io9
Outlander
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mad science
Paralyzed Man Speaks Again Using Brain Implant
A man suffering from "locked in" syndrome, where a fully-conscious person is completely paralyzed except for some eyelid movements, is using a brain implant to generate vowel sounds via a computer. Doctors working with him say in Nature today that in five years the man could be generating words and sentences by controlling a speech synthesizer with his mind. More » -
space porn
Saturn's Atmosphere Is A Modern Art Sensation
This isn't a newly-discovered Rothko painting or some kind of abstract masterpiece — it's the atmosphere of Saturn, photographed four different times on the same day. The Cassini space probe used different filters to show the storms in the planet's atmosphere in different lights. (The color is arbitrary, but gorgeous.) Click for a bigger version. More » -
Avatar
Full Frontal Avatar Alien Porn (Maybe NSFW)
More images from James Cameron's Avatar have turned up online. One image is similar to the Jonay Bacallado concept art we showed you earlier today, but you can see the creature's feet. (Extraterrestrial foot fetishists, rejoice!) And in another, racier, pic, our alien warrior goddess from the Na'vi tribe goes topless while riding along on one big bad creature. (Which may be NSFW.) Click through for the full images. More » -
Life On Mars Travels In Time And Continues For Four More Episodes
Somewhat lost in the midst of the bad Pushing Daisies news was the news that ABC's time-traveling 1970s lovefest Life on Mars has been confirmed to move behind Lost when the latter show returns on January 21st, and has also picked up an order for an additional four episodes. These two moves make it increasingly likely that the new series will, at least, make it to the end of its first season in one piece. [Hollywood Reporter]
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Poll
Which TV Shows Are You Actually Watching?
Pushing Daisies is falling off our screens, and many other promising science fiction shows are teetering on the edge of cancellation as well. Blame the Nielsen box, the most fail-ridden technology in history. The networks don't actually know what you, the real people, are watching, but that doesn't mean you don't count. We're curious — which current TV shows are you actually watching? More » -
Rant
Twilight's Hidden Morality Plays
When will mainstream media stop claiming there's a "positive" message in the Twilight books that inspired the eponymous teen-bait movie? The Twilight book series is many things, but empowering it is not. The more you examine author Stephenie Meyer's themes, the more obvious it becomes that her books are a thinly-veiled religious screed against teen sex. Spoilers for the Twilight series after the jump. More » -
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watchmen
Easter Eggs In Zack Snyder's Insanely OCD Watchmen Trailer
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Lost City Raiders
Sci Fi Channel Wants to Guilt You Into Watching Crappy Climate Change Movie
As the water levels rise and threaten to cover the Earth, the Catholic Church contracts a father-and-son salvage team to retrieve an ancient, world-saving artifact before it falls into the hands of an evil tycoon. It sounds like the setup for an awesomely bad adventure pulp, but sadly it’s just Lost City Raiders, the latest Sci Fi Original Movie to be inflicted on the television watching public. Sci Fi hopes you’ll tune in tomorrow night because it looks like a rousing adventure with an important message. Unfortunately, it’s neither. Mild spoilers ahead. More » -
Thanks Sponsors
Sponsor Shout-out
Thanks to this week's sponsors: Chevy Fuel Solutions, Gyration Air Mouse, IGN, The Last Remnant, Motorola Krave, Motro: Mines of Moria, MSN, The New York Times Magazine, Pernod, Tales of Symphonia, Tomb Raider: Underworld, Wizards of the Coast, Zune. To become an advertiser, click here. -
Star Wars
Meet The Wife That Han Solo Never Had
If ever there was proof that, despite his protestations, George Lucas really didn't plan out the entire Star Wars saga in advance, it probably comes in the shape of the discovery that, in 1978, Lucas told co-writers that Han Solo wasn't destined to end up with Princess Leia... because he was a married man. Married to a wookie, that is. Stunningly, I'm not making this up. More » -
Indian science fiction
In India, Every SF Story Has A Happy Twist Ending
Even as futuristic tech, post-apocalyptic scenarios and alternate histories are gaining more mainstream cred in U.S. publishing, Indian science fiction authors still struggle in obscurity. Science fiction accounts for only about 2 percent of publishing in India, according to a new article, and authors complain of being marginalized. (One big problem? They all write in English to try and gain international acceptance, which limits their local readership.) Still, their novels take SF themes and make them uniquely Indian. More » -
Star Trek
Blame Time Travel For Kirk's Scarred Psyche
By now, you might have noticed that James Tiberius Kirk is, well... kind of a dirtbag in the new Star Trek movie. He trashes a gorgeous Corvette at age 11, and just gets more obnoxious from there on out. He's not just cocky like ShatnerKirk, he's actually irresponsible, where Shatner was sort of uptight. Is it just because he's young and immature? Or is there something else going on, which might actually make for a more interesting movie? Spoilers ahead. More » -
Hellboy
Make Your Own Hellboy Gun
This is the Samaritan gun, the big-barreled shooter that Hellboy uses only after muttering "Ohhh crap." When you're fighting elementals or underworld devils, you'll want one of these at your side. And now you can make one - out of paper.
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Ape art
Orangutans and Bonobos Make Art for Charity
Panbanisha is a prolific painter whose works have sold for hundreds of dollars. She also happens to be a bonobo, one of many apes learning language skills at the Great Ape Trust. To raise money for ape conservation work, the Trust is auctioning off paintings created by Panbanisha and the other ape artists-in-residence. Click through to see a gallery of primate paintings and watch the bonobo’s creative process. More » -
Genetically-Engineered Cows Produce 20% More Milk
In a few years, dairy farmers will be able to order special genetically-modified cows that produce 20% more milk than common cows. Researchers in Argentina have developed a strain of cow that produces extra bovine growth hormone, which apparently leads to the greater milk production. [via SciDevNet]
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Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel To Get Smart At Warners
It looks like The World's Mightiest Mortal may be making the move to the big screen sooner than expected. Get Smart director Peter Segal has signed a three-year deal with Warner Bros, and is bringing the long-awaited Captain Marvel movie with him. But how soon will we actually hear the word "Shazam!" come back into common usage?
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That 70s Show's Cheerleader Joins The Book Of Eli
Sexy little thing Mila Kunis has joined the cast of the apocalyptic bibliophile movie The Book Of Eli. Kunis will star alongside Denzel Washington and his nemesis, Gary Oldman. The movie is set in a broken-down world starved for knowledge, where Denzel travels the globe educating people from his book. Shooting begins in January. [The Hollywood Reporter]
