When I was a kid, I loved SF movies like 2001 - not so much for the messages but for the special effects. One of the things that always struck me about the future was that it was supposed to be BRIGHT. Lit up, clean, shiny - and going to Disneyland at an early age (and wanting to live in Tomorrowland) reinforced that impression considerably.
Then the 70's hit, and all of a sudden the future dimmed considerably. And as our energy woes increased, you saw a significant number of dystopian SF flicks come down the pipeline - and the future wasn't lit up, clean, or shiny. (Except for the closing scenes in Star Wars - everyone got cleaned up and they waxed the floor of the hall everyone got awards in.)
'Silent Running', 'Bladerunner' and the like continued the trend - the future would be dark, depressing, dismal. And I wonder at times just how much our vision of the future is reflective of the times we find ourselves in.... though it'd be hard to argue that the late 60's would be a time that would inspire bright and shiny dreams of the future.
And you take a look at the success of a series like "Firefly" (Well, on DVD at least) and look at the culture there. It's all over the map, from folks living at the bare edge of 1800's subsistence to the highest of high-tech. What's that the equivalent of - pick your own future?
Well, I don't know about ouy, but I'd pick a future filled with light myself. (Which may explain my liking for odd halogen lamps and LED lighting from IKEA, and why I worked so hard to install halogen undercabinet lighting in the kitchen....)
J.