What do you geek out on , besides toy collecting?

[Wee67]

I found the Memorex MSP-TV 1300 Video Ball, but it looks smaller than the one I had.

[Wee67]

Another tech category I appreciate is old TV's and stereo equipment. This Panasonic Videosphere is one of my favorites. This one is not mine, but mine looks just like this one down to the clock. Some didn't come with the clock.

I went through a very brief old TV phase. Been trying to find some info about one I had but sold a while ago. I picked it up in a thrift store in Tampa. It was was a large red sphere, but larger and a bit more ovalular than the Videosphere. It had a red visor that slid up to reveal the screen, almost like an astronaut's helmet. I don't even remember the manufacturer. Maybe Sony.

[Makernaut]

I happened to have a few extras of the Pi's, and was able to do it. Honestly it was cool but I haven't signed back on with it in at least a year I bet. But yes I agree it's been an odd couple of years for buying stuff at prices we assumed were stable. Just shows how precarious the economy actually is.

Another tech category I appreciate is old TV's and stereo equipment. This Panasonic Videosphere is one of my favorites. This one is not mine, but mine looks just like this one down to the clock. Some didn't come with the clock.

That’s rad. I’m a fan of old TVs as well, especially vintage American brand CRTs. My next target is a vintage C64 monitor similar to the one I grew up with.

I'd probably dig hanging out and talking shop with the two of you. I've always been more than a little fascinated by tech, but it's a broad interest that doesn't necessarily translate to knowing a lot about any ONE thing. However, I am particularly drawn to tech that died off in the evolutionary sense. Things that might have been "technically" better than what won out in the long run due to market forces or consumer tastes. There was a resiliency and ruggedness in some of that stuff and times might have been better when you could still "open it up and fix it" without voiding the warranty.

[Liu Bei]

I happened to have a few extras of the Pi's, and was able to do it. Honestly it was cool but I haven't signed back on with it in at least a year I bet. But yes I agree it's been an odd couple of years for buying stuff at prices we assumed were stable. Just shows how precarious the economy actually is.

Another tech category I appreciate is old TV's and stereo equipment. This Panasonic Videosphere is one of my favorites. This one is not mine, but looks just like this one down to the clock. Some didn't come with the clock.

That’s rad. I’m a fan of old TVs as well, especially vintage American brand CRTs. My next target is a vintage C64 monitor similar to the one I grew up with.

[drquest]

I wanted to get a second Raspberry Pi to get my Dreamcast online too, but haven’t been able to get one without paying scalper prices for some time, so I’ve had to hold off.

If the brainless bureaucrats in Washington ever manage to accidentally get the economy back on track, I’d like to go back and get that project done. The Dreamcast community has really worked their butts off to keep that system alive and relevant.

I happened to have a few extras of the Pi's, and was able to do it. Honestly it was cool but I haven't signed back on with it in at least a year I bet. But yes I agree it's been an odd couple of years for buying stuff at prices we assumed were stable. Just shows how precarious the economy actually is.

Another tech category I appreciate is old TV's and stereo equipment. This Panasonic Videosphere is one of my favorites. This one is not mine, but mine looks just like this one down to the clock. Some didn't come with the clock.

[Jorge Galvan]

The Road Warriors (Hawk and Animal) were the best tag team ever, all Vince could do up north is make a silly poor copycat version called Demolition (Ax and Smash) with make up stolen from KISS. The NWA was much better than WWF.

And they all got it from BRUISER and CRUSHER.

AWA was pretty good too.

[Liu Bei]

Same thing with us. I've been considering doing the mod on our Dreamcast as well. Got the whole online thing up and running on the Dreamcast via a Raspberry Pi. Not that we used it all that much but it worked

I wanted to get a second Raspberry Pi to get my Dreamcast online too, but haven’t been able to get one without paying scalper prices for some time, so I’ve had to hold off.

If the brainless bureaucrats in Washington ever manage to accidentally get the economy back on track, I’d like to go back and get that project done. The Dreamcast community has really worked their butts off to keep that system alive and relevant.

[drquest]

I like vintage tech in general, video games and consoles included. Part of the fun, for me, is getting suboptimal toys, consoles, game cartridges, etc… and restoring them. There is something very satisfying about restoring a damaged, neglected item to its former glory.

I have a white Japanese Sega Saturn plus controller that I imported and restored awhile back. It was filthy yellow and couldn’t read discs, but now looks virtually factory new. Will be adding a TerraOnion MODE to it and another one to my Dreamcast (also a restoration project) later this year so that I don’t have to worry about replacing lasers anymore.

Same thing with us. I've been considering doing the mod on our Dreamcast as well. Got the whole online thing up and running on the Dreamcast via a Raspberry Pi. Not that we used it all that much but it worked

[Liu Bei]

I've read all of these with interest. I wish we were all more local, as so many of us on here seem to navigate to similar things, which is cool I think.

With that, my interests are varied, and unfortunately a lot of things I've been priced out of. I have a lot of things I collect, including vintage toys. Sometimes it's rather shotgun'ish as I collect what I like, and don't have to have it all in a particular line. I used to host local Toy Shows, did those for several years, and had to step back from that some when my kids were younger, as anyone the shows were a lot of work, as anyone can tell you. I probably should try to spin that back up, would help me get rid of all of these boxes of stuff in my garage.

Beyond toy and collectibles, I've always been a car guy, and enjoy old Fords, Mustangs in particular. I sold my last one that I had owned the past decade in October 2021. COVID had pushed prices up so high and I was able to sell it for more than I had paid for it, so it seemed ok to let it go. Plus my daughter was getting married (happened June 2022) and a little influx of money to help offset all of those costs was appreciated. Which has me without something to tinker with, and unfortunately costs are still high IMO, so replacing that probably isn't in the cards. My middle son is driving age, so most of my car interest is spent towards his interests, which unfortunately isn't Mustangs, he has a Dodge Charger 392 Daytona, so we go to car shows together and spent some time over Christmas brake on his car. Installed a new strut tower brace on it, which is functional and looks great.

I'm also a technology guy. My day job is network, Internet, connectivity etc(almost 24 years now) so I do spend a lot time in that field, both new stuff, and older vintage stuff as well. My youngest son enjoys vintage video game systems and luckily I had kept a lot of what I had when I was a kid so he uses that, and has been adding on to his collection, so that keeps me busy.

I like vintage tech in general, video games and consoles included. Part of the fun, for me, is getting suboptimal toys, consoles, game cartridges, etc… and restoring them. There is something very satisfying about restoring a damaged, neglected item to its former glory.

I have a white Japanese Sega Saturn plus controller that I imported and restored awhile back. It was filthy yellow and couldn’t read discs, but now looks virtually factory new. Will be adding a TerraOnion MODE to it and another one to my Dreamcast (also a restoration project) later this year so that I don’t have to worry about replacing lasers anymore.

[drquest]

I've read all of these with interest. I wish we were all more local, as so many of us on here seem to navigate to similar things, which is cool I think.

With that, my interests are varied, and unfortunately a lot of things I've been priced out of. I have a lot of things I collect, including vintage toys. Sometimes it's rather shotgun'ish as I collect what I like, and don't have to have it all in a particular line. I used to host local Toy Shows, did those for several years, and had to step back from that some when my kids were younger, as anyone the shows were a lot of work, as anyone can tell you. I probably should try to spin that back up, would help me get rid of all of these boxes of stuff in my garage.

Beyond toy and collectibles, I've always been a car guy, and enjoy old Fords, Mustangs in particular. I sold my last one that I had owned the past decade in October 2021. COVID had pushed prices up so high and I was able to sell it for more than I had paid for it, so it seemed ok to let it go. Plus my daughter was getting married (happened June 2022) and a little influx of money to help offset all of those costs was appreciated. Which has me without something to tinker with, and unfortunately costs are still high IMO, so replacing that probably isn't in the cards. My middle son is driving age, so most of my car interest is spent towards his interests, which unfortunately isn't Mustangs, he has a Dodge Charger 392 Daytona, so we go to car shows together and spent some time over Christmas brake on his car. Installed a new strut tower brace on it, which is functional and looks great.

I'm also a technology guy. My day job is network, Internet, connectivity etc(almost 24 years now) so I do spend a lot time in that field, both new stuff, and older vintage stuff as well. My youngest son enjoys vintage video game systems and luckily I had kept a lot of what I had when I was a kid so he uses that, and has been adding on to his collection, so that keeps me busy.

[Liu Bei]

One of my favorite all time moment was when the Von Eric brothers were against 2 of the Freebirds, it was Christmas time and Santa was shaking hands with the kids at ringside, then all of a sudden Santa jumps into the ring and starts beating up one of the Von Eric’s, Kevin I think, then more Von Eric Bros jumped in and started tearing off Santa’s clothes and there was pillow stuffing all over the ring and Freebird Santa was closed lined and tossed over the top rope, you should have seen the expressions on all the little kids at ringside, it was priceless.

That sounds awesome. I’ll see if I can find that on the WWE Network on Peacock or YouTube.

[Liu Bei]

Nobody knows how to tell a story anymore, and with face and heel turns becoming face and heel turnstiles, it’s hard to be invested in the characters. I think we all knew, on some level, that the outcomes were predetermined, but man…at least in the old territory days, you could easily suspend disbelief, especially as hard as those guys worked.

And to fans in the territories, in that age, buddy, wrestling was REAL. Jim Cornett and the Midnight Express had to flee the arena for their lives after beating the Mulkey Brothers in their hometown on Christmas Day.

Ricky Morton used to to sell so good one time he was caught in a submission hold against the Midnight Express, and he looked out to the audience mouthing “help me” to some old granny in the stands, and buddy did she. She hobbled to the ring swinging her purse and was damn sure gonna take Cornette’s boys out until security got to her.

Wrestling was so good back in the day. This crap out there now is unwatchable. They’re better athletes, no doubt, but like you said, none of them can tell a story or cut a promo to save their lives.

[TrekStar]

Absolutely. The Southern territories were loaded with great tag teams / factions. The Road Warriors, the Steiner Brothers, the Rock and Roll Express, the Midnight Express, the Fabulous Freebirds, the Four Horsemen, Doom, etc…

Even WCW’s 90’s teams, when the company was mostly awful, were better. WWF never had anything remotely close to the Hollywood Blondes.

Vince’s cartoon characters up north just never had that allure for me. Once he got Hart and Michaels headlining shows is when I was finally able to stomach the product. Of course, by the time WCW was ruling the airwaves, it took former WCW talent (Steve Austin) to propel the WWF into the Attitude Era and save Vince and company from bankruptcy, and eventual victory in the Monday Night Wars.

As soon as Austin was gone and WCW dead and buried, Vince immediately reverted back to the cartoon character shtick you see ruining the product once more. And unfortunately, that great Southern Style wrestling has vanished completely from the big stage, and now we’re left with gymnasts doing 30 minutes of high spots.

One of my favorite all time moment was when the Von Eric brothers were against 2 of the Freebirds, it was Christmas time and Santa was shaking hands with the kids at ringside, then all of a sudden Santa jumps into the ring and starts beating up one of the Von Eric’s, Kevin I think, then more Von Eric Bros jumped in and started tearing off Santa’s clothes and there was pillow stuffing all over the ring and Freebird Santa was closed lined and tossed over the top rope, you should have seen the expressions on all the little kids at ringside, it was priceless.

[Xavion2004]

And unfortunately, that great Southern Style wrestling has vanished completely from the big stage, and now we’re left with gymnasts doing 30 minutes of high spots.

Nobody knows how to tell a story anymore, and with face and heel turns becoming face and heel turnstiles, it’s hard to be invested in the characters. I think we all knew, on some level, that the outcomes were predetermined, but man…at least in the old territory days, you could easily suspend disbelief, especially as hard as those guys worked.

[greenlanternmego89]

Pro wrestling, comic books, recollecting old magazines and shockingly...slipper socks. Those things are the best. Especially here in New England when it gets cold.