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Showing results for tags 'techmoan'.
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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!
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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!
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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...
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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...
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Do you remember radio station promotion spots when human disk jockeys still played records? "Techmoan" has gotten a set of NAB Radio Victory promo cartridges via the mail. It's the 1970's and deejay Kenny Everett was active in radio and audio production, while running afoul of staid BBC radio managers. So, how does this "wild and crazy guy" from "Techmoan's" misspent youth sound like? Press PLAY if you hanker for "WKRP in Cincinnati" radio vibes...
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Matt has need of a properly working 8 Track background music machine. It doesn't work very well, so "Techmoan" is off on a Clean, Lubricate, Adjust chore to bring this U.S. spec. player up to snuff. Will our intrepid Junk, er, classic electronics collector get this five 8 Track player to "do Phil Collins" or "Queen"? Press PLAY to see/hear this pilgrim's progress.;)
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"Techmoan" has been hunting for Philips Background Music cartridges and came across one that wouldn't play. Taking it apart, mold has stuck layers of tape together, gumming up the works. Is there something on the tape worth salvaging? Press PLAY to find out what and how Matt made it "open reel ready." Can you name any of the ten mono tunes on this tape?;)
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Hey there, Skippy, it's been a while since I could access the Songfacts Forum without the Norton Utilities warning about "Suspect Site! Do Not Access! You Have Been Warned!" messages. So, to keep things light, "Techmoan" looks at a set of "can use AA cell for 30+ hours playing time" Sony Walkmans of the late 20th/early 21st century. What works for Matt? Press PLAY to find out. (Warning: 30+ minutes of video!;)
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Wind it up and things go FUBAR. "Techmoan" had a problem with his Edison Cylinder Phonograph as his last video was nearly "in the can." A one-hundred-year-old metal bolt turned into "soft metal" and sheared off under double spring pressure. Matt dug out an unused screw extraction kit and "had at it." Did this hack work? Press PLAY to find out...
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Hey there Jethro, got a pile of dirty dishes or a greasy broiling rack to clean? Tired of using way too much water and special cleansers/scrubbers? "Techmoan" has found something interesting. It started off as a crowd-funded item at $150 and is now available for the general public at $300. Press PLAY to see if it performs for Matt...
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Hello Classic Music lovers, Professor Matt here with the latest Edison Cylinder recording of the modern era. Yessir, no bothering with "black flapjacks" or "shiny discs," this here is an early 20th century man's format! The Wizard of Menlo Park is no slouch to that Berliner upstart, since you can buy or make 4 MINUTE recordings. Just in via Imperial Post is a 4 minute cylinder from Nameless Dreamers with TWO songs! By cracky, there's still some life left in tactile wax cylinders instead of those soulless "electrical or digital recordings." Press PLAY to hear a 2020 artist on 1906 tech... Technmoan's theme, aka "Cuba Baion" remastered. Where it all began: March 15, 2010: The Nixie Watch
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What does a doting relative get for a pre-school kid that won't be destroyed or is too complex to use? "Techmoan" has an answer for the Ankle-Biter in your orbit/life. Get ready for another "set up via SmarPhone" Cloud thing that will keep your designated Rugrat out of your hair for up to 90 minutes. Tonies are a German thing, running a WiFi cube receiving server-based audio content triggered by an RFID chipped character. Got something to say? There's a Creative character to set up and send messages to young or the not-too-old. Press PLAY to connect to Peter Rabbit or "Grandpa Matt.";)
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Have you "lost your keys/cards/telephone/automobile" more than usual? Can you remember your Middle School crush but not the last conversation with your significant other? Get on over to the UK, where there's something simple for you, Mr. Simon. What benefits does this UK FM/DAB radio have for "forgetful Smith"? Press PLAY for something that works in Fish & Chips land...
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Howdy Pardner, fancy yourself a Poker Jedi? Step right up and get ready to "play your hand." Via Yahoo! Japan. "Techmoan" has imported into the UK a handheld/modular/battery-or-AC gambling machine! What will Matt find as he pushes buttons, seats the Poker cartridge, uses "mystery keys," and plays with "electronic money"? Press PLAY to place your bet...
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So, your SpexArt SA-2001 media player doesn't work? Just look up a YouTube repair video or find the technical manual and set upon it with "tools of mass destruction"? Matt, the UK's premier electronics Boffin, AKA "Techmoan," tinkered with his Sony Super Audio CD Player SCD-X501 because it took "a good 20 seconds" to detect a music CD and stumbled over SCD/CD Hybrid discs. Press PLAY to see what happened...
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Your new earbuds have a hole in it!? What's going on with Sony? "Techmoan" looks (and listens) to LinkBuds in a "sponsored ad" and finds...now that's a Spoiler! Press PLAY to continue, holes and all...;)
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Submitted for your cogitation, a strange Sony Walkman model that may indeed, "belong in a museum." Imagine a playback-only Walkman that "Techmoan" can find NOTHING about on the Interweb. So, what is the purpose of this "can't play 'The Stranglers' music cassette" thing? Press PLAY to find out more from the comments...
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And now for something (possibly) previously unknown. "Techmoan" has found "the car salesman's other mouth." A Korean electronic semi-marvel distributed by Research Electronics Inc., this provided the naive public about the automobile/museum/store display via a DIY 30 second taped message. Did this thing work? How did this thing work? Press PLAY to continue down the rabbit hole...
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What can you get from, say, Amazon Germany for 100 UK Pounds Sterling? "Techmoan" went fishing for a compact audio system for "the old folks" and found a (literally) lightweight entry in this market segment. The few Grundig-branded electronic doodads that I saw in magazines and catalogues looked OK. This thing is Grundig "in name only." Press PLAY to view what Matt thinks is/was a mistake.
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Is your old CD player boring? That's the subject of "Techmoan's" rant about look-alike CD players of the 1980's. Wouldn't you rather see the CD spinning as it plays via a clear window? No? You prefer "out of sight, out of mind" powered drawer CD players? Has Matt got something to change your mind: a Audio Professional CD player from Technics! Press PLAY to enter Techmoan's "Ye Olde Tech Museum.";)
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"Elo again, "Techmoan" has been up to no good again.;) Do you crave flashing lights to go with your music? Close your purse, here come two LED music displays of doubtful utility that cost way too much. With that warning in place, Press PLAY to see/hear what the UK Mail dropped on Matt's doorstep.
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Psst! Hey you, I see you're a music CD fan, carrying around your pack of "Radical Rips" CDs. How do you play them? Only at your flat, in secret, like some "prevert"? How about displaying your perv, er, interest in "80 minutes of my kind of music" without relying on a streaming network? Your CD Discman is "lost in the one of the boxes at the storage place"? Fear not, "Techmoan" has found a Personal CD player "in the wild" that will satisfy your craving for "Weird Al' Yankovic's Greatest Hits" in public. Press PLAY to the reveal...;)
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It's a bit late in the Christmas shopping season, but "Techmoan" has something for "Cupertino Kids." Those would be the "rich hippies" that worship anything Apple, for whom a $100 Apple Inc. paperweight would be "kewl." Does $500 for a clock made from an oscilloscope sound like something Nieman-Marcus would have in the catalog? If not, press PLAY to watch Matt play with a much-sought-after bit of Tech.;)
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Submitted for your befuddlement, radio station KRAP, AM 590 has Al Green in studio for an interview! "Techmoan" takes a look at the many "celebrities" who popped up on your local radio station when Wolfman Jack held sway. Yep, the management of KRAP radio spared little expense, getting their local "Andy Travis" or "Bailey Quarters" to produce a faux "celebrity interview" when KFBR is on top. This continued into the CD age? Tell me more about this "player radio," oh great Techmoan...
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Does a non-tech saavy friend or relative want to play back some Walkman-era tapes? Or is there Avant Garde music that can only be found on cassette? "Techmoan" got a request from an "only on cassette" artiste to gift a redundant tape player that won't eat tapes to a UK non-tech correspondent. Little did "Techmoan" realize that these "lost in the attic" units would confound the Tech Master. Press PLAY if you dare!
