A: You can hear your dad’s records and transfer them to CDs but it may not be easy. Manufacturers quit making 78 rpm records 40 years ago. A hi-fi system with a 78-speed turntable is as rare as a nickel Coke but do exist.

Recording to CD is a relative snap. (Related: Recording to CD). It may be possible even to simply copy your record onto a cassette. See Further Surfing below. The hardest part is to play the records. You face two major difficulties: finding the proper size and shape stylus (phonograph needle) and determining the proper speed. Solving these problems will enable you to hear your dad although the fidelity may be poor.

Stylus: Forty years ago, when record companies quit making 78s, the standard stylus was 2.5 thousands of an inch, conical tip. But that "standard" only existed for the final few years. The first 78 record came out in 1896. From then on, most record grooves were wider than the "standard", about 3 thousands of an inch. However, you should be OK with a 2.5 thousands of an inch, conical tip standard since yours is a ‘private recording,’ says Roger Wilmut, UK recording engineer.

"These were one-off [only one], directly cut, not pressed like commercial records, and were popular for sending messages home from overseas." (Related discussion: Wilmut’s email on private recordings and suitable styli.)

Speed: The old "78s" came in speeds ranging from 68 to 84 rpm. By 1930, speeds had settled to a standard 78 rpm. So, you can play your dad’s records on a turntable with a 78 speed. I’ve listed a stylus and a variable turntable source (in case you need it) in Further Surfing, a 78 turntable source, and also excellent advice from Wilmut. The 78 turntable console may be just what you need. You can copy 78s directly to cassette with it. Good luck.

Rutgers University, Research Computing Initiative: The birth and death of the 78

Roger Wilmut: Reproduction of 78 rpm records, technical notes

WonderQuest: Digitizing old records, bit by bit  

AM Radios.com: CD Player-AM/FM-Cassette-Turntable 3-speed—can copy a 78 record onto cassette (about $200)

KAB electro acoustics: Lps, 45s, and 78s turntables

Esoteric Sound: turntables and styli for 78 rpm records . They also sell electronics and software for dealing with archive recordings.

Q: Would ladybugs hibernate in commercial 'boxlike' nests offered in gardening magazines? If there are no aphids to eat, I would think the ladybugs would go elsewhere. Isn't this true? —Marty, New Jersey

[Agriculture Research Service, USDA] Ladybug or Asian lady beetle (Harmonia axyridis) imported in 1916 to control insect pests.

A: It is true. Ordering ladybugs from distant states is a bad idea. The out-of-state seller collects the beetles either in the summer or the winter. But the shipped beetles aren’t much danger to aphids when released. Beetles gathered and released in the summer don’t go far—a good thing—but they don’t eat much. Maybe sip some water and live on their stored fat. No good for controlling insect pests.

A far better idea is to collect natural species from nearby hay or grain fields. Even better, you can attract ladybugs to your garden by growing pollen and nectar flowers, like angelica and dill. Grains and weeds (like dandelions, wild carrots, and yarrow) also work well at enticing beetles. One final thought: you can spray wheast (a combination of whey and yeast) on your plants. Wheast is to ladybugs as catnip is to cats.

Further Surfing:

John Meyer: Biological control of insect pests

William F. Lyon, Ohio State University Extension: Lady Beetle

USDA: Fact sheet on the Asian lady beetle

Q: A man on Earth clocks a distant rocket ship going close to the speed of light. A woman on the spacecraft fires a missile that leaves her ship at near light speed, relative to the ship. She sees a missile shooting forward of the craft and traveling at near light speed. What will the Earthman see? ---Bruce S,  Wichita, Kansas

[NASA] Missile soars above the clouds, slowly (compared to light)

A: I can’t quite answer this since I don’t know how far away the distant rocket is from the Earthman. Light takes time to travel to the Earthman’s eyes. The rocket image that the Earthman sees is a record of the rocket’s past position and I don’t know how far back in the past. So, let’s restate the question.

The rocket is moving at some velocity close to speed of light (for example, 0.8c, where c is light speed) relative to Earth. A missile leaves the rocket traveling at some velocity close to light speed (for example, 0.8c) relative to the rocket. What is the velocity of the missile relative to Earth?

Newton thought the two velocities simply add, which produces a pretty fast speed: 1.6c, relative to Earth. But, this is faster than light speed, which Einstein’s relativity theory forbids.

Einstein says the two velocities combine in a more complicated way (see below) that, in this case, give a missile speed of 0.976c relative to Earth.

Here’s the equation for combining the velocities (v1, v2):

As you can see, if v1 and v2 are both c, then the sum is c. if v1 and v2 (rocket and missile speeds) are very small compared with the velocity of light (c) then the velocity is simply the sum (v1 + v2). Thus, Newton’s approximation works for the slow speeds of present-day human travel. But, we need Einstein’s equations for designing even TV tubes where electrons hurtle at near light speeds and form an image on the screen.

(Answered April 4, 2003)