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Man Blowing a Bubble: An ASCII Short Film
Before the internet, there were movies. And before movies, there were typewriters. And before typewriters, there was chewing gum. And before chewing gum, there were only cavemen. Is this dude a caveman chewing gum in a typewriter movie? Maaaybe. [Obsolete]The Worst Gadgets of the Decade: 11 Bonus Dishonorable Mentions
While we're confident that we nailed our 50 worst gadgets of the decade, you commenters reminded us of a few truly awful gems that didn't make the cut. So here are eleven more worst gadgets for your enjoyment and derision. More »Problems Tramping? You Need a Separate Sack Suspensory!
So what is tramping? It's a popular 1920s sport in which the player's testicles are launched back into his pelvis like water balloons, "just as nature intended." I think. [Modern Mechanix via Copyranter]Lego Polaroid Camera Can't Possibly Be More Cute and Lovely
If this Lego Polaroid 1000 instant camera actually worked, I would buy 24. And then I would destroy them to make a giant camera that takes 24 frames per minute. That would have saved instant photography. [Brickshelf via Obsolete]WinZip, You Have Underestimated the Cheapness of Man
Five years. This guy sat through five years of WinZip nagging to get this screenshot. There's a reason companies don't really do shareware nowadays, and I think we've found it. More »The First American Subway
Recently my local paper, the Boston Globe, was lucky enough to explore the abandoned sections of our sometimes working subway system. As reporter Noah Bierman described it, the experience played out a lot like film noir, compete with wingtip shoes. More »The 50 Worst Gadgets of the Decade
We're almost clear of the aughts. Just one more week, and we get to leave this decade behind for good. But before we do, it's worth taking stock of the absolute worst gadgets these last ten years have given us. More »Modo Walked the Fine Line Between "Ahead of Its Time" and "Just Stupid"
The Modo, a wireless handheld introduced in 2000, couldn't give directions. It refused to make calls and had no interest in displaying fresh emails. It was too busy being cool. Alas, I never got to touch it. More »That Old Dial-Up Dilemma: How To Get Incoming Calls While Surfing the Superhighway
Is the 2000 version of yourself worried about missing incoming calls while online? Just connect your modem to your phone then call Sprint and go online and write a check to pay the bill and... you'll have Internet call waiting! More »Beeper Code: The Caveman Days of Text Messaging
In 1999, 45 million Americans had pagers. They were an equal-opportunity technology, owned by drug dealers, whores, doctors and CEOs—and new college students whose parents couldn't drop the leash. At least there was the code. More »The Smartest Mouse Pad That Ever Lived (and Then Died)
Are you overwhelmed by the Internet? I sure was in 2000. Hell, I still am. But I think I'd be able to navigate everything in a more manageable way if only I had the right... mouse pad. More »Orson Welles and His Brief Passionate Betacam Love Affair
In January 1985, the phone rang. The caller announced that he was Orson Welles and that he wanted to have lunch with me. Thus began one of the most extraordinary and bittersweet adventures of my life.Aibo and the Days of Hot Dog-on-Robot Action
In 1999, the world met Aibo, the $2,500 robotic dog from Sony. The following year brought quite the litter of less expensive mechanized pups. Real dogs, however, had mixed feelings about their cyber counterparts. More »12 Vintage Portable Televisions Make You Glad To Be Alive in 2009
I remember my best friend had a portable black and white TV in his room back in the day—kind of similar to the Magnavox BD 3902 pictured in OObject's list. More »The Wassup Commercial: Back In the Days When Men Communicated
The Wassup Boys were a glimpse at the Early 2000 Male's civilized relationship with technology. No, really. More »My Tech Buyer's Guide from 2000 Is Pretty Hilarious
Nine years ago, as a young tech reporter at Time Magazine, I co-wrote a buyer's guide with the latest and greatest gear known to man. Today, it sounds ridiculous. More »100 Years of Failure: 10 Technologies We Were Promised But Never Got
In Your Flying Car Awaits, author Paul Milo discusses "robot butlers, lunar vacations and other dead-wrong predictions of the 20th Century." Here are 10 calamitous tech failures. Even the ones that did make it aren't anything like their original visions. More »The Cigarette Lighter Watch: Because Everyone Smoked in the '80s
A lot has changed with regard to our views about smoking since this lighter watch combo was created in the '80s. In its day, it would have been the ultimate smoke break gadget. Check the time...light up a cigarette... More »Retromodo Made New: The Cobra-Matic Casemod
It's ability to play tunes long gone, this 1951 Zenith H664 Cobra-matic phonograph was born anew thanks to modder Alvin "Mach" Barber. More »'A 10-Year-Old Can Do It Blindfolded!'
There is so much odd and potentially wrong in regards to this vintage dishwasher ad, I don't even know where to begin. [Flickr via copyranter]ASCII Art, Circa 1934
And so a timeless truth is revealed: If you put enough nerds in front of a set of lettered keys, one of them will produce awkward art, eventually. More »