Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with retro

Help identify this retro triptoy grid-light ..thing

jmnugent — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 11:49:02 -0800

A friend owns one of these antique (?) clear-plastic, free-standing, quasi-lite-bright type hobby-kit devices. The label/signature can be seen here. Just what the hell is it? (besides the obvious trip-toy type device). Bonus = it still works.

Leave The Mask On

The Whelk — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:56:52 -0800

Help me find music about sexin' up Superheroes! I'm running an event based on Yoe's "Secret Identity" and I need background music that references a bunch of things and/.or sounds like something The Silk Specter would enjoy. Ideally these songs should be about any or all of these things:

Superheroes/Masked Avengers

Secret Identity/Double Lives

Sex/Kink/Lust/Etc

Music from the 40s-50s greatly preferred but not necessary. I want to mood to bend more toward "wink wink nudge nudge" kinky rather than darker or more aggro sounds.

Yes, I've got a lulu. Why?

stuck on an island — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:25:06 -0800

Where can I find reasonably detailed reference images of smart everyday women's clothes from the 1940s, 50s and early 60s? After bemoaning the state of modern women's workwear for years, I've decided to draw my office wardrobe influences from the past. Specifically, the block of time bordered roughly by His Girl Friday and Mad Men. (Yes, I know.) To do this, I need images from the time to "clip" for reference and inspiration, but I can't figure out where to look -- searching specifically for costume images yields too few results, searching generally for the time periods yields too many.

Where should I look to get a good idea of what the woman in the street wore? I am not looking for haute couture or Hollywood glamour (although I'd welcome recommendations for good frock porn films) -- more along the lines of what a Sartorialist of the time might have photographed. I make clothes and am learning to draft my own patterns, so the more detailed the images the better.

It's just a jump to the left. And then a step to the right.

miss lynnster — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:00:59 -0800

I need visual examples of vintage influences (1920s-1950s) in current popular culture to prove retro design is still hip with the cool kids. Putting together images for a style presentation. I want to hire a retro illustrator for a project but last week someone expressed belief that young people aren't interested in waxing nostalgic for a time they didn't live in. I just need to show solid proof of how off base that is. I need visual examples of pop culture and design (magazine ads, interior decor, popular products like the Dangerous Book for Boys, anything really...) to prove that modern people are still embracing very vintage inspiration and that retro style is still relevant in popular culture and embraced by younger people.

I have a lot already. Just want to see what I might not have thought of. Thanks oodles. You da bomb. Yes, you.

And we're accepting applications for a Babyface Nelson

andromache — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:52:48 -0800

We're in NYC. How do we dress as Bonnie and Clyde for Halloween for under $40/pp? I want to convince my lady to go as Bonnie to my Clyde for Halloween this year, and I want to enlist your help in making my case. Upside: we get to dress as dapper 30s badasses and cover ourselves with bullet holes and fake blood. Downside: she wants to go as the Hamburgler. And that means if I want to do a team costume with her (which, I don't know why but I do) I'm probably going as Ronald McDonald. And fuck that.

Neither of these ideas is as great as the first idea, which was we just go all out and get really elaborate furry costumes, but I poked around online and it looks like they run about $90 and up to rent for a night. Would be hilarious and memorable, but that's a lotta scratch for a one-night rental.

So I guess the question is this: Where could we get vintage/30s-looking clothes in NYC for purchase or rent for under $40 per person? Doesn't need to be exactly like the Faye Dunaway/Warren Beatty movie, or even like the real-life Bonnie and Clyde, just something that says "old-timey mobster". Are there any Goodwill/thrift stores where you've found stuff that would work for this?

And what, other than a beret for her (that part from the movie has to stay, I think) and loads of gory bullet holes for both of us, would make us obviously Bonnie and clyde-ish? For instance, I could rent a suit maybe and use my own white shirt to ruin with fake blood.

Also--will we get arrested by overzealous NYC cops for carrying a fake tommygun around on the subway on Oct. 31st? How fake does it need to look to avoid spending All Hallow's Eve in the slammer (you'll never take me alive, coppers!)?

Moto Logo

Shike — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 06:27:07 -0800

I need logo and font help. The name of my vintage motorcycle restoration business is MotoKrow. My last name means "crow" in Dutch, and begins with a K. I like vintage motorcycle logos, but don't want to copy. I'm very fond of the old Moto Guzzi logo. Anyone know what that font is? A simple logo like the Matchless one is nice. I'm no designer, and I thought this place full of smart people (like you!) would be helpful. Apologies in advance if I've violated some sort of protocol here.

Songs that are a throwback to the 1930s-1960s?

flibbertigibbet — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 16:29:49 -0800

I like Amy Winehouse, psychobilly, the Pipettes, the Acid House Kings, the O Brother... soundtrack, and even that throw-back-to-the-Andrews-Sisters Christina Aguilera song. I have a craving for music produced in the now but inspired by the 1930s to early 1960s, with my favourite era being the 1940s. Can you recommend anymore good contemporary rock/pop bands along these lines, including psychobilly bands I may not have heard about yet? I have seen this question, but I tend less towards Motown and more towards rock, pop and punk.

I know most O Brother songs are traditional, but except for the vintage recordings, they've all got that contemporary kick that draws me in.

I've only just gotten into psychobilly, so I've yet to plumb its depths.

Help me retro-fy my music

wanderingmind — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 01:20:20 -0800

Help me write retro-styled video game music! I've finally found a system that works for me, but its supported music formats are OGG - which is nice, but too heavyweight for the kind of retro feel I want - and MOD/XM, which has definite potential... I'm trying to go for a sort of classic 16-bit feel, and tracked audio formats seem like the obvious way to go here (since they're basically what the SNES used). The thing about MODs and XM files is that they depend on instrument samples, and I've been scouring the net looking for sources. Is there any good source for reliable low-fi instrument samples that sound appropriately video-gamey? I've seen soundfonts taken from various games, but I feel a bit odd using an existing game's instrument set, and the other soundfonts I've seen are these high-end professional-type things that are similarly no good for my purposes. What I really want is just a set of about 20-30 different basic instrument noises, all free to use - generic brass, generic strings, a bass, a flute, a handful of percussion noises, things like that, in WAV format if possible (or at least some form where I won't need a special soundfont librarian program to get at them). But where would I find such a thing?

What takes good photos that takes good photos?

cincinnatus c — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:30:40 -0800

Help me find a good-looking (retro?) and affordable camera for a present. I'm looking to buy a digital camera as a present for someone who is not so much into photography as she is into lovely-looking objects.

Therefore, I'm looking for a retro-styled point-and-shoot camera. It should take decent pictures (I don't want a novelty toy) but shouldn't be too complicated to use.

This is the most stylish camera I've found in my searches, but I don't think it's available yet and anyway it'll probably be beyond my budget. I can afford to spend around £200, maybe slightly more.

Antiquing means so many different things

The Whelk — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 10:32:06 -0800

I need an antique (or sufficiently vintage-y-antiqu-y styled) trunk for my living room. Problem: every piece I've seen to has been too big, too worn, too ugly, or too expensive. Where would I find stores/markets/fairs/dealers in the NYC metro area that might carry such trunks? I got a zipcar, so I can tool around the tri-state area. Insanely detailed requirements follow. Ideally, I'm looking for something about 15 inches high, under 40 inches long and under 26 inches wide. No curved tops, as it has to function as a coffee table. Uneven top surfaces (planks, etc) are okay. I'd also like really cool metal handles and locks but it's not a deal breaker. It should be able to open without creaking and breaking.

Wanted: Lightly Used Interocitor

LastOfHisKind — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 12:03:58 -0800

Any recommendations for vintage and/or surplus shops in the SF Bay area? I'll be visiting the San Francisco Bay area in a few weeks for a long weekend and I'd like to do some shopping. Specifically, I'm a sucker for mid-century household stuff and, especially, scientific and engineering equipment of that era. Think vintage lab equipment, weird electronic devices, tools, and so on. Are there any good places for this sort of stuff that you can recommend?

Vintage Illustrations

madmamasmith — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 00:16:42 -0800

I am trying to find vintage/retro images from old childrens' books and other sources for my wedding invitations and save the date cards. Specifically I am interested in bunnies, deer or anything wilderness related and children with butterfly nets. I have googled endlessly to no avail. I keep getting these horrid clip art images ..i have seen flickr sets but nothing that suits my needs ..i will try to attach an example....please help!

http://beautifulpaper.typepad.com/oh_so_beautiful_paper/invitations/page/5/

http://paperedtogether.com/portfolio/images/s,%20tag.jpg

Ancient software for recent humans?

Mr. Anthropomorphism — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 19:38:26 -0800

Can anyone recommend great Apple II software for a kindergartner? I recently acquired and revived a couple of old Apple //e's. I've been having a lot of fun learning about a whole era of computing that I'd missed out on.

My daughter--a few months away from turning 5, but an excellent reader--also seems really enthralled with them (she thinks it's "silly" that these machines are older than her old man).

She's gotten into Word Munchers and a few other games that we've played together, and I'd love to find some more educational-ish stuff that she can dig into.

The problem--quite the opposite of the one I was anticipating--is that software is too abundant! There are literally hundreds if not thousands of disk images that have been ripped and archived online. It takes a few minutes to download, transfer, and write an image to disk, and it's hard to tell what any one program has to offer until you do; so if anyone out there has any good memories of particular titles, please help me narrow down the list!

Game-name filter: DOS ninjas?

ab3 — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 15:32:32 -0800

Idle nostalgic curiosity is driving me crazy - looking for at least the name (at best, a working version) of a late 80s/early 90s DOS (not arcade) 2-d ninja game - very simple, and the most notable characteristic is that the entire game was in uber-simple orange-red-green VGA palette colors against a black background. It's NOT any of the Ninja Gaiden games or anything else easily Googled up. The graphics were very simple but relatively detailed and professionally done and the game involved platformer-style moving through levels, climbing ladders, throwing shuriken at enemies, etc. It was not a one-on-one fighting game.

More likely than not this was free/shareware.

I know this is a longshot, but there's no better place for longshot answers than here, right?

Merkur Safety Razor in DC?

phrontist — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 08:33:50 -0800

Can I buy a Merkur Safety Razor anywhere in (metro-accessible) DC?

What PC most broadened the market relative to its time?

Joe Beese — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 09:12:35 -0800

What PC most broadened the market relative to its time? Commenting in an "old Radio Shack catalog" appreciation thread here, it occurred to me that while the Apple II is more affectionately remembered, that other alumnus of the Class of '77 - the unglamorous TRS-80 - may actually have introduced more people to PCs, relative to the number that were then using them. [While the IBM PC may have introduced more people altogether, it was starting with a wider base.]

Is my history flawed?

Name-That-Retro-Game: top-down, moving travellator floors, color coded keys

dcbarker — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 16:01:26 -0800

Name-That-Retro-Game: top-down view, moving travellator floors, possibly color coded keys. Possibly on C64, Amiga A500/600/1200 or Atari ST/E. I've been trying to remember the name of this old game for a while and it has been nagging at my very soul. I played it years ago (many many years ago). I remember it from my gaming days as a kid - the only platforms I imagine it being on are the Amiga A500/600/1200, Atari ST/E or Commodore C64.

I wish I could narrow it down further. It was definitely top-down perspective, color (not greyscale), had these moving floor strips like little travellators (I want to say they were yellow but that's just a guess). I think the goals were puzzle driven (get the red key to open the red gate that then lets you do X, Y and Z to clear this level). I've spent the entire night trawling screenshots of classic games via Google and have had no luck.

Bonus if you can link to screenshots (then I'll know for certain that's the game!).

Please, help me preserve my sanity!

Taking my files back to the future?

ooklala — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 19:49:41 -0800

How can I transfer files from my emulated Macintosh Plus? I have taken a liking to writing on a Mac Plus that I have emulated in Mini vMac. Is there a program that allows me to create a file with formatting that I can export into my Windows desktop?
My problem is not getting the files out (that is easy with the export progam included in Mini vMac) but having a modern format that has rich text.
Is there a program for the Mac Plus that will maybe export to a PDF or .RTF file, or .DOC (that has all the data stored in the data fork rather than the resource fork)? Would such a program still be avalable for free?

Where to find respectable attire of rebellion?

chrisbucks — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:30:23 -0800

After 3 years of coming to work in black jeans, boots and studded jackets I've been told I now need to wear collared shirts and slacks, somethings I've omitted from my wardrobe. What are some good recommendations in the "arty yet tasteful, rebellious yet conforming" fashion range? As loath as I am to say it, I guess I'm asking where I can find 'trendy but tidy punk clothes', I managed to get away with having a mohawk at work and once came to Xmas lunch in a gorilla costume, however it seems the new CS manager lacks that same sense of humor, and my hours have changed so that I'm now around more often during the daylight hours.

I'm familiar with labels like Illicit but even find their stuff to be getting progressively more tame. I'm not opposed to ties and the like, but probably not into stuff which has too many bondage elements.

Top marks for recommendations which sell online, since I reside in NZ :-)

Bonus question: Are suspenders/braces acceptable now days, or would I just get weird looks?

"Coming down is the hardest thing."

TheSecretDecoderRing — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 01:14:17 -0800

"Stand-by-for-action-filter: I'd really like to make a Commando Cody Halloween costume (or Rocketeer, or any reasonable generic facsimile in between). So I'd appreciate some tips or web sites on making such a thing as simply, cheaply, and resourceful as possible, because I can't really imagine ever seeing the need to wear it again. And there won't be any other geeks at the office party, so authenticity isn't a real issue.

There are a few screenshots linked above, and various photos here. I haven't really got any idea where to start with the helmet, control box, and jet pack. Papier mache? Household items wrapped in foil?

And where could I get tinting film in tiny quantities for the eye/mouth holes? Thanks in advance, citizens.

All Mod Cons

simbiotic — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:35:51 -0800

Please help us build a retro-modern room around this chair. I found a yellow acrylic or fiberglass chair at Goodwill for $9 (please see the photos in my profile). I thought that I would be reselling it because my aesthetic is more earthy greens & neutrals, but my husband loves it and wants to do our bedroom up in a mod style with a white, yellow, orange and (maybe - if I get my way) avocado pallet.

The room is about 16’ by 20’ with one wall of loft windows. It's our bedroom and we'd like an office nook type thing. I'm ready for a sunny change.

We’re allowed to paint or pretty much anything else we want to do to improve the place. Please share your ideas or photos about how to decorate in a retro modern style on a budget.

I’d also like to know if the chair is a reproduction. There’s a hand written serial number on the bottom, which makes me think it might be older or a sample. The base is stamped Made in China, which makes me think it’s newish.

Thanks!

What Apple computer was this early 80's carry-on bag designed for?

SmileyChewtrain — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 05:10:37 -0800

What (early 80's?) Apple Computer was this nicely constructed nylon "carry-on" bag made for? I recently came across this very nice bag at a second hand store in Connecticut. Initially, I thought it was a record bag - it's about the right size, and it's built well and looks like it can hold a heavy load.

Pictures: Front (closed), Front (open), Logo, Inner Patch

Upon closer inspection, I noticed an Apple Computer patch on the front - the old "rainbow" logo. It's not an added patch - it's flush with the design of the bag, and there's another patch on the inside with a Apple copyright and the text:

Warning
This bag is designed for carry-on use only
Use an ATA Spec. 300, category 1 approved
container for checking your computer as
luggage or shipping it as cargo.

So, I assume (based on the pockets all over it, and it's weighty construction) that it was made for an early Apple to be transported, even as a carry-on on a plane. I've found very little information about this searching around on Google - nothing comes up for the text string and searching for "apple" and "bag" and permutations thereof yields nothing useful. There were a few mentions on forums of old apple computers coming with bags, but nothing that specifically described this one.

It's definitely an odd color choice (a warm beige - looks cool in the flash photos, but it's a little warmer in real life), though perhaps not for the time... One of the stranger aesthetic choices of Apple's I've seen... so I'm wondering which computer model this bag was made for.

Help me find this toy!

sidartha — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:08:33 -0800

I have some pieces of this toy from when I was a child. My son loves them, and I'd like to find the rest of the set. The problem is, I don't know the name or manafacturer of them. This toy was probably produced between 1978-1983.

It is a "bug house", complete with a hand powered elevator (the handle is in the shape of a spigot) that takes the bugs to the top. The top is green plastic (grass) and the house is brown (dirt). The front is open like a doll house.

The characters were little plastic bugs (caterpillar, beetle, etc).

Inside the house there were cutesy things like gum-wrappers for curtains, a little sink, and a "bean pod" for a bed. There was also a removable tuber that one of them could sleep in. There was also a car that was a bowl-shaped leaf with wheels.

I'm guessing it was made by Fisher Price, Playskool or something similar.

I have Googled every combination I can think of, and still cannot find it.

Please help me find some old logos that incorporated some kind of a globe!

stackhaus23 — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 03:42:39 -0800

Please help me find some old logos that incorporated some kind of a globe! I've been trying to do some research into some old logos that use either a globe as the main logomark like this or an extended variant like this.

Can you think of any similar logos?! Airline companies, travel companies, television or cinema companies?

Thanks in advance!

What kind of chair is this?

Flashman — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 07:10:41 -0800

Could anybody help me identify this old chair? I have a pretty good eye for furniture, and I've never seen another chair like this one. Has anyone else? I got it from an old house while I was working on a renovation project for Worcester College in Oxford (More info is on the Flickr page). I'm now considering a return to Canada and wonder if this chair has any value, either in its present state or re-covered (I have access to a sewing machine and am a pretty good seamstress). Or maybe, I'll ship it back with me; I am rather fond of it.
Any advice or information would be appreciated, or perhaps somebody knows of a specific forum where I could ask this question?