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	<title>Invisible Themepark</title>
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		<title>Illustration Art Mania</title>
		<link>http://www.InvisibleThemepark.com/2012/03/illustration-art-mania/</link>
		<comments>http://www.InvisibleThemepark.com/2012/03/illustration-art-mania/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 16 Mar 2012 03:14:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Firmly Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.InvisibleThemepark.com/?p=991</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;m obsessed.  It began a few weeks ago when, on an Internet auction, I purchased an original drawing called &#8220;Rocket Speedway,&#8221; by Sidney Howell, executed in 1935.  Howell was an artist who occasionally worked for Orton &#38; Spooner.  According to the University of Sheffield&#8217;s National Fairground Archives, Orton &#38; Spooner major ride-builders and decorators based at Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire. Their worked spanned early carving through to construction of 19th Century Shows, classic Scenic Railways, up to the design and building of 1930s thrill rides such as the Ark and Dodgem. I surmise that Howell was called into action to create this gift from one of the Ortons to a man named Norman Bartlett.  An inscription at the bottom reads: To Norman Bartlett &#8211; February 1936.  In memory of a very pleasant association constructing the most thrilling ride we have manufactured in our sixty-years experience.  Tom Orton. (?) After that, I began to get interested in illustration art from the 20th century.  I purchased one of the unpurchased, &#8220;Buy Now&#8221; items from a Heritage Auction, this one from the 1940s, an original painting used for a novel cover: High-style pulp art it is not.  But it was my entry point into the [...]]]></description>
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		<title>The Forgotten Woodstock:  Seattle Pop Festival, 1969</title>
		<link>http://www.InvisibleThemepark.com/2011/12/the-forgotten-woodstock-seattle-pop-festival-1969/</link>
		<comments>http://www.InvisibleThemepark.com/2011/12/the-forgotten-woodstock-seattle-pop-festival-1969/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 11 Dec 2011 15:48:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Firmly Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Weird Connections]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.InvisibleThemepark.com/?p=965</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Drive through Woodinville, Washington today, and it has the glimmer of an Eastside Seattle suburb about to be born.  With its Target, Safeway, and housing developments with names cooked up by marketing departments, Woodinville is fairly unremarkable, a place you&#8217;ve seen a million times before. A scant 20 minute drive from Seattle center, via the 520 floating bridge and up north I-405, Woodinville still retains some of its bucolic charm of yesteryear, such as the Hollywood schoolhouse, expansive fields, and roadside farmer&#8217;s stands.  One remnant of the past is an utterly uncharming white dome alongside the road. But as it turns out, this dome and the land around it are part of rock music history, what I like to call The Forgotten Woodstock. A West Coast Woodstock In 1969, a local promoter named Boyd Grafmyre had the ambitious aim of assembling 25 musical groups over three days. A large sampling of the groups and individuals that played the Seattle Pop Festival are firmly planted as rock music icons.  Others have fallen by the wayside.  The roster: Chuck Berry, Black Snake, Tim Buckley, The Byrds, Chicago Transit Authority, Albert Collins, Crome Syrcus, Bo Diddley, the Doors, Floating Bridge, The Flock, The [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Octopussy, By Ian Fleming:  One of the Best Bonds</title>
		<link>http://www.InvisibleThemepark.com/2011/10/octopussy-by-ian-fleming-one-of-the-best-bonds/</link>
		<comments>http://www.InvisibleThemepark.com/2011/10/octopussy-by-ian-fleming-one-of-the-best-bonds/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:06:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Firmly Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.InvisibleThemepark.com/?p=960</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I picked up Octopussy, by Ian Fleming, sometime in the 1970s at the small-town public library where I grew up.  It was for sale, and I think cost something like ten cents. Being a young James Bond fan at the time, I was delighted to happen upon this book.  But soon after I bought it, I promptly ignored it. Now, of course I spent plenty of time examining the cover.  I wondered why anyone would have &#8220;X&#8217;d&#8221; out the cover.  I felt that the snub-nose revolver that Ian Fleming was holding was very un-Bondlike.  And where was the smoke that he was supposed to be blowing away? It wasn&#8217;t until years later that I cracked open the book.  The lead story, &#8220;Octopussy&#8221; (which is nothing like the movie), is about 50-odd paperback pages.  More a novella or long short-story than a real novel. James Bond is only barely in the story.  The main character is Dexter Smythe: The widowed Smythe lives alone in his palatial, waterfront estate in the British West Indies, spending his days spearfishing in the shallow reefs by his home.  Smythe has taken an interest in an octopus he has named Pussy.  He wants to observe Pussy&#8217;s [...]]]></description>
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		<title>High Tea at The Fairmont Olympic Hotel, Seattle</title>
		<link>http://www.InvisibleThemepark.com/2011/10/high-tea-at-the-fairmont-olympic-hotel-seattle/</link>
		<comments>http://www.InvisibleThemepark.com/2011/10/high-tea-at-the-fairmont-olympic-hotel-seattle/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 31 Oct 2011 23:54:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Firmly Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.InvisibleThemepark.com/?p=957</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;ve only had high tea a handful of times, as I&#8217;m not much of a tea-drinker.  But high tea at a grand hotel is something entirely different.  It&#8217;s not just tea or sweets; it&#8217;s a way of slowing oneself down and savoring the moment. On a Sunday, after a symphony concert at Benaroya Hall, we arrived at the at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle around 3:50 pm, not knowing what to expect, as the hotel operator had told us that high tea at the Georgian Room ended at 2:30 pm (we later found out that she was mistaken&#8211;Sunday is the only day when tea runs to 5:00 pm). As it turns out, high tea&#8211;which they call The Georgian Tea, after the room where it is served&#8211;was available. I felt a bit disappointed that we were nearly the only customers in the cavernous Georgian Room.  One table was leaving just as we arrived, but then another table showed up soon after.  Still, it would have been more convivial if the place had been more occupied (perhaps we were a bit late for tea). The Layout:  Savories and Sweets Tea choices at  The Georgian include eight teas, such as Earl Gray, [...]]]></description>
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		<title>BeautifulPeople.com &#8211; Scammy Bullshit or Exclusive Community of International Hotties?</title>
		<link>http://www.InvisibleThemepark.com/2011/10/beautifulpeople-com-what-bullshit/</link>
		<comments>http://www.InvisibleThemepark.com/2011/10/beautifulpeople-com-what-bullshit/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 26 Oct 2011 18:07:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Derision]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Firmly Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.InvisibleThemepark.com/?p=938</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Recently I got a marketing e-mail from a site called BeautifulPeople.com, which purports to admit only &#8220;beautiful people.&#8221; The e-mail was accompanied by a video of a quite homely guy and a handsome guy at a swimming pool.  A trio of hot women comment that Homely Guy (actor Michael J. Sielaff) turns them on for his intellect and other interior qualities.  They are disgusted by the hot guy because he looks like a douche.  The video supposedly makes some kind of point, like:  Hey, don&#8217;t deny the fact that looks matter. BeautifulPeople.com says, &#8220;To become a member, applicants are required to be voted in by existing members of the opposite sex. Members rate new applicants over a 48 hour period based on whether or not they find the applicant ‘beautiful’.&#8221; My radar told me that it wasn&#8217;t truly an exclusive community.  This exclusivity it claims is a marketing pitch.  After all, we all want to be in rarified ranks, don&#8217;t we?  And when we&#8217;re admitted to such an exclusive group, we naturally feel more willing to&#8230;pay the steep monthly fees for the ability to network and date. In fact, the site intentionally whips up controversy.  One executive says, &#8220;We receive [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Years and Years of Popular Science and Popular Mechanics, Free and Online</title>
		<link>http://www.InvisibleThemepark.com/2011/05/years-and-years-of-popular-science-and-popular-mechanics-free-and-online/</link>
		<comments>http://www.InvisibleThemepark.com/2011/05/years-and-years-of-popular-science-and-popular-mechanics-free-and-online/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 25 May 2011 17:49:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Firmly Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.InvisibleThemepark.com/?p=926</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In all their glorious beauty, well over a century of Popular Science and Popular Mechanics covers.  And all the pages following the covers, too. It always seemed like the covers were the main thing&#8211;blimps, subs, nuclear-powered trains, rotating houses, and all sorts of wonders that we would soon experience. Truly, these things make me wish that I will get the flu, have a strong Internet connection, and a crisp &#38; large screen suitable for looking at these gorgeous magazines.  I could get lost in them.]]></description>
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		<title>The Death and Pocketknife-Surgery Near-Resurrection of Harry &#8220;Parkyakarkus&#8221; Parke</title>
		<link>http://www.InvisibleThemepark.com/2011/05/the-death-and-pocketknife-surgery-near-resurrection-of-harry-parkyakarkus-parke/</link>
		<comments>http://www.InvisibleThemepark.com/2011/05/the-death-and-pocketknife-surgery-near-resurrection-of-harry-parkyakarkus-parke/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 24 May 2011 16:59:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Weird Connections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Yestermen]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.InvisibleThemepark.com/?p=914</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Harry Parke, born Harry Einstein in 1904, was a comedian, and by the 1950s was resting on the laurels of his invented persona, a Greek named Parkyakarkus.  This fictive name translates to &#8220;park a your carcass.&#8221;  Remember, in these days nobody blinked at ethnic humor. Harry was one of those clubby, fraternizing comedians who was chums with all the stars of the day.  So, naturally Harry belonged to the clubby, fraternal Friar&#8217;s Club in Beverly Hills, California. Before the Friars established their permanent address on Little Santa Monica*, they would use any suitable venue for their celebrity roasts.  And for the roast of luminaries Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, the Beverly Hilton was the place. The Beverly Hilton On November 24, 1958, Harry Parke had just finished his testimonial and had sat back down again.  Parke sat next to Milton Berle, then slumped his head onto Berle&#8217;s shoulder and passed out. Emcee Art Linkletter said, &#8220;How come anyone as funny as this isn&#8217;t on the air?&#8221; When it became clear that Parke was seriously not well, he asked for help from the audience.  As Linkletter related 42 years later to Larry King, he asked, on-mike, if &#8230;anybody here have a [...]]]></description>
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		<title>1:1 Scale VW Camper Van Tent Keeps You Dry and Groovy</title>
		<link>http://www.InvisibleThemepark.com/2011/05/vw-camper-van-tent/</link>
		<comments>http://www.InvisibleThemepark.com/2011/05/vw-camper-van-tent/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 19 May 2011 20:59:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Firmly Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.InvisibleThemepark.com/?p=905</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Want to make all the other kids jealous at the next summer music festival?  Ditch your Coleman Elite for something far cooler&#8211;a tent modeled in the shape and size of a 1965 VW Camper van (Microbus*). This tent is officially licensed (whew &#8211; I was worried about that) and has doors on the side where a VW van&#8217;s real doors are located.  At 182 cm high, this tent has full standup-ability for four people. Looks like this tent won&#8217;t be available for this summer, though, as it won&#8217;t ship until August 2011.  As a point of comparison, here is a real 1965 VW Microbus. Best of all is the ad&#8217;s disclaimer at the end:  &#8220;This product is NOT an actual VW van!&#8221; * NOTE I know it&#8217;s called a Microbus, because in the authoritative words of C.W. McCall&#8217;s &#8220;Convoy&#8221; (1975): Well, we shot the line, we went for broke With a thousand screamin&#8217; trucks And eleven long-haired friends of Jesus In a chartreuse microbus Article References Firebox.com.  VW Camper Van Tent. VW-Samba.co.uk YouTube.com.  C.W. McCall &#8220;Convoy&#8221;]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Aerial Trolley: Burbank&#8217;s Monorail From 1910 is 100% Real</title>
		<link>http://www.InvisibleThemepark.com/2011/05/aerial-trolley-burbanks-monorail-from-1906/</link>
		<comments>http://www.InvisibleThemepark.com/2011/05/aerial-trolley-burbanks-monorail-from-1906/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 18 May 2011 19:11:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Monorails]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.InvisibleThemepark.com/?p=893</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Found today in Boing Boing!  In 1906, a farmers J.W. and E.C. Fawkes formed the Aerial Trolley Company Co., Inc. and put a monorail-like trolley in their Burbank farm. Is this real-life steampunk?  I believe so.  I&#8217;m still trying to wrap my head around the utter coolness of even the company name, Aerial Trolley Company Co., Inc.  It&#8217;s like something from a Jules Verne novel. Excellent information and photos USC Digital Library tell us that the Fawkes patented and built this aerial trolley as an experimental transport system that never quite materialized.  It later was called &#8220;Fawkes&#8217; Folly.&#8221; Aerial Trolley Drawings and Patent Fawkes patented the trolley, and these drawings give us some of the crispest views of how the trolley worked: Close-Ups First, the driver of the trolley: What I find fascination is the trolley&#8217;s propeller.  It looks like the propeller is really made of wires, with only the leading edge solid: You can&#8217;t have an aerial trolley opening celebration without a band.  And when you have a band, you&#8217;ve got to have a upright bass-player in the open-air cars: How does this trolley move? Article References Wes Clark.  &#8220;Fawkes Folly&#8221; USC Digital Library. &#8220;Fawkes&#8217; Folly&#8221;, an experimental monorail [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>When Jim Morrison of The Doors Stayed at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta</title>
		<link>http://www.InvisibleThemepark.com/2011/04/hyatt-regency-atlanta-and-jim-morrison/</link>
		<comments>http://www.InvisibleThemepark.com/2011/04/hyatt-regency-atlanta-and-jim-morrison/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 06 Apr 2011 17:57:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Weird Connections]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.InvisibleThemepark.com/?p=879</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Hyatt Regency Atlanta, built in 1967, is famous as one of the first&#8211;if not the first&#8211;example of a large atrium hotel.  The inside of this 22 story is scooped out, with rooms facing each other and public spaces below. Built by John Portman, the Hyatt Regency&#8211;originally Regency Hyatt House&#8211;is an architecturally significant building that has now been rubber-stamped all across America thousands of times over.  But at the time, it was a big deal&#8211;big enough that even Jim Morrison of The Doors stayed in it. Morrison and Lisciandro in Atlanta In May 1969, Morrison and pal Frank Lisciandro attended the Atlanta International Film Festival to accept an award for the Doors&#8217; documentary Feast of Friends.  He and Frank attended a &#8230;&#8221;rent party in a nearby old Victorian home (rent parties&#8230;for the uninitiated, were designed to raise emergency funds to keep the landlord at bay and have a good time in the process)&#8230;  Morrison was &#8216;open, approachable, funny, and friendly&#8217; at the party.&#8217;  He helped out in the kitchen preparing snacks, picked out albums, changed records, passed out beers, and listed to complaints about cops. Break on Through:  The Life and Death of Jim Morrison, by James Riordan, Jerry Prochnicky [...]]]></description>
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