Remember the PDA?

Does anyone remember the PDA (Personal Data Assistant)?  They seem to have come and gone in a the blink of an eye.  Today, they have been completely replaced by Smart Phones.  But, once upon a time, the PDA was very cool.  I've still got a couple.  For example, I picked up the Sharp OZ-5500 Wizard Personal Information Organizer for $4 at a thrift store.  You can read a complete review here -

Retro Gadget Review:  The Sharp OZ-5500 Wizard Personal Information Organizer

Sharp Electronic Organizer

Thrift Store Find: A Fisher-Price Record Player

It was cool to have access to a record player as a kid.  Whether you were spinning a 45 of kid's music like "Puff the Magic Dragon" or using Dad's Victory at Sea soundtrack to  listening to spur your little green Army men onto victory, a record player was lots of fun.  I recently found this old Fisher-Price Record Player at Park Avenue Thrift in Marietta, Georgia, for only $3.

I opened it up, plugged it in, and played a random track from a Johnny Cash record pulled from the nearby bin of vinyl.  It still worked and it still sounded pretty good.  Since the store was getting ready to close, I turned it off and left it on the shelf.  There were plenty of kids records in that vinyl bin.  Hopefully, the record player would add to wonderful childhood memories for someone else.

Enjoying a Totally Free TV!

Remember when a television set was the coolest prize you could win?  Well, I sort of won a TV about a week ago.  I didn't actually enter a contest.  I just happened to get to the trash compactor at our apartment complex where I found it sitting by the curb waiting for a new owner.  It's a good-sized conventional cathode ray tube style Sony set.

Millions of Americans are kicking conventional televisions to the curb.  So, it's easy to scoop one up on any given weekend at almost any good-sized apartment complex.  You can also find them on Craigslist or for $20 or less at your local thrift store.

Once you've got your free TV, the fun can begin.  You can hook up video games, VCRs, an HD converter box and you can start enjoying your new to you TV set.  Here's an article with some great ways to enjoy your free TV:  How to Make the Most of a Free TV

The Jakk's Pacific Pacman Plug-n-Play Game Unit

If you are looking for an easy way to experience retro gaming, check out plug and play gaming units.  I have several.  One of my favorites is the Jakk's Pacific Pacman Game.  It has a lot of old arcade favorites and a few extra games that weren't quite as popular.  The games onboard include Bosconian,Xevious, Galaxian, Galaga, New Rally-X, Pac-Man, Pac-Man Plus, Super Pacman, Pacman & Pal, Mappy, Dig-Dug, and Pole Position.

For a full review, check out this article:  Retro Game System Review:  Jakk's Pacific Plug-n-Play Unit.

Retro Writing

Many potential writers fall into the trap of thinking they need some special equipment in order to start writing.  They think they need the latest printer, word processing software, and computer before they even write one word.  People think they need office supplies and a nice quiet place to contemplate, reflect, and compose stellar prose.  In fact, nothing could be further from the truth.  People have been writing for a long time.  You just need to capture your words somewhere and soon.  There are plenty of old school, even vintage, tools to help you write.  Here are a few examples:

Four Useful Retro Tools for Writers

Getting Clacking!

Tonight - "Dallas" premieres on TNT!

If you grew up in the 80s, you probably remember watching or your parents watching the night-time soap opera:  Dallas.  It was great to follow all the cut-throat business dealings, affairs, and other conflicts unfold every night.  The show also ushered in the big cliffhanger ending when the show ended a season with someone shooting oil-man and beloved villain J.R. Ewing which was played by Larry Hagman.

The show is now being revived by TNT.  Dallas will premiere two episodes tonight (June 13, 2012) and some of the original characters are returning to the small screen.  It promises to be great so don't forget to set your DVR! 

The Southfork Ranch (Home of the Ewings in Dallas) By Németh Dezső [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Summer Re-Runs Look Dismal? Send in the A-Team

It's a bad time for men to watch television. 24 is gone. The Shield is gone. The Walking Dead is busy making new shows. We are left with endless reality shows, celebrity shows, singing contest shows, dancing shows, TV shopping channels, cooking shows, and decorating shows. If you're a man, it's time to return to the 80s with The A-Team.

By A-Team_Van.jpg: Wonker Wonker from London, United Kingdom derivative work: Btr (A-Team_Van.jpg) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Fortunately, The A-Team is being re-run on the Centric cable television network in the early mornings (as of May 2012). It's a prime candidate to catch with your DVR. It's a chance to return to a pure, unadulterated, shoot 'em up show from the 80s. The show originally ran on NBC and was written and produced by Frank Lupo and Stephen J. Cannell. It had one of the best TV music themes and a cool title opening. The fictional premise is that a special forces A-Team was sent to military prison for a crime they didn't commit, escaped to the Los Angeles underground, and is available for hire for people who are in trouble and need their help.

The A-Team's crime was that they were ordered to take all the money from the Vietnamese central bank in the closing days of the Vietnam War. However, while they were off succeeding in their mission, their commanding general was killed, their headquarters was overrun and burned to the ground, and all records of their orders were lost. Consequently, they were arrested for robbing the bank. The premise is a set up for a fun show with lots of gratuitous cartoon-style violence.

As kids, my brother and I weren't allowed to watch The A-Team because of the violence. In retrospect, the A-Team may have been the least accurate shots in the history of television. Each show featured lots of automatic weapons fire and explosions with no on ever getting hit. The laughable violence of the A-Team is a relief after the relentless realistic crime scenes, autopsy scenes, and medical scenes of gruesome contemporary television shows like Law and Order: SVU, CSI: Miami, and House. After 9/11 and a decade of war, viewers generally know what realistic violence looks like and we know its consequences. However, if you are watching The A-Team with kids, you might want to take a few minutes for a quick gun safety lecture to explain how the show is unrealistic television. Since I didn't really watch the show as a kid, I love having an untapped fountain of 80s television shows at my disposal.

The cast of characters created for The A-Team are all television icons now - Hannibal, Face, Howling Mad Murdock, and B.A. Baracus. George Peppard was perfect as the mastermind behind the operation. He was a master of disguise and the undisputed leader of the group. It's nice to see him chomping on a cigar again as the hard bitten Colonel in reruns. He always reminded me of a light version of George C. Scott's Patton. After the pilot show, Dirk Benedict (of Battlestar Galactica fame) took over as "The Faceman" or "Face" who acts as the smooth talking con-man and charmer who works the system to arrange things for The A-Team. Dwight Schultz played Howling Mad Murdock who was certifiably insane as an individual, but gifted as a pilot. Finally, the inimitable Mr. T played B.A. ("Bad Attitude") Baracus who provided real muscle and mechanical genius for the group.

The A-Team is definitely formula television with fairly predictable plots. A typical episode consists of a setup to establish the bad guys and their victims, a meeting between the A-Team and the victims, a confrontation with the bad guys, a reversal in the groups fortune, the creation of improvised weapons or armored vehicles, and a final showdown with the bad guys. It lasted for 5 seasons for a total of 98 shows. In the final season, the A-Team started performing missions for the government. It's fun, 80s-style, escapist entertainment. I'd highly recommend setting up your DVR, catching a few shows, and popping some popcorn.

Retro Furniture from Retired Aircraft

I was reading an issue of Watch Journal and I came across an advertisement for a company that makes fine furniture for homes and offices out of parts from old aircraft.  It's amazing to imagine that something like this -

By RevolverOcelot (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

- could become a fine piece of furniture!  But a company called Motoart makes it happen.

This video shows how it is done:
MotoArt on YouTube

Retro Restaurant - The OK Cafe

If you prefer your retro dining experience to be more of a sit-down experience, you might try The OK Cafe in Atlanta's Buckhead Community.  It combines good nutritional options, excellent food, traditional Southern cuisine, and generally good service.  To learn more, check out this review:

Restaurant Review:  the OK Cafe in Atlanta, Georgia

Triumph Motorcycle

Some people have cooler retro gear than others.  I spotted this Triumph Motorcycle while walking our dog the other day.  It's at least 198 times cooler than any of my retro gear.  But, you won't see me taking a contraption like that into Atlanta's traffic.

Retro Dining - The Varsity in Downtown Atlanta

Nothing is more Retro than a good, old, fashioned, drive-in, hamburger and hotdog joint.  Atlanta is lucky to have one of the best - The Varsity.  It's the world's largest drive-in restaurant and it's a great place to eat and people watch.  You can read more about it here -

Restaurant Review:  the Varsity in Downtown Atlanta

By Scott Ehardt (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Miami Vice was THE show!

When I was in high school we moved from Florida to Maine.  It was a traumatic experience.  We froze our butts off.  We missed living in Florida.  Ultimately, I ended up returning to Florida for college.  Needless to say, when I was in high school and later when I was a freshman in college, Miami Vice was my favorite show.  It really showcased 80s fashion, 80s cars, 80s music, and the excitement of Miami.  It truly was the greatest show of the 80s!  In fact, it's still my favorite show and it is still shown on the Centric cable network.

Miami Vice - the Best TV Show of the 80s

A Ferrari Daytona like the one in Miami Vice.

 
In retrospect, the 80s was truly a great era for television.  What was your favorite television show of the 80s?
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