Retro Thing

IKEA Helps Store Your Records In Style

I've joked many times that collecting records qualifies as a "lifestyle choice". Once you're bitten by the vinyl bug, you'll find yourself scouring the bins at collector shops, scanning the tables at flea markets, and sorting through boxes at the thrift to find your next treasure. It doesn't take long for the records to start stacking up and needing a home of their own. When LPs were more of a mainstay, there were plenty of storage choices out there, but these days its often specialized and very expensive.

That's what makes IKEA's Expedit shelving system a godsend for those of us who have too many records. The biggest one costs in the range of $200, and is perfect for holding thousands of records. Once I'd discovered this for myself, I started sharing the word and found that many of my other record collector friends found the same solution. I've had mine for close to ten years without a hint of sag (you can even see mine in the background of episodes of Retro Thing TV). So there is a whole network of DJs and vinyl fans who have made the trek to their local IKEA (or Amazon) to find a home for their LPs.

A clever Kickstarter project just secured the funding to create a set of front doors for the Expedit that would also display your favorite LP art. I'm totally on board as it's not only stylish, but it's easy to change the whole look of the unit with a whim. Though because it's a small run, it looks like it won't be able to match IKEAs usual economy for these sorts of things i.e. it's not going to be IKEA-level cheap. Looks like we're talking $35 per door.

Even more, I'd also really like IKEA to get on something like this custom DJ booth a friend turned me on to.

Let's make it happen, IKEA - I hereby dub this fantastic contrivance the Expedit 360!

links:

No Ikea nearby? Order your Expedit from Amazon.
Kickstarter project to create LP fronted doors

Exquisite... What Is It? #001 - Early Hacked Phone

From time to time we like to march out a bit of retro tech that we have no idea about. It's a lot of fun for us to watch the discussion light up in the comments section of a post with guesses as to what it is we've found.

It used to take a lot more work/solder/toggle switches to jailbreak a phone, leaving it bare or your own purposes. Here's how retro telecom geniuses used to do it. This device looks like it started life as a rotary phone, but then got the deluxe accessory package. In place of the dial, we've got a perfectly fitting speaker with the Motorola logo. The handset has a red earpiece and microphone (with a particularly nasty red rubber earcup added). The receiver has a red momentary push-button near the earpiece. You can see the red & green indicator lights on top near the cradle as well.

Moving to the front, there are three toggle switches. A three position toggle dutifully DYMO-labelled "SQU", and two more marked "DIR" and "SPKR". There are also what look like two push-buttons, but I think they're lights as well. On the side is a serious looking "A.F. GAIN" knob, and in the back is a 1/4" jack.

I want to think that this may have come from the Motorola factory that's relatively close by, but I supposed Motorola could just be the brand of the speaker (which fits perfectly where the dial used to go). The phone is a standard Western Electric chassis (the phone I grew up with was a cousin to this one). It's a bit homebrew and cobbled together, but clearly by a pro. I doubt this was a commercial product, but nor do I think it's a HAM operator's afternoon's fun in the workshop.

Any ideas?

Making Dymo-mite Labels One Letter at a Time

If you scan the ads inserted in your Sunday paper in the coming weeks — you do subscribe to a Sunday newspaper, right? — you'll notice many stores holding sales on organizational gear like storage bins. I assume that's either because people buy a lot of that stuff after receiving too many Christmas presents or because "getting organized" is a common New Year's resolution. Either way, it's fair to say we're entering the organization season. And if there's one thing a competent organizer needs, it's a labelmaker.

Dymo has been making and selling labelmakers since 1958. The company started out making them for industrial and business clients. (In its old ads, Dymo said its reps would happily come to your place of business and label "any six items" to show off how useful the labels were.) The technology is dead simple: Select a letter on the font wheel, squeeze the trigger and the raised letter is pressed into the malleable plastic or metal substrate. The plastic would turn white from the stress of being stamped, making the label easy to read.

The firm lays claim to introducing the first personal labelmaker and it democratized the gizmos with inexpensive embossers. It sold a range of machines, from simple plastic ones for home use to metal "executive" models with carrying cases and multiple font wheels. Other companies got into the game and soon seemingly everyone had the ability to punch out labels for things that clearly needed no marking. (I mean, did anyone actually put their phone number on their sunglasses?) In the 1970s, the company sold 7 million embossers per year.

Though they might seem slightly antiquated in this age of customizable print-your-own labels, I have noticed that embossed labels are still relevant. The Dallas Cowboys continue to use the labels to denote which helmet belongs to whom. You can get fonts that look like the embossed labels, so that your next PowerPoint presentation can have that extra pop. And of course the embossing font motif pops up in logos: The NBC show "Chuck" uses it, presumably because the labels were once a staple of retail nametags, and the Paramount Vantage movie imprint relies on it too.

Dymo is now a unit of Newell Rubbermaid and primarily a seller of printer-style labelmakers with keyboards and screens and a zillion options. But it still makes a couple of embossers, including one that goes for about $10. They seem aimed at scrapbookers now, though the company also manufactured one recently for kids that actually spoke the selected letter. You also can also find vintage ones without much trouble. (If you're looking for old ones, a vertical font wheel is a nice option.)

I find them fun to use but also finicky and occasionally laborious. My model seems to regard the font baseline as mere suggestion; spinning the font wheel in same direction sometimes helps. The key to consistent lettering is even finger pressure on the trigger, which is a challenge. Then again, those innate errors are definitely part of the charm. And surely charm is what you're after when you label your new storage bins.

Lights Out For Incandescent Bulbs - Hoarding Begins

Reports are coming in that folks are snapping up remaining stocks of incandescent bulbs before the end of the year. January 1st marks the start of the Federal phaseout of traditional light bulbs in the United States. While many are unaware of the upcoming ban, 13% of U.S. residents are reportedly stocking up on the 130 year old symbol of American ingenuity and invention.

Home Depot has reported higher than normal sales in these last few weeks as they blow out their back stocks. I'll admit, I picked up a couple dozen bulbs myself. Yes, I too have joined the Incandescent Underground. I have mostly replaced the lights around my apartment with CFL and LED lights, but there are a couple of old lamps that just don't look right with new style bulbs. There's also a fixture in a dark and cold corner of the apartment (where I tend to write Retro Thing posts, coincidentally) where I actually rely on the little bit of extra heat kicked off by the bulb.

There are those who are turning this into a political issue, unhappy that the government is regulating what they can and cannot stick into their sockets. The Republican House has blocked the funds that were originally allotted for enforcing the January 1st ban (make of that what you will), and enterprising bulb sellers have come up with all kinds of strategies to keep you filled with filament fired light. One outfit has gone so far as to relabel their incandescent bulbs as mini-heaters. Yup - that's how we'll save the planet... why address a problem head-on when we can just relabel it?

I'm sure that the news will feature those outliers who will only defy the darkness with old fashioned bulbs, and we will certainly hear many stories of folks who have their garages packed to the ceiling with old fashioned bulbs. Maybe we'll see an inflated future market for light bulbs the same way as we've seen for high flush toilets (Hard to believe, but yes... I recently read about an older high flush toilet changing hands [ewww] for $600 on Ebay).

Here's another question that no one seems to be addressing. A lightbulb floating over someone's head has ong been the symbol of a bright idea. What'll it be now? A CFL? An LED? I'm going to look pretty weird walking around with a diode floating over my head.

The Sweet Sounds Of The Classic PEZ MP3 Player

In 2005, MP3 players were still an up and coming thing. 512 Megs didn't seem like a ridiculously small storage space, the iPod wasn't yet the only game in town, and we'd come along far enough to have collectioble MP3 players too. One of the first articles I wrote here on Retro Thing was about an unusual MP3 player - one that fit into a Game Boy Color.... but even that one doesn't approach the kitsch value of the the PEZ MP3 player.

News of this nostalgic MP3 player seemed to hit every gadget "blog" (also a new-ish idea at the time) back then. It wasn't an official product of the candy company - rather it was the dream of online entrepreneur Patrick Misterovich, who licensed the iconic design from PEZ. The player is the same size as a genuine PEZ dispenser, and the plastic boy head on top a duplicate of one of the first collectible PEZ dispensers back in 1955.

When you flip open the head, instead of being greeted by that familiar chalky candy, instead there's a power switch. One side of the player features simple navigation controls (forget any playlists here people - this is just a very basic player), as well as the mini USB player for loading up the built in memory. The headphone jack is in the dispenser's nape, and it's all powered by a single AAA battery.

The player was a limited edition of 1200 (though there are conflicting reports,  there may be more out there), with the promise of more designs to come. As it turned out, the plastic faced boy model was the only style to ever hit the market (which seems odd - all you'd have to do for future models is change heads, right?), so this model became a hot collectible. Even when it was new, the player was on the expensive side at $100 for 512 megs of non-expandable memory. Nevertheless, it apparently made Patrick Misterovich an internet millionaire, at least according to one report. These days, your only hope of finding a player is on Ebay where they are quite scarce, and can command over a hundred bucks.

Sadly with all that MP3 player technology crammed into the dispenser, there is no room left over for any candy. I wish they'd left room for at least one of the candy bricks,,. just for emergency purposes, you understand.

related:
the first mp3 player
mp3 player in the shape of a cassette
Elaborate mp3 system for Game Boy that never got very far

Steampunk Robot On A Budget

The worldwide retailer Crate & Barrel got its start here in Chicago in the 60's. For many people it was their introduction to reasonably priced furniture and imported design sensibility & materials. The barrel has burst all over the world, even spawning a youth-oriented store called CB2... though they've mostly lost the "reasonably priced" aspect of the store's origin.

There are notable exceptions, like this scrap metal robot. He's a handsomly assembled melange of brassy castoffs and cute details, such as dainty metallic cuffs and a big gauge in his tummy. The robot is normally a thrifty $20, but right now is on sale for a nifty $14.95 - a price that clearly doees not compute. Heck... the scrap metal value may be more than that these days. You can find cheapo robo at your local CB2 or via their website.

One note. The website makes mention each being "unique". I thought that meant there were different robot styles, but they're referring to the natural differences in the finish of the metals they're using, as well as different markings on the gauges. So you completists don't need to be compelled to buy more than one.

Oh, and for you cynics out there... no, this post isn't buzz marketing for either store. The only benefit we get out of this post is knowing that our brother robots can find homes with Retro Thing readers.

link:

Get your $20 scrap metal robot for $14.95

Introducing Touch Tone Dialing

State of the art technology from the 1963 Seattle World's Fair.

1963 push button phone

Explore The 1985 Argos Catalogue

Argos is a British catalogue retailer with over 800 outlets. Instead of wandering endless aisles of merchandise, shoppers select from a catalogue and pick up their merchandise from the counter a few minutes later.

Anthony Voz took the time to scan the entire Spring & Summer 1985 edition, and it makes for wonderful browsing. There's lots of wood grain and an amusing selection of video games, computers, dodgy stereo systems and weirdly named portable tape players.

I've highlighted a few hi-tech devices, but there's also exercise equipment endorsed by a young Arnold Schwarzenegger, a two page spread of curling irons, lots of ghastly leather luggage and some of the most hideous wall clocks ever created.

Explore the Vintage British Argos 1985 Catalogue [via someone on Twitter, just can't remember who]

Music From A Dry Cleaner

Tens of thousands of dry cleaning shops once dotted main streets across America. Of course, things were somewhat different then -- people usually dressed to go out, and clothing was comparatively expensive and often needed professional care.

These days, people are more likely to wear wrinkle resistant shirts and jeans 24/7. We're also more environmentally aware and realize that traditional dry cleaning methods aren't exactly earth friendly. The result is that thousands of local dry cleaners have closed, and many of the remaining ma and pa shops are just barely hanging on.

Composer and sound designer Diego Stocco's curiosity got the better of him while walking past one of these little shops -- Aviva Cleaners in Burbank.

"Almost everyday, on my way to a local bakery, I walk in front of a dry cleaners," Diego recalls. "When they have the front door open, I hear a lot of interesting sounds coming from their work equipment."

"Eventually, the different mechanical and steam sounds sparked something in my mind, so one day I asked the owners if I could record a piece of music by using their machines as musical instruments," he says.

"I used a puff iron, press and dry cleaning machines, a washer, clothes hangers, and a bucket full of soap. The bass and lead sounds were created from the buzzing tones coming from the conduits and engines. There are no additional sounds from any traditional or electronic instruments."

The result is fun to watch, featuring a wide array of vintage cleaning equipment used in a decidedly unconventional manner.

Music from a Dry Cleaner [Behance]

Because History Needed More Robots

It's a fact: History would be a lot more interesting if it had more robots, aliens and monsters. Alas, they didn't turn up at history-making events like the signing of the Declaration of Independence or presidential inaugurations.

But what if they did? Enter Pittsburgh artist Matthew Buchholz. Armed with historical images, vintage cityscapes and Photoshop, he reimagines historical events with sci-fi twists. There's Metallo the Mechanical Man in a portrait of presidents and the signing of the Declaration, the defeat of General Frankenstein at Bunker Hill, Vilnar the Destroyer's inauguration and the day aliens "took to the skies in their Floating Saucer Crafts and employed their Destructo-Ray," thus starting The Great Chicago Fire in 1871.

Admittedly, some of the Photoshop jobs are more seamless than others. But many are laugh-out-loud funny and would surely make great conversation pieces. They're available for $20 at Alternate Histories on Etsy, where "the past comes monstrously to life."

[via Thrillist]

Reproducing the Trimphone

The British General Post Office released the Trimphone as a luxury handset in 1964. This was back in the day when telephones were mysterious, hulking beasts that had to be installed by mysterious, hulking unionized workers. 

Instead of a paint-peeling bell, the Trimphone used an electronic warbler that gradually increased the volume as the phone rang. The luminous dial in early models was lit by a tube of tritium gas which gave off a ghostly (and mildly radioactive) glow. The original rotary dial version was replaced by a slightly taller model with a keypad in the late 1970s.

A gazillon years later, Wild & Wolf has introduced a reasonably priced £35 reproduction. It includes push button dialing arranged to look somewhat like a rotary dial, along with a frighteningly futuristic redial button and a ringer volume switch. It also comes in an array of shades that would have been utterly shocking in the early 1960s -- purple, turquoise, orange, and even a shade of green that would earn Kermit the frog's instant approval.

I'd love one, but the idea of having a phone permanently tethered to the wall is a bit too quaint even for my tastes. Besides, I'm not sure my addled brain could handle having to memorize everyone's phone number.

Wild & Wolf Trimphone

Duck Phone - For Making Those Fowl Phone Calls

 
Kids of the 80's may remember a sitcom called Silver Spoons. It starred a young Rocky Schroeder (this came before his current spate of badass roles as "Rick" Schroeder, of course...). In the series, his father is a multimillionaire toy inventor, and their mansion is a kid's dream; littered with arcade games, a ride-on train, and all manner of kitsch.

Dad wasn't serious about anything, so even in his study he had a bunch of crazy gadgets, including a duck decoy phone like this one. After the US phone system was deregulated in the 80's, it freed up anyone to manufacture a phone. The resulting explosion in the novelty phone market yielded weird gems like this phone that's just ducky.

 
The duck is made of real wood, concealing a pretty conventional 80's cheapie plastic phone inside. In the TV series, the phone doesn't ring - it quacks. This particular phone is a lot less ambitious, ringing with a typical electronic chirp. This is a long time before ringtones, folks. It's cute and novel, though the manufacturers did make an odd aesthetic choice. When the phone rings, the ducks eyes light up with a piercing red. Isn't it strange enough to have a duck phone? Does it also have to look like Cujo?

related:

Very 1980's Fiero phone
Toy ranch phone - no extra charge for roaming
Sony comic book themed phone

Reach For The Remote - Bohus Is On TV!

Bohus? Who's That?

Hi everybody! Remember me? I haven't been able to post for a while, and I've really missed hanging out on the pages of Retro Thing for so long. james is taking a much-deserved break for a little bit, so I'm going to pinch hit for the next couple posts... provided I can remember how this new-fangled blog thing works.

In case you're curious where I've been, I got a terrific job as one of the hosts and producers of a new morning TV show called "Eye Opener". It's on every morning from 6-8 on KIAH channel 39 in Houston, but will be rolling out to other markets very soon. The show streams live on the website if you care to check it out - or you can find clips at eyeopener.tv. One of my regular segments is a retro piece called "One From The Vaults". It's like a TV version of what we do here on Retro Thing. I'd love to know what you think, so here's an example...

 

Would love to hear your thoughts on the video in the comments section. We've got some cool posts coming up right here very soon, so make sure to stick around. Glad to be back, everybody!

Related:

Radio Shack remote control extender
Sony universal remote inspired by Star Trek?
Too many buttons on your remote?

Reimagining A Vintage French Telephone

The Sagemcom Sixty pays homage to the classic French Socotel S63 telephone.The €89.90 unit features a DECT cordless handset with 10 hour battery life and a range of up to 300 m. It incorporates a decidedly modern white-on-black dot matrix screen with 13 LED dial buttons that flash in sequence to mimic the motion of the old rotary dial.

Times have changed since the S63's heyday in the 1970s, and the Sixty offers 10 ringtones including a reproduction of the original "ring-ring" that once brought so many of us running. There's also a 24 minute digital answering machine and a 150 number phonebook built in, along with call blocking and hands-free capability. Now if only they'd release a GSM mobile version. ;)

Sagemcom Sixty [thanks Johannes Roussel & Joe Soap!]

Ebay: A Forty Year-Old Box Of Cereal

When we find out how much our old baseball cards or comic books are worth today, some of us like to get mad at our moms for throwing out our precious collections when we went away to college. I could see having pangs at the throught of mom taking your carefully curated treasures out to the rubbish heap, but don't be mad at her for throwing out the cereal box that looks like it's going to fetch a couple of hundred bucks in the next few days.

This Ebay auction offers an intact cereal box with a record featuring the stylings of the Jackson 5. That's right - you're bidding on a box of petrified cereal from 1972. I have this record somewhere, and as I recall it's the full song.

Super Sugar Crisp cereal has gone through a couple of name changes over the years - specifically to eliminate the word "sugar" from the brand. Funny that they don't want to remind parents that the cereal is caked in sugar, but it's okay to have a mascot who's clearly high off his fuzzy ass all the time. I actually remember cereal boxes coming with records laminated onto the back like this one. I still have one from Alpha-Bits cereal that tells the spooky tale of Sleepy Hollow. You'd impatiently wolf down the cereal, and carefully cut off the back panel that had a thin vinyl record glued on to the back.

The fidelity of isn't great, but it isn't bad either. The record uses flexi-disc technology, those thin sheets included with magazines that played on your record player.

It's over $150 with two days to go, but I expect it'll get several times that once the hammer falls. There are several points of interest in this auction that will attract collectors of Michael Jackson, unusual records, and even cereal box fans. I'm fully expecting a bidding frenzy in the last seconds, probably by jangle-nerved collectors on a sugar high after consuming too much kiddie cereal. 

Super Sugar Crisp Auction
Collection of cereal box records
evolution of Sugar Bear

related:
Cardboard records
Flexi-Sheets - those weird paper thin records
Breakfast With Nintendo: It's Not A Cereal, It's A System