James T. Kirk (William Shatner) with his phaser rifle

A rare phaser rifle used by William Shatner in the second pilot made for 
the original Star Trek series sold recently for $231,000 at an auction
conducted by Julien’s. It is the second-highest paid at auction for a prop
from the 1960s edition of Star Trek, surpassed only by the $304,750 a
collector laid out for the captain’s chair in 2008. In 2006, a miniature
special effects model of the enterprise from Star Trek: The Next
Generation sold for $576,000. 

The phaser prop is made of wood with an aluminum barrel and is painted
with a metallic blue-green paint. The rifle was never appeared in another
episode, though it was seen in publicity photos of Shatner as Kirk and on
an early lunchbox (below).

(New York Post) – A rare 1909-11 baseball card featuring Honus Wagner sold
at auction for $2.1 million early this morning, following a period of extended
bidding. That price includes a buyer’s premium.

The item was the centerpiece of Goldin Auctions’ April 5th showcase. Other
notable items included a copy of Alex Rodriguez’s 2009 World Series ring
($50,398) and a signed Derek Jeter 2001 World Series game-used bat
($37,486).

But Wagner, one of baseball’s first superstars, dominated the headlines
again. The T206 Wagner is baseball’s most famous card, with about 50 to
100 copies believed to exist. The auctioned card was classified as the
"Jumbo" Wagner because its edges are 1/16 inches larger than standard
cards.

The card’s story contributes to its legacy. T206 series cards were featured
in cigarette packs, a precursor to bubble gum cards and today’s high-gloss,
high-end releases.

For some reason, Wagner’s cards were pulled from packaging. Legend
persists that Wagner railed against his card being included with cigarettes
(he didn’t want to encourage children to smoke) – but he may have also
been miffed over his compensation from card manufacturer American
Tobacco Company.

      Johannes Peter "Honus" Wagner (2-24-1874 to 12-6-1955)

Wagner was nicknamed "The Flying Dutchman" due to his superb speed
and German heritage.

Most baseball historians consider Wagner to be the greatest shortstop
ever. In 1936, the Baseball Hall of Fame inducted Wagner as one of the
first five members.

Oregon Journal Building

 
Dr. Martin Cooper, one of the inventors of the first cell phone

NEW YORK (AP) — A cell phone was first used exactly 40 years ago.

On April 3, 1973, the first handheld portable phone was demonstrated
for reporters by Motorola executive Martin Cooper (pictured) on a New
York City street corner.

Cooper contacted Joel S. Engel, of Bell Labs, using a Motorola device
that looked like "a small, domesticated version of military walkie-talkies,"
according to an Associated Press report at the time.

The device weighed just under three pounds. The iPhone 5 weighs just
under 4 ounces. 

 
The Motorola DynaTAC and a current Samsung Galaxy S3.

The Oregon coast highway