Oh, yeah! Nothing but corn as far as your eyes can see! You’re on the interstate, in the backseat of your parents station wagon. You’re bored, and hungry, and hot, and your bladder’s full. When suddenly, rising out of the cornfield, a bright yellow sign with beautiful red letters announces to the weary traveler that an oasis lies just beyond the next hill. Stuckey’s offered more than just temporary relief — air conditioning and bathrooms — there were games, and souvenirs, and activity books, and snacks, and tapes, and fun t-shirts — something for everyone!

The word “robot” first appeared in czech writer Karel Čapek’s 1921 science fiction story R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots). It reportedly was coined by Karel’s brother, Josef Čapek, a painter, based off the Czech word for “forced labor”. Years later the word was popularized by the great science fiction writer Isaac Asimov around 1950 with his Three Laws of Robotics. I personally am a huge fan of Asimov’s robot stories, 1950s retro robots, as well as a fan of today’s hobby robots.

Earlier in the 20th century, many science fiction writers assumed we’d at least have robots living with us by the 21st century doing our chores for us and secretly plotting to take over the world. Well, we do live with a great deal of automated devices now but, for most of us, still nothing as sophisticated as a walking, talking computerized person.

I’m speaking in general terms here, you know, the average household. However, if you have gobs of extra money to spend you might already have a walking, talking robot in your home like Sony’s humanoid robots and here or Japan’s Repliee which causes a double-take as it looks human.

Newer models have been made to look even more human, but are realistic-looking robots what we really want? After the initial fascination subsides, I think it would ultimately elicit an uncomfortable feeling. Why not let them remain boxy or sleek with chrome and bright colorful lights?

Here are six Old Comic Strips to read and enjoy at your leisure. Each has a series of at least 15 to 20 strips. I absolutely love reading old comic strips because they offer an excellent insight into what was considered whacky fun etc. back in the old days. Definitely a different flavor from our modern offerings. Krazy Kat, Superman, Dick Tracy, Buck Rogers, Popeye, and Little Orphan Annie.

The slang of American youth of the 1920s was female-oriented, while 1930s slang leaned toward the male. Within the body of slang was a wide assortment for girls, including a baby, bag (unattractive), beetle, belle, bim or bimbo, blimp (loose), breigh, broad, buff, butter and egg fly (popular), buttermilk (unattractive), calico, canary, choice bit of calico (attractive), clinging vine (delicate), crock (unattractive), dame, darb (popular), doll, extra (a girl no one wants to date), fem, filly, flame, flirt, frail, fuss (frequent companion) Read More on American Slang >

This is a very tasty tidbit indeed! Here are a couple of stores that sell retro candy! I’m absolutely surprised by the vast assortment of good old-fashioned candy that’s still available through these specialty outlets. Much of the candy at these online nostalgic candy stores is not easily found elsewhere.

If you’re into restoration you’ll love this: A step-by-step visual record of the restoration of an old GM Futurliner! Only 12 were ever made and this is number 10. A ton of pictures follow the restoration process through the years, and there’s even a video that was specially produced for this project. Don’t miss the vintage photographs from the 40s and 50s.

And here we have a collection of some Back to the Future Then & Now photos with a lot of interesting commentary. I remember liking that movie for, among other things, the nostalgic elements. (and I’m a sucker for time travel stories). Here are some more.

Follow this link for a bloody huge collection of British Film locations, including Alfie, Clockwork Orange, Blow Up etc.

Here are some Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western locations, and a bigger collection of then & now photos from movies old and new at this website, including great mountain shots in Bend of the River.

Continuing my fascination with “then & now” photos, here’s a nice little collection of some Beatles now and then photos particularly from “Hard Days Night” and “Help!”. I’m hunting for more….

There are some Picture Play magazines featuring Charlie Chaplin posted at this site for your viewing pleasure. They are in the form of .PDFs, which are opened by Adobe’s Acrobat Reader, which most likely is already installed on your computer. Also, there are a lot of great “then & now” pictures of Chaplin’s film locations. Not sure why, but those types of pictures are very interesting to me. I remember seeing more but at the moment cannot place the site. When I do I will post it here.

Wow! These supermarket pictures take me back to those days when I would tag along with mom on grocery day. Happily, she’d place me in the aisle with the toy fire trucks where I would play until she’d come back later with a full basket.