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Awesome 1980s

Retro Tech: Mastervoice Butler in a Box

Retro Tech: Mastervoice Butler in a Box

Artificial intelligence has become a major subject of today’s technology conversations. In 1983, one company marketed an early smart home product designed to control home appliances via voice control like Siri or Alexa. Kevin from Popular Science got his hands on the costly Butler in a Box to explain how it worked without Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or the Internet.

NECA RoboCop ED-209 Talking Action Figure

NECA RoboCop ED-209 Talking Action Figure
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NECA’s 10″ tall version of OmniCorp’s ED-209 crimefighting robot perfectly matches the one on-screen. It’s fully poseable with a moving head, legs, arm wing panels, and cannon arms. It’s the perfect match for NECA’s 7″ RoboCop figures, and it makes mechanical sounds and speaks, “Warning: throw down your weapon. You have 15 seconds to comply.”

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Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story (Trailer)

Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story (Trailer)

Jeff Minter is the mind behind video game classics like Gridrunner, Attack of the Mutant Camels, Tempest 2000, and Polybius. Known for his offbeat and psychedelic style, 42 of his games have been collected into this interactive documentary, which lets you learn about their creator then play the games. Coming to Switch, Xbox, PS4, PS5, and PC 3.13.2024.

BUG

BUG

(Flashing lights) Jacob Weldon’s gruesome horror short film BUG has a slick, neon-lit style inspired by the 1980s. But there’s nothing glossy about what happens to its protagonist after she gets bitten on her arm by a pesky fly. It makes us wonder if the bug was related to Jeff Goldblum’s infamous Brundlefly.

Time Red Retro LED Watch

Time Red Retro LED Watch

This retro digital watch features individual red LED digits just like the ones on models from the late 1970s and early 1980s. It has four 7-segment digits soldered to its face, and exposed circuitry adds to its cyber-tech looks. Its case is made from CNC-machined aluminum and has a durable sapphire crystal to protect its display.

Bitter Sweet Symphony: ’80s Edition

Bitter Sweet Symphony: ’80s Edition

UK band Deco took The Verve’s 1997 hit Bitter Sweet Symphony and imagined what it might have sounded like if it came out a decade earlier. Their version replaces the violins with a synth-pop sound inspired by bands like The Human League, OMD, and Pet Shop Boys. Also, their Soft Cell-ized take on Smells Like Teen Spirit is so wrong, it’s right.

Steamboat Willie in MS-DOS

Steamboat Willie in MS-DOS

Here’s a different take on Disney’s Steamboat Willie now that it’s in the public domain. d o g took Ub Iwerks’ 1928 classic cartoon and converted it into retro pixel art animation. You can play the video now, or, of you’re feeling more ambitions, load up the DOSbox emulator and load this XDV file into XDC Play.

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It’s a Sin: Metal Edition

It’s a Sin: Metal Edition

If you’re unfamiliar with the Pet Shop Boys track It’s a Sin, go give it a listen and come back. We’ll be here waiting. Wasn’t that good? Now crank the volume up to max and hit play on Leo Moracchioli’s awesomely hard-edged cover of the 1987 synth-pop classic.

Retro Tech: Tomy Omnibot 2000

Retro Tech: Tomy Omnibot 2000

Science fiction has always promised us robots to do our bidding around the house. And we want more than just robot vacuum cleaners. In the 1980s, toymaker Tomy tried making a home robot with the Omnibot 2000. LGR looks at this retro automaton, which can speak, play music, and serve drinks.

Stuff ’80s Kids Used to Do

Stuff ’80s Kids Used to Do

Kids who grew up in the 1980s had some very different experiences than 21st-century kids. This video from Rhetty for History looks back at what youngsters did for fun, how dangerous playgrounds and cars used to be, and the primitive state of technology compared to things we take for granted today.

One Hacker Band: Video Killed the Radio Star

One Hacker Band: Video Killed the Radio Star

For those unfamiliar with the One Hacker Band, it’s a roomful of electromechanical musical instruments created and programmed by Aaron Todd. For this performance, he programmed his robotic band to play Video Killed the Radio Star, the 1979 Buggles song that launched MTV and kicked off the music video era.

ChatGPT in the 1980s

ChatGPT in the 1980s

ChatGPT is one of the most talked-about subjects of the decade. Despite its questionable accuracy, it does an amazing job of creating human-sounding text. Squirrel Monkey set their time machine to 1988 to see what the AI might have been like had OpenAI released the tech 40 years prematurely. Offline mode would have been particularly awful.

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Chicken McNuggets Training Video

Chicken McNuggets Training Video

There was lots to love about the 1980s, like Max Headroom, VHS tape boxes, and this McDonald’s training video, created to familiarize the crew with Chicken McNuggets and their sauces. What we got was a hilariously surreal short film with googly-eyed Big Macs and french fries welcoming their new friends to the menu. Brought to you by Tony Pepperoni.

Don’t Stop Believin’: Vocals Only

Don’t Stop Believin’: Vocals Only

The Journey song Don’t Stop Believin’ is a true classic – and it wouldn’t have been anything without Steve Perry’s talents. NetMusic shows off just how good his singing was by stripping away most of the music and allowing us to hear Perry’s isolated vocals. Neil Schon’s guitar solo is also a treat.

Bumpboxx Remixx Boombox Speaker

Bumpboxx Remixx Boombox Speaker
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This retro-inspired bluetooth speaker from Bumpboxx looks like a gigantic cassette tape in the shape of a boombox. It has two 5.25″ mid-bass drivers and four 2″ tweeters, and its amplifier outputs up to 175 watts and it comes with a wireless mic for karaoke sessions. It comes in white, red, yellow, neon blue, black, and magenta.

eLegend EL1

eLegend EL1

Created by Bavaria’s eLegend, the $890,000 EL1 is an all-wheel drive electric sports car with a design inspired by the 1980s Audi Sport Quattro rally car. Dual motors output 816 hp, launching it from 0 to 62 mph in 2.8 seconds. Its carbon fiber monocoque chassis is designed to minimize aerodynamic drag. Only 30 examples will be made.

Famous Music Intros: 1963 to 2023

Famous Music Intros: 1963 to 2023

A lot has changed with music over the past 60 years, but memorable melodies will always be a thing. Music teacher Milo Andreo sat down at his electric piano and synthesizer to play the introductions to a single famous song from each year since 1963. Close your eyes and see how many you can name without looking at the titles.

The Strange History of Mac Tonight

The Strange History of Mac Tonight

(PG-13: Language) 80s and 90s kids might recall McDonald’s weirdly entrancing Mac Tonight ad campaign. Portrayed by award-winning actor Doug Jones, the moon-headed crooner made several comebacks over the years before becoming an internet meme and an odd symbol of hate. Doplex and ManyKudos teamed up to recap Mac Tonight’s strange history.

Die Muppet Show

Die Muppet Show

It’s time to play the music. It’s time to light the lights. Did you know that The Muppet Show had a German version of its famous theme song? Nope? Neither did we. Until today, that is. RoadRunnerCoyote2015 compiled this collection of intros from the German version, Die Muppet Show, for our enjoyment. (Thanks, Rusty!)

The George Lucas Eggsperience

The George Lucas Eggsperience

From the late 1970s to the 1990s, George Lucas was featured in a number of ad spots for Japanese electronic brands Panasonic and Technics. On their own, the commercials are a little strange and awkward, but in the hands of editor Neil Cicierega, the weird factor just hit Level 9000.

RayCue Retro USB-C Docks

RayCue Retro USB-C Docks

Most USB-C docks are pretty nondescript. But RayCue’s retro docks borrow their looks from the OG Apple Macintosh. The 128K Dock looks like a 1980s Mac, and packs USB-A, USB-C, HDMI, Ethernet, and headphone jacks. It’s also a Bluetooth speaker, a memory card reader, and a digital photo frame. The simpler Pocket dock looks like a tiny Mac keyboard.

The Ultimate ’80s Music Medley: Parts 1 + 2

The Ultimate ’80s Music Medley: Parts 1 + 2

Love the music of the 1980s? Then, put on your headphones, crank up the volume, and hit play on this double feature. Musician Martin Miller and his bandmates performed this stellar two-part medley featuring tracks from Van Halen, A-Ha, Tears for Fears, Europe, Depeche Mode, Bon Jovi, Michael Jackson, U2, and more.

Living with 1980s Tech for a Week

Living with 1980s Tech for a Week

Technology advances quickly, so the difference between today’s gadgets and those you could buy in the 1980s is dramatic. That said, the decade did give us early cell phones, portable tape players, VCRs, and personal computers. Twenty-something YouTuber Liam Thompson wanted to see what it would be like to live using only tech from the ’80s for a week.

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