Remember When
guys who repaired cars for a living used to be called "grease monkeys"
it's a job that requires a lot of skill and knowledge to do it well
but that's the way of the world - to put people down with harmful expressions such as that
.
Quote: AutomaticMonkeyQuote: AZDuffmanThe next thing of course will be EV charging. They seem to have figured out standardizing the “pumps.” But making money off it may prove harder. Charge time alone makes volume harder. It’s not like Sunoco can advertise “390 electric “ to have a unique product. Probably going to have to rely on selling food and such while people wait.
link to original post
Not going to work. Energy is energy, and in order for a wire to have the energy throughput of a diesel hose it would have to be the size of a catenary cable on a suspension bridge.
The only way for battery powered cars to be a real thing is to have universal battery packs that slide in and out at the station, where they are tested and recharged at a normal rate for the next patron and during non-peak demand times. Like exchanging propane tanks. Whoever comes up with a system like that is the one to invest in.
link to original post
I think “topping off” will likely be the game.
Probably about 2 or 3% of the energy will be topped off at home during the night. Work places would also parking places to top off. Not necessarily super chargers. Probably be a lot of credit card swiping to pay, Parking meters that can supply electricity. The overall grid will probably be relieved by decentralization as more solar or wind supplements. Improved battery technology. Already heard of a potential 1000 mile charge. Hey, but I could be wrong. I just hoist a sail for my car on windy days.
Quote: EvenBobOne of the great things about gas stations in the 1960s was every single one of them had free air. It was either right at the pump or you pulled up next to the garage and there was an air hose right outside the garage. Every gas station had this. Try and find air these days and when you do it's a $1.50 or $2.50 or $3. Because I'm an old guy I of course have an air compressor in my barn but I can't access that in the winter so if I need air I have to go find it. There's one a couple of miles from my house at 75 cents but I swear to God there's always two or three cars there waiting in line every time I go.
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I just bought a $29 Walmart portable compressor that runs off the car battery. Set the tire pressure meter, it fills, all done.
Quote: rxwineQuote: AutomaticMonkeyQuote: AZDuffmanThe next thing of course will be EV charging. They seem to have figured out standardizing the “pumps.” But making money off it may prove harder. Charge time alone makes volume harder. It’s not like Sunoco can advertise “390 electric “ to have a unique product. Probably going to have to rely on selling food and such while people wait.
link to original post
Not going to work. Energy is energy, and in order for a wire to have the energy throughput of a diesel hose it would have to be the size of a catenary cable on a suspension bridge.
The only way for battery powered cars to be a real thing is to have universal battery packs that slide in and out at the station, where they are tested and recharged at a normal rate for the next patron and during non-peak demand times. Like exchanging propane tanks. Whoever comes up with a system like that is the one to invest in.
link to original post
I think “topping off” will likely be the game.
Probably about 2 or 3% of the energy will be topped off at home during the night. Work places would also parking places to top off. Not necessarily super chargers. Probably be a lot of credit card swiping to pay, Parking meters that can supply electricity. The overall grid will probably be relieved by decentralization as more solar or wind supplements. Improved battery technology. Already heard of a potential 1000 mile charge. Hey, but I could be wrong. I just hoist a sail for my car on windy days.
link to original post
I see YouTube videos all the time where some guy will look out his window and a woman will be sitting in her electric car in his driveway with it plugged into his home charging unit. He will go outside and it's always a woman, it's never a man, and she doesn't understand why he's angry. He wasn't using it why can't she use it. They really don't understand how much money it costs to charge a car. It's theft of service pure and simple but they never understand it.
Quote: lilredrooster.
guys who repaired cars for a living used to be called "grease monkeys"
it's a job that requires a lot of skill and knowledge to do it well
but that's the way of the world - to put people down with harmful expressions such as that
.
link to original post
I don’t think it’s putting anyone down. I think guys who were grease monkeys were proud for the term or at least called each other in fun. Like sports nicknames don’t get offended for other people.
Quote: EvenBobQuote: rxwineQuote: AutomaticMonkeyQuote: AZDuffmanThe next thing of course will be EV charging. They seem to have figured out standardizing the “pumps.” But making money off it may prove harder. Charge time alone makes volume harder. It’s not like Sunoco can advertise “390 electric “ to have a unique product. Probably going to have to rely on selling food and such while people wait.
link to original post
Not going to work. Energy is energy, and in order for a wire to have the energy throughput of a diesel hose it would have to be the size of a catenary cable on a suspension bridge.
The only way for battery powered cars to be a real thing is to have universal battery packs that slide in and out at the station, where they are tested and recharged at a normal rate for the next patron and during non-peak demand times. Like exchanging propane tanks. Whoever comes up with a system like that is the one to invest in.
link to original post
I think “topping off” will likely be the game.
Probably about 2 or 3% of the energy will be topped off at home during the night. Work places would also parking places to top off. Not necessarily super chargers. Probably be a lot of credit card swiping to pay, Parking meters that can supply electricity. The overall grid will probably be relieved by decentralization as more solar or wind supplements. Improved battery technology. Already heard of a potential 1000 mile charge. Hey, but I could be wrong. I just hoist a sail for my car on windy days.
link to original post
I see YouTube videos all the time where some guy will look out his window and a woman will be sitting in her electric car in his driveway with it plugged into his home charging unit. He will go outside and it's always a woman, it's never a man, and she doesn't understand why he's angry. He wasn't using it why can't she use it. They really don't understand how much money it costs to charge a car. It's theft of service pure and simple but they never understand it.
link to original post
Sounds funny. Maybe I’ll look for this or please post.
Quote: rxwineQuote: AutomaticMonkeyQuote: AZDuffmanThe next thing of course will be EV charging. They seem to have figured out standardizing the “pumps.” But making money off it may prove harder. Charge time alone makes volume harder. It’s not like Sunoco can advertise “390 electric “ to have a unique product. Probably going to have to rely on selling food and such while people wait.
link to original post
Not going to work. Energy is energy, and in order for a wire to have the energy throughput of a diesel hose it would have to be the size of a catenary cable on a suspension bridge.
The only way for battery powered cars to be a real thing is to have universal battery packs that slide in and out at the station, where they are tested and recharged at a normal rate for the next patron and during non-peak demand times. Like exchanging propane tanks. Whoever comes up with a system like that is the one to invest in.
link to original post
I think “topping off” will likely be the game.
Probably about 2 or 3% of the energy will be topped off at home during the night. Work places would also parking places to top off. Not necessarily super chargers. Probably be a lot of credit card swiping to pay, Parking meters that can supply electricity. The overall grid will probably be relieved by decentralization as more solar or wind supplements. Improved battery technology. Already heard of a potential 1000 mile charge. Hey, but I could be wrong. I just hoist a sail for my car on windy days.
link to original post
The problem is maybe half the population can top off at home. The people who are biggest pushers of this live in nice places with two car garages. That is not most people. My tenant has a Tesla but there is no way they can charge at home. I assume they charge at the gas station.
Quote: JoemanIn high school, I bought a pair of Converse All-Stars ("Chuck Taylors") at the local K-mart for $2.88!
anybody who had any aspiration at all of playing hoops, playground or whatever had to have those sneaks - NBA pros wore only them
and even if you didn't play hoops if you wanted to be cool you had 'em
it was the star that got you - it made you feel like you were a star - although the star was only on the high tops
and those shoes were nowhere even remotely close to the quality of what is now available
.
The rate of slow charging for a Tesla depends on the type of charger used:
Level 1 Charging (120V outlet): This is the slowest method, often referred to as “trickle charging.” It typically adds about 3 miles of range per hour1.
Level 2 Charging (240V outlet): This method is faster and more common for home charging. It can add about 20-30 miles of range per hour, depending on the specific charger and vehicle model1.
So anyway, “topping off” means you can keep adding some charge every day before you actually get behind and need to either stop driving of go to a fast charger.
Does your tenant have no wall sockets or extension cords? Isn’t Level 1 basically a wall outlet?
Quote: rxwineGoogle search says the average American drives 29-37 miles per day.
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I bought my used Toyota van in April 2021 and I just turned 4,000 miles on it. That's 4,000 miles in three and a half years. I changed the oil once. I get gas about four times a year. It just sits in the garage, waiting. The last time I drove it was 12 days ago. I don't get out much..
Quote: EvenBobQuote: rxwineGoogle search says the average American drives 29-37 miles per day.
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I bought my used Toyota van in April 2021 and I just turned 4,000 miles on it. That's 4,000 miles in three and a half years. I changed the oil once. I get gas about four times a year. It just sits in the garage, waiting. The last time I drove it was 12 days ago. I don't get out much..
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Well, I don’t know anyone here who would say you’re average. You’re something for sure. But average no.
Quote: rxwine
Does your tenant have no wall sockets or extension cords? Isn’t Level 1 basically a wall outlet?
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They would have to dangle it out a second story window, something I am not keen on. They are kids and not the most street-smart out there. The house has old knob and tube wiring, another reason I am not keen.
Quote: lilredroosterQuote: JoemanIn high school, I bought a pair of Converse All-Stars ("Chuck Taylors") at the local K-mart for $2.88!
anybody who had any aspiration at all of playing hoops, playground or whatever had to have those sneaks - NBA pros wore only them
and even if you didn't play hoops if you wanted to be cool you had 'em
it was the star that got you - it made you feel like you were a star - although the star was only on the high tops
and those shoes were nowhere even remotely close to the quality of what is now available
.
link to original post
I never got the sneakerhead thing. Maybe because we were too poor to get the fancy tennis shoes growing up. Nope, still don;t get it. They are shoes. I worked with a guy had 30 pair. I mean, what are you thinking? Wear them out and throw them out. I'm that white guy Chris Roc said would wear Reeboks until all but the R and E fall off.
Quote: lilredrooster.
guys who repaired cars for a living used to be called "grease monkeys"
it's a job that requires a lot of skill and knowledge to do it well
but that's the way of the world - to put people down with harmful expressions such as that
.
link to original post
It is now, but in the early days, cars were straightforward to work on, and little training was required to hire people. In the military, they didn't assign the best and brightest to the motor pool. I don't see it as a put-down any more than Sandhog, Yardman. or Hard Hat.
When I was in high school, the students who couldn't keep up academically were assigned to auto shop or welding. A good mechanic laughs tall the way to the bank.
Quote: AZDuffman
The problem is maybe half the population can top off at home. The people who are biggest pushers of this live in nice places with two car garages. That is not most people. My tenant has a Tesla but there is no way they can charge at home. I assume they charge at the gas station.
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That's how I see it too. Some guy who lives in a tenement and parks his car out by a dumpster, nobody's giving him a charger. A bus ticket is what he'll be getting, if he doesn't have a normal car. That's why I see complete electrification of cars as a trap.
There is also a climate issue in that a car that works for a guy in the Bay Area or San Diego will not work in a place where it's possible to wake up to an inch of ice on your car and you need heat generation if you want to even think about driving it. Fueled engines give you all the heat you want for free. This is why I think hybrids in some form will be the real universal solution. Diesel trains have actually been diesel-electric hybrids for a long time and it's the most effective form of land transportation we've got.
'
The Bucee's store is cleverly stocked with interesting merchandise by someone who knows what they are doing. The Bucee's restaurant is said to have outstanding BBQ. The world is changing. . .
Quote: gordonm888Here's the latest thing in gas stations. Buc-ees is a franchise whose gas stations have up to 100 different pump stations, together with a large store and huge restaurant specializing in BBQ. A new one has opened in Sevierville Tennessee and it is considered to be a destination by its customers, not just a service station. The scale of the operations is mind-blowing.
'
The Bucee's store is cleverly stocked with interesting merchandise by someone who knows what they are doing. The Bucee's restaurant is said to have outstanding BBQ. The world is changing. . .
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Yes, Bucees are very interesting businesses that have been doing very well. Before Terrible's opened their big store in Primm we visited many Bucee's and modelled if after their stores.
Bucee's has surprisingly good brisket sandwiches.
Quote: DRichQuote: gordonm888Here's the latest thing in gas stations. Buc-ees is a franchise whose gas stations have up to 100 different pump stations, together with a large store and huge restaurant specializing in BBQ. A new one has opened in Sevierville Tennessee and it is considered to be a destination by its customers, not just a service station. The scale of the operations is mind-blowing.
'
The Bucee's store is cleverly stocked with interesting merchandise by someone who knows what they are doing. The Bucee's restaurant is said to have outstanding BBQ. The world is changing. . .
link to original post
Yes, Bucees are very interesting businesses that have been doing very well. Before Terrible's opened their big store in Primm we visited many Bucee's and modelled if after their stores.
Bucee's has surprisingly good brisket sandwiches.
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I've seen YouTube videos of people who practically live in a Bucky's parking lot. Some of them even have movie theaters. Great food if you're into that kind of food which I am not.
Quote: EvenBob
I've seen YouTube videos of people who practically live in a Bucky's parking lot. Some of them even have movie theaters. Great food if you're into that kind of food which I am not.
That would really surprise me. I can't imagine that their business model would include a movie theater.
Quote: DRichQuote: EvenBob
I've seen YouTube videos of people who practically live in a Bucky's parking lot. Some of them even have movie theaters. Great food if you're into that kind of food which I am not.
That would really surprise me. I can't imagine that their business model would include a movie theater.
link to original post
Truckers are required to take long rest periods, IIRC 10 hours. Need to fill the time.
Quote: AZDuffmanQuote: DRichQuote: EvenBob
I've seen YouTube videos of people who practically live in a Bucky's parking lot. Some of them even have movie theaters. Great food if you're into that kind of food which I am not.
That would really surprise me. I can't imagine that their business model would include a movie theater.
link to original post
Truckers are required to take long rest periods, IIRC 10 hours. Need to fill the time.
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Every Buc-ee's I've seen has a sign saying "No 18 wheelers" (or similar) at every entrance. I've heard from some truckers that Buc-ee's even gets cranky if they park the rig nearby and walk in.
Quote: DieterQuote: AZDuffmanQuote: DRichQuote: EvenBob
I've seen YouTube videos of people who practically live in a Bucky's parking lot. Some of them even have movie theaters. Great food if you're into that kind of food which I am not.
That would really surprise me. I can't imagine that their business model would include a movie theater.
link to original post
Truckers are required to take long rest periods, IIRC 10 hours. Need to fill the time.
link to original post
Every Buc-ee's I've seen has a sign saying "No 18 wheelers" (or similar) at every entrance. I've heard from some truckers that Buc-ee's even gets cranky if they park the rig nearby and walk in.
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Never been to one so can’t say. Can say in rural areas where there in no movie theater anywhere close I can see it drawing enough people to make it worthwhile. The money is made on concessions anyhow which they clearly have.
Quote: AZDuffmanQuote: DRichQuote: EvenBob
I've seen YouTube videos of people who practically live in a Bucky's parking lot. Some of them even have movie theaters. Great food if you're into that kind of food which I am not.
That would really surprise me. I can't imagine that their business model would include a movie theater.
link to original post
Truckers are required to take long rest periods, IIRC 10 hours. Need to fill the time.
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I don't believe Bucees have truck stops.
Quote: HunterhillThere’s only one Bucees with a movie theater across the street from it and that’s in Texas. However it’s not owned by them.
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That makes more sense because that would be counter to their business model.
Quote: billryanI've been to a couple of truckstops with large screens inside the professional truckers' lounges, but I don't recall ever seeing a truck stop or gas station with a movie theatre.
link to original post
I see the big screen playing a movie (off DVD or a movie channel), but no box office.
Buy snacks and drinks from the store and kill some time.
Sometimes they have theater style seating and a "movie theater" sign, however.
Quote: rxwineI believe in N. Carolina there’s a buc eees sign every 5 miles on the interstate. Also a Jesus sign every other 5 miles. At least before the hurricane.
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It's been years since I drove 95 through the Carolinas. Do the Pedro billboards survive?
Quote: billryanQuote: rxwineI believe in N. Carolina there’s a buc eees sign every 5 miles on the interstate. Also a Jesus sign every other 5 miles. At least before the hurricane.
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It's been years since I drove 95 through the Carolinas. Do the Pedro billboards survive?
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If they do, it’s not something I remember. Somewhere along 95 there was something that looked like a Mexican theme park. It looked closed down either for the season or permanently.
Quote: rxwineQuote: billryanQuote: rxwineI believe in N. Carolina there’s a buc eees sign every 5 miles on the interstate. Also a Jesus sign every other 5 miles. At least before the hurricane.
link to original post
It's been years since I drove 95 through the Carolinas. Do the Pedro billboards survive?
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If they do, it’s not something I remember. Somewhere along 95 there was something that looked like a Mexican theme park. It looked closed down either for the season or permanently.
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That’s it. South of the Border. Mother of all tourist traps. Hard to imagine it’s closed.
Quote: DieterQuote: billryanI've been to a couple of truckstops with large screens inside the professional truckers' lounges, but I don't recall ever seeing a truck stop or gas station with a movie theatre.
link to original post
I see the big screen playing a movie (off DVD or a movie channel), but no box office.
Buy snacks and drinks from the store and kill some time.
Sometimes they have theater style seating and a "movie theater" sign, however.
link to original post
I was probably thinking of Iowa 80 which is the largest truck stop in the world and has a movie theater. Why I thought it was a Bucky's who knows. I've never been to any of them so there you go.
Quote: EvenBobQuote: DieterQuote: billryanI've been to a couple of truckstops with large screens inside the professional truckers' lounges, but I don't recall ever seeing a truck stop or gas station with a movie theatre.
link to original post
I see the big screen playing a movie (off DVD or a movie channel), but no box office.
Buy snacks and drinks from the store and kill some time.
Sometimes they have theater style seating and a "movie theater" sign, however.
link to original post
I was probably thinking of Iowa 80 which is the largest truck stop in the world and has a movie theater. Why I thought it was a Bucky's who knows. I've never been to any of them so there you go.
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No problem. I've been there a few times.
Like I said, I don't recall a box office or any admission charge, making it more of a TV room with a movie usually playing, instead of a theater.
Keeping this post tangentially gambling related, sometimes I feel it's worthwhile to use a $20(!) truck stop shower (unless a trucker takes pity on me and gives me one of their comps) and clean up after driving all day, rather than walking into one of the 4 casinos in the neighborhood looking like an unwashed degenerate.
(This is one of the downsides of stubbornly driving everywhere and generally disliking casino hotels, but liking the gaming floors. The flipside: truck stop showers are generally cleaner than hotel bathrooms, as they get hosed down and fairly thoroughly mopped 12 to 30 times a day.)
Quote: EvenBobQuote: DieterQuote: billryanI've been to a couple of truckstops with large screens inside the professional truckers' lounges, but I don't recall ever seeing a truck stop or gas station with a movie theatre.
link to original post
I see the big screen playing a movie (off DVD or a movie channel), but no box office.
Buy snacks and drinks from the store and kill some time.
Sometimes they have theater style seating and a "movie theater" sign, however.
link to original post
I was probably thinking of Iowa 80 which is the largest truck stop in the world and has a movie theater. Why I thought it was a Bucky's who knows. I've never been to any of them so there you go.
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That place is insane, stopped there this past year. Some people you tell and they think you stopped at Disney.
Quote: EvenBob
I was probably thinking of Iowa 80 which is the largest truck stop in the world and has a movie theater. Why I thought it was a Bucky's who knows. I've never been to any of them so there you go.
I used to live in Iowa so I have been to that truck stop many times. Most people think Bucee's is a truck stop but it is not. Just because of the size people assume that.
back in the day Detective magazine covers - 6 of them:
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.
Quote: lilredrooster.
back in the day Detective magazine covers - 6 of them:
link to original post
When I was a kid in the late 1950s I would go to the drugstore and look at the magazine and paperback book section and of course I would spend time looking at these detective magazines because of the covers. They were extremely titillating in the 1950s and to us kids they were porn. The pharmacist who owned the place would come from behind the counter take me by the shoulders direct me to the comic book section telling me that I wasn't old enough to look at those magazines. Which of course made me want to look at them even more. They look harmless today but in 1958 this stuff was one step above Playboy.
Quote: DieterHow much outrage was there when Dime Detective raised the price to two bits?
link to original post
Two bits, were you born in the 1890s?
Quote: EvenBobWhen I was a kid in the late 1950s I would go to the drugstore and look at the magazine and paperback book section and of course I would spend time looking at these detective magazines because of the covers. They were extremely titillating in the 1950s and to us kids they were porn. The pharmacist who owned the place would come from behind the counter take me by the shoulders direct me to the comic book section telling me that I wasn't old enough to look at those magazines. Which of course made me want to look at them even more. They look harmless today but in 1958 this stuff was one step above Playboy.
amazing - my experiences were almost exactly the same as yours except for me it was the early 60s
it was also a drugstore and it was the pharmacist's wife who always shooed us away
then again I guess it was the same for thousands of kids
you mentioned Playboy - we always tried to sneak a peak at the Centerfold pic
it was real embarrasing when she caught me
I love this stuff - here's 4 more:
Quote: EvenBobQuote: DieterHow much outrage was there when Dime Detective raised the price to two bits?
link to original post
Two bits, were you born in the 1890s?
link to original post
This was a fairly common term in the trashy novels I misspent my youth reading.
edit: This is the nostalgia thread, so worrying about old timey monetary slang seems odd.
Quote: lilredroosterQuote: EvenBobWhen I was a kid in the late 1950s I would go to the drugstore and look at the magazine and paperback book section and of course I would spend time looking at these detective magazines because of the covers. They were extremely titillating in the 1950s and to us kids they were porn. The pharmacist who owned the place would come from behind the counter take me by the shoulders direct me to the comic book section telling me that I wasn't old enough to look at those magazines. Which of course made me want to look at them even more. They look harmless today but in 1958 this stuff was one step above Playboy.
amazing - my experiences were almost exactly the same as yours except for me it was the early 60s
it was also a drugstore and it was the pharmacist's wife who always shooed us away
then again I guess it was the same for thousands of kids
you mentioned Playboy - we always tried to sneak a peak at the Centerfold pic
it was real embarrasing when she caught me
I love this stuff - here's 4 more:
link to original post
In this Pharmacy he didn't have the Playboys displayed they were in brown paper wrappers that might have come from Playboy that way. You had to ask for them and you bought it in the wrapper unseen. We heard about them but we never saw one. In those days they couldn't even show pubic hair in Playboy that wasn't until years and years later.
Quote: EvenBobQuote: lilredroosterQuote: EvenBobWhen I was a kid in the late 1950s I would go to the drugstore and look at the magazine and paperback book section and of course I would spend time looking at these detective magazines because of the covers. They were extremely titillating in the 1950s and to us kids they were porn. The pharmacist who owned the place would come from behind the counter take me by the shoulders direct me to the comic book section telling me that I wasn't old enough to look at those magazines. Which of course made me want to look at them even more. They look harmless today but in 1958 this stuff was one step above Playboy.
amazing - my experiences were almost exactly the same as yours except for me it was the early 60s
it was also a drugstore and it was the pharmacist's wife who always shooed us away
then again I guess it was the same for thousands of kids
you mentioned Playboy - we always tried to sneak a peak at the Centerfold pic
it was real embarrasing when she caught me
I love this stuff - here's 4 more:
link to original post
In this Pharmacy he didn't have the Playboys displayed they were in brown paper wrappers that might have come from Playboy that way. You had to ask for them and you bought it in the wrapper unseen. We heard about them but we never saw one. In those days they couldn't even show pubic hair in Playboy that wasn't until years and years later.
link to original post
Stores usually had the wrapper or the cover was blocked off in the display. The wrapper was used when it was mailed and some mainstream mags used them, too. Usually magazines that were thicker and kind of meant to be kept for years not pitched.
Quote: EvenBobQuote: lilredroosterQuote: EvenBobWhen I was a kid in the late 1950s I would go to the drugstore and look at the magazine and paperback book section and of course I would spend time looking at these detective magazines because of the covers. They were extremely titillating in the 1950s and to us kids they were porn. The pharmacist who owned the place would come from behind the counter take me by the shoulders direct me to the comic book section telling me that I wasn't old enough to look at those magazines. Which of course made me want to look at them even more. They look harmless today but in 1958 this stuff was one step above Playboy.
amazing - my experiences were almost exactly the same as yours except for me it was the early 60s
it was also a drugstore and it was the pharmacist's wife who always shooed us away
then again I guess it was the same for thousands of kids
you mentioned Playboy - we always tried to sneak a peak at the Centerfold pic
it was real embarrasing when she caught me
I love this stuff - here's 4 more:
link to original post
In this Pharmacy he didn't have the Playboys displayed they were in brown paper wrappers that might have come from Playboy that way. You had to ask for them and you bought it in the wrapper unseen. We heard about them but we never saw one. In those days they couldn't even show pubic hair in Playboy that wasn't until years and years later.
link to original post
I don't know if these "true crime" mags were all the same, but as a teen I thumbed through some from the 60s and holy cow they were disturbing. A lot of stories about: what happened to the nurse who got locked in the men's prison overnight, what the burglars did when they found the girl home alone, all things along those lines. It seemed clear that they were for the gratification of people with a certain fascination that was unmentionable at the time.
So I guess they had to be presented in the context of criminology to exempt them from the obscenity laws that were in effect in some places.
one of the very few great back in the day tv shows was "The Untouchables"
the main character Eliot Ness was modeled after the real life Eliot Ness, a Federal Agent who helped bring down Al Capone
in 1927 Capone's wealth was estimated at $100 million - that's equal to billions in today's dollars
if he hadn't gotten so big he could have continued what he was doing for a lot longer, at least until the end of Prohibition in 1933.
after Prohibition he prolly would have switched into selling drugs
it was his great wealth and fame which motivated the Feds to bring him down - he was an affront to their authority
He tried, repeatedly, to cash in on his fame but died a penniless drunk. After The Untouchables aired, money was raised to give him a proper tombstone.
Ness and a partner patented an anti-bank robbery device that, thankfully, never was produced. His device was such that any teller could hit a panic button, and the entire bank would be flooded with either knockout gas or tear gas. Banks thought gassing their customers might not be the way to go.
While in Cleveland, Ness also organized a student safety patrol that eventually was adopted nationwide and still in use today, using students as crossing guards.
the real Eliot Ness when he was fairly young:
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.
