Month: December 2005

Home of the original/authentic Captain America Bike.

Labor Day weekend not only featured the celebration of Harley-Davidson’s 100th Anniversary in Milwaukee, WI, it reunited Peter Fonda with his original Captain America bike! Surrounded by curious motorcycle enthusiasts, Fonda signed authenticity papers stating that the Captain America bike – currently on display at the National Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame in Anamosa, Iowa – is the only original, authentic Captain America motorcycle in existence. He also autographed the bikes gas tank.

View the Timeline
or Take A Tour.

My name is Kyle MacDonald and I am making a series of up-trades for bigger or better things up to my goal of a house. I started with one red paperclip on July 12th, 2005.

This red paperclip is currently sitting on my desk next to my computer. I want to trade this paperclip with you for something bigger or better, maybe a pen, a spoon, or perhaps a boot.

If you promise to make the trade I will come and visit you, wherever you are, to trade.

PS
I’m going to make a continuous chain of ‘up trades’ until I get a house. Or an Island. Or a house on an island. You get the idea.

This morning Rawnie and Corinna from Vancouver called me up and offered to make a trade of their fish pen for the paperclip. Ronnie and Corinna are Vegans.
~
Rawnie found the pen camping and was sad to see it go, but was pretty stoked on her new paperclip.
~
I’m pumped on having the pen, but in the name of the game, it’s gotta go too.

So, please get back to me if you’re down with trading me something bigger and better than a wooden fish pen to get yourself the said pen.

He’s made a lot of trades since the Fish Pen. I think he might make it!

“Pat Acton is clearly the best matchstick model maker in North America. Quality-wise and skill-wise, he’s the best in the world.” — Edward Meyer, Vice President, Ripley’s Believe It or Not!

Patrick Acton was born in Greene County, Iowa, and raised on his family’s farm near Rippey. After he graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in 1977, he moved to Gladbrook with his wife April. It was at this time that Acton began his experimentation with matchsticks. Acton is currently employed professionally as a career and employment counselor in nearby Marshalltown. Making matchstick models remains a passionate hobby.

Many models have historical significance, such as large-scale models of the USS Iowa battleship, the space shuttle Challenger, the Wright Brothers’ Flyer, and the United States Capitol, which measures 12 feet long. Other models have world significance such as the French cathedral Notre Dame of Chartres, which took 2 years and 174,000 matchsticks to construct.

Ripley’s Believe It or Not has purchased 15 of Acton’s matchstick models for their museums throughout the world, including Mexico City, Jakarta, Copenhagen, and Sidney, Australia. In the United States, they are displayed in Branson, the Wisconsin Dells, New Orleans, Key West, Jackson Hole, Gatlinburg, Atlantic City, and others.

The museum in Gladbrook is about a block from where I lived until 4th grade. The “Big Tent” for the Corn Carnival was always right in front of our house.

Tandi the Pug.

Adrian Constantine Anson was born to Henry and Jennette Anson on April 17, 1852 in Marshalltown, Iowa, a town his father helped to found.

Henry Anson’s son, Adrian “Cap” Anson, led the Anson baseball team in Marshalltown for years before turning to professional baseball in 1872, when he signed with the Philadelphia Athletics. He later became captain of the Chicago White Stockings. Cap was a leading hitter in the National League and set a record by playing big league baseball for 27 years. He was immortalized in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., and was the first Iowan named to the state’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

Billy Sunday also played baseball for the Marshalltown Ansons and went on to the major leagues. After a few years in the majors, Sunday “found religion” and quit baseball. He toured the nation and shook up the citizens of Marshalltown with his fiery oratory before earning national fame as America’s leading evangelist.

“He was the greatest batter that ever walked up to hit at a baseball thrown by a pitcher. I have seen them all from his day to this. I played against him and I know. He was a fine, big, honorable man on and off the baseball field.” – Charles Comiskey

Although he’d played mostly as a third baseman and catcher in his early years, when he became playing manager in 1879, he put himself permanently at first base. The stocky six-footer was no artist in the field. He holds the all-time record for most errors committed by a first baseman, but he played at a time when gloves were not used and errors were common.

What could be funnier than a group of Dads marching down the street with black socks, American flag boxer shorts and white tank tops? How about barking out cadence like: “She don’t know and I don’t care, I’m wearing yesterday’s underwear.”

Have you ever wished you could get a quality treadmill workout without paying expensive gym prices? Look no further than the Treadmill Bike by the Bicycle Forest. The Treadmill Bike offers the same fat burning benefits of a conventional treadmill without the membership fees!

The hula bike is another hand built creation from the Bicycle Forest. ~ Because the hub is offset from the centre of the rim, the bike can be propelled by hopping up and down with the right rhythm.

The CouchBike and Others.

ChewByNumbers kits exist due to the frequent requests of GumArt viewers. By combining the happiness of chewing gum with creative art, ChewByNumbers is a project that is enjoyable from start to finish. From the first chew to the final spread, a ChewByNumbers kit teaches valuable lessons and skills while keeping the artist engaged though the imaginative and tasty process of GumArting.

GumArt is a trademark of BlueNet Solutions,
the only company specializing in the spreading of chewed gum.

Blood flow changes within the angular gyrus may alter brain activity during “near death experiences.”

Around 10% of the population have an out-of-body experience (OBE) at some time, typically involving a sensation of floating and seeing the physical body from the outside.