Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Motherland

A two-week company field trip to the Des Moines branch, the original headquarters, for the purpose of destroying certain old files, and collecting the balance. The building has been purchased by a Japanese concern. On the return trip, we will be stopping by the Toledo branch to inspect the refacing of the old facade.

photo composite: © Rick Rodine, 1982

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Concept

The 1961 Chrysler Turboflite!

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Headquarters

The new HQ for The Otto Mannix Report, designed by Norwegian architect Ingo Lundvig. (click pic to enlarge)

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Fun

...when toys WERE fun. Isn't that what they're supposed to be? Check out the Mattel commercial here.

A great toy, the DESERT PATROL pistol must have been one hell of fun toy. And the design is pretty accurate! See the actual WWII Luger, scanned together with the toy for size comparison!

And finally, a toy syringe for all kinds of hi-jinx!

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Downtown

Des Moines, Iowa. photo: © 1995, Rick Rodine

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Parkington '51

For your consideration: an experimental film from 1984, shot in black-and-white Super-8, and hand developed. A rare document of a 1950s 'one-stop shopping center' in its senile years, the film features beautifully detached scenes of blank sentimentality, whatever that means... it also digresses into other stuff, ostensibly for context, seeming to serve some purpose. Either way, the tone of the piece is sharp. The voice: clear.

Unfortunately, there is a dearth of information about this peculiar lost landmark; not even a nod from the various websites devoted to the history of Arlingon, Virginia. The time has come, and so Parkington Shopping Center will be examined further in a future post. The public needs to know. For now, take a look at the film. More to come, including the reassembled sequel.

Super-8 stills: © Michael Horsley, 1984.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Catastrophic System Failure

The Otto Mannix Two-Year Anniversary went over without a hitch... at first. Then the deluge of responses and congratulations flooded in and crashed our state-of-the-art computer systems. The efficient and attractive Operations Monitor, Daphne, immediately followed protocol and ran the data up through the chain of command.
A review of surveillance tapes revealed no foulplay. The mainframe was shut down, with auxiliary processors running diagnostics. A suspected VIRUS was then discovered in the CPU. Otto Mannix himself and VP Helmut Schplatt discussed possible strategies and avenues of escape. Diagnostics indicated not a virus but a PARASITE, uncommon in these systems. A private contractor, Inspector Columbine, was brought in on a Sunday to poke around and ask the tough questions. No stranger to parasites, having once contracted the Malaria, Columbine seemed to be getting to the bottom of something. The results of his inquiry will be posted upon completion. For now, our Tech Team has brought in the RCA Spectra Data Collecting System as an interim means of operation. Thank you for your patience in this matter.