The kid is Stewart Butterfield. From what I’ve read, “camp” was a room in the back of select stores. The younger kids (8 to 11) learned Logo, and the older kids (12 to 15) learned BASIC.
RadioShack filed for bankruptcy in February of this year.
Archive for June, 2015
Only Nerds GOTO Computer Camp (1983)
Published June 16, 2015 '80s Decor/Design/Fashion , Computer Camp , Personal Computers Leave a CommentJames Bond’s Moonraker to Color, Cut Out and Fly (Price/Stern/Sloane, 1979)
Published June 15, 2015 Coloring/Activity Books , James Bond , Moonraker , Troubador Press 1 Comment
A rare piece of US-made Moonraker merchandise that I want to get a better look at. The “color, cut out and fly” design was lifted from Malcolm Whyte’s Troubador Press, whose Paper Airplanes to Color, Fold & Fly by Marc Arceneaux was published in 1974. Space-themed titles followed in the wake of Star Wars.
I think these bad photos came from a long finished auction, but can’t quite remember.
Moonraker Space Gun (Lone Star, 1979)
Published June 15, 2015 James Bond , Moonraker , Toy Guns/Weapons 3 Comments
Moonraker, though considerably less hyped than The Black Hole and Star Trek: The Motion Picture, actually did better at the box office. I saw all three in ’79, and also remember seeing The Black Stallion (a gorgeous, unforgettable movie I didn’t fully appreciate as a kid: watch it again). I was dying to see Alien, especially after repeated exposure to one of the greatest trailers ever made, but that wouldn’t happen for a few more years.
Lone Star, a strange name for a UK company, specialized in die cast toys, like Corgi, another UK company that released some memorable Moonraker toys. Lone Star also made the neat “Golden Gun” seen below in 1975. The man who played the man with the golden gun was, of course, Christopher Lee, whose movies meant so much to me then and now that I haven’t been able to put anything into words yet.
(Second two images via 007 Collector)
UFO Lunchbox (King Seeley, 1973)
Published June 12, 2015 Gerry Anderson , Lunchboxes , UFO (TV) 4 Comments
You can have J.J. Abrams, James Gunn, and whoever directed Jupiter Ascending. I’ll take Gerry Anderson.
(Images via UFO Series Fan Site)
Star Wars Stormtrooper Ruler (Helix International, 1977)
Published June 11, 2015 School Supplies , Star Wars (Original Trilogy) Leave a Comment
Space Hymns by Ramases (Vertigo, 1971)
Published June 11, 2015 Album Covers , Psychedelic Music Leave a Comment
A neglected space-rock classic, Space Hymns (on Spotify) is the brainchild of Sheffield-born Barrington Frost (sometimes misreported as Martin Raphael), an erstwhile central heating salesman who, in the late ’60s, had a revelation that he was actually the reincarnation of one of the 11 Egyptian pharaohs named Ramses (it’s unclear which one).
The music is driven by Ramases’ always present acoustic guitar, strong melodies and vocals (some contributed by Ramases’ wife, Selket), and lots of space in between the multilayered swirling. It’s also sludgy at times, and uses drone to achieve an ambient effect, especially on “Molecular Delusion”. “Journey to the Inside,” while obviously influenced by The Beatles’ “Tomorrow Never Knows,” anticipates the kind of sonic experimentation Roger Waters would use on Dark Side of the Moon. Backing musicians for the Space Hymns recording sessions went on to form the successful UK art rock band 10cc.
Ramases’ second and last album, Glass Top Coffin (1975), is better than the first, in my opinion: trippier but also more focused, with stronger production and gorgeous arrangements—a near perfect translation of the inner-outer space excursion.
The Space Hymns album cover is a six-panel gatefold, by the way, painted by the master, Roger Dean.
The Kunstoffhaus FG 2000 by Wolfgang Feierbach, Circa 1969
Published June 10, 2015 '60s Decor/Design/Fashion Leave a Comment
You know you’re living in the space age when there’s carpet on the ceiling and your house is made of fiberglass. I’ll take it.
See floor plans and more interior shots at Voices of East Anglia.
Jack Jackson and Dave Sheridan Cover Art for Slow Death #2 (Last Gasp, 1970)
Published June 9, 2015 Comic Books , Sci-Fi/Space Art , Skeleton Astronauts , Underground Comix Leave a Comment
More Slow Death here. Filed under Skeleton Astronauts.
Bogeyman #3 (Company & Sons, 1970)
Published June 9, 2015 Comic Books , Greg Irons , Underground Comix Leave a Comment
Disturbingly brilliant work by Rick Griffin and Rory Hayes (first two illustrations) and Greg Irons (third illustration) from the three-issue Bogeyman series, the underground’s answer to EC’s Tales from the Crypt.
You can read the whole issue at Comic Book Stories.
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Visor Glasses (Larami, 1983)
Published June 8, 2015 D&D , D&D Non-Gaming Merchandise , Larami Toys 2 Comments
If you find yourself in the Hall of the Fire Giant King without adequate UV protection, won’t you consider this fine pair of sunglasses with a sun visor attached? Larami made at least one other set of “Visor Glasses” for the Knight Rider license. I’m not sure how rare the AD&D set is, but it’s the only one I’ve ever seen.
(P.S. Item is for sale. Email me at 2warpstoneptune [at] gmail [dot] com if interested.)
Item is sold.
UPDATE (9/14/15): I’m adding a picture of a different set below.
2 Warps to Neptune 