By Michael Karl Witzel ©2007-2008
During the twilight of the fifties, the Englander Company manufactured a commercial sleeping slab with a mechanical vibrator at its core. One of their top salesman, John Houghtaling (hotel-ing), peddled the unit to customers in the lodging industry. When a number of clients complained that the buzz-boxes were burning [...]

By Michael Karl Witzel ©2007-2008
During the salad days of motoring, the term “air conditioning” referred to how low one could roll down their car window!  Back then, ice was delivered by horsedrawn wagon and the weather dictated a person’s comfort level.  To quell the heat, people cooled off by drinking a cold glass of lemonade [...]

By Michael Karl Witzel ©2007-2008
What’s 38 feet long, has 22 windows, four legs, an 18 square foot living room, 26 foot tail, two eyes 18 inches in diameter, two 22 feet tusks, stands 65 feet tall, has a neck circumference of 48 feet, a pair of 17 foot ears, and a trunk? It’s [...]