Philosophy
1960: The Etch a Sketch goes on sale.
The technology behind this children’s toy is both simple and complex. Simple, in that an internal stylus is used, manipulated by turning horizontal and vertical knobs to “etch a sketch” onto a glass window coated with aluminum powder.
Complex, because the Etch a Sketch employs a fairly sophisticated pulley system that operates the orthogonal rails that move the stylus around when the knobs are turned. The stylus etches a black line into the powder-coated window to create the drawing.
Along with the aluminum powder, the guts of the toy include a lot of tiny styrene beads that help the powder flow evenly when the sketch is being erased (by shaking), recoating the screen for the next drawing. As for how the aluminum powder sticks to the window, well, it pretty much sticks to everything.
Arthur Granjean, a Frenchman, was the Etch a Sketch’s inventor (he called it L’Ecran Magique, or “The Magic Screen”). After failing to get some of the bigger toy companies to bite, he sold his invention to the Ohio Art Company, which has manufactured it ever since.
Although the traditional Etch a Sketch comes in a red plastic housing, it is now available in several colors.
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Philosophy
L’Ecran Magique
"July 12, 1960: Etch a Sketch? Let Us Draw You a Picture"
by
Tony Long
July 12th, 2010
Wired
by
Tony Long
July 12th, 2010
Wired
1960: The Etch a Sketch goes on sale.
The technology behind this children’s toy is both simple and complex. Simple, in that an internal stylus is used, manipulated by turning horizontal and vertical knobs to “etch a sketch” onto a glass window coated with aluminum powder.
Complex, because the Etch a Sketch employs a fairly sophisticated pulley system that operates the orthogonal rails that move the stylus around when the knobs are turned. The stylus etches a black line into the powder-coated window to create the drawing.
Along with the aluminum powder, the guts of the toy include a lot of tiny styrene beads that help the powder flow evenly when the sketch is being erased (by shaking), recoating the screen for the next drawing. As for how the aluminum powder sticks to the window, well, it pretty much sticks to everything.
Arthur Granjean, a Frenchman, was the Etch a Sketch’s inventor (he called it L’Ecran Magique, or “The Magic Screen”). After failing to get some of the bigger toy companies to bite, he sold his invention to the Ohio Art Company, which has manufactured it ever since.
Although the traditional Etch a Sketch comes in a red plastic housing, it is now available in several colors.
- Name That Bud
Anheuser-Busch just lost a critical trademark case in Europe. A Czech company named Budvar has received the sole rights to use the name "Budweiser" for their alcoholic beverage in Austria and Germany. The name in German literally means "from the city...
- Bullshit Or Not: Descartes Edition
There's an old sketch film called Amazon Women on the Moon and one of the bits is a parody of the old Leonard Nimoy show, "In Search Of..." called, "Bullshit or Not?" with the tagline "Bullshit or not? You decide." It's a line I like so much that...
- Bullshit Or Not?: Benjamin Franklin Edition
There's an old sketch film called Amazon Women on the Moon and one of the bits is a parody of the old Leonard Nimoy show, "In Search Of..." called, "Bullshit or Not?" with the tagline "Bullshit or not? You decide." It's a line I like so much that...
- British Auction Of Space Memorabilia
"One small sketch for man: Remarkable Nasa illustrations plotting Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon set to go under the hammer" Read and see a whole lot more....
- Polytetrafluoroethylene...roy J. Plunkett
Roy J. Plunkett 26 June 26th, 1910 to May 12th, 1994 Roy J. Plunkett was an "American chemist and inventor of Teflon (the DuPont trademark name for Polytetrafluoroethylene or PTFE). His discovery, while working for DuPont, was accidental. On 6 Apr 1938,...