05-05-2012, 10:40 PM | #71 | ||
Join Date: Mar 2008
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Re: Clothing in Spaaaaaaace!
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Still very few data points. You could replicate the centrifuge experiment with small mammals to see if they react differently from birds fairly easily but less than 1 G but not 0 requires putting a large centrifuge in orbit. |
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05-06-2012, 03:13 AM | #72 | |
Computer Scientist
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Dallas, Texas
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Re: Clothing in Spaaaaaaace!
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Of course, if you concentrate on these issues, making them plot devices rather than genre conventions, then they count again. I've never heard it called this or particularly associated with fantasy when hanging with authors and critics. H.G. Wells wrote that he made a point of limiting himself to a single improbability in his more fanciful stories, and Thurber spoofed Wells at least one other time. Last edited by jeff_wilson; 05-06-2012 at 03:36 AM. |
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05-06-2012, 03:34 AM | #73 | |
Join Date: Nov 2011
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Re: Clothing in Spaaaaaaace!
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05-06-2012, 07:49 AM | #74 |
Join Date: Aug 2007
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Re: Clothing in Spaaaaaaace!
I remembered an example of symbolic use of clothing from the Enterprise TV series.
The early StarFleet uniforms of the Enterprise crew were very like the ones from the 1950s movie Forbidden Planet. This metaphoricaly signalled the general retro themes of the show and specifically symbolized that we were in the 50s comapred to TOS 1960s galaxy. Clever. Then T'Pol's Vulcan Space Service uniform was made from something that loked like brown tweed. I suppose there may have been some idea that an ancient and complex culture would insist on natural and textured fabrics. Or maybe it was only to make Vulcans look stuffy. Whatever the purpose it didn't convey much of anything. Then in the third season T'Pol resigned from the Vulcan service rather than leave Enterprise. She started wearing what I guess were supposed to be civilian outfits that were tight-fitting and made in various Day-Glo colors. That worked because it recalled the 60s and T'Pol being from a 60s equivalent compared to the human's 50s equivalent signaled that she was from an culture more advanced than theirs. Clever again. So formal robes and togas may be an attempt to indicate that certain group is ancient (and therefore hopefully wise) but they may also make the wearers look hidebound and backward-looking. This sort of fashion statement is used in this way in many SF flims and TV shows. So people who don't want to look hidebound and backward-looking might avoid such things. What would a person or group that wanted to look innovative and future-oriented wear? Maybe collor-changing jumpsuits that automatically deployed gloves and hoods to supplement their internal climate control systems in cold weather. Or even inflated bubble helmets for space. See Rainbow and Morphwear from UT p.189. Then combine with a Space Biosuit and for 14% more than the cost of your spacesuit it's the only suit of clothes you'll ever need.
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Fred Brackin |
05-06-2012, 12:10 PM | #75 | |
Join Date: Apr 2011
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Re: Clothing in Spaaaaaaace!
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In Babylon 5, the civilian clothes were intentionally crafted to be reminiscent of military uniforms. This was supposed to communicate that, following near-extinction in the Earth/Minbari war, humanity had become more militaristic. When the crew was fighting the shadow war, they got new uniforms, right? The clothes were crafted (in-universe and by the costume designer) as a meld between human and minbari fashion. In Firefly, the interviews with the set and costume designers include a lengthy discussion of how costumes, weapons and living spaces were used to communicate the characters' personalities. In real life, blue jeans were a social statement. It's easy to forget that for decades, they were blue-collar clothes for laborers. Adoption of jeans by upper-class college students was a political statement of solidarity with the workers. (The fact that jeans became expensive, exclusive, designer clothes, complete with buying them pre-faded and even ripped probably makes an inadvertent statement about how authentic that solidarity turned out to be.) The Che hats are a similar statement, this time denoting solidarity with radical, revolutionary politics rather than a social class. In both cases, the fashion was stripped of much of its political meaning by the time it hit mainstream culture and became a fad. False brigandine armor was worn that didn't even have any armor value, just a coolness factor. Epaulets were big in the 80's, but I never saw anyone use them for their intended purpose. People often wear clothes from trendy sports that they never play. Schoolgirl uniforms became fetishized, and then from there went somewhat mainstream as yet another way of saying "sexy". So this could find expression in trends in science fiction as well. I already used the example from Sterling of formalwear that is reminiscent of spacesuits. Are we even a few years away from bulky single earings inspired by handfree sets? They'll be so gauche when implants come out, then kitsch retro a few years later (even for people who already have implants). Same for HMD's and handhelds. Haptic interfaces with gloves might lead to a return of the opera glove as a fashion accessory (and about time, I say!). Bioplas contacts (Ultra Tech) could lead to a new set of fashionable eye art, from colors to changing colors to sclera colors. If power armor got big, the question is, what underwear do you wear inside your suit? Tights and leotards, maybe even with bulges that suggest a faux relief system, might suddenly become fashionable (even if they're ugly to our modern eyes). Sometimes it's a reaction against a movement or group. If replicants/bioroids are made, perhaps people will prefer less revealing fashions than they do today, simply to distinguish themselves from the slave class. So to come up with cool sci fi fashions, you need a sense of what's going on, politically, socially, technologically, and culturally. You also need a sense of history so you can figure out what's coming into style, what's going out of style, and what's been out long enough to be pleasantly retro. Wow, this was like ten times as long as I'd intended. So to sum up: Fred's example was really cool. |
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05-06-2012, 12:51 PM | #76 | |
Join Date: Feb 2007
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Re: Clothing in Spaaaaaaace!
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Which is not to say that anything and everything goes, only that some things do, and the 'impossibility' should be used consistantly and not be a universal solution to everything. (Any more than our own technology is. We in 2012 live surrounded by huge amounts of superscience, as viewed from even as recently as 1912, and by sheer unadulterated magic as viewed from 1012 A.D., yet our technology still doesn't solve all problems.) |
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05-06-2012, 12:58 PM | #77 | |
Join Date: Feb 2007
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Re: Clothing in Spaaaaaaace!
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Then there's the 'fur boots in summer' thing that was big for a few years, and of course the time-honored (and utterly useless) necktie. Of course there's the habit of buying blue jeans with rips and wear marks incorporated into the design, to make the brand new jeans look old and worn. Fashion is rational in a way alien to the theoretical purpose of the clothing. Last edited by Johnny1A.2; 05-06-2012 at 01:02 PM. |
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05-06-2012, 03:07 PM | #78 | |||
Join Date: Nov 2011
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Re: Clothing in Spaaaaaaace!
Excellent comments!
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Last edited by Sindri; 05-06-2012 at 03:18 PM. |
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05-06-2012, 09:40 PM | #79 |
Join Date: Apr 2011
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Re: Clothing in Spaaaaaaace!
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05-06-2012, 10:19 PM | #80 |
Dog of Lysdexics
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Melbourne FL, Formerly Wellington NZ
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Re: Clothing in Spaaaaaaace!
Not that odd. Consider this the skirt/dress vs pants when looked at as feminine vs masculine. The look at from warm and mobility issue. Skirt + leggings gives back the mobility and warm while remaining a feminine outfit.
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clothing, fashion, freefall, space, ultra-tech |
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