12-29-2008, 01:02 PM
I copied this from my reply to the same question which you asked over at Zealot:
Well, the idea for GERN originated in the late '50s, and was my brother Steven's brainchild. We had a table-top hockey game, the kind where the players are controlled by rods under the "ice" surface. We each had several teams, and all of the players were named, allowing us to keep statistics for each "season". One of his players was Cookie Gibson, centre, team owner, and well-to-do flux magnate. If I recall correctly, he won the scoring championship several times, playing for the Shawinigan Syrup Kings.
It was determined that flux was not so much like soldering flux, but more like flux in the expression "in a state of flux", or changeable. When I finally had the opportunity to build my layout, I knew that a flux facility would have to be included. Steven picked up the ball (or puck) and came up with some advertising, signs, and snippets of historical information.
Since I model the late '30s, I've arbitrarily back-dated GERN's origins (as ever, in a state of flux) back to the early 1900s. Historical records do exist (somewhere) that flux was mined in Britain as far back as Roman times, and the Chinese "claim" to have evidence of prehistoric flux mines. Regardless, Mr. Gibson (his real name is Charles, although most call him Cookie) has secured the world-wide rights to all flux deposits, including any yet to be discovered and has recently negotiated lunar mining claims, for the time when that becomes feasible. So, even if a company mines flux under the name of another company, GERN is sure to reap the financial benefits. Several recent court cases have borne this out, and GERN of the People's Republic of China may be one of the few industries in that country subject to stringent standards of quality control, both through the Government and through GERN International. The consumer can rest assured that "If It's GERN, It is indeed Good".
By the way, for a long time, I didn't like the sound of bagpipes either, but I've come to appreciate them in some contexts. One of my favourite songs with bagpipes is AC/DC's "It's a Long Way to the Top (if You Wanna Rock and Roll)". I don't know if it's good bagpipe playing in the opinion of a true bagpipe aficionado, but, for me, it really "makes" that song.
Wayne
Well, the idea for GERN originated in the late '50s, and was my brother Steven's brainchild. We had a table-top hockey game, the kind where the players are controlled by rods under the "ice" surface. We each had several teams, and all of the players were named, allowing us to keep statistics for each "season". One of his players was Cookie Gibson, centre, team owner, and well-to-do flux magnate. If I recall correctly, he won the scoring championship several times, playing for the Shawinigan Syrup Kings.
It was determined that flux was not so much like soldering flux, but more like flux in the expression "in a state of flux", or changeable. When I finally had the opportunity to build my layout, I knew that a flux facility would have to be included. Steven picked up the ball (or puck) and came up with some advertising, signs, and snippets of historical information.
Since I model the late '30s, I've arbitrarily back-dated GERN's origins (as ever, in a state of flux) back to the early 1900s. Historical records do exist (somewhere) that flux was mined in Britain as far back as Roman times, and the Chinese "claim" to have evidence of prehistoric flux mines. Regardless, Mr. Gibson (his real name is Charles, although most call him Cookie) has secured the world-wide rights to all flux deposits, including any yet to be discovered and has recently negotiated lunar mining claims, for the time when that becomes feasible. So, even if a company mines flux under the name of another company, GERN is sure to reap the financial benefits. Several recent court cases have borne this out, and GERN of the People's Republic of China may be one of the few industries in that country subject to stringent standards of quality control, both through the Government and through GERN International. The consumer can rest assured that "If It's GERN, It is indeed Good".
By the way, for a long time, I didn't like the sound of bagpipes either, but I've come to appreciate them in some contexts. One of my favourite songs with bagpipes is AC/DC's "It's a Long Way to the Top (if You Wanna Rock and Roll)". I don't know if it's good bagpipe playing in the opinion of a true bagpipe aficionado, but, for me, it really "makes" that song.
Wayne