Wonderful scans from a 1962 book of tech predictions for1975

Here's Meat Puppets drummer Derrick Bostrom's scans from Arnold B. Barach's 1962 book, 1975 and the Changes to Come. In addition to the usual hopes for space colonies and some prescient looks at things like pacemakers, there's also a healthy dose of wonderfully goofy, super-modernist TV designs and the ever-popular Kitchen of the Future (shown here).

1975 And The Changes To Come (via Paleofuture)

• [turn_self_off]

  Ah, atomics radiated food storage. Every up to date home must have one.

  And look, grayscale bacon in a easy to use package. Ready to be heated in the toaster.

  Hmm, one of those tv sets looks like a laptop without a keyboard.

  I wonder what it will take to get this kind of hope for the future back into gear. Most likely some way to get around the second law of thermodynamics…

• [Anonymous]

  Curses upon the time traveler who sent us into this alternate future! Where is my bacon-in-a-toaster?!?

• [querent]

  Meat Puppets!

• [knoxblox]

  Interesting stuff, but as optimistic about futuristic items Barach may have been, I’m sure he didn’t count on people like my mom.
  Her decorating sensibilities wouldn’t allow anything odd-shaped or overtly metal/fiberglass in her home. Even the two Futuristic brand cylindrical floor speakers we had back then were encased in wood.

  (Side note: Can we do something about womikii? He/she isn’t adding any useful discourse to the forum discussions.)

• [Lady Katey]

  Bacon-in-a-toaster folks: I think a recent issue of Everday Food included a bunch of suggestions for non-bread items to cook or reheat with your toaster. I don’t think bacon made the list, but butterflied sausages did.

• [catastrophegirl]

  the bacon in the toaster entry did specify pre-fried bacon being reheated. you can buy precooked bacon, i know hormel makes it and probably some other companies that i just haven’t seen.
  with one of these toaster bags to crisp it up, you could have toaster bacon
  http://www.amazon.com/Set-NoStick-Toast-Toaster-Bags/dp/B0012XGM92

  we got our international satellite tv, video surveillance at the front door [if you want/can afford it,] pacemakers, computer education/classes and video sales presentations.
  i’m still waiting for safe, affordable, easy to use flying cars though

• [cjp]

  Interesting. The woman at the typewriter is looking at an issue of Pravda. Doesn’t she know that there is no ‘truth’ (or newspapers) in the future?

• [tuckels]

  I thought I was pretty happy with my life, but on discovery that we were promised bacon toasters in 1975, I fear my life will never be complete.