As the fast pace of technological change continues, there is a longing
for many of the basic, familiar, and comfortable technologies of days
gone by. For this reason, vinyl record linger in an era of streaming
music and computer programmers still love to play the Atari
video games of their youth. If you need to buy a gift for someone who
is nostalgic for the days of his youth, here are five retro gift ideas:
1. Die-cast Cars. Everyone remembers their first car with fondness. If you can find out what a person's first car or favorite car was, you can always try to get them a 1/24 or 1/18-scale die-cast version of that car. The nice thing about die-cast cars is that there is a car model to fit every budget from makers like Maisto, Burago, Action, and Replicarz.
2. Retro Radios. The Crosley Audiophile AM/FM Radio delivers great sound and has an auxiliary input so that it can serve as a speaker for an MP3 player or computer. Target recently had some models for as low as $49. These radios may well be the poor man's alternative to the Bose Wave Radio. However, if you'd like to get even more retro, there are several sites dedicated to selling vintage radios and high end radio kits.
3. Vinyl Record Player. Many audiophiles believe that vinyl records have a "warmer" sound. Other music aficionados enjoy the larger album covers and art that come with a vinyl record album. If you need a gift for someone who has a secret stash of vinyl albums and nothing to play them on, get them a turntable. They may have gone out of style, but they are back and very cool.
4. Retro Game Consoles. Vintage video games are back in a big way. While it's still fun to hunt down genuine vintage game units like the Atari 2600, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, or Sega Genesis, some of these systems and their games have been consolidated into plug-and-play units like the Atari Flashback 4.
5. Film Cameras. Despite the dominance of digital photography, film photography is resurgent as a niche hobby. Film enthusiasts can now enjoy a wide variety of used film cameras for a fraction of what they once cost. It's a lot of fun to take pictures with a vintage film camera like the Kodak Retinette 1A. If someone is nostalgic for Polaroid pictures, you can still take them with cameras like the Polaroid 300. If someone enjoys the vintage effects of instagram, they might enjoy creating similar photos in the moment with a hip Lomography camera.
As technology advances and new products supplant old products, it becomes expensive to keep up. If someone on your list is more comfortable with old instead of new, you can support them with lots of great old-fangled products.
1. Die-cast Cars. Everyone remembers their first car with fondness. If you can find out what a person's first car or favorite car was, you can always try to get them a 1/24 or 1/18-scale die-cast version of that car. The nice thing about die-cast cars is that there is a car model to fit every budget from makers like Maisto, Burago, Action, and Replicarz.
2. Retro Radios. The Crosley Audiophile AM/FM Radio delivers great sound and has an auxiliary input so that it can serve as a speaker for an MP3 player or computer. Target recently had some models for as low as $49. These radios may well be the poor man's alternative to the Bose Wave Radio. However, if you'd like to get even more retro, there are several sites dedicated to selling vintage radios and high end radio kits.
3. Vinyl Record Player. Many audiophiles believe that vinyl records have a "warmer" sound. Other music aficionados enjoy the larger album covers and art that come with a vinyl record album. If you need a gift for someone who has a secret stash of vinyl albums and nothing to play them on, get them a turntable. They may have gone out of style, but they are back and very cool.
4. Retro Game Consoles. Vintage video games are back in a big way. While it's still fun to hunt down genuine vintage game units like the Atari 2600, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, or Sega Genesis, some of these systems and their games have been consolidated into plug-and-play units like the Atari Flashback 4.
5. Film Cameras. Despite the dominance of digital photography, film photography is resurgent as a niche hobby. Film enthusiasts can now enjoy a wide variety of used film cameras for a fraction of what they once cost. It's a lot of fun to take pictures with a vintage film camera like the Kodak Retinette 1A. If someone is nostalgic for Polaroid pictures, you can still take them with cameras like the Polaroid 300. If someone enjoys the vintage effects of instagram, they might enjoy creating similar photos in the moment with a hip Lomography camera.
As technology advances and new products supplant old products, it becomes expensive to keep up. If someone on your list is more comfortable with old instead of new, you can support them with lots of great old-fangled products.
