HopeTech

I define HopeTech as the technological future we were promised. The theme that really shows this well is Frutiger Aero. There are many different Frutiger's, my favorite being Eco, but most people just call all of them Frutiger Aero. Here are some examples.

One of my favorite resources for Frutiger Aero stuff is The Frutiger Aero Archive

"For those not familiar with it, Frutiger Aero is an aesthetic widely used in technology and graphic design in the mid 2000s up to its demise in around 2013. The term was coined retrospectively in 2017 by Sofi Xian of the Consumer Aesthetics Research Institute."
-The Frutiger Aero Archive

What Frutiger Aero means to me though is the future I was promised as a kid. I remember commercials having that aesthetic. Like the Razor Phone was THE phone to have. I always wanted one, but my parents wouldn't let me have phone until I was 18, which by that time I got the iPhone 6. I currently have the Z Flip 7 which is the closest I have come to having a flip phone. I am in the process of trying to convert the eSIM on my phone to a physical SIM so I can swap it with a "dumb phone" I got from Walmart. I wanna bedazzle it and put so many phone charms on it.

I also am working on something called a Cyber Deck. They are personal computers made from things like Raspberry Pi's. They are pretty small and portable and the shell can be made from anything. I few of my favorites is a makeup compact transformed into a communicator like in Totally Spies (image here), a plastic shell purse turned into computer, and another in the shape of pink heart. I'm not sure what design I want to make but I do want it to be small enough to fit into a bag.

I love that the girlies are reclaiming tech and fighting against the dumb tech bros dominating the space by making things whimsical and colorful again. We are fighting by going retro. Even house phones are making a comeback. I'm hoping to install our old ones as an intercom system at my family's farm. Plus, I am trying my best to lower my screen time on my phone to almost nothing. I am so tired of doom scrolling so I am replacing everything I use my phone for till it becomes only a thing to receive and make texts/calls.

I started by grabbing our oldest TV no one was using and the old dvd player. It can't play bluerays but I don't really care. Plus, it is easier for me to make a dvd than a blueray. I also have an extra roku stick but I'm not sure if the old tv has an HDMI port on it so I might have to get a converter. Then I won't have to watch videos on my phone.

I also have an mp3 player that can play audiobooks, music, and ebooks. So, I don't need to pay to listen to music. I refuse to pay for monthly service to companies anymore. The only subscriptions I have are to Streamers/YouTubers I actually care about. And I think Dropout.tv as well but that isn't a huge company, and they care about their people and customers.

The only other thing I use my phone for is social media and small games. My friends all use things like Instagram to send each other reels and shit, and I don't want to limit contact with them so I'm not sure how to change that. I'm wondering if I can make a thing that only has Instagram on it and I attach it to my wall, I have to stand to look at it. That means that I would be forced to limit it because I can't stand for super long periods of time. Gaming I'm not sure. Maybe I can make a handheld like a game boy that can run those games, that doesn't connect to the internet.

We'll see where this goes.