Giant Cassette Tape Pool Float Is The Perfect Summer Mixtape

Posted on 21/03/2022 by hite

Designed to look almost identical to a Maxell UR90 cassette tape, the Maxchill Classic Cassette Tape Pool Float (affiliate link) from LÔTELI is perfect for floating around a pool reminiscing about all the mixtapes you used to make for girlfriends or boyfriends back in the ’80s and ’90s. And I made the best mixtapes, just so we’re clear. I only wish I’d asked for them back when we inevitably broke up.

The oversized float measures 72″ x 46″ to comfortably fit one adult or two children or uncomfortably fit two adults or four children. Stop elbowing me; I’m trying to tan! Gosh, I bet I still have a whole bunch of random Maxell tapes lying around here somewhere. And probably in a box labeled JUNK.

Is my body summer and pool ready? Of course not, but that’s not going to stop me from showing off my ghost-white physique at every pool party I’m invited to. Or, I should say, IF I’m invited to any. I swear, you pee in the pool one time, and all of a sudden, the invites dry up like a desert.

[via DudeIWantThat]

Cassette Tape Power Bank Keeps Your Music Playing Longer

Posted on 03/03/2022 by hite

Because retro is always in, tech company Remax has created a portable power bank in the form factor of a cassette tape. That sure brings back memories, doesn’t it? I wonder if you have to stick a pencil in the reel to rewind it. I’m joking, there is no rewinding – it’s a power bank. In that case, I’d like to make a withdrawal. Joking again, different kind of bank.

Available through AliExpress, the power bank cassette is available in red and yellow, packs a 10000mAh battery, and features 18W USB/USB-C ports for fast charging, and a 22.5W USB-C for super-fast charging, allowing for a full charge in around 60-minutes. That’s not bad. Granted it’s not instantaneous, but we’re not living in the future just quite yet.

Now they just need to make compact disc and 8-track versions and the holy trinity of bygone media power banks will be complete! And if they were smart, the 8-track power bank would be oversized and powerful enough to charge the car battery and vibrating bed in a shaggin’ wagon. Groovy!

The Elbow Reinvents the Portable Cassette Player

Posted on 09/08/2017 by Paul Strauss

Somewhere in my basement, I have a box of old cassette tapes. Most of them aren’t store-bought ones, but custom made mixtapes that I created for myself, back in the days long before CD players, MP3s, and streaming media. Unlike the massive vinyl resurgence due to their warm sound, cassette tapes haven’t had much of a life in the last 25 years or so. That said, there’s a small, but growing retro cassette movement, and now we have a sweet looking tape player that might be enough to really kick it into high gear.

The Elbow player is designed to provide everything needed to play cassette tapes, but in a super compact form factor. Basically, it’s been stripped down to the bare essentials – a motor drive mechanism, a playback head, circuitry, and a simple, intuitive control wheel.

The player is designed to clip on to the outside of a cassette tape, and then rotate into position to drive the mechanism either forward or backward. Done playing Side One? Simply flip over the tape (or the Elbow), and it starts playing the other side. It’s designed to use a single pulley to drive the tape, along with an optical sensor to ensure the tape is moving at a constant speed. The Elbow is designed to output audio via either an analog 3.5mm audio jack, or via a mini-USB port to a computer and for charging.

It’s a really slick design, though at this point it appears to be only in the concept phase, without an actual engineering prototype. If you’d like to see the Elbow go into production, drop by their website, and show your support. This seems to me just to sort of thing that crowdfunding was designed for, and could be a huge hit if they can pull off the mechanical engineering to make it work right.

James Gunn Shows off Awesome Mix Coffee Table

Posted on 09/12/2015 by Conner Flynn

If you follow writer/director James Gunn on social media, you already know that he shares a lot of cool stuff. Recently Gunn posted these pictures of a custom-made Awesome Mix Vol. 2 coffee table. It even has an awesome story.

This table that looks like Star-Lord’s Awesome Mix tape is from one of the pre-visual animation artists on Guardians of the Galaxy 2. He had it custom made, and it sits in front of them every day while they work.

These guys really love what they do and they are passionate about it. That shows in the movies. They eat, sleep and breathe the world they create. I wish I had a table like this, but I’ll settle for another great movie instead. It looks like they aim to deliver.

[via Nerd Approved]

Ayaka Matsuno’s Retro Geeky Cookies: Game Girl Scout

Posted on 12/07/2015 by Lambert Varias

Ayaka Matsuno loves to make edgy cakes, cookies and other pastries. Her edible pop art ranges from depictions of sneakers, cartoon sketches and animals. She also made cookie versions of classic geek items: life-size Game Boy cartridges and cassette tapes as well as a tiny Super Famicom with an equally small TV.

Make sure your browser allows cookies and head to Ayaka’s blog to see more of her edible art. Note that some of her work have adult themes.

[via Tiny Cartridge]

Guardians of the Galaxy Awesome Mix – Vol. 1 Pendant

Posted on 24/02/2015 by Conner Flynn

Show your love for Guardians of the Galaxy and Star-Lord’s mom’s brilliant musical tastes with this Awesome Mix – Vol. 1 Pendant.

You and I both know that the music in this movie was the best. And most of the music came from this awesome mix tape. Now you can wear it as jewelry. It looks just like the real thing. Only smaller. It has a 20″ adjustable chain, and the pendant comes in a cassette tape box too, which is awesome for gift giving.

It’s yours for $24.99(USD) over at ThinkGeek. Please go all the way, it feels so right…

Cassette Player Turned Into Spotify Media Server with Raspberry Pi: SpotiPi

Posted on 23/10/2014 by Lambert Varias

Earlier this year we saw a couple of vintage radios that were turned into an Internet radio player using Raspberry Pi. Matt Brailsford’s cassette player Raspberry Pi mod is “only” a Spotify media server, but he makes up for it with an intuitive user interface.

With the exception of the record button, which now acts as a power switch, the buttons and the knob on Matt’s player work as they did before, controlling playback and volume.

.@Raspberry_Pi thought I'd take a quick shot of the inside for you pic.twitter.com/PkU24oMpd2

— Matt Brailsford (@mattbrailsford October 20, 2014

As if that wasn’t cool enough, Matt added an NFC reader then attached an NFC tag on each side of a few cassette tapes. Switching tapes or sides changes the playlist.

Find out more about Matt and his project on CNET.

[via Engadget]

Guardians of the Galaxy Awesome Mix Vol. 1 Will Be Released on Cassette Tape: Side A, Side B, A Bit of Both.

Posted on 21/10/2014 by Lambert Varias

Dust off your Walkman, because Peter Quill’s memento of Earth will soon be yours, thanks to Disney. The Awesome Mix Vol. 1 mixtape will have a limited edition cassette tape release this November.

According to Billboard, this will be Disney’s first music cassette tape since 2003. I would’ve guessed it’s been much longer. ~~I’m not sure if the image above is an accurate representation of the tape, though I imagine anything less would be disappointing~~. Update: it’s official. Here’s Marvel’s promo video for the cassette tape:

The tape will be released “exclusive to the community of independent retailers associated with Record Store Day“ from 11/17 to 12/31 and will come with a digital download of the album.

[via Billboard via Consequence of Sound]

Rocketcases Give Your New School iPhone 5S Old-School Style

Posted on 19/09/2013 by Shane McGlaun

I always get a kick out of the juxtaposition of something new and high-tech along with something very old and retro looking. When you take the new iPhone 5S and cram it in a case that makes it look like an old-school boombox, cassette tape, or retro game gear, you have my attention. That is exactly what Rocketcases has done.

My three favorite cases the company offers (for every iPhone back to the 4) are the Nintendo themed Retro Gamer line. The cases can make your iPhone look like either a black or white Nintendo Game Boy or an old-school Nintendo game controller.

I also really like the two Ghetto Blaster cases that make the back of the phone look like an 80s boombox you would’ve carried on your shoulder. The VHS and cassette tape cases are also really cool. All of these cases are available online for $14.95 and will be perfect for the high-tech geek who still remembers the good old days.

The Cassette Tape Celebrates Its 50th Birthday

Posted on 14/09/2013 by Shane McGlaun

If you grew up in the 80s, I guarantee you had a massive collection of cassette tapes. It wasn’t until the late 80s and early 90s that CDs really caught on and even then they were really expensive and many people continued to purchase cassette tapes.

cassette1

I have not-so-fond memories of repeatedly fast-forwarding and rewinding trying to find the beginning of a specific song. I also spent more time than I care to remember using a pencil to rewind a cassette tape after my tape player spit out its black stringy guts. While I remember the first cassette tapes being products of my childhood, apparently they’re much older than that, with the first cassette tape being produced way back in 1963.

Philips celebrated the 50th birthday of the cassette tape this week. The company officially calls the cassette tape the “compact cassette” and says that it helped shape the music industry. Before the cassette tape there was no ability to record music or speeches on your own. Yes, there were reel-to-reel recorders, but they were generally reserved for professionals and high-end enthusiasts. The cassette tape also ushered in the era of the mix tape.

As much joy as it brought us, I don’t think anyone really misses the cassette tape. It’s infinitely more convenient to have thousands of your favorite songs in digital format stored on your iPod, which is itself smaller than a single cassette.

[via Philips]

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