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midibox sid: c64 transformed into glowing midi synth

filed under: hacks-mods | retro

MidiboxSID C64 Synthesizer

The venerable Commodore 64 is well known among the electronic music community as a synthesizer modder’s dream machine thanks to its robust SID audio chipset. But most of the mods I’ve seen end up looking just like an old C64 and all the cool stuff is going on under the hood…

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posted: June 8th, 2008 stumble it! 6 comments author: technabob

fc mobile game console plays original nes carts

filed under: mobile tech | retro | video games

FC Mobile Nintendo NES Portable

I’ve seen plenty of Nintendo NES clone systems in my travels, but this is the first time I’ve seen a mass-produced portable that can play the actual cartridges from the classic 8-bit gaming system.

The FC Mobile portable console plays original game carts from the NES wherever you go…

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posted: April 27th, 2008 stumble it! 8 comments author: technabob

megaman stained glass project: hallelujah.

filed under: geek art & craft | video games

Megaman Stained Glass by Gary in Cleveland

No matter what your religion you belong to, you’ll be a believer in the church of 8-bit platform gaming once you see this brilliant work of stained glass art, based on the classic Megaman gaming franchise…

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posted: April 20th, 2008 stumble it! 1 comment author: technabob

pole position quilt: prepare to qualify

filed under: geek art & craft | retro | video games

Pole Position Quilt by Carolina Patchworks

Back in the day, Pole Position was one of my all-time favorite arcade games. Not only was it the first full-color POV racing game, it had some of the most groundbreaking graphics in its time. With today’s photorealistic racing games like the Gran Turismo and PGR series, it’s amazing how far we’ve come…

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posted: March 26th, 2008 stumble it! 2 comments author: technabob

time-it led watches bring back the slap-happy 80s

filed under: retro | timepieces

Time-It LED Watches

These LED watches may be brand new, but they draw at least some of their inspiration from those tacky 1980s slap bracelets. You know, those stupid flexible wristbands covered in leopard prints or zebra stripes that came flat, but you had to slap onto your wrist to wear…

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posted: March 18th, 2008 stumble it! 1 comment author: technabob

awesome arcade game art by melissa jones

filed under: geek art & craft | video games

Galaga and Robotron Art by Melissa Jones

Looking for a way to make your game room really special? Look no further than these original 3-dimensional arcade artworks by sign maker Melissa Jones.

Melissa creates original wood carvings of classic arcade characters, then creates a resin casting of the original and hand paints each one with bold acrylic colors…

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posted: March 15th, 2008 stumble it! 8 comments author: technabob

evolution of man t-shirt is stuck in the 80s

filed under: just plain fun | video games

Insert Coin Evolution of Man T-Shirt

If you think that mankind continues to evolve, perhaps you’re wrong. According to this clever video game T-shirt, we all stopped evolving somewhere back in the mid-1980s, parked in front of a Missile Command cabinet…

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posted: March 6th, 2008 stumble it! 1 comment author: technabob

super mario hidden quilt level scores extra points

filed under: geek art & craft | video games

Super Mario Hidden Level Quilt

If you’ve got a serious Mario addiction, you might just have to break open your piggy bank for this. This fun quilt features the likenesses of Mario and his foes in the context of the NES platformer that really put the little Italian plumber on the map…

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posted: March 1st, 2008 stumble it! 1 comment author: technabob

apple floppy drive reborn as an amplifier [casemod]

filed under: computing | hacks-mods | retro

Apple Floppy Disk Amplifier

Have some old computer gear lying around? Why not do what this guy did, and turn it into something useful once more.

By taking an old Apple 5-1/4″ floppy drive he found at a thrift store, then working some electronics wizardry on the interior, modder Jeff Kobi took this old piece of tech junk and gave it new life as a retro-styled amplifier…

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posted: March 1st, 2008 stumble it! post a comment author: technabob

mike tyson’s punch-out scarf is a real t.k.o.

filed under: geek art & craft | retro | video games

Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out Scarf

One of the greatest boxing games of all time has been immortalized in wearable form. This oh-so-awesome handknit scarf features the fighters from the NES classic Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!

Created by El Paso crafter Beatboxtaun, the scarf features the likenesses of two of the game’s pixelated pugilists…

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posted: February 26th, 2008 stumble it! 2 comments author: technabob

atari 2600 super mario brothers, sorta.

filed under: retro | video games

Super Mario Atari 2600

Ever wonder what a Mario game would have looked like if it came out on the Atari 2600 instead of the NES? The guys over at Geekstir dug up this great clip which shows off what that serious visual downgrade would have done for the game…

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posted: February 21st, 2008 stumble it! 4 comments author: technabob

circuit bent commodore 64: revenge of the 80s

filed under: computing | hacks-mods | retro

Bent64 Commodore 64 Circuit Bending

One of the most popular computers from the 1980s, the Commodore 64, is having a minor renaissance as an electronic musical instrument. The C64’s audio chip is famous for producing an array of warm, familiar 8-bit beats and blips…

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posted: February 16th, 2008 stumble it! post a comment author: technabob

nes controller pillowcases: sweet dreams are made of these

filed under: geek art & craft | retro | video games

Nintendo NES Controller Pillow Case by Penguinotic

When you sleep, do you dream in blocky 8-bit graphics? Are your sleepytime thoughts filled with visions of Link rescuing Zelda? Instead of counting sheep, do you count Koopa shells? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you need a pair of these on your bed…

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posted: February 13th, 2008 stumble it! 1 comment author: technabob

space ace gets the high def treatment

filed under: retro | video games

Space Ace Blu-ray and HD DVD

While I’m not a huge fan of many of those old full-motion-video (FMV) games, I have to keep a place in my heart for Space Ace, a surprisingly entertaining FMV laserdisc-based game created by some of the industry’s most respected animators…

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posted: February 6th, 2008 stumble it! post a comment author: technabob

rare rdi halcyon laserdisc console up for auction

filed under: retro | video games

RDI Halcyon LaserDisc Console

Back in the early 1980s, long before the Xbox 360, Wii and PS3 dominated the “next-gen” video game market, a little known console lived on the cutting-edge of gaming technology. The RDI Halcyon was a LaserDisc-based gaming system which was designed to bring the first full-motion video gaming experience to your living room…

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posted: January 26th, 2008 stumble it! 2 comments author: technabob

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