Remember my trip with Jerry to the scrap yard? Here’s what he got out of it: Continue reading

See Jerry’s coyote paintings here. (Added the link to the blogroll, right.) Continue reading

We went up to a salvage yard in Idaho, hunting for stainless steel. Along the way, we stopped at an antique store, where I bought 20 or so 78s, including the one you’ll hear on the video: “One Alone,” performed by Nat Shilkret and the Victor Orchestra. Continue reading

After successfully getting the Monarch Pricemarker to work, Jerry rewarded me with a more difficult task. He presented me with some sort of device (made by Haag-Streit, Bern, early 20th century)  with movable arms, multiple lenses, a light source, and calibrated adjustment knobs. The task was more difficult since neither of us knew what it Continue reading

(Thanks to Jeannine for the excellent camera work.) UPDATE: Here, by the way, is the charmless current model of the Monarch Pricemarker (I think). Continue reading

This, my friends, is a Price Marker, made by the Monarch Tag Company, circa 1916, given to me by my friend Jerry, weighing in at about 25 lbs. A little tinkering with it reveals how it is supposed to work. You select the type from the wooden drawer, arrange it in the magazine, and decide Continue reading

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We finished the supportive substructure, installed the milking machines on the roof, and tuned the sensitive measuring devices on the front. The circular harmonizers on the side were my idea. Lots of work yet to do, but lots of shiny promise. Continue reading

Part 2 Part 3 Continue reading

Memory palace (for Jerry) How sad it was that his memory had forgotten him. Names, errands, phone numbers, items his wife told him to remember – all would stick to him for just a moment before being carried away on the gentlest breeze. But then one day he read of the memory palace of Matteo Continue reading