I came across a picture of an odd looking unicyclish contraption in the December
20, 1999 issue of the New Yorker. You can see the picture at:
http://www.unicycling.com/hooten/ (thanks to John Foss for posting it)
The photo is titled “Edison’s Light” (1998) by Robert Parkharrison / Bonni
Benrubi Gallery. It accompanies a long Personal History article called
'Brilliant Light" by Oliver Sacks. The story is a mamoir about growing up in
England before the war. I haven’t read the entire article yet so I don’t know
exactly how, or even if the picture is directly related to the story. Or if is
just an interesting “light” picture to go along with the title. When I first
skimmed through the magazine I didn’t really notice the picture. When I went
back to read the story I noticed the guy wearing a strange light contraption was
also sitting on what looks to be a wooden unicycle with radial slats instead of
a tire. Or, perhaps, it could be a generator that just looks like a unicycle.
Your guess is as good as mine.
All the best, John Hooten