Big Boys’ Toys
Danny McAskill’s videos just get better and better. Sadly, this one doesn’t want to embed properly, so you’ll have to go to the Red Bull page for it.
Monthly archives: June 2013
Tepee
Tepee, originally uploaded by spinneyhead.
They’re putting up the pointy tent for this year’s Manchester International
Festival.
Follow The Flock
Follow The Flock, originally uploaded by spinneyhead.
Junction of Oxford Street and Portland Street.
Daily Blog 06/16/2013
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Saro Cloud – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Saro Cloud was a British passenger amphibian flying boat designed and built by Saunders-Roe as the A.19 and later produced as the A.29[1] for the Royal Air Force for pilot and navigator training.
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Collect Air | Early Bird Aviator _ Matilde Moisant
The delightful brochure of the 1911-1912 Moisant Aviation School, with its handsome, gold embossed cover pictured here, features an airplane (possibly the one John built while in France – reported to be named the “Raven” or “Crow”) flown by French-trained aviator, John Moisant, flying past the Statue of Liberty. The brochure, with its glowing, somewhat overblown descriptive commentary about the Moisant school, started this writer on a quest to explore the short but zestful aviation career of pioneer flyer, Matilde Moisant, the second woman pilot to receive licensing by the Aero Club of America. Matilde is depicted in the brochure as a student pilot and you just know there’s a story lurking when she has the same name as the school. Material reprinted and quoted here is the result of researching documents, books and publications in my possession. Aviators of 1911 were a hardy lot, eagerly taking to the air to savor the new realm of man amongst the clouds. These flyers didn’t consider themselves pioneers but were merely jumping on the bandwagon of adventure, hoping to make a living by exhibiting the wonders of flight to the uninitiated throughout the world. Read on and experience an era that can never be sampled again by man (or woman).
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Flying Boats and Fellow Travellers
This site charts the history of the Sunderland Flying Boat factory that once stood on the shores of Windermere in the heart of the English Lake District, and the nearby settlement specially constructed to house the factory workers and their families, known as Calgarth Estate.
It contains historical documents and photographs of the factory and the estate and features the voices of the people who worked and lived in this remarkable community.
Daily Blog 06/15/2013
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Al Qaeda Will Never See This Special Forces Stealth Motorcycle Coming
Actually, while “stealth motorcycle” sounds like something from a 10-year-old boy’s imagination or everyone’s favorite 80s show Street Hawk, the electric MMX bike being developed by Zero Motorcycles actually make a ton of sense, according to this report in RT.
Charger R/T
Charger R/T, originally uploaded by spinneyhead.
I’ve been getting glimpses of the back of this car for months as I cycled into town. Today I thought I’d take a closer look. Despite sitting in the middle of a car sales lot, it isn’t for sale.
However, I did also find a company that imports Japanese cars, in case I ever have the money to make my kei car dreams come true.
Feed the 5000
Feed the 5000, originally uploaded by spinneyhead.
Free food and an important message about food waste. I am now eating a rather nice vegetarian curry.
Daily Blog 06/14/2013
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Ten Future Technologies That Will Revolutionize Your Next Car
We want a lot from our future cars. We want power with efficiency. More features and less distractions. Complex components that are easier to use. These are the ten tech innovations that will revolutionize the way we drive.
Road Warrior
There’s a replica of Mad Max’s V8 Interceptor for sale on eBay right now. It’s currently at £79,995, but it’s one of those cars you’d just have to buy if you had the money.
They really are the greenest government, after all
When David Cameron promised that a Tory government would be the Greenest ever, no-one really believed him. But, if you take a different interpretation of green- inexperienced, unqualified for what they’re doing and incompetent- I think he was right.
The Environment Secretary is ready to believe any lie, so long as it casts doubt on climate change. The Health Secretary believes in homeopathy. Most people wouldn’t trust the Education Secretary with crayons and the Chancellor doesn’t understand money*.
So, Dave has given us the greenest possible government, which is a terrible thing.
*To be fair to Gideon, he seems to be in tune with the financial industry. He’s enamoured of the same bad ideas and has the same dumb faith as them that their imaginary money schemes will pay off when experience says they’ll just bankrupt everyone but the bankers again.
The ghost of the Coach and Horses
There once was a pub….., originally uploaded by spinneyhead.
A few months ago, I posted the photo above. I’ve been meaning to get in touch with the Pubs of Manchester blog to ask if they knew the name of the pub I’d found the remnants of. They beat me to it- it used to be the Coach and Horses.
The Manchester Cowboy
The Manchester Cowboy, originally uploaded by spinneyhead.
David Thomas Jones is perhaps better known as Davy Jones of the Monkees. We found this headstone dedicated to him in Gorton Cemetery. He was born in Openshaw and appeared in Coronation Street before heading to the States to become a heart throb, so it’s an appropriate place for a memorial.
Yellow
Yellow, originally uploaded by spinneyhead.
A meadow of buttercups in Gorton.
Look at my Tiny Chopper!
Based upon a popular child’s bike, these little beauties will bring life and colour to any modern image layout set in the seventies and later.
The bikes frames are 3D printed and come unpainted with a section of bent wire for the handlebars- trim the bars to the appropriate length and attach them with super glue. (The handlebars supplied will be in silver, not, as seen in the photo, black.)
The OO Gauge Chopper 2 pack is available to order from Spinneyworld.
B-Movie Night Book Club: Double Penetrator- Blood on the Strip/ Hijacking Manhattan
Mark Hardin* is The Penetrator. He was a star school athlete, until he was nobbled and had his knee damaged so badly he could never compete again. Then he joined the Army and became a top special forces operative and investigator- until he uncovered the wrong piece of corruption and was beaten almost to death. Returning to the States, he fell in love with his mentor’s niece, but when the Mafia tried to kill him, she was collateral damage.
Now Hardin is waging a secret war on crime and corruption in the USA.
In Blood on the Strip, Hardin goes to Vegas after a friend has her face disfigured by knife wielding thugs. He’s after a corrupt talent agency which is tricking dancers into prostitution as well as strong-arming debtors.
Hijacking Manhattan sees a violent offshoot of the Black Panthers (funded by Communist Chinese drugs) holding New York City to ransom with bombs and a very nasty virus.
Both stories are a bit repetitive- Hardin heads off to a site of interest, meaning to just look around, but getting into a shootout. The scale of the violence escalates and one or more sexy women is put in danger (maybe even killed) before The Penetrator kills all of the bad guys and returns to his desert retreat.
I’m being unfair, there are a few gimmicks that are quite cool, such as the super fine gloves printed with anonymous prints so that Hardin cannot be so easily tracked, and the writing isn’t too bad. It’s a diverting enough book with a lot of the old ultra-violence but not much sex.
You can buy Double Penetrator from Amazon.
*Yeah, I know.
Debdale Reservoir
Debdale Reservoir, originally uploaded by spinneyhead.
There are some surprisingly beautiful little nooks within a short ride of Gorton.
Opening Soon
Opening Soon, originally uploaded by spinneyhead.
Excellent! I look forward to whatever it is.
There are things worth rioting about right now
Like Marcus Brigstocke’s religion rant, this could become one of those Now Show snippets that needs regularly repeating. I’d rather it didn’t, but with arson attacks on mosques starting, I don’t hold out much hope.