this post was submitted on 17 Nov 2024
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CassetteFuturism

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this is a space for Cassette Futurism -- retro images, media, design and technology from the 70s and 80s

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 19 hours ago) (3 children)

I’ll take most disappointing gift to unwrap for $1000 Alex.

Next worse was a Lifesavers Candy Puzzle. The box was the size to plausibly hold 8-10 rolls of Lifesavers and covered in a glossy image of the candy. Such a let down.

(I never got a game boy at the time and I’m a little bit salty about it, but now as a parent, I understand my parents’ choice not to).

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 hours ago

Most disappointing gift goes to Bart Simpson who wanted Bonestorm but instead got this.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 hours ago

As someone who grew up in the early 80s, I would have been gitty for this. While I enjoyed video games, my heart was listening to music. I much rather have a portable radio than a game boy at that time.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

My parents got me a gameboy but the only games I had for it was Babe Pig in the City and a copy of Ducktales that was lost in the attic before they gave it to me and wasn't found until last year.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 hours ago

Wow. My in laws used to find Xmas presents the following year (or 3) when my wife was a kid.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 day ago (3 children)

I think those "earbuds" are war crimes under the Geneva Convention.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

$20 says the buttons and D-pad are non-functional as well.

That's the thing that annoys me the most about kitsch stuff: the fake buttons and knobs.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

Of course they're non-functional. It's a cheap transistor radio. It's got a wheel switch for on/off/volume and a wheel for tuning. What would the buttons and d-pad even do?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

That's what I'm saying! You can clearly see the real controls off to the side of the device. No effort was put into this thing. It was literally slapped together using off the shelf parts and a simple mold.

Would it have killed them to have used a basic digital tuner, and made the D-Pad function as tuning and volume at the very least? At least then they could have misleadingly marketed it has having an LCD display. But they couldn't even bother to do that.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 hours ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago)

They had cheap digital radios in the 90s. I was there. I remember them.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 20 hours ago

That's true for all earbuds, as far as I'm concerned.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago (2 children)

They are supposed to have soft foam.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 16 hours ago

Doesn't fit even more.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 20 hours ago

But they wre so low quality by then, that they are ruined

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 day ago (3 children)

If radio wasn't absolute shit 'round here (nothing but commercials, Christian talk, and bad country), I would actually rock one of these if they became available again.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 hours ago

All the good music has moved over to HD Radio. There are very few stations in most markets, but the ones that do exist almost always play stuff you won't hear on the FM dial.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Step 1: make a low power FM station Step 2: use this to listen Step 3: profit!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago)

Heh. Carry around 3 devices:

An MP3 player or my phone for Spotify, one of those portable FM transceiver things, and this GameBoy radio. Use the transceiver to get my music from the MP3 player/phone to blast over the air on an empty band, and tune the radio to that channel.

Couldn't be simpler!

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 day ago

Forget FCC licenses! Let's do pirate radio.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago

Change those earbuds at some point.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago)

There's a radio station in Ohio called The Summit and it's only been around for a few years but they are locally owned. They play new music, local stuff, old singles most people have never heard and more. On saturdays they turn it over to older people for polkas, spanish music etc. On sundays they play Americana and a Canadian music history show

It's been a real game changer for our radio scene. I've discovered a bunch of good songs thanks to them, here's a link to listen if anyone is interested

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It's from 1992 but it have CassetteFuturism Vibe.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago

Cassette pastism.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago

Thanks, I need one now.