Just add air – Inflatable Sex Doll Ads from the 1970’s
Let’s imagine it’s 1973. I have my bachelor pad, my 28” color TV, swivel chair, hi-fi stereo gear, fondue set and my corduroy bellbottoms. I live in a Space Age world. I have everything I ever wanted. But somehow I feel empty. I feel I’ve mortgaged my happiness on things I don’t really need. I have a lifestyle but no life. There’s something missing. I’m lonely. I’m missing that certain someone special to share all this luxury with.
But relationships are messy. They’re downright difficult. And I don’t know if I’m ready to commit, you know what I mean? I really need someone who is always ready to please, always ready for me and what I want. When I want it. But where can I find such a person? Do they even exist?
I flick thru the latest issue of Man’s World where I find an ad for a life-size inflatable doll…
Just add air…Life-like in every detail…Snuggle up to your own Love Maid.
Eight dollars ninety-five. It all seems too good to be true. But I know nothing about “Love Maids.” I know nothing about inflatable love dolls…but maybe I might know a man who does. Bryan Ferry. He sang about inflatable dolls. He’s the man to ask. Maybe I should call him up?
Bryan, I live in this perfect world, all mod cons, everything I need, but why, why do I have this utter sense of loneliness?
Bryan (for it is he….): In every dream home a heartache… And every step I take. Takes me from heaven.
What do you mean by “heaven,” Bryan?
Bryan: The perfect companion. Deluxe and delightful.
You seem to know a lot about this, brah. Way too much…
Looking for a playmate? Well, here I am. I’m Lori, the latest, wildest, party-time sensation and I’m ready for action…
Bryan: Inflatable doll. Disposable darling… My breath is inside you… I dress you up daily. I blew up your body… But you blew my mind.
Ew. Too much information, man…
The earliest sex doll is credited to Dutch sailors in the 17th century, who used a dame de voyage—a masturbatory doll made of cloth for relieving sexual stress on long voyages. In 1908, the first recorded “manufactured” sex doll made its appearance in psychiatrist Iwan Bloch‘s The Sexual Life of Our Time. Bloch described this doll as “Vaucansons” intended for fornicatory purposes. These were made from:
…rubber and other plastic materials, prepare entire male or female bodies, which, as hommes or dames de voyage, subserve fornicatory purposes. More especially are the genital organs represented in a manner true to nature. Even the secretion of Bartholin’s glans is imitated, by means of a “pneumatic tube” filled with oil. Similarly, by means of fluid and suitable apparatus, the ejaculation of the semen is imitated. Such artificial human beings are actually offered for sale in the catalogue of certain manufacturers of “Parisian rubber articles.”
During the Second World War, it was long rumored but never actually proven that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler ordered sex dolls to be supplied to German troops fighting on the front line. The real change in sex dolls took place in the 1960s with the development of the vinyl inflatable doll with realistic “openings.” These became very popular in the 1970s, as can be seen by the following selection of bizarre adverts.
Dangerous Minds
Donald Trump’s Fast Food Diet
Lots of fast food. Almost no sleep. And practically no exercise, aside from the occasional cart-supported round of golf.
This is a routine that a doctor wouldn’t advise for a 20-year-old, yet it’s the standard for the routine-loving President Donald Trump, according to Axios’ “Trump 101” series, which notes that the 70-year-old is the oldest president to ever enter office.
On the campaign trail, the “three staples” of Trump’s diet were Domino’s, KFC, and McDonald’s (Big Macs on silver platters), an aide told Axios, the new news website. That love for fast food is largely because of its consistency and the idea that fast-food companies maintain a standard of hygiene, according to an interview Trump conducted with Anderson Cooper that was cited in The New York Times.
Still, Axios reports that in the White House, Trump is more likely to favor well-done steaks, crab, and shrimp and the occasional side salad or vegetable to go along with that hunk of red meat (cooked until gray).
Regular consumption of red meat significantly raises the risk of death, especially from cancer and heart disease, according to the National Institutes of Health — and that consumption is also strongly linked with increased risk for Type 2 diabetes.
For a healthy diet, one should “eat plenty of vegetables and fruits; balance calories; don’t eat too much junk food,” according to Marion Nestle, the Paulette Goddard professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health at New York University.
As far as Trump’s diet goes, it doesn’t look as if he’s getting much in the way of any of these categories, via either his main meals or his snacks, according to the aide. For snacks on his plane, the president reportedly relies on Lay’s potato chips and Keebler Vienna Fingers.
As for exercise, standard guidelines say the average person needs at least 150 minutes of moderate activity each week. Exercise improves general health and heart health, reduces stress, boosts mental clarity, improves sleep, and more, which is probably why both Barack Obama and George W. Bush were dedicated to their fitness routines while they were president. Lack of activity isn’t new for Trump, who said back in 1997 that he worked out “on occasion … as little as possible.”
As for sleep, Trump has said he needs only three or four hours a night. Most people need seven to nine hours of sleep, though about 1% of the population is able to get by on four to six hours. Most of the rest of us are as impaired as if we were drunk after several nights of short sleep, even though we usually can’t tell.
The Axios story says Trump believes in genetic gifts that will keep him healthy (and he doesn’t smoke or drink, though he’s a big fan of Diet Coke, which he drinks throughout the day). Trump’s father, Fred, lived to be 93 and had Alzheimer’s for the last six years of his life, according to an obituary. Still, aging takes a physical and mental toll on everyone — most people who manage to stave off those effects do so with intense physical and mental exercise, along with sufficient sleep and adequate nutrition.
As for how it’s working out for Trump, that remains to be seen. He reportedly takes a statin to lower cholesterol and takes the hair-loss-prevention drug finasteride (brand name Propecia). At a Dr. Oz interview, his height and weight were given as 6-foot-3 and 236 pounds, which would give him a BMI of 29.5 and put him firmly in the overweight category (earlier reports had put his weight at 267 pounds).
Trump is far from the only president to prefer an unhealthy diet — James K. Polk reportedly would request cornbread instead of eating from a banquet of French cuisine. And he may have some genetic traits that help him out a bit.
Still, from a health perspective, science suggests that if he wants to thrive, he should work on those eating, sleeping, and exercise habits.
Businessinsider.com
Some very big little airplanes
Model aircraft have gotten very big. Big enough that they have to be powered by miniature jet engines.
F-14 Tomcat
A major development is the use of small jet turbine engines in hobbyist models, both surface and air. Model-scale turbines resemble simplified versions of turbojet engines found on commercial aircraft, but are in fact new designs (not based upon scaled-down commercial jet engines.)
The first hobbyist-developed turbine was developed and flown in the 1980s by Gerald Jackman in England, but only recently has commercial production (from companies such as Evojet in Germany) made turbines readily available for purchase. Turbines require specialized design and precision-manufacturing techniques (some designs for model aircraft have been built from recycled turbocharger units from car engines), and consume a mixture of A1 jet fuel and synthetic turbine engine or motorcycle-engine oil.
These qualities, and the turbine’s high-thrust output, makes owning and operating a turbine-powered aircraft prohibitively expensive for most hobbyists, as well as many nations’ national aeromodeling clubs (as with the USA’s AMA) requiring their users to be certified to know how to safely and properly operate the engines they intend to use for such a model. Jet-powered models attract large crowds at organized events; their authentic sound and high speed make for excellent crowd pleasers.
SR-71 Blackbird
U.S. Coast Guard C-130J Hercules, this monster does get airborne.
Airbus A-380
B-52 Stratofortress bomber
C-17 Globemaster
British Vulcan bomber. Fire extinguisher? Oh oh.
Israeli F-16 Fighting Falcon
Boeing 747-400. See vid below.
New York City Skyline
The changing skyline. The Hudson Yards development will add 5 huge new skyscrapers to the skyline. The main tower will be 30 Hudson Yard. It will have one of the most spectacular outdoor observation decks in the world. The building is scheduled for completion in 2019.
Heights don’t scare some people. Is that guy wearing yoga pants?
The Lighthouse Hotel
Described by some as the “loneliest hotel in Germany,” the Roter Sand lighthouse, some 30 miles off the coast of Bremerhaven, Lower Saxony, has been welcoming guests for over 10 years. But the lighthouse itself is 125 years old.
The Roter Sand was built in 1885, and was considered a technical marvel at that time as it was the first ever structure built on the sea floor at a depth of 22 metres. For almost 80 years the red, white and black lighthouse was the first thing sailors saw on their way into the port city, and the last thing millions of emigrants saw before their ships reached the North Sea on their journey to the New World. But by 1964 its steel foundations became unstable and the lighthouse was decommissioned.
In1987, a spectacular rescue action restored the 31-metre tall building’s foundation, and following a restoration of the interior, the German Foundation for Monument Protection (DSD) worked to open the protected lighthouse to the public. Since the first visitors scaled the stairs of the Roter Sand in 1999, the lighthouse has welcomed some 5,500 day trippers and 800 overnight guests.
Earlier the lighthouse keepers were hauled up to the lighthouse in a large basket. Guests are however afforded the luxury of a step-bridge between the structure and a tugboat to enter which is more secure than traveling on a basket.
A picture from 1929 shows the use of the basket.
With room for up to six overnight guests, the tower comprises one communal bedroom, a combined kitchen and living area, and a bathroom. Guests must supply their own sleeping bags and towels but will arrive to find a fully-stocked kitchen, although they must do their own cooking. There is also no electricity or heating.
There is also a ban on alcohol in the lighthouse due to the 70 well-worn steps between this room and the toilet.
Day trips to the Roter Sand run around €75. Two days with one overnight stay are a little pricier at €488 per person, and three days with two nights costs €573 per person. But those hoping to visit the Roter Sand will have to be patient. The tugboat “Goliath” can only make the trip to the lighthouse on calm seas, which means that bookings – available only June through September – can be cancelled at the last minute. The guests who stay in the lighthouse can also get stuck if the weather turns bad overnight preventing their pickup the next day.
The Roter Sand celebrated its 125th birthday on November 1, last year. In honor of the lighthouse’s birthday, the German tourism board plans to spend €150,000 on renovations next year.
A postcard from 1907.
Image credit: Dharion
Amusing Planet
Swinging Pooches
Some friends of mine have two dogs. Cross between Puddles and Bichon Frise I think. The friends got them on a pair of swings. The hounds seemed to be really enjoying the experience.
Chinese Elevated Bus Will Travel Over Vehicles
Engineers in China have designed a novel new transportation method in the form of an enormous elevated bus which may make traffic jams a thing of the past.
The innovative vehicle, dubbed the ‘Transit Elevated Bus,’ would cruise along Chinese highways passing over cars and trucks that are driving below it.
Propelled via rails embedded in the road, the giant bus is designed to seat an incredible 1,200 passengers in its three massive carriages.
The engineer tasked with implementing the project contends that construction of the bus should cost a fraction of what it would take to build a new subway and accrue considerably less maintenance costs as well.
And, despite its futuristic appearance, the jaw dropping vehicle looks to be comparatively easy to construct as Chinese officials expect to begin testing the first ‘mega bus’ later this year.
Provided the trial period goes well, the Transit Elevated Bus could be in widespread use throughout Chinese cities sometime in the next year or two.
Whether the unique vehicle makes it way over to America in the future remains to be seen, but we’re hopeful that it does, because it looks like an incredibly fun way to travel and an awesome way to beat the traffic.
The MarkoZen Blog 