Fixing the Phonograph
Clare Briggs
Clare Briggs is a famous cartoonist who lived from 1875 to 1930. Poems by Wilbur Nesbitt.
Features
Hot Posts
A Message From Devcat
Devcat is watching over, but if you notice any problems contact the editors and Devcat will be notified and deployed immediately.
Recent Comments
on The Mandate That Wasn’tInterpreted by whom? I said in an earlier thread that the Dems are going to come crawling back to th…
on The Mandate That Wasn’t"Hey, Vincent, don't you see? That sh*t don't matter. You're judging this sh*t the wrong way. I mean…
on The Mandate That Wasn’tGolly, I sure wish we had a press that wasn't obviously in the bag for the Democratic Party right ab…
on The Mandate That Wasn’tThe interesting thing will be when the Congressional Democrats shut down government again, will it b…
on All the President’s Nominees: The Legion of GroomI think you need to re-read that Gabbard piece. She backed off her comments. And your memory of RTFL…
on How Republicans Can Save Trump’s PresidencySo every single Republican in the House’sEthics Committee voted to keep the Gaetz Report secret. Tha…
Comics
-
November 20, 2024
-
Movie of a Young Man Calling on a Lady Friend
November 19, 2024
-
November 18, 2024
-
November 17, 2024
More Comments
on The Mandate That Wasn’ton The Mandate That Wasn’t
on The Mandate That Wasn’ton The Mandate That Wasn’t
- on Open Mic for the week of 11/18/2024
on How Republicans Can Save Trump’s Presidency
I’ve worked on spring-driven fencing floor reels with springs of about the size shown in this strip. They are indeed a pain in the butt when they get loose. And messy, since they won’t work well without a thin film of light-weight grease.
Some years back I inherited my grandmother’s non-functioning music box, about the size of the phonograph shown, but with a much heftier spring. I found the mechanical music makers mailing list and asked a couple of simple questions about the difficulties of restoration. The next morning, the list was full of e-mails telling me, “DON’T OPEN THE SPRING CASE!!” When springs of that type got loose, they tended to take off fingers. Or worse.Report
It is truly fascinating to look at this cartoon. I had always mentally thought of a phonograph as a rather cut and dry, bloodless instrument much like a wind up clock. The idea of the internals being oily or high strung was something I hadn’t considered but that, in hindsight, seems obvious.Report
There’s a reason the widespread application of electricity and electric motors in particular is called “the second industrial revolution.”Report
I’ve read items that persuasively make the case that the advent of recorded media was a singularity event.
And, yeah, my appreciation of electricity and electrical components never wanes.Report