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Sci fi sports

Six Sweaty Moments of Geeky Triumph

If you watch enough high school movies, you'll begin to think that jocks and geeks are always at war. Not so, however: Science fiction is full of triumphant sports moments, and not just the ones that end in death. From Battlestar Galactica's pyramid ball to Futurama's Blernsball to Arthur C. Clarke's outer space sailing, this genre has a lot to offer your gym-minded friends. Whether the stakes are high or low, these six displays of futuristic athleticism are the most energetic bits of nerdery since Alan Shepard hit a golf ball on the moon. More »

5:00 PM on Sat Oct 11 2008
By Nivair H. Gabriel
1,726 views, 16 comments

Latest by Majpain007: Damn I miss Firefly :( more »

Clone wars recap

The Clone Wars Need More Elvis And More Space Whales

We admit it, midway through last night's third episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, we were beginning to think that ol' Tiger Karate knew what he was talking about when he asked for a little less conversation and a little more action, please. But just when we were on the verge of giving up, suddenly there were space whales and a surprisingly familiar space battle to save the day - for the few kids who'd been able to stick around that long. More »

4:00 PM on Sat Oct 11 2008
By Graeme McMillan
1,324 views, 25 comments

Latest by Sarcasmica: My biggest complaint is the constant chatter. I really liked the space whales and thought it would have been a more »

Eleventh Hour's Past Comes Back To Haunt Itself Want to see the original version of the show that turned Annalee Newitz against science? BBC America is reshowing all four episodes of the British version of Eleventh Hour - starring Patrick Stewart as Rufus Sewell's older, more English cousin, investigating science gone evil - in a marathon tomorrow, starting at 1pm EST. [BBC America]

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Design

Jonas Jurgaitis’ Alien-Inspired Furniture

There is a reason that Jonas Jurgaitis’ furniture appears alien-influenced. The Lithuanian designer claims that in 1999, he was captured by extraterrestrials. They instructed him to bring the design for this sofa, aptly named “Alien,” to Earth. And Jurgaitis’ minimalist modular seating is ready for the space age. Potentially NSFW image after the jump. More »

2:00 PM on Sat Oct 11 2008
By Lauren Davis
1,058 views, 12 comments

Latest by MISS MERCY STREET: Are the aliens getting a percentage of the sales? more »

Radio gaga

The Past Goes Back Further Than Life on Mars

As a budding fan of old radio broadcasts, one of my favorite places to hide on the internet is Counter Clock, a blog highlighting the golden age of the medium. The site features the entire broadcast of Washington D.C. station CBS station WJSV on September 21th, 1939, including a moving oratory by FDR and all the soaps you can shake an antenna at. The real highlight of Counter Clock, however, are the archives of sci fi series Dimension X and X Minus 1. Sit back and relax as we guide you through the old-timey radio jungle. More »

1:00 PM on Sat Oct 11 2008
By Alex Carnevale
400 views, 2 comments

Latest by PhilR8: I've been enjoying X Minus One on XM's Old Time Radio channel for a couple of years now. Apparently more »

Sanctuary recap

Amanda Tapping Orders Skeleton Genocide

This week's Sanctuary followed up the premiere episode by murdering the skeletons of the Super Mario Bros. We're not sure who these crypt-soldiers are working for - our best guess would be Shredder - but the slaughter can be laid on the hands of Amanda Tapping's 157 year old (and spry) cryptozoologist and her mercenary daughter. This prompts us to ask the writers of the show: if you're going to steal, why not steal from the best? More »

12:30 PM on Sat Oct 11 2008
By Alex Carnevale
1,142 views, 15 comments

Latest by nachtwulf: I have to admit, the second episode, I felt was a bit better than the web version (the inclusion of more »

Exclusive

io9 Learns About Secret History Of Superheroes From No Heroics' Creator Drew Pierce

We've told you about No Heroics before - the hilarious British sitcom that makes you realize that superheroes are just as screwed up as the rest of us, if not moreso. If you're not convinced that this should be your new favorite sitcom yet, we talked to show creator Drew Pierce about the show's history, his geek influences, fan fic and a lot more. We've even got some potential news about the chances of the show appearing in the US. So read on and discover why you too will soon believe that a man can fly... and then need to go for a drink afterwards to calm down. More »

Feature

12:00 PM on Sat Oct 11 2008
By Graeme McMillan
1,027 views, 16 comments

Latest by RadProphet: Hopefully BBC Canada will pick this up. more »

Fringe Cancelled - But Only The Comic While Fringe may be a success for , that doesn't mean that everything's going as planned for Walter Bishop and company; DC Comics' tie-in series has been postponed until the new year after last month's first issue has already hit stores. Retailers have been informed that all existing orders have been cancelled, and the series will be re-offered for a January release. The reason for the change? "The writers of the show want to make sure the comic book is integrated into the mythology of the Fringe world, so we have decided to refocus the direction of the comic book," explained Hank Kanalz, one of the Vice Presidents of Wildstorm, the DC imprint that produced the series. [Newsarama]

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atomic robo

Atomic Robo Saves The Day, And Solves Your Decoration Woes

If your walls are looking in need of some robotic decoration, you could do worse than pick up some of the original art from indie comic series Atomic Robo. And now that artist Scott Wegener is offering pages at 25% off of their usual prices, it's definitely the time to pick up some android awesomeness to adorn your walls. We've picked some of our favorite pieces to show off Wegener's work below. More »

11:00 AM on Sat Oct 11 2008
By Graeme McMillan
598 views, 4 comments

Latest by tehrahl: Here is some more Atomic Robo for all to enjoy. [www.nuklearpower.com] more »

Hurricane mitigation

MIT Professor Stares Down Hurricanes

Biologist and chemical engineer Robert Langer won the $1.2 million Millennium Technology Prize earlier this year for his work fighting cancer and heart disease with advanced drug delivery systems. Now, he's setting his sights on sinister weather, and he hopes to win. Langer revealed at a recent talk that he has been working for almost a decade to raise money for research in "hurricane mitigation," ways to tame severe weather using familiar chemistry. His classroom lectures at MIT are memorable for his fearless and often hilarious opinions, and he offered one here, saying, "It's hard for me to understand why more people don't work in this area." More »

10:30 AM on Sat Oct 11 2008
By Nivair H. Gabriel
274 views, Comment

TV Ratings Death Watch

Why Heroes' Ratings Freefall Doesn't Matter - And Why Knight Rider May Have A Long Drive Ahead

We're firmly into the new fall TV season now, but every single week seems to confuse TV execs with news of rollercoaster ratings and imminent cancellations (followed by non-denial denials). We decided to look at how some of our favorite - and less than favorite - shows are performing so far, as well as try to predict which shows (if any) are headed into troubled waters... or headed out. More »

10:00 AM on Sat Oct 11 2008
By Graeme McMillan
3,197 views, 26 comments

Latest by Majpain007: I don't understand how networks can put Chuck and SCC on Mondays they have to deal with ******* football. I more »

Atmospheric threats to your person

Evil Carbon Dioxide Threatens Us From Above

Earlier this week we reported on the magnetic anomaly map of the world, and now there is evidence of a more pressing concern: carbon dioxide. Don't believe me? Consult the details of a recent collaboration between NASA and Caltech - Carbon dioxide rides about the world on warm atmospheric belts to threaten the ones you love. If you have any decency you'll click through and assuage the damage with us. More »

9:00 AM on Sat Oct 11 2008
By Alex Carnevale
580 views, 7 comments

Latest by cirby: So the Evil Scary Carbon Dioxide has a variation of plus or minus five parts per million, out of less more »

Superhero Science

Sticky Substance Could Turn You Into Spider-Man

Peter Parker needed a radioactive spider bite to be able to climb walls. And Mohinder Suresh joined the wall-climber club after downing his superpower formula, and we all know that doesn’t end well. So, rather than have us expose ourselves to unpredictable mutations, a pair of researchers have developed a material that will let you let you stick to the ceiling without the unfortunate side effects. More »

8:00 AM on Sat Oct 11 2008
By Lauren Davis
1,134 views, 6 comments

Latest by Aethyr: Isn't part of the reason (I can't believe I'm hypothesizing about this) that Spider-Man can stick to walls on his more »

Superhero stand-up

Gods And Superheroes Collide In San Francisco's Hero Worship

Many people have compared superheroes to gods, but few have taken the route of San Francisco's Justin Lamb, who's trying to make the point through comedy in his new one-man stand-up show, Hero Worship. Ahead of tonight's premiere, we talked to Lamb about where the show came from. More »

7:00 AM on Sat Oct 11 2008
By Graeme McMillan
606 views, 2 comments

Latest by allread5: Will there be a youtube of this? more »

Torchwood

Meet Torchwood's New Cast Members

Details of four new cast members for Torchwood: Children of Earth have been released, and with them some idea of what's lying in store for the few remaining members of Wales' favorite investigators of the weird in their upcoming five episode third season. Perhaps unsurprisingly, "secrets from the past" and governmental employees figure prominently. More »

6:00 AM on Sat Oct 11 2008
By Graeme McMillan
2,846 views, 9 comments

Latest by brentbent: @sugardeath: Jon Barrowman passionately kissing James Marsters is more than enough to get me to tune into every episode just more »

found footage

When Superheroes Go Too Far

Heroes wishes it could explore the dark side of superhuman abilities a hundredth as well as Sidekick, a 2005 indie movie from Canada. Comic-book fan Norman realizes his coworker Victor has telekinetic powers, so he trains Victor to use them and tries to groom Victor to be a superhero. Unfortunately, Victor has his own ideas about how to deal with homophobic street criminals, as you can see in this work-safe but disturbing clip. Update: In case it wasn't clear enough, the guy is a psycho and not a role model or anything. [IMDB] More »

7:26 PM on Fri Oct 10 2008
By Charlie Jane Anders
3,490 views, 13 comments

Latest by Evlsushi: Wow, if the lead wasn't such a ham and the dialogue didn't make me hurt, then this wouldn't be so more »

WTF science

Eleven Ways "Eleventh Hour" Smears the Reputation of Real Science

Judging by the ratings, a lot of people tuned in last night to watch Eleventh Hour, Jerry Bruckheimer's Fringe-esque show about Hood, a "special science adviser to the FBI" played by Rufus Sewell. Based on a British show that failed, the series winds up making science seem even more like a preposterous Medieval fantasy than Fringe does. After watching last night's season premiere, we came up with eleven ways that Eleventh Hour manages to smear the reputation of good science in its misguided effort to represent what real "biophysicists" like Hood do. More »

4:40 PM on Fri Oct 10 2008
By Annalee Newitz
3,244 views, 42 comments

Latest by bookwench: I think the trouble with science fiction that gets the science wrong is that science is real. It's not like more »

Literature

25 Years of The Best Short Stories in Science Fiction Has Come To This

It's been 25 years of Gardner Dozios' The Year's Best Science Fiction, and the 25th anniversary edition totals 692 pages of testimony to the state of the industry. Dozois dedicates the first 51 pages alone to a summation of the previous year, a trend he started in the first volume a quarter of a century ago. Congratulations is in order for the editor of this venerable series. Now we judge whether this year's group was worthy of his attention. More »

4:20 PM on Fri Oct 10 2008
By Alex Carnevale
2,220 views, 6 comments

Latest by eolson22: I've not been a buyer of the anthologies, because I read the monthlies cover to cover. (Yes I know Gardner more »

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