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."

Comments

Best casemod ever?

[SYFer]

Bah. I'm underwhelmed. It actually looks pretty ungainly to me with that tall pedestal base (not exactly an ergonomic delight unless you're a giraffe). I'd prefer a mod of the Holiday model if anything, but I'm afraid I'm with the angry Predicta collectors on this one. Must make 'em wince to see Windows 2000 leering out at them when it should be Lucille Ball.

Re:Best casemod ever?

[JasdonLe]

I COMPLETELY agree with you. Retro... Fuck Retro... The biggest problem with the 2000's (yes, STILL no one knows what to call them, four years into the deal) is that there is we still haven't moved in any one direction, there is no identity. Retro isn't huge just because everyone who grew up in the 80's has money now... There's this RANDOM lack of creativity. I'm not saying that *I* have the answer, or the vision for the 21st century... But I am saying that 100 years ago people were DEFINING a new century, not dredging up an old one.

Fuck retro. Let's make something new

Re:Best casemod ever?

[Anonymous Coward]

Bah. I'm underwhelmed. It actually looks pretty ungainly to me with that tall pedestal base (not exactly an ergonomic delight unless you're a giraffe).

I have to agree. An LCD screen, ribbon speakers built into both sides for clear stereo sound, and a simple rectangular base containing the motherboard and removable media would better than this. No offense to those who like fancy casemods, but simplicity and efficiency has its own beauty -- think Shaker furniture applied to the computer era.

Re:Best casemod ever?

[JasdonLe]

It's easy to say that kind of thing now, Mr. Monday Morning Quarterback. But keep in mind that just over 100 years ago Expressionism, Cubism, Surrealism, and not to mention ABSTRACT ART, had never really been done before. New tools were encouraging new ways of thinking. Photography challenged the traditional notion of painting and it didn't just end with art. Show me the Eiffel Towers before wrought iron.

Man, even sans serif type isn't that old, and there you're talking about a completely new way of writing English. This idea that even 100 years ago everything was being stolen is off base, if that was even your point.

It's a sacrelige

[sakusha]

The classic Predicta TV, if well maintained in working order, still receives video as well as it did when it was new, and will continue to work for many years to come. But if you tear out the guts and put in a computer, you have a box that will be obsolete within months.

Re:It's a sacrelige

[sakusha]

You miss the obvious point. The Predicta has already worked for 40+ years without any upgrades. A vintage Predicta tube TV is a work of electronic art. A casemod CPU is a kluge of mass produced junk that is lucky to go 40 weeks before it's superceded by newer equipment.

Re:It's a sacrelige

[Kiryat Malachi]

No. The Predicta is obsolete. It can't display HDTV. I assume it doesn't have an s-video input; for that matter, I assume its only inputs are 300 and 75 ohm antenna wire. Its already obsolete; modifying it to accept modern video signals fed to a modern video screen makes it significantly less so.

And I may be the only one, but while I can see the appeal of it as an example of 50s design, I personally find it ugly and would not allow it in my home.

No, actually, they're being vilified because...

[John Miles]

The perpetrators of this project have been mildly vilified by classic TV collectors (fearing imitators) ... there are only so many Predictas left, and Philco isn't making any more of them.

Here's an idea: modern Predicta reproductions are available, so why not buy a repro and case-mod it instead of trashing a really neat, really valuable technological artifact from another age?

This is no better than gutting a classic Zenith console radio to make a fishtank. It's lame as hell.

Re:No, actually, they're being vilified because...

[zangdesign]

It's hilarious that the collectors are so up in arms about someone modding out a Predicta TV, when you consider that one less on the market raises the value of their collection ever so slightly.

What's so damn sacred about the design anyway? Sure, it's a nice-looking TV, but it's obsolete which makes it a prime candidate for re-use as something a little more modern.

Re:No, actually, they're being vilified because...

[John Miles]

It's hilarious that the collectors are so up in arms about someone modding out a Predicta TV, when you consider that one less on the market raises the value of their collection ever so slightly.

No, actually, it's not "hilarious" once you realize that the more hardcore collectors aren't in it to make money, but to see rare and important examples of old-school tech preserved for posterity. Believe me, old TV sets aren't much better as investments than they are as PC cases.

There is a certain aesthetic quailty to an old chassis full of hot, glowing vacuum tubes, capacitors that smell like beeswax, resistors that actually look big enough to block an electron or two, and wiring that might kill you with a touch. Some folks are into that. If you have to ask, you're probably not one of them. Which is fine.

So, why not leave the genuine article to those who will appreciate it? Buy a reproduction Predicta, duct-tape your IDE disk-access light to the side, and pretend it's the real thing. If you're right, it doesn't really matter, does it?

Re:No, actually, they're being vilified because...

[toddestan]

I don't see it as that bad. What else are you going to do with the empty Predicta shells after cannibalizing the sets to restore other Predictas to original working condition?

Re:No, actually, they're being vilified because...

[Moofie]

Who are you to tell somebody else what they should or should not do with their own Predicta? They have a different set of motivations and desires than you do, and they're free to do as they will.

Of course, you are free to object, but you look pretty silly when you do it.

Re:One word.....

[deglr6328]

Seriously, it's 'orrid! There's a reason designs go out of style.

War... war never changes.

[Txiasaeia]

Am I the only one who saw this and immediately thought "Fallout" here? All they need is Pipboy with the thumbs up in a gas attendant uniform on the case and they're set to go. *Sigh*, Fallout.

What the hell?

[CaptainSuperBoy]

Do you put your monitor on top of your tower case? Of course not, because you don't want your neck to throb with pain for the rest of your life. That thing looks like it's about three feet higher than the desk. Every time you use your computer you feel like you got to a movie late and had to settle for the front row. Wow sign me up for this case, it's a model of practicality and ergonomics.

Sigh

[TequilaJunction]

This is possibly the most convoluted summary I've ever seen on /.

Um, no.

[aussersterne]

This thing is ass ugly and has that "don't touch me, I came from goodwill and you don't know where I've been" look to it.

I have no idea how anyone can compare this to an iMac. Hell, an average white box PC with a flat panel is about 10x more aesthetically pleasing.

Re:and for the dark side of Sarnoff....

[davidu]

I'm sorry that happened, but I think you've missed the lesson here:

Great technology isn't enough, you need the winning team and business side to go with it.

I'm not a fan of business things and legal issues either but they are needed and you can't go into situations without the smartest people on your side of the table...that's just how it works, unfortunately.

-davidu