain directly under the axle, the smaller one is probably a balancer, where the load is loaded slightly heavier on the front. I would think the stone "boat" is detachable, they would load it, drive the wagon over it, lift it up and deliver it and then go back and get another one. Probably a number of boats for the one tractor and a couple crews loading and unloading to keep the contraption busy doing it's thing.
It looks like removing one bolt per pad allows the pads to be removed from the wheels. The wheels all have regular iron rims, so if the pads aren't needed the thing could be driven around (easier ) without them. It looks to have some accommodations on the front where you could put a tongue and hook up horses to move it quicker either on site or from one site to another.
These old photos are always missing the colors and the clarity and the 3D depth of the actual scene, but they also are missing the sounds. That must have been interesting, the rythmic clunking and clanking, squeaks and squeals of the machine, plus all the other everyday sounds.