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0toShifty posted:A friend has a 1994 Jetta that had a previous life as an audio competition car. It had wacky 90s high end stereo equipment, crossovers, eq, many amps, and the best part? Yes, it had a Minidisc changer in the trunk.  Reminded me of the remote control watch which isn't failed and is in fact the coolest poo poo ever. Friend in middle school had one and any roll-away TV in the classroom would get checked for power. There are different infrared signal types according to brand or something, so once he found the right setting for the TV or VCR the shenanigans would happen. Teachers getting mad at technology is never not funny
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Mar 20, 2017 05:59
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Elsa posted:
I was an insufferable little poo poo in middle school and this thing was a goddamned weapon of terror in my filthy little hands. I had this one...  It was fairly easy to program it quickly and once you memorized the 2 digit codes for all the popular brands you could gently caress poo poo up. I had many teachers on the edge of breakdown from messing around during what should have been an easy day for them. TV goes off. That's weird. He goes and turns it back on. Video pauses, then rewinds just as he gets back to his desk after unpairing it. A few minutes to by... Mute. And on and on and on. God drat was I a poo poo kid. I never got caught either. I can't imagine how much troubleshooting the AV people had to do after the teacher insisted that the video rig was haunted by a malevolent spirit. Even better than loving around at school was going to the mall. Food court TVs? Static at top volume. Program that hosed for Sony and go over to Sears and watch two dozen TVs flip on at off all at once. So much mayhem for such a little gadget. I don't know if my mom ever figured out why I wanted that thing for my birthday so badly.
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Mar 20, 2017 06:29
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Grumbletron 4000 posted:I was an insufferable little poo poo in middle school and this thing was a goddamned weapon of terror in my filthy little hands. I had this one...  sometimes it took a while and we assumed he gave up. Then when the volume shot up or something it caught us by surprise and became funnier to realize he'd been working on it all along instead of paying attention 
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Mar 20, 2017 06:42
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Elsa posted:
A few of my delinquent friends were in on it but they never gave me up. We were all just glancing at each other, stifling laughter as the teacher went totally apeshit trying to keep up with whatever I was telling the TV and VCR to do. The rest of the class was just befuddled and annoyed that they couldn't complete the worksheet on the video about what happens when frogs gently caress or whatever. I think I'd like to have one again for nostalgia purposes. You think your retro Casio calculator watch is cool? BAM! Now your TV is off. Get the gently caress out of here.
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Mar 20, 2017 06:58
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Grumbletron 4000 posted:A few of my delinquent friends were in on it but they never gave me up. We were all just glancing at each other, stifling laughter as the teacher went totally apeshit trying to keep up with whatever I was telling the TV and VCR to do. The rest of the class was just befuddled and annoyed that they couldn't complete the worksheet on the video about what happens when frogs gently caress or whatever. Hell yeah I have a feeling I'm about to buy one. In high school, the same guy had a Beavis and Butthead sound effects toy that resembled a keyless entry fob. During large student gatherings he'd use it. Any sort of innuendo words resulted in very faint but distinct "yeah huh huhuh huh cornholio huh huhuh teepeeformybunghole!" from somewhere in the crowd. There was a sex ed day in the theater and it was loving amazinggg when it was time for the woman to demonstrate a condom with a cucumber. Holy poo poo. I tried to find a picture or a source but nada. Because that too would still be fun
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Mar 20, 2017 07:06
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Elsa posted:Hell yeah I have a feeling I'm about to buy one. I would have loved that Beavis and Butthead toy. I'm sure that I wouldn't have been able to contain myself and it would have been confiscated the first day I brought it to school. Which reminded me of this...  Anyone remember those? Each button made a stupid gun or explosion sound. They could be found at any gas station toy rack in the early 90's. RATTTATATATAT BWEEEOOOOO PSSSSHHHHH ELLLELLEEEEELLEEEEELEEEELLL DOOOODLEDOOODLEDOOODLE KOOOOOSHHH. A device that had no other purpose than to annoy people. When the battery started to die it just sounded like electronic Satan loving a reversed Black Sabbath album. On the same subject, maybe someone knows about another noisemaker I had. I wanna say it was a yakbak but nothing that comes up in a search is right. It was round and had a collapsible megaphone horn. On the back it had a grill opening to speak into and a few buttons to morph your voice or play a selection of intensely irritating cartoon sound effects. One of my first jobs out.of high school was as a janitor at a cereal factory. There was a facility wide PA system. You pick up a phone, dial a number and after the beep whatever you say gets blasted through a hundred loudspeakers in every corner of that HUGE factory. It's meant to page another person in the facility but it was also very good for using that dumb sound effects toy to broadcast a bunch of fart sounds, distorted sex grunts, kookoo clock and boingy boner spring noises to a bunch of angry bosses and mildy amused cereal factory workers. I figure that qualifies as obsolete tech cause I haven't seen any goofy noisemaker toys around in a long while. We have smartphone soundboards that do all that for us now.
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Mar 20, 2017 08:59
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Don't worry guys, remote control shenanigans are still alive today since TVs haven't changed. Everyoen who has an android phone with an IR LED is sure to be blasting at beamers, TVs and everything else IR controlled. Since TV sessions were the best, I don't think anyone had any reason to want to mess with them tho.
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Mar 20, 2017 09:34
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I had one of these bad boys: Put the speaker against the mouthpiece, push a button, and voila! Who had time to push SEVEN or more buttons?
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Mar 20, 2017 12:47
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My current phone has IR. Handy for the moments where you have to tune a TV during some tech check. My annoying gadget at school was a watch that spoke the time. It came from the infamous Innovations home order catalogue and caught my 12 year old eye as being a cool thing for a birthday and so I got it. It was LOUD. *DONG* THE-TIME-IS-9-45-A-M. And the announce button slowly wore and became a hair trigger. On top of that it had assorted horrid alarms and tones from a rooster crow to a deliberately off-key theme to The Godfather prompting it being confiscated several times at school.
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Mar 20, 2017 12:47
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Grumbletron 4000 posted:I was an insufferable little poo poo in middle school and this thing was a goddamned weapon of terror in my filthy little hands. I had this one... I'm glad someone actually did this, I remember always wanting to get some universal IR device and gently caress with mall TVs and poo poo.
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Mar 20, 2017 12:53
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Mister Kingdom posted:I had one of these bad boys: I had a Casio Databank DB-C60  Didn't have the ability to dial for you, but it did have that tiny little keyboard. Wore that thing from the ages of 9-12. I wanted on of these:  An analog Casio Databank? How did that work?    Sadly, I was never able to afford one of these on my allowance. I remember they were $220 at Service Merchandise around 1991. So it was either this or a Super Nintendo. I made the right decision.
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Mar 20, 2017 13:39
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Holy poo poo I completely forgot about Service Merchandise
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Mar 20, 2017 13:42
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Speaking of long-dead retail chains, I never understood why places like Caldor or Bradlees went out of business when identical chains like Kohl's or Marshall's/TJ Maxx soldiered on. I guess the same could be said for places like Circuit City/CompUSA/Nobody Beats the Wiz vs. Best Buy/Fry's/Microcenter, but that's more of a niche market nowadays I suppose. I liked Bradlees because my mom would always buy me a pretzel and an Icee and let me go play Streets of Rage on the demo Genesis while she shopped. Oh, youth 
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Mar 20, 2017 15:32
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Grumbletron 4000 posted:electronic Satan loving a reversed Black Sabbath album. As a fan of both Sabbath and Satan (redundant?) I would pay actual money for an album like that. Also, this: Lowen SoDium posted:An analog Casio Databank?  Thanks for posting about that. Gonna jump on eBay for a quick search. Totally unrelated. edit: only one for sale @ $250. More than I expected! Then again, $220 in 1991 money is drat near $400 today. Trabant has a new favorite as of 15:59 on Mar 20, 2017 |
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Mar 20, 2017 15:42
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Kelp Me! posted:Speaking of long-dead retail chains, I never understood why places like Caldor or Bradlees went out of business when identical chains like Kohl's or Marshall's/TJ Maxx soldiered on. I miss Incredible Universe. I can understand why they went out, but it was cool as hell walking in to separate rooms all dedicated to single consoles especially the ones nobody I knew owned. 3DO, Neo Geo, Turbografx 16, Philips CDi, Atari Jaguar, etc.
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Mar 20, 2017 15:56
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Mammal Sauce posted:I miss Incredible Universe. I can understand why they went out, but it was cool as hell walking in to separate rooms all dedicated to single consoles especially the ones nobody I knew owned. 3DO, Neo Geo, Turbografx 16, Philips CDi, Atari Jaguar, etc. Your username/AV text brings all kinds of weird memories back, too 
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Mar 20, 2017 15:58
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Kelp Me! posted:I guess the same could be said for places like Circuit City/CompUSA/Nobody Beats the Wiz vs. Best Buy/Fry's/Microcenter, but that's more of a niche market nowadays I suppose. It's not fair to lump Microcenter in with any of those. They're probably the most pure form of what any of those stores have tried to be, which is probably why they're great. If I need a basic RCA Left/Right stereo cable, I can find it there for cheap. If I went to Best Buy, you can't find one that isn't overpriced, or way too big. Oh and good luck finding any kind of adaptor for it at Best Buy. In other words Microcenter rules
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Mar 20, 2017 16:05
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Iron Crowned posted:It's not fair to lump Microcenter in with any of those. They're probably the most pure form of what any of those stores have tried to be, which is probably why they're great. If I need a basic RCA Left/Right stereo cable, I can find it there for cheap. If I went to Best Buy, you can't find one that isn't overpriced, or way too big. Oh and good luck finding any kind of adaptor for it at Best Buy. Microcenter and Fry's are a different beast from your Circuit Cities and Best Buys of the world. They're what Radio Shack used to be combined with what radio shack became and still better than either.
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Mar 20, 2017 16:11
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True, I guess. Microcenter is a really great store for that reason, I guess it's more accurate to ask why Best Buy stayed around when Circuit City/The Wiz went down since they're the most similar. I definitely remember buying a book on Netscape Navigator and a Creative Live! sound card at CompUSA  Also remember a very bored-looking clerk at The Wiz not questioning the fact that a TI-83 rang up as a little $10 scientific calculator, with an additional 70% off due to store closing. That building is a Best Buy now
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Mar 20, 2017 16:34
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To be honest, last time I went into Best Buy, I'm surprised they can afford to keep the lights on.
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Mar 20, 2017 16:56
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Krispy Kareem posted:I had this iPod: I still use mine at the gym and when I'm jogging.
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Mar 20, 2017 17:21
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Lowen SoDium posted:I had a Casio Databank DB-C60 I wore one of those until about 2009, when I realized that my phone had taken over every function it served except for "glance at wrist for time", and I switched to an analog face watch.
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Mar 20, 2017 17:33
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I really wish Sandisk or whoever would update their little $20 MP3 players to take SDXC so i can put a 128GB card in and have my whole collection in one spot.
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Mar 20, 2017 17:33
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Mammal Sauce posted:I miss Incredible Universe. I can understand why they went out, but it was cool as hell walking in to separate rooms all dedicated to single consoles especially the ones nobody I knew owned. 3DO, Neo Geo, Turbografx 16, Philips CDi, Atari Jaguar, etc. There was this small chain called Media Play in the 90s that was nice. Could get books, music and movies all in one place. Went to the one in Gainesville, FL a lot, then it up and shut down one day.
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Mar 20, 2017 17:38
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Keith Atherton posted:My best friend in junior high had an Atari 2600 but my dad was loyal to the Magnavox store in town PM me if you'd like to sell that. 
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Mar 20, 2017 18:56
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 The glorious Radio Shack Pocket Tone Dialer. The intended use was you could program in some commonly used numbers, it had a little speaker on the back, so you held the device up to the phone mouthpiece and it would play the DTMF tones to dial the number. Handy! What the most common use was, was turning it into a Red Box. A device that would play the tones a payphone used to signal the switching center that money was put in. By replacing a crystal inside the Radio Shack dialer, you could make the * button emit a tone close enough to fool a payphone. The replacement crystals were difficult to get in the pre-Mouser and Digikey days, so you ended up buying them from various shady people on the web. Radio Shack knew full well what teenagers wanting a tone dialer were planning to do. Trying to buy one of these from your local Radio Shack was like trying to buy cigarettes underage. You hung around and waited for the cool-looking employee to run the cash register. There were a lot of stories of Radio Shack employees refusing to sell these to kids because they drat well knew all they were trying to do was to build a Red Box.
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Mar 20, 2017 19:41
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Why the hell would any Radio Shack employee give a poo poo about what you were doing short of building a bomb?
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Mar 20, 2017 19:53
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back in the good old days retailers had ethics
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Mar 20, 2017 20:03
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Imagined posted:Why the hell would any Radio Shack employee give a poo poo about what you were doing short of building a bomb? When I worked there literally the only time I gave a poo poo was if someone was trying to activate/buy a cell phone with fake info, but only because the sale would end up getting reversed and they'd yank my commission off the sale. Other than that, I think I warned a kid once that the battery he was trying to buy for his vape would burst into flames if he used it for such, but that's about it. I would tell people if they were obviously buying the wrong cable or adapter but only because it was easier in the long run than not giving a poo poo at all. I also loved nailing shoplifters but that was more out of boredom than any actual company loyalty
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Mar 20, 2017 20:22
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Kelp Me! posted:When I worked there literally the only time I gave a poo poo was if someone was trying to activate/buy a cell phone with fake info, but only because the sale would end up getting reversed and they'd yank my commission off the sale. Other than that, I think I warned a kid once that the battery he was trying to buy for his vape would burst into flames if he used it for such, but that's about it. I would tell people if they were obviously buying the wrong cable or adapter but only because it was easier in the long run than not giving a poo poo at all. So, did you quit last week?
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Mar 20, 2017 20:24
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No I quit like 3 years ago right before the first bankruptcy I do kind of miss having a job braindead enough that I could go smoke a bowl in the basement stockroom whenever I wanted e: gently caress that reminds me I think the one by me closes today, gonna go see what random poo poo I can get at 70% off 
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Mar 20, 2017 20:28
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Kelp Me! posted:Caldor or Bradlees sup MA goon Iron Crowned posted:In other words Microcenter rules
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Mar 20, 2017 20:56
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Kelp Me! posted:True, I guess. Microcenter is a really great store for that reason, I guess it's more accurate to ask why Best Buy stayed around when Circuit City/The Wiz went down since they're the most similar. I'm reasonably certain Best Buy makes all its money off phones and service plans. In that sense they are a more successful version of Radio Shack, but without all the batteries. And Microcenter is a loving shrine to all that is good in electronics retailing. It's still packed every time I go there so the world is a just place.
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Mar 20, 2017 21:13
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whiteyfats posted:There was this small chain called Media Play in the 90s that was nice. Could get books, music and movies all in one place. Went to the one in Gainesville, FL a lot, then it up and shut down one day. Media Play used to be my paradise when I was a kid.
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Mar 20, 2017 21:32
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DicktheCat posted:Media Play used to be my paradise when I was a kid. This post just reminded me that Suncoast Motion Picture Company existed. It seemed like every mall had one and they were always awesome. Had so many rare movies.
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Mar 20, 2017 21:37
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Krispy Kareem posted:I'm reasonably certain Best Buy makes all its money off phones and service plans. In that sense they are a more successful version of Radio Shack, but without all the batteries. You're probably pretty close on Best Buy, given their little cell phone shops in malls.
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Mar 20, 2017 21:57
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Krispy Kareem posted:I'm reasonably certain Best Buy makes all its money off phones and service plans. In that sense they are a more successful version of Radio Shack, but without all the batteries. Iirc a big part of the reason Best Buy stays around is because they rent out their floor space to other retailers. That's why you find stuff like household appliances and all that jazz in Best Buy, because it's a third party retailer selling through BB.
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Mar 20, 2017 22:02
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I see your CompUSA and raise you a ComputerCity. Growing up I had the best of both worlds as they were only 15 minutes away and approximately 5 miles down the road from eachother. We bought both our Packard Bell Pentium 60 and a Custom Ordered ComputerCity PII 350mhz system from that location. The ComputerCity location closed in 1998 when they were purchased by CompUSA. The CompUSA held on for a few more years before they too were closed. Lots of memories at both stores. Luckily where I am now, there's a Microcenter in driving distance and it's awesome. JayKay has a new favorite as of 22:28 on Mar 20, 2017 |
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Mar 20, 2017 22:26
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JayKay posted:I see your CompUSA and raise you a ComputerCity. Growing up I had the best of both worlds as they were only 15 minutes away and approximately 5 miles down the road from eachother. I loved my infrequent trips to Computer City. Mainly because they were like the only place I could ever find games for my Mac (outside of shareware on MacAddict CDs). It was also the first place I saw a black computer (Acer Aspire?). I remember thinking it was weird and cool.
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Mar 20, 2017 22:35
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Trebek posted:This post just reminded me that Suncoast Motion Picture Company existed. It seemed like every mall had one and they were always awesome. Had so many rare movies. Oh, poo poo, I remember them. One closest to me had a pretty good selection.
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Mar 20, 2017 22:36
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