Tag Archives: Star Trek

© 2010 Julian. All rights reserved.

Design Fiction: From Props to Prototypes (2010 01SJ Biennial Catalog Essay)

Here’s my short catalog essay that appeared in the 2010 01SJ Biennial Catalog. It’s just a little thing, but I want to mark it here for my own records for when something gets lost. Design Fiction: From Props To Prototypes … Continue reading

© 2010 Julian. All rights reserved.

Design Fiction Chronicles: Before the iPad There Was the PADD

Your author, considering his solution to the Kobayashi Maru during a shake-out run on a Class D starship. There was recently a wonderful article on Ars Technica interviewing the production and prop designers for Star Trek. I highly recommend giving … Continue reading

© 2009 Julian. All rights reserved.

Design Fiction Chronicles: Star Trek's Historical Time Line

Historical diorama of the Space Shuttle Enterprise alongside of the next significant space vehicle in the evolution of, you know — space travel — Zefram Cochrane’s Phoenix. A curious shift within the setting of an exhibition of many things from the … Continue reading

© 2009 Julian. All rights reserved.

Design Fiction Chronicles: The Interlaced Histories of Star Trek & Mobile Phones

A mobile phone, functional of course, designed by colleague Andrew Gartrell. In slightly delayed commemoration of a rather enjoyable Star Trek movie, I share this bit of design work done by my colleague Andrew Gartrell, together with a posse of … Continue reading

NearFutureLaboratoryJumpsuit © 2009 Julian. All rights reserved.

Design Fiction: A Short Essay on Design, Science, Fact and Fiction

Design Fiction: A Short Essay on Design, Science, Fact and Fiction. A couple of years ago, in a small discussion group while I was teaching at USC, Paul Dourish presented an early draft of a paper he and Genevieve Bell … Continue reading

© 2009 Julian. All rights reserved.

Star Trek Embedded Culture

Speculative design details for a Star Trek (TOS) Sciences Tricorder, complete with placement of thru-hole (!) capacitors, resistors, wire bundles and rectifiers. Just in case you were wondering, there will be no surface mount in the future, which is fine. … Continue reading