Monday, March 26, 2007

The Future, the way it used to be!


This is the first installment of a new feature here at the compound:

The Future, the way it used to be!

Today we feature the Ampex home videotape recording unit, featured in a 1966 newspaper story. Ampex also had a fancy model that came as part of a massive console television. The console model came with a pert blonde who would sit and stare longingly at the screen for hours on end.

The portable home model shown above was a huge improvement over the 1956 model pictured here.

13 comments:

Johnny Yen said...

I'm liking your new feature already, Narcozoology Pioneer Bubs!

What's with the guy in the flannel shirt? Was he about to run off and form an early proto-grunge band?

Joe said...

Clearly he felt a need to set himself apart, and since the two guys next to him had already staked out the reckless "not-wearing-a-tie-with-your-white-shirt" territory the only place for him to go was flannel.

Glad you enjoyed this, I have some more stuff coming, maybe once or twice a week for a while.

Danny Tagalog said...

Yes, 1966 is the best - though I'm worried about her vacant gesture. 1957 - 1966 - does the compound have v.1977 in the locker?

Moderator said...

My grandparents had a TV about the size of that. It weighed a TON. I had to move it. Once.

Joe said...

GM, I remember those--I was explaining to my kids a while ago that televisions used to be encased in wood, it was like I told them I told time from a sundial when I was little.

Danny, that's a good question. I'm off to the vaults.

lulu said...

I think I like the future the way it used to be more than the future the way it really is. Can we get a do-over?

Johnny Yen said...

They probably don't believe you when you tell them that there was a time we actually got off our asses and got up and walked to the television and changed the channel.

Thank god those days are gone.

I still want to know where my jetpack is.

Joe said...

Johnny you f*cker you stole my jet-pack joke! In addition to my bitter disappointment that I don't have a jet-pack you can add my disappointment that I don't get to ride a high tech conveyor belt to work.

Lulu, the do-over starts here. Get in on the ground floor.

Barbara Bruederlin said...

And what happened to those cool Jetson jobs we were all supposed to have now - pressing one button? Where's my button, damn it?

Pert blonde is going to have herself one stiff neck if she doesn't move her chair from beside the tv.

Mob said...

I'm glad the marketing guys lost the group of yahoos in favor of the pert blonde.

Coaster Punchman said...

Great series! One of my favorite things used to be "Tomorrowland" at Disneyland - a 1960ish look at the future.

Oh, how I used to long for one of those tv/stereo consoles. I probably longed for it more than the pert blond, even!

JR's Thumbprints said...

I think my parents still have a console stereo with an 8-track player in it. Real state of the art. As for television sets, the boys where I work have clear television cases so they can't hide contraband in them.

Joe said...

Howdy J.R. thanks for stopping by! I think we work with the same people, just in a different setting.

CP, glad you liked it. There's more to come.

mob, I'm not sure about that. I think the guys who looked like NASA geeks were more trustworthy.

Barbara, right. Where's our robot maid?