Virginia Postrel

Long before modern science, Europeans learned to see their own time as an age of invention rather than decline.

When the future arrived, it felt… ordinary. What happened to the glamour of tomorrow?

Libraries contain books, yes. But they also contain latex rubber, carbon fiber fabrics, and graphene aerogel. And in some materials libraries you can cut, cast, drill, sand, scrape, and sculpt too.

Polyester went from being the world’s most hated fabrics to one of its favorites. It’s so successful that many people don’t even realize they’re wearing polyester today.