Pair of singing bird pistols from 1820.

http://www.wimp.com/birdpistols/ ^

[Hotmetal]

I have never heard or seen anything like this. Very beautiful pistols.

[jimfree]

I demand satisfaction.

[vladimir998]

Amazing.

[Dr. Sivana]

A second grader bringing them in for Show and Tell would be expelled.

[Yardstick]

Wow — amazing how intricate the clockwork mechanism is.

It’s a good thing electronics and then computers came along when they did because by the 19th century people seem to have maxed out what could be done with clockwork devices. Clockwork is really a kind of mechanical computing with the program written (so to speak) on the cog wheels. No doubt the guys who designed clockwork would have made good programmers if they were around today.

Another thought...I wonder if any of our computerized gizmos will be working two centuries from now? I’m imagining this same video with the white gloves pulling an Ipod out of it’s box in the year 2211, and it boots up.

[R W Reactionairy]

All I can say is that they should have had a Browning work out the design.

[Vaquero]

I demand satisfaction.

DOH!

[Lovely-Day-For-A-Guinness]

A second grader bringing them in for Show and Tell would be expelled.

I remember walking to grade school with my father's Charleville flintlock (used by the colonists during the Revolution) for show and tell. I was in third or fourth grade at the time.

Of course, this was back in the mid-60's, when liberals were still in the closet.

If that happened today, several dozen governmental agencies would respond as if World War III is about to erupt.

[Dr. Sivana]

I remember walking to grade school with my father's Charleville flintlock (used by the colonists during the Revolution) for show and tell. I was in third or fourth grade at the time.

One of my fourth grade classmates brought in 19th century long guns. The funniest thing is he had an accident at home, and his face was speckled with blue marks, as if a Bic pen exploded in his face. It lasted more than a month. No one had more than a chuckle, and no one thought to give him a lecture. This was in Connecticut, the former arsenal of democracy.

[Chainmail]

Well, the mechanism and decoration are well and good - but the darn things don't shoot!

Seems to me that if you want these things, they should at least be .44 caliber or so and capable of accurate aimed fire.. :-)

[Erasmus]

No doubt the guys who designed clockwork would have made good programmers if they were around today.

I'm a programmer. My father was a watchmaker.

[Thommas]

Are you Dr. Manhattan? Just curious...

[Daffynition]

SWAT team closed down the town for this fiasco yesterday. Meh. Connecticut. Toy Gun Causes Scare at Temple

[Daffynition]

AMAZING! Thanks for posting!

[Daffynition]

I remember Connecticut where *every* school had a rifle range in the basement and the *lucky* boys got to bring in their .22s for rifle practice every week....kept in the coat room adjacent to the classroom...run by the CMP, I believe.

[Yardstick]

There you have it :)

[Yardstick]

Another interesting device at that site:

http://www.wimp.com/curtacalculator/

[Hotmetal]

The astounding Curta mechanical calculator

http://www.wimp.com/curtacalculator/

[Hotmetal]

Found it a few seconds after you posted it,lol.

[VeniVidiVici]

These would be great in some movie.

“Trust me. You don’t want to see the birdie sing.”