Futuria Fantasia, Summer 1939 - 1

FUTURIA FANTASIA
Summer 1939
Vol.1 No.1
Ray D. Bradbury
editor


GREETINGS! AT LONG LAST--FUTURIA FANTASIA!

The best laid plans of men, it seems, are destined for detours or
permanent and disappointing annihilation upon the road to
accomplishment. It was this way with Futuria Fantasia, planned for
publication last summer. Piles of archaic tomes towered on all sides of
the editorial desk. When the door to the office was opened unexpectedly
a white gusher of manuscripts and relatives spewed out. More than once
Ye Editor was suffocated unto death by the musty volumes that poured in
from all over Los Angeles. And then--someone turned off the financial
faucet--leaving us all soaped up, but with no water! And so, into an
inforced hibernation went FuFa. The manuscripts became intimate
acquaintances with all of the spiders in the family vaults--even the
writers could be seen lounging around in their caskets waiting for
Technocracy and their thirty doubloons every Thursday to come rolling
in.
But recently, awakening from the profound inactivity of spring fever,
your editor became interested in Technocracy. The more he heard about
it, the more he wanted everyone else to hear. So, turning the revolving
door on his crypt, he reached over and shook T. B. Yerke out of his
stupor and begged him to write an article, The Revolt Of The Scientists,
which appears herein. Not content with this he engaged Ron Reynolds, new
fan author who first appeared in Tucker's D'JOURNAL, to whip up a story
about the Technate and its effect upon the hack writer in the coming
decades. And Ackerman is here! Science Fiction's finest fan and friend
has turned in an interesting yarn that he wrote at the gentle age of
sixteen, some few years past. But best of all--there is nothing humorous
in the issue by the editor himself--which should cause huge, grateful
sighs of relief from Maine to Miske and back! Bradbury just has a poem,
and a serious one at that.
And so--here it is, for ten cents, out every other decade or so--Futuria
Fantasia--... hypoed into Life mainly because of the crying need for
more staunch Technocrats, mainly because of the New York Convention,
(with which it doesn't deal at all in subject matter ... but does so
whole-heartedly in spirit and thought), and mainly because it's been a
helluva long time since a large size mag came from our LASFL way, where
the natives are all sitting around and dreaming of the New York Canyon
Kiddies and praying, atheistically of course, that in the near future
they may wind up in Manhatten behind the pool-ball-perisphere--and I
don't mean the one numbered _eight_. None of the expectant tripsters
have ever seen New Yawk before and have already chewed their fingernails
down to the shoulder in exstatic anticipation.
I hope you like this brain-child, spawned from the womb of a year long
inanimation. If you do like it, how about a letter sent to the editorial
offices of F.F., at 1841 South Manhatten Place, Los Angeles, California?
Appoint yourself as A-l mourner and critic and pound away at the mag. It
will be appreciated. And if you have a dime in your pocket that hasn't
had a breath of air in a few days just drop that in, too. This is only
the first issue of FuFa ... if it succeeds there will be more, better
issues coming up. And your co-operation is needed.
GOOD LUCK TO THE NEW YORK SCIENTI-FAN CONVENTION--!!
I'LL MEET YOU IN MANHATTEN--!
Ray D. Bradbury,
editor


THE REVOLT OF THE SCIENTISTS
By Technocrat Bruce Yerke

The editor of this magazine has asked me to prepare an article about a
certain subject that has hitherto been totally lacking from the pages of
all the scientifictional magazines, and which, with an article in a
special LASFL publication, burst a bombshell on the science-fictional
field, and at the same moment punched an irreparable hole in the
Wollheim-Michel gas bag. Being recognized as the _science-fiction
Technocrat_, I was asked to do this by Mr. Bradbury, who is himself a
new recruit to OUR ranks. Since many of the readers of this magazine
have all read the article in the first _MIKROS_, I feel that I can take
a few liberties to go ahead.
When you write an introductory article to a generally new audience on
Technocracy, you have to start from the ground up. You cannot assume
that the readers know a whit about it. This, eventually, becomes boring
to the _teacher_, for he is so exuberant and anxious to take up other
phases of the subject that he soon gets tired of merely telling of the
first stepping stone in a vast subject.
This article will cause much interrogation. It would be impossible for
me, in this limited space, to give you all of the facts I wish to, but I
do suggest that everyone who is interested should go to the nearest
TECHNOCRACY INC. section (and there are many in every large city) and
receive some of their literature, or write to CONTINENTAL HEADQUARTERS
if you live at some flag stop, and get their pamphlets.
If you have ever heard of Technocracy, it was probably through some
garbled news item, and thus you, like I myself, no doubt have or had a
very wrong opinion of this organization. It is perfectly legal in all
respects, being incorporated under the laws of New York State. It is
technically an educational organization, and many authorities have to
admit that Tech's twenty week study course is the equivalent of a 4 year
college experience. The fact that its speakers are allowed to talk in
public high schools, and hold meetings in the same place, shows that
even the carefully censured school board is, at least, not opposing it.
Technocracy is not an organization that wants to overthrow the American
government, but only an org. that will step in when the present Price
System collapses. (At this point it MUST be taken note of that PRICE
SYSTEM is not a different word for the Marxian definition of CAPITALISM.
_Price SYSTEM_ is merely a term designating _any system using a_
circulating medium of exchange for the distribution of goods and
services.)
If you go to a Technocracy section, they will show you a chart that will
convince you that this _system_ will collapse before 1945, probably
1942. This chart shows the economic trends of this nation from its birth
to 1939, and also the amount of extraneous energy and human toil
required to produce and maintain this economy. When you leave, you'll be
convinced, don't worry. I have not the time nor space to do that here.
The end of the Price System is inevitable, and when it comes you are not
faced with the choice of taking Technocracy or Socialism, Communism or
any other 'ism'. You are faced with a choice of Tech. or _chaos_, out of
which the majority of us will not emerge--alive.
This nation is so highly inter-dependant, that the failure of one phase
of its industrial sequence would mean the ultimate collapse of the whole
country. If the electric power of New York was shut off, the city would
burn down in approximately SIX HOURS! This, because of the rate fires
break out. If the transportation system were shut off, all of the food
in the city would be gone in six days, water would be so polluted that
disease 10,000 times worse than the Black Plague would break out.
I shall not spend time telling you why we are faced with economic
disaster, for thousands of examples can be had at a Technocracy section.
We shall, for the purposes of this article simply assume that the
collapse is near, within a matter of days.
All of the large business institutes, and Technocracy as well, will know
within 100 days of the time of the ultimate end, when all stocks and
bonds depreciate to zero and the financial structure of this country is
due to fall.
At this time Technocracy will do, what is termed in colloquial American
slang--"TURN ON THE HEAT!" At the present time Technocracy is not
interested in forming a large organization, formed of emotional
butterflys. It is constructing a functional group; a nucleus of people
who know the subject to a T, and who will be prepared to act in the
forming of a skeleton control until things are reorganized. In the last
five years Technocracy has not used one bit of emotional fly paper, but
has presented its whole plan in plain facts, and in as hard-boiled and
unentertaining a manner as could be done without insulting the
listeners. Nevertheless Tech. is the fastest growing organization in the
nation. (except the relief organization)
Under Technocracy people will be classified in a set of probably 100
industrial sequences, according to their work. Each of these is known as
a FUNCTIONAL SEQUENCE. Let us trace the work of one sequence from the
bottom to the top.
The nation will be divided into regional divisions, determined by
latitude and longitude. In each division there will be the various
offices of whatever sequences are operating in that division. (each
sequence of the 100 different ones will not necessarily appear in every
division, though) Some will only have three or four or even as high as
fifty. In this division we will find, say, a factory, for the production
of steel, and thus there will be a steel sequence in this division.
(This is how it will work in all sequences, essentially.)
The lowest classification will be the man doing the simplest job. We'll
use as our example one who works a welding torch. All the welding torch
workers in that factory will be under a foreman. He will be elected out
of the torch workers as the one most efficient, working the best, who is
most popular, though the latter factor's not so influencing as it is at
present.
All the foremen in that area division will elect a divisional head of
foremen of torch welding crews. Out of all the head foremen of torch and
steel dumping crews and the other numerous distinct functions, there
will be elected a division head. The division heads then elect a
national head. The national heads of all the other sequences will form
what will be known as the Continental Control, electing an executive
director, merely a presiding officer, with not even the powers of the
present president. He is answerable to, not answered to.
All the other basic functions will have essentially the same
organization, and it is anticipated there will 90 to 110 of them. At the
present time 93 have been worked out. The one thing of note is that
there will not be more than FOUR offices between Armando Pinccio of the
garbage truck crew and the head of the national sequence of waste
disposal.
The thing of most interest to all interested is the method of purchase
or what is referred to as the MEDIUM OF EXCHANGE. In the TECH THERE IS
NO MEDIUM OF EXCHANGE, THERE IS ONLY A METHOD OF TECHNOLOGICAL
ACCOUNTING.
The means whereby you will get a new razor blade or a malted milk is to
be known as DISTRIBUTION CERTIFICATES or ENERGY CERTIFICATES. These
certificates, issued to every person on this continent every 30 days,
will be good only for one person and no other. Since they will be able
to purchase as much or, I should say, since they will give the
individual purchasing power of 20,000 dollars per year, each will have
everything he needs. Stop right now and think what this means in the
reduction of crime. These certificates cannot be stolen, and since every
one will have all they can possibly use, there will be no need to steal.
With the technological development on this continent at present it is
possible to turn out, at peak production, enough for every person to
have a terrific abundance, and to do this, with a little mechanization
done in the period of a month or so, it is only necessary for every able
individual male, twixt ages 25 & 45, to work fours hours a day, 4 days a
week, for 165 days a year--to keep this production turning over. If any
one works more, someone else works less. So draw your own conclusions.
All things under the TECHNATE will be controlled, numbered by a modified
DEWEY DECIMAL SYSTEM, as used in libraries now. The energy certificate
will have on its face the sex, age, job, place of birth, address, where
he works, and the worker's number, all recorded by this system. There
are also places for purchases, four, to be exact. When one makes up his
mind to buy something, he goes to the store (an example) and buys a pair
of shoes. By means of a photoelectric machine (already developed) the
salesclerk would punch out numbers and the certificate would come out
bearing, neatly perforated: "34.46...11.E.728.../..H76302../...
Z.97321.../...205...21.05." All this means that the article was a pair
of low shoes, made by the leather sequence, that they were men's shoes,
width E, last number 7, and style 8. Second series of numerals are the
serial numbers of the machine, third is the number of certificate, the
last the date and time.
At the end of the day the total lever of the machine would be pressed,
and all the numbers, styles, etc. would be separated into totals (like
nickels and dimes in a coin changing machine). The totals would then be
teletyped to the divisional H.Q. of the leather sequence where it would
be registered. This affords a continuous inventory of the whole
continent. The following day, as many shoes as had been sold in the
continent would be manufactured.
Many things, such as housing, transportation, medical care, recreation,
education, etc. are furnished by Technocracy. One can easily see what a
secure life this affords every citizen, and what a boon it is to
scientific research.
I said that I wouldn't mention many things that would solve questions in
the reader's minds, but if all questions are sent to the editorial
offices we will contrive to open a forum.
In closing remember these few things. Technocracy is NOT a political or
revolutionary movement. It is 100% American. It cannot work anywhere but
on the American continent, because only here have we the necessary
technological developements, the necessary trained force of technicians,
and the necessary resources to institute an economy of abundance in
place of an economy of scarcity. Technocracy is the only salvation when
the Price System fails. It is not a political theory, but the next state
of civilization. It is the best form of democracy ever conceived. It
furnishes security, education, protection, and all that goes, with it to
the people of the American continent. It is not in its formative state.
It could be installed on a seventy-two hour call. The only reason why we
don't have it now is because YOU are still duped to believing there is
another way out.
Take Technocracy, or take----chaos!


_DON'T GET TECHNATAL_
by ron reynolds

For several moments Stern had eyed his typewriter ominously,
contemplating whether he should utter the unutterable. Finally:
"Damn!" he roared. "I can't write any more! Look, look at that!" He tore
the sheet out of the rollers and crumpled it in his fist. "If I'd known
it would be this way," he said, "I wouldn't have voted for it!
Technocracy is ruining everything!"
Bella Stern, preoccupied with her knitting, glanced up in horror. "What
a temper," she exclaimed. "Can't you keep your voice down?" She fussed
with her work. "There now," she cried, "you made me drop a stitch!"
"I want to be a writer!" Samuel Stern lamented, turning with grim eyes
to his wife. "And the Technate has spoiled my fun."
"The way you talk, Samuel," said his wife, "I actually believe you want
to go back to that barbarism prevalent in the DARK THIRTIES!"
"It sounds like one damned good idea!" he said. "At least I'd have
something decent, or indecent, to write about!"
"What _can_ you mean?" she asked, tilting her head back and thinking.
"Why can't you write? There are just oodles of things I can think of
that are readable."
Something like a tear rolled down Samuel's cheek. "No more gangsters, no
more bank robberies, no more holdups, no more good, old-fashioned
burglaries, no more vice gangs!" His voice grew lachrymose as he
proceeded down an infinite line of 'no mores'. "No more sadness," he
almost sobbed. "Everybody's happy, contented. No more strife and hard
work. Oh, for the days when a gangland massacre was headline scoop for
me!"
"Tush!" sniffed Bella. "Have you been drinking again, Samuel?"
He hiccoughed gently.
"I thought so," she said.
"I had to do something," he declared. "I'm going nuts for want of a
plot."
Bella Stern laid her knitting aside and walked to the balcony, looked
meditatively down into the yawning canyon of the New York street fifty
stories below. She turned back to Sam with a reminiscent smile.
"Why not write a love story?"
"_WHAT!_" Stern shot out of his chair like a hooked eel.
"Why, yes," she concluded. "A nice love story would be very enjoyable."
"LOVE!" Stern's voice was thick with sarcasm. "Why, we don't even have
decent love these days. A man can't marry a woman for her money, and
vice-versa. Everyone under Technocracy gets the same amount of credit.
No more Reno, no more alimony, no more breach of promise, or law suits!
Everything is cut and dried. The days of society weddings and coming out
parties are gone--cause everyone is equal. I can't write political
criticisms about graft in the government, about slums and terrible
living conditions, about poor starving mothers and their babies.
Everything is okay--okay--okay--" his voice sobbed off into silence.
"Which should make you very happy," countered his wife.
"Which makes me very sick," growled Samuel Stern. "Look, Bell, all my
life I wanted to be a writer. Okay. I'm writing for the pulp magazines
for a coupla years. Right? Okay. Then I'm writing sea stories,
gangsters, political views, first class-bump-offs. I'm happy.... I'm in
my element. Then--bingo!--in comes Technocracy, makes everyone
happy--bump! out goes me! I just can't stand writing the stuff the
people read today. Everything is science and education." He ruffled his
thick black hair with his fingers and glared.
"You should be joyful that the population is at work doing what they
want to do," Bella beamed.
Sam continued muttering to himself. "They took all the sex magazines off
the market first thing, all of the gangster, murder and detective
publications. They been educating the children and making model citizens
out of them."
"Which is as it should be," finished Bella.
"Do you realize," he blazed, whipping his finger at her, "that for two
years there hasn't been more than a dozen murders in the city? Not one
suicide or gang war--or--"
"Heavens!" sighed Bella. "Don't be prehistoric, Sam. There hasn't been
anything really criminal for twenty years now. This is 1975 you know."
She came over and patted him gently on the shoulder. "Why don't you
write something science-fictional?"
"I don't like science," he spat.
"Then your only alternative is love," she declared firmly.
He formed the despicable word with his lips, then: "No, I want something
new and different." He got up and strode to the window. In the penthouse
below he saw half a dozen robots moving about speedily, working. His
face lit up suddenly, like that of a tiger spying his prey. "Jumping
Jigwheels!" he cried. "Why didn't I think of it before! Robots! I'll
write a love story about two robots."
Bella squelched him. "Be sensible," she said.
"It might happen some day," he argued. "Just think. Love oiled, welded,
built of metal, wired for sound!" He laughed triumphantly, but it was a
low laugh, a strange little sound. Bella expected him to beat his chest
next. "Robots fall in love at first sight," he announced, "and blow an
audio tube!"
Bella smiled tolerantly. "You're such a child, Sam. I sometimes wonder
why I married you."
Stern sank down, burning slowly, a crimson flush rising in his face.
Only half a dozen murders in two years, he thought. No more politics, no
more to write about. He had to have a story, just had to have one. He'd
go crazy if something didn't happen soon. His brain was clicking
furiously. A calliope of thought was tooting in his subconscious. He had
to have a story. He turned and looked at his wife, Bella, who stood
watching the air traffic go by the window, bending over the sill,
looking down into the street fifty floors below....
... and then he reached slowly and quietly for his atomic gun.
* * * * *
AN EXPLANATION: You may have wondered why I placed the Technocrat story
and article in FuFa. Well, it's because I think Technocracy combines all
of the hopes and dreams of science-fiction. We've been dreaming about it
for years--now, in a short time it may become reality. It surely
deserves support from any serious fictioneer. And you can't say this mag
isn't balanced!--first I give you Yorke's article on Tech., then I give
you a satire on the same thing, jabbing at it in a good-humoured way,
and then--when you read Ackerman's article, you'll see almost the
complete annihilation of EARTH. So, whether you are an optimist or a
pessimist about the future of humanity, you'll find either side in FuFa.
(But on the side, I'm all for the Technate, aegh!)
Ye Editor....
* * * * *
This being the first issue of FuFa I feel fortunate in being able
to offer a piece of scientifiction by the field's most famous fan.
THE RECORD was written first in 1929, scarcely more than a sketch,
on two pages. Ackerman was thirteen. ED EARL REPP, LA author of THE
RADIUM POOL, said of it: "I found it delighting and exceptionally
interesting for the writing of a boy so young." Ackerman re-wrote
it into a three page story, later, the present product. It has not
been touched since. It is not being retouched now. Allow me to
present THE RECORD as a _record_ of how Forrie wrote, spelled and
punctuated six years ago at the age of sixteen. _ED._


THE RECORD
by FORREST J. ACKERMAN

For twenty years--for twenty long, horror filled, war laden years the
Earth had not known peace.
Hovering over the metropolises of the world came long, lean battle
projectiles, glinting silver in the sunlight or coming like gaunt
mirages of grey out of the midnight sky to blast man's civilization from
its cultural foundations. Man against man, ship against ship--a
ceaseless and useless orgy of slaughter. Men, at their battle stations
in the ships, pressed buttons, releasing radio bombs that blistered
space and lifted whole cities up in shattered pieces and flung them
down, grim ruins, reminders of man's ignorant hatreds and suspicions.
And gas--thick black clouds of it--billowing over the cities, seeking
every possible egress, pushed forward by colossal Wind machines. But
even when Victory came for the one side, often Nature, in one of her
vengeful moments, would send the black gas flowing back to annihilate
its senders.
Rays cut the air! Power bombs exploded incessantly! Evaporays robbed the
Earth of its water--shot it up into the atmosphere and made of it a fog
that condensed only after many months. And heat rays made deserts out of
fertile terrain.
Rays that hypnotized caused even the strong minded to commit suicide or
reveal military secrets. Rays that effected the optical nerves swept
cities and left the population groping and blind, unable to find food.
It was a war that destroyed almost all of humanity. And why were they
fighting? _For pleasure and amusement!_
In the middle of the twenty-second century, every nation had a standard
defense. The weapons of war of each were equal--not in proportion to
size, but actually, since man-power no longer counted high. Pacifism had
done its best, but the World was armed to the hilt. And now--though
illogically--it felt safe--for every nation meant the same as if all had
nothing.
Another thing--there was no work to be done. Robots did it. And there
seemed nothing left to discover, invent or enjoy. Art was at its
perfection, poetry was mathematically correct and unutterably
beautiful--worked out by the Esthetic machines. Sculptoring had been
given the effect complete, artists hands guided by wonderful pieces of
machinery. Huge museums were crammed with art put out synthetically.
And thus it was with the many Arts and their creators who grew stagnent
in their perfection. And it was that way with the many sciences
also....
Paleontologists had found, and articulated, and catalogued every fossil.
The ancestor of the Eohippus, the little four-toed Dawn Horse, was
discovered; the direct line between man and ape established in skeletal
remains; the seat of _life_ itself definitely proved Holarctica. And
great bio-chemists, skilled in the science of vital processes, had
created synthetic tissues and muscles and flesh, built upon the frames
that had been recovered bodies with skillful modeling ... even supplied
them with blood and given them the spark of LIFE ... so that
Paleobotonists recreated the flora of a prehistoric era. Again the
ponderous amphibious brontosaur pushed through marshes. Fish emerged
upon the land, and the first bird archaeopteryx tried his imperfect
wings for flight. In the regulated climates of long dead ages, fish,
amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals lived again for the edification
of those interested in the very ancient--or who were amused with queer
animals.
But that was only paleontologically speaking. There were the heavens to
be considered. They had been: the stars and planets weighed and
measured, their composition noted, courses plotted with super-accuracy.
Every feature had been mapped--every climactic condition recorded. Life
had been named and numbered ... then photographed. And these were but
first considerations. Actually, what wasn't known about the Solar System
had not occurred as yet. But that would probably be remedied by a
machine to view the future.
There was physics, biology, anthropology, zoology, geology,
bacteriology, botany--and 'ologies' and 'otonies' and 'onomies' such as
ran into figures which only machines could calculate.
A book could indeed have been written of the accomplishments of super
race. But this is of the WAR itself, and how it came about, and how
it all ended.
Stated simply, in 2150 the point of DIMINISHING UTILITY had been
reached. To the hungry man, the first course of dinner is wonderfully
delicious, the second good, the third satisfying. Through the ages
people have hungered after luxury and leisure--but when he finds his
food, a lot of it, MAN finds suddenly that it no longer appeals to him.
In fact, too much is bound to make him sick and often disagreeable. He
looks around for something else. So did the people of the 22nd Century.
They had all of the pleasurable amusements they wanted, but it was all
so intellectual. Everything was culture. They had surfeited with it. And
suddenly they wanted to forget it. All play and no work made MAN a
discontented citizen. A reaction set in. Man was not completely
civilized as yet----THE WAR!
Twenty-one years the war raged. And scarcely a million survived. Bit by
bit this million was whittled down by the weapons of destruction to
ragged handfuls of things that once had been cultured. Finally only one
hundred humans remained alive--and they kept fighting blindly, none of
them realizing how close to oblivion they were crowding themselves and
the future of humanity--and they went on killing, killing, killing!
It is doubtless but what the entire human race would have vanished,
leaving the world to the more competent, though half-ignorant, hands of
the beasts, who fought and killed one another for self-preservation and
for food--not because of madness ... and who did not have books and talk
and have _culture_. The human race would have gone, had it not been for
the record.