vintage

Vintage articles and footage from the science fiction archives.

Textbook Assassin
To read my first essay on Videodrome, written six years ago, click here: The (Old) New Flesh "The cathode ray becomes the fallopian tube of the retina." — Brien O'Blivion, Media Prophet "In the future, everyone will be living in a TV studio." J.G. Ballard, 1982.
By Tom Baker4 months ago in Futurism
Midnight and the Sacred Bone; Or, Falling Through Space Like a Glittering Jewel, a Mote in the Eye of God
2001: A Space Odyssey is the intercession between the Divine Will, the Cosmic Consciousness, and the manifestation of that will on the material plane. It is a story, yet it is also a subconscious flickering of communication—a thing manifested because, in Heaven and Earth, all things that can be conceived, all permutations of “reality,” are rendered possible before we “experience” them in the solid, physical, three-dimensional “meat space” of our lives.
By Tom Baker5 months ago in Futurism
Star Trek TOS: "Arena"
Some people may wonder what the point is of writing about Star Trek. After all, volumes have already been penned about the classic science fiction series—really, a little beyond the designation “classic,” into the stratosphere of a term like “iconic.” Star Trek went boldly where no television science fiction series had gone before and changed the face of an entire genre.
By Tom Baker5 months ago in Futurism
Top 10 Future Inventions That Could Change the World.
Top 10 Future Inventions That Could Change the World Introduction Since the dawn of human civilization, inventions have shaped the way societies live, work, and communicate. The wheel, electricity, and the internet are just a few breakthroughs that redefined entire eras. But as technology continues to accelerate, the future holds even greater promises. From advanced artificial intelligence to space colonization, the coming decades could deliver inventions that will radically change our world. Below, we explore ten of the most impactful innovations that experts believe are on the horizon.
By Sayed Zewayed5 months ago in Futurism
Future-Proof Yourself in 2025: 10 Powerful Skills You Must Master to Stay Ahead
Introduction: Why 2025 Demands New Skills The world is changing faster than ever. Automation, artificial intelligence, global remote work, and digital entrepreneurship are redefining how people succeed. In 2025, it’s not just about working hard — it’s about working smart with future-proof skills. This guide reveals the 10 most powerful skills you must master to stay ahead of the curve, increase your earning potential, and thrive in any career path.
By KAMRAN AHMAD5 months ago in Futurism
Star Trek TOS: The Galileo Seven
"The Galileo Seven" is classic Star Trek, a nail-biter featuring a crash-landing by the away team on a hostile alien world—a nightmarish place where huge, shambling bear-creatures, seen only from behind, attack the stranded shuttle crew under the command of Spock. The heart of the episode lies in the interplay between Spock's will to command, his unshakable devotion to logic (here revealed not as innate, but as something he must consciously practice and struggle to maintain), and his need to “humanize” his leadership. Boma, the only Black man aboard the shuttle, takes exception to Spock’s seemingly callous, machine-like demeanor (he even uses that word as an insult). Inside, though, Spock shows insecurity: a constant battle between fear and logic, duty and compassion.
By Tom Baker6 months ago in Futurism
The Son of the Stars
Womb-like, a silvery ship plummets through the heavens, a young boy aboard losing his parents when they answer to an outer space distress signal. He becomes orphaned, growing up amidst artificial and puzzling lifeforms on an alien world, amid a landscape of strange vegetation and uncanny encounters. His mind becomes telepathic as he exhibits strange powers, but always, his mind returns to the one image that, like a ghost, haunts him: that of the lost pilot, Andra O'Neill.
By Tom Baker6 months ago in Futurism
Dr. Who: Destiny of the Daleks
I suppose it was high time I got around to writing about Dr. Who—the seemingly endless BBC serial starring a multiplicity of continually “regenerating” Doctors (Gallifreyan Time Lords), but most famously starring the quintessential Doctor, the one everyone—and I mean EVERYONE—most associates with the role: the redoubtable elder statesman of Time Lording, Tom Baker. (No relation, BTW.)
By Tom Baker6 months ago in Futurism
Robot Monster
"You look like a pooped-out pinwheel!" —Little Johnny Robot Monster is an abysmally bad little 1950s garbage can flick with a guy (or a couple of 'em) wandering around in a gorilla suit with a diving helmet—with antenna, no less. He is called Ro-Man, and he says everything in a grand and haughty manner, urging humans to choose the path of an easy death (as opposed to a rollicking good time of a painful, awful one). There are only about six people he left on Earth, as Ro-Man has obliterated them all with his "Calcinator Ray," and five of them are hidden behind a fence that has little electrical sparks like a Tesla coil sideways.
By Tom Baker6 months ago in Futurism
One Half Terror
“We're prisoners of our own progress, manacled by squawking machines.” — "The Murderer," Ray Bradbury Theater (1990) The Ray Bradbury Theater is one of television’s all-time greats—a deeply lyrical and darkly poetic half-hour journey into the heart of an ever-swirling mysterious world, wherein we’re gifted with Ray’s singular visions of the present and, most especially, the future—marked by aberration, but still clinging, like a drop of dandelion wine, to the lip of our humanity. Waiting to be sipped by lips we dream of kissing—or to fall, unclaimed, into the looming void below.
By Tom Baker6 months ago in Futurism
The Art of Illusion: When Fire Meets Magic in the Palm of a Hand
In the mesmerizing image above, a delicate balance of danger and wonder is captured. A hand extends outward, fingers curled as though summoning a force unseen, while four aces hover mid-air—engulfed in flames and trailing smoke as if plucked from a magician’s wildest dream. This photograph doesn’t just depict a moment; it evokes an entire narrative, one that dances between illusion, control, chaos, and the elemental essence of fire. It stands at the intersection of art, magic, and metaphor.
By Fazal Malik7 months ago in Futurism
Revolution in His Eyes: The Timeless Symbolism of a Rebel’s Roar
Introduction In the heart of any revolution lies not just the chaos of conflict, but the fire of human willpower. Captured in the image above is a powerful moment that encapsulates that spirit: a man mid-battle cry, gun in hand, passion etched into every line of his face. His clothes are rugged, his gear practical, and his stance unmistakably defiant. This is not merely a photo—it is a visual symphony of rebellion, courage, and ideology. Whether staged or real, symbolic or literal, this single frame serves as a tribute to the human drive to resist oppression.
By Fazal Malik7 months ago in Futurism