Portable Music Players - MLC Style
July 2nd, 2009 by Rodney LeeYesterday marked 30 years since the first portable music player debuted. The Sony Walkman.
CDs and solid state memory were not yet invented - or not available for the general public. Back then, the choice of recorded media was the cassette. It was compact, easy to take around and could play in your car's stereo. Much smaller than 8-track tapes and available with pre-recorded albums recorded on them.
But listening to them meant hanging out in your car in the school parking lot during lunch time or hanging out by your car at Ala Moana beach park. And it also meant draining your car's battery.
But that all changed on July 1, 1979, when Sony introduced the Sony Walkman TPS-L2. A 14 ounce, silver and blue portable cassette player that came with headphones and a slick leather case.
Now music was portable. And the Sony TPS-L2 even came with a second headphone jack so ONE of your friends could share your music with you.
But it's a far cry from today's iPods and other MP3 players. Today's kids ask their MLC dads "Did you used to have one of those huge Walkmans?" And the dad would reply "Yup, wore it on my belt." And the kids say back "Please don't ever repeat that." 
I remember when my friend bought one. He was working as a valet and his co-worker turned him on the the Walkman. The very next day, a few of us went with him to Shirokiya to buy his new toy. He immediately opened it up, stuck in the 2 AA batteries, popped in a cassette and was rockin' and rollin' as we were walking around the mall. But he had the volume turned up - so much so - that when he asked a question, he yelled out "WHERE'S HE GOING?". My other friends and me just looked at each other and started busting out laughing. My friend with the Walkman quickly took off his headphones and said "What, did I say that too loud?".
Do you remember the old Walkmans? Maybe you even had one. Or perhaps you had the deluxe model with the built-in AM/FM tuner. Come on, own up. Do you have any portable music players today? I have a few iPods - 4 to be exact. What can I say - I love my music.
Tags: 8-track tapes, cassette tapes, CD, compact disc, compact disc players, headphones, iPod, midlife crisis blog, MP3 players, Music, portable music players, Rodney Lee, Shirokiya, solid state memory, Sony Walkman, Sony Walkman TPS-L2
July 2nd, 2009 at 4:52 am
I was talking about this with my wife the other day. I use my I-Pod Nano when I go for a run but remember using the Walkman back in the 70's. Even when they came out with a CD version it was still pretty bulky. I love the I-Pod; so much can be stored on it, not just music.
July 2nd, 2009 at 5:47 am
Oh yeah, I had a walkman. We even had that 8-track player by Panasonic that looked one detonator
NOW? i don't even have an Ipod. I just turn on the radio 
July 2nd, 2009 at 6:06 am
I wanted a Walkman so badly, so that I could go running with it. Ha ha ha ha, that's weight training with a run! Or maybe that allowed me to compensate for the lack of weight and bulk when I ran without it. I had that, the cordura key pouch that you keep on your shoe laces and Velcro closed.
And then the CD players - running with those with the technology that would prevent the song from skipping if banged too hard.
Tell you what, though, I misplaced those devices less when they were larger, compared to the mp3 players of today.
July 2nd, 2009 at 6:29 am
Good Monring Rodney!
I used to have a Sony walkman too! Now, I'm like Ynaku, iPod less.
July 2nd, 2009 at 6:33 am
Good morning Rodney!
It's been 30 years ago already, I'm getting old fast.
I had a walkman too, now like Ynaku, I'm iPod less.
July 2nd, 2009 at 6:35 am
What happened? I thought my first post didn't go through?
July 2nd, 2009 at 7:11 am
I was working that day a patient came in and showed me his new toy. "Oh, that's what a Walkman looks like". LOL I never had one. My best friend had an 8 track in her Datsun (when was the last time you said Datsun?) and our fave tape was Emerson Lake & Palmer.
Meh moh reez!
I got an iPod Nano for Christmas. I was so happy but my daughter had to come over and give me lessons. hahahaha Now saving pennies for a Bose Docking station. Hey, if I gotta spend money, it's gonna be good.
July 2nd, 2009 at 7:32 am
I had a Walkman that was a hand-me-down from my dad. I wore out two tapes in particular: Barry Manilow's "2 a.m. Paradise Cafe" and Dan Fogelberg's "Greatest Hits."
I also still have some mix tapes from waaaaaaaaay back in the day.
The mp3 player I have now is not an iPod (it's a Creative Zen Sleek, 30MG) and I love it. My dad laughed at the capacity (it holds around 3,500 songs), but I told him I'll fill it up. I've got over 3,000 songs on it now. It also holds pictures, but the screen is soooooo small that images are hard to see (esp. with MLC eyes!) It also has an FM radio receiver, all the better to listen to NPR during my bus commute.
July 2nd, 2009 at 7:34 am
When the Walkman first came out, it used to seem so high-tech. I thought it was expensive, too, for the Sony. Maybe cheaper imitations came out later. I do still keep a portable cassette player (not necessarily the Sony Walkman) because I still have some music on cassette tapes. I tried throwing them all away, but you can't throw away some of that stuff, even if you never listen to them anymore. They are a part of your life. (And I'm not a hoarder!) In Seattle, you could get portable cassette type devices at the big Goodwill near the Chinatown/International District -- people gave them away to Goodwill in droves and they only cost a few dollars. You could buy a few and if one broke just throw it away. In fact that Goodwill (which was in a huge warehouse-like building) was a great place to find old electronics.
-- Kevin
July 2nd, 2009 at 7:50 am
yes you buy the junk then they come up with better things....yes I cry. I want the walkman mom for my birthday .I waited a whole year until my birthday comes I was so excited! ThenI walk around like I am it with bulky thing stuck to my head...!
July 2nd, 2009 at 7:52 am
OH YES MATCH THAT HEAD GEAR WITH THE HUGE OLD PHONE..while wearing plaid!
July 2nd, 2009 at 7:55 am
SO now I have kids I get stuck with big huge pile of junk OKAY WELL JUST PASS THAT JUNK TO THE KIDS WHY BOTHER cleaning up garbage of techonology.. 2 NINTENDO THEN 3 playstation ..on and on then black and white t.v. still got that!
July 2nd, 2009 at 7:55 am
I had a Walkman. I also remember carrying the different tapes I wanted to listen to around with me in a black case. Now its so easy, everything you want to listen to fits into the Ipod.
July 2nd, 2009 at 7:57 am
it is funny arguing with my husband he keeps sayign the oldest shoudl be working so I said why look what you buy with that ATARI when you were young.you work so hard you got junk of atari.omg....!
July 2nd, 2009 at 7:59 am
My first intro to tape players, was a 4 track my friend had in his car. He kept playing a tape by the "Four Seasons", before they became "Franky Valley and the Four Seasons". My first device was a 8 track from Muntz Stereo on Kapiolani, then added a cassette adapter.
My first walkman was actually a portable radio, then the radio/cassette, then the radio/cd player; all Sony. I then got a RCA "Lyra" and then a gift from "Baby Bro", a Sony "Psyc" MD (mini-disc)walkman; all not quite an "Ipod".
Perhaps one day I'll get an Ipod, but I want one that holds just tons of music, I don't care about movies. I guess I may be "ADDHD" and have a short attention span, I don't even watch "videos on demand".
Okay enough of my memories, let the others post, go for all of you out there in MLC land. I'm going to do all my stuff today so I can Surf all day tomorrow, cowabunga.
July 2nd, 2009 at 7:59 am
well good thing my husband is keeping up with technology I be stuck still with that walkman since I am too scared to try new things..yes he practically had to yank the old kodak camera from my hands... then fianlly I learn to use the digital..HOW EASY.
July 2nd, 2009 at 8:01 am
the thing with music is when I get in the van we argue which music to play..imagine 8 track we be fighting with that junk.....!
July 2nd, 2009 at 8:24 am
I had a Toshiba I think, with the fm radio tuner in cassette. Had to have the tunes for those long walks on the UH campus. That thing ate batteries though.
Those were the days of Guy Hagi doing the surf on 93fmQ and Willie Moku, may he rest in peace. That guy was always so amped up!
July 2nd, 2009 at 8:40 am
I had a walkman like device by Sharp. I bought it while on a trip to Japan in 85. It played cassettes and then had an add on that looked like a cassette, popped in like a cassette, but it allowed me to listen to AM and FM radio.
July 2nd, 2009 at 8:42 am
I had my first Walkman in 1980 and I remember how amazed I was by this little tape player's ability to output such great sound. I had the same 'wow' experience when I heard CD the first time (1983?). I drove to the Tower Records (in San Francisco) to hear the demo and had this big smile on my face. Of course, I couldn't afford the CD player...I think it was around $600! LOL.
July 2nd, 2009 at 8:52 am
I had a few Walkman-type devices. I don't remember when I got my first one, but I know it wasn't a Sony -- it was a Sanyo.
Not nearly as cool as a Sony.
After I started working, I could afford to get myself a good one -- an Aiwa with all the bells and whistles.
Auto-reverse, seek function, and could even record! I loved that thing, until I dropped it onto a concrete sidewalk. 
It didn't work quite the same after that. 
Saved up for a Sony DiscMan, and had that for a while. In fact, I think I had 4 portable cd players over the years. I needed it during lunch break at work to maintain my sanity.
Now, I have my iTunes playing all day, but I STILL don't own an iPod.
July 2nd, 2009 at 9:18 am
eh......da first portable music player was da ghetto blaster.
y'know......da one's you carry on your shoulder and hold up to your ear.
yeah.....i had a Walkman back in the day. it was all da rage and was hot......like how da ipod/mp3 players were when they first came out.
thot it was so cooool!
July 2nd, 2009 at 9:34 am
Ghetto Blasters always remind me of Mel Brooke's movie History of the World Part II... "Won't you take me to - - - Funky Town!" hahahaha
Funny how the status was big ole huge tunes and now it's like the smaller the cooler. I wonder what we'll have in 15 yrs and will we be laughing at the iPods?
July 2nd, 2009 at 9:35 am
RBB, I'm like you, I have hard time sitting still to watch movies. I'm really gasagasa.
I have a friend who calls this phenomenon "ADOS": "attention deficit . . . oooh, shiny!"
July 2nd, 2009 at 9:37 am
Is the plural Walkmans, or Walkmen?
I remember taking mine to Aloha Stadium to listen to the radio broadcast of the UH games while I watched.
July 2nd, 2009 at 9:39 am
Morning everybody
I neva have Walkman
to puua 
at least now I get one iPod 
eh, before 8 track I had one 4 track player in my car....actually waz my bradda's car and he went in da navy so I inherited his car 
NKHEA....not into electronics to much
July 2nd, 2009 at 9:43 am
I had the Walkman with the cassette and AM/FM, and then later one of those bright yellow sports models, and a CD Discman for the car. I had the VAIO Music Clip ATRAC/MP3 player, too. But I have never had an iPod, or iPhone or iTouch or iMac (though I do have an iBook).
I use my BlackBerry Curve as a music player. With a good-sized SD card it holds quite enough music, and I also have the BlackBerry clients for Pandora and Slacker Radio for even more music.
I guess most of you have seen this by now? The BBC Magazine had a 13-year-old swap his iPod for a Walkman for a week and write about it
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8117619.stm
opso: had to laugh about the ghetto blasters! We were just talking about those, a.k.a. old skool boomboxes. I actually love the boombox style thing we have for our Sirius radio!
July 2nd, 2009 at 10:06 am
Kathi: that article was funny. Esp the part about taking 3 days to figure out that a cassette tape has 2 sides. Technology is funny.
My daughter (when she was little) saw baby pics of me and was amazed to find out we had cameras in "those" days. I told her no, there was a pterodactyl in a box with a chisel.
July 2nd, 2009 at 10:30 am
sally: LOL @ the pterodactyl photographer! With Polaroid fading away this year, you know there will now also be a whole generation who has no idea what "shake it like a Polaroid picture" means...
July 2nd, 2009 at 10:37 am
kathi: Fuji still makes instant film, but under their own brand name, not Polaroid.
July 2nd, 2009 at 10:42 am
Sally, your "I told her no, there was a pterodactyl in a box with a chisel" makes me think of the Flintstones!
July 2nd, 2009 at 10:52 am
kan: that's where it came from. LOL I loved that cartoon! Even owned the Pebbles and BamBam 45, sang my lungs out to that record when I played it on our big console stereo. My daughter gets so embarrassed when I talk about it. I tell her that embarrassing her is my job as a parent.
July 2nd, 2009 at 10:57 am
Just for you Sally:
"Let the Sunshine In," Pebbles and BamBam
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpab0a3W4Ec
July 2nd, 2009 at 10:59 am
I read about these "Walkman" things in my history books. Kidding!!
I too owned a Sanyo one. It was good, but not cool enough to take around in public. For that, I borrowed my friends fancy shmancy Sony one. That thing looked way cooler than my Sanyo. What wasn't cool was the Vanilla Ice tape I was blasting inside that thing. What was I thinking?!
Today, I own a nice little Sandisk Sansa Clip. Cheap, simple and it allows me 4GB of happiness....
July 2nd, 2009 at 11:58 am
i had an aiwa, like bananafysh. i waited a long time for that! the walkman was expensive! i played it all the time, until i fell asleep every day! i still have my cassette tapes, too! remember if you left them in the car, they'd melt? after that i got my diskman, which i loved to death and had to get another. now, i don't have an ipod, though i have an mp3 player that i've never used!
opso - too funny about the boombox! i was out in kapolei a few weeks ago and a man jogged pass us in the parking lot with his "walkman" - a huge boombox he was carrying on his shoulder! crazy! and, yes, he was jogging with that thing!
July 2nd, 2009 at 12:17 pm
I had an original model, then I upgraded...Aiwa with AM/FM and the tape player had auto reverse and could play metal tapes (remember those?)!!
now, I recently looked to try to find a portable AM player...no can!! WWD??? (oops, wrong board) I just wanted something I could take to work and listen to daytime baseball games on, but I couldn't find any.
July 2nd, 2009 at 1:06 pm
I had a few walkman's. I can't remember any without the radio, so that must mean I didn't get the "first" ones made. I have an iPod shuffle... uhmmm still sitting in da box, cuz I dunno how to use it! bhahaahaha... sad.....*sigh*......
July 2nd, 2009 at 2:38 pm
My first mp3 player was a Samsung YP-K5 portable music player / boombox.
Yup, it's a personal music player AND a boombox - all fit into one sleek unit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dto-57_yyWo
*there isn't any narrative in this video - just in the last 10 seconds. But you gotta hear it.
July 2nd, 2009 at 2:39 pm
kan, awww man I felt da love! Thanks!
When I finally got my iPod I told my daughter (ala Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion) "Hey! anybody wanna listen to my iPod?"
Obviously I watch too many movies.
Back to Walkmans ... Walkmen... whatever... they were even larger than transistor radios weren't they?
July 2nd, 2009 at 2:41 pm
@KAN - Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm - Let The Sun Shine In !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A27wB6qxtC4
I loved that song. (of course I never told anyone). Brings back memories...
Hmmm, might make an interesting ringtone.
July 2nd, 2009 at 2:46 pm
@ucho - Big welcome to Midlife Crisis! Thanks for joining in with the memories. $600 for a CD player back then - and maybe $20 for one now? I'm going to wait until $600 Blu-ray players prices come down to around $20 too.
July 2nd, 2009 at 2:58 pm
@sally - Datsun, Funky Town, Peebles and Bamm-Bamm, 45 rpm, console stereo...
Since you came to MLC after the "What School You Went Grad" entry, can I ask you a question?
What School You Went Grad?
*that question is usually followed by "what year?" so you can volunteer that info if you'd like.
We have quite a few Kaimuki/Kalani grads here and one of them said they grew up close to where the owner of Krazy's grew up. Maybe they know you too.
Anyway, just wondering (or you can keep us guessing too
)
July 2nd, 2009 at 4:02 pm
hmmm, there's a lot to be said about anonymity. LOL Garrans there will be somebody who knows me. Not to be so prom queen (I wasn't BTW) hahaha but everywhere I go I see people I know. My boss said I should run for Mayor, but I know him too and don't want his job. I just stay satisfied being da Aloha Girl.
K-den, Kaimuki 74... and da name ain't Sally. 'nuff said.
Who else grew up in Kaimuki/Kapahulu area?
July 2nd, 2009 at 4:06 pm
yes so lesson one save your money they will invent better things every year ..yup..but are the singers good to listen to now....?
July 2nd, 2009 at 4:07 pm
yes wait for four years the privce go down then next thing they will invent even better so you keep trying to catch up......next thing you be investing hearing aid...music sucks !
July 2nd, 2009 at 4:09 pm
I still get a kick how my friend would bitch her husbnad use to cram his huge phone inside her tiny purse..so one day behind his back she got a smaller phone! funny ! YES he keeps every crap of technology!
July 2nd, 2009 at 4:11 pm
MY hsubnad use to tell me WE GO TTO BUY A BETTER STEREO the sound is better and I keep insisting cassete was good...I have no clue abotu sound but nwo I understand what he means....I PULLED OUT THE DARN CASSETE all muffled....throw that junk out.
July 2nd, 2009 at 4:14 pm
YES i am like yup in my day I was stuck with crap waste of money!
July 2nd, 2009 at 4:15 pm
Perfect, sally. Thanks
Come on you guys, speak up!
July 2nd, 2009 at 5:02 pm
Guilty!
Dawg '73. (liholiho/Kaimuki Inter)
Lived near 6th avenue.
My name ain't Sally either.
July 2nd, 2009 at 5:12 pm
Bought a Toshiba walkman, probably like Coconut Willy's. Had the fm/am radio. Was staying in Santa Barbara for a short stretch. The place I was staying in didn't have a cassette player. Missed home, needed to listen to my C&K and Kalapana tapes.
When one of my brother's co-workers hit 50, they gave him a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue (scotch) which we all drank. When my brother hit 50 a year later, I asked him if they bought him scotch. He told me no, but he was so excited that they bought him an Ipod. He never owned one (me either). I told him "why are you so excited, brah - you no can drink the Ipod!".
July 2nd, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Dawgs '71
Jarrett inter.
Palolo Valley
My name ain't Sally either.
July 2nd, 2009 at 7:39 pm
oh now I remember I painted my walkman with glitters so my brothers wont touch it....the reason why I got walkman because my mom got tired of me listening to Phil Colins over and over... so my mom got me walkman.
July 2nd, 2009 at 8:23 pm
yes you buy a cassette then darn baby put toast inside!...try that with ipod?
July 2nd, 2009 at 8:26 pm
all that fancy gadget you go to dollar store get the tiny radio cheap!
July 2nd, 2009 at 9:42 pm
Rod,
Da flawa's really blooming 2day huh? I think I get stuff just cause I want it, on sale or not. Guess that's being so deprived during growing up. Remember dad always use to say "you want it, go get a job and buy it", well I did and that is why if I want it, I work, so I buy it.
@ KAN; thanks for not letting me feel like I'm the only one in the world who can't just sit with ear buds in my ears and block out the world. I'm so bad that when my ex wanted to see "Spiderman" I fell asleep, cause it was boooooorrrirnnng.
July 2nd, 2009 at 9:44 pm
Surfriders '69
Kailua Intermediate
Kailua
Just don't call me "SUE".
July 2nd, 2009 at 9:45 pm
Ahh, mistake, erase
Surfriders '67 not '69 (must have been thinking like a beeveedee).
July 2nd, 2009 at 11:30 pm
Having a hard time sleeping so...
C0hiba: Liholiho (I lived a block away). Kaimuki Inter, remember the bus strike and we all had to walk to school and back home every day up the monstrous Kilauea hill? Or were you lucky enough to get a ride? KHS... I probably know you. Johnny Walker Blue, that is GOOD STUFF! Ever try Bookers?
RBB: most of my best friends are 60 something grads... but none from "the other side of the mountain". And I had that Johnny Cash record too. My family was same way, we never even asked for things cuz no sense, we simply couldn't. So I learned early what you said... you want something, save for it.
M: my Palolo gang call themselves the Palolo lolos. hahaha And my hanai family is in Palolo. So's my best friends.
Rosette: you're right, by the time we saved enough for something, the newer something comes out and it costs more. sheesh
oyasumi all.
July 3rd, 2009 at 5:09 am
I had a water resistant Sony Walkman...it was yellow and had like a porthole looking window to see the cassette. I guess it was water resitant for if you jog in the rain. The entire inside had a plastic / rubber gasket to create a seal when it closed...at least that was the idea. But come on, I never go jogging in the rain. Just happened to be on sale.
July 3rd, 2009 at 6:21 am
~ skids in! wow, I'm late!
I made shame, I still blush to think of it: siiiinging along with the song, and no one else could hear the music. my fiance grabbed the head set off me and everyone was laughing.
July 3rd, 2009 at 6:28 am
The absolute classic question! This Haul Cane design is the best, called "Local Genealogy"
http://www.canehaulroad.com/men%27s_shirts/men%27s_shirts.html
Must be followed by the next statement: "You know my cousin!"
July 3rd, 2009 at 7:22 am
I don't remember when cassette tape players first came out but I think in the 70's I had a Panasonic, then an Aiwa player. Before that, I only had a cheap vinyl record player to play music. Other than good ole transistor AM radio, portable music wasn't there for the everyday guy. Army buddy in nam had a portable battery operated vinyl record player that was a prize possession. He really took care of it and we spent many nights listening to the Doors and Sgt. Peppers. We were with an armored unit so he was able to bring it with us in the field. I didn't have a Walkman until much later and didn't use it very much. I have a ipod nano that I use regularly, mostly while running. MP3 is so accessible and easy to download. The sound is so much better than the walkman's of old and the ear buds/phones are light and comfortable, although I had to do a lot of research to find the right ones. ipods will be ancient history soon with iphones and other cell phones that you can download music and access the internet. I don't even wear a watch anymore...just check cell phone for time.
July 3rd, 2009 at 8:09 am
Never had a walkman, but plenty of vinyls!! Don't even have an ipod, but plenty of CD's!! Go figure!
July 3rd, 2009 at 8:57 am
I still got my vinyls but why bother you can go to utube....all this junk I keep buying just to amuse myself then what do I do I spend my whole day sit outside pulling weeds....so muich for the gadget!
I have no ipod but my husband does and he better change the channel of music or I will throw his junk away.....when I get in the van I get to pick the music or he will never hear the end of it...yup..I got this vinyls becasue my husbands knows I like old things..when no one is around I turn it on......I got oldy songs pile up high.
July 3rd, 2009 at 9:00 am
so annoying you buy a big screen t.v..then they make the flat screen ! then I blame my husband he should have waited we at stuck with old junk...oh well what I do is go out and about all over the city to be amuse again.... I don't need all that stuff.....so much for planning buying all sorts of junk . ....
July 3rd, 2009 at 9:04 am
I find as kids get older I don't need all sort of gadget to amuse me inside the house now I can go outside without a kid stuck to my neck.....I only needed those things to be sane when you are stuck with kids...now what amuse me is going to flower gardens and go for lunches and take nap!
July 3rd, 2009 at 10:59 am
Matt, I have a small AM/FM radio made by Sony in the Walkman series (!!!), model #SRF-M37V. No tape-playing capability despite the name. I bought it refurbished from the Sony outlet store a few years ago for 10 bucks:
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet
/ProductDisplay?storeId=10151&catalogId=1&langId=-1&productId=11036580&SR=sony_search_seo&SQS=SRF-M37V
Sony doesn't sell 'em anymore at their website, but I found it elsewhere on the web. Amazon's got it $99 (!!!) but I found a few other places selling it for $16.
I bought it to listen to ball games too - I take it to Safeco with me for M's games. It takes 1 AAA battery.
I remember metal cassette tapes - all my audiophile friends had 'em.
July 3rd, 2009 at 11:59 am
I remember holding on to my walkman long after CD players came out... Then I had my portable CD player for the longest time...
July 3rd, 2009 at 12:18 pm
@Kage-had an add on that looked like a cassette, popped in like a cassette, but it allowed me to listen to AM and FM radio.
That's what I meant to say
And the plural is Walkmanses.
I still have a portable cd player. I'm too lazy to convert all my cd's to mp3.
July 3rd, 2009 at 4:43 pm
Hi Uncle Rod! Its been a while but life is just keeping me busy. I remember Dad's walkman. He use to use it to ride the bus (I think). But I remember having one when I was I think like 6th grade(?). But what I do miss are cassette tapes. Even video tapes. I deplore CD's and DVD's. If you give um the mean stink eye you end up with a huge scratch and it never plays right again. with the tapes you could do everything short of leaving it in the sun or rain and with a good puff of air into the openings it worked like new! As for downloading and all that MP3 stuff...I got to ask my boys how to do it. All my music is still on my "old" computer from all my CD's that I did buy and just am too stupid to get it off. I did try with transferring them to a thumb drive but when I put the thumb drive in my new computer most of the stuff never came over?! aaarghh. so I just listen to the radio...know a good techie that can walk a techno stupid thru this? >.<
July 4th, 2009 at 9:07 am
hmm... the technology has existed for quite some time, to sheathe cd's so that they are impervious to scratches and fingerprints. truck drivers had them, so they would last longer under adverse conditions.
that patent must have been bought up by sellers of cd's, because not another peep has escaped, and we are still replacing them all the time.
July 4th, 2009 at 9:10 am
my mistake, they are called D-skins, and you buy them and put them on. quite a secret, and still expensive
http://izzy.typepad.com/undisclosedlocation/2004/12/dskin_protectiv.html
July 6th, 2009 at 5:26 am
I received a cassette Walkman as omiyage from a Japanese cousin when she visited me in Texas around 1982. It was the deluxe version with AM/FM/Weather band/TV. Cassette broken now, but I still use it in the garage to listen to radio...just can't throw it away. When I moved to Yokohama in 1988, I bought a portable CD Walkman (the battery weighed like 50 pounds!) and some used, powered 100W Sony bookshelf speakers at a flea market, which in itself was a rarity in the go-go 80's in Japan. I remember agonizing over buying the speakers because they cost 14,000 yen (about $100 back then) for used speakers. I was happy because they rocked and my boys use them on their game system even today! Nowadays, electronics are designed for a short life span, not like before. I don't know how many cordless land line phones I've thrown away in the last ten years, but the old rotary phones lasted forever! Speaking of cassettes, this weekend I was driving through Southern Baptist bible belt countryside and had a choice on the radio of country & western or end-of-the-world-is-coming-soon sermons (forgot my CDs), so I dug around in the glovebox and found an old cassette tape my friend made in 1989. I enjoyed a nice two-hour flashback with the 80's music. Rodney, when was the last time you dug out the old homemade cassettes? Or do you still even have them?
July 6th, 2009 at 8:55 am
Hi jtb, and welcome to the Midlife Crisis blog. Thank you for posting and sharing your story with us. Would you still believe I have some Fisher floor speakers from the early 80's? Just can't throw them away.
As for cassettes, I may still have a "briefcase" cassette holder someplace, but I'd be afraid to play them as the tapes tend to get old and the metal oxide comes off and messes up the tape heads.
I still have a nice Nakamichi tape deck that still works as far as I know. Saw one just like it on sale at a garage sale for about $25. Nobody bought it. Maybe I'll just keep it as a museum piece.