Giving one industry the needle:The Pasadena Weekly...

Giving one industry the needle:

The Pasadena Weekly polled readers on their favorite spots for dinner, jazz, groceries, home electronics, etc. The winning entry for “Best Place for a Tattoo” was:

“On someone else.”

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WILL “SEWERWATCH” FOLLOW “BAYWATCH”? In this siege of hot weather, it seems a shame to have even one swimming spot closed. But sadly enough, Hershey Binder of Marina del Rey noticed a sign with a no-swimming symbol in a median of Marquesas Way (see photo). At least the lifeguards get a bit of time off.

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THE STUFF OF A MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE: During a discussion of TV history at the Emmy Awards, only a brief mention was made of Philo T. Farnsworth (1907-1961). Although he patented the first electronic television system in 1927, Farnsworth never received the recognition he deserved as the Father of TV.

Not even from his neighbors. When the boy genius moved to L.A. in 1926, he and his wife rented an apartment at 1339 New Hampshire Ave. To construct his machine, he had to start from scratch--there were obviously no stores stocking TV parts.

“Here was this total stranger to the neighborhood, sitting out in the backyard, winding copper wire around a cardboard tube,” wrote Paul Schatzkin, author of “The Farnsworth Chronicles.” One day, his apartment was raided by cops, tipped off by residents who were convinced that Farnsworth was operating a whiskey still.

After all, it was the era of Prohibition.

No still was found, but a persistent sergeant asked Farnsworth what all the junk was for.

“This is my idea for electronic television,” the inventor said.

“Tel-a-what?” asked the cop.

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THIS IS PROGRESS? Farnsworth conceived the idea for television when he was 12. How times have changed. Now sitcoms are written for the average 12-year-old.

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THIS WACKY WORLD: Some strange ads and other print items found by Only in L.A.’s eagle-eyed readers:

* A job opening for a librarian with a “sable” budget (from Maggie Crumrine of L.A., who wonders if the librarian would have an allowance for furs).

* A pager that stores 20-character “massages” (from Byron Weinstein of Encino). The latest in virtual reality?

* A brochure for a trade show at a Las Vegas hotel whose floor plan includes a beauty “saloon” (from Judy Troutt of Sierra Madre). More proof you can get anything in Vegas.

* A keyboard pad that will eliminate “soar” wrists (from Kent Bridwell of West L.A., who didn’t know that flying wrists were such a problem in offices).

* A classified ad in a “freebies” section, offering the following: “Handsome young adult, vry lvng, free to approved & lvng home” (from Larry Berg of San Gabriel, who’d like to know if the young adult is employed).

* An invitation to get rich quick by listening to a company’s “24-hour recorded message” (from Patti Garrity of Manhattan Beach, who doesn’t think she could stay awake that long).

* And a magazine promo for the city of L.A. that was captioned, “You have to admit, the Los Angeles business scene looks pretty good” (from journalist Don Parret, who noticed the ad showed a stretch of coastline with only one structure visible--the Venice Pier, closed since 1986).

miscelLAny:

“SAY NO TO RUGS,” proclaimed the bumper sticker on the back of a truck seen in Venice. Yes, RUGS, not DRUGS. The truck belonged to a hardwood floor company.