A live reenactment of RoboCop, with cardboard sets and explosions

A live reenactment of RoboCop, with cardboard sets and explosions

I can't decide whether to admire this, be frightened, or just be sad. I think I'll do all three.

I mean, I think it's awesome they took the time to do this. But on the other hand, why not take the time to do something ... else.

Attempting to Build Real Life Iron-Man Exoskeletons

Image via Wikipedia

Future soldiers may be wearing 'Iron Man' suits - CNN.com

While storing enough power to operate for any useful length of time will be a challenge, I'm looking forward to all kinds of exoskeleton work like this.  Iron-man should be here soon.

Related articles

• Iron Man Is Another Step Closer To a Reality (hardware.slashdot.org)
• I am Iron Man: top 5 exoskeleton robots (holykaw.alltop.com)

The Physics of Space Battles - Space Battle

The Physics of Space Battles - Space battle - Gizmodo

Sci-fi and science geek heaven.

It is fascinating to think about how the practical necessities of space would come into effect. Most science fiction is more allegory than science, and this OK most of the time. But I would love to find more scientifically accurate fiction that also has an interesting point to make.

If Star Wars had Facebook

If Star Wars had Facebook | The Movie Blog

As I read this and laughed out loud, my wife said I was having entirely too much fun. So, it must be good.

Doomed Dome: The Future That Never Was

Doomed Dome: The Future That Never Was | h Magazine

This sounds like science fiction. But mush as in in science fiction, we probably could use some new ideas, whether they be out-of-the-box or under the dome.

John Scalzi's Guide to the Most Epic FAILs in Star Wars Design

Image via Wikipedia

AMC - Blogs - SciFi Scanner - John Scalzi's Guide to the Most Epic FAILs in Star Wars Design

Some bad design and flat-out illogical decisions can be forgive, if the story is good and especially if the good story does not depend on the bad design to hold it up.

But take a bad story, and the bad designs and decisions are too distracting and cannot be tolerated. And "suspension of disbelief" is virtually impossible when it is built on a foundation of impossible illogic.

In this case, the original Star Wars stories could slip by in most cases, because it really was fantasy and not science fiction. But mainly because of basically good stories and good characters.

In the later prequels, not so much. All the problems including both original and new bad designs and decisions were too much to be supported by the poor stories and weak characters (and caricatures).

Iron Man 2 Comic-con Footage Leaked

Image via Wikipedia

Iron Man 2 Comic-con Footage Leaked | flylyf

I really think the first Iron Man movie was a good movie. It was well structured, the plot made sense, and the characters were interesting and had some level of depth. It wasn't Ingmar Bergman; it was a comic book-based movie. But it was very good.

So, I am excited to see some significant progress made on Iron Man 2. I want to see how they handle the alcoholism plot line, and if they can create another clean and relatively tight plot.

Here's some footage they showed at Comic-con, which is rapidly becoming a major entertainment convention:

Iron Man 2 Video from Comic-con

John's Service of the Day: Star Trek (TOS) on YouTube

Image via Wikipedia

In addition to silly non-geeky videos, YouTube also holds great value for the geek. You may not know this, but the entirety of the original series of Star Trek are available legally on YouTube. Because of this wonderful geeky goodness, I have made Star Trek (TOS) on YouTube my inaugural "Service of the Day".

To help get you started, here is the first episode (after the pilot): The Man Trap from September 8, 1966. Amazing what they were creating then.

'Alien' prequel takes off

Cover of Alien (The Director's Cut)

'Alien' prequel takes off - Entertainment News, Film News, Media - Variety

The original Alien is one of my favorite movies. And since Blade Runner is such a classic, that makes Ridley Scott one of my favorite directors.

I'd love to see what he'd do with a prequel.

New Tron Trailer - Geeky Goodness

Tron Trailer

While some may disagree (wife), the original Tron was a geek classic. The sequel deserves a viewing on that pedigree alone. And the visual effects in the trailer are fairly impressive. Enjoy.

Transformers 2 Review and FAQ That Nail It (and a bonus video)

Topless Robot - TR Review: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Finally. An accurate review of the new Transformers movie. It is really hilarious and ironic that this review is better than the movie but wouldn't exist without it.

Topless Robot - Bonus! Rob's Transformers 2 F.A.Q.s!

If you saw this movie, and it made your head hurt, this is the FAQ for you. While the movie ostensibly made an effort to make sense, it is clear that neither logic nor good storytelling were used as guides.

I found it quite cathartic to read this. Some little piece of my lost sanity and faith in all that is good has been returned to me.

Topless Robot - Watch Transformers 2 for Free!

So, save your self some time. Watch this clip. It's really better than the movie.

Ridley Scott to Direct Joe Haldeman's Forever War

Is Ridley Scott a born again science fiction fan? - SFFMedia

Ridley Scott’s Forever War to be 3D: author Joe Haldeman enthusiastic - SFFMedia

Slashdot | Ridley Scott's Forever War In 3D

Having just read this excellent book, I'm looking forward to seeing a movie adaptation. It was originally written after the Vietnam War and has become again timely after/during another longer conflict.

The Forever War

Shatner Quake

Bizarro Central

A book about nothing but Shatner!

Talking Gadget Theater II: The Kindle 2 and iPod Shuffle perform Wrath of Khan

Talking Gadget Theater II: The Kindle 2 and iPod Shuffle perform Wrath of Khan | DVICE

Hilarious geek humor! Listen and laugh.

Early Reviews of J. J. Abrams' New Star Trek Reboot

As a big fan of the original Star Trek series (TOS - the original series), I am very excited to see J. J. Abrams "reboot" the franchise in hopes to clear out all the cruft and get a new start.

A few days ago, the folks behind the movie pulled a nice one. They got a group of fans in Austin excited to see a "special" version of Wrath of Khan (probably the best of the Star Trek movies, so far) and also promised to show about 10 minutes of the new Star Trek film. Once Wrath started, however, the film appeared to melt and tear, and the crowd reacted as expected.

The script writers who also worked on Lost came down to the stage and tried to quiet the fans by asking if folks wanted to know about the "black smoke monster" and generally stalling, until a man wearing a trench coat and hat comes up on stage carrying a film canister. It was Spock ... I mean Leonard Nimoy.

Of course, the crowd goes wild. He proceeds to increase the excitement by telling folks the new movie is too good to watch just ten minutes of it: they are going to see the whole movie. I wish I was there.

I'm excited because the early reviews appear to be unanimously good. It looks like Abrams pulled off a great movie while still respecting the franchise. (see reviews included below)

This new movie is a "reboot" of the Star Trek franchise or universe, so they will be using the characters we all know and love, but they will not be restricted by the canonical Star Trek history and timeline. To set the stage, they open the movie with a time-traveling enemy causing changes to the timeline. This allows them to change everything as needed while still using the same characters.

Personally, I like what I hear about how they handled the timeline, need for a reboot, and still respected the existing history. In many movie adaptations (e.g. X-Men, Spider-Man) and most reboots (e.g. the new Batman movie series, Battlestar Galatica), they new creators simply ignore the previous work and history. That is certainly easy, but I don't find it optimal.

This way allows them to use the same characters and basic universe while allowing them to take stories in their own direction and increases tension, because the characters we "know" are alive in the future are no longer guaranteed to still be there.

In any case, I have high hopes this will be a worthy beginning to a whole new series of content in the Star Trek universe as created by Gene Roddenberry.

Star Trek Information

• Star Trek -- Wikipedia
• Star Trek (2009) -- IMDB

Star Trek Reviews

• Quint has seen JJ Abrams' STAR TREK! -- Ain't It Cool News
• Star Trek Makes Surprise World Premiere in Austin! -- Film School Rejects
• Early Review Of JJ Abrams' Star Trek!
• Early 'Star Trek' Reviews Seem Very Positive - Cinematical
• Star Trek Has Premiered & The Buzz Is… AWESOME! -- Screen Rant
• 'Star Trek' Reboot Garners Positive Reviews, Excitement From Actors -- MTV Movie News

Phenomenal Trailer for Duncan Jones' Moon!

Must Watch: Phenomenal Trailer for Duncan Jones' Moon! � FirstShowing.net

This movie really does look good. I'm looking forward to a nice independent sci-fi movie with an apparent twist.

Watch the trailer:

Battlestar Galactica Finale - Daybreak

First, let me say that I have found the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica to be not only excellent science fiction but excellent dramatic entertainment (certainly better than most movies). And like most people enjoying a series, I am both disappointed to see it end and excited to see how they end it.

That said, I'm not sure I am completely satisfied with the "how". The writers and creators of the show have done a great job of creating interesting story-lines full of potential, but I can't help but feel they took a few easy explanations in the end. I can almost envision a bit of creative exhaustion creeping into the writer's room. Some will say that ambiguous endings and "explanations" are OK, but maybe people like me wanted a little more of a concrete explanation. I freely admit the fault may lie in the desire for a pretty bow-wrapped exposition, but I can't help but feel the great build up deserved a little ... more.

(Slight spoilers below)

A few of the more serious holes included a better explanation of the "skin job" cylon's motivations. Why exactly did they initially nuke the 12 colonies? At that point in time, they had resurrection and their own fleet and colony. Was the attack motivated out of pure childish vengeance? Was it "divinely" inspired? Cavil lays claim to logic, but the cylon's actions do not appear logical.

While it may be my own discomfort with ambiguity, I would have preferred a better explanation of the "head" people and Starbuck's nature. Kara Thrace ends up being a bit of a deus ex machina in retrospect.

One thing I've not see discussed was a depressing feeling of the Galactica "family" being broken up. At the end, all the main characters appear to be going in their own directions. After building up a tight family-like structure, it all seems to fall apart at the end. There seems to be a pointed effort by the writers to show that none of the main characters (with the exception of a few couples) will spend any more time together. No more team work. No more family. In the extreme, a few of the characters are depicted as becoming hermits living the remainder of their lives alone.

The only way I can read this aspect is using the series as an allegory for individual life. It is a struggle for survival from the beginning, you make friends and enemies, experience some drama, and in growing up you are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for the next generation, the children (Hera). In the final days, you are alone to meet your fate. Somewhat accurate, but not very happy in some ways.

Over the last half season of episodes, I was not entirely convinced by Baltar's religious conversion. Maybe there was not enough time to cover all the lines in the necessary detail, but I always thought of Baltar as one of the primary characters and would have thought his plot line would have deserved greater attention.

I still think this is still one of the best shows ever played on television, I was hoping for perfection.

Links to Reviews

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-battlestar20-2009mar20,0,4379589.story

Spoilers

• http://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/index.ssf/2009/03/battlestar_galactica_ronald_d.html
• http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2009/03/battlestar-galactica-daybreak-finale-moore-mcdonnell-olmos.html
• http://www.tvguide.com/Episode-Recaps/battlestar-galactica/Battlestar-Galactica-Episode-1004259.aspx?imw=Y
• http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/03/21/battlestar-galactica-daybreak-part-2-series-finale/

Additional Links

• Slashdot has a discussion up now.

BSG at the UN: Wow, That Actually Worked!

BSG at the UN: Wow, That Actually Worked! | Geekdad from Wired.com

Now, if we can only run the rest of the world according to proper science fiction principles.

On a more serious note, it is a bit ironic that our "real" leaders don't seem to be interested and/or able to move us toward the more utopian views of the future. Maybe we do need more creative folks to get involved. They can't do as bad as the existing class of professional oligarchs.

I, for one, am looking forward to working with our new sci-fi overlords.

Obligatory: "So say we all!"

Sci Fi Channel Aims to Shed Geeky Image With New Name

Sci Fi Channel Aims to Shed Geeky Image With New Name - TVWeek - News

"Syfy"?!?!?!

Is it just me, or is this the most stupid name imaginable? And none of the justification makes sense. I would guess this has less to do with the strained explanations and more to do with trademarked branding.

Slashdot has the usual high-quality and hilarious comments.