The Most Peculiar Television Sets in History

Aside June 2, 2020 Markozen.com Technology

When televisions were still a luxury, high-tech item, designers wanted to make them look as crazily futuristic and beautiful as possible. Here are some of the most bizarre and breathtaking television sets that ever existed.

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Kuba Komet (1957-1962, Wolfenbuttel, West Germany)

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The sailboat-like ultra-heavy (it was 289 lb. or 130 kg) home entertainment system of its time had a 23″ black and white television, eight speakers, a Telefunken phonographs and a multi-band radio receiver. The Komet cost more than a year’s average wage.

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Marconiphone Television 702 with a 12-inch screen from 1937, by the British Marconi

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A Baird Lyric with a 12-inch screen, 1946

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Tele-Tone TV-209 (1949)

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A Teleavia Panoramic III, designed by Philippe Charbonneaux, 1957

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The 21-inch Philco Tandem Predicta with a 25 ft. cord between the screen and the cabinet, 1958

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Philco Safari, the first transistor portable television, 1959

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The 15 pound (6.8 kg) set had a 2 inch display and worked with a 7.5V rechargeable battery.

Panasonic/National Flying Saucer (but also known as The Eyeball, originally TR-005 Orbitel), produced by Panasonic in the late 1960s and early 1970s

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It had a five-inch screen, earphone jack, and could rotate 180 degrees on its chrome tripod.

The Keracolor Sphere, designed by Arthur Bracegirdle, 1968-1977

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This English set, an icon of the Space Age, was really expensive because of its small size. It was available in various colors. Why the chick watches TV in the nude is anybody’s guess.

The JVC Videosphere, introduced in 1970, and produced to the early 1980s

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Inspired by Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, and appeared in the Conquest of The Planet of the Apes (1972) and in The Matrix (1999).

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Sinclair Microvision TV (Model MTV-1), 1977

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The first ever miniature television with its 2 inch screen wasn’t a real sales success: it was really expensive, priced like the average models.

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Seiko T 001 TV Watch, 1982

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Casio TV-70, the portable TV from the early 1980s with “Solar Projection System”, 1986

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Behind the cool name it was just a mirror that reflects the picture from the LCD screen. The only 13 mm thin TV worked with 3 AAA-size batteries and had a 2-inch black and white screen.

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Not exactly sure what the make and name of this wild TV is. Almost looks like a stove is built into it. But what an enjoyable way to cook dinner, watching Spock and Bones McCoy sparring.

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Markozen’s top 10 Horror movies

Aside June 2, 2020June 2, 2020 Markozen.com Movies

This is a very subjective list as I am not a movie aficionado and there are dozens of great horror movies that I have not seen. But here it is.

Number 1

The Exorcist

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I saw this movie when I was 14 years old. Not a good idea. I was an altar boy at the time and therefore still believed in Angels and Demons. This movie so terrified me that I almost went to see a priest to discuss my possible possession by a demon.

This movie takes horror to a whole new level. There is the blatant visceral demonic possession scenes, but at the same time subtle underlying terrifying messages that come at you from all angles.

Number 2

Hellraiser

The Cenobite Demons in this movie are radical. The torture chambers and dark cenobite world is shocking. Pinhead causes cold streams of angst to penetrate your very soul. The Uncle Frank character is a classic. Clive Barker creates a brand new world of horror like nothing that came before.

Number 3

The Shining

Jack Nicholson at his creepy best. What you don’t see in this movie is scarier than what you do see. The Overlook Hotel is the perfect haunted mansion. The horrific history of the hotel is something that the moviegoer will ponder for weeks after seeing this movie.

Number 4

Alien

Great monster, great spaceship, great planet scene, great story and great crew on the ship. Enough said.

Number 5

Black Christmas

Very creepy psycho in the attic murdering sorority girls. A young Andrea Martin is worth revisiting this classic. The strange sounds and noises that the thing in the attic makes is enough to make your hair stand on end.

Number 6

Dawn of the Dead

Zombies run amuck in a shopping mall. Lots of gore which is typical of Zombie movies. After seeing this movie you will never look at a shopping mall the same way again.

Number 7

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 1974

Very disturbing hillbilly killers who also double as cannibals. These gruesome psychos are on a mission from the Devil himself. Sticking innocent victims on a meat hook is just one of their nefarious techniques. The old grandpa killer is an island of hilarity in this dark tale.

Number 8

The Silence of the Lambs

The Antagonist in this movie is one of the best of all time. Hannibal the Cannibal Lecter is a genius killer and cannibal. His dispatch of the 2 policeman is done with such cunning and precision that it makes your head spin. Great story combined with amazing characters. A classic.

Number 9

The Thing 1982

One of the most innovative monsters in movie history. This Thing can copy and replicate any biological form. You never know who the enemy is. Your best buddy or pet could be an evil alien life form that wants to eat you whole. Set in the Antarctic on an isolated base this movie leaves you with a very cold chill indeed.

Number 10

The Hills Have Eyes

Grotesque mutants that prey on unsuspecting travellers. This movie has enough blood, guck and gore to nauseate the toughest horror fan. The mutants got this way from exposure to radiation from atomic bomb tests in the desert. They are seeking revenge on the normal folk. And pity the poor normal folk that wander into mutant territory.

How the Planets would appear if they were the same distance as the Moon from Earth

Aside June 2, 2020 Markozen.com Space

Moon

Mercury

Venus

Mars

Jupiter

Saturn

Uranus

Neptune

Star Wars Nerd Designs Flags for 100 Planets in the Star Wars Universe

Aside June 2, 2020 Markozen.com Science Fiction

If you were to tally every planet ever mentioned in Star Wars—we’re talking movies, comics, video games, and animated series—you’d end up with a number north of 300. That Star Wars became the cultural phenomenon we know today is no doubt the result of its dedication to truly thorough world-building. Every planet in the universe comes with its own history, culture, and landscape. And now, they have flags, too.

Scott Kelly is an art director from New Zealand who’s spent the last year designing flags for more than 100 planets in the Star Wars galaxy. As a self-professed Star Wars and flag-design nerd, Kelly drew on information from Wookieepedia to craft the brilliantly detailed emblems. He followed vexillological traditions to design his flags—think cantons, chevron patterns, and the classic 2:3 aspect ratio—and combined it with graphics that duly represented the otherworldliness of the series. “I tried to walk the line between traditional flag design and these far-off alien planets,” he explains.

Every flag in the series is inspired by the culture, economy, history, and natural landscape of the fictional world it stands for. Tatooine’s flag, for example, is a deep red and yellow, which references the fact that travelers had long mistaken the planet for a sun because of its desert landscape (the two circles, of course, represent the two suns around which Tatooine orbits); while that of Thule, a planet in the outer rim territories known for its semi-arid savannah and rocks charred from lightening strikes, is more graphically aggressive. “It needed to have a quite masculine feel to it,” he explains. “Almost oppressive.”

Naturally, Kelly took some creative liberties. For instance, he deciding that planets associated with the Galactic Republic would be colored royal blue. Other flags were simply Kelly’s interpretation of specific traditions and histories. He figures not everyone will agree with his vision (Star Wars fans are a tough crowd!), but regardless, you have to applaud his dedication. “There’s been a series of emails and replies that have said, ‘Oh I bet that guy doesn’t have a girlfriend,’” he laughs.

An Earth Tree that looks like it comes from an Alien Planet

Aside June 1, 2020 Markozen.com Nature

Dracaena cinnabari, the Socotra dragon tree or dragon blood tree, is a dragon tree native to the Socotra archipelago in the Arabian Sea. It is so called due to the red sap that the trees produce.

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The dragon blood tree has a unique and strange appearance, with an “upturned, densely packed crown having the shape of an uprightly held umbrella”. This evergreen species is named after its dark red resin, which is known as “dragon’s blood”. Unlike most monocot plants, Dracaena displays secondary growth, D. cinnabari even has growth zones resembling tree rings found in dicot tree species. Along with other arborescent Dracaena species it has a distinctive growth habit called “dracoid habitus”. Its leaves are found only at the end of its youngest branches; its leaves are all shed every 3 or 4 years before new leaves simultaneously mature. Branching tends to occur when the growth of the terminal bud is stopped, due to either flowering or traumatic events (e.g. herbivory).

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Socotra, also spelled Soqotra, is an island and a small archipelago of four islands in the Arabian Sea. Socotra is part of Yemen. It had long been a part of the Aden Governorate. In 2004 it became attached to the Hadhramaut Governorate, which is much closer to the island than Aden (although the nearest governorate was the Al Mahrah Governorate). In 2013, the archipelago became its own governorate.

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Completely appears to be the surface of an Alien planet light years away.

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Some Cats and a Few Dogs

Aside June 1, 2020 Markozen.com Animals

Leprechaun whisperer says the mythical Irish fairies ‘don’t have a problem’ with lockdown

Aside June 1, 2020 Markozen.com Paranormal

IRELAND’S LAST living leprechaun whisperer says the mythical Irish fairies are coping well with lockdown and “don’t have a problem” with the restrictions in place.

Kevin Woods from Carlingford in Co Louth, is a prominent leprechaun advocate and activist with a history of campaigning for leprechaun rights.

In the past, he has successfully lobbied for the mythical Irish fairies to receive EU protection.

He also happens to run a tour business named Last Leprechauns Of Ireland, and considers himself an authority and “custodian” of the iconic Irish sprites.

With Ireland caught up in the current coronavirus global health crisis, Woods sought to reassure the public that Ireland’s leprechauns are doing just fine, during an appearance on ITV’s This Morning.

According to the leprechaun whisperer, the Irish fairies are doing just fine, even though their numbers have dwindled in recent times

“There were millions of them here in Ireland and they all died apart from 236 of them,” he explained to hosts Ruth Langford and Eamon Holmes.

“I’m really the custodian of them and their lives and I’ve been doing that since I got them a protected species.”

During the interview, Mr Woods explained that while most people cannot see the leprechauns, he has special powers that mean they appear to him and communicate “through an out of body experience”.

Asked how leprechauns are coping with Ireland’s lockdown restrictions, Mr. Woods confirmed “they don’t have a problem with it”.

While Mr. Woods’ tour business has taken a hit in the past few months, he’s not worried.

“It’s not really business to me, I have enough access to the gold,” he explained.

“I don’t need the business. I do it to tell people the story is true.”

He also sought to assure viewers that his dalliances with the little Irish fairies have not broken any of the government’s lockdown measures.

“Leprechauns are spirits, they manifest themselves to me as leprechauns. I visit them each day, I haven’t broken the restrictions,” he said.

“I communicate with them through an out of body experience, everyone knows what I mean and I can transfer my spirit up there.”

Unfortunately, not everyone is quite so convinced, with a flood of This Morning viewers taking to Twitter to criticise and question his appearance on the show

One wrote: “Can’t believe they had a leprechaun whisper on This Morning talking about lockdown. “

A second commented: “Ruth trying to keep a straight face when your mans talking about ‘ leprechauns’ is killing me.”

A third, meanwhile, said: “You know you’ve been in the house too long when you’re watching an interview of Ireland’s last leprechaun whisperer.”