this post was submitted on 17 Nov 2024
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Cassette Futurism

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Welcome to Cassette Futurism Lemmy and Mbin Community.

A place to share and discuss Cassette Futurism: media where the technology closely matches the computers and technology of the 70s and 80s.

Whether it's bright colors and geometric shapes, the tendency towards stark plainness, or the the lack of powerful computers and cell phones, Cassette Futurism includes: Cassettes, ROM chips, CRT displays, computers reminiscent of microcomputers like the Commodore 64, freestanding hi-fi systems, small LCD displays, and other analog technologies.

See this blog to know more.


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[–] Nougat@fedia.io 30 points 6 days ago (3 children)

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

[–] Psythik@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days 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 6 days 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 6 days 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 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)
[–] Psythik@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

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

[–] IlIllIIIllIlIlIIlI@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago (2 children)

They are supposed to have soft foam.

[–] Feddinat0r@feddit.org 2 points 6 days ago

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

[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.ml 1 points 6 days ago

Doesn't fit even more.

[–] Kernal64@sh.itjust.works 3 points 6 days ago

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

[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 18 points 6 days ago (4 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.

[–] felixwhynot@lemmy.world 10 points 6 days ago (3 children)

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

[–] mkwt@lemmy.world 11 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Forget FCC licenses! Let's do pirate radio.

[–] Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 2 points 18 hours ago

24/7 loop of the theme for pirates of the caribean.

[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 3 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days 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!

[–] PunnyName@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago

Change those earbuds at some point.

[–] SomeAmateur@sh.itjust.works 2 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

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

[–] Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 3 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

..........why are they asking people to donate their car? Do the staff just not have cars?

[–] SomeAmateur@sh.itjust.works 1 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago)

That's a good question maybe it's getaway cars for their crimes against iHeart Media lol

Seriously though I think they know mechanics that can sell the pieces and parts of cars. Very convenient for the original owner (they get a tax break) and makes some cash for the radio station

[–] Psythik@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days 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.

[–] Zorsith@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 6 days ago

You're not missing much now sadly. It's all iHeartRadio now. Every single goddamn station.

[–] anomnom@sh.itjust.works 8 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days 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@slrpnk.net 5 points 6 days ago

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

[–] rickyrigatoni@lemm.ee 3 points 6 days ago (2 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.

[–] Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 2 points 18 hours ago

So hows ducktales?

[–] anomnom@sh.itjust.works 1 points 6 days ago

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

[–] jaschen@lemm.ee 0 points 6 days ago (1 children)

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.

[–] anomnom@sh.itjust.works 1 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (2 children)

I woulda been in jr high when this came out and everyone wanted either the Sony sport (waterproof) or a discman if you had rich parents (I did not).

We got a used NES and pile of used games because a cousin worked for a rental store and they started dropping NES stock when the Super NES came out. Somehow later on someone gave us a Genesis, but that and an Apple 2e were all we had for most of the late 80s- 90s.

Oh yeah, and in 92 little kids were still all about those crappy voice recorders from home alone. My little brother was all about those for a year or so.

[–] Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 1 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

I mean.......the NES was great, AND you had a genesis??? I would not complain.

[–] anomnom@sh.itjust.works 1 points 13 hours ago

Sorry I didn’t mean to sound like I’m complaining. But at the time we got each system, the next generation versions had already come out and we’d missed the peak. So friends didn’t want to come over to play Mario 3 and Tetris (which were new to me at the time) when Super Mario World and Mario Kart were the current challenges.

I think my brother got the Genesis when his friend was giving it away breve he got a new N64.

They weren’t old enough to be retro yet, and I think you may be forgetting that kids can be pretty cruel about stupid shit like this. We’re stop deity has a lot of fun with these games. Even if we were never good enough to compete with the kids who’d had them longer.

[–] jaschen@lemm.ee 1 points 4 days ago (2 children)

I had a walkman sport. It was huge and even with the headphones plugged in, you could take a shower with it haha.

I eventually got a Genesis too. Then a Dreamcast.

I'm in my mid 40s now and I miss that feeling that when my dad came home with an walkman for me. Now I dedicate my life to constantly giving my son that same feeling! Because once he becomes an adult, it's all downhill from there.

[–] Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 1 points 18 hours ago

Man......I have a dark sense of humor, and you saying you just want to make your son happy before he becomes an adult gave me inspiration for a joke. And then I read the joke back to myself, and thought "Oh wait, if he doesn't have a dark sense of humor this just comes off like a psychopath being an asshole....."

So instead of that joke, I'll say you should just burst into your sons room right now, and hug them! Just go bursting in like HEY SON!!!! YOUR DAD/MOM LOVES YOU, AND YOU AIN'T ESCAPING MY HUGS!!! GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE YOU BIG BALL OF INFINATE POTENTIAL!!! YOU'RE GONNA DO GREAT THINGS IN LIFE, AND I LOVE YOU!!!!

And then your son would just be getting hugged, and confused, and he'd be like "uhhhhhhh.......is one of us dying? What is happening right now?"

Aw dammit. See? Even without making a dark joke, I still made a different dark joke.

[–] anomnom@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I’m about the same age. I remember playing with the simplest dumb things. Like the roller bearings left over from some failed engineering project. Or my dad’s old calculator with the vacuum fluorescent display. It’s tricky to instill that kind of make-do entertainment in my son when the iPad can play anything you want any moment.

Actually the trickiest thing has been teaching him to ride a bike. Our street is crazy busy and short, with no sidewalks. So we have to drive to a park or quiet neighborhood to practice. He’s almost 7 and it still hasn’t clicked. He did start really swimming (and diving) this summer though. Which has been awesome.

[–] jaschen@lemm.ee 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Haha, my mom was an accountant and I would love playing with the calculator that would dispense the paper. Would try and draw something with numbers.

My kid is 6 and he only gets to watch videos I downloaded from YouTube or movies that I downloaded from the places and put into a playlist on VLC. I do give him free reign on Spotify with the swear words removed.

As for bicycles, we live in Taipei and it's way too dangerous to ride on the sidewalk, let alone the street. So we have to ride in the park.

I ended up paying someone to teach my kid after many failed attempts to teach on my own. After 1 class he was able to ride and after the second class he was proficient. I think the reason was my kid felt comfortable around me and if he is pushed to his limits, we don't push him harder and he knows that. With a teacher, he just had to listen and follow the directions and take bigger risks.

[–] anomnom@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Bike lessons actually makes good sense. My son has a habit of not wanting to learn from me as well (though he has turned around a little since starting first grade). Gonna look into that this spring. Thanks!

[–] jaschen@lemm.ee 1 points 1 day ago

Good luck internet friend!

[–] sag@lemm.ee 6 points 6 days ago (1 children)

It's from 1992 but it have CassetteFuturism Vibe.

[–] aeronmelon@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago

Cassette pastism.

[–] wesker@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 6 days ago

Thanks, I need one now.