Rather than having options paralysis and not getting around to this blog, I'll present photos of a German WW-II Enigma Machine and leave the commentary to
Wikipedia. This one of the magnificent relics residing in the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential library and museum. We were there today as Spawn the Younger (aka gingercat) competed in the statewide National Geographic Bee.
As amazed as I was in seeing one of these in person and the appreciation I have for human ingenuity and engineering, the museum also has a few reminders of the Reich who used it against much of the world.
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| Some of Hitler's personal artifacts. This case radiated pure evil. |
But do not despair, this museum is full of Allied goodness as well. It even has artifacts from early in the Cold War.
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| Norden Bombsight: Used by Allied forces for precision, high-altitude bombing runs. |
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| American individualism exhibited in the form of a jacket from the Big Red 1 |
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| Recreation of home fallout shelter |
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| Ike's presidential era podium for telecasts. Don't worry, gingercat will only use her powers for good. |
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| Gemini and Apollo memorabilia |
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| The actual teleprompter reel from Ike's speech on the dangers of an emerging military industrial complex. Ike was the only President to win an Emmy Award. There is big money in war machinery. I'm reminded of this on seeing full page ads in the paper versions of The Hill and Politico in Washington, DC. |
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| Mommy! Are you my Mommy? For the uninitiated, this is a Whovian moment. |
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| Early Jetsonian living room. This one is special for Ted Munk. |
In case you are curious, all of these photos came straight out of a Fuji X100. I am in love with this camera.
Copyright notice: The images and text on this blog, unless stated otherwise, are the property of Dwayne F. Kansas brought the world John Brown and Dwight D. Eisenhower. You are best off not messing with Kansans.
Thanks for the tour. Hope gingercat did/does well in the Bee & moves on to the nationals.
ReplyDeleteGreat photos. Love it!
ReplyDeleteVery entertaining and illuminating post, thanks. And I happen to be wondering what's a good camera to buy - I will now look up "Fuji X100". :)
ReplyDeleteOh yes, Jetsonian living room. Someday... (:
ReplyDeleteFirst, thanks for the comments and apologies to those having problems attempting to post. I had a report that someone is having trouble getting them to moderation. I suspect it is a Blogger platform problem.
ReplyDeleteThe gingercat did well at the state Bee, but did not make it to the final. It was a great experience and we are all happy with how well she did. The competition was limited to 100 kids who first won a school Bee - hers has over 1,000 students - and then placed on a written exam. Tough field.
Check out my Google+ stream for more samples from the X100. The price is down substantially with the success of the later X100s. I love the rendering and will use it until it falls apart. The shutter is silent and can be used pretty much anywhere without a click.
Wow how cool to see a real Emigna Kode Maschine! I'd love to see one in operation. There's an interesting, and funny, movie called "All the Queen's Men" about a group of Brits dropped into WWII Germany to bring back an Enigma maschine from the factory where they were made.
ReplyDeleteAlso love the Jetson's living room - now, what kind of typewriter would they have used??
I didn't catch the date, but I would guess something fashion forward like and Underwood Deluxe Quiet Tab. All it needs is a set of tail fins to be a perfect match for the era.
DeleteI see the Enigma had QWERTZ keyboard, but, no numbers! And the Apollo exhibit is amazing! I was very young when the last Apollo missions went to the Moon, but I remember clearly how amazing it was to see, a few years later, in our elementary school auditorium, an 8mm reel with the footage of the astronauts driving around on the Lunar Rover. I wish I had been around to see the most dramatic images ever transmitted on TV: "It's one small step for men..."
ReplyDeleteVery cool! I grew up during the space race and am still enthralled with everything from the earliest flights to the rover and probe programs of today. We still have a lot to learn about our own solar system.
DeleteAmazing machine! I'm surprised by the innovative mechanism and precision every time I see one.
ReplyDelete@Donald: ooh, must take a look at that movie. Thanks for the heads up!