Bond Bombs

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 21st October Include:

• Bond Bombs - the new Bond film Quantum of Solace has received some big knocks in its pre-view last night to the press .... not enough sex, too much violence and bored .... comments you just wouldn't think could be associated with a Bond movie!!

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All Hail Ridley Scott & Joe Haldeman

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 15th October Include:

• Ridley Scott to return to Sci-Fi films with The Forever War - Joe Haldeman's epic sci-fi masterpiece is finally to made into a film and who better by then the illustrious Ridley Scott ... can't wait

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EM Drive Potential, Advice for Writers, Inspiration from Heinlein and will Watchmen be watched?

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 10th October Include:

• Is the EM Drive Possible? - converting electro-magnetic energy int propulsion? ..... well there have been crazier theories ..... like turning chip fat oil into propulsion .... oh yea that actually worked didn't it?
• Advice for Aspiring Writers - from some of the top editors of today's short story magazines
• Even Robert Heinlein wasn't sure if he was any good - in a similar vein to the above ... some inspiration from one of the greats
• How will the Watchmen Movie go down in the US - the all important first market to crack ... but is it the right kind of story to appeal? ... Sci-fi.com has some reasons why it may not be

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Cargo Ship Dies, Dick Trilogy, Computer Gamer Death, Paul Newman RIP, Sci-fi writers after death, Turn off Autism, End of HCL, Dark Flow, Singularity

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 29th September Include:

• Death Dive of Space Cargo Ship on Monday - sad way for a successful mission to end
• New Philip K Dick trilogy - an it is introduced by the man himself ... apparently
• When computer games go too far - British gamer murdered .... is there a connection
• Actor Paul Newman dies at 83 - the great screen icon will be missed
• What happens to sci-fi writers after they die - some interesting cases
• A switch to turn off Autism - they have identified ways in which they could potentially control Autism ... hope for thousands
• Not the end of the world just the end of the Hadron Collider - until spring next year anyway
• Dark Flow - the new theory that permeates the darker regions outside our Universe
• Singularity just our fear of change? - The Web site at the end of the Universe thinks so anyway
• The End of Star Trek:The Experience - I would like to add my commiserations to what I thought was an excellent experience and one of the only good thing about Vegas
• Free e-Books from Award winners - Will Shetterly and Emma Bull offer you something for nothing

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The Day the World Ends or Time Travel Begins

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 10th September Include:

• The Hadron Collider fires up today - aimed at re-creating events just after the Big Bang, the atom smashing Hadron Collider successfully fired its fist particles around the 17km tunnel earlier on today ... to some this means the end of the world or the beginning of Time Travel.
• The experiment hopes to create small black holes which the scientists at CERN in Switzerland say are perfectly safe (makes you wonder if they know what a black hole is??!!) while others say that this will create a Black Hole inside our planet (where the tunnel is located) and suck us all into oblivion. Luckily they don;t start smashing atoms together to create these black holes for a few days yet.
• There are still others that believe that these small black holes will actually manifest themselves into multiple Einstein-Rosen Bridges ... these wormholes will connect, through time or inter-dimensionally, thus enabling the start of Time Travel or portals into alternate Universes
• How exciting today is ....

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Amazon to be cleared again!, Does Positive thinking do more harm than good, Earwax is good for you and Earth's Atmosphere leaks Oxygen

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 29th August Include:

• Amazon was cleared 600 years ago - and no we are doing it again ... although then it was for a human network of villages, now it is for greed
• Does positive thinking do more damage than good? - There are those who think that if you have positive thoughts you will heal quicker, but what does that mean for those people who are ill and simply can't feel positive, for instance the clinically depressed?
• Earwax is good for you - now there is a headline I never thought I would write ... but apparently its true and you should never stick "anything smaller than your elbow" into your ear!! Go on try that ... I dare you
• Earth Atmosphere leaks Oxygen - and in the far future this process will actually speed up ... darn it, something else to worry about!

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Genetically engineered Ear Hair, Google helps web go AI, Arctic Carbon Scare, 4 tougher Megatrends and Red Dwarf is back so things can't be that bad!

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 28th August Include:

• Genetically Engineered hairs to help Hearing - apparently gene therapy grown hairs in mice have helped reduce hearing loss ... so it is good to have all those hairs growing out of your ears!!
• Google to help net become AI - according to IO9 anyway ... Google are bringing us predictive text to our search boxes ... I am not sure that constitutes AI, but the concept of Google creating an AI web is an interesting one
• Arctic Carbon Scare - as the ice thaws how much carbon could really be release and what affect would it have on the atmosphere?
• 4 megatrends to make your life harder - as if mine wasn't hard enough!!
• Red Dwarf is Back - According to IO9 the Red Dwarf team will re-unite for an hour long special

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Ruddy Rucker's ideas on Sci-fi, Ever wanted to star in MST3K?, BSG not dead despite ratings and Man walks on Robot Legs

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 27th August Include:

• Ruddy Rucker's ideas on Sci-fi - off the wall and out of the norm ... ruddy gives us 9 ideas which break the rules
• Paraplegic walks with Robot Legs - Tech Singular anyone?
• Ever wanted to star in your own MST3K? - well now you can ... their web site is open for submissions
• BSG still a hit despite ratings - so are we just watching stuff in a different way now ... DVD, web, TIVO, etc

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Wireless Electricity, Do we need sleep?, Do you remember John Titor?, More Riddick, More Highlander and More Dr Who Movies

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 26th August Include:

• Wireless Electricity - well everything else is wireless these days so why not ... although this article fails to explain how it works, they are pretty confident it is coming
• Do we need sleep? - The answer all depends on what you mean by sleep apparently
• Do you remember John Titor? - Tor.com does and brings us another failed prediction
• More Riddick on the way? - lets hope it is better than the last one and more up to the Original
• More Highlander news - IO9 are reporting Journeyman and Rome star to take over Highlander
• Dr Who the Movie? - Moffat says it is a possibility

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Stargate Dead and Reborn, Arctic Disintegration, Elves of the Atmosphere and FaceBook Dungeons and Dragons

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 22th August Include:

• Stargate Atlantis to end but Universe to begin - Stargate Atlantis will not be re-newed for a 6th season however a new series Stargate Universe has been given the green light ... can't wait, I'm a big fan of Stargate
• Arctic disintegration - how much of the Arctic is falling off? click here for an IO9 take on it plus pictures ... and here for a good education video of the history, monitoring systems and affects
• Elves and Sprites in the Atmosphere - This is not what you think ... apparently during an electrical storm there are bizarre flashes which shoot up into the upper atmosphere and they have been named Elves, Sprites, Jets and Halos
• FaceBook Dungeons and Dragons Tiny Adventures - cool I must try it

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Humans stuck in own Solar System, But Mirco Space Craft aren't, What is a Planet anyway, Hobbit finds writers and how to live on Venus

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 20th August Include:

• Humans will never get outside Solar System - According to the Joint Propulsion Conference recently in Hartford, Connecticut (yes I know I am disappointed I didn't get to go either) they have decided that the advances needed in propulsion technology to get us to go interstellar are un-feasible ... are they right or just short sighted?
• So will Micro Space Craft go instead? - According to the 236th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (I know, I know, I missed that one as well) they have just invented a very thin covering which brings micro space craft closer to reality
• What Does Planet Mean? - so we are stuck on this planet by the looks of tings ... but what exactly does planet mean, and what is one ... or not
• The Hobbit writer search has ended - with Guillermo Del Toro and Peter Jackson deciding that no-one can do a better job than they can, so they will do it themselves
• How to live on Venus - in a floating Bubble apparently

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10 Solar System Mysteries, X-Files III to DVD, Synthetic Telepathy, Growing New Bones and Mythopoeic Award Winners

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 19th August Include:

• 10 Mysteries we still need to solve in our Solar System - when I say "need" obviously I mean "think about over a cup of coffee on a slow Friday afternoon" ...
• X-Files III will be direct to DVD - yes folks they will be back even although none of us wanted to believe this time round
• Synthetic Telepathy - computers will decode electroencephalography (EEG) signals from non-invasive bran imagery systems ... wow, I wonder if that sentence would be easier to think and get decoded than it would be to say!
• Growing new Bones - using Hydrogel to grow new bones
• Mythopoeic Awards Winners - If you are looking for some late summer or Bank Holiday reading check out these Fiction and non-fiction fantasy winners

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India to the Moon, Digital Drugs, TheWB.com goes sci-fi, Cosmic Void void of dark matter and What next after Akira live action?

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 18th August Include:

• India's voyage to the Moon - To rival China, Europe and the US India is determined to go to the moon with Chandrayaan-1 set for a September Launch ... Another country striving for scientific advancement while the US seems to languish
• Digital Drugs - so you thought your ipod, or your kids ipod, was safe did you ... well it may prove to be as addictive as heroin if this article is right
• TheWB.com increases Sci-Fi content - If Hulu.com doesn't have everything you need then head over to thewb.com as they have just added Babylon5 and Firefly to their list which already contains Smallville, Roswell and Buffy.
• Cosmic Void doesn't even have Dark Matter - I guess that's why they call it a void?
• Akira live action, what next? - IO9 have a great list of what Manga they would like to see made into Live Action after Akira hits the screens next year

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BigFoot scam?, Future of Fuel is trees, Future of Sci-fi is YA, China is USA's Future, Future Books?, Twilight takes Potter and Cassini bears fruit

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 16th August Include:

• Scepticism over Bigfoot find - no, really?
• Future of Fuel is genetically modified Trees - apparently they can dissolve into bio-fuel ... neat
• Future of sci-fi books is Young Adult - with an ageing and shrinking adult audience sci-fi fiction's counterpart in Young Adult fiction is booming ... they are the future in more ways than one ... but to just to balance the Universe io9 also run a "counterpoint" to this article where the author says "Stop Writing YA Sci-Fi"
• China to replace USA as world's No 1 Super power - as if we hadn't already seen this one coming!
• New Format Internet-Books - Check this IO9 article out on a new format "motion book" called "Deadbooks" ... can't say I am a fan from what I have seen so far
• Stephenie Meyer's Twilight takes Harry Potter's place - The Teen Vampire hit movie version is to take the Nov 21 premier slot from Harry Potter's recent edition which has been moved to July next year ... it's like musical chairs over there!
• Cassini Pictures bear fruit - Saturn's little messed up moon is giving back better pictures now through the Cassini probe, and scientist think they can identify the geysers origins and even what environment they come from

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Torchwood moves to BBC 1 in week long special, The Mult-Verse Explained and Bigfoot found - apparenlty!

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 15th August Include:

• Torchwood to move to BBC 1 - The Dr Who spin off returns for it's 3rd season, but is moved to the BBC flagship, mainstream broadcast channel BBC 1, and will air as 5 episodes running on consecutive days over 1 week ... lets hope it is as good as this move and new format would suggest it is
• The Mulit-Verse Explained - ever wondered exactly how it works and who can explain it to you? Well here is a 1 hour radio interview which should explain everything ... probably!
• Bigfoot found - apparently ... mmmhhhh

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Apparently we can go faster than light, Gordon the Robot has living brain and New Comedy has spoof sci-fi side

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 14th August Include:

• Apparently we can go faster than light - or at least there are two scientists (mad ones?) who believe we can by folding space/time ... mmmhhhh
• Gordon the robot has living brain - all be it a stitched together rat brain, but it is still the first robot controlled by a living brain ... mmmmhhh I wonder what kind of brain they will use next
• New comedy Gentlemen Broncos has Sci-fi side - a new viral marketing campaign advertising a new comedy show, Gentlemen Broncos, includes absurd sci-fi author ... io9 has the scoop, but I have to say it didn't make me laugh as much as Dr Horrible

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New Conan, Wheel of Time movie, Amphibian Destruction, Human Evolved by cooking, Star Trek MMOG, MST3K, Car Future and Awards

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 13th August Include:

• New Conan Film - plus same writing team to make an Amazon movie staring Scarlett Johansson
• Wheel of Time movie - Robert Jordan's series to be made into a film by Universal
• First Enceladus images - These images of the Cassini fly by of Saturn's Moon is not as impressive as I htouhgt it would be ... no shooting geysers
• Frog Deaths warn of new Mass Extinction - Amphibians are apparently on the verge of extinction according to Berkley Scientists ... if right this would be the 6th mass distinction event Earth has seen ... and we are to blame apparently
• Humans evolved because of cooking - what probably saved us from a mass extinction was our ability to cook and allow nutrients to be more readily absorbed ... as a species we changed little in the 150,000 years before cooking, but afterwards we exploded in terms of advances suggesting that cooking had a lot to do with our brain development
• Star Trek online gaming ready to engage - the latest in both online gaming and the Star Trek franchise looks set to stun (ooops 2 puns in one article)
• Mystery Science Theatre 3000 downloads - yup, you can get your fix from any of the 10 seasons they did and download them ... wow!
• The future of cars - It won't be long before petrol cars are extinct, but what next and when can we expect them ... time to upgrade now before mine becomes worthless I think
• Awards - Hugo, Campbell and Golden Duck winners ... Robert Heinlein Winner ... and ones to watch out for in the future

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Cameron's Avatar has an eye on future 3D, 3D's future is 6D and Robot futures are touch sensative

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 8th August Include:

• Cameron's Avatar is made for the future - He is making the film to be shown in 3D although it will still look good in 2D, but he is also making it to take advantage of future developments, which he sees as more 3D than 2D ... can wait to see what he is talking about
• The Future of 3D is "6D" - Not just images, but images that can respond to their environment ... come on then Cameron let's see if you have taken that into consideration in Avatar?
• New skin for Robots - a new rubbery skin has been developed which could be much better for providing robots with tactile abilities ... I wonder if that could be used in conjunction with 6D as well?

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Solar System is unique, Charles Stross on UK Sci-Fi, Is NASA holding back on Mars?, Star Trek comics DVD, Cthulhu movie, Sci-fi does Shakespeare

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 7th August Include:

• New Simulations take a different look at the Solar System - and apparently we are more special then we thought ... studying the recent exoplanets have given scientists a better understanding of just how unique our solar system really is and how much Saturn and Jupiter are important
• Charles Stross on UK Sci-Fi optimism - io9 have interview the writer and he thinks that US sci-fi is much more pessimistic than UK ... among other things, including the fact that he doesn't watch TV and movies ... now apart from that being a little weird, how does he make sure he keeps abreast of developments within the genre ... well apparently he doesn't, see Saturn's Children sexbot and Battlestar Galactica Cylons for an example
• Life on Mars or not? - apparently NASA are holding back on us about the potential habitability of Mars ... according to some ... the real question is why would they?, or is it why would you think they would?, or is it ... oh never mind
• Star Trek comics come out on DVD - Seriously, they have brought out over 500 Star Trek comics out on a DVD ... actually I think I might get it
• New Cthulhu movie looks great - I didn't even know this was coming out, what a great surprise ... and even better it actually looks good ... can't wait
• The Fermi Paradox by Tor.com - if you don't know what it is, or have just been wondering why we haven't been contacted by aliens yet, then read this article
• Casini prepares for Enceladus - this is one of Saturn's tiny moons which spews geysers up into space ... should make for some great space pictures
• Dr Who and Captain Pickard do Shakespeare - and tickets are apparently going like a rocket (pardon the pun)

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Dorian Grey Remake, Titan is alive with Electricity, The Terminator Blogs

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 1st August Include:

• Colin Firth signs up for Dorian Grey Remake - Ealing Studios are behind the remake which they say is even more relevant to our modern star struck society. They start shooting this week.
• Titan is alive with electricity - Liquid Hydrocarbon lakes + Electrical activity could = life ... early Earth is supposed to have needed both to start life so could this happen, although slightly differently, on Titan?
• Terminator Blogs - Fox have started a blog from "Skynet" about the Sarah Connor Chronicles ... we weren't that impressed with season 1 so not sure a blog on it is really going to hold our attention

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Liquid confirmed on Titan, Venom gets own film, Sci-fi music, Find any book with ABE Books and Weird Tales wants your spam stories

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 31st July Include:

• Lake confirmed on Titan - A Cassini fly-by of Saturn's moon Titan has confirmed a 150 mile long lake of Ethane a Hydrocarbon liquid ... This makes Titan the only other Planet in our solar system with confirmed liquid on its surface ... could there be some form of life?
• Venom may get own film - With all the press that The Joker is getting it seems to have fueled the fires beneath the possibility of Venom getting his own film
• Sci-fi Music - io9 have listed some very obscure sci-fi inspired music here ... iTunes here I come
• Find any book you want with ABE Books - Tor.com blog are highlighting the American Book Exchange for those of you who don't know about it ... I have used it and it is very good, especially for rare and hard to fine titles
• Weird Tales Spam writing contest - Is your spam worthy of a flash fiction piece? ... not sure mine is unless it was for a very down market porn reader

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Last Chance to see Dr Horrible for Free

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 30th July Include:

• Last chance to see Dr Horrible for free - HULU are hosting all three Acts for the last time for free today ... don't miss it

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Is Google using us?, Del Toro remake news, Star Trek Movie news, 7sq miles of Ice loose, Waterless Washing Machines, NASA turns 50

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 30th July Include:

• Is Google using us? - a nice slashdot piece referring to a short story worth reading on whether we are in control or not of our usage of Google
• Del Toro to remake Don't be Afraid of the Dark - this will also be Miramix first foray into genre films
• Star Trek Movie news - Chris Pine talks about the film and being Kirk
• 7 sq miles of Ice on the loose - Look out Canada the Iceman Commeth
• Waterless Washing Machines coming next year - well it will only need 1 cup of water and it will wash by using hundreds of plastic bits, this revolutionary new washing machine for our greener future will be released in the UK next year
• NASA turned 50 yesterday - And we are only just going back to the Moon now ... it's a travesty

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Asimov's Foundation to be filmed, Solar Eclipse on-line, Meteor showers tonight, How not to die in a rip current

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 29th July Include:

• Asmiov's Foundation Series to be Filmed - Maybe it's my lack of imagination, or maybe I need to re-read them, but I can't remember thinking the books would make a great film ... spanning centuries, lots and lots of characters ... mmmhhh where did I file them ...
• Friday's Solar Eclipse can be viewed on-line - cool because I just can;t make it over to China, Russia or Canada this week
• Meteor Showers Tonight - if you missed the Delta Aquarid meteor shower the other day (I did) then try and catch the Capricornid meteor shower tonight ... although looking at the weather forecast around here it looks like clouds may be a problem, and that is supposing I am in the right hemisphere? .. alternatively you can just read some poetry about Meteors like this article suggests?
• How not to get killed by rip tides - With more deaths reported recently in both the UK and the US of young children being swept out to sea I agree with John Scalzi over in his Blog at Tor.com ... how to get out of a rip tide is worth knowing ... I surf, and I have been caught in a rip ...trust me it isn't funny ... know your sea

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More Dr. Horrible to come, Future Ancient Fish Armour, Dark Knight Rules & X-Files flags, Top 10 Mad Scientists, Ridley Scott's Robin Hood, etc.

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 28th July Include:

• There will be More Dr. Horrible - at Comic Con as part of a panel discussion Joss Whedon has given details about the up coming DVD and that, Yes, there will be More Dr. Horrible
• Ancient Fish armour could be Future Solider Armour - Made up of a composite of several materials the Polypterus senegalus protects itself very well indeed ... in fact the US military would like to mimic the armour for future Soldiers
• Dark Knight rules while X-Files flags - Dark Knight continues to pull in the millions this weekend while the new X-File's movie "I Want to Believe" doesn't do as well as expected
• Top 10 Mad Scientists ever - a quick run down of some of those looney's who have taken us further, and faster, than we would have gone without them ... we are just lucky we are still alive to appreciate them
• Ridley Scott does Robin Hood - New on Ridley Scott's new project about Robin Hood hits some delays ... but honestly as much as we admire Scott does the world need a compassionate Sheriff of Nottingham?
• DiCaprio to re-do Twilight Zone - Leonardo DiCaprio's production company is busy seeking scripts for the latest re-invention of Rod Sterling's iconic series ... will Leonardo play Sterling himself? That would be quite cool

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Tron 2, News from ComicCon, DollHouse Dollysodes and Apollo Astronaught admits to meeting Aliens

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 25th July Include:

• Tron 2 - Really? ... OK we loved the original, waaayyyyy back then in the 80's, but surely we have come a long way from that story line and concept ... like, erm, The Matrix?
• ComicCon News - So you didn't get to go huh? ... us neither ... still here is a whole round up of some of the things going on ... including Tron (see above)
• DollHouse to follow DR Horrible online - Looks like you can expect some teaser webisodes ... called Dollysodes I believe ... for Dollhouse, Joss Whedon's new sci-fi series ... not a new concept as Lost and Heroes have had them, but if it's by Whedon we are interested
• Apollo Astronauts finally admit to meeting Aliens - Seriously, 77 year old Dr Edgar Mitchell from the Apollo 14 programme has admitted to meeting aliens and that the Government knows they have already visited us ... you wait years for confirmation and just when you get you realise that you can;t really trust anyone who actually admits to it ... one of life's little paradoxes

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Shia Last Man on Earth, International Year of Astronomy, MTV to remake Rocky Horror and is the sun setting on the USA

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 24th July Include:

• Shia La Beouf is the Last Man on Earth - io9 are reporting on the recent announcement that Shia will be Y The Last Man ... actually we enjoyed him in Transformers and we love the comic so it gets a thumbs up from us
• The International Year of Astronomy - that's right, 400 years ago next year, in 1609, Galileo Galilei looked up into the heavens with a telescope ... now 400 years later we have stopped burning people like that and there are a whole bunch of organisations wanting to celebrate it ... look out for events near you
• MTV is going to remake Rocky Horror - Really, there are some classics they should not be allowed to touch and this is one of them ... don't waste your time because we don't think you can make it any better
• The setting sun of America - There is growing evidence that the USA has past its apex and is journeying down the long road that all civilisation travel as they die ... choose a world power throughout history and you can chart its demise from the Egyptians, Babylonians and Romans to Britain and Russia ... the loss of Scientific dominance heralded here is one such potential trend

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Is Whedon's Dollhouse in trouble? Perseid Meteor Shower on Aug 12th and Dark Knight Arrested in London

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 23rd July Include:

• Is Whedon's Dollhouse in trouble already? - Having had to re-shoot the first episode because it was too dark and confusing could the whole series of Character Swapping Dolls be in trouble before it even gets release?
• Aug 12th for the Perseid Meteor Shower - Put it in your diary and don't forget ... this is usually a spectacular display of meteors skimming our outer atmosphere ... if you have never watched it you should try, weather permitting obviously!
• Dark Knight arrested in London - Christian Bale has been allegedly been beating up his family!! .. is he just getting too "method" on us?

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Tor.com new web site

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 22th July Include:

• Tor.com great new community web site - I just came across this and wanted to share ... Tor, one of the stalwarts of Sci-Fi Publishing, is Beta testing a community page with lots of user content conversation plus downloadable stories and art work ... definitely worth checking out

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Star Trek Movie Update

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 22th July Include:

• Star Trek Movie Update - New posters of Kirk, Spock and Uhuru looking Evil? Sexy? lascivious? ... we are not sure which ... also noted that the release date is now May not Christmas

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Deep Sea Beaties could survive in space, Kevlar to protect inside and out, North Star revival, Bible online, NASA's new rocket and colonising Venus

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 22th July Include:

• Deep Sea Organisms could survive in Space - Down at the bottom of the sea where a massive part of the Earth's biomass lives, there are microbial creatures who metabolize at an incredibly slow rate and cell-divide over hundreds of years (rather than 20 minutes for some similar creatures) ... these beasties could live in hydrothermal vents beneath the ice of Jupiter's Europa or in subsurface aquifers of Mars
• Kevlar protects inside and out - Scientists are looking to upgrade Kevlar body armour to protect against bacteria and viruses like those that cause Anthrax ... gotta be more fashionable than the old Bio-Hazard suits
• North Star revival - Although Shakespeare's Julius Caesar declared, "I am as constant as the Northern star, Of whose true-fix'd and resting quality There is no fellow in the firmament" the North Star has actually been growing dimmer ... a bit like Julius Caesar eventually did in fact when he didn't notice all those buggers plotting to kill him ... now it's getting brighter again, but no-one knows why?
• Ever wanted to read the Bible in the original? - well it is about to be re-published on line apparently ... got to be worth a quick read to see if you can pick up anything new as to when the Apocalypse of the Beast is due
• NASA tests new rockets for new Space Programme - They were testing the new Orion Jettison Motor for the new Constellation Programme which is set to enable extended visits to the Moon
• Could we really colonise Venus? - In floating cities no less?

See links below at bottom of page in Sci Fi Mashup for more news and information:

Dark Night Beats record, Dr Horrible ends, Capt Blasto starts, Global Warming Ends, Pullman ends, Mars mag field ends, PCMouse ends, New Heart starts,

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 21st July Include:

• Dark Knight Beats record of Spidey 3 - The Dark Knight opening weekend has beaten the last record holder, Spiderman 3, by $4 million ... now that is impressive
• DR Horrible ends in tragedy - The third part to Dr Horrible's Sing-along Blog is up, but watch it quick as we believe the whole thing gets taken down next Sunday ... and boy is it worth it ... although be warned, this funny musical about supervillans ends with tragedy and not the light hearted feel that we started it with ... Whedon has managed, not only to build great characters, a great Universe, great story and great songs but also managed humour, action, seriousness and pathos all in three 15 minute episodes ... so what is next? We know there is a DVD coming, but are there any more episodes in the pipeline?
• Want more Superhero webisodes? - we haven't watched Captain Blasto yet but it may very well do until we hear more from Dr Horrible
• Phillip Pullman Film's being stopped - If you were a fan of the Golden Compass you will be very disappointed to hear that there may very well be no more films made from the series of books
• Add lime to your drink and the Sea to stop Global Warming - All right it's just adding Lime to the sea that could stop Global Warming ... still I'll have another Mojitto to celebrate and order that Freelander 4x4 I always wanted
• Mars' Magnetic Field turned off by Asteroid - Apparently Mars used to have one and the big question was how did it stop in such a short space of time? ... well apparently a big asteroid hit it and affected the spinning molten core of the planet which helps create a magnetic field ... so what was Mars like before? Did it have a proper atmosphere? and could this happen to us?
• Computer Mouse soon to be Extinct - With Wii mote's, mind interface, facial recognition controls, etc, the mouse is apparently heading for extinction in the next five years ... yeah for all those who suffer from wrist repetitive strain injury!!
• New ways to re-grow your heart - we are seeing a flurish of advances in medicine at the moment and this study which suggests that we will soon be able to regrow blood vessels by injection rather than surgery using our own pregenerator cells rather than stem cells is very interesting
• 5 Sci-Fi realities this Century - the io9 team have come up with a great little list of real life sci-fi scenarios which you may now think of as real life but you would have thought of as Sci-fi only 8 years ago
• Quinto on Spock - nice little teaser piece from Quinto about his Spock Character

See links below at bottom of page in Sci Fi Mashup for more news and information:

Dr. Horrible's Sing-along Blog Episode III

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 19th July Include:

• Dr Horrible's Sing-along Blog Episode III - is out now, watch it and "Tell your friends"

See links below at bottom of page in Sci Fi Mashup for more news and information:

New Super Material Created, Mirabilis miniseries recruits, Amazon to start streaming and Robtos play football!

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 19th July Include:

• Pencil Shavings are new Super Material - Graphene is the new super strength material which is only an atom thick ... they have as yet not found suitable applications for it as "Scaling up" is an issue at the moment, but they are quoting "Science Fiction Applications" in the article ... not sure what that would entail?
• Mirabilis new mini series - The Sci Fi Channel has been staffing up on their new fantasy mini-series about protective knights ... lets hope it is better than the appalling adaptation of Discworld
• Amazon begins Streaming Video on Demand - planned to replace Unboxed, their video rental by post system, this is going through trials now
• Robots play football - but will they get paid Footballer's wages?

See links below at bottom of page in Sci Fi Mashup for more news and information:

New Minority Report Digital Signage, Dark Knight sells out, Shooting stars in August and what is Cloud Computing anyway?

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 18th July Include:

• Minority Report becomes a reality - one of the last big technologies in Minority Report is finally here .. we have already had the touchless screens, the tracking sensors which activate when you are near, but now they have got a lot closer to what we saw in the film with screens actually identifying age and gender and bespoking content ... all we need now is 3 pre-cogs and a bath full of goo ...
• Dark Knight is sell out - It's had a lot of hype, especially around Heath Ledger (unfortunately) and it looks like it is pulling them in
• Shooting stars in August - if you are going to miss the Solar Eclipse then how about shooting star spotting a week later?
• Cloud Computing disagreement on definition - the new buzz phrase in computing ... except no-one seems to really know what it is exactly ... and if the experts can;t agree then what hope have the rest of us got?

See links below at bottom of page in Sci Fi Mashup for more news and information:

Joss Whedon's Dr. Horrible, Cabin in the Woods and Dollhouse news and we all may still die from Death By Meteor Strike after all

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 17th May Include:

• Dr Horrible Episode 2 out today - Yes we watched the first episode and yes it was worth the wait ... We highly recommend this, it is the most entertaining thing we have seen in a long time and can't wait to watch episode 2 today.
• Whedon's Cabin Fever news - interested in what Joss Whedon is doing next ... here's news of his next film
• Whedon's Dollhouse news - still not had enough Whedeness? Well here is some news on Dollhouse for you
• We may still all die by a meteor impact yet - Turns out the Nemesis of the Human Race Apophis, the asteroid that was supposed to hit us and then didn't back in 2004, may still hit us yet !!

See links below at bottom of page in Sci Fi Mashup for more news and information:

Dr. Horrible goes international, Heroes doesn't, Solar Eclipse doesn't either, Anti Stress pills, Wind powered town, New Guitar Hero & Sony Downloads

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 16th July Include:

• Dr Horrible is up at last - Hulu obviously sorted their international issues out pretty quickly ... now lets see what all the fuss is about ...
• Heroes Webisodes suffer from International ban - Meanwhile over at NBC the Dr. Horrible syndrome still hasn't been solved and you can only watch the new Heroes Webisodes if you are in the USA ... shame
• 1st August Solar Eclipse - but only if you are in China, Canada or Russia ... oh well there will be another one
• Anti stress pill brings Longevity - So not only will this pill help you stay calm and thereby fending off the harmfull effects of stress, but a side effect is that it will also help you live longer on top of that by increasing your Telomeres ... tel-o-what ... I swear they make this stuff up!
• 1st Wind powered Town - Is this the future of our energy crisis? Well it is certainly a very good start and looks promising.
• Guitar Hero goes Metallica - first Aerosmith now Metallica ... that's it I am getting myself a copy of Guitar Hero III ... now which of my consoles will I imbue with the power of METAL ...
• Sony starts new download Service for PS3 and PSP - cool ... time to breakout my PSP again

See links below at bottom of page in Sci Fi Mashup for more news and information:

Dr. Horrible not avilable outside USA

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 15th May (Part II) Include:

• Dr. Horrible on available in USA - this explains why we couldn't get onto it earlier ... looks like they are trying to let the rest of the world in on the joke but for now we will have to wait ... we will let you know as soon as we have more news ... it better be worth it!

See links below at bottom of page in Sci Fi Mashup for more news and information:

Dr Horrible released today, 2012 just got worse, Care-o-bot couldn't kill, or could it? and More Planet Stories released

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 15th July Include:

• Dr Horrible is release today - the first online streamed episode of Joss Whedon's new project is released to day on his web site ... although at the time of posting this we couldn't get on (too busy probably) we can't wait
• 2012 just got worse - if the fact that this new disaster movie simply isn't going to live up to it's Mayan prophecies name isn't bad enough, now they have cast Woody Harelson in it ... really ... credibility? Duh!
• Care-O-Bot could not kill - The new German home care robot couldn't kill you as it's arm is turned off when it senses humans near by through it's cameras ... what happens then if it becomes sentient and switches those camera off? Tech-Singular anyone?
• More Planet Stories released - if you love old classic Space Opera of the type which used to be published in Planet Stories Magazine then keep checking back on their web site as they re-publish more and more old classics ... some fantastic, some not so, but all are high in adventure I can promise you that

See links below at bottom of page in Sci Fi Mashup for more news and information:

It's Award season as some win and more are announced, 2 Asteroids fly past Earth and Hellboy tops charts

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 14th July Include:

Today's Theme is Awards:

• Horror Guild Announces Finalists - includes Peter Straub, Ellen Datlow and Ramsey Campbell ... if you are a Horror fan and were wondering what to take on Holiday to read I would have thought this little list would be a good place to choose from
• Campbell award winners Announced - Kathleen Anne Goonan's In War Times won, while Michale Chabon came in second ... to our surprise
• Theodore Sturgeon Award is a tie - between Elizabeth Bear and David R. Moles - yet another good source for holiday reading

On another note:

• 2 Asteroids fly past Earth - A large asteroid passive us right now looks like it is actually 2 bodies orbiting each other ... lucky miss huh?
• Hellboy II tops box office - while Hancock drops and Eddie Murphy's film hardly gets a look in

See links below at bottom of page in Sci Fi Mashup for more news and information:

The Future of Transport Fuel and Energy articles, Can Aliens hear our Scream? Sun is Normal, Spot the Space Station and Saturn's Children

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 12th July Include:

Today's Theme is Climate Change and Alternative Fuel Technology:

• What can 200 years of climate change tell us? - Ice cores giving 200 years of climate history may tell us something about what we are currently experiencing ... could it tell us that Humans don;t have as much to do with climate change as we think?
• What is the future of Transport Fuel? - A new Australian study out looks at just that ... but will it actually offer real life alternatives that can be actioned
• Fuel Alternatives just round the corner - There are new technologies which have potential ... like artificial photosynthesis which could help generate Hydrogen for fuel
• New Solar Energy Dyes for windows - It isn't just Transport fuel alternatives we need to find alternatives for ... this looks like it holds potential for increasing solar power conversion for domestic energy

On another note:

• Can Aliens Tune into Earth Scream? - There has been quite a bit of coverage recently about Earth Scream, the noise emitted by our planet through the Magnetic field ... click here for a cool video on it and to listen ... but could it be picked up by aliens? This article explores ...
• The Sun is behaving Normally - Just in case you were worried about the end of everything due to the Sun being so quite recently, you can now relax ... apparently this is not unprecedented
• Spot the Space Station in the sky tonight - although it may depend on where you are on Earth as to whether you can actually spot it ... bit worth a look I reckon
• Post-Human Fiction from Stross - Saturn's Children is and here is an overview of it

See links below at bottom of page in Sci Fi Mashup for more news and information:

TokyoPop down but not out, The history of Dr. Horrible, Hot Super Earths may hold life and Tardigrade Super Bugs

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 11th July Include:

• Tokyopop down but not out - they may have lost 45% of their staff but the Manga publisher is obviously still going Strong with a slew of new SF projects in the pipeline
• Want to know "Why?" Whedon's Dr Horrible? - Joss Whedon held a private screening of Dr Horrible this week and here he tells you just how and why he wrote it ... during the WGA strike and to test the viability of the Internet as a medium ... can't wait to see it
• Hot Super Earths could have Life - all we need to do is find out how to a) detect it b) communicate with it and c) go and meet it ... shouldn't be too difficult, I'll get my coat
• Tardigrade Super bugs - Maybe we could send these guys to the Super Earth's ... They certainly seem to be resilient enough if this io9 post is true

See links below at bottom of page in Sci Fi Mashup for more news and information:

Contact Lens' with Circuitry, We can live 1000 years longer, Water found on Moon, Robert Downey to play Holmes and A guide to Web 2.0

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 10th July Include:

• Contact Lens with circuitry - They are in Vernor Ving'e Rainbow's End ... now we can have them as well
• Scientist Aubrey De Grey says we can live 1000 years longer - By treating old age and death as a disease that can be countered and "cured" one scientist thinks that life spans can be extended way beyond anything we can do today ... I wonder at what cost
• Water found on the Moon - So if there are signs of water on the Moon then surely there must be/have been a lot more of it on Mars ... and with the recent news that the Martian soil can sustain life then what next for our extra-planetary activities?
• Robert Downey to play Holmes - good news ... Guy Ritchie to Direct - bad news
• Want to know how Web 2.0 is good for you business - apparently this book will tell you ... it gets a very good review here

See links below at bottom of page in Sci Fi Mashup for more news and information:

Elf Quest, Cabin in the Woods, Non-petrol Mercedes, Heroes Webisodes, Fountain of Youth, Internet Drop-outs and World's longest Book

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 9th June Include:

• Elf Quest heading for the silver screen - Not for the first time, but perhaps Warner can make it work this time ... I wonder home much of the adult content that later evolved in the comic series will be kept in?
• Joss Whedon's Cabin in the Woods is coming - Directed by Drew Goddard (who scripted Cloverfield) and is good friends with Whedon ... No details yet on story line but it's got to be worth looking out for
• Mercedes to cut petrol cars by 2015 - This is as yet unconfirmed I believe but if true will be a turning point for Human kind
• Missing Heroes yet? Check out new webisodes - io9 have reported that there are some Heroes webisodes coming to keep us going until Autumn - lets just hope they are better than last season
• Fountain of Youth = calorie restriction - apparently you can add 5 years to your life span if you eat less ... so before you go and buy that belly wheel and order your final plot, just leave half your lunch ... I know some people who could benefit from such advise
• Internet Drop-outs - I love this io9 story of high tech people dropping off the Internet and eradicating their presence from it ... could it be a trend as they suggest? Only time will tell, but still a great idea that there are a % of people who are eschewing what the rest of us are trying desperately to keep up with ... but perhaps that's the point
• World's Longest Book - but is it any good? Or is he just setting records? It also includes the world's longest word, longest sentence and longest book title? Really? Is it necessary? I am going to down load it and put it on my "list to read" and have a crack at it ... will let you know

See links below at bottom of page in Sci Fi Mashup for more news and information:

Artificial DNA, What's next for Russell T. Davis, What's next for Hollywood and Voyager - Beyond our Solar System

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 8th July Include:

• First Artificial DNA created - so will this lead to advances in data storage or synthetic humans?
• Russell T. Davies has 27 "cheeky, sexy" other ideas - he has left Dr Who to go and do more adult TV - it's a shame but we hope Dr Who will live long and prosper under Moffet
• io9 thinks the next source of Hollywood must be Anime - lets hope so, Marvel and DC still have a lot to offer but quite frankly we love the more cutting edge style of anime and manga
• Voyager, beyond the Solar System - As we reach the Heliosheath, at the very edge of the Solar System what new things are we set to discover?

See links below at bottom of page in Sci Fi Mashup for more news and information:

Supergenius babies to order, Robots to replace Supermodels, Hancock No. 1 and Heroes was going to be worse

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 7th July Include:

• When can you order your new Baby as a Supergenius? - New Genes in flies and mice have been identified to create more brainpower ... what does it mean? Well if they can find the genes in humans and are able to add them to developing babies we could start ordering our made to measure supergenius children ... could this keep us ahead of the coming tech-singular?
• Robots to replace catwalk Models? - Not quite as pretty to look at but without a doubt better behaved ... and yet another example of how redundant we are all becoming ... even celebrities ... watch out, you could be next to be replaced!
• Hancock hits no. 1 - It may have had mixed reviews but that hasn't stopped the film taking the number 1 spot over the weekend
• So you thought Heroes Season 2 was rubbish? - Well apparently we were saved by an even worse set of episodes by the writers strike ... according to io9 it was set to be a lot worse

See links below at bottom of page in Sci Fi Mashup for more news and information:

Computer thieves tracked by computers they steal, Our conflicting attitudes to privacy, Oniontown revolts and Tech-wear that helps you play tennis

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 5th July Include:

Today's theme is privacy:

• How to track down computer thieves - This Slashdot post and responses are both interesting and entertaining and it poses a big question ... if this guy can do it then why can't the police
• Conflicting attitudes towards Privacy - On a similar theme to tracking down computer thieves above how do we feel about tracking our privacy ... according to this NY Times article, if we are normal we should have mixed feelings about our privacy depending on the situation
• Oniontown YouTubers stoned by residents - A couple of teenagers have been sending the small town mentality of a small town (!) called Oniontown (!) ... they were then set upon by the unhappy residents ... I haven't watched the YouTube video but it probably serves them right ... and keeping with today's theme should bring up questions about privacy and rights ... after all a legitimate film maker would have to have asked the residents to film them, wouldn't they?

On a different note

• Muscle sensing shirts helps play tennis better - This tech-wear sounds great but I can't help think that there should be a slightly more worthy use for the technology than helping play sport better

See links below at bottom of page in Sci Fi Mashup for more news and information:

The Coming Technological Singularity examples, Mercury's Core is shrinking - what does that mean for Earth, and Dr Who and Heroes are saluted by BBC

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 4th July Include:

Today's theme is: "Do you Doubt the coming Technological Singularity?" - well here are a bunch of reports out today that may make you re-think it's inevitable, and imminent, arrival:

• Do we have bionic technology now?
• Robotic AI Arm reads and ranks news
• Speech prosthetics
• Cloning dogs today - humans tomorrow
• Robots not humans will explore space

On a different note:

• Mercury's Core is shrinking - Not had enough disaster threatening news yet ... well it seems that Mercury's Iron Core is shrinking ... now I am not scientist, but if it shrinks enough will it change the orbit of the planet? and if it does what effect will that have on Earth's Orbit seeing as we are all connected?
• BBC salutes Sci-fi as what is good about TV drama - Jane Tranter, BBC controller of Fiction, has been saluting Dr Who and Heroes as examples of the future of everything that is good about TV Drama

See links below at bottom of page in Sci Fi Mashup for more news and information:

Star Trek Experience to close, Future Heat Waves kill more, Stop Global Warming kill cows, egg shaped Solar System, new computer power and new Hearts

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 3rd July Include:

• Star Trek: The Experience in Vegas to close - I have been to Vegas many times and the only thing I ever thought worth a visit out there was Star Trek: The Experience ... it had a replica of Quarks Bar, the best cocktails I have ever had (smoking Warp Core Anyone?), some great Star Trek gift shops, a good restaurant, 2 theme park rides and a great museum of things Trek ... this is a real shame, especially with the new Movie coming out that would boost attendance, I hope CBS do keep it alive somewhere ... as for me I am crossing Vegas off my list
• Heat waves to potential kill more in future - Heat waves in the past few years have been real killers - in 2003 in Europe tens of thousands of people died as temperatures reached 104 ... by the end of this century they are predicting temperatures to rise to 120 or higher and we will get there by an incremental increase over the years ... the near future looks hot and deadly
• To stop global warming stop cows farting or just have fewer cows -OK this is more about how a new hormone can help cows produce more milk per cow therefore we need fewer cows in the world for the same milk output ... however it is also being related to global warming because the fewer cows we have on the planet the less greenhouse gases they emit (fart) to the tune of some 400,000 cars in one study ... poor cows ... of course we could use the same theory and reduce the number of humans on the planet ... wouldn't that make a bigger difference?
• New Shape of the Solar System - "It's worse than that Jim, the heliosphere is egg shaped!" ... and I like the io9 post that this may be exactly what Vernor Vinge's Fire Upon the Deep was predicting
• Intel's vision of our computing future sees Thousands of cores - The inevitable drive to make computers smarter and faster marches on
• New Heart growth Gene - For anyone with heart disease we are getting closer to the holly grail of re-growing heart tissue ... also important if the heat waves of the future are to be believed (see above) people with heart conditions and the elderly will be most at risk

See links below at bottom of page in Sci Fi Mashup for more news and information:

NHS 60 years on would seem like sci-fi in 1948, Last of the March of the Penguins and How to make you watch commercials

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 2nd July Include:

• NHS at 60 look how far we have come - If you live in the UK you have probably complained about the countries state run "FREE" medical service, from local GP's to Hospitals and care ... but have you ever stopped to think just how much it has helped over the years or how much it may have pioneered? Some of the things they do now would have seemed like sci-fi back in 1948
• Penguin decline latest evidence of climate downturn - Who doesn't love penguins? They're great ... but unfortunately they may be going the way of the Dodo as climate change, pollution, melting ice caps and warming climate are affecting populations of penguins.
• Reasons not to skip commercial breaks - Networks in the US are coming up with ways to stop people fast forwarding or channel surfing during ads including "behind the scenes" footage in a corner box while the ads run or "series" ads with celebs in them ... lets just hope the never read Vernor Vinge's Rainbows End ...

See links below at bottom of page in Sci Fi Mashup for more news and information:

100 years of Tunguska, Prisoner returns, Hobbit to include more lore, Shape changing robots and The future of Audio Books

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 1st July Include:

• 100 years of Tunguska - Death Ray, UFO, Meteor? in 100 years we still haven't figured it out.
• The Prisoner returns - With CCTV increasing and the UK now among the most "watched" citizens in the world, with paranoia and xenophobia on the increase and new laws being passed to detain people legally on suspicion for longer ... perhaps it is time to re-make The Prisoner
• 2nd Hobbit film to include other Tolkien lore - The first film will be true to the book the second will take in a wider selection of lore ... with Jackson's past success this is looking increasingly interesting rather than just a filmed version of The Hobbit
• Shape Changing Robots - so would that make them T2000s then? We already have Skynet, now we have shape changing robots, all we really need now is a working time travel theory and we are away ...
• More Star Trek Science comes true - This time Tractor Beams ... no really ... it's true ...
• Audio Books and Sci-fi Authors - For my money I like reading ... I tend to day dream too much when I listen to a book ... however the interviews of authors may be more interesting as an audio book.

See links below at bottom of page in Sci Fi Mashup for more news and information:

Sci-fi business entering tough times, Benefits of Global Warming and Will we ever find life on Mars?

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 28th June Include:

• Harsh times for Sci-fi Business ahead - There are some signs that business is getting hard within the sci-fi community, just as it is being hit in other areas at the moment. Tokyopop, the manga and comic publishers are suffering. They are among a few noticeable absentees from this years ComicCon, reported by io9 this week (although I am more likely to believe Paramount's reasoning here than believe that they are in trouble), and Tartan films in the UK have gone into Administration; they were distributors of some of the best Japanese and Far East Uber-Violence films we have in our DVD collections.
• io9 see the benefits of Global Warming - Looking on the bright side of life, the io9 team have detailed potential benefits to shipping from the lack of Ice at the North Pole this year that we reported on yesterday. In fact the North West Passage has thawed before, last year in fact, so it should get easier to navigate as things get worse? better? ....
• Now Ice water has been identified on Mars, how close is finding life? - step by step we get closer and closer, but will we ever actually find it?

See links below at bottom of page in Sci Fi Mashup for more news and information:

Ice Free Actic by this summer, War of the Gods like 300, Dr Horrible trailer

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 27th June Include:

• Ice Free Arctic by this summer - A few days ago we reported that the Grandfather of Climate Change was predicting the Arctic would be ice free in 10 years .... by the look of this article he may be 10 years out!!
• War of the Gods follows 300 style - One of two Greek mythology films coming our way ( the other is a remake of Clash of the Titans) ... amazing how Hollywood does this
• Joss Whedon's Dr Horrible Trailer - as much as we love Whedon's other stuff we are unsure as yet about this one

See links below at bottom of page in Sci Fi Mashup for more news and information:

No ice in Arctic in 10 years, Tricorders are comming, is the Tech-Singular already here? Were you expecting more from the Hulk and a New Sci-fi series

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 24th June Include:

• The GodFather of Climate Change warns again - Jim Hansen (no not the creator of the muppets ...) predicted Climate change disaster in 1988. Now he's back saying in 10 years there will be no ice in the Arctic. Is he right? With Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere only having risen by 10% in 20 years, and it still only being 386.7 parts per million (up from 350 ppm) is it really carbon dioxide which is to blame ... or is there another reason for our changing weather patterns (if indeed they are changing and it isn't that we are just a lot more aware of them through the media).
• Tricorders news - Another update on how close the advent of Star Trek gadgets are ... this time the Tricorder
• Are we already surrounded by AI? - So does this mean that the Tech-Singular is already here?
• Were you expecting more from the Hulk? - not sure we were
• New Sci-fi Miniseries Blank Slate news - Sounds interesting ... "add it to my list to watch Jeeves!"

See links below at bottom of page in Sci Fi Mashup for more news and information:

Locus Awards, Theory behind Glass being a liquid and Get Smart is No.1

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 23nd June Include:

• Locus Award Announced - and the first of many for Chabon this year,we predict
• Glass is in fact a liquid - yes, yes ... I know we all know that but why? Glass is subject to flow over many years (see stained glass windows which are now thicker at the bottom than the top) due to the way the crystals form in the super-heating process ... Don't believe me, then read this New Scientist article
• Get Smart is No. 1 - We used to love this old TV show as Kids but how does it stack up today .... well it beat the new Mike Myers movie this weekend so there must be something in it

See links below at bottom of page in Sci Fi Mashup for more news and information:

When and What is the Solstice, Descent 2 and is there or is there not Ice on Mars?

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 21st June Include:

• Yesterday was 1st Day of Summer not today, Wonder why? - Usually it's today but this year the longest day, or the first day of Summer, or The Summer Solstice was yesterday .... but do you know why and and do you understand the Solstice science?
• Descent 2 - BBC reports on behind the scenes at the UK Film set .... I loved The Decent and the last scene has stayed with me, horribly .... I, personally will be driven to see this sequel in the hope of a different last scene for Descent 2, even although one of the things that made the first film so good was that last scene .... you have watched it haven't you?
• Is there Ice on Mars or not? - It would seem that scientists just don't know. With disappearing dice sized, white things being seen and then not seen by Phoenix there seems to be a lot of jumping to assumptions .... It does create news, and excitement to some, but I can see a lot of others just getting bored with a string of unresolved tantalisation's which may come to nothing.

See links below at bottom of page in Sci Fi Mashup for more news and information:

New Jekyll, New Earths and New Planet in our Solar System?

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 20th June Include:

• New Jekyll & Hyde series "Inseparable" - Fox have just been releasing casting news on an up coming sci-fi pilot based on the old Jekyll & Hyde story
• New Earth like planets announced weekly - And once the Keplar mission is launched we will find more ... maybe even some in the bio-belt of some of these stars
• Computer Model says Planet X lies beyond Plutoid - now Pluto is no longer a "Planet" some people are looking to prove the long believe story of another planet beyond Plotoid

See links below at bottom of page in Sci-Fi Mashup for more news and information:

Iron Man is 2008 biggest grossing film ... so far, Captain Cook's Atlas news and Wanted news

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 19th June Include:

• Iron Man First $300 Mil film of 2008 - and still growing ... although Indy is not far behind and we anticipate that it will overtake Iron Man both Domestically in the US and Internationally
• Atlas news - Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas is picking up press and here is a run down of the latest additions to cast and crew
• Wanted News - We confess not to have read the comics (although one of us has them ...) but the cast is impressive and so it should be worth a viewing

See links below at bottom of page in Sci Fi Mashup for more news and information:

Strange Huge Moon Tonight, New Mummy Movie and we only know a fraction of our planets species with new ones discovered each year

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 18th June Include:

• See Huge Moon Tonight - It isn't real (apparently) but tonight we "Humans", and only us, see the moon many times bigger than it should be. It is called the Solstice Moon and no-one knows quite why but it appears much, much bigger than usual - almost as if there is a blip in the programme .... any want to re-watch the Matrix tonight?
• New Mummy Movie set in Asia - We are big fans of the first three so looking forward to an other installment
• Thousands of new species discovered each year - In fact in 2006 there were over 16,000 discovered. Apparently we have only ever described 1.8 million of the estimated 10 million species on Earth .... WOW

See links below at bottom of page in Sci Fi Mashup for more news and information:

Nanotubes regrow Cartilage, Is Science necessary in SF and Great Rapping Star Trek Video

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 17th June Include:

• Nanotech Tubes to regrow Cartilage - Our nanotech Cyborg futures are getting closer
• Is Science in Science Fiction necessary? - By its very name we think so, but the io9 crew pose an interesting question as to how much do you need to know to write it and does the necessity of it put many good authors (and possibly readers) off? This Jo Walton interview is interesting and so are the comments on her page
• Best Star Trek Video I have seen for a while - Our Favorite Blog The Web Site At The End Of The Universe has hit Star Trek gold with this one - although be warned it contains adult lyrics

See links below at bottom of page in Sci Fi Mashup for more news and information:

Hulk is No.1, Robert Downey turns to Cowboys & Aliens and Lawrence Kasdan to write Robotech

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 9th May Include:

• Hulk Takes No 1 Spot - To be fair the competition was Kung Fu Panda !
• Robert Downey to star in Cowboys and Aliens - Is that really the name of the movie?? Come on guys ...
• Lawrence Kasdan to write Robotech - In case you are asking "Who he?" he had a hand in writing Return of the Jedi, Raiders of the lost Ark, Clash of the Titans, among many others .... Robotech is a big project to bring to the screen so it is good to see they have enlisted someone whith a good track record ... we're looking forward to the result

See links below at bottom of page in Sci Fi Mashup for more news and information:

New Space suits for NASA, Skynet launched .... T1000 to follow? and Meteors crash site hides in plain sight

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 14th June Include:

• New Fashion SpaceSuits for 2015 - NASA has just ordered their new Space Suits ... and for the $745 million price tag these designer suits can be worn in two ways ..... for that price we should think so ....
• Skynet Launched at last - THe UK's biggest single space venture finally finishes deployment. It is of course a military satellite communications network which, among other things, allows computers to talk to computers ..... is it just our imagination or does that mean that the T1000's are being designed and manufactured as we speak??!! Never mind the Tech-Singular .... fear the UK Terminators
• Meteor Evidence hides in Plain site - great article about how sometimes amazing things are right in front of us and we just take them for granted ..... if we can do that with meteor craters could we be doing it with other "other worldly" things?

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Roadrunner simulates Brain, More cast on 2012, Can you become the Hulk, Dragonology books to be filmed and Bradbury disses e-books

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 13th June Include:

• Roadrunner simulates brain power - If you were doubting at all that we are rushing headlong towards the Tech-Singular then read this and wonder ...
• More new cast on 2012 - Amanda Peet is joining a strong ensemble cast led by John Cusack that includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, Thandie Newton, Danny Glover and Oliver Platt. Still not impressed though until we can see a better take on the Mayan Legend come through in the story line ....
• Can Gamma Rays make a Hulk out of you? - With all the coverage The Hulk is getting at the moment have you wondered if there is any science behind it? Ok, fair enough .... but here is an interesting article about Gamma Rays anyway.
• Dragonology Books to be made into a film - In case you haven't seen them there is a series of books for Young Adults written by Dugald A. Steer which are fake non-fiction books detailing how a Victorian Dragonologist has document the existence of Dragons. How you make a film out of this is not for us to comment on ... but obviously Universal know how.
• Ray Bradbury disses e-books - Our Favorite blog The Website at The End of The Universe has a good article and links on what the venerable sci-fi author thinks of the future of the newest way to read books ... from our point of view, we like 'em, but we just wish they wold bring the price of a reader down and standardise the formats, and solve electronic rights management, and ......

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Unicorn discovered, Mind Control for cows and dogs, Babylon A.D. new trailer, Campbell and Sturgeon Award Finalists announced

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 12th June Include:

• Unicorn found in Italy - All they need now is to find an Ogre, a Castle and a distressed Princess and we can all live Happily Ever After
• Mind control for dogs and cows - who's next?
• New trailer for Babylon A.D. - Cheesy .... but quite cool
• Campbell and Sturgeon Awards Finalists announced - We predict Chabon for the first and Chiang for the second

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Stross Interviewed on how to see the future, More flying car movies and Robots just got smarter

Sci Fi Pool Highlights for 11th June Include:

• Stross Interviewed on how difficult predicting the future is - also he refers to the coming tech-singluar as "having a lot of cruft on it" ??
• More flying car movies - no not Speed Racer (thank goodness) this is Disney jumping on the bizarre Hollywood trend of always bringing out different movies on the same theme around the same time ... lets hope its better then Speed Racer
• Robots getting cleverer - Advanced robot Asimo can distinguish between numerous human voices

See links below at bottom of page in Sci Fi Mashup for more news and information: