In this is why you love the internet news, some wonderful, wonderful redditor discovered that every single episode of the nostalgia-inducing horror series Are You Afraid of the Dark? is available to watch on YouTube. Culled from various YouTube accounts, here’s the list of all 65 episodes, and their links.
Are You Afraid of the Dark? was originally a Canadian series, but was picked up by Nickelodeon in 1991. Starting in 1992, kids could tune in to the channel’s SNICK lineup and watch the Midnight Society tell their creepy tales. One notable aspect of Are You Afraid of the Dark?, one that’s premier in endearing it to many kids of its era, is its unsettling nature. While some tales had a happy ending, many did not. You remember the dollhouse episode, right?
Are You Afraid of the Dark? ran for seven seasons in Canada – five in the U.S. It’s almost Halloween – go relive your childhood.
If you’ve ever wanted to have you very own, functioning (minus the boom, of course), remote mine prop from GoldenEye 007 (the movie or the game, take your pick) – now is your chance…if you’re a 3D printer.
This is as fine a piece of nostalgia as I’ve ever seen. Takes me way back. Sleepovers, Mountain Dew, playing the Facility map with mines only. Hostile standoffs. Man with the golden gun tiebreakers. NO JAWS, NO ODDJOB. Man, I need to start up the old N64.
Anyway, this 3D printable remote mine beeps, lights up, and will turn any gaming room that much cooler.
Sony’s PlayStation 4 unveiling was over two hours long, and if you stayed up for the entire thing you might have forgotten how it began.
The meeting began right on time and opened with a video montage featuring fast-cuts Sony consoles and the games that defined them. It also has short clips from memorable PlayStation ads, including one of those old Crash Bandicoot mascot ads.
The video sure to induce a strong case of nostalgia in anyone who grew up playing a PlayStation or PlayStation 2. It’s also a good reminder to gamers of why they took up the hobby in the first place – games.
The music, in case you’re interested, is a heavily re-mixed version of the song “Monster Hospital” by the band Metric.
Last week, it was announced that former force in PC manufacturing Dell was participating in buyout talks, which have included rumors of Microsoft throwing a few bucks at the deal. Dell clearly isn’t what it used to be. But a figure from Dell’s past says that in order to get back to where they used to be, they need to revive an old strategy.
Dude, you’re getting a computer with speakers, a monitor,a keyboard, a year of MSN internet access, and a Pentium 3 processor – for $849! Dude, you’re getting a Dell!
That’s right, the Dell Dude has spoken. Ben Curtis, also known as Slacker Steve from those early 2000s Dell commercials, thinks that all Dell needs to do to return to their former glory is kick the “dude, you’re getting a Dell” ad blitz back into gear.
“I think they’re making a huge mistake and simply need to bring back the Dell Dude!. That’s it. That’s all they need to do. If they brought me back, their sales, stock and media presence would skyrocket. That is by FAR the smartest move they could make,” he told Bloomberg.
It’s hard to tell just how serious he is. Since being let go from Dell in 2003 (after being busted for buying pot, although he was already on the way out before that arrest), Curtis has acted in a few off-Broadway shows and done some minor work on a couple of network dramas. He also worked as a waiter at Tortilla Flats for a little while.
It’s doubtful that even the power of Stoner Slacker Steve could fix all of Dell’s problems. But I wouldn’t be opposed to some new duderiffic ads.
Upon watching that relic of the past, did anyone else notice who’s riding in the car with Steve?
Do you remember the feeling of swapping Game Genie codes with your friends at school or looking up codes over your dial-up internet connection? Do you remember the feeling of inserting your Super Nintendo cartridge into a Game Genie and watching Mario jump off the screen while enjoying infinite lives and cape feathers? If you share these nostalgic feelings, prepare to have a retro flashback as the Game Genie returns this summer.
A company called Hyperkin is debuting a Game Genie device for the PlayStation 3 at this year’s E3. The device is called Game Genie: Save Editor, and works by modifying existing save data for games. Hyperkin has already released a Game Genie-branded product for Nintendo DS systems.
The PlayStation 3 Game Genie comes on a USB flash drive which contains software that allows users to transfer their game saves to a PC. A PC program must them be used to edit “cheats” into the save files, which can then be loaded back onto the console. As you can see, the product is a simplified game-save editor with Game Genie branding. Hyperkin is, however, promising customers access to a “comprehensive, continuously updated cheat database.”
“The Game Genie is a simple to use, affordable, and powerful tool for unlocking the secrets of every PS3 game,” stated Steven Mar, Hyperkin’s executive director. “The Game Genie allows even the most novice gamers to breeze past the hard or boring parts of games, leveling the playing field for a more enjoyable experience.”
I’m not entirely sure what playing field Mar is referring to. Hyperkin is marketing the Game Genie as a device that will help gamers beat games faster with overpowered characters. However, modern video games are designed to be an experience, not something to simply be beaten. The multiple difficulty settings, as well as the overall lower difficulty of modern games are what made cheat codes a relic of the past. In addition, the modding community for most PC games is large enough that the fun, game-breaking experiences a Game Genie used to enable now seem quaint and simple.
We have been covering squirrel-monkey’s videos for a while now. I guess we just have a taste for nostalgia. Either that or we love to feel really old. Their latest video shows us what Pinterest would have looked like in the 90’s. Be thankful for what you have boys and girls.
This one is done in a little different style, featuring a video infomercial from the 90’s. The lowered voice and video judder remind us of what a video copy of the infomercial might look like if it had been replayed today after undergoing years of misuse. Like the LinkedIn video, you have to order a CD-Rom copy of Pinterest in order to view it. Certainly makes it difficult to stay current with site that sees thousands of new additions daily.
These videos are getting a lot of suggestions from the comments section of YouTube about what to do next. They have stated that they are going to continue making them, so expect to be maybe see Tumbler, Reddit, or StumbleUpon in the future. They have already gone through all the major social media networks, see them all below.
Cartoon Network, where have you gone? Besides the launch of fantastic series like Adventure Time and Regular Show, you are largely off the mark. You have lost some of your best talent (i.e. Craig McCracken). You’re pushing subpar live-action content like Level Up. To add insult to injury, you got rid of Toonami.
This all paints a rather bleak picture of the network, but they seem to have finally listened to the fans. Cartoon Network, starting this Friday, will start a new block called Cartoon Planet. The point of the block is to air the old cartoons that made Cartoon Network famous.
What makes this really special is that the segment will be hosted by long time fan favorites Zorak and Brak. You may remember these two from the original Space Ghost cartoon who then migrated to Space Ghost: Coast to Coast, which them culminated in the excellent and under-appreciated The Brak Show.
The question though is what cartoons are they airing? All the classics are mentioned like The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter’s Lab and Cow & Chicken. Unfortunately, some of their newer content is along for the ride like the mostly disappointed Chowder and Spongebob rip-off Flapjack. It’s sad that Courage the Cowardly Dog isn’t mentioned by name, but I guess I’m the only person who thinks that was the best show to air on Cartoon Network over the years.
The show starts this Friday at 8 p.m. and continues to 9 p.m. The programming block this week includes some of the best episodes from the shows they’re drawing from. The episodes airing this Friday are:
Cow and Chicken “Happy Meat”
The Powerpuff Girls “Meet The Beat Alls”
Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends “Sight for Sore Eyes”
Johnny Bravo “Johnny Bravo Meets Adam West”
Dexter’s Laboratory “Star Spangled Sidekicks”
You can check out the promo for the new programming block below. It’s a good first step back to the Cartoon Network we know and love. Now get more Adventure Time out and we’ll call it even for introducing the world to Level Up.
Nostalgia is a funny thing. It has the ability to turn mediocre things into paragons of entertainment and can force reverence of things not worthy of such an emotion. Basically, it’s terrible when you go back to things you loved as a child, only to find that they actually kind of suck.
That’s why 90’s Nickelodeon programming is so special to so many people – because it doesn’t disappoint. You loved it back then, and you love it now. The fog of time hasn’t clouded your judgment. Seriously, I just watched an episode of Rocko’s Modern Life on Netflix and enjoyed every second of it.
So it fills me with great joy to present to you a particular Tumblr blog called FANARTICA. Created just 11 days ago, the blog joins together 19 artists who want to relive their favorite aspects of pop culture through art.
Here’s what they say about the blog –
A club of illustrators, taking some time out to pay homage to our favorite bits of pop culture.
Fanartica is a cold, cold place. Huddling in groups is the best way to stay warm. So gather ’round.
Their first theme in their “homage” is, you guessed it , 90’s Nickelodeon. The art covers many of the great shows, including Pete & Pete, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, Ren & Stimpy, and Salute Your Shorts. There’s even a Weinerville reference. So far, the most common character to whom the artists have given their interpretations is Artie, the strongest man in the world (from Pete & Pete)
Along with the lead image, here are some of my favorites (Promethius & Bob, Powedered Toast Man from Ren & Stimpy and Rocko, respectively) –
And did you know that yesterday marked the 20th birthday of Nicktoons? On Sunday, August 11th 1991 three early classic aired for the first time. Doug, Rugrats, and Ren & Stimpy aired at 10 am, 10:30 am and 11 am respectively. They were followed by Salute Your Shorts and Wild & Crazy Kids. Ah, the salad days. If you want to see the whole lineup that day, check out nichandmore’s list.
I have a hard time talking about old school Nickelodeon without hitting up YouTube, so , enjoy –
The internet loves to slow stuff down. Sure, people have been speeding up songs for years, and yes the chipmunked versions of songs are quite funny (for 30 seconds). But the real beauty of messing with a track’s length comes when you slow it down to super slow speeds. Five minute tracks become hour long epics, and total crap can become a transcendent masterpiece.
The slowed-down music trend, or “Ambient” tracks, first became incredibly popular when a version of Justin Bieber’s “U Smile” stretched out to 800% slower became a viral sensation. Some didn’t believe that it was really the same song, only slower – but it totally was. If you sped it back up, you would be met with, well, the entirely unimpressive original Bieber song.
One YouTube user describes the Ambient Bieber as “a water bomb exploding, a droplet of water landing in a puddle, the sunrise through to sunset, waves crashing, a hummingbird in flight, a panning view of our galaxy.” OK, buddy, it’s pretty neat but…
Today (with a hat tip to Vulture) I bring you the techie version of the Ambient music movement. Using PaulStretch, the free software that many of these ambient songs are made with, YouTube user Darkfalky has slowed a dial-up modem down 700%. The results? Creepy, epic, ambient genius. Check it out below –
Doesn’t this bring you back to the days before broadband? It’s nerdy nostalgia, with a musical twist.
Ambient versions of tons of songs from all different genres exist on YouTube. A quick search of “Ambient” or “slowed down” will net results for slower versions of Taylor Swift, Movie Theme Music, Reading Rainbow Theme Song, Daft Punk, Slipknot, and so many more. Of course, listening to one of these tracks is time consuming – but it is called Ambient, remember? Put it on while you meditate, cook dinner, or walk your dog.
The coolest one that I’ve ever had the patience to sit through is this version of the Jurassic Park Theme Music, played at 1000 times slower than normal. As described by a Soundcloud user,
“There was a well documented version of Justin Biebers ‘U Smile’ by musician Nick Pittsinger, who used the software ‘PaulStretch’ to slow the track by 800% to achieve a similar effect. That seems to have ignited a bit of a craze for this sort of thing, however, although this may not be an original idea, it is a fantastic piece of music, both at its original tempo and its new state.”
I’m not sure what planet I was living on when Nickelodeon made the best announcement they’ve made in years back in March.
Nickelodeon plans to begin re-airing some of its classics from the 90’s starting in July on one of their channels, TeenNick. TeenNick used to be called “The N” and is aimed primarily at viewers over the age of 13. The channel airs shows like iCarly and Degrassi, meant for a slightly more mature audience. It is available through most cable providers and on DirecTV and Dish.
The old shows will air during a two hour block from midnight to 2 am entitled The 90’s Are All That (get it?).
And everyone anywhere near my age feels a tug on the nostalgia strings.
What shows will Nickelodeon be dusting off? According to RewindNick’s YouTube channel, the new block will include All That, Kenan and Kel, Clarissa Explains It All, Salute Your Shorts, Pete and Pete, Rocket Power, Rugrats, and more.
That “more” better include Legends of the Hidden Temple. Just saying.
Nickelodeon just released a promo for The 90’s Are Al That, starring none other than Kenan Thompson of All That, Kenan & Kel, Good Burger and now SNL fame. In the promo, Kenan is seated on the SNICK couch and is asked questions about Double Dare. Check it out –
Why did Nickelodeon decide to do this? Apparently they had just heard too much buzz out there about the old shows to ignore it any longer. And the impetus to act came from social media, according to TeenNick.
“At the time, we were completely devoted to that audience ages 9, 10, and 11,” Keith Dawkins, senior VP and general manager of TeenNick, told EW. “It was ground-breaking and for the young viewers, a powerful and pivotal time in their lives. Those kids who are now 22, 23 and 24 want to bring that back.”
It’s true that old school Nickelodeon does hold a special place in the heart of my generation. And social media users definitely keep the memory alive. A quick Twitter search for Nickelodeon will give you plenty of results like this –
@purpleisme2 jennifer douyondisney channel and nickelodeon shows suck nowadays. i miss the 90’s 🙁 RT if you agree1 hour ago via web · powered by @socialditto
And Facebook has numerous groups demanding the return of 90’s Nickelodeon. “I WANT MY 90’S NICKELODEON BACK,” “Bring back a week of 90’s Nickelodeon,” “I love 90’s Nickelodeon” and “90’s Nickelodeon: Salute Your Shorts” are just a few of the many.
So yeah, the demand is high.
I’ll leave you with these two videos. There’s nothing like feeling a little warm and fuzzy on a Tuesday –
