All of the photos in this set were processed in August 1979 and were probably taken around that time. They were also all probably taken in Michigan.
The first two photos feature some people playing in and around a lake. There have been several other photos from this location. There also seems to be photos from different dates so it seems this was a place visited more than once by the photographer.
Vintage Photos - Lot 6 (309-312)
Mario Kart 64 was the second Mario Kart game and perhaps one of the most eagerly anticipated. It was originally scheduled to be a launch title but ended up being released about eight months later in early 1997 instead. While fondly rememberd today for the most part, it had somewhat mixed reviews at the time and was regarded by some as somewhat of a disappointement.
There were some pretty major changes from its predecessor (Super Mario Kart on the Super Nintendo). True 3D graphics were used as opposed to sprites and the Mode 7 effects of the SNES. Mario Kart 64 also added four player support which was a nice addition. The Spiny Shell (or Blue Shell as it is more commonly known) also made its debut with Mario Kart 64 and has been a staple ever since.
Some of the complaints include that that the game was too easy, there were fewer things to discover (secrets to be found), and there wasn't enough to set it apart from the original. There was also slow down with more than two players. The so-called "rubberband AI" was also criticized. This is what makes it difficult to separate from the pack and has been a part of Mario Kart games in some form ever since.
However, the true strength of this game was multiplayer and that's really true of all the Mario Kart games. There was also plenty of variety in regards to the number of tracks. Despite whatever imperfections Mario Kart 64 may have had, this is really a must have game for that system. While perhaps not the best game in the series for single player, multi-player is just as fun as any other version. I somehow missed out on Super Mario Kart on the SNES and didn't have a Nintendo 64 until it was already considered retro. The first Mario Kart I played was Double Dash on the GameCube and it is really still my favorite. I suspect that whichever Mario Kart most people first played is their favorite version.
All of the photos in this set were taken in the mid 1960s (1965 and 1966 specifically) and they were all most likely taken in Michigan.
The first two photos are dated September 1966 and feature a kid's 7th birthday party (if I'm counting the candles correctly).
Vintage Photos - Lot 6 (305-308)
Compute! was one of the more popular home computer magazines of its time. It wasn't as technical as something like Byte and it concentrated on the machines most potential users would be buying for their home. The August 1984 issue includes:
Compute! (August 1984)
All of the photos in this set were taken in the early 1980s, 1980 and 1983 specifically. They were all likely taken in Michigan.
The first photo was processed in October 1980. It was taken at a lake and features some people on a pontoon boat and a row boat. Given the date, this could have been a Labor Day weekend getaway.
Vintage Photos - Lot 6 (301-304)
The Latitude line has traditionally been Dell's business line of laptops with the Inspiron line targeted towards the home market. Though they are cosmetically different, they often share a lot of the same hardware internally. The Latitude E5500, or at least this one, features a Core 2 Duo T7250 CPU @ 2 GHz and Intel Mobile 4 Series Chipset Integrated Graphics. Hightlights include:
Digital Archaeology: Dell Latitude E5500
The first photo is undated and features a gravestone. While not an extremely interesting photo, it is interesting for the fact that it goes a long way towards identifying the likely photographer. Based on the name and dates, it was pretty easy to determine that this grave belongs to this individual: https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/details/961M-FS8. More info along with a photo of the same gravestone can be seen here: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9420816/ernest-oran-uptegrove. So this photo was taken at Evergreen Township Cemetery in Sheridan, Montcalm County, Michigan. Moreover, at the first link above, children are listed for this individual including Mary Ann Uptegrove. Information on her can be found here: https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/details/LVH8-7LG. She married a man named Herbert Edison Kipke I. The Kipke name is familiar as it has appeared on a number of slides from this batch. So all the photos from this batch were likely taken either by Herbert, Mary, or one of their children who are listed at the above link. In the 1950 census entry for Herbert, his occupation is listed as "Recreation Also Promotion Of Softball In State". Given that many of the photos from this batch have been of parks, playgrounds, recreation facilities, and softball games (as well as other sports), I suspect he is the most likely candidate for photographer. Herbert died in 1987 and his wife died in 2008 so one of their children must have inherited these slides. A couple of these children died just a few years ago which would line up with when I picked these up off of eBay (probably purchased by the seller from an estate sale).
Vintage Photos - Lot 6 (297-300)
Mr. Do! is an arcade game that was released by Universal in 1982. Game play is somewhat similar to Dig Dug. In Mr. Do! you play the role of a circus clown who digs tunnels and collects cherries while avoiding or defeating red monsters called creeps. Progressing to the next level can be accomplished in various ways. You can collect all of the cherries, destroy all the creeps, collect a diamond, or collect all the letters to spell EXTRA which you do by scoring enough points. Creeps can be defeated by digging under apples to crush them or by throwing your "power ball" at them.
Mr. Do! was very popular at the time of its release leading to a quick sequel, Mr. Do!'s castle. That game actually started life as a non-Mr. Do! game but was modified to reap the benefits of Mr. Do!'s popularity. Interestingly, the game is somewhat similar to Dig Dug and the games were released at almost the same time. Both were popular games at the time though Dig Dug seems to be the more widely recognized today.
Computer & Video Games was the longest running video game magazine that I am aware of. It was published in the U.K. and seemed to avoid the fate of magazines like Electronic Games in the U.S. during the video game crash. Issue number 113 from April 1991 includes:
Computer Video Games (April 1991)
None of the photos in this set are labeled or dated but I'm guessing they were all taken from the late 1960s to early 1970s, probably in the Lansing, Michigan area. This is based on previous photos in this batch.
The first photo features some flowers, probably at the house of the photographer.
Vintage Photos - Lot 6 (293-296)
Centipede (Atari 5200)
Centipede was another genre defining game by Atari. It was similar to Space Invaders in that you operated from the bottom the screen at things coming towards you. The differences are higher speed, more varied objects and the ability to move vertically to some degree. It was one further step towards the vertical scrolling shooters that would soon come along.
In Centipede, the goal is to destroy centipedes and other bugs that infest your garden. The centipede weaves its way back and forth across the screen, changing directions whenever it encounters a mushroom. Periodically other menaces will come along like the spider that bounces across the screen, the scorpion that crawls across or the flea that dive bombs you. To make things more difficult, the centipede breaks into multiple pieces any time you hit a part other than the head or tail. As levels progress, the bugs get faster and faster.
There were many home ports of centipede. The Atari 5200 version, which is essentially the same as the Atari 8-bit computer version, is a very good port and was a nice step up graphically from the Atari 2600 version. For the best experience you can use a trackball instead of a joystick to mimic the arcade experience.
There have been a number of releases of the arcade version of Centipede and the Atari 7800 version has been released via the Atari Flashback consoles. However, as far as I am aware there has never been a re-release of the Atari 5200 or Atari 8-bit versions. To play these you will have to track down some original hardware and software or resort to emulation. If you have never played centipede (and I can't imagine there are that many people who call themselves gamers that haven't), you should definitely try at least one version. The arcade version is best of course but the vast majority of home ports are very good as well. Even the Atari 2600 version plays well even if the graphics are a step down.
Compute!'s Gazette was one of the most popular Commodore 64 magazines and 1987 was quite possibly the Commodore 64's peak year. The February 1987 issue of Gazette includes:
Compute!'s Gazette (February 1987)
All of the photos in this set were taken in the late 1950s or early 1960s, probably in the Lansing, Michigan area.
Vintage Photos - Lot 6 (289-292)
PC Zone is a PC gaming magazine that was published in the U.K. In fact, it was the first magazine published in the U.K. to be dedicated to PC gaming. It was published from 1993 to 2010. The January 2001 issue includes:
PC Zone (January 2001)
BreakThru was originally an arcade release by Data East in 1986. I don't believe the arcade version was ever officially released in the U.S. but the NES conversion came along about a year later. This game fits into the sub-genre of side-scrolling vehicle shooter games. It reminds me a bit of a cross between Silkworm and Jackal.
Your goal in this game is to recapture a stolen jet fighter. There are five levels to overcome and obstacles include enemy soldiers, other ground vehicles, aircraft, mines, rockets and even falling rocks. Of course your vehicle has its own weapons and also the ability to jump which is useful for overcoming certain obstacles (e.g. rock slides).
This isn't the greatest game in the world but it is an okay diversion if you are looking for a new old game to play. In addition to the NES, it was also released for the Commodore 64 at the same time. Less than two years ago it was also re-released as Johnny Turbo's Arcade: Break Thru on the Nintendo Switch. I think this is the arcade version of the game. Other than the Switch release, I don't believe there have been any other re-releases.
If you are looking for an original copy, the cartridge is available on eBay for pretty reasonable prices. Otherwise, emulation works well also.
All of the photos in this set were taken in the late 1950s or early 1960s, probably in the Lansing, Michigan area.
The first photo is not dated but looks like it is from the early 1960s or earlier. It is labeled "Ed + Marlene" and I presume that's whose house this photo was taken at.
Vintage Photos - Lot 6 (285-288)
Compute!'s Gazette was a spinoff of Compute! that exclusively covered Commodore 8-bit computers which primarily meant the Commodore 64. This was one of the two Commodore 64 magazines I frequently saw on store shelves back in the day, the other being RUN. The September 1985 issue of Gazette includes:
Compute!'s Gazette (September 1985)
All of the photos in this set were taken in the 1960s, probably in the Lansing, Michigan area.
The first photo was processed in August 1966. It was taken at a park. You can see a bulletin board on the left and a slide on the right. On the bulleting board is some info for a basketball league and a mock wedding.
Vintage Photos - Lot 6 (281-284)
All of the photos in this set were probably taken in the 1960s and early 1970s in the Lansing, Michigan area.
The first photo was taken on Christmas Day, 1963, probably in the morning.
Vintage Photos - Lot 6 (277-280)