tagged w/ Science Fiction
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http://infoconfessions.blogspot.com/
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You can never be too prepared!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTbYUd1jUc4
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http://www.webofentertainment.com/2009/11/56-types-of-geeks.html
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neham
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added this
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1 day ago
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There are many, many laws having nothing to do with government, that are useful to know because they tell you something about how the universe works. There are Newton’s laws of motion, the laws of thermodynamics, Boyle’s law, Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, among dozens more. Most of these laws have been known for a long time, but it wasn’t until a mere nineteen years ago that Godwin’s Law was written.
If you’ve ever been involved in a discussion on Usenet, or have been following politics in the past decade or so, you’ve probably encountered Godwin’s Law. While Godwin’s Law is, alas, as true today as it was then, it seems unfortunate that there aren’t more widely-accepted axioms to help us geeks define the characteristics of our world.
To that end, then, here are ten geeky laws (axioms) that should exist, but don’t… at least, they didn’t until now:
1. Munroe’s Law: A person in a geeky argument who can quote xkcd to support his position automatically wins the argument. This law supersedes Godwin, so that even if the quote is about Hitler, the quoter still wins.
2. Lucas’s Law: There is no movie so beloved that a “special edition,” prequel or sequel cannot trample and forever stain its memory.
3. Tolkien and Rowling’s Law: No reasonably faithful movie adaptation of a book will ever be quite as good as the book it adapts. Thus great movie adaptations can only be made out of truly amazing books.
4. Somers and McCarthy’s Law: There is no dangerous unscientific theory so preposterous that no celebrity will espouse and advocate it.
5. Jobs’s Law: No matter how well last year’s cool tech gadget still works, it will seem utterly inadequate the moment the new version comes out.
6. Savage and Hyneman’s Law: Blowing stuff up is fun. Blowing stuff up in the name of science is AWESOME.
7. Starbuck’s and Peet’s Law: C8H10N4O2, better known as caffeine, is the most wonderful chemical compound known to humankind. If the field of Chemistry had never identified or produced a single other useful compound, caffeine alone would be justification enough for its existence.
8. Wilbur’s Law: Bacon makes everything better.
9. Comic Book Guy’s Law: There is no detail of a movie too brief or inconsequential to become the subject of an hours-long diatribe.
10. The Unified Geek Theory: At present, the President of the United States, the wealthiest person in the United States, and the most trusted newscaster in the United States are all geeks. At the same time, movies based on comic book characters are routinely taking in hundreds of millions of dollars. The only reasonable conclusion is: We’ve won!There are many, many laws having nothing to do with government, that are useful to... more
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There are nerds. And there are science fiction nerds. And then there are American fans of Doctor Who — those who dare to combine the exquisite dweebery of Anglophilia with the delicious dorkdom of old-skool SF. I’m of that last tribe, a real Who-head. I can tell you what Tardis stands for (Time and Relative Dimensions in Space), and, more important, I can say “Tardis” over and over again — not just with a straight face but with reverence. Bargain-basement BBC production values? Alien monsters made from trash cans and toilet plungers? Anachronous kibitzing with Shakespeare and Dickens? That’s my flavor, mate. It’s the sort of thing that’s hard to find on this side of the pond (especially now that Syfy has foolishly ceded new Who episodes and specials to BBC America). I suppose US culture simply isn’t advanced enough to appreciate the longest-running, most successful (and, yes, also the cheesiest and chintziest) science fiction series in television history. And by advanced, I mean defeated. Luckily, that may be changing.
http://www.wired.com/magazine/2009/10/pl_brown_drwhoThere are nerds. And there are science fiction nerds. And then there are American fans... more
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Take That Clown!
http://i.imgur.com/U05rU.jpg
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Photographs of actress Lucy Lawless, who you remember for her title role on the television series "Xena: Warrior Princess." http://www.wcbs880.com/pages/5551260.phpPhotographs of actress Lucy Lawless, who you remember for her title role on the... more
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Well this is surprising. If you were to ask me which actor in Hollywood would be perfect as a tough-as-nails mercenary who has to battle the relentlessly badass Predators, my answer would be … Adrien Brody? Say what?
That’s the word from Variety, which says that Brody has been cast as a “heroic mercenary who battles alien hunters” in the Robert Rodriguez-written and -produced “Predators”, which is set to go into production very soon under the direction of Nimrod Antal.
And not just Brody in the lead, too. Variety also reveals other casting news:
Alice Braga, Danny Trejo, Walt Goggins, Oleg Taktarov, Mahershalalhashbaz Ali, and Louiz Ozawa will round out the seven badass human warriors who will be going up against the uber Predators on their home planet.
If this script review proves accurate, then Braga (”I am Legend”) will most likely be playing a female French sniper named Isabelle; Rodriguez bud Trejo is already known to be playing the Mexican gangster Cuchillo; African-American actor Mahershalalhashbaz Ali will be playing Mombasa, a member of an African death squad; the Russian Oleg Taktarov will be playing the Russian Nikolai; and Ozawa, a Japanese actor, would be logical as the sword-slinging Yakuza character Hanzo.
http://www.scificool.com/rodriguezs-predators-casting-adrien-brody-in-the-lead/
http://www3.telus.net/public/jla2003/HuntersLair/MyArt/Unmasked_06_SMALL.jpgWell this is surprising. If you were to ask me which actor in Hollywood would be... more
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Pride and Prejudice and Zombies features the original text of Jane Austen’s beloved novel with all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie action. As our story opens, a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton-and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she’s soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. DarcyPride and Prejudice and Zombies features the original text of Jane Austen’s beloved... more
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The Pokéthulhu Adventure Game is a parody of both the Pokémon Junior Adventure Game published by Wizards of the Coast, and of the Call of Cthulhu role-playing game published by Chaosium.
The game is written and designed by S. John Ross and currently published (in its 3rd Edition) as a free game available from Cumberland Games and Diversions. The third edition includes some substantial additions to the game, including a large collection of fan-designed creatures, and an expanded card-based game system dependent on the ability of players to cite obscure trivia about a television show that doesn't actually exist. A small number of fan-authored websites also exist to support the game, often with their own Pokénomicon.
The two prior editions were published by Squishy Brain Games (in 2000) and by Dork Storm Publishing (in 2002). Each edition has featured illustrations by John Kovalic and additional contributions by Philip J. Reed. Additionally, a series of miniatures based on the game have been produced by Steve Jackson Games.
Reviews have been generally positive, with Robin Ashe giving the game high marks for style and substance[1] and Tim Morgan "heartily recommend[ing]" it for its humor,[2] although both felt that more material could have been included.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pok%C3%A9thulhu
http://www222.pair.com/sjohn/pokethulhu.htm
http://files.splinder.com/cd6098dc30a4f1f88996ebcdfcb22ed7.jpegThe Pokéthulhu Adventure Game is a parody of both the Pokémon Junior Adventure Game... more
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After celebrating the 20th anniversary of its pop-punk classic Doolittle with thankful fans across the pond, the legendary Pixies has returned to America to share its noisy love of surreal sonics and eye-candy visuals. That deafening blast you hear is thousands of Pixies monkeys gone to heaven.
Not that the quartet is being met only by longtime fans. After fracturing in the early ’90s upon the release of blistering full-lengths like Doolittle and Surfer Rosa, the Pixies — guitarist and shrieker Black Francis, bassist and vocalist Kim Deal, guitarist Joey Santiago and drummer David Lovering — are more popular than ever. And judging by the joyous crowd that sold out Wednesday night’s rowdy set at the Hollywood Palladium, the first stop on the U.S. leg of the Pixies’ Doolittle tour that wraps Dec. 1, die-hard fans and new adopters alike have spent time since the band’s 2004 reunion memorizing its brilliant songs and esoteric B-sides.
Doolittle was always the artiest of the band’s releases, from the biblical estrangement of the record’s lyricism to the dark and suggestive sleeve art from graphic designer Vaughan Oliver and photographer Simon Larbalestier (exhaustively collected in the Pixies’ recently released mega-box Minotaur).
That spirit was celebrated before the concert with a screening of Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali’s infamous 1928 surrealist short Un Chien Andalou (mashed at right with the Pixies’ “Debaser”). The film was met with cheers that escalated into howls once its ending bled into the groovy boogie of the B-side “Dancing the Manta Ray.”
By the time the Pixies had galloped through rarely performed B-sides like the sinister “Bailey’s Walk” and the spastic “Weird at My School,” the crowd was ready for the A-list.
Francis and crew didn’t disappoint, quickly blazing through Doolittle’s abrasive opener “Debaser,” whose Andalou-inspired surrealist lyrics about “slicing up eyeballs” matched perfectly with the banned silent-film clips of the 1920s compilation Forbidden Images, which was projected on a massive screen behind them. The synesthetic merge brought a measure of high-end live production the band never received in its earlier, less appreciated life. Spearheaded by the Pixies’ trusty lighting designer Myles Mangino and Paul Normandale, and complemented by 11 new films from Judy Jacobs, Tom Winkler, Brent Felix and Melinda Tupling, the viz added eye-candy dimension to Doolittle’s deranged sonics.
The hybrid hits kept on coming. The screen bled red to the Pixies’ jagged dirge “I Bleed” (pictured above). During the twisted love song “Hey,” key phrases came to life in Tom Winkler’s hand-drawn animations. A rousing rendition of “Monkey Gone to Heaven” mashed Oliver and Larbalestier’s photography into the song’s performance, drawing hoots and screams from an ignited audience shouting “God is 7!” at the top of its lungs.
Things turned stranger during the split-screen video accompanying the band’s hit single “Here Comes Your Man,” where four digital Pixies bobbed happily behind their real-time counterparts on the stage. The goofy reel was an odd backdrop for a song the Pixies once seriously disliked, and hardly ever played live back when they were tearing into each other during the late ’80s. But the cognitive dissonance did nothing to erase the show’s momentum.
In fact, by the time the band landed on Doolittle’s galvanized closer “Gouge Away,” the audience’s love had amplified to the breaking point. Its unrelenting applause and shouts brought the Pixies out for two encores, to play remaining Doolittle-era B-sides like the hypnotic “Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf)” and epic “Into the White,” as well as Come On Pilgrim and Surfer Rosa winners like “Isla de Encanta” and “Gigantic.”
http://www.wired.com/underwire/2009/11/pixies-anniversary-doolittle-tour-bleeds-surreal-sonics-viz/After celebrating the 20th anniversary of its pop-punk classic Doolittle with thankful... more
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RADIO FREE SKARO have alerted us to their new podcast which includes an interview with The Waters of Mars writer, PHIL FORD. They also get to chat about his work on The Sarah Jane Adventures and Dreamland. The podcast is released on Monday from RADIO FREE SKARO (or track it down on iTunes) - catch a preview of it in the player below.
http://blogtorwho.blogspot.com/2009/11/waters-of-mars-phil-ford-interview.htmlRADIO FREE SKARO have alerted us to their new podcast which includes an interview with... more
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Described as "Doctor Who meets a Fifties monster B-movie", Dreamland, a new six-part animated adventure, premières daily on BBC Red Button and the Doctor Who website from Saturday 21 November.
Written by Phil Ford, Dreamland sees the iconic TARDIS touch down in the desert in the USA. Stumbling across a mysterious alien artefact in a local diner, the Doctor is led to Area 51, also known as Dreamland, the US' most secret base. He then finds himself on a momentous mission to rescue Rivesh Mantilax from the threat of the ruthless Viperox and the clutches of the American military.
Created in eye-catching high-definition 3-D animation, the series sees the Doctor, played by David Tennant, hook up with two new companions – Cassie (Georgia Moffett) and Jimmy (Tim Howar) – and pits him against a new alien race, the monstrous Viperox, led by Lord Azlok (David Warner). The multiplatform offering will be enhanced by a brand-new mobile comic reader application.
http://blogtorwho.blogspot.com/2009/11/dreamland-broadcast-details-synopses.htmlDescribed as "Doctor Who meets a Fifties monster B-movie", Dreamland, a new six-part... more
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By Clara Moskowitz
updated 1:31 a.m. CT, Sat., Nov . 7, 2009
A Seattle-based team has won $900,000 in this year's Space Elevator Games, a NASA-sponsored contest to build machines powered by laser beams that can climb a cable in the sky.
The homemade cable-climber built by the LaserMotive team climbed a 3,000-foot (900-meter) tether suspended by a helicopter at a speed of 8 mph (3.7 meters per second or 13 kilometers per hour) during a Wednesday attempt.
LaserMotive's robot climber managed to get all the way up the cable four times in two days, with a best time of about 3 minutes and 48 seconds (translating to a speed of 3.9 meters per second).
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33737313/ns/technology_and_science-space/
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g16r_7B0VfVH_rWZF0kcnkPQbvGwD9BQNNGG0
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/media/ALeqM5gkBLrncVOnvUD2g-I4KbhdeCC6bg?size=lBy Clara Moskowitz
updated 1:31 a.m. CT, Sat., Nov . 7, 2009
A Seattle-based team... more
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Translation please!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6zDg0dKygE
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lvp
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added this
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4 days ago
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V's Speech from V for Vendetta
www.imdb.com/title/tt0434409/
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