THE NEW. RETRO. MODERN.

Shopping for friendly priced eyewear online: to buy or not to buy?

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You may have noticed some very good deals coming from well-known brands that spruik eyewear. One example is Specsavers who have been having their two-pairs-of-specs for $199 deal going on for quite some time, and one pair designer glasses for a super $149.

One of the reasons these commonly known outlets are having longer (and rather good, I might add) sales could be because the online competition is growing stronger.

For a designer look without the mortgage-refinancing price-tag, I recently found myself at an online eyewear store with the quaint but rather simple name of GlassesShop. It sells prescription eyeglasses and prescription sunglasses –  at very friendly prices. So, I thought I’d give shopping there a go, to see if the products they delivered were (a) safe, and (b) as good as eyewear purchased elsewhere.

 

Buying Glasses Online: Pros and Cons

The main positive element to buying glasses online is that they are often sold at a significantly lower price than physical stores. There’s also the convenience factor: you can shop from home at any time. Also, price comparison is easy online, and you can even ‘try on’ frames using a nifty on-screen face shape detector. Simply stare into a cam, or upload a clear head-on face photograph and let the AI
determine your face shape and see what specs fit best.

Another positive aspect to shopping online is that there’s usually a broader selection, with online retailers having much more ‘space’ to showcase more styles and brands.

There are a couple of negative aspects to shopping for eyewear online. First of all, you can’t physically try glasses on before buying but, given the very low cost of eyewear purchased online, you’re probably better off buying several pairs of specs where at least one is going to be perfect for you.

 

Accuracy Risks

There’s a chance your prescription isn’t filled precisely, especially for complex prescriptions. So if you have high astigmatism, or something like that, be sure to stick to the physical eye tests and spec shopping. Also, returns can be a hassle if you’re not happy with the product you’ve purchased online.

I was very happy with the two pairs of glasses I purchased through GlassesShop online, each for just under $30.00, script included. I got a pair of clear scripted glasses, and a pair of very cool, Prada-looking sunglasses. Both pairs fit perfectly, and the scripts are spot-on. Indeed, my prescription is not a very complex one, but the agent at the other end did ask that I provide my pupillary distance (PD) measurement, so be sure to get that from your usual optometrist also. Once you have all your prescription info, you’re good to go.

GlassesShop offer upgrades to eyewear, too, such as polarisation, blue light blocking, and mirrored. Check out more options at GlassesShop.

Even haute labels are now offering eyewear for sale online. I recently purchased a pair of Jean Paul Gaultier glasses and the store got the script just right, with the frames themselves costing a fraction of what they would have in a physical outlet.

So do shop for glasses online. Just be sure you’re wearing a pair if you’re longsighted, in case you need to read the fine print. Oh, that’s right, it’s on a computer – there’s zoom-in tools for that!

Antonino Tati

 

Visit glassesshop.com for more information and for some fun eyewear shopping.

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Antonino Tati presents ‘Good Times’ | RTRFM 92.1

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We Come Bearing GIFs… a gallery of brilliant animated album art

Once upon a time, album releases would come with the full packaging. Like, literally. The vinyl record would come in a sturdy cover – sometimes gatefold, which would hold sleeve notes, song lyrics and in some cases stickers (The Velvet Underground & Nico) on them, or cardboard cut-outs within them (The Beatles’ Sgt Peppers).

Back in the day, artists – or at least their record companies – would consider the creation of album art as important as the music itself.

A decade on from The Beatles unleashing the epic cover art that is Sgt Pepper, album art of the late 1970s saw everyone getting in on the aesthetic act – whether it was Pink Floyd featuring businessmen shaking hands – one of them covered in flames (Wish You Were Here), ABBA huddling up in a helicopter all dramatic-style (Arrival), or Blondie making a bold statement in front of a striped wall (Parallel Lines), each work stood out not only for its excellent music but for the images emblazoned on the record sleeves.

The 1980s witnessed the peak of creative album art with Duran Duran, Michael Jackson and Madonna all putting stacks of cash into their cover creations, each carefully considering the ‘message’ they wanted to convey as part and parcel of their music marketing.

It was pre-packaged – but with thought and purpose.

With the advent of the MP3 and downloading, art took a backseat as music became rapidly produced, haphazardly distributed and quickly disposed of – often in a matter of days.

Suddenly, though, there appears to be a resurgence in the desire for quality album art, with some artists opting to present their releases with animated GIFs – making shopping on Apple Music less of a static affair.

Artists who have hopped onto the art-is-good bandwagon include Taylor Swift (Folklore), Beyoncé (Lemonade), Paul McCartney (McCartney III), Gorillaz and The Weeknd.

Today, a striking cover image can mean the difference between someone listening to your music or scrolling right past it.

DIY music makers and bedroom boffins can even create their own animated artwork using software available on sites like rotorvideos.com and Sound Plate. Heck, they might even wish to turn to one particular designer who can whip the magic up for them; that is genius animation artist, Juan Betancourt.

Betancourt (otherwise known as jbetcom) came up with the excellent idea of turning classic album covers (and a couple of contemporary favourites) into animated artworks – and the results are very clever.

Born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, Betancourt (not to be confused with the Cuban model of the same name) taught himself the basics of animation and, armed with photoshopping software and an absolute love of music, created the following brilliant works.

You can see more at jbetcom.tumblr.com but here are some of my favourites.

Antonino Tati

 

↑ David Bowie | Aladdin Sane

 

↑ KISS | Rock And Roll Over

 

↑ KISS | Kiss

 

↑ Pink Floyd | The Wall

 

↑ Pink Floyd | Dark Side Of The Moon

 

 

 

↑ Led Zeppelin | Celebration Day

 

↑ Def Leppard | Pyromania

 

↑ Supertramp | Crisis? What Crisis?

 

↑ Iron Maiden | The Book Of Souls

 

↑ AC/DC | Fly On The Wall

 

↑ Alice Cooper | Raise Your Fist And Yell

 

↑ The Misfits | The Devil’s Rain

 

↑ Michael Jackson | Dangerous

 

↑ Lagwagon | Hoss

 

↑ 2Pac | All Eyez On Me

 

↑ Nirvana | Nevermind

 

↑ Public Enemy | Muse Sick ‘N’ Hour Mess Age

 

↑ The Offspring | Splinter

 

↑ The Offspring | Americana

 

↑ Daft Punk | Random Access Memories

 

↑ Blur | Modern Life Is Rubbish

 

 

↑ Coldplay | Parachutes

 

↑ The Killers | Battle Born

 

↑ Wolfmother | Victorious

 

↑ Imagine Dragons | Night Visions

 

 

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October 6, 2025, 4:04 pm 0 boosts 0 favorites

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Antonino Tati presents ‘Up Late’ | on RTRFM 92.1 | Psychedelic Pop Special

I’ve been presenting shows on RTRFM since 2012, but I must say this one is my most varied and experimental. Featuring elements of electronica, new-age, funk, disco and pop, all laced with trippy samples. Manually skip to the times below to hear a particular track. Best heard through earbuds!

Antonino Tati

 

 

0:00:00 Sound Bath – Chakra Vibrations – Root Chakra 257Hz
0:01:11 Siouxsie & The Banshees – Kiss Them For Me (Minke Remix)
0:07:15 Peter Gabriel – Games Without Frontiers (Odd Year Mix)
0:11:11 Pond – America’s Cup
0:15:20 The Beatles – A Day In The Life (Unknown Mix)
0:19:20 The Stranglers – Skin Deep
0:23:50 King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Catching Smoke
0:30:30 Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart (Arthur Baker’s 3 Points Remix)
0:37:27 The Smiths – How Soon Is Now? (Manchester Mix / AJT Edit)
0:44:40 The Pink Panther Theme
0:45:10 Duran Duran – Danse Macabre
0:49:20 Peter Gabriel – Panopticom (Dark Side Mix)
0:54:30 Tears For Fears – Mad World (Kamilo Sanclemente Space Mix)
1:03:00 Pete Schilling – Major Tom (Coming Home)
1:07:00 Tom Tom Club – Genius Of Love (SanFranDisko Mix)
1:15:10 I, Monster – Daydream In Blue

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June 24, 2024, 4:00 pm 0 boosts 0 favorites

 

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