AV Geeks 16mm Lunch 3 30 2026

Hello everybody. I'm Skip Elshiemer. Welcome to the AV Geeks Lunchtime Streaming Show. Where we watch old 16 mm films and today I'm doing a screening in a classroom at NC State >> [clears throat] >> for some film studies students. So, I'm not going to be able to do this show live. But, I still want to show you some stuff. So, today we're going to watch I got pre-recorded stuff. Uh some silent footage of a work study time study um project about sorting personal laundry. Um this is something where efficiency expert experts would look at the process of folding or some sort of manufacturing that involves people. And then try to come up with ways to make it more efficient and to grade people uh on that efficiency. Uh the next film we're going to watch is uh a promotional film for Compton College called the Compton Con- Concept. Then we're going to watch Life of Leisure. And finally, A World of Structures. So, I will be back on Tuesday. Um if you haven't had a chance on Friday, we watched some candidates for the Toe Tapping Tournament that we're going to be competing on Tuesday. So, um watch that and if you haven't voted yet, uh send me an email at skip@avgeeks.com and uh there's been a surprising upset. Uh and uh so, anyways, yeah, I'll announce the winners tomorrow. And then we will compete compete and we will beat uh Found Footage Festival. Tuesday night. Uh everybody have a great uh day and thanks for watching and hit the thumbs up if you like it and subscribe and we'll see you soon. Bye. >> Yeah. >> Mhm. >> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> Television. No one can deny that it has changed the very form and rhythm of American life. From its beginnings as a gadget to entertain the American family, this electronic miracle soon took its destined place as a vital element in commerce and industry, where it has long since [music] proved its value. This is the story of how television has reached into another large and important area of our daily living to open whole new realms of accomplishment in the all-important field of education. >> [music] >> Here is Compton College, a big new campus that had a big [music] old problem. >> [music] [music] >> The problem, a huge enrollment, eager students more than welcome to the college, >> [music] >> but a faculty too small in number to give all these students the individual attention they merited. Ironically enough, in spite of the crowded campus and busy faculty, classrooms stood idle and empty during many hours of the day because of the rigidity of traditional scheduling procedures, a palpable waste of resources. And yet the students were there and in ever-increasing numbers. How to accommodate them adequately, efficiently, and economically without increasing the burden on the taxpayer, that was the big old problem, and it needed a big new idea. >> [music] [music] >> The man who got the big new idea was Paul Martin, president [music] of Compton College, when he recognized the tremendous potential of television as an educational [music] medium. In a long series of conferences with Foster Davidoff, dean of administration at Compton, the idea grew and developed. We've put the machine to work in office, field, and factory, they said, why not in the classroom? >> [music] [music] >> And so, the Compton concept of instructional television materialized. Yes, at Compton, television is being used in a revolutionary way to meet the current teacher shortage, to prepare for the anticipated doubling of enrollment in the next few years, to utilize campus facilities to their maximum, and to provide the richest possible educational experience for Compton College students, all within the framework of a modest tax structure. The television monitor is the focal point in the classroom, but its function is not to take the instructor's place. Rather, as you will see in a moment, it supplements the teacher. Let's follow Paul Martin's plan through and see just how it works. >> [music] >> This is a modern college instructor teaching not in a classroom, but in a studio, lecturing not to a class but to a camera and a camera man putting a series of lectures on film for projection later over Compton's closed circuit television system. >> [music] [music] [music] >> Behind this relaxed and pleasant [music] scene lies much painstaking preparation. In addition to the broad cultural and educational background which any teacher brings to his work, the television instructor spends many additional hours in study and research before putting each lecture on film. >> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> These are the finished lectures ready to be sent to the distribution center from where they may be piped to an unlimited number of classrooms during a single hour. In the distribution room, one feels that he is truly at the center of an exciting new adventure in education. Here in the classroom, the circle is completed. As each instructor films his series of lectures, he prepares a syllabus or workbook to be used in conjunction with the course. This is one of the many ways in which instructional television encourages reading by dramatizing its importance. >> [music] >> Any teacher can tell you how exhausting the endless repetition of details can be. Saying the same thing over and over each successive hour to each successive class. >> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> But in the Compton concept of instructional television, a good teacher becomes a better teacher because with the grind of daily and hourly repetition eliminated, he's given more time to deal with individual pupils. Not at the end of a long day, but fresh and capable of giving his very best to the students. This is where the unique aspect of the Compton concept of instructional [music] television becomes apparent. It's true that television is being used in more than 100 modern schools as a visual aid to enrich the conventional [music] teaching program or on an experimental basis with live instructors teaching two or three classes simultaneously. But at Compton, the individual instructor's best effort is crystallized on film where it is used again and again while the teacher is freed for those all-important personal contacts with his students. And the Compton concept of instructional television has unique values for the student as well. For example, a student may see a difficult lecture two or three times and refresher sessions, repetitions of selected lectures, are scheduled to aid the pupils in reviewing for examinations and fixing the course content firmly in mind. At Compton, these additional instructional services can be offered to students without expensive increases in instructional personnel, thanks to instructional television. >> [music] >> So, with more attention for the students, improved teaching techniques, and the maximum use of school facilities, all achieved, and we must underline this, all achieved without increasing taxpayers' burdens, the Compton concept of instructional television is proving itself every day at Compton College. >> [music] >> Modern young people are receiving a modern education on Compton's modern campus. Instructional television, just another way in which Compton College says to its youth, get ready for your place in the sun. >> [music] [music] >> Have you noticed how more and more people are taking to the outdoor way of life? Just look around, and you'll see what we mean. >> [music] >> Weekends, holidays, or vacation time, the family car is packed, and folks take off to seek the advantages [music] of leisure offered by Mother Nature. Fortunately, everyone doesn't travel to the same place. Some enjoy the higher altitudes, the brisk, clean air, and the solitude of a mountain wilderness. The more aquatic-minded American selects a place as close to water as is which may be near his favorite trout stream. Some prefer a larger expanse of water where they can open up the outboard, cut fancy capers on water skis, or relax at the tiller of a sailboat. Still others think there's no place to compare with ocean beaches for pure enjoyment of outdoor living. And then of course there's the desert, a long way from rivers, lakes, and surf, but with a quiet beauty all its own. For every American, there's a place for his particular enjoyment of life in the out of doors, a place where each may live his life of leisure. >> [music] >> Today, 1 million families enjoy a second home for weekends or vacations. This is the site selected by one of those families, near summer fishing and swimming, and close to the ski slopes for winter recreation. Meet the happy [music] owners. Here's John, Ruth, Alice, and Bonnie. Up until a year ago, this family spent most of the year in their suburban home. >> [music] >> Their occasional trips to the mountains involved a lot of preparation, then a search for a suitable campsite. Now, those lake trout are just a few minutes walk from the door of their second home. Their mountain cabin, built for year-round comfort, is the center of a new way of life. The fishing will have to wait until John greets some visitors. His city neighbors are arriving, eager for a good look at the place which has given their friends so much pleasure. >> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [bell] [music] [bell] [bell] [music] [music] >> Now, everyone's settled. What a beautiful location. Fresh pine scented [music] air, refreshing breeze, close to the water, and to top it off, a comfortable, [music] attractive home. John adds that there was a great deal of satisfaction [music] in doing much of the work himself. Like 75,000 other families last year, John and Ruth became interested [music] in a second home. So, one day they visited a display of leisure homes and found just what they wanted. >> [music] >> In this case, [music] a pre-cut structure sturdily built of exterior type Douglas fir plywood. >> [music] >> This was the answer, their dream come true. But how about building the place? Wasn't that quite a job? Actually, John found it rather intriguing. First, he and Ruth looked around a bit before they settled on this mountain lot. The location offered swimming and fishing during the [music] summer and excellent skiing when the snow fell. They made sure to check the area's building code requirements, then arranged to build with the help of friends and some [music] skilled assistance and supervision. The materials were delivered to the site in one [music] load. Everything was there, from the pre-cut and notched lumber to the cutout plywood panels. Included were complete wiring, shower stall, and plumbing equipment. >> [music] >> Even the proverbial kitchen sink. >> [music] >> Most of the pre-cut lumber was bundled together in the order it would be used and was unloaded right where it would be needed. The work of angle cutting, notching, and measuring was already done. Everything would dovetail together. Sounds almost too simple to believe, doesn't it? But there was some muscle bending involved. And it began with digging holes for piers, which would support the structure. Since this was being built on loose ground, extra-large holes were dug to allow concrete pads to be poured under the piers. Then, precast concrete piers, topped with nailing blocks, were centered on the pads. Extra piers were used since this is snow country. 4x4 posts, cut to proper height, were spiked to the piers. Girder blocking was fastened to the posts. Frequent coffee breaks gave everyone a chance to admire their work and talk over the next phase of construction. Then it was time to put the muscle to the floor girders. >> [music] >> Bolts in perimeter posts gave added support. [music] >> [music] >> Pre-notched floor joists were laid across the girders. >> [music] [music] >> With nailers on top, it went together much like building blocks. After being properly aligned, the floor framework was nailed down and tied together by the diaphragm action of the fir plywood subfloor. At this point, we'd better check the plans to see what goes where. Actually, every piece is designated by a letter-number combination, so you can't go too far wrong. >> [music] >> Assembly of sidewall framing goes like clockwork. The 2 by 3 studs [music] used in this design fit neatly into the notches on top and bottom plates. Exterior-type fir plywood with a waterproof glue served as combined sheathing siding. And 2 by 3 battens tied the wall unit together. Here's where more muscle power comes into play, but by this time the kinks are pretty well worked out. >> [music] >> Interior partitions were then framed. To be covered with fir plywood panels complete with cutouts for wiring outlets. Now, most of the interior structural work was completed. Of course, there were times when the rest of the family helped relieve the routine. >> [music] [music] >> Construction progressed despite some inexperienced [music] help, >> [music] [music] >> some rather questionable supervision, and occasional interference from the family pooch. >> [music] >> And you don't have to stick at it all the time. But back to work. >> [music] >> Connecting the two rafter halves with plywood crown gussets. The system for raising the roof trusses made the work simple and fast. >> [music] [music] >> To take the snow load, this cabin had double trusses with pairs spaced 24 in apart. >> [music] >> Collar ties prevent the rafters from spreading. Fir plywood roof sheathing completed the structural portion of the building. Since the family intended this cabin for year-round use, they added some extras. Rigid insulation on the roof, reflective insulation in the sidewalls, and white fir plywood wall paneling. Because of time and budget limitations, many families prefer to live in the basic cabin for a time, finishing the interior or expanding it later. A few other details. Some professional help on wiring and plumbing, and the home is complete, ready to house a lot of happiness. >> [music] >> Well, that's how it happened, from dream to reality. Ruth enjoys her work in the roomy kitchen with hot running water and lots of storage space. A good-sized living [music] room makes entertaining easy. There's a spacious bedroom for the grown-ups with adjoining bath. >> [music] >> A loft provides the youngsters with their own private sleeping and play area. >> [music] >> Whether it's an intimate family occasion or a time for entertaining friends, their second home is the scene for many happy hours of comfortable living. Here is their refuge from workaday routine. This is reason enough for a second home. But there is more to it than that. John and Ruth have in mind that someday they may retire to this spot. Other families build cabins because they are a financial investment, which cannot help but increase in [music] value over the years. Whether you build it yourself or have it built for you, your second home will be one of the most satisfying investments you will ever make. Why not start enjoying life, the life of leisure, in the great outdoors, in your second home. >> [music] [music] [music] [music] [bell] [music] [music] >> Various members of the animal kingdom are great builders. The spider's web is a delicate and precise structure in which all filaments are in tension. Beavers are excellent dam builders. While the bee, in addition to constructing a shell-like hive, manufactures honeycombs with geometric precision. Their building materials are either bodily excretions or easily available products of nature. Though these instinctively built structures are functional, there is little variation in them within a species. The human animal on the other hand makes use of natural and artificial materials to produce varied structural forms. >> [music] [music] >> Though all structures are three-dimensional, having length, [music] breadth, and width, when any one dimension is much larger than the other two, we call a structure one-dimensional. In these structures, the loads are channeled to the ground along a single line. In the case of the Niagara Falls observation tower, the line is straight and vertical. The line can also be curved, as are the cables of this aerial tramway. The Saint Louis Arch is also a curved, one-dimensional structure. When its members are arranged in one or more parallel planes, or when one structural dimension is small in comparison with the other two, the structure is considered to be two-dimensional. The loads are carried in the planes of the structure. Finally, when neither length, breadth, nor width is small compared to one another, the structure is truly three-dimensional, such as this sports stadium. Primitive man built stone and wood structures because these natural materials were easily available to him. The perishable wooden roof beams of these American Indian dwellings are long gone, but stone, with its great strength in carrying compressive loads, has endured through the centuries. 2,000 years ago, the Roman Colosseum was covered with a great canvas roof. Its stone walls, though damaged, are still standing. The great compressive strength of concrete made possible the construction of Hoover Dam and other large dams, which support their own weight and the tremendous pressure of the water. The arch is a basic structural form, which can be entirely in compression. Hence, the stone and brick arch became the favorite structure of the Roman architect. A series of them could form an aqueduct or support the wall of a Colosseum. With the development of newer materials, such as steel and reinforced concrete, the requirement for compressive structures has diminished. But the arch continues to be frequently used as the shape for large bridges or, as in this restaurant at the Los Angeles International Airport, as a lateral support structure. The ends of an arch must be buttressed or tied to prevent them from moving outward. The vault of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris can be considered to be a series of arches placed next to each other. To prevent them from opening up, the Gothic architect used flying buttresses. Stone and concrete domes are also primarily compressive structures. The Roman Pantheon, built by Hadrian in the 2nd century AD, is one of the oldest cupolas still standing intact. The outward pressure or thrust of the dome is counteracted by the weight of heavy stone rings. A similar technique was used 1,800 years later to build the dome of the Jefferson Memorial in Washington. Masonry dome construction has advanced with the increased use of metals that could be used to key stones to each other or as tension rings around the circumference of the structure. In the double-domed cupola of St. Peter's Cathedral, an iron hoop helps to absorb the outward thrust. In addition, the inner cupola is held in place by the weight of the outer one. The dome of the US Capitol, as well as those of various state houses, makes extensive use of metals as structural members and as covering materials. Because most metals are strong in tension as well as in compression, the availability of such materials made it possible to construct tensile structures, such as cable-supported elevators. The sophistication and the size of tensile structures grew as the tensile strength of steel improved. This 19th century chain bridge in Budapest, Hungary, is one of the earliest of suspension bridges. The chain from which the roadway is suspended is constructed of steel eye bars. The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, one of the longest bridges in the world, is constructed with high-strength steel cables instead of individual chain links. The load carried by the tensile cables is transferred to the towers, compressing them. Most tensile structures have a compressed counterpart. Similarly, cable cars travel on high-strength steel cables in tension, which are supported by towers in compression. The spokes of a bicycle wheel are also in tension, while the rim is compressed by the tension in the spokes. A large structure based on this principle is the giant Ferris wheel, some 300 ft in diameter, in Vienna's Prater amusement park. Another structural form in which some members are in tension, while others are compressed, is the truss. In these, steel bars are arranged in triangular configurations. The basic triangles are then combined to form the supporting structure for this large bridge. Here, each of the two sides of the bridge is a two-dimensional truss. Triangles may also be used in a three-dimensional truss, a classical example of which is the Eiffel Tower in Paris, one of the largest steel structures ever built with exposed members. This exposure to the corrosive action of the elements, however, requires constant maintenance, such as retightening of connections and painting. The weight of all structures, together with the loads applied to them, is eventually channeled through foundations to the ground and is supported by the soil. Under its surface, the island of Manhattan is mostly rock, capable of supporting large loads. It is this capacity that made possible the construction of skyscrapers. In other parts of the world, special foundations must be built to support the weight of buildings. When these are not correctly designed, buildings may settle. The Leaning Tower of Pisa revealed uneven settlements during its construction. Its builder tried straightening the top floors, but the structure has continued to settle. Methods are now available to support buildings by means of proper foundations on practically any kind of soil. This hotel in Galveston, for instance, is built on piles driven into the shore of the Gulf of Mexico. Most of the city of Venice is supported on piles. Structural materials like wood and steel that can resist equally well tensile and compressive loads are useful in the construction of beam and frame structures. Early American and Indian buildings of stone or adobe brick used wood roof beams since metals were not available. The wood is still used in many smaller structures. Today, loads are carried more often by elements of reinforced concrete or steel. Concrete, reinforced with steel combines the compressive strength of concrete and the tensile strength of steel to form an economical structural material. These complicated highway over and underpasses are made of reinforced concrete and steel. Steel beams and columns form the structural skeletons of this elevated railway system in Chicago. This rigid frame type of building is made of reinforced concrete. The beams and columns are cast simultaneously and have rigid connections. Thus, without rivets, bolts, or welds, structural continuity is achieved and the structure is monolithic. The buildings of the University of Illinois at Chicago make use of the great freedom of form offered by concrete. Here too, the rigid frame of continuous beam and column type construction has been used to achieve unique effects and structural strength. The roof of a structure may consist of so-called folded plates. The accordion-like folds give strength and stiffness to such systems. In this airport terminal, each folded section acts as a beam carrying loads by a combination of tensile and compressive stresses. Folded plate construction does not have to be horizontal as demonstrated in this Las Vegas church. The Air Force Academy Chapel at Colorado Springs is a similar structure. Here, plates form not only the roof, but also the sides of the building. To entertain a great number of people, a large uninterrupted space is required. For an open-air stadium, the problem is relatively simple. The grandstand can be easily supported from below by beams and columns that can be covered with a cantilevered roof system. On the other hand, a large covered area free of columns requires the use of modern construction materials and techniques. The roof of the Coliseum at Virginia Polytechnic Institute is supported by a set of compressed arches. The Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City has a seating capacity of 8,000. The huge auditorium's elliptic dome is supported by wooden arches that are buttressed by heavy sandstone pillars. In contrast to arch construction, these structures built for the 1972 Olympics in Munich are tent-like membranes hung from compressive supports. These curved, strong, but light and flexible roofs are essentially in tension. Somewhat stiffer and heavier curved structures, called thin shells, can carry both tensile and compressive stresses. This convention center is reminiscent of a masonry dome, but it is thinner and lighter, and encloses a larger space. Its material is reinforced concrete. The Dallas International Airport Terminal in Washington is another interesting example of thin shell construction. Here, the tensile roof shell is supported on heavy curved buttresses. If space expansion is required, this structure can easily be extended laterally with the addition of more columns and shells. Thin shells, in this case vertical cylinders, may be used as large grain elevators. Other shapes are well adapted for the storage of liquids and gases. In some structures, resembling thin shells in shape, loads are actually supported by a three-dimensional truss of tensile and compressive bars. Such a so-called space frame supports the roof of the Astrodome in Houston, Texas, which is one of the largest indoor sports arenas in the world. While the majority of structures are built for useful purposes, some are constructed as objects of art. Picasso's steel sculpture in Chicago is 50 ft tall. Because of its large size, it required the same careful structural design as any other large structure. Because material properties, methods of analysis, and construction techniques are constantly being improved, the design of beautiful structures is often limited only by the imagination of the designer. >> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music]