Jo Walton reviews Ventus by Karl Schroeder at Tor.com since he now has it as a free ebook on his website. I read this a few months ago and loved it. If you haven't read it, you should.
The UK is bringing out a mythological creatures stamp collection, with art by Dave McKean and a short short story by Neil Gaiman for each creature. Sources: Wired (best pics) and Neil Gaiman's blog.
Discovery.com lists the Top 10 Moments in Astronomy.
Space.com has an amazing photo of colliding galaxies taken by the Hubble telescope after it won a poll as the next target. They also have an article about plans to grow flowers on the moon.
According to John Scalzi, Audible is offering Metatropolis for free for a limited time because of the Hugo nomination.
The founder of Other Change of Hobbit (one of the best bookstores I've been to) talks about the early days.
Zap2It has a description of Fox's potential new comedy shows. Nothing here I have to see from what they say.
Richard Dean Anderson will guest star in a couple episodes of Stargate: Universe.
SciFi wire has interviews with James Marsters about 2 projects: Moonshot (about Apollo 11), and High Plains Invaders.
The final Pushing Daisies episodes finally have a timeslot (although a horrible one): Saturdays at 10pm starting May 30th.
Another sign that Reaper will be canceled - the creators are leaving the show for a new commitment with Fox.
Last week 6 volunteers sealed themselves into a capsule that will mimic the conditions of a trip to Mars. Sources: BBC, Telegraph
A new DNA test may replace the PAP smear since it was dramatically more effective at diagnosing cervical cancer in a recent 8-year study.
The BBC has an article on using stem cell injections to treat damaged bones.
DVRs for the week:
Mon 5pm Greek
Mon 8pm Chuck & House
Mon 9pm Heroes
Mon 10pm Medium
Tue 8pm Reaper
Tue 9pm Fringe
Tue 10pm Cupid (assuming I like the 1st one which is still on the dvr unseen)
Wed 8pm Scrubs
Wed 9pm Lost & Life
Wed 10pm CSI:NY
Thu 7pm Krod Mandoon & the Flaming Sword of Fire (COMEDY - see review at SF Signal)
Thu 8pm Bones
Thu 9pm CSI
Fri 8pm Ghost Whisperer & Sarah Connor Chronicles
Fri 9pm Dollhouse
Fri 10pm Numb3rs
Sat 6pm Ashes to Ashes
Sat 6 & 8pm Nora Roberts Tribute (LIFETIME)
Sun all day marathon of earlier Nora Roberts movies in case you missed them
Showing posts with label astronomy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label astronomy. Show all posts
Monday, April 6, 2009
Friday, July 18, 2008
7-18-08
Space.com has an article on the Perseid meteor shower, which will be at its peak August 11-12.
As part of the 30th anniversary of ElfQuest, they are putting ALL of the comics online for free viewing. If you haven't read them all, want a refresher, or just want to know what this thing is that has me waiting for a movie for so long, check it out.
DVRs for tonight:
Doctor Who (6pm or 8pm)
Monk (6pm or 11pm)
Stargate Atlantis (7pm or 9pm)
Psych (7pm or 10pm)
As part of the 30th anniversary of ElfQuest, they are putting ALL of the comics online for free viewing. If you haven't read them all, want a refresher, or just want to know what this thing is that has me waiting for a movie for so long, check it out.
DVRs for tonight:
Doctor Who (6pm or 8pm)
Monk (6pm or 11pm)
Stargate Atlantis (7pm or 9pm)
Psych (7pm or 10pm)
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
5-13-08
Stephen Hawking is traveling to South Africa to find brilliant minds. Technology leaders and scientists have backed a plan to provide centers for advanced math and physics so that students can be found, taught, and utilize their talents without having to leave the country first.
Business Week has a review of Microsoft's Worldwide Telescope, which is available to the public today. It pulls together 12 terabytes of data, astronomy research from the web, and updated photos from multiple telescopes (including Hubble). They say the user interface is easier to use than the similar Google Sky.
The Von Trapp villa from Sound of Music will become a hotel this summer.
The Weinsteins plan to make a live-action (muppets will still be there) Fraggle Rock movie.
CW announced their fall schedule. Supernatural will remain on Thursday nights. Reaper will come back midseason. They don't have anything else I'm planning to watch.
Despite all the buzz that it was fairly secure, Moonlight was canceled today. CBS did renew all their comedies, and they picked up 3 somewhat genre-related pilots (Eleventh Hour, The Ex List, and The Mentalist). Their full schedule will be announced tomorrow.
ABC has announced their fall schedule. Life on Mars will follow Grey's Anatomy on Thursday nights. Pushing Daisies & Private Practice remain unchanged on Wednesdays. Lost & Scrubs won't join until midseason. No other new shows we care about, but the cancellation of Men in Trees is official. Sources: Zap2It and FutonCritic. According to FutonCritic, they still have 17 pilots under consideration for midseason.
DVRs for tonight:
9pm Reaper
10pm Women's Murder Club (series finale - it was canceled yesterday)
Business Week has a review of Microsoft's Worldwide Telescope, which is available to the public today. It pulls together 12 terabytes of data, astronomy research from the web, and updated photos from multiple telescopes (including Hubble). They say the user interface is easier to use than the similar Google Sky.
The Von Trapp villa from Sound of Music will become a hotel this summer.
The Weinsteins plan to make a live-action (muppets will still be there) Fraggle Rock movie.
CW announced their fall schedule. Supernatural will remain on Thursday nights. Reaper will come back midseason. They don't have anything else I'm planning to watch.
Despite all the buzz that it was fairly secure, Moonlight was canceled today. CBS did renew all their comedies, and they picked up 3 somewhat genre-related pilots (Eleventh Hour, The Ex List, and The Mentalist). Their full schedule will be announced tomorrow.
ABC has announced their fall schedule. Life on Mars will follow Grey's Anatomy on Thursday nights. Pushing Daisies & Private Practice remain unchanged on Wednesdays. Lost & Scrubs won't join until midseason. No other new shows we care about, but the cancellation of Men in Trees is official. Sources: Zap2It and FutonCritic. According to FutonCritic, they still have 17 pilots under consideration for midseason.
DVRs for tonight:
9pm Reaper
10pm Women's Murder Club (series finale - it was canceled yesterday)
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
12-11-07 Science/Tech/etc.
Britain plans to install 7,000 offshore wind turbines as part of a goal of having 20% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020.
Solar thermal power development in California is stalled while waiting to see if a property tax exemption will be extended.
Fark.com filed for a trademark for the phrase NSFW (not safe for work). Even if the trademark were granted, I don't see how it could possibly be enforced.
Life is listing the top 10 scientific discoveries of 2007: stem cell breakthroughs, DNA mapping, brightest supernova recorded, hundreds of new species identified, building a human heart valve from stem cells, "hot Jupiters" discovered, large birdlike dinosaurs found, evidence of the time period early man migrated out of Africa, the world's oldest animal (a 405 year old clam) was found, and a mineral with the chemical makeup imagined for kryptonite was found in Serbia (unfortunately they can't name it kryptonite because of krypton gas).
Somebody else discusses the trials and tribulations of cataloging their personal library. Unlike us, they only had to deal with about 3,500 books, but it is nice to occasionally see someone else going through some of the same issues.
JPL has an interesting article on the discovery of a silica patch by the Mars rover Spirit as it prepares to find a safe spot for the winter.
Hubble has observed its first extra-solar sunset, as a Jupiter-like planet passed in front of its star, giving hints as to the atmosphere.
Umbilical cord blood is saving the lives of babies born with metabolic disorders at Duke University.
The House has voted to make the Do Not Call registry permanent, so we wouldn't have to re-register every 5 years. The Senate still has to approve it.
A new genus and species of dinosaur has been found in Antarctica. It is a massive plant-eating primitive sauropodomorph (like Apatosaurus) from the early Jurassic. There is a brief article here, or the full scientific paper can be read here in PDF.
Scientists think they have found the energy source for the northern lights.
Solar thermal power development in California is stalled while waiting to see if a property tax exemption will be extended.
Fark.com filed for a trademark for the phrase NSFW (not safe for work). Even if the trademark were granted, I don't see how it could possibly be enforced.
Life is listing the top 10 scientific discoveries of 2007: stem cell breakthroughs, DNA mapping, brightest supernova recorded, hundreds of new species identified, building a human heart valve from stem cells, "hot Jupiters" discovered, large birdlike dinosaurs found, evidence of the time period early man migrated out of Africa, the world's oldest animal (a 405 year old clam) was found, and a mineral with the chemical makeup imagined for kryptonite was found in Serbia (unfortunately they can't name it kryptonite because of krypton gas).
Somebody else discusses the trials and tribulations of cataloging their personal library. Unlike us, they only had to deal with about 3,500 books, but it is nice to occasionally see someone else going through some of the same issues.
JPL has an interesting article on the discovery of a silica patch by the Mars rover Spirit as it prepares to find a safe spot for the winter.
Hubble has observed its first extra-solar sunset, as a Jupiter-like planet passed in front of its star, giving hints as to the atmosphere.
Umbilical cord blood is saving the lives of babies born with metabolic disorders at Duke University.
The House has voted to make the Do Not Call registry permanent, so we wouldn't have to re-register every 5 years. The Senate still has to approve it.
A new genus and species of dinosaur has been found in Antarctica. It is a massive plant-eating primitive sauropodomorph (like Apatosaurus) from the early Jurassic. There is a brief article here, or the full scientific paper can be read here in PDF.
Scientists think they have found the energy source for the northern lights.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
11-13-07
The UPS in Petaluma will be making its holiday deliveries with electric trucks from Zap.
Al Gore has become a Bay Area venture capitalist. He has joined Kleiner Perkins in financing global warming solutions. They will be funding green technology startups, and Gore will be advising on which companies and technologies are the most promising. He sees California as a model for green tech for the rest of the country to follow.
Too bad the strike is keeping the Colbert Report in repeats, I'd love to see his response to the Virginia election. He was a write-in candidate for a seat on the Soil and Water Conservation Board (but he isn't eligible to take the seat because he isn't a registered voter in that district).
Alexis Bledel (Rory Gilmore) is coming back to TV. She has been cast in a Fox Atomic comedy called "Ticket to Ride" about a woman who moves back home to her wacky family after college while she tries to figure out what to do next.
Pine trees are being cloned for forestry to provide disease resistant, uniform trees. This makes me nervous.
FutonCritic has a much more complete grid of the strike impact on scripted shows (# ordered, # shot, final date scheduled to air so far, # remaining).
I'm glad I don't count on CBS for my news: they are facing a strike too. The strike authorization vote will be held at the end of this week.
The FCC wants to regulate cable. They think that viewership has reached the level where the 1984 deregulation no longer applies. There is now an argument over whose statistics are correct (FCC says 70%, cable says 58%). If the FCC has their way, expect to see them push for a la carte programming, less "offensive" programming, and more control over pricing (to consumers and programmers). While I wouldn't mind lower costs and more choices over channel selection, I want them to stay away from content. I found this at both Yahoo and The Washington Post.
Next month, Buckaroo Bonzai will return as a 2-part prequel comic written by the original screenwriters.
Speaking of comics, ever wanted to read the original Spider-Man, X-Men or Fantastic 4 without tracking down and paying collectors prices for the comics? Marvel is putting them online for viewing (if you pay a monthly fee).
The Japanese moon probe has captured a great new Earth-rise photo in hi-def.
There are rumors (and massive spoilers) all over the place about the new Star Trek movie. Based on the rumors, Harlan Ellison is pissed that they are stealing his material without asking. If that isn't enough of a spoiler, you can find plot spoilers here and details of the reaction here.
DVRs for tonight:
8pm Bones
9pm House & Reaper
Al Gore has become a Bay Area venture capitalist. He has joined Kleiner Perkins in financing global warming solutions. They will be funding green technology startups, and Gore will be advising on which companies and technologies are the most promising. He sees California as a model for green tech for the rest of the country to follow.
Too bad the strike is keeping the Colbert Report in repeats, I'd love to see his response to the Virginia election. He was a write-in candidate for a seat on the Soil and Water Conservation Board (but he isn't eligible to take the seat because he isn't a registered voter in that district).
Alexis Bledel (Rory Gilmore) is coming back to TV. She has been cast in a Fox Atomic comedy called "Ticket to Ride" about a woman who moves back home to her wacky family after college while she tries to figure out what to do next.
Pine trees are being cloned for forestry to provide disease resistant, uniform trees. This makes me nervous.
FutonCritic has a much more complete grid of the strike impact on scripted shows (# ordered, # shot, final date scheduled to air so far, # remaining).
I'm glad I don't count on CBS for my news: they are facing a strike too. The strike authorization vote will be held at the end of this week.
The FCC wants to regulate cable. They think that viewership has reached the level where the 1984 deregulation no longer applies. There is now an argument over whose statistics are correct (FCC says 70%, cable says 58%). If the FCC has their way, expect to see them push for a la carte programming, less "offensive" programming, and more control over pricing (to consumers and programmers). While I wouldn't mind lower costs and more choices over channel selection, I want them to stay away from content. I found this at both Yahoo and The Washington Post.
Next month, Buckaroo Bonzai will return as a 2-part prequel comic written by the original screenwriters.
Speaking of comics, ever wanted to read the original Spider-Man, X-Men or Fantastic 4 without tracking down and paying collectors prices for the comics? Marvel is putting them online for viewing (if you pay a monthly fee).
The Japanese moon probe has captured a great new Earth-rise photo in hi-def.
There are rumors (and massive spoilers) all over the place about the new Star Trek movie. Based on the rumors, Harlan Ellison is pissed that they are stealing his material without asking. If that isn't enough of a spoiler, you can find plot spoilers here and details of the reaction here.
DVRs for tonight:
8pm Bones
9pm House & Reaper
Friday, November 9, 2007
11-9-07
Producers from Pushing Daisies and Men in Trees have both said that their final produced episodes can act as season finales if necessary. Pushing Daisies considered it in the writing, and Men in Trees has an alternate ending.
This page has a more detailed chart of how many episodes each show has remaining before we run out until the strike is over. (He lists Heroes as making 12 eps, and I've heard 11 may be the last, so that one confuses me. I hope he's right.) The shortest is Bionic Woman with 3 remaining episodes. The longest is Men in Trees with 14 left.
Comet Holmes has grown to the point where you can see it without even binoculars, let alone a telescope. Look in Perseus (below Cassiopeia and east of Polaris).
Ships with solar sails coming to SF (probably as ferrys) in 2009. Large solar panels will act as sails so the boat can be powered by wind or solar (it also has diesel as a backup).
The Tech Museum of Innovation gave out awards this week for breakthrough devices for helping the environment and emerging nations. Today CNet has a slideshow of the winners (the solar sail ship above is #6).
There are 12 movies that will be in the running for 3 nominations for the Best Animated Film Oscar: Alvin and the Chipmunks, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Bee Movie, Beowulf, Meet the Robinsons, Persepolis, Ratatouille, Shrek the Third, The Simpsons Movie, Surf's Up, Tekkonkinkreet and TMNT. Of these, I've seen one and plan to see another 3-4.
DVRs for tonight:
5pm Flash Gordon (note new time!)
7pm Atlantis
8pm Blood Ties & Ghost Whisperer & Men in Trees
9pm Moonlight & Women's Murder Club
10pm Numb3rs
This page has a more detailed chart of how many episodes each show has remaining before we run out until the strike is over. (He lists Heroes as making 12 eps, and I've heard 11 may be the last, so that one confuses me. I hope he's right.) The shortest is Bionic Woman with 3 remaining episodes. The longest is Men in Trees with 14 left.
Comet Holmes has grown to the point where you can see it without even binoculars, let alone a telescope. Look in Perseus (below Cassiopeia and east of Polaris).
Ships with solar sails coming to SF (probably as ferrys) in 2009. Large solar panels will act as sails so the boat can be powered by wind or solar (it also has diesel as a backup).
The Tech Museum of Innovation gave out awards this week for breakthrough devices for helping the environment and emerging nations. Today CNet has a slideshow of the winners (the solar sail ship above is #6).
There are 12 movies that will be in the running for 3 nominations for the Best Animated Film Oscar: Alvin and the Chipmunks, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Bee Movie, Beowulf, Meet the Robinsons, Persepolis, Ratatouille, Shrek the Third, The Simpsons Movie, Surf's Up, Tekkonkinkreet and TMNT. Of these, I've seen one and plan to see another 3-4.
DVRs for tonight:
5pm Flash Gordon (note new time!)
7pm Atlantis
8pm Blood Ties & Ghost Whisperer & Men in Trees
9pm Moonlight & Women's Murder Club
10pm Numb3rs
Monday, October 29, 2007
10-29-07
They are going to have a half hour Shrek Christmas special on ABC on 11-28. Timing is to promote the DVD coming out 11-13.
Cute story of a couple who spent their 60th anniversary at the same hotel they honeymooned at for $10 (paid by their 12-year-old grandson) instead of the current $1600 because of an offer for people returning after 50 years with their original receipts.
Two Canadian astronomers have said that they don't think dark matter exists, and they have an alternate theory for how gravity works that explains the observations that have been cited as evidence of dark matter.
The Governor has signed the cord blood bills.
DVRs for tonight:
8pm Chuck & How I Met Your Mother
830 Big Bang Theory
9pm Heroes & 2.5 Men
Cute story of a couple who spent their 60th anniversary at the same hotel they honeymooned at for $10 (paid by their 12-year-old grandson) instead of the current $1600 because of an offer for people returning after 50 years with their original receipts.
Two Canadian astronomers have said that they don't think dark matter exists, and they have an alternate theory for how gravity works that explains the observations that have been cited as evidence of dark matter.
The Governor has signed the cord blood bills.
DVRs for tonight:
8pm Chuck & How I Met Your Mother
830 Big Bang Theory
9pm Heroes & 2.5 Men
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
10-17-07
DVRs for tonight:
8pm Pushing Daisies
9pm Bionic Woman & Private Practice
10pm CSI:NY & Life
George Lucas talks about making a live action Star Wars TV series in the next few years.
Fox has announced a premiere date for The Sarah Connor Chronicles (the Terminator spin-off that takes up after the 2nd movie and ignores the 3rd - just like I did). It will be 1-14-08. The bad news is that is a Monday. They are changing the timeslot to Mondays at 8pm - which is already crowded.
Fox has stopped production on New Amsterdam. They have filmed 8 of the ordered 13, and if they don't like what has been made so far then there may not be any more.
Rumors are that Karl Urban (Eomer from LOTR, Cupid/Caesar from Xena/Hercules, etc.) will play Bones on Star Trek.
The Orionid meteor shower should be impressive this Sunday morning if you are awake between 1:30am & dawn.
8pm Pushing Daisies
9pm Bionic Woman & Private Practice
10pm CSI:NY & Life
George Lucas talks about making a live action Star Wars TV series in the next few years.
Fox has announced a premiere date for The Sarah Connor Chronicles (the Terminator spin-off that takes up after the 2nd movie and ignores the 3rd - just like I did). It will be 1-14-08. The bad news is that is a Monday. They are changing the timeslot to Mondays at 8pm - which is already crowded.
Fox has stopped production on New Amsterdam. They have filmed 8 of the ordered 13, and if they don't like what has been made so far then there may not be any more.
Rumors are that Karl Urban (Eomer from LOTR, Cupid/Caesar from Xena/Hercules, etc.) will play Bones on Star Trek.
The Orionid meteor shower should be impressive this Sunday morning if you are awake between 1:30am & dawn.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
10-10-07
DVRs for tonight:
8pm Pushing Daisies
9pm Bionic Woman & Private Practice (I really need to watch at least one of these)
10pm CSI:NY & Life (I still haven't watched any but have been told I should)
Apparently Pixar is planning not just one John Carter of Mars movie but a trilogy.
Japan's lunar probe has jettisoned baby satellites and has started taking pictures and studying the moon.
Using GPS to predict the weather? By measuring the change to radio waves sent through the atmosphere between GPS-RO satellites, scientists can get a very accurate view of our atmosphere (temperature, humidity, denseness, weather, etc.). Not all GPS satellites are the -RO models, but they are planning to launch more.
Researchers are working on a computer user interface that changes in response to the stress, overload, or distraction level of the user. I'm not sure I want my computer knowing that much about me.
The new Star Trek film has cast it's villain (Eric Bana) and may have found a young Kirk (Chris Pine, assuming he doesn't choose to make the George Clooney movie instead).
Subaru has a new electric car prototype they will be showing off this month. The article worries that with Subaru and Nissan developing electric cars, the new startups may not survive. As long as the cars get made (and not shelved again), then I don't care who does it. Hopefully the startups (even if they die) stay around long enough so that the big players don't abandon the technology.
8pm Pushing Daisies
9pm Bionic Woman & Private Practice (I really need to watch at least one of these)
10pm CSI:NY & Life (I still haven't watched any but have been told I should)
Apparently Pixar is planning not just one John Carter of Mars movie but a trilogy.
Japan's lunar probe has jettisoned baby satellites and has started taking pictures and studying the moon.
Using GPS to predict the weather? By measuring the change to radio waves sent through the atmosphere between GPS-RO satellites, scientists can get a very accurate view of our atmosphere (temperature, humidity, denseness, weather, etc.). Not all GPS satellites are the -RO models, but they are planning to launch more.
Researchers are working on a computer user interface that changes in response to the stress, overload, or distraction level of the user. I'm not sure I want my computer knowing that much about me.
The new Star Trek film has cast it's villain (Eric Bana) and may have found a young Kirk (Chris Pine, assuming he doesn't choose to make the George Clooney movie instead).
Subaru has a new electric car prototype they will be showing off this month. The article worries that with Subaru and Nissan developing electric cars, the new startups may not survive. As long as the cars get made (and not shelved again), then I don't care who does it. Hopefully the startups (even if they die) stay around long enough so that the big players don't abandon the technology.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
10-9-07
DVRs for tonight:
8pm Bones
9pm House
Reaper
Pixar has started researching their 2012 movie, an animated version of Burrough's John Carter of Mars.
MSNBC has listed 10 businesses they think will be gone in 10 years. Sadly, one on the list is used book stores. I can see their point, but I hope they're wrong.
Space has an interesting article on next generation telescopes and what scientists hope to use them to find.
Bittorrent is offering its technology to other companies to make their video streaming and downloading more affordable.
Denvention (the Denver Worldcon next year) is planning to have a Critter Crunch event, the original robot battle competition created by the Denver Area Mad Scientists. They are starting to pull together details for the convention. It should be fun. Anyone who wants to join should do so before Progress Report 2 in January, because that will have the Hugo nomination ballot and hotel reservation information.
George Harrison's solo work is now available from iTunes. This was the last holdout, so now all their songs are available. The Beatles' songs are still being remastered and should appear by early next year.
Just because it's weird: Play-Doh bunnies in New York (it's an ad for Sony, but a cute one).
Transparent solar panels as windows. They are working on it now. I hope they get it functional.
Scientists have designed a mostly self-sufficient space habitat. This could (far too many years from now) allow for a station on the moon or Mars that doesn't require so many costly re-supply missions. The technology will also help with sustainable farming and recycling applications here on Earth. Cool.
Check out the Nissan electric concept car. It has 3 wheels and a rotating cabin, so you can turn around and start driving at a 90 degree angle from where you were looking. It is funny looking, yet cute in a strange (my designers probably spent too much time looking at Hello Kitty) sort of way.
CNet has a slideshow today of Home Appliances of the Future (from a Japanese technology center that demos everything from the really weird to the somewhat cool).
8pm Bones
9pm House
Reaper
Pixar has started researching their 2012 movie, an animated version of Burrough's John Carter of Mars.
MSNBC has listed 10 businesses they think will be gone in 10 years. Sadly, one on the list is used book stores. I can see their point, but I hope they're wrong.
Space has an interesting article on next generation telescopes and what scientists hope to use them to find.
Bittorrent is offering its technology to other companies to make their video streaming and downloading more affordable.
Denvention (the Denver Worldcon next year) is planning to have a Critter Crunch event, the original robot battle competition created by the Denver Area Mad Scientists. They are starting to pull together details for the convention. It should be fun. Anyone who wants to join should do so before Progress Report 2 in January, because that will have the Hugo nomination ballot and hotel reservation information.
George Harrison's solo work is now available from iTunes. This was the last holdout, so now all their songs are available. The Beatles' songs are still being remastered and should appear by early next year.
Just because it's weird: Play-Doh bunnies in New York (it's an ad for Sony, but a cute one).
Transparent solar panels as windows. They are working on it now. I hope they get it functional.
Scientists have designed a mostly self-sufficient space habitat. This could (far too many years from now) allow for a station on the moon or Mars that doesn't require so many costly re-supply missions. The technology will also help with sustainable farming and recycling applications here on Earth. Cool.
Check out the Nissan electric concept car. It has 3 wheels and a rotating cabin, so you can turn around and start driving at a 90 degree angle from where you were looking. It is funny looking, yet cute in a strange (my designers probably spent too much time looking at Hello Kitty) sort of way.
CNet has a slideshow today of Home Appliances of the Future (from a Japanese technology center that demos everything from the really weird to the somewhat cool).
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
10-3-07
DVRs for tonight:
8pm Pushing Daisies (CW) - saw a sneak preview of this pilot and it is GOOD.
9pm Bionic Woman (NBC) and Private Practice (ABC)
10pm CSI:NY (CBS)
Another featured contributor to The Daily Show gets his own series on Comedy Channel, produced by Jon Stewart: Demetri Martin.
Astronomers have spotted a young star with a belt of dust they suspect is going to form into an Earth-like planet.
GrubHub is a new service in the SF area that shows all restaurants that deliver in your area (you give address, they list restaurants, show menus, reviews, etc.). You can even narrow results to "deliver now" which is useful when you're craving Chinese during a weekend afternoon and the 1st 3 restaurants you call don't deliver until evening (do I sound bitter?). Looking at my address, I find that Hometown Noodle delivers. Who knew? The article where I found out about it is here.
Don't watch this where people with sensitive ears can hear, but Robot Chicken mocks "Buck" Rogers.
A model rocket group have built a 21-foot X-Wing Fighter (they even included the R2-D2) and are launching it this week.
One of the potential new shows to be developed by Rob Thomas for ABC is a new version of Cupid (the 90s show with Jeremy Piven that started Rob Thomas' career).
Nick Park is making a new Wallace and Gromit short film called "Trouble at Mill" to play on the BBC late next year.
CNet has a slideshow of private industry players in space travel.
Rant warning: Copyright issues have gotten completely ridiculous. (As a disclaimer: I will never be the focus of their concern because I don't care that much about music. Most of the music I listen to is on the radio in my car, on a satellite channel from DishNetwork, or on Launchcast from Yahoo. I haven't even played a CD in over a year and I don't own a digital player.) That being said, Sony now says it is stealing if you rip a CD that you bought to play in an iPod for your own use - you should pay for a digital copy as well as the CD copy. All earlier decisions said it was OK to make a back up copy for yourself for your listening - you aren't going to be playing them both at the same time. This is the same Sony that pissed people off a year or 2 ago by putting copyguards on their CDs that acted as viruses. They just make me want to boycott them completely.
They've identified a new dinosaur in Utah: a giant duck-billed vegetarian they are calling Gryposaurus monumentensis.
In pain? Bring on the chili peppers. Research shows that capsaicin, the chemical in chili peppers, may be able to block pain receptors without interfering with other nerves or causing numbness.
8pm Pushing Daisies (CW) - saw a sneak preview of this pilot and it is GOOD.
9pm Bionic Woman (NBC) and Private Practice (ABC)
10pm CSI:NY (CBS)
Another featured contributor to The Daily Show gets his own series on Comedy Channel, produced by Jon Stewart: Demetri Martin.
Astronomers have spotted a young star with a belt of dust they suspect is going to form into an Earth-like planet.
GrubHub is a new service in the SF area that shows all restaurants that deliver in your area (you give address, they list restaurants, show menus, reviews, etc.). You can even narrow results to "deliver now" which is useful when you're craving Chinese during a weekend afternoon and the 1st 3 restaurants you call don't deliver until evening (do I sound bitter?). Looking at my address, I find that Hometown Noodle delivers. Who knew? The article where I found out about it is here.
Don't watch this where people with sensitive ears can hear, but Robot Chicken mocks "Buck" Rogers.
A model rocket group have built a 21-foot X-Wing Fighter (they even included the R2-D2) and are launching it this week.
One of the potential new shows to be developed by Rob Thomas for ABC is a new version of Cupid (the 90s show with Jeremy Piven that started Rob Thomas' career).
Nick Park is making a new Wallace and Gromit short film called "Trouble at Mill" to play on the BBC late next year.
CNet has a slideshow of private industry players in space travel.
Rant warning: Copyright issues have gotten completely ridiculous. (As a disclaimer: I will never be the focus of their concern because I don't care that much about music. Most of the music I listen to is on the radio in my car, on a satellite channel from DishNetwork, or on Launchcast from Yahoo. I haven't even played a CD in over a year and I don't own a digital player.) That being said, Sony now says it is stealing if you rip a CD that you bought to play in an iPod for your own use - you should pay for a digital copy as well as the CD copy. All earlier decisions said it was OK to make a back up copy for yourself for your listening - you aren't going to be playing them both at the same time. This is the same Sony that pissed people off a year or 2 ago by putting copyguards on their CDs that acted as viruses. They just make me want to boycott them completely.
They've identified a new dinosaur in Utah: a giant duck-billed vegetarian they are calling Gryposaurus monumentensis.
In pain? Bring on the chili peppers. Research shows that capsaicin, the chemical in chili peppers, may be able to block pain receptors without interfering with other nerves or causing numbness.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Roundup for 9-28-07
DVR for tonight:
5pm Doctor Who (SCIFI)
6pm Flash Gordon (SCIFI) - I still haven't seen any of these, but I'm still recording in case I like them when I get around to it.
7pm Stargate Atlantis (SCIFI) - It's back! Yay!
8pm Ghost Whisperer (CBS)
9pm Moonlight (CBS) - New show about a vampire detective. Probably worth a pilot even if the reviews are dreadful.
10pm Numb3rs (CBS)
Someone has summarized all the Heroes online comics in case, like me, you looked at one or two with bandwidth problems, never went back, and are missing some of the character details they reveal there.
Bionic Woman and Journeyman have added cast members.
A preliminary poster has been prepared for the next Pixar movie, Wall-E. I think it looks good.
Next year there will be 2 2nd-generation astronauts in space at the same time. Richard Garriott, creator of the Ultima computer games and son of Skylab astronaut Owen Garriott, will be traveling to the ISS as part of the Russian space tourist program and be met by 2nd generation cosmonaut Sergei Volkov. Cool.
Interview with Jorja Fox about CSI (minor spoilers included).
Cool tech of the day: A photocopier that translates between Japanese and English with the touch of a button.
The College of San Mateo is hosting a free, all day event this Saturday (tomorrow) at their new planetarium. There will be free planetarium shows, views from the solar telescope and other telescopes, demos, jazz and food. Sounds like it could be fun. Event flyer. Website with maps, schedule & raffle prizes.
Two different stories today about DNA sequencing: Scientists are using hair samples to sequence the DNA of mammoths, and researchers have mapped the genome of the pinot noir grape. It has more genes than humans, and more than 100 of them control flavor (double other plants).
5pm Doctor Who (SCIFI)
6pm Flash Gordon (SCIFI) - I still haven't seen any of these, but I'm still recording in case I like them when I get around to it.
7pm Stargate Atlantis (SCIFI) - It's back! Yay!
8pm Ghost Whisperer (CBS)
9pm Moonlight (CBS) - New show about a vampire detective. Probably worth a pilot even if the reviews are dreadful.
10pm Numb3rs (CBS)
Someone has summarized all the Heroes online comics in case, like me, you looked at one or two with bandwidth problems, never went back, and are missing some of the character details they reveal there.
Bionic Woman and Journeyman have added cast members.
A preliminary poster has been prepared for the next Pixar movie, Wall-E. I think it looks good.
Next year there will be 2 2nd-generation astronauts in space at the same time. Richard Garriott, creator of the Ultima computer games and son of Skylab astronaut Owen Garriott, will be traveling to the ISS as part of the Russian space tourist program and be met by 2nd generation cosmonaut Sergei Volkov. Cool.
Interview with Jorja Fox about CSI (minor spoilers included).
Cool tech of the day: A photocopier that translates between Japanese and English with the touch of a button.
The College of San Mateo is hosting a free, all day event this Saturday (tomorrow) at their new planetarium. There will be free planetarium shows, views from the solar telescope and other telescopes, demos, jazz and food. Sounds like it could be fun. Event flyer. Website with maps, schedule & raffle prizes.
Two different stories today about DNA sequencing: Scientists are using hair samples to sequence the DNA of mammoths, and researchers have mapped the genome of the pinot noir grape. It has more genes than humans, and more than 100 of them control flavor (double other plants).
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Roundup for 9-26-07
DVRs for tonight:
9pm Bionic Woman (NBC) and Private Practice (ABC) - worth pilots
10pm CSI:NY (CBS)
Mercedes McNab (Harmony on Buffy) is going to guest star as another vampire on Supernatural in November. Charisma Carpenter is joining the cast of Big Shots. (Why does a cast and crew I like so much have to be for a show that sounds dreadful? I'll probably end up giving it a pilot.)
Why is it that people still think colorizing classic films is a good idea? Now Ray Harryhausen gets colored over.
Cool science for the day: First zero-gravity surgery robot demonstrates vascular surgery in underwater lab.
Planned projects would increase California's solar power production to 65x current levels.
Slideshow for converting analog TVs to digital.
Slideshow of low cost tech for 3rd world needs. Interesting.
New comet detected that reappears every 4 years.
Like TorrentSpy last month, IsoHunt is going to stop allowing US computers to download torrent trackers from their site. This is caused by pressure from the Motion Picture industry, but I don't see them stopping downloads of movies only. :(
Dawn will rise in the west this week as the spacecraft Dawn is launched to study the asteroid belt.
New studies show stem cell therapies will slow down liver damage to give the liver a chance to repair itself or give the patient time for a new liver to be found.
Massive underwater kelp forests have been found beneath the coral reefs in the tropical areas of the Pacific (where they never thought to look for them before).
9pm Bionic Woman (NBC) and Private Practice (ABC) - worth pilots
10pm CSI:NY (CBS)
Mercedes McNab (Harmony on Buffy) is going to guest star as another vampire on Supernatural in November. Charisma Carpenter is joining the cast of Big Shots. (Why does a cast and crew I like so much have to be for a show that sounds dreadful? I'll probably end up giving it a pilot.)
Why is it that people still think colorizing classic films is a good idea? Now Ray Harryhausen gets colored over.
Cool science for the day: First zero-gravity surgery robot demonstrates vascular surgery in underwater lab.
Planned projects would increase California's solar power production to 65x current levels.
Slideshow for converting analog TVs to digital.
Slideshow of low cost tech for 3rd world needs. Interesting.
New comet detected that reappears every 4 years.
Like TorrentSpy last month, IsoHunt is going to stop allowing US computers to download torrent trackers from their site. This is caused by pressure from the Motion Picture industry, but I don't see them stopping downloads of movies only. :(
Dawn will rise in the west this week as the spacecraft Dawn is launched to study the asteroid belt.
New studies show stem cell therapies will slow down liver damage to give the liver a chance to repair itself or give the patient time for a new liver to be found.
Massive underwater kelp forests have been found beneath the coral reefs in the tropical areas of the Pacific (where they never thought to look for them before).
Monday, September 24, 2007
Roundup for 9-24-07
TV for tonight:
DVR1:
Chuck (geek gets download of spy knowledge - sounds like Jake 2.0 - worth a pilot)
Heroes (finally back!!!!!)
Journeyman (time travel - worth a pilot)
DVR2:
How I Met Your Mother
Big Bang Theory (giving this a pilot basically because it comes between 2 shows I'll watch although I doubt it will be worth a second episode)
2.5 Men
More writer/directors named for Heroes: Origins. Eli Roth ("Hostel") and Michael Dougherty ("Superman Returns") join Kevin Smith ("Clerks", etc.).
TVShowsonDVD is taking a REALLY in depth look at the new Young Indy dvd sets. I would like to rewatch some of these, but it might seem a bit strange to see Sean Patrick Flannery play a good guy. ;) Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
Cute story of geeks meant for each other: Marriage proposal in a crossword puzzle.
RIP Marcel Marceau (the most famous mime ever) and Alice Ghostley (Esmerelda from Bewitched, etc.).
Article about all the geeks on TV this fall (or shows aimed for geeks).
Article listing the best geek TV of our generation (#1 is Buffy). As usual with any list, I have problems with the order and omissions, but it is better than some.
New version of Gmail being tested according to ZDNet.
Wikipedia is making changes to become more trustworthy.
Really fascinating article on the top 10 transhumanist technologies (basically future technologies to change the way we live approached from a "we will definitely get this and this is why and how" sort of approach).
Article on Heroes (not to be read until tomorrow because it warns of spoilers).
Cord blood transfusions from siblings cures sickle cell disease and Thalassemiain in 90% of cases.
Low cost, high-efficiency solar panels nearing mass production.
Astronomers have modeled 14 planet types to help them spot an Earth-like planet elsewhere.
New studies show that the Amazon rainforest recovers better from drought than previous models suggested. I guess that gives us some hope.
Arthur C. Clarke comments on the Google X Prize award.
DVR1:
Chuck (geek gets download of spy knowledge - sounds like Jake 2.0 - worth a pilot)
Heroes (finally back!!!!!)
Journeyman (time travel - worth a pilot)
DVR2:
How I Met Your Mother
Big Bang Theory (giving this a pilot basically because it comes between 2 shows I'll watch although I doubt it will be worth a second episode)
2.5 Men
More writer/directors named for Heroes: Origins. Eli Roth ("Hostel") and Michael Dougherty ("Superman Returns") join Kevin Smith ("Clerks", etc.).
TVShowsonDVD is taking a REALLY in depth look at the new Young Indy dvd sets. I would like to rewatch some of these, but it might seem a bit strange to see Sean Patrick Flannery play a good guy. ;) Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
Cute story of geeks meant for each other: Marriage proposal in a crossword puzzle.
RIP Marcel Marceau (the most famous mime ever) and Alice Ghostley (Esmerelda from Bewitched, etc.).
Article about all the geeks on TV this fall (or shows aimed for geeks).
Article listing the best geek TV of our generation (#1 is Buffy). As usual with any list, I have problems with the order and omissions, but it is better than some.
New version of Gmail being tested according to ZDNet.
Wikipedia is making changes to become more trustworthy.
Really fascinating article on the top 10 transhumanist technologies (basically future technologies to change the way we live approached from a "we will definitely get this and this is why and how" sort of approach).
Article on Heroes (not to be read until tomorrow because it warns of spoilers).
Cord blood transfusions from siblings cures sickle cell disease and Thalassemiain in 90% of cases.
Low cost, high-efficiency solar panels nearing mass production.
Astronomers have modeled 14 planet types to help them spot an Earth-like planet elsewhere.
New studies show that the Amazon rainforest recovers better from drought than previous models suggested. I guess that gives us some hope.
Arthur C. Clarke comments on the Google X Prize award.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Roundup for 9-13-07 part 1
Morgan Fairchild will play herself in an upcoming episode of Men in Trees.
http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-Editors-Blog/Ausiello-Report/Exclusive-Men-Trees/800022149?rssDate=12345678
Jon Stewart will host the Oscars again next year.
http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20070912abc01
Google is co-sponsoring a $20 million grand prize (with $10 million in other prizes) for an unmanned moon landing by a private industry group.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070913/wr_nm/space_prize_dc_1
http://www.space.com/news/070913_google_xprize.html
By analyzing the orbit of Mars, they think it has had 40 ice ages in the past 50 million years (approx. every 120,000 years), with the wobble causing the sun to either dry out the soil or cause ice sheets to form right under it, alternating in location. Wow, makes life seem pretty much impossible anywhere remotely near the surface.
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/070912_mars_ice.html
Not all red giant stars act the same way. And some planets could survive the death of their suns. Could Earth? Doubtful, but it allows for some interesting speculation, and none of us will be around to know for sure.
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/070912_rgiant_planet.html
Vampire star found = article about a star that siphons gas from another star close by.
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/070912_neutron_object.html
For $1.3 million a year and the loan of their planes for research missions, Google founders will get to park their planes at Moffet Field. I think it sounds like a great deal for all involved (Moffet gets more funds to stay open and active in research, and Google gets airport access right next to their headquarters), but there is concern over just how many flights will be allowed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/13/technology/13google.html?em&ex=1189742400&en=d65a97aea29c0825&ei=5087%0A
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/12/BUDJS3IOT.DTL&feed=rss.technology
New water bottle filters anything under 15 nanometers (viruses are 25), so it can purify the grossest water imaginable without chemicals and can go at least 4,000 liters before changing the filter. Military agencies bought up his entire supply within 4 hours, but I'm sure he'll be making more soon (he designed it for disaster relief).
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=3R3S1NAZ1X2NVQFIQMFCFFWAVCBQYIV0?xml=/news/2007/09/12/nwater112.xml
Solar aircraft sets records
http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/09/10/1917254&from=rss
A stinky weed with an oily seed may be your next source of auto fuel. It is apparently really easy to turn into biodiesel.
http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/09/10/1734254&from=rss
Student film version of Rama. (I still need to check out.)
http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/005624.html
http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-Editors-Blog/Ausiello-Report/Exclusive-Men-Trees/800022149?rssDate=12345678
Jon Stewart will host the Oscars again next year.
http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20070912abc01
Google is co-sponsoring a $20 million grand prize (with $10 million in other prizes) for an unmanned moon landing by a private industry group.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070913/wr_nm/space_prize_dc_1
http://www.space.com/news/070913_google_xprize.html
By analyzing the orbit of Mars, they think it has had 40 ice ages in the past 50 million years (approx. every 120,000 years), with the wobble causing the sun to either dry out the soil or cause ice sheets to form right under it, alternating in location. Wow, makes life seem pretty much impossible anywhere remotely near the surface.
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/070912_mars_ice.html
Not all red giant stars act the same way. And some planets could survive the death of their suns. Could Earth? Doubtful, but it allows for some interesting speculation, and none of us will be around to know for sure.
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/070912_rgiant_planet.html
Vampire star found = article about a star that siphons gas from another star close by.
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/070912_neutron_object.html
For $1.3 million a year and the loan of their planes for research missions, Google founders will get to park their planes at Moffet Field. I think it sounds like a great deal for all involved (Moffet gets more funds to stay open and active in research, and Google gets airport access right next to their headquarters), but there is concern over just how many flights will be allowed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/13/technology/13google.html?em&ex=1189742400&en=d65a97aea29c0825&ei=5087%0A
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/12/BUDJS3IOT.DTL&feed=rss.technology
New water bottle filters anything under 15 nanometers (viruses are 25), so it can purify the grossest water imaginable without chemicals and can go at least 4,000 liters before changing the filter. Military agencies bought up his entire supply within 4 hours, but I'm sure he'll be making more soon (he designed it for disaster relief).
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=3R3S1NAZ1X2NVQFIQMFCFFWAVCBQYIV0?xml=/news/2007/09/12/nwater112.xml
Solar aircraft sets records
http://hardware.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/09/10/1917254&from=rss
A stinky weed with an oily seed may be your next source of auto fuel. It is apparently really easy to turn into biodiesel.
http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/09/10/1734254&from=rss
Student film version of Rama. (I still need to check out.)
http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/005624.html
Monday, September 10, 2007
Roundup for 9-10-07
Since there were almost no women nominated for Hugos last year, someone has put together a list of all (?) eligible women for next year's award, so that people will have time to familiarize themselves with the works and keep them in mind when nominating next year. Since those of us going to the Denver Worldcon will be able to nominate and vote, it is something to keep in mind.
http://wiki.feministsf.net/index.php?title=Women_eligible_for_2008_SF_Awards
Along the same lines, Locus has just released their new Forthcoming Books list. This is a monthly list of books coming out, and a good reference for what is eligible to nominate as well as what to buy.
http://www.locusmag.com/ForthcomingBooks.html
Article on the accomplishments of the Hubble telescope.
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/070910_mm_mysteries_hubble.html
It looks like someone other than Futon Critic has done a detailed review of the new TV season. Check it out if you want another opinion on what may be worth watching.
http://www.star-telegram.com/408/story/228053.html
Indy 4 now has a title: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=3&id=43991
http://wiki.feministsf.net/index.php?title=Women_eligible_for_2008_SF_Awards
Along the same lines, Locus has just released their new Forthcoming Books list. This is a monthly list of books coming out, and a good reference for what is eligible to nominate as well as what to buy.
http://www.locusmag.com/ForthcomingBooks.html
Article on the accomplishments of the Hubble telescope.
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/070910_mm_mysteries_hubble.html
It looks like someone other than Futon Critic has done a detailed review of the new TV season. Check it out if you want another opinion on what may be worth watching.
http://www.star-telegram.com/408/story/228053.html
Indy 4 now has a title: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=3&id=43991
Friday, September 7, 2007
Roundup for 9-7-07
How do you lose an 8-foot tall Lego man?
http://www.wnbc.com/slideshow/news/13841475/detail.html
The Bionic Woman remake has lost one of its producers: Glen Morgan from the X-Files. I didn't even know he was involved. I wonder what he'll do instead.
http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-glenmorganleavesbionicwoman,0,7733827.story?track=rss
They're launching an online Myst game. Don't they know I still haven't gotten around to playing the last one?
http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=6&id=43931
RIP Madeleine L'Engle. First Lloyd Alexander, now Madeleine L'Engle, the world has lost 2 great shapers of children's imaginations in one year.
http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/005607.html
Firefox passes 400 million downloads. Some people recognize it is the best browser. :P
http://news.com.com/8301-13580_3-9773836-39.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
ITunes wants to lower the cost of TV downloads. Networks want to increase or have variable pricing. Do they not realize that by making their shows hard to find and expensive the are driving them to the torrents?
http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9773787-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
Telescopes nearly as far apart as the diameter of the earth working together to get a "global" view of a distant galaxy.
http://www.csiro.au/news/TelescopeNetworks.html
Adobe is working on an online version of Photoshop.
http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9773731-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
Article about the upcoming Singularity Summit, where people will discuss things like what we will do when machines out-think us.
http://news.com.com/Coming+to+grips+with+intelligent+machines/2100-11394_3-6206637.html?part=rss&tag=2547-1_3-0-20&subj=news
Complete original Outer Limits is a boxed set DVD for a limited time. Hmmmm... tempting.
http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=8021
http://www.wnbc.com/slideshow/news/13841475/detail.html
The Bionic Woman remake has lost one of its producers: Glen Morgan from the X-Files. I didn't even know he was involved. I wonder what he'll do instead.
http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-glenmorganleavesbionicwoman,0,7733827.story?track=rss
They're launching an online Myst game. Don't they know I still haven't gotten around to playing the last one?
http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=6&id=43931
RIP Madeleine L'Engle. First Lloyd Alexander, now Madeleine L'Engle, the world has lost 2 great shapers of children's imaginations in one year.
http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/005607.html
Firefox passes 400 million downloads. Some people recognize it is the best browser. :P
http://news.com.com/8301-13580_3-9773836-39.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
ITunes wants to lower the cost of TV downloads. Networks want to increase or have variable pricing. Do they not realize that by making their shows hard to find and expensive the are driving them to the torrents?
http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9773787-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
Telescopes nearly as far apart as the diameter of the earth working together to get a "global" view of a distant galaxy.
http://www.csiro.au/news/TelescopeNetworks.html
Adobe is working on an online version of Photoshop.
http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9773731-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
Article about the upcoming Singularity Summit, where people will discuss things like what we will do when machines out-think us.
http://news.com.com/Coming+to+grips+with+intelligent+machines/2100-11394_3-6206637.html?part=rss&tag=2547-1_3-0-20&subj=news
Complete original Outer Limits is a boxed set DVD for a limited time. Hmmmm... tempting.
http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=8021
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Roundup for 9-6-07
RIP Pavarotti. I remember listening to him sing so many times when I was a kid with Dad.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070906/ap_on_en_mu/pavarotti;_ylt=Av2JwfkqH0dHr2C14DzJtkKs0NUE
Alyssa Milano will be joining the cast of My Name is Earl.
http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-Editors-Blog/Ausiello-Report/Exclusive-Earl-Charmed/800021729?rssDate=12345678
NBC is going to encore several of its shows on other channels it owns: Bionic Woman on SciFi, pilots on USA & Bravo. Heroes may encore on NBC itself on Saturdays, but unlike last season, there are no plans for any other network to show it.
http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=7450
Two telescopes have confirmed the sighting of tiny building block galaxies.
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/070906_toy_galaxies.html
Weird but true: Some eels have an extra set of teeth in their throat that reach up and pull food down.
http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_6807532
Designed to run for 3 months, the Mars rovers have been running for 3 years. (I'm used to things that work the other way round.) They just started up again after the end of dust storms that were blocking their solar panels.
http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1211831261;fp;16;fpid;1
They've traced the origin of the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs. Who would have thought there'd still be enough evidence after 160 million years?
http://www.physorg.com/news108218928.html
Australia is considering storing stem cells from their athletes to use to help them heal faster from injuries.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/stem-cell-bank-to-help-players-heal-quickly/2007/09/05/1188783320031.html
Rapid diagnostics using nanoparticles to detect viruses and cancers.
http://www.technologyreview.com/Biztech/19343/
Using lasers to kill viruses.
http://in.news.yahoo.com/070905/139/6kddc.html
Networks are considering all sorts of weird strategies, including bringing cable shows to the networks, to fill the gap expected because of the potential writers strike in October.
http://www.afterellen.com/blog/roc/tv-writers-may-strike?comment=394509
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117971074.html?categoryid=14&cs=1
Dianne Wiest will be joining Amy Sherman-Palladino's (Gilmore Girls creator) new show at midseason.
http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-wiestjezeljamescasting,0,5682511.story?track=rss
Oregon is testing ocean wave power generators. I like the potential for more power in less space than solar or wind without the bird endangerment of the windmills.
http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9772850-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
Biomass fuel just took another step closer to becoming a reality.
http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9772651-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070906/ap_on_en_mu/pavarotti;_ylt=Av2JwfkqH0dHr2C14DzJtkKs0NUE
Alyssa Milano will be joining the cast of My Name is Earl.
http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-Editors-Blog/Ausiello-Report/Exclusive-Earl-Charmed/800021729?rssDate=12345678
NBC is going to encore several of its shows on other channels it owns: Bionic Woman on SciFi, pilots on USA & Bravo. Heroes may encore on NBC itself on Saturdays, but unlike last season, there are no plans for any other network to show it.
http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=7450
Two telescopes have confirmed the sighting of tiny building block galaxies.
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/070906_toy_galaxies.html
Weird but true: Some eels have an extra set of teeth in their throat that reach up and pull food down.
http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_6807532
Designed to run for 3 months, the Mars rovers have been running for 3 years. (I'm used to things that work the other way round.) They just started up again after the end of dust storms that were blocking their solar panels.
http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1211831261;fp;16;fpid;1
They've traced the origin of the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs. Who would have thought there'd still be enough evidence after 160 million years?
http://www.physorg.com/news108218928.html
Australia is considering storing stem cells from their athletes to use to help them heal faster from injuries.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/stem-cell-bank-to-help-players-heal-quickly/2007/09/05/1188783320031.html
Rapid diagnostics using nanoparticles to detect viruses and cancers.
http://www.technologyreview.com/Biztech/19343/
Using lasers to kill viruses.
http://in.news.yahoo.com/070905/139/6kddc.html
Networks are considering all sorts of weird strategies, including bringing cable shows to the networks, to fill the gap expected because of the potential writers strike in October.
http://www.afterellen.com/blog/roc/tv-writers-may-strike?comment=394509
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117971074.html?categoryid=14&cs=1
Dianne Wiest will be joining Amy Sherman-Palladino's (Gilmore Girls creator) new show at midseason.
http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-wiestjezeljamescasting,0,5682511.story?track=rss
Oregon is testing ocean wave power generators. I like the potential for more power in less space than solar or wind without the bird endangerment of the windmills.
http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9772850-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
Biomass fuel just took another step closer to becoming a reality.
http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9772651-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Roundup for 8-31-07
It sounds a bit like friends having a joke together, but Kristen Bell and Clark Duke from Greek say they are forming a band. Well, we know they both can sing, let's just hope they choose better lyrics than that "Darwin Lied" song from Greek (and not quite as absurd as Reefer Madness).
http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-Editors-Blog/Ausiello-Report/Kristen-Bell-Hero/800021347?rssDate=12345678
http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2007/08/internet_tv_star_clark_duke_to_form.html#more
The skywatch alert for tonight is actually 830-9pm (much better than 130-6am for the eclipse). It is supposed to be a good time to see the Draco the Dragon constellation.
http://www.space.com/spacewatch/070831_ns_draco.html
However, there is another skywatch alert for early tomorrow morning: a rare meteor shower that could be amazing or could be a complete dud.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_6768311?source=rss
Robot Chicken on the Last Unicorn. This is so incredibly WRONG.
http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/005567.html
Masi Oka commenting on the fact that Bittorrents were used to watch Heroes in France before the TV airdate.
http://torrentfreak.com/heroes-star-recognizes-benefits-of-bittorrent/
Great casting for the Royal Shakespeare Company, but potentially weird scheduling, delays or a new Doctor Who for season 5. David Tennant and Patrick Stewart are going to star in Hamlet next year. Afterwards, David Tennant will play in Love's Labor's Lost.
http://www.comicmix.com/news/2007/08/30/fanboy-meltdown-picard-meets-the-doctor/
XM Radio is going to start doing audio versions of classic books in 30-minute installments, starting with Fahrenheit 451. I don't know how many will be SF, but it probably doesn't matter since I don't have XM radio. :(
http://www.latimes.com/features/books/la-bkw-xmradiobooks30aug30,0,7607137.story?track=rss
Monday is the Kyle XY mid-season finale, and they promise it will answer some questions but have a cliffhanger. Of course.
http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=1&id=43814
There are rumors of ANOTHER Dune movie. I think they've pretty much covered Dune, and I'd like to see them get to another book, but who knows.
http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=7&id=43792
Rumors are that, schedules permitting, Zoe Saldana will be the new Uhura.
http://trekmovie.com/?s=zoe+saldana&searchbutton=go%21
NASA images are going to be archived online by the Internet Archive. This includes non-digital images like the Apollo moon landings they will have to convert, films, videos, etc.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/T/TECHBIT_SPACE_IMAGES?SITE=WIRE&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Anne McCaffrey's website has added a chronological order list. We should double check our BookCat entries for series order.
http://www.annemccaffrey.net/2006-Pern-Reading-Order.pdf
Preliminary schedule for Atlantis shows no midseason break. Only 4 weeks off during the season for holidays. This is too amazing to be true, I'm sure they'll change their minds. Possible spoiler warning: there are TV Guide level descriptions of the first 8 episodes.
http://www.gateworld.net/news/2007/08/preliminary_schedule_for_iatlant.shtml
Reminder, if you are interested, TOR is podcasting from Worldcon in Japan (which started today).
http://www.tor-forge.com/podcasts
Interesting new science development for preventing nasty diseases:
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Science/2007/08/28/discovery_might_render_viruses_harmless/1552/
Really good interview with John Scalzi.
http://www.januarymagazine.com/profiles/scalzi.html
Something I bet we all need: Top 10 Ways to Clean Your PC
http://lifehacker.com/software/lifehacker-top-10/top-10-ways-to-clean-up-your-pc-294189.php
NBC won't use ITunes for its shows. I hope they provide a good alternative if you miss an ep.
http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/005573.html
http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-Editors-Blog/Ausiello-Report/Kristen-Bell-Hero/800021347?rssDate=12345678
http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2007/08/internet_tv_star_clark_duke_to_form.html#more
The skywatch alert for tonight is actually 830-9pm (much better than 130-6am for the eclipse). It is supposed to be a good time to see the Draco the Dragon constellation.
http://www.space.com/spacewatch/070831_ns_draco.html
However, there is another skywatch alert for early tomorrow morning: a rare meteor shower that could be amazing or could be a complete dud.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_6768311?source=rss
Robot Chicken on the Last Unicorn. This is so incredibly WRONG.
http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/005567.html
Masi Oka commenting on the fact that Bittorrents were used to watch Heroes in France before the TV airdate.
http://torrentfreak.com/heroes-star-recognizes-benefits-of-bittorrent/
Great casting for the Royal Shakespeare Company, but potentially weird scheduling, delays or a new Doctor Who for season 5. David Tennant and Patrick Stewart are going to star in Hamlet next year. Afterwards, David Tennant will play in Love's Labor's Lost.
http://www.comicmix.com/news/2007/08/30/fanboy-meltdown-picard-meets-the-doctor/
XM Radio is going to start doing audio versions of classic books in 30-minute installments, starting with Fahrenheit 451. I don't know how many will be SF, but it probably doesn't matter since I don't have XM radio. :(
http://www.latimes.com/features/books/la-bkw-xmradiobooks30aug30,0,7607137.story?track=rss
Monday is the Kyle XY mid-season finale, and they promise it will answer some questions but have a cliffhanger. Of course.
http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=1&id=43814
There are rumors of ANOTHER Dune movie. I think they've pretty much covered Dune, and I'd like to see them get to another book, but who knows.
http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=7&id=43792
Rumors are that, schedules permitting, Zoe Saldana will be the new Uhura.
http://trekmovie.com/?s=zoe+saldana&searchbutton=go%21
NASA images are going to be archived online by the Internet Archive. This includes non-digital images like the Apollo moon landings they will have to convert, films, videos, etc.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/T/TECHBIT_SPACE_IMAGES?SITE=WIRE&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Anne McCaffrey's website has added a chronological order list. We should double check our BookCat entries for series order.
http://www.annemccaffrey.net/2006-Pern-Reading-Order.pdf
Preliminary schedule for Atlantis shows no midseason break. Only 4 weeks off during the season for holidays. This is too amazing to be true, I'm sure they'll change their minds. Possible spoiler warning: there are TV Guide level descriptions of the first 8 episodes.
http://www.gateworld.net/news/2007/08/preliminary_schedule_for_iatlant.shtml
Reminder, if you are interested, TOR is podcasting from Worldcon in Japan (which started today).
http://www.tor-forge.com/podcasts
Interesting new science development for preventing nasty diseases:
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Science/2007/08/28/discovery_might_render_viruses_harmless/1552/
Really good interview with John Scalzi.
http://www.januarymagazine.com/profiles/scalzi.html
Something I bet we all need: Top 10 Ways to Clean Your PC
http://lifehacker.com/software/lifehacker-top-10/top-10-ways-to-clean-up-your-pc-294189.php
NBC won't use ITunes for its shows. I hope they provide a good alternative if you miss an ep.
http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/005573.html
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
8-28-07
Tim Minear is finally working on a show that won't air on Fox. It will actually be on ABC. Not sure about the premise, but his stuff is usually better than it sounds, and Todd Holland is joining too.
http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-timmineartoddhollandabcpilot,0,2826691.story?track=rss
http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=1&id=43671
Additional Heroes material online: a mock documentary on Kensei, narrated by John Rhys-Davies, is being put up in short segments.
http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=1&id=43653
http://www.yamagatofellowship.org/index.shtml
I didn't stay up for the eclipse, but I did wander outside at about 3:30 when I was having trouble sleeping and saw the shadowed moon in total eclipse. Here are some pics capturing the sliver of light proving they were taken either earlier or later than when I was looking:
http://www.space.com/news/070828_lunar_eclipse.html
Slideshow from Voyager spacecraft.
http://news.com.com/2300-11397_3-6203472-1.html?part=rss&tag=6203472&subj=news
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 5 has announced their lineup. **Sniff** Why today? And still no Connecticut Rabbit in King Arthur's Court.
http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=7951
http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-timmineartoddhollandabcpilot,0,2826691.story?track=rss
http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=1&id=43671
Additional Heroes material online: a mock documentary on Kensei, narrated by John Rhys-Davies, is being put up in short segments.
http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=1&id=43653
http://www.yamagatofellowship.org/index.shtml
I didn't stay up for the eclipse, but I did wander outside at about 3:30 when I was having trouble sleeping and saw the shadowed moon in total eclipse. Here are some pics capturing the sliver of light proving they were taken either earlier or later than when I was looking:
http://www.space.com/news/070828_lunar_eclipse.html
Slideshow from Voyager spacecraft.
http://news.com.com/2300-11397_3-6203472-1.html?part=rss&tag=6203472&subj=news
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 5 has announced their lineup. **Sniff** Why today? And still no Connecticut Rabbit in King Arthur's Court.
http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=7951
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