what are your industrial design favorites?

[JeffS7444]

well, I still have my XA - seems nobody want them anymore

A really good working example might fetch 200+ USD on that auction site, and I've been very busy selling my old toys there.

 

[Burning Sounds]

AVO VCM MkIV

 

[Lorenzo74]

There were a lot of things we couldn't do in an SR-71, but we were the fastest guys on the block and loved reminding our fellow aviators of this fact. People often asked us if, because of this fact, it was fun to fly the jet. Fun would not be the first word I would use to describe flying this plane. Intense, maybe. Even cerebral. But there was one day in our Sled experience when we would have to say that it was pure fun to be the fastest guys out there, at least for a moment.

It occurred when Walt and I were flying our final training sortie. We needed 100 hours in the jet to complete our training and attain Mission Ready status. Somewhere over Colorado we had passed the century mark. We had made the turn in Arizona and the jet was performing flawlessly. My gauges were wired in the front seat and we were starting to feel pretty good about ourselves, not only because we would soon be flying real missions but because we had gained a great deal of confidence in the plane in the past ten months. Ripping across the barren deserts 80,000 feet below us, I could already see the coast of California from the Arizona border. I was, finally, after many humbling months of simulators and study, ahead of the jet.

I was beginning to feel a bit sorry for Walter in the back seat. There he was, with no really good view of the incredible sights before us, tasked with monitoring four different radios. This was good practice for him for when we began flying real missions, when a priority transmission from headquarters could be vital. It had been difficult, too, for me to relinquish control of the radios, as during my entire flying career I had controlled my own transmissions. But it was part of the division of duties in this plane and I had adjusted to it. I still insisted on talking on the radio while we were on the ground, however. Walt was so good at many things, but he couldn't match my expertise at sounding smooth on the radios, a skill that had been honed sharply with years in fighter squadrons where the slightest radio miscue was grounds for beheading. He understood that and allowed me that luxury.

Just to get a sense of what Walt had to contend with, I pulled the radio toggle switches and monitored the frequencies along with him. The predominant radio chatter was from Los Angeles Center, far below us, controlling daily traffic in their sector. While they had us on their scope (albeit briefly), we were in uncontrolled airspace and normally would not talk to them unless we needed to descend into their airspace.
We listened as the shaky voice of a lone Cessna pilot asked Center for a readout of his ground speed. Center replied: "November Charlie 175, I'm showing you at ninety knots on the ground."

Now the thing to understand about Center controllers, was that whether they were talking to a rookie pilot in a Cessna, or to Air Force One, they always spoke in the exact same, calm, deep, professional, tone that made one feel important. I referred to it as the " Houston Center voice." I have always felt that after years of seeing documentaries on this country's space program and listening to the calm and distinct voice of the Houston controllers, that all other controllers since then wanted to sound like that, and that they basically did. And it didn't matter what sector of the country we would be flying in, it always seemed like the same guy was talking. Over the years that tone of voice had become somewhat of a comforting sound to pilots everywhere. Conversely, over the years, pilots always wanted to ensure that, when transmitting, they sounded like Chuck Yeager, or at least like John Wayne. Better to die than sound bad on the radios.

Just moments after the Cessna's inquiry, a Twin Beech piped up on frequency, in a rather superior tone, asking for his ground speed. "I have you at one hundred and twenty-five knots of ground speed." Boy, I thought, the Beechcraft really must think he is dazzling his Cessna brethren. Then out of the blue, a navy F-18 pilot out of NAS Lemoore came up on frequency. You knew right away it was a Navy jock because he sounded very cool on the radios. "Center, Dusty 52 ground speed check". Before Center could reply, I'm thinking to myself, hey, Dusty 52 has a ground speed indicator in that million-dollar cockpit, so why is he asking Center for a readout? Then I got it, ol' Dusty here is making sure that every bug smasher from Mount Whitney to the Mojave knows what true speed is. He's the fastest dude in the valley today, and he just wants everyone to know how much fun he is having in his new Hornet. And the reply, always with that same, calm, voice, with more distinct alliteration than emotion: "Dusty 52, Center, we have you at 620 on the ground."

And I thought to myself, is this a ripe situation, or what? As my hand instinctively reached for the mic button, I had to remind myself that Walt was in control of the radios. Still, I thought, it must be done - in mere seconds we'll be out of the sector and the opportunity will be lost. That Hornet must die, and die now. I thought about all of our Sim training and how important it was that we developed well as a crew and knew that to jump in on the radios now would destroy the integrity of all that we had worked toward becoming. I was torn.

Somewhere, 13 miles above Arizona, there was a pilot screaming inside his space helmet. Then, I heard it. The click of the mic button from the back seat. That was the very moment that I knew Walter and I had become a crew. Very professionally, and with no emotion, Walter spoke: "Los Angeles Center, Aspen 20, can you give us a ground speed check?" There was no hesitation, and the replay came as if was an everyday request. "Aspen 20, I show you at one thousand eight hundred and forty-two knots, across the ground."

I think it was the forty-two knots that I liked the best, so accurate and proud was Center to deliver that information without hesitation, and you just knew he was smiling. But the precise point at which I knew that Walt and I were going to be really good friends for a long time was when he keyed the mic once again to say, in his most fighter-pilot-like voice: "Ah, Center, much thanks, we're showing closer to nineteen hundred on the money."

For a moment Walter was a god. And we finally heard a little crack in the armor of the Houston Center voice, when L.A.came back with, "Roger that Aspen, Your equipment is probably more accurate than ours. You boys have a good one."

It all had lasted for just moments, but in that short, memorable sprint across the southwest, the Navy had been flamed, all mortal airplanes on freq were forced to bow before the King of Speed, and more importantly, Walter and I had crossed the threshold of being a crew. A fine day's work. We never heard another transmission on that frequency all the way to the coast.

For just one day, it truly was fun being the fastest guys out there.

Go here..
He is the man

 

[tuga]

 

[Lorenzo74]

View attachment 92192View attachment 92193View attachment 92194
Brionvega - Radiophonograph RR226

indeed.
Top Italian Desing.
I own this (white). It’s not stereo, not hifi, but very clear sound with tone control.
My wife loves too...

 

[Wes]

A really good working example might fetch 200+ USD on that auction site, and I've been very busy selling my old toys there.

I refuse to use paypal

 

[LTig]

I was lucky enough to have a return ticket on this bought for me my an Indy-car owner who wanted my advice at the pre-race testing.
It was amazing because the 5 course lunch took almost the whole flight.
After eating I was wandering about the aircraft looking for the slip joints in the trim to compensate for the extension at speed (about 11" iirc) and one of the crew asked if I was interested by the aircraft. I explained I was an engineer, and fascinated, and was invited up onto the flight deck (!) to talk to the pilot and ended up staying there as they slowed to sub-sonic, shifted the ballast and started the approach to JFK, I could see the runway when they put the seat belt sign on and I went back to my seat.
A highlight in my life.

Sadly these times are gone forever due to 9/11. In 1989 I flew from Dublin to Frankfurt and asked the stewardess whether I could visit the cockpit (back then I did this on every flight, and it worked 50% of the time). She checked with the captain and it was granted directly after lunch since the flight is just about 1 hour.

So having finiished lunch I asked to be brought to the cockpit, When I entered there were already two young girls on visit. They left after 2 minutes and then I sat down on a free chair behind the captain and started a conversation with the crew. After about 10 minutes I was told to put on the safety belts. When I asked why the answer was: "We're going to land now and this is only allowed with belts." Man was I stunned. They even gave me a headset so I could listen to the conversation between crew and tower.

Experiencing the landing inside the cockpit of a Boing 737 in Frankfurt - that was a highlight of my live!

 

[LTig]

Indeed!, I shot Kodachrome 64 and nowadays that is slower than the slowest sensors!

Nope, Nikon D850 has base ISO 64.

 

[LTig]

I never actually had an XA, so I wouldn't have discovered that shortcomming. I did have one of the later Mju cameras, the Mju 1, I think:

View attachment 92246

It was a decent enough camera as I recall, but the "bar of soap with a lense" styling wasn't as interesting as the XA.

I had neither but still own a Rollei 35 SE and a Ricoh GR1s. The latter was called APS Killer because it was as small as an APS camera despite using 35mm film. Its lens is 28mm/f2.8 and very sharp.

 

[LTig]

Does it amputate your fingers if you are too slow?

 

[Kal Rubinson]

Surprising.

 

[Euphonious]

1939 Auto Union Silver Arrow

 

[tuga]

Fiat factory in Torino:

 

[Frank Dernie]

Nope, Nikon D850 has base ISO 64.

Are you sure? It may well have that setting, several do, but it normally obtained by attenuating the signal from an ~iso200 sensor, otherwise the noise added by the amplifier when using high nominal iso settings is hideous.

 

[Phorize]

The Pioneer Exclusive TAD 2404 monitor nails the ‘pipe and slippers’ and ‘I’m a pro don’t you know’ aesthetics in one package, which is quite a feat.

 

[Phorize]

Citroen DS? Meh ... the 1953 Studebaker coupe was a true classic of industrial design by the famous designer, Raymond Loewy.

What's really sad is I can remember when these were brand new
.
View attachment 90013
View attachment 90014

Nice, but doesn’t hold a candle next to the Amphicar Model 770, I have no idea why it didn’t take off...

 

[Frank Dernie]

Citroen DS? Meh ... the 1953 Studebaker coupe was a true classic of industrial design by the famous designer, Raymond Loewy.

What's really sad is I can remember when these were brand new
.
View attachment 90013
View attachment 90014

This is certainly attractive styling but the Citroen DS was beautiful in my eyes because it is attractive engineering. The "styling" such as it was was had to be approved by the engineers to make sure the aerodynamics were little compromised.
Most cars of the era, probably including this one, had no attention whatsoever paid to drag or wind noise.

 

[Phorize]

Of course I wouldn’t be seen dead on a nighttime commando raid without my Fairburn Sykes...

 

[LTig]

Are you sure? It may well have that setting, several do, but it normally obtained by attenuating the signal from an ~iso200 sensor, otherwise the noise added by the amplifier when using high nominal iso settings is hideous.

As far as I know real base ISO 64 is a key selling point for their high-end high resolution full frame digicams.

 

[Frank Dernie]

As far as I know real base ISO 64 is a key selling point for their high-end high resolution full frame digicams.

Wow. They must be very noisy at high isos then. Mind you there are plenty with lower pixel count which are low noise if that is what you want.
The settings on my high res Sony start at iso50 but I always thought the base sensitivity of the chip was iso200.