Leave a Reply

Close comment box
17.01.2012

Future past

passato_futuro

Retronaut, by British “past explorer” Chris Wild, is a constant stimulus to reflection as well …

Retronaut, by British “past explorer” Chris Wild, is a constant stimulus to reflection as well as an amazing collection of past things.

 

This time, Chris dusted off a handful of ads by Bohn Aluminium and Brass Corporation from the Forties, picturing a post-war future crowded with astonishing technological inventions… obviously built with Bohn’s super-light metal alloys.

Monorail light trains, transparent refrigerators, streamlined cars, compact telephones, and more, everything designed according to an unmistakable Forties style (just take a look at the curvy lines of the refrigerator…) and coupled with ad copies that clearly reveal the rethoric of that time.

 

Sixty years later, it’s fun to remark which of these ideas found some actual counterpart, to stay and evolve or to die out, just like it happens with many promising inventions.

Links

  • 14.03.2012

    microsoftIn your own voice

    While we are waiting for Apple’s SIRI – the voice assistant of the moment – …

  • 30.01.2012

    terraHigh definition

    Remember the famous photograph of the Earth as seen from outer space taken in 1972 …

  • 24.01.2012

    ibooksauthorMaking your custom IBook

    An interactive iBook complete with images, sounds and videos. That’s what all Apple users with …

  • 19.01.2012

    myspaceMyspace strikes back

    Sooner or later the announcement had to come: Myspace, the first successful social network ever, …

  • 09.01.2012

    udemyA Techrospective

    What do the tablet wars have to do with Groupon’s success, the death of  Steve …

  • 02.01.2012

    time_spaceTime is the new space

    How do we measure distances in 2012? If you think about it, it’s in terms …

  • 22.11.2011

    gsvGoogle’s secret talent

    Did you think that Google Street View was a useful and yet aesthetically-neutered tool? Well, …

  • 12.09.2011

    obsoleteArchaeology of the present

    Strange as it seems, one day not so far away the latest high-tech gadget you …

  • 07.09.2011

    ifaCan you live without them?

    September is a time for changes and big challenges. Even in the world of technology, …

  • 31.08.2011

    biophiliaTouch the Music

    It’s called Biophilia and it is not a simple collection of songs; it also a …

  • 30.08.2011

    whats_contemporaryAbreast with the times

    What’s contemporaneity, after all? Where is it revealed, how does it express itself? If you’ve …

  • 07.07.2011

    5_reasonsFive reasons for a switch

    At a first glance,  Google+ looks like a white clone of Facebook. Why then, even …

  • 01.07.2011

    circle_meYou Are What You Like

    It’s not an aggregator, it’s not a social network, it’s not an on-demand content service. …

  • 06.06.2011

    icloudApple strikes again

    A few weeks ago we spoke about Google’s failed attempt at defying iTunes, and now …

  • 12.05.2011

    rivoluzioni_mancateFailed revolutions

    Offering all the music in the world to each user. Such was the original goal …

  • 11.05.2011

    lo_stato_dell_arteThe state of the art

    An e-book should be more than the simple .pdf version of a paper book. That’s …

  • 28.04.2011

    uno_sguardo_al_futuroA glimpse at the future

    A cross breed between a smartphone and a DSLR camera. Could that be the future …

  • 22.04.2011

    moleskine_digitaleMoleskine goes app

    The guys at Databinge have turned the world’s most famous notebook into an iPhone and …

  • 18.04.2011

    verso_la_fusioneCold fusion coming?

    A catalyzer producing a hundred times the employed energy, a reaction that even the most …

  • 15.04.2011

    la_tvTV in the Internet age

    Why spoil what good old TV does best – showing good quality images – with …