The Future

Fear is the Mind Killer

UN’s Moratorium on Killer Robots Sounds Funny; Is Actually Horrifying

by Susana Polo | 2:45 pm, May 3rd, 2013

A United Nations Human Rights Commission report out this week examines the current technological state of autonomous weapons. Not automatic weapons, to be clear: autonomous weapons. Computerized weapons that detect targets automatically and do not need the intervention of human input to dispense lethal force.

Ha ha ha, I mean, come on, it’s not like we have those already, right? And we’re certainly not about to start building the Terminator or anything like it, right? Ha? Heh? Heh. No, seriously, please refute the things I have just said.

In The Future, We’ll All Wear Planets In Our Hair [VIDEO]

by Jill Pantozzi | 6:00 pm, August 18th, 2012

I’ve often pondered on what the future might be like but if this is what we can expect, sign me up! Forget hover boards, never mind replicators, I want a hair-do fit for the cosmos. Have a look at this 1960s video, from what I’m sure was an up-and-coming salon in Britain, and see if you’d be interested in the services they offer. If you’ve got some time, the entire Vintage Fashions YouTube channel is a wealth of delightful/bizarre old videos. Certainly worth a look.

(via io9)

Terrifying Driverless Cars Have Preceded Flying Cars, and I Am Not Happy About It

by Jamie Frevele | 4:25 pm, May 8th, 2012

Google has been developing a driverless car, operated by software that replicates human driving ability and judgement (hopefully not any humans from Long Island*) and is operated by Google engineers in California. The car, a Toyota Prius, is being tested in Nevada, where it — meaning, the car — has just been issued an official drivers license. The driverless car has a drivers license. A car got a drivers license before we even got to drive a flying car. Life is so unfair. Stupid science.

*The author is a car driving human from Long island.

This Four-Year-Old Dinosaur Expert Is Not Falling For Your Silly Dinosaur Tricks [Video]

by Jamie Frevele | 1:14 pm, January 6th, 2012

Stella, who is four, has some complaints about this Triceratops toy. No, not that the box is pink. No, she is concerned about the inaccuracies and has found three mistakes, such as “the frill,” but says “at least they got the beak right.” And since she clearly knows her dinosaurs, she says that it would have been a better idea to just call this what it truly is: a Styracocaurus. There is hope for the future after all, Planet Earth!

(via Tor)

Previously in Awesome Little Kids

Ooo, Swish! 1930s Newsreel Predicts the Futuristic Fashions of 2000 AD [Video]

by Jamie Frevele | 11:29 am, November 26th, 2011

Oh, remember the olden days, you guys? Even before Y2K, when the year 2000 was barely even conceivable, and that by then, we’d have flying cars and lightsabers? This British newsreel from the 1930s (Pathetone Weekly) has a look at what the space-age style of the 21st century would look like — to people from the 1930s. That means flashlight-headpieces, no more skirts, cantilever heels (these practical things), and climate control belts! And remember to fill your futuristic fanny pack with “candies for cutie”!

(via io9)

Our Adorable Past

What 1910 Thought The Year 2000 Would Look Like

by Jamie Frevele | 5:00 pm, February 23rd, 2011

So, back in 1910, a bunch of guys sat around and wondered, hard, about what the year 2000 would look like. Because 2000 was gonna be crazy! … But not too crazy! Indeed, 90 years from then, honorable gentlemen would still listen to their news on gramophones while being served tea by a manservant. Not just any news — future news! Click through for more glimpses into … the RetroFuture!