SciFi News

SciFi News For 1-13-12

2012-01-13T14:22:00.002-07:00

"Run, Runner!"...Dystopian Science Fiction Films Of The 70"s:

http://www.avclub.com/articles/dystopian-sciencefiction-films-of-the-1970s,67206/

5 Future Inventions That Many Have Been Waiting For:

http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/inventions/5-future-inventions-everyones-been-waiting-for.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DailyStuff+%28DailyStuff+from+HowStuffWorks%29#mkcpgn=rss1

"Cruising With Curiosity" The Latest On The Mars Rover (Video 1:30)

http://www.universetoday.com/92514/crucial-rocket-firing-puts-curiosity-on-course-for-martian-crater-touchdown/

$10 Million Dollar Prize For Any Inventor Who Can Build A Real Star Trek Tricorder:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16518171

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/01/12/qualcomm-tricorder-x-prize-10-million_n_1201679.html

Q&A With The Founder Of "The Encyclopedia Of Science Fiction":

http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/01/12/qa-with-the-founder-of-%E2%80%98the-encyclopedia-of-science-fiction%E2%80%99/

Harry Potter Actors Get Tested On Their American Accents: (Video 1:42)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=moPRTR5ABE0

Man Builds 19-foot-tall Apollo Model Out Of Lego's:

http://io9.com/5875734/man-builds-19+foot+tall-model-of-apollo-11-out-of-120000-lego-bricks

OTHER NEWS

There's movement on the Trek home front again as filming was officially started yesterday on the next "Star Trek" sequel. Sources say that the new film has called for more sets than the previous movie including sections of Enterprise not seen in the 2009 movie. That includes improvements to the engine room, which for the first movie was just a dressed-up Budweiser plant.

Not much has been heard lately concerning the status of the new "Battlestar Galactica" spinoff series "Blood & Chrome", but a decision on when fans will get a chance to see the episode is coming soon. Even if Syfy does pick the show up for series, don't expect a premiere until at least 2013. "Blood & Chrome" takes place before the "Battlestar Galactica" series but after the BSG prequel series "Caprica," which lasted just a single season.The new show, which features a young William Adama on a sleek new Battlestar Galactica, was a tricky prospect because the sets for BSG are long gone but knowing there could be potential franchise built around the first reimagined series, production crews took extensive photos of the sets so that they could be used in backgrounds in future projects.

A "24" movie that everyone felt was eventually coming....Is finally coming! It’s been a “it’s probably going to happen” rumor for a while now, but according to Kiefer Sutherland, a 24 movie is going forward at last, and it’s set to start shooting this April. Not much is known yet about the plot, but one element in the movie that everyone agrees will be needed is a strong villain.

If plans remain the same the next sci-fi film we’ll see from Steven Spielberg will be "Robopocalypse", based on the novel by Daniel H Wilson. It should go into production after the director’s finished his next movie project, "Lincoln" He recently told a London magazine “It’s a movie about a global war between man and machine… It’s a future that is coming true faster than any of us thought it would.”

"Avatar" fans who want to see more of their favorite blue people may have to wait longer than anticipated. During a recent interview producer Jon Landau revealed that the planned summer release of 2014 for the second movie could be unrealistic in that it’s “four years away.”

This weekend the orbit of the failed Russian Mars Probe Phobos-Grunt will start decaying. Russian officials estimate it will re-enter Earth's atmosphere between Saturday and Monday and that, at most, 20 to 30 fragments of the probe, weighing a total of less than 440 pounds may reach Earth’s surface.

Vladimir Popovkin, chief of Russia's Federal Space Agency recently hinted that foul play may be responsible for the failure of Russia's Mars probe Phobos-Grunt, as well as a string of other embarrassing setbacks that plagued the country's space agency last year. "It is unclear why our setbacks often occur when the vessels are traveling through what for Russia is the dark side of the Earth, in areas where we do not see the craft and do not receive its telemetry readings," "I do not want to blame anyone, but today there are some very powerful countermeasures that can be used against spacecraft whose use we cannot exclude,"

BOOK REVIEWS

"The Other" - Matthew Hughes:
http://georgekelley.org/?p=9865
"Boneyards" - Kristine Kathryn Rusch
http://en.risingshadow.net/library?action=book&book_id=33091
"Broken Angels" - Richard Morgan
http://digitalsciencefiction.com/book-review-broken-angels-by-richard-morgan/
"M.V.M Mech Vs Magic - The Battle For Harpathia" - Daniel A Neves
http://mechvsmagic.com/

SCIFI MOVIE ACTOR FACT
James Caan, who took more than his share of bumps and bruises in the 1975 futuristic film "Rollerball", in real life spent 9 years on the pro rodeo circuit.

SCIFI NEWS QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"Another hero was Tom Swift, in the books. What he stood for, the freedom, the scientific knowledge and being and engineer gave him the ability to invent solutions to problems. He's always been a hero to me. I buy old Tom Swift books now and read them to my own children." - Steve Wozniak

SciFi News For 1-6-12

2012-01-06T10:18:00.002-07:00

French-English Trailer For Intriguing SciFi Romance "Upside Down" (Video 2:06)
http://www.scificool.com/first-trailer-for-juan-solanas-upside-down/

Cleaning Up Space Focus Of New IMAX Movie "Space Junk 3D" (Video 2:47):
http://www.space.com/14132-space-junk-3d-film-orbital-debris.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+spaceheadlines+%28SPACE.com+Headline+Feed%29

Interview With "Stargate" Producer Joseph Mallozzi:
http://nerdtrek.com/interview-joseph-mallozzi-stargate/

Recently Discovered Arthur C. Clarke 1963 TV Interview (Video 19:58):
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1981/1

2012 Apocalypse FAQ: Why The World Won't End:
http://www.space.com/14137-2012-doomsday-theories-nasa-interview.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+spaceheadlines+%28SPACE.com+Headline+Feed%29

Optimistic Space And Technology Predictions For The Next 40 Years:
http://www.centauri-dreams.org/?p=21217

What The Heck Is A "Leap Second"?:
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/01/leap-second/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wired%2Findex+%28Wired%3A+Index+3+%28Top+Stories+2%29%29

How To Save A One Billion Dollar Satellite:
http://www.space.com/14144-military-satellite-miraculous-rescue.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+spaceheadlines+%28SPACE.com+Headline+Feed%29

"Temporal Cloaking" - The Futuristic Sound Of It Alone Should Get Your Attention: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/time-cloak-hid-event-in-experiment-physicists-say/2012/01/04/gIQA5rtwaP_story.html

"Looper" Time Machine Photo:
http://scifipop.com/2012/movie-news/looper-time-machine-photo-revealed/

OTHER NEWS

British actor Noel Clarke, known to "Doctor Who" fans for his role as Mickey Smith on the BBC series, has been signed on for Star Trek 2. Clarke will be portraying a family man and is the third newcomer to be signed for the sequel, the other two being Alice Eve and Peter Weller. In a related story, the casting of Benedict Cumberbatch as the villain in the Star Trek sequel has been huge news across the internet as speculation continues as to what role he will be playing.

It looks like androids will be getting significant screen time in a new NBC series called "Beautiful People" Created by MAD TV actor Micheal McDonald. The show is set in a future society where humans co-exist with androids that look like people but are treated like second-class citizens called "Mechanicals". NBC has just announced two cast members. British actor James Murray will play the son of the widow of the head of the company that created the androids and Patrick Heusinger will star as a Mechanical who is a house servant for a family.

The failed Russian Mars probe is expected to come crashing back to Earth next weekend.The Phobos-Grunt spacecraft was stranded in Earth orbit shortly after its Nov. 8 launch and it's been circling lower and lower ever since.Phobos-Grunt is a huge spacecraft, tipping the scales at 14.5 tons. Much of that weight is toxic hydrazine fuel, prompting some observers to worry about potential environmental impacts of the probe's re-entry.

BOOK REVIEWS

"Faith" - John Love:

http://www.tor.com/blogs/2012/01/defyingly-i-worship-thee-a-review-of-faith-by-john-love

"Halo: Primordium" - Greg Bear:

http://www.tor.com/blogs/2012/01/read-a-preview-of-the-new-halo-forerunner-book-out-today

"The Kings Of Eternity" - Eric Brown:

http://www.denofgeek.com/comics/982257/the_kings_of_eternity_book_review.html

"Shadows In Flight" - Orson Scott Card (Jan 17):

http://www.bookbrowse.com/bb_briefs/detail/index.cfm/ezine_preview_number/6862/shadows-in-flight

SCIFI MOVIE ACTOR FACT

Charlton Heston was hired by the F.B.I during the April 1993 Waco stand-off with cult leader David Koresh to play the voice of God while communicating with him, however the plan was never used.

SCIFI NEWS QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time." - Thomas Edison

SciFi News For 12-30-11

2011-12-30T11:29:00.002-07:00

This Time We Can't See The Aliens..."Darkest Hour" Review (SPOILER ALERT):
http://www.tor.com/blogs/2011/12/invisible-aliens-electricity-and-russians-the-darkest-hour

Meet The New Catwoman - Anne Hathaway (SPOILER ALERT) (Video 2:12)
http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2011/12/29/dark-knight-rises-star-anne-hathaway-gotham-city-is-full-of-grace/

"Predators" Director Going The Robot Route In Next Project (Concept Art):
http://www.quietearth.us/articles/2011/12/28/Nimrod-Antal-packaging-REPOSSESSION-OF-MAX-THE-COMPANION-ROBOT-first-details-concept-art

Original "Alien" Trailer Re-cut To Match "Prometheus" Trailer (Video 1:02):
http://io9.com/5871933/ridley-scotts-original-alien-trailer-recut-to-match-the-prometheus-trailer

NASA'S Twin Grail Spacecraft Have Busy Weekend Ahead:
http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2011/12/will-nasas-grail-probe-solve-the-mystery-of-the-missing-moon.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheDailyGalaxyNewsFromPlanetEarthBeyond+%28The+Daily+Galaxy+--Great+Discoveries+Channel%3A+Sci%2C+Space%2C+Tech.%29
Grail Video: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/video/index.cfm?id=1016

The Failed Mars Phobos-Grunt Mission. A Video Recap (1:43)
http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-12-video-phobos-grunt-re-entry-animation.html

Boosting Worker Efficiency...Through Muzak?:
http://io9.com/5870061/are-your-corporate-overlords-controlling-you-with-light-and-sound

Out-of-print "Blade Runner" Sketchbook A Marvel To Look Through (Slideshow):
http://www.wired.com/underwire/2011/12/blade-runner-sketchbook/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wired%2Findex+%28Wired%3A+Index+3+%28Top+Stories+2%29%29

OTHER NEWS

"Prometheus" actress Charlize Theron recently opened up about her role in the movie. While some people have been comparing her character in the film to Sigourney Weaver's Ripley in "Alien", the actress herself admitted, "No, I actually don't play the heroine in it; that's Noomi Rapace. I play somewhat of a villain in it." She further elaborated that her character, Meredith Vickers, is "not believer, she's not a scientist, she is the red tape that everyone has to go through."

Only time will tell if Arnold Schwarzenegger is planning to go full throttle to resurrect his acting career, but right now he shows no signs of slowing down since he left office. He started with action flick "The Last Stand" as his first come-back film followed by a reprisal role in "The Expendables 2". Now he’s set to star in a new film called "Black Sands." At first it was thought that it would be another action flick, however just recently he told a fan website himself that there’s a supernatural element in the plot not mentioned previously. Of the role Schwarzenegger says, "I’m a kind of angel."

The first science fiction movie "A Trip To The Moon" is now fully restored. The 1902 film had both a black and white and color version, the latter of which had been assumed long lost until relatively recently.For the past 12 years, film archivists have been working to fully restore the 60-minute color print for a re-release. Check out some before and after pictures: http://www.tor.com/blogs/2011/12/the-first-sci-fi-movie-a-trip-to-the-moon-fully-restored News story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-16262815

The 1953 George Pal version of "The War Of The Worlds" has been named one of the 25 films that will be added to the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry, which lists films that are considered culturally, historically or aesthetically significant. Films so registered are then preserved by the LOC for future generations.

sci-fi-london.com is slowly putting together a nice collection of old-time US radio shows. Already in the database are shows from Robert Heinlein and Isaac Asimov. Now a good number of Ray Bradbury classics have been added. The shows are free and downloadable in MP3 format: http://www.sci-fi-london.com/ray-bradbury-radio-shows

BOOK REVIEWS

"Mecha Corps - A Novel Of The Armor Wars #1" - Brett Patton:
http://www.nightowlscifi.com/nor/Reviews/Dawncolclasure-reviews-Mecha-Corps-by-Brett-Patton.aspx
"Specific Impulse" - Charles Justiz:
http://blogcritics.org/books/article/book-review-specific-impulse-by-charles/
"Life On Mars: Tales From The New Frontier" - Jonathan Strahand:
https://www.worldswithoutend.com/novel.asp?id=2388

SCIFI NEWS QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"I'm sure we would not have had men on the Moon if it had not been for Wells and Verne and the people who write about this and made people think about it. I'm rather proud of the fact that I know several astronauts who became astronauts through reading my books." - Arthur C Clarke

SciFi News For 12-23-11

2011-12-23T08:27:00.000-07:00

First "Prometheus" Trailer On Official Movie Site (Video 1:10):
http://www.prometheus-movie.com/

"The Dark Knight Rises" Official Trailer (Video 2:11):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMmr_EwwBOg

"John Carter" Director Andrew Stanton Introduces New Trailer (Video 2:34):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WR6HUkzxjR0

Novel-inspired Story Along With Artist Visuals Equals French "Mars et Avril"
(Video 1:59): http://www.quietearth.us/articles/2011/12/21/Gorgeous-first-trailer-for-Martin-Villeneuves-Canadian-scifi-MARS-ET-AVRIL

NASA Pilot's Book "Specific Impulse" To Be Made Into Film (Book Trailer 1:40):
http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/12/13/nasa-pilots-scifi-novel-specific-impulse-being-adapted-by-kevin-van-hook/

Physicist Says Mathematically A Parallel Universe Is Possible (Audio Interview):
http://wjbc.com/the-science-of-a-parallel-universe/

Robots Finally Starting To Look More "Terminator-like" (Video 1:17):
http://singularityhub.com/2011/12/21/petman-finally-a-robot-that-looks-like-terminator-video/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SingularityHub+%28Singularity+Hub%29

"SpaceX" Founder Confident He Can "Put Millions Of People On Mars":
http://www.marssociety.org/home/press/news/illputmillionsofpeopleonmarssayselonmusk

They Don't Build Russian Mars Probes Like They Used To:
http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2011/12/ecoalert-russians-preparing-for-re-entry-of-failed-probe-of-mars-mystery-moon-phobos.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheDailyGalaxyNewsFromPlanetEarthBeyond+%28The+Daily+Galaxy+--Great+Discoveries+Channel%3A+Sci%2C+Space%2C+Tech.%29

Size Comparison Of Famous Sci-Fi Spaceships:
http://www.bitrebels.com/geek/size-comparison-of-famous-sci-fi-spaceships-infographics/

A CHRISTMAS WISH BY SCIENCE FICTION WRITER JOHN SCALZI

"My Christmas wish is for Hollywood to start making more original, big-event science fiction movies. Which is to say, enough with the franchises, remakes and reboots. Let's get some new visions on the screen, okay? I'm not advocating Hollywood get out of the sequel business, since then we wouldn't have "The Empire Strikes Back" or "Aliens" or "Terminator 2: Judgement Day". I am just saying it would be nice to have a better ratio of new scifi flicks to sequels and remakes and reboots. Is that too much for this science fiction junkie to ask?"

OTHER NEWS

MTV recently posted a short interview with J.J. Abrams about Star Trek XII:

"It's a little early to be talking about "Star Trek" but I will say that the three writers, Damon Lindelof, Bob Orci and Alex Kurtzman wrote the most amazing script, and I'm thrilled to get a chance to direct it," he said. Our sets are almost done, so we're going to go back and start shooting next month."

Actor Harrison Ford still has more aliens to battle before his career winds down. Ford has officially joined the cast of "Ender's Game". Set in Earth's utopian future, "Ender's Game" stars Asa Butterfield as the title character, a genius strategist who's recruited by the government to help destroy an insect-like alien race. Ford will play Colonel Hyram Graff, who's in charge of training the young male recruits at an elite military academy. Release date is March 15, 2013.

Warner Bros. has released the official synopsis for for the highly anticipated science fiction film "Gravity" starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. Bullock plays Dr. Ryan Stone, a brilliant medical engineer on her first shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky (Clooney) in command of his last flight before retiring. But on a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes. The shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalsky completely alone and spiraling out into the blackness of space.

The name for M. Night Shyamalan's new movie "One Thousand A.E" has been changed to "After Earth" The film will star Will Smith and his son Jaden as a father and son team who crash land on an Earth 1000-years abandoned by humans.

After twenty years of hard work, the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction website has gone live. It's an online database containing thousands of entries for all things Sci-fi, and a great place to read all about your favorite authors, characters, themes, and everything in between.

BOOK REVIEWS
"Delirium" - Lauren Oliver:
http://www.laurenoliverbooks.com/delirium.php

"Sequence" - Kenneth Rogers Jr:
http://sbpra.com/kennethrogersjr/
"Mindscan" - Robert J. Sawyer:
http://www.sfsite.com/05b/mi200.htm

SCIFI NEWS QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"Let us strive to improve ourselves, for we cannot remain stationary; one either progresses or retrogrades" - Madame Marie du Deffand

SciFi News For 12-16-11

2011-12-16T10:16:00.000-07:00

New Trailer For "MS One: Maximum Security" - Formerly "Lockout" (Video 1:57):
http://www.movie-list.com/trailers.php?id=msone

Another "G.I.Joe" Film...This Time With The Rock And Bruce Willis (Trailer 2:51)
http://www.sliceofscifi.com/2011/12/13/g-i-joe-retaliation-trailer-released/

Two Earth's Still Equals One Review. "Another Earth" (Image & Trailer 2:17):
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/reviews/article-2071889/Another-Earth-film-review-An-ill-considered-mixture-realism-science-fiction.html

2012 Loaded With Science Fiction Movie Choices:
http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/1166414/10_potentially_great_scifi_movies_coming_in_2012.html

Filmmakers Going Retro With SFX In Upcoming Sci-Fi Short (Video 1:56)
http://techzwn.com/2011/12/filmmakers-reviving-sci-fi-with-lights-miniatures-and-imagination/

The Six Million Dollar Man - First Season DVD Review:
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1987/1

"The Hunger Games" New Poster:
http://www.sfx.co.uk/2011/12/16/the-hunger-games-new-poster/

With Missions Complete Long Ago "Voyager" I And II Head Out of Solar System:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111213144717.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29

A Closer Look At The "Large Hadron Collider" (Dr Michio Kaku - Video 2:45):
http://www.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/everyday-myths/large-hadron-collider.htm#mkcpgn=em16

"Lucasfilms' Version Of A Christmas Card:
http://blastr.com/2011/12/image-of-the-day-lucasfilms-humorous-2011-holiday-card.php

OTHER NEWS
It's been a few years since we've had a Mars-related movie, but a new film titled

"The Last Days On Mars" is in the works directed by Ruairi Robinson. The films plot centers around an astronaut crew on their last days on the planet who suddenly discover evidence of life from rock samples. However as their relief crew's ship approaches the astronauts have to deal with impending danger back at the excavation site.

Director Bryan Singer is doing a theatrical release "Battlestar Galactica" movie, unrelated to the prequel TV series "Blood and Chrome." Its writer is John Orloff, who when interviewed said that his version is pretty bold. He likes the recent TV series and said his movie won't contradict it.

There is word that Denzel Washington will appear as the lead in film "The Equalizer" It's based on the 80s sci-fi show that originally starred Edward Woodward as a retired secret agent who tries to atone for his violent past by offering his services to those in need.

Warner Bros. has just bought the rights for an action sci-fi film called ‘Rise’ from up and comer David Karlak. Although details of the production are shrouded in mystery sources say there are some heavy hitters involved in the making of this movie.

If you weren't that impressed by the last James Bond movie, "Quantum Of Solace" your not alone. But Daniel Craig says don’t give up on the franchise, promising the new Bond movie "Skyfall" will be better. Craig says the "Solace" ran into problems due to the writer’s strike."We had the bare bones of a script and then there was a writers’ strike and there was nothing we could do. We couldn’t employ a writer to finish it. I say to myself, ‘Never again’, but who knows? There was me trying to rewrite scenes...and a writer I am not.”

Anonymous U.S. government sources confirm that Iran probably did scoop up one of America’s stealth RQ-170 Sentinel spy drones after the aircraft crashed near the Iran-Afghanistan border last week. What’s still uncertain is exactly why the drone went down, what it was doing in or near Iranian airspace and who was operating it. The Iranians claim they captured the RQ-170 “with little damage” after an electronic-warfare unit jammed its control signal. But the RQ-170, like most modern drones, doesn’t need orders from its human operators to stay in the air.

The most expensive weapons program in U.S. history is about to get a lot pricier.

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, meant to replace nearly every tactical warplane in the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, was already expected to cost $1 trillion dollars for development, production and maintenance over the next 50 years. Now that cost is expected to grow, owing to 13 different design flaws uncovered in the last two months by a hush-hush panel of five Pentagon experts.

BOOK REVIEWS
"A Mirror For Observers" - Edgar Pangborn (1954)
http://www.tor.com/blogs/2011/12/quiet-martians-edgar-pangborns-a-mirror-for-observers
"Sisterhood Of Dune" - Brian Herbert And Kevin J Anderson (Jan 3)
http://www.vjbooks.com/Kevin-Anderson-Brian-Herbert-Sisterhood-of-Dune-p/andsist01-b.htm
"Earthbound" - Joe Haldeman:
http://www.powells.com/biblio/9780441020959
"Axis" - Robert Charles Wilson:
http://sfreviews.net/rcw_axis.html

SCIFI NEWS QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"Strive for perfection in everything you do. Take the best that exists and make it better. When it does not exist, design it." - Sir Henry Royce

SciFi News For 12-10-11

2011-12-10T06:04:00.001-07:00

Massive Amounts Of CGI And Unfriendly Aliens At Sea - New "Battleship" Trailer
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2072357/Battleship-trailer-Rihanna-fights-aliens-sea-Battleship-trailer.html

Luc Besson's "Lockout". Word Is...At Least It Will Be Fun! (Video 1:54)
http://www.scificool.com/first-trailer-for-lockout-aka-taken-meets-escape-from-new-york-in-outer-space/

Buzz For Sci-Fi Short "Rosa" Leads To Movie Deal For Comic Book Artist (Video 9:30):
http://www.sfx.co.uk/2011/12/09/rosa-goes-from-online-sci-fi-short-to-major-motion-picture/

Gerry Anderson Moving Forward With Updated "Thunderbirds"
http://www.scifiheaven.net/index.php/2011/01/12/thunderbirds-are-go-again/

Mars Rover "Curiosity's" Landing To Be Even More Hi-tech: (Video 2:26):
http://www.youtube.com/user/janlafata?feature=guide#p/c/9E98B3D9AA529836/12/_KLxmGLZQSY

Win A $5000 34-inch Model Of The Enterprise From Star Trek.com:
http://www.trektoday.com/content/2011/12/uss-enterprise-replica-sweepstakes/

OTHER NEWS

While we wait for plot-line news about Star Trek XII rumors continue to circulate as to who the villain might be and one name that keeps popping up is "Khan". Dan Madsen of The Official Star Trek Fan Club says "I would love to see that happen. Of course, I have a hard time imagining anyone doing a better job than Ricardo Montalban who made that role his own in The Wrath of Khan. Meanwhile it's also been announced that original "Robocop" Peter Weller is joining the cast.

After years of one sci-fi reboot after another, the ideas for fresh story lines is finally starting to shift over some to the world of books. The latest in this movement comes from 1492 Pictures, which has has acquired the rights to Charles Yu's "How To Live Safely In A Science Fiction Universe." The novel centers on a time travel machine repairman who has spent the past 10 years traveling back and forth in time in search of his father, who has disappeared.

In a recent Wall Street Journal interview Director Ridley Scott brought science fiction fans up-to-date on two of his upcoming projects. Regarding the highly anticipated "Blade Runner" follow up, Scott said his new film is "liable to be a sequel" and that he’s searching for writers who can help him with the screenplay. He was asked if Harrison Ford's Deckard character would return and put that idea to rest quickly. The film will feature all new characters.

Fox has confirmed plans for a follow up to "Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes" Andy Serkis, the actor who wore the digital effects attachments that guided the animations returns as the lead chimpanzee Caesar. Writers and producers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver are again writing and producing. Apparently a sequel was always planned and a third film has already been plotted. At this stage it's not known if James Franco's scientist character Will Rodman will return. Rodman was originally supposed to be killed off, but the studio re-shot an alternate ending where he survived after negative test screening feedback.

Sources say that that pre-production is continuing to move forward at a fast pace for the two planned "Independence Day" sequels and they are now actually getting closer to the shooting stage. "Independence Day" was directed by Roland Emmerich and he is onboard to direct the sequels too, but it appears unlikely Will Smith will star after asking for a huge salary.

Director James Cameron has been sued by a former employee who claims he stole the idea for Avatar from him. Science fiction fan Eric Ryder wants unspecified damages for his contribution to the film. He claims that in 1999 while working for Cameron he wrote a story called K.R.Z. 2068 which has remarkable similarities to Avatar. But in 2002 the project was shut down because "no one would go see an environmentally themed feature length science fiction movie"

In an open letter Thursday, a prominent Russian scientist took the blame for the failure of the country's Phobos-Grunt spacecraft, which was meant to collect samples from Mars' moon Phobos, but instead is barely chugging along in low Earth orbit since it's Nov 8th launch. Lev Zelenyi, director of the Space Research Institute and Chair of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Solar System Exploration Board said the reason for the failure has yet to be determined.The spacecraft is expected to enter Earth's atmosphere in early January as a piece of space debris.

The Allen Telescope Array (ATA) in California is once again searching planetary systems for signals that would be evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence. Among its first targets are some of the exoplanet candidates recently discovered by NASA's Kepler space telescope. The ATA had been placed in hibernation mode last April as the result of the withdrawal of the SETI Institute's former partner, U.C. Berkeley, due to budgetary shortfalls.

NASA's New Horizons mission reached a special milestone today on its way to explore the Pluto system, coming closer to Pluto than any other spacecraft. It's taken New Horizons 2,143 days of high-speed flight, covering more than a million kilometers per day for nearly six years to arrive at it's ongoing location. Operators at the Applied Physics Lab will "wake" the spacecraft in January for a month of testing and maintenance activities.

BOOK REVIEWS
"Micro" - Micheal Chrichton:
http://www.thesetonian.com/pirate-life/michael-crichton-s-micro-is-a-major-success-1.2729098#.TuNyUfIR2ZR
"Count To A Trillion" - John C. Wright:
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/john-c-wright/count-trillion/
"I, Robot: To Protect" - Mickey Zucker Reichert
http://blogcritics.org/books/article/book-revew-i-robot-to-protect/
"Civilizations Beyond Earth" Extraterrestrial Life and Society - Douglas A. Vakoch and Albert A. Harrison.
http://www.berghahnbooks.com/title.php?rowtag=VakochCivilizations

SCIFI NEWS QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"Nuclear powered vacuum cleaners will probably be a reality within ten years."

Alex Lewyt - Vacuum cleaner manufacturer, 1957.

Scifi News For 12-2-11

2011-12-02T08:16:00.003-07:00

New "John Carter" Trailer (Video 1:53):

https://www.worldswithoutend.com/blog.asp?view=plink&id=645

10 Reasons Why "Mars" Was Dropped From "John Carter" Title:

http://www.sfx.co.uk/2011/11/30/10-reasons-why-andrew-stanton-dropped-mars-from-the-title-of-john-carter/

Concern About Re-Making "Starship Troopers":

http://io9.com/5864597/why-is-hollywood-remaking-verhoevens-starship-troopers

A Closer Look At Big-budget SciFi Film Locations (Slideshow):

http://www.wired.com/underwire/2011/12/9-for-9-movie-locations/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wired%2Findex+%28Wired%3A+Index+3+%28Top+Stories+2%29%29

From The "Whatever It Takes" Files - Microscopic Worms May Help To Colonize Mars:

http://www.universetoday.com/91411/microscopic-worms-may-help-to-colonize-mars/

Are "Warp Drives" Really Possible?:

http://www.futureincredible.com/2011/warp-drives-science-fiction-or-science-fact/

"Moon" Designer And Visual Effects Supervisor Gavin Rothery Interview:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/11/24/gavin_rotheray_interview/

Ray Harryhausen Talks Saucer Construction:

http://www.proparchives.com/science-fiction/science-fiction-pre-1970s/earth-vs-the-flying-saucers/earth-vs-the-flying-saucers-stop-motion-flying-saucer

Need A Hand With That Hand? - Body Parts Manufacturing (Video 3:22):
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-500165_162-20126356/body-parts-manufacturing-future-may-be-now/

OTHER NEWS

The Hollywood Reporter has the news that Harlan Ellison has dropped the suit against New Regency Films and director Andrew Niccol, "with prejudice." Ellison's original claim was that the film "In Time" had obvious similarities to his 1965 award-award-winning short story "'Repent, Harlequin!' Said the Ticktockman." Sources say that Ellison may have dropped the suit in response to the film's poor showing at the box office.

The cold war may be over but the space race is still alive and well in robot form as pressure for countries to get to Mars is still on. So intense is the pressure for Russia's Space Agency to regain it's former success that recent failures to even get out of earth orbit have brought on threats of serious punishment for those responsible from Russian President Dimitri Medvedev. The Russians are currently 1 for 19 at Mars, which you’d think would convince them to pick a different planet, like Venus, where they’ve been more successful. In contrast, NASA has been amazingly successful at Mars, with three spacecraft currently operating there and another on the way. This past week the Phobos-Grunt craft finally gave some signs of life, but chances are still good that the spacecraft will fall to Earth in a few months.

A three-pound piece of metal was found lying on the floor of a Massachusetts warehouse on Thursday and experts say it may have fallen from space.The chunk of metal appears about the same size and shape as a tall, skinny soda can, but the silvery cylinder has a tarnished look to it. The FAA says that there are approximately 20,000 bits of man made space junk in low-Earth orbit that are as big as or bigger than the chunk that crashed through the warehouse. These usually burn up during re-entry when they fall into Earth's atmosphere, but sizable pieces occasionally make it to the ground.

BOOK REVIEWS

" A Bridge Of Years" - Robert Charles Wilson (12/6)

http://keifuswrites.blogspot.com/2008/09/review-of-bridge-of-years-by-robert.html

"Dr Who Encyclopedia (New Edition)":

http://www.waterproofjacketsonsale.com/detail/p_1849902313/Cheapest-Doctor-Who-Encyclopedia-New-Edition-.html

"The Man Who Folded Himself"- David Gerold

http://www.timetravelreviews.com/books/gerrold_david_1.html

"Awaken" - Katy Kacvinsky

http://www.theresabook.com/2011/07/book-review-awaken-by-katie-kacvinsky/
"Back To The Moon" - Travis S Taylor & Les Johnson:

http://www.republibot.com/content/book-review-%E2%80%9Cback-moon%E2%80%9D-travis-s-taylor-and-less-johnson-2010

SCIFI NEWS QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"I have a strong feeling about interesting people in space exploration. . . . And the only way it's going to happen is to have some kid fantasize about getting his ray gun, jumping into his spaceship, and flying into outer space."- George Lucas

SciFi News For 11-25-11

2011-11-25T07:55:00.001-07:00

A Tribute To Anne McCaffrey:

http://www.oliviawaite.com/blog/2011/11/a-tribute-to-anne-mccaffrey-accidental-romance-author/

Don't Look Now But There's A Giant Face Behind Us. New Stills From "Prometheus":

http://www.firstshowing.net/2011/new-photos-for-ridley-scotts-prometheus-found-in-the-latest-ew/

SciFi Film "Infinite" Close To Release (Behind-the-scenes video 8:07):

http://www.bctv.org/special_reports/arts/sci-fi-film-shot-mostly-in-reading-is-close-to/article_2da0eb60-0e72-11e1-8db5-001cc4c002e0.html

Why We Like "Big Dumb Object" Science Fiction Stories:

http://io9.com/5860657/why-we-love-big-dumb-object-science-fiction-stories

China's "Area 51" (Multiple Images):

http://www.earthfiles.com/news.php?ID=1912&category=Environment&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+C2C-AllContent+%28Feed+-+Coast+to+Coast+-+All+Content%29

The Good And The Bad Options For Future American Spaceflight:

http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1974/1

The 48th Anniversary Of The Longest-running Scifi Show Of All Time (Videos):

http://blastr.com/2011/11/for-48th-anniversary-48-r.php

New Score For First SciFi Film, "A Trip To The Moon" (Video 1:00):

http://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/film/score-george-melies.html

Irradiated Smoked Turkey And Heat-treated Yams. Happy Thanksgiving From Space:

http://www.space.com/13721-nasa-space-station-astronauts-thanksgiving-food.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+spaceheadlines+%28SPACE.com+Headline+Feed%29

Spray Painted Science Fiction Art?...Yes And It's Wondrous!
http://io9.com/5858087/sense-of-wonder-in-a-can-the-amazing-beauty-of-spraypainted-science-fiction-art

Luke Skywalker Meets "Pigs In Space"(Video 7:50):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFvZtROeJrE&feature=player_embedded

OTHER NEWS

In the Star Trek world they refer to time quite frequently, but the latest annoucement on Trek XII's release date is anything but fiction. The sequel was originally slated for a June 29, 2012 release, but has just been bumped back to May 17, 2013, where it will take the spot vacated by Roland Emmerich's "Singularity" which moves to November 2013. The entire cast is set to return.

Though many find the idea of remaking "Robocop" borderline sacrilege, in a recent interview director Jose Padilha said that his version of the film will focus on a very particular area that the first film glossed over: "In the first "Robocop" when Alex Murphy is shot, gunned down, then you see some hospitals and stuff and then you cut to him as "Robocop". My movie is between those two cuts. How do you make "Robocop?"

There will be a new Q in the next James Bond film. 31-year-old British actor Ben Whishaw has been cast as James Bond's gadget man Q in director Sam Mendes' upcoming Bond flick "Skyfall"

NASA is expecting some 13,000 people to attend the launch of its newest Mars rover on Saturday (Nov. 26). The Mars Science Laboratory or Curiosity rover, is scheduled to lift off at 10:02 a.m. EST. Following the retirement of the space shuttle fleet, NASA hopes to carry some of that interest over to its robotic planetary science missions which have traditionally drawn fewer spectators than manned launches. The state-of-the-art, one ton rover is NASA's most sophisticated Mars mission to date. Following the launch, the spacecraft will embark on an 8 1/2-month cruise to the Red Planet, with a planned arrival in August 2012. Once on the surface, the rover will study the planet's geological history, and whether it is or has ever been habitable.

The European Space Agency announced Wednesday that a ground station in Australia heard signals from Russia's marooned Phobos-Grunt Mars mission, but prospects are fading for the probe to reach the Red Planet as scheduled next year. A tracking station in Perth succeeded in contacting Phobos-Grunt, a 29,000-pound, truck-sized probe designed to retrieve samples from the largest moon of Mars and return them to Earth. Officials have been unable to contact Phobos-Grunt since a problem prevented the craft from exiting Earth orbit and accelerating toward Mars after liftoff Nov. 8.

BOOK REVIEWS

"Stark's War" - Jack Campbell:

http://www.geeknative.com/24173/starks-war-review/

"Reality 36" - Guy Haley

http://sfbook.com/reality-36.htm

"The Time Ships" - Stephen Baxter:

http://www.sfsite.com/06a/ts129.htm

"The Case For Mars - The Plan To Settle The Red Planet And Why We Must":

http://spacecoalition.com/blog/book-review-the-case-for-mars-the-plan-to-settle-the-red-planet-and-why-we-must-revisedupdated?doing_wp_cron

SCIFI NEWS QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"Never give in - never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy." - Winston Churchill

SciFi News For 11-18-11

2011-11-18T09:16:00.001-07:00

First Full Trailer For "The Hunger Games" (Video 2:36):
http://www.tor.com/blogs/2011/11/watch-the-full-trailer-for-the-hunger-games

SciFi Short "XXIT" Has "Blade Runner" Look And Feel (Video 11:05):
http://www.wired.com/underwire/2011/11/xxit/

Lost 1977 Mark Hamill Video Interview Turns Up (Video 29:44):
http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2011/11/lost-mark-hamill-video-interview/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Sfsignal+%28SFSignal%29

"Star Wars" Fan Documentary Creator Sets Sights On "Indiana Jones" (Video 17:00):
http://io9.com/5860609/watch-17-minutes-of-this-amazing-indiana-jones-documentary-and-believe-in-movie-magic-again

Special Editions Usually Inevitable For Elite SciFi Directors:
http://www.sfx.co.uk/2011/11/13/what%E2%80%99s-so-special-about-the-sci-fi-special-edition/

An Uncertain Future For Space Exploration:
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1971/1

"Fantastic Voyage" Type Submarine Looks Promising For Medical Use:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Lifestyle/Wellness/Fantastic-voyage-probe-detects-clots/Article1-765957.aspx

Smart Houses, Robots And Artificial Intelligence:
http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/nonfiction/back-to-the-future-smart-houses-robots-and-artificial-intelligence/

Beyond A B-Movie? - "Attack Of The 50-foot Cheerleader"
http://www.beyondhollywood.com/sales-art-for-kevin-oneills-attack-of-the-50-foot-cheerleader/

OTHER NEWS

Small bits of information continue to flow in regarding the next Star Trek movie. Filming on the movie starts January 15th and set construction has already started. In addition, Industrial Light And Magic has already started work on some of the effects shots for the movie. Also JJ Abrams traveled to Hawaii to scout a location which is being seriously considered for a "jungle planet." Finally the plot of the film is described as "bigger" in scope than the 2009 Star Trek film.

In related Trek XII news, rumors continue to crop up online that the Klingons

will be part of the second film. Not only that but one site claims that the tribbles could get some screen time.

A big screen adaptation of "Doctor Who" is currently in the planning stages, with David Yates of Harry Potter directorial fame at the helm. Variety points out that this film version will be a full-on reboot, seemingly indicating any continuity from the show’s long history, or the Russell T. Davies and Steven Moffat eras, will not necessarily have anything to do with this project.

It seems that prices keep rising on everything these days...even bionic people! A big-screen reboot of the popular 70′s series "The Six Million Dollar Man" appears headed forward, only this time it will be the "Six Billion Dollar Man" Bryan Singer is in conversations to direct the film and Leonardo DiCaprio is in talks to take on the role of Steve Austin.

Popular television scientist Bill Nighy has some reassuring words for fans worried about the remake of "Total Recall". Nighy, who plays Kuato, the leader of the rebels says "The original is treasured by people, I know, but I think I can help them relax. I think it’s in very, very good hands. The script is fabulous. I like sci-fi. I’m not keen on monsters from outer space, or that kind of thing, too much, although I’ll go with it, in certain cases. But, I love imaginative representations of a possible near-future"

There have been unofficial reports coming in for awhile now about Albert Pyun's intent to move ahead with a prequel to his 1980's "Cyborg". Now it looks like a full movie is quickly shaping up. This week, the director started test photography on "Cyborg: Rise of the Slingers" . As for the storyline Pyun says "The big issue never really addressed by Cyborg was the plague that destroyed the world."

AMC is making the leap into science fiction following the announcement that they

have bought "Thunderstruck", an hour-long UFO project developed by several people, including former "Battlestar Galactica" executive producer David Eick.

BOOK REVIEWS

"Tunnel In The Sky" - Robert A Heinlein (1955):

http://www.tor.com/blogs/2011/11/beware-of-stobor-robert-a-heinleins-tunnel-in-the-sky

"Firebird" - Jack McDevitt:

http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2011/11/a-real-sci-fi-mystery-in-firebird/

"What Makes Your Brain Happy And Why You Should Do The Opposite" - David Desalvo:

http://trendingsideways.com/index.php/david-disalvo-why-you-shouldnt-do-what-your-brain-wants-you-to/

New "Dune" Novels Site:

http://www.dunenovels.com/

SCIFI NEWS QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"I would spend hours and hours gazing at the stars and wondering, what's out there? Sometimes I wondered if...maybe there was another girl like me on another planet some place gazing at the stars and thinking about the same things"- Anousheh Ansari - First female space tourist and first Iranian in space. (2006)

SciFi News For 11-11-11

2011-11-11T10:29:00.002-07:00

Ridley Scott Says He'll Direct "Blade Runner" Sequel:
http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2011/11/04/ridley-scott-says-he%E2%80%99ll-direct-%E2%80%98blade-runner%E2%80%99-sequel/

SciFi Movie Sequels That Some Say Spoiled The Originals (12 Videos):
http://blastr.com/2011/11/12-disastrous-movie-sequels-we-wish-didnt-exist-to-spoil-series-we-love.php

One More Try With The Journey Films (Video):
http://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/film/journey-center-earth-sequel-trailer-picks-jules-verne-book.html

Voyager's Garrett Wang Says Series Needed More Action And Comedy:
http://www.treknews.net/2011/11/07/convention-report-garrett-wang-willaim-shatner-at-comikaze/

Is CGI Making Special Effects Worse?:
http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2011/11/10/is-cgi-making-our-special-effects-worse/

"Germline" Author T.C. McCarthy On Military Science Fiction (Interview):
http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2011/11/exclusive-interview-tc-mccarthy-on-military-sf-and-the-reality-of-war/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Sfsignal+%28SFSignal%29

Ambitious Russian Mars Moon Mission Launches Then Stalls:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15631472

Breakthrough In Using Hydrogen As Fuel Source:
http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-10-breakthrough-hydrogen-fuel-source.html

The Making Of "Terra Nova" Cities And Dino's (Video 1:33)
http://io9.com/5858505/a-revealing-look-at-the-making-of-terra-novas-amazing-visual-effects

Slick Cyborg Short - "Rosa" (Video 9:50)
http://www.wired.com/underwire/2011/11/rosa/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wired%2Findex+%28Wired%3A+Index+3+%28Top+Stories+2%29%29

1982 "Return Of The Jedi" Set Fan Photo's (SciFi News Note - This set was located about 20 miles from where I live):
http://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/film/amazing-star-wars-set-photos-fan-wandering.html

OTHER NEWS

Deep Space Nine and Andromeda Producer Robert Hewitt Wolfe are developing a new as yet untitled Starship TV Series for The Syfy Channel. Not many details are known yet, however the official press release sums it up like this: "After decades of war, the newly formed Unity Democracy orders a volatile mix of humans and trans-humans to lead the Starship Defender on an expedition in search of lost worlds requiring law and order."

As he gets ready to step into the role as The Man Of Steel, actor Henry Cavill says he won't watch other "Superman" movies. "I avoided watching anything which was someone else’s interpretation of the source material. I didn’t go back to the movies and watch them. I didn’t go back to the TV series and watch them. Where the character truly belongs and where the character truly comes from is not from the movies or the TV shows; it’s from the comic books. So I went straight to the comic books and had stacks of them and just read and read and read and read and read".

"Independence Day" Director Rolland Emmerich's must have been startled after his new movie "Singularity" was shut down because, according to Sony Pictures...it's not good enough! Emmerich was all set to start screen-testing actors, however Sony put on the brakes and asked him to make it better before spending any more money on it.

Emmerich has retained the services of futurist and author Raymond Kurzweil to help with the revisions. Here's the plot, according to Variety: Set 50 years in the future, story follows a famous nanotechnology pioneer who uses a dangerous new procedure to save his badly-injured son, whose consciousness is transferred into a swarm of nanobots that take his physical form, giving him all sorts of powers.

The BBC and Starz Entertainment have green-lit a new original adventure series titled "Da Vinci’s Demons". Written by David S Goyer.The eight-episode series is scheduled to begin production in early 2012. It's an historical fantasy following the untold story of the world’s greatest genius during his youth in Renaissance Florence. Goyer said: “Da Vinci was the original Renaissance man. A near-mythic figure that has worldwide appeal.

Weighing in at one ton,The Mars Science Laboratory, the largest and most complex machine that has ever landed on another planet, is on target to launch on Nov. 25 at 7:25 a.m. PST. The rover, nicknamed Curiosity is expected to survey the Martian landscape with HD cameras, examine the chemical surface composition within 20 feet of the rover, monitor the planet’s weather, and search for signs of habitability and life, past or present.

BOOK REVIEWS

"12 Visions of Tomorrow" - MIT Technology Review:

http://www.tor.com/blogs/2011/10/when-mits-technology-review-does-science-fiction

"The Ninth Circle" (Tour Of The Merrimack 5) - R.M Meluch:

http://www.powells.com/biblio?isbn=9780756406943

"Spider Star" - Mike Brotherton:

http://www.mikebrotherton.com/fiction/spider-star/

"The Elysium Commission" - L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/l-e-modesitt/elysium-commission.htm

SCIFI NEWS QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"Do...or do not. There is no try."- Yoda From "Return Of The Jedi"

SciFi News For 11-4-11

2011-11-04T09:42:00.004-07:00

Looking At "In Time" From A Different Perspective:
http://www.uptownmag.com/movies/reviews/In-the-here-and-now-133169473.html

Universal Studios Executive Not Shy About Speaking Out On Company's Movies:
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/GraphicCity/news/?a=49323

Jonathan Frakes Talks Many Things Trek:
http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Fun_Stuff/Star_Trek_The_Next_Generation/Jonathan_Frakes/Tom_Landy/Star_Trek/Comic-Con/HDD_Attends_Central_Canada_Comic-Cons_QA_with_Jonathan_Frakes/7987

Educated Predictions For The Future Of Robotics:
http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2011/11/evolutionary-timeline-for-machine-intelligence-todays-most-popular.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheDailyGalaxyNewsFromPlanetEarthBeyond+%28The+Daily+Galaxy%3A+News+from+Planet+Earth+%26+Beyond%29

NASA Says U.S. Could Cooperate With China In Space:
http://www.space.com/13492-china-united-states-space-cooperation-nasa.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+spaceheadlines+%28SPACE.com+Headline+Feed%29

NASA Researching "Tractor Beam" Technology:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2056058/Sci-fi-tractor-beam-pulls-objects-using-lasers-development-Nasa.html

Locked In A Tube For 520 Days - "The Simulated Mars Mission":
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15574646?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+C2C-AllContent+%28Feed+-+Coast+to+Coast+-+All+Content%29

How To Write A Sincere First Draft Of Your Science Fiction Story:
http://io9.com/5855273/how-to-write-a-sincere-first-draft-of-your-science-fiction-or-fantasy-epic

Fun In London - The "Doctor Who" Experience (Video & Game):
http://www.doctorwhoexperience.com/index.php

OTHER NEWS

Sony Pictures, Director Sam Mendes, and producer Barbara Broccoli have confirmed that the 23rd Bond movie will be titled "Skyfall", however the plot will not be tied into the Quantum continuity established by the two previous films. Filming started on Thursday and Daniel Craig is back as James Bond. The storyline revolves around the testing of Bond’s loyalty to M as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.

In a recent online interview about Star Trek XII, Zachary Quinto said "We're getting geared up," "We're about 10 weeks away from production, so it's right around the corner. Things are moving quickly, so everybody is suiting up." "I haven't read a script yet," he added. "I'm going back to Los Angeles today and I'll dive back into, you know, connecting with J.J. and hearing where the stories are going to take us.

The filmmaker behind the robot short "Blinky", Ruairi Robinson, has landed his first feature film project, "The Last Days On Mars" tells of an astronaut crew on the last days of it's mission who discover collected rock specimens that reveal microscopic evidence of life. The film is currently in pre-production and is expected to start shooting early 2012 on location in Jordan and at Shepperton Studios in the UK.

Screenwriter John Glenn has been brought onboard to put the finishing touches on the science fiction thriller "Abducted". The story centers around an alien abduction of a group of average Americans who decide to take on the aliens and battle their way off the extraterrestrial craft.

The planned "Logan's Run" reboot is going through writer changes again. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Andrew Baldwin has been hired to try and adapt the novel for a new version. Baldwin doesn’t have a long history of screen writing in Hollywood. He’s written several scripts but none have been produced as films.

Who knew extraterrestrials were football fans? UFOs were spotted in the skies above two football games in the United States in the past few weeks. A fan at a high school game in Scottsdale, Arizona videotaped several bright lights in the night sky. About a week earlier, a bright light was spotted by a television viewer of "Sunday Night Football". The viewer posted the video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0jcqw6-nZA&feature=player_embedded

Italian physicist and inventor Andrea Rossi has conducted a public demonstration of his cold fusion machine, the E-Cat, at the University of Bologna and invited physicists gave it a solid thumbs up. In the past the seemingly impossible process has been met with heavy skepticism, however the idea is an attractive energy solution for two reasons: Unlike nuclear fission, the reaction doesn't give off dangerous radiation. Unlike the fusion processes that take place in the sun, cold fusion doesn't require extremely high temperatures.

Are you an science fictions or fantasy blogger or do you have aspirations to be? BestSFBooks.com just launched the SFBack system, which allows bloggers to add their reviews. They appear with a brief snippet and a link back to the original post. To get started just look for a book that interests you and follow the instructions on that page. Currently BestSFBooks has a catalog of 699 authors, 305 series, and 3,213 books, all ranked and organized based on their placement in a dozen different awards. Questions?: amd@bestsfbooks.com

BOOK REVIEWS

"A Scanner Darkly" - Phillip K. Dick (1973):

http://sfbook.com/a-scanner-darkly.htm

"The New Universe And The Human Future" - Nancy Ellen Abrams and Joel R. Primack:

http://yalepress.yale.edu/book.asp?isbn=9780300165081

"The Ascendant Stars" - Micheal Cobley

http://en.risingshadow.net/library?action=book&book_id=24890

SCIFI NEWS QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"To be glad of life, because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars."- Henry Van Dyke (1909)

SciFi News For 10-28-11

2011-10-28T12:54:00.002-07:00

"In Time" Review - The Good And The Bad (Spoiler Alert):
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45058624/ns/today-entertainment/#.Tqr_BLKri1t

The Public's Fascination With "Jurassic Park" :
http://io9.com/5853891/why-do-we-keep-going-back-to-jurassic-park

Optimistic Science Fiction Scenario's For The Future:
http://io9.com/5853540/optimistic-science-fiction-stories-that-could-still-come-true

Looking For New Ways To Get Into Orbit:
http://www.space.com/13397-nasa-private-spaceflight-ccdev-progress-report.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+spaceheadlines+%28SPACE.com+Headline+Feed%29

NASA Wants To Hear Your Ideas For Deep Space Travel:
http://www.futureincredible.com/2011/nasa-wants-to-hear-your-far-out-ideas-for-deep-space-travel/

America's Premier Jet Fighter Has No Fix In Site For Tech Problems:
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/10/stealth-fighters-oxygen-woes/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wired%2Findex+%28Wired%3A+Index+3+%28Top+Stories+2%29%29

Yes It's Ok To Follow God And Your Favorite Alien Too!:
http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2011/10/from-the-x-files-giordano-brunos-legacy-vatican-revises-views-on-extraterrestrial-civilizations.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheDailyGalaxyNewsFromPlanetEarthBeyond+%28The+Daily+Galaxy%3A+News+from+Planet+Earth+%26+Beyond%29

A Chat With Everyone's Favorite Ferengi:
http://www.themortonreport.com/entertainment/television/intergalactic-wheeler-dealer-a-chat-with-star-trek-deep-space-nines-armin-shimerman/

"Big Wigs" In Science Fiction Who Studied Architecture:
http://io9.com/5845565/great-science-fiction-creators-who-have-studied-architecture

The Virtual Doctor Will See You Now:
http://singularityhub.com/2011/10/16/welcome-to-rite-aid-the-virtual-doctors-will-see-you-now/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SingularityHub+%28Singularity+Hub%29

Air Force Commercial Not Science Fiction?...Not Quite! (Video 1:03):
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/10/air-force-sci-fi/

Find Out Where You Fit In Earth's Timeline:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-15391515

OTHER NEWS

After a long wait, Fox is actively pushing ahead with a pair of sequels to "Independence Day". The plan is to make a huge, two-part story, shot back-to-back. One insider says “They’re intended to be fulfilling movies onto themselves, one's where you could see each separately and enjoy them, but they tell one big story." Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin are putting the finishing touches to the scripts. No word on whether Will Smith is onboard for the project.

The new movie version of "Battlestar Galactica won’t be a reboot of the recent series so much as it will be taking place in an alternate universe says writer John Orloff. He tells Hitfix that the new movie won’t violate what we saw in the Ron Moore version because “I don’t think you can compete with what he’s done.” He added that the new version was “original and cool” while he felt the original was too much of a "Star Wars" knock-off."

Paramount just bought the script for the film "Hyperdrive", written by written by David Daniels and Morgan Jurgenson. The story focuses on a science fiction author who is asked by a cop to help track down a murder witness, but during the hunt, they “find themselves in the middle of a space opera playing out on Earth.”

The backbiting over the theme of "Indiana Jones 4" continues and now even Steve and George are getting into it! Director Steven Spielberg says that if you didn’t like the alien aspect of the film, blame screenwriter George Lucas.I’m very happy with the movie. I always have been", but I am loyal to my best friend. When he writes a story he believes in, even if I don’t believe in it,I’m going to shoot the movie the way George envisioned it.

You can hack satellites? According to a congressional commission report to be released next month hackers interfered with two U.S. government satellites four separate times in recent years. The report says the hackers gained access to the satellites, which are both used for Earth climate and terrain monitoring, through the Svalbard Satellite Station in Spitsbergen, Norway. The commission's report also said that the Chinese military might have played a part in the hacks.

BOOK REVIEWS

"This Is Not A Game - Walter Jon Williams:

http://www.strangehorizons.com/reviews/2009/06/this_is_not_a_g.shtml

"One Of Us" - Micheal Marshall Smith:

http://www.spikemagazine.com/1199oneofus.php

"Pandora's Star" - Peter F. Hamilton:

http://digitalsciencefiction.com/book-review-pandoras-star-by-peter-f-hamilton/

SCIFI NEWS QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible"

Lord Kelvin - British mathematician and physicist (1895)

SciFi News For 10-21-11

2011-10-21T10:22:00.002-07:00

In A Busy Year In SciFi Film "In Time" Next Up (Poster & Directors Audio):
http://www.hollywoodoutbreak.com/2011/10/17/director-andrew-niccol-occupies-sci-fi-in-a-timely-manner/

10 Biggest Missed Opportunities in Science Fiction:
http://io9.com/5841940/10-biggest-missed-opportunities-in-science-fiction-and-fantasy

Hopes For A New Space Exploration Plan Are In The Air:
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1952/1

What's This About Windmills And Science Fiction? (Video 5:29):
http://singularityhub.com/2011/10/19/endless-windmills-in-the-ocean-powering-our-cities-its-not-scifi-its-here-at-least-in-the-eu/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SingularityHub+%28Singularity+Hub%29

Taking Another Look At Nuclear Energy:
http://www.futureincredible.com/2011/is-it-time-to-reconsider-the-nuclear-option/

Ridley Scott's "Prophets Of Science Fiction" Coming To The Science Channel (Videos):
http://sciencefiction.com/2011/10/18/prophets-of-science-fiction-by-ridley-scott-to-debut-on-science-channel-in-november/

Fan-made Video Of Alternate "Back To The Future" Ending (Video 1:38):
http://io9.com/5851812/the-only-way-back-to-the-futures-ending-could-have-been-cooler

Marty McFly Hoverboards Possible Through Quantum Levitation (Video 1:56)
http://www.cinemablend.com/pop/Hoverboards-Could-Real-Thanks-Quantum-Levitation-36181.html

You'd Never Guess What They're Using For Prop Weapons in "Terra Nova"!:
http://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/television/terra-nova-fights-dinosaurs-nerf-guns.html

OTHER NEWS

In November Zachary Quinto will start preparing to take the "Spock" character to new physical heights for the next movie. “There’s a big sequence for me that I have to prepare for in this movie physically so I’m training, working on getting in some serious shape, building my cardio endurance, preparing to run a lot,” Quinto said. The sequel starts production in January.

Here comes a totally new Battlestar Galactica...again! Director Bryan Singer’s “Battlestar Galactica” movie has its screenwriter, John Orloff. "Don’t worry, I’m not gonna frak it up" said Orloff in an interview. Orloff declined to elaborate on the project and would not specify whether the new film would update the original TV series or be a take off from Ronald Moore’s Battlestar!

Lana and Andy Wachowski, the writing and directing team behind "The Matrix" trilogy, are set to return to the science fiction world with an original project called "Jupiter Ascending". Although there are no details about the plot as yet, the film is being set up at Warner Bros, who are on the look out for an A-list star to head the cast. It is scheduled to start production next spring.

"Limitless" star Bradley Cooper is close to signing on to the role of superspy Napoleon Solo in Steven Soderbergh's update of "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." The show, which focused on the fictitional United Network Command for Law Enforcement played on television in 1964-68 TV. No word if Soderbergh's U.N.C.L.E. will have an Illya Kuryakin.

Universal Pictures has signed Dan Trachtenberg to direct a sci-fi action heist film titled "Crime Of The Century". Not much is known about the project, however Deadline reports that the story "revolves around a high-octane heist with a science fiction twist."

Isaac Asimov’s work is getting a lot of attention lately. We just heard about "The Caves Of Steel" being developed and now there’s more news regarding Sony’s much anticipated "Foundation" adaptation directed by Roland Emmerich. Originally published as a short story series in 1942 before becoming a novel, "Foundation" is a story of a human dominated galaxy living under the rule of a Galactic Empire whose power is rapidly fading

SFRevu is looking for reviewers of science fiction books. Operators of the UK site say they get more books each month than they have readers for. If interested, contact them with a brief bio about yourself and send an approximately 500 word review of a book that you have recently read. Contact editor Gail Surrette on this page: http://www.sfrevu.com/php/Review-id.php?id=12689

The exhausted 2.7-ton German ROSAT satellite is slated to make a fiery, uncontrolled re-entry to our atmosphere sometime Saturday or Sunday (Oct. 22 or 23). Experts say the broken-up bits of ROSAT have a roughly 1-in-2,000 chance of hitting someone somewhere on Earth, though they won't know where until a few hours before it enters the atmosphere.

BOOK REVIEWS
"The Clone Redemption" - Steven L. Kent:
http://www.sfbc.com/science-fiction-books/military-books/the-clone-redemption-by-steven-l-kent-1073338606.html

"Out Of This World" - Mike Ashley:
http://io9.com/5849580/a-coffee-table-book-that-traces-the-earliest-history-of-science-fiction
"The Complete Vader" - Ryder Windham & Pete Vilmur:
http://roqoodepot.com/2011/10/07/star-wars-the-complete-vader-interview-with-ryder-windham-and-pete-vilmur/
Author Interviews: http://starwarsblog.starwars.com/index.php/2011/10/06/the-complete-vader-author-interviews/

SCIFI NEWS QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"What was frustrating about Armageddon was the time I spent not doing anything. It was a big special effects film, and I wasn't crazy about pretending I was in outer space. It feels ridiculous" - Actor Steve Buscemi

SciFi News For 10-14-11

2011-10-14T16:08:00.001-07:00

Some Fans Getting Restless About "Terra Nova":

http://axiomsedge-scifi.com/wordpress/2011/10/is-terra-nova-the-worst-science-fiction-tv-show-in-recent-years/

"Aliens" Film Cast Reunites (Video 1:52):

http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/10/07/aliens-reunion-newt/

Interview With "Babylon 5's" Bruce Boxleitner:

http://www.the-trades.com/article.php?id=12710

Earth's First Space-age Crisis - 1971's "The Andromeda Strain" (Video 3:26)

http://scififanletter.blogspot.com/2011/10/movie-review-andromeda-strain-1971.html

Science Fiction Predictions That Came True:

http://skeptoid.com/blog/2011/09/25/science-fiction-predictions-that-came-true/

Repeat That Please...It's Time To Think About Building Starships?!:

http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1946/1

Brent Spiner Talks Current Projects, His Trek Days And More:

Part 1: http://www.startrek.com/article/catching-up-with-brent-spiner-part-1

Part 2: http://www.startrek.com/article/catching-up-with-brent-spiner-part-2

The Encyclopedia Of Science Fiction Finally Launches Online:

http://www.geekosystem.com/sfe-goes-online/

Site: http://sf-encyclopedia.com/

NASA Working On Real-life "Asteroid Busters":

http://www.forextv.com/forex-news-story/asteroid-busters-nasa-develops-armageddon-like-teams-to-intercept

Physicists Say Discovery Was Not Supposed To Happen (Video 1:55):

http://www.news.com.au/technology/faster-than-light-particles-surprising/story-e6frfro0-1226145100583

Pardon Me While I Go In Deep Freeze For Awhile!:

http://singularityhub.com/2011/09/14/aint-no-science-fiction-suspended-animation-is-fda-approved-and-heading-to-clinical-trials/

Science Fiction Writers Have A Job To Do, Says Neal Stephenson:

http://io9.com/5846707/science-fiction-writers-have-a-job-and-its-time-to-do-it-says-neal-stephenson

OTHER NEWS

Sony has announced a new “Starship Troopers” movie yet it will not be any kind of prequel, remake, reboot or whatever."Starship Troopers: Invasion" will be a CGI sequel to the previous three flicks and better still, “Troopers” writer Ed Neumeier is executive producing, as is series star Casper Van Dien. The movie, said to be out Summer 2012, is currently in production in Japan.

Poster: http://www.movieweb.com/news/exclusive-starship-troopers-invasion-poster

Former "Stargate" writer Damian Kindler has been given the go-ahead for a pilot for a new television adaptation of "Universal Soldier", the 1992 sci-fi movie starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren. There were a number of straight-to-DVD and theatrical sequels, most recently 2010′s "Universal Solder: Redemption". Also a fourth movie is in the works, titled "Universal Soldier: A New Dimension" which will be out in 2012.

Tom Cruise is feeling needed again by Hollywood. In fact his upcoming movie agenda is full for the near future despite his less-than-stellar domestic box office in recent years. Now the 49-year-old has four big studio movies hitting theaters in the next 18 months: "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocal", in December, the now-filming "One Shot" for Paramount, June's "Rock Of Ages" for New Line and the untitled Joseph Kosinski sci-fi epic for Universal. In addition Warner Bros.is talking to the actor for the lead in its big-budget sci-fi war pic "We Are Mortals", being directed by Doug Liman.

Remember how several weeks ago NASA said one of their satellites was falling back to Earth and it had a 1 in 3,200 chance of killing someone? Well guess what? There's another satellite set to fall soon. The German Roentgen Satellite (ROSAT) has been defunct and floating around in space since 1999, and it's finally coming home. When? Well, for extra fun, this one's drop is even more vaguely timed than the drop of the UARS satellite. The German Aerospace Agency predicts ROSAT will fall sometime in "late October or early November."

The sci-fi world of "Avatar" is to be brought to life at Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom starting in 2013. Disney boss Robert A Iger says that James Cameron shares our passion for creativity and technological innovation. Equally excited, Cameron said: "I'm chomping at the bit to start work with Disney's legendary Imagineers to bring our Avatar universe to life and give park-goers the chance to see, hear and touch it." The partnership could later see Avatar attractions built in other Disney parks worldwide.

BOOK REVIEWS

"In Other Worlds" - Margaret Atwood:
http://www.tor.com/blogs/2011/10/genre-in-the-mainstream-in-other-worlds-by-margaret-atwood
"Halo: Grasslands" - Karen Traviss:
http://www.warpzoned.com/?p=10363
"Necropolis" - Micheal Dempsey
http://www.nightshadebooks.com/2011/10/04/necropolis-by-michael-dempsey/

SCIFI NEWS QUOTE OF THE WEEK

After one look at this planet any visitor from outer space would say " I want to see the manager" - William S. Burroughs

SciFi News For 10-7-11

2011-10-07T11:22:00.003-07:00

STEVE JOBS MAY NOT REALLY BE DEAD!
Insider IT sources claim that it's scene similar to the ones depicted in Star Trek II and III where Mr. Spock, when he sensed that his death was near, transferred his being or Katra to Dr Leonard McCoy. However word has it that Steve Jobs has downloaded his consciousness to a Solid State Drive on a server in the Ukraine. No word on the authenticity of this report, however a Microsoft spokesman says that there have been rumors that some computer users have seen vague images of Jobs in spam emails.

Five New Fall Shows That Would Be Better With Dinosaurs:
http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2011/10/06/five-new-fall-shows-that-would-be-better-with-dinosaurs/

"Terra Nova" - Some Interesting Observations:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2011/oct/01/terra-novva-steven-spielberg?newsfeed=true

SciFi Cinema's Ten Great Conspiracies:
http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/1044208/scifi_cinemas_10_great_conspiracies.html

Forty Greatest Science Fiction Posters:
http://www.totalfilm.com/features/40-greatest-science-fiction-posters

Christopher Lloyd On Playing A Trek Bad Guy:
http://www.startrek.com/article/christopher-lloyd-interview

The Growing Popularity Of Personal Spaceships (Video 3:18):
http://www.space.com/13192-wheresmy-future-personal-spaceship.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+spaceheadlines+%28SPACE.com+Headline+Feed%29

U.S. National Space Policy, China, And Space Based Solar Power::
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1938/1

Remember The "Star Wars" Imperial Walkers? (Video: 1:25):
http://www.examiner.com/gadgets-in-san-francisco/remember-the-star-wars-imperial-walkers-the-alphadog-is-sci-fi-come-true

Army Drones That Can Recognize Your Face From A Distance:
http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-09/army-wants-drones-can-recognize-your-face-and-read-your-mind

Science Fiction Predictions That Came True:
http://skeptoid.com/blog/2011/09/25/science-fiction-predictions-that-came-true/

Why Did "HAL" Sing "Daisy" In 2001: A Space Odyssey"? (Video 1:52):
http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2011/10/why-did-evil-hal-sing-daisy-in-space-odyssey-2001-todays-most-popular.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheDailyGalaxyNewsFromPlanetEarthBeyond+%28The+Daily+Galaxy%3A+News+from+Planet+Earth+%26+Beyond%29

OTHER NEWS

Director Roland Emmerich has gone back to square one on the adaptation of Issac Asimov’s Foundation Trilogy. Emmerich has thrown out the previous treatment by Robert Rodat and has hired Dante Harper to pen a new draft for Sony.The project has been in development since 2009.

Following recent news that Duncan Jones’ “Source Code” was being translated to a weekly TV show, the Syfy channel has now made a deal to turn Matt Damon’s "The Adjustment Bureau"into a TV show as well. The original movie concerned a group of angels types who monitors and guides humanity on their course. When they need something done by someone in order to conform to their master plan, such as keeping a politician away from the love of his life, the mysterious Adjustment Bureau shows up and guides the changes.

For most actors, one iconic role is enough to retire on, and Luke Skywalker is just about as iconic as they come. Mark Hamill, however, has carved out a second career in the years since as one of the most prolific voice actors around. Next week http://www.sfx.co.uk/ will interview Mark and you get to ask the questions.

(Full Story): http://www.sfx.co.uk/2011/10/06/sfx-needs-you-ask-mark-hamill/

Much of the current thinking about advanced extraterrestrial life that may be a million to a billion years more advanced that the human species, depicts life forms that have evolved into intelligent AI-powered machines. But what if advanced super-intelligent life is no longer matter based? What if they exist at a higher level concept than matter. Paul Davies, physicist and Astrobiologist at Arizona State University envisions an alien technology that Is not made of matter and has no fixed size or shape

(Full Story): http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2011/10/from-the-x-files-dept-advanced-extraterrestrial-technology-could-exist-beyond-matter.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheDailyGalaxyNewsFromPlanetEarthBeyond+%28The+Daily+Galaxy%3A+News+from+Planet+Earth+%26+Beyond%29

The European Space Agency announced its next space mission yesterday, and given recent events it may not come as a huge surprise. The craft will orbit the sun, coming closer to the solar surface than any previous science spacecraft to measure the solar wind and its influence on the planets to an unprecedented degree.

BOOK REVIEWS
"Son Of Heaven" - David Wingrove:
http://www.sffworld.com/brevoff/685.html
"Countdown M Day" - Tom Kratman:
http://the-book-depository.amazonwebstore.com/Countdown-M-Day/M/1439134642.htm
"BIOS" - Robert Charles Wilson:
http://digitalsciencefiction.com/book-review-bios-by-robert-charles-wilson/

SCIFI NEWS QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"The view of the Earth from the Moon fascinated me. A small disk, 240,000 miles away. Raging nationalistic interests, famines, wars andd pestilence don't show from that distance." - Frank Borman, Commander Apollo 8

SciFi News For 9-30-11

2011-09-30T12:32:00.004-07:00

"Terra Nova" Gets Mostly Good Reviews (Spoiler Alert & Video 1:00)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/27/terra-nova-review_n_983327.html?ref=mostpopular
http://scifimedia.blogspot.com/2011/09/terra-nova.html

The Coolest Spaceship Designs In Science Fiction:
http://www.flesheatingzipper.com/entertainment/2011/09/the-coolest-spaceship-designs-in-science-fiction/

Renowned Physicist Urges Caution Before We Start Time Traveling!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/sep/24/einstein-e-equals-mc2

100 Year Starship Study Goes To Warp This Weekend (Video 3:25)

http://www.space.com/13135-100-year-starship-symposium-darpa-nasa.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+spaceheadlines+%28SPACE.com+Headline+Feed%29

Planet With Two Suns Discovered (Video 1:06)

http://www.space.com/12966-tatooine-planet-twin-suns-discovered.html

Invisibility Shield Closer To Reality For Armed Forces (Video 1:46)

http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/10424999-video-report-scifi-the-army-collideinvisibility-shield-may-soon-make-combat-stranger-than-fiction

Remembering Every Day Of Your Life. Yes It's For Real! (Video 2:38):

http://singularityhub.com/2011/09/29/hyperthymesia-%E2%80%93-a-newly-discovered-memory-in-which-people-remember-every-day-of-their-lives-video/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SingularityHub+%28Singularity+Hub%29

Just For Kicks..."The Thing" Trailer In Russian! (Video 1:55)

http://www.movieweb.com/movie/the-thing-2011/russian-trailer

The Making of 1984's "Terminator" (Video - Six parts):

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQ70xJZR-Mg&list=PL90EC0DEE391FACCD&index=42

2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DROet5uDft8&feature=related

3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rDxNDrP9e8&list=PL90EC0DEE391FACCD&index=39

4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCvMper-2Vc&list=PL90EC0DEE391FACCD&index=37

5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDE7XolQRtw&feature=related

6. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFigxhENz3o

OTHER NEWS

It's now official. CBS has given the go ahead for the "Star Trek: The Next Generation Remastered Project. All 178 episodes will be re-scanned from the original films elements and visual effects elements will be re-composited into a 1080p workflow for mastering onto Blu-ray and runs on syndicated television and digital distribution

Jessica Chastain has been cast in a high profile role in Tom Cruise's upcoming sci-fi thriller. The project, formerly known as Oblivian and Horizons, centers around a futuristic Earth where people live in the clouds since the ground is inhabitable. Cruise's character has responsibility for preventing an alien attack on a post-apocalyptic Earth.

20th Century Fox is now working on a live-action adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s "The Caves of Steel.", first published in 1954. The studio has set Henry Hobson to direct. The story is a murder mystery that takes place roughly three millennia in Earth's future, a time when hyperspace travel has been discovered," and Earth is overpopulated and there's a fear of robots. Adapting the script from Asimov's story is screenwriter John Scott 3 (that's his full name) who, when not working on scripts with works at the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, which takes photos of X-ray photons in deep space.

Originally scheduled to be made into a movie way back in 2007, Brian Haberlin’s comic book series “Area 52″ is closer to the big screen. Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian will produce the film about a top secret warehouse in Antarctica called Area 52, a government storage dump for otherworldly discoveries, manned by a ragtag group of misfits who have been exiled to the middle of nowhere to staff it.

Private space companies will launch American astronauts into orbit years before NASA is ready to do so on its own again, but the race to be the first commercial space taxi service is still far from won. NASA's next crew-carrying rocket, the Heavy Lift Space Launch System will blast off on its first test flight in 2017 at the earliest, agency officials have said. But a handful of private companies say they're on schedule to begin lofting astronauts by 2015 or perhaps even earlier. "We believe we'll be ready in three years," said Gwynne Shotwell, president of Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (also known as SpaceX).

A NASA space telescope that mapped the entire sky has revealed that fewer potentially threatening asteroids are in orbits near Earth than previously thought. The discovery lowers the number of medium-size asteroids near Earth to 19,500, nearly a 50 percent drop from the 35,000 space rocks initially estimated. "Fewer does not mean none and there are still tens of thousands out there to find," study leader Amy Mainzer, principal investigator for NASA's NEOWISE project at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

BOOK REVIEWS

"Solaris Rising: The New Solaris Book Of Science Fiction (Oct 25):

http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781907992094

"A Beautiful Friendship" - David Weber:

http://www.cybermage.se/a-beautiful-friendship-by-david-weber-cover-art-blurb/

"Primary Inversion" (1996) - Catherine Asaro

http://www.cybermage.se/primary-inversion-catherine-asaro-saga-of-the-skolian-empire-1/

SCIFI NEWS QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"Never stop being a kid. Never stop feeling and seeing and being excited with great things like air and engines and sounds of sunlight within you. Wear your little mask if you must to protect you from the world but if you let that kid disappear you are grown up and you are dead." - Richard Bach

SciFi News For 9-23-11

2011-09-23T10:11:00.001-07:00

Damon Lindelof On Working With Ridley Scott And "Prometheus" (Video 2:48.00):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=NzRjHDAgRmk

A Few SciFi Movie Inventions We'd Like To See:
http://journalstar.com/entertainment/movies/article_a8fdbe10-441b-5006-aaa1-3def694b940f.html

Trailer For New Game, "Lifeless Planet" (Video 1:17):

http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2011/09/lifeless_planet.php

Trek Writer Brannon Braga Says He Did Not Kill Franchise:
Part 1: http://www.startrek.com/article/brannon-braga-from-tng-to-terra-nova-part-1
Part 2: http://www.startrek.com/article/brannon-braga-from-tng-to-terra-nova-part-2

Astronaut Gene Cernan Says "Bring Back Shuttle" (Video 1:27):
http://www.space.com/13054-bring-shuttle-man-moon.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+spaceheadlines+%28SPACE.com+Headline+Feed%29

"Journey To The Exoplanets" Takes Digital Books To New Level (Video 1:28): http://talkingnewmedia.blogspot.com/2011/09/journey-to-exoplanets-takes-digital.html

IBM's "Watson" Soon To Have Real Day Job! (Video 30):
http://singularityhub.com/2011/09/20/from-jeopardy-to-insurance-ibms-watson-ai-hired-by-wellpoint-for-medical-expertise/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SingularityHub+%28Singularity+Hub%29

Time Travel Explained...On One Web Page!:
http://www.australianscience.com.au/physics/time-travel-in-physics-metaphysics-and-science-fiction/

Science Fiction Not Just About Fantasy...It Can Change Lives:
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/technology/adrianhon/100006874/science-fiction-isnt-just-fantasy-it-changes-lives-and-can-change-britain/

Use Your Home Computer To Go Green And Save The Planet:
http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-09/distributed-computing-project-crowdsources-solar-cell-research

OTHER NEWS

Director of the new version of "Robocop", Jose Padilha says that while he respects the original version, he won’t be bound to follow it exactly when he reboots the film. “I love the sharpness and political tone of "RoboCop" and I think that such a film is now urgently needed,” he says. ” But I will not repeat what Paul Verhoeven has done so clearly and strongly. Instead I try to make a film that will address topics that Verhoeven left untreated.

Director Roland Emmerich has ruled out his involvement in the Asteroids video game film adaptation, but confirms that he’s definitely making Singularity. It’s a script he’s co-written with Harald Kloser that takes place in the future 40 years from now,” Emmerich said. "It’s like kind of this moment where computer technology is so advanced that were in danger of losing control."

Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn is hard at work on the new film version of "Logan's Run" The project would reunite the Danish director with Ryan Gosling, the star of Refn's latest film. "I really want to make Logan's Run, and I'm working on it very hard and I have to deliver a script by Christmas,"

As if you already didn't know...No one really dies in science fiction! Take Sigourney Weaver, for example. Says she will appear in the sequel to "Avatar", despite her character dying in the first installment.Weaver has told a US movie website “don’t worry, I will be back, no one ever dies in science fiction”.

A decommissioned NASA satellite is expected to fall to Earth today and agency officials are monitoring the spacecraft closely to try to narrow down when and where the debris will fall. According to NASA, the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite or UARS will make its descent through the atmosphere some time this afternoon or early evening (Eastern Daylight Time), but while it is still too soon to tell where pieces of will land, scientists have been able to rule out North America from the potential impact zone. The craft is large, about the size of a bus and weighs 6.5 tons.

NASA’s Kepler spacecraft has spotted a planet that alternately runs late and early in its orbit because a second, "invisible" world is tugging on it. This is the first definite detection of a previously unknown planet using this method. No other technique could have found the unseen companion. "This invisible planet makes itself known by its influence on the planet we can see," said astronomer Sarah Ballard of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

BOOK REVIEWS

"The Departure" - Neil Asher:
http://www.cybermage.se/the-departure-owner-trilogy-1-by-neal-asher-book-review/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+cybermage+%28Cybermage%29
"Seeds Of War" - R Cornett, K. Randall (1986 - First Book In Series Of 3)
http://www.paperbackswap.com/Seeds-War/book/0441758789/
"Rogue" - Michael Z. Williamson
http://www.webscription.net/p-1462-rogue-arc.aspx

SCIFI NEWS QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Learning to let go should be learned before learning to get. Life should be touched, not strangled. You’ve got to relax, let it happen at times, and at others move forward with it." - Ray Bradbury

SciFi News For 9-16-11

2011-09-16T14:41:00.002-07:00

"Contagion"...Nothing Groundbreaking, But It Doesn't Intend To Be:
http://www.tor.com/blogs/2011/09/cover-your-mouth-contagion

Concept Art And Trailer For "John Carter" (Video 1:57):
http://www.dailyblam.com/news/2011/09/13/helium-airship-concept-art-for-upcoming-sci-fi-film-john-carter

"Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol" Trailer (Video 2:24):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QteCmX15Olo&feature=player_embedded#at=12

After Ellen Ripley The Pickings Are Slim For Great Female SciFi Leads:
http://www.filmcritic.com/features/2011/09/ellen-ripley-is-clearly-the-best-female-character-in-scifi-and-thats-a-problem/

Secrets Of NASA"s New Space Launch System:
http://www.space.com/12958-nasa-sls-giant-rocket-works.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+spaceheadlines+%28SPACE.com+Headline+Feed%29

Don't Look Now...Space Junk Will Be Falling To Earth...Somewhere! (Video :48):
http://www.space.com/12982-dead-nasa-satellite-falling-earth-sept-24.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+spaceheadlines+%28SPACE.com+Headline+Feed%29

Did Someone Mention Something About Alien Moon Cities?
http://beforeitsnews.com/story/1091/566/NASA_Whistleblower:_Alien_Moon_Cities_Exist.html

Wanted: Better Spacecraft Names!:
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1923/1

Google And It's Continually-Growing Need For More Gigawatts: (Video 2:11):
http://singularityhub.com/2011/09/11/google-reveals-the-numbers-behind-its-massive-hunger-for-electricity-and-its-plan-for-the-future/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SingularityHub+%28Singularity+Hub%29

Funny "Star Wars" Photoshops:
http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2011/09/16/funny-star-wars-photoshops-in-honor-of-the-blu-ray-release/

OTHER NEWS

It's just been confirmed that J.J. Abrams has finally committed to shooting "Star Trek XII" and that pre-production is underway, that the script will be done by month's end and that Abrams will start shooting this winter. Part of the hold-up has been that Alex Kurtzman, who wrote Abrams' first Trek with Roberto “Bob” Orci, has been busy editing another film.

Filming has commenced on Syfy's Saturday Original Movie The Philadelphia Experiment. The plot is based around a secret government research project that tries to revive the World War II “Philadelphia Experiment,” which was an attempt to create a cloaking device to render warships invisible. Malcolm McDowell plays the original genius behind the experiment.

"Source Code" is being adapted for a TV show. Producer Mark Gordon and ABC Studios are developing a TV adaptation of Duncan Jones' scifi action thriller starring Jake Gyllenhaal for CBS. Industry executives say that there have not been many shows like it in the past except for "Quantum Leap" and the failed Journeyman.

Harrison Ford says "it's an absolute delight" any time he gets to dust off the ol' fedora and whip to play Indiana Jones, so much so that he'll be on board if a fifth film in the series ever happens. But apparently he's not too wild about a sci-fi angle.During a Q&A session with director Steven Spielberg at a 30th-anniversary "Raiders Of The Lost Ark" screening this week in Los Angeles, Ford said he would be open to returning to the character."Maybe a fifth, but I ain't going to Mars," he said.

Harlan Ellison is attempting to stop a high-profile movie that is scheduled to come out in theaters next month. The Hugo award-winning writer has filed a lawsuit against New Regency and director Andrew Niccol over the 20th Century Fox-distributed film,"In Time" starring Justin Timberlake. Ellison says the new film is based on his multiple prize-winning 1965 work, "Repent, Harlequin and that the similarity between the two works is "obvious".

Will Smith and his son Jaden have another project together in the works. Their forthcoming science fiction adventure film “1000 A.E.” is officially scheduled to be released on June 7, 2013.It's futuristic science fiction adventure film with a story that takes place far in the future where a young boy has to navigate an abandoned planet on a space ship that has crashed. On board the ship is his estranged father.

BOOK REVIEWS

"Son Of Heaven" - David Wingrove:

http://www.strangehorizons.com/reviews/2011/05/son_of_heaven_b.shtml

"Reamde" - Neal Stephenson:

http://www.harpercollins.com/books/Reamde-Neal-Stephenson/

"War In Heaven" - Gavin G Smith:

http://www.walkerofworlds.com/2011/05/cover-art-synopsis-war-in-heaven-by.html

SCIFI NEWS QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"In spite of the opinions of certain narrow-minded people, we shall one day travel to the moon, the planets, and the stars, with the same facility, rapidity, and certainty as we now make the voyage from Liverpool to New York." - Jules Verne

SciFi News For 9/9/11

2011-09-09T15:48:00.008-07:00

"Apollo 18" Review..."Hollywood We Have A Problem" (Spoiler alert):

http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1919/1

It's Been Awhile In Between Contagious Virus Genre Movies (Spoiler Alert):

http://io9.com/5838766/contagion-is-the-first-political-procedural-about-viral-apocalypse

NBC To Give Alternate Reality A Go Starting In January With "Awake" (Video 1:33):

http://sciencefictionworld.com/tv/science-fiction-tv/849-parallel-lives-in-awake-.html

10 Highly-Promoted Science Fiction TV Shows That Went Nowhere:
http://axiomsedge-scifi.com/wordpress/2011/09/sci-fi-ramblings-10-highly-anticipated-sci-fi-tv-shows-that-did-not-quite-soar/

New Film "Connected" Examines Those Addicted To The Digital World (Video 2:31)

http://singularityhub.com/2011/09/07/from-the-creator-of-the-webby-awards-a-new-film-about-our-addiction-to-all-things-digital/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SingularityHub+%28Singularity+Hub%29

New NASA Web App...You are now free to move about the solar system.:

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/112859-NASA-Web-App-Lets-You-Roam-the-Solar-System-in-3D

"Eyes On The Solar System": http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/eyes/

Solar Sail Technology Finally Close To Surfacing In Space:

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/feature/id/333656/description/Flying_on_Sunshine

SpaceX Founder Wants Man To Go Forth And Populate The Planets:

http://www.zmescience.com/space/spacex-founder-wants-man-to-become-a-multi-planetary-species/

Talented Amateur Doing His 34 Star Wars Impressions (Video 4:39 & 5:01): Pt.1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6RE4NhSHx4&feature=player_embedded#!
Pt. 2:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX5PBYzE9YU&feature=related

OTHER NEWS

In celebration of 45 years of Star Trek, The Science Channel is working with Gene Roddenberry's only son, Rod Roddenberry, to produce the world premiere documentary, "Trek Nation" set to air on Wednesday, November 30.The film shadows Gene Roddenberry’s son, Rod, as he explores his family legacy and the crusade his father’s passion and curiosity for exploration.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsccjLHJ2xs

According to Amazon.com, the William Shatner-directed documentary "The Captains", featuring Patrick Stewart, Avery Brooks, Kate Mulgrew, Scott Bakula and Chris Pine will be available on DVD October 4th.

Longtime science fiction special effects wizard John Dykstra recently weighed in on the attention George Lucas has been getting for tinkering with his Star Wars films.Quoted from Movieweb, Dykstra said "God love him! He should tweak it until his heart's content. You never finish a movie. It is always pried from your grasping hands. There is always something you can fix." Dykstra went on to say, "Does it always make it better? Mmm ...That is questionable."

Branded as a "contemporary space adventure", "Europa" is scheduled to start shooting this fall. Spanish director Sebastian Cordero is at the helm, and has a cast attached that includes "District 9's" Sharlto Copley. "Europa" is the story of a six-person team of astronauts from various international space stations who are sent by a private sector corporation to be the first manned mission to Jupiter's fourth moon.

In a recent study At Cal State University, scientists claim they have proved what we have known all along about 3-D. It gives us a headache! Many people are irritated by 3-D glasses and now science has quantified just how bad 3-D really is. According to the study 3-D is three times more likely than 2-D to cause dizziness, eyestrain and headaches. In addition scientists also conclude that 3D movies do not allow viewers to experience more intense emotional reactions, are no more immersive, and do not offer any advantage over their 2D counterparts in terms of enhancing the ability to recall a film's details.

BOOK REVIEWS

"Tech Heaven" - Linda Nagata:

http://sfbook.com/tech-heaven.htm

"The Human Front" - Ken Macleod

http://www.sfsite.com/10a/hf185.htm

"Utopia" - Thomas More (1516):

http://reviews.rebeccareid.com/utopia-by-thomas-more/

SCIFI NEWS QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return."
- Leonardo da Vinci

SciFi News For 9-2-11

2011-09-02T15:14:00.003-07:00

First Look At "Hunger Games" Teaser Trailer (Video 1:12):

http://airlockalpha.com/node/8699/first-look-hunger-games-movie-teaser.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SyfyPortalHeadlines+%28Airlock+Alpha+Headlines%29

"In Time" International Trailer (Video 2:38):

http://www.movieweb.com/news/in-time-international-trailer

New Film "Robotropolis" Almost Ready To Go (Video 1:30):

http://www.quietearth.us/articles/2011/08/29/ROBOTROPOLIS-movie-trailer-features-a-robopacalypse

Superman: Man Of Steel Images:

http://scifipartyline.net/?p=12034

Now That's A Batcave!:

http://blastr.com/2011/09/revealed-is-this-the-dark.php

George Lucas Replacing Puppet Yoda With Digital Yoda For Blu-Ray:

http://www.joblo.com/movie-news/george-lucas-replacing-puppet-yoda-with-cgi-for-phantom-menace-blu-ray

Critiquing The SyFy Channel: They Make It Too Easy:

http://io9.com/5836461/10-actual-mistakes-that-syfy-has-made-over-the-years

SciFi In Real Life - Modern Day Cyborgs (Video 12:33)

http://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/cool-stuff/scifi-real-life-watch-doc-cyborgs-filmed-man-bionic-eye.html

Surprisingly, But Not Unexpectedly, NASA Did Not Play Much Of A Role In Apollo 18:

http://www.space.com/12813-apollo18-film-fiction-nasa-conspiracy-theory.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+spaceheadlines+%28SPACE.com+Headline+Feed%29

Secret Moon Missions By The US And China? Sounds Like X-Files Material!:

http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2011/09/could-nasa-or-china-launch-a-secret-moon-mission.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheDailyGalaxyNewsFromPlanetEarthBeyond+%28The+Daily+Galaxy%3A+News+from+Planet+Earth+%26+Beyond%29

"2019: A Future Imagined" - Syd Mead's Insights On What's To Come (Video 7:38):
http://vimeo.com/17376932

Star Wars Parody - "Chad Vader: Day Shift Manager" (Video 4:47):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wGR4-SeuJ0&feature=player_embedded#!

OTHER NEWS

Bruce Boxleitner says "Tron 3" is coming in 2013!. While Disney hasn’t yet made it official, the actor says we’ll see more Tron in 2013 and that a third installment is a “done deal”."It’s already in the works, my friend," Boxleitner told an attendee at the recent D23 convention.

The one consolation Battlestar Galactica fans had following the cancellation of the prequel "Caprica" was that an originally proposed Web series was going to come to television instead. But now there's a possibility it's heading right back to the Web. Filming on the pilot is complete, but a good portion of the special effects are not. . Because of that, there is no immediate plans to give the show an air date, and if it does come to television, it almost definitely won't be in 2011."Blood & Chrome" takes place, timeline wise, between "Caprica" and "Battlestar Galactica

SETI finally has bumped into something that may keep them busy for awhile.No one at SETI headquarters knows for sure but they believe that there is a slight possibility that a recent signal just might originate from an extraterrestrial intelligence. Although this strong signal was never positively identified, astronomers have identified in it many attributes characteristic of a more mundane and ultimately terrestrial origin. In this case, a leading possibility is that the signal originates from an unusual modulation between a GPS satellite and an unidentified Earth-based source.

Humans might not be living on Mars or the moon anytime soon, but scientists might have just overcome one major hurdle on the route to interplanetary habitation: electricity. At the U.S. Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory they have designed a suitcase-sized nuclear plant that can power up to eight normal-sized homes. Thanks to its size and durability, the plant can provide fission power not only on Earth, but on the moon, on Mars, or any other place NASA requires a power generator.

BOOK REVIEWS

"Amnesia" - Dwayne Harris:

http://www.majorspoilers.com/sneak-peek-amnesia

"Freehold" - Micheal Z. Williamson:

http://www.webscription.net/p-162-freehold.aspx

"Ready Player One" - Earnest Cline:

http://boingboing.net/2011/08/15/ready-player-one-the-best-science-fiction-book-ive-read-in-a-decade.html

SCIFI NEWS QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Someday I would like to stand on the Moon, look down through a quarter of a million miles of space and say, "There certainly is a beautiful Earth out tonight." - Lieutenant Colonel William H. Rankin - (The Man Who Rode Thunder)

SciFi News For 8-26-11

2011-08-26T12:15:00.005-07:00

The Word Is...Possible New Star Trek TV Series!:

http://airlockalpha.com/node/8689/will-cbs-consider-new-star-trek-television-series.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SyfyPortalHeadlines+%28Airlock+Alpha+Headlines%29

"Battlestar Galactica: Blood And Chrome" Suddenly In Media Limbo:

http://airlockalpha.com/node/8693/for-blood-chrome-bsg-might-be-doa-on-syfy.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SyfyPortalHeadlines+%28Airlock+Alpha+Headlines%29

We Need To Talk About Aliens:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/blog/2011/aug/22/talk-aliens-intelligence-contact

Why We Can't Get Enough Of The Red Planet:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/why-we-cant-get-enough-of-the-red-planet-2332677.html

Space Junk Cleanup - Just How Much Debris Is Up There? (Video):

http://www.space.com/12602-space-junk-cleanup-grand-challenge-21st-century.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+spaceheadlines+%28SPACE.com+Headline+Feed%29

The Original Golden Age Of Space Exploration - NASA's Ranger Series:

http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1911/1

A Cowboys And Aliens Sequel Already Planned?...Well Not Really!:

http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g413/janlafata/My%20Fake%20Movie%20Posters/CowboysAndIndiansAndAliens.jpg

OTHER NEWS

An industry report today offhandedly broke big news that Lionsgate hoped to deliver four movies out of Suzanne Collins’ popular dystopian trilogy "The Hunger Games". Yet the plan is not solid yet, as the focus remains on the first film and how it performs next March.

"The Hunger Games" Barely Even-A-Teaser Teaser:
http://www.sfx.co.uk/2011/08/26/the-hunger-games-barely-even-a-teaser-teaser/

David Goyer, whose script credits include the Nolan Batmans, "Man Of Steel" has told The LA Times that he’s writing the script for a possible reboot of "The Invisible Man" for Universal. "It’s a period film but it’s period like Downey’s "Sherlock Holmes" says Goyer. It’s not a done deal yet, though, he warns: “It’s something slowly working its way through the Universal development channels. It’s still alive. We did some pre-vis tests and things like that that they were very happy with. Now we’re going through the casting process. If they get the right lead, they’ll make it.”

The Syfy Channel is planning to reboot "The Philadelphia Experiment" and actor Malcolm McDowell is one of the actors who have jumped on board for a 2012 release.Originally a 1984 theatrical release, the film was based on the urban legend that an experiment in radar masking conducted by the U.S. Navy not only rendered the U.S.S. Philadelphia invisible but actually temporarily transported it elsewhere.

Could Sarah Conner make a return in Terminator 5? Since the movie was announced, a lot of people have been asking whether or not we could see a return for Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor. In a recent interview director Justin Lin revealed that he’d love to bring Sarah Connor back due to her being such a big part of the first two movies.“I’ve always been surprised how in Terminator 3… It was like one line and she was gone.”

"Cloud Atlas", the ambitious literary adaptation being co-written and co-directed by Andy and Lana Wachowski is set to begin shooting mid-to-late September at Germany's Studio Babelsberg. The mega project stars Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugo Weaving, Susan Sarandon, Ben Whishaw and Jim Broadbent. The film is based on David Mitchell's epic novel, which follows six story-lines, each set in a different place and era. The novel's timeline and geography stretches from 19th century Australia to a post-apocalyptic Hawaii. Many have called the novel unfilmable.

In an effort to spark interest in science, NASA has teamed up with Tor/Forge Books, to release realistic science fiction novels for young readers. The books will be “NASA inspired Works of Fiction” around concepts pertinent to the current and future work of NASA. NASA plans for the writers to team up with Subject Matter Experts at the Goddard Space Flight Center in order to write scientifically accurate and entertaining novels. NASA hopes that pairing the scientists with award-winning authors will raise awareness and inspire the study of science, technology, engineering and mathmatics

BOOK REVIEWS

"Silversands" - Gareth L. Powell:
http://www.strangehorizons.com/reviews/2010/10/silversands_by_.shtml
"Germline" - T.C McCarthy:

http://www.orbitbooks.net/2011/02/07/cover-launch-germline-by-t-c-mccarthy/

"To The Galactic Rim" - A. Bertram Chandler:

http://www.bertramchandler.com/novels/tothegalacticrim.aspx

SCiFi NEWS QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"If your looking for my professional opinion as ship's counselor, he's nut's" - Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) referring to Zefram Cochrane in "Star Trek: First Contact"

SciFi News For 8-20-11

2011-08-19T14:04:00.008-07:00

2012 Film "Gravity" Will Be "Mind-Blowing" (Story & Video 3:45):

http://www.firstshowing.net/2011/del-toro-says-alfonso-cuarons-sci-fi-gravity-will-be-mind-blowing/

Dr Who Series 6, Episode 8 Preview Clip 2 (Video :58):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9cuPQuDbD0&feature=player_embedded

10 Things You Probably Didn't Know About The Original Star Trek (Story & Images):

http://io9.com/5827581/10-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-the-original-star-trek

Synthetic Life Could Help Colonize Mars (Story):

http://www.space.com/12681-synthetic-life-mars-colony-craig-venter.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+spaceheadlines+%28SPACE.com+Headline+Feed%29

Intel Looking To SciFi Writers For Future Ideas (Story & Video 3:45):
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Future-Casting-futurist-Science-fiction-Brian-David-johnson-sci-fi,13220.html

Facial Recognition - Technology Straight From The Pages Of Science Fiction (Story):

http://thefutureofthings.com/news/11279/facial-recognition-straight-from-sci-fi.html

A Look At DARPA'S Impressive Futuristic Projects (Story & Video 2:40):

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/technology/2011/08/darpas-very-expensive-sci-fi-projects-future/41427/

Help Wanted To Design Ways To Send People To The Stars (Story):

http://www.stltoday.com/news/science/article_3eb9f408-c955-11e0-8349-001a4bcf6878.html

Fastest Aircraft Ever Built Hits Mach 20! (Story & Video 1:27):

http://www.space.com/12670-superfast-hypersonic-military-aircraft-darpa-htv2.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+spaceheadlines+%28SPACE.com+Headline+Feed%29

Help Solve A Drought By Towing An Iceberg? Say That Again! (Story):

http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-08/computer-models-show-shelved-iceberg-towing-scheme-could-actually-work

Private Company To Launch Dragon Capsule In November (Story):

http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-08/spacex-launch-dragon-capsule-bound-iss-november

Aliens Might Just Be Able To Fix Global Warming...Or Kill Us! (Story):

http://www.lifeslittlemysteries.com/aliens-et-global-warming-1955/

"Orbital Transmission" - A Collection Of Fascinating SciFi Sound FX (Product Details):

http://www.gearwire.com/bluezone-corporation-orbital-transmission.html

OTHER NEWS

Following on the heels of "Prometheus" and it's prequel, reboot, whatever it is connection to Alien, it’s been announced that Ridley Scott will give "Blade Runner" the same treatment, and will produce and direct. Though the news of another "Blade Runner" film came back in March, there had yet to be a confirmation that Scott would be on board for the project. Today, it's been confirmed!

Jean Claude Van Damme has not yet kicked his last kick! In what appears to be a slow continuing resurrection of his career, the news is out about his upcoming projects starting with a new British movie titled "UFO". Filming is currently underway in Derby and Van Damme will play a retired military advisor. Van Damme will also reprise his Universal solder role in "Universal Soldier: A New Dimension" and will also play a role in the second "Expendables" movie.

Avatar, which is one of the highest-grossing films of all time after Cameron’s Titanic, is gearing up to set new records all over again. There is plenty of hype about the sequel to the original movie and James Cameron is building a huge set at the MBS Media Campus in Manhattan Beach, CA to make the location for his future Avatar operations. Avatar 2 and 3 will be filmed back-to-back with the help of MBS’s massive production stages, combining his office and soundstages into a single unit. As far as the story is concerned the first sequel will focus on Pandora’s ocean, but will also feature the rainforest from the original movie.Avatar 2 is set for a December 2014 release, while the next sequel will follow in December 2015.

BOOK REVIEWS

"Bodyguard" - William C. Dietz

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/722440.Bodyguard

"Machine Man" - Max Barry

http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2011/08/max-barrys-crazy-experiment-machine-man/

"The Moon Maze Game" - Larry Niven & Steven Barnes

http://www.rtbookreviews.com/book-review/moon-maze-game

SCIFI NEWS QUOTE OF THE WEEK
On the subject of technology hindering quality sleep...The National Sleep Foundation says 95% of people said they used electronics in the hour before going to bed, and two-third said they don't get enough sleep during the week. "Technology has invaded the bedroom." - Charles Czeisler of Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital

SciFi News For 8-12-11

2011-08-12T14:08:00.003-07:00

Zira And Cornelius Would Be Proud Of New Apes Movie (Story):

http://www.tor.com/blogs/2011/08/zira-a-cornelius-would-be-proud-how-the-new-apes-revives-the-soul-of-the-classic-films

Trilogy Could Be In The Works For "Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes" (Story):

http://www.airlockalpha.com/node/8671/trilogy-prospects-in-works-for-planet-of-the-apes.html

The Secret Story Behind "Cowboys And Aliens" (Story):

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/07/29/the-secret-story-behind-cowboys-and-aliens/

"Mongrels Creed" - Not Your Typical Dystopian Short (Video 11:22):

http://www.quietearth.us/articles/2011/08/09/Watch-stylish-dystopian-short-MONGRELS-CREED

The 10 Worst SciFi Films Of All Time (Story & 10 videos):

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/post/145661-the-10-worst-sci-fi-films-of-all-time/

Connor Trinneer On "Enterprise's" Pluses And Minuses (Story):

http://www.startrek.com/article/connor-trinneer-revisits-his-enterprise-days-part-1

Ion Propulsion - Star Trek Concept Meets NASA Reality (Story):

http://news.yahoo.com/science-fiction-science-fact-ion-propulsion-systems-173000657.html

Space Elevator Update With Michio Kaku (Story & Video 2:05)

http://scifipartyline.net/?p=11017

Avoiding The End Of NASA (Story):

http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1901/1

Writing Science Fiction As A Non-Scientist (Story):

http://www.jamierubin.net/2011/08/10/writing-science-fiction-as-a-non-scientist/

10 Comparisons Between "The Jetsons" And Modern Technology (Story & Images)

http://www.phonetvinternet.com/insider/10-comparisons-between-the-jetsons-and-modern-technology/

BOOK REVIEWS

"Old Man's War" - John Scalzi (Hugo Award winner 2006):

http://www.sfreviews.net/oldmanswar.html

"Cyteen" - C.J. Cherrhh:

http://joesherry.blogspot.com/2009/06/cyteen-by-c-j-cherryh.html

"The Truth Of Valor" - Tanya Huff

http://www.cybermage.se/the-truth-of-valor-confederation-of-valor-5-by-tanya-huff-book-review/

OTHER NEWS

British director Gareth Edwards is developing a top secret science fiction film with Russian director turned producer Timur Bekmambetov. Not much has been revealed about this project, until now.The still untitled project is about a young human child (probably around 5 years old) and a robot who travel across the galaxy in search of mankind’s origin in a world void of humanity and filled with robots. Gareth is pitching this project as “a robot Star Wars."

Thanks to donations SETI’s Allen Telescope Array is Back Online.Back in April it was reported that the Array was being shut down due to lack of funding, however thanks to a campaign started in June called SETIstars, the array now has the $200,000 it needed to come back online. Science fiction played no small part in this endeavor as one of the major contributors was acclaimed author Larry Niven. Jodie Foster, Dr. Ellie Arroway herself (from the film "Contact") donated to SETIstars, as well as Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders.

NASA’s spacecraft Juno lifted off Friday, the start of a five-year, 1.7 billion-mile trip to Jupiter that scientists believe will unlock some of the secrets behind the origin of the solar system. By the fall of 2017, Juno is expected to have completed 34 elliptical, polar orbits around Jupiter and hopefully answer a long-standing debate over whether there is a solid core inside Jupiter’s swirling bands of gas.

The exploration of Mars by the Mars Opportunity rover continues. The rover reached Spirit Point yesterday and is overlooking a 14-mile-wide crater where clay minerals might have formed during a warmer, wetter period. About the size of a golf cart, the Opportunity rover arrived at Mars a few weeks after its twin, Spirit.

Are paper books worth saving? Now that electronic books are becoming an unstoppable force, it's a question worth asking. We're no longer reading papyrus scrolls so why isn't it unrealistic to think that paper books may become just as extinct? Guest writer for the Chicago Sun Times, Aaron Gilbreath, argues that paper books are not worth fighting for, however a blogger for the website "End Of The Universe" says what she fails to discuss is the elephant in the room over book piracy. Pirating books was once a difficult task, but new technologies have made it a breeze and pirated editions are so common that they are poised to completely devalue all books. Unlike the music industry where musicians can at least make a living from concerts, authors don't have such an option.

SCIFI NEWS QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and to endure the betrayal of false friends. To appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

SciFi News For 8-5-11

2011-08-05T11:11:00.005-07:00

What Your Favorite Planet Of The Apes Movie Says About You (Story):

http://io9.com/5827778/what-your-favorite-planet-of-the-apes-movie-says-about-you

"Elysium" A Hometown Project For Vancouver's Neill Blomkamp (Story):

http://www.theprovince.com/entertainment/movie-guide/Elysium+hometown+project+Neill+Blomkamp/5181296/story.html

Science Fiction Movies That Deserve A Second Chance? (Story):

http://www.tor.com/blogs/2011/08/haters-gonna-hate-5-unfairly-derided-action-sci-fi-flicks

Big Surprise! Another Alien Invasion Film On The Way (Trailer):

http://www.quietearth.us/articles/2011/08/03/Trailer-for-Chris-Goraks-alien-apocalypse-flick-THE-DARKEST-HOUR

The Trill Of It All - Terry Farrell Of DS9 (Interview)

Part 1: http://www.startrek.com/article/the-trill-of-it-all-undefined-terry-farrell-interview-part-1

Part 2: http://www.startrek.com/article/the-trill-of-it-all-undefinedterry-farrell-interview-part-2

One Man's Dedicated Qwest To Extend Our Lifespan (Story):

http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-07/man-who-would-stop-time

NASA's Mars Rover Really Tacks On The Miles (Story):

http://www.space.com/12527-mars-rover-opportunity-20-miles-red-planet.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+spaceheadlines+%28SPACE.com+Headline+Feed%29

NASA'S "Dawn" Spacecraft Always On The Job (Story & Images):

http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2011/08/nasa-up-close-personal-with-an-asteroid-the-size-of-arizona.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheDailyGalaxyNewsFromPlanetEarthBeyond+%28The+Daily+Galaxy%3A+News+from+Planet+Earth+%26+Beyond%29

Fun In A "Lost In Space"Jupiter 2 Prop Room (Videos 8:01, 7:43 & 4:31):

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqT1Y-8V5tk

Part 2:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8T3fPEXXAio&feature=related

Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66T4UZREMjA&feature=related

Luke Skywalker Finally Gets Some Professional Help (Cartoon):

http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g413/janlafata/Science%20Fiction/LukeFinallyGetsSomeHelp.jpg

OTHER NEWS

It's been reported that Fox has ordered a new version of the late Carl Sagan’s "Cosmos: A Personal Voyage". "Cosmos: A Space-Time Odyssey" will be a 13-part series produced by Seth MacFarlane and Sagan’s original collaborators, his widow Ann Druyan and astrophysicist Steven Soter, and will be hosted by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. According to the producers, the new series will take viewers to other worlds and travel across the universe for a vision of the cosmos on the grandest scale.

News from Physicists at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology that Time Travel is not possible may just put a crimp in the future plans of Hollywood writers. Then again, it might not! The research team, led by Professor Du Shengwang, set out to close the debate by measuring the speed of a photon, or the fundamental unit of light.Their conclusion? A single photon cannot be accelerated beyond the speed of light, thus faster-than-light time travel is impossible. However the study says nothing about wormholes and possibilities brought up by Einstein's general theory of relativity.

"Limitless" actor Bradley Cooper is set to turn science fiction series 'Hyperion Cantos' into two feature films.Cooper is working on an adaptation of Dan Simmons' novel series, a complex story set in the distant future about a group of travelers sent on a pilgrimage to the fictional Hyperion universe, and he has revealed it is likely the first two novels will be turned into one movie while the second two will become the sequel.

Director Cary Fukunaga is ready to dive into the world of science fiction with "Spaceless". It concerns an assassin who wakes to find himself floating through space in a suit that is running out of air, fitted with a computer designed to keep him company until he expires. The last thing he remembers is breaking into a space station to carry out a hit, but is he really about to die? Could he be trapped in an artificial reality or simply experiencing the effects of madness? "Pirates Of The Caribbean" director Gore Verbinski is on board as producer.

Alfonso Cuarón‘s 3D sci-fi epic “Gravity” starring George Clooney and Sandra Bullock just started filming in June and Warner Brothers has already scheduled the film for a November 21, 2012 release date. The film is an ambitious, mostly one-character piece set on a remote space station. During an expedition outside the station, only the team leader (Clooney) and his female colleague (Bullock) are left alive after an exploding satellite kills the other members of the crew, setting off a desperate race home for the latter to get to her child.

BOOK REVIEWS

"Falling Back To Earth" - Mark Albrecht:

http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1895/1

"Farmer In The Sky" - Robert Heinlein (1953):

http://digitalsciencefiction.com/book-review-farmer-in-the-sky-by-robert-a-heinlein/

"Bringer Of Light" - Jaine Fenn

http://wikisis.com/2011/06/bringer-of-light-by-jaine-fenn/

SCIFI NEWS QUOTE OF THE WEEK

There is beauty in space, and it is orderly. There is no weather and there is regularity. It is predictable. Just look at our little Explorer, you can set your clock by it. Literally, it is more accurate than your clock. Everything in space obeys the laws of physics. If you know these laws, and obey them, space will treat you kindly - Wernher von Braun

SciFi News For 7-29-11

2011-07-29T15:06:00.000-07:00

"Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes" - 3 New Clips (Videos 1:06 :39 1:03):
http://www.sfx.co.uk/2011/07/24/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-3-new-clips/

Is "In Time" The Intelligent SciFi Film We've Been Waiting For? (Story, Video 3:55):
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2011/jul/29/in-time-andrew-niccol

Hillary Swank Leads Revolt On Venus in 2250 With "Shrapnel"
http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/archives/2011/07/22/hilary_swank_goes_sci-fi_with_shrapnel/

Based On The Popular Board Game,"Battleship" Now A Movie (Trailer):
http://www.sliceofscifi.com/2011/07/28/battleship-trailer-released/

The Deleted (And Expensive!) Opening Scene From "Superman Returns: (Video 5:00):
http://geeksofdoom.com/2011/07/28/watch-now-the-deleted-opening-sequence-from-superman-returns/

2001's "Planet Of The Apes" - It's Tough Filling Heston's Shoes (Story):
http://www.tor.com/blogs/2011/07/never-send-marky-mark-to-do-hestons-job-2001s-planet-of-the-apes

"Wherever You Go, There You Are" - A Look Back At "Buckaroo Banzai" (Story):
http://www.tor.com/blogs/2011/07/wherever-you-go-there-you-are-a-look-back-at-buckaroo-banzai

Star Trek DS9's Chase Masterson At Comic-Con (Interview):
http://www.buddytv.com/articles/2007-comicon/chase-masterson-of-star-trek-d-41054.aspx

The Beginning Of The End Or The End Of The Beginning?. Life After The Shuttle (Story): http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1890/1

Is Colonizing Mars A Priority? USA's New Space Strategy Points To Yes (Story):
http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2011/07/is-colonizing-mars-an-imperative-usas-new-space-strategy-points-to-yes.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheDailyGalaxyNewsFromPlanetEarthBeyond+%28The+Daily+Galaxy%3A+News+from+Planet+Earth+%26+Beyond%29

Momentum Building On Google+ (Story):
http://singularityhub.com/2011/07/26/dont-look-for-me-on-facebook-ive-moved-to-google/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SingularityHub+%28Singularity+Hub%29

Visionary SciFi Artist And Illustrator Chris Foss (Images):
http://www.chrisfossart.com/

Are You Part Of The SFX Book Club? (Promo):

http://www.sfx.co.uk/2011/07/29/the_sfx_book_club/

OTHER NEWS

It’s official. We won’t get a new "Star Trek" movie next summer.Paramount removed the movie from next summer’s release list and has replaced it with the sequel to "G.I Joe: The Rise Of The Cobra". The next Trek film is supposed to begin filming in January and may be ready for release in the holiday season of 2012.

Raw Leiba is to star in sci-fi thriller "Cybornetics", now in pre-production and set for release sometime in 2012. The film is about a group of scientists, working for the United States government, who are in a competitive race to develop a cyborg.

Actor Daniel Craig says the script for the next Bond movie is even better than the one for "Casino Royale". The actor says he’s more excited to start work on the film than he was before Casino and that director Sam Mendes will bring something new to the franchise.“I think it’s a great choice because Sam has a fervor and energy to really direct a Bond movie with a capital B,” Craig says.

China's first space station is undergoing final tests before its launch later this year. Tiangong-1 is built to serve as a rendezvous and docking platform for China's future spacecraft. Once in Earth orbit, it would be followed by blastoff of an unpiloted Shenzhou-8 spacecraft in the latter half of this year, to carry out the nation's first space docking.

BOOK REVIEWS

"On Basilisk Station" - David Weber

http://digitalsciencefiction.com/book-review-on-basilisk-station-by-david-deber/

"The Mandel Files" (Re-release) - Peter F. Hamilton

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/peter-f-hamilton/mandel-files.htm

"Amortals" - Matt Forbeck

http://sfbook.com/amortals.htm

SCIFI NEWS QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"Airplanes are interesting toys but of no military value." (1911) - Ferdinand Foch. French soldier, military theorist, and writer.