Days of Sci Fi & Fantasy

You're such a BOSON!

noreply@blogger.com (ElvesofAmarie) — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 19:15:00 +0000

Reports are out. They have finally found the mysterious Higgs Boson, or the "God Particle" (apparently, derived from "Goddammed Particle").

What is this Boson? Below is an excerpt from http://physicsforme.wordpress.com/2011/07/24/higgs-boson-one-page-explanation/ , where several explanations for the Higgs Boson are posted. I found this one relatively simple, if you have a high school physics background...and actually remember it:

"The Need to Understand Mass

By Roger Cashmore Department of Physics, University of Oxford, UK.

What determines the size of objects that we see around us or indeed even the size of ourselves? The answer is the size of the molecules and in turn the atoms that compose these molecules. But what determines the size of the atoms themselves? Quantum theory and atomic physics provide an answer. The size of the atom is determined by the paths of the electrons orbiting the nucleus. The size of those orbits, however, is determined by the mass of the electron. Were the electron’s mass smaller, the orbits (and hence all atoms) would be smaller, and consequently everything we see would be smaller. So understanding the mass of the electron is essential to understanding the size and dimensions of everything around us.

It might be hard to understand the origin of one quantity, that quantity being the mass of the electron. Fortunately nature has given us more than one elementary particle and they come with a wide variety of masses. The lightest particle is the electron and the heaviest particle is believed to be the particle called the top quark, which weighs at least 200,000 times as much as an electron. With this variety of particles and masses we should have a clue to the individual masses of the particles.
Unfortunately if you try and write down a theory of particles and their interactions then the simplest version requires all the masses of the particles to be zero. So on one hand we have a whole variety of masses and on the other a theory in which all masses should be zero. Such conundrums provide the excitement and the challenges of science.

There is, however, one very clever and very elegant solution to this problem, a solution first proposed by Peter Higgs. He proposed that the whole of space is permeated by a field, similar in some ways to the electromagnetic field. As particles move through space they travel through this field, and if they interact with it they acquire what appears to be mass. This is similar to the action of viscous forces felt by particles moving through any thick liquid. the larger the interaction of the particles with the field, the more mass they appear to have. Thus the existence of this field is essential in Higg’s hypothesis for the production of the mass of particles.

We know from quantum theory that fields have particles associated with them, the particle for the electromagnetic field being the photon. So there must be a particle associated with the Higg’s field, and this is the Higgs boson. Finding the Higgs boson is thus the key to discovering whether the Higgs field does exist and whether our best hypothesis for the origin of mass is indeed correct."

So, what does this mean for us?! I have no idea. I'm not a physicist, and so apart from the "Physics" implications, I'm not quite sure how this discovery would trickle down to us, mere humans. If you know, please comment, illuminate, educate.

Initially, there were concerns about the consequences of building the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the actual instrument of Boson discovery (where sub-atomic particles are smashed together at superspeed to create conditions simulating those during the Big Bang). An experiment gone wrong could destroy the entire earth. In fact, according to http://www.vulture.com/, Bad Robot and Paramount will be making a science fiction disaster movie called the "God Particle" sometime in the future. The idea is that the Earth has been tossed into oblivion after an LHC experiment goes awry and the only humans left are the occupants of a space station, until they encounter a European Spacecraft and...stuff happens.

OK, so now what? If this truly is the predicted God Particle, how will it change the universe as we know it. If this is the article that gives mass, perhaps we'll find a way to reverse the process and take mass away, let's say...air travel, architecture, floating communities? Wrong track? Maybe. Again, I'm not a physicist!

Could this new discovery aid future physics savvy terrorists? Could it solve our overcrowding problem? Pollution? Accessible food materials?

This Higgs particle is just one more significant step in explaining our universe and what holds it together, the Big Bang, why we exist, and how we exist as we do. I have no idea how it's going to affect my life as an individual, but, fine, I'll toast to Higgs and his Boson!

Bye Bye Penny! Hello SciFi-licious currency!

noreply@blogger.com (ElvesofAmarie) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:49:00 +0000

Canada's getting rid of the penny. We're going to round up or down, gain or lose. My brain's still twirling around that one.

Now we're moving even closer to a Science Fiction-like world with the MintChip that has just been announced by Canada's Royal Mint that will allow us to pay for things with our phones, tablets, and other popular gadgets, without exchanging personal information.

They are actually holding a contest for software developers to come up with the perfect MintChip.

Canada's MintChip

What do think? Is this MintChip a better alternative to debit cards and digital wallets?

Dragonvale App for iPhone

noreply@blogger.com (ElvesofAmarie) — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 16:38:00 +0000

I have been fully engrossed in the DragonVale App from BackFlip studios. It's one of those world/scene-building apps like Sims, Tapfish, or FarmVille, and is so addictive.

In DragonVale you begin with some red gems and coins, allowing you to buy your first dragon eggs. Once they hatch, you feed them with treats that you make with Treat Farms. When the dragons grow to level 4 you can breed them together to create rare hybrid dragons. As your dragons fly, crawl and swim around, they earn coins, allowing you to buy more treats, dragon habitats and decorations.

The island is essentially a dragon theme park, which is visited by wizards, princesses and other characters that teleport in and out of the park. The more dragons you have, the more visitors you get.

If you like, you can exchange gems with online friends, however, I have not tried that out yet.

You can look up online breeding guides to determine with dragons to breed together. The baby dragons are irresistible, however they begin to look a bit awkward as they reach level 7.

BackFlip updates the game on a regular basis, adding new dragons and decor.

Give this game a try. It is quite fun and very addictive, but I believe I'm practicing patience as some eggs take days to hatch and, currently, I only have room for two eggs in the Hatchery.

My current goal is to breed a Love Dragon, but I need to make more treats to get my dragons to level 10.

I love this game! You will too!

"Game of Thrones" season 2 episode 1

noreply@blogger.com (ElvesofAmarie) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 19:10:00 +0000

So, I just watched the season 2 premiere of G.O.T. I've read all the available books in the series, so I found myself relieved that the episode was over. Ouch!

It wasn't a bad episode. I just know what's going to happen way, way into the show's future. That's all.

I'll continue to watch the show and, hopefully, enjoy it. It's just such a dense book. Can they continue to do the books justice? I've formed my own ideas of what the new characters should look like and am not so happy with some of the casting choices.

Melisandre is nice enough looking, but I really pictured someone more dangerously beautiful and seductive...with better hair.

Isn't that comet kind of big? The comet takes a while to travel across the sky in the books. It just seems to me that a comet that bright would be much closer to the earth and would travel faster? Ah, but I'm not an astronomer, and I'm too lazy to evaluate the physical accuracy of such things. I may be way off.

Joffrey is a murderous jerk, that is accurate enough, and, though he fits the part physically, I expected Sandor's voice to be much rougher.

Daenerys certainly sounded like a leader when she decisively ordered her men to scout ahead to find any evidence of civilization, and, awwww, aren't her dragons cute?!!! Let them eat horse!

I like John Snow. He has the right expressions on his face for a young man trying to figure out his place in the world. I'm not fond of Rob Stark and I can't take him seriously anymore, now that I know what happens to him in the near future. Caitlin? Stop abandoning your children! Oh, but you have to, I know.

I'm still deciding whether the episode felt rushed. So many important parts of the book were crammed into the 55 minutes of show. That is what tends to happen when books are turned into film, so I should be forgiving and enjoy it for what it is.

What do you think?

Charming pickup lines in time for the "Game of Thrones" premiere!

noreply@blogger.com (ElvesofAmarie) — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 23:43:00 +0000

I came across this article about G.O.T. premiere party pickup lines and thought I'd share!

My favourites:

“There are no men like me. Only me.”

“Shekh ma shieraki anni!” (“My sun and stars.”)

“I need you to become the man you’re always meant to be. Not next year, not tomorrow… now.”

“Now, you’ve woken the dragon!”

Also watch:

George Martin at the TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto, online from HBO Canada

BTW:

Who is having a premiere party? Can I come???

"Once Upon a Time" on CTV

noreply@blogger.com (ElvesofAmarie) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 03:13:00 +0000

Who watches Once Upon a Time?

I do. And I enjoy it. It's fun, whimsical, and sweet. It's perfect T.V. candy on which I can zone out and eat copious amounts of microwave popcorn (with Franks' Red Hot...yum).

Once Upon a Time is about Emma, a fun, quirky woman with an interesting past and unknown parentage (you'll recognize her as Kirk's mother in the latest Star Trek movie). She is lured to a small town called Storybrooke, Maine by, Henry, the son she gave up for adoption long, long ago (she gave birth to him in jail). He tries to convince her that all the people in Storybrooke are actually characters from his book of Fairytales and have been cursed to live in this realm (our world) by his adoptive mother, Regina. Regina is actually Snow White's evil stepmother, and, currently, holds the esteemed position of Town Mayor. This means that she controls and manipulates everything to keep people from finding out what she has done to them. Emma, herself, is the daughter of Snow White, a local school teacher named Mary Margaret, and Charming, or David Nolan, the local amnesiac.

Emma, if she ever comes to believe the truth about Storybrooke, is the only one who can remove the curse and return things to the way they were.

Every episode focuses on both lives of a particular fairytale character: their life in Storybrooke, Maine and in the Enchanted Forest. So far, we've learned about Jiminy Cricket, Rumpelstiltskin, Beauty, Red Riding Hood, the Mad Hatter, Grumpy the Dwarf and the Magic Mirror. The story of Snow White and Prince Charming develops throughout the series and is quite entertaining. I find the various interpretations of popular fairytales charming, interesting and, sometimes, surprising! Did you know that Grumpy was previously Dreamy and almost ran away with a fairy? Scandalous!

I have just watched episode 17 and am dying to see what comes next. If you have not watched this series yet, STOP READING and please catch up! If you think this show sucks, lighten up and have some fun!

Watch Once Upon A Time !

For those of you who have watched up to episode 17:

What the heck? They have found the heart of Charming's (Davis's) wife, but, is she really dead? Remember that Rosina keeps hearts in that cemetery vault of hers (which we now know used to belong to the Queen of Hearts down in Wonderland) and that the previous sheriff (the woodsman sent to kill Snow White and brink back her heart) died only after Regina squashed his heart with her evil hand. This means that it is very possible that the wife is alive!

So now what? Mary Margaret is accused of murder and languishing in jail, Charming has a flash back of Snow White (not Mary Margaret) wanting to kill a woman (her Stepmom), and Emma's experience with the Mad Hatter has left her flipping through her son's book with new eyes (or still skeptical eyes???).

Personally, I think Charming is a dud. He is a bit of a coward. He didn't tell his wife about Mary Margaret, who he is actually believes could be a murderer. Yuck. He belongs in the dud pile, thanks.

Gold is pure creep, Rumpelstiltskin is gross and weird. Regina is...evil, and Emma, chill out. Henry is sweet, and that mysterious writer who knows about the book...who the heck is he? Did he write the book? Why doesn't he just tell people what's going on (yes, yes, we wouldn't have a show)? Is he going to hook up with Emma? Where's Henry's dad again? Where did Henry come from? Does he know that he's Regina's dad, who was, by the way, a bit of an accomplice? And where can I find Regina's wardrobe, it's awesome?

Thoughts, anyone????

P.S. This Snow White kicks butt.

Leah Bobet - "Above" book launch - March 22

noreply@blogger.com (ElvesofAmarie) — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 02:13:00 +0000

On March 22, Leah Bobet will be launching her first book in Toronto, Canada. I am very excited for her and will be supporting her at the launch. I hope you will join us at Hotel Ocho, 195 Spadina Avenue, Toronto. The party starts at 8pm and goes to 2am!

Leah has published several stories in publications such as Chilling Tales: Evil I Did Dwell -- Lewd Did I Live and The Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy for Teens: First Annual Collection. Above will also be available in German and Portuguese (Brazilian). Please visit her site for more information about the launch, Leah, and Above!

http://www.leahbobet.com/

Game of Thrones Season 2 - April 1, 2012 on HBO

noreply@blogger.com (ElvesofAmarie) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 03:53:00 +0000

G.O.T. (affectionate name for Game of Thrones) airs in just two weeks.

Excited? I am!!!

I know what happens in the books, however, isn't it nice to see the characters come alive on screen? We all know that this is just one adaptation of the book and quite a good adaptation it is. G.O.T. fans are popping up everywhere. We know that even Fantasy- dismissers are hiding away in their apartments gasping in shock and grief as Eddard Stark's head falls to the ground.

Sounds dramatic, but this series has caused quite a stir, inciting people who don't really read much (EVER) to devour all five of the A Song of Ice & Fire books and wait, quite impatiently, for the sixth.

I've discovered an interesting site where you can view a lovely interpretation of the map of Westeros (the land in which the series takes place). If your computer can handle it and you can figure out the quirks, there is a informative little timeline map that you can follow:

Speculative Map of Westeros and Time Lines

I would like to maintain an ongoing discussion of the series as it progresses, using the comments section below (for now). I'm quite eager to hear the thoughts of other G.O.T. fans and hope that people will contribute their feedback and their questions.

Guillem H. Pongiluppe (click to see his work)

Let's start with the basic questions I've listed below. Please send me your questions and any other G.O.T. related issues you might want to discuss! Cheers!

1. For those who have read the series, did they pick the right actress to play Daenerys Targaryen?

2. Did they pick the right John Snow?

Sean Bean in Boardwalk Empire

3. Which actors/actresses do not fit your vision of the characters they have been chosen to play?

4. Do you think the second series will be as good as the first?

5. I'm so sad that Eddard Stark is gone, but am happy that he has been reincarnated as a lovely lady in Boardwalk Empire. What say you?

The Legend of Korra

noreply@blogger.com (ElvesofAmarie) — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 00:08:00 +0000

Airbender fans, the creators of Avatar: The last Airbender, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, have created a new series which will air on Nickelodeon on April 14. Watch the preview below!

Looks pretty good to me!

This series takes place in Republic City, about 100 years after Ang's defeat of Azula and the Fire Nation (see original series). Korra, a waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe, is the current Avatar. In the first season, she will take on a group of anti-benders called the Equalists. She must master airbending under the tutelage of Tenzin, the son of Katara, a water bender (original series), and Ang, the last Avatar.

For those of you unfamiliar with Avatar: The last Airbender, the Avatar is the incarnation of a powerful being who brings peace and balance to the world through mastery over the four elements: Air, Water, Fire and Earth.

I highly enjoyed the first series and recommend that you watch it before The Legend of Korra comes out. I have high hopes that this new series will be just as amazing as its predecessor.

In other news, M.Night Shyamalan's, The Last Airbender: Cross Roads of Destiny, is supposed to come out sometime soon! Uh oh! Not everyone appreciated his film adaptation of the first half of The last Airbender series! Here is an idea of what it might look like:

Hmmm...interesting. Airbender fans, any thoughts?

Dark Shadows preview: Johnny Depp doing the Emo Do

noreply@blogger.com (ElvesofAmarie) — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 02:09:00 +0000

Ladies and Gents, how we all love Johnny Depp and Tim Burton. Aren't we glad that they keep giving us more??!!

Check out this preview for Dark Shadows, coming out May 11. Looks very entertaining.

Mr. Depp is Barnabus (with yet another interesting hair-do!) and Eva Green plays his amorous enemy, as they duke it out during the age of Aquarius. I'm not sure if we get to see Eva's assets, as we did in the series Camelot, however, her standard "witch-y" Morgana voice is still going strong, though I'm kind of tired of it (yeah, yeah, you're "evil, like the fru-eets of the De-veel", we get it).

Sick Boy is in it, as is Miss Ghastly-Crumb-Tiny herself, Helena Bonham Carter.

I've added some clips from the original series! Enjoy!!!

The beauty of Martian Landscaping

noreply@blogger.com (ElvesofAmarie) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 23:39:00 +0000

In a previous post, I mentioned the use of Utah's Plateaus and Canyons to illustrate the Landscape of Mars (Barsoom) in Disney's John Carter.

As some of you may know Mars has just been the closest to Earth it will be for quite some time. If you are like me, you did not possess a telescope powerful enough to get a glimpse of the martian terrain. Luckily, The University of Arizona Department of Planetary Sciences/Lunar and Planetary Laboratory's HiRISE, the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, has and will continue to capture high resolution images of Mars that we can view on their website . I highly recommend sharing these wonderful photos with the budding astronomer in your family!

Serpent Dust Devil of Mars, courtesy of HiRISE, University of Arizona

Well Hello, John Carter!!!

noreply@blogger.com (ElvesofAmarie) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 02:50:00 +0000

Courtesy of Julie Bell and Boris Vallejo, 2009

I'm torn between sharing my John Carter experience and not sharing. It's only been a few days since its release, and, maybe I should give people time to watch it? Hmmm...Nah.

The story is related through John Carter's diary as it is read by his nephew, Edgar Rice Burroughs. Some time after after the American Civil War, John Carter gets transported to Mars, taken captive by a tall species of horned martians and tries to save the Princess of Mars from an arranged marriage to the enemy leader. Unfortunately, this will mess up the plans of an immortal group of pale bald Time Lord type guys, perhaps related to the pale bald guys from Fringe. They have been planning the fate of Mars (a.k.a Barsoom) since before mankind , sorry, Martian-kind existed and are not very happy with Mr. Carter's interference.

Did I enjoy this movie? Yeah, it was O.K.

I found certain parts a bit drawn out, especially the mushy, gooey parts (do people really like that stuff?). The 3D effects were fun when they were noticeable, mostly during flying machine scenes, but I expected far more from Disney. The nature of the story and where it takes place should have offered far more opportunities for 3D to really shine. The most the 3D gave me was a headache and a bit of nausea.

There were some amusing parts, some comic relief to cut through some of the boring portions, though sometimes it felt a little forced. The sets were well done, parts of it filmed at Disney Studios. The beautiful landscape of Utah was used as the Martian Terrain, which was appropriately dusty, reddish-brownish.

Mr. Carter, played by Taylor Kitsch, was in fine form. He did look a bit ridiculous bouncing through the air like the Hulk, an ability stemming from Mar's lower gravity and Earth men's lighter bone density. He became much stronger as well, plowing through giant martians like a bowling ball.

The Princess of Mars, Dejah Thoris, played by Lynn Collins was quite stunning and exotic. I am particularly happy that she was portrayed as a shapely woman, rather than a Hollywood Skinny.

The costumes were interesting. It always intrigues me to see how costume designers interpret written descriptions of clothing and style and, also, where they take liberties. The "good side" had cool helmets with wings, which reminded me of the various Hollywood depictions of Hermes' head gear. It seemed, over all, that Martians dress like ancient Greek warriors, and do not like pants.

Frank E. Schoonover, 1917

Another thing that interests me is the story's very brief explanation of time travel. Copies of people travel from planet to planet using a special glowing medallion and a few magic words. The original body remains comatose, back home. More explanation would have been nice. And what exactly was the 9th ray?

Final words? Disney's John Carter wasn't bad. It wasn't great either. I, unfortunately, have not yet read A Princess of Mars, so I cannot comment on how well the film was adapted from the book, whether it remained true or it was altered Hollywood-style.

I wouldn't be opposed to watching the next film in the series, if Disney decides to make one, however, I really hope that they do a better job of it.

Readers, I'm interested to hear comparisons between the book and the movie, and impressions of the movie in general. Please share!

Tiptree Award Results!

noreply@blogger.com (ElvesofAmarie) — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 16:53:00 +0000

Looking for some new reading material? the Tiptree Award has been given out and posted on it's website. The winner for 2011 is Redwood and Wildfire by Andrea Hairston (Aqueduct Press, 2011). You can also review the Honor list and the Long list

I've spent quite a bit of time in my life defending Science Fiction and Fantasy to people who say that it's all nonsense and has nothing to do with reality. I tell them that Science Fiction and Fantasy explores many of the same issues that other works of fiction do, just in a different kind of setting. We read about class, racial and gender oppression. We explore politics, war and what could happen after we use up the Earth's resources. We examine the human psyche, love, kinship and trust. And we take time to celebrate all this wonderful and thoughtful work. The Tiptree Award is an example of our appreciation.

What is the Tiptree Award?

"In February of 1991 at WisCon (the world’s only feminist-oriented science fiction convention), award-winning SF author Pat Murphy announced the creation of the James Tiptree, Jr. Award, an annual literary prize for science fiction or fantasy that expands or explores our understanding of gender...The aim of the award is not to look for work that falls into some narrow definition of political correctness, but rather to seek out work that is thought-provoking, imaginative, and perhaps even infuriating. The Tiptree Award is intended to reward those women and men who are bold enough to contemplate shifts and changes in gender roles, a fundamental aspect of any society." - http://tiptree.org/welcome

Go, Team Muggle!!!

noreply@blogger.com (ElvesofAmarie) — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 02:12:00 +0000

It looks like fantasy books are far more influential than I thought. The fun, but extremely dangerous looking, fictional sport Quidditch, from the Harry Potter series, has come to life in the U.S. and Europe, with varsity teams and an official association. The International Quidditch Association (IQA) provides the rules to which the Quidditch teams from Leicester and Keele Universities will abiding as they face off on Saturday, March 10.

Quidditch takes off: Turning a fictional game into a real sport

Since, this is the first time I am hearing of this (yes, I must be so very sheltered) I decided to do some digging and here is what I have found:

This thing is all over the place!
It was created by Xander Manshel and his buddy Alex Benepe at Middlebury College, in Vermont
You can do Summer Internships with the International Quidditch Association
There are over 100 official teams, many of them Quite active university teams
There are tons of game coverage clips on YouTube, AND
People seem really into it.

Question: Am I the only one who hasn't heard of this 'til now?

What would you see if you won a Space Contest?

noreply@blogger.com (ElvesofAmarie) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 16:21:00 +0000

Just a follow-up from my previous post regarding the Metro newspaper "Race for Space" Contest. I found the following time-lapse video of the Earth as seen from above. It is quite beautiful. You can see thunderstorms and Aurora-Australis, absolutely stunning. It's quite possible that this is something you would see if you did win a Contest to go up into space! Enjoy!

Ever dream of being an astronaut?

noreply@blogger.com (ElvesofAmarie) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 01:05:00 +0000

Here's your chance. If you live in Canada, you may be eligible to enter "The Metro Race for Space 2012"

Click on the link below!

Metro - Metro contest sends reader to space

For readers in other countries, I'll let you know if I hear of any contests!

In the mean time, watch Another Earth, a film about a young woman, recently jailed for killing two people in a hit-and-run, enters a contest to fly to a second earth that has just been discovered orbiting the sun.

The Hunger Games - Movie Trailer and Book Club invitation

noreply@blogger.com (ElvesofAmarie) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 03:45:00 +0000

Though it is Young Adult fiction, many adults have become big fans of The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins. In fact, the series was recommended to me by a colleague that just celebrated her 50th.

I have, so far, read the first two books of the trilogy, The Hunger Games and Catching Fire. Collins has done a great job of illustrating the post-apocalyptic dystopian future where North American society has been reduced to the Capitol and it's 12 subservient and impoverished districts that each produce or mine a specific resource or commodity, such as diamonds or coal. Each year the Capitol holds a draw in each district, choosing one male child and one female child, to compete to the death in the Hunger Games. The winner, is rewarded with a life time of wealth.

In her district, Katniss is chosen and makes her mark by winning the games and inadvertantly inciting a growing rebellion, represented by the Mockingay (hybrid bird) against the Capitol.

Collin's, herself, has written and produced the movie version that will come out on March 23, 2012. Hopefully, it will avoid the mistakes that many film adaptations tend to make and stay true to the original story. Katniss is played by Jennifer Lawrence, who you will recognize as the young Mystique in Xmen: First Class. From the previews, she looks like a pretty accurate Katniss, though, I never imaged the protagonist as having permanent superpout.

I recommend the books first, then the movie, but the decision is yours!

Other fight-to-the-death/survival-games type films and stories come to mind: Death Race 2000, The Running Man, and Gamer. Help me complete the list by posting other related movies or books in the comments section below.

As for Mockingjay, it is waiting on my shelf. As soon as I get a chance I'll dive into it. In the meantime, I'm going to list it on the Book Club page to, hopefully, get a discussion going in the comments section below!!!

Some discussion questions to start us off (assuming that you have read the first two books of the series):

How well do you feel the title of this book fits with the content?

District 13 is revealed in this book. How is it different from what you expected?

Do you believe that Katniss was exploited as the figurehead of the war?

How do you feel about Katniss' decision to end the war?

Who were the ultimate victims of the story?

What was the underlying message?

Your thoughts on the upcoming movie version of the Hunger Games?

Back to "Being Human", U.K. Edition

noreply@blogger.com (ElvesofAmarie) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 01:27:00 +0000

One of the downsides of not having cable T.V. is that I don't know when new seasons of my favourite shows come on the air. Case in point: I had no idea that the fourth season of the original Being Human had began playing several weeks ago! On top of that, I had no idea that there would even be a fourth season. I'm a bad fan.

I do know now, however, and watched the first episode today.

For those who are not familiar with Being Human, it's basically about a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost who are the best of friends, live under the same roof and try to fit into to human society (and not kill people), despite having to continuously dodge or fight the evil vampires that have infiltrated London society.

I love this show. I was very annoyed to hear that there was an American version coming out. After watching a few clips of this American Being Human, I determined it unwatchable and, even after three seasons, I still refuse to give it a chance. The American characters just don't have it, sorry.

Back to the GOOD version, the first episode has left me little puzzled. In the last episode of the third season, Mitchell the vampire, was killed mercifully by his best friend George the werewolf, to prevent the evil vampires from using him to take over the world. In between that episode and the first of season four, we find that George's girlfriend and baby mama, Nina, has been brutally murdered by the vampires as a message, and that they are still out to get him.

It's only the first episode of the season and George dies (what the heck?) saving his baby daughter from the vamps! Now she can go ahead save the world in the future according to a prophecy written on human skin over two thousand years ago (huh?). Annie is stuck with the baby and an adolescent (and perpetually mopey-faced) vampire-killing werewolf they picked up in season three. On top of all this, a concurrent situation is playing out with another vampire-werewolf-ghost trinity. According to the previews for episode two, this group moves in with Annie and the remains of her crew.

All these new characters are nice and all, but are they just a jumbled bunch of replacements for Mitchell and George? The last three episodes revolved around the woes of Annie, Mitchell and George. This new season is going in a completely new direction, though the threat of evil vampires taking over the world remains. It's almost as if George and Mitchell ducked out before the real war started.

I'm still eager to watch the show. I hope it remains on my favourites list, but we shall see!

Watch "Being Human-U.K." on Space

The birth of Skynet anyone?

noreply@blogger.com (ElvesofAmarie) — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 01:26:00 +0000

Vijay Kumar's labs at the University of Pennsylvania are building some pretty amazing flying robots that can act as a unit, fly in formation and and do some other very cool things. These smalls robots could function in a variety of ways, including first response missions to ferret out intruders or find survivors in collapsed buildings, the transportation of objects and construction.

Vijay Kumar: Robots that fly ... and cooperate | Video on TED.com

As amazing as this technology is, we have to consider the repercussions of an increasingly automated world. Could the world of Terminator really exist one day? When will the fascinating advances in Robotics result in the hostile take over of the earth by vengeful A.I.?

I've listed a few books and films that portray different versions of humanities future and how machines can change or even dominate the world. Help me compile a full list of A.I. by adding some titles to the Comments section

iRobot series Issac Asimov
Dune prequels by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
      Butlerian Jihad
      The Machine Crusade
      The Battle of Corrin

Hyperion by Dan Simmons

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein

The Ship Who Sang by Anne McAffrey

The Ghost in the Machine

The Matrix film series

Terminator film series

Hong Kong Dollars & Indian Cents: Fantastical Currency

noreply@blogger.com (ElvesofAmarie) — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 02:00:00 +0000

From freerepublic.com

As I waited in line at the bank this morning, I began to think about the types of currency used in SciFi and Fantasy and whether I would, one day, find my retinas being scanned to purchase things like socks from The Bay or underwear from Sears.

Some SFF stories use versions of old world coins or bartering. Stories set in the future often use electronic credits, biological implanted "banks" or some other high-tech exchange system. It's pretty fascinating, especially, when you are attempting to create a currency for your own work.

I've provided some links to lists of fictional currency that you might enjoy and find useful. Remember "Space Bucks" from the movie Spaceballs?!

I was hoping I would find more lists, so, if you know any, please pass on links to other fictional currency resources.

http://concord.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Fictional_Currencies

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fictional_currenciesl

Avengers Assemble - Canadian Release May 4, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (ElvesofAmarie) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 06:49:00 +0000

DOES NOT WORK WELL WITH OTHERS.

Well, that appears to be the case in the Avengers Assemble Trailer I just watched. To tell you the truth, I wouldn't mind watching the Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America bash each other to bits and, even better, the Hulk squashing all of them at the same time with his big green foot.

Still, it looks like there will be some nice evil bashing scenes. I'm interesting in seeing more of that serrated, mechanical, flying, super wormy thing that looks like Shockwave's snakey/wormy form's younger and more practical little brother.

And Hawkeye seems useless. Guess we'll see.

Animated Evolution!

noreply@blogger.com (ElvesofAmarie) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 00:52:00 +0000

Check out this wonderful little animation of evolution created by Tyler Rhodes, a student in the animation program at Virginia Commonwealth University, with the help of a group of elementary school children:

Georges Méliès's 1902 Classic, 'A Trip to the Moon'

noreply@blogger.com (ElvesofAmarie) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 04:33:00 +0000

If you've watched Scorsese's "Hugo", then you have seen Ben Kinsley play Goerges Méliès, the "cinemagician" who discovered "Subsititution Stop trick", and created "The impossible Voyage" "A trip to the Moon", some of the most important early Science Fiction films in history.

I have to admit, I know of these movies and I respect them for being some of the progenitors of my beloved SciFi and Fantasy films, their innovation and ingenuity, but I don't know much about them and their creator. And I'm a bit ashamed. So, for all of you who are in the same boat, let's cure ourselves of ignorance and learn a little bit about this man and his work. I've attached a clip below as well as somes links to other sites that provide information about Georges Méliès and his work.

Question: What are your thoughts on early Science Fiction and Fantasy movies?

Georges Méliès's 1902 Classic, 'A Trip to the Moon'

Georges Méliès

"A trip to the Moon" 1902

"The Impossible Voyage" (1904)

"20, 000 Leagues Under the Sea" (1907)

"Les hallucinations du baron de Münchhausen" (1911)

Aliens vs Promethius

noreply@blogger.com (ElvesofAmarie) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 00:19:00 +0000

The new Ridley Scott movie, Prometheus, is coming out some time before summer. It is definitely not what I expected it to be.

Prometheus is a spaceship whose crew includes Michael Fassbender (YaY!) and Naoomi Rapace from the REAL Dragon Tatoo movies (double YaY!). They are investigating an alien society that may hold the key to human origins.

Though it takes place before the events of the Alien, there are only a few connections between Prometheus and the old movies. You will recognize the name Weyland (watch clip below). The Prometheus is owned by Weyland Industries, which merged with Yutani Corporation, and later employed Ellen Ripley, the star of the Alien movies.

I have to admit that I am quite relieved that the Aliens do not appear in this movie. They scare the crap out of me. Instead, we'll see something new, perhaps, a different kind of scary.

I'm curious to know what people think of the new movie from what they have heard and seen so far. Write me a comment below!

Watch the CEO of Weyland Industries in this viral video on you tube:

Watch Prometheus Trailers:

Speaking of Elements...

noreply@blogger.com (ElvesofAmarie) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 05:16:00 +0000