Science fiction headlines

Charles Darwin performed the world's first terraforming experiment [Mad Science]

IO9 - 5 hours 51 min ago
#madscience Nearly two centuries ago, famed scientists Charles Darwin and Joseph Hooker transformed the barren volcanic island of Ascension into a lush artificial ecosystem, unwittingly inventing terraforming. Now, Darwin's incredible achievement could help us transform Mars into a livable environment. More »

Watch Arthur C. Clarke predict the world we live in, in a 1964 interview [Retro Futurism]

IO9 - 6 hours 21 min ago
#retrofuturism Rendezvous With Rama author Arthur C. Clarke predicts telemedicine, telecommuting and mobile phones, in a 1964 BBC interview. Too bad we don't have space colonies or mentally enhanced chimpanzee servants yet. More »

Physics forced to come up with whole new equation to explain "impossible" soccer kick [Mad Science]

IO9 - 6 hours 43 min ago
#madscience In 1997, Brazilian soccer player Roberto Carlos scored on a free kick that first went right, then curved sharply to leftwards in what looked like a physics-defying fluke. We've finally discovered the physics equation that shows it was no fluke. More »

SF Fanatic: A Look At The Upcoming Fall SF/F TV Scene

SF Signal - 6 hours 44 min ago

The crisp, cool evenings, trees exploding into color and kids back in school all make you think of fall. But fall is also the time when network TV decides to unleash a barrage of new shows on the unsuspecting viewing public. This year is no exception and there are plenty of genre related shows, both new and returning, for the SF/F fan.

But will there be any worth watching?

Monday Chuck (NBC)
Status: Returning
Premiers: Sept 20, 8/7pm


Chuck returns for a fourth season with big changes in store, considering all deaths, explosions and mayhem from last season's finale. You can expect to see 100% more of Chuck's mom and, hopefully, the same goofy, silly, geeky humor that makes Chuck a fun show to watch.

The Event (NBC)
Status: New
Premiers: Sept. 20, 9/8pm

Billed as "an emotional, high-octane conspiracy thriller that follows Sean Walker, an Everyman who investigates the mysterious disappearance of his fiancee, Leila, and unwittingly begins to expose the biggest cover-up in U.S. history. Conspiracies, shadowy groups, an an "event", looks like NBC is going after the LOST crowd. Will it be a hit or the next Jericho?

Tuesday No Ordinary Family (ABC)
Status: New
Permiers: Sept. 28, 8/7pm

After a plane crash in the Amazon, the Powell family discover they each have a unique superpower. They also have to discover how to enjoy being a family with superpowers. Sounds a lot like The Incredibles only a live action version.

Stargate Universe (SyFy)
Status: Returning
Premiers: Sept. 28, 9/8pm

Stargate Universe returns for season 2 with the promise of an interesting dynamic existing on Destiny as the Lucian Alliance and Rush and company struggle for control of the ship. The promo shows a lot of intriguing storylines and as the only SF show with spaceships, I'll definitely be watching.

Sanctuary (SyFy)
Status: Returning
Premiers: Sept. 28, 10/9pm

I had no idea this show had been renewed for a season 3. I never go into it and it hasn't done anything to change that, but if you like it, there's more for you this season!

Wednesday Undercovers (NBC)
Status: New
Premiers: Sept. 22, 8/7pm

Not really a SF show, but it's J.J. Abrams, billed as Alias meets Mr. & Mrs. Smith (isn't that Chuck?) and we know Abrams had SF elements in Alias. Probably worth a look.

Thursday The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Status: Returning
Premiers: Sept. 23, 8/7pm

The Big Bang Theory may not be the best sitcom on TV, but when it's on, it's hilarious. And they must be doing something right as Jim Parsons just won the Emmy for Best Actor in a Comedy Series, and deservedly so. His portrayal of Sheldon is awesomely terrific.


Fringe (Fox)
Status: Returning
Premiers: Sept. 23, 9/8pm

I've had my issues with Fringe, but it got a lot better once they dropped the 'monster of the week' storylines. And with the war between realities verging on the hot and Faux-livia running around in 'our' universe, things could get really, really interesting.

The Vampire Diaries (CW)
Status: Returning
Premiers: Sept. 9, 8/7pm

It's Twilight for the small screen and I'm so not in their target audience. Do we need any more info? No, no we don't.

Nikita (Fox)
Status: New
Premier: Sept. 9, 9/8pm

Yet another remake of La Femme Nikita. The movie with Bridget Fonda (Point of No Return) was pretty good, but this isn't really SF at all. So why is it here? For the completely gratuitous picture of Maggie Q. You're welcome.

Friday Human Target (Fox)
Status: Returning
Premiers: Oct. 1, 8/7pm

Based on the comic of the same name, Human Target may not be a stellar show, but it's cheesy fun and any show that lets Lee Majors exercise his acting chops again is alright by me.

Smallville (CW)
Status: Returning
Premiers: Sept. 24, 8/7pm

The soap opera version of the Men of Steel's early life. It's so not my thing, yet it keeps getting more seasons. Someone must be watching, must be those whippersnappers I've seen in my lawn.

Supernatural (CW)
Status: Returning
Premiers: Sept. 24 9/8pm

Yet another show on the CW I'm proud to say I've never seen, though I've heard it's not a bad show. Whatever. I get the feeling the CW isn't the network for middle aged white guys.

Sym-bionic Titan (Cartoon)
Status: New
Premiers: Sept. 17, 8/7pm

Genndy Tartakovsky (worth it right there) brings us the tale of "three alien teenagers who crash-land on Earth and must protect their new home from alien invaders while navigating the perils of high school life." Tartakovsky has made a living of Westernizing the 'anime' look and feel and Sym-bionic Titan is no different, being his take on the popular high school/giant mech genre of anime.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Cartoon)
Status: Returning
Premiers: Sept. 17, 9/8pm

The Clone Wars just keeps chugging along on Cartoon Network and really, why shoulnd't it? It has the awesome Star Wars flavor with liberal amounts of Jedi and action thrown in for good measure. I may need to catch up with this.

Sunday The Walking Dead (AMC)
Status: New
Premiers: Oct. 31, 10/9pm

I'm not a zombie guy but this looks really good and with only six episodes, the time investment, and potential gross out factor, is minimized. When is Halloween again?

So let's see, Chuck, Stargate Universe and Fringe are definite watches. The Event and The Walking Dead are the new shows I'm most interested in, which really says something about the rest of the genre shows here. Of course, my preference is for space based SF, which only SGU and a the two cartoons fit, but I really, really don't like the vampire stuff or the more fantasy oriented shows, though the zombie show looks promising. I'll still take a gander at most stuff just to check them out.

This is a blog post from SF Signal. Subscribe via RSS, Twitter or Facebook.


TOC: Clarkesworld #48

SF Signal - 6 hours 45 min ago

Clarkesworld #48 is now posted:

Fiction


Non-Fiction
Podcast
  • "The Cull" by Robert Reed, read by Kate Baker
[Cover art: "Honeycomb" by Julie Dillon]

This is a blog post from SF Signal. Subscribe via RSS, Twitter or Facebook.


Concept art for Disney theme park's new Tron ride, ElecTRONica [Electronica]

IO9 - 6 hours 55 min ago
#electronica So long Tomorrowland — the new addition to Disney's theme park is straight out of the digitzed world of Tron: Legacy. Check out the first ever concept art to Disney's hot new electronic clubland, but try not to get derezzed! More »

The classic Doctor Who monster that terrified young John Barrowman [Book Excerpt]

IO9 - 7 hours 13 min ago
#bookexcerpt Carole Barrowman talks about growing up as a fan of Doctor Who alongside her younger brother John — who became famous as the Doctor's sexiest companion, Captain Jack Harkness, in this excerpt from the book Chicks Dig Time Lords. More »

2010 will be remembered as the year the Arctic Ocean became a trade route [Environment]

IO9 - 7 hours 43 min ago
#environment In the 1980s, the Soviet Union built nuclear-powered ice-breakers, hoping to open a shipping route through the Arctic. They needn't have bothered — there's no ice left now in the summer, opening the fabled Northwest Passage to shipping. More »

New exoplanet is proof that gas giants start life as dusty behemoths [Mad Astronomy]

IO9 - 7 hours 43 min ago
#madastronomy The atmosphere of a young exoplanet didn't fit any of our existing models for what gas giants should look like. But when astronomers added huge dust clouds, it was a perfect fit, perhaps revealing a larger truth about gas giants. More »

Ask N.K. Jemisin about "The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms" [Io9 Book Club]

IO9 - 8 hours 13 min ago
#io9bookclub We've spent the week in the io9 book club discussing N.K. Jemisin's novel The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. Now you can ask the author about the book - she'll be joining us tomorrow from 12-1 EST to answer! More »

If you can't be at Worldcon, this is the next best thing [Magazines]

IO9 - 8 hours 13 min ago
#magazines There'll never be a webzine to replace the late, lamented Internet Review of Science Fiction, but a new publication, Salon Futura, comes pretty darn close. The first issue includes smart essays, book reviews, and a heartfelt Satoshi Kon obituary. More »

A "save the robots" movement in war zones, where robot death tolls are rising [Robots]

IO9 - 8 hours 14 min ago
As the number of robots in the Iraq war and other combat zones have risen dramatically over the past five years, so too have robot death tolls. The problem? Soldiers consider these life-saving machines essential to their units, and the government considers their continued operation essential to their financial bottom line (a combat-ready robot can cost $100,000). More »

The secret revealed: Gaze into the face of Buffy's ultimate foe! [Exclusive]

IO9 - 8 hours 42 min ago
#exclusive If you read the latest issue of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, you know Joss Whedon revealed a shocking secret on the final page. Here's an exclusive look at the cover to Buffy's next issue, which displays the terrible truth! Spoilers! More »

How ground-penetrating radar helps in the search for ancient bones [Mad Science]

IO9 - 8 hours 43 min ago
#madscience Ground penetrating radar has brought to light ancient ruins, detected water leaks, and has recently helped locate a massacre site, all without anyone touching a shovel. More »

The future of sexual fetishism in the asteroid belt [Afternoon Reading]

IO9 - 9 hours 13 min ago
#afternoonreading A new issue of Rudy Rucker's scifi magazine FLURB went live yesterday, and it's full of great free stories from Bruce Sterling, Kathleen Ann Goonan, Carter Scholz, Madeline Ashby, and more. Plus, my story "The Gravity Fetishist" is there too! More »

First look at David Tennant's version of Fright Night [Fright Night]

IO9 - 9 hours 13 min ago
#frightnight Clearly we're in for a whole new kind of rebooted Fright Night. Get an eye-full of the Tenth Doctor, David Tennant, channeling his best Criss Angel. More »

Check out your mind, with awesomely trippy 1960s and 1970s SF book covers! [Book Covers]

IO9 - 9 hours 43 min ago
#bookcovers Science fiction book covers of the 1960s and 1970s blast their way onto your retinas like an acid trip from beyond the universe. They're more vivid, trippier, and often more nightmarish than today's covers. Here are some of the craziest. More »

A vast tree manufacturing plant dominated the geoengineering facilities [Concept Art]

IO9 - 10 hours 13 min ago
#conceptart Before we had industrial tree factories, terraforming was a slow and miserable process. But these days, all you need for your planetary startup are a couple of redwood mass production plants and you're good to go. More »

Neil Gaiman's Sandman coming to TV at last? [Neil Gaiman]

IO9 - 10 hours 43 min ago
#neilgaiman Rumor has it someone might actually get to make a Sandman TV series: Supernatural creator Eric Kripke. Odd? Yes. Brilliant? Maybe. There are just two things we need to know. More »

Secrets of Barry Levinson's monster movie. Plus did Angelina Jolie scuttle Alfonso Cuaron's space epic? [Morning Spoilers]

IO9 - 11 hours 13 min ago
#morningspoilers Will Alfonso Cuarón be able to make Gravity without an actress of Angelina Jolie's star power? We now know what makes Barry Levinson's Isopod a scifi environmental thriller. Thomas Jane wants in on The Walking Dead. Time to be spoiled! More »
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