Beam Me Up Science Fiction in the news,on tv,at the movies or in print. Whatever is of interest to you and to me is fair game. I also discuss cutting edge science that just might influence new sci-fi Statistics Unique Visitors: Total Unique Visitors: Outgoing: Total Outgoing: 0 0 50 5020

Articles from Beam Me Up

? kind of geek R U 2007-12-06 12:55:00 Scott Johnson of the Webcomic Extra Life has created this poster depicting 56 distinct species of geek, allowing you to quickly identify which best describes you by process of visual association. I have at times fallen into several categories, including: Photo geek, Bargin Bin Geek, Trek Geek, Portable Geek, Robot Geek, Rock Geek, Podcast Geek, Fitness Geek, Gadget Geek, Book Geek, Electronics ...

IBM researchers build supercomputer-on-a-chip 2007-12-06 11:59:00 From Infoworld online:I know that most of you are familiar with Moore's Law which concerns the size of computer chips or tech in general. To simplify it : Moore basically said that every 2 years the amount of transistors that can be placed on a chip will double and do it for half the cost. Now with the research going on at IBM that very formula could happen to super computer tech. The technology, called silicon nanophotonics, replaces some of the wires on a chip with pulses of light on tiny optical fibers for quicker and more power-efficient data transfers between cores on a chip. The technology, which can transfers data up to a distance of a few centimeters, is about 100 times faster than wires and consumes one-tenth as much power. The improved data bandwidth and power efficiency of silicon nanophotonics will bring massive computing power to desks. We'll be able to have hundreds or thousands of cores on a chip. Now this tech is designed to bring down the ...

NCC-1701 for ST - XI 2007-12-05 16:08:00 Wow, check out the NCC - 1701 that is purported to be in J.J. Abram's ST-XIThere were rumors that some "detail" work would be done on the old work horse, but by the look of things to come, the embellishments have be very well restrained. I like what I see. ...

Astronomers find evidence of another Universe.... 2007-12-05 13:29:00 Nelson sends in this startling article from New Scientist Space online -IN AUGUST, radio astronomers announced that they had found an enormous hole in the universe. Nearly a billion light years across. The void has far fewer stars, gas and galaxies than usual. It is bigger than anyone imagined possible and is beyond the present understanding of cosmology. Physicists from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, have a breathtaking explanation: "It is the unmistakable imprint of another universe beyond the edge of our own!" It is a staggering claim. If right, the giant void is the first experimental evidence for another universe. ...

Mike Resnick on the Hugo Awards in Baen's Universe 2007-12-03 17:54:00 Is Mike Resnick mad? No..... but is he bemused and concerned? Oh most certainly. Over what you might ask. Well in his how words:.....1957,.... only three Hugos were handed out.....You know how many Hugos were awarded this year? Fourteen. And of those fourteen, you know how many were given out for written science fiction, which is the basis for this entire field? Four. That’s right. Less than 30% of the Hugos now go to written works of science fiction.In the newest issue of Jim Baen's Universe, Mike goes on to describe the relative dysfunction that has come to embody the Hugo categories. I really have to agree that there is something amiss about an awards system that give an award to the best non-fiction book......That's right, in 1980 they gave a science fiction award to a book about well certainly not science fiction.... Isn't that like getting a Nobel for painting a house? Very off center for sure.Click here for the newest issue of Jim Baen's Universe or c ...

Katee Sarkoff walks away from Bionic Woman 2007-12-03 15:47:00 Oh the rumor mill is off and running with the goings on with the cast of NBC's The Bionic Woman.Seems the bad bionic bitch Katee Sarkoff had a meeting with the producers and rumor has it that she will not be returning to the set when the writer's strike ends. Now I know, she was never meant to be a steady on the show, but truth be told, I think Katee really brought the show up! Now considering the dismal ratings that TBW has been netting, I can understand Sarkoff's concern. But I have to say that Sarkoff may be the only saving grace that TBW really can field. The rest of the cast really is plain vanilla, Sarkoff's character at least had some depth. Wonder how long it will take the other rats to scurry off...... ...

China says moon pictures not faked from NASA 2007-12-03 15:16:00 Wow, you got to love this! As most of you know, China launched its first lunar probe, the Chang'e 1, in October. After a sucessful launch, the Chinese space agency released a photo featuring a patch of grey moon surface with the requisite amount of craters.....or so it would seem. Astute Chinese internet users soon cried foul though. It seems the photo that was released is almost a carbon copy of a photo released by NASA years ago! What makes this even weirder is that the Chinese photo has what appears to be photoshopped craters added in. (no I am not making this up! LOL)The Chinese scientist insist that the photo is genuine and that the reason that the photos are alike is that the probe's camera was pointed in the same area on the Moon. As for the extra crater well, China says that The American photo was not of significant resolution to resolve the smaller structures.Click here for the complete articlephoto Reuters ...

Youngest Solar Systems Detected by Astronomers 2007-12-03 13:40:00 Astronomers at the University of Michigan have found what are believed to be some of the youngest solar systems yet detected.The systems are around the young stars UX Tau A and LkCa 15, located in the Taurus star formation region just 450 light years away. Using a telescope that measures levels of infrared radiation, the researchers noticed gaps in the protoplanetary disks of gas and dust surrounding these stars. They say those gaps are most likely caused by infant planets sweeping those areas clear of debris.A paper on the findings by astronomy doctoral student Catherine Espaillat, professor Nuria Calvet, and their colleagues is published in the Dec. 1 issue of Astrophysical Journal Letters. ...

Intelligent Software Helps Build Perfect Robotic Hand 2007-12-02 20:08:00 Another step closer to when robotic equipment will be able to do anything a human can in manufacture and service. From Science Daily online:Scientists in Portsmouth and Shanghai are working on intelligent software that will take them a step closer to building the perfect robotic hand. Using artificial intelligence, they are creating software which will learn and copy human hand movements. They hope to replicate this in a robotic device which will be able to perform the dexterous actions only capable today by the human hand.Picture is The 'cyberglove' used to capture data about how the human hand moves. (Credit: Image courtesy of University Of Portsmouth) ...

The Death Star help desk 2007-12-02 18:48:00 Ahhhhhh yes, what would a week be without a funny vid or 2 huh? Ok, well..... anyway, this one is a hoot. Its what life must be like to be on: ...

Indian science fiction -- past and present 2007-12-02 17:04:00 From Tehelka Magazine, Vol 4, Issue 47, Dated Dec 08 , 2007 Cory Doctorow in Boing Boing is a link to a facinating article about the roots of Science fiction writing science fiction writing in Indian languages. From the article:DNA-ALTERING experiments, moody robots, strange mutations from failed cloning projects, wonder machines and nano-gadgetry, and, of course, aliens playing peek-a-boo with humans — science fiction writing in Indian languages has this all and more.Click here for the complete article ...

Card: dealing from the bottom of the deck. 2007-11-30 17:15:00 A War of Gifts. By Orson Scott Card. Reviewed by Ron Huber & Paul Cole.There are some novels so good, so well written, by such universal acclaim, that the authors should be barred from publishing sequels. Just as with great lithographic etchings, the stone is broken after but a few uses, lest increasingly blurred and imperfect additional versions arise, so it should be with great works of literature.Such a murky scan is A War of Gifts. This brief tale by Orson Scott Card is set somewhat precariously in the early stages of his magnificent novel Ender's Game, and deals with the warping, then rewarping of protagonist child soldier/refusnik Zeck Morgan's mind, which, having first been twisted into alienated pacifism by the sermonizing and physical abuse (called 'purifying') wrought by his father, a self-ordained fundamentalist preacher, is then reshaped by Ender-to-be Andrew Wiggin who, in several several cameo appearances, overpowers Zeck with superior logic and Christ-like verve, ...

What will happen in the next 100 years! 2007-11-30 16:56:00 From the Ladies Home Journal December 1900, Shaun Saunders sends us a a fascinating look into the future past, which prognosticates what life will be like in the next century (for them) . Shaun SaysThis is fascinating, both for where it is wrong (but shouldn't be) and where it is right....especially the section on coal burning, and walking 10 miles a day....and food animsls bred exsclusively for consumption - battery farming, in essence. And a free university education for every person...what a world, I wish it were here (except for battery farming)Article link ...

Nasa outlines manned Mars vision 2007-11-29 11:40:00 Nasa has released details of its strategy for sending a human crew to Mars within the next few decades. The plan is to send a "minimal" crew on a 30-month round trip to the Red Planet. The "Mars ship" would be assembled in low-Earth orbit using three to four Ares V rockets. The mission's journey from Earth to Mars would take six to seven months in a spacecraft powered by an advanced cryogenic fuel propulsion system. The cargo lander and surface habitat would be sent to Mars separately, launched before the crew. Once there, astronauts could spend up to 16 months on the Martian surface, and would use nuclear energy to power their habitat. Nasa has said that they plan on using future Moon missions to test out some of the hardware that that would have to be developed for the extended Mars mission.Thanks to Shaun A. Saunders for the postpictures from bbc news article ...

Sci-fi Meets Reality: Taser Firing Flying Saucers Now in Production 2007-11-29 11:27:00 Shaun A. Saunders spotted t his article in The Third Eye Concept online magazine. Shaun's comments were particullarly telling: "Here we go - a blend of Mallcity 14, 1984, and Dark Angel..."Which is very apt, when you come to consider the simularities. The meat of the article is that a French businessman has revealed that his company is working on putting TASER stun guns on a flying saucer that could zap protesters, and anyone else that authorities target. Antoine di Zazzo is a high ranking rep for the company TAZER. He revealed that his company is developing a small airborne drone version of a weapon that can administer electrical jolts of 50,000 volts. The mini-flying saucer like drone will fire Taser stun rounds on criminal suspects or rioting crowds. He expects it to be launched next year and to be sold internationally by Taser. ...