Retro Futurism

Blog no. 343

/ˌretrōˈfyo͞oCHəˌrizm/

noun

noun: retro-futurism

1. the use of a style or aesthetic considered futuristic in an earlier era

So, recently, I bought a minidisc recorder. It’s a Sony model from the early 2000s, used, with some cosmetic wear—but it works. It didn’t come with and discs, though, so I had to buy a pack from Japan. (Did you know Sony still makes new minidiscs, because I didn’t). Because it would take close to a month (three weeks at least) for that shipment to get here, I scoured the local used goods marked for anything minidisc related and found that someone in the city was selling a partially working model with a disc. I talked him down to $20, and then I had two recorders (they are players too) and a single, used disc. Mostly, I wanted the disc so that I could confirm that the first player I bought worked (it does) but having the backup player, even for parts, at such a low price was worth not getting lunch one day. (Also, if I can get it to work (which would be neat) I’d have two players with slightly different abilities and styles that I could go between depending on what I want or need). The problem is that it didn’t stop there.