1 × 4 × 9
he squares of 1, 2, and 3. The dimensions of the Monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey. A conundrum which inspired this little project. A database of event that are, for all we know, imaginary.
I was always drawn in by the worlds created by Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Philip K. Dick, and many others. The concept of Future History, dystopian societies, down-beat, cyberpunk visions, and playing with the dynamics of time is truly fascinating.
All these stories are all told in isolation, coherent to their own universe. This project is exploring something different. By splicing all these events into one single timeline, a non-conceptual variation of the stories, and hopefully something intersting, emerges.
There are currently 18 events and 16 sources in the database.
The Interface
At the root of the site a random event is shown. As soon as you click on a year figure (i.e. 2010), a random event recorded for that year is shown. The »more« button toggles more fine grained view of the event which allows you to follow related events. As soon as you click on a year figure, you’re back to random again. The details box shows quite a bit of information, so just click on »less« to go back to the minimal view.
Note: The page stores a cookie with your browser to keep track if the details box is open or closed. If you disable cookies, the box will always appear closed when you reload the page. In case you turn off Javascript, the details box is always visible.
Colophon
The page is using Helvetica and Hoefler Text for typography. It looks best on Mac with the latest Safari.
Built entirely on open source software. Technologies used include Python, PostgreSQL, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
The Author
1×4×9 was designed and developed by Andreas Aderhold.