Crane Currency Paper on TV

I just got a heads-up from the folks who filmed a segment on making United States currency paper for the National Geographic Channel last year. The show, hosted by Marshall Brain, ran three pilot episodes this spring, and because of the tremendous success of the earlier program, they are working on 10 new episodes, with each new episode to include a segment from the first three pilots.

The previous working title of the show was "Who Knew? with Marshall Brain." It has now been officially changed to "Factory Floor with Marshall Brain", and the show will be listed in all television guides under this new name.

The series is set to premiere on Thursday, October 2, at 8 p.m. The first night will feature two episodes back-to-back, and over the following weeks, a new episode of “Factory Floor” will air on Thursdays at 8 p.m. The tentative airdate for the episode featuring Crane is Thursday, October 2 at 9 p.m. This schedule is subject to change, however, so please be sure to check your local television guide for confirmation.

Be sure to tune in. It's fun and informative and you'll actually find out what the heck that thing is at the top of this post. I was there; it blew Marshall away!

Farmer's Almanac and a Blissful Wedding?

The 2009 edition of The Old Farmer's Almanac hits the stands tomorrow, bringing back some warm memories from the early days on the farm. Each year, our copy would be eagerly anticipated then widely read from the moment it appeared in the mail box. What would winter bring? What would the weather be like over the holidays? When would we be able to start plowing?

The folks at the Almanac contend that their long-range predictions are 80-85 percent accurate, so I'm a little concerned about the upcoming nuptials of Ms. and Mr. Bliss. There appears to be a chance of rain Saturday in the Adirondacks, according to my sources at the Almanac, so I'm rooting for the 15-20 percent error.

All of us at the Crane Insider have high hopes for a beautiful day, and wish the soon-to-be-wed Blisses a long and joyful life together. Feel free to send along your own encouragements by adding a comment below.

Dining Etiquette: Corn on the Cob

I have my Google Reader set to all sorts of key words, and one of them is "etiquette." It's an interesting read each morning and afternoon, and such was the case today when I noticed a post from Sandra Muskopf-Hyde of the Etiquette School of Ohio.

She has lots of good advice, but the etiquette of eating corn on the cob was very timely for Grandpa Petey who recently handed the little guy his first ear of corn.

Sandra's sage advice includes:

"Corn on the cob should only be served at casual dining settings."

Check

"Hold the corn firmly by the ends with two hands."

Gave it a shot

"Eat a few rows from left to right."

Not happenin'

"Eat as neatly as you can without making loud gnawing or gnashing sounds."

Not even close

"Remember to wipe your mouth with your napkin after setting the cob of corn down."

Face vigorously wiped with bib after denuded cob thrown on floor

Choose a College Gift for Holly

As I get older, it seems the list of things I'm no good at gets longer and longer. The latest realization is that I'm not very good at selecting gifts for those outside the immediate family.

With that in mind, here's the scenario: Holly, the daughter of some long-time friends, is arriving to attend Williams College next week. She's coming from overseas, so my guess is she's traveling light. I want to give her a dorm-warming gift, but haven't been able to settle on the right item.

This is where you can help out. I went online and took a look at Crane's Ideas for College Students and Gifts Under $40 and selected six options.

Please leave me a comment with your preference between now and Friday, Aug. 22, and the item with the most votes is what Ms. Holly shall receive.

Top, from left, Red Kubisphere Revolving Magnet Board, a Posy Desktop Card, Memo or Photo Holder, and a Collision Kit (she has a car stateside.....)

Bottom, from left, USB Flex Neck LED Light, a Mod Mighty Morph Notepad, and a Dessert Sampler Collection of Tea.

Thanks for the assist,
Peter

More Cape Cod Adventures

You may recall an interesting find on my last trip to Cape Cod a couple of weeks ago.


Well, I'm back on sort of a working vacation - or is that a vacation working? No matter, it's been raining off and on for the past couple of days, but there have been some breaks of sunshine.


And when the sun comes out on Cape Cod, even briefly, the action begins. Here's an example from Sunday afternoon. No, it's not my boat!

Brides Say Thank You on Crane's

A second consecutive shout-out, this time to our friends at Brides Magazine. The September/October (yikes!) issue includes a feature on how to say thank you in response to a range of curcumstances, including: someone gives you money, you don't know the person who gave you the gift, or even if you don't know what the gift is!

It's a great read, and Brides is on the stands now. To illustrate the article, two nifty Crane thank-you notes were selected:

At left is Crane's Black Bursts Thank-You Note, and at right is the Apple Green Preppy Thank-You Note.

Washington Woman Highlights Crane

A big shout-out today to the folks at Washington Woman magazine for a delightful feature in the August issue. Alicia Brewster's "It List" focuses on the hand-written note, saying:

"Whether you are thanking a potential employer for an interview or staying in touch with your old college roommate, a hand-written note is a thoughtful way to deliver your message. In today's electronic-obsessed culture, you can stand out from the crowd with stationery that's sure to strike the right note."

Among her stationery selections are two notes from Crane with D.C. icons:

At left is kate spade's Cherry Blossom Thank-You Note, and at right, nomming on some bamboo shoots, is Crane's lovable Panda Note.

The Art of 19th-Century Business Stationery

I came across a file I had cobbled together a few years ago from the Crane archives to demonstrate some of the fabulous corporate letterheads of the 19th century. In the archives, there are literally thousands of pieces of business correspondence to "Messrs. Crane & Co.," and one can trace the development of the letterhead art form as the dates flash by.

Here are some of my favorite letterheads dating between 1869 and 1895:

And my most favorite:

The Runaway Train: Crane Calling Cards

Remember that piece I did a few days ago about The Amazing Calling Card Phenomenon? If not, just scroll down a bit and we'll wait for you to catch up...........


OK



Check out what the current issue of Time Magazine (circ. 4.3 million) has to say on the subject. You may recognize a familiar name.

Have a great weekend!

Cape Codder Beats High Gas Prices!

I recently spent a couple of days on Cape Cod, and while driving to the supermarket for some bagels, I spied this spectacular example of Good Old Yankee Ingenuity in the face of the $4 gallon of gas. The inventor was evidently waiting for the morning breeze to stiffen, which appears to be the only drawback to the design......