Telstar Logistics

Does James Brown Wear Ski Sweaters in Heaven?

Fate has an odd sense of timing and a dark sense of humor. These facts were reinforced on Christmas Day, when the news arrived that James Brown had died.  As previously documented here, Telstar Logistics recently came into posession of a copy of Ski Party, a 1965 Frankie Avalon teenspoitation film set on the snows of a Western ski resort. And in that film, one of the most memorable scenes involves none other than Mr. James Brown, making a spirited appearance to belt out a version of "I Got You (I Feel Good)."

It's hard to pin down precisely what makes the spectacle so bizarre.  Is it:

A) The fact that James Brown represents himself as a member of the ski patrol?

B) The sight of James Brown wearing a vintage ski sweater?

C) The sight of so many lilly-white ski kids rocking out to James Brown at a 1960s ski resort?

D) All of the above.

Decide for yourself by watching the video below, as James Brown does his James Brown thing in Ski Party: 

We Have Met the MSM, and It is Us

Desperate for punditry on the day after Christmas, KTVU sent a camera crew to Telstar Logistics  Global Headquarters today to interview Group Leader Todd Lappin about the probability that Virgin America will be denied permission to begin airline operations. Lappin said, "Blah blah blah TOTAL BS BLAH BLAH blahblahblah."

PREVIOUSLY: How to Paint a Virgin America A320

The Post-Retirement Adventures of the USS Tripoli

The USS Tripoli (LPH-10), shown above in then-and-now views, is a former US Navy amphibious assault ship that was commissioned in 1966. Built to serve primarily as a helicopter landing pad and floating Marine barracks, the Tripoli earned nine campaign stars in the Vietnam War.  On February 18, 1991, during the Gulf War, the Tripoli hit a mine while sailing off the coast of Iraq.  The blast ripped a 16-foot hole below the waterline, but after extensive repairs, the ship returned to duty, and later sailed to Somalia in 1992 to land Marines in Mogadishu as part of Operation Restore Hope.

After a busy career, the Tripoli was decomissioned in 1995 at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, California, where it has remained -- in a state of graceful decay -- ever since. Ownership of the vessel was transferred to the Army in 1997, and in 2001, strange, tent-like structures appeared on her decks. Telstar Logistics managed to get aboard once, briefly, in 2002 although we opted to depart before learning more about the work that was underway —and before our luck ran out.

While driving across the Golden Gate Bridge on August 27, 2006, one of our spotters noticed the Tripoli being towed out to sea.  After pulling over to the scenic overlook, a quarter was depoited into a pair of tourist binoculars, and more detailed intelligence was acquired. The tent-like structures had been relocated, and two very large trailer-mounted satellite antennas were visible on the flight deck. Hmmmmmmm...

Further research revealed that the Tripoli has again been drafted into service.  In its second career, the ship is being used as a Mobile Launch Platform for the development of the Pentagon's missile defense program:

The Mobile Launch Platform uses the former USS Tripoli as its launch platform. It is being utilized to provide the ability to present threat azimuth diversity for [ballistic missile defense system] element  tests, and it provides the ability to place Surface Sensors in remote ocean areas.

Recent accomplishments for the MLP are successfully Launching 2 Lance Missiles from the deck, completed Operational and Maintenance Modifications, and developed site plan for the Transportable Telemetry System (TTS).

And sure enough, a few days after the Tripoli was towed out the Golden Gate, the military announced the successful completion of a missile intercept test.

Last week, the Tripoli reappeared. Now tied up in at Pier 80 on San Francisco's southern waterfront (below), teams of workers could be seen coming and going from the gangway, but the the exact nature of their efforts remains unknown. What's next for the Tripoli? That's unknown as well, although if the recent past is any guide, the ship is not likely to spend the remainder of her retirement playing shuffleboard, mahjongg, or bingo.

Historical photos from Steve Stengel a former electronics technician aboard USS Tripoli from 1984-1986: LINK

The Civilized Way to Go Greyhound

Think of this as a one-frame music video. 

The photo above is a screen-grab from the 1965 Frankie Avalon teensploitation film Ski Party. (That's Frankie at the bottom right.) In this scene, as the gang heads to the mountain on a Greyhound Scenicruiser bus, Leslie Gore bursts out in song with this infectious rendition of "Sunshine, Lollipops, Rainbows."

Infectious.  Really, really infectious.  But in a good way.

"Sunshine, Lollipops, Rainbows," by Leslie Gore, from Ski Party (MP3 Download): LINK

Municipal Railway Streetcar 1006, Then and Now

San Francisco Municipal Railway car 1006 is a double-end PCC streetcar built in 1948. Here is how 1006 looked on March 9, 1952, while running the B Geary Line along 33rd Avenue, crossing Anza:

This is how 1006 looked 54 years later, on December 16, 2006, while awaiting restoration in San Francisco at the Municipal Railway's Islais Creek Yard:

PREVIOUSLY: San Francisco's Streetcar Revival

"Vintage Streetcars of San Francisco" photo gallery by Telstar Logistics: LINK

(1952 photo by Wilbur Whittaker via world.nycsubway.org, 2006 photo by Telstar Logistics.)

Two Generations of Lockheed Lightnings, Two Generations of Lightning-Inspired Cadillacs?

The news that Lockheed's all-new F-35 Lightning II combat aircraft made its first test flight on December 15 got us thinking about the plane's namesake: Lockheed's World War II-era P-38 Lightning, shown to the left, above.

With its sleek lines and distinctive twin-tailbooms, the original Lighting had a dramatic impact in a most unlikely place: postwar Detroit. Harley Earl, the celebrated General Motors design chief after the war,made no secret of his admiration for the P-38. "You have to understand the value of what we saw in that plane's design," he said. "We saw that you could take one line and continue it from the cowl all the way back to the tip of the tail." Meanwhile, the Lightning's distinctive twin boom configuration inpsired Earl's humped taillight design that first appeared on the 1948 Cadillac. Though officially touted as "rudder-type styling," Earl preferred to call them "tail fins," and his Lighting-derived flourish went on to guide automotive design for more than a decade. A side-by-side comparison of a P-38 and a 1949 Caddy shows how the car drew inspiration from the plane:

Fast forward to 2006. The new Lighting, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, will be the dominant aircraft in the NATO arsenal for the next several decades. Envisioned as a stealth-capable, multi-role aircraft, the F-35 will be built in three confugurations (conventional takeoff and landing,short-takeoff and vertical-landing, and carrier-based), and it's already destined to serve in the US, the UK, the Netherlands, Italy, Canada, Norway, Turkey, Australia, and Denmark.

But will the Lightning II influence the design of today's Cadillacs as much as its predecessor did?  Arguably, it already has.  Though there's no known linkage between the two this time around, looking at the F-35 alongside a 2006 Cadillac CTS suggests that the two nevertheless share several design cues, from their angular beltline creases to the V-shaped cutouts along the leading-edges of the F-35's air intakes and the Caddy's headlight bezels:

Coincidence?  We Report. You Decide.

Lockheed F-35 Lighting II (Lockheed Martin Website): LINK

Not For Sale: 4,703 Soggy Mazdas

Remember the Cougar Ace?  Back in July 2006, the Singapore-flagged  car-carrying ship developed a 80+ degree list while sailing off the coast of Alaska with a full load of brand-new Mazda automobiles on board.  The crew was rescued, but one naval architect died during the salvage effort after slipping on one of the tilted decks.  Eventually the ship was righted and brought into port, at which point Mazda was left to figure out what to do with the 4,703 cars (mostly Mazda3s, CX-7s, and a few RX-8s and MX-5s) that were aboard when it tipped over.  There was some talk of selling the intact vehicles -- Autoblog estimates the cargo was worth $103 million -- but now the decision has been made to scrap the whole lot. From Mazda's press release today:

IRVINE, Calif. — Mazda Motor Corporation today announced that all of the U.S.- and Canada-bound Mazda vehicles from the car-carrying vessel, Cougar Ace, which nearly capsized off the Aleutian Islands in late July, would be scrapped.

  “After thorough testing by engineers from our North American and Japanese R&D centers, we decided the most appropriate course of action – with our customers foremost in mind – was not to sell any of the 4,703 Mazdas aboard the ship,” said Jim O’Sullivan, President and CEO of Mazda North American Operations, based in Irvine, Calif.   

The Cougar Ace sat listing at more than 60-degrees for nearly a month after an incident at sea, before it could be towed to the Port of Portland, Ore., for repairs and to have its cargo off-loaded.

  O’Sullivan added that although some of the Mazdas aboard the Cougar Ace showed little or no visible damage from being tied-down at severe angles for an extended period, the potential for future problems led the company to reconsider its initial decision to sell any of the vehicles as used.

"All Mazda Vehicle from Car-Carrying Vessel Cougar Ace to be Scrapped" (Mazda press release): LINK

The Cougar Ace (Wikipedia entry): LINK

(Photo above, ADEC -- J. Brown)

Employee Motivation Programs from Outer Space

This full-page ad jumped out at us in a recent issue of Aviation Week.  Ball Aerospace, a Colorado-based defense aerospace contractor (and corporate sibling to Ball's former home canning and present-day food-packaging empire), recently put one of the company's products to work to create a curiously post-modern employee appreciation campaign.  As the ad copy explains:

To commemorate our 50th anniversary, Ball Aerospace employees  formed a 'living logo' imaged by the QuickBird satellite they built.  Their creativity had made the most challenging aerospace missions possible over the past half-century, and their talent will keep Ball Aerospace at the forefront of innovation for the next 50 years.

Of course, what good is a photo like this without the inevitable "Making Of..." video? That's floating around the Internets as well, showing how 1,100 Ball employees in white shirts scrambled into position just before the satellite snapped the shutter from waaaaaaay up above:

Ball Aerospace company website: LINK

Ball Aerospace HQ in Boulder, Colorado (Google Maps image): LINK

Conveyor Belt Sushi on Parade!

One of the simple joys of travel in Japan is stopping in for a snack at a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant (回転寿司 or kaiten-zushi in Japanese) The drill is simple: Plop yourself down at a counter in front of a small conveyor belt.  Scope out the plates of sushi as they pass by and grab whatever looks appealing. Eat. Enjoy. When you're done, the cashier counts the number of plates stacked in front of you (the color of each plate indicates the cost of the sushi it carried) and you settle up the bill. The Wikipedia provides some historical background:

Conveyor belt sushi was invented by Yoshiaki Shiraishi (1914-2001), who had problems staffing his small sushi restaurant and had difficulties managing the restaurant by himself. He got the idea of a conveyor belt sushi after watching beer bottles on a conveyor belt in an Asahi brewery. After 5 years of development, including the design of the conveyor belt and the speed of operations, Mr. Shiraishi opened the first conveyor belt sushi Mawaru Genroku Sushi in Osaka in 1958. 

When we first visited Japan, during the 1980s, Osaka's conveyor belt sushi joints were very low rent -- think American-style hot dog joint, only with tubs of pickled ginger and wasabi instead of relish and mustard.  Since then, the genre has gone a bit more upscale and the quality of the sushi has generally gotten better, but conveyor belt sushi remains a fast and affordable way to grab a bite to eat.

During our most recent visit, we took a short video of a conveyor belt sushi restaurant in Tokyo's Shinagawa train station, looped it, then added an appropriately euphoric soundtrack by the ever-joyful Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra.  The results have been uploaded to YouTube, and in true kaiten-zushi style, it's all self-serve.  Pull up a stool. Put on the headphones. Grab whatever looks interesting. Ganbatte!

Wikipedia entry on "Conveyor Belt Sushi": LINK

(Photo above, conveyor belt sushi in Shinjuku, Tokyo, 2005, by Telstar Logsitics)

A Return to Westlake, America's Most Perfect Ticky-Tacky Suburb

Following up on our previous exploration of "America's Most Perfect Ticky-Tacky Suburb," we recently returned to the fascinating Westlake District of Daly City, California, just south of San Francisco, to attend a lecture by Rob Keil and to take a lot more photos.

First, let's hear from Rob Keil. He's the author of "Little Boxes: The Architecture of a Classic Midcentury Suburb," and his mastery of his subject is impressive. Here are a few notable tidbits about Westlake excerpted from his lecture and his book:

>> Henry Doelger, the man who developed Westlake, chose to live there as well. He built a home for himself in the neighborhood at 112 Northgate Avenue, and raised his children there.

>> To save money, Doelger built his own lumberyard to supply his own building materials. The resulting cost savings enabled him to purchase higher-quality lumber, so Westlake houses are built almost entirely out of long-lasting, water-resistent redwood.

>> Westlake was created over the course of 20+ years. Grading of the land began in 1947. Ultimately, the development included 6,500 houses, 3,000 apartments, two shopping centers, churches, restaurants, and a medical facility.

>> A typical Westlake lot was 33 feet wide and 100 feet deep. The houses were designed sort of like a Mr. Potato Head toy; by mixing and matching basic architectural elements, in 1950 it was possible to transform seven basic floorplans into 260 different facades.

>> Westlake homes began selling for about $10,000 in 1949.  In 1950, 96 percent of Westlake homes were purchased while still under construction, and some were on the market for as little as 30 minutes.

A few days after hearing Keil's talk, we returned to Westlake on a rainy and overcast afternoon to take a few more photos. Click the link below to go on a virtual tour of the neighborhood.

Ticky Tacky Westlake (Flickr photoset by Telstar Logistics): LINK

"Little Boxes: The Architecture of a Classic Midcentury Suburb," a 2006 book about Westlake by Rob Keil (Recommended!): LINK

PREVIOUSLY: "America's Most Ticky-Tacky Suburb" (Telstar Logistics blog post and MP3 download): LINK

Lead Sled 1942 Chevrolet Fleetline

Spotted today on San Jose Avenue, in San Francisco.

(Photo by Telstar Logistics)

The First Boeing 747 (Definitely Not the Last)

This is a photo of the very first 747 -- serial number 001.  Named the City of Everett in honor of its birthplace, 747-001 was built as a prototype with tail-number N7470, and it took to the skies for the first time in 1969.  It was followed a few months later by the first production 747, which was delivered to Pan Am in 1970. By the time Telstar Logistics found the City of Everett, in 2001, it was parked on the side of a runway at Boeing Field in Seattle, looking faded and forlorn. Yet signs of it's historic role were still in evidence: The word "Experimental" could be seen in hand-painted lettering near the forward door, along with the names of the first test pilots just below the cockpit.

Boeing's initial thinking was that the 747 was a stopgap design that would fill a niche until the arrival of supersonic SST airliners.  At most, the company figured, 400 copies of the 747 would be needed to permanently satisfy global demand.

Now, 1,379 airframes later, comes news that we'll be flying aboard 747s for many more decades to come.  Although Boeing's latest 747 variant, the 747-8 Intercontinental, has been selling well as a freighter, this week Lufthansa became the first carrier to order passenger versions of the upgraded model, with a $5.5 billion buy for 25 747-8s, with options for another 20 more.

Of course, history hasn't played out the way Boeing's chief rival, Airbus, thought it would either.  As today's New York Times explains:

This reversal of fortune comes as Airbus’s superjumbo A380 has stumbled, falling two years behind its delivery schedule amid persistent wiring problems and a management shake-up at the company. While Boeing takes pains to say that the two planes are not head-to-head competitors, the industry generally sees them that way. They are the only two planes in the “very large” category: The 747-8 is designed to carry up to 467 passengers, while the A380 can carry up to 555. [...]

Of course, these events have not gone unnoticed at Airbus, which has lost some freighter orders for its A380 to Boeing in recent weeks. Allan McArtor, chairman of Airbus North America, called the new 747-8 a brand-new Edsel, the famous new-car failure of the late 1950s.

“The 747 is on its last legs,” Mr. McArtor said in an interview. “It doesn’t have any legs to stand on. Boeing is trying to breathe life into a 1960s-era design. There is only so much you can do with a plane.”

He added: “But it is irritating. Boeing is getting orders only because of our inability to meet demand. Had we not stumbled with the A380, there would not be orders like the Lufthansa order for the 747-8.”

It's true that Airbus's A-380 goofs have done much to give the 747 a second lease on life, but McArtor's metaphor is sloppy. The Edsel came and went. But after a nonstop production run that will easily exceed 40 years, the 747 continues to evolve, and it's still gaining altitude.

Far From Extinct: (New York Times, 7 Dec., 2006): LINK

Boeing's official 747-8 website: LINK

All Telstar Logistics photos of The City of Everett 747 prototype: LINK

Boeing 747 Pool (Flickr photo gallery): LINK

Mashing Up the Holidays with dj BC

Yes yes, we know... mashups are soooooo 2003.  But when it comes to holiday music, innovation never comes too late -- especially when the alternative is another Muzak "Silent Night" piped over tinny speakers at the mall. So kudos to DJ BC, one of the most talented kids on the remix scene, for assembling an all-star cast of elves to contribute to Santastic II, his 2006 holiday music project.

The entire album is available for FREE download in all-natural MP3 format.  Looking for good places to begin? Our Quality Control Office recommends test-driving Loo and Placido's groovadelic "Horny Christmas" or perhaps "Jingle Jane" from the ever-jolly Divide & Kreate.  For you DIY types, here's the recipe for the latter:

Jingle Jane - Divide and Kreate (Sweden)

Jingle Bells - Smokey Robinson And The Miracles
Sweet Jane - The Velvet Underground
Ingredients:
14 cups of Jingle Bells
2 Eggnogs
1 Sweet Jane
1 1/8 Smokey Robinsons
2 teaspoons of the Beatles
4 cups peeled, shredded Velvet Underground guitars noises
1/2 teaspoon of Jackson 5
1 cup Charlie Brown

Got that? Try it out in your visitor reception area and watch the seasonal cheer start to spread. It's all so so so very Ho-Ho-Ho! While supplies last.

Santastic II (free MP3 download from dj BC): LINK

UPDATE:
For old skool holiday cheer, taste the goodness at Christmas A Go-Go, including a complete download of 1959's "Ding Dong Dandy Christmas" by The Three Suns, and "Le Twist du Père Noël," a 1961 gem from Les Chaussettes Noires: LINK

Will Steve Jurvetson's Rocket Go Supersonic?

Steve Jurvetson, executive director of Telstar Logistics Space Systems, brings this update on his most recent attempt at advanced rocket flight (shown above):

I tried to break Mach1 yesterday and send this 8 lb. Giant Leap fiberglass rocket up 2 miles. But the nose cone popped prematurely during launch, so the rocket had sub-optimal aerodynamics, with an air scoop on top and a nose cone dragging by the Kevlar shock cord (visible at the horizon line at full size).

But a big enough motor can launch anything, and this crippled Firestorm54 went out of sight on an Aerotech K550.

I was using a pre-release motor controller, and perhaps it prematurely detonated one of the black powder chute charges. Imagine an M80 going off inside, which might overcome the 25 g’s of acceleration…

Steve plans to diagnose the problem after analyzing the flight log from the on-board data-acquisition systems. Rest assured, the finest minds of any generation are tackling the problem as we speak. Stay tuned for further updates as this story develops.

"Air Scoop" (Flickr photo from Jurvetson): LINK

12 Things You Probably Don't Know About Frank Chu

During our homeward commute on this evening's train, Telstar Logistics was presented with a unique opportunity to chat with a leading local celebrity: Mr. Frank Chu, better known around town as "the 12 Galaxies guy." 

Frank Chu is a San Francisco institution.  Often spotted making his daily rounds downtown or at any public gathering where TV cameras are likely to be present, Frank is a full-time protester who always carries a neatly-lettered sign highlighting the benefits of  Cotsgrogrenigul Coverage, or decrying the perils of Nexsrojrenikol, or bemoaning Qwintrozenikulled Suppression.  And drawing attention to the 12 Galaxies, of course.

Frank Chu has also earned his own Wikipedia entry, where his philosophy is described thus:

Frank Chu holds Bill Clinton responsible for directing the CIA to withhold payment to him for being the star of something called "The Richest Family" during the presidency of George H.W. Bush. His protests frequently called for the impeachment of Clinton even after Clinton was no longer in office. Bill Clinton and various other US presidents are frequently accused by Chu of cooperating with the 12 Galaxies to commit crimes and treasons. Chu is strongly interested in television reporters and newscasters, who will bring him the publicity he requires to inform the world of the injustices committed against him. He hopes that this wave of publicity will cause a public outcry, which will result in the impeachment of various US presidents and the awarding of "$20 billions" in compensation for the damages he and his family have suffered.

Which brings us to tonight's commute.  Upon boarding the subway this evening, we noticed Frank Chu occupying a seat near the door, with a vacant seat to his left.  Remembering that the Wikipedia sayeth, "Chu respects personal boundaries and most social customs, and is always happy to share his views and answer polite questions," we we sat down to strike up a conversation.  That is how we can bring you these 12 New Facts About Frank Chu: