Tag Archives: Retrofuturism

Retrofuturism: Past Visions Of The Future Are Now Very “Prescient”

From an Interesting Engineering online article:

Retrofuturism is the curious eye of the past upon us. This era’s rosy predictions about the future seem laughable from the perspective of the present; however, it seems that they got some things exceptionally right. Their ideas ranged from child-like and pridefully ambitious and inspired a movement upon the artists, designers, musicians, and filmmakers who channeled the technological fantasies of a lost age.

  • Instant Messaging (1964 Prediction)

  • 1964 Prediction of Instant Messaging
  • This technology has actually become a reality. Many smartphones have this feature, or at least something similar to it. It doesn’t look like this of course, but the main idea is still there: you write it with your smartpen and the device makes your illegible handwriting into a text that is actually readable! However, it is not widely used; nobody could predict that typing would be superior to actual handwriting.

  • Personal Transportation (1950s Vision)

  • 1950s-vision-of-personal-transportation.jpgIt is unclear why people in the 1950s thought this was a practical way to travel; not only it looks like it is impossible to breathe in there, who would want to stand upright while driving? It would definitely ease the traffic; however, probably no one would want to use it.

    The Smart-Cities of Future

    Smart Cities of the FutureTowering transmitters in the city and private-jet traffic in the sky… This is a prediction that was made probably too early and it is definitely not so far from reality. Today, we paint a similar future for smart-cities and sci-fi movies depict the future cities in the same manner. It seems that older generations and we have a similar vision of the future look of the world.

To read more: https://interestingengineering.com/11-illustrations-of-how-people-in-the-past-imagined-life-today?_source=newsletter&_campaign=E4jMZWjELLmMM&_uid=46dBBxnxd7&_h=0c209d493fa27bb2c39469a873cbbd733289c833&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=mailing&utm_campaign=Newsletter-22-11-2019