Couch Communique…tidbits from over here
Obviously I haven’t written a new post lately. My laptop is dying. After being on for about 10 minutes, it shuts itself off. I think it is overheating. The fan runs constantly. Good times.
So, it hasn’t been as convenient for me to blog. I hope to be back soon though!
According to a Danish researcher, if you have blue eyes, you’re related to a common ancestor. He found that every blue-eyed person descended from one person whose genes mutated some 6,000 to 10,000 years ago. Before that, everyone had brown eyes. Geneticist Hans Eiberg says that blue eyes occur when the human default - brown eyes - is turned off.
Brown eyes are caused by the pigment melanin, which also gives color to hair and skin, and builds up in the eyes. The blue-eye mutation shuts off the gene that produces melanin in the eyes. That one mutation now exists in 300 million people!
Eiberg says that the mutation is extremely specific: All people with blue eyes have the exact same genetic variation, and anyone with brown or green eyes do not. As a result, the mutation must have been passed down from a single person.
A few days ago, I came across a posting on Autoblog about a 1939 GM Futurliner that is up for sale on eBay. I remember seeing one of these once but, for the life of me, I can’t remember where it was!
So, what is a Futurliner?
Futurliners are a group of 12 stylized buses designed by Harley Earl. They were used in General Motors’ “Parade of Progress” tours which traveled to cities and towns across North America in the 1940’s and 50’s, showcasing new cars and technologies.
The Futurliners were identical with a bright red, white and silver color scheme. They measure 11′ 7″ tall by 8 ft. wide by 33 ft. long and weigh 27,000 pounds. Each displayed modern advances in science and technology such as jet engines, stereophonic sound, microwave ovens, television and many other modern marvels of the time.
After the “Parade of Progress” tours ended in 1956, GM held on to the Futurliners for a few years and then sold them to free up storage space. They ended up in various roles; working for a brewery, a tool company, a touring vaudeville company and to the Michigan State Police educating the public on traffic safety. Some were left in a farmer’s field in Illinois. Others found a future in Southern California junkyards. At least one found its way into the hands of the popular Oral Roberts crusade of the sixties. It was dubbed the “Cathedral Cruiser”.
Of the twelve original Futurliners, nine have been located. The bus listed on eBay was converted into a customized motor home. You can join in on the bidding that started at $ 1,000,000!
This image below is of Futurliner #10.
It was restored by a group of some 30 volunteers, led by Don Mayton at his Zeeland, MI home. With support from GM divisions, and about two dozen other businesses that donated parts and services, the restoration project took seven years to complete. #10 is the most accurately restored Futurliner. It’s owned by the National Automotive & Truck Museum in Auburn, IN. There are many more images of it available here and here.