July 3rd, 2009, 2:15 pm by Jayson Peters
If you missed it on BBC America — or, like me, miss watching it on the lower-tier Sci Fi Channel — the 2008 Doctor Who Christmas special is now available to download from Apple’s iTunes Store. “The Next Doctor” costs $1.99 and presents the itinerant Time Lord with an interesting dilemma: meeting himself. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Apple • Doctor Who • Sci-Fi & Fantasy • Television • BBC • iTunes | Post a Comment »
July 3rd, 2009, 12:01 am by Jayson Peters
The Sci Fi Channel has launched a two-minute “brand film” that the cable network says reflects the look and feel of its new identity “Syfy,” which launches Tuesday. You can watch it here: www.syfy.com/imaginegreater
The video features talent from various network shows, including Sanctuary, Eureka, Stargate Universe, Destination Truth, Ghost Hunters, Scare Tactics, Warehouse 13 and Caprica.
It’s a peppy, pretty little thing that won’t make you feel like your life is being sucked into a collapsing star — unlike many of Sci Fi’s original fare. But the title, “House of Imagination,” does nothing for me — how can it possibly compare to the nomenclature of Sci Fi Channel Original Movies like “Mansquito,” “Frankenfish,” “Death Bed: The Bed That Eats” and “KAW”? (All real.)
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Posted in: Sci-Fi & Fantasy • Television • Syfy | 2 Comments »
July 2nd, 2009, 5:14 pm by Chris "KeL" Adams
Wired is reporting that cellular biologists from the Max Planck Institute are making headway in their studies of the regenerative abilities of salamanders. They’re hopeful these advances can be used to help humans regrow missing limbs as well.
This is a nice thought, but we all know how this is going to end. Those scientists would know as well, if only they kept up on the comic book lore. Over 45 years ago in The Amazing Spider-Man #6, Dr. Curt Connors tried this very experiment using reptile DNA. He successfully regrew his missing arm, but was also transformed into The Lizard. Connors has been cured of his affliction and relapsed to battle Spider-Man countless times. He’s even a front-runner to face off against the web-spinner in the next Spider-Man movie. Is this really the sort of menace we want to introduce into the world?
Posted in: Science • Spider-Man • lizard • Monsters • regeneration • Spider-Man • Wired | Post a Comment »
July 2nd, 2009, 2:54 pm by Jayson Peters
This is comedy gold that’s been out there for a while. And why was I not informed?
Star Wars: Retold (by someone who hasn’t seen it)
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Posted in: Internet • Movies • Star Wars • YouTube | 1 Comment »
July 2nd, 2009, 12:01 am by Jayson Peters
FiestaCon, a gathering of sci-fi and fantasy fans, starts today at the Tempe Mission Palms and runs through the weekend.
Guests include sci-fi author Alan Dean Foster; fantasy artist Todd Lockwood; genre-bending novelist (and former Disney comic book writer) Diana Gabaldon; and Aprilynne Pike, author of the New York Times bestselling novel for young adults, “Wings.”
For more details, read my earlier post. Have fun!
Posted in: Art • Books • Comics • Conventions • Events • FiestaCon • Tempe | 1 Comment »
July 1st, 2009, 5:10 pm by Jayson Peters
Eating? Put it down. Now. Before you click on the jump. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Internet • Science • Weird • Monsters • YouTube | 1 Comment »
July 1st, 2009, 1:14 pm by Jayson Peters
Gamers are furious that Blizzard Entertainment’s upcoming real-time sci-fi strategy game Starcraft II will have no LAN support. They’ve been storming the message boards to express their displeasure with the decision, and, as reported by Wired’s Game Life blog, some have even started an online petition to implore Blizzard to reconsider. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Blizzard • Gaming • Nerd rage • NerdWords • PC • Piracy • LAN • StarCraft II | Post a Comment »
July 1st, 2009, 12:06 am by Jayson Peters
Associated Press file
The LA Times notes that Walt Disney was as much a techno-geek as he was an imagineer or businessman:
The geeky side of Disney is one of the elements that will be on display at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco when it opens in October.
See also:
Posted in: Disney • Technology • This and That | Post a Comment »
June 30th, 2009, 11:12 pm by Jayson Peters
Hot off the NBC Univeral Media Village press site, here’s Sci Fi Channel’s schedule of events for Comic-Con International, July 23-26 at the San Diego Convention Center:
SCI FI FEATURES FAN FAVORITE SERIES AND STARS AT COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL 2009
New York, NY – June 30, 2009 – In keeping with its longstanding tradition of hosting some of Comic-Con’s most popular, crowd-pleasing events over the years, SCI FI Channel will once again feature some of its biggest hits – as well as its highly-anticipated new series – at this year’s Comic-Con International, held July 23-26 at the San Diego Convention Center. Fans will have the opportunity to see their favorite SCI FI stars and get the answers to all their burning questions at each of the Channel’s star-studded panels, including Warehouse 13, Eureka, Sanctuary, Stargate Universe, and Caprica/Battlestar Galactica: The Plan.
In addition, SCI FI will take over a restaurant at the Hard Rock Hotel, re-branding it as Eureka’s “Cafe Diem” for the duration of the convention. The fictional local hot spot heavily featured in the popular dramedy, Cafe Diem will be the hub of all SCI FI activities during the week.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Battlestar Galactica • Comics • Conventions • Events • Sci-Fi & Fantasy • Stargate • Television • Comic-Con • San Diego • Syfy | Post a Comment »
June 30th, 2009, 4:40 pm by Chris "KeL" Adams
To the disappointment of many, the biggest Internet piracy site, The Pirate Bay, has been purchased by software company Global Gaming Firm X. GGF paid out 7.8 million dollars for the torrent tracking hub, which will now become a publicly traded company. The Pirate Bay has recently been fighting a copyright infringement conviction in Sweden. The future direction of TPB remains uncertain, but GGF CEO Hans Pandeya said “We would like to introduce models which entail that content providers and copyright owners get paid for content that is downloaded via the site.”
So it seems the days of free illicit movies, games, television and software are running out. At least via TPB, there are still numerous other web sites which are havens for pirates. Will one of those rivals step up to fill the void or will a legal version of TPB be able to stay on top? It’s certain to be an uphill battle for TPB given the history of other piracy sites, such as Napster, that have gone legitimate.
Posted in: Internet • Piracy • Technology • legal • The Pirate Bay | Post a Comment »
June 30th, 2009, 2:15 pm by Jayson Peters
Amazon Kindle DX
Arizona State University is being sued by advocates for the blind, who say the school is discriminating against vision-impaired students by offering textbooks via Amazon’s Kindle DX electronic reading device, according to a story by Courthouse News Service.
Darrell Shandrow, an ASU journalism student who is listed as a plaintiff along with the National Federation of the Blind and the American Council of the Blind, tells ASU’s State Press that the Kindle DX’s lack of audio menusfeatures locks the blind out of the new technology and puts them at a competitive disadavantage.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Books • Technology • Amazon • ASU • Kindle • Law • lawsuit • Litigation | 5 Comments »
I hope you’re enjoying your Fourth of July weekend. Here’s a roundup of the week’s geekiest dispatches:
ASU sued by blind groups over use of Amazon’s e-book device
Sewer monsters in North Carolina?
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