Gravity Lens Weblog

Archive: March 27 - April 16

Sunday, April 16

George Dvorsky shows some love for bald women in science fiction.

Friday, April 14

Fredric Smoler of American Heritage looks at the lure of alternate history. Via Locus.

While we're here, let's revisit This Day in Alternate History, Today in Alternate History, Alternate History.com, Uchronia, The Alternate History Travel Guides, and the Alternate Historian's Notebook.

Harvard has a new optical telescope dedicated to searching for alien light signals.

In other science news, an inflatable space hotel is being prepped for testing.

Thursday, April 13

SciFi.com has launched SciFiPedia, a "a wiki dedicated to all genres of the fantastic."

Jason SIlverman of Wired interviews Michael Nesmith.

Wednesday, April 12

Kurt Amacker of Cinescape interviews Alan Moore.

Future Stuff: Technovelgy hails the coming of Synthehol.

Gizmodo looks at robotic cookware that tells you what to do.

Damn Interesting gives us a glimpse of the GravityPlane, a hypothetical aircraft with unlimited range and no need for fuel. Via Futurismic.

SciFi Tech shows us a USB Flash drive that inflates as you fill it.

J. Michael Straczynski resumes his writing column at Newsarama with some advice on finishing what you start.

Tuesday, April 11

There's a happy face on Mars, but if you read Watchmen you already know this.

Erich von Daeniken's ancient astronaut-themed Mystery Park is in danger of closing due to lack of funds. While we're here let's revisit the Jack Kirby designed park that was never built.

And here's a site dedicated to abandoned amusement parks.

Here's another neat future airship on the drawing board: The Millennium Airship SkyFreighter. It will be able to land in the water.

Recently, Defense Industry Daily reported that military intrest in heavy-lifting airships appears to be waning. Meanwhile, the Dynalifter is still on track for test flights this Spring.

Monday, April 10

Dial B for Blog gives us a gallery of Comic Book Easter Eggs (with hidden links!).

Assorted Items: The final ballot for the Bram Stoker Awards is up.

The good news: the handheld brain scanner has arrived. The bad news: it runs Windows.

Michael Cassutt of SciFi Weekly explains the role of conflict in all creative processes.

Friday, April 7

"The future was so cool in 1961:" The Lope has a spectacular photo-essay on the LAX's Encounter restaurant. Via Coudal.

Thursday, April 6

Boing Boing links to this very cool-looking GMC concept truck that won the LA Auto Show Design Challange. Some of the runners-up are pretty sweet, too.

And, because I know what you're thinking, here's Ark II and the Landmaster.

Watch an animated Spock action figure do karaoke in this promotional spot for G4's upcoming Star Trek 2.0.

Oh, To Be in England: Jeff Wayne has turned his War of the Worlds album into a live show that tours the U.K. later this month.

Roy Rivenburg of the Seattle Times goes inside the Science of Superheroes course at University of California, Irvine.

Wednesday, April 5

Steven Grant at Comic Book Resources looks at V for Vendetta and the conundrum of comic book adaptations.

In other comic news, this year's Eisner nominees have been announced.

Tom McNichol of Wired updates us on the missing head of the Philip K. Dick android.

Tuesday, April 4

A reminder that we live in the future: The headline reads "Paralysed man to scale Alpine peak with aid of robotic legs." This one reads "Bio-engineered bladders successful in patients."

In reading this past weekend's story about the professor who advocates killing 90% of the population through disease, I started thinking about fictional epidemics. Among such nasty outbreaks are the Andromeda Strain, Captain Trips, the Legacy Virus, the White Plague, the Phage, the Satan Bug, the Drafa Plague, and whatever killed all the men in Y: The Last Man.

Here's a Wikipedia list of fictional diseases.

A few folks have written in to remind me that, for one second in the small hours of Wednesday morning, the time and date will be 01:02:03 04/05/06. That is all.

Monday, April 3

Link-A-Rama: SciFi Weekly swings into the informative Tarzan of the Internet.

Geekpress links to this great list of the Top 87 Bad Predictions About the Future.

The Runsible Ansible sends us off to the Trek Passions dating service to find love.

Scottish scientists have plans to build a catapult that can throw things to the moon.

Saturday, April 1

It is April.

The God of the Month is Hecate, Queen of Ghosts.

The Molecule of the Month is the fragrant Skatole.

The Monster of the Month is Bemular.

Locus delivers the April Fools goods with news on the MTV Fantasy Awards and an upcoming line of "Adult" Star Wars novel, among other items.

Star Trek.com joins in the fun with a website relaunch.

The James Randi site hands out this year's Pigasus Awards.

Friday, March 31

Starting in April we'll be able to download 60 second Doctor Who episodes onto cellphones.

Recommended Readin': World Science reports on a debate about the multiverse.

Christopher Doering of Red Orbit tells us of the cloned horse industry.

In the new Free Inquiry, Sam Harris tackles The Myth of Secular Moral Chaos.

Something Awful's Photoshop Phriday gives us literal magazine covers.

Thursday, March 30

Tom Jones has been knighted.

BBC Science looks at the NASA's new maps of Jupiter.

From The Onion: Science-Fiction Novel Posits Future Where Characters Are Hastily Sketched.

Wednesday, March 29

SF Signal links to the Houston Chronicle's piece on the 50th anniversary of the film Forbidden Planet. There's also a list of the 25 Most Important SF Films on the sidebar.

Dial B for Blog remembers some canines in comic books.

The Mondolithic Image of the Week is the Brave New World of Games.

Dave Romm, the man who photographed Klingon Elvis, writes in to tell us about his long-running show Shockwave Radio Theater, which is available for download.

I'm all for free speech and expression, as well as unhindered technological advancement, but nothing good can come from a baby-headed spidery robot. Nothing.

Tuesday, March 28

A moment of silence, please, for Night Stalker, Trilogy of Terror, and Dark Shadows producer Dan Curtis.

Artist Michael Kaluta links to this site for the animated film Conan: Red Nails, which has some neat art galleries.

Matt Brady of Newsarama looks at the legal history of the term "super hero."

Monday, March 27

A moment of silence, please, for Mr. Stanislaw Lem.

Futurismic links to this Bldg Blog entry on a neat airship hotel proposal.

A moment of silence, plese, for Mr. Richard Fleischer, director of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Fantastic Voyage, Soylent Green, and many other films.

Technovelgy brings the joyful news that spray-on clothing has arrived.

In browsing Ocean State Job Lot yesterday I came across a pile of what could possibly be the least collectible item ever: Catwoman Mad Libs. Amazon only has 5 left.

The Palace of Culture is currently hosting the excellent online exhibit Radebaugh: The Future We Were Promised, which I saw in Philadelphia a few years back. Beautiful stuff.

While we're on the subject of retro-futures, let's revisit Tales of Future Past, City of Tomorrow, Transportation Futuristics, Dreams of Tomorrow, Roaring Rockets, Yesterday's Tomorrows and Retrofuture.com.