My subscription to Life expired, but I still have a subscription to Mad.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Radio City Music Hall, New York City

I added Radio City Music Hall, New York City to my postcard collection last week. This postcard is unused, but it is a "linen" intended to look like cloth, a popular postcard style from the 1930s through the 1950s.

Originally named International Music Hall, the "names 'Radio City' and 'Radio City Music Hall' derive from one of the complex's first tenants, the Radio Corporation of America" (RCA) (source: Wikipedia). You can read more about its history here on the Radio City Music Hall website.

Although Radio City is only 90 minutes away, I have only been there twice. First time was in 1962, when Aunts Nellie and Stephanie took my sister Jeanette and I to see the live show (the Rockettes and all) and a film (Rome Adventure). The second time was in 1991, when my wife Laurie, daughter Hayley, and sister (still Jeanette) attended the Christmas live show (the Rockettes and all), but no film. Between 1962 and 1991, they jettisoned the film, but increased the admission price!

And so it goes.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Surfin: Snow -- Is There an App For That?

surfin524 This week, your Surfin’ editor gets his mind out of the snowbank and explores the new Mac App Store searching for Mac ham applications.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Snow VII

"This is insane!," is how my sister Gigi aptly summed it up this morning.

The latest snow storm started mid-morning yesterday and it snowed off and on all day, but the accumulation was only about one to two inches by bedtime. I got up this morning and overnight, the accumulation grew to ten inches!

That adds up to 57 inches on Compounce Mountain so far this winter.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Vote for Our Dog

Click here to vote for our dog Q.T. Pie in the Cutest Dog in New England Contest. There is no need to do anything else after you click on the link.

Q.T. Pie thanks you!

Snow VI

Three more inches of snow this morning for a total of 47 inches on Compounce Mountain so far this winter.

Abbott and Costello Live


This actually happened on an episode of Antique Roadshow that I watched last night.

Very old gent brought a portrait of a woman to get an estimate of its value.

The antique expert says, "We think it was painted by a man named 'Ware.'"

Old gents asks, "Ware?"

The antique expert replies, "From Vermont."

I thought I was hearing a lost Abbott and Costello routine.

Monday, January 24, 2011

No Snow

No new snow, but the temperature bottomed out at –2°F this morning on Compounce Mountain. I cannot recall it being below zero in years.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Woolworth Building and City Hall Park, New York City

I acquired Woolworth Building and City Hall Park, New York City at the same time I acquired Singer Building, Broadway, New York. The Woolworth Building became the tallest building in the world in 1913, beating out the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower, which previously had beaten out the Singer Building for that honor. At 57 stories and 792 feet, the Woolworth Building was the tallest building in the world until 1930. (The completion of 40 Wall Street and the Chrysler Building dethroned the Woolworth Building.)

The building was headquarters of the F. W. Woolworth Company until 1998. Its location is in Lower Manhattan at 233 Broadway, one block east of the site of the World Trade Center and four blocks north of the site of the Singer Building.

This postcard has a 1947 postmark and is a "linen" card because it is intended to look as if it was printed on cloth, which was a popular postcard style from the 1930s through the 1950s.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Singer Building, Broadway, New York

I have been collecting postcards of New York City architecture for about a year or so.

My latest acquisition is the "Singer Building, Broadway, New York," at the corner of Broadway and Liberty Street in Lower Manhattan, which was the headquarters of the Singer Manufacturing Company.

The 47-story 612-foot building was the tallest building in the world from its completion in 1908 until the 700-foot Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower claimed the highest honor in 1909.

In 1968, the Singer Building was the third tallest structure ever demolished.

The postcard I acquired was unused, so there is no postmark to date it. But it is a "divided back" style postcard that was popular from 1907-1914, which makes the postcard 100 years old more or less.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Snow V

Another 4 inches of snow fell overnight and early this morning, for a grand total of 42 inches this winter. (Last year, the total was 44 inches for the whole winter.)

Surfin’: I Tune, Do You?


This week, Surfin’ describes why hams should respect antenna tuners.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Snow IV

This is shaping up to be a bad winter weather-wise.

Three inches of new snow fell before dawn. The precipitation changed to sleet around dawn, then to freezing rain around noon.

Total snowfall this winter now stands at 38 inches.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Surfin’: QRP Is For You?

surfin522 This week, Surfin’ visits a Web site where you can get your feet wet operating at 5 W -- or fewer.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Snow III

The weather forecast for today was so scary that my workplace announced yesterday afternoon that the office would be closed today. That's never happened before!

I went to bed and there was no new snow. I woke up and found 12 inches of new snow on the driveway. The storm stopped around noon and dumped another 5 inches during the morning for a total of 17 inches today. That almost doubles the total amount of snowfall this winter (35 inches).

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Hayley Rose Studios Now Online

mona My daughter, Hayley Rose, is an artist and she has just opened an online store (Hayley Rose Studios) to sell her artwork. Being a very proud parent and very impressed with her work, I am writing about it here and suggesting that you check out her store.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Snow II

Eight inches of new snow was on the driveway this morning.

All the schools closed for the day around here yesterday, so I chose to work from home. I thought I had made a bad decision because it did not snow much in the morning. Less than inch fell starting at dawn. By noon, the roads around here were snowless.

Then all hell broke loose in the middle of the afternoon and it started snowing hard. The commute was a horror story according to those who commuted.

The two snow storms this winter add up to 18 inches so far.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Surfin’: Looking for Channel 1, But Finding WNBC


This week, Surfin’ discovers that call letters can have an interesting -- and unexpected -- history.