Category Archives: Blast from the Past

The $17 Time Machine

Posted on July 1, 2026 by Joe_Williams

For $17 I bought a genuine time machine: a 1978 high school yearbook.
Perfect reference for the story I’m writing—real 70s hair, clothes, awkward expressions, and gloriously weird homecoming floats, including one based on Logan’s Run and another celebrating Star Wars.
Pure nostalgia gold. Continue reading →

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The End of the Adobe Era: Reclaiming My Creative Life with Vintage Macs

Posted on March 25, 2026 by Joe_Williams

After three decades with Photoshop — from floppy disks and beige Macs to monthly subscriptions — I finally hit cancel. Here’s why I’m happily back to my old software running on old hardware, and how I reclaimed my creative life. Continue reading →

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Forward to the PAST!

Posted on February 12, 2026 by Joe_Williams

When tech giants rely on subscription software and planned obsolescence, the only direction I can go in is Forward to the Past! Continue reading →

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Dream a Little Dream

Posted on November 13, 2025 by Joe

The advertisements in girl comics were always different. Whereas ads in boy’s comics appealed to hapless adventurers with home built go-kart kits, antisocial ne’er-do-wells with practical jokes and future glue sniffers who had prurient interests with x-ray spectacles, girl ads … Continue reading →

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Vampira

Posted on October 26, 2025 by Joe

Brian Bubonic scored me this terrific, autographed 8×10 of Vampira aka Maila Nurmia a few years back. Brian offers his two cents: I met Maila at a screening of grindhouse movies that used to take place monthly in Hollywood. She … Continue reading →

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My Nemesis in Polyester: A High School Memory

Posted on October 15, 2025 by Joe_Williams

Wherein I dispense a little cartoon justice on my high school nemesis, a troglodyte in polyester. No gentle glide down memory lane here—just ink and spite. Continue reading →

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Great Movie, Terrible Soundtrack — In Space No One Can Hear This Record

Posted on October 2, 2025 by Joe

This is a switcheroo from my usual post where I highlight terrible movies that have great soundtracks or musical scores. Today, I am looking at a great movie that has a less than memorable soundtrack album. Alien (1979) directed by … Continue reading →

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Terrible Movie, Great Soundtrack: The Unlikely Brilliance of Casino Royale’s Music

Posted on September 25, 2025 by Joe

Back in the day, I stumbled across a song that grabbed me and wouldn’t let go. It was on WPEN, a Philadelphia “easy listening” station that’s long gone, catering to the Geritol set with its smooth, unhip vibes. I’d heard … Continue reading →

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Terrible Movie – Great Soundtrack

Posted on August 28, 2025 by Joe_Williams

I am once again returning to the well of awful movies that had great soundtracks. This time it’s Brian DePalma’s The Fury which was released in 1978 and is based on a novel by John Farris who also contributed the … Continue reading →

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