Thought For The Day, 1939 Edition

[spatch]

Into every corner of our social and economic existence, the railroad is tightly interwoven. It is the backbone of the country, no, even more, it is its veritable lifeblood. In its 250,000 miles of steel veins, it flows to every far corner of a far-flung land, it binds in its living, throbbing embrace city and town and village, the open country, the forest, the mine, the forge, the factory, and the sea. It is indeed the nation's lifeblood, the great arm not only of its industry, but of its military defense. If it were to die, then the nation would die.

Foreword to the Railoads on Parade program guide, 1939-1940 New York World's Fair

Comments

[tyopsqueene.livejournal.com]

Dear Spatch,

do you know about the Modern Mexhanix blog: http://blog.modernmechanix.com/
Because if you don't you oughta, the covers gallery is a world of delights: http://blog.modernmechanix.com/covers/

[smacaski.livejournal.com]

Thinking about railroads as America's lifeblood or some such always reminds me of Atlas Shrugged, and then I start to twitch. Damn you, Ayn Rand, for ruining a perfectly wonderful mode of transportation for me.

[spatch]

STEEL
RAILROADS
REARDEN METAL
PERPETUAL MOTION
PARASITES
LOOTERS
LOOK MA, I'M PLAYING BIOSHOCK
UNF UNF UNF

Sorry, what were we talking about again? :)

there's one Objectivist I know who might object to this little display, but she knows that I kid because I love. to kid.

Anyway, I find the difference in pamphlet covers up above quite interesting. The tone in 1939 definitely was AMAZING MODERN LIFEBLOOD OF PROSPERITY AND CONQUERING SOMETHING I THINK PROBABLY TIME. Then they went all retro for 1940 to better illustrate the path of progress, it looks like. Intellectual Conquering was no match for Public Nostalgia.

And I still like railroads despite Rand's machinations. I bet we could help de-Randify them for you with a ride or two on some of the more special short lines out there!

[smacaski.livejournal.com]

Help me, Acela-wan, you're my only hope. :)

[cheezdanish.livejournal.com]

*Mildly objects, in that perpetual motion wasn't really a plot point.* ;)

[spatch]

Well, it was John Galt's little super fun time toy. I'd have gone and used SUPER DUPER DISINTEGRATION RAY AND BROTHER, WHEN IT DISINTEGRATES, IT DISINTEGRATES!!1 instead, only now I can't, since you can't edit comments after someone's responded.

EDIT: in before uneditable

[cheezdanish.livejournal.com]

Hurf durf no not perpetual motion, just magic energy from the air. BIG DIFFERENCE.

EDIT: To play along with the cool kids doing all this LJ comment editing these days.

[wring.livejournal.com]

the US needs its own bullet train :P

[spatch]

There's always Acel--

oh.

Yeah. It does. We do. Sad face.

[maga-dogg.livejournal.com]

Man, I wish wanksome techno-gushery was still written in the Verne Futurist style. Someone do this for Twitter, please.

[giantfightbot.livejournal.com]

I often wish for a bullet train along the west coast. San Diego to Vancouver BC, with stops in-between.

[lindito.livejournal.com]

that would really rock. it may even lure me to that time zone one day.

may.