JB's Warehouse & Curio Emporium

 From the early days of home computing, when every company with the slightest foothold in the electronics industry jumped into the field. Few friends at the time who had computers - most had the plug-into-the-TV variety pictured here (most of which were Tandys). The height of technology for most kids in A'burg in '82 were arcade games at the bowling alley or Speak and Spell. Note the memory add-on - 16K of RAM for an extra $49.95! Power within your reach! From Obsolete Technology site, an overview of the Timex Sinclair 1000 (1982-83). It was the North American version of the British Sinclair ZX-81, evidently a better doorstop than computer . - JB

An indication of how much beer advertising has changed in the past 20 years. Don't think I've ever heard anyone wax poetic about the clean, clear outdoorsy feeling that comes over them while knocking back a Blue. Take a gander at that bottle...were stubbies still in production in '84, when this ad appeared? Or did Canadians keep them in the Great White North? Note that the importer was located in suburban Buffalo. Was Blue western New York's #1 imported beer? Many memories of the 1984 Tigers , the last edition of the team to go to the World Series. They stayed in first place all season long, driving the growing number of Blue Jays fans crazy (the Jays were less than a decade old). Watching Jack Morris throw a no-hitter on the NBC Game of the Week. Going to see my second baseball game at Tiger Stadium (forget the results). WDIV sportscaster Al Ackerman's catchphrase that stuck to the team: "Bless You Boys". My beloved Tigers jacket from Montgo...

While on a stroll downtown a few months ago, I picked up a cheap bound volume of Maclean's magazine, covering the first half of 1979. You'll see plenty of material from this tome when the federal election finally drops, as these issues cover the campaign that led to Joe Clark's minority government. (Yeah, I know the 1980 election is a closer parallel to one we're about to have, but I work with what I have!) Until then, and until the sun engulfs the earth, I'll dig into these magazines to highlight the ads, as they tell us as much about the time as the articles do. Full-size versions of these ads will also appear on my Flickr site. Let's begin with a CBC Radio teaser from the January 29, 1979 issue: If only Ed Grimley was pictured with the singing rats. That would have been comedy gold. Short would have been in his second season onstage with Second City when the show aired. We're sad to report that the all-rodent musical craze this show spaw...

Most weekends, I take a "Sunday Constitutional" walk downtown. The route rarely deviates - start at Osgoode station, head out Queen West, then backtrack through Kensington Market. Any health benefits are usually reversed by snacks along the way - try resisting a warm pupusa or empanada on Augusta or goodies from the bakeries along Baldwin. Vendors and pedestrians vie for space along the sidewalks. Crowded, but cozy. And full of short side streets to wander. The next few installments will explore the neighbourhood, starting with a hidden street that shares the area's name - Kensington Place (marked in green below). According to the Kensington Alive Virtual Tour , Kensington Place, along nearby streets Fitzroy Terrace and Glen Baillie Place, was built around 1888 to provide homes for English construction workers, the first of many immigrant waves in the neighbourhood. The gateway to Kensington Place, on Kensington Ave slightly south of St. Andrew. This marks the...

If you subscribe to a newspaper like I do, chances are you've received a flood of flyers for pricy gift baskets over the past few weeks. Usually inserted on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, these catalogues offer "distinctive" arrays of nuts, chocolates, cookies, pasta sauces, smoked salmom, baby toys and other products, often from brands that only exist in the realm of gift baskets. Company names may be plain and simple (The Basket Company), personal (Peter & Paul's), brick and mortar stores (Pusateri's), punny (Nutcracker Sweet) or flat-out weird (Gift-O-Crat). Some of the crazier basket names discovered in this year's catalogues: Equity Shares (The Basket Company): I'm guessing a former bean-counter runs this outfit. Dividends from your $65 investment include nuts, chocolate truffles, camembert and a planter. Patient Pleasures (The Basket Company): Nothing says get well to a friend in the hospital than $55 worth of sugary snacks, playing cards and Rea...