Vinyl Records

'Round & 'round.Vinyl record on the turntable. Source

The Vinyl Comeback
For some traditionalists, the exponential evolution of digital music over the last fifty years or so, while impressive, is somehow lacking in soul. Vinyl enthusiasts miss the shiny black smoothness of the grooved record, the visual impact of the album cover, even the smell - in short they pine for the whole  feel and ambiance of an actual record. Vinyls have a 'physicality' that just can't be matched by non-touchable mp3's or even lightweight CD's in their crackable cases. Records have substance and according to many LP fans, a richer, warmer sound than their digital counterpart.

Red Telephone Boxes

Gather 'round 21st century children and I'll tell you a story, about an old but now vanished piece of redundant technology...

The lonely red telephone box..icon of the 20th century. Source

Way back in time,  when mobile phones were only a futuristic novelty, when a text message was known simply as 'a letter' and the web was still just a spider's hangout, there used to be a thing called a 'telephone booth'...a strange, enclosed box with pane glass windows that people would occasionally slip into when they were away from home and wanted to make a phone call.

Retro Microwave

How retro...vintage-style microwave from Nostalgia Electrics.

The slick, streamlined designs of 1950s products still have appeal for retro fans,  who, like me,  are suckers for a nostalgia burst. For that reason the Nostalgia Electrics vintage style microwave caught my eye. Of course, microwaves didn't exist in the 1950s but if they did they could well have looked like this - lots of chrome accents, a curved handle and a twirlable dial control. 

Needless to say, behind the charmingly old-fashioned facade, the microwave has all the whizz bang features of a modern piece of technology - 800 watts, 12 pre-programmed features, 0.9 cubic foot interior..blah de blah. I'd never heard of this US based company before but, glancing at their website, they seem to be specialising in nostalgic small appliances and products that are "developed to excite consumers and retailers alike". Well, I'm not sure how exciting a small electrical appliance can get but I love the oval window.

Retro Televisions

Musical Christmas TV.  From Mr. Nostalgia

Novelty TV
I never realised just how many kitsch retro TV products there are out there until I did a casual Amazon search of "retro TVs". True, it's not something I've given much thought to in the past...

Surely these gems will one day be sought-after collectors items? Take, for example, the battery operated "wood, resin and plastic" musical 1960s style TV in the picture at right, which apparently displays an enchanting array of illuminated rotating Christmas scenes, set to classic songs of the season. At $134.99 those scenes would need to be riveting watching, although when I think about it, there's a good chance they're  better than anything on real TV.

TV NeckLace

If that doesn't appeal, how about a retro TV necklace on an 18 inch sterling silver plated chain? This is something I could be tempted to wear...well, probably. I'm impressed by the 70s styling.

TV set Necklace by Sour Cherry

 Anyway, enough of that. Let's get to ...

Real Retro Televisions

Predicta Chalet

Predicta Meteor

If you're looking for real working retro reproduction televisions, take a look at Predicta TV - they have the most amazing looking collection of retro style sets I've ever seen.  I have no idea how they perform on function but for form, it's an A+.

Some of the TVs feature a striking styling that is very retro futuristic, yet they are apparently based on real designs from the mid 20th Century. Predicta was an iconic television made by the Philco company and according to Wikipedia is the one most people think of as  "the classic 1950s TV set", despite the fact that it proved  too radical a design for the domestic market, causing the company to fold in 1960. Of course now, original Philco Predictas are highly collectable.

It may be iconic in the US but I'm unfamiliar with the brand and the 'detached picture tube' style, so for me, it's something of a revelation. Modern Predictas, with vintage styling but modern electronics,  are now made by a Wisconsin company called Telstar Electronics and the attention to detail in the reproductions is reflected in the higher price tag, which according to the FAQ section of the website, is comparable to the average high-end TV.

There are 8 eccentric designs, many with hand crafted timber cabinets and brass fittings -Pedestal, Meteor, Holiday, Princess, Debutante, Corona, Chalet and Danish Modern. Far out. Also mentioned on the website is the fact that some vistors to the site are so astounded by the TVS they wonder whether it might be a fake website. It's not.

Original 1958 Philco Predicta TV. Source

Robot Dogs

Adorable wind-up robot dog

Although they may lack the warmth and character of the real thing, robot pets have a few charms of their own and usually require less feeding, watering, walking and vet visits. Plus, robot pets are for Christmas. If you get sick of them, you can let them rot at the back of a cupboard without too much guilt.

There are various "breeds" of robot dog available, from the the old mechanical, wind-up kind to sophisticated, high-tech versions that can walk, jump, bark and roll over on command.

Sony's interactive robot dog, Aibo

Take Sony's Aibo for example, the toy robot dog who offered its owners  a pretty good illusion of spontaneity and personality. Aibo (now discontinued) was the first commercially available product to use  Evolution Robotics' Visual Pattern Recognition technology, which is basically the ability of a robot to "see".

Currently on the market is  WowWee Wrex, the "Frankenstein pooch" and mongrel of the robot dog pack,  made from discarded mechanical and electrical parts. Wrex has three moods - happy, angry and half insane and three desires - hunger, a desire for exercise and call of nature. Apparently, by accessing his back panel, he can also be programmed to act like a cat. No wonder he has moments of insanity.

Wrex, made byWowWee robotics

Megabyte and Tekno
Another couple of relatively inexpensive pups  on the block are the digitally named named Megabyte and Tekno , perfect companions for the tech-head. They can walk talk bark and 'perform amazing tricks'...apparently.

Megabyte...cuter than a kitten in a flowerpot.

Tekno, with his own biscuit.

As Good as the real thing..?

Source

The benefits of pet ownership, particularly for the elderly,  are well documented but I have my doubts a robotic dog could really be a substitute for the living, breathing kind. However, a few years ago, researchers at  Purdue University's Center for the Human-Animal Bond tried to discern just that....ie; whether or not a robotic substitute (they used Aibo) could provide the same benefits for  elderly people, who may not be up to the demands and  responsibilities of  real pet dog ownership, that a real dog could.

A study was also conducted on a group of 72 children, who were given both a real Australian collie and Aibo to play with. Not surprisingly, the children were more engaged with the real dog, yet the study revealed that a significant number of children interacted with the robot dog as they would a real one.  Two questions were raised by the research:

First, is it possible that a new technological genre is emerging in HCI that challenges traditional ontological categories (e.g., between animate and inanimate)? Second, are pervasive interactions with a wide array of "robotic others" -- increasingly sophisticated personified computational artifacts that mimic biological forms and pull psychologically in mental, social, and moral ways -- a good thing for human beings.

From Robots as dogs?

It's all a bit reminiscent of that eerie old 70s film Zero Population Growth, where humans in a futuristic world are unable to legally procreate because of massive overpopulation and are given robotic "doll children" to satisfy their nurturing needs. In the film at least...it didn't work.

Ferris Valve Radio

Ferris valve radio circa 194os

Not exactly a dash radio....The old Australian made Ferris valve radio above was designed for both car and home, running off 240 or 12 volt.  The radio bolted into metal hook brackets under the dashboard of a car and with some effort, could be removed temporarily for picnics or used in the home permanently. Heavier than a sackful of bricks, this radio is 'portable' only in that that it can, if needed be moved around - it's certainly not portable in any sort of lightweight, convenience sense. The rounded deep red steel casing and bakelite knobs suggested an art deco influence but I believe the radio is probably from the 1940s. An original advertisement boasted its features as:

Ideal for truck or car, on the mantelpiece, in boats or caravans. Especially useful for the family man, country people and commercial travellers.

Ferris radio ad. Image by Micheal Karshis at Flickr

Sydney based Ferris Bros Pty Ltd was formed in Australia in 1934 and were chiefly concerned with developing and manufacturing car radios, while AWA (Amalgamated Wireless Australia Ltd.) cornered the home radio market.  "Chum " Ferris, the younger of the two brothers, had shown an early bent for electronics and in 1932 began assembling home radio receivers from his rented flat atop a butchers shop. His elder brother George joined him in the business two years later.

The Ferris Fultone 56, was the first car radio designed and manufactured in Australia and although the war interrupted business for the Ferris bros, in the post-war decades to follow, their name was to become synonymous with car radios.

Caravanning holiday at Tidal River,.At right is the 1940s Singer car the Ferris radio was originally housed in.

Retro Consoles

Vintage 1976 APF TV Pong Video console. Image from ioffer

There is, it seems,  a fair degree of nostalgia out there for retro computer consoles and games - spawned perhaps by a desire to relive those fondly remembered early days of gaming or maybe just because technology dates so quickly its interesting to look back and ponder with amazement on those early games that were once so state of the art. Of course old consoles are also very collectible, being the technological antiques of the future.

Retro Gaming Resources
"When it comes to retro gaming, no-one has you covered like Gametraders"...or so their website boasts. It does look pretty good. Gametraders is an Australian computer gaming trading site, dealing in the modern sutff as well as the old -  Atari, Sega Megadrive, NES and SEN etc.
Gametraders

Nintendo Entertainment System. Image from Retro Gaming Console

Retro Gaming Consoles is another retro gaming specialist, 'deicated' to retro gaming systems and classic and games and its fascinating to take a browse through the website to check out the old consoles.  It's also interesting to read up on the history.

For example, according to the site,  the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)...which was light and dark grey in the West, dark maroon in Japan, was released in the early 1980s and apparently gave  the American gaming industry a much needed shot in the arm . In each territory it was marketed, in a snap it became the no. one gaming console, mainly because of its "killer apps" - Super Mario Bros, Donkey Kong, Kung Fu and more.

A clear-cased original Gameboy from Console Passion

In the UK, there's Console Passion (nice name), an online retro games store which has a constant flow of stock coming in and out.

According to the site complete systems are becoming increasingly rare - grab'em while you can.

Console Passion also has a Japanese Video Game Imports section for collectors.

 The Collectors Market
 Collecting vintage consoles can be lucrative as well as fun. Retro Gaming Collector is a resource for buyers and sellers and includes a rough price guide, in British pounds.

Vintage TELSTAR

More Links
The PC Museum
Benway's World
Vintage Video Game Commercials
ebay buying guide

Mac Classic

Nothing dates like technology and the little Mac Classic, once a reasonably high-tech, personal computer, now looks like a quaint antique. The black and white Mac Classic was first introduced on October 15, 1990 and was touted for it's cheaper price-tag (under US$1,000). It was also up to 25% faster than its predecessor, the Macintosh Plus, though the system specifications were similar. Macintosh decided not to upgrade the Classic with a colour monitor, larger screen and higher RAM capacity in order to keep the price down and the software compatible.

The lower price and availability of software made the Mac Classic popular in education, however production only lasted until 1992, as tech heads decided the Classic lacked processing speed, as well as room for expansion. Complaints focused on the fact that it was really just a rehashed version of the Mac Plus. Thus, it was chiefly useful only as a word processor and for spread sheets and data bases. Although it was faster than the aged Plus, it lagged behind the more powerful and higher end, Macintosh Classic II. At the time, PC Week concluded

"The 7.8 MHz speed is adequate for text applications and limited graphics work, but it is not suitable for power users. As such, the Classic is appropriate as a home computer or for limited computing on the road."

 Cute

Bachman on the Mac Classic screen

The design and function of the Mac Classic was something of an anomaly-at a time when computer design and technology was moving forward, for the Classic, Macintosh decided to return to basics. The Classic was adapted from the 1984 Macintosh 129K design by Jerry Manock and Terry Oriyama.Why? Well the reasoning seems to have been that the Classic was introduced as an answer to criticisms that PCs were so much more affordable than Macs. ...this was kind of the no-frills Mac. The tactic didn't pay off too well though, as user disappointment led to its discontinuation less than two years after initial production and efforts concentrated on the more powerful Mac Classic II.

In these days of 24 inch flat screens, the Mac Classic 9 inch monitor looks tiny and the casing neat and boxy- almost like a toy computer from another era. Now over twenty years old, from an aesthetics perspective, it has a funky, retro appeal and even carries a certain sentimental charm. For some it was their first home computer or the one they used at school....its collectible.

The Mac Classic

The Theremin

What's a Theremin...?

You know that eerie, wailing, space-age music that enhanced the music soundtracks of many a sci-fi film in the 1950s? Well that was down to an intriguing instrument called a theremin -so named, after its inventor, Leo Theremin, who patented his device as early as 1928. A ground-breaker in electronic music, it was used to good effect in the sci-fi classics The day the Earth Stood Still and It Came From Outer Space. I'm not 100% sure, so don't quote me on this but I also strongly suspect it was used in the music for the hedonistically weird beach dance scene in The Day the the Fish Came out . Even the Beach Boys took it for a whirl in Good Vibrations and more recently, it appeared in the theme tune for the BBC's Midsomer Murder series.

Still from The Day the Earth Stood Still. 1951

Easy to Learn but Hard to Master
The theremin is interesting for a number of reasons - it's reputedly the only instrument you don't need to touch in order to play it, as it has clever antennae that sense where your hands are; the pitch antennae controls the pitch you are playing, while the volume loop controls the volume. The closer your hand moves to the pitch antennae, the higher the tone and the further away your hand is from the volume loop, the louder the sound. Apparently a wide variety of tunes can be achieved, from classical, eccentric avant-garde and back again to mainstream dance tunes, such I was Meant for You, played by in the video below by Samuel Hoffman on the TV show, You Asked For It..  Whatever the tune though, there's always that soul-disturbing eerie tone to it.

Russian Research
Leon Theremin's invention initially came about as the result of the Russian governments sponsorship of research into proximity sensors (machines sensing things nearby without physical contact). Evidently Bolshevik leader Vladimir  Lenin was so impressed he requested lessons to learn how to play the instrument. The theremin also enthralled the West and there was even a concert tour of the US, featuring a classically trained  female musician playing the greats on the theremin.

Theremins have changed a bit over the years and heavy coils and vacuum tubes have been replaced by lightweight, solid state circuit boards. The theremin still has it's enthusiasts - nothing else sounds quite like it.

Robert Moog's modern Etherwave Theremin Kit

Theremin Info Page
Csirac...Australia's first computer

Retro-Futurism

As a creative movement, retro-futurism is a fusion between retro style elements of the pre-1960s and futuristic technology...but a futuristic technology as imagined by the past. By extracting the technological predictions of a past era and putting them together with a hip modern sensibility, retro-futurism conjures a kind of futuristic nostalgia.
"Where Yesterday's Tomorrow is Still the Future"~Retrofuture Today

 It's all a bit confusing but one there's really two overlapping trends involved here - retro-futurism and futuristic-retro. What's the difference? Well, one takes technological visions of the past and depicts them with a contemporary perspective....kind of like what the present might have been and the future might be if we'd stuck stylistically with a pre-1960s style. The second trend uses futuristic technology and overlays it with stylistic elements of the past or vice-versa (as in steampunk, which marries futuristic technology and the Victorian era) As wikipedia puts it, it's the future as seen from the past and the past as seen from the future.

One common link between trends is a kind of conscious discomfort with the present and a desire to infuse a nostalgic element into what seems like an all-consuming technology, which is sometimes threatening, yet wondrous and with which we have a love-hate, tension-filled relationship. It's certainly one way to keep retro-love connected with the present and even the future.

For some illustrations of retro-futuristic art, teleport over to top design mag.

Retro Radios

Adding a touch of retro styling to your home is easy to achieve with a vintage reproduction radio - all the ambiance of old styling but with the benefits of modern technology. Choose from early 20th century big wooden cabinet radios, 30's and 40s art deco, 50s box style, groovy 60s transistors or 70s Ghetto Blasters.


Rise of the Radio

The radio was the focal point of the home. Image from ARFTS Archive

Crossley Reproduction Companion Radio

Widespread public broadcasting didn't really take off until the 1920s and thereafter, growth was exponential, with radio stations popping up everywhere - of course, people had to have a radio to listen to them, so the radio took off too, as a consumable item.

The first of these were big and bulky and were really more like  pieces of furniture, such as a dresser or a cabinet. They became centrepieces of the home, where the family would gather to listen to their favourite radio show.

As the decades rolled by, the radios got smaller and more convenient - they could be transported from room to room with ease. Not only the size but the style changed to. In the 20s, and 30s and 40s art deco was the predominant style feature, while in the 50s a modern, streamlined look was the go.

1950s Phillips bakelite radio

Telefunken radio, circa 1950

Reproduction 1959 classic Bush radio in baby blue from eurocosm

1957 German Akkord Transistor radio

Transistors (portable radios based on transistor based-circuitry that could work via battery or mains) were invented in the late 40s by a trio of scientists - William Shockley, John Bardeen and Walter Brattain, who won the Nobel prize for their efforts in 1956. The invention became commercially available in the early 50s and formed the basis of modern electronics. It was so successful because it  allowed smaller  and cheaper radios to be produced.

Motorola ad which appeared in a 1960 edition of Life

In the 1960s, thanks to Japanese mass production,  radios got smaller, cheaper and more transportable than they had ever been - down to pocket-size, which meant people could listen to music wherever they went. As television had to a large extent supplanted the radio serial, music became the defining feature of radio listening and hoards of teenagers followed the development of rock'n'roll through their transistors.

Reproduction 1966 BushTR130 transistor from eurocosm

Japanese Panasonic transistor from 1960

The Ghetto Blaster/Beatbox 

In the late 1970s and 80s, radios suddenly got big again with the invention of the Ghetto Blaster, with AM/FM and cassette deck, after stereo radio emerged. The idea was to have the thumpiest, loudest, cleanest sounding street sound on the block. Coinciding with with the popularity of the Ghetto Blaster was the rise of hip-hop music and break dancing, both of which arose out of US street culture.

70s Ghetto Blaster

 Newstalgia

Crossley Solo

Some designs aren't exactly reproductions, nor are they completely contemporary. The word for these is...apparently, newstalgic -inspired by the old but with an eye to the modern. The Crossley Solo at right has a retro charm in its curved edges and large dials but is a new design rather than a copy of an old radio.

Sangean table Top Radio

Similarly the Sangean Table Top is not a replica but has the warm look of an older design. The Table Top has a kind of crisp 60s feel to it and incidentally, Sangean make great quality radios.