Philco-Ford House of the Future, 1967
The Philco-Ford home of tomorrow (as reported upon in the June, 1967 issue of Radio-Electronics) presented a "total electronic concept" for a super-futuristic home where mood walls vied with the holo-TV for your attention, where the scent-organ inserted pleasant smells into the air system, and the dishmaker spat out stoneware on demand.
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In the bedroom of the future you sleep in unencumbered comfort. The bed is adjustable, so you don’t have to toss and turn to find the just-right spot for sleeping. You have no blankets; the heat . . . adjusted automatically to compensate for changes in room temperature . . . comes from radiant panels in the ceiling.The overhead lenticular TV screen allows two people to view separate programs at the same time. The console beside the bed controls TV, music, sleep-inducing sounds and whatever subliminal educational material you want fed into your subconscious while you’re sleeping.
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My dad drew a picture in the 60's of the year 2000. There were flying cars and jet packs and things.
What happened to this vision of the future? All we have now is $4.00 gasoline
We've been cheated of the future we were promised when we were kids, Mandy. Jet packs, protein pills, but basically it was about an easy life for everyone, wasn't it?
that's not a million miles from my desk.
Flat screen monitors and is that a Wacom tablet on the left?
I have 2x22" iiyama lcd monitors and an A4 Wacom Intuos.
No sent organ though, unless you count cutting the cheese.
I guess the real question though is, what does this have to do with Little Brother?
I'm not going to try to tackle the whole article, but from the description...
- Memory foam mattresses
- Radiant heated flooring with thermostat - not that we don't still use blankets
- Lenticular TVs are, I think, in development, but for different purposes; a projector can be used on a ceiling; also, VESA mounted LCD TVs -- you could have 2, with cordless headphones.
- "console beside the bed" = Home theater remote control
- double-drawer dishwasher
- those stupid-ass plug-in air fresheners
Eek. I couldn't sleep with no blankets. It has to be absolutely scorching for me to be able to sleep without a duvet, and even then I just kind of curl up around it.
More on topic, it does look like we have most of the gadgets mentioned in that concept, except they are all bought and installed separately. There is no one core control system for house temperature, pillow fluff level and tv volume. And I think as long as we want the products we use to be produced by different companies and not have to conform to one uniform and not necessarily efficient standard, it's a good thing.
This might be a good idea for hotel rooms, however.
Yeah, Cefeida, I like the feel of the blankets- the weight or something, I don't know. I also sleep with a teddy bear.
Right, the weight would be it- I need something thick, just a sheet like some people have won't do. Too flimsy.
The cat is a substitute for a teddy bear, though. :P
I agree with Holtt....what does this have to do with Little Brother??
Yeah the blankets thing is very true.
Growing up in a very cold country (Scotland) and pre central heating it is very hard to kick the habit of duvets and blankets.
When I lived in Australia I ended up with a halved sheet that I would have up arond my shouldres and heheld in my hands so I could sleep in the heat.
It's totally absurd but it sort of worked.
I can sleep with a sheet, it's not the weight for me it's the overing. It's weird how these things affect you. I wonder if that's why they put it in an article, not because they thought it was a really good idea to install radient heating panels instead of using blankets, but that it was so alien that it adds a strangeness that makes it seem like it is the future but people in the future won't mind not using blankets.
And sadly enough, teddy bear, cat, not for me, I cuddle my phone (while it's charging)
grr I missed the "c" key, it's the covering of the sheet, not the overing. I guess it means the same thing, but this ain't middle earf yo, I can't be speakin' like no sissy.
ENOCHREWT, and I thought 'overing' was some sort of smart term for 'security blanket'. :P
Duvet in summer. Feather quilt in winter. Mmmm.
But you're right, it does feel outlandish, and kind of sterile. Weird leotards and sleek steel surfaces, and no clutter at all.
I'm looking for a nicely done half-moon desk like that. Any ideas?
The monitors look more like an elaborate home security setup to me. So the government's surveillance paranoia will be entrenched to the point where each citizen will engage in their own surveillance of neighbors, passers by, etc.? Ooh, sign me up.
Ah, very similar to in Corey's new young adult novel Little Brother!