Boeing v. Yoyodyne (was Re: "Togetherness" )

[Mark Wright AIA]

Howdy
Thanks Dave. I remember these posts from a while back.

So Bloody Chiclitz is disappointingly fictional. Too bad. But his
backstory nicely inverts the history of gyroscope as toy and as the
steadfast heart of modern guidance systems. Unlike his pendulum,
Foucault's gyrocompass points not at the zenith but into the icy north.
His gyroscope is an amoral compass, finding the abstract true north
rather than the touchier, feelier, more merciful magnetic north. How
should we navigate the body of Gaia if not by touch and dead reckoning?
The magnetic compass was enough of an insult. These gyros are an
abomination in her sight!

Eco left the gyros to P, and adapted the pendulum to his own uses.

Sperry Rand is as close to the Yoyodyne paradigm as Boeing might be.
Neither is as amusing.

Thanks
Mark

--- Dave Monroe <monropolitan at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Well, I did a little research on gyroscopes, hope
> these actually call up the posts I've dug up here. 
> Some suggestive possible other connections here ...
> 
> http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=0103&msg=53753
> 
> http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=0103&msg=54033
> 
> Riesman, Sperry ... and on Chiclitz ...
> 
> http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=0103&msg=53752
> 
> But on Boeing, here's yr official history ...
> 
> In 1903, two events launched the history of modern
> aviation. The Wright brothers made their first flight
> at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, and William Boeing,
> born Oct. 1, 1881, in Detroit, Michigan, left Yale
> engineering college for the West Coast.
> 
> After making his fortune trading forest lands around
> Grays Harbor, Washington, Boeing moved to Seattle in
> 1908 and, two years later, went to Los Angeles for the
> first American air meet. Boeing tried to get a ride in
> one of the airplanes, but not one of the dozen
> aviators participating in the event would oblige.
> Boeing came back to Seattle disappointed, but
> determined to learn more about this new science of
> aviation....
> 
> http://www.boeing.com/history/boeing/
> 
> William E. Boeing 
> 1881-1956
> 
> Company Founder and Owner, President, Chairman of the
> Board — 1916-1934
>  
> William E. Boeing left Yale University in 1903 to take
> advantage of opportunities in the risky and cyclical,
> but financially rewarding, Northwest timber industry.
> That experience would serve him well in aviation. 
> 
> Under his guidance, a tiny airplane manufacturing
> company grew into a huge corporation of related
> industries. When post-Depression legislation in 1934
> mandated the dispersion of the corporation, Boeing
> sold his interests in the Boeing Airplane Company, but
> continued to work on other business ventures. 
> 
> He became one of America's most successful breeders of
> thoroughbred horses. He never lost his interest in
> aviation, and during World War II he volunteered as a
> consultant to the company. He lived until 1956, long
> enough to see the company he started enter the jet
> age.
>  
> http://www.boeing.com/history/boeing/boeing.html
> 
> Note the picture, cf. Chiclitz, "about as fat as Marvy
> and wears hornrimmed glasses, and the top of his 
> head's as shiny as his face," "the Royal Baby."  But
> also, both Boeing and Chiclitz started off in (at
> least) one business, ended up in another.  Hm ...
> 
> "Right now business is taking care of itself, but
> Chiclitz has eyes on the future.  That's why he's
> running this fur operation [...]  'Reentrenchment. 
> Got to get capitalized, enough to see me through,'
> splashing champagne into gold communion chalices,
> 'till we see which way it' gonna go.  Myself, I think
> there's a great future in these V-weapons. They're
> gonna be really big." (GR, p. 558)
> 
> "'Galley slaves?' Chiclitz roars. 'Never, by God. For
> De Mille, young fur-henchmen can't be rowing!'" (GR,
> p. 559)
> 
> "be rowing" --> Boeing?  Okay, so that's a stretch ...
> 
> Boyes is a patronymic from a Low German and Danish
> given name -- Boye -- derived from Germanic given name
> Boio, which is of uncertain origin. Botha was a common
> medieval name and Boio may be another form. Variations
> of Boye are Boje, Boie, Bohe . Cognate formare are
> Bov, Bovo, Bovio, Bovi (Italian). Boyke, Boyk, Boykin
> are diminutive forms. Boysen, Boyens, Bojens, Boeing,
> Boysen, Boisen, Bojesen, Boesen are other patronymic
> forms.
> 
> http://shop.store.yahoo.com/4crests/samcoatofarf.html
> 
> Okay, gotta work on this ...
> 
> --- Mark Wright AIA <mwaia at yahoo.com> wrote:
> > 
> > I haven't the gumption to look into this myself, so
> > I'll as the expert:
> > 
> > How did Boing start out? Is there any similarity
> > with the "toy gyroscope to missile guidance system"
> > sequence P describes, and how does the founder,
> > whoever that might be, map on to Clayton "Bloody"
> > Chiclitz?
> 
> 
> 		
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