Hello, I'm Thomas Blaty.

If you are new to this forum – or, for that matter, if you're one of the returning regulars from 'the before times' – please use this forum to tell us who you are, where you are tuning in from, how you learned of this subject and something about the nature of your interest. Please do NOT POST elsewhere until you have introduced yourself here.
Post Reply
Thomas Blaty
Space Cadet
Posts: 13
Joined: Sun Sep 08, 2024 12:49 am
Spam Prevention: Yes
Location: Huntington Beach,CA-USA
Contact:

Hello, I'm Thomas Blaty.

Post by Thomas Blaty »

Hello everyone, my name is Thomas Blaty.

I first started doing research on Mr. Brown in the early 1980's when I bought some infolios about his work from Rex Research. Since then I have done some experiments with gravitors and also his disc shaped designs without a whole lot of success.

I grew up on Catalina Island but unfortunately moved away before Mr. Browns time there. In fact I didn't know he ever lived there until a few years ago (found out from the internet). I also didn't know he was buried there until I saw his gravestone while visiting my father who is interred there along with my mother. I have a sister who still lives there along with her husband and when I told them about Mr. Brown they said they would be glad to tend to his grave when they visit their parents graves.

About 5 years ago I contacted Linda Brown via email and told her about my sister and her husband tending to her fathers grave. She was living in Philadelphia at the time so was not able to visit her fathers gravesite. She was so happy when I told her that she offered to send me a copy of her book when it was in print. Unfortunately, I haven't heard from her since. Hope she is doing ok.

Kind regards, Thomas.
User avatar
Paul Schatzkin
The White Rabbit
Posts: 170
Joined: Tue May 20, 2008 12:50 am

Re: Hello, I'm Thomas Blaty.

Post by Paul Schatzkin »

Hello Thomas, and welcome to the Rabbit Hole.

Sorry it took a couple of days to get your introductory post approved. For some idiot reason the notifications I get form this site re: approvals and new posts wind up in a spam folder.

I have taken the liberty of editing your post to add some blank space between what I think are the paragraphs?

Have you availed yourself to the book? If not, DM me with your address and I will gladly send you one on Linda's behalf, a small token of gratitude from both of us for tending TTB's grave.

Thanks,

-PS
Paul Schatzkin, author of 'The Man Who Mastered Gravity' https://amz.run/6afz
.
It's "a multigenerational project." What's your hurry?
.
"We will just sail away from the Earth, as easily as this boat pushed away from the dock" - TTB
natecull
Keeper of the Flame
Posts: 540
Joined: Sat Mar 22, 2008 10:35 am
Location: New Zealand

Re: Hello, I'm Thomas Blaty.

Post by natecull »

I first started doing research on Mr. Brown in the early 1980's when I bought some infolios about his work from Rex Research.
Hi Thomas! Very glad to hear from you. Can you remember what was in those 1980s Rex Research information folios?

I ask because I too got into the Townsend Brown mystery in the 1980s - it was a family member who got hold of various mail-order photocopied and stabled information packs, I think in the later 1980s through early 1990s. I remember there being some quite extensive ones which I haven't been able ever since to locate online.

For example, there was one folio which was a whole biography of Townsend Brown, including references to the Caroline Gravity Cruise, Eldridge Johnson, William Stephenson and Ilya Tolstoy. And there was another, by another author, which traced the scientific usage of the word "electrohydrodynamics" (what would now be a simple Google search, but at the time required university library access). That one ended up referencing James R Melcher's "continuum electromechanics" team at MIT. Although Rex Research in the web era has an extensive website, they don't seem to have the old paper documents. (And I'm not even sure that they were all from Rex Research, though they were the most active of those "back pages of Popular Science/Mechanics" publishers.)

I would love if anyone else could substantiate some of these memories.

Nate
Going on a journey, somewhere far out east
We'll find the time to show you, wonders never cease
Thomas Blaty
Space Cadet
Posts: 13
Joined: Sun Sep 08, 2024 12:49 am
Spam Prevention: Yes
Location: Huntington Beach,CA-USA
Contact:

Re: Hello, I'm Thomas Blaty.

Post by Thomas Blaty »

Paul Schatzkin wrote: Mon Sep 23, 2024 1:16 pm Hello Thomas, and welcome to the Rabbit Hole.

Sorry it took a couple of days to get your introductory post approved. For some idiot reason the notifications I get form this site re: approvals and new posts wind up in a spam folder.

I have taken the liberty of editing your post to add some blank space between what I think are the paragraphs?

Have you availed yourself to the book? If not, DM me with your address and I will gladly send you one on Linda's behalf, a small token of gratitude from both of us for tending TTB's grave.

Thanks,

-PS
Hello Paul, and thanks for the welcome! Also, sorry about the lack of paragraphs. Grammar was never my best subject. No, I have not gotten a copy of the book yet but would love one! I will send you my address and thanks in advance for that!
Thomas Blaty
Space Cadet
Posts: 13
Joined: Sun Sep 08, 2024 12:49 am
Spam Prevention: Yes
Location: Huntington Beach,CA-USA
Contact:

Re: Hello, I'm Thomas Blaty.

Post by Thomas Blaty »

natecull wrote: Mon Sep 23, 2024 10:13 pm
I first started doing research on Mr. Brown in the early 1980's when I bought some infolios about his work from Rex Research.
Hi Thomas! Very glad to hear from you. Can you remember what was in those 1980s Rex Research information folios?

I ask because I too got into the Townsend Brown mystery in the 1980s - it was a family member who got hold of various mail-order photocopied and stabled information packs, I think in the later 1980s through early 1990s. I remember there being some quite extensive ones which I haven't been able ever since to locate online.

For example, there was one folio which was a whole biography of Townsend Brown, including references to the Caroline Gravity Cruise, Eldridge Johnson, William Stephenson and Ilya Tolstoy. And there was another, by another author, which traced the scientific usage of the word "electrohydrodynamics" (what would now be a simple Google search, but at the time required university library access). That one ended up referencing James R Melcher's "continuum electromechanics" team at MIT. Although Rex Research in the web era has an extensive website, they don't seem to have the old paper documents. (And I'm not even sure that they were all from Rex Research, though they were the most active of those "back pages of Popular Science/Mechanics" publishers.)

I would love if anyone else could substantiate some of these memories.

Nate
Hello Nate, and thank you for the welcome! I don't remember exactly which infolios I purchased but there was nothing about the "Caroline Group". I think I got rid of all my infolios several years ago when I cleaned out my desk (face palm) but I will dig thru it to see if anything is left from TT Brown.
Thomas.
User avatar
Jan Lundquist
Keeper of the Flame
Posts: 434
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2023 7:19 pm
Spam Prevention: Yes

Re: Hello, I'm Thomas Blaty.

Post by Jan Lundquist »

Welcome, Thomas.

How lovely of your sister and her husband to take care of Dr. Brown's gravesite. One day, I hope to be able to make a pilgrimage to lay flowers on it, and to sit on the bench where he and Linda rested when he took her to see the plot he had selected.

At one time, Townsend leased a property on Catalina that had once been used as an aviary. Was that a well known site, or does the mention of it ring any bells for you?

Paul, the 'net gremlins are at it again. Today, I found a months worth of unattended join requests in the reddit homeopathy forum that I moderate. They had, somehow, bypassed the mod mail inbox completely.

Jan
User avatar
Paul Schatzkin
The White Rabbit
Posts: 170
Joined: Tue May 20, 2008 12:50 am

Re: Hello, I'm Thomas Blaty.

Post by Paul Schatzkin »

Jan Lundquist wrote: Fri Sep 27, 2024 6:56 pm Paul, the 'net gremlins are at it again. Today, I found a months worth of unattended join requests in the reddit homeopathy forum that I moderate. They had, somehow, bypassed the mod mail inbox completely.
Tell me about it.

I get notified whenever a new user registers or a new post is added to a thread I am following.

All those notifications go into a spam folder. I have even instructed my (Apple) mail client to give those incoming messages the "VIP" treatment. They still wind up in spam, which I wind up checking several times a day. .

And then stuff shows up when I neglect to do that.

<*sigh*>

--PS
Paul Schatzkin, author of 'The Man Who Mastered Gravity' https://amz.run/6afz
.
It's "a multigenerational project." What's your hurry?
.
"We will just sail away from the Earth, as easily as this boat pushed away from the dock" - TTB
Thomas Blaty
Space Cadet
Posts: 13
Joined: Sun Sep 08, 2024 12:49 am
Spam Prevention: Yes
Location: Huntington Beach,CA-USA
Contact:

Re: Hello, I'm Thomas Blaty.

Post by Thomas Blaty »

Jan Lundquist wrote: Fri Sep 27, 2024 6:56 pm Welcome, Thomas.

How lovely of your sister and her husband to take care of Dr. Brown's gravesite. One day, I hope to be able to make a pilgrimage to lay flowers on it, and to sit on the bench where he and Linda rested when he took her to see the plot he had selected.

At one time, Townsend leased a property on Catalina that had once been used as an aviary. Was that a well known site, or does the mention of it ring any bells for you?

Paul, the 'net gremlins are at it again. Today, I found a months worth of unattended join requests in the reddit homeopathy forum that I moderate. They had, somehow, bypassed the mod mail inbox completely.

Jan
Hello Jan, thanks for the welcome!

I hope you can make that pilgrimage to Catalina. It's a beautiful place! I forgot to mention that my sister and bro-in-law also plant an American flag next to his grave on Memorial and Veterans Day.

Yes, that "aviary" was known as the Birdpark. It had exotic birds from all over the world. It was built with parts of the original Casino building. I believe Mr. Brown leased a building that was nearby the aviary, which later became a preschool. The aviary building that is, not the one Mr. Brown leased. In fact, my niece attended the preschool back in the 90's.

Kind Regards, Thomas.
User avatar
Jan Lundquist
Keeper of the Flame
Posts: 434
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2023 7:19 pm
Spam Prevention: Yes

Re: Hello, I'm Thomas Blaty.

Post by Jan Lundquist »

Thank you, Thomas.

I saw a news story today of a fatal small plane crash over Coronado. I hope your family is okay.

I am determined to get to Catalina again, one of these days. I have been once with a friend who was the daughter of Wrigley's right arm PR person. Her family lived in the Zane Gray house. When her mother tired of houseguests who over stayed their welcome, she gave her daughters rollerskates, and invited them to skate up and down the hall. LOL. By the time we visited, the house had become a motel, so she was able to stay there, one more time.

Jan
Thomas Blaty
Space Cadet
Posts: 13
Joined: Sun Sep 08, 2024 12:49 am
Spam Prevention: Yes
Location: Huntington Beach,CA-USA
Contact:

Re: Hello, I'm Thomas Blaty.

Post by Thomas Blaty »

Thank you, Jan. Yes, I saw that story as well. The plane crashed on takeoff about a mile west of the runway. Unfortunately, all 5 people on board were killed. Nobody I know though.

Thanks for the interesting story about the Zane Grey Hotel!
User avatar
Jan Lundquist
Keeper of the Flame
Posts: 434
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2023 7:19 pm
Spam Prevention: Yes

Re: Hello, I'm Thomas Blaty.

Post by Jan Lundquist »

Thomas, and anyone who is interested in Catalina Island, this was an interesting, but sad story about the private plane accident.

Pilot in Catalina crash that killed 5 took off after dark: Like flying into a 'black hole'
https://www.latimes.com/california/stor ... e5c0def10f
Thomas Blaty
Space Cadet
Posts: 13
Joined: Sun Sep 08, 2024 12:49 am
Spam Prevention: Yes
Location: Huntington Beach,CA-USA
Contact:

Re: Hello, I'm Thomas Blaty.

Post by Thomas Blaty »

Thanks for the link, Jan. It is indeed a sad story.

Having flown in there many times with my brother when he owned his own plane I can attest to the fact that it is not an easy runway to handle. There is a steep drop off at the end of the runway so they could have caught a down draft without enough altitude to recover.

They also have runway lights but I'm not sure if they were on at the time.
Thomas Blaty
Space Cadet
Posts: 13
Joined: Sun Sep 08, 2024 12:49 am
Spam Prevention: Yes
Location: Huntington Beach,CA-USA
Contact:

Re: Hello, I'm Thomas Blaty.

Post by Thomas Blaty »

Paul Schatzkin wrote: Mon Sep 23, 2024 1:16 pm Hello Thomas, and welcome to the Rabbit Hole.

Sorry it took a couple of days to get your introductory post approved. For some idiot reason the notifications I get form this site re: approvals and new posts wind up in a spam folder.

I have taken the liberty of editing your post to add some blank space between what I think are the paragraphs?

Have you availed yourself to the book? If not, DM me with your address and I will gladly send you one on Linda's behalf, a small token of gratitude from both of us for tending TTB's grave.

Thanks,

-PS
Hi Paul, are you still planning to send me a copy of your book? I messaged you my address. I would really appreciate it and I look forward to reading it!
User avatar
Paul Schatzkin
The White Rabbit
Posts: 170
Joined: Tue May 20, 2008 12:50 am

Re: Hello, I'm Thomas Blaty.

Post by Paul Schatzkin »

I remember my mind... it was a good mind...
Thomas Blaty wrote: Tue Nov 19, 2024 1:54 am Hi Paul, are you still planning to send me a copy of your book? I messaged you my address. I would really appreciate it and I look forward to reading it!
Well, forgive me, but apparently a worm got into my brain and ate the part that was supposed to remember this.

And now, regrettably, I am on a two-week road trip and won't be able to deliver until I get home in the first week of December.

Please send your address directly to my email: [email protected]

That way I can put it in my reminders and it will come up as soon as I get home.

Please accept my apologies for the oversight.

Thanks,

--PS
Paul Schatzkin, author of 'The Man Who Mastered Gravity' https://amz.run/6afz
.
It's "a multigenerational project." What's your hurry?
.
"We will just sail away from the Earth, as easily as this boat pushed away from the dock" - TTB
Thomas Blaty
Space Cadet
Posts: 13
Joined: Sun Sep 08, 2024 12:49 am
Spam Prevention: Yes
Location: Huntington Beach,CA-USA
Contact:

Re: Hello, I'm Thomas Blaty.

Post by Thomas Blaty »

No problem Paul, my mind isn't what it used to be either. And it wasn't that great to start with. LOL :lol: I will send my address to the email you provided.

Thanks again,
Thomas.
Post Reply