Plush Frogger Frog on a Log

I’m a sucker for anything related to classic arcade video games. If I only had all of those quarters back (and invested them wisely,) I would be a very rich man. Regardless, I figure I’m pretty rich thanks to all of the fun times I had playing them. Anyway, this plush Frogger frog and log are pretty adorable. They’d look good among anyone’s arcade collectibles.
frogger 620x737magnify

Artist HibouDesigns made this one of a kind plush for a video game inspired plush show at the former OhNoDoom! gallery in Chicago. She loved it so much that she wanted to keep it for herself, but now she wants someone else to enjoy it.

frogger1 620x589magnify

It measures 9″ x 5″ and Velcro allows the frog to be on or off the log as you see fit.

frogger2 620x664magnify

The plush Frogger frog and log are selling for $48(USD) from Hibou’s Etsy shop. Hop on over and grab it before someone else does.

Steve Jobs’ Time Capsule Recovered: The Ultimate Backup Device

I really don’t care for those reality TV shows where people walk around with metal detectors looking for junk. Most of them end up turning up crappy old coins and cans. But I have to show props to the guys on NatGeo’s Diggers for digging up something epic for once. They managed to find a long lost time capsule buried with stuff from Steve Jobs way back in 1983.

steve jobs time capsule hd 1 620x413magnify

Jobs and other attendees filled the 30-foot-long time capsule with all sorts of stuff after the International Design Conference in Aspen, Colorado some 30 years ago. Most notable among their contributions was Steve Jobs’ mouse from an Apple Lisa he used for the day’s presentation – which apparently is still in mint condition. Bet that’ll fetch some serious buckage at auction.

steve jobs time capsule hd 2 620x414magnify

Despite being known as the “Steve Jobs Time Capsule,” there were many other contributors to the capsule, then known as the Aspen Time Tube. Among them there’s an original Rubik’s Cube, a six pack of Ballantine Ale, some name tags, and a Moody Blues 8-track tape. I’m not sure what the deal is with all the aluminum foil pie tins though.

time tube 620x336magnify

While they haven’t released images of everything inside, I’m sure you’ll be able to see everything they found in the capsule on an upcoming episode of Diggers on the National Geographic Channel.

[via C|Net]

The Nebula of NES Games by Pop Chart Lab: Super Nintendo Galaxy 8

Chart specialists – chartists? chartologists? – Pop Chart Lab crammed all 709 officially released games for the NES in one print. The spiral chart has 8 arms, each representing a different genre – platformer, RPG, fighter etc. – although they also classified some games under “multi-genre.”

the nebula of nes games by pop chart lab 620x930magnify

The games are arranged chronologically, with over 100 tiny illustrations for the 8-bit console’s notable games such as Super Mario Bros., Mega Man and the infamous Battletoads.  The print measures 24″ x 36″ so I don’t think it will be hard to read or recognize what’s on it. Here’s a closer look at the print:

the nebula of nes games by pop chart lab 2 620x485magnify

Pop Chart Lab is selling The Nebula of NES Games print for $32 to $147 (USD) depending on the finishing option. You can order just the print, have it framed, mounted on a panel or installed with hanging rails.

[via The Escapist]

Enfojer Smartphone Enlarger: Develop Digital Photos the Analog Way

Ilija Stjepic wants to do for photographic printing what Instagram did for Polaroid. Ilija and his friends made the Enfojer kit. It lets you develop the images in your smartphone into black and white pictures using traditional techniques. You’ll need a darkroom, chemicals, the works. It’s the perfect gift for the budding hipster.

enfojer smartphone enlarger photography

The most important part of Stjepic and company’s kit is the Enfojer itself. It’s an enlarger – a projector used in printing from negatives – that uses your smartphone as both the light source and the film. The Enfojer projects an image from your phone to a piece of photographic paper. Then you’ll dip that paper into a couple of chemical baths, and in about 6 minutes you’ll have a black and white photo.

enfojer smartphone enlarger photography 2

The Enfojer is supposed to work with most smartphones. As shown in the image above it will also have a complementary app that provides guidance as well as basic editing features. The other parts of the kit are indispensable as well – the photographic film, the safelight, the chemical trays – but you can get those items elsewhere. Still don’t get how it works? Watch the video. Brace yourself: annoying background music is coming.

Seriously Ilija, how in John Herschel’s name did you think that music was okay? In any case, if you made it through the whole video you must be really interested in the Enfojer. Pledge at least $200 (USD) on Indiegogo to get the Enfojer as a reward. You’ll need to pledge at least $350 if you want the entire kit, which includes 100 sheets of photographic paper, trays, tongs, a safelight and a tray rack. You’ll still need to buy the required chemicals – and find a space to convert into a darkroom – even if you buy the full kit. You gotta work hard to be hip.

Cool Parents Make Super Awesome Super Mario Room for Their Daughter

Here is yet another story about parents who go the extra mile for their kids. In this case, these parents created an awesome Super Mario Bros. themed bedroom for their daughter. The daughter requested it and the parents went well beyond the call of duty in giving it to her.

super mario bedroom 4 600x445magnify

And they didn’t cheat by using all stickers either. The only stickers are Mario and Bowser. The rest of it was painted by hand. Not too shabby. Redditor carpenter75 estimates that it took about 60 hours painting all those bricks, and the total cost for the project was only about $700(USD). Not bad for bringing a classic game to life.

super mario bedroom 1 600x397magnify

The room even has sounds from the game and an NES system. Now she truly feels like Princess Peach in her castle.

super mario bedroom 2 600x400magnify

super mario bedroom 3 600x400magnify

via Nerd Approved]

Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Punch-Out!!: This Would Probably be the World’s Hardest Game

Pauline Acalin mashed up the Neil deGrasse Tyson reaction meme with Nintendo’s classic boxing game Punch-Out!! to create this funny print. Can you imagine what physics boxing would be like? Chess boxing would be a walk in the park compared to that.

neil degrasse tyson punch out by pauline acalin

What’s that?

neil degrasse tyson punch out by pauline acalin 2You beat Glass Joe?

neil degrasse tyson punch out by pauline acalin 3

tysonreaction

You can order Pauline’s print at the it8bit store for just $5.50 (USD).

The Cassette Tape Celebrates Its 50th Birthday

If you grew up in the 80s, I guarantee you had a massive collection of cassette tapes. It wasn’t until the late 80s and early 90s that CDs really caught on and even then they were really expensive and many people continued to purchase cassette tapes.

cassette1

I have not-so-fond memories of repeatedly fast-forwarding and rewinding trying to find the beginning of a specific song. I also spent more time than I care to remember using a pencil to rewind a cassette tape after my tape player spit out its black stringy guts. While I remember the first cassette tapes being products of my childhood, apparently they’re much older than that, with the first cassette tape being produced way back in 1963.

Philips celebrated the 50th birthday of the cassette tape this week. The company officially calls the cassette tape the “compact cassette” and says that it helped shape the music industry. Before the cassette tape there was no ability to record music or speeches on your own. Yes, there were reel-to-reel recorders, but they were generally reserved for professionals and high-end enthusiasts. The cassette tape also ushered in the era of the mix tape.

As much joy as it brought us, I don’t think anyone really misses the cassette tape. It’s infinitely more convenient to have thousands of your favorite songs in digital format stored on your iPod, which is itself smaller than a single cassette.

[via Philips]

Help us decide who deserves free tickets to Expand NY

Help us decide who deserves free tickets to Expand NY

Last week, we flipped the switch on our #ExpandThrowback contest from the submission phase to the voting phase, meaning the winners of our contest are in your capable hands. What is this contest about again, you ask? Simply put, we wanted to see what old technology our readers could dig up in their garages, attics, closets, glove compartments, et cetera, thus paying homage to the old as we prepare to celebrate the new at this November’s Expand NY event. One lucky winner gets an all-expense paid trip to the event and four runner-ups get a $250 gift card to update their old technology.*

What are some of the old gizmos found in the top 20? Here’s the list, complete with WikiLinks (not WikiLeaks) to fill your thirst for knowledge on tech before we could :

We’ll let you hop on over to the contest and vote for your favorite, and make sure to do so by September 19th. Then, on the 20th, we’ll announce the winners. You also can see the whole smattering of #ExpandThrowback submissions that didn’t make it to the final round here.

*Prizes mentioned in this article are bound by the official rules of the contest.

Filed under: , , ,

Comments

If Batman Wore Scalemaille

Over the years Batman’s suit has ranged from a form-fitting nylon leotard to lightweight carbon composites. But if Batman dwelled in medieval times, I bet he’d have worn something like this.

scalemaille batman 1

This scalemaille armor Batsuit was handmade by Creations by Christopher. The body is made from almost 27,000 individual stainless steel rings, 4,500 large anodized aluminum scales, and another 3,000 small ones.

scalemaille batman 2

The armor weighs in at about 60 pounds, and includes not only the upper body, breastplate, pauldron and backplate, but it comes with a pair of matching Bat-bracers, and a cuisse to protect your lower body. The suit is rounded out with a fabric cape and boots, as well as a helmet with bat-like knife-ears – though Christopher didn’t make the helmet himself.

scalemaille batman 4

The whole getup was custom-made for a web series called Legends: The Dark Knight, and is now available for sale up on Etsy. Unless you’re Bruce Wayne, you’ll need to save up a few paychecks for this suit though – as it’s going for $9500(USD). Also, you need to be 6-feet-tall, weigh about 190 pounds, and have a 32″ waist. Though if you can afford another $1000 or so, Christopher will custom make one to your size.

Xevious T-Shirt: If Only It Offered Vertical Scrolling

Back in the day, Xevious was one of my favorite arcade games. It was one of the first-ever vertical-scrollers, and it offered great graphics for its time, a hypnotic soundtrack, and great gameplay. Now, you can celebrate fond memories of Namco’s arcade classic with this great full-print Xevious t-shirt.

xevious t shirt 1

The t-shirt is covered top-to-bottom with graphics from the 1983 arcade shooter. What I really love about the design is that it’s really cool all on its own, but those who know the game will know exactly what it’s all about.

xevious t shirt 2

Unfortunately, the Xevious t-shirts appear to have been so collectible that the price has escalated significantly over retail. But if you really want one, you can still find them over on Amazon Japan or eBay for anywhere from about $50 to $120 (USD). At least that’s still cheaper than an actual Xevious machine.