MetaFilter posts tagged with SciFi

buum bom boom bonk!

madamjujujive — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 10:08:14 -0800

Retronomatopeya - cute collection of comic book images and language conveying sound and motion. Also see anastasiav's prior post: Ka-BOOM, the Dictionary of Comic Book Words on Historical Principles. (via oink!) Other fun (mostly Spanish) retro graphics sets on flickr from el estratografico: - old urban stuff - old paper stuff - 50s Spanish sci fi novels - old 45s

Photography of British Sci-fi fans at home dressed in character.

filmgeek — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 04:07:01 -0800

Land of the Free, home of the geek. Steven Schofield takes photos of british sci-fi fans, dressed in character in their homes. He treats it as 'found' photography, which seems to illustrate the subjects vulnerability. The title of the work is Land of the Free - and illustrates how American culture infiltrates, with the ironic edge of questioning the idea of the freedom of choosing to copy the look of these fictional characters. via kottke

A Web of Geeks, Every One of Which Knows a Lot about Something

Navelgazer — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 18:32:38 -0800

Vegging Out vs. Geeking Out. Romance as the MSG of film. The bifurcated careers of Lucy lawless, Sigourney Weaver, and Hugo Weaving. Characters making smart decisions vs. stupid decisions. Neal Stephenson discusses Sci-Fi/Speculative Fiction as a literary genre at Gresham College. (Warning: requires Flash 9)

..and when Pickman suddenly unveiled a huge canvas on the side away from the light I could not for my life keep back a loud scream

Artw — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 22:35:37 -0800

Tentacles and Cosmic SF - Ann and Jeff VanderMeer on the art of Lovecraft. - More of the book - No, I don't know what's become of Pickman, and I don't like to guess.

Captain Kirks Alien Mysteries

Artw — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 22:00:05 -0800

With all the crystal skulls, nazca lines and such at the box office these days now might be the ideal time to reacquaint yourself with the theories of Erich von Däniken. What better way to do it than by watching William Shatners Mysteries of the Gods ( Pt. 1, Pt. 2, Pt. 3, Pt. 4, Pt. 5, Pt. 6, Pt. 7, Pt. 8, Pt. 9, Pt. 10)(MULTI LINK YOUTUBE SHATNERFEST)

Slipping towards the Singularity

adrianhon — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 04:54:37 -0800

The current issue of IEEE Spectrum devotes itself to the sci-fi genre du jour, the Singularity. Neuroscientists such as Christof Koch and David Alder talk about our understanding of the brain and quantum computing, John Horgan argues that it's just too difficult to recreate consciousness in a computer any time soon. Robin Hanson writes on the Economics of the Singularity, and of course, Vernor Vinge - the person who originally postulated the Singularity - tells us how to spot its approach. You can also download a poster (PDF) showing who's who in Singularityland, and there are some interesting further papers and resources provided as well. The Singularity has been covered on Mefi before (1, 2).

Script-Doctorin' the TARDIS

Artw — Tue, 20 May 2008 21:33:16 -0800

As of 2010 Steven Moffat will be replacing Russell T. Davies as lead writer and executive producer of Doctor Who. In 2005 Davies revived the series, which had been dormant (bar the odd US co-production or audiodrama) since 1989, for BBC Wales. It won awards and was successful enough to spawn the spin-offs Sarah Jane Adventures and the popular-in-America Torchwood. He is replaced by Moffat, one of the regular writers on the show, whose highly acclaimed episodes have won a number of awards and nominations. "I applied before but I got knocked back 'cos the BBC wanted someone else. Also I was seven. Anyway, I'm glad the BBC has finally seen the light and it's a huge honour to be following Russell into the best - and the toughest - job in television. I say toughest 'cos Russell's at my window right now, pointing and laughing."

God Emperor of STFU

Artw — Thu, 15 May 2008 10:59:10 -0800

7 Reasons Why Scifi Book Series Outstay Their Welcomes

Dan Dare and the Birth of Hi-Tech Britain

Artw — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 09:39:53 -0800

Dan Dare, pilot of the future, scourge of the Venusian Mekon menace, and modernist architectural inspiration?

What the frak?

bigmusic — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 17:32:49 -0800

There's been alot written about Battlestar Galactica. Here's your chance to catch up.