Have Shed, Will Travel

Back to the 1922 Popular Mechanics. There's a little article about a horse with an artificial "nose" in its neck. Fairly standard, really: it's a little silvery tube inserted into the windpipe to assist breathing. First time I've seen such on a non-human, that's all. Only took me 84 years to notice.

And on another page is another small article describing what was apparently a new invention. Here's the text of it:

SUPPORT FOR NONSWIMMERS MADE IN ANIMAL FORM

On the order of the inner tube of a tire, much used by nonswimmers to make floating and deep-water breathing safer and more enjoyable, a buoyant contrivance of a more elaborate character has been devised, that has the appearance of an exaggerated duck, or other amphibious animal. This improved float, or buoy, is not blown up like the tire tube, but is made of waterproof material filled with a very light packing. It surrounds the body of the bather, like the tire tube, but is much larger and has a duck's or other animal's head in front.

I need to buy some new books in the Doctor Who range, and quickly. I've read all that I have apart from a few, and I'm putting those off until I've acquired the ones that come between the last one I read and the first of the few I do have. Makes sense? Good. It's a bit annoying to have to stop in the middle of a pretty good story arc just as I was getting into it. Hopefully something like The Who Shop in East Ham will stock them...

Did you know that the elephant evolved from prehistoric man's efforts to preserve the mammoths? Someone misheard the slogan Save the Mammoths.

Hi! It's me again, loyal reader(s). It's not apathy, honest, it's just that I don't care.

Here's another post about a covers album, this time Nothing's Going To Happen by Elf Power. You're possibly asking: who? Elf Power, that's who. Don't ask stupid questions.

So, the record. It's made up mostly of versions of songs by pretty obscure bands, which is rather fitting, considering that Elf Power are themselves pretty obscure. It opens with the title track, originally by the Tall Dwarfs. Who? Dunno. It's good, though. Next up is Why Can't I Touch It?, which was originally by the Buzzcocks - damn good version of a damn good song. And then there's a version of a Gary Numan song. Hey... these aren't as obscure as I said at the beginning. Hmm. Oh, wait, who did the next song? The Frogs. Oh.

There's a trio of Roky Erickson songs in the middle of the album - Mr Erickson being, of course, like I need to explain, the (scatter)brain behind One Of The Best Bands Of The 1960s (official) - The 13th Floor Elevators. He had an erratic solo career after that band split up, erratic mainly because he spent a lot of time in and out of psychiatric hospitals, and/or on various drugs, legal and otherwise. Sounds like a recipe for greatness, right? Right!

Shoved onto the end of the album is a reproduction of an earlier EP that Elf Power released, which was called Come On and was stupidly difficult to get hold of, although (smug mode on) I managed to get a copy (smug mode off). It's got versions of songs originally by T-Rex, the Flaming Lips, Sonic Youth and others. The whole record winds up with an uncredited 'bonus' track - a finely stupid rendition of I Wanna Be Your Dog by the Stooges. Yay!

Damn it! How can it be legal that one person can be so talented and so beautiful and such a nice person? It just isn't fair. And ever come across her half-sister, Anoushka Shankar? Same bloody story. Grr!

I'd dedicate this post to all my regular readers, but I imagine I'm the only one, so I won't bother. Felt a bit poo lately, which is why there hasn't been anything here for a few days. And I don't seem to have much to say; I can't think of anything right now. Oh well, maybe later...