Tuesday 27 November 2012

Tommy Cooper hand driers


A couple of years ago, some of us were asked by a trade publication to give our suggestions for the three best inventions of the late twentieth century, to be published in the Millennium Edition.

(Really ?

As long ago as that ?

Doesn't time fly ?)

Anyway, I was rather busy at the time, and, without giving it too much thought, stuck down the three most obvious ie, in no particular order

Luggage with wheels
Oral sex
Microwaveable porridge

This caused a bit of a stir among my more pedantic colleagues, who claimed that porridge had the potential to be microwaved before Mr.Spencer  invented his little box with the turntable and the light.

Honestly. Some people.

However, were I to be asked to update that list, a very strong candidate for inclusion would be the Dyson Airblade hand drier, which I find currently installed in many of the upmarket lavies which I frequent.
This machine features a vertical slot into which you place your dripping digits  before moving both hands up and down while involuntarily mouthing the immortal catch phrase ...........

And talking of innovative engineering....
I was killing time in the Victorian Booking Hall (Travel Centre) at Waverley Station ( the only main line railway station to be named after a novel ?), and spotted a plaque commemorating Sir Nigel Gresley. Now, if you think A4 is a paper size, and pacific is an ocean, then you never stood at the end of a platform in the snow and watched "9" go hurtling north in a clatter of Walschaerts valve gear.



8 comments:

  1. Ever since I was a small boy I've been a great fan of the Sir Nigel Gresley... a beast of such beauty!

    He gets the occasional mention over at my place too. HERE and HERE

    I had forgotten that G&L track too - Ta for that.
    :-)

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  2. Tommy cooper hand dryers. Brilliant:)

    Still waiting for a microwave bed. 8hrs sleep in 3 minutes.

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    1. And a handy bell to tell you when to wake up.

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  3. Remain rather fond of G&L; they always seemed to be around at parties etc back in the day. Under-rated duo. Those bloody Dyson contraptions are everywhere, even the motorway things here in France are coated by them.

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    1. Best thing to come from Largs since Nardinis ?
      I looked up wiki to see what they were up to and found this rather sad sentence " Their mellow sound was only briefly in vogue".So it goes

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  4. They've got one of them in the toilets at the Green Welly in Tyndrum. I know that for a fact, because the remarkable power it possessed certainly perked me up after a couple of hours in the car en route to Glen Nevis. Plus, it dries your hands.

    I'm all in favour of them, me. Not so sure aboot the Gallagher & Lyle song. Although I have always been a big fan of their sugar.

    :)

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    1. Their album "Out of strength came forth sweetness" went gold(en)despite the songs being described as syrupy sweet.

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