1984
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Blast from the Past: Apple Lisa
It's 1984. Meet the Lisa. I'm warning you now, this video is not short. It starts with a nostalgic look back by the expert who more than twenty years earlier introduced the Lisa in a televised interview. He talks about the moment in time, the technology, and his rhinoplasty. You may want to skip a few minutes into the video. One of the things I love so much about this video is seeing the menus in their original forms. They're so familiar and at the same time, you're struck by the differences. It's also great to see the core set of Mac Apps that shipped with the Lisa and watch them in action, like the word processor and drawing programs. You get a sense while watching about how revolutionary the Mac leap forward was (and as an Alto and Smalltalk user, I assure you this was way beyond anything from Xerox). It's also fascinating to see how slow things were. Watch how long it takes for the calculator to load! And notice the 5MB hard drive enclosure on the top of the machine. What an amazing thing to have to think about the Lisa being able to run more than one program at a time, while the Mac could not. Of course, this was around the same time of the height of the Symbolics Lisp Machine, which could pwn the Lisa in almost every way possible, but was way beyond the Lisa in cost.
AppleGazette lists top 10 Apple commercials
There's nothing that warms the cockles of a blogger's heart than a good list of things. This time around AppleGazette has compiled a list of the 10 ten Apple commercials of all time. The usual suspects are there, HAL, Ellen Feiss, and Think Different. Oddly enough 1984, possibly the most famous commercial ever, didn't nab the top slot.Oh, and the image accompanying this post is from the worst Apple ad ever. Sound off in the comments if you know which ad it is.
Macintosh intro one of the top 10 best presentations ever
We all know that his Steveness is a master showman. His patented Reality Distortion Field often gets people to take out their wallets before he has even uncovered whatever product he is showing off. That is why it should come as no surprise that his 1984 keynote, introducing the Macintosh, made this top ten list of presentations. Martin Luther King Jr also made the list, so Steve isn't in bad company.Dear TUAW'ers, I thought it would be fun to ask you what your favorite Stevenote was. I have to pick the 2006 MWSF Stevenote, since that was the first one that I saw in person. How about you?[via iFlipFlop]
Found Footage: Steve Jobs 1984 keynote
Being that this is TUAW and we're hounds for this stuff, I'm sure we've come across this footage some time ago, but I came up empty handed while traversing our archives, and even Google found nothing, so here we go: it's a blast from the past boys and girls - excerpts from Steve Jobs' 1984 keynote. Watch as Steve razzles and dazzles the audience with new Mac features which, at the time, were groundbreaking. Also note his affinity for just a hint of drama that you can still see on stage today, despite rumors to the contrary. Enjoy.
First-ever GTA: Vice City Stories screenshots
GTA: Vice City Stories is a game that's so important, that we're willing to do box art stories on it. Every single morsel of info that trickles down to us seems so very precious. Well, it appears that the Australian version of GamePro has a cover story on Vice City Stories, and thanks to the beauty of the Internet, all of us can share in the details: The game takes place two years before PS2's Vice City: 1984. The game will feature multiplayer, similar to Liberty City Stories. VCS is "much bigger than Vice City." Helicopters now join the list of usable vehicles! Unlike Tony, you won't drown instantly in water: you can swim! New weather effects, including hurricanes. Better graphics: more crowded streets, better animation, greater draw distance, more variety of character models. I have to admit, just thinking about all these features makes me giddy with anticipation. You can read more at PSP Hacks, and then check out screenshots here.
PodBrix 1984 set
It has been awhile since we have heard from PodBrix, purveyors of Apple-centric LEGO creations, and now we know why. They were hard at work in their secret labs creating the 1984 playset. Immortalizing the immortal 1984 commercial in LEGOs seems a worthy addition to the PodBrix line.As usual this is a limited edition work, only 100 sets will be created and they will cost $198.99 (I would have gone with $198.40. Get it?). While that might seem like a steep price keep in mind that this set features a backlit movie screen (though you'll have to get your own batteries). This set goes on sale on August 2nd promptly at 9pm EST.
Gamer's Room 101: the argument FOR balance
The concept: During the 'Game Design Room 101' session at Develop, several developers brought out props to represent their pet peeves from games. If you've read the novel 1984 by George Orwell, you'll know where the concept comes from. In the UK, Room 101 is a weekly game/talk show presented by Paul Merton, who invites a guest to come on the show who then attempt to convince him that a certain annoyance in their lives should go in the bin, and never be seen again. This seminar (and series of posts) takes a look at certain elements of games that were nominated by the panel to go in the games designer's bin. Jen and I are going to take opposite positions in the debate. The point: Jonathan Smith of TT Games brought out a pair of scales to represent his nomination -- balance. Balance, according to Smith, is where a developer expressly sets out to tell the player "you can have this much fun", rationing the pleasure out piece by piece. My stance: Balance should stay. Jen's stance: Balance should go. You decide.
Found Footage: We Are Apple, a 1984 Musical Montage
This video was ripped from a videotape (which explains the lack of video quality) of the 1984 Apple Shareholders' meeting, where the original Macintosh was unveiled (this is unconfirmed; some are saying it was shown at the Moscone Center during the launch of the Apple IIc). Like a train wreck, I just can't look away. I've watched it about a dozen times now. I think there might be something wrong with me.
