Tag Archives: nostalgia

Weekly Photo Challenge: Windows

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When you hear the word windows do you first think of panes of glass or Operating Systems developed in Redmond, Washington?

Yeah, me too.

That’s why when I saw that the theme for this week’s WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge was Windows I knew what I wanted to share.

First, I considered of the Old School Windows logo.

Windows 3.0 logo
Image via Wikipedia

…but I thought that would be too boring.

Next, I thought about the all-too-familiar “Blue Screen of Death“.

Windows XP Blue Screen of Death
Image via Wikipedia

…but I thought that would be too snarky.

So, I decided to be more creative. Using the Mac-native DOS emulator Boxer…

Boxer Splash Screen

I installed Windows 3.11 (just because I can).

Now, behold and tremble, oh ye people of the Internet, at the wonder and majesty of early 1990′s software running on the latest and greatest from Cupertino!

Notepad & Paintbrush on Mac

Of course, what could be more iconic than of Windows’ Klondike Solitaire?

Windows Solitaire on Mac

I blame Microsoft for the fact that a computer just doesn’t feel fully functional to me until it has an instance of solitaire running on it.

Want to participate in the challenge? Head on over to The Daily Post and follow the instructions below.

1. Each week, [they] provide a theme for creative inspiration. You take photographs based on your interpretation of the theme, and post them on your blog anytime before the following Friday when the next photo theme will be announced.

2. To make it easy for others to check out your photos, title your blog post “Weekly Photo Challenge: (theme of the week)” and be sure to use a “postaday2011″ or “postaweek2011″ tag.

3. Subscribe to The Daily Post so that you don’t miss out on weekly challenge announcements. Sign up via the email subscription link in the sidebar or RSS.

Now, take a picture that captures this week’s theme and post a link to it in the comments below.

All images are from my flickr, unless otherwise noted.

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Dump Truck Days

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This week I went to the New Mexico Coal mines to learn about their driver safety systems for work. Located in New Mexico within and around the Navajo Nation, the mines are a teaming with dump trucks.

Dump Truck Crossing (Just Nice)

One of the best toys I ever had as a boy was my Steel Tonka Dump Truck. It was big, heavy, and made the sandbox much more fun than normal.

While I wasn’t out at the mine to check out the trucks, seeing them in action brought back memories from when my favorite toy didn’t need to be recharged or require Internet access.

Trucks All in a Row (Birdsky)

Dump Truck Closeup (Treasured)

Heading Back from the Plant (Green with Envy)

Loading the Dump Truck 1 (This Is My Boom)

Loading the Dump Truck 2 (Hint of Vintage)

Loading the Dump Truck 3 (Zen)

What have you seen lately that brought back childhood memories? Sound off in the comments below.

All images are from my flickr, unless otherwise noted.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Old Fashioned

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For my post last week I took some pictures of my grandfather’s old Polaroid camera and ran them through Flare. That post would have been perfect for this week’s WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge.

The theme for week’s challenge is Old Fashioned.

Pola 5 (Polaroid App)
Image via my flickr Processed using the Polaroid app for Mac.

The photo above was taken on the same day as the pictures from last week’s post. Rather than run it through Flare, I’ve processed it in the freely available Polaroid.app for Mac.

So, here you have a Polaroid of a Polaroid. Is that old fashioned enough for you?

Want to participate in the challenge? Head on over to The Daily Post and follow the instructions below.

1. Each week, [they] provide a theme for creative inspiration. You take photographs based on your interpretation of the theme, and post them on your blog anytime before the following Friday when the next photo theme will be announced.

2. To make it easy for others to check out your photos, title your blog post “Weekly Photo Challenge: (theme of the week)” and be sure to use a “postaday2011″ or “postaweek2011″ tag.

3. Subscribe to The Daily Post so that you don’t miss out on weekly challenge announcements. Sign up via the email subscription link in the sidebar or RSS.

Now, take a picture that captures this week’s theme and post a link to it in the comments below.

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Polaroid: Everything New Is Old Again

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Pola 6 (Unorthodox Pop)
Image via my flickr. Processed using Flare for Mac.

Long before digital cameras (or Demetri Martin for that matter), Polaroid cameras brought generations of us instant nostalgia.

Pola 3 (Light Leak)
Image via my flickr. Processed using Flare for Mac.

I loved my grandpa’s Polaroid when I was a kid. There was something magical about the hazy, off-color images they reproduced.

Pola 1 (Amazing Stories)
Image via my flickr. Processed using Flare for Mac.

Apps like Hipstamatic on the iPhone, Mac app Flare, and photo-sharing site Instagram are bringing back the glorious look and style of the analog imperfections of yesteryear.

Pola 2 (B5-1)
Image via my flickr. Processed using Flare for Mac.

If you still haven’t bought Flare, now’s the time you really should. At its regular price of $19.99 it’s a must-buy—at its limited time sale price of $9.99 from the Mac App Store it’s a steal.

Pola 4 (Faded Applause)
Image via my flickr. Processed using Flare for Mac.

What do you think of the current state of retro photography apps? Love ‘em? Hate ‘em? Meh? Sound off in the comments below.

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Do You Remember Your First?

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My music collection is like a time machine. Certain songs have the power to transport me back in time or evoke strong memories from days gone long past.

My iTunes library has over 7,000 songs from around 2,700 albums. The other day I was thinking about some of the oldest tracks and where they came from.

My First Tape

Endless Summer

Growing up in Southern California, The Beach Boys were something I was raised on, like sunshine and smoggy air. I bought Endless Summer some time during 1984—it was the first album I ever bought. I loved The Beach Boys’ harmonies and remember singing along to every track.

You can download Endless Summer on Amazon or iTunes.

My First CD

Please Hammer

When I was in junior high (against my parents’ better advice) I signed up for one of those record clubs which were all too prevalent in those days. You know the type, pay a penny for one CD today, get 10 for free later, and then buy 100 more at 1,000 times their normal price.

The first CD I chose was Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em by MC Hammer. It hasn’t held up well, but its lead track U Can’t Touch This could be the soundtrack to my 7th grade year.

You can download Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em on Amazon or iTunes

My First iTunes Download

Live Forever

In 2001, the iTunes Music Store launched. I didn’t even have an iPod, but I was curious to try it out as a legitimate alternative to all the peer-to-peer filesharing that was going on at the time.

One day I scored a promo code for a free download from a soda I’d downed, so I installed iTunes on my Windows 98 clunker of a PC, and perused the store for something I didn’t already have, but wanted.

The selection wasn’t nearly as comprehensive in those early days as it is now. However, I did find something I liked and downloaded Live Forever by Oasis.

The song reminded me then, as it does even now, of countless hours spent listening to the “World Famous 106.7, KROQ” during my high school years. Of all the music discussed in this post, Live Forever is the only song that’s in regular rotation on my iPod.

You can download Live Forever on Amazon or iTunes.

Thank you for joining me on my musical time warp. What was the first album or song you ever bought? Do you even remember? What memories does that song bring back? Sound off in the comments below.

Fraggle Mac

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Fraggle Rock Intro 2

Fraggle Rock

Shortly before we moved to Chilé, I picked up a couple of Fraggle Rock DVDs from the bargain bin at Walmart for the kids. I was pleased to learn that they enjoyed the stories, songs, and silliness as much as I had when I was their age.

I got a huge kick out of seeing the old Apple computers in the background—these were same kind of computers I used to play Oregon Trail and Carmen San Diego on. So, I grabbed a couple of screenshots to share.

Back of Apple

See the old Apple logo on the back of the display?

I remember that in an interview with series creator, Jim Henson, he described the program as the “happiest show” he ever created.

Apple with Two Floppy Drives

Apple with dual external floppy drives

I’m convinced that this was at least partially due to the fact that they were using Apples. One can almost hear the jubilant expressions over the complete absence of MS-DOS based operating systems and drab IBM clones.

Do you remember Fraggle Rock or old Apple Computers? Share a favorite memory of either one (or both) in the comments below.