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

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

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?

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

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"

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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?

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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!

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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

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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: