K
@kfj.bsky.social
I like cities, the people in them, and things that go click, clack, and boop. Collector of pinball machines, arcade games, and weird old stuff. US -> Germany immigrant, currently living in Köln.
I love these kitschy ceramic clocks that are ubiquitous in Germany so I decided to make a world clock wall out of them for my office.
July 28, 2025 at 5:12 PM
I love these kitschy ceramic clocks that are ubiquitous in Germany so I decided to make a world clock wall out of them for my office.
Found some great stuff 'zu verschenken' today. Neat little office trolley thing with no identifying marks on it, and a pair of minty Castelli DSC chairs. I had one I'd reupholstered back in Portland, and they're both cool looking and impressively comfy... Kinda missed it, happy to have one again.
July 24, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Found some great stuff 'zu verschenken' today. Neat little office trolley thing with no identifying marks on it, and a pair of minty Castelli DSC chairs. I had one I'd reupholstered back in Portland, and they're both cool looking and impressively comfy... Kinda missed it, happy to have one again.
I'm sure it's unobtainium now but apparently there was a SECAM transcoder add on available. For if you wanted to watch programs from the DDR, say.
May 21, 2025 at 5:16 PM
I'm sure it's unobtainium now but apparently there was a SECAM transcoder add on available. For if you wanted to watch programs from the DDR, say.
Also discovered this has been a color set all along. I thought it was too old but whoever had it before me had just set chroma all the way down, and since it's something you can only adjust with the remote I hadn't noticed yet.
May 21, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Also discovered this has been a color set all along. I thought it was too old but whoever had it before me had just set chroma all the way down, and since it's something you can only adjust with the remote I hadn't noticed yet.
Testing out an assortment of tech junk. VHS player was sitting on the curb when I was out walking the dog... Appears someone didn't know how to replace the fused power cord. It was missing some case screws but the only thing wrong with it was the cut off power cord.
May 21, 2025 at 12:39 PM
Testing out an assortment of tech junk. VHS player was sitting on the curb when I was out walking the dog... Appears someone didn't know how to replace the fused power cord. It was missing some case screws but the only thing wrong with it was the cut off power cord.
That damn trap card always gets me... Lecker schmecker!
May 20, 2025 at 6:52 PM
That damn trap card always gets me... Lecker schmecker!
Spotted a snail trying to stay cool, or maybe just safe from the birds.
May 2, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Spotted a snail trying to stay cool, or maybe just safe from the birds.
May 1, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Some Czech synth-pop in the bike lane.
April 27, 2025 at 11:51 AM
Some Czech synth-pop in the bike lane.
Loved the article! This is the example that I always remember... 'NO FOOD OR DRINK' signs on Brunswick AS-80 and AS-90 bowling scoring consoles from the 1970s/1980s. Not sure if the signs were a factory thing or just a common addition (they also cover a paper printout slot that was rarely enabled).
April 14, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Loved the article! This is the example that I always remember... 'NO FOOD OR DRINK' signs on Brunswick AS-80 and AS-90 bowling scoring consoles from the 1970s/1980s. Not sure if the signs were a factory thing or just a common addition (they also cover a paper printout slot that was rarely enabled).
I've gone to a lot of effort to retrofit LED replacements for these Osram 41900 bulbs with integrated reflectors... Wish I'd realized earlier that the reflector is just metallized plastic. Can just pop the halogen bulb out and drill the reflector to fit whatever LED bulb you have lying around.
April 14, 2025 at 6:07 PM
I've gone to a lot of effort to retrofit LED replacements for these Osram 41900 bulbs with integrated reflectors... Wish I'd realized earlier that the reflector is just metallized plastic. Can just pop the halogen bulb out and drill the reflector to fit whatever LED bulb you have lying around.
Finally got my hands on one of these. Portland Timbers scarf design that commemorates the opening of the Tilikum Crossing bridge and Trimet MAX Orange Line, from back in 2015.
April 3, 2025 at 7:41 AM
Finally got my hands on one of these. Portland Timbers scarf design that commemorates the opening of the Tilikum Crossing bridge and Trimet MAX Orange Line, from back in 2015.
I gently brushed Marci's ear with the back of my hand and lived to tell the tale. Always love seeing the resident cat holding court in my favorite Portland vintage shop, Really Good Stuff.
March 31, 2025 at 1:39 AM
I gently brushed Marci's ear with the back of my hand and lived to tell the tale. Always love seeing the resident cat holding court in my favorite Portland vintage shop, Really Good Stuff.
Still can't believe the deals on vintage audio gear one finds here in Germany. This very handsome pair of mid-1970s Heco speakers was just a hair over €50 shipped. They sold for around 450DM for a pair when new... About half an average earner's monthly income back then. They certainly sound like it.
February 28, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Still can't believe the deals on vintage audio gear one finds here in Germany. This very handsome pair of mid-1970s Heco speakers was just a hair over €50 shipped. They sold for around 450DM for a pair when new... About half an average earner's monthly income back then. They certainly sound like it.
Some true vintage arcade advertising pins I found on eBay, arrived from France of all places today. Hype material for the all timer classic video arcade game Space Invaders, probably the Midway version (1980), and Bally's Elvira and the Party Monsters pinball machine (1989).
February 22, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Some true vintage arcade advertising pins I found on eBay, arrived from France of all places today. Hype material for the all timer classic video arcade game Space Invaders, probably the Midway version (1980), and Bally's Elvira and the Party Monsters pinball machine (1989).
Old lines.
A bit past the east end of the Südbrücke, Köln.
A bit past the east end of the Südbrücke, Köln.
November 21, 2024 at 10:27 AM
Old lines.
A bit past the east end of the Südbrücke, Köln.
A bit past the east end of the Südbrücke, Köln.
Recent eBay find. A big double sided Telenorma ceiling mounted hall clock, with the red second hand like you often see (well, saw, most of these have been replaced) in rail stations. 1960s vintage I think. Uses two 24v impulse driven coils for each side, one for hours & minutes and one for seconds.
November 10, 2024 at 12:13 PM
Recent eBay find. A big double sided Telenorma ceiling mounted hall clock, with the red second hand like you often see (well, saw, most of these have been replaced) in rail stations. 1960s vintage I think. Uses two 24v impulse driven coils for each side, one for hours & minutes and one for seconds.
Lovely day for a wander around Köln...
November 1, 2024 at 2:07 PM
Lovely day for a wander around Köln...
Flohmarkt goodies! Spent all of 18 Euro. I've been hunting one of the old style Underberg bandoliers for years 😄
October 13, 2024 at 7:03 PM
Flohmarkt goodies! Spent all of 18 Euro. I've been hunting one of the old style Underberg bandoliers for years 😄
Some great mugs at the thrift store today. Sony Betacam SX and Mobil advertising pieces.
September 28, 2024 at 2:37 PM
Some great mugs at the thrift store today. Sony Betacam SX and Mobil advertising pieces.
Found this incredibly cursed artifact on eBay. That election was my introduction as a teen to how completely cooked the American political system is...
"IBM 9957 Poll Star Punch-card Style Voting Machine"
www.ebay.com/itm/28607353...
"IBM 9957 Poll Star Punch-card Style Voting Machine"
www.ebay.com/itm/28607353...
September 23, 2024 at 11:57 AM
Found this incredibly cursed artifact on eBay. That election was my introduction as a teen to how completely cooked the American political system is...
"IBM 9957 Poll Star Punch-card Style Voting Machine"
www.ebay.com/itm/28607353...
"IBM 9957 Poll Star Punch-card Style Voting Machine"
www.ebay.com/itm/28607353...
Super cool cityscape pattern on this old porcelain plate from Oscar Schaller & Co. Orphan piece found at a thrift store. Logo variation puts it somewhere between 1935 and 1950.
September 4, 2024 at 12:07 PM
Super cool cityscape pattern on this old porcelain plate from Oscar Schaller & Co. Orphan piece found at a thrift store. Logo variation puts it somewhere between 1935 and 1950.