I don't recall how I came across this website but each visit gives a feeling of browsing through a timeless archive of retro objects (and modern things with a focus on design). The curators appear to be fond of old consoles and game paraphernalia as well - and why I wanted to share it here. One thing that's done well are the nicely integrated slideshows of multi-angle hi resolution images (and their use of clean url nomenclature).
The site itself is called Thngs and appears to operate on crowdfunding and donations.
A couple of my favorite finds so far...
Bush TV22 (1950) because it looks as though it might also be a portal to another dimension
ME Start Edition personal scooter (2012) because it's a thing of beauty and I would rather like to have one
Preserving the legacy of physical "things"
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tortimer
- Posts: 71
- Joined: August 24th, 2016, 1:32 pm
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scotland
- Posts: 2561
- Joined: April 7th, 2015, 7:33 pm
Re: Preserving the legacy of physical "things"
I love old tech. Electromechanical games in particular.
I read an article the other day that physical books keep surprising people on their strong marketshare still. Its not just collecting or owning, as in video games, its just a physical book remains a slightly different experience. The weight, the cover, the smell, fanning pages, even dog earing.
I like digital things, including books too. There is a lot to recommend things like emulation and roms, digital e-books, digital music, etc, but I hope that physical things can co-exist. Digital requires the correct technology to use, like a key to a lock, where a physical thing doesn't. Old Model T cars still drive on roads, old books can still be read...digital things not so much. Which is also odd, in that old magazines and old arcade games would fade away if not for digital preservation.
So, I guess I like them both, and feel there is a place for both.
I read an article the other day that physical books keep surprising people on their strong marketshare still. Its not just collecting or owning, as in video games, its just a physical book remains a slightly different experience. The weight, the cover, the smell, fanning pages, even dog earing.
I like digital things, including books too. There is a lot to recommend things like emulation and roms, digital e-books, digital music, etc, but I hope that physical things can co-exist. Digital requires the correct technology to use, like a key to a lock, where a physical thing doesn't. Old Model T cars still drive on roads, old books can still be read...digital things not so much. Which is also odd, in that old magazines and old arcade games would fade away if not for digital preservation.
So, I guess I like them both, and feel there is a place for both.
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tortimer
- Posts: 71
- Joined: August 24th, 2016, 1:32 pm
Re: Preserving the legacy of physical "things"
scotland wrote:So, I guess I like them both, and feel there is a place for both.
Yes I completely share this sentimentality. I've amassed a collection of digital things in the form of games, music and old radio shows but always a physical book when I want to read something like a novel. Magazines and catalogs should always exist. Plus, there are just some things that being physical and analog give an experience that is uniquely pleasant: pinball and board games come to mind, the simple act of rolling dice.
Then there are things that crossover and blend the two worlds, like Amiibo and such or listening to a podcast while working on a crafting project. Even as virtual reality slowly pulls us in to alternate worlds I'm optimistic that humans will continue to fundamentally crave things like real-world interaction, physical touch that's friendly or romantic, experiencing nature and interracting with objects that exist for their own sake.