Retro visions of the future

[karohemd]

These clips are from a German TV programme broadcast in 1973 envisioning what living and working in the year 2000 could look like (up to the middle of the second clip, the rest is a rather bleak report on current issues like traffic, pollution, etc.).
Some of the visions aren't too far off (TV phone, home shopping) while others are ridiculous (because pollution has been illegal since 1990, the air is clean).
Some bits are funny and very German (the standardised breakfast FS10-22).
What really made me giggle was that they made no effort to envision futuristic decor or fashion or get rid of glasses or cigarettes.
Even if you don't understand German, watching these should give you an idea.

via madmoses on twitter.

Comments

[sea-cucumber.livejournal.com]

I like aerotrain :) That breakfast looked a bit scary though.

It all looks so 70s!

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

It does rather. It's not even the 70s idea of futuristic design, it's just 70s.

[miss-zucca.livejournal.com]

The lines, colours, clothes are pure 70. Some of the technology would have been futuristic (large flat TV, videocalling, remote control, printing your own newspaper, and home shopping). The external shots of the building made me a bit uneasy: pyramids seemed to be the cutting edge of architecture of my area in the south of Italy last time I was there. Misguided much? :)
The carpod is quite dull, they could have envisioned a better (smoother? funkier?) design

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

As I said, there's nothing visionary about the design (like the ridiculous glasses), just the technology.

[thedinster.livejournal.com]

Hahaha!! That is so cheesy - like some sort of 70s utopia!

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

Well, yes, that's exactly what it is.

[viscount-s.livejournal.com]

You can see that the seeds of what would become todays mature technology (for want of a better term, some of it still isn't very mature) are there - or at least the trends are pretty much visible. Mind you, like all versions of the future, its only ever going to be - at best - half right. I suspect our visions of the 2040's are going to look comparably amusing to someone from that time period...

On the other hand, I cant imagine anyone ever wanting to eat that terrifying looking breakfast - no matter what time period you find yourself in!

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

It will always turn out differently. We still don't have flying cars but everyone has a mobile communication device with more computing power and storage capacity than the Apollo rockets.

The breakfast really put me off, too. The faded colours might have something to do with it but it still looks rather disgusting.

[file528.livejournal.com]

I don't know... the triangular shaped cushions seem to be an attempt at envisioning futuristic decor.
It's also very "Star Wars" (the bathroom and kitchen).
And the car made me laugh. lol