Otokichi

Instead of another "Techmoan" or VWestlife" tech tale, here's a short story about the birth of Someone Completely Different. Rod Serling would be proud of these people.;)

Do you "aim to misbehave" in real life? Is your final answer during an argument is "I'll be in my bunk"? Can you sing the "Firefly theme" all the way through? Welcome to some snappy phrases that network TV missed, to their detriment...

Discovered after following a trail of shorter Silent "Star Wars" movies, this one has just the right balance of funky music and eye-straining bad video to look ideal.;)

How about a non-cassetter VTR from 1976? It's the Quasar VR1000, which makes VHS video recorders and cassettes look small. Does it work? Well, press PLAY to get a top to bottom look at how this beastie works.

Does your CD suffer from "magnetization issues"? "Techmoan" takes on this howler of a "problem with CDs" with a healthy dose of WTF? So, do YOUR music CDs suffer playback degradation because they get "magnetized"? Press PLAY to find out about this "Audiophile Problem.";)

"Techmoan" is at it again, looking at "Japan domestic" tech. In this case, it's a portable MIDI Karaoke machine for home or automobile with 50 songs per cartridge for "Noboru the Road Warrior" to sing along on sales calls across Japan. Translation: It's mostly 1990's Japanese Pop with Japanese text on a small/hard-to-see Monochrome LCD screen. Is there something that "Techmoan" can sing in his UK flyvver? Press PLAY to find out...

Well now, how would AI handle the lyrics from a Doo-Wop kid's lullabye? Press PLAY if "nightmare fuel" isn't in your vocabulary.;)

Oh my, YouTube strikes again! This time it's a Romeo and Juliet tale with Ballad Land vs. Beat Land in a musical battle of the bands. What does this have to do with Science Fiction? Press PLAY if you dare. (Beware the Gonks!;)

YouTube recommendations can lead to interesting paths on the site. Consider if you will, plugging in the lyrics of a song and having an AI program come up with images. Press PLAY to see what AI sees in Led Zeppelin's song...if you dare.;) It all began with Blue Oyster Cult's song: (Don't Fear) The Reaper Don McLean's "American Pie"?

Here's a modern, uplifting song from Alan Doyle, late of that "can't-be-found-on-Songfacts" Canadian Maritimes Celtic Folk-Rock band, "Great Big Sea." Press PLAY to hear what I heard one Summer night on PBS just after the turn of the century.;)

It's 1981, and grandpa wants to play his LP collection at "Geezers on the Beach." Can you load some of the home HiFi equipment into the Woodie so gramps can play Billie Holiday? Fear not, "Techmoan," stepping pout of the Wayback machine will get Your Hit Parade tunes warbling across the beach. Press PLAY to see what it takes to "replace the belts" on this monster, break-your-shoulder, LP Boombox!

One can buy a spectrum of goods from vending machines in Japan. Take this concept to an (un)natural conclusion and see what kind of world you get. Press PLAY to "enter the world of tomorrow!";)

Hey "Doom' Master," how about a role-playing game where not only are the stakes Life or Death, but the weapons available are "what you bring with you." You are a Danish woman, trying to live under Nazi occupation in World War II. Your husband has been arrested as a "suspected saboteur," and has not been heard of in some time. Who do you turn to for information? Whom can you trust? Will you "fly under the Nazi radar" or play the Resistance game? Press PLAY to "be in the belly of The Beast" 24/7!

Every now and then YouTube will suggest I go "on the path less traveled." It can be interesting, as you can see. Press PLAY, Dummkopf!

When you saw "Kung Fu Panda" (2008) did you think the movie put Chinese culture (and philosophy) on display? Did you see past the scenery and characters to philosophical discussions? Or was it "just another 'Kung Fu movie" with animated animals? Press PLAY to find out a thing or two about Taoist vs. Confucian approaches to Life.

Well, I never! A young YouTube viewer is looking at a hundred-year-old, black-and-white, SILENT movie! If you dare, press PLAY to experience the spirited soundtrack and mood-setting tints of a classic movie.

Step right up folks, have I got something amazing for you to see and hear! "Techmoan" saw this CD/DVD audio/video corrector and wondered if this 2003 tech really works. This $500 CD/DVD shaver was aimed at the Audiophile set, since it "corrects Laser errors to reveal/enhance the listening/viewing experience." Does this 36 degree edge shaver do as claimed, once the disc edge is "optically sealed" with a black marking pen? Press PLAY to find out if this machine changes your audiovisual world!

World War II in real time at Time Ghost is SUCH a serious thing. But then, between narration errors, "why is this word spelled this but pronounced this way?" tiffs, we end with Himmler's odd quote. Press PLAY if you're sitting down, no drinks or snacks to fling, and you're in need of some humor in your life...

I see that Daniel Radcliffe has been cast to "do a 'Weird Al' Yankovic Fakeupic." Aside from this actor being too short for "Mr. Tall and Weedy," I'm sure it will be a hit, wherever it ends up streaming. But this made me remember another "found on a Dr. Demento CD" artist, Bob Rivers. I had thought all he did was Christmas song parodies, but this collection shows that he wasn't just a "cold snap wonder." Pour yourself an appropriate drink of your choice and press PLAY if you dare to compare him with "Weird Al" Yankovic...";)

You know a movie franchise/studio is in big trouble when "fan art" looks as good as or better than "the real thing." Have you ever wondered what goes on "in the ranks" among the "grunts and ground pounders"? Press PLAY and and see what Kathleen Kennedy's clueless crew misses...every time.;) A season's worth of "game player awakes in the game world." Behind the scenes at AFK...

A disturbing tale of "one possible future," where all is not what it seems to be. Press PLAY if you dare...

Are you still using Ye Olde Walkman instead of "steaming content"? Is the price/quality of new cassettes both too high and too low? How about combing eBay for used cassettes and erasing them? "Techmoan" looks at three ways to banish Tiny Tim's "Tiptoe Through The Tulips" to oblivion to record, say, a bootleg live recording of Twisted Sister. The units are: Sony BE-9H single pass eraser, Radio Shack Bulk Eraser (tan case), Sony BE-A200 (One side at a time), and the permament magnet found on today's cassette recorders. Which one "restores the silence" and which one "leaves a ghost"? Press PLAY and see "Techmoan" fail to RTFM...

Bouncing around on YouTube, looking at movie/TV/game reactions, most are interesting, but this reactor's laugh is infectious and his funny bone gets tickled throughout this movie! Warning: Don't drink or snack while watching this! Your computer screen will be speckled/covered with foreign objects toot suite. Press PLAY if you dare...

Ezra Miller has been become a publicist's and movie studio nightmare. Picking fights in public, burglary, suspected kidnapping, a cult leader are some of the reported exploits that make the reel hero, "The Flash" a "Hollywood nutjob." Is Jackie Chan "that bad guy," too? Accented Cinema takes a look at a movie made by a one time associate of jack Chan that raises three interesting questions about "Mr. I Do All Of My Own Stunts." Sic transit gloria, y'all.;) Press PLAY if you dare...

It's the 1970's and 8 Track cartridge systems are all the rage. In the U.S., The Panasonic RQ-830, AKA "TNT" is a hot item among the Tweens/Teens. In Japan, the TNT is sold as the RQ-8. "Techmoan" takes a look at this endless loop cartridge tech and notes that this format led to Karaoke, which is why he could find "new old stock" at Japanese tech auction sites. What else did the UK's tech boffin find out about National's portable 8 track player? Press PLAY to hear a very slow version of Bill Conti's "Rocky" theme...