In the 1970s a fascinating engineering battle took place between America and Japan for control of the future. The prize was the world we live in now. And one of the key battles took place on your wrist.

This is the story of the digital watch... #FridayFeeling

'Digital' is a magical marketing word. Like 'laser' or 'turbo' it suggests progress, mastery and the future. People like those ideas. They like them enough to spend a lot of money on products that have them, especially if they can be a first adopter.

And so it was with the wristwatch. Electronic quartz watches were already a thing by the 1960s: an analogue movement driven by a quartz crystal resonator, powered by a small button battery.

But one American company was setting out on a new timekeeping odyssey...

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Pulp Librarian

@PulpLibrarian

2 Jan

44 years ago today, the BBC aired its latest science fiction series. Dark, violent and dystopian it pitted a group of criminals against a neo-fascist Federation in a doomed battle for survival and freedom.

This is the story of #Blakes7...

Blakes 7 (no apostrophe) was unique. Created by Terry Nation, it was more George Orwell than George Lucas. Story arcs were long, morals were hazy, lead characters were gruesomely tortured or killed off. Cynicism, ruthlessness and paranoia were always present.

Blakes 7 tells the story of political dissident Roj Blake. Brainwashed and used as bait to trap other dissidents he is then tried on false charges and deported to die on a penal colony.

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Pulp Librarian

@PulpLibrarian

1 Jan

Today in pulp I make my predictions for 2022, based on what was happening in 1922!

What goes around comes around...

Streaming services will continue to dominate 2022, so to combat FOMO a new TV channel will launch that shows summaries of all the streaming shows you don't have time to watch any more.

Wearable Tech will finally go mainstream in 2022, and shop doorways will contain wireless charging stations to encourage more window shopping.

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Pulp Librarian

@PulpLibrarian

30 Dec 21

Today in pulp... a quick look at at the Golden Age marvel that is Planet Comics!

Planet Comics ran from January 1940 to Winter 1953, and is widely credited as being the first comic dedicated solely to science fiction.

The comic was a spin-off from the pulp magazine Planet Stories, and covered many of the same themes: ray guns, bug-eyed monsters and rowdy space girls.

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Pulp Librarian

@PulpLibrarian

25 Dec 21

"A dream to some. A nightmare to others!" As it's Christmas let's look back at a film that I think helped redefine an old genre, captivated the imagination and launched many successful acting careers.

Let's look at John Boorman's Excalibur!

For a long time the film industry found the King Arthur story amusing. Camelot (1967) was a musical comedy; Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) was pure comedy.

But director John Boorman had been thinking seriously about the Arthurian legend since 1969, particularly Sir Thomas Malory's 1469 telling of the story 'Le Morte d’Arthur'. The mythic theme greatly appealed to him.

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