(YouTube Link)
This majestic (if a but overly-optimistic) song by musical comedians Dave and Brian is an anthem for social misfits everywhere.
via Geekologie
Sunday, February 28, 2010
"The Dork Anthem" by Dave and Brian
(YouTube Link)
This majestic (if a but overly-optimistic) song by musical comedians Dave and Brian is an anthem for social misfits everywhere.
via Geekologie
The 16 Best Dystopian Novels
Pop Crunch has a list of sixteen great dystopian novels. The list, I think, inappropriately incorporates post-apocalyptic fiction wholly into the genre. Still, it has some interesting suggestions for future reads. One that's missing is Ayn Rand's novella Anthem, a marvelous assertion of the dignity of the individual.Well, I guess that could then be taken as not dystopian, but it definitely starts out as a classical dystopia.
What books on the list have you read? What would you add to it?
via Digg
Saturday, February 27, 2010
If Video Game Characters Did Speed Dating
The Adventures of Lord Mario
Morlock or Eloi?
A selection from a short-short story by Marcel of Monday Evening:The traveler slept and dreamed, and waking knew not if he was a Morlock who had dreamed of being an Eloi, or if he was an Eloi dreaming of being a Morlock. Then he realized he must be an Eloi, because a Morlock wouldn’t care, he’d just get on with eating Eloi. Or wait; he might be an Eloi and not know it.
He thought to himself, Do the Eloi not know they’re Eloi, or do they just not care? But I care, so I’m a Morlock. I mean an Eloi. Wait; I’m outside, and the sun’s up, so I must be an Eloi. Maybe one of these guys will know. Okay, Eloi always tell the truth and Morlocks always lie… “Hey buddy, if I asked this guy here if he was…”
Friday, February 26, 2010
This Would Be Cool: Twilight with Vampires
From Pride and Prejudice and Zombies to Sense and Sensibility and Seamonsters and The Undead World of Oz, it's very hip (and profitable) of late to take a conventional novel and add in a science fiction or horror theme. Kawnilee of the blog Impish Idea had, therefore, an impish idea: take the mediocre teen romance novel Twilight and add in vampires.“It just makes sense,” said Vincent Pryzbylewski, author of the upcoming novel. “Let’s face it. Nobody besides prepubescent girls and lonely Mormon housewives wants to read about some airhead girl prancing about with her sparkling ponce of a boyfriend. But the series has some fans, and I was just sitting there trying to think of something I could do with it, and it hit me. Why not put some vampires into this book? Instead of having a boring cookie-cutter romantic urban fantasy, you have a kick-ass novel that someone would actually want to read!”
She has an excerpt of this forthcoming book at the link.
via reddit
Did Saddam Hussein Model Himself on Darth Vader?
Jessica Griggs of New Scientist posits an interesting theory: that Saddam Hussein deliberately cultivated a public image based to Darth Vader.
You may have heard that when US troops stormed one of Saddam's palaces they stumbled across lurid posters by fantasy artist Rowena Morrill. But did you know that she's a close friend of Boris Vallejo, the artist who drew the iconic poster for The Empire Strikes Back depicting Darth Vader with two lightsabres crossed over his head?
Does the poster's image sound familiar? It is remarkably similar to Saddam's Hands of Victory monument commemorating Iraq's victory over Iran. The arch in central Baghdad consists of two bronze casts of Saddam's forearms holding two 43-metre-long crossed steel swords melted down from the weapons of slain Iraqis; the helmets of vanquished Iranians litter the base of the hands.
On inauguration day in 1989, Saddam rode through the arches on a white horse, declaring "The worst condition is to pass under a sword which is not one's own or to be forced down a path which is not willed by him".
Could this all be coincidence? Perhaps, but you'll be convinced otherwise once you've read about Saddam's private militia's uniform. Before his son, Uday, handed over control of the Fedayeen Sadaam (translation: "Saddam's Men of Sacrifice") to his younger brother he wanted to give his father something to remember his work by. So he presented Saddam with their new uniform: black shirt, black trousers and a ski-mask over which a strikingly Darth Vader-esque helmet was placed.
via Technabob
Thursday, February 25, 2010
The Superhero Poster Art of Tom Whalen
Artist Tom Whalen has many movie, superhero, classic horror, and Transformers posters on his website. They have something of an Art Deco feel, which is a style that I've always liked.
via Comics Alliance
The Illustrated Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Artist John Martz's new project is to illustrate The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. His first image, pictured above, is taken from one of the opening scenes. Arthur Dent is trying to prevent the demotion of his house to build a roadway bypass, when the Vogon demolition fleet arrives at Earth to demolish it in order to make way for a hyperspace bypass:
The great ships hung motionless in the sky, over every nation on Earth. Motionless they hung, huge, heavy, steady in the sky, a blasphemy against nature. Many people went straight into shock as their minds tried to encompass what they were looking at. The ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don’t.
via DudeCraft
Fake Foreign Sci Fi Film Posters
io9 has a gallery of fake science fiction movie posters by Travis Pitts that re-imagine them as sophisticated, foreign art house films.
Artist's Website
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Amazing Personal Gaming Room
burntwire brothers, a user of The Acaeum message board, built a simply AMAZING gaming room -- yes, a room created solely for the purpose of playing role-playing games -- which he calls the "D&D Room". Many, many astounding pictures of this detailed room at the link:
I have been working on and off for about 2 years building our "D&D ROOM" to hold most of our collection and give us a cool place to play. I did 99.9% of the work myself with just a bit of help in the attic from my brother Shawn. All lighting is controlled by the DM via a dimmer/control box mounted under the table. When you walk in the lights automatically come on via a contactor mounted in the closet. There is also hidden strobe and fog machine for effects. I also mounted speakers in the beams and have a sound system in the closet. Here are a few photos...
via reddit
The 10 Most Valuable Comic Books in the World
Last week, a copy of Action Comics #1 -- the first to ever feature Superman -- sold for $1 million, breaking a record. This prompted The Daily Telegraph to compile a list of what would be the ten most valuable comic books in the world, if they were in mint condition. I happen to own a copy of Ninja High School #1 which, frustratingly, has actually declined in value and is presently worth 25 cents less than the original cover price.
via Sci Fi Wire
Stargate Tattoo
This impressive tattoo looks like a dial home device (DHD) embedded inside a stargate riding atop a turtle. Its owner writes:
I put the Stargate SG-1 gate around the perimeter with a DHD in the middle. The gate address for Earth is highlighted in orange on the DHD portion. The Stargate is on the back of a turtle for 2 reasons. My son loves Turtles and various cultures and mythologies believe the earth is riding on the back of a turtle through the universe so it seemed a good tie in. The Stargate wormhole effect surrounds the Turtle.
via Geeky Tattoos
20 Action Figures in Weird Alternative Professions
io9 has a gallery of unusual action figures starring heroes in strange, alternative professions and universes.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
World of Warcraft Infographic
Pictured above is one small slice of an impressive infographic about the numbers involved in World of Warcraft.
via Digg
The Dukes of Hoth
I tried to think of something funny to say, but I don't think that I can top Jeremy:
If you thought Bo and Luke Duke could jump bridges with the General Lee, you should see them in the Dodge Chargespeeder. Of course they still have to watch out for Darth Hogg.
Link via Popped Culture
Previously on The Zeray Gazette: Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane, Painter
Post-Apocalyptic Strawberry Shortcake
deviantART user Murderous Automaton has created a set of images of 1980s-era girls' toys set in a post-apocalyptic setting.
His deviantART gallery is also filled with ominous pro-robopocalypse propaganda.
The Campaign to Make Admiral Ackbar the Official Mascot of Ole Miss
A glorious campaign is underway to replace the official mascot of the University of Mississippi, Colonel Reb, with Admiral Ackbar of the Rebel Alliance. There have been persuasive arguments voiced on campus:
Like the residents of Mississippi, he has gills and wears a uniform at all times. Like the residents of Mississippi, he likes alcohol to excess and has relatives who can't read. Like Mississippi, he has had an ugly personal experience with the issue of slavery, having been enslaved with the rest of his people when his home planet of Mon Calimari* was invaded by the Empire. Finally, and most importantly, HE'S A LEADER OF REBELS. One who every now and then gets to blow up the Death Star, as they have done with Grand Moff Meyer and will likely do again.
Join the rebellion here, or on Twitter, or on his Facebook page. IT'S A TARP! A tarp that will cover the entire Ole Miss campus with a protective shield of love and reconciliation, people. Let's start spreading it and give the Rebels the mascot it deserves. Many Bothan spies have died just to get us this far. Don't let their deaths be in vain.
via The Presurfer
Monday, February 22, 2010
Moon of Saturn Looks like the Death Star
Physicist: Sci-Fi Movies Should Be Allowed Only One Major Violation of Laws of Physics
Sidney Perkowitz, professor of physics at Emory University and scientific advisor on the set of many movies, argues that Hollywood should reign in the bad science:Professor Perkowitz said he liked Starship Troopers, but criticised its giant insects, saying if you scaled up a real bug to that size it would collapse under its own weight. He hated The Core, in which a team of scientists travel to the centre of the Earth and detonate a nuclear device to start the planet's core spinning again.[...]
''I am not offended if they make one big scientific blunder in a given film,'' Professor Perkowitz said. ''You can have things move faster than the speed of light if you want. But after that I would like things developed in a coherent way.
''If you violate that you are in trouble. The chances are that the public will pick it up and that is what matters to Hollywood. The Core did not make money because people understood the science was so out to lunch.'
via reddit
Classic Movie Posters Re-Imagined by Brandon Shaefer
Graphic designer Brandon Shaefer created faux movie posters for about two dozen popular films. I like his stark, minimalist, two-dimensional style.
Link via Nerd Bastards | Artist's Website
More Imperial Propaganda Posters
I've previously posted a preview of Cliff Chiang's excellent Imperial propaganda posters. He now has two more up.
via Popped Culture
Sunday, February 21, 2010
10 Funniest Comedy Sketches about Aliens
(YouTube Link)
io9 has a compilation of ten funny sketches about aliens. The above video "Spacelords" is from Human Giant, and is about a team of conquering aliens who mistake a burger joint for the Earth capital.
Danish LEGO Enthusiast Recreates Battle of Endor
The Top 10 Scariest Video Games of All Time
James Hawkins of Joystick Division has a list of the scariest video games ever made. The scariest one that I've ever played is not on the list, but I'll mention it anyway: Manhunt. You play James Earl Cash, a death-row inmate kidnapped from his own execution and forced to play the starring role in a snuff film. "Gritty" doesn't even come close to describing it. The sequel, which I've never played, was actually banned in Britain.
via Digg
Did Gollum have Schizophrenia or Multiple Personality Disorder?
A formal psychiatric diagnosis by N. Bashir et al. of the University College Medical School, London:Sméagol (Gollum) is a single, 587 year old, hobbit-like male of no fixed abode. He has presented with antisocial behaviour, increasing aggression, and preoccupation with the “one ring.”… …His forensic history consists of Deagol’s murder and the attempted murder of Samwise Gamgee. He has no history of substance misuse, although like many young hobbits he smoked “pipe weed” in adolescence. Sméagol has forgotten many memories of his childhood, and we have limited collateral history on his premorbid personality. Before obtaining the ring he was an inquisitive child with odd interests, who enjoyed causing mischief and solitary activities such as burrowing under trees to look at roots. He dislikes himself, stale raw fish, and “hobbitses.”
Several differential diagnoses need to be considered, and we should exclude organic causes for his symptoms. A space occupying lesion such as a brain tumour is unlikely as his symptoms are long standing. Gollum’s diet is extremely limited, consisting only of raw fish. Vitamin B-12 deficiency may cause irritability, delusions, and paranoia. His reduced appetite and loss of hair and weight may be associated with iron deficiency anaemia. He is hypervigilant and does not seem to need much sleep. This, accompanied by his bulging eyes and weight loss, suggests hyperthyroidism. Gollum’s dislike of sunlight may be due to the photosensitivity of porphyria. Attacks may be induced by starvation and accompanied by paranoid psychosis.
Via Ilya Somin at the Volokh Conspiracy, who argues that Gollum was simply engaging in rational (in the economic sense), if unusual choices:
If we assume that Gollum valued long life, power, and wealth above companionship, socializing, and conventional morality, his actions seem perfectly rational. True, the Ring didn’t ultimately make him wealthy. But it was reasonable to assume that it might when he first stole it. And it did give him a much longer life and greater power than he would have had otherwise. As for his supposed multiple personality disorder, perhaps inventing a second personality was a good way to pass the time during his long years of living alone. When he met Sam and Frodo, the supposed second personality was a good excuse for evading responsibility for his deceptions and efforts to steal back the Ring. If not for the alternate personality, Frodo might have let Sam kill Gollum or drive him away. Finally, Gollum’s theft of the ring and his obsessive guarding of it afterwards was arguably a rational response to the extremely poor enforcement of property rights in Middle Earth.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Dungeons & Dragons Not to Blame for Mass Shooting: Gamers Tell Their Stories
This past week, Amy Bishop, a professor at the University of Alabama - Huntsville went on a shooting rampage and killed three people. As she was an avid Dungeons & Dragons player, some folks are trying to blame the game for her actions. In order to counteract this unwarranted bad publicity, Matt Staggs at Suvudu asked prominent fiction writers to describe their formative experiences with the game. Novelist Jay Lake responded:"The alternate worlds and wild imagination of D&D gave me and my fellow misfits an outlet, and we had dozens upon dozens of hours per week to spend on it. Where else were we going to go? We lived in our high school. Think about that for a minute. Six or eight ferociously bright kids-Choate is one of the most academically competitive schools in the nation-with nothing to do but make things up to amuse one another, and D&D providing the framework."
Although those years have since passed, Lake still credited the game with providing a foundation he has built upon as a successful writer.
"Those three years playing D&D at boarding school did more to ground me in storytelling, plot construction, and sheer, raw imaginative throughput than any other single activity of my life. Today I'm a successful fantasy and science fiction novelist with ten novels and over two hundred short stories in print or on the way. I might have gotten to this point by a different path, but it would not have been the same journey,"
This was something akin to my experience. Role-playing games, perhaps the most intrinsically social of all hobbies, provided human contact in its otherwise near-total absence. And it gave me a creative outlet to engage in storytelling in collaborative context.
I remember more than a decade ago joining an informal community of Watership Down role-players. We had no fixed starting rules and pretty much just spontaneously created a game with a rich and elaborate storyline. With minimal editing, one story arc that lasted over two years could have easily been turned into a novel.Obvious copyright issues prevented us from proceeding. But ordinary people, in a community of people who never met face-to-face, were able to create something quite extraordinary. And that game is, by the way, still going on.
I haven't played with them in many years, but sometimes I visit and just look at the front page. In the midst of all of the things that have been chaotic and shifting in my life in the past decade, I never would have though that an Internet message board would stand the test of time. But it has. And that it has done so gives me a sense of comfort in its stability.
That's my story. What's yours?
via Make
UPDATE: James Rummel adds his thoughts, reminiscing that the argument against gaming dates back to the 80s. Here you can read Michael Stackpole's elegant and researched takedown of that movement.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Miss Klingon Empire Winners
If you're in the mood for a bit of cheesecake, Wolf Gnards has a gallery of past winners of the Miss Klingon Empire beauty pageant at DragonCon, including the lovely Nej Vestai Le'nIvnav, title holder for 2008. Hubba hubba!
Other Marvel Comics Mr. Potato Heads
After seeing the Iron Man Mr. Potato Head, Caleb Goellner imagined other Marvel heroes potato-ized, such as Thor.
No Country for Wolfmen
From a photoshop contest at Worth1000, via Popped Culture.
No Country for Old Men is one of a handful of movies that I've recommended to my parents. They rarely watch modern movies because of swearing and nudity. It's irritating to watch a movie and think "Hey, my folks might like this," only to then see a breast or hear the f-word once. And in such a way that makes no contribution to the story. So No Country is acceptable, although its moral nihilism may be a bit unsettling.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
The Batman Theory of Romantic Archetypes
Bryan of Daily DCU has an intriguing idea:For years I’ve had a theory: When men meet a woman, they eventually give them a Batman allegory. Whether they know it or not (I know I have), they assign certain character traits to a female that are best represented through one of Batman’s many love interests. To help those lonely men out (and if you’re still reading this, chances are you’re lonely) below is the list of woman you may encounter through the years, Lord knows I have:
1. Catwoman: She’s perfect for you; same interests, same sense in style, and the same sense of adventure. You both have your vices and hers may skew toward bad, but the chemistry when you’re together is always palpable. The problem is, once you’re done chasing each other around for years and decide to try a relationship out, you miss the thrill of the night. So, it’s best to leave her as a casual encounter, and trust me she’ll leave you as well; she’s just as strong as you are.
2. Vicki Vale: This is a girl you go on a few dates with, who asks you too many personal questions and is always sticking her nose in your business. You end up cutting her out of your life when she shows up somewhere she shouldn’t uninvited, like say your Bat-cave for instance…
The list goes up to nine. Which have you dated?
via reddit
If Star Trek Had Been Drawn by Edward Gorey
Edward Gorey, the late American illustrator known for his macabre style, was a Trekkie. Artist Shaenon K. Garrity created a series of drawings in his style, imagining that Gorey had written the episode "The Trouble with Tribbles."
Link via Urlesque
South Korea to Build All-Robot Theme Park?
What could possibly go wrong?
According to the Robot Land Web site, the theme park will feature all manner of robot entertainment, including exhibitions of robot characters from films and cartoons; reconstructions of robot-oriented movie sets like "Minority Report," "I,Robot," and "Matrix"; a robotic-arm ride; an aquarium where visitors can watch and manipulate robotic fish; and even droid cashiers and performers.Link via CrunchGear
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Cartoons Drawn in a Different Style
Scientists: Stray Hydrogen Atoms Can Kill Starships Traveling Faster Than Light
Some 'scientists' are arguing that single atoms in space become deadly hazards at faster-than-light speeds:Interstellar space is an empty place. For every cubic centimetre, there are fewer than two hydrogen atoms, on average, compared with 30 billion billion atoms of air here on Earth.[...]
Special relativity describes how space and time are distorted for observers travelling at different speeds. For the crew of a spacecraft ramping up to light speed, interstellar space would appear highly compressed, thereby increasing the number of hydrogen atoms hitting the craft.[...]
The spacecraft's hull would provide little protection. Edelstein calculates that a 10-centimetre-thick layer of aluminium would absorb less than 1 per cent of the energy. Because hydrogen atoms have a proton for a nucleus, this leaves the crew exposed to dangerous ionising radiation that breaks chemical bonds and damages DNA. "Hydrogen atoms are unavoidable space mines," says Edelstein.
Well, duh, Edelstein. That's what the deflector dish is for.
Sheesh. When I read articles like this, I can only conclude that the peer-review system is completely broken.
via Popular Science
Record-Breaking Star Trek Cosplay
(YouTube Link)
There was a ginormous Star Trek cosplay event in London as a promotional gimmick for the new Star Trek Online game.
I do this kind of thing now and then. I usually go as a Betazoid wedding guest, since I have the costume.
via Fanboy
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
"I Love the World" -- World of Warcraft Edition
(YouTube Link)
Here's the backstory: two years ago, the Discovery Channel put out an impressive commercial called "I Love the World." It led to many imitations, foremost among them was xkcd's version, laden with references to that webcomic. This version was then recently mashed-up by an assortment of famous bloggers.
Are we up to speed now? Good. If you're still confused, think "Internet meme starting to peak", and you've got the gist of the situation.
Speaking of Internet memes, I'd say that this Hitler/Downfall video represents the fulfillment of that meme, and hopefully its conclusion.
via reddit and Instapundit, respectively.
Remote Controlled Millenium Falcon That Actually Flies
This toy, which will apparently be available at the upcoming American International Toy Fair in New York City, will cost only $50.
via DVICE
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