Behind the scenes at the Singularity Summit

You should have seen Kurzweil. That dude can 'bot with the best of them.

(Tip of the hat to Dangerous Minds.)

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The bold new look of The Future!

Now there's absolutely no excuse for missing an episode of "Leave It To Beaver." (Incidentally, the man wearing the headset is none other than science fiction editor extraordinaire Hugo Gernsback.)

More endearingly ill-conceived inventions here.

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"Then came the great comet, Dionysus."

More about "Star Maidens" here.

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Raquel Welch greets the New Age.

I couldn't be sure, but I think I glimpsed Daniel Pinchbeck at the end.

More Raquel Welch here.

(Thanks to Electric Children.)

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"A series of tubes"

Because nothing says "future" like gorgeous women encapsulated in giant glass tubes.

(Hat tip: @TheDarkEngine.)

A rare look behind the scenes of Posthuman Blues world headquarters

OK, so I lied.

The future, Soviet style

Say what you will about Communism, but the Soviets produced some stunning visual futurism.

Boing Boing links to lots more right here.

Paleo-transhumanism

Get the full story here.

Human laundry

Ultrasonic Bath: Human washing machine

At the 1970 World Expo in Osaka, consumer electronics maker Sanyo demonstrated their vision for the future by showcasing a series of appliances they thought would populate the home of tomorrow. Included was the Ultrasonic Bath, a pod-like human washing machine that cleans, massages and dries the user in a fully automated 15-minute process.

Of course, everyone knows that you're not fully clean unless you're "Zest-fully" clean.

I can see myself in one of these.

Trylon Viper

Behold, the Trylon Viper, a three wheeled commuter vehicle created in the 1990's by one Rick Murphy. Inspired by the Colonial Viper from Battlestar Galactica the Trylon Viper can seat two -- one behind the other -- can be fitted with either a 1600cc or 1835cc Volkswagen engine, giving it a top speed of 120 miles per hour.

"Rockets away!"

More here.

"Come a little closer and I'll tell you my story."

Is there anything Cartrivision can't do?

The future was then.

Where can I download the soundtrack?

(Thanks: Fashioning Technology.)

Epic Collection of Sci-Fi Ray Guns

(Thanks to Conspiraporn!)

45 Vintage 'Space Age' Illustrations

Until we all are living in outer space with flying automobiles and robot servants, we can pass the time with these 45 vintage illustrations of a space age tomorrow. Hopefully these beautiful and creative works of art won't bring back too many childhood disappointments.

Don't worry, you'll get your jetpack someday.

Obligatory viewing for Posthuman Blues readers.

A compellingly "Blade Runner"-ish vision of the future as envisioned by a fourteen year-old writing in 1901.

(Thanks, Elan!)

1950s Rocket Sketches Envision Manned Spaceflight

Collier's editor Cornelius Ryan detailed von Braun's plans for manned spaceflight across several issues of the magazine. Articles featured topics on manned lunar and Martian exploration, the potential for a space station, property and passage rights, and, of course, the ships themselves. The ships illustrated throughout the series were based on von Braun's earlier designs, but he worked with the series' artists to sketch out sleeker, sexier designs that would pop on the magazine's pages.

Grand Old Times . . . In The Future (Overview of Pulp Art)

At the time, the artists working for the pulps weren't considered anything but cheap creatives providing cheap entertainment for cheap minds. But now we know what they were: visions of wonder, amazing vistas of the imagination, daring dreams of possibility, magnificent views of What Could Be -- but most of all we look back at what they did and recognize it for being truly magnificent art.

Behold . . . the Walkman!