HEAVY LITTLE OBJECTS

#2 :: Geiger counter

This atomic-age relic has a mystic weight to it. Almost two pounds, despite being no more than nine inches long.

The ammo-box-styled latches open to reveal the guts - a transistor board, D-cell battery cradle and a rather unremarkable thick cylinder that must be the radiation-detector itself.

The sickening neon-green enamel covering the ammo-box-style case with cast-aluminum handle is punctuated by several things:

• Large gauge measuring 1 to 5 R/hr
• CD - Civil Defense emblem
• Black bakelite selector with the settings:
  • CIRCUIT CHECK
  • OFF
  • ZERO
  • XI00
  • XI0
  • XI
  • X0.I
• Zero knob beside the handle with extruded metal shields to prevent accidental misadjustment
• Strap lugs

I bought it from a burly, convivial transsexual CGI animator named Kristin who worked at my wife's company, the now-defunct Centropolis, and collected Geiger counters, in between turning out brilliant animation and playing for a women's rugby team. She was (at the time) at least 6'1" and wore cobalt-blue hair dye and shirts with aphorisms like, "It takes leather balls to play rugby." The pride of her collection was a red-and-white plastic child's Geiger counter, which actually worked. Posted by mack reed at February 7, 2004 06:07 PM