Did you know Thorazine is ideal to calm senile agitation? Were you aware that a thorough Lysol douche can ensure happy married love? I bet you didn't know that the wrong coffee can lead to child abuse or that flies, the most dangerous insects known, can lead to infant death.

Now, before you laugh at how gullible 20th-century consumers were, don't forget Smilin' Bob and the miracle, girth-increasing properties of male-enhancement herbs.

Still, ads of the past are amusing. And often very, very disturbing.

See Weirdomatic's Old Creepy Ads and Creepy Vintage Advertising at Found in Mom's Basement to see what I mean.

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God, I love buttons. Buttons, switches, knobs and flashy lights. They don't even have to do anything. Just depress, click, turn and flash. I'm actually a bit of a philistine when it comes to all these new touch-screens and LCD displays. Well OK, I love those too, but there is something intrinsically satisfying about flicking a nice, aluminum toggle and hearing a metallic snap that tapping a bit of plastic can never bring.

As such, I've recently decided to start looking out for examples of such technology — gadgets from an era when clicking and flicking were just the way things got done. I don't care much what purpose said gadgets originally served, as long as they have manual interfaces and look cool.

My quest officially commenced two weekends ago. On a trip out to Graham, Texas, to visit a couple of friends who manage a wonderful, old-fashioned drive-in movie theater, I spotted a gigantic snowman looking very much like the one voiced by Burl Ives in those old claymation films. He was standing amid a bunch of dusty old junk in front of a quiet shop with a sign that read, "THIS IS NOT A MUSEUM. Everything in here is for sale!" ... Continued

Why should Mom and Dad have all the fun in their portable road-trip digs, when Muttley can enjoy the RV life in a tin can of his own?

Created by Straight Line Designs, this fiberglass and aluminum puppy camper is one of the cutest little dog houses I've ever seen. It's got a wonderful Airstream-like design, features water and food dishes on the trailer hitch and, from what I've gathered, includes a customized license plate.

The limited-edition camper will reportedly run you $2,500. That's $17,500 in dog dollars, which is still cheaper than a real Airstream.

For roadside fanatics who'll be in the Los Angeles area anytime in the next six months, the Petersen Automotive Museum is having a special exhibit on the early history of road trips.

Titled "From Autocamps to Airstreams: The Early Road to Vacationland," the display recounts the birth of American auto travel, complete with a selection of vintage vehicles and campers that helped give rise to the earliest of roadside attractions.

Starting with the "Tin Can Tourists" of the early 1900s, who braved rough roads in luggage-laden Model T's, the exhibit follows the evolution of autocampers through the boxy days of customized "house cars" and into the more streamlined era of diminutive teardrops and majestic camping trailers.

Among the museum's prize acquisitions is a custom-built 1934 Thompson House Car and the oldest known Airstream trailer in existence (pictured).

The exhibit is scheduled through Feb. 8, 2009.