Thursday, December 30, 2010

old thing quiz





looks like i will go with the flow. icemoon ends the year with a 'where is this building in s'pore' quiz, victor koo has his usual 'old building' quiz and chun see's is 'can you identify this place?'. my last posting for 2011 is a quiz based on something old.

senior citizens, with the exception of icemoon, should have no problem providing the answer to this quiz but those who belong to the post-65 generation may not have seen this device. it was in use between 1948 and 1961. of course, you can still see them but they are indeed rare.

quiz questions:

1 what is the almost rectangular shaped thing in that slot?

2 what is the proper name for it?

21 comments:

Uncle Phil said...

Hi yg,
I know the answer but I'll let icemoon have a go. A Prosperous and Happy New Year to you and your family.
Cheers,
Phil

小洋 said...

Hi yg,

My brother used to own a car with a similar gadget in the early sixties.

Wish you and your family a Happy and Prosperous New Year.

peter said...

traffic light indicator? my father's/uncles' Volkswagen had one. The fun began for us cousins when it refused to come out of its receptacle. We used our fingers to dig the thing out.

nah said...

Ya, this old stuff can go up, but will have to come down, when the job is done.

Keith said...

I owned a beetle before in the 80s, which was probably manufactured in the 70s. My car didn't have this gadget. And therefore I have no idea what this gadget is.

don said...

1. they're turn signals
2. semaphores

stanley said...

I think it is the car's right hand/left hand signal indicator. Looks like the car is a Morris minor of the 60s.

Lam Chun See said...

I believe it is the object that I blogged about here. Surprised that your vehicle is so new. Was the photo taken in Australia?

yg said...

phil, icemoon has gone on holiday.

yg said...

xiaoyang, in the 50sand early 60s, this gadget was commonly seen.
best wishes for 2011.

yg said...

peter, must have been the earlier model. late 60s, the vw came with the light indicator.
those days, we travelled in cars with the windows wound down, so could use hand signal when the indicator was stuck.

yg said...

nah, some forgetful ones left theirs sticking out even after the job was done.

yg said...

don, semaphores is a generic name. there is a specific name for it.

yg said...

stanley, you are right. it was on a morris minor.

yg said...

chun see, i am sure i would be able to see such a classic car in australia but this one i saw in s'pore.

yg said...

keith, it was found on cars manufactured between the late 40s and early 60s.

Lee said...

Hi YG, I'll take a pass on this, but just dropped by wish you and family a very happy new year. Best regards, Lee.

don said...

trafficators ?

yg said...

lee, but you would have seen this on cars in the early 60s.

Victor said...

Don is right. It is called a trafficator. Refer to its Wikipedia entry here.

David said...

This type was electrically operated. I remember seeing manual ones on lorries. Though I must say very rare even in the 50s. Its a rod about 1 1/2 ft. length. At the end of it is a hand with a pointing fore finger. I believe it operates like see saw - pull down one end inside the cab and the hand is raised.