Atomic Monster Cafe: From This...

...To This:

...turned out pretty well...the original 1946 version was an RCA 621TS and had a 7" picture tube in it...black and white, of course...thus the color scheme for the "new" version, a tip o' the hat to how things used to be.

This one has a 7" color lcd...much lighter, much simpler, much less expensive...some paint, some clear coat, some help from Karen with securely attaching the screen while keeping it easily removable and voila...a modern TV in a vintage case...the perfect art deco complement to our guest-room-in-progress.

Here's a couple of other scenes from Casablanca, the movie that was playing when I took these pics...

"Louie, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship..."

...best last line of a movie, ever.

Should note I ended up adding two Logitech speakers connected via the headphones jack...

...they and the power strip are velcro'd in place...sound is now much improved.

Here's what was inside the box in its truly original state:

...weighed a ton and didn't work but even so I still managed to sell the chassis for a decent price.

Held onto the case just bc it's such a beautiful art deco design by John Vassos.

Of course I didn't leave it wide open, but rather fashioned this gorgeous custom fitted back piece...

...made from the very finest piece of cardboard I could find laying around in my basement. Note the fancy cut out so I can flip the power switch on and off...that's some slick engineering right there. Sweet, hey?

Overall it cleaned up pretty well considering it is 73 years old, and I'm quite pleased with the results.

Making some headway on Time Slip Island...

...about 2,000 words into it and picking up steam...hope to be a fourth of the way through it by the end of this week.

It's been "writing weather" lately...Monday was 7 degrees below zero...

...pretty cold for these parts...ok, not quite that bad...but still a good time to stay inside and write by a warm fire, which is exactly what I did that evening.

The major upgrade at work continues, and of course I'm busy verifying what we send to / get back from the new warehouse execution system...but all the actual carnage...

...is taking place within the new system and so my part has been considerably easier than in upgrades past.

It's ugly at the moment but there is progress...and on the plus side, I'm remarkably well rested compared to system conversions from years past...which is to say I'm actually getting some sleep at night and not having to stay up for 24 to 36 hours straight.

I confess however I'm still adjusting to my role on the sidelines this time around...definitely a step toward letting go of this part of my working life a few years hence.

As hinted at above, it looks like Ol' Man Winter may have finally arrived to stay for awhile...

...he's not exactly welcome, but have to admit he does know how to paint a pretty picture.

And that's just about a wrap for this edition of the Atomic Monster Cafe.

We here at the AMC know you have many options available to you when deciding how to waste your valuable time and we appreciate you squandering it on us.

later, mcm fans...

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