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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[–] anomnom@sh.itjust.works 3 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 11 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).

[–] ByteOnBikes 2 points 1 hour ago

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

[–] jaschen@lemm.ee 0 points 48 minutes 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.

[–] rickyrigatoni@lemm.ee 3 points 8 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.

[–] anomnom@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 hours ago

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

[–] Nougat@fedia.io 23 points 22 hours ago (3 children)

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

[–] Psythik@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour 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.

[–] Nougat@fedia.io 1 points 1 hour 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?

[–] Psythik@lemmy.world 1 points 55 minutes 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.

[–] Nougat@fedia.io 1 points 53 minutes ago (1 children)
[–] Psythik@lemmy.world 1 points 50 minutes ago* (last edited 50 minutes ago)

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

[–] Kernal64@sh.itjust.works 3 points 12 hours ago

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

[–] IlIllIIIllIlIlIIlI@lemmy.world 4 points 17 hours ago (2 children)

They are supposed to have soft foam.

[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.ml 1 points 8 hours ago

Doesn't fit even more.

[–] Feddinat0r@feddit.org 2 points 12 hours ago

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

[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 15 points 22 hours 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.

[–] Psythik@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour 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.

[–] SomeAmateur@sh.itjust.works 1 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 12 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

[–] felixwhynot@lemmy.world 10 points 21 hours ago (3 children)

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

[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 1 points 14 minutes ago* (last edited 14 minutes 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!

[–] mkwt@lemmy.world 8 points 20 hours ago

Forget FCC licenses! Let's do pirate radio.

[–] PunnyName@lemmy.world 4 points 21 hours ago

Change those earbuds at some point.

[–] sag@lemm.ee 4 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

It's from 1992 but it have CassetteFuturism Vibe.

[–] aeronmelon@lemmy.world 3 points 19 hours ago

Cassette pastism.

[–] wesker@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 22 hours ago

Thanks, I need one now.