In the 1960s, color televisions were gaining traction as the world’s premier form of entertainment. There were still some glitches, though, as frustrated lazy viewers worried about having to get up repeatedly to adjust the volume, channel, or picture settings. The very first television remote controls debuted in the mid-1950s, but this 1961 commercial from RCA made the concept seem downright sexy.

Full of dramatic flair and a lovely, enthusiastic model to demonstrate the thrilling technology, the commercial puts emphasis on how to work each of the controls. To a modern mind – one that has dealt with mega-remotes for years – the instructions are tedious and simplistic. But when the commercial was released, not many households had experience with such a luxury.

One of the features of the TV that we really love is the storage compartment for the remote. Just like everyone’s dad used to say, when you aren’t using the remote it should be on (or in this case, in) the TV so you can find it next time.

(via Wired)

The post A Very Dramatic Look at RCA’s ’61 Color TV Remote Control first appeared on Gajitz.

Before television was blamed for everything from obesity to ADHD, it was thought of as one of the greatest technological advances ever. In the early days of TV, manufacturers and industry experts wanted the public to know how television would improve the lives of everyone who brought one into their homes.

These old television advertisements (all from between 1939 and 1947) illustrate not only the different attitudes about TV back in the gadget’s younger years, but the physical differences between the TV sets of that time and the sleek, slim televisions of today.

Imagine thinking of a 12-inch TV as large and futuristic! But back when the average television size was barely bigger than the screen on your iPhone, 12 inches was a luxuriously giant size. Of course, the cabinet containing that tiny screen would still take up half of your living room.

In the 1940s, television was said to bring families closer together, keep kids happy – and even help you love America more. That mentality didn’t last for very long, and today TV ads rarely make claims about improving anything other than the picture quality of your favorite reality shows.

There’s something beautiful about the retro pictures of these old televisions. When the technology was new and TVs weren’t yet in every home, they must have been fascinating pieces of the future. In those days, no one could have predicted where the TV age would take us…or that we’d now voluntarily be inviting creatures like Speidi and Brangelina into our homes.

The post The Big Picture: 10 Fun 1940s Ads For First Generation TVs first appeared on Gajitz.

Walking through an office today, you’re likely to hear the clicking and clacking of keyboards, but the noise is nothing compared to how loud typewriters were. In an office full of people typing, the sound could be almost deafening. That’s why “noiseless” typewriters were such a welcome invention. These fascinating pictures are from a 1950s brochure for Remingon’s line of Noiseless typewriters, shared on flickr by user AnnieBee.

The Remington Noiseless brochures were filled with quotes about how terrible noise is for those who are around it constantly. Constant noise can cause insanity, warned the literature, so people who worked in noisy offices were more susceptible to madness.

The remedy, of course, was to replace the office workers’ loud typewriters with Remington’s quieter models. The secretaries will be happier, the boss can keep his sanity, and office conversations can return to a reasonable volume.

Aside from featuring some truly beautiful vintage typewriters, these graphics return us to the golden age of print advertising. The layouts are classic and smooth, with all of the elements we love about 1950s design. Who knows if the typewriters really were noiseless – what’s important now is that we have an outstanding reminder of their marketing material.

The post Sound and Visions: Awesome Retro 50s Typewriter Catalog first appeared on Gajitz.