This book deals with the connection between media and the future. It is about the imagination of futuristic media and what this says about the present, but it also shows how media are imagined as means to control the future. The book begins by describing different theories of the evolution of media and by exploring how this evolution is tied to expectations regarding the future. The authors discuss the theories of imagination and how the imagination of media futures operates. To do so, they analyse four concrete examples: the imaginations once related to interactive television and how they were performed in an important piece of media art; those on "ubiquitous computing," which remain present today; those on three-dimensional, especially holographic, displays that are prevalent everywhere in cinema, and lastly the contemporary imaginations on quantum computing and how they have been enacted in science fiction. The book appeals to readers interested in the question of how our present imagines its technological futures.

Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

This book deals with the connection between media and the future. It is about the imagination of futuristic media and what this says about the present, but it also shows how media are imagined as means to control the future. The book begins by describing different theories of the evolution of media and by exploring how this evolution is tied to expectations regarding the future. The authors discuss the theories of imagination and how the imagination of media futures operates. To do so, they analyse four concrete examples: the imaginations once related to interactive television and how they were performed in an important piece of media art; those on "ubiquitous computing," which remain present today; those on three-dimensional, especially holographic, displays that are prevalent everywhere in cinema, and lastly the contemporary imaginations on quantum computing and how they have been enacted in science fiction. The book appeals to readers interested in the question of how our present imagines its technological futures.

Der Umgang mit dem Wald im 18. Jahrhundert wird oft vereinfacht dargestellt: Es herrscht das Bild von Landesherren vor, die mit klugen Forstgesetzen den Wald vor Ubernutzung schutzen wollten, aber einer uneinsichtigen Landbevolkerung gegenuberstanden, die mit ihrem Vieh und Brennholzbedarf die Baumbestande ruinierte. Ernst hinterfragt diese gangige Auffassung mit einer Fallstudie uber Holzproduktion, Landwirtschaft und Jagd in den Mittelgebirgen Hunsruck und Eifel und lenkt unsere Aufmerksamkeit auf die existentielle Herausforderung der damaligen Zeit, die Waldentwicklung gesellschafts- und naturvertraglich zu gestalten. Erstmalig erkennen wir dadurch das vielschichtige, multipolare Politik- und Konfliktfeld Waldentwicklung: Forstgesetze waren oft genug schlicht Ergebnis innerobrigkeitlicher Handel. Nachhaltigkeit und Holznot interessierten die Obrigkeit vornehmlich, um im Schatten dieser Begriffe die Waldbestande planmassig "versilbern" zu konnen. Doch vor Gericht opponierte die Landbevolkerung kenntnis- und auch erfolgreich gegen dieses Doppelspiel. Damit kann Ernst beispielhaft fur das Waldwesen die Wechselwirkungen zwischen Obrigkeit und Untertanen einerseits, Realitat und Rhetorik andererseits herausarbeiten. Aus der Presse: "Wir verdanken Christoph Ernst das mit grossem Fleiss zusammengetragene Kompendium der Waldgeschichte in den Landern an der Mosel." Hansjorg Kuster, in: FAZ 17.10.2001"

The late 20th century was a formative phase in the history of digital media culture. The introduction of "new media" was associated with promises for the future that still resonate today. This book brings together contributions that discuss key aspects of the "imaginaries" surrounding new media in this epoch. The focus is on the works of the media artist group Van Gogh-TV, especially the historically very important interactive television project "Piazza virtuale" (1992).