R.I.P.: Stan Freberg:  You old elderly man (River) now’s your chance to catch up with Little Blue Riding Hood and sing The Banana Boat Song.

R.I.P.: Richie Benaud.  I guess everybody’s innings must come to an end.  Thanks for years of enjoyment, both on and off the field.  Many an innings will pass before The 12th Man finds his next legend to parody.

Hey, ho – everybody, and welcome back to SHORT FAT STUBBY FINGERS: RANTING AND RAVING BLOG where anything is likely to turn up.

On a quick sadder note, I know that the more morbid of every country glorify in taking unsavory photos on an opportunity basis and that certainly includes Australians, so I am not condemning the actions of the Indonesians who were seen taking photographs of the coffins that would soon be used to bury the two members of the Bali nine who are due to be executed shortly, but I do object to Channel Ten broadcasting it on the news in such a blatant way (and the same goes to any other station doing the same.).  There was no need for the images to be used, the images had no connection with the story and I really think that the Channel lacked sensitivity.

Well that’s my rant for the blog.  Its come and gone.

A bit of trivia for movie buffs.  While some fans may be bragging about the release of the 7th in the Fast and Furious franchise as being a phenomenal achievement,  they should note that Tinkerbell has reached the same milestone with her latest release. And, of course, another (now) Disney product is getting closer to its 7th episode release and that is STAR WARS.   Did you know, that when 20th Century Fox Films had the distribution rights to Star Wars, the series creator, George Lucas had to raise the money himself to produce the first six films which includes being forced to sell his THX and Special Effects businesses.  It’s no wonder that he sold out to Disney.

A second bit of trivia for you, George Lucas promised, and delivered, the special effect dinosaurs they used in Steven Spielberg’s JURASSIC PARK.   The trivia is in the fact that he made the promise before he could actually be certain his company could deliver on his promise.  And Spielberg got the go ahead from Universal based on the promise.  OR SO I HAVE HEARD.  But the movie was made, the creatures were great, and everything worked out just right for a top movie, and I am looking forward to Jurassic World which is due out later this year as it has been getting a good rap (ho! ho! ho!)   

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For those who don’t know Stan Freberg he was an American comic of the highest caliber in the 50s and 60s specializing in satirical recordings such as The Banana Boat Song and Old Man River as well as having his own radio show when live radio shows were almost as popular as the movies and television.  If you get a chance download these songs and others that should be on you-tube.  You should still get a laugh out of it.  You will also learn why I crossed out the old and replaced it with elderly.  Political correctness has been around for a long time.

Did you see where they discovered another dinosaur up at Richmond Qld.   No, not a poly-tishin campaigning for his seat for the umpteenth time, this time it was a huge sea creature, like a gigantic crocodile, coming in at around 11 metres long and teeth the size of bananas … and I don’t mean ladyfingers.  And the KRONOSAUR is probably the best preserved one of its kind ever found.

Though in another dinosaur incident I see our Polly ticks are still playing the ‘We’ll give you some charity when you need it following a disaster and then you can give it back when we have spent all of our morning tea money game.)  This time it is the Western Australia premier wanting a higher slice of the money the states divide up annually because they gave Queensland donations following the 2011 floods.  Cheeeh.  Polly Ticks … what a waste of money.   There is at least one natural disaster somewhere in Australia every year and every other state usually chips in too help then out, but this attitude that Tony Abbott started with his appeal to Indonesia to release the Bali 9 is appalling.  If the state is too poorly off to provide help for free at the time, then they simply should not give it.

Talking about the National economy, is it any wonder we are falling down in the money game.  I mean, after all, not many successful countries can attack their own national emblems and succeed.   After allowing the world to fleece us of our wool exports, then trying to hang on for grim death to one of the world’s greatest pollutants (coal) when most of the majors are conceding the need for a cleaner energy source, our final clutch of desperation is trying to rid ourselves of our own national pride by attempting to make two of our best resources the main ingredient in a Master Chef International Cookbook.   Over the past few years both Kangaroo and Emu meat has been promoted and introduced throughout Asia and Europe and in some areas it does rather well as a gourmet delight … and it is fairly predominant in Coles and Woolies, but aren’t these two offerings the main two portions of our country’s coat of arms?

A nostalgic look back at the inventions and innovations of the 1950s and 60s – go you baby boomers

Talking about Stan Freberg, those of you under 50 probably don’t remember radio broadcasts, and those of you under 20 probably think we that are over the age of 50 came from the stone age, but do you realize those of us over the age of 65 have not only had a better exposure to a real changing world and lifestyle, we also witnessed the older generation set the way for the techno savvy world you live in today.  But unlike you, who have inherited the past, we saw most of it come to life.

During the latter half of ww11 the Americans were working with the Brits in England to develop Radar which they succeeded in doing, but as a byproduct, and as a result of one of the American scientists discovering the chocolates he was bringing in work were melting every day,  he and his co-workers worked out why and how it was happening and the MICROWAVE was invented and patented.

Recordings can be traced back to 1857 and this is a perfect medium to highlight what this blog pertains to point out, and that is that a huge catalogue of today’s ‘popular with the younger generation products can trace their beginnings back to the late 40s and 50s or even before.   The original recording process was initially designed for its technology aspects and recorded on an apparatus that was without playback facilities, but over time it developed into the record/gramophone combination which led to popular music being played on a regular basis in the home as well as on the radio.

In the early 50s the vinyl 45 r.p.m.record began to replace the 78 r.p.m bakelite/shellack type record.  (I am uncertain when AMERICA dropped the 78, but here in AUSTRALIA the early records from Buddy Holly, Fats Domino and other rock and rollers were released in both formats, but by the late 50s in was basically all 45s. in the record shops.)

45 r.p.m.                   12″ L.P. / 331/3 r.p.m.                   78 r.p.m.

Stereo (2 channel sound) and Quadraphonic L.P. (4 channel sound) long playing records (also known as ALBUMS) extended the length of time the music could be played in one sitting and the 45 r.p.m.: e.p. (extended play – 4 songs) filled the spaces in-between.

Ever keen to continue making lots of moolah the electronic partner in the music game needed to invent more and more ways of playing music in order to keep themselves alive in a fast saturated market (the recording companies were always safe during during the pre-I-tunes and you-tube era as they had a ready market of would-be stars lining the streets.  When one star faded there were twenty more new-borns in the aisles waiting their chance.

But the electronic media wasn’t so optimistic about their future.  Replacements came and went by the truck load over the following years: TAPE DECKS: CASSETTE PLAYERS: EIGHT TRACK CARTRIDGE PLAYERS and then the head of Sony Music, who was a Beethoven fan, had his engineers develop a recording/playback device (which became known commonly as a C.D. (Compact Disc)) and he insisted it could record up to 78 minutes (plus the necessary spacing of 2 minutes for the electronic signal it needed to carry to talk with with the c.d.player.   The reason for the length was due to the longest piece of music written by BEETHOVEN (78minutes).

The c.d. (which began selling in a big way in the 80s) went on to help with the development of the D.V.D. in the 90s when video was added to the music and extra space was needed to accommodate the visual aspect.  A process that had been originally tried on c.d. (V.C.D.) and had worked, but was restricted in how much video could be added to it.  Usually it was virtually all audio with one audio/video bonus track.   Blu- ray followed the and it will, no doubt, be replaced by some other device in the years to come.

Meanwhile the recording industry still rolls along only the now use both C,D./D.V.D. systems to sell their songs along with the now more popular downloading systems.   But its product hasn’t changed … they are still out there waiting for their chance at fame.  Though quite a lot of them try to beat the gun by doing their thing on you-tube.  It worked quiet well for Taylor Swift, but I am still uncertain what it is that Justin Beiber does.

As a point of interest the VINYL RECORD has been making a relatively strong. and still increasing, re-entry on the market and there are around a dozen or more record players available to purchase ranging from $A100 t0 $A1000 in price and some of them even play the old 78s.

But the blu-ray and its little brother, the D.V.D. were influenced in their creation by more than simply adding video to the music.  The music D.V.D. and the movies were really just glorified by products of the system AND another reason for their creation was COMPUTER GAMES.

At around the same time the C.D. was hitting its straps, computers were making their way into the hearts and minds of the young and  old, and when Bill Gates and his geeky comrades discovered a new product created by an about to be axed programmer from a Texas computer company that was about to close down they chipped in, raised the money and brought it from him at a cheap price.   The program, which was the first that allowed the user to speak to it in a human style language rather than the languages prohibitive to us mere humans that were being used by the big computer companies that sold their product to businesses.   Bill and his buddies then did a deal with IBM to lease the program onto their smaller computers at $50 a computer which put IBM into a new market and began the exodus of money from peoples hip pockets into Bill and companies bank accounts.

Then, working for a while in conjunction with AMIGA (a company who were light-years ahead in their thinking), MICROSOFT replaced the D.O.S. (a Disc Operating System where discs were put in and taken out of the computer when required to allow different functions to take place) with hard drives  and this, of course, allowed multi-tasking to occur because of their extra space (more than one complete program could be put in the computer on a permanent basis) and used as they are today.)

This, of course, occurred around 1995 which was 10 years after MICROSOFT had begun and we have been talking about the 50s and 60s, but remember what I am pointing out is that many things are simply recycled or tweaked or re-engineered, BUT NOT RE-INVENTED.   You don’t/can’t re-invent something, but you can modify it to work better.  This is what DYSON has done with the VACUUM CLEANER and HAND DRYERS.   Using engineering skills the company has modified the way the apparatus works, but they have not re-invented the items.  If you go to their site you will see that they give themselves credit for RE-ENGINEERING their products, not RE-INVENTING them.  Remember the  HARD DRIVE was in use with the bigger computers had been invented in the 50s so MICROSOFT did not re-invent the computer and nor did IBM who are credited with creating the first working MAINFRAME computer for use in business.  I.B.M. had created, not reinvented, a smaller version of their bigger system and MICROSOFT had supplied them with a programme that somebody else had designed which modified the way the computer worked.

To reinvent something, one has to start from scratch without the knowledge that the end product already exists, because, in reality, they would simply be duplicating somebody else’s invention, or they need to create the same product that in no way, form or manner resembles the current product, but effectively achieves the same result.

As a point of interest, Amiga went on to develop programmes that allowed some television stations in the U.S. to be run 100 percent by computers … and they are still running those stations as far as I am aware.

Now getting back to the reason for the development of D.V.D.s and Blu-Ray: (The most popular reason to own a computer originally (in  the 80s) was to play the GAMES that were available.  The more popular gaming became, the more people wanted LONGER GAMES and the longer games became – the more recording was required and that meant bigger and better disc space, hence the increased popularity of d.v.d.s and hard drives now upwards of 4T (For the uninitiated that’s an awful lot of recoding space.   My first computer in 1984 had 28k. (and that is a very small space,  but that was about all that one needed for the D.O.S. type system.  I don’t think it work too well these days, however.

Other things that were developed, invented or got a sudden burst of speed on during or just after the war included: TELEVISON: which we didn’t get here in Brisbane till the 60s, but Sydney and Melbourne  had it a couple of years earlier and overseas earlier still.  AMERICA had its first broadcasts, mainly in bars and shop windows, back in 1947, but it was not until 1958 that slightly more than 80 percent of AMERICA had television in their home.  Back in 1948, a year after the first broadcasts, there were only 100,000 sets in homes and most of them were in NEW YORK.

THE LORD OF THE RINGS, by J.R.R.Tolkien, his follow up to THE HOBBIT was written between 1937 and 1949 (throughout world war 2) and the THREE VOLUMES were released over two years (1954/55).

N.A.S.A, ROCKETS, SPUTNIK AND THE SPACE RACE: 

THE SPACE RACE began in the 50s, amplified in its development by the rise of the COLD WAR that quickly developed between the WEST and the EAST  (AMERICA/GREAT BRITAIN/UNITED EUROPE and RUSSIA) following the end of world war 2).

The RUSSIANS got the first SATELLITE  into space (SPUTNIK).

N.A.S.A. was authorised by President Eisenhower in 1958.  

RUSSIAN astronaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space in 1961 as he circumnavigated the Earth.

In 1969 the first man landed on the moon (Neil Armstrong)

This article is getting a bit longer than I expected and it is easy to get off track, so I am just reminding the reader that what I am attempting to allude to here is the fact that most of the innovations younger people think are being invented right now by a younger generation of inventors are, in fact, simply re-hacks of things invented back in the 40s, 50s and 60s or a tad later or even earlier.  But reworkings never the less.

In most cases the original reason for the use of the end product has remained the same, but in a lot of cases the product has been tweaked and other applications have been added to them, not invented for their use, simply added to the product.

Things like the web being mixed with game machines that can also play Blu-ray.    Phones that have the web and a camera built in and so on.  Not new inventions, but new homes and applications added to a popular piece of hardware in order to make you feel it necessary to have in your possession.   Well, if you have the money to follow the trends so be it, but just remember you aren’t getting anything new, just modified.

Continuing with our inventions most musical instruments were invented hundreds of years ago and most are still in use today … even the  Banjo has been around in the western world since the 17th century when slaves in the U.S.A. began making them using local products, and they were based on a similar instrument which, according to the web site of Music Folk, were created and used in Africa.

The guitar has been around for many years too, but the ELECTRIC GUITAR, the head banging, rock’n’rollin’, sweet and smooth sounding, rhythmical, danceable, instrument that can set your heart and soul into a wild frenzy or make you want to cuddle up with the love of your life, has only been around since 1931 but it really didn’t become a household world worldwide until 1952 when its sound and quality was exposed to a waiting world by Les Paul. (u.s.a.).

Two years later  ROCK AND ROLL exploded onto the airwaves and the ELECTRIC GUITAR (and the SAXOPHONE) were instantly associated to be a major part of the sound.  The use of the guitar became the major instrument because it could be used with virtually every pop song that was released, whereas the saxophone,  and even the piano which was used in many a song had a more limited use overall.   The guitar became a popular musical instrument for thousands of young boys across the world (and some girls), but it was the ELECTRIC GUITAR that they wanted, rarely an acoustic version.

And not only was it used to back the hundreds of pop stars who were charting, it also allowed the arrival of the INSTRUMENTAL BAND  (Rock and roll style) that used all the instruments to great effect, but is was the ELECTRIC GUITAR that stood proudly at the top of the charts:  Al Cailo (Electric Guitar) (The Magnificent Seven/Bonanza): The Shadows (Guitar/Rhythm Guitar/Electric Bass Guitar/Drums) (F.B.I., Apache, The Boys and dozen or more international hits: The Ventures (Electric Guitar)(Walk Don’t Run, Hawaii 5O plus: Johnny and the Hurricanes.(Electric Guitar/Saxaphone):  Red River Rock/Beatnick Fly plus) SANDY NELSON (DRUMS) Teen Beat) are but a few of the INSTRUMENTAL BANDS and MUSICIANS whose music is still as popular as it was back in the late 50s until its decline in the 60s at the end of the SURF MUSIC INVASION.

The hour of INSTRUMENTAL BAND may be in recess, but I will bet you that even today kids take up the ELECTRIC GUITAR mainly to play the long instrumental solo on  every song and I would not be surprised to see a resurgence of the INSTRUMENTAL BAND once guitarists start listening to them on you tube.

And as we head towards the end of the 50s;

Sir Edmund Hilary (N.Z. mountaineer and explorer) and Tenzing Norgay (Nepalise mountaineer) became the first men to conquer Mt. Everest on 29 May,1953.    No fancy airplanes and Katmandu accessories back then.  Pure guts and determination.

Not everybody’s favourite invention, but the DINER’S CLUB CREDIT CARD (the first ever Credit Card) was introduced to the world in 1950.

SUPER GLUE was invented in 1951.

The BLACK BOX (the recording device used on planes to investigate crashes and in-flight problems) was invented in 1952.  This was an AUSTRALIAN invention.

THE TRANSISTOR RADIO ( a small, battery operated A.M. radio) which later went on to add F.M. to its repertoire before being upgraded to the WALKMAN and now it is virtually everywhere. It too was a 1952 innovation.  The original style TRANSISTOR RADIO is still available in a variety of shops (sold by both the major retailer and most of the smaller chains.

Mr. POTATO HEAD was patented in 1952.

1883 saw the first ever SOLAR CELL being created, but it wasn’t until 1954 that it came to reality as a product one could/would purchase, the same year the first McDONALDS appeared in the U.S.A.

The first NON-STICK TEFLON PAN also started life in 1954 as did THE PILL.   How many children NEVER got born as a result.  Now there is the starting point for a new sci-fi novel.

The OPTIC FIBER used for phone and computer transmissions arrived in 1956 as did THE HOVERCRAFT.

Also created in 1956 was LIQUID PAPER by Michael Nesmith’s (of Monkee’s fame) mum.   Originally created to correct mistakes created on a typewriter which are primarily a collector’s item these days, the product itself is still in use today without typewriters (though I wouldn’t recommended splashing it on your computer screen when SPELLCHECK and its Aust vs U.S.A. spelling decisions gets the better of you), but it does have its uses.  Especially with cross words and Sudoku.

And, again in 1956, the first HARD DRIVE was used and during the rest of the 50s we were also introduced to THE HULA HOOP – THE LASER – THE MODEM – THE PACEMAKER – THE INTEGRATED CIRCUIT – THE MICROCHIP – THE HULA HOOP AND BARBIE.

I’ll add the 60s next time, but, like I said so much of today’s lifestyle all originated back in the 50s or before and we oldies saw most of it happen and we were excited because it was something NEW – NOT A REHASH.

Oh, and as a p.s. (that means post script – or a late thought) I brought a new phone the other day and guess what?  You can actually talk to another human being on it … and I don’t need an app to do that.  Just  use my fingers to dial and I am off.

See ya

Tony

COMING UP NEXT:  THE EDGE OF NIGHTFALL: PART 1: THE NIGHT OF THE DARKNESS:  WAS POSTED 27TH OF APRIL, 2015.   For those unfamiliar with my blogs, this is a serialised version of The Night of the Darkness which is the first part of my sc-fi adventure trilogy.  Please feel free to down load from the beginning and subscribe to the blog if you want future episodes to be delivered straight to your computer.

FOLLOWED BY: SHORT FAT STUBBY FINGER PUBLICATIONS:  Which will start to explain the various books that are becoming available over the next 12 months from my web site SHORT FAT STUBBY FINGER PUBLICATIONS.