‘Memory Lane’ Contest, Day 4

Science fiction magazine - Wikiwand

We weren’t quite up to this level… but it did inspire us.

Gee whiz, no entries yet today! No shared memories. So let me share one of my own, here, and see if it gives you any ideas. Please remember, this contest is open to everyone. First-timers welcome!

Back in high school, in the 1960s, some of us got together and published our own science fiction magazine, The Diomegan.

Memory Lane: Our Own Science Fiction Magazine

Two or three of our staff were , in my opinion, geniuses. One built his own computer–in 1966! Another cleaned up on both College Bowl and It’s Academic. I would love to get in touch with them again. I’ll bet they wound up millionaires.

It was all original material, even the art work, with short stories, articles on science and technology, and a serialized novel by yours truly. We went to science fiction conventions in New York, and met Arthur C. Clarke–wow! Very heady stuff for a bunch of Jersey teens.

William, Jeff, and Marian–how are you guys? I’m missing you today.

And now let’s have some readers’ memories.

‘Memory Lane’ Contest, Day 3

In a bid to keep sanity, we bring you Day 3 of our Memory Lane Contest. Post your memories here. Two weeks later, someone wins a prize. It could be you!

Meanwhile, here’s this…

WATER-POWERED AQUAZONE ROCKETS

These water-powered rockets were big, big, big! on TV when I was a boy. Oh, how I wanted one! As you can see, they’re still around. I finally got one when I was in my forties… and it didn’t work! Grrr! Didn’t even sort of work. It just went “Pssht!” and fell off the launcher. Every time.

And now for some of your memories!

‘Memory Lane’ Contest, Day 2

Okay! We’re off to a good start.

Each day, I’ll post a place for you to post your entries. That way they’ll all be in the same place.

Do You Remember? - Milk vending machine spotted in London ...

Let me get us started today–with milk machines. Remember them? The ones in our town had wooden platforms which sometimes fell to pieces. Golden opportunity! If you dug into the dirt where the platform used to be, you could find fabulous numbers of quarters that people dropped and that fell through the cracks in the platform. What a bonanza!

But that’s enough from me. Any readers’ memories today? Here’s the place to share them.

‘Memory Lane’ Contest Rules, Etc.

Mr. Machine from Ideal (1960) | Toy Tales

How many of us had this toy–Mr. Machine?

Okay, our first Memory Lane contest is under way; and first I’m going to do something that should make it easier to follow.

Each day, I’ll post a brief remindet about the contest: and to that post, readers can attach as many comments and replies as they please.

Anyone can enter. You can enter as often as you like.

Somewhere along the way, someone’s going to come up with a memory that knocks me for a loop–and that’ll be the winner of the contest. The prize is an autographed book, your choice.

We’ve already got some entries from yesterday, and I’m looking forward to seeing more–lots more.

Because memories are a good thing to share.

Let the Game Begin!

8,174 Jump Rope Stock Photos, High-Res Pictures, and Images ...

Okay–we have the first few entries into our Memory Lane contest, so I guess I can declare it open.

Unknowable remembers cashing in pop bottles. I should’ve done more of that; I would’ve had more root beer.

Ina mentions skipping rope, playing marbles, and something called “chute.” In our neighborhood the favorite sidewalk game was hopscotch.

Thewhiterabbit enjoyed pickup baseball and football games on the school’s playing field–which it seems is not allowed there anymore.

Let’s run the contest for two weeks and see how it turns out. Winner gets an autographed book and a write-up here.

I think I’ll ask Byron the Quokka to be the judge.

P.S.–You most certainly do not have to be “old” to play! The contest is open to all.

‘Memory Lane’ Contest (Oh, Boy!)

The Wind from Heaven (Bell Mountain, 13) - Kindle edition by ...

The last few weeks around here have been just awful, and they certainly won’t get better if I try to do nooze on Sunday. Now would seem a good time for a “Memory Lane” post… and then, an even better idea.

You are all invited to submit your own “Memory Lane” suggestions, in the form of comments on existing posts. The winner will get an autographed book (your choice), and I’ll expand his or her suggestion into a full-length post–with full credit given.

Come on–you must have a lot of cool memories that I’ve never touched on. It doesn’t seem like a lot to do, to earn an autographed book. (Caveat: I only autograph books written by me.) And anyhow, memories are fine things to share. I can’t wait to read some of yours.

All memories are eligible, although I admit to a prejudice for those involving our popular culture. What kind of cock-a-mamie thing do you remember, that I forgot?