Ever wonder how early computer animations was created? This video from 1971, complete with spacey synthetic music, demonstrates not only one of the first interactive computer systems for animation, one used for production, it was also an outstanding example of early user-centered design, including one of the first computer mice. The system was developed by Marceli Wein and Nestor Burtnyk, both of whom won Academy...
“Oh Mighty Hand of Progress and Science. We beseech thee to guide or ways. Help us to secure funding for our Research Projects. Show us the mysteries of Nature that we may harness them and produce a brighter cleaner wash! Shelter us from the elements and bring us good and ever-lasting AC. Beloved Mighty Hand grasp the mighty atom and hold it forth for us...
Of the three World’s Fairs set in North America in the 1960s, the 1964 fair is the most memorable and oft-cited. It wowed the young generation of Boomers with technological wonders and forward-thinking ideas. It gave us a few of the most beloved Disney attractions. And yet, it wasn’t really a World’s Fair. Hopes an economic boom through tourism inspired the planning of the 1964-65...
The religion of The Atom died with Three Mile Island and Chernobyl. With that fall from grace came the end of many of our utopian dreams. A responsible future of conservation and organic carrots just wasn’t very exciting. Although widespread use of the atom remains controversial; 436 reactors remain the source of 15 per cent of the world’s electricity. In some European countries atomic power...
Atomic power was projected to be very cheap. We were going to have electricity coming out of our ears! We would not have to import oil from crazy foreigners or dig up whole states looking for coal. Utility companies and government agencies around the world took up the chant of the mighty atom. Nuclear power plants were seen as a springboard for third world countries...
No modern technology has ever had such a schizophrenic and complicated identity as Atomic Energy. It is often presented in mystical terms. A Pandora’s Box of knowledge that cannot be unlearned. The magical Genie that can do both help or harm but cannot be returned to his bottle. Nuclear Power is the ultimate parable of modern science. With the use of atomic bombs at the...
Would you believe that Mel Brooks and Buck Henry teamed up to create one of the funniest spy shows of the 1960s? Capitalizing on the success of the James Bond franchise, television networks ordered a slew of espionage-themed programs. The Man From U.N.C.L.E, I Spy, Mission Impossible, and The Avengers brought a new level of sophistication to catching bad guys. These series used intelligence, ingenuity,...
