bicycles rule!
View allAll Photos Tagged technologically
The Nanyang University Memorial is a memorial tablet built and revealed on 30 March 1958 to mark the end of the first phase of construction for Nanyang University and to honor the donors who contributed to the building of the university. It was unveiled by then governor of Singapore, Sir William Goode in a grand ceremony of more than 100 guests. It was Singapore's first private university that was built using funds donated by all walks of life from wealthy merchants to odd jobs labourers.
#macromondays #Bottle(s)
This one has been my 2nd favorite image for the last Macro Mondays Challenge. I thought i share it anyway :)
Glass is a non-crystalline, often transparent amorphous solid, that has widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in, for example, window panes, tableware, and optics. Glass is most often formed by rapid cooling (quenching) of the molten form; some glasses such as volcanic glass are naturally occurring. The most familiar, and historically the oldest, types of manufactured glass are "silicate glasses" based on the chemical compound silica (silicon dioxide, or quartz), the primary constituent of sand. Soda-lime glass, containing around 70% silica, accounts for around 90% of manufactured glass. The term glass, in popular usage, is often used to refer only to this type of material, although silica-free glasses often have desirable properties for applications in modern communications technology. Some objects, such as drinking glasses and eyeglasses, are so commonly made of silicate-based glass that they are simply called by the name of the material.
Thank you for your visits, comments and favs!
Vielen Dank für Eure Besuche, Kommentare und Sternchen!
Please don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved
Before digital technological cameras.. this ZENIT camera was the best.. Have you ever heard of it ?!!!
L00king at r0b0ts is n0t like l00king at an id0l. It's n0t a human being, s0 it's m0re like a mirr0r - the energy pe0ple send t0 the stage bounces back and everyb0dy has a g00d time t0gether rather than f0cusing 0n us."
-Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo
Daft Punk , I just love that duo and their awesome music..
Thank you so much to my chum Lost to make the matching pair on this picture!! ^^
!!!! TECHNOLOGIC !!!!
Daft Punk - Harder Better Faster Stronger (Live concert) * Gives me the goosebumps!!!!!* : www.youtube.com/watch?v=x84m3YyO2oU
hangin out at Clouds Edge, this song on loop, may be imprinted on my brain for life, ha...
buy it, use it, break it, fix it, trash it, change it, mail, upgrade it
charge it, point it, zoom it, press it, snap it, work it, quick erase it
write it, cut it, paste it, save it, load it, check it, quick rewrite it
plug it, play it, burn it, rip it
technologic
lock it, fill it, call it, find it, view it, code it, jam, unlock it
surf it, scroll it, pause it, click it, cross it, crack it, switch, update it
name it, read it, tune it, print it, scan it, send it, fax, rename it
touch it, touch it, touch it, touch it
"A technological revolution on the farm has led to an output explosion--but we have not yet learned to harness that explosion usefully, while protecting our farmers' right to full parity income"
John F. Kennedy
This is still true today. Central Texas had a banner year for hay.
Gulliver's Gate is a technologically advanced, interactive and immersive world of miniatures covering 50,000 square feet. Gulliver's Gate features replicas of sites from 50 countries around the world. In total, there are 10,000 cars and
1,000 trains, many of which zip down roads and tracks. The longest track stretches 475 feet.Exhibit in New York City, New York
Kyiv Polytechnic's main building
National Technical University of Ukraine "Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute" (NTUU KPI), a public technological university.
The institute was founded as the Kiev Polytechnic Institute of Emperor Alexander II on 31 August 1898. However, the construction of the current building complex was finished in 1902. Until then, the institute was renting out its space at the building of Commercial School located on Vorovsky Street. At that time, it had four departments: Mechanical, Chemical, Agricultural, and Civil Engineering. The first enrolment constituted of 360 students.
At present the number of students at KPI is more than 36,000. Approximately 400 of them are international students. In this way students, especially those who live in a hostel, have a social life with their foreign fellow students and a chance to learn more about other cultures, people and ideas. Over 4,500 students graduate from KPI every year. The diploma is accepted by the European Union. KPI has a preparatory department for foreigners. There is a possibility to study in English and at the same time learn Ukrainian.
The Hagen Open-air Museum (LWL-Freilichtmuseum Hagen – Westfälisches Landesmuseum für Handwerk und Technik; English: "LWL Open-air Museum Hagen – Westphalian State Museum for Craft and Technics") is a museum at Hagen in the southeastern Ruhr area, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded, together with the Detmold Open-air Museum, in 1960, and was first opened to the public in the early 1970s. The museum is run by the Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe (LWL, regional authority for Westphalia and Lippe within North Rhine-Westphalia). It lies in the Hagen neighbourhood of Selbecke south of Eilpe in the Mäckingerbach valley.
The open-air museum brings a bit of skilled-trade history into the present, and it takes a hands-on approach. On its grounds stretching for about 42 ha, not only are urban and rural trades simply "displayed" along with their workshops and tools, but in more than twenty of the nearly sixty rebuilt workshops, they are still practised, and interested visitors can, sometimes by themselves, take part in the production.
As early as the 1920s, there were efforts by a group of engineers and historical preservationists to preserve technological monuments for posterity. The initiator, Wilhelm Claas, even suggested the Mäckingerbach valley as a good place for a museum to that end. The narrow valley was chosen, as wind, water and wood were the three most important location factors for industry in the 18th and 19th centuries.
In 1960, the Westphalian Open-Air Museum was founded, and thirteen years later, the gates opened to the public. Unlike most open-air museums, which show everyday life on the farm or in the country as it was in days gone by, the Hagen Open-Air Museum puts the history of these activities in Westphalia in the fore. From the late 18th century through the early years of the Industrial Revolution to the highly industrialized society emerging in the early 20th century, the visitor can experience the development of these trades and the industry in the region.
Crafts and trades demonstrated at the Westphalian Open-Air Museum include ropemaking, smithing, brewing, baking, tanning, printing, milling, papermaking, and much more. A favourite attraction is the triphammer workshop shown in the image above. Once the hammer is engaged, a craftsman goes to work noisily forging a scythe, passing it between the hammer and the anvil underneath in a process called peening.
The Hagen Westphalian Open-Air Museum is open from March or April until October.
Though I do have technologically advanced cameras, I tend to prefer older cameras (all these are second-hand cameras with a 16MP sensor) and use them manually. I am not rejecting technological excellence and sophisticated algorithms. All I am saying is that I have more joy when working manually and that Fuji's old 16MP sensor is really good enough for my purposes. This shot was done with my new (ten year old) Fuji X-Pro1.
Stuff I'm wearing:
Hair: Elikatira
Skin: Glam Affair w/ Amara Beauty lips
Top: Promagic
Pants: :: pm ::
Nails: 1990
Pose: La Plume (Collection Lea)
Sim: Leviathan Bay
Sovereign nations are obsolete. All forms of government are out of date. They lag behind technological development and modern ideas, such as Network states. These Network states will “transcend” nations. They will “regenerate the earth.” A variety of progressive ideas make up the concept of the Network state. These ideas form a dream of a new society. The Network state is a parallel society that will transform our world. It’s a “radical roadmap to replace democracy,” to “reshape society.” It’s a blueprint for the future. “The next Global superpower will be a Network state!” Corporations and billionaires are buying up land with the idea of forming independent countries (Network states) within sovereign countries. They want to establish their own governance. Divide and conquer! They want to operate outside the reach of government laws and oversight. They want to abolish the copyright system. They want to evade taxation. “We anticipate that the apparently solid power of nation-states currently devoted to mass democracy will splinter in tens of thousands of fragments into a system more reminiscent of the medieval period than the modern industrial age.” Like parasites, these Network states will kill the host country. Then we will enter the age of techno-feudalism, “the age of super-monopolies and super-exploitation.” The rich are playing a chess game for power. The peasants are but pawns.
They want to be kings of their Network states! Their feudal lands will be populated by peasants. People from around the world will migrate to them. Open borders! Quick, rubber-stamp all those work visas from the third world! The corporations and billionaires will have a constant flow of cheap slave labour. This system will “transition us beyond the confines of socialism and capitalism.” They don’t want socialist and capitalist governments impeding their ability to make money with roadblocks or red tape. They call their system Cosmo-localism. Woohoo! Cosmo-slavery! It’s a “post-capitalist” system. It “can be summarized with the acronym ‘DGML,’ or design globally and manufacture locally.” You got it, Network states are giant factories. Giant sweatshops! Network states will network with each other around the world. They sound a lot like the gulags. They are worldwide islands of slave labour camps. Or you could just call them 15-minute cities.
If you don’t think these things are happening, then watch Tech Billionaires’ Shocking Plot for Rural America:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHlcAx-I0oY
Revelation 17:12-13 “The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the Beast. They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the Beast.”
Bow to the techno-feudal king, the man of the hour, the Beast! His Cosmo-slave system will require a biometric ID-chip. The Beast, with his ten horns, will trample the whole earth. He will crush his subjects underfoot with war, famine, and plague. The gulags of hell are ever-increasing; its captives are in torment every hour.
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Learning Hub. Design: Thomas Heatherwick.
The building has been designed as a cluster of 12 tapered towers that surround an atrium. The approach was to combine learning spaces with social spaces, balconies and gardens to encourage informal interaction. The facade has been created by curved pre-cast concrete panels. The building is naturally ventilated. Some people have referent the pods as 'dim sum' baskets, others referred to the towers as 'turnips"
Before - gyazo.com/26d8cc6800fb0e893e03ee5509aa8bcb
Pretty sure I've drove my friends and family away lately with how many times I've listened to this song lately... WORTH IT!!
Anyway I'm away on vacation tomorrow YAY! Been needing this for a long time ♥ See you all soon xoxo
Modern technological or architectural forms in blue and white, with trees and clouds adding a natural touch. The hospital, Bamberg's 'Klinikum,' is on the outskirts of the city, up on a hill at the edge of a forest called 'Bruderwald.' So they have free space all around, and have been expanding over the years. [OLY02840_lr_3000]
Thank you all for your clicks, comments and faves.
THE LORRAINE-DIETRICH
Today's collector car hobby is dominated by high performance cars of all eras. Many of the great cars of history are remembered for their thrilling performance and speed. Modern supercars continue the tradition and deliver their performance with technological precision. Today even basic cars are quite fast and many people have driven or experienced fast cars even hyper fast cars – but what is more elusive is an unforgettable experience. Unique experiences are rare in automobiles and genuinely mind-blowing ones are even rarer.
How many people on this planet have hurtled down the road at 100mph propelled by a 1000 cubic inch four-cylinder engine ticking over at little more than idle? How about pulling away from a stop light in a car designed in 1909 – tires spinning, lit up in smoke leaving modern cars in disbelief? This exquisitely built machine is a functional tribute to the engineering of its day and the staggering performance designers in this period were capable of. No one who experiences this car, the pinnacle of pre-WWI performance, will ever forget it!
The Lorraine-Dietrich is arguably one of the most romantic and revered marques from the age of these enormous Edwardian racers. Originally De Dietrich et Cie started out as makers of railway locomotives and infrastructure in Germany before branching out into automotive manufacture in 1896. Various designs were licensed by the firm from Amédée Bollée, Vivinus and Turcat-Méry as well as the young, 20-year-old Ettore Bugatti. The untrained engineer from an artistic family created some ambitious designs for De Dietrich and helped develop a four-speed transaxle design and huge four-cylinder engines. In 1905, a new division of the firm was opened in Lorraine across the border in France and the company name was changed to 'Lorraine-Dietrich'. The new firm was managed by Baron de Turkheim who was keen to push new progressive ideas in the emerging motoring scene and the Cross of Lorraine was adopted as their emblem. Like Napiers and Mercedes, Lorraine-Dietrich's reputation was built in part on racing, which was "consistent if not distinguished", including Charles Jarrott's third in the 1903 Paris–Madrid race and a 1-2-3 in the 1906 Circuit des Ardennes, led by ace works driver Arthur Duray.
source: Bonhams
See more here, and play the brief video on this amazing automobile, you'll enjoy it:
cars.bonhams.com/auction/28011/lot/26/1909-lorraine-dietr...
This technological part aims to reach a fair #BALANCE between past, present and future.
Without this #BALANCE the earth won’t move.
Für diese Aufnahme habe ich den mittleren Zwischenring aus dem Zuiko-System gewählt, um einen etwas größeren Abbildungsmaßstab als 1:2 (hier ist beim 50er F3.5 Zuiko Auto-Macro Schluss) zu erreichen. Das Objektiv habe ich auf Bl. 8 abgeblendet.
No great back story to this guy, but here’s what I got:
Sewage worker of 2275 turned to his true calling, as a drone operator. His new profession has him working on the dark city streets of Mirai No Toshi, as a Skill For Hire (a more respectable way of saying mercenary). Frequently shipping out as surveillance for inner-city contraband trafficking, Don has a growing library of skills and efficiencies.
His moral compass is solid, as far as SFHs go, and he refuses to have anything to do with human trafficking. When he can, he’ll sabotage missions of the sort due to his distaste for the business.
Harboring dozens of drones, he can hold his own if necessary, though he prefers not to over exert his use of his resources unless it is absolutely required.
AS OF 2/23/19 I intend to start posting more. I just finished up my finals for this last trimester, and I’m currently transitioning between rooms in my house. I’ll probably post a picture of my new set up (nothing impressive) and hopefully I’ll start posting weekly if not twice a week. The main reason for not posting often is a combination of being really tired once I get all my homework out of the way, and also just being too damn lazy. It’s not even that I don’t get to do things with LEGOs, because I do almost every day, it’s just I don’t have a new photo set up or even anything worth posting. Hopefully that will change.
More posts coming soon! Keep it chill, dudes!
This fantastic 1957 Oldsmobile 98 is the full-size flagship model of Oldsmobile that was produced from 1940 until 1996.
Since it was the top-line Oldsmobile, the series had the most technologically advanced items available, such as the Hydramatic automatic transmission, the Autronic Eye, an automatic headlight dimmer, and Twilight Sentinel (a feature that automatically turned the headlights on and off via a timer, as controlled by the driver), and the highest-grade interior and exterior trim. Wiki
Atrium, The Learning Hub, Nanyang Technical University, Singapore. Designer: Thomas Heatherwick.
Even though naturally ventilated and exposed to natural light at a number of points, the interior spaces felt dark and bland due to the expansive use of concrete. The internal circulation didn't work as well as intended as spaces lacked definition and purpose.
The Eradicator and Cyborg Superman
—————————————————————
You’re not able to see, but I used the Rebirth Superman legs on my go-to Superman figure in the back, along with some red hips
For Lancia, the Aprilia, produced from 1937 - 1949, simultaneously marked the end of one era and the beginning of another. Technologically speaking, this was a supremely refined model, with a load-bearing body, a compact narrow V engine, independent suspension on all four wheels and extremely innovative aerodynamic lines.
During the 1920s, the invention of wind tunnels allowed industrial designers to seek new levels of performance for motor vehicles by improving their aerodynamics. In the United States, “streamline design” was all the rage, a trend for producing sinuous and aerodynamic lines, starting with airplanes, then trains and then cars, increasing their speed but also emphasizing their extravagant stylistic features.
This movement reached Italy in the 1930s when streamlining, a symbol of modernity, inspired the lines of the new Lancia Aprilia. But compared to the American style, Vincenzo Lancia’s trusted designer Battista Falchetto - who had shared the honors for the stunning design of the Lambda - created a car with fewer frills and more concrete lines, aimed at improving aerodynamics. The grille and windscreen were therefore slightly inclined, and the egg shape - considered at the time the most efficient profile from an aerodynamic point of view - gave character to the rear part. The compact and streamlined bonnet was made possible by the small size of the narrow V engine... an authentic concentrate of technology. It consisted of a light alloy monobloc with cast iron barrels, V valves controlled by rockers moved by an overhead camshaft and a hemispherical top on the combustion chamber. With only 1,352 cc it generated 48 HP which, thanks also to a total weight of only 850 kg, plus an excellent aerodynamic coefficient of just 0.47, thrust the Aprilia up to 125 km/h.
The Aprilia was a true Piedmontese aristocrat, refined and precise in every detail. Its famous four pillarless doors, a true Lancia icon, also have an extraordinary curved profile and invisible hinges. The famous click - the sound of the doors closing - underlined the scrupulous attention to the smallest details in design and assembly which typified Lancia’s outstanding modus operandi, providing an unforgettable grace note. The interiors, especially in the Luxury version, featured a classy geometric instrument panel on a grey background with black and white graphics: the square speedometer and clock perfectly matched with the rectangles chosen for the thermometer and the fuel gauge. The Lancia cloth upholstery (available on request in leather), the door panels, the roof covering and the rubber mats were the final touches of a creation which was the closest possible motorcar version of the classic Turin interiors of the period.
Its extremely low weight was mainly due to the load-bearing body: a Lancia patent - first seen in the 1920s on the Lambda - which, by overcoming the classic architecture which kept the chassis and bodywork separate, improved torsional rigidity and significantly reduced volumes. The independent suspension on all four wheels, with rear transversal leaf spring and front coil springs, enabled the Lancia Aprilia to offer road grip and passenger comfort that was much superior to most of its contemporary rivals.
The Lancia Aprilia contained all the most innovative and refined technical solutions that were so dear to Vincenzo Lancia. It constituted a pinnacle of motorcar production, carried out under the direct supervision of the founder of the Turin company. The name of the car came from that of an ancient Lazio town: a characteristic that linked it to its predecessors, the Artena and the Astura.
The Lancia Aprilia was presented to the public at the thirtieth edition of the Paris Motor Show, in October 1936. On February 15, 1937 its creator had a sudden and fatal heart attack, just before the car went into production. He was only 55 years old. Thus the Aprilia became universally seen as the spiritual testament of Vincenzo Lancia, becoming a huge commercial success, which continued even after the adversities of the second World War.
The first series of the Lancia Aprilia was produced from 1937 to 1939 in 10,354 units: a Sedan in standard and Luxury trims, to which were added 4,350 chassis for custom-made versions, on which the best Italian coachbuilders reveled in producing streamlined and elegant spiders and cabriolets. Pinin Farina's aerodynamic coupé was highly original, with its characteristic flattened muzzle, the central position of the 2 + 2 passenger compartment and an elegant tail.
Two years after the start of production, the second series was born, characterized by the increase in displacement to 1,486 cc. The power remained unchanged, but this improved the elasticity of the engine and the maximum speed. Despite a weight increase to 950 kg, it gained 1 km/h. In the decade from 1939-1949, 11,082 sedans were produced plus 2,252 chassis for coachbuilders.
The production of the Aprilia continued - with a further 703 exemplars - even after the Second World War, a period in which the model, despite being almost ten years old, could still be proud of its highly modern mechanics and settings. It held its place in the market right up to the last days of production, and in racing it remained the undisputed dominator of the Tourism class up to 1500 cc for years: it also triumphed in the Mille Miglia of 1947 thanks to its powerful acceleration and peerless road holding.
To this day, more than eighty years after its presentation, the Aprilia is considered a timeless pioneering car which, by gathering all the best of Lancia’s innovative philosophy, inaugurated a new era in motoring. Vincenzo Lancia was usually hypercritical about his cars, but after test driving the Aprilia prototype he spontaneously exclaimed: "What a magnificent car!".
Article credit: Heritage
This is the School of Art, Design & Media at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. Staying in the country for 2 months, of course I had to visit a futuristic building like this one!
Reading up on it, I realized the President of NTU is from Sweden! Sometimes the world is very a small place.
Early 1930-1950's advertising maritime engine services, when ships ruled the sea's, Classic visual of change of times and technological progress or regress of man.
For Lancia, the Aprilia, produced from 1937 - 1949, simultaneously marked the end of one era and the beginning of another. Technologically speaking, this was a supremely refined model, with a load-bearing body, a compact narrow V engine, independent suspension on all four wheels and extremely innovative aerodynamic lines.
During the 1920s, the invention of wind tunnels allowed industrial designers to seek new levels of performance for motor vehicles by improving their aerodynamics. In the United States, “streamline design” was all the rage, a trend for producing sinuous and aerodynamic lines, starting with airplanes, then trains and then cars, increasing their speed but also emphasizing their extravagant stylistic features.
This movement reached Italy in the 1930s when streamlining, a symbol of modernity, inspired the lines of the new Lancia Aprilia. But compared to the American style, Vincenzo Lancia’s trusted designer Battista Falchetto - who had shared the honors for the stunning design of the Lambda - created a car with fewer frills and more concrete lines, aimed at improving aerodynamics. The grille and windscreen were therefore slightly inclined, and the egg shape - considered at the time the most efficient profile from an aerodynamic point of view - gave character to the rear part. The compact and streamlined bonnet was made possible by the small size of the narrow V engine... an authentic concentrate of technology. It consisted of a light alloy monobloc with cast iron barrels, V valves controlled by rockers moved by an overhead camshaft and a hemispherical top on the combustion chamber. With only 1,352 cc it generated 48 HP which, thanks also to a total weight of only 850 kg, plus an excellent aerodynamic coefficient of just 0.47, thrust the Aprilia up to 125 km/h.
The Aprilia was a true Piedmontese aristocrat, refined and precise in every detail. Its famous four pillarless doors, a true Lancia icon, also have an extraordinary curved profile and invisible hinges. The famous click - the sound of the doors closing - underlined the scrupulous attention to the smallest details in design and assembly which typified Lancia’s outstanding modus operandi, providing an unforgettable grace note. The interiors, especially in the Luxury version, featured a classy geometric instrument panel on a grey background with black and white graphics: the square speedometer and clock perfectly matched with the rectangles chosen for the thermometer and the fuel gauge. The Lancia cloth upholstery (available on request in leather), the door panels, the roof covering and the rubber mats were the final touches of a creation which was the closest possible motorcar version of the classic Turin interiors of the period.
Its extremely low weight was mainly due to the load-bearing body: a Lancia patent - first seen in the 1920s on the Lambda - which, by overcoming the classic architecture which kept the chassis and bodywork separate, improved torsional rigidity and significantly reduced volumes. The independent suspension on all four wheels, with rear transversal leaf spring and front coil springs, enabled the Lancia Aprilia to offer road grip and passenger comfort that was much superior to most of its contemporary rivals.
The Lancia Aprilia contained all the most innovative and refined technical solutions that were so dear to Vincenzo Lancia. It constituted a pinnacle of motorcar production, carried out under the direct supervision of the founder of the Turin company. The name of the car came from that of an ancient Lazio town: a characteristic that linked it to its predecessors, the Artena and the Astura.
The Lancia Aprilia was presented to the public at the thirtieth edition of the Paris Motor Show, in October 1936. On February 15, 1937 its creator had a sudden and fatal heart attack, just before the car went into production. He was only 55 years old. Thus the Aprilia became universally seen as the spiritual testament of Vincenzo Lancia, becoming a huge commercial success, which continued even after the adversities of the second World War.
The first series of the Lancia Aprilia was produced from 1937 to 1939 in 10,354 units: a Sedan in standard and Luxury trims, to which were added 4,350 chassis for custom-made versions, on which the best Italian coachbuilders reveled in producing streamlined and elegant spiders and cabriolets. Pinin Farina's aerodynamic coupé was highly original, with its characteristic flattened muzzle, the central position of the 2 + 2 passenger compartment and an elegant tail.
Two years after the start of production, the second series was born, characterized by the increase in displacement to 1,486 cc. The power remained unchanged, but this improved the elasticity of the engine and the maximum speed. Despite a weight increase to 950 kg, it gained 1 km/h. In the decade from 1939-1949, 11,082 sedans were produced plus 2,252 chassis for coachbuilders.
The production of the Aprilia continued - with a further 703 exemplars - even after the Second World War, a period in which the model, despite being almost ten years old, could still be proud of its highly modern mechanics and settings. It held its place in the market right up to the last days of production, and in racing it remained the undisputed dominator of the Tourism class up to 1500 cc for years: it also triumphed in the Mille Miglia of 1947 thanks to its powerful acceleration and peerless road holding.
To this day, more than eighty years after its presentation, the Aprilia is considered a timeless pioneering car which, by gathering all the best of Lancia’s innovative philosophy, inaugurated a new era in motoring. Vincenzo Lancia was usually hypercritical about his cars, but after test driving the Aprilia prototype he spontaneously exclaimed: "What a magnificent car!".
Article credit: Heritage
The Alishan Forest Railway is an outstanding technological ensemble that was constructed using mountaineering methods of extremely complex spirals, large-scale Z-shaped switchbacks, and U-turns. It ran on the Shay locomotive, which was the most widely used steam locomotive of its day, and the Alishan locomotives are preserved to remember the forestry and railway history that the region shares with the world.
My faithful old HP PC which is not too far off a 10th birthday has cried enough unfortunately and is now not economical to try and repair or upgrade so I have the task of setting up a whole new system when I'm able to depending on what spec PC I can come up with. No small job and I'm sure there will be lots of old applications that a new machine will just laugh at!
© Dominic Scott 2022
For Lancia, the Aprilia, produced from 1937 - 1949, simultaneously marked the end of one era and the beginning of another. Technologically speaking, this was a supremely refined model, with a load-bearing body, a compact narrow V engine, independent suspension on all four wheels and extremely innovative aerodynamic lines.
During the 1920s, the invention of wind tunnels allowed industrial designers to seek new levels of performance for motor vehicles by improving their aerodynamics. In the United States, “streamline design” was all the rage, a trend for producing sinuous and aerodynamic lines, starting with airplanes, then trains and then cars, increasing their speed but also emphasizing their extravagant stylistic features.
This movement reached Italy in the 1930s when streamlining, a symbol of modernity, inspired the lines of the new Lancia Aprilia. But compared to the American style, Vincenzo Lancia’s trusted designer Battista Falchetto - who had shared the honors for the stunning design of the Lambda - created a car with fewer frills and more concrete lines, aimed at improving aerodynamics. The grille and windscreen were therefore slightly inclined, and the egg shape - considered at the time the most efficient profile from an aerodynamic point of view - gave character to the rear part. The compact and streamlined bonnet was made possible by the small size of the narrow V engine... an authentic concentrate of technology. It consisted of a light alloy monobloc with cast iron barrels, V valves controlled by rockers moved by an overhead camshaft and a hemispherical top on the combustion chamber. With only 1,352 cc it generated 48 HP which, thanks also to a total weight of only 850 kg, plus an excellent aerodynamic coefficient of just 0.47, thrust the Aprilia up to 125 km/h.
The Aprilia was a true Piedmontese aristocrat, refined and precise in every detail. Its famous four pillarless doors, a true Lancia icon, also have an extraordinary curved profile and invisible hinges. The famous click - the sound of the doors closing - underlined the scrupulous attention to the smallest details in design and assembly which typified Lancia’s outstanding modus operandi, providing an unforgettable grace note. The interiors, especially in the Luxury version, featured a classy geometric instrument panel on a grey background with black and white graphics: the square speedometer and clock perfectly matched with the rectangles chosen for the thermometer and the fuel gauge. The Lancia cloth upholstery (available on request in leather), the door panels, the roof covering and the rubber mats were the final touches of a creation which was the closest possible motorcar version of the classic Turin interiors of the period.
Its extremely low weight was mainly due to the load-bearing body: a Lancia patent - first seen in the 1920s on the Lambda - which, by overcoming the classic architecture which kept the chassis and bodywork separate, improved torsional rigidity and significantly reduced volumes. The independent suspension on all four wheels, with rear transversal leaf spring and front coil springs, enabled the Lancia Aprilia to offer road grip and passenger comfort that was much superior to most of its contemporary rivals.
The Lancia Aprilia contained all the most innovative and refined technical solutions that were so dear to Vincenzo Lancia. It constituted a pinnacle of motorcar production, carried out under the direct supervision of the founder of the Turin company. The name of the car came from that of an ancient Lazio town: a characteristic that linked it to its predecessors, the Artena and the Astura.
The Lancia Aprilia was presented to the public at the thirtieth edition of the Paris Motor Show, in October 1936. On February 15, 1937 its creator had a sudden and fatal heart attack, just before the car went into production. He was only 55 years old. Thus the Aprilia became universally seen as the spiritual testament of Vincenzo Lancia, becoming a huge commercial success, which continued even after the adversities of the second World War.
The first series of the Lancia Aprilia was produced from 1937 to 1939 in 10,354 units: a Sedan in standard and Luxury trims, to which were added 4,350 chassis for custom-made versions, on which the best Italian coachbuilders reveled in producing streamlined and elegant spiders and cabriolets. Pinin Farina's aerodynamic coupé was highly original, with its characteristic flattened muzzle, the central position of the 2 + 2 passenger compartment and an elegant tail.
Two years after the start of production, the second series was born, characterized by the increase in displacement to 1,486 cc. The power remained unchanged, but this improved the elasticity of the engine and the maximum speed. Despite a weight increase to 950 kg, it gained 1 km/h. In the decade from 1939-1949, 11,082 sedans were produced plus 2,252 chassis for coachbuilders.
The production of the Aprilia continued - with a further 703 exemplars - even after the Second World War, a period in which the model, despite being almost ten years old, could still be proud of its highly modern mechanics and settings. It held its place in the market right up to the last days of production, and in racing it remained the undisputed dominator of the Tourism class up to 1500 cc for years: it also triumphed in the Mille Miglia of 1947 thanks to its powerful acceleration and peerless road holding.
To this day, more than eighty years after its presentation, the Aprilia is considered a timeless pioneering car which, by gathering all the best of Lancia’s innovative philosophy, inaugurated a new era in motoring. Vincenzo Lancia was usually hypercritical about his cars, but after test driving the Aprilia prototype he spontaneously exclaimed: "What a magnificent car!".
Article credit: Heritage