Some Chicago Boyz know each other from student days at the University of Chicago. Others are Chicago boys in spirit. The blog name is also intended as a good-humored gesture of admiration for distinguished Chicago School economists and fellow travelers.
At the mighty Big Enchilada!
Yes, at the San Antonio Book Festival. The exhibitor tables were across the street – and there were only two homeless that I spotted, from the Watercress Press table. Otherwise a mildly rewarding day, and a grateful return home to a frozen pizza and two episodes of Upstairs, Downstairs on the TV.
After a long absence from his blog, the always-thoughtful Corbusier posts some ruminations about his profession during the current period of economic recession and structural change in many industries. Long but worth reading.
This is am image taken from a book on tower clocks, published in 1911. The book itself is from the Building Technology Heritage Library at the Internet Archive.
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The apparatus above, from page 34, powers both the dial and bells of a tower clock. The opening in the floor is for a pendulum of about 175 lbs. I find the image much more striking (pun quite intended) than those of the exterior, dials and all, of tower clocks. Besides the handsome illustrations, the book offers technical details and a description of the operation of tower clocks. There also is a directory of the companies installed tower clocks in 1911, as well as testimonials by satisfied customers.
If you are interested in historical buildings and / or engineering this book is for you.
At an crumbling frame church building in Olmos Park, San Antonio…
London has some great architecture. I particularly like their habit of giving buildings funny nicknames. This one under construction with the bulge out the side is named the “Walkie Talkie” and the adjacent (smaller) building is famously called “The Gherkin“.
The River Thames cuts London into the North and South banks and it is lovely to walk alongside the river when the weather is nice. Here is a view from the North side and you can see “The Razor” off in the distance, with the three windmills at the top looking a bit like an electric razor. Not shown – “The Shard“.
