Das holländische Magazin Control hat Fotos von den Pac Man-Skizzen, die Toru Iwatani gezeichnet hat, als er 1979 das Spiel für Namco entwickelte.
(via kottke)
"The following mini comic book was part of a promotional collaboration between Walt Disney and General Mills. It features Mickey and Goofy, two distinct psychoactive drugs, surreptitious dosing, a bad shaman, and a "talking" elephant [...] It is one of several psychoactive drug-related uses of Disney characters that in retrospect appear naive and inappropriate. This commercial, drug-positive use of characters designed for children raises a number of issues of historical interest. The ethnocentric cultural references, including the representation of Africans and the superiority of American medications, stand out even against the odd amphetamines-are-good-for-you backdrop. It is notable that Mickey Mouse gives powerful drugs to two other characters without their knowledge or consent ..." Mickey Mouse on Speed (dort kann man die komplette Geschichte lesen)(via electru)
"What would you do if you could travel back in time? [...] here's what I'd do after that: grab all the modern technology I could find, take it to the late 70's, superficially redesign it all to blend in, start a consumer electronics company to unleash it upon the world, then sit back as I rake in billions, trillions, or even millions of dollars." ALT/1977: WE ARE NOT TIME TRAVELERS(via Twitter)
"Fix an atomic rocket engine? Clean up spills of radioactivity? Rescue H-bomb victims? That's what the Beetle is for ..." Google Books: Artikel in einer Popular Science-Ausgabevon 1962(via Atompunk)
"Ein kurzer Test mit dem Stimmgerät vor dem Fernseher zeigt, dass es sich bei dem nervenden Dauerton um ein Ais handelt ... und dieser Ton hat als kleines Ais, das ist der Grundton der Vuvuzela, eine Frequenz von etzwa 233 Hertz. Obertöne liegen demzufolge beim eingestrichenen Ais (466 Hertz), dann bei 932 Hertz und 1864 Hertz. Für den Vuvuzela-Killer brauchen wir also nur einen steilflankigen Bandstoppfilter, der die entspechenden Frequenzen herausnimmt. Hierzu eignet sich im Prinzip jeder moderne Computer, der über eine Soundkarte mit geringen Latenzzeiten verfügt und entsprechende Software ..." Soundpoeten: Vuvuzela-FilterMein neuer Lieblingsbegriff ist übrigens "steilflankiger Bandstoppfilter" – klingt ein bisschen wie die Rollenbeschreibung eines modernen Außenverteidigers oder defensiven Mittelfeldspielers im Fußball.
"The USBTypewriter™ is a new and groundbreaking innovation in the field of obsolescence. Lovers of the look, feel, and quality of old fashioned manual typewriters can now use them as keyboards for any USB-capable computer, such as a PC, Mac, or even iPad! The modification is easy to install, it involves no messy wiring, and does not change the outward appearance of the typewriter [...] you can buy buy a USB Typewriter of your very own, or you can buy a kit to make one yourself. You can also send me your typewriter to customize. " Jack Zyklin: The USBTypewriter™ / Sein Shop bei Etsy(via Technabob)
"... it's worth recalling that high-tech (and relatively low-tech) gadgets for capturing and using solar energy are nothing new, and many of the ideas being batted around today are similar to equally ingenious notions floated and tinkered with for decades" LIFE: Solar Power Back in the DayMit Abstand am besten gefällt mir die Do Nothing Machine des Designers Charles Eames, der mir bislang nur durch seine Möbel vage ein Begriff war: Seine Maschine macht nämlich – wie der Name schon sagt – nichts. Außer in der Sonne rumzustehen und dabei beschäftigt zu tun. Video nach dem Klick.
"IBM. The Muppets. Two venerable institutions-but not ones we tend to associate with each other. Yet in the late 1960s, before most people had ever seen a computer in person or could identify a Muppet on sight, the two teamed up when IBM contracted with Jim Henson for a series of short films designed to help its sales staff. Little known today, these remain fresh, funny, and surprisingly irreverent." The IBM Muppet Show(via Nerdcore)
"Handyman was built between 1958-59 at Schnetectady, New York [...] The idea [...] originated nine years ago when the General Electric Co. was in need of an especially delicate manipulator to handle experiments with an atomic aircraft engine. Manipulators with the theoretical dexterity to turn screws, fit parts and assemble close-tolerance components were available [...] The company asked Mosher, a mechanical engineer in the General Engineering Laboratory, to try to design a manipulator that could handle the task ..." cyberneticzoo.com: 1958-9 – GE Handyman – Ralph Mosher (American)
Wired: Meet the Last Generation of Typewriter Repairmen
"Durch ihre radioaktive Strahlung steigert sie die Abwehrkräfte von Zahn u. Zahnfleisch. Die Zellen werden mit neuer Lebensenergie geladen, die Bakterien in ihrer zerstörenden Wirksamkeit gehemmt. Daher die vorzügliche Vorbeugungs- und Heilwirkung bei Zahnfleischerkrankungen. Poliert den Schmelz aufs Schonendste weiß und glänzend. Hindert Zahnsteinansatz. Schäumt herrlich, schmeckt neuartig, angenehm, mild u. erfrischend. Ausgiebig im Gebrauch." Doramad Radioactive Toothpaste (ca. 1940-1945) (Auf der Seite gibts u.a. eine ausgequetschte Doramad-Tube zu sehen)Sehr schön auch der an anderer Stelle zitierte Absatz aus dem Buch "Alsos" von Samuel Goudsmit aus dem Jahr 1947:
Auer Company, recognizing that the end of the war was near, and concerned about the consequent loss of business, concluded that there was no better future for their company than in cosmetics and related consumer products! Radium had already been used in toothpaste (Radiogen), why not use thorium instead? Auer had the patent, and with the thorium in hand they were ready to hit the ground running. They even formulated the following potential advertisement: "Use toothpaste with thorium! Have sparkling, brilliant teeth—radioactive brilliance!" Alsos and the Nazi Thorium(via Glaserei)
"The rare film was recently unearthed in a dusty archive by British Pathé, which is trying to discover more details about the technology involved [...] Spokesman Mark Harris said: ''It's amazing that nearly 90 years ago mobile phone technology and music on the move was not only being thought of but being trialled [...] 'The phone even has a lid which makes it the first flip-phone we are aware of, although it is probably not going to win any design awards." The Daily Telegraph: Footage shows world's first mobile phoneUnd nun wühle ich mich durch das riesige Archiv von British Paté, wo das Video herkommt. Dort warten nämlich 90.000 Videos "covering newsreel, sports footage, social history documentaries, entertainment and music stories from 1896 to 1976" auf mich.
Penney Design: If TV's LOST was a 1987 point-and-click computer game.(via Super Punch)
Archive Gallery: 138 Years of Inventions that Time Forgot