For those of you who don’t already know, archive.org has a large library of old, scanned books, many of them from the Victorian era. They also have a nice browser that lets you page through the books and even save jpeg images of the pages.
Many of them are children’s books, such as the one I found today:
Many of these books contain interesting engravings and very odd assertions. Check out this page about sailors.
I find it a little doubtful that sailors on shore leave have trouble finding ways to spend their time. I’ve heard stories! Speaking of sailors having a good time, here’s a youtube video featuring some sailors who are definitely “very glad to be aboard their ship.” Ahoy!
While searching through some of my family’s old junk yesterday, I came across this delicious piece of fast-atavism. Rapidly cooled anachronisms aside, I can’t believe anyone bought this while it was current. I am ashamed.
Modems hissed and popped and generally made annoying noises that we learned to love in a Pavlovian way, because, even fifteen years ago, we were all slavering like starved jackals for the Information Superhighway. I understand that there are probably some proud power nerds out there who love dismantling them and putting them back together all day, lovingly counting the parts and giggling softly. However, I can’t see anyone in their right mind thinking a book like this would have wide appeal.
So when you say “Hiss, pop, donk, beep,” what you’re really trying to say is, “I love you?”
