Jun 04
Johannes Gutenberg’s 15th century printing of the bible is a masterpiece, the first book published in volume, but he was a business failure. The genius German goldsmith, inventor of the Gutenberg press went into debt and an argument with his business partner doomed the venture. According to the NPR radio show Planet Money, other printers …
Feb 12
You may have wondered about the mysterious henge looming beside San Luis Creek in Avila Beach. It is one of the last remaining monuments to the dawn of modern Central Coast transportation, the Pacific Coast Railway. The concrete plinth was an underpinning to Bridge No. 5. The narrow gauge rails were in use for 66 …
Aug 09
Good teachers share knowledge with students. Exceptional teachers inspire students to tread the path of learning and life. A handful of Cal Poly professors changed the direction of my career. Some closed doors some opened them. One slammed the door in my face and challenged me to open it. I never told him thanks till …
Feb 23
Though the moment was fleeting, San Luis Obispo could have been mentioned in the same breath as Pisa, Italy. For a few hours in the summer of 1980, a failed demolition attempt gave the town a leaning water tower. There is nothing like high explosives and an defunct relic to make a good picture. The …
Oct 03
Ronald Reagan asked for higher taxes and got them. Not just a little. Not just a few. This 1967 story called it the largest raise ever requested by any governor in the nation. Not just one tax. Sales tax, income tax, corporation tax, bank maximum tax, cigarette tax, liquor tax and levees on cigars and …
Dec 04
I first saw them at airports in the early 1970s. Serene, chanting and gliding in white robes called dhoti, they were quite a contrast to the rushed business attired travelers. It seemed odd to me then that they would spend so much time in airports and never seemed in a hurry to go anywhere. Often …
Oct 20
I have written about my travails while traveling on Cuesta Grade. Since the time of the horse and buggy crossing the Santa Lucia Range has been an adventure. Some incidents are major, others minor, here these California Highway Patrol officers lost two tires to the road. This photo was published Monday August 27, 1979. Here …
Oct 12
The Ramona hotel was a luxury destination, host to presidents and the dream of land speculators who thought “If you build a fancy hotel they will come, and buy our land, making us rich. Moooohahahahahaaaaaaaa.” Ok, I may have made up that quote, but I’m pretty sure the general drift is accurate. The all too …
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