And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
There was a time in the West when even purely functional items also had style. For some reason, we abandoned that way of thinking, such that now you can't tell one car from the next, function determines what things look like, and style is somehow too expensive or too old-fashioned to matter. We are living in a cookie-cutter world, where everything is made out of Chinesium and is guaranteed to fail within 3 years.
Whenever I think this way I think of old photos of cars parked together. 1920s, 1940s. 1960s. All the cars look alike. Sure, there are a few that stand out. But most look alike.
Cars back then lived short lives, and needed constant maintenance. Average age of a car on the road today is 14 years, and cars are designed to run 60, 80, or even 100k without routine engine maintenance.
Most old stoves were ugly, too. Form follows function. Sure, you could buy some ornate stove like this, or a hand-tooled firearm, or an over-the-top wristwatch. But we generally don’t due to the extra expense and the fact that most people are sheep and don’t want to stand out, they want to blend in.
The glass insulator pedestal is a very nice touch. Took me a second to figure out what they had done. Yeah, one of those stoves with all the isinglass intact is rare as a hen's tooth.
The glass sheet on the floor is a good insulator, originally it probably sat on tile or raised brick pedestal in a past life. Actually the base is not as hot as you might think, there is a double floor the ash pan sits on and external air circulates into the fire box drawing from lower front or in some models from rear. There is a working model like it, converted to natural gas at a butcher shop we go to in Michigan, it sits on wood floor covered with wood shavings and there is no issue with the local fire dept. and it has been there near 100 years.
There was a time in the West when even purely functional items also had style. For some reason, we abandoned that way of thinking, such that now you can't tell one car from the next, function determines what things look like, and style is somehow too expensive or too old-fashioned to matter. We are living in a cookie-cutter world, where everything is made out of Chinesium and is guaranteed to fail within 3 years.
ReplyDeleteWhenever I think this way I think of old photos of cars parked together. 1920s, 1940s. 1960s. All the cars look alike. Sure, there are a few that stand out. But most look alike.
DeleteCars back then lived short lives, and needed constant maintenance. Average age of a car on the road today is 14 years, and cars are designed to run 60, 80, or even 100k without routine engine maintenance.
Most old stoves were ugly, too. Form follows function. Sure, you could buy some ornate stove like this, or a hand-tooled firearm, or an over-the-top wristwatch. But we generally don’t due to the extra expense and the fact that most people are sheep and don’t want to stand out, they want to blend in.
The extra expense is in the pattern making. The castings don't really cost much more.
DeleteSome things still have style. Nice revolvers do unlike Blocks (I mean, uh Glocks)
ReplyDeleteThe glass insulator pedestal is a very nice touch. Took me a second to figure out what they had done. Yeah, one of those stoves with all the isinglass intact is rare as a hen's tooth.
ReplyDeleteThe glass floor plate is a great touch.
DeleteLooks like it's coal fired. Very nice radiant heat source.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely ornate and practical, very nice piece of industrial art
ReplyDeleteI can't believe that it's on a wooden floor. And that the wooden floor is not at least scorched.
ReplyDeleteThe glass sheet on the floor is a good insulator, originally it probably sat on tile or raised brick pedestal in a past life. Actually the base is not as hot as you might think, there is a double floor the ash pan sits on and external air circulates into the fire box drawing from lower front or in some models from rear. There is a working model like it, converted to natural gas at a butcher shop we go to in Michigan, it sits on wood floor covered with wood shavings and there is no issue with the local fire dept. and it has been there near 100 years.
Delete