Days Of Thrills & Adventure

From the book Days Of Thrills & Adventure found at a boot sale some years ago - the story of adventure and sc-fi serials of the 30's, 40's and 50's.

I've not read this and have no childhood recollections of it.  But Robert Macfarlane the landscape and nature writer just tweeted it and it struck me as rather an unsettling cover for a book aimed at children.  Somehow the puffin in the left top corner eyeing you sideways on, with a hint of smug, makes it more grotesque and baleful. Even the font looks malevolent.

More Judd

Some time back I posted somewhere (could have been here or elsewhere) some images from my top find Tape Recording for Everyone by Electronic Music Pioneer F C Judd.
If you have never had the pleasure of listening to FC Judd's work then a visit to here will sort you out. The other week I had the good fortune to receive from a friend of mine these lovely Castle Sound Effects EPs by FC Judd. Some basic sound effects on the records (Applause, Car Crash, Foot Steps) but on the Haunted House EP are a couple of very interesting pieces, track 2 and 3 on side one. Mysterioso (special fx music) and Fright (special fx music) For much much more on FC Judd check out Ian Helliwell's Practical Electronica FC Judd Documentry.

SUMMER EXPO

A NEW SPANKING HOT MIXTAPE FROM WANNAMARCHI.CLUB

Free download and limited cassette at  http://wannamarchi.club/

--
[Calling Wanna]
Partial Objects - Guy Andre
Nokuit - Shapeless Self
JEO - Prince of Space
Nokuit - Suspended
Tottenham Ayatollah - Never Be Safe
Nokuit - Structures
JEO - The Emanation of The Giant Albion, Side A
Nokuit - Restless Legs
The Soulless Party - Tales from the Black Meadow (Main Theme)
Partial Objects - Physical Education
Nokuit - Deep Breathing
Tottenham Ayatollah - Jihaddi John's Drug Binge
Imperial Leather - Death to Traitors Freedom for Britain
Nokuit - Screwed Angels - Moments of Ecstasy
Imperial Leather - So Long [Project Fear is Over]
[Try Again]
--

Found Object Located, thanks to the BWTAS

Remember this, from here?

I've often wondered where it was and if it still existed.  Turns out all I had to do to find out was send an email to the British Water Tower Appreciation Society.

Within hours I had this reply, from Ferrers Young, archivist for the BWTAS:

"Thank you for contacting the British Water Tower Appreciation Society — no need to ask the membership, as I recognise that one as Tadley water tower in Berkshire — 750,000 gallons of loveliness…

Constructed in 1975 at a cost of £271,000 for the Thames Valley Water Board. Design was by Scherrer & Hicks and consulting engineers Kenneth Severn & Partners produced the structural design, construction was by Leonard Fairclough Ltd. The tank top is flat with no penthouse and it’s base slightly conical, is supported by an octagonal central service shaft with an internal diameter of 15½ ft. and eight inset tapered legs, 46 ft. high, being wider at the top, being an irregular hexagon in section. The tank is 122 ft. 7 in in diameter and contains two concentric compartments. The normal working water depth is 12 ft. with a maximum depth of 17 ft. 2 in. The tower is only 60 feet tall and has a top water level of 405 ft. above Ordnance Datum.



The tower is extant, as far as I know (still seen on Google Earth™) and located at O.S. Grid Ref. TQ 23319 55697 — 51.361154,-1.165839 for Google Earth."

Sure enough, here it is on Google maps:

Roughly 8 miles north of Basingstoke, between Newbury and Reading (and down a bit).

Many thanks, Ferrers!

I heartily recommend the British Water Tower Appreciation Society blog, which has interesting pics and stories going back to 2008.

Pylon Men - 1956 and 1966

"In days to come, pylons too may have their champions, eager to preserve them as historic monuments."

Fabulous, beautiful images in both films. Note the shift in tone from casual butch (1956) to strident butch (1966).

Nuke Weapons Effects Computer

Could come in handy. Just find the relevant Bomb size/blast radius and of you go. House Damage, Casualties in hours, Untrapped, Seriously Injured, Air Burst Ground Burst.

I was given one of this quite a few years back and have spent a lot of time trying to work out where I would leg it to if we were about to get hit. I can confirm the answer is nowhere.

See Threads.

Beneath the City Streets by Peter Laurie (Revised edition / Panther, 1979)

When I first acquired this book a few years ago (I literally found it on the street as I recall), I considered it an amusing reminder of the grim extremes of cold war paranoia. Fast forward to 2017 however, and I am somewhat less amused. In fact, I find myself worrying about the likelihood that the government have let all those emergency food dumps go to pot since the Berlin Wall fell, and fearing the day when I might find myself vainly trekking towards one of them with my few remaining possessions stuffed in a bin liner. Oh well, you’ve gotta laugh etc…