Fixing the Phonograph
Clare Briggs
Clare Briggs is a famous cartoonist who lived from 1875 to 1930. Poems by Wilbur Nesbitt.
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Thanks to your generosity, we were able to upgrade our service plan. Hopefully this will help us address some of our performance issues.
Devcat is done with rearranging local software extensions. If anyone notices any problems, say so :^)
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You know what they say about haircuts: They grow on you.
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on Open Mic for the week of 2/17/2025
on Open Mic for the week of 2/17/2025
on Open Mic for the week of 2/17/2025
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