Anablog

I came across a combination toilet washing-machine that uses the wash water to flush the toilet on Dave Barry’s blog. He makes fun of it, but I think it is brilliant. This made me think of an image folder I have been keeping over the last ten years or so. It is where I store pictures of things people call redneck or stupid or make fun of, but really they are petty inventive engineering and better than the things most big corporations come up with, especially considering the budget and use of available materials.

Ok, so this is a little suspect, but if you source the air from the ash trap then run it over the evaporator coil and blow it out the chimney, you would be able to cool the evaporator coil while the condenser coil cooled the room.

Beer cans are amazing, made from ultra-pure aluminum so they can be deep drawn. Why turn them in for recycling when you can make an ultra-light, ultra-cool chair out of your empties? Heck, use full ones and you will at least have a warm beer nearby for emergencies.

A riding mower made from combining a bicycle and a pusher reel mower is genius. You can’t get more minimalist than this folks.

Note the gal hanging in the hammock that is strategically placed so she can run the outboard motor. All the plush living accommodations of a camper with a deck on top for shooting, fishing or watching fireworks. A stunning achievement in aquatic engineering.

Another great achievement, this time with a Fiero body and an outboard motor. That is high-style on the waterways.

A convenient movable platform melded to a fine piece of American iron. Everybody teases him until it is tailgating time at the big game.

Why pay for expensive pet carriers when you have 15 or 20 of them right outside?

Another aquatic achievement, this guy has his ducks in a row and is ready for some serious minimalist fishing. Troll away Leonardo.

A Harley guy like me really can appreciate this fine piece of work. It looks like 1973 FX forks, two right sliders with one flipped around, and note the chopper seat so his old lady can enjoy the view as they mow. 

Why should your grill be stuck in once place? This makes use of a cast-off mower chassis and you can hang your grill fork from the handle.

Another grilling achievement, and this one is sheer genius. Lets face it, in America, shopping carts are free, so all you need to do toss a pallet into the cart and wheel it home. Mmmmm, that’s a tasty burger.

Communication is a tricky business. America is such a melting pot any sign would have to be in three or four languages, maybe more. These bags convey that the pump is dead far more effectively.

I don’t know about you but I am tired of using tiny cell phones like that one in the Zoolander movie. This accessory provides the heft and traditional feel that says value, and you can hear the caller and they can hear you.

You don’t need goofy high-tone architects to make your eco-friendly pre-fab house. Just use a handy concrete culvert pipe and go to town.

Back on the dirt roads of Michigan my friend Rosemary would have us stop the car out in the country and go sit on those big ol’ 5 mph bumpers while she relieved herself. The cloud of steam provided modesty on those cold Michigan nights. Then she would jump back in the car and we would continue drinking and driving. This rig just formalizes the procedure.

Putting the plywood on the inside is not stupid. Either side you put it on, it shields the glass from the pressure pulse that breaks the window. This way, if the storm is so severe it breaks the window anyway, the broken glass is on the outside, not in your store.

This is so brilliant. I wish it had occurred to me to use a cheap home ac unit and an inverter in the car to power it. Heck, you can put a Honda generator in the pickup bed and have a cool cab even when the engine is not running.

This is not dumb, it is smart, very smart indeed. If you do not want to leave your house to looters and want to use your truck after the flood, just drive it up on the steps and keep the engine and cab out of the water. They would still need to drain the water out of the differential, but that is better than totaling the truck.

I tossed this in just because it is cute, cutting your face profile into a vase or baluster.

Another great camping innovation, you have a van and a pickup truck camper, so you just mount the camper backwards and off you go. The overhang gives you a shady spot when you park. 

Here is an aircraft-car mashup, the light VW chassis providing the safety and comfort your friends are used to as you whisk over the rooftops.

Everybody wants to spend a half-million dollars for their green house to brag to their elitist friends. This house is far greener since it didn’t need to be built at all, it uses an existing structure, like a hermit crab crawling into a seashell. And I am not being facetious when I tell you that I think it is incredibly stylish.

And, biker that I am, I had to show this great job. If all you have is wood and no welder, you make use of available materials and go cruising. Way more prestigious than some yuppie slapping down a credit card at the dealer to wheel out on some overpriced mobile jewelry. Note the front end is a springer type; somebody really went the whole nine yards for this baby.