Retro Thing

Soviet WWII Propaganda Posters In Chicago

The Art Institute of Chicago is currently exhibiting a collection of 250 massive Soviet propaganda posters dating from 1941-1945. Incredibly, these meticulously stenciled works were hidden away in Chicago for over half a century before being rediscovered.

They explain: "In 1997, 26 tightly wrapped brown paper parcels were discovered deep in a storage area for the Department of Prints and Drawings. Their presence was a mystery, their contents a puzzle. As conservators and curators carefully worked to open the envelopes, they were surprised and intrigued to find that they contained 50-year-old monumental posters created by TASS, the Soviet Union’s news agency. The idea for a major exhibition began to take shape.

Impressively large—between five and ten feet tall—and striking in the vibrancy and texture of the stencil medium—some demanded 60 to 70 different stencils and color divisions—these posters were originally sent abroad, including to the Art Institute, to serve as international cultural 'ambassadors' and to rally allied and neutral nations to the endeavors of the Soviet Union, a partner of the United States and Great Britain in the fight against Nazi Germany."

A Terrible Ghost, TASS No. 0901, February 4, 1944

Stencil
1670 x 869 mm
February 2 is the anniversary of the defeat of the German Fascist forces at Stalingrad.

Hitler can’t sleep. Through the darkness
A skeleton appears to him.
Goosebumps rise on his skin.
“Remember, Hitler, Stalingrad!
We died there a year ago –
Soon the same will happen to you!”

Windows on the War: Soviet TASS Posters at Home and Abroad, 1941–1945 runs until October 23, 2011 at The Art Institute of Chicago. Admission is $18 ($12 for students and seniors).

Atari Punk Console - VCS Tribute Edition

Oddly enough, the Atari Punk Console (APC) isn't a video game system. It's actually an electronic noisemaking circuit from Forrest Mims' Engineer's Notebook: Integrated Circuit Applications (Radio Shack, 1980).

Originally known as the Stepped Tone Generator, this quirky little circuit gained notoriety after being renamed by Kaustic Machines. And, yes, its output is reminiscent of the sound an Atari VCS might make while slam-dancing with an army of angry Roman Centurions.

Most Atari Punk Consoles are a rats nest of wires and circuitry, but this version by Jim Harris is a thing of beauty. He explains:

"The work featured here is a DIY build of an Atari Punk Console inspired analogue synthesiser known as the Dub-Step-Arcade designed by Matthew Newlove. As a tribute to it's origins in the dusty circuits of the 1980s, the build is housed in a heavily modified Atari VCS enclosure.

Materials used include hand machined matte black acrylic control panel and Atari VCS enclosure, laser engraved gloss black acrylic fascia, salvaged mains power supply, reconditioned stock Atari VCS DPDT switches, stock arcade machine parts and miscellaneous fixtures, fittings and electronic components."

Atari Punk Console - VCS Tribute

After Months of Breathless Anticipation, Sony Introduces A New AM/FM Radio

It's like 1991 all over again, except without the cassette tapes. Sony is set to debut the SRF-18 transistor radio in Japan at the end of October. Its cleverest feature: It can output audio to an mp3 player or phone. Its second cleverest feature: You can play audio from your mp3 player through its 80 mW speakers.

In all seriousness, this the perfect radio to have around if a Godzilla were to suddenly plunge your seaside town into a dark and scary radioactive nightmare, since two AA batteries will provide almost 2 days of up-to-the-minute emergency broadcasts.

The price for all this analog awesomeness? About $45.

Sony SRF-18 Portable Radio [translated]

My Favorite Hewlett Packard Handheld

It has been quite a summer for Hewlett Packard. They launched the TouchPad tablet in early July with much fanfare (and miniskirted dancers), only to discontinue it seven weeks later with a frenzied $99 blow-out.

To top it off, CEO Léo Apotheker announced that the company "needed to transform" and was looking for a buyer for its marginally profitable PC division. It was an epic public relations disaster.

At first glance, it seems foolish for the company to step away from the consumer market, but let's not forget that they're currently the #2 IT services company in the world (with annual IT service sales of about $40-billion), behind only IBM. So perhaps the company's emphasis on services and commercial sales is spot on.

At any rate, here's a look at my favorite HP hardware of all time -- the HP-35(s).

Hewlett-Packard introduced the HP 35 -- the first handheld scientific calculator -- on February 1st 1972. It carried a list price of $395 and cemented HP's position at the forefront of the calculator business for decades to come. Thirty five years later, they're back with the HP 35s -- a $59.99 retro-styled handheld.

"The HP 35s pays tribute to its revered lineage with a classic design that is reminiscent of the original HP 35, including protective raised edges so that the calculator rests nicely in the palm of one’s hand.

The new calculator is also HP’s most advanced scientific programmable calculator, featuring ample memory for keystroke programming, equation solving and more than 800 storage registers; 100 built-in functions; and a large, two-line display with adjustable contrast to easily view entries.

For greater flexibility, the HP 35s allows users to easily switch between Reverse Polish Notation (RPN), HP’s exclusive time-saving input mode, and the traditional algebraic mode. In addition, the HP 35s comes with a premium zippered protective pouch."

It's easy to forget how revolutionary the original HP 35 was - it offered a whopping 15-digit LED display and could handle trig and exponential functions at a time when competitors were restricted to the 4 standard algebraic functions. The market for such a complicated handheld was completely untested, and HP was stunned to sell more than 300,000 units by the time it was discontinued in 1975.

Useless Calculator Trivia: Bill Hewlett suggested naming it the "HP 35" because it had 35 keys. The new version has 43.

[From Richard in the comments: Have you ever visited the on-line HP museum? You might find some interesting info there, too!]

Retro HP 35s Launched to Commemorate 35th Anniversary of First HP Handheld Calculator
HP 35s Scientific Calculator product page

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]

Pinball Machines At Best Buy!

Stern Pinball announced yesterday that their lineup of machines is now available on the Best Buy website, with in-store availability slated for later this year. This is great news for Stern, since it provides unbeatable exposure across the United States.

With list prices starting at $3,799, these machines aren't going to be popular holiday gifts. Still, the arrangement will make it easier for well-heeled enthusiasts and collectors to pick up a modern pinball machine with convenient local delivery. Additionally, displays in high-traffic stores will dramatically increase Stern's visibility. I suspect the most common comment will probably be, "Wow! I didn't know anyone still made these."

Stern Pinball is the last large-scale pinball manufacturer in the world. The latest iteration of the company was founded by Gary Stern in 1999, following the demise of all of the major industry players.

The marketplace has changed dramatically since the heyday of pinball thirty years ago. Back in those days, machines were sold almost exclusively to coin-op dealers for use in arcades and high traffic businesses. It was all about making a living, 25 cents at a time.

Now, the vast majority of purchasers are collectors interested in owning a pristine Rolling Stones Limited Edition [$5,699] or TRON: Legacy [$4,799] table. Exposure through Best Buy will provide excellent access to Stern's new market of well-heeled, tech-savvy buyers. It won't bring about a dramatic resurgence in popularity, but it may provide Stern with sufficient sales to extend their product range.

Stern Announces Best Buy Availability
The Official Stern Pinball Site

Rare Tomy Vinyl Recorder Commands A Stratospheric Price

Eric from miniorgan.com just gave us a heads up on an auction for a rare Tomy Voice-Corder. Released in 1972, this complicated and pricey toy allowed kids to record one-off dub plates on colorful plastic-covered cards which could be sent to friends and family as 33 RPM audio postcards.

The blue recording arm features two needles -- an inner guide needle runs along an inner groove molded into the white center spindle of the platter. The outer needle records your future hit single onto the blank card. The red tonearm is used for playback, although the records are also compatible with standard turntables.

The complete set is currently listed on the Yahoo! Japan auction site. It includes the Voice-Corder with handheld microphone, original box and eight recording cards featuring bewilderingly cute photos of children and animals. Want it? It's yours for the staggering sum of 500,000 Yen -- about $6500.

Voice-Corder Auction on Yahoo! Japan [in Japanese, oddly enough]

More Voice-Corder info at Miniorgan.com

Why iSupr8 For iPhone Is A Great Idea

iSupr8 is an iPhone app that mimics the look and feel of shooting Super 8 movie film. It's currently free, thanks to sponsorship by Levi's. I initially dismissed it as awkward hipsterism, but then realized that it may well introduce a new generation to the wonders of small format film. And that's a good thing.

The app features lots of classic imagery from the Super 8 era -- you get to choose a camera case and the type of Super 8 cartridge you're shooting. You also get to muck around with adjustable frame rates (12 / 18 / 24 fps) and even add quirks like film burn, scratches and even a visible frame gate. Of course, it's only a digital simulation. But it's enough to pique the interest.

I suspect untold thousands will download this app and muck around with it for a short while, but there will be a handful of intrepid users who move on to try real film. After all, it's possible to get into Super 8 filmmaking for far less than the $649 price tag of an iPhone.

You can pick up a decent Super 8 camera for under $50, and a 50 foot cartridge of Ektachrome 100D film costs $17 (plus another $12 for processing from Dwayne's photo). Projectors can be found at garage sales and swap meets (they're not so popular on eBay because they cost a small fortune to ship).

If you've never shot film, iSupr8 could very well be your introduction to a fantastic hobby. And if you've tried Super 8 in the distant past, it might encourage you to shoot a few carts of the real thing.

iSupr8 Levi's® Film Workshop Edition [iTunes preview page]

Build Your Own LED Watch

There was a time in the early 1970s when an LED watch would set you back about $2000. These days, they're considered geeky anachronisms. And what could be geekier than building your own?

Spikenzie Labs recently sent us one of their Solder : Time LED watch kits [$29.95]. It comes as an easy-to-assemble circuit board kit with a case made from four sheets of laser-cut acrylic. You'll need basic soldering skills to assemble the kit. If you're comfortable soldering a couple of ICs, you won't have any trouble putting everything together in about 20 minutes. A fully assembled version is available for $39.95 if you're not the DIY type.

All of the resistors and capacitors are identical values, so it's hard to go wrong. Just make sure you install the ICs correctly -- they're mounted with the markings upside-down. The only tricky part of the board assembly is attaching the battery holder. It's a surface-mount part, which means you'll have to come up with a clever way to hold it in place while soldering it (Spikenzie recommends tape, which is what I used).

Once the board is built, you'll have to assemble a multi-layer acrylic sandwich to form the case. There's nothing particularly difficult here. It's just a matter of making sure that each layer is aligned properly and the control switch doesn't bind. When everything is where it should be, hand-tighten the screws into the pre-tapped holes and attach the "one size fits all" velcro strap.

Tap the button on the right to display the time. It shuts off after a few seconds to conserve the CR2032 battery, and the company estimates it'll last up to five years with moderate use. There's a jumper on the bottom of the board to set the Solder : Time into "always on" mode for use as a desk clock, although you'll need an external power source.

Programming the watch is utterly simple, too. Tap the control button twice and hold it down to advance the time. My only gripe is that the watch only displays 12 hour time. It would be nice to have a jumper that forces it into 24 hour mode, just in case the wearer is unsure whether it's morning or evening. But that's a minor complaint.

Spikenzie Labs has a hit on their hands with this quirky timepiece. It's affordable, fun to build and a guaranteed conversation starter. My rating? Five out of five retrorockets.

Visit the official Solder : Time page for full details and a peek at the online assembly guide.

The Most Fun You Can Have With 4 LEDs

Milton Bradley scored a smash hit in 1978 with Simon, a dinner plate sized electronic game with four lighted buttons. Its "repeat the pattern" gameplay took seconds to learn, but hours to master.

Simon spawned many clones, including Pocket Repeat (manufactured by Tiger). This tiny handheld game first appeared in Radio Shack's 1981 catalog, and I picked one up on sale just after that Christmas. It received sporadic bursts of attention before getting lost during my college years (most likely during a not-so-clever drinking game).

A decade or so later, I stumbled across an updated version in a clearance bin and adopted it. It now lives in my office, where it amuses visitors and occasionally exercises my withered synapses.

Assemble A 35mm Camera Kit For Under $15

Bylo wrote recently to let us know about a poor man's LOMO camera sold by Hong Kong gadget emporium Deal Extreme.This fully functional 35mm camera kit boasts 99% ABS plastic construction, right down to the optics. The only metal parts are a handful of screws, springs and a jeweler's screwdriver to put everything together.

The box Includes instructions in Chinese and English (more the former, I suspect) and ships free from Hong Kong for only $12.70. A somewhat gaudier black + white + blue version is available for five bucks more, and they also offer an intriguing stereoscopic pinhole camera kit for under $20.

The company sells an amazing array of gadgetry ranging from somewhat sensible things like batteries and electronic parts to kooky stuff like Neodymium magnetic spheres and magic supplies. Shipping is always free, although you'll have to wait a few weeks for packages to reach North America or Europe by air mail.

The Death of the Tower PC?

I last reinstalled Windows XP on my aging home-built PC in late 2009, vowing it would be the last time. The writing was on the wall, and a golden age of affordable and powerful ultra-notebooks and tablets was just around the corner.

Almost three years later, my PC is still limping along. I gave it some RAM and a spiffy new hard drive for Christmas in 2009, but it is increasingly showing its age. The time haa come to find a replacement, and I was suddenly determined to step firmly into the 21st century by leaving my hulking desktop behind.

Driven by news of a much more powerful Mac Mini, I found myself surfing the Apple site late one night last week. It was an odd experience -- I love Apple's machines for many reasons, but a grumpy little voice in the back of my head kept throwing up some very good reasons not buy one.

For example, the $599 base Mac Mini includes a poky 5200 RPM notebook hard drive and the graphics capabilities of an etch-a-sketch. To compensate, I opted for a slightly faster processor, an extra 2GB of memory, a faster (and slightly larger) hard drive and a Radeon HD 6630M discrete video chip that is roughly equivalent to a $50 entry-level desktop video card.

And then it hit me -- I was on the verge of paying $949 for a tiny desktop PC built out of notebook parts.

The Mac Mini is ingeniously designed and runs a brilliant OS, but the idea of paying a premium for a notebook computer without a screen is absolutely daft. You might as well just plunk down an extra couple of hundred dollars and get a MacBook Air or Pro -- most of the key pieces are there already.

I did what online marketers dread most and abandoned my shopping cart right in the middle of the Apple Store's virtual checkout line.

I was suddenly determined to build a shiny new mid-tower PC. Now, I'm fully aware that we live in the "post PC" era, but my netbook and iPad are good enough to keep me connected when I'm out and about.

I don't need portability or a mini PC carved out of a solid block of aluminum in my home office. I just need a reasonably powerful machine that I can tinker with and upgrade myself. Even in the 21st century, it's still the best way to balance performance, price and future upgradeability. Maybe Apple will get my money next time.

So, am I completely out of my mind? How many of you keep a desktop at home for tinkering and gaming?