I enjoy when sci-fi backdrops try to split the difference between presenting futuristic cityscapes and acknowledging that they wouldn't just tear down all the existing infrastructure by keeping the old buildings but having random high-tech shit sticking off of them, like the buildings themselves have cyborg implants.
(In response to the notes, I do also enjoy when a modern building has a small piece of historical facade sticking off it, but I need to empahsise that this is in fact the exact opposite of what I'm describing here.)
Right, you're talking about when the historical stately home has a phone hookup, a satellite TV dish and an air conditioning unit.
That’s a gesture in the right direction, but for best effect it should be clear that the artist has put absolutely zero thought into what actual purpose the bolted-on greeble ostensibly serves. Blinking lights and little protruding bits that look like antennae but aren’t are also a plus.