Geeks love the periodic table. They love it so much, they’ll apply it to almost anything. Go ahead–Google “periodic table of [your favorite thing]” and somebody’s probably done it. Or, you can save the effort and enjoy these that I gathered for you. The Periodic Table of Sci-Fi Film and Television Order a poster-sized version […]
Continue ReadingIt’s the most wonderful time of the year…MEGACON TIME! To me, it’s one of the highlights of my trooping season. Geeks from around the country come to Orlando for 3 days of happy geeking out. You can see anything and everything at Megacon and I look forward to it every year. Last year the 501st […]
Continue ReadingA moon mineral has been discovered in Australia. Tranquillityite was named after the Sea of Tranquility, site of Apollo 11’s 1969 landing site. Like the other two minerals found in rocks brought back from that mission, it was long assumed to be unique to the Moon’s surface. Well, until now. We know science […]
Continue ReadingIf you don’t know how to fill in the rest of that quote, shame on you. Yes, I’m being horribly judgmental but I am an avowed Star Wars fan and that quote is one of the biggies. It’s right up there with “Use the Force, Luke!” and “I’ve got a very bad feeling about this.” […]
Continue ReadingThe Russian Google page currently has a marvelous interactive robot doodle. From what I can tell, it’s for Stanislaw Lem, the sci-fi writer who brought us Solaris.Thanks to my colleague who managed to find this!
Continue ReadingSeveral years ago we ditched cable because it seemed we were getting more reality shows than anything else and paying a ridiculous amount for the privilege. Instead we stream the shows we want to see and even paying by the episode for a few still puts us ahead of our old cable bill. Usually, we […]
Continue ReadingI have never been a fan of MMOs. It’s not that I hate them, nor do I harbor any ill will to those that play, but I just can’t seem to get drawn into one. My brother-in-law has been addicted to playing World of Warcraft for years and I’m always amazed by how involved he […]
Continue ReadingI’ve only recently discovered Doctor Who. Well, recent meaning the latest incarnations of him that began in 2005. I saw a few episodes back when I was a kid but they scared me so badly (cheesy Daleks and all) that even today they give me the creeps. I’m okay with big budget, 3D, in-your-face scary movies, but Tom […]
Continue ReadingFor those of you who wouldn’t know, the Guardian Reading Group began with Ray Bradbury’s dystopian classic, Fahrenheit 451, by readers’ choice. That’s a great, revolutionary choice (so they said), that will especially appeal to us geek people in love with classical sci-fi, and to us parents looking for books to discuss with our children. […]
Continue ReadingOne of the benefits of attending GenCon is that you can pick up copies of games before they’re scheduled to be in retail stores. I walk through the aisles very carefully, trying not to be lured in by something that I can simply buy as soon as I get home. Star Trek Fleet Captains, by […]
Continue ReadingCould you narrow your favorite science fiction and fantasy books down to just ten? In an effort to compile the top-100 titles in this combined genre, NPR is hosting an online poll. Nominations took place last month and garnered more than 5,000 responses. NPR narrowed the field down to just a few hundred and invites […]
Continue ReadingIt has been buzzing all over the web that Borders is going to be closing the rest of their stores and liquidating all of their assets. I’ve read that the reasoning for the closing Borders not being able to enter into the eReader market and the downswing in the economy. The market for books is […]
Continue ReadingI did what any red-blooded American did over our holiday weekend. That’s right, I went to see a movie. This was after consuming roughly my own body weight in hamburgers and hot dogs while hanging out with friends all afternoon. I almost didn’t go to see Transformers 3 because it was getting a love it/hate it response […]
Continue ReadingSimilar to Jenn having never watched Firefly, I never saw the new Battlestar Galactica. My best friend found out and immediately lent me her DVDs of the series. It took me a while to get started, but once I did, I was sucked in. I’m not sure why I didn’t start watching BSG earlier, but […]
Continue ReadingThe first alien invasion story I ever saw was The War of the Worlds. Not the new one with Tom Cruise, but the original 1953 version. I couldn’t have been more than seven when I watched it on TV one sunny Saturday afternoon. Do you know why I’ve never seen the remake? Because the original scared me half to death. There’s a […]
Continue ReadingIt may come as a shock to some that I don’t like sci-fi. Well, strike that. With the exception of Star Trek and the original Star Wars, I don’t like sci-fi and, for some hardcore sci-fi fans, it could be argued that both of those are entirely too mainstream and commercialized to boot. This is […]
Continue ReadingI am definitely a Star Wars junkie. It started when I was seven and saw the first movie in theaters with my Dad. He’d actually seen it once already just to make sure it wasn’t too scary, and he made me close my eyes when Obi-Wan lopped off Ponda Baba’s arm in the Mos Eisley Cantina. It […]
Continue ReadingI’m a big fan of Captain Jack Harkness. I think it has lots to do with that coat he always wears. Coats are cool, just like fezzes and bow ties and Stetsons. The only difference is that Captain Jack doesn’t ever tell you his coat is cool. It just is. When I finished watching the last Torchwood series I was […]
Continue ReadingIts easy for me to forget that famous people live normal lives. They speak English and drive cars and worry about make-up and husbands and doctor’s appointments. I was pleasantly reminded of this when my phone rang one sunny afternoon. “Beverly Hills, CA,” it said. Someone who actually lived in Beverly Hills was calling me. […]
Continue ReadingWhen I was in tenth grade, my interest in astronomy collided with a boyfriend who was into Star Trek, just as The Next Generation was ending and Voyager was beginning. Two years later, I decided that I’d taken all the calculus any person needed, but I felt a little guilty not taking any math at […]
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