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Things You Don't See Anymore Part 3
- Thread starter Richland123
- Start date
Had that exact model remote. Worked like a spring-loaded striker on four different tone producing metal rods.
I had an uncle that worked for Zenith. He always had the most cutting edge, as-yet-unseen-in-a-store TV's in his house. I remember him having a remote control TV that used that type. It would go on to be succeeded by others, but that one was a cool bridge between what was, and what was on the horizon.
The Link Removed was Mattel's video game console, released in 1979 in order to compete with the Atari 2600. The console wasn't exactly the worst thing in the world, but it ended up failing and almost bankrupting the company.
We had one, and loved it. I still have a shelf full of those game cartridges too. A few years ago, I tracked down a working console unit on ebay, and bought it. It's both hilarious and awesome to see those blocky old graphics on a big, modern flat screen.
Just last week I asked my wife if she remembered those dog food commercials with the little chuck wagon leading the dog to the food. Your post inspired me to look up the one I was thinking of...
We had that same exact model when I was a kid. Fun fact... We had 2 dogs that wore chain choke collars. If they would scratch their neck in just the right way, the collar would jingle and the channels would start flipping, or the sound would go up and down!
Gilbert Atomic Energy Lab
Perfect for the young aspiring terrorist on your Christmas list is the Gilbert Atomic Energy Lab. In a world where other kids are playing make believe, the Atomic Energy Lab puts real power in your kid’s hands -- the kind of power that’s hot on the international black market. The kit came complete with uranium ore samples and a cloud chamber. The A.C. Gilbert Company produced a lot of chemistry sets as well -- complete with dangerous chemicals, like ammonium nitrate -- used in making homemade bombs. Chemistry is great, but probably best explored in the safe confines of a science classroom. Despite offering up some potentially dangerous kits, Gilbert also gave the world the erector set. So, there’s that.
Perfect for the young aspiring terrorist on your Christmas list is the Gilbert Atomic Energy Lab. In a world where other kids are playing make believe, the Atomic Energy Lab puts real power in your kid’s hands -- the kind of power that’s hot on the international black market. The kit came complete with uranium ore samples and a cloud chamber. The A.C. Gilbert Company produced a lot of chemistry sets as well -- complete with dangerous chemicals, like ammonium nitrate -- used in making homemade bombs. Chemistry is great, but probably best explored in the safe confines of a science classroom. Despite offering up some potentially dangerous kits, Gilbert also gave the world the erector set. So, there’s that.
I've always thought that plastic chassis would be a cool housing for a cell phone.
Austin Magic Pistol
If you thought little Ralphie’s Red Ryder BB gun was dangerous, it’s got nothing on the Austin Magic Pistol. You could take on a small army of Ralphies and repel them with your superior fire power with the Austin Magic Pistol, which, although horribly inaccurate for hitting what you aim at, had the added fun of flames shooting out of its barrel. How did it accomplish this? With “magic crystals” the toy advertised. The “crystals” were actually calcium carbide, a hazardous material. It made a great gift for that nephew whose parents you wanted to make miserable.
If you thought little Ralphie’s Red Ryder BB gun was dangerous, it’s got nothing on the Austin Magic Pistol. You could take on a small army of Ralphies and repel them with your superior fire power with the Austin Magic Pistol, which, although horribly inaccurate for hitting what you aim at, had the added fun of flames shooting out of its barrel. How did it accomplish this? With “magic crystals” the toy advertised. The “crystals” were actually calcium carbide, a hazardous material. It made a great gift for that nephew whose parents you wanted to make miserable.
So it's a tv remote?
.. even then they had the all important MUTE button!
How'd it work, was it wired to telly?
I saw so few telly remotes in the early days... ah mean, we only had 2 channels...
Like Pops_OB said above, it worked via ultrasonic sound. There were cylinders that were struck with a hammer when you pressed the buttons and each cylinder had a different resonant frequency. The receiver in the TV then decoded which button was pressed and performed the function. Don't know if the pets could hear it. The buttons made a clicking sound and hence the name "clicker" for the remote.
Where I lived as a kid, we had only two and then three channels. Three AM stations, no FM. Had to wait until dusk to get the top billboard stuff from 400 miles away or get an expensive AM radio with a tuned RF stage in the front end. Then, you could hear the 400 mile away stations during the day with some static.
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This was one of the radios that could pull in the 400 mile stations in during the day. Only problem was it was too expensive for us to afford, so we waited until dusk to get top 40 stuff. GE P780. It also had great bass.
If you're interested, here's an interview with the radio designer:
https://radiojayallen.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/ge-p780-conrad-jutson-discusses-design.pdf
If you're interested, here's an interview with the radio designer:
https://radiojayallen.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/ge-p780-conrad-jutson-discusses-design.pdf
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Sixfinger, what a cool idea for a toy. This finger-shaped device was capableof shooting various bullets.
That’s probably less scary than if it was the Flying Fickle Finger of Fate.You'll shoot your eye out!
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Gee! I wonder why!
Suspended window-cage playpens, 1934:
Suspended window-cage playpens, 1934:
