Retro Gadgets

We’ve certainly been spoilt rotten with Star Wars gadgets of late and this latest bit of Star Wars memorabilia brings back fond memories of my old figurine collection (which I sold to Paul Parnaby for £40 about 25 years or so ago).

We’ve seen remote control R2D2 units before but this one is extra cool as it’s the size of the original collectors figure (they are action figures not dolls).

The R2 unit is controlled via a light sabre styled remote and can move forwards, spin round and even has a rotating head complete with operational (it lites up) LED eye. Think Geek rightly describe this as every Star Wars fanboy’s wet dream come true (well after Leigh in that bikini).

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Sure, you remember Watto, he owned a little boy you’d later know as Darth. He sold a hyperdrive to some guy named Qui-Gon Jinn. He had hooves,, yet he could fly (umm,, no one ever mentions how oxymoronic this is,, it’s like a vegetarian with teeth like the baddies from Alien!)

Anyway, there’s a place called Norton Sales Inc. that makes Watto’s look like a dump.

Wait,, I mean, that it’s a dump full of old space junk.

No wait,, by old, I mean fairly old. You know, if you need a replacement X-15 XLR99, because the one you were using is all ’sploded. Well now you’ve got the right place to go!

I’m pretty sure that the next time I head down south (probably for a wedding) I’ll be swinging by. Gadget destinations are typically pretty hard to come by, but when you find them,, well, you’ve just got to make the trip. Read the rest of this entry »

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We all know how first impressions count a lot, so having an original and stylish wristwatch can be one of the important points that adds more personality value to the owner. By original I mean unusual in terms of design and material, luckily enough, there aren’t many watches that use crochet or tapestry as their “substance”.

Having in mind that conditional characteristic, I present you two alternative watches that will make you go “pop” - the watchband on either one is made of Italian lambskin and can have a crochet handmade decoration, or a trimmed jacquard tapestry ribbon.

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Do you remember your old cassette tapes? Yes, those same tapes you used to record with your favourite songs and that are probably hidden in some dark corner of your house? Well, if you have any of those tapes left, you might consider buying the Sanyo MAJ-U02. This portable Boombox comes with a CD player, a cassette deck, a digital FM tuner and a SD/MMC card reader.

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The Heatwave Wood Stove Fan from Northlineexpress.com which, from what I can tell, is where hot things come from. They’ve got fireplace and heating things of all kind. More importantly though, I’m focusing on the aftorementioned Heatwave Wood Stove Fan.

Here’s the reason we’re looking at it,, it’s got a Stirling engine inside!!!

So as not to confuse it with the crazy-insane commentator on the NFL Stirling Sharpe, it is not bipedal, nor crazy.

It is however a heater that is powered by the heat given off from your wood, gas, or pellet burning stove. This is interesting because it is taking advantage of exisiting thermal energy and does not require anything but a hot surface to activate.

While Mr. Sharpe does blow a lot of hot air out his mouth hole, it is likely below the 390 degrees F needed by the fan to blow 200-300 CFM (cubic feet per minute) around the room.
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It never ceases to amaze me what men (and women, of course - I’m just talking in an extremely general manner, so please don’t get overtly PC on me) can do with a little bit of imagination, some D.I.Y. skills, and a passion to create something totally new that blows our collective minds away. Lou Reimuller obviously had more time on his hands than the rest of us by lovingly fusing an armless mannequin of yesteryear with a modern electronic guitar. He has dubbed her Teenar, and she has this sultry look that casts a pall of gloom whenever you look at her direction, but nobody is stopping you from stepping up, cradling your arms around her, and start pulling the right strings to bring a cheery disposition to the sombre mood all around.

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Want a good laugh? This video clip from a local cable show has a rare demonstration of Apple’s 1984 Lisa computer as well as some sexy 1980s hair styles. In the video, some guy named Alfred takes the $10,000 Lisa computer for a test drive. Yep the Lisa sold for $10,000. Pretty expensive for a clunky word processor. In case you are wondering, the Lisa would cost about $19,500 in 2006 dollars. Another funny thing about the video is the TV host. For some reason she talks like a robot. She’s also wearing a pair of over-sized 1980s eye glasses that probably have more glass than an automobile windshield.

Warning: There is a very long 5 minute introduction before the Lisa demo clip. Alfred, the guy giving the demonstration in the video, is now a YouTube director and loves to suck up to his subscribers. He also apologizes for his 1984 haircut, suit and a recent nose surgery. But once the actual demonstration clip starts to play, you will probably enjoy it.

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I’ve not seen one of these in ages, a fully working minature steam engine (and I’ve never seen a model engine with so much shiny brass).

The classic Locomobile is works like a real steam engine but is 1/8 the size. You fill the boiler with water, light a dry spirit tablet and when the boiler is hot enough the steam powers the engine (and the all important whistle).

This is one of those toys that as well as being fun and educational is also a pretty good investment IMO (though bear in mind I have a shed full of 2000 AD comics that I thought would be worth something one day (Sylvestor Stallone (Judge Dredd) has a lot to answer for)). You can get the Classic Working Steam Engine Locomobile for $549.95 from Hammacher.

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