Friday, February 27, 2004

Jasper Maskelyne

Maskelyne was a stage magician in Britain in the 30s. Coming from a dynasty of magicians, during the war Maskelyne realised that his skills in misdirection and illusion- and the other five effects of magic (or was it 18? Or 3?)could be put to practical use in fooling and concealing equipment from the Germans. More than likely to become a bit more famous soon when he will be the focus of a biographic film, War Magician (2004), where he's being played by Tom Cruise.



Additional Not everyone thinks Jasper was as good as he did. This is a very good critique of the legend.

Friday, February 20, 2004

Jidohanbaiki

According to one of those links, Jido means automatic, hanbai means vending, and ki is machine. (Cigarette vending machine would be "tobacco no jido-hanbaiki"; one for beverages would be nomimono jido-hanbaiki). Japan has a vending machine for every 23 people, and they sell a huge variety of things...


Wednesday, February 11, 2004

White City

The Anglo-French exhibition was organised to commemorate the Entente Cordiale, of which 2004 is its centenary year. A New shopping centre, travel hub and key workers housing complex is to be built on the site of the old exhibition, now more commonly known as White City in Shepherds Bush. (Location Map, Proposed Layout)



History




Shopping Centre & Travel Exchange




Politic




Key Worker Provision


Sunday, February 01, 2004

Abandoned Tube Stations

There are stations, tunnels, entire networks of metro train systems worldwide that have been forgotten, lost beneath the streets. These are some sites that catalogue a few of them.



London




Paris




New York




Moscow




Northern Heights


A plan to extend the Northern line that was almost finished but then abandoned.




Other


These are not abandoned and have no real connection here except that they are about the tube and I wanted to link to them somehow.


 
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