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The way the future should have been


The way the future should have been, originally uploaded by ccgd.

The space needle - Seattle.

Think flying saucers, think the Jetsens, think weird 50's movies.

This structure, and the cool, cool monorail that links it to Downtown Seattle makes me think of the "The Gernsback Continuum" - a short story by William Gibson about a photographer who has been given the assignment of photographing old, futuristic architecture.

This architecture, although largely forgotten about by almost everyone, embodied for the generation that built it their concept of the future.

I suppose I kind of grew up in that future, as the house was full of science fiction, hard back, paper backs and old Amazing's Analog's, Galaxies and If's - the sort of pulp (now of course classics) that the publisher and writer Hugo Gernsback, gave us during the early 20th century.

Is still strange to see that future right there in front of you though.

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The manuscript was found while I was in the process of closing down Gernsback Publications Inc. in 2003. It was apparently written some time in the 1950’s. It covers all the areas that Hugo found interesting: wireless communications, science fiction, publishing, patents, foretelling the future, and much more.

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I couldn't agree more about the Space Needle Cal. Did you have their signature desert? Dry ice over ice cream. Very impressive. I also found the contrast between the fabulous view of nature in all its glory, at least seaward, with the Jetson building and interiors (the colours of the tiles in the ladies were sooooooo 60's,) rather a reminder that the future will not always be as we imagine, but that nature changes rather less, all's well.

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