text:
->''"That design is a hundred years old, but instead of primitive atomic missiles and lasers, our scans show photon torpedoes and phased energy weapons. They also have real-time subspace communication, a matter transporter, ship-to-ship visual, uncensored swearwords, and a galley that doesn't serve coloured cubes as food."''
-->-- '''Farce Contact''', a StarTrekEnterprise ParodyFic.
The Aesthetics of Technology is a [[CommonFanFallacies Common Fan Fallacy]] which holds that if something ''looks'' more advanced, it ''is'' more advanced, according to the viewer's own personal standard.
The viewer's own standard will, in these cases, not actually map directly to the viewer's own life-experience, but will be surprisingly weighted toward {{Zeerust}}: high technology is expected to look high-technological, so a visually complex special effect implies more technology than a visually simple special effect. [[ForbiddenPlanet Robbie the Robot]] has lots of flashing lights and moving parts, so he looks more advanced than [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Commander Data]], who just looks like a plain old human with a funny skin tone.
Obviously, there is a bit of strangeness here: a 1950s computer, with all its tubes, light bulbs and keyboards, ''looks'' vastly more technological and complicated than a plain, little, all white [=MacBook=], even though the [[EverythingIsAnIpodInTheFuture MacBook]] may have four processor cores literally ''millions'' of times more powerful than the old 1950s computer. This fallacy generally overlooks that one hallmark of advancing technology is the "comfort factor" we design in: something new and marvelous may well look all techno-, with exposed wires and flashing lights, but as technology advances ''even farther'', this techno-miracle will be refined until it can be given a form factor that doesn't stick out like a sore thumb. After all, it takes much more technological innovation to create the minimalist wallet-sized cellphones of today than to build a WorldWarII army field phone. This is rather like complaining that a modern analogue watch which can set itself via radio link to an atomic clock is less advanced than a 70s calculator watch, because the latter has ''more buttons'' and a ''segmented display'' (this principle is the reason futuristic computers tend to feature ExtremeGraphicalRepresentation).
It also overlooks the way design aesthetics change over time, totally independent of technology. In the 1950s, people thought that flares and tail fins looked futuristic. But we have just reached the [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture impossibly far-off AD 2013]], and very few things have tail fins, aside from actual fish, airplanes, and the Batmobile -- and even the Batmobile [[Film/TheDarkKnightSaga recently got rid of 'em]]. In fact, things like flares and tail fins now, ironically, [[{{Zeerust}} look decidedly retro]] -- the new Ford Thunderbird has them to keep the '50s feel.
In general, as the "future" becomes the present for us folks in the real world, the miracles and advances tend to look not-quite so flashy as people in the past imagined them. Even if they change our lives enormously, they tend to do it in such a subtle way that you might not even notice by looking. The newest Boeing 747's look nearly identical to ones built in the 1970s but they're far more advanced inside. Some modern family cars are quicker than vintage sports cars, but they don't ''[[RedOnesGoFaster look]]'' as fast. A 2009 Dodge Challenger features all sorts of electronic pizazz such as cruise control, traction controls, computer-controlled engine, side airbags, GPS, voice recognition and whatnot, but outside it looks like a modernized 1970 Challenger. Your modern office building using modern building techniques might not need flying buttresses to hold it up, and it may indeed look a little different from the office buildings of a hundred years ago (it might even be a modern construction built behind a 19th century façade!), but it's not an organic-looking chrome spire seven miles tall with pneumatic tubes instead of elevators. We could probably build them that way, but we don't, because that's neither practical nor what our design aesthetics call for ([[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burj_Khalifa outside of Dubai]], anyway).
For fans, this tends to come up with LongRunners or SeriesFranchise, where something built to look "futuristic" by a modern design aesthetic does not look "futuristic" by the previous one.
Note that this is completely [[InvertedTrope inverted]] by SufficientlyAdvancedBambooTechnology, where extremely advanced technology appears deceptively primitive in the form of stones, crysals, idols, monuments or ancient ruins.
For reasons that ought to be obvious, this fallacy is largely absent among fans of SteamPunk. See also ShinyLookingSpaceships, UsedFuture, ExcessiveSteamSyndrome, EverythingIsAnIPodInTheFuture and HighTechHexagons. See also CosmeticallyAdvancedPrequel.
[[folder:Fan Fiction]]
* In ''FanFic/AeonEntelechyEvangelion'' we have the New Earth Government Army which uses utilitarian designs for its mecha. And then we have the Loyalist Nazzadi with their sleek and smooth mecha, surpassed only by their elite with even sleeker and smoother mecha.
* ''StarWars'' fans will no doubt recall that ''[[ThePhantomMenace Episode I]]'' featured, among other things, ''chrome space ships''. This is an interesting sort of possible LampshadeHanging, as, while the ships of these halcyon days of the old Republic did look, in their ways, more advanced, we are reminded of the similar use of generous amounts of chrome on, say, '50s cars to make ''them'' look futuristic (GeorgeLucas has always been a rabid car buff, so this may indeed be intentional). There is another reason for this: as the Galaxy enters the Clone Wars, the ships become more and more boxy and utilitarian in design, presumably because it would be better for the Clone Army to have something that was functional rather than something that was pretty.
** It was also meant to reflect that as the galaxy falls under the grip of TheEmpire, the only thing still spiffy and clean are the machines the military uses to keep the populace in line, and those look better when they look mean than when they look pretty.
** The yellow speeder that Anakin and Obi-Wan use while chasing Zam Wesell was inspired by the yellow '32 Ford coupe from Lucas' ''AmericanGraffiti''. All it needed was flames painted on the side.
* This has actually popped up in a lot of the fandom for the ''Film/IronMan'' movies, where Obidiah Stane's Iron Monger suit is less "advanced" than Tony's suit since Tony fought it and won while only at 17% of power. The suit uses conventional weapons and is bigger and "clunkier" than Tony's more streamlined suit.
** This could also apply to the "briefcase suit" that Tony uses in the 2nd movie. It is more portable, and looks a little fancier than his normal suit, but it is apparently less powerful and protective, and it isn't established that it can even fly. This is because the suit is exactly what it's used as in the movie: An emergency measure. It's something Tony can slap on real quick to deal with smaller, sudden threats mostly to his own person.
* In ''Film/{{Oblivion2013}}'' the people we are led to believe represent the remnants of humanity all use shiny white technology that also has a lot of moving parts. While the Scavs that are supposedly alien PlanetLooters who blew up the moon have disheveled tech that appears cobbled together. This was probably intended as a big hint that [[spoiler: it's actually the other way around. The Scavs are humans while the hero is a cloned astronaut being used by the alien entity that really blew up the moon and is sucking up the oceans.]]
* The ''RevelationSpace'' universe created by Alastair Reynolds {{hand wave}}s this problem with the Melding Plague which attacks nanotechnology, forcing society to revert to more primitive forms of computer interface.
* In ''Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds'' by HGWells, originally published in 1898, the narrator and main protagonist is one of the first at the scene of the fallen 'meteor' which turns out to contain a space-going artificial cylinder. To open, the cylinder slowly ''unscrews'', the height of imagined spaceship door technology at the time, and evidence of the aliens' technological sophistication (from a late 19th Century perspective at least).
* In ''Literature/TheRestaurantAtTheEndOfTheUniverse'' Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect are sent several million years into the past and end up aboard a space ship. To Arthur the control room looks like a space ship control room should look, to Ford it looks thoroughly antiquated.
* In ''JohnnyAndTheBomb'', Jonny refuses to believe a time machine disguised as a shopping trolley can be one because it doesn't have flashing lights. "Why would a time machine need flashing lights?" "[[MathematiciansAnswer To flash!]]"
[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'' was widely criticized for how much "more advanced" the NX-01 looked compared to its ''[[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Original Series]]'' counterpart. Which is to say that the ''Enterprise'' had computer displays, exposed wiring, and all-around better special effects. Of course, the interior design of the NX-01 was inspired in part by ''modern'' NASA designs. The NX-01 is meant to look, to an early 21st century audience, about 150 years in advance of current technology. The NCC-1701 was meant to look, to a 1960s audience, about 300 years in advance of current technology. Because of the shift in design aesthetics, "300 years more advanced than 1966" looks less advanced than "150 years more advanced than 2001". But, of course, no one knows how design aesthetics will continue to shift in the future. "In a Mirror Darkly" shows the NX-01 crew encountering an ''Original Series''-era ship, and ''they'' clearly think it looks far more advanced. The standard explanation is that the ''Original Series'' era designs show a far greater level of "comfort" with the technology, form factors simplified and exposed wires hidden away behind walls. Put another way, the NCC-1701 was the product of a sort of "Art Deco" period of starship design.
** A related problem was that communicators on the show were made smaller than those in the [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries the first show]], due to cell phones being much smaller. Again, it was a matter of finding some sort of balance between the "futuristic" and bulky technology of the 23rd Century and still making the modern series appear futuristic by modern standards.
** The fact the NX-01 looks almost exactly like the ''Akira''-class ships from the ''[[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Deep Space Nine]]'' era (first seen in ''[[Film/StarTrekFirstContact First Contact]]'') was a big problem for some viewers. Different standards are one thing, but even in-universe it's a more advanced design (while Starfleet has been cannibalizing old designs for years, thus allowing the ''Akira'' to be {{retcon}}ned as a spin-off of the "old" ''NX''-class design, the fact that ''viewers'' saw it first "in the future" was all that counted).
** ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' took this even further, with the sets specifically designed to downplay the functionalist, technological aspects in favor of a livable-looking design aesthetic (in order to demonstrate the superiority of 24th century technology and because the Federation had been in peacetime for so many years); as such, the bridge of the ''Enterprise''-D incorporates leather chairs, carpets, gently-sloping ramps and even wooden surfaces with only minor instrumentation. This was downplayed by subsequent series (the bridge of the ''Voyager'', for example, is composed almost entirely of control panels).
*** This is explained as ''Galaxy''-class starships (like the ''Enterprise''-D) specifically being designed not only as Starfleet's flagship class, but for long-term exploration, and as such for entire families to live onboard for years at a time. As such, they're designed to have less of a [[BuffySpeak science-y]] feel and more of a 'home' feel. ''Intrepid''-class ships, though, are for science (but not ForScience) & exploration, and only designed to be used by a small crew for a few weeks or months at a time, and as such less attention was paid to aesthetics. (Also note that the ''Enterprise''-E, a ''Sovereign''-class starship, has a more "futuristic" appearance than the ''Enterprise''-D, and is more of a battleship than an exploration ship.)
*** Of course, the ''Enterprise''-D was {{lampshaded}} on TNG itself as being a "Flying Hotel" compared to other less luxurious starships like those of the much more numerous ''Excelsior'' class.
** And then finally we have [[Film/StarTrek the 2009 pre-boot]]. Its sets look quite modern, via EverythingIsAnIPodInTheFuture, but not particularly futuristic. This if anything means it will probably fall to {{Zeerust}} even faster than did ''Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan'', which even today only looks dated when Khan's 80s-hair-sporting entourage is onscreen.
* One of the myriad complaints against ''Series/TeamKnightRider'' was that the cars "did not look nearly as advanced" as KITT of the original ''Series/KnightRider'' -- that is, they were visually different from ordinary cars only by the addition of a single multi-function computer display. The original series had described KITT's interior, by contrast, as "Darth Vader's Bathroom", a possible indication that it looked a bit {{Zeerust}} even by the standards of the time.
** Thing is, except for the instrument panel, the original KITT's interior ''was'' pure stock thirdgen F-Body.
* Parodied in ''Series/RedDwarf'': When Kryten believes Lister to be a Mechanoid, the fact he looks perfectly human is evidence he's a less advanced version -- the human-looking Mechanoids [[UncannyValley creeped actual Humans out too much]], so the range was discontinued.
* ''Series/StargateSG1'':
** The depiction of the race called the "Nox" is a subversion. Their entire culture's technology is completely salient and has been completely integrated into the surrounding environment in a manner which makes the the technology virtually indistinguishable from the natural terrain. Mind-bogglingly advanced technology (capable of resurrection), and you wouldn't have the first clue how they did it because they look and act like a hunting and gathering society; they are small tight-knit groups which exist largely in harmony with the local ecosystem.
** This is subverted a lot. Goa'uld technology looks like stuff out of ancient times, ancient Egypt especially (Pyramid-ships, staff-weapons, sarcophagus, ugly crystal-technology). The Asgard do have the typical "advanced" look in their technology; but [[{{Precursors}} the Ancients]], who are at least equal to the Asgard in technology, all have angular-shaped technology which overall looks, well, ancient.
*** The Ancients are particularly interesting, as their civilization lasted long enough to produce several substantially disparate sets of artifacts: ''Alteran'' ancients produced technology primarily in the form of high-technological devices apparently made of ''stone''. ''Lantian'' ancients adopted an aesthetic more typical of contemporary "advanced alien" sensibilities, heavy on crystals and lucite, though on a grandiose scale. The builders of the ''[[Series/StargateUniverse Destiny]]'', purportedly the earliest of the bunch, had a much more "industrial" aesthetic, including a ExcessiveSteamSyndrome. When Doctor Rush identifies Destiny's design as "clearly Ancient," we just have to take his word for it. Though we see comparatively little of the technology of the Ori, it seems similar in scope to Alteran technology, but with conscious minor aesthetic differences (their ring transporters, for example, are white marble with glowing inlays).
** In addition, we have Earth's gate-dialing system: Large computer consoles with seemingly random lights and buttons filling up entire rooms. The system is slow, has things constantly going wrong, and has massive power requirements. The Ancients, on the other hand, invented the [=DHD=]s, which are far smaller and streamlined and much more convenient.
** While the control rooms of the Goa'uld ships look basically empty except for a throne and an altar-like console, the Earth ships are chock-full of screens, buttons, and glowing lights. The contrast between the two was intentional: the set designers wanted them to be more interesting than the existing Goa'uld ships. The look of the Earth ships' interiors are also based on actual battleships and aircraft carriers.
*** The Asgard ships are about in the middle: their exteriors are silver and streamlined, and the interiors are white and smooth, with a fair amount of screens, lights, and control interfaces. And [[GreenRocks rocks]].
** We could mention the stargates themselves; the second generation of stargates that the Ancients used in the Pegasus Galaxy look more advanced than the ones they used in the Milky Way Galaxy. Yet they also lost some functionality because they do not have a physical moving "rotary telephone" ring, which means they cannot be manually dialled - an interesting parallel to a lot of RealLife examples where a supposedly more advanced technology is less versatile or at least resilient than what it replaced.
* ''Series/BabylonFive'':
** While this is generally true with the Centauri, the Minbari, the Vorlons, several League and independent races, etc. However, Narn ships are a subversion, as [[AllThereInTheManual background material]] says that the Narns deliberately try to invoke this trope with their fancy looking ships, but weapons tech captured from the Centauri aside, are not all that advanced (they don't even have gravity).
** One of the League races, the Brakiri, does this too, their ships are made to look like organic technology even though they aren't that much more advanced than other League races. According to the supplementary material in the B5 Wars tabletop game, they are one of the more advanced League races, having artificial gravity, but their government is insufficiently united to form an effective military force, which is why they tend to be on the receiving end of any stellar butt-whupping.
** Inverted and played straight among Earth ships. The [[http://www.starshipmodeler.com/b5/cc_breheny_06a.JPG Hyperion-class cruiser]] looks more advanced than the [[http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b50/liffrea/b5_omega2.jpg Omega-class destroyer]], but the Omega is in fact the ''replacement'' of the Hyperion and has superior firepower and speed and simulates gravity with its rotating section. Then we have the [[http://roleplaying.diraven.net/babylon5/starships/images/Earth_Warlock.jpg Warlock-class destroyer]], who looks more advanced than the Omega and is in fact its replacement, featuring improved armour, weapons and actual ArtificialGravity, eliminating the need for the rotating section.
* ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' mostly revels in the SpaceWestern aesthetic, and for the majority of the series we're only seeing what looks like run-down ships and scattered, low-tech societies and villages, with the occasional episode in a high-tech locale like "Ariel" or "Trash." What this doesn't show is the presence of background technology far, ''far'' more advanced than what is otherwise shown; e.g. large-scale {{terraforming}} technology, gravity manipulation technology, and starship engines that put out enormous amounts of power. Even the battered and old starship ''Serenity'' puts out enough energy in its drive to make the Tsar Bomba jealous.
[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* In ''{{Exalted}}'', it is mentioned that the Solars built Artifacts to be both functional and beautiful. When the Dragon-Blooded took over, they couldn't do both, so they decided to just go with the functional. Turns out, they couldn't do that quite as well either...
* This has been invoked with the old-school-looking ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' technology and warships, which look like ancient Gothic and baroque steam-powered machines. The big, clunky and primitive-looking Leman Russ or Land Raider battle tanks have ''insane'' weapons yields and are far more maneuverable than any modern tank could hope to be, and those box, boxy and inelegant bolters are actually rapid-fire armor-piercing rocket-propelled grenade launchers.
** Many assume Tau technology is more advanced than the Imperium because it looks more futuristic. In [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment actual fact]], Imperial technology is remarkably reliable (save for a few weapons) and have things far ahead of the Tau (teleporters, for example).
*** From the setting's themes, this trope is played straight. Do you really have a technological society if you have neither understanding of the devices nor a scientific mindset that allows you to continue to expand your knowledge? The gothic, ugly Imperial tech is supposed to remind the reader/player that the Imperium is the Dark Ages caricatured in space. They don't know how to build most of the advanced devices anymore, they can't replace their losses, and so much knowledge has been lost that humanity has reduced science and technology into a blind religion. The Tau, with their ultra-sleek, futuristic weapons, are progressing very quickly, and what's more they actually have science, research, and an ever-expanding sphere of knowledge. (Aside: Much of their technology is more advanced, even if they don't have every gizmo the Imperium does.) The implied answer is that without knowledge, you're a cargo cult, burning out from stagnation. Note, however that this is one of ''40k'''s many, ''many'' cases of DependingOnTheWriter. Much of the more optimistic fiction depicts the Adeptus Mechanicus, or at least its higher level members as relatively competent and generally knowing what they're doing. The more ritualistic aspects of the organization being partly a show put on for the plebs and partly a way to spread useful mnemonics for proper maintenance and operation procedures of their equipment.
** Averted with weapons. For example, plasma weapons: in the Imperial they're rare but not uncommon (which is relative - thousands of plasma guns are made each year, while ''billions'' of lasguns are made), and hand held. Tau have hand held plasma weapons in the form of the Pulse Rifle. But are nowhere near as powerful, the closest can only be mounted on MiniMechs or tanks and are still less powerful (but don't overheat).
*** While a Tau's pulse rifle is less powerful shot-for-shot than an Imperial Guard or (especially) Space Marine plasma gun, the plasma gun is an [[AwesomeButImpractical over-engineered death trap]] quite capable of blowing up the user on a misfire, it has a slow firing rate, AND the most effective designs are long-lost. Tau pulse rifles shoot much faster, don't have the same overheating issues, and (for the Tau) are as easy to mass-produce as Imperial lasguns. Really the only reason they haven't been drafted wholesale into the Imperial Guard and Space Marines is because they're [[HonorBeforeReason heretical Xenos tech that any member of the Imperium is obliged to destroy]].
** On the other hand, Eldar stuff is inhumanly clean and elegant, and their tech is indeed more advanced than the humans'. The Necrons are the most advanced of all and [[TimeAbyss are decidedly ancient and look it...]] basically, the rule in 40k is [[OlderIsBetter older=better]].
* You can decide for yourself in ''TabletopGame/GeniusTheTransgression'', the roleplaying game of [[MadScientist Mad Science]]. Geniuses can make their [[WeirdScience Wonders]] look like pretty much anything they want, and 'Aesthetic' is a signature trait for most. It lists a number of sample Aesthetics, ranging from {{Steampunk}} (the currently most popular style) to RaygunGothic to [[EverythingIsAnIpodInTheFuture 'iPod' style]].
[[folder:Video Games]]
* A lot of things in the ''Franchise/MassEffect'' series play this trope straight. WordOfGod states that they wanted to deliberately invoke a clean, futuristic look, especially in the most civilized areas.
** On the other hand, it is averted in the seedier places (like Omega, which still has an enormously advanced level of technological development, despite being the epitome of a WretchedHive) and by the ''really'' advanced people--consider the Collectors' ships, which look more like a chunk of rock with a spaceship engine than the sleek and cool-looking Normandy or Destiny Ascension. That said, the durability of the Collector ship leaves something to be desired considering it could be taken out by a single frigate with or without a weapon that gives it the relative firepower of a cruiser when Reaper ships require multiple dreadnoughts to reliably kill, possibly making it a converted rock that happens to have impressive technology loaded into it.
* Played with in the VideoGame/MegaMan and VideoGame/MegaManX series. While the hero character had a simpler-looking design than the bosses, said hero was the one who can copy bosses weapons for his own use, supporting a wide arsenal of powers. X is literally described as having unlimited potential, and throughout his series, developed abilities that were previously seen after he picked up armor parts or health upgrades; it's like the concept of Weapon Copy was taken to its logical conclusion and turned into an Ability Copy.
* A good example of this can be found in the training mission of the videogame ''VideoGame/DeusEx'', where one of the rooms is a small "museum" showing the history of artificial enhancements. The old electro-mechanical enhancements make their users look like cyborgs; but if someone is equipped with the new enhancements based in {{Nanomachines}}, he will look like pretty much any other human.
** In fact, a small part of the story revolves around two agents with UNATCO who have the old-style cybernetic enhancements. They are, understandably, extremely miffed about the fact that the "next generation" of augmented humans are not only superior to them in most respects, but they ''look'' human, so they don't have to deal with the stigma of looking like a science experiment GoneHorriblyWrong. There is also an ex-UNATCO bartender in New York who has some "pretty heavy augmentation" and while her customers don't seem to mind, she's a bit touchy when it's brought up.
* ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution'' features the "old style" mechanical enhancements. They look far more advanced than the 'newer' ones in the original games, even when taking the improved graphics into account. Part of the justification for this comes in the stated mission by the designers to give the whole game something of a cultural 'Renaissance' feeling, which also reflects in the color scheme and clothing designs.
* One fan of ''CortexCommand'' has complained that the technology isn't very advanced. The technology looks modern rather than futuristic, but considering that this is a game where humans are brains in jars that travel through space, cloning has been completely perfected, everyone has an unlimited supply of clones and robots that they can remote control, that jetpacks have been perfected, batteries can recharge themselves from thin air, that tools that can literally disintegrate dirt, but leave gold unharmed and that humans have spread themselves all across the galaxy the fan's complaints are ungrounded. In fact, the only sleeker technology at this point is the laser guns and the dummy robots. The dummy robots are cannon-fodder and the laser weapons are only effective against unarmored opponents.
* In the ''{{Halo}}'' series, the Covenant have sleek, brightly colored weapons and armor and fire plasma instead of bullets. However, the human weapons are just as effective, if not more so, and the Brute weapons are incredibly powerful despite looking absolutely ancient in design.
** Brute and UNSC weapons are effective but Covenant weapons are generally considered better. Plasma melts armor and ignites clothing, and on a larger scale boils through ships and reduces whole planets to cinder and glass within hours (and with not all that many ships). Though the Covenant's belief that tools of war should be beautiful probably reduces their effectiveness somewhat, if nothing else they take more time and labor to produce.
*** Despite being cool and futuristic, most of the Covenant's weapons are simply different rather than better. Their plasma rifles take down shields more reliably but don't have the firepower of human rifles, sniper-wise the similarity is even closer. Their ship-board plasma weapons are devastating, but the MAC guns on human ships can also destroy enemies in one shot. In the first game, one (AI-controlled) human ship takes on 12 similarly-sized CCS battlecruisers and destroys or disables half of them before being knocked out, though it is hinted that the Covenant were trying to board and capture the ship outright rather than obliterate it. In general, the Covenant don't use any weapon with any effect that humans can't replicate with apparently less advanced ballistics/explosives; though GameplayAndStorySegregation probably accounts for much of it, as Covenant weapons tend to be much more deadly in the ExpandedUniverse.
** It should be noted that the Brutes seem quite happy to use looted human weapons such as the shotgun. It is also worth considering that plasma weapons are quite effective against the Covenant themselves; projectiles don't perform too well against shielded opponents, but against unshielded foes (such as humans or Flood) projectiles are every bit as useful and often more so.
** The [=M12=] Light Reconnaissance Vehicle, better known as the Warthog or the [[RedVsBlue Puma]], doesn't look like it should be used in 2552, but has seemingly unpoppable tires. In canon, the Warthog doesn't need gasoline. It actually runs on water.
** ''Halo: First Strike'' clearly shows what humans can do if they get their hands on a piece of Covenant tech. Master Chief and Cortana capture a Covenant flagship, and Cortana almost immediately realizes the true potential of the ship's weapons and drives ''by changing the settings''. When the on-board Covenant AI sees what she's doing, it screams "Blasphemy!" and tries to stop her. So not only are the Covenant unwilling to experiment, they also deliberately cripple their [=AIs=] with pointless restrictions. Until recently, they didn't even HAVE [=AIs=], as they were banned due to the (true) story of Mendicant Bias.
*** This is because most of the Covenant's technology is scavenged and/or (poorly) reverse-engineered from lost-and-found Forerunner tech; they've barely figured it out enough to get to work at all.
**** In addition, it is also hinted that the Covenant do not even know how to reload the weapons they reverse-engineer, or at least do not know of an efficient way to do so; apparently, Covenant rules of engagement dictate that if your plasma weapon runs out of charge, simply discard it and take one from a fallen comrade.
* In ''SwordOfTheStars'', aesthetics are not always indicative of how powerful a faction's ships are. The dish-dash, slapped-together Zuul craft can be as effective or moreso than the sleek Morrigi ships.
* In the ''VideoGame/{{X}}-Universe'' games, aesthetics are not very reliable on how powerful the ships are. The [[PlanetTerra Terran]] ships are by far the most advanced and powerful ships, but look essentially like sleek Space Shuttles, or in the case of their capital ships, flying white bricks. The Teladi, who buy or reverse all their equipment from the other races, have very cobbled-together appearance (often likened to "flying junkyards"), but they are very effective and much more versatile than Terran ships. The Borons have the most aesthetically refined and elegant ships in the game, of the kind that would make you think "unbeatable awesomeness" in other games, but here their fighter craft are little more than glorified {{Joke Character}}s, and while they have extremely powerful capital ships, they are sorely lacking in [[PointDefenceless flak cannons]].
* The original ''VideoGame/{{Homeworld}}'' plays with it. In terms of look, Turanic ships are the less advanced, Kushan ships look a bit more advanced, Taiidan ships looks a little more modern, and Kadeshi and Bentusi ships look ''much'' more advanced. In terms of performance, Kushan and Taiidan ships are identical to their respective counterpart (barring a better turret emplacement of some Taiidan ships and the better hangar protection of Kushan carriers and Mothership), Turanic attack ships are the worst but their capital ships are better armed and armored than the playable races, Kadeshi fighters and frigates can dish and take a lot of damage but sacrifice respectively fuel capacity and speed, and the Bentusi are implied to be powerful but tend to get into situations that are barely survivable even for them.
* ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands 2}}'' distinguishes each gun manufacturer with different attributes, appearances and names. For example, Maliwan favors a Space-Age-y look with blue/silver stocks and glowing orange lights. They also use battery-like powerpacks instead of conventional magazines. On the other hand, Bandit-made guns are an aggressive red (or at least what you can see underneath the coat of filth and duct tape), not to mention most guns made by Bandits have jury-rigged extra-large magazines onto their guns (this throws the accuracy right off, but what do they care? They just like spraying bullets everywhere.) The other companies can be read about on the ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands 2}}'' page.
[[folder:Real Life]]
* The streamline school of design during the Art Deco period in the 1930s was built on this. Many railway engineers disliked streamlining because it didn't do much for performance, unlike the mechanical improvement under the surface.
** Ironically, "streamlined" design for indoor household goods ''did'' have a function. [[TheRoaringTwenties The Twenties]] in the West had been the first time in human history that goods were cheaper than labor, meaning that many upper-middle-class households who were accustomed to one or more maids had to do without, while many working-class families could afford good design. Simple, streamlined lamps, radios and small appliances are ''easier to dust'' than what came before.
** Of course, with the train example, that was several decades before the mechanical improvements under the surface would make the trains go fast enough for the streamlining to become significant. Nowadays, we do have streamlined high speed trains, and even commuter cars can have their MPG noticeably impacted by surface design.
** Compare the controls of the 1860s [[http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6120/6296244829_11f4662e8a_z.jpg Jupiter]] with the 1941 [[http://www.tycoforums.com/tyco/forum/uploaded/MM%201498/4014bulkhead.jpg Big Boy]] and 1961 [[http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8156/6998743812_f098c94954_c.jpg Evening Star]] - the newer locomotives have more features to control, but the major components such as the throttle are easy to recognize.
* The Boeing 787 will be the most advanced airliner ever designed and will be built using truly exotic construction techniques. It looks just like any other jetliner.
** That's true for EVERY new airliner, for good reason. The basic ''shape'' of airliners is defined by aerodynamics and physics constraints. Engineers have known what the right shape for an airliner is since the 1950s or 1960s. Most of what's changed is underneath the shiny aluminium skin. (This may be changing, though; a $1.5 billion NASA program to design the airliner after the next saw every designer involved submitting a flying wing or blended-wing aircraft, rather than the venerable ME-262 profile.)
** Debatable. Shapes and their effects on aerodynamics are indeed [[OlderThanTheyThink well known]]. A wing generates maximum lift, while the tube shape of the main body creates the least amount of resistance while still having an inside people will fit in comfortably. A simple wing shape wasn't feasible for transportation due to materials not being able to be the right size to fit peoples inside. Materials are much more advanced, so now it is.
*** Materials engineering was never the most important problem, and haven't been a significant issue in subsonic flight since the 30s outside of weight constraints - in fact, the initial heyday of the flying wing design was in the 30s and 40s. The freeing and use of available volume for passengers and cargo (which is structural in nature) was the second-greatest flaw, with the fundamental design stability issues taking the prize. A long fuselage gives leverage for both yaw and pitch control, which a flying wing generally has to compensate for either through sub-optimal design additions (that drastically reduce the nominal benefits of a flying wing design) and/or extensive automated control systems for stability (which have become feasible only within the past two decades, and are still expensive). Extensive safety regulations stemming from the... spectacular nature of airplane failures also contributes to making flying wings commercially unflyable. The greatest use of flying wings today is not their aerodynamic nature, but their low radar cross-sections.
** Another reason they look the same is that they need to be compatible with all the existing airport equipment.
** One factor that most people miss is a blended wing aircraft's difficulty in meeting FAR regulations. In a traditional tube fuselage, emergency exits are evenly spread and accessible for everyone. In a blended wing body, you are left with people in an auditorium-like setting, with exits only at the front. (FAR regulations forbid any kind of exit that requires one to climb a ladder or stair to qualify as an emergency exit, so no exits to the roof.)
*** [[WildMassGuessing They could have evenly spaced hatches in the floor with inflatable slides, as long as the hull shape prevents the structure from lying flat against the ground even in the case of a crash.]]
* A new program intended to take over with the space shuttle being discontinued will be called Orion, which is... the 1960s Apollo "moon rocket" program with microcomputers. This makes the decision to destroy the Apollo production facilities look pretty stupid.
** The problem here is returning to the capsule design, which does look more primitive than the kind of mini-shuttle concepts that were being mooted a few years ago.
** A British company is having some success working on an SSTO spaceplane which ''might'' [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skylon_%28spacecraft%29 actually work this time]]. It plays this trope pretty straight.
** In some respects, this is similar to the example of airliners above, at least for the actual spacecraft - a conical capsule is pretty much the most-proven shape for re-entry at translunar velocities. The Orion capsule, however, will be bigger, carry more people (4-6, as opposed to Apollo's 3), and be capable of 'loitering' unmanned in orbit, so ''all'' the astronauts get to go to the moon, which is a distinct improvement from Apollo.
*** It also mean you don't get any Challenger-like failures between parallel components, because there aren't any, (unless you're using booster rockets).
** In the same vein as the F1 cars mentioned below, ''Soyuz'' capsules were first created for the Soviet Moon program in the late '60s. Now, some forty years after, they still look almost the same from the outside -- while on the inside it's a completely different spacecraft.
*** But technologically advancing at a very slow pace. The Russians didn't put in an LCD "glass cockpit" until the TMA model, in 2002. This was approximately 20 years after the first such cockpits were installed in production aircraft.
** The "step backwards" moving from the Space Shuttle to the Orion capsule is more of a purification. The Space Shuttle was, from its inception, an ungainly ship that was intended to do every possible orbital mission in one reusable package. Orion is designed to put astronauts where NASA needs astronauts, and leaves most of the complicating factors from the Space Shuttle mission (heavy lifting especially) to unmanned rockets. Also, unlike Apollo, Orion is supposed to be semi-reusable; thanks to its modern shielding, an Orion capsule can launch and return to Earth at least five times before having to be discarded.
** Just to be clear: Pretty much all the designs for new human spaceflight vehicles are capsules. This includes:
*** The aforementioned Orion, as part of a pared-down Project Constellation called the Space Launch System.
*** The private [=SpaceX=] Dragon, a capsule with a capacity of seven currently intended to fulfill a NASA contract for shuttling astronauts (taking over part of the old role of the Shuttle and relieving pressure on Soyuz) and (in an automated configuration) supplies (relieving pressure on the automated Russian ''Progress'', Japanese H-II, and European ATV) to the ISS . However, the CEO of the company has ambitious plans to send the thing to the Moon and Mars.
*** The Boeing-Bigelow Aerospace CST-100, essentially a private, Low Earth Orbit-focused version of Orion, fulfilling the same ferry/resupply role.
*** The Russian "Rus" project, which looks like a cross between Soyuz and Apollo.
*** The Europeans have a vague notion of converting the Automated Transfer Vehicle--an unmanned resupply craft--into a manned capsule. This would entail changing the shape of the thing from a cylinder to a cone. It's unclear where this plan is going, especially now that the ATV is to become the basis for [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_Service_Module Orion's service module]].
*** The Japanese have the same plan as the Europeans, adapting the H-II Transfer Vehicle into a manned craft.
*** The Indians are developing an indigenous launch capability; the "Orbital Vehicle" is to be a three-astronaut vessel similar in shape to the Dragon, but only a bit larger than Gemini and significantly smaller than Apollo.
* Most people would probably agree that most cars from [[TheEighties the 1980s,]] especially early '80s Japanese imports, looked less futuristic than American cars from the preceding decades, especially [[TheFifties the '50s]].
** This is complicated because car design is far more driven by fashion than a lot of other technology. From the mid-'80s through the late-'90s, car design was driven by aerodynamics; the resulting vehicles were seen as futuristic. There was eventually a backlash against the "aero" designs, which tended to make everything look the same; this led to a rise in "retro" designs. Combine this with strict European pedestrian safety standards, the weight and bulk of modern passenger safety systems, and the rise of [=SUVs=] and the "Freightliner" aesthetic, and suddenly, flying bricks are back in vogue. Futurism can still sell, though: see the Toyota Prius and similar vehicles.
*** Not that a massive rectangle can't look futuristic. Look at the Chevy Avalanche. It's a ''pickup'' that looks like it was built to fight [[GIJoe COBRA]].
* Try looking into the cockpit of an [[TheEighties 'eighties]] Formula One car in a museum. From the outside, it doesn't look primitive; but inside, there's a plain fiberglass and steel honeycomb, analogue dials, a H-pattern gearshift -- no headrests or safety padding, no computers or telemetry, no tiny on-board TV cameras, and much less aerodynamic detail in general. Then there's the dated tobacco branding...
* [[http://www.motorstown.com/images/gmc-scenicruiser-02.jpg Futuristic buses]] from [[TheFifties the 1950s]] laid great emphasis on "aero" shapes, shiny aircraft-inspired outer panels, large panoramic windows. Modern buses are aerodynamically cleaner, with better interior space and larger glass areas, and look like a [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Setra_S_315_UL_100_3602.jpg high-tech brick]].
* Aviation gives us a partial subversion: the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Su-47 Su-47 Berkut]] has badass forward-pointing wings, making it look more advanced, or at least more exotic and interesting, than fighter jets with standard wings ([[CoolPlane this very plane]] was [[TransformersAnimated the basis for]] [[TheStarscream Starscream's]] [[{{Fancruft}} alt-mode]]). The wing design confers upon the plane increased maneuverability, the ability to take off and land on a shorter runway, and the ability to fly slower without stalling.
** The "partial" part comes from the plane being a one-of-a-kind technology testbed for, among other things, seeing how well and how cheaply current advances in technology can handle the ''problems'' introduced by the design, which standard, less advanced(-looking) wings don't suffer from. The conclusion was "not very well" (and probably also not cheaply) -- performance gains were smaller than expected, turbulence problems were larger, and so this particular path isn't going to be pursued.
** As it turns out, the [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ac/X-29_in_Banked_Flight.jpg/220px-X-29_in_Banked_Flight.jpg Grumman X-29]] pre-dates the S-47 by about a decade.
* Something of an actual subversion with the SR-71 Blackbird. It was made in 1964. It looks futuristic [[http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/Gallery/Photo/SR-71/Large/EC95-43075-2.jpg even by modern standards]]. It still holds the record as the fastest piloted air breathing jet-engine aircraft. The problem with this "subversion" is that the USAF never desired a faster aircraft, one not really being necessary, and since only the USAF has the budget to fund a faster aircraft, we don't know what aircraft engineers could produce using more modern techniques. We know that they thought it was better to ''bring it out of retirement'' in the 90s than to design something new, with its operating costs as approximately a hundred thousand dollars an ''hour''.
** For a bit of perspective, consider this: a titanium-skinned ''spaceplane'' that shrinks and expands up to three feet in flight, has fuel so exotic it was also used as a coolant, read the stars to find out where it was (no GPS) and the engine and oil tanks had to be lined with ''gold'' because of the sheer amount of thermal-conductive cooling needed. Its engines were a mix of a standard turbojet and a ramjet, a mostly passive engine that requires you to be going half the speed of sound for it to even ''work''. It could go from New York to London in just under two hours. Now consider that it was designed in the '60s, with nothing more computationally complex than a '''slide rule'''.
*** It also had one of the most advanced air-conditioners of its day to keep the pilot from cooking in the cockpit and special paint for better cooling.
** Lockheed engineers actually designed a couple of slightly more-advanced versions, although in this case "more advanced" meant "armed"... with an air-to-air missile system for intercepting Soviet attackers, or a Kinetic Energy Weapon system (a very large metal rod) for attacking ground targets.
*** Actually, the YF-12 (the aforementioned interceptor version of the SR-71) was actually more of a sister-design. Both the YF-12 and the SR-71 were based on the A-12 reconnaissance plane. Worth noting, the YF-12 was designed to carry the AIM-47 Falcon, which evolved into the AIM-54 Phoenix missile. One can imagine how awesome that combination could have been. That said, given that we evidently never ended up needing to defend the continental United States from a Soviet bomber attack (the program was canceled in part due to advances in ballistic missiles making a massed bomber attack unlikely), this would be AwesomeYetImpractical.
** Interestingly, the SR-71 was designed to replace the U-2 after nearly half a century of service. However, due to the fact that the SR-71 had gaps in its skin and fuel tank ,intentionally placed there because when it got up to speed/altitude the skin and fuel tank grew due to heat from friction and would rupture if it was one solid piece, which caused money loss in spilled fuel and so was eventually replaced... by the U-2.
*** Wrong - the SR-71 was the much better aircraft, but all the highly specialized and expensive tooling needed to make the planes and essential spare parts [[ExecutiveMeddling had been dismantled in the late 1960s by order of then Secretary of Defense]] for secrecy purposes. [[NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup With no spare parts, all planes slightly different due to manual fabrication]] and the age of the airframes approaching 40 years, there was no way to still keep them flying in good safety.
* The F-117 "Stealth Fighter" was actually a light bomber. Looks futuristic. Each one was [[WeWillUseManualLaborInTheFuture built by hand]] with electronics from other more mundane aircraft (including the C-130). One was shot down over Serbia. When it was retired there was an outcry in the defense press. Why was such an advanced craft headed to storage? It was obsolete, the program that designed the faceted shape was decades old. Its hand built construction made repairs and upgrades difficult because each airplane is an AceCustom.
** In fact the design aesthetic of the F-117 was ''so'' bizarre that one Air Force official who first saw it in flight reportedly said that he thought it was [[TransformingMecha changing shape]] as it flew.
* The B-52 Stratofortress = Tube with wings (made in the 50s). The B-1 Lancer = Slender tube with swing wings (made in the 70s). B-2 Spirit = Flying Wing (made in the 80s). The B-1 and B-2 were supposed to replace the B-52, but the B-52 is planned to be used until 2045. (This has more to due with role. Simply put, the B-52 can haul more bombs than the other two. Sometimes stealth is needed, sometimes speed, sometimes you just need to flatten a couple of city blocks.)
*** Also, Tu-95. Same time, same class, same retro style -- now with the propellers! Current airframes, though, are newer than American, being mostly built in 70-80's, while for B-52s there are still some ''original'' birds in commission.
** The B-52 being pretty much NighInvulnerable may have something to do with it, as well. There are reports of B-52s returning to base with nearly half of the plane missing, or their entire tail assemblies shot off.
* Speaking of {{subversion}}s and slide rules: Calculators have become so ubiquitous and slide rules have become so outdated that no-one would confuse even the simplest calculator for being inferior to a slide rule ([[TheyDontMakeThemLikeTheyUsedTo though some people prefer slide rules anyway]]).
* The comedy actor and closet engineer Robbie Coltrane noted in a book on engines that public trust of propeller and jet planes has almost swapped since the 1950s. "People used to be scared of jet planes because they couldn't see the propeller going round. I was in a turbo-prop recently and this woman sitting beside me said 'Look at the propeller going round, it's really scary isn't it!' Obviously the once-alien jet engine has proven itself over time, and the prop has come to be viewed as old-fashioned and unreliable -- even if it's a ''modern'' propeller design.
** It has something to do with the current noise restrictions. Propellers can easily be ''more'' effective than jet engines, but they're oh so much LOUDER -- while it's relatively easy to silence a sheathed turbine, one can hardly do anything to the vortices dropping from the blade tips. On the other hand, modern turbofan engines are essentially turboprops -- those huge barrel-shaped attachments in front of them are just outer shells for what is basically a ducted propeller.
*** Yeah, but I can't imagine bird-strikes doing as much harm to turboprop as to a jet, unless the bird managed to get right in the duct.
* Sailing ships are universally considered primitive and old-fashioned. But the latest concept in cargo ship design is to use a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SkySails giant sail]] for auxiliary power, to have oil tankers go windsurfing. (10-35% less fuel used, at that!)
** [[http://yachtpals.com/fastest-sailboats-2079 The fastest sailboats in the world are anything but primitive.]] Under the right conditions some of those boats can ''outrun'' modern warships.
** Novelist and engineer GeneWolfe once suggested that nuclear submarines could be replaced by a fleet of fibreglass sailing ships: one missile per ship, so they couldn't all be taken out at the same time, and they [[PhysicsGoof wouldn't show up on radar as they wouldn't be made of metal.]]
* The A-10 Thunderbolt II can reasonably be called the best close-air-support aircraft in the modern world. It is highly maneuverable, [[MoreDakka always has enough firepower]] for the job and is extremely durable. It is considered one of the pinnacles of modern combat aircraft design. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairchild_Republic_A-10_Thunderbolt_II It looks like the bizarre lovechild of a P-51 and a 747.]]
** It's not called the Warthog for nothing.
** This is a rather common thing among ground attack planes. The Su-25 looks just like a cross between the Sea Harrier and a cropduster, and that's a plane that is able to fly missions with a half of it ''blown cleanly off''.
*** Interestingly enough, the Air Force has been trying to retire the plane for YEARS, because it's not a multi-million dollar superjet like the F-22 or F-35. Never mind the fact that it does it's job better than anything else could ever hope to do, never mind that the money they're spending on the new, futuristic looking and highly advanced planes could probably refit the entire fleet of aging and falling apart A-10's, and never mind the fact that it's so tough that even when [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kim_campbell_damage_a10.jpg riddled with bullet holes, hit with anti-air fire and has bits of the wings and the engines falling off]] it's still able to take out its targets and return to base safely, and if any other jet tried to fly as low as the A-10 does on a regular basis, it would become a multi-million dollar piece of flaming wreckage. No, because it's "old" and looks "ugly" it is therefore "obsolete" by newer aircraft.
*** That has more to do with attitude of the Congress/USAF than the actual technology fielded. The F-22 and F-35 are marvels of technology in their own right, but the Warthog is the king of close air support. Simply put, no true replacement design has ever been created for the Warthog - the F-22 can replace the F-15, and the F-35 can replace the F-16, Harrier and older F-18 variants, but neither of them (and no other plane, for that matter) can fit the low, slow, heavily-armored, heavily-armed gunship role that the A-10 so perfectly fulfills. Hence, the ol' Hogs ''have'' received some upgrades, and are planned to fly at least up 'til 2025, if not beyond. Like the aforementioned B-52, the 'Hog is a blunt hammer of an instrument, a workhorse, while the stealth jets are precision scalpels, different tools for different jobs.
* On the topic of aviation, though, it ''has'' been a trend for military aircraft to look sleeker and more advanced as technology progresses, which is perhaps part of the reason why people expect more advanced technology to look 'advanced'. Start with the flimsy biplanes of WW1, and continue through the propeller-powered fighters and bombers of WW2, the early Korean War-era jets, the first supersonic jets, the Vietnam era fighters, the '4th-generation' fighters, and the relatively recent arrival of stealth designs. It does indeed look at least partially as if there has been a general trend towards sleeker, more advanced looking designs over time.
** This is in no small part due to the peculiarities of aerodynamics. It might be a cliche, but "If it looks good, it flies good" is a very real phenomenon for fighter aircraft. The single wing on a WWII monoplane provides more lift than the two wings on a WWI biplane due to a pair of wings interfering with each others' lift. The swept wing was developed in Germany precisely due to the better performance it allows at high speed. Current fighters (from the F-16 all the way to the F-22) tend to use a variant of the delta wing, which itself is designed for higher speeds yet than the standard swept wings. So looking faster and sleeker in this case really is faster and sleeker. There is some certain design practicality here, too. The A-10, despite being powered by turbofans, has straight wings that allows it to maneuver far better than contemporary delta- or swept-wing fighters. The huge transports follow the general civilian aviation rule of swept wings for jets, straight wings for props. Interestingly, aside from the A-10, what's one of the best close-support aircraft in US inventory? The AC-130, a C-130 Hercules turboprop tactical transport plane modified to carry two 20mm Vulcan cannons, a 40mm Bofors gun, and a 105mm artillery gun. No special computers to guide missiles or bombs onto targets, just the equipment to aim a bunch of big guns at whoever's marked as a bad guy (or something that's marked as harboring bad guys) and shoot.
* Another real-life example is ENIAC, the first well-known (room-sized) computer. When photographers and TV crews arrived to film the super-exciting, brand-new machine in 1946, they complained that there wasn't anything happening. So the designers rigged up [[BillionsOfButtons a bunch of flashing lights]] to give them something to look at. This is arguably where the entire idea of "flashing lights = computers" came from in the first place.
* Creator/TerryPratchett has said that in his days doing news stories at nuclear power plants the news crews would rig up smoke machines and green lights because there really isn't much to see except a lot of plumbing. Considering that this is a nuclear powerplant, one would think it'd be best to hope that you wouldn't see anything exotic happening at all. Then again, this was pre-Chernobyl. This is pretty common in all kinds of science-y settings- at least one chem lab keeps [[TechnicolorScience food coloring]] on hand for journalists/promotional photos.
* If you're wondering what's the aesthetic in vogue at the time of this edit, look no further than [[EverythingIsAnIpodInTheFuture the iPod range]], and the current crop of video game consoles. It's all about plain black and white, rounded edges, unobtrusive buttons, touch screens and folding, sliding or flipping. Of course, as we speak there's people [[FollowTheLeader following it]] and [[SubvertedTrope deliberately avoiding it]]--that's how aesthetics change. At the very least, iPods are available in a rainbow of colors, and for all we know, SteamPunk is the next big thing.
** So far the general direction of technological aesthetics has been towards increasingly invisible designs that can be used with as little direct interaction as possible. One guess for a logical conclusion of this trend would be a world where you can't see technology almost anywhere, since it's all been integrated into mundane objects, clothing and even inside people's bodies, and programmed to answer to subconscious cues or simple thought.
* This expectation led to a ''Website/NotAlwaysRight'' [[http://notalwaysright.com/all-in-wonder/2547 entry]].
** That entry is doubly humorous considering that [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macintosh Macs]] ''started out'' as all-in-one machines and have actually ''returned'' to that basic design concept.
** That entry strikes me as an inversion of the usual "computer illiterate person doesn't know what a computer is" scenario; folks usually assume the [[ComputerEqualsMonitor computer is in the monitor]]. After all, that's where all the icons are, right?
** "This is amazing, young man!"
* Consumer electronics were subjected to a variation of this trope around 2005: miniaturization. As electronic engineers started devising new ways of cramming more transistors in less space, product designers started going ''way'' overboard over how little they could build their devices, and as a result, the mid-[=2000s=] saw stuff like watches with a PDA and a cell phone, and cameras almost the size of a medium USB drive. These days are long since gone now that consumer electronics have mostly settled down to a more practical size.
** In this same vein, we also have portable computers. The Macintosh Portable, one of the first portable computers in history, was almost 18 inches in size. Modern laptops might be able to go all the way to 10 inches (in fact, a modern netbook will be as small as ten inches, weigh less than 1 kilogram, have integrated WLAN, bluetooth and camera and ''still'' run for up to 7 hours while you are using it), but desktop replacements of 17-19" of size have recently been getting quite popular--and are still lighter than the first portables.
** It not unknown though for ergonomic to fall to aesthetics when economics is in its flavour. Most modern [=VCRs=] use fiddly 'futuristic' menus over traditional push button interface to do the same job. why? [[MoneyDearBoy Buttons cost more money]].
** The trend towards miniturized gadgets is starting to turn around, with phones getting bigger and bigger (leading to "Phablets" such as the Samsung Galaxy Note line). Then again, smart''watches'' are beginning to come into vogue, designed as wrist-top phone interfaces.
* A lot of people on the internet mocked the Chinese when their Space program finally put a man space, wondering about "what took them so long" and scoffing at how their space capsules looked little more advanced than the Russian Soyuz. Their plans to launch a space station in 2011 have also been met with similar snorts of "welcome to the 1970s." This is forgetting the fact that the electronics suites and equipment used in these vessels have benefited from the tech advances in the last three decades and are just as capable in terms of computing power and functionality as anything in most of the modules of the ISS. In fact, most of the modules of the International Space Station itself look pretty much similar to other space station modules launched decades earlier. Even the high-tech looking Crew Return Vehicle (think miniature space shuttle, except sleeker) was canceled for budgetary and design concerns and the ISS now depends on the old and dependable but ugly and "obsolete" looking Soyuz capsules.
* Speaking of Soyuz, its launch vehicle is a direct and only-modified-by-necessity descendant of the R-7 launch vehicle that put Yuri Gagarin in space. If it's rocket science, don't fix it.
* Played straight with virtually ''anything'' that Apple has made in the last 10 years, [[TropeNamer starting]] with the [[IProduct iPod]] itself. Their aesthetics have since taken ruthless advantage of this principle.
* Pretty much the reason why people generally scoff at anything that NASA shows to the public at large about their computers and it doesn't really look like anything you'd see in more recent popular scifi at all. For example no fancy monitor interface, just a simple commandline interface because removing the need for any sort of fancy interface interaction and graphics beyond text frees up alot of precious computing power. There is also a critical reliability issue with spaceflight computing - hardware has to be as reliable as possible, even if that means using very old equipment. If a brand-new processor that's currently on its way to Pluto turns out to be flawed, the replacement options are limited. Similarly, software used in space needs to be reliable, robust, and as simple as possible. Ask an astronaut if he wants to see a desktop-computer-style driver conflict error on his navigation computer.
* Irritatingly for some, this seems to have been averted with the advent of car windows that close electronically, to the degree that some people can't remember the old crank-operated windows at all. Time was, only the front two windows had electric operation, and the back two were purely mechanical (in some cars, the driver could control all four windows from his seat ''and'' each window had its own mechanical crank. Why is this considered a bad thing in some quarters? Because wind-down windows worked whether or not the engine was on, whether or not the battery was full, and whether or not the car had leaked. Unlike the flashier but less useful electric windows.
** Maintenance is also an issue. Power window motors can be much more expensive to repair or replace when they break. And if the rubber seal around the window wears down enough to let moisture inside the door, an electric motor can burn out while a hand-crank mechanism will keep working.
* [[IBMPersonalComputer Personal Computer]] enthusiasts, especially hardcore gamers, sometimes have fun with this trope with regards to Case Mods. Just look at [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Saibotmoddedcase.jpg some of the things]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Saibotcaseside.jpg they can do]] with their rigs.
** On the other hand, some gamers remove the sides of their rigs, revealing the electronics within, since this improves air flow and keeps the computers cooler.
** ...and lets in dust; some use mineral oil cooling, some use LIQUID NITROGEN cooling.


text:
In Vt., long-dead mental patients inspire crusade
In Vt., long-dead mental patients inspire crusade
WATERBURY, Vt. — Dozens of long-dead patients at a Vermont mental hospital are reaching from beyond their hillside graves to help modernize state law regulating what happens to unclaimed human remains.
The cemetery holding them came to public attention when Tropical Storm Irene flooded the Waterbury hospital complex in August 2011. A state lawmaker wanted to make sure the cemetery would be protected forever after the ruined hospital was relocated.
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As you browse our website to learn more about our school, we're convinced you'll see that our outstanding academic curriculum, highly-qualified teachers, and nurturing environment are just some of the many reasons families throughout Detroit and the surrounding areas make David Ellis Academy their school of choice. Our standards are high at David Ellis Academy, and we continue to work hard on behalf of our students. |
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I'm one of those few guys left that believe treating a girl with respect and caring for her with all your heart is the best way to find the one you want. Although it hasn't worked in the past... I don't get why so many girls want the guys who cheat on them and treat them like dirt...
I am currently at ISU majoring in Aerospace Engineering. I should be done spring of 09. I love anything fast enough to get me into trouble which is why I chose my major and is where motorcycles come into the picture.
I love motorcycles and I race them as a hobby. I keep all the crazy stuff for the controlled environment of the race track. This summer will be my first competitive season. I love dissecting the inner workings of a bike and thinking up ways to make it work better.
I'm a pretty good singer... I had a scholarship for it in college and made all-state in high school. I like all kinds of music. I've been exposed to a lot, it really depends on my mood.
I am understanding, analytical, and nerdy


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Tanji Patton
Tanji Patton is an Emmy award-winning journalist who produces a fun, engaging and informative Web site called Good Taste With Tanji. You can read more about Tanji on her Web site and can follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/TanjiPatton and Facebook.
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Oh to be a better Chef!
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The OMG Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie!
There's something decadently delicious about the combination of chocolate and peanut butter. I've tried a number of desserts over the years that try to duplicate the magic of Reeses Peanut Buttercups but haven't found any that hit the mark…until now. I spotted a recipe in Bon Appetit for a peanut butter pie—the inspiration started there. Read More
No Beef Burgers? No problem!
Now that we're also working in Houston with Goodtaste with Tanji, it's great fun to learn from chefs in H-Town too. We recently shot a video with one of the chefs for HEB's Cooking Connections there. He had the BEST idea for burgers that are super healthy, super easy and super fast to prepare. A Read More
Chocolate Almond French Toast for Brunch Anyone?
If you go to Francesca's new Sunday brunch, you'll have a hard time deciding what to order. There are so many yummy choices. This particular dish caught my attention probably because anything with dark chocolate gets my attention! It's a delicious decadent version of French toast with toasted almonds, rich dark chocolate and a hint Read More
Wine Time in the Texas Hills
It's almost grape stompin' time in Texas! Our cameras just paid a visit to two nearby Texas wineries that you'll want to check out.. Both wineries welcome any and all who are looking to escape the hustle and bustle of their everyday routines…so why not treat yourself? Tucked just off Highway 290 on a popular Read More
Push to 'eat local' losing big bucks
Go Texan is so much more than a phrase. For the past 12 years the state embraced the brand and funded efforts to promote local products like produce and wine to the millions that live in the Lone Star State and beyond. Local chefs also heeded the call, and many built their menus around the Read More
Top Chef: The Tour Stop in San Antonio!
If you enjoy great food, chances are you love Top Chef on the Bravo Network. It's a fascinating window into the competitive, pressure-filled environment of world-class cooking and the restaurant business at the highest level. It features aspiring chefs who compete at their shot for culinary stardom and the chance to earn the prestigious title of Read More
Like Sangria? You'll Love This!
This super simple drink is perfect for your Fiesta parties…quick to prepare, inexpensive to make and just look at it – Que Bonita! It's called a Fiesta Fizz. I use the Yellow Tail "Bubbles" – perfect for this fruity mix plus it's only about $9 a bottle. The Elderflower liquer adds a wonderful flavor and Read More
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My friend had a wonderful 30th birthday party last night. Dinner, drinking, dancing and of course... cake. It was beautiful 2 tiered chocolate with buttercream frosting. My favorite! I'd heard my friend talk about the cake several weeks ago. I was going to eat a piece. I planned for it before going to the party. Logged in my tracker. Fork in hand, cup of coffee at my side. And then, it was time for the first bite. One word can describe the taste... Meh. It's not that it was bad. It just didn't meet my expectations. Not chocolaty enough, a bit dry, frosting wasn't right. It wasn't bad it just wasn't good enough. Whatever it was that I was expecting, it wasn't on the plate in front of me. Lots of people ate theirs. They were happily chowing down. I did something that I would have never done a couple of years ago. I put down my fork and didn't take another bite. It just wasn't worth it. Dumping unsatisfying calories down my throat just didn't appeal to me. My old self would have eaten one slice and maybe gone for another one so somebody else wouldn't have to eat alone. I don't deny myself food. I don't use food as a reward. I love food. My relationship with food is a healthy one now. I can't be one of those people who totally gives up sweets. I have learned to eat and appreciate food. Good, healthy, fresh, real food. And some times, that includes cake. But if I'm going to put that food in my body, it sure better taste good enough to be worth while!! So for now... Let them eat cake. 'Cuz I'm not gonna... Til next time!
DIY Challenge Entry Form My Challenge Name: Suck it up, Buttercup!! My Starting Weight: 190 lbs Four Other things I will be measuring during this challenge & their current stats: 1. Energy level (4) 2. Clothing size (14) 3. Time golfing and practicing (1X a week is not enough!!) 4. Tracking and measuring food. If I am going to be 100% honest with myself, the reason I am doing this challenge is because: I'm either getting food or exercise under control, but it seems like I can't (won�t) do both at the same time. I feel like the reason that I have not been progressing as well as I hoped I would be is because: I have been making excuses to eat WAY too often. This time, I commit to finishing my challenge because I know that: People are watching!! (Just because I'm paranoid, doesn't mean they are not watching me!!) I'm scared of: Gaining it all back. I want to: Be healthy, fit, sexy and happy with my body. But I have faith in: Me. I am the one who put the weight on. I am the only one who can take it off! And THIS TIME, I will NOT quit, because THIS TIME: I will cross the finish line. My top five non-health related motivations right now are: 1. I will be going shopping with my favorite 8 year old fashionista. 2. I pledge to NEVER have to shop in the �women�s� clothing area again. 3. I want to date more, and I know that it will help to look and feel better. 4. I want to look good and play better at golf. 5. I will be going to the water park and I REFUSE to wear a t-shirt over my suit. The best way to motivate me is to: Let me know you care. Let me know you care enough to notice when I am struggling. The best way I can motivate myself is to: to be responsible, accountable for what I eat, and how much I move. My name is Gretchen and I will Suck It Up and Succeed!!
{This Blog was written last year. One of my Dad's sisters asked me to share it.} It's been 16 (now 17) years worth of third Sundays in June since my Dad passed away. I miss him daily. I was the baby of the family, and the only girl. Yeah, as much as I could have been, I was "Daddy's little girl". My Dad wasn't perfect. But I have come to a place where I choose to see the good parts and not the other stuff. My parents were divorced when I was in High School. I'm not sure how they ever got together in the first place. I know that there were some good times. But they never fit together right. It was a good thing. I'm not one of those kids who couldn't deal with the divorce; I think I loved them both more for having the strength to admit that it wasn't working My Dad was a Jack-of-all-trades. He was a mechanic, truck driver, cook. He was that guy who everyone in the neighborhood called when they needed help and he was always there. He was big and loud and friendly and had loads of friends. Dad had his first stroke in October of 1989. When you take away the physical ability of someone who works with their hands, they start to crumble. He wasn't one to sit still and read or work a crossword puzzle. But, even in the rehab hospital, he was doing okay, as long as there was someone else that he could help, someone that he could cheer up with a bad joke. I stayed with my Dad when I graduated college in May of 1990. He was getting out of the rehab hospital right about the time I got a job in Boston. He needed help and I needed a place to live. Eventually, he was okay on his own again, for a while. I ended up moving out, but staying close. Long story short, there were more strokes, worse health issues and Dad ended up in a nursing home. There were so many times that we talked about things. I had said my peace with my Dad many times, not knowing if this would be the last time. I didn't want to have any regrets, any words left unsaid. And there were none. My Dad was gone for a long time before he finally passed, November of 1994. Father's Day can be difficult for those of us who have lost our fathers. I decided to celebrate my Dad's life instead of continuing to mourn. Every year, I do something in his honor. I buy a new tool in his name. This year, I will be replacing the well used cordless drill I bought 10 years ago. I think of my Dad and smile every time I look at the art desk that I designed and built for myself. I remember when I bought my first car and he sat in the lawn chair and had me jack up the car and learn how to change a flat tire. I enjoyed getting my hands dirty when I replaced my alternator, with Dad over my shoulder. Working with my hands, getting them dirty, fixing something instead of replacing it. I got that from my Dad. He is with me still, in my heart. Happy Father's Day Dad!!
I participated in a Biggest Loser competition at my local gym. Please note... I'm not a big fan of the show. I think that it gives people unattainable goals and says that in health, there can be only one winner. I don't believe that. I believe that we can ALL win. (see previous blog) Okay, off my soapbox and on to the results: Start Feb 7 End May 22 Weight 202 195.1 - 6.9 lbs Upper arm 13.5 13 -.5 inches Chest 44 43 -1 Navel 43.5 41 -2.5 Hip 48.5 46.75 -2.25 Thigh 26.75 25.25 -1.5 Calf 15.5 15.25 -.5 (-8.25 total) Fat % 40.9 39.8 -1.1% BMI 30.7 29.8 -.9 (went from 'obese' to 'overweight') So, that's what I lost. I didn't move mountains, I didn't win the "competition", but the next week when it was over... I showed up at the gym when most of the other competitors did not. I also did not do any "body cleanse" or "de-tox" Here's what I gained: Confidence Stamina Posture Smile New wardrobe (one more size down!!) Better health (lower cholesterol and less aches and pains) I can fit between the arms in the airplane seat. I don't have to worry if I can fit on a roller coaster I sleep better I eat better When I eat "bad" foods I know that I can limit it I found out that I LOVE to exercise, to sweat, to move (go figure... NEVER knew that!!) So I go on Sparking (Oh yeah, I got the word out about SP too!!), eating, drinking my water, exercising. And in the end... I AM a WINNER!!
I was sitting around thinking how happy I am that the Red Sox are playing better and winning like they should. It was like a light bulb went off. There are some parallels between the Red Sox season schedule and our Weight Loss journey. Before the season started, the Red Sox were lined up to go all the way, win the division and possibly even the World Series. We Sparkers start our weight loss mission thinking we are going to go out there and "win the World Series" by losing weight and getting healthy. We start out thinking, I have a plan, I can do this, no problem. So then the first game of 2011 finally gets here and the Sox lost... no problem, there are 162 games in the season, 161 more chances to win. Second game... loss. Third game... loss. Next thing you know, they are 6 (that's SIX!) games into the season and not a Win in sight. By the time we get to 12 games... only 2 wins (of course those were against the Yankees, so they were bonus wins :-). but still.. 2-10?!? That's not going to get a team to post season! The Sox are now one win shy of .500 (14 W - 15 L) season right now. They look good. The Offence is hitting. The Defense is... defending. The Pitchers are getting some good sessions in. They kept working at it and are now seeing success. So how does this relate to the weight loss? Baseball has a regular season schedule of 162 games. If the Red Sox just gave up and decided that since they had a few bad games they were just going to not try. Show up, give half an effort, just play out the schedule and keep losing. Instead, they keep working on their games, keep practicing, try harder. There are still no guarantees. You can play hard, give all your effort and lose a game, but you have not lost a season. We eat right, work out and some days the scale still doesn't move. We have 364 days in a year. If we have a "bad game", it's just 1 in the Loss column. Don't give up your season! The sun will rise tomorrow. We have to stand up tall, grab our gear and take the field. Get your Offence, Defense and Pitching in line: Drink your water, eat healthy, move your body, build muscles, educate yourself. Find out what works for you. If that doesn't work. Hire a different coach. When you�re having a "losing streak" you can't give up. Here's the one benefit that we have that the Red Sox do not... WE CAN ALL WIN!!!


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Stéphan D. Crétier
I have been working at Garda World Security
Pros – Smaller firm in the industry with opportunity for growth
Cons – Upper management lack leadership and industry experience
Advice to Senior Management – Get more involved in the daily activities and communicate with employees on a regular basis
No, I would not recommend this company to a friend
I worked at Garda World Security full-time for more than a year
Pros – Great social atmosphere. Diverse employee base from many nations. Flexible scheduling.
Cons – Disorganized management during continual reshuffling processes and contract negotiations. Improvements were made recently and stability is impoving.
Advice to Senior Management – Transparency and consistency would be appreciated.
Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend
I worked at Garda World Security
Pros – A reasonable balance between work rotations, conditions of work average for the industry.
Administrative issues usually resolved quickly.
Cons – Not quite fully established with the correct positions / understanding for the high threat division.
Regular problems with equipment supply and cost cutting due to company bid policy
Advice to Senior Management – Correctly establish the high threat division and listen to much of the advice given by those put in management positions. Centralising all decision making only leads to problems, there is little point appointing managers or supervisors when they are not allowed to make decisions, this is reflected in the attitude of those further down the line toward the company.
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Chances are good that right now I am flying across the country. This morning I left my little condo in Charleston and boarded a plane for Salt Lake City, Utah.
Considering that I can count the number of times I've flown on one hand, and I've never been out west before, to say I am excited is an understatement.
I'll be in Park City until Monday for a fitness blogger's retreat: Blend.
While I can't wait to see old and new blog friends, I am a little nervous about this whole altitude thing. Especially since there is a 10-mile run on the schedule.
Should I be nervous?
Because of today's events, today's Friendly Friday is highlighting some of the ladies that I'll be hanging out with. More specifically, those that will be carpooling with me from the airport to our hotel.
If you're new, Friendly Friday is where I share great blog posts that I've found during the week.
Today, however, I'm highlighting entire blogs. Check them out and in the comments below share your favorite blog (or your own blog).
Lindsay @ CotterCrunch.Com
Lindsay is amazing, I've enjoyed reading her blog for quite a while now. She is married to a pro triathlete, how cool is that? On the blog she discusses her husband's training, her training, and some amazing recipes that she helps to keep her superman ready for his upcoming events.
Can we say best wife ever?
Christine @ LoveLifeSurf.com
Christine and I almost a year ago at FitBloggin. Her sincerity and easy going spirit made getting to know her a must. I love her blog as she often talks about the mental side of staying healthy.
Don't get me wrong, she talks plenty about yoga, running, and of course surfing, but what I love most is that like surfing, her words seem flawless and easy going. But always leaving you to question yourself at the end.
Check it out. And check out my post I wrote for her a few weeks back!
Paige @ YourTrainerPaige.com
As the name eludes, Paige is a fellow personal trainer! I can't wait to talk with her in regards to her training beliefs. I love talking with other trainers, I think we have a lot to learn from one another to become stronger with our own clients.
Over at the blog, she talks all things fitness, nutrition and life. I knew from the second I visited and saw that her headed was a photo of her doing a TRX that I would like her.
Her recent post: Doubling Up Your Training W/ Combo Exercises made me smile, since this is something that I do all the time.
Combo moves = lots of muscle activation = lots of toning and calorie burn.
Lindsey @ RunStretchRepeat.com
I'm all for running, stretching and doing it all over so what's there not to love here?
After Lindsey had her baby (who is an adorable 2 year old), she needed to get in shape. Running and yoga turned into her passion and I just realized that we ran our first 1/2 marathons right around the same time last year.
Go us!
Her writing is light hearted, and sincere. She let's you know that she isn't perfect, and that piece right there is why you'll love her. Bloggers are able to share the pieces of their lives we want to share, sometimes we "paint" an image that isn't far from the truth but is a bit more rosy than the truth.
Not Lindsey. It's honest and great.
I can't wait to share more of Blend with you in the coming days. I'll be there until Monday so if you have any suggestions on places to see and eat, SHARE!
Have a great Friday!


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Author Archives
As I Went Out One Morning
From the magazine: ISSUE 89, December 2013/January 2014
In This Twilight
From the magazine: ISSUE 88, October/November 2013
Maki Oh: Flygeria
Investigating the essence of Nigerian swagger, and why Maki Oh is the Lagos designer you need to know From the magazine: ISSUE 87, June/July 2013 Mobolaji Dawodu is FADER's style editor at large, regularly heading … read more »
All Night: Silk, Print and Paisley for Fall on the Streets of Bangkok
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Spring Fashion: Florida Back Routes
Photographed in Gainesville, Florida.
Brush Strokes
In our behind the scenes video, tag along with style editor Mobolaji Dawodu and photographer Dietmar Busse on the Brush Strokes shoot.
Eastern Times: Serbia and Hungary
For the fashion feature from our annual Photo Issue, style editor-at-large Mobolaji Dawodu and photographer Debora Mittelstaedt road tripped across Central Europe, casting models along the way. They arrived in Belgrade, Serbia just in time … read more »
Itemized: Agnes B Veste Kimono
Every week a different FADER staff member will pick a clothing item or accessory that he or she has lately been spending a lot of time with—or would like to—and write a little love letter … read more »