A few days ago, PCMag.com published a slideshow of vintage Christmas graphics files that I put together. Some of those images were stills from animated GIFs. Below, you’ll find the full animated GIF files featured in the article and a whole lot more. Merry Christmas!
Prepare to be besparkled.
I’ve been collecting vintage Christmas GIF files for a while now, and I finally decided to put some of the best ones from the 256-color PC era together in a slideshow. You can check it out over at PCmag.com.
Please disregard the “Christmas Card” stuff they inserted in the title and introduction — I’m not sure why they did that. The images have nothing to do with Christmas cards (those paper things you mail to people). I guess it’s hard to concisely describe to the general public what exactly these images are and why someone would want to look at them. Also, the captions are to the upper right of each image. Hope you enjoy it. Merry Christmas.
Update (12/21/2010): I just posted a bunch of animated Christmas GIFs, including those featured in this slideshow.
35 years ago this month, Steve Sasson and his crew at a Kodak laboratory in Rochester, NY tested the world’s first digital camera for the first time. The device only took 100×100 pixel photos, storing them on audio cassette tape.
Sounds like a good excuse to create a slideshow overview of digital camera history, doesn’t it? Mosey on over to PC World and check out what I put together — “35 Years of the Digital Camera.”
“And you say this is some sort of football simulator?”
Discussion Topic of the Week: Does your family play video or computer games around the holidays as part of a tradition? Please discuss.
On November 20th, 1985, Microsoft released Windows 1.0. Back then, it was just a fancy graphical shell that ran atop MS-DOS. But over the years, it evolved into a full-fledged OS that dominated (and still dominates) the PC desktop.
To celebrate 25 years of Windows, I recently crafted a slideshow for PC World titled “Windows Through the Ages” and another for Technologizer called “Windows Oddities.” The latter article is the latest in my Oddities series for that site.
If you get a chance, I hope you can take a look. They were fun to make, and I think you guys will enjoy them — even if you’re not a big fan of Windows.
And let’s face it: I’m not sure anyone is a “fan” of Windows. Most of us just use it because it’s there and it works. But if you have more passion for Microsoft’s OS than that, feel free to let us know. Speaking of that, this looks like a good chance for a discussion topic.
Anniversary Discussion Topic: Overall, do you think Windows has been good or bad for computing in general? Explain.
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Previous entries in Benj’s “Oddities” series:
Nintendo Entertainment System Oddities
Super Mario Oddities
Game Boy Oddities
Five years ago today, I published my first post on Vintage Computing and Gaming.
The funny thing is that when I started this blog in 2005, I had no idea I would still be doing it five years later — or that it would become the nucleus of a career in writing. No idea.
It’s amazing how life can guide you in new and unexpected directions.
So what this anniversary really means that my career as a professional writer is now five years old. I’ve written for a dozen or so web and print publications over the last five years, and I still enjoy every minute of it.
If you like my regular VC&G series of Halloween costume ideas, then you might enjoy this piece I just whipped up for PCMag, titled “12 Last-Minute Tech Halloween Costume Ideas.” Readers seeking practical costume ideas may be disappointed, but readers expecting boatloads of Benj-style Halloween humor will hit the jackpot. Or at least I hope so.
Happy Halloween!
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Here’s a list of the VC&G Halloween Costume Ideas articles:
2010 Video Game Edition
2009 Video Game Edition
2008 Video Game Edition
2007 Video Game Edition
2006 Video Game Edition
2006 Computer Edition
Halloween is only four days away, and if you haven’t chosen your costume already, you’re screwed. Luckily, VC&G is here to help (once again) with 13 fresh last-minute costume ideas.
Through this article, things you will see. Other places. The future…the past. Old friends long gone.* Regardless of the vintage, each of these costumes is guaranteed to get you candy or your money back. Did I mention this is the fifth entry of this longstanding VC&G tradition? Most excellent.**
* Modified Yoda quote.
** Unmodified Bill & Ted quote.
[ Continue reading VC&G’s Halloween Video Game Costume Ideas (2010) » ]
“The spell is cast this Halloween!” *GASP!!!*
That spooky, spooky holiday is just around the corner, so I figured you guys might enjoy something in theme. I think I’ve played Witchaven once or once before — even if only because it used the Build engine — but I don’t remember it well. What did you guys think of it?
Discussion Topic of the Week: What’s your favorite scary/creepy computer or video game? Any platform, any era.
If you’ve checked out this week’s Retro Scan and maybe even my NES teardown, you already know that Nintendo released the NES in the United States 25 years ago today (that would be 1985 — I’ll spare you the math).
In honor of the anniversary, I gathered up 13 examples of NES-related weirdness and conveniently packaged them in a slideshow format for Technologizer. The result is “Nintendo Entertainment System Oddities,” a gallery in the same vein as my Super Mario Oddities and Game Boy Oddities pieces for Technologizer. I hope you enjoy it.
Maybe all this NES lovin’ will inspire you to dust off your old console and revisit some NES classics. It certainly did me.
