12-16-09

RIP Roy E. Disney. The former head of Disney Animation died of cancer today at 79. Sources: CNN, BBC

Health News:
* An iPhone app is turning out to be a great digital stethescope for sending doctors diagnostic information. Source: The Independent
* Scientists have unlocked the genetic code for skin and lung cancers. Source: BBC
* Levels of leptin, a hormone that controls appetite, have been linked to Alzheimer's. Source: BBC
* Drinking coffee & tea (even decaf) appears to help prevent Diabetes. Source: BBC
* An extract from the spice turmeric (curcumin) has been shown to kill cancer cells. Source: BBC
* Scientists have found a way to stop proteins that cause leukemia. Source: BBC
* Scientists have found an antibody that can reduce internal bleeding after an injury. Source: BBC
* Researchers have found a gene marker that may allow early testing for lung cancer. Source: Yahoo

12-15-09

Joe Haldeman has been named a Grand Master of Science Fiction. While my favorite books of his (Mindbridge & Marsbound) are not the most famous ones, it is well deserved. Sources: Whatever, Locus, SF Signal

TV/Movie News:
* Golden Globe nominations were announced this morning. Zap2It has an easy-to-read list and an article on the snubs and surprises. Futon Critic has a list with totals by show/movie/network/distributor.
* Entertainment Weekly has a schedule of mid-season (re)start dates for TV shows.
* The recent Marvel/Disney deal inspired an amusing mashup poster that combines Marvel, Disney & Pixar characters.

Astronomy (aka Pretty Pictures):
* The first photos from the VISTA telescope show the Flame Galaxy. Sources: Space.com, io9, Wired
* io9 has a great picture of the Earth's atmosphere taken from ISS.
* Ultra Deep Field images from Hubble show the oldest galaxies we've seen. Sources: Space.com, CNet, io9
* Space.com has Hubble images they call "blobs, smudges & space jellyfish" from the Orion Nebula.
* The 2 moons of Mars have been captured in the same photo for the first time.
* io9 has pictures of the Heart Nebula from an amateur astrophotographer.
* Wired has Hubble pictures of the Jewel Box Cluster.
* Space.com has a crescent image of Earth taken by the Rosetta spacecraft which was swinging by Earth while chasing a comet.
* Space.com has a picture of the Centaurus A galaxy absorbing another older galaxy.
* NASA celebrated the 400th anniversary of Galileo's first telescope view with mashup images from 3 telescopes. Sources: io9 and Space.com

12-14-09

Audible has the unabridged audiobook of Ringworld by Larry Niven for FREE for a limited time. Source: SFFAudio via SF Signal.

TV news:
* Stargate: Universe and Sanctuary were both renewed. Sources: Futon Critic, SciFi Wire, Zap2It, Hollywood Reporter (via Whatever)
* Writers Guild award nominations were announced. Very little of what I watch was nominated, and I am baffled by the idea that they consider Glee a comedy.
* NBC has announced their mid-season premiere dates and how they fit in the schedule.
* Zap2It teases us about 3rd season Chuck. SciFi Wire has a 6-minute preview.
* Idina Menzel (Wicked) will guest star in the remaining 9 episodes of Glee. Source: Zap2It

DVR timers for the week:
Mon 6pm The Closer
Mon 8pm How I Met Your Mother
Mon 930 Big Bang Theory
Tue 9pm Scrubs
Wed 10pm CSI:NY
Thu 9pm CSI
Fri 7pm Sanctuary (repeats at 9pm) & 20 Pixar Short Films (ABCFAM)
Fri 8pm Dollhouse
Sat 6pm Doctor Who: Waters of Mars (BBCA)

Weekly TV update

FlashForward and V are now off the air until March. ABC announced the dates as March 4th for FlashForward and March 30th for V (which also moves to a new day & time after Lost). This will mess up the airing vs in-show dates for FlashForward, but means it will air without preemptions once it returns. Sources:
* Zap2It and FutonCritic with the announcement
* Robert J Sawyer comments at SciFi Wire
* Showrunner David Goyer comments at Zap2It

As you can see below, I think I'm going to give the pilot to Men of a Certain Age a try because I like the cast. See this review at NJ.com for more info.

DVR timers for the week:
Mon 6pm Alice (SYFY - repeats later) & The Closer (TNT)
Mon 8pm How I Met Your Mother
Mon 930 Big Bang Theory
Mon 10pm Castle & Men of a Certain Age (TNT)
Tue 9pm Scrubs
Wed 9pm Glee
Wed 930 Cougar Town
Wed 10pm CSI:NY
Thu 8pm Bones
Thu 9pm CSI & Fringe
Fri 7pm Sanctuary
Fri 8pm Dollhouse
Sun BBC America marathon of UK edits for Doctor Who episodes (extra footage!)

12-3-09

SyFy's Alice miniseries starts this Sunday. Generally non-spoiler reviews/articles are available at i09, Zap2It, and SciFi Wire if you are debating watching or not.

Jeremiah season 2 is finally coming to DVD, although it will be part of the new Manufacture-on-demand product line from Amazon.

The final David Tennant Doctor Who episode will air on BBC America on January 2nd (which makes 3 Saturdays in a row for new Doctor Who in the US). Sources: Zap2It, FutonCritic

There is a list out (from Reuters care of Zap2It) of the 10 most watched shows of the decade (since we are now less than a month from the end). Of these, I saw #1, I think I might have seen #6, and I wasn't even interested in the rest. For the most part, the shows people watch baffle me.

DVR timers for the rest of the week:
Thu 8pm Bones & FlashForward
Thu 9pm Fringe (& Private Practice?)
Fri 6+8pm Stargate: Universe
Fri 6+9pm Monk
Fri 7+9pm Sanctuary
Fri 7+10p White Collar
Fri 8pm Ghost Whisperer
Fri 9pm Medium
Fri 10pm Numb3rs
Sun 6pm Alice pt1 (SYFY, repeats at 8+10pm)
Sun 9pm Robin Williams HBO special

11-22-09

Tech News:
* Recombo.com has an interesting top 10 list (until the end where it becomes just a joke) about the things mobile phones have made or will make obsolete.

TV News:
* Doctor Who "The End of Time, part 1" will air on BBC America on Dec. 26th (only 1 day after the UK gets to see it). Zap2It and SciFi Wire have sneak peeks. io9 also adds a "What is Doctor Who" video.
* Chuck will return on January 10th. Sources: Ausiello Files, Futon Critic, Zap2It, and What's Alan Watching (which includes interview with the show runner).
* Stunt casting might actually get me to watch an episode of The Simpsons. Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) will be playing Edward Cullen (Twilight) in their Halloween episode next year.
* A full cut of the previously lost Star Trek pilot has been found.

DVR timers for the week:
Mon 8pm Heroes & House & How I Met Your Mother
Mon 930 Big Bang Theory
Mon 10p Castle
Tue 8pm V
Wed 9pm Glee
Wed 930 Cougar Town
Wed 10p CSI:NY
Fri 6/9pm Monk
Fri 7/10pm White Collar

11-2-09

TV/Movie News:
* The Terminator franchise is for sale, and Joss Whedon has made an (extremely amusing) offer to buy it. Sources: i09, SciFi Wire
* December 19th has been announced as the US airdate for the next Doctor Who special, The Waters of Mars. The final 2 David Tennant specials will air "over the holidays" with dates to be announced in December. Source: SciFi Wire, Futon Critic
* John Rhys Davies will not be appearing in The Hobbit. He doesn't want to put back on the dwarf makeup he is allergic to. Source: SciFi Wire
* Defying Gravity will come out on dvd on January 19th, so we'll finally be able to see the rest of the episodes.
* Cougar Town will have a couple familiar guest stars soon: Lisa Kudrow and Scott Foley. Sources: Zap2It & Ausiello Files
* Castle was picked up for a full 2nd season. Source: Zap2It

DVR settings for the week:
Mon 6pm Greek
Mon 8pm Heroes & How I Met Your Mother
Mon 930 Big Bang Theory
Mon 10p Castle
Tue 8pm V (ABC - premiere)
Tue 9pm Universe: Science Fiction, Science Fact (HIST)
Wed 930 Cougar Town
Wed 10p CSI:NY
Thu 8pm Bones & FlashForward
Thu 9pm CSI, Fringe & Supernatural
Fri 6/9pm Stargate: Universe & Monk
Fri 7/10p Sanctuary & White Collar
Fri 8pm Ghost Whisperer
Fri 9pm Medium
Fri 10p Numb3rs
Sat & Sun = nothing

10-22-09

TV News:
* Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls) will be replacing Maura Tierney on Parenthood. Sources: Zap2It, Ausiello Files (includes interview)
* Doctor Who is not just replacing the showrunner and The Doctor, they are also changing the logo and the design of the Tardis. Sources: SciFi Wire and Zap2It (logo), io9 (Tardis)
* FlashForward no longer has 2 show runners. Marc Guggenheim, who joined the show at ABC's insistance, is leaving. Co-creator David Goyer will now be the sole show runner. Sources: SciFi Wire, Zap2It
* Katee Sackhoff will be guest starring in Big Bang Theory in November. Sources: Zap2It, SciFi Wire
* Glee will be coming to DVD in December (with 13 episodes, the other 9 presumably coming later). Sources: Zap2It, Futon Critic
* Madonna is apparently a fan of Glee. She has given the show rights to her catalog. Source: Zap2It
* Nathan Fillion is going to appear as in his Browncoat outfit again (as a Halloween costume on Castle). Sources: io9, SciFi Wire

10-21-09

Continuing to catch up on stories from the past month.

Technology:
* Barnes & Noble has released an ebook reader called Nook. It has some distinct advantages over some of the previous ones (at least to me). Features: AT&T 3G and WiFi support, any ebook is free while you are in B&N, you can lend a book to a friend for 14 days, it supports PDF and the open ePub formats (which includes Fictionwise multi-format books), you can sync with an iPhone or PC with eReader software, and it can hold 2GB with a card reader to add more. Sources: CNet Crave, CNet News, Wired Epicenter, Wired Gadget Lab, Slashdot, SF Signal, SF Gate
* Google is launching Google Editions, which will sell ebooks that can be read by anything with a web browser. Books will come from the Google Books project, as approved by copyright holders. Sources: Wired, Google, Locus, CNet
* CNet has an article on the Internet Archive's BookServer project.
* HP and Amazon are teaming to produce Print on Demand paperbacks of ebooks.
* Wireless charging of devices may be coming as soon as next year.

Astronomy:
* The GigaGalaxy Zoom Project has produced a 360 degree zoomable image of the night sky. Source: Slashdot (with links to more)
* Hubble image of a galactic merger in the constellation of Cancer. Source: Space.com
* The European Southern Observatory in Chile captured a great image of Barnard's galaxy. Sources: Space.com, io9
* NASA's Swift satellite has some amazing images of the Andromeda galaxy. Source: SciFi Wire
* 32 new exoplanets have been discovered.
* A reusable rocket flew a test flight out of New Mexico's Spaceport America. Source: Space.com Spaceflight, Space.com Technology

10-20-09

Still more catch up from the month when I didn't post. This will probably continue all week while I migrate to a new newsreader.

Health & Science news:
* Researchers have found a genetic link to patients who can recover from Hepatitis C without treatment. Along similar lines, a genetic link was also found for patients who respond better to Diabetes treatment. Hopefully this will help them develop treatments that works for the rest.
* Researchers are working on an injectable stem cell paste for bone repairs.
* Nanomedicine: A microchip has been developed that can detect and identify early-stage cancer. Another article on the same lines from Stanford researchers, and a Computerworld article on the Stanford research.
* Fat cells harvested by liposuction are apparently easier to change into stem cells than other cells (such as skin).

History:
* A huge collection of Anglo-Saxon treasure has been found, giving some insights to the Dark Ages. Sources: BBC Photogallery, BBC Article
* A 5,000 year old underwater town off the coast of Greece is being explored by an international team. Source: BBC
* A primate fossil has been found that pre-dates Lucy. Sources: Slashdot(with links to others), Wired
* A mini Roman Coliseum has been found by archeologists. Source: CNN
* For something a little more recent, Life Magazine has put their complete archive online for free viewing in the original layout.

10-19-09

I'm sorry I've let it go so long between blog entries. I'll try to do some catching up here.

TV news:
* Joss Whedon will be directing an episode of Glee later this season. Is it too much to hope that he'll include one of his songs? Also reported at Zap2It.
* Jorja Fox is extending her return to CSI indefinitely. Also reported by Zap2It.
* Full season pick ups have been announced for FlashForward, Glee and Cougar Town. Sources: Ausiello Files, Zap2It (FlashForward), Zap2It (Glee), Futon Critic
* There are indications & rumors that Chuck may return early, but there have been some recent denials, and I haven't seen an official confirmation yet. Sources: Ausiello Files, What's Alan Watching, Zap2It
* Wil Wheaton guest stars as (the evil version of) himself on tonight's Big Bang Theory. Sources: SciFi Wire, Wil Wheaton's blog
* JJ Abram's next TV show (about husband and wife spies) will be for NBC.
* Kyle XY will have a wrap up on the DVD. Source: TVshowsondvd

Those we lost:
* RIP Patrick Swayze. The actor died of cancer at 57. Sources: Zap2It, MSNBC, CNN, NY Times, Mercury News
* RIP Mary Travers. The singer who was the Mary of Peter, Paul & Mary died of leukemia at 72. Sources: SF Gate, NY Times, BBC


DVR settings for the week:
IFC is airing a six-part documentary on Monty Python (part 1 was last night). It will continue at 6 and 9pm each night this week. There is a review at NJ.com.
Mon 6pm Greek
Mon 8pm Heroes, House, How I Met Your Mother
Mon 930 Big Bang Theory
Mon 10p Castle (people keep telling me to give this a chance)
Wed 9pm Glee
Wed 930 Cougar Town
Wed 10p CSI:NY
Thu 8pm FlashForward
Thu 10p Private Practice (need to decide if I still want to watch)
Fri 6pm Stargate Universe & Monk
Fri 7pm Sanctuary
Fri 8pm Ghost Whisperer
Fri 9pm Dollhouse & Medium
Fri 10p Numb3rs & White Collar (premiere)

Catch up post

RIP Larry Gelbart. The comedy writer who brought us M*A*S*H, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and Tootsie (among many other things) died last week at 81. Sources: LA Times c/o What's Alan Watching

The new fall season of TV has begun. There are several shows that have potential, but I don't know which will be worth DVR space. To decide for yourself, check out the following links:
* Futon Critic grid for what shows are playing when.
* Futon Critic review index.
* EW schedule for when each show starts.
* Zap2It Must See new show list.
* NJ.com mini reviews.

There have been a bunch of casting and renewal notices recently:
* Campbell Scott will be a regular on Damages next season (no word what this will mean for his Royal Pains character). Source: Ausiello Files
* TNT has renewed Leverage for a 15-episode 3rd season. Sources: Ausiello Files, Futon Critic
* Dollhouse casting: Summer Glau, Alexis Denisof, Keith Carradine, Jamie Bamber & Michael Hogan. Sources: Zap2It, Futon Critic, Ausiello Files
* Steven Spielberg will produce (and possibly direct) Michael Chricton's posthumous novel, Pirate Latitudes. Source: Zap2It
* Brandon Routh will have a recurring role on Chuck next season. Sources: Zap2It, Ausiello Files
* Garret Dillahunt will guest star on Burn Notice when it returns later this season.

There are some robotics experts who want to revise Asimov's 3 laws. Sources: Space.com, Wired

Sony officially unveiled their new ebook readers and are adopting the open EPUB format. Sources: Macworld, CNet Crave, Wired, Slashdot

Disney bought Marvel and all the characters they've created for $4 billion. Sources: SF Gate, NY Times, SciFi Wire (which has response from Stan Lee)

SF Signal pointed me to the Venn Diagram of Mythical Creatures. Very clever (although it includes a few I've never heard of and leaves off a couple).

Health & Science news:
* The blue dye in M&Ms & gatorade might help people recover from spine injuries. Rats were able to walk with a limp after 6 weeks if treated with dye. The only side effect: it turns the skin and eyes blue for a while. Unfortunately, the solution is so cheap they're having trouble getting drug companies to sponsor further testing. Sources: Wired, CNN, i09
* Shrinky Dinks find new use for microfluid diagnostic testing.
* Stem cell treatment is being used instead of hip replacements.

9-23 will be the 70th anniversary of the Wizard of Oz, and it will be playing one day only around the country. If you want to see it, look here to see where it is playing.

September also marks the 107th anniversary of the first sci-fi film: A Trip to the Moon. Wired commemorated the event with an article and a photo gallery of their favorite sci-fi films (which were a very weird group).

Picture messaging will be enabled on iPhones 9/25. Apparently the last software update made it possible on 3G and 3GS phones, but AT&T didn't enable it right away.

Star Trek: The Experience is coming to the Tech Museum in San Jose.

8-11 to 8-23-09 catch up

USAA, and soon other banks, will allow you to deposit checks using an iPhone camera. Sources: SF Gate, CNet, & NY Times (needs reg)

Researchers have made artificial bones out of wood. Sounds strange, but apparently it allows for faster healing since it more closely resembles the physical structure of the bone.

RIP Les Paul. The guitar legend died at 94. Sources: BBC, CNN, NY Times, Zap2It, Google

James Marsters will be a villain on at least 3 episodes of Caprica. Sources: Zap2It, SciFi Wire

Leverage will have 2 extra episodes this season.

Warehouse 13 has been renewed for a 2nd season. Sources: Zap2It, SciFi Wire

Lots of movies are being remade that make no sense to me. Examples: Yellow Submarine and Harvey.

DVRs for the week:
Mon - The Closer (season finale - I am so far behind)
Tue - Warehouse 13
Wed - Leverage
Thu - Royal Pains
Fri - Eureka, Monk, Psych
Sat - Being Human
Sun - True Blood, Defying Gravity

8-10-09 catch up post

Sorry to go so long without posting. A lot of stuff has happened, I've just been too busy to comment. I'll try to catch some highlights here.

Tonight will be the densest part of the Perseids Meteor shower. Look to the northeast. More info at NASA, Space.com, or at SF Gate. For the stargazers who have telescopes, this is also the first equinox for Saturn since 1994, so it is a good time to see details from the rings. Expect to see great Cassini pictures in the next few days. CNet already has a few in this photogallery. More at BBC , Slashdot, or Space.com.

RIP John Hughes. The director of the teen angst films that defined my generation died of a heart attack last Thursday at 59. Sources: Mercury News, BBC, Variety

True Blood has been renewed for a 3rd season. Sources: Ausiello Files, NJ.com, Futon Critic

MSNBC has an article about how cats train us to take care of them. We already knew that though.

The Sony e-book reader is coming out with a new version and dropping in price. Sources: NY Times, SF Gate, HotHardware (via Slashdot). SF Gate also has an article on the state of the market now.

Victoria will be played by a different actress (Bryce Dallas Howard) in Eclipse (the 3rd Twilight movie).

For those of us not in New York, I hope the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame anniversary concerts get televised. What an amazing lineup.

Spike TV will rebroadcast the miniseries "Meteor" and "The Storm" from NBC at the end of August. Since I was a bit curious about Meteor, but completely forgot to watch it, I'm getting another chance to try.

Suvudu has an amusing pie chart view of the difference between classic and modern SF.

Jim Baen's Universe is closing. Sources: SF Signal, Locus, Tor.com

Worldcon is now over. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend. Some reports:
* Hugo Awards were announced. Graveyard Book won Best Novel. Sources: SF Signal, Locus, Tor.com
* Chelsea Awards were announced.
* It is official. The 2011 Worldcon will be in Reno, which is a much more affordable trip for me.
* San Antonio is bidding for 2013.
* Updates were made throughout the convention to conreporter.com. Explore the site for blogs, pictures, tweets, and other random reporting methods.

Comic Con is now over. Some of the announcements:
* Charlaine Harris will write 3 more Sookie Stackhouse books.
* io9 teases about the possibility of a future for Torchwood.

The Television Critics Press Tour highlights:
* Gabrielle Union and Dominic Monaghan are joining the cast of FlashForward. Press Tour commentary here.
* James Earl Jones will guest star in House next year.
* Fox news (they promise no more network notes for Dollhouse) at NJ.com
* The V remake will premiere November 3rd. They do plan to pay homage to the original.
* SyFy greenlit a new superhero show called Alphas.
* Eastwick will film in the same town as Gilmore Girls (but I still don't want to watch it).
* Virginia Madsen will guest star in 3 episodes of Monk this season.

Health & Science news:
* New HIV test approach doesn't require refrigeration, so should be more accessible for use in developing countries.
* The NIH is encouraging their scientists to make Wiki health information more accurate.
* One more reason to avoid processed food: studies show MSG causes weight gain.
* National Post has an article on the advantages of using cord blood for stem cells.

7-22-09

RIP Harve Presnell. The actor/singer died of cancer at 75. I remember his great singing voice in the 2 movies he made as a young man (he was mostly on the stage) and being glad when he made a comeback as a character actor in 1996.

The Middleman will be released on dvd next week, and tvshowsondvd.com has video clips from it. If you never saw this show, check out what you were missing.

They've started to rebuild Hobbiton (follow link for pics) in preparation for filming The Hobbit, even though they haven't finalized the script yet. There were extensive rumors (prompted by comments from Guillermo del Toro) that the casting of Bilbo was down to 4 finalists (speculated as including David Tennant, Daniel Radcliffe, and James McAvoy) with a choice to be announced at Comic Con this weekend, but Peter Jackson has denied the timing of the announcement.

SyFy has announced premiere dates for Stargate: Universe (October 2nd) and Sanctuary (October 9th).

It appears that something hit Jupiter and left a scar. Sources: Space.com, SF Gate, and (care of Slashdot) Bad Astronomy blog and the blog of an Australian astronomer (this one has the best pictures).

Amazon is acquiring Zappos.

Yesterday there was a full solar eclipse in Asia. The AP has some good pictures.

Space.com has new pictures of the Eagle Nebula. Also, the comments thread led me to this high resolution expanded version of the main picture.

Israel News (care of Slashdot) is reporting that scientists have found a cure for radiation sickness. Now if only this was a more reputable source...

7-20-09

RIP Walter Cronkite. The "most trusted man" in television journalism died on Friday at 92. It seems sad that he died during the anniversary of a news event that left him "speechless". Sources: CBS News, Space.com, CNet

Today is the 40th anniversary of the first moonwalk. Lots of articles & retrospectives can be found today.
* NASA.gov
* Ars Technica article: Many Small Steps Led to Apollo 11's Giant Leap
* Wired: Your Apollo Anniversary Experience, NASA Maps out the Future, This Day in Tech
* CNet: Apollo 11 Photo Gallery, Other Apollo Moon Landings Photo Gallery
* BBC Slideshow
* Yahoo: New photos of the moon show Apollo leftovers

Tor.com is celebrating the joint one year anniversary of their site and the 40th anniversary of the lunar landing with lots of giveaways and retrospective posts from an amazing number of writers. Included (not even close to a full list): Kage Baker, Gregory Benford, David Brin, Geoffrey A. Landis, Teresa Nielsen Hayden, Larry Niven, Frederik Pohl, Robert J. Sawyer, Robert Silverberg, Charles Stross, Michael Swanwick, Jo Walton, David Weber

Also in honor of the anniversary, Google has added a complete map of the moon to Google Earth. Sources: PC World, CNet

Jorja Fox is returning to CSI for multiple (how many is that?) episodes. Sources: Futon Critic & Ausiello Files

DVRs for the week:
Mon Torchwood pt 1 & special (BBCA), Closer (TNT) & moon documentaries (History & Discovery)
Tue Torchwood pt 2 (BBCA) & Warehouse 13 (SyFy)
Wed Torchwood pt 3 (BBCA) & Leverage (TNT)
Thu Torchwood pt 4 (BBCA), Burn Notice (USA) & Royal Pains (USA)
Fri Torchwood pt 5 (BBCA) & Eureka
Sat Primeval finale (BBCA) & Being Human pilot (BBCA)
Sun Doctor Who (BBCA), Merlin (NBC) & True Blood (HBO)

7-16-09

Today is the 40th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 11. Lots of good articles and retrospectives are online. Some I found:
* CNN article: From Doughnuts to Liftoff...
* NYT photojournalism blog featuring photos from the day of liftoff.
* BBC article: The Magic of Apollo
* BBC article: Weaving the Way to the Moon
* NewScientist feature: Why the Moon Still Matters
* NASA has released newly restored video footage of the moon walk. Additional info on the restoration process (since NASA erased the original tapes) at Yahoo, Reuters, CNet, and BBC.
* National Geographic interview with Buzz Aldrin.
* CNet has a listing of resources to help you commemorate the anniversary.

The Emmy Award nominations were announced this morning. There were an amazing number of nominations for shows I wouldn't watch if you paid me to, but there were some good bits too. Highlights to me: How I Met Your Mother up for Best Comedy, Jim Parsons (Sheldon on Big Bang Theory) up for Lead Actor in a Comedy, Neil Patrick Harris for Supporting Actor in a Comedy, and Kristin Chenoweth for Supporting Actress in a Comedy. (Other than Lost and House, they pretty much ignored every drama I watch.)
* Complete list of all nominees
* NYT Arts Beat listing of the top categories

Wired lists the Top 10 Endearing Habits of a Geeky Spouse. Is it wrong that I would rather have the geeky spouse than be one? (Yes, I know several of those habits fit me, but I still deny #2.)

Lou Anders is asking for book suggestions on fantasy books every library should have (specifically the non-obvious ones). I'm not sure if I'll add to the list or just let the idea of which I would pick percolate in my brain, but it is interesting to look at the comment thread to see what other people have suggested. Some I've enjoyed, some have been in my TBR pile for ages, and some I may need to look for. See more at Lou Anders' blog or the SF Signal post that led me to it.

7-15-09

4 of the 5 surviving Monty Python members are going to reunite on stage for a musical adaptation of The Life of Brian to celebrate the 40th anniversary.

Joss Whedon wrote a 4-page online comic of Buffy having a nightmare that has me laughing. Sources: Slice of Scifi, CBR article about why this is at Dark Horse, the actual comic.

Tim Minear was interviewed about Alien Nation.

There have been a bunch of interesting articles on ebook readers recently:
* Bookstores developing their own readers to compete with Amazon.
* Why most ebook readers are only available in black and white.
* Article on design complaints for current ebooks.
* Review of a new Steampunk magazine released for the iPhone that answers the design complaint.
* Amazon patent hints at the possibility of getting free (ad-supported) ebooks when you buy a print book.

7-13-09

RIP Charles N. Brown. The co-founder and editor of Locus died in his sleep yesterday at 72. The science fiction field is a sadder place today. Sources: Locus, SF Site, Tor.com, io9

NBC will be pushing Parenthood to midseason while Maura Tierney gets medical treatment. No word yet on the replacement show. Sources: Futon Critic & Ausiello Files.

ABC will air a 13-part Canadian space thriller called Defying Gravity starting August 2nd. Ron Livingston (Office Space, Band of Brothers, Standoff) leads the international cast. Sources: Futon Critic, CTV.ca article, io9 article, io9 trailer (which I haven't seen yet).

Wired has pictures of yachts designed by an architect. I see these as the next location spot for a science fiction film. Very cool design.

Never piss off a bard is true, but it seems United is learning from their mistake. Sources: Zap2It, Techdirt.

There have been lots of rumors lately about the next device (tablet/netbook) coming from Apple. It's starting to look very interesting. Sources: Idealog, CNet Crave, CNet News from 6/16, CNet News from 6/1

Moisture traps from Dune may soon be a reality on Earth.

DVRs for the week:
Mon 6pm The Closer
Tue 6pm Warehouse 13
Wed 6pm Leverage (season premiere)
Thu 6pm Burn Notice & 7pm Royal Pains
Fri 6pm Eureka
Sat 6pm Primeval
Sun 6pm True Blood & 8pm Merlin

7-12-09

Two recent articles provide hope for Alzheimer's treatment:
* Wired article on the Nun Study showing early language skills protect against symptoms.
* Bayer test is proving effective at early detection.

Wired lists 100 Essential Skills for Geeks, which I think proves that I'm not actually a geek. (I haven't counted through the whole list, but I think only about 15-20 apply.)

CNet has peeks at future technology: your phone as a video projector, an augmented reality app, and uses for multitouch screens. The 2nd reminds me of the scene in Ventus where tourists are walking down the street wearing VR goggles and reading information about the places they see.

Rumors are that iPods will be getting cameras soon (not just the iPhone/iTouch), and Wired has an article about what that might mean for small cameras.

Great images at Wired:
* A gallery of flower photographs taken with a really interesting electric effect.
* An amazing shot of the Swan Nebula from the New Technology Telescope in Chile.
* A gallery of Low-Tech Computing devices from Prehistory to "Today" (except they only get up to 1947).