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Awesome Retro

Computer Predictions from 1979

Computer Predictions from 1979

David Hoffman released this footage from a 1979 documentary he worked on called The Information Society. In it, privacy expert Alan Westin provided a remarkable view of what future computing might be like. Among his predictions – online review services like Yelp.

Grammys Synthesizer Showdown

Grammys Synthesizer Showdown

An awesome bit of classic footage from the 1985 Grammy Awards ceremony in which Herbie Hancock, Thomas Dolby, Howard Jones and Stevie Wonder do battle on a stage packed with their favorite electronic keyboards. Oh, and on the same night, this happened. Damn.

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SEGA x Spotify

SEGA x Spotify

Fans of classic SEGA games can find a wide variety of music from classic video games like Sonic The Hedgehog, Jet Set Radio, Out-Run, Virtua Fighter, Alex Kidd, Space Harrier, and many more over on Spotify. We still can’t get enough of Sonic’s Chemical Plant level.

Retro Star Wars Toy Commercials

Retro Star Wars Toy Commercials

Take a flashback to the early days of Star Wars with this comprehensive compilation of classic TV commercials for toys captured from 1977 to 1978. Eric Stran also assembled the spots for The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi toys. Action figures each sold separately.

Video Game 3D Shadow Boxes

Video Game 3D Shadow Boxes
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Toronto outfit GlitchArtwork crafts each of these pieces of arcade and console game art by hand, painstakingly cutting and assembling their layers together into a 3-dimensional work of pixel art. Each framed work includes a glass cover not shown in the images.

8-bit Cinema: Rogue One

8-bit Cinema: Rogue One

Cinefix and animators Norwood Cheek and Dilara Mundy take on the tale of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story as if it were a classic video game. We’d like to play through this with Chirrut Îmwe as our character.

1980s Computer Commercials

1980s Computer Commercials

This reel of vintage ads produced for ComputerLand’s Bay Area stores is a perfect time capsule of early desktop computing tech, from “economy-sized computers” with giant floppy drives, to daisy-wheel printers, to Apple and Atari systems that could even run Visicalc!

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NBA Jam 2K17

NBA Jam 2K17

Ethan Miller gave the original NBA Jam an unofficial modern update, adding today’s star players along with dream teams and dream memes. You’ll need an SNES emulator to play it. Ethan hopes you’ll donate to the Dana-Farber Cancer Insitute if you like his mod.

Super Retro Boy

Super Retro Boy

Retro-bit’s new handheld gaming system lets you play Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, and Game Boy color cartridges all on a shiny new backlit screen that’s bigger and brighter than Nintendo’s originals, and touts a rechargeable battery. Drops Q3 2017 for about $80.

Pac-Man Clock

Pac-Man Clock

Retro video game fans will love this clock which displays animated pixel art from the classic arcade game. Its 512 individual LEDs show the time along with pixel-perfect art of Pac-Man and his ghostly nemeses. Officially licensed by Bandai Namco. Measures 7.8″w x 4.2″h x 2″d.

Crosley Dansette Turntable

Crosley Dansette Turntable
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What sets this retro-style record player apart from others is its ability to stand as a piece of furniture all on its own. It has a pair of full-range speakers built in, plays vinyl at 33-1/3 and 45 RPM speeds, and has an AUX input for other music sources.

Pinball Lamp Shades

Pinball Lamp Shades
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OutsideEdge Products creates these cool handmade lamp shades which each feature four miniature versions of the backglass art from classic pinball machines. Each shade measures 10 1/2″ h x 14 3/4″ w x 14 3/4″ d, and comes with black or white speckled borders.

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Hyper Clack Mechanical Keyboard

Hyper Clack Mechanical Keyboard
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Retro gaming company Hyperkin applies its design sensibilities to a computer keyboard. This mechanical USB keyboard features super clicky backlit Gaote Blue switches, and has a grey and blue color scheme reminiscent of the classic Super Nintendo console and controller.

RetroEngine Sigma

RetroEngine Sigma

One of the hottest gifts this year is the miniature remake of the NES, but we’re thinking of investing our cash in this versatile palm-sized console instead. It works with a variety of retro game emulators and USB controllers, has an HDMI output, and works as a 4K media player.

The R-rated Oregon Trail

The R-rated Oregon Trail

The Oregon Trail is a truly classic game that everyone needs to play at least once. But dying of dysentery wasn’t nearly the worst thing that could happen to you in the real Wild West that the game was inspired by. At least they had whiskey.

Carlin & Pryor: 1981

Carlin & Pryor: 1981

Back in 1981, two of comedy’s greats appeared on the same night on an episode of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Carlin worked the audience with a solid standup routine, then Pryor spoke about his troubled personal life, while still maintaining his sense of humor.

The Day My Kid Went Punk

The Day My Kid Went Punk

Time warp back to 1987 with this corny ABC Afterschool Special. Like all of these, the story has a simple moral: you can’t judge a book by its cover. Stars Doc from The Love Boat, Bug from Uncle Buck, the Governor from Benson, and Mrs. Willis from The Jeffersons.

Chappelle on Star Search

Chappelle on Star Search

An early performance from comedian Dave Chappelle on a 1993 episode of Star Search. The then 19-year-old got us going right from the start, and has provided millions of laughs ever since. Be sure to watch his second and third appearance, which remains shockingly relevant.

The First Ever Webcam

The First Ever Webcam

The 8-Bit Guy dusts off his Connectix QuickCam to show us how quickly time flies. The first commercially available webcam, this bad boy shoots in black and white at a resolution of 0.08 megapixels at up to 15fps, requires connection to two different ports and originally cost $100.

Radio + Cassette + MP3 Boombox

Radio + Cassette + MP3 Boombox
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It looks like the creators of this throwback boombox just dusted off plans from an old ’80s model. But this one has one big difference. In addition to its AM/FM/shortwave radio and cassette player, it can convert your old mixtapes to MP3s via SD card or flash drive.

SynthAxe Demo

SynthAxe Demo

A product demo reel for a crazy 1980’s musical instrument which combined a guitar with a MIDI synthesizer controller, which was basically the exact opposite of the Keytar. Why this thing never took off, we’ll never know.

Sonic Goes Metal

Sonic Goes Metal

Fans of the classic SEGA Genesis game Sonic the Hedgehog will immediately recognize every one of these tracks, redone with a metal edge by Russian musician Michael Sobin. Seriously, all these tunes are permanently ingrained in our brains since childhood.

Wallpaper c. 1963

Wallpaper c. 1963

These days, most wallpaper is printed using industrial printing presses. But check out this wild 1960s footage of a British wallpaper factory, who still made the rolls of wall art using hand-carved block printing, and hand-applied flocking.

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