Things I Think Are Kinda Cool

The arcade was a full spectrum of emotions for me…from shouts of pride when I entered my initials on the “Donkey Kong Jr.” high-score screen, to tantrums of despair when Dad said it was time to leave. Today arcades are endangered species – one of the last spots in NYC, “Chinatown Fair”, closed down just a few weeks ago.

Luckily, there’s photographic proof that these mystical places actually existed. The Flickr group “Growing Up In Arcades: 1979 – 1989″ serves up a retro-tastic blast from the 8-bit past. Some of my favorites (warning…French-rolled jeans ahead!):

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Dig Dug!

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Check out “Growing Up in Arcades: 1979-1989″ for more…(via Neatorama)

UPDATE: There’s a documentary in the works about the final few days of “Chinatown Arcade”. Trailer:

And good news…the owners have relocated to Brooklyn and just opened a new spot called “Next Level”. Game on.

Do you remember the 80′s Nickelodeon game show “Finders Keepers”?  Lucky hyperactive kids trashed a fake 3-story house looking for clues & prizes – they carelessly dumped out drawers, maniacally ripped up couches, violently smashed vases, and all other sorts of beautiful mayhem.  I was obsessed.  Jog your memory:

Fast forward about 20 years…

A shopping mall in Shenyang, China, has just opened a “Venting Store” that keeps the destructive spirit of “Finders Keepers” alive and kicking hard.  Shoppers (only women at the moment) start by buying older but absolutely real electronics and appliances…they’re then given a helmut, gloves, and a baseball bat.

You can guess what comes next – a whole lot of smashing and Chinese-lady-screaming. So far, most of the customers have been white collar workers and college students stressed out about the economy and unemployment (sound familiar?).  The store is designed like a real house, so the women can fantasize about kicking the crap out of their own surroundings without having to vacuum up the mess.

We already import over $300 billion in Chinese products a year- let’s just include the “Venting Strore” idea in the overall package and call it a day.

-Link via Presurfer

Jacksonville based artist James Hance says his paintings scream out, “Childhood! It was amazing! I want it forever please!”.  The mind-bending juxtapositions he creates feel perfect – you just know that if Hendrix was alive today he’d be rocking a high score on “Guitar Hero”.  These are some of my favorites from James’ collection:

“Guitar Hero”

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“The Mona Leia”

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“The Man & The Man of Steel”

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“Doozers Raising The Flag On Iwo Jima”

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“Young Steins In Love”

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“Alice – A Suitable Case For Treatment”

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“Force By Northwest”

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“Music & Me”

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“Bert & Ernie (Picasso Style)

Be sure to check out more of James’ amazing work on Artbreak.  Many of his pieces are still for sale…

I think I just got killed by a Koopa and went to heaven.
(Click the image to maximize retro goodness)

Look at the girly drink Optimus Prime is sipping…what a wuss.
-via Unique Daily