The steam-powered drum-machine
The Museum of Techno leads us into its labyrinthine digital archives to the journal of one Charles Franklin, who purportedly witnessed a demonstration of The steam-powered drum-machine.
Zzzzzzap! Ray Guns galore
If the bug-eyed aliens from Arcuturus-B who invaded last week are trying to steal your collection of manual typewriters, what better way to fend them off than with a few well-placed shots from your Ray Gun!
Gene Metcalf* has put together a mesmerizing gallery of info with hundreds if not thousands of pictures of toy ray guns from around the world.
*for some reason, the title of each page is listed as “Justin Pinchot’s Toy Rayguns.”
Found via J-Walk.
HOW TO TALK ON THE TELEPHONE
BoingBoing directs us to How to Make Friends by Telephone—a guide to using that new-fangled bakelite thing sittin’ over there.
C30, C60, C90—GO!
Gizmodo points us to a review of the PlusDeck 2, an audio cassette, erm, peripheral for PCs. It allows you to digitize your tapes, or record from your PC directly to magnetized film. Ahhhhh! Reasonably priced, as well.
What we can learn from the study of Retro Technology
The general study of retro-technology strikes me as the premier field for demonstrating that technical knowledge is not a matter of linear cumulation over time, and one of the best illustrations that the past truly is a foreign country. There’s nothing further from the truth than A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court : cast into medieval Europe, or 12th Century Africa, or Ming China, and magically granted perfect ability to speak and understand languages, a modern person would still flounder simply in their ability to use, not to mention make, the characteristic technologies of the day, both everyday and extraordinary ones.
Some more discussion, links, & interesting ideas within the post—prompeted by musings on the Voynich Manuscript.
Not just big, it’s UltraWide!
Well, that about sums it up. Except this lavishly-illustrated site is well worth an extended visit. My favorite is Todd-AO, which was NOT used for Logan’s Run, as you’ll discover on page 12. Todd-AO, by the way, is a combination of Mr. Michael Todd’s name and that of American Optics his partners in developing the process.
Digital Light
Digital Sundials International
In a singular blend of artistry and utility, the digital sundial combines the ancient science of sundials and advances of modern technology with elegant simplicity. Like a digital clock, the digital sundial displays the current time using digits. In the true tradition of all sundials, the device is purely passive - it operates without electricity, and has no moving parts. Instead, the sunlight is cast through two cleverly designed masks in the shape of numbers that show the current time of day. The sundial is available in two versions, for use in either hemisphere. Placed on the inside of a south-facing window (north-facing in the southern hemisphere), the sundial can be read through the horizontal mirror. The display updates every 10 minutes, and gives a remarkably accurate record of the time during the daylight hours.
Digital as in digits. I suppose it’s really an analog-digital hybrid. Unfortunately, it’s digital precision is +- 5 minutes. Which is sad, becuase analog (solar) clocks are only limited by precision of scale. Still, SCP approves and will buy one for our bunker.
4 Slices of Stereo Paradise
8-Track Heaven! Home of 8-Track Mind magazine and alt.collecting.8-track-tapes
We’re digital online but analog at heart. Everything for the collector, the fanatic or the curiosity seeker: 8-tracks, 4-tracks, 2-tracks, players, quad, history, classified ads, new releases, dealers & resources, pictures & sounds, Hall of Fame, and more!
SCP shamefacedly admits the 8-track ranks alongside the 2600 in the Hall of Things we Never Owned.
Via the the ever effervescent Irregular Orbit.
Videotopia
VIDEOTOPIA is the only accurate exploration of the art, science, and history of video games in the world. The exhibit has become a resource for historians, educators, and television & print journalists from around the globe. VIDEOTOPIA has become the principle resource for the appreciation and understanding of this unique combination of art and science.
VIDEOTOPIA includes over 100 restored and new arcade video games - everything from the first machine ever, to the first machines to utilize microprocessors, ROM chips, 3-D graphics, etc., right on up to today’s greatest simulator games, with all of the classics and favorites in between. VIDEOTOPIA details the evolution of home and arcade video games containing informational kiosks and displays that take visitors through the history and technology in a way that is fun, nostalgic, and educational.
All hype aside, the site seems chock full of info and images. What fun!. Now, SCP has to get back to work.
2600 questions & answers
Howstuffworks: Atari 2600 FAQ
Almost more than you would want to know. But if not, a good place to start and jump off from.
SCP has a confession to make: we deeply regret not having bought that Atari 2600 system with controllers and games for the $10 Goodwill was asking 5 years ago. Very deeply regret.