No Tech Magazine

The Panorama of Professions and Trades (1837)

What do you want to be when you grow up? In the 19th century, this question was easier to answer than it is today. There were 87 possibilities, according to Edward Hazen, author of "The Panorama of Professions and Trades" (1837). The book was also published as "Popular Technology; Professions and Trades" in 1870, Part 1 and Part 2 - these are better scans. Every profession is explained and illustrated. Find the table of contents below. Via Doug Berch, musician and dulcimer maker.

Bookbinding: a tutorial

Step-by-step instructions. More tutorials can be found here, here and here.

Wooden pipelines

"All those things that make wood so good for building houses and boats apply to pipes". See & read. More here and here. Related: wooden bridges.

The immutable verities of grand physical laws

"The design and manufacture of scientific instruments has undergone a radical transformation in the last 30 years, achieving what might be described as the democratization of accuracy. Levers, pinions, wheels, and linkages have given way to microprocessors that read data at exquisite levels of sensitivity and reveal it instantly on digital displays. This transformation has affected our lives far beyond the laboratory, but to my eye the gains have been accompanied by losses."

Read: The engineer's art, why a contemporary-art expert also collects old machines.
Picture: Einthoven's string galvanometer.