Tag: Wayback Machine - Page 10
-
Residence 1 by Albert Frey, 1947
Architect Albert Frey built his own home in Palm Springs in 1941, starting with a 3-bedroom nucleus that he hoped could be a prototype for mass-produced homes. (some things never change) Built out of cheap industrial materials, it came in at $6 per
-
The Kitchen of the Future, 1967
The future sure isn't what it used to be. Back in 1967 we were promised computerized kitchens where all the food was prepared and frozen, then microwaved in two minutes to order. Dishes were disposable, everyone got what they wanted and our diets
-
Ant Farm on Exhibition in Seville
Ant farm was a group of artists and architects that, along with Archigram, was hugely influential among architecture students in the seventies, particularly if you were into mobile architecture, alternative technologies and dovetail joints. Many know
-
Wayback Machine 1984: The Future of Agriculture
How Walt Disney saw The Future World of Agriculture: "Robots tend crops that grow on floating platforms around a sea city of the future. Water from the ocean would evaporate, rise to the base of the platforms (leaving the salt behind), and feed the
-
Wayback Machine 1968: What Will Life Be Like in 2008?
The horrible thing that I have to admit is, I actually read that issue as a kid forty years ago, reading Modern Mechanix when not into my Arthur C. Clarke books. And what a fantastic vision it was:
-
Wayback Machine 1933: Writing Letters On Copper
Imagine that; now houses and electrical substations get broken into to steal the copper wire; In 1933 in Arizona they couldn't give it away and used it as paper. ::Modern
-
Wayback Machine 1922: Poop Power
We recently saw poop power in California, also in Texas, Minnesota and Vermont. Now we learn that it is really old school technology, as this 1922 Popular Science article attests.
-
Wayback Machine 1929: NY Penthouses for $300K
A lot of real estate is wasted on rooftops; in the 20's, developers started offering penthouses and they became all the rage. At the time, Modern Mechanix's writer was shocked by the prices; the agent responded:
-
Wayback Machine 1936: The Invention of the Motel
Modern Mechanix covers the invention of the motel, "solving a problem that motorists have wrestled with ever since the first adventurous driver sallied forth in a horseless buggy, a pair of goggles, a long linen coat and a cloud of dust to conquer
-
Wayback Machine 1946: Airform House by Wallace Neff
Post World War II there were all kinds of experiments going on to accommodate the returning GIs and their new baby boom families. California architect Wallace Neff tied a Goodyear rubber balloon down to a concrete slab and sprayed it with concrete,
-
Wayback Machine 1958: Geoengineering
We have shown quite a few wild and crazy geoengineering ideas before, but it appears that they go way back. Fifty years Arthur Radebaugh proposed it for heating, not cooling:
-
Wayback Machine 1951: Marcel Breuer's Trailer House
Marcel Breuer was not too crazy about the instructions from client Sidney Wolfson: Design a structure that integrates a 1948 Royal Mansion Spartan Trailer. But he took the job and successfully pulled off this architectural mashup that predates the
-
Wayback Machine 1932: How Long Will Our Cities Last?
Paired with our post on the decline of the suburbs, this Modern Mechanix article from 1932 makes interesting reading. It concludes that the infrastructure of gas, water and fuel is too complex, and that cities will become increasingly unhealthy.
-
Wayback Machine 1941: No Gas? No Problem.
Design and innovation continues to be our best opportunity for dealing with the triple threat of climate change, the end of oil and recession. One could sit in the dark and complain or pretend it is not happening, as many people do in the face of
-
Wayback Machine 1968: Danish Sleeper Sofa
They don't make 'em like this much anymore: we love the way this 40 year-old sofa transforms to sleep two. No wacky levered lift 'n pull system; no tiny uncomfortable mattress clumsily stuffed under the cushions -- the couch is designed to gracefully
-
Wayback Machine 1936: Linoleum
I love linoleum; it is completely natural (made from linseed oil and flax), durable and nice looking. About the only knock against it is the energy used to bake it. Modern Mechanix describes its manufacture in 1936; little has changed since.
-
Wayback Machine: "Our National Flower is the Concrete Cloverleaf"
-Forget the damned motor car and build the cities for lovers and
-
Wayback Machine 1968: Haus Rucker Co. Inflatable Retreat
We called Kengo Kuma's Inflatable Tea House serene and relaxing, which is what a tea house should be; 40 Years ago, "Haus Rucker Co created this device consisting of a pulsating bubble inside a large inflatable capsule, which was supported by a
