Sure, you might consider a Roomba a robot maid, but while it may clean your floor, it’s no butler. If a massive amount of science fiction literature was to be believed, we should all have had android Alfreds by now. Japan is getting closer to this particular prediction, because for whatever reason they seem to like robots a whole lot more than we do. When Honda’s ASIMO grows about 2 feet taller, and can walk up stairs safely, we’ll at least get the drink serving robot. Then we just need to put vacuum cleaners in its feet and call it a day.

Moon Colonies

One of the quickest ways to tell if someone is a nerd is to ask how they feel about NASA having to scrap their plans for a moon base. Besides that however, moon colonies really felt (and feel) close to happening! After all, 41 years ago we managed to land on the rock, you would have thought that somewhere between 1969 and 2010 we would have set up some sort of permanent structure. At this point our best bet is probably a privately funded moon base, so Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Google, do the future a favor and help us start moving off this rock on to others.

The Future Isn’t Here… Yet. is a new weekly column that will look at predictions that science fiction and pop culture were sure we would have by now. To suggest anything, please comment!

By way of EXTRALIFE

Rare is the person who comes away from a ‘con unscathed.  In light of the recent events regarding PAX and the presence of an uninvited guest (Swine Flu), I thought the topic should be discussed. Sure, you could walk around in a surgical mask and a pair of latex gloves to protect yourselves from germs, but the ‘con is the perfect venue to be a bit more creative.  I’ve compiled a list of the top 5 costume genres you can use to keep other peoples’ germs at bay.

1. Ninja/Power Ranger/Snake Eyes/ Cobra Commander

The key feature here is some type of cloth facial covering that could easily hide a surgical mask and make you look quite dapper as well.  The requisite pair of gloves also protects your hands from germy game demos.  All these costumes are fairly readily available from various costume retailers or are simple enough to put together yourself.

2. Storm Trooper/Darth Vader/ Boba Fett

Again with this genre is the mask to hide a less aesthetically surgical one, but this time they are hard masks.  Plus, the odd sound your voice will make coming through the various layers will only serve to enhance the cosplay experience. And, again, the gloves are part of the outfit.  These, however, are probably better for the more die hard fan, as purchasing one or making one yourself can be quite daunting.

3. Steam Punk/WWII Soldier/Psycho Mantis from MGS

The big draw here: Gas mask.  Rather than use a fake one, get a real mask and outfit it with a couple of filters rated to keep biological microbes and you’ll be all set. All in all, it’s fairly simple to put together a decent outfit from thrift or army surplus stores. A pair of thin leather gloves will make button mashing easier and safer.

4. Transformer/Gundam

While certainly not the easiest costume to move around in, you could probably hide an entire respiration system within a good cardboard robot.  Make sure to bring a friend, though.  Maneuvering by yourself could prove quite hazardous.

5. Mascot-style Characters

While this is certainly something I would never encourage, there’s certainly no better way to keep everyone away from you than by dressing up as a terrifying large headed stuffed animal.

I hope that now before you head off to your next convention that you’ll remember what you’ve learned here and will take the necessary, geeky precautions.

1. Netflix:  missed your favorite show?  Who cares, just queue up the season DVDs to be mailed (or, if you’re lucky, it’s available to watch immediately)
2. Hulu:  Why not just stream the show for free?  Hulu will even let you build up a queue complete with subscriptions
3. Over-the-air HDTV:  pull in those local channels, for free, using a simple antenna and your fancy new flat-screen (or an older TV with a converter box)
4. BitTorrent:  plenty of ways to find espisodes of shows for download as well, though this is, at best, a bit of a grey area when it comes to the legality.
5. Digital stores (Amazon/iTunes/etc):  just purchase your favorite episodes to watch at your leisure

Now, admittedly, a lot of these require you to have high-speed internet (any digital download or streaming) and/or pay (Netflix, digital purchases), but the options are varied.   However, DSL is reasonably priced ($20-30/month); slap a Netflix subscription on top of that for another $15 or so, and you’re still coming out cheaper than anything the cable company (well, that I’ve seen from Comcast) has to offer – plus you’ve got high-speed internet to boot.

I guess what remains to be seen is how the cable companies will adapt to the new technology.  Yes, cable internet is most likely the fastest that most people can get ahold of (unless they’re in a FIOS market), but that doesn’t give you any discounts on your cable bill.  Will the Comcast’s of the world fight back against the pressure of free HD and online programming?  Only time will tell, but I’m not holding my breath.

James Cameron’s “Avatar”

Star Trek DAC

District 9 Truck

The Green Hornet Car

Dalek

I hope everybody is having fun out at The San Diego Comic Con and thanks Tom.

Part 1: The Forefathers (and mother) of SciFi Literature

I present to you, fair readers, a list of some of the most influential authors in Science Fiction literature.  The writings of these greats have influenced every aspect of SciFi culture.  This is by no means a completely comprehensive list; there are too many to mention in one place.  I did my best to cover a wide variety of authors, including those who you may have passed over as a result of having been forced to read them in school. I present them to you in chronological order.

Mary Shelley (1797 – 1851) – The novel as a form of literature didn’t become popular until the late 18th century.  Shelley’s Frankenstein is arguably  the first true science fiction novel and helped shape the genre. With the advent of the microscope and thermometer, medical science was taking its first baby steps during this time. Shelley took these new advancements and produced her own vision of what might happen.  It really was the first novel of the genre; at its core, it was fiction based in science.

Jules Verne (1828 – 1905) – Along with H.G. Wells, Verne helped to expand and popularize science fiction. Around the World in Eighty Days, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, and Journey to the Center of the Earth also helped influence the Steampunk sub-genre. Many of Verne’s writings were rejected by publishers as being “too scientific” for the general public, and, as a result, many were not released until after his death.

H. G. Wells (1866 – 1946) – The influence that Wells had on the science fiction community cannot be denied. The 1938 radio drama adaptation of War of the Worlds caused mass panic. The Time Machine presents the reader with a dualistic of the future that could be.  The Island of Doctor Moreau is still the scariest book I have ever read.  Seriously. In addition to his many fictional triumphs, Wells also published two books standardizing rules for wargames.  That’s right. Anyone who has ever played Warhammer or any other miniature game has H. G. Wells to thank for it.

H. P. Lovecraft (1890 – 1937) – No one’s writing better embodies the notion that “there’s something out there and it’s going to get us” better that Lovecraft.  The Lovecraft mythos of Cthulhu and the other elder gods has become part of modern mythology, possibly one of the last authors to truly do so. Even though Lovecraft is usually categorized as a horror author, I think it’s safe to say that the notion of some life form beyond the stars that is just waiting to consume the world falls neatly into the category of science fiction.

Arthur C. Clarke (1917 – 2008) – 2001: A Space Odyssey is one of my father’s favorite books. He had a big influence in my love of SciFi, so many of his favorites are mine, too. The interesting about 2001 is that it was a collaboration between Stanley Kubrick and Clarke based on the short story “The Sentinel” that Clarke had written years earlier. Kubrick thought the story would make a great movie, but believed that it would be better to allow the story to work itself out in novel form before confining themselves to a script.  Anyone who has seen Wall-E cannot deny that Clarke’s influence is still far reaching today.

Frank Herbert (1920 – 1986) – Dune is widely held to be the best-selling science fiction novel of all time. Herbert believed that science fiction could be used to help build a better future. He felt that the dark visions that many authors had for the future could serve as a guide or warning against what could be. His works are rife with commentary on politics, science, philosophy, religion, and ecology. Herbert helped the genre become elevated in the public eye as something more than literary fluff.

Isaac Asimov (1920 – 1992) – If you’ve seen the recent movie I, Robot with Will Smith, pretend you haven’t.  Not that I have any real problems with the movie, but the only thing it has in common with the original book is the title. Asimov’s Robot and Foundation series are part of a sub-genre that he called “social science fiction”. Asimov’s works focus on the social interactions of beings and the rules and ethics by which they must abide, as well as the consequences when they don’t. His main characters tend to be an “everyman” that the reader can identify with who is forced to make difficult decisions relating to the complex society in which they live.

Ray Bradbury (b. 1920) – Bradbury is my favorite SciFi author.  I can’t get enough. His writings tend to sway in and out of science fiction proper, some hovering around more general fiction, some leaning more towards horror or fantasy.  Some of the more heavily SciFi rooted stories are The Martian Chronicals.  When compared with War of the Worlds, they provide an interesting counterpoint view of life on Mars and Martians. Many of his works are collections of short stories rather than full length novels. For those younger geeks in our audience, I recommend Fahrenheit 451 as an excellent book to write a paper on.  It’s a very enjoyable read and there’s lots to write about; teachers love it.

Douglas Adams (1952 – 2001) – While many of the previous science fiction authors include humor in their writings, none, I feel, do it so effortlessly as Douglas Adams. Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is a fantastic story in every iteration it has been presented. The almost dadaist absurdity found throughout lends a lighthearted feel to even the most dire situations. In most science fiction, authors present a future or alternate past where all of the characters are a part of that world.  Even in The Time Machine, Wells’ hero may be foreign to the times he visits, but the notion and technology of time travel are his own. The fantastic thing about Adams is that Arthur Dent, the hero, believes that he lives in a completely ordinary world. Then, out of the blue, he discovers that his world is not at all ordinary but that he is living a science fiction novel. Hilarity ensues.

That is my whirlwind trip through the greats of science fiction.  None of these tiny descriptions do any sort of justice to the epic proportions of these works of literature. I beseech you to go out, read them, and reclaim your nerd roots.

Classical Geek is a series dedicated to ensuring today’s geeks are properly educated and informed.

Here’s hoping that the new footage will be available online soon.  I can think of no greater use for our new 40″ LCD than to watch high-quality footage with my 8-year-old son.

I’ve just checked it myself, and I was able to log in, so hopefully it was just a temporary blip in the road, and they’ve gotten things smoothed out.

Now back to your regularly scheduled watching!

(Initially found via Appscout)