Time capsule add-ons

When members of the University of Washington class of 1957 opened a time capsule sealed 50 years ago, on top of the audio tapes, college yearbook, and student newspaper, they found some surprises from a later era.

Sometime in the 1980s, someone slipped a pornographic centerfold, some dirty underwear and a condom into the capsule that had been sealed into the wall of the then-new Communications Building in 1957.

Alumni opened the capsule this week in preparation for a public unveiling during a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the university's communications program. The capsule is being replaced by another created by a student-faculty team.

"The good news is that all the things that were in there are still there," said Jerry Baldasty, current chairman of the Department of Communication. "The interesting news is that some other things were added."

The new capsule will be filled with digital media, carrying images of graffiti and video and focusing on "communication from a global perspective," said Coma Te, a 20-year-old senior who was one of six students who created the new capsule.

The contents of both capsules were to be shown to the public on Saturday.