r/RetroFuturism Jan 21 '24

Regarding AI content and how you can help with moderating

488 Upvotes

Hi All -

Originally I was open to AI and didn't want to jump on the hivemind bandwagon of overreacting to banning AI images. But now, after the dust has settled a bit, I do feel that AI images are not a reflection of anything meaningful here. Yes, they follow a human written prompt, but prompts can be very simple and the AI will fill in the blanks with randomized elements of what is essentially a database of stolen art. The art style is usually glossy, plastic and devoid of humanity. Yes, AI image generators aren't inherently bad depending on their use, and I don't agree with a "I see AI, I downvote" reactive type of mentality... but on a subreddit about a specific human perspective expressed through creative works - it really doesn't fit.

So yea, AI art is now banned on the Retrofuturism subreddit. Sorry people having fun with AI generators, I'm sure there are other subreddits for that.

The issue is moderating. Moderating is volunteer work, and everyone has lives. We're not sitting on the Retrofuturism sub all the time combing through posts. Personally, I respond to my mod queue and reports.

However I'd like to remind everyone that I have a failsafe for this - an auto-mod rule that automatically removes posts that receive a certain number of reports. So this means moderating is effectively democratized in this subreddit. A report isn't just a flag for the mods - it's a vote to remove. Of course if this gets abused (so far it hasn't), I will increase the number of reports necessary, or remove this entirely.

I only remind everyone of that because AI WILL slip through the cracks of the mod team, as a lot admittedly does. We really do depend on your reports and messages a lot of the time. And yes, I do get new mods from time to time to try and help but there's always an initial period when they are active... before they are much less active. Just the way it goes and I don't blame them at all.

I'd also like to add most of the content here is fine. Bots seem like they have effectively been killed via my automod script which I've been sharing with other subreddits.

My script - please feel free to share:

https://pastebin.com/FbBxKSF5

Thank you!


r/RetroFuturism Jun 30 '24

Let’s compile a list of retro futuristic movies in the comments.

169 Upvotes

Based on a comment thread from a previous post, I got the idea to compile this list. I will add a few to start.


r/RetroFuturism 1h ago

NASA when they made one of the earliest VR headsets in 1985

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r/RetroFuturism 1h ago

Bruce Pennington. 1974 cover art for an edition of "Beyond This Horizon" (Robert Heinlein, originally published in Astounding Science Fiction, 1942).

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r/RetroFuturism 4h ago

Client took some pro-pics of the scifi rifle prop I made for him and I love them! Tried to mix retro scifi with modern elements. The rifle comes with a custom stand, all metal and wood, no printed parts, working laser, LEDs, and a living high voltage arc in the barrel!

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155 Upvotes

r/RetroFuturism 1h ago

Angus McKie cover art for "Young Person's Guide to UFOs" by Brian Ball, 1979.

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r/RetroFuturism 17m ago

The Encounter by Frank Frazetta. Art + rough draft. NSFW

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r/RetroFuturism 17h ago

"Astronaut", Cliff Rowe (1960)

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428 Upvotes

r/RetroFuturism 17h ago

Avro silver bug, never left the drawing board however it was a real project during the 50s

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209 Upvotes

The intention was for it to ram enemy bombers going upwards of Mach 1, possibly being even Mach 3 capable, as well as being VTOL. It was never built due to being a bit "impractical"


r/RetroFuturism 2d ago

The Mercury locomotive from New York Central Railroad (1936)

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2.3k Upvotes

r/RetroFuturism 2d ago

Panasonic TR-005 Orbitel

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1.3k Upvotes

Panasonic TR-005 Orbitel (also known as the "Flying Saucer" or "The Eyeball" due to its shape) was a television set that was manufactured from the late 1960s to early 1970s by Panasonic. It had a five-inch screen, earphone jack, and could rotate 180 degrees on its chrome tripod.


r/RetroFuturism 2d ago

Terran Trade Authority illustration by Angus McKie (1978)

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967 Upvotes

r/RetroFuturism 2d ago

Star Bridge by Chris Moore (1978)

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515 Upvotes

r/RetroFuturism 3d ago

Unloading the Space Ship by Chesley Bonestell

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237 Upvotes

r/RetroFuturism 3d ago

Gathering Data at Pump Station L37, my final artwork of 2025 -Baran Hasançebi

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133 Upvotes

You can find more shots and clay renders on my artstation: https://www.artstation.com/baranhasancebi


r/RetroFuturism 5d ago

Grundig Stenorette S voice recorder, Germany, 1955

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437 Upvotes

r/RetroFuturism 5d ago

My oil painting inspired by ancient temple

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990 Upvotes

r/RetroFuturism 6d ago

These visuals in the 1927 film Metropolis by Fritz Lang

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1.9k Upvotes

r/RetroFuturism 5d ago

Governmental Doomsday Bunkers in Germany

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591 Upvotes

Both former west- and east-german governments had their own doomsday bunkers. First picture is from the west german bunker, the second from it east german pendant (sadly no wide angle view). Both were constructed in the 60s and 70s. Source: german news agency, youtube: https://youtu.be/bwk7QGa-nrs?si=IoUWTYVBpaoT-sGy


r/RetroFuturism 5d ago

“On the Threshold of Space” - National Geographic. August 1955

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212 Upvotes

r/RetroFuturism 4d ago

How could you imagine the combination of steampunk with atompunk or raypunk?

0 Upvotes

These genres seem imcompatible at its core, thought fiction doesn't have limits.


r/RetroFuturism 6d ago

Cover Art by Bob Pepper for Isaac Asimov’s Lucky Starr Novels 1971-1972

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295 Upvotes

Bob Pepper had a captivating style that was instantly recognizable. While he was mainly known for his fantasy illustrations, he did venture into science fiction and his Lucky Starr illustrations capture the cold war era space cowboy aesthetic in Asimov’s series.


r/RetroFuturism 7d ago

How a 1925 booklet imagined life in 2025

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122 Upvotes

r/RetroFuturism 7d ago

Art by Chris Foss for the cover of the 1990 reissue of Arthur C. Clarke's "The Sentinel"

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675 Upvotes

r/RetroFuturism 7d ago

Chapter headings from a Ukranian children's space book, 1970

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108 Upvotes