Back in the Day Plastic Reading Glasses Were a Sign of a Secret Super Power
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Posted On :
Mar-30-2013
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Article Word Count :
647
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For a generation or three of British youngsters the back pages of a superhero comic were almost as amazing as the radiation-fuelled antics of the heroic aliens, mutants and emotionally-scarred multi-millionaire weirdoes themselves.
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For a generation or three of British youngsters the back pages of a superhero comic were almost as amazing as the radiation-fuelled antics of the heroic aliens, mutants and emotionally-scarred multi-millionaire weirdoes themselves. The final pages of DC and Marvel comics contained advertisements. But not boring insurance, stair-lift or denture paste adverts. Get out of town! These were adverts for hypno-coins (“hypnotise others in minutes!), Stretch Armstrong figures and Charles Atlas body building courses for infants.
If you wanted to be a superhero you needed to be some kind of unfortunate genius. Most of us could manage being unfortunate, but the genius element was harder to achieve. However, for just a few dollars one could send away and receive these life-enhancing goodies that would set you apart from your classmates and fellow humans; although perhaps not in the way you expected.
For many children of my generation, X-Ray specs were the pinnacle of mind boggling excitement. Not only could you see the bones in your own hand but one could also surreptitiously investigate recent developments in modern corsetry. Indeed, this was a time in our lives when anything from discount reading glasses to designer reading glasses could be signs of secret superherodom!
X-Ray Specs: Non-Prescription Reading Glasses for the Unsung Hero
X-Ray Specs were first patented by Fred Wiedenbeck in 1909. Sadly, the wearer of the said spectacles would have been somewhat underwhelmed by the X-ray effect as the lenses did not contain any electro-magnetic radiation.
The alleged X-ray effect was produced by two layers of cardboard (“lenses”) with a hole in the middle. Slotted between these layers was a small feather, the vanes of which diffracted light which produced two overlapping images. The result of which was a darker “interior” image with a blurry “exterior” outline. Despite the initial promise, everyday designer reading glasses may have ultimately proven more thrilling.
Groucho Glasses: “Humour is Reason Gone Mad”
Groucho glasses refer to the iconic black frames with bushy eyebrows, a protruding nose and hairy moustache. Obviously based on the image of the iconic Groucho Marx – whose movie eyebrows and moustache were actually painted on – this item was first manufactured in the early 1940s and is sometimes known as “beaglepuss” glasses. Their utility for disguise or camouflage is limited and their vision correction effectiveness is weak when compared to reading glasses strengths. Nonetheless, they remain perhaps the most successful and recognisable novelty items of all time.
Spy Glasses: Watch People behind You Watch You Walk into a Lamppost
Rear-view spy glasses might not have the same panache as designer reading glasses but did claim to enable you to see what was going on behind you – which agents are following you and what henchmen are about to attack. In reality, the visual images these toys provide are vague and out-of-focus. If children weren’t already so close to the ground they might provide a health-and-safety risk.
Nonetheless, more “authentic” or “expensive” spy glasses do exist for the adult market and are not dissimilar in look to stylish reading glasses. Indeed, for the truly paranoid it is quite easy to purchase anything from a voice-activated pen-embedded digital recorder, to a GPS car tracking device, or even a telephone bug home detection scanner.
Is this really any different from the fantastical allure of those comic book adverts that would entice us as children? However, perhaps it is also worth pointing out that for the same price as splashing out on espionage spy equipment, one could also get a life.
Sadly X-ray specs were a failure and so would even be useless in making you look like a cool super hero. Therefore you would be better off sourcing a pair of designer reading glasses which allow you to express yourself as creatively and stylishly as you wish.
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Article Source :
http://www.articleseen.com/Article_Back in the Day Plastic Reading Glasses Were a Sign of a Secret Super Power_258515.aspx
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Author Resource :
Linda Nicks is a frequent contributor for About Eyes and has written many articles pertaining to all things regarding fashion and designer eyewear, designer reading glasses and accessories, especially on such subjects as the elements of fun, fashion and glamour in the readers industry.
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Keywords :
reading glasses uk, reading glasses online, designer reading glasses, mens reading glasses, reading glasses, cheap reading gl,
Category :
Business
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Business
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