-
Tigh/Roslin 2008
This image made its first appearance about a day after the Republican VP choice was announced. It apparently resonated, since somebody has already registered tighroslin.com They look like us and they sound like us. So how can you know? I’m a sure thing. I’m Saul Tigh, and you frakking-well better believe I approved this message.…
-
Songs of SF
Musician and SF fan John Anealio is merging his two hobbies by reading books and writing songs based on the plot. My name is Rick Deckard, I’m in my hover car I’m a bounty hunter for the city There’s six androids free, and it’s left to me tonight They’re the Nexus 6 and they get…
-
Women Scientists in Fiction
The Visions database lists female scientists in fiction, in particular science fiction. The database has three main purposes: To collect examples of female scientists in fiction, both through my own research and through suggestions from the public To collect, maintain and communicate these examples (with a view to possible expansions to include other areas, such…
-
Drilling in Alien Ice
Some of the most interesting places in the solar system are hidden under sheets of ice. The polar caps of Mars, Saturn’s moon Enceladus and Jupiter’s moon Europa will require drilling of some kind to explore thoroughly. The technology used for drilling in places like Greenland is heavy and complex, which rules it out for…
-
Anne Francis Stars in…
…well, you know the rest.* The Monster Memories blog has posted skillions of promotional photos, lobby cards, and other images from Forbidden Planet. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 I particularly like the “wardrobe test” photos. That last one makes Anne look like she’s sanitized for your protection. *BTW – Did you know they’re planning…
-
“Futurism” Print
Dave Malki (who does Wondermark) created this handsome “Futurism” poster, suitable for any dorm room or fallout shelter. It’s the tag line that really makes me giggle: Link (I like this T-shirt, too.)
-
MMORPG on Mars
Virtual-world builder Avatar Reality is working on a Second Life-esque environment set on a Terraformed Mars in the year 2177 AD. The product is targeted at a more adult market, and their emphasis is on realism. “It’s somewhat futuristic, somewhat environmental,” said Chen. “We won’t have gasoline on Blue Mars. Things will be solar-powered or…
-
“Watch the Original” Day
The Crotchety Old Fan has a heartfelt rant about the Day the Earth Stood Still remake. The viewing public has a right to be exposed to the original before they see the remake; they have a right to judge the two side by side – BEFORE the computer-generated dazzle has a chance to influence them.…
-
Blowing Right Past the Uncanny Valley
Image Metrics is a company devoted to creating extremely realistic facial animations for video games and movies. They’re pretty good at it. In the video below, the actress’ face is entirely computer-generated until the 1:30 mark. It could be argued that the animated face looks a little stiff compared to the real thing, but it…
-
Bleed All You Want, We’ll Make More
Researchers at US firm Advanced Cell Technology claim to have created a large number of red blood cells from human embryonic stem cells. They say that they can generate 10 to 100 billion red blood cells from a single six-well plate of stem cells. Using a cell line with an O- type would mean that…