Archive: July 11 - July 31, 2006

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Monday, July 31

James C. McLane III at The Space Review outlines a plan for a one-man mission to Mars.

Michael Cassutt at SciFi Weekly informs us that You Might Be a Sci Fi Writer.

Assorted Items: The headline reads "Scientists Develop Robotic Wine Taster."

Red Nova informs us there's a new word for space tourists: leisurenauts.

Peter Schwartz and Rita Koselka of CNN Money look ahead at the impact quantum computing may have on the world.

 

Sunday, July 30

This weekend I watched several episodes of the British show Space Patrol (now available on DVD, albeit as an import) for the first time ever. Not to be confused with the US show of the same name. How did I ever consider myself a retro-SF geek before seeing this? It's got creepy puppets, awesome space helmets, and funky future architecture.

I also watched Negadon: The Monster from Mars, which is pretty sweet.

 

Yours Truly has the humbling honor of being one of the commentators in the latest Brain Parade at Jose Garcia's excellent SF blog Meme Therapy.

 

Friday, July 28

Assorted Items: Dial B for Blog recalls some of the great characters rejected from the Legion of Superheroes. There's also a contest.

Joe Pappalardo of Air & Space looks at the idea of exploring other planets by balloon.

This year's World Science Fiction Convention in Anaheim has its own cook book.

 

Thursday, July 27

Space.com introduces us to the biggest thing in the universe.

 

The technology now exists to render recognizable letters on the surface of water.

 

Wednesday, July 26

Newsarama has posted a story about Pendragon Pictures claiming that Dark Horse Comics' excellent adaptation of the War of the Worlds is, in fact, based on their movie adaptation. They've even set up a website where you can compare images from both.
The Dark Horse book (readable in its entirety here) has so far spawned two sequels: Scarlet Traces and The Great Game (which just started).
I've stated before that no SF icon has been visualized more often or in a greater variety of styles than the Martian War Machine. Check out Eve of the War's extensive gallery for proof. Also check out their section of War of the World babes.

 

SciFi Tech gives us yet another flying car. While we're here let's revisit Roadable Times, the Moller Skycar, Retrofuture's tribute to the Convaircar., and Tales of Future Past's section of Future Cars,

 

Both Kurt Amacker of Cinescape and Steven Grant of Comic Book Resources file their post Comic Con reports.

 

Tuesday, July 25

Ain't It Cool News is reporting word from this past weekend's Comic Con that new stories set in the Babylon 5 universe will be coming to DVD in 2007.

 

The Mondolithic Image of the Week is this sweet high speed railway train.

 

Monday, July 24

Apparently Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin had to pull a McGyver to get off the moon.

 

Michael Huang of The Space Review argues that if humans in space are scientifically useless, that standard should be applied to other human tasks as well.

 

A post at Roland Piquepaille's Technology Trends about the world's most efficient cars features this sexy little number which gets 12,670 miles per gallon. Via The Speculist.

 

Friday, July 21

Wired informs us that Japanese roboticist Hiroshi Ishiguro has created his own robot double called Geminoid HI-1.

Robot Doubles are old news. Nick Fury has his Life Model Decoy. Superman has a bevy of robots. So does Dr. Doom. Supergirl built her own. Android copies have been made of The Hulk, Yellow Claw, and Josef Stalin.

James Kirk was subjected to an Android Duplicator. Replacing people with robots was central to the plot of Futureworld, The Stepford Wives, Imposter, and Metropolis.

I know there's a lot more. Send'em to me (preferably with links). I'll update later.

Friend Mark comes through with Lou Reed's robot double in No Money Down.

 

Thursday, July 20

Seth Shostak at Space.com asks: Is SETI Barking up the Wrong Tree?

 

SF Signal hips us to these neat DC Super Hero postage stamps due out today.

Meanwhile AOL's In2TV has a special Superman Channel available for a limited time.

 

Wednesday, July 19

Don't know how I missed this, but last week a working ornithopter was successfully tested in Toronto. Learn more about flappy aircraft here.

 

Kurt Amacker of Cinescape recalls the childhood influence Of Men and Supermen.

 

Eye of the Goof links to this painfully funny mash-up of Star Trek and Monty Python's Knights of the Round Table.

 

Tuesday, July 18

This Saturday I'll be doing the Libertarian-bonding thing down at the Reason Hit & Run Gathering in NYC.

 

Because there is no such thing as too much free time on these here internets, here's a website dedicated solely to cats that look like Hitler. (via Geekpress)

 

Engadget tells us the age of killer robots has come one step closer as a Robosapien gets fitted with a flamethrower.

 

Here's a couple of recent goodies from McSweeney's I liked: Gilgamesh, King of Uruk in Babylonia (2700 B.C.), Responds to Advertising's Biggest Questions, and Godzilla's Journal.

 

Monday, July 17

Recommended Readin': Sidney Perkowitz of PhysicsWeb examines the accuracy of physics (and the portrayal of physicists) in the movies.

Taylor Dinerman of The Space Review considers the future of the inflatable space hotel.

Author David Gerrold looks at the state of assorted SF predictions at ABC News.

 

Friday, July 14

Your ridable robot has arrived. So has your futuristic bubble car.

 

The latest Modern Drunkard gives us 40 rock-solid reasons to get drunk tonight, a guide to effectively communicating while intoxicated, looks back at alcohol in ancient Rome, and teaches us how to spot a teetotaler.

 

Sci Fi has posted the pilot for their new show The Amazing Screw-On Head online. Watch as President Lincoln dispatches our modular steampunk robotic hero and his manservant Mr. Groin to defeat Emperor Zombie and save the world from an ancient evil, all done in sweet Mike Mignola art.

 

Thursday, July 13

Incoming Signals hips us to Poulpe Pulp, a gallery of vintage pulp covers featuring octopi.

 

The Eternal Golden Braid links to this short-but-awesome 4.5MB Quicktime clip taken from a camera on the shuttle booster as it fell away from the main engine.

 

Regular readers of this humble blog know that I like the idea of fictional cities-as-artform. In the past I've lined to Utopolis, Ambergris, Neu-York, and Urville. Now Things Magazine sends us to the creepy surreal City of Galvez.

I also came across the Fictional Road Maps of Adrian Leskiw.

Let's also revisit the Lovecraft Maproom, the Atlas of the DC Universe, and the Marvel Atlas Project.

 

Things Magazine also informs us that Theo Jansen's wind-powered Strandbeests are currently on display in the streets of London.

 

Wednesday, July 12

New Scientist tells us the inflatable space hotel is getting a test launch today.

 

File under "Strange Idea:" Chicago Tap Theatre is currently hosting a science fiction tap opera featuring the music of David Bowie.

 

Tuesday, July 11

A moment of silence, please, for Mr. Syd Barrett.

Popular Science has your personal tank.

Retrocrush gives us their list of the Top 30 Game Show Hosts of All Time.

Centauri Dreams has posted a paper on the potential benefits of sending a relativistic probe to Alpha Centauri. Via Futurismic.

 

 

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