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Stunning, Classic Computer Console, from 1958?

Predicta Lover writes "It's widely believed that the late-50s Predicta series was the swansong for Philco. After its introduction, RCA's president David Sarnoff is quoted as having said "Philco has reinvented the industry and made TV more exciting again." Somehow, I can't imagine Bill reacting that way to an Apple product launch, at least not publicly. Years later, Philco's phenomenally-designed but questionably-engineered and over-priced TV sets are an icon of modern television design, and are even made in a stunning reproduction form. Maybe Philco would still be in business if they'd thought to shoehorn a contemporary computer into the box and put a high-resolution LCD up top (ahh, I guess that would've been tough...oh, the cruelties of history). At any rate, the researchers and designers at Onomy Labs did just that, 45 years later, and the result is an absolutely lust-worthy piece of computing hardware. Built to eventually house an experimental computer being produced by Sun Labs, the supercharged piece made its debut at their recent Open House held at the Computer History Museum.The Pedestal model that's used here was originally penned by Philco's Catherine Winkler, and is variously described as being inspired by the ideal female form and looking like a gas pump (I am not even going to touch that one). The perpetrators of this project have been mildly vilified by classic TV collectors (fearing imitators) and highly praised by most everyone else...some are calling it the 'best casemod ever'. I don't know about that, but it's definitely a beautiful object."

15 of 183 comments (clear)

  1. back in my day by thexdane · · Score: 4, Funny

    i remember back in my day we had punch cards all lined up in order and we would see who could feed them through the fastest and we liked it

    1. Re:back in my day by SYFer · · Score: 2, Funny

      Luxury! In my day we used Windows 2000 on a lame Predicta vintage TV casemod!

      --
      "...all the labours of the ages, all the devotion, all the inspiration, all the noonday brightness..." yada yada
  2. It's got /. on the display! by Compholio · · Score: 3, Funny

    Check out the display! It has /. on it!

    http://www.onomy.com/blue/images/headshotf.jpg

    1. Re:It's got /. on the display! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Hey Mom! Look, I'm on television!

  3. RTFA??? by MagicDude · · Score: 2, Funny

    I think this is the first time I didn't want to RTF-Summary. Longest one I've seen ever :)

  4. too much text by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'm not reading all that shit! This is /., give me the condensed form and link the rest so I can ignore it and make assinine comments.

  5. Re:No, actually, they're being vilified because... by krymsin01 · · Score: 4, Funny

    C'mon. My antique egyptian mummy case mod is the leetnes.

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    stuff
  6. Ewww by Itstoearly · · Score: 5, Funny

    That thing must be a black hole for feng shui. You'll need to pay some chinese guy thousands of dollars to remove it from your home.

  7. "Hardware Hacking" icon? by JThundley · · Score: 2, Funny

    Please pick something better for a hardware hacking icon, that orange 3 to 2 pin electricity adapter thing implies electricity too much.

    How about an icon involving a pci card and glue?

  8. And don't forget Atari, SCO, Napster... by BitwizeGHC · · Score: 4, Funny

    Nowadays it seems that the trend of wearing the skin of a deceased beloved company like a corporate Ed Gein is increasing in today's post-dot-com business climate.

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    N4st0r, trixx0r h0bb1tz0rz! Th3y st0l3 0ur pr3c10uzz!
    1. Re:And don't forget Atari, SCO, Napster... by gilroy · · Score: 2, Funny
      Blockquoth the poster:

      Nowadays it seems that the trend of wearing the skin of a deceased beloved company like a corporate Ed Gein is increasing in today's post-dot-com business climate.

      Well, you're not allowed to cut off your enemy's head and carry it like a trophy anymore...
    2. Re:And don't forget Atari, SCO, Napster... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny
      Nowadays it seems that the trend of wearing the skin of a deceased beloved company like a corporate Ed Gein is increasing in today's post-dot-com business climate.

      I nominate this post for the Slashdot hall of fame.

  9. Re:Huh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Look again.
    You have Phi1co, not a Philco!

  10. Re:It's a sacrelige by Kiryat+Malachi · · Score: 2, Funny

    Right, because only gay people are allowed to have a fucking sense of style, yeah?

    I think its ugly. I don't put ugly things in my house. Do you? I mean, beyond your boyfriend?

    --

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    Mod me down, you fucking twits. Go ahead. I dare you.
    (I read with sigs off.)
  11. Re:Memories by 6Yankee · · Score: 2, Funny

    When I was a child, my parents put their "Penthouse" model in my bedroom

    I've been trying to get a Penthouse model into my bedroom for years...