Name: The Roman Dodecahedron: An Oil Lamp Stand? @proto57
Uploaded: 2026-09-21T08:17:00-05:00
Duration: 8 min 17 s
Description: The Roman Dodecahedron: An Oil Lamp Stand?

The Roman Dodecahedron: An Oil Lamp Stand?

proto57 2026-09-21 | The Roman Dodecahedron: An Oil Lamp Stand?

Voynichs 1665/6 Marci Letter: Is it a Forgery?

proto57 2023-03-17 | I created this video as a companion to my blog post titled, "The 1666 Marci Letter: A Forgery?":

proto57.wordpress.com/2015/09/11/the-1665-marci-letter-a-forgery

There are, to me, many problems with this letter which strongly question its authenticity. These problems are outlined in the above linked post. But the video demonstrates how the supposed fold lines and seals on the letter, and more, make no sense whatsoever. They make no sense when compare to other letters in the Kircher Carteggio, but also in a general context.

I believe it most probable that Wilfrid Voynich created, or had created for him, this letter as an attempt to validate a forged Voynich Manuscript. But even if the Voynich were real, which I doubt BTW, the letter may have been created to build a false provenance for it, by attaching it to the mentions of some other mysterious herbal which was mentioned in Kircher's letters.

For an overview of my Modern Forgery Theory: proto57.wordpress.com/2016/03/23/the-modern-forgery-hypothesis

For the supposed provenance which this Marci letter points to: proto57.wordpress.com/2020/04/19/the-voynich-has-no-provenance

As always, comments and criticism are welcome.

Mystery Singer on 1950s Dick Charles Studio Demo Lacquer

proto57 2022-11-15 | I found this one-side demo lacquer disc at an indoor flea market in Connecticut in the early 2000's. The record is an original cutting... not a vinyl pressing... on a "lacquer" coated aluminum disk. The music would have been cut to this disk by a record cutting machine, probably from the original magnetic recording tapes used to produce the songs.

I have no idea who the singer is, and wanted to put this up on Youtube to see if anyone has an idea.

Dick Charles Recording Studio recorded many well known singers and groups, but I suspect the singer here may not be famous. Perhaps they were buying a demo record to try and break into the industry. But I have no way of knowing, and can't recognize the singer, myself.

Many different people have recorded these songs, and I've listened to a few of them on Youtube. Some are close I think, like Ed Ames, and Robert Goule, but not close enough to be them. And I am unsure if this is from the 50's, 60's, or 70's. What does the Hive Mind think?

The record was pretty dirty, and had some mold on it which was pretty bad. I cleaned it as well as I could, but there is still lot of pop and hiss. I recorded it using a Technics SL-B101 turntable, which has no pre-amp. I amplified and digitized the signal with a Behringer U-Phono UFO202 USB amplifier and digitizer, recording it with Audacity. I then removed as much pop as I could without distorting the base recording too much. But obviously I'm no expert... this is the proof!

Seating That FIRST Tire Bead: Easy Method

proto57 2022-06-02 | There are various methods online for seating the second tire bead, but you can take much of the fight out of it if you are able to seat the first tire bead beforehand.

This is especially the case with new tires, because the beads are close together, and not out where they will seat on your rim. Once you have that first bead seated, you can use several methods... even just pushing the wheel in to the remaining bead... to easily finish the job.

Easy & Inexpensive Kayak Rooftop Loading System

proto57 2021-06-12 | Here is a kayak loader which can be made cheaply and easily. I didn't add up the cost, but it must be under $30 total.

The ramps are made from 1 1/2" PVC schedule 40 pipe, with 1 1/2" x 3/4" "furring" strips slipped inside for stiffness and added strength.

The ramps can be capped at the bottom. The angle of the elbow at the top will determine the steepness of your ramp of course. If one didn't have the Thule rectangular bar system that I use, they could notch the upper PVC pipe to make a hook. But there could be many ways to attach the the ramps to the roof rack.

The shelves are of 2" PVC pipe, which is just the size to fold down over the ramps.

The whole idea here is that you don't ever have to lift more than half the weight of your kayak, and the ramps place the boat high enough so you can get under it and slide it up to the roof very easily.

Seating a Car or Trailer Tire Bead Using a Bicycle Tube

proto57 2020-06-03 | I have long changed my own tires, by hand in a yard or driveway, using tire irons and busted knuckles. I think I first did it when I was about 14 years old, and got my first car. And back in the tube days, seating a bead was of course not an issue... the tube did the work for you.

Tubeless tires are a bit more problematic of course, as the bead of the tire has to make complete contact around both sides of the wheel rim, or all the air gets out before the bead is snapped up on that rim. But it often works pretty well to put a rope or strap around the tire, and turn it with a stick (Spanish Windless). This is best with used tires, as they have already been under pressure on a rim, and so have a "memory" which places the bead closer to the rim.

But new tires are often a real problem, as they usually come out of the mold with the bead too far from where the rim is. I admit I have mounted some tires in the past, and then needed to cry "uncle", and take the tire down to a garage, and have it beaded for me. That sort of defeats the purpose of doing this at home in the first place (well, maybe not considering the stupid tire mounting laws, and liabilities, which sometimes restrict the mounting of single, used tires on existing rims. Coming in for a bead seating has, so far, been possible though).

There are many other methods of seating a bead, such as the air tank blaster thingy... but they cost like $60, and I don't do this all that much. So then I have another cumbersome tool to deal with, mostly sitting around. Others have had luck using an explosive gas... I think starter fluid... sprayed in and lit. That seems very dangerous, and I just never wanted to try it.

There seem to be other gizmos which pull the bead up, and so on. I had wondered, though, at different things that might fill the air gap temporarily, to allow air to stay in the tire and seat the bead, and wondered if wrapping a bicycle tube around the rim would work. So I did a youtube search, and lo-and-behold that is a tried and proven method. Wish I thought of it first! No matter... at least I wanted to add my own, first experience with this method, to help get the word out...

As you can see, it is simple, cheap, and very easy to do. I intend on keeping a small selection of bike tubes with my tire irons. I'll remove them from discarded bikes, so that I don't have to buy them. And "damn"... I'm a recovering hoarder, and now I think of all those bikes and wheels I tossed into dumpsters the last few years....

Spider Spinning Her Beautiful Web

proto57 2019-09-11 | A beautiful spider took up residence in our doorway a few days ago. She is already getting pretty big, because of the great number of insects that come to our door light each night.

Every morning there is an array of new carcasses, and the web is all torn up. She seems to be pretty inactive all day, but after sundown, rebuilds the entire web from scratch.

How does her little brain have such a skill in it, from birth? Such a complex set of instructions are needed to create the structure, along with the plan to lay it all out. And in a brain the size of what? a bit larger than a poppy seed? And at birth, the knowledge is pre-programmed to create all this?

I just find it stunning. But we do have to duck when we go in and out...

Home Built ROV- Remotely Operated Vehicle

proto57 2018-10-19 | I built this ROV using ideas from around the web, mostly, but then adapted them to my own dimensions, and added a few ideas of my own. The majority of the concepts here, and the wiring of the motor control solenoids, are those of Stephen Thone of homebuiltrovs.com

I also found the ideas and adaptations of Nathan Broman very good and helpful, too. You can see his work on Youtube at youtube.com/watch?v=Fltz36ncIs4 and youtube.com/watch?v=t4FOMOiRISE

But there are many great ideas out there, and many different concepts in ROV design and construction, from the fine professors at Youtube and Google Universities.

Thanks to my friends Berj Ensanian / KI3U, and Greg Stachowski, both of whom gave me great advice along the way.

Probably the only addition I will make is to mount a small "ball" compass to a stalk, so that I can see it in the video. This will give me some orientation while the ROV is underwater. It was suggested I add protection for the props, either in the form of screening, or tubing to better direct the thrust water flow, and make it more efficient. I still may do this, too. I did blow one fuse when a prop tangled in fishing line... and so one change will be to replace the spade fuses with automatic resetting 5 amp fuses. Then I won't have to dig in the wax to replace a fuse.

Specs:

3 1,100 GPH, 3 AMP Bilge Pump motors by Amarine (stripped of centrifugal impellers and impeller housings in lieu of propellers)
Frame is 1/2" PVC: @ 12"Lx5"Hx6"W
Float tubes are @12" long, 2" I.D. PVC
Weight tubes are 1" I.D. PVC
Power cable is solid copper strand, 16 gauge speaker wire
Control cable is Ethernet (8 leads, 6 needed)
Weight of ROV without ballast approximately 6.5 pounds
Length of tether: 50'
Propellers, RC boat 3 blade, D45mm x 1.7 Pitch
Remotely powered (no batteries on board), 12v
Fuses:
Each motor, 5 amp spade type, on board ROV (in electrical box)
One 20 AMP in control box for all ROV power
One 10 AMP in control box for ROV solenoid control leads
6 Solenoids, OEG OMI-SS-212L DPDT, 12VDC, 5A

Cost: My cost list is only an estimate, and from what I remember I paid for the parts. But it is a good rough estimate, I think:

PVC:

Tubing and fittings for frame: $12
Tubing and fittings for floats and weights: $14

Electronics & electric:

6 solenoids: $32 (I had to replace these after ruining the first set with wax)
Speaker (power) wire: $14
Ethernet wire: $18
Switches: @ $22
Pilot light: $5
Battery clips: $8
Motors: $21
Video camera kit: $113 with shipping

Other:

Propellers: $18
Cord: $6
Bolts: $3
PVC glue: $6
Tie wraps- on hand, but about $6 worth
Tether sheathing: $11
Foam for tether floatation: $4
Weights: found lead, free

Total: @ $283
Hours: I have no idea... an hour here, a couple there... really not that hard to build though. Simple plumbing and wiring, etc.

Land Rover LR2 Off Road

proto57 2017-11-27 | I put "off road" in quotes, because this was a road at one time, and is even still on the map... but one portion if it went of use decades ago. That section is pretty rough in spots.

I might have made it the whole way, but I was alone. If I got hung up on a rock, or broke something it would have been a problem. And the LR2 is obviously not a dedicated off road vehicle. But I think it did pretty well... with its 8" of ground clearance, and with the "mud and ruts" setting in first gear, it crawled nicely over some fairly rough stuff.

Is The Voynich Manuscript a Modern Forgery? (and why it matters)

proto57 2017-10-26 | This is a video version of the Powerpoint presentation I gave on October 19th, 2017, for the NSA/CSS Symposium on Cryptologic History. The event was at the Kossiakoff Conference Center at John Hopkins in Laurel, MD.

The slides are the same as presented, but there may be small differences in the narration, as I recorded the video's narration from memory, after the event.

This presentation focuses on the characteristics of the Voynich which imply it is a forgery. But there are other aspects to my theory, many of which can be found on my Wordpress blog. An outline of the theory is at: proto57.wordpress.com/2016/03/23/the-modern-forgery-hypothesis

Problems with the bases used to form the current Voynich paradigm are here: proto57.wordpress.com/2015/05/08/modern-voynich-myths

Despite what you will read, and have been told, the Voynich has not been solved, we have few answers, and it may be many things other than a genuine 15th century cipher herbal. Keep an open mind, and question everything you are told, and think you know about it.

1962 Webcor Radio Direction Finder, model E312

proto57 2015-01-16 | This is portable Radio Direction Finder in one of the more simple forms. It was used to navigate in small planes and boats, by using the non-directional beacons scattered around the country, and along the coast. Most NDB's are now discontinued.

The radio also receives broadcast and the old "marine" band, which is about 1.6 to 4 megacycles. But the navigation would only be used on the broadcast and beacon bands, which received through the built in ferrite bar antenna. When the radio was switched to "nav", the antenna became more "directional".

This radio uses a red indicator lamp to show signal strength. It actually determines this through the audio circuit. Most other RDF's used a needle metering readout. I think they used this light so that a person could visualize the morse code pulses of the transmitting beacon... which identified it... from across a cockpit or whatever.

When I received this radio it had almost no volume. So I replaced the 11 electrolytic capacitors. I soldered them to the back of the board, and left the original caps in... only clipping their leads... so that the chassis would retain an authentic look. Check out my RDF collection at: http://www.angelfire.com/space/proto57/rdf.html

Volvo XC70 Frame Straightening at Home, Using Trees

proto57 2014-12-24 | I wasn't sure if this was possible, although others have suggested it is. It worked fine, so I wanted to post the procedure for others.

We have almost $7,000 in this Volvo XC70, starting with the $5,000 initial cost, then the $1,400 for the rebuilt transmission I put in last year, the exhaust, brake rotors and pads, tires, and more. I could not see abandoning all that time and money, so I wanted to give this a shot.

Having a body shop straighten the frame, and rebuild this was out of the question, as it would cost more than the car is worth. But for under $800, I was able to do a reasonable job of rebuilding it, and at home, on my schedule. And also, $250 of that is tools that I can either resell, or use for other fun stuff.

Psychodelics, August 2012

proto57 2013-03-10 | Roadhouse Blues being performed by the Psychodelics at Elements in White Plains, August 2012.

My friends Anne DeAngelis on harmonica, Mark Hitt on guitar. With Steve "Budgie" Warner on drums, Joe Coz lead vocal, J.T. Toglia on bass, and Pete Gallinari.

Ernest Borel Cocktail Watch

proto57 2012-12-16 | These watches had a moving "moire" pattern for the seconds hand. Very classy, high quality watch. I think they made these Cocktail Watches in the late 30's through the early 50's, but I'm not sure. The company survived the "quartz crisis", and is still in business:
http://www.ernestborel.ch/en/index.php

This particular watch was my grandfathers. He and my grandmother had matching Ernest Borel Cocktail watches... I also have my grandmother's, but the a lug is broken off of the case. I restored his watch, and will figure out a way to fix the lug, and restore hers.

Deer and Her Fawns, Putnam Valley, NY

proto57 2012-07-29 | This is sort of a long video at 8 minutes. But if you love these beautiful speckled fawns as I do, it is nice to see them happy and healthy and enjoying their breakfast. Each year new families come through our backyard... almost every morning... and I am sure the mothers seen here were fawns from years past. July, 2012

Cornelis Drebbels Perpetual Motion, Version 2

proto57 2012-06-08 | A few years ago I built a model of Cornelis Drebbel's "Perpetuum", based on a drawing by Antonini. Over time I came to realize that this version was not the proper layout of the device, and so I then built this version. It sat on a shelf, working fine, for about 2 years... and I finally got around to using an interval camera to film it in action.

The original Perpetuums... of which Drebbel may have built as many as 18, in different forms... drove a clockwork mechanism. They are not perpetual motion as we understand it today. They were powered by changes in air pressure and temperature, which caused a differential between the pressure of the air trapped in the sphere, and the atmosphere. As such, they were what is known as a 'thermoscope"... a bit thermometer, a bit barometer. But to a 17th century philosopher, the fact that these were driven by unseen forces, continuously, made them perpetual machines. They were promoted by Drebbel as being tapped into the driving force of the universe... the "Primium Mobile", whatever they conceived that to be. But Drebbel knew hydraulics, and the expansion of heated gases... he was of course quite aware of what drove his machines. But this was the time when magic held sway, and the proper presentation of your inventions, while holding back the reason they worked, kept you in great demand. Drebbel was favored by the patronage of two kings... and was famous for this, and other inventions. Not the least of these was the submarine. He also invented the thermostat, which was roughly based on the principles seen in this device.

Drebbel was also the inventor of the twin convex lens microscope, and he was a fine engraver, and much more. Visit http://www.drebbel.net for much information, images, articles and videos of all things Drebbel.

Video Version of Voynich 100 Conference Talk by Rich SantaColoma

proto57 2012-06-06 | This is a video version of my presentation at the Voynich 100 Conference in Frascati, Italy, on May 11, 2012. The audio portion will not match exactly the talk as I gave it in Italy, but it should be fairly close. Here is a website for the conference, with some images from it:
http://www.voynich.nu/100.html

This particular talk was one of several. It deals with three aspects of my personal theory about the Voynich Manuscript, but the ideas I presented were not necessarily "theory specific", but ones that I thought might be of interest to the Voynich community as a whole. To see my entire theory, you can either view my website:
http://www.santa-coloma.net/voynich_drebbel/voynich.html

Or blog- for some more up to date, or more detailed, additional thoughts:
http://proto57.wordpress.com

For a great overview of the known history of the Voynich, visit this site:
http://www.voynich.nu/

Keep an open mind, don't get hurt, and have fun. Rich SantaColoma

Mystery of 1963 Optical Tape Player Solved

proto57 2011-04-30 | I picked up this cool reel to reel optical tape player in the 1980's, in a junkyard. I suspected it played analog audio, recorded on 16mm film stock, in 4 tracks... but really had no idea what it was for. It looked really high-end, and small production. The date of many of the components is 1963.

I recently sent pictures to my friends Berj, Greg, Dennis, Dana and Robert, who have delved in all sorts of technologies over the years... but we could not figure it out. Among the guesses we had were: audio track to be synced to a film, test data to be input into a radar or guidance system, tones or speech for the telephone system, organ music, musak player... and so on. But the truth is a bit different than all of these... Berj suggested that the audio was "crying to be heard", and suggested I listen to it, if I could. So I pulled out the nice old Bell and Howell projector my friend Lars gave me, hoping the optical track could be read on the projector's sound pickup and amp... the results of the experiment are in the video. After watching it, check out the link below. Don't peek until you watch it though:

http://www.thegeekticket.com/features/bell-telephone-1964-worlds-fair
And:
http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/2009/01/29/days-of-future-past-the-treknywf-connection

"Fairgoers ascended a ramp to a platform to reach the seats on the continuously moving 1,000 chair ride, that journeyed the the communication presentation."... this may be the soundtrack, and maybe the controller or syncing data, for that ride. Perhaps the additional tracks controlled the lights, the speed of the ride, and so on. It is an eerie feeling I get, having been on that ride at age 7; I actually heard these words, on this tape, twice... 47 years apart. And the best for last: From Bill Young's wonderful site on the 1964 World's Fair, an recording of this actual tape, made by a Ray Dashner, while on the actual ride:
http://www.nywf64.com/bell07.shtml

This was the final confirmation that this controller/player is the one used in the Fair, because you can hear the same words being spoken on it.

Marcus Dairy, June 1990

proto57 2011-04-11 | I stopped by Marcus Dairy on my bike today (April 10, 2011), and found out that it has been closed since February 6. So I thought I would dig out a video I made in the summer of 1990, edit it down to a few minutes, and upload it. The original video was over a half hour long, this is about 8 minutes. Unfortunately, on the day I made this, I did not get to Marcus until after noon. By then, most of the bikes had left... there would have been several hundred there a few hours earlier. But this gives some idea of the diverse bikes and bikers you could find any Sunday up at the Dairy. If anyone knows where the "next place" will be, drop a note...

Triumph TR-4 Scene from 70s Mini-Series

proto57 2011-03-27 | This is the Triumph TR-4 stunt driving scene from the 1976 miniseries "Rich Man, Poor Man, Book 2". I had not seen this since it first aired about 35 years ago, but loved it at the time because I owned a couple of TR-4's. I still have one, but it is a basket case.

The car in this scene is missing some side trim, and the some letters from the "Triumph" on the hood. I don't think that was intentional to hide the make, because the character does refer to the car as a "TR-4" earlier in the scene.

The New Atlantis-Voynich Optical Theory

proto57 2011-02-21 | This theory was based on my observation that various cylinders in the 'Voynich Manuscript are strikingly similar to early optical devices, most closely, early microscopes. Before me, others had noted that many illustrations in the Voynich resembled microscopic organisms, and I concur.

However, since the time I proposed this theory, I've come to believe that the Voynich is simply a modern hoax, made about 1908 to 1910. I still believe that many of the objects shown in this video were meant to be what they look like... and that, even, there may be some Francis Bacon influences thrown in there, too... as there are, many items used as models to create the work.

For more information go to the main site:
http://www.santa-coloma.net/voynich_d...

And the blog, which covers other topics relating to the Voynich in history, optics and otherwise:
http://proto57.wordpress.com

1950s Homemade Art Beat Film

proto57 2010-09-29 | This is a short art film made by my parents about 1951 in Greenwich Village, and Central Park (?). Barb SC., Richard SC., Richard P., Marcia P. Transferred from 8mm to video in the 1980's, then to digital, 2010. Music I added... it's from the movie "Beat Girl".

Ray Jefferson 6150 Automatic Radio Direction Finder (ADF)

proto57 2010-09-19 | This Ray Jeff Model 6150 dates from the 1970's. It is an automatic direction finder, as the direction finding antenna is rotated by an internal motor. It stops when the signal to a broadcasting antenna is weakest, or as they say, at the "null". Since it is pointing at the location of the broadcasting antenna, the bearing to that antenna can now be read off the radio, and marked on a map or chart. With two such bearings, one can find their position. For pictures of more radio direction finders, and other information, see my collection at:
http://www.angelfire.com/space/proto57/rdf.html

Navigational Ruler Radio Direction Finder

proto57 2009-12-19 | This is an unusual and rare type of radio direction finder. It is actually a "ruler-radio". The intent is very clever... it was meant to eliminate a step in plotting a course by radio beacon. Normally one would have a compass built in, and the navigator would take a bearing to the antenna, then plot the bearing on a chart. In this instrument, there is no compass... the ruler would be on the chart to begin with, the direction to the antenna found by rotating the ruler and listening for the null in the signal, and the bearing then could be plotted directly on the chart. A great idea in theory, but in practice all boats slew to some extent... even at anchor... and as your boat moved, so moved your chart's orientation, and then, so would your plot line.

For more information about RDF's, and to see all the radios in my collection:
http://www.angelfire.com/space/proto57/rdf.html

Seafix Radio Direction Finder

proto57 2009-10-24 | This is my 1960's Seafix radio direction finder, made by Electronics Laboratories in England. I have several variations of this RDF... the Seabeam and the Seafix2, with minor variations. Some have broadcast band, some only beacon. Their beacon is between 200 and 400 Khz. Most of the ones I have seen have rechargeable batteries (long gone bad in all cases), but one unit has a battery box for 4 AA's.

The compass is a high quality Sestral bearing compass, which is suitable for taking visual bearings for piloting... in addition to showing the direction to the beacon antennas.

In this video you will note that there is not much difference between the null and the full signal strength. I think this is because I was so near the beacon... the signal strength was just too strong, and all around me. But there is a bit of a difference. However I was not about to roam around the back areas of the airport with an odd looking device such as this... I realized afterwards that going up there might have been a problem as it was... and would not recommend it.

For more information, and to see my entire collection, visit:
http://www.angelfire.com/space/proto57/rdf.html

Voynich Manuscript Rosettes in 3D

proto57 2009-10-15 | This video is a representation of the well known rosettes pages from the Voynich Manuscript, expanded out to 3D, and animated with a fly over camera view. The Voynich has many different theories attached to it, as to it's origin, content, purpose, authorship... just about anything about the manuscript is a mystery, and open for discussion and debate.

My intention in creating this video is not to favor one theory over any other... only to attempt to visualize the rosettes page as the artist originally envisioned it. The skewed perspective of the drawings are certainly inaccurate, but they do represent 3D objects and relationships. I have done my best to look at the relationships between the objects, and their relative size and placement, and recreate the scene in 3D... as it would have been imagined by the artist. Where I was unsure, I left simple shapes... such as the cylinders on which the actual rosettes rest. Some detail I added, such as the thickness of the castle walls. And also, by necessity, much detail is left out. Not everything is open to any interpretation, or there are too many variables, so I left those points as simple drawings. And lastly, do not use this image or video as any sort of study guide... I have not exactly recreated all the detail or textures, and have made simplified versions of some textured areas for clarity. So if you are interested in the manuscript, research it carefully, and download the high quality SID images from the Beinecke Library at Yale University.

That being said, I hope this video is of interest, and gives some idea of the wonderful nature of the Voynich, and the amazing imagination of it's creator(s)... wherever and whomever they were.
A direct link to my blog page, with still images of this model: http://proto57.wordpress.com/2009/10/17/a-trip-to-the-rosettes
My blog can be found at: http://proto57.wordpress.com
My website is at: http://www.santa-coloma.net/voynich_drebbel/voynich.html

H. Richard SantaColoma

1930 Ford Model A

proto57 2009-09-16 | This is a transfer from a 38 year old Super 8 movie. The car is a 1930 Model A Ford Town Sedan I purchased when I was 14 years old. I eventually disassembled the car, and partially restored it. I sandblasted the frame, filled and repainted it... restored the transmission, springs, and began work on the body. When I was 17, I was "invited" to leave home... and had to remove the car from storage a couple of years later. It sat outside loosely assembled, for a few years (video says 10 years... it was actually only stored about 7, total inside and out), and I had to sell it. But I had by that time bought a 1940 Chevrolet Special Deluxe, which was my daily driver in high school. I wasn't taking THAT one apart... It broke, I fixed it, end of story.

This was a "from the factory" Town Sedan. The car had original twin sidemounts (twin spare mounts and fender wells), and the original cowl lights, arm rest, and rear pull curtain. Unfortunately it did not have a matching engine number. Knowing what I learned in the years after buying this car, I should have bought privately through Hemmings Motor News... I remember seeing a 1930 Model A Two Door, all original and running, for only $500.

Roger Bacon, Kahn, Voynich, from Angels & Demons Documentary

proto57 2009-06-08 | This is a short clip from a History Channel Documentary about the movie, "Angels & Demons". It is attempting to put the movie in a true historical context, and explain some of the background included in it. On this very short clip on Roger Bacon, however, the producers chose so show some images from the Voynich Manuscript. It is widely regarded that Roger Bacon did not have anything to do with the Voynich, although I think there may still be some adherents to that possibility. Ironically, David Kahn is interviewed here about Bacon, and Kahn wrote a very good chapter on the Voynich in his book, "The Codebreakers". I doubt he knew the images of the Voynich would be included in this bit. Be sure to visit my page on the Voynich: http://www.santa-coloma.net/voynich_drebbel/voynich.html

Drebbel Submarine Prop from Four Musketeers

proto57 2008-11-29 | This is a prop version of Cornelis Drebbel's 1620 submarine, as seen in the 1974 movie, "The Four Musketeers." It shows Drebbel and the Duke of Buckingham. The real Cornelis Drebbel designed and built one or more submarines about the year 1620. They were probably the first working submarines in the world. The largest version, tested in the river Thames, is reported to have carried more than a dozen people.
*********************************
Drebbel may have created his own oxygen in the sub, to replenish the air, by heating potassium nitrate, because we know he was aware of this process. Some believe he may have used a snorkel. As for the submarine itself, there are no reliable, consistent descriptions. For this reason, interpretations of the machine in art and literature vary.
*********************************
This may be the only "prop" Drebbel submarine shown in a feature movie. It is from the 1974 film, "The Four Musketeers". The machine used here is very imaginative, and probably very inaccurate in many details. While Drebbel may have made a small, two person version of his machine, it is not known. It looks to me as though this one is fiberglass, with a faux stitched-leather covering. Drebbel's machines were covered in greased leather. But I doubt the hatch arrangement from this movie would have actually worked at any depth. Of course this was not intended to be a real machine. I give the producers and prop designers credit for what they did accomplish, in a scene really intended to be comedic, and not historical. If he were alive today, perhaps Drebbel would have appreciated the effort, as he is suspected as having been a prop designer himself, among many other things. He built a perpetual motion clock, invented the thermostat, was the first person known to artificially cool a room, identified oxygen, was a fine engraver for Goltzius and on his own, made the first twin convex lensed microscopes (of fine quality, by 1619), and developed the tin salt process to produce the famous "Scarlett Red", or "Bow Dye"... a brilliant cocineal permanent dye.
*************************************** Drebbel also greatly influenced Francis Bacon's New Atlantis, which further influenced the Royal Society... and so, had a part in the the flowering of modern science.
**************************************By the way, he should have a Dutch accent, not British.
***************************************I cannot find the name of the actor who played Drebbel, but the Duke of Buckingham is played by Simon Ward.

Ford WWII Promo Film

proto57 2008-10-01 | This is a Ford promotional film which includes Jeeps, amphibious Jeeps, aircraft engines, gliders, and tanks.

I transferred this from a fragmentary 16mm film. It is all I have, and in bad condition. I did not cut out all the skipping (caused by torn sprocket holes), but this section is short. Despite the fact it is incomplete, and damaged, I thought it would be of interest. I especially love the amphibians, running into the water on a test...

Connecticut Antique Machinery Show, 2008

proto57 2008-09-28 | Assorted clips from the September 27, 2008 Connecticut Antique Machinery Association annual show. Be sure to check out my videos from the 2006 and2007 shows, too.

CAMA does great work in preserving and restoring the fabulous machinery of the past. For information about the museum and it's hours:
http://www.ctamachinery.com
Located in Kent, Connecticut.

Sailing an ODay 22 on the Hudson

proto57 2008-09-05 | This is simply a few minutes from a light sailing day on the Hudson River, between Stony Point and Bucanan.

The boat is a 1973 22 foot O'Day. It has a 700 pound fixed keel, shoal draft of an inch shy of two feet, and a displacement of 2,086 pounds. It is easily trailerable behind my 1988 Volvo 240 wagon, sleeps four, has a sink, stove, and enclosed head. The boat is self-righting, and with sufficient built-in floatation to be unsinkable if holed. They say... I haven't tried it!

The outboard is a 1980 Seagull 5 H.P. Silver Century long-shaft, which weighs 44 pounds.

The Long Shots: An 80s Band

proto57 2008-02-07 | The Long Shots was a band in the 1980's, which played at local clubs. The lead singer was Bob Berry, Monte Wright on bass, Robbie Wojtowicz on drums, and Paul Galenopoulis on rythm guitar. I can't remember who was playing sax, but the guy in the window is Butch Kelly... Monte cut a cardboard "sax" for him to project on the curtain.

Bob Berry wrote this song, "It's Who You Know". Most of the Long Shots songs were written by Bob, with some by Rob Wojtowicz and Paul Galenopoulis.

The video is of poor quality... from my ancient video bin again... but mostly because it is about fourth generation. The original went to Star Search, the copies of that I never saw, this is a copy of a third generation made 20+ years ago.

The Mob Goes For a Drink, with 1940 Chevrolet

proto57 2008-01-18 | This is a 1974 High School student film by Charlie Klesse, as a spoof of gangster movies. In the movie are Mike Phaffenbach, Mark Burke, Russ Deubler, Karl Burke, Ed Light, and Rich SantaColoma. The car is Rich's 1940 Special Deluxe Chevrolet, and the bar/restaurant is the Muscoot... owned by Mark and Karl's mother. It was filmed on super-8 Kodachrome. Later it was transferred to video, with sound added by the video service. I then made a video copy in the early 1980's. This is a copy of that copy, digitalized with the analog input of an Everio hard drive camcorder... so it is fourth generation. Sorry for the resulting lack of quality... but it is amazing it has survived!

Three Trains Over Iona Creek

proto57 2007-12-08 | In May '07 I was wandering around, and decided to hike down to the tracks over Iona Creek. I learned just how little I know about freight train scheduling, the hard way...

Electric Cars: A solution?

proto57 2007-12-04 | The three major disadvantages holding back acceptance of electric cars could be addressed by one simple change: The car owner not owning the battery. For more details, see http://www.santa-coloma.net/electric_car/electric_car.html

Constructing Bivalve- a wooden sailboat

proto57 2007-11-29 | I built Steve Redmond's design, "Elver", in 1992. This is a series of clips showing highlights of the construction. It is a 20' Canoe Yawl. The hull has a plywood bottom, and strip planked, western red cedar topsides. The spars are shaped from douglas fir for the main mast, and spruce for the mizzen and other spars. Here is a link to a page about building this boat, with comments and critique... and some other, similar, plans:
http://www.santa-coloma.net/bivalve/Bivalve.html

Tiger Paw- to Psycho Killer by The Talking Heads

proto57 2007-11-28 | This is a small, fun film I made about 20 years ago, set to Psycho Killer. The actor is David Basilone. The film was inspired by the Tiger Paw tire commercials of the time. Well, not really. Not sure anymore. Anyway, it is filmed with a Bolex H16 16 mm camera, using Tri-X reversal film. I later copied it to video by simply filming the screen. Uploaded to Youtube by inputting to an Everio camcorder.

Im in Love With my Car

proto57 2007-11-28 | This movie video was a high school film project by a talented young man, Andy Presser, in the late 1970's. He had ambitions in the fields of music and film, and many of his ideas were later realized by others.

This was filmed on Super-8 sound, and then transferred to video in the early 1980's. There is obviously some degradation from the process, and time. I transferred this to digital for upload, using a JVC Everio's input.

If you note some similarity to the (2004?) Jaguar commercial using the same music, I do, too. Although certainly a coincidence, I will note that this video was used for a year or more in the late 1980's as a demo in a Mount Kisco, NY camera store... and shown to hundreds of customers. Many of these customers worked in film and advertising. If anyone has the Jaguar commercial, could you post it as a video response? Thanks...

Ray Jefferson Automatic Direction Finder Radio

proto57 2007-11-18 | This Ray Jefferson 660/ADF is an automatic direction finder made in the 1970's. It utilized a pre-GPS radio technology, in which a marine or air navigator would home in on radio beacons. The device's bearing to two or more known antennas would be marked on a chart, giving one's position. this unit is probably as good as they got, before the technology became obsolete. The radio could receive CB, AM broadcast, VHF marine and FM, in addition to the beacon band... although it only could find the direction to beacon and broadcast antennas. Another ADF video is at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3ukW7ns7Jg And for more information on RDF/ADF's, visit: http://www.angelfire.com/space/proto57/rdf.html This Ray Jeff was a kind gift from Jerry G. in Vermont. Thanks!

Connecticut Antique Machinery Show, 2007

proto57 2007-10-01 | Assorted clips from the September 30th, 2007 Connecticut Antique Machinery Association annual show. CAMA does great work in preserving and restoring the fabulous machinery of the past. For information about the museum and it's hours:
http://www.ctamachinery.com
Located in Kent, Connecticut.

Macleods Bagpipe Band at Mills Mansion

proto57 2007-09-24 | This is a video of the massed bands coming down the hill at Mills Mansion, in Mills-Norrie State Park, in Staatsburg, NY, on September 16, 2007. The Macleod's band is on the far left. Fred Howard, Pipe Major. Thier website is: http://home.hvc.rr.com/macleodscornwall
Mills Mansion site: http://www.staatsburgh.org

Drebbels Perpetual Motion Machine

proto57 2007-03-28 | About 1604 through 1613, Cornelius Drebbel built at least 20 perpetual motion clocks. They were of course not true perpetual motion, which is impossible... but operated due to varying air pressure in a room. The basic engine is demonstrated by the model in this movie, although I had to use a hair dryer set on low to more rapidly create a differential air pressure in the engine's sphere, because of the time limitation, and the threat of supreme boringness. In normal operation, the sphere will "rock" slowly, over a period of minutes or hours. For more information, see: http://www.santa-coloma.net/drebbel/drebbel.html

Swan Automatic Direction Finder Radio

proto57 2007-01-20 | Vintage 1970's Swan ADF-100 automatic direction finder. Radios such as this were used for marine navigation before the advent of GPS made them obsolete. The radio finds the direction to a radio tower by rotating it's antenna. By finding the bearing to two or more such towers, one's position could be plotted on a chart. For more information: http://www.angelfire.com/space/proto57/rdf.html

1961 Triumph TR-4, unrestored

proto57 2007-01-12 | I actually bought this car 30 years ago, from a junkyard, and drove it around. Except for the mice and leaves, it looked pretty much the same. No floors. No brakes. But the top was nice back then. The car is "pre-production"... a 1961 model, the 507th off the assembly line. It has TR-3 engine, seats, carbs, transmission, and other parts... The car would require far more in money and time than it would be worth... but maybe someday. If I find a free afternoon sometime, I might whip it together(ha!).

Nautilus Submarine in Atlantis, Virtual Sailor Sim

proto57 2006-10-23 | Working model of Nemo's Nautilus from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Clip is video capture from Virtual Sailor marine simulator, version 6.5. I built and textured the models in Studio Max 3.x. Submarine available for download free on the VS site, but I never uploaded the models of Atlantis... which I made about 5 years ago.

To go to the main site, and download a time-limited demo, free boats, check out the forums, go to:
http://www.hangsim.com/vs

9/11 Motorcycle Rally to Ground Zero, 2005

proto57 2006-10-17 | September 11, 2005, over 3,000 motorcycles left from Carmel, N.Y. for Ground Zero in Manhattan. The roads were closed for us, and people lined the road cheering us as we passed. I was looking for a film clip on youtube and couldn't find one... then remembered I used my cheap HP camera on the ride down. So I'm sorry... it's pretty grainy and dark... but maybe it gets the feeling of the rally a bit. BMW R80-RT.

Antique Engines at Connecticut Show

proto57 2006-10-14 | Assorted engines from the September 23rd, 2006 show at the Connecticut Antique Machinery Association museum in Kent, Connecticut. The first machine is a rare 1890 gas engine.

To see clips from the 2007 show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udfOH4KoocU