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The antiques shop in Back to the Future Part II has a (1984?) Mac among the many items in its front window display.

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Onto re-watching an old fave series, Dead Like Me. So far, two standouts.

First up, an opaque 14-inch iBook G3 with the optical drive door, then a current model. I’m so accustomed to seeing iBook G4s (and owning them), that I forgot how that form factor once lacked slot-loading):
Screen shot 2021-12-31 at 22.29.29.png


And lastly, a Macintosh Classic, in a main character flashback:
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I’m so accustomed to seeing iBook G4s (and owning them), that I forgot how that form factor once lacked slot-loading):

I have an iBook G4 with a jammed optical drive (a disc is stuck inside) and I've put it to one side because I can't be bothered to go through the nightmare of disassembling it (I gave up halfway with my iBook G3/500!) and I dearly wish that it had the tray transport instead.
 
I have an iBook G4 with a jammed optical drive (a disc is stuck inside) and I've put it to one side because I can't be bothered to go through the nightmare of disassembling it (I gave up halfway with my iBook G3/500!) and I dearly wish that it had the tray transport instead.

Any time I have to take apart an iBook G4, I reminded by how much more enjoyable it is to disassemble a clamshell G3.
 
Onto re-watching an old fave series, Dead Like Me. So far, two standouts.

First up, an opaque 14-inch iBook G3 with the optical drive door, then a current model. I’m so accustomed to seeing iBook G4s (and owning them), that I forgot how that form factor once lacked slot-loading):
View attachment 1937170

And lastly, a Macintosh Classic, in a main character flashback:
View attachment 1937171

Continuing with Dead Like Me, the appearance of OS 9 on what was, as a prop, some generic desktop PC:
Screen shot 2022-01-01 at 22.28.46.pngScreen shot 2022-01-01 at 22.28.56.png
 
Continuing with Dead Like Me, the appearance of OS 9 on what was, as a prop, some generic desktop PC:
View attachment 1937595View attachment 1937596

And one last appearance from Dead Like Me, this time from the film which followed season 2, called Dead Like Me: Life After Death. It’s Joy, sitting before some Titanium PowerBook G4:

Screen shot 2022-01-04 at 00.50.51.png


As a prop choice, I found it sort of a surprise, given how the film premiered in 2009 — whereas the final episode from the series was filmed back in 2005. By ’09, it was getting very uncommon to see these PowerBooks out in the wilds of screen entertainment.
 
New series re-watch up: Continuum.

In s01e05, the first appearance of Apple products: five Power Mac G5s. And of the three whose rear can be seen, none suggest A1117s.

View attachment 1939057

In s01e07, a 15-inch unibody MacBook Pro, 2009–2012 vintage, makes a cameo with brand-disguising tape on the back-lid:

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Spotted these in "Devil wears Prada". I want to say the last one is a 12" PB G4 but I'm not sure.
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More series spotting.

Doing a slow re-watch of Sense8 — slow, in the way one savours a finger of 16-year single malt scotch whisky or an ootoro sashimi.

In s01e01, “Limbic Resonance”, we have a couple of Macs in use.


First, we see Riley, in London, using a 13-inch unibody MacBook Pro for her live set — identical to what I use when I run my own live sets:

Screen shot 2022-01-06 at 21.17.43.png



Later, we see Sun, in Seoul, at her desk, where a post-late 2012 iMac is on her desk. Judging by the size of the base, it’s probably a 27-inch version:

Screen shot 2022-01-06 at 21.37.31.png
 
More series spotting.

Doing a slow re-watch of Sense8 — slow, in the way one savours a finger of 16-year single malt scotch whisky or an ootoro sashimi.

In s01e01, “Limbic Resonance”, we have a couple of Macs in use.


First, we see Riley, in London, using a 13-inch unibody MacBook Pro for her live set — identical to what I use when I run my own live sets:

View attachment 1940625


Later, we see Sun, in Seoul, at her desk, where a post-late 2012 iMac is on her desk. Judging by the size of the base, it’s probably a 27-inch version:

View attachment 1940626


In s01e02, “‘I’ am Also a ‘We’”, we see Nomi, in San Francisco, using her 13-inch MacBook Air:

Screen shot 2022-01-08 at 19.06.51.png

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In s01e04, “What’s Going On”, Riley, in London, uses her green 7th gen iPod Nano to select a certain song:

View attachment 1941204

During which Nomi, in San Francisco, joins Riley, in London, to sing along:

View attachment 1941246


In s01e05, “Art Is Like a Religion”, Riley, in London, is using her 13-inch unibody MacBook Pro for non-DJing stuff, as Capheus, in Nairobi, walks in:

Screen shot 2022-01-08 at 22.04.48.png
 
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Onto re-watching an old fave series, Dead Like Me. So far, two standouts.

First up, an opaque 14-inch iBook G3 with the optical drive door, then a current model. I’m so accustomed to seeing iBook G4s (and owning them), that I forgot how that form factor once lacked slot-loading):

SmellyBook.pngLook how the little girl is frowning ... like: "oh my goodness, something here around has got a disgusting smell"
Right, it's the new (and future) iSmellyBook G3!
 
In s01e05, “Art Is Like a Religion”, Riley, in London, is using her 13-inch unibody MacBook Pro for non-DJing stuff, as Capheus, in Nairobi, walks in:

View attachment 1941260


In s01e10, “What is “Human”?”, the only real Apple appearance is of an iPhone, when Daniela takes a picture of the happily reunited Lito and Hernando, in Mexíco, D.F.:

Screen shot 2022-01-09 at 12.04.08.png



And in s01e11, Will, in Chicago, is brainstorming a plan with Nomi, in her San Francisco apartment, whilst in front of a 15-inch retina MacBook Pro:

Screen shot 2022-01-09 at 13.22.52.png
 
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Down the music video rabbit hole, again
Here are a couple Mac (and Apple) music video appearances from the 1980s into 1990:


View attachment 1925953
In the background of a studio shot, there’s a Macintosh SE (1987 edition), in the dual 800K disk drive configuration, on this very late 1989 (November/December) music video for Jane Child’s biggest single, “Don’t Wanna Fall in Love” — in which she performs on a Fairlight CMI 3 (whose appearance always gets my heart to flutter). Fun fact: Warner Brothers allowed her to produce her début album, which at the time they’d only allowed for one other artist: Prince; second fun fact is the classically trained Jane not only produced but also wrote and performed all instruments on her album.


View attachment 1925954
In the May/June 1984 music video for the single, “No Way Out”, there’s a member of Jefferson Starship (the last album before renaming as Starship in 1985) working on an Apple ][+ — which is apropos considering how Apple was the locally available personal computer maker in San Francisco at the time.

Another music video appearance, this one from 1989 — 3rd Bass’s “The Gas Face” — features both (what I believe is) a Mac SE/30 and the first full-size Macintosh keyboard with function keys (though I can’t remember Apple’s name for it), along with comedian Gilbert Gottfried:

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Does anyone know what that box beneath the Mac is? I thought all SE/30s were bundled with a hard drive, though it’s possible that box beneath is an external, third-party HDD.

Also, I found another (deeply obscure) music video from 1983 which cameoed an appearance of the C64 (!!!), but that one isn’t topical to this thread… on MacRumors.
 
Another music video appearance, this one from 1989 — 3rd Bass’s “The Gas Face” —

3rd Bass! I picked up their 2nd album Dialects of Derelict on vinyl dirt cheap in a record store that had new old stock. Well worth it alone for Pop Goes Weasel. :D

MC Serch would go on to help bring Nas and his mighty debut - Illmatic, to the world.

Check out this interview in which Serch recounts the dangerous fallout that ensued from jibes against MC Hammer on The Gas Face. (Absolutely NSFW.)
 
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3rd Bass! I picked up their 2nd album Dialects of Derelict on vinyl dirt cheap in a record store that had new old stock. Well worth it alone for Pop Goes Weasel. :D

ON VINYL, IN 1991. AMAZING.

In North America, by 1991, if the majors pressed an album to vinyl, exceedingly few retailers ever stocked it (and if one did, we’d get drop-shipped one or two, tops, even for the major titles expected to do fantastically). For Def Jam/Columbia/Sony, I have no doubt they pressed Derelicts of Dialect for the U.S./Canada market, but working in a retail chain store at the time, that one never showed up. “Pop Goes the Weasel” drew everyone in with Gabriel’s sample.

MC Serch would go on to help bring Nas and his mighty debut - Illmatic, to the world.

Today I learnt! I never knew that!

Check out this interview in which Serch recounts the dangerous fallout that ensued from jibes against MC Hammer on The Gas Face. (Absolutely NSFW.)

Oh hell, between them dissing Hammer on The Gas Face (along with half of NYC) and Vanilla Ice on Pop Goes the Weasel, they never pulled punches (“Rappers Against Phony Entertainers…”). But I had no idea Hammer was so thin-skinned that he put a literal hit out on them like that. I’d love to say who Hammer reminds me of (someone infamous), but this is a family forum…
 
ON VINYL, IN 1991. AMAZING.

In North America, by 1991, if the majors pressed an album to vinyl, exceedingly few retailers ever stocked it (and if one did, we’d get drop-shipped one or two, tops, even for the major titles expected to do fantastically). For Def Jam/Columbia/Sony, I have no doubt they pressed Derelicts of Dialect for the U.S./Canada market, but working in a retail chain store at the time, that one never showed up. “Pop Goes the Weasel” drew everyone in with Gabriel’s sample.

Some personal trivia: in the late 90s Def Jam UK held a competition on a leading radio station with quizzes involving knowledge of Def Jam artists (I won Jay-Z's Streets Is Watching) and they offered a special edition of the Cactus Album. In order to win it you had to answer an intricate question involving The Gas Face track. I can't remember if anyone was successful. :)

Today I learnt! I never knew that!

MC Serch played a pivotal role during Nas' early years and actually went as far as attempting to convince Russell Simmons to sign Nas to Def Jam but Simmons dismissed him as a Kool G. Rap wannabee. Thankfully Faith Newman at Columbia was more sensible and recognised his talent. :D

Oh hell, between them dissing Hammer on The Gas Face (along with half of NYC) and Vanilla Ice on Pop Goes the Weasel, they never pulled punches (“Rappers Against Phony Entertainers…”). But I had no idea Hammer was so thin-skinned that he put a literal hit out on them like that.

He also confronted Redman in person and expressed displeasure at being dissed on Redman's debut album. I'd share the interview in which the incident is discussed but the language expressed is way too inappropriate for this community. Yes, he's a very thin-skinned soul: far too thin-skinned for that genre!

I’d love to say who Hammer reminds me of (someone infamous), but this is a family forum…

I have a very good idea who you're referring to. PM their name and let's see if my hunch is correct...
 
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Thought I’d shake things up a bit with a screen cap from an X-Files episode, “Arcadia” — the episode with probably my favourite gag from the entire series (and films):

Mulder is on a PowerBook G3 — I’m thinking a Wall Street or PDQ 14-inch? — as Scully investigates the mysterious disappearance of households from a master-planned community with an extremely harsh hand of private governance in the form of… well, no spoilers here! The pic, however, is a giveaway that they’re working undercover as a married couple.

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This deserves special mention here!

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The above cap comes from the second music video (subtitled, “The 1989 Glamour Version”) for the single, “(It’s Just) the Way That You Love Me” by Paula Abdul. (The first music video was known as the “1988 Dance Version”). This music video showcased flashes of extreme materialism featuring the most cutting edge products offered during that moment — such as a Leica M6 and a Mercedes-Benz SL500.

This may be the only NeXT computer to cameo in a music video. And minding when this music video came out (it was flying high on the U.S. charts in November 1989), this music video production team likely acquired one of the very first production models — which (depending on the source) began shipping around June to August of that year (a batch of beta test models went out in March).

This is, of course, the very same setup Tim Berners-Lee used at CERN to develop the World Wide Web.
 
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