As I'm sitting here, enjoying an excellent bottle of Sea Wynde Rum given to me by a cow-orker today, it seems like the perfect time to point you to Expo33's fine collection of vintage barware, and Flickr pool for collectors, so if you've got photos of old cocktail shakers, glasses, or other barphemera you'd like to share, join up.

Mmm, I think I need another shot of this stuff. Later!

[Link: Expo33 Vintage Barware Collection]
[Link: Flickr Barware Pool]
[Link: Sea Wynde Rum]

Posted by MrBaliHai at 6:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Fantastic gallery of vintage international automobile ads and brochure covers, but I was shocked...SHOCKED...to discover there was a Soviet car called the Elite. So much for the vehicular class struggle of the proletariat, I guess. On the other hand, I was amused by another Russky ride called Zim (pictured above). No relation to the animated Irken invader, unfortunately.

[Link][via Coudal]

Posted by MrBaliHai at 10:57 AM | Permalink

This far-out gallery of 70's custom vans got me reminiscing about growing up in Southern California and cruising Whittier Boulevard on the weekends. Back in those days, a custom van was a guaranteed party and make-out machine that never failed to impress the vaguely slutty chicks who would stand on the sidewalk along the boulevard. and ask you if you had any Cuervo or Acapulco Gold.

I never owned a van. My ride was a primer-grey VW Beetle. My friend Rich had a Toyota pickup with a wooden camper shell that looked like an outhouse. It had a cedar-shingled roof and was shag carpeted inside. My buddy John had a '56 Willys with blue-velvet tuck-'n'-roll upholstery. Not surprisingly, they both scored before I did. Guess I should've stocked up on tequila and weed.

[Link: Van Advertisments][gracias, COOP!]

Posted by MrBaliHai at 5:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

A fascinating article from the May, 1954 issue of Mechanix Illustrated that explains how the rubber monster suit from the classic 3-D horror film, Creature From the Black Lagoon, was created.

[Link: Science Creates A Monster]
[Link: The Reel Gillman (Creature actor, Ben Chapman's official website)]

Posted by MrBaliHai at 6:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I'll be traveling on business next Wednesday, so today was Valentines Day at our house. Here are the 3 antique valentines I picked out for the ladies that I love the most. Click on each to view a larger image.

For Mrs. Bali Hai:

Front

Inside

*-Obviously, our cat couldn't care less about getting a valentine (unless it was stuffed full of liver), so this one went to my daughter as well.

Posted by MrBaliHai at 9:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Johnny Dollar shows us his cool collection of old Chinese restaurant matchbooks [Link]

Posted by MrBaliHai at 9:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

On a trip to Rapa Nui in 2004, Wouter Velthuis took this series of absolutely stunning black-and-white photographs.

[Link: Easter Island Photographs]

Hmm, I had a feeling those guys weren't from around here.

[Link: Amazing Stories Covers: 1926-1967]

Posted by MrBaliHai at 5:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

[Link: FATE Magazine Collector]

Posted by MrBaliHai at 3:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)