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Awesome Retro

Racing Through the Streets of Paris

Racing Through the Streets of Paris

C’était Un Rendez-vous is a 1976 film by Claude Lelouch, described as the world’s first underground racing video. Captured while much of Paris was asleep or on vacation, the film puts us in the driver’s seat of a Ferrari as it speeds through the iconic streets of Paris, blowing through 18 red lights along the way. (Thanks, Marc!)

Playing Duck Hunt on the World’s Smallest CRT

Playing Duck Hunt on the World’s Smallest CRT

Duck Hunt is one of the OG light gun games. The NES game used a photosensor in its gun to detect its position as you aimed at the birds on screen. Atari Video Music CRT Garage rigged up the game so it could be played on the world’s smallest CRT monitor – just 0.5″ across. It looks like the zapper can’t hit anything at this size.

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8-Bit Muse

8-Bit Muse

The Muse track Knights of Cydonia is one of our favorites. It sounds especially great as a retro video game song. 8-bit Universe created this stellar chiptune version of the 2006 track which would have been perfect as the theme music for an old school Atari game like Ballblazer or M.U.L.E.

Retro Gadgets (Gameplay)

Retro Gadgets (Gameplay)

The upcoming game Retro Gadgets from Evil Licorice challenges players to create virtual electronic gadgets in a digital workshop. The game will test your creativity and improve your electronics skills as you invent, build, and solder together your projects, then write code to make them work. Coming to Steam.

Sounds of the Department Store

Sounds of the Department Store

From the 1960s through the early 1980s, department stores played mellow instrumental music that was supposed to encourage shopping. Fardemark compiled nearly 90 minutes of this vintage stock music and recorded it onto an old cassette tape to best evoke the sounds of a bygone era. If you need more, here’s part one.

Basement Video Store

Basement Video Store

Here’s one for all the ’80s and ’90s kids who miss walking through the aisles of their neighborhood video store on Friday nights. Anthony Sant’Anselmo spent four years turning his basement into a retro video store and home theater. His Mondo Video store has more than 13,000 VHS tapes and Laserdiscs, and they’re all in stock.

Playmobil Knight Rider K.I.T.T.

Playmobil Knight Rider K.I.T.T.
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Fans of Knight Rider will immediately recognize this murdered-out 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am as K.I.T.T. Playmobil’s version plays original voice clips and activates its scanner light when you touch its hood. The set includes poseable figures of Michael Knight, Bonnie Barstow, and Devon Miles.

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SonoNix Nixie Tube Turntable + Clock

SonoNix Nixie Tube Turntable + Clock

This unique turntable deftly blends modern and retro design. In addition to its belt-drive turntable, it has a built-in clock with a vintage Nixie tube display. It has a built-in speaker and supports 33, 44, and 78 record playback speeds. It’s also got an RCA output for connecting to an external amplifier and can be used as a Bluetooth speaker.

How a VCR Works

How a VCR Works

VCRs might be obsolete technology, but they still featured some pretty smart engineering. That’s why illustrator and educator Jared Owen put together this in-depth look at the mechanisms that lie behind the VHS cassette flap. It’s cool to see how VCRs loaded and unloaded tapes without tangling them… most of the time.

Armitron Griffy Blue LED Watch

Armitron Griffy Blue LED Watch
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Watchmaker Armitron continues to build out its Retro Collection with a blue version of their Griffy LED watch, which was previously only available with a red display. Ther 1970s-inspired watch has stainless steel case and link band, and its screen remains black until you push a button on its side.

Hiding a PS5 in a PlayStation 1

Hiding a PS5 in a PlayStation 1

The PlayStation 5 is a powerful piece of gaming hardware, but its design is definitely controversial, and it doesn’t exactly blend into its surroundings. So builders Chris Salomone and Shaun Boyd got to work to conceal the console inside of a wooden shell that looks like a gigantic version of the original PlayStation.

Retro Tech: Show ‘N Tell

Retro Tech: Show ‘N Tell

Techmoan looks back at a popular toy sold from the 1960s to the 1980s. Made by General Electric, and later by Gabriel Toys, the Show ‘N Tell combined a record player with a filmstrip projector. As kids played the “PictureSound” records, the film strip moved through the light path, casting images onto a rear-projection screen.

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Nike Air Max 97 Metallic Silver and Chlorine Blue Sneakers

Nike Air Max 97 Metallic Silver and Chlorine Blue Sneakers
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A fresh take on the Nike Air Max 97 celebrating 25 years of the bullet train-inspired shoe. The sneaker is at its best in this new colorway. The mudguard is done up in shiny metallic silver, while the upper is encircled in rings of dark blue, complemented by a watery Chlorine Blue air cushion and matching swooshes.

’80s Jams, Movie + TV Music on Synthesizers

’80s Jams, Movie + TV Music on Synthesizers

Musician Luke Million has an awesome collection of vintage synthesizers – and he knows how to get the most out of them. In the first video clip, he performs a series of classic 1980s jams with spot-on sounds, then does the same for movies and TV shows in the second video. His recreation of Running Up That Hill is perfect too.

VHS Hoodie

VHS Hoodie
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Be kind and rewind to the 1980s with MoonLambo’s graphic hoodie, inspired by VHS cassette box art. Its made from a soft and cozy mix of polyester, cotton, and elastane for stretch, and is dye-sublimated to keep its looks from fading – unlike that Lethal Weapon tape you rented from Blockbuster that’s been played 1000 times.

A Brief History of Home Video

A Brief History of Home Video

These days, most content is streamed. But there was a time when videotapes were the media of choice. Mental Floss takes a trip in the wayback machine to tell the story of VCRs, the epic war between Betamax and VHS, and how the technologies changed everything for visual entertainment.

LEGO Icons Atari 2600

LEGO Icons Atari 2600
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It might cost more than an actual Atari 2600, but this 2532-piece LEGO kit is still awesome. The brick-built 8-bit console and includes a joystick and switches that move. Plug in the Asteroids, Adventure, and Centipede cartridges and enjoy the accompanying 3D vignettes. Slide open the console to reveal a tiny basement scene.

DOOM Riffs on Stylophone

DOOM Riffs on Stylophone

Stylophone expert maromaro1337 performed a medley of the heavy metal music hidden in plain sight in the corridors of the 1990s first-person shooter, DOOM. The game’s soundtrack swiped riffs from Metallica, Pantera, AC/DC, and Anthrax, among others. See how many you can identify without opening your eyes.

1985 Grammy Synthesizer Showdown

1985 Grammy Synthesizer Showdown

In the 1980s, musicians started to put synthesized sounds at center stage in their performances. This gem of classic footage brings us back to the 1985 Grammy Awards, during which Thomas Dolby, Howard Jones, Herbie Hancock, and Stevie Wonder joined forces for a synthesizer spectacular. The late John Denver kicks things off.

The KITTesla

The KITTesla

The Knight Industries Two Thousand was a modded 1982 Pontiac Trans Am. Retro Recipies wanted to update the design with a modern car, so he took a Tesla Model 3, fitted it with replica Turbo Cast wheels, LED chase lights, a spoiler, and blacked-out trim. It also plays KITT’s voice, and performs a light show to go with.

The Helicopter Mobile Home

The Helicopter Mobile Home

In 1977, this unusual helicopter appeared on the cover of Popular Mechanics. To lure in high-end customers, Winnebago worked with a small aviation company to create the Heli-Home, a complete mobile home that could take to the skies. Calum has the full story behind this fascinating flying machine and the man behind its creation.

The Last Cityrama

The Last Cityrama

If you were in Paris in the 1960s or 1970s, you might have seen one of these Citroen Cityrama 55 buses. This double-decker bus featured panoramic windows offering spectacular views for all passengers. The Tim Traveler got up close with the last remaining Cityrama. It needs some TLC, but you can contribute to help restore it.

The ’60s Morbid Pop Music Trend

The ’60s Morbid Pop Music Trend

When you think of pop music, it’s usually pretty upbeat stuff, but back in the 1960s, a strange trend emerged – pop songs about tragic accidents and death. Yesterday’s Papers offers an intriguing look back at this unusual fad and some of most popular “splatter platters”. It’s worth watching for Wayne Cochran’s epic hair helmet alone.

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