Fan email

Our friend and devoted SCIFIPUNDIT reader, Steve sent this email and link. Thanks for the great info, Steve.

We frequently try to contrast science fiction to the times in which it was written. From Journey to the Center of the Earth (Jules Verne 1864) till today we are often intrigued by the vision of the future our forefathers set down in print for us. I am a huge fan of classic science fiction and am frequently amazed how well it holds up in modern times. To that end, I found this link that is a wonderful resource for anyone trying to sort out chronology or lists of authors to find some important titles to read or reference.

Science Fiction History

This link only chronicles Sci Fi in its purest form, that of print media. But if you ever want to find an idea or a book by a Hugo winning author or get some sense of how sci fi writers influence others down a time line, this site is very helpful. With the resurgence of War of the Worlds, we might expect additional remakes of these redoubtable classics.

Re-Discovery of Space flight

One of the oldest of the space shuttles, Discovery, finally lifted off this morning after a two and a half year absence after nearly 50 safety improvements and some minor glitches with a backup fuel sensor. It seems NASA isn't taking any chances jeopardizing the space program by delaying the launch for a third time in a month. The 114th launch of a space shuttle was witnessed by First Lady Laura Bush and Governor Jeb Bush as well as the families of the Challenger and Columbia astronauts, all holding their breath as the seven person crew led by commander Eileen Collins lifted off from Cape Canaveral. Bringing with them the two year back ordered supplies and spare parts to the half built space station and its two man crew, who will take pictures and study the newly refitted shuttle as it docks sometime Thursday . I want to say how relieved I am that NASA has reevaluated their safety protocols concerning the shuttle fleet and its crews. I only wish it would have come seven lives sooner, but the exploration of space does not come without inherent risks. I am also quite sure the families of both the Challenger and Columbia astronauts are proud of their own family members who risked their lives and reached for the stars and have now become part of them and my fondest wishes ride with those that continue the journey today and in the future….God Speed to you all.

Poll Update

Right now, Halo has a commanding lead. In fact it has led since we first introduced this month's poll. If you haven't voted yet, you will find this month's poll under the links on the right. Coming soon for August a brand new poll!

A ship is only as good as its engineer

Yesterday was truly a sad day for Star Trek fans. The lost of James Doohan has been very difficult to accept. He has brought hours and hours of entertainment. After all, we have him to thank for the dearly beloved Star Trek character of Scotty. And we here at SCIFIPUNDIT love him so much that we even included his famous saying in the title of our blog with a bit of a twist.

It was Mr. Doohan’s idea to make the engineer of the Enterprise a Scotsman. When he auditioned for Star Trek in 1966, he experimented with seven different dialects before he and creator Gene Roddenberry settled on the Scottish accent. As a result he appeared in three seasons of the original series as well as seven Star Trek movies and even made a special appearance on TNG in 1992 and therefore forever endearing the Scottish engineer to Star Trek fans everywhere. Appropriately, James Montgomery Doohan will see a fitting end. He has requested that his ashes be launched into space.

So in honor of his passing and all the wonderful memories he has given us, we bring you a selection of his best. First, go look at this video. It contains some of his best scenes from the series, the movies and his appearance on TNG. Second, try this website with a few of the great “Scottyisms”. Lastly, try this website for several delightful Montgomery Scott wavs.

Mr. Doohan, we thank you for your work and the talents you have shared with us over the years. It was indeed a good ship. God speed.

Return Voyage, part Deux

Well, that was good. In fact it was quite good. Looks like Friday is off my social and shopping calendar for a while. And next week they are making Friday even more irresistible with the addition of Firefly to the SciFi Friday lineup. Why can’t everyday be SciFi Friday? Given the ghastly amount of crap that is currently on TV including on the SciFi channel, I was and am overjoyed to see the continuance of the one night on TV we have come to rely on.

I agree with most of the reviews I have read. BSG gets five out of five aliens. Stargate-SG1 may have to rethink the character played by Ben Browder. No one can replace the truly nutty General McNeil, no one. I understand Browder’s new character is a disappointment to many Farscape fans that were excited to see his return to sci-fi. Stargate Atlantis remains weak at best. I find myself asking...what are they trying to do on Stargate Atlantis? The plot seems to be in a bit of a muddle. I hope they can work that this season.

I enjoyed the special they showed before the new shows started. All the interesting behind the scenes snippets and cast interviews definitely set the tone for the evening. I highly recommend downloading the podcast for each BSG episode. Watch the episode first, and then watch it again with the podcast. They always contain very insightful information. You may find the podcasts here.

What’s next? Looks like the SciFi channel is advertising a new SciFi Wednesday. Leading the pack is Ghost Hunters. I have only seen this show a couple of times but it seems quite promising. Next is the reality show (eeeek!), Master Blasters. This show is said to be a hobby that requires a FAA launch window. And last and maybe least, is the CGI based Tripping the Rift. Even as I type I am watching this show, so far, I think I will be passing on the regular viewing of this show.

Return Voyage

Tomorrow night is one of those highly anticipated moments on the part of us geeky science fiction lovers. Easy to spot, we are the ones with Star Trek rank insignia, BSG screen savers, SCIFIPUNDIT bumper stickers, Star Wars action figures, an extensive Space 1999 DVD collection and various other tell-tale signs. We are also the ones that you shouldn’t call tomorrow between 6PM and Midnight. Why so long? They run SG-1, SG Atlantis and BSG twice. Why shouldn’t you call? Unless it’s an emergency AND a commercial is on you will not have our full attention. Go check out the Scifi channel's website, if you haven't already. They have plenty of trailers, info and everything you need to prepare yourself for tomorrow night. Come back to SCIFIPUNDIT as sometime over the weekend we will post our opinions and thoughts. Enjoy!

Tell me a story

Again, in the vein of our current blog poll, I found an interesting article regarding Halo and its storytelling. As you may or may not know, there are already three Halo novels available for your perusal as well as a soundtrack. Since Halo is currently leading the blog poll as the movie our readers would most like to see made into a movie, I think anyone can agree there is a great deal of readily available material to move forward with the movie-making of the Halo story.

In the Stuffo article, Pete Parsons, the studio manager of Bungie Studios, talks about the well thought out story and abundance of fan fiction and speculation surrounding the story line. There are endless plot lines that could be used and one could speculate whether the movie would be best served in CGI or live action. I think it would be interesting to have a story that explains the beginnings and progression of the Halo, the Covenant and the Flood in more detail.

Thanks to everyone who has already voted. If you haven’t voted yet, you will find our poll on the right side of the page beneath the links.

War of the Worlds revisited

The power of the internet brings two wonderful versions of WotW straight to your computer.

First, download the original unedited radio broadcast from 1938 here. It includes some interesting added features such as an interview with Orson Welles the day after the original broadcast. The download costs $12.95 or order a CD for $19.95

Second, you may read the whole original novel online free of charge. Find the book in its entirety here.

Enjoy!

Fantastic Four shows why its fantastic to begin with

The new movie Fantastic Four stretched into theaters this weekend and showed itself to be pretty fantastic, and may help Hollywood's thin ticket sales this summer.I will not give away spoilers for the film here, but I will say I was happy with what they did to this comic to bring to the big screen. Director, Tim Story did a good job capturing the characters in the film. I enjoyed the movie I enjoyed as a cartoon on Saturday mornings, when I was a wee lad, just a few years ago. The characters all worked well together, Ioan Gruffud, Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis and Chris Evans make up the Fantastic Four and Julian McMahon transforms into the completely evil Dr Doom and does it well, it was a short stretch for his character. The story seemed to really work as well and I am almost sure when it comes to DVD I will end up buying it. Stan Lee, the creator for the Fantastic Four and many other super heroes makes a cameo appearance in the film, which I thought was a great idea and the writers seemed to stay true to the comic for the most part. I am looking forward to the next movie that I sure will start production soon, once they finish the script. I have to rate this 4 aliens out of 5 and if anyone else saw the film and wants to post a comment please feel free to do so we love hearing from everyone here at SCIFIPUNDIT.

What's in a name?

Your Star Wars Name and Title

Alex's Star Wars Name: Alewa Gocol Alex's Star Wars Title: Eracho of Inot

Your Star Wars Name and Title

Cheryl's Star Wars Name: Chesh Aljer Cheryl's Star Wars Title: Tlecho of Trebor

Your Star Wars Name and Title

Robert's Star Wars Name: Robda Gift Robert's Star Wars Title: Aliran of Lyrehc

Want to know your Star Wars name and title? Go here and may the force be with you.

London calling...

As I am sure we all would agree what happened in London this past week was a truly senseless tragedy. We here at SCIFIPUNDIT extend our thoughts and prayers to the people of London affected by this week’s asinine act. With that said, I do, however, completely agree with Sci-Fi Ranter Girl’s opinion. Yes, I thought it.

The Mad Hatter

Have you ever wondered how to make one of those nifty hats that Jayne wears in Firefly? Go here and you will find the exact directions to make one of these lovely hats.

Music, music, music

In the vein of our current poll, there are days I truly miss living in Los Angeles. And yesterday was one of those days. The Los Angeles Philharmonic performed a concert called Video Games Live. Along with the Philharmonic, there were performances by solo vocalists and a choir. They covered the gambit of today’s popular games. It occurs to me if some day someone were to make a movie of one of our poll featured video/computer games; they would have a ready made soundtrack. Read about the concert here. Not to worry, though! They are taking this tour on the road. And it’s coming to Colorado at the Universal Lending Pavilion in downtown Denver to be exact! Check out the Video Games Live website for tour dates and more information.

Most days, I am very thankful that I now live in Colorado Springs. Yesterday was also one of those days! I was sitting at a stop light and noticed the car beside me had a website displayed on their back window. I grabbed my Treo 600 and made note of this site. It’s called galacticanthems.com. I haven’t had the chance to listen to any of the mp3s available here. Even so, it would seem that is well worth the time to check out this interesting twist on electronic music. The composer, Glenn Adams, has been surrounded by music most of his life. His latest CD, Abstract Circuitry engenders a sci-fi air. You may even purchase this CD on the Galactic Anthems website. Enjoy!

Happy 4th of July from SCIFIPUNDIT!!!

New Poll for July

The new poll for July is up and running! Please vote and enjoy. As always, it's on the right side beneath the links and ads. Look for more posts to come on the subject of games to movies and movies to games. And of course, we here at SCIFIPUNDIT would like to thank our loyal readers for sticking with us and supporting us.

Poll Results!

Here are the final results of our June poll:

What science fiction or fantasy movie will be this year's biggest box office hit?

1. Revenge of the Sith - 41.7%
2. War of the Worlds - 13.9%
2. Serenity - 13.9%
2. The Lion, the Witch and the Waredrobe - 13.9%
3. Batman Begins - 8.3%
4. Fantastic 4 - 5.6%
5. X Men 3 - 2.8%
6. Spiderman - 0%

Thanks for voting!

Coming soon...a new poll for July! Stay tuned!

Testing...

How well do you know Science Fiction? Take this test. I missed two, but I didn't miss the bonus Star Trek question! Please share your results with us!