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b'I\\u2019m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design and we are going back to the 1950\\u2019s for a look back at the future\\u2026 That\\u2019s right.
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\\nI recently came across a video that was made in the 1950s by Westinghouse called the Total Electric Home. It is a fascinating film hosted by Betty Furness. She was an actress, consumer advocate and special assistant in consumer affairs to the Johnson administration.\\xa0 Furness past away in 1994 and she was really interesting. She turned a less than stellar acting career into a significant role as consumer advocate and saleswoman. Furness hosted this remarkable film that was created by and featuring the products made by Westinghouse Electric.
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\\nWestinghouse was founded in 1886 by George Westinghouse who years earlier, in 1865 patented the first rotary steam engine. In 1869, he patented an air braking system for use on the railroad. In 1888 Nikola Tesla patented the alternating current motor and goes to work for Westinghouse. In 1893, Westinghouse beats out Thomas Edison to win the contract to power the Chicago World\\u2019s Fair. Then in 1914, Westinghouse acquires Copeman\\xa0 Electric Stove Company to enter the home appliance market. So in the 50\\u2019s, here they are with this fully integrated electric home. Why didn\\u2019t it take? The idea was genius. The reason it didn\\u2019t work was due to many factors not the least of which was the competition in the marketplace and to perhaps an even larger extent, the proliferation of other power sources.
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\\nNatural gas has been used in the United States since before 1836 when the City of Philadelphia created\\xa0 the first municipal natural gas company. I don\\u2019t want to go too deep here and turn this into a history lesson. Rather, let\\u2019s look at this amazing piece of history as we look forward. Some of the same basic ideas incorporated into the Westinghouse Total Electric Home are relevant and even being reintroduced as of this writing. Just listen to Betty\\u2019s introduction:\\xa0So the idea for the Ring doorbell can be traced back to the 50\\u2019s. While I don\\u2019t know what \\u201cRayescent lighting\\u201d is, it sounds pretty cool. While the idea of seeing visitors is not novel to us now, imagine how this idea was received in the 50\\u2019s? A great idea right, but how about this?
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\\nWhat? The idea for a home that is organized in zones is not new, but to envision a home that works together as opposed to simply trying to seamlessly connect spaces is, to this day, a revolutionary idea. Keep in mind that at this time, formal dining rooms, formal living rooms and phone niches were all \\u2018must haves\\u2019.\\xa0
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\\nNow, I don\\u2019t want you think that this whole idea could be plucked from then and planted now\\u2026 There\\u2019s this\\u2026
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\\nIt appears only men are interested in the weather, but wait\\u2026
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\\nIntegrated heating and watering. Not only novel, but amazing!
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\\nNot sure about multiple hampers, because let\\u2019s be honest, no kid I know is going to self-sort by material or color. Speaking of kids\\u2026
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\\nOkay, so we are getting off topic a little bit, but it\\u2019s okay because this Total Electric Home is a concept house, like many of the cars you go see at the auto show. It makes you wonder why there aren\\u2019t more experimental spaces from which to truly explore the elements that go into living well.\\xa0 There is cost, of course, but I always thought that was a perfect role for the design house. Of which we are starting to see fewer organized by the media and more created by developers.\\xa0
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\\nI wanted to use this opportunity to share some ideas you have heard by architects on previous episodes and a few to come. We are talking about not just creating the home of the future, but the home for now, homes with spaces designed to suit the way we live now and\\xa0 factor in the changes that come next. This is architect Anthony Poon referencing the Wallace Neff Bubble House in Pasadena and talking about Modern for the Masses.
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