House of the Future Past

P J Rourke visits the "new" Disney House of the Future and comes away less than impressed.

According to Disney, the shape of things to come can be found at Pottery Barn, with a quick stop in Restoration Hardware for “classic future” touches and a trip to Target to get throw rugs and cheap Japanese paper lanterns. HoF II was designed by the Taylor Morrison company, a home builder specializing in anodyne subdevelopmental housing in the Southwest. The company’s president and CEO told the Associated Press, “The 1950s home didn’t look like anything, anywhere. It was space-age and kind of cold. We didn’t want the home to intimidate the visitors.”

Come back, Frank Lloyd Wright; all is forgiven.

House of the Future.. Sort of

Last February Disney announced that it was building their successor to Monsanto's House of the Future. Now it's open and apparently a bit of a disappointment. Not only is it basically a showcase of a load of Microsoft gear–some of which is already obsolescent, but it isn't even a proper house. It's a series of exhibits inside of the old Carousel of Progress.

More of an Ikea Furniture Display of Tomorrow.

House of the Future of Yesterday Tomorrow

Disneyland is reopening the House of the Future.

That's a different House of the Future, as the old one is a) a bit dated and b) more than somewhat demolished and scattered to the four winds.

Another Nail

Disney is "celebrating" the 80th anniversary of Winnie the Pooh by giving Christopher Robin the sack in favour of a "tomboyish" six-year girl wearing a bicycle helmet and undoubtedly sporting a thick American accent.

That loud thwacking sound you hear is my forehead connecting repeatedly with the desktop.

Update: James Lileks weighs in on the issue. Frankly, I think he's a bit remiss letting his daughter watch these sort of cartoons at all. In our house, I make it a point of having my four-year old girl watch the Terminator films instead.

She's got to know what she's up against.