We have quite an affinity for those with affection for the sounds of our gaming past. Even more so when that blast of 8-bit aural goodness is accompanied by a visual feast centered around another one of our childhood favorites, Lego. 8-bit Trip, a video from unsigned Swedish pop outfit rymdreglage goes totally Gondry on us with ever-so enticing results. The action is a roller coaster of karate chopping, eye-popping goodness mixed with doses of pac man and general gaming fever. It’s truly a sight to behold.
If you’re the kind of person that enjoys large graphics wrapped around your car, or perhaps a large sticker over your garage door so it looks like a jet fighter is parked there, a custom wall print might just make your day. LTLprints has teamed up with veteran graphic designer Susan Kare to offer some of her best work, blown up and pixelly retro. Kare created many of the original typefaces and icons for Mac OS and recently was responsible for the “gifts” icons on Facebook. There are dozens to choose from and if you take the time to browse through the choices, I am sure a few will be instantly recognizable. For those of you not content with standard offerings, you can also design your own graphic collage with a neat drag and drop online tool.
Kitschy: Pop Kulture Kouture and Vintage Treasures. A giant bag o’ kitsch will cost you $16.00, a small one for $8.00. Also, individual gems like bracelets, rings and classic oh-my-god the sister I never had would have worn these retro-awesome barettes. This stuff is hilarious and amazing. Hat tip to the lovely Greta!
I might catch some flack for this but anytime I see lo-top canvas shoes with a simple silhouette, I immediately think of Chucks. They may not be the first, but the are definitely the most recognizable; the standard that others follow. When I saw the Sumfun model that PF Flyers was bringing back from 1947, I was incredibly surprised. Here was a shoe with incredibly clean lines and crisp edges and it does all this while managing to not look like a Converse copy. Recrafted by PF Japan, the reintroduction of this tennis shoe classic from the archives is a welcomed addition to my wardrobe.
As the guy who posted about the Twitter Backlash, I’m perhaps the person to best sing the praises of Telegram Stop. The service is meant to celebrate the proud history of person-to-person communications and revive the lost art of the telegraphic record. Step 1: Enter some text on the site (periods become “stops”). Step 2: Address it. Step 3: Pay $4.70. I did these things, and in a week my girlfriend received a crisp telegram delivered by the USPS and postmarked from Australia. Perhaps you’re thinking: Why telegram when tweets are instantaneous and free? Sometimes it’s just nice to mash-up technology with tradition. So classy, so classy.
I first remember playing The Oregon Trail back in first grade. Our screens may have only been green and black and our discs floppy, but we thought it was the coolest thing ever. In fact, it may have been one of my first experiences ever using a computer. I could ford the mightiest rivers and shoot the most squirrely squirrels–as well as the most seasoned frontiersman. Sure, I might have lost my wife and a few kids along the way, but they were dead weight anyways. You can imagine my surprise when I heard that a new version of The Oregon Trail is being released for the iPhone on February 28th. Now I’ll be able to die of dysentery and use Wikipedia to see what dysentery is, all while I’m on the go. This new version features updated graphics and game play, but I really hope they maintain the original integrity of the old-school game.
We miss arcades. Mainly because they were a great place for scoping hot guys and eating massive amounts of sugar. But now, we can relive those moments — home decor style — with Surface Tension’s HangUP Arcade Coat Hooks. The wall-mountable organizer comes on the sneaker-clad heels of their modern arcade table and allows you to show off your geekiness without looking like a total nerd. Though the standard designs feature four sticks and the 3-player or 4-player button, but you can choose from a variety of colors and 1 and 2-player buttons are available options as are a variety of backdrops if black walnut is just not your thing.
If you’re at least in your twenties, you had a relationship with cassette tapes. You remember your first mixtape, the easily breakable cases, and that pitch bend when the thing was just too damn old. The TapeDeck application for Mac OS X Leopard brings those days back without the hassle of hardware. The virtual tape recorder allows you to record and label tapes, lay down crazy effects, and store and share your tape collection, all with the visual appeal of an old deck and as many cassettes as you can fill. Check it out at tapedeckapp.com.
Calling all fans of choice kicks, if you currently have no reason to feel “pumped” up, maybe you should revisit the classic Reebok sneakers. The brand that pitted Dan and Dave against each other in the race for Olympic glory so many years ago is finally getting around to erecting their very first pop up store. Beginning November 15th, the hot spot for Reebok apparel will be the Reebok Flash store at 169 Bowery in Manhattan. In addition to some sweet and fashionable threads, each successive week will bring the release of a new limited edition sneaker available for that week only, the first of which will be a hot pair of Insta Pump Fury. The store will be around for one month — that means four new kinds of kicks. So do yourself a favor, get down there as soon as humanly possible starting this Saturday, because the shoes you want are sure to be gone in a flash.
Since the mass proliferation of digital photography, Japan has a seen a backlash among the youth who now embrace the unconventional medium of film with the fun and casual approach known as Lomography. Japan’s Superheadz is ensuring that antiques and Polaroid resells are not the only way to rock snapshots and experiment with film. Their Blackbird, Fly shoots square pictures on 35mm and costs less than a $100, allowing enthusiasts to take part in this movement without breaking the bank. The Blackbird, Fly will be out soon. Details at superheadz.com or here if you can’t read Japanese.
Between now and next spring, New York’s Lemar & Dauley take us a step further back into the nameless 90s, reviving those garish color combinations through modern, genre-bending designs.The preview of the Fall 08 – Spring 09 collection shows us familiar styles mashed up with references from De La Soul to Keith Hering to Ghostface. Check out pieces as they become available at lemaranddauley.com
Perhaps we owe it to the age of connectivity or a new generation that are working hard to get the world to notice, but we are starting to hear about obscure fashion and design brands from China. Companies like Warrior have enjoyed years of success in China with relatively no exposure outside of the country. A brand revival project titled Project Re:born is hoping to change all that. The current focus of the project is an old brand called Huili, and the limited edition collection includes a pair of kicks sporting a Chinese colorway, a toy figurine, coffee-table book and a retro blue tracksuit. All the pieces look great and capitalize on the current hot trends. We’re excited to see what else they have in store!
When you’ve got offices both in Los Angeles and Copenhagen, all style bases that matter are covered. That’s Rubber Duck’s explanation for having addresses on two continents in the northern hemisphere, a justification that’s working ’cause their line of Miami sunglasses is turning the right heads. It’s got the classic Wayfarer-inspired shape in hot colors, but the tint on the shades updates ‘em so they’re not so bland ’80s, which we agree has too far outlived its resurrection. Rubber Duck’s also got some interesting basic drugstore tennis shoes that come adorned in solid to plaid colorways that while holler back to your elementary-school days, could become a fave and a new classic. We’re not against that.
When I was a child, I saw an episode of That’s Incredible where they tested Timex’s claims. The watch company, which has been around for 50 years, had a famous slogan: “Timex: takes a lickin’ and keeps on tickin’.” They put the watch through its paces and (for the most part) it came out perfectly able to tell time. Timex was, in many ways, the G-Shock of yesteryear. It’s an everyday man’s watch that you could wear to the jobsite and not have to baby it or worry about it getting scratched or banged against the sink. In what seems like perfect retro timing, the company has recently reintroduced their Timex 80 watch. Available in both plastic (my favorite) and metal versions, the watches have time and date features and, of course, that infamous Indiglo backlight. The straps are the exact same color as the face for a uninterrupted visual loop around your wrist. To round out the package, they come in cushioned slide boxes. Get yourself a Timex 80 and a Casio calculator watch and you’ll be set!
Meaningful hippie ravings of the great John Lennon are brought to life by John Raskin in I Met the Walrus, an animated short using the audio from an unofficial 1969 interview by a 14-year-old Beatles fan in Toronto. The school age interviewer, Jerry Levitan, asks questions regarding Lennon’s being barred from the US, the role of the youth in the revolution, and messages in the Beatles’ music. The innocence behind the questions and the sincerity with which Lennon responds evokes a humanity often forgotten as a trait of icons. The awesome animation interprets Levitan’s questions, Lennon’s words, and incorporates random noises in the room (phones ringing, etc). You really just have to see it to feel it.
Calling all fans of choice kicks, if you currently have no reason to feel “pumped” up, maybe you should revisit the classic 
Perhaps we owe it to the age of connectivity or a new generation that are working hard to get the world to notice, but we are starting to hear about obscure fashion and design brands from China. Companies like 
When I was a child, I saw an episode of That’s Incredible where they tested 
