Robots have become an integral part of space exploration, performing tasks that are too dangerous or impractical for humans. To enhance the capabilities of these robots, scientists are now developing a revolutionary technology known as smart skin. This innovative solution aims to provide robots with a sense of touch, enabling...
If you’re a fan of psychological horror, you should mark August 22nd on your calendar. That’s when an intriguing new game called Fort Solis arrives. Developer Fallen Leaf describes its debut as a psychological sci-fi thriller. The game casts players as Jack Leary, an engineer sent to investigate a remote mining base on Mars....
BOSTON (AP) — A suspect was arrested Monday in the weekend killings of three people, a Boston-area husband and wife celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary and the woman’s 97-year-old mother, authorities said....
SALMON — A Lemhi County father is charged with first-degree murder for the death of his 2-month-old daughter. Roger Aaron Denig, 21, is being held in the Lemhi County Jail on $500,000 bail after appearing before Magistrate Judge Andrew Woolf on Monday afternoon. The investigation began when the Lemhi County Sheriff’s Office...
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny star Harrison Ford has reflected on making the Star Wars movies, praising George Lucas and admitting that he's grateful to the franchise for the career he's had...
SYFY’s The Ark (streaming now on Peacock) opens on a crew of explorers slumbering soundly in their cryochambers, when disaster strikes. Woken a year before their arrival at Proxima Centauri, the crew must work together, and quickly, to stay alive. Even the closest stars are pretty far away and getting to another star system in...
Hello Sci-fi fans and writers, I hope that this here is the correct spot to ask this question regarding a conundrum I have come about during my work on a sci-fi short Story....
Ooh - workshopping a scifi story? My time to shine!
Check out how the Star Wars EU handled this in the Thrawn series (Hint: Interdictor cruisers)
Tractor beams - your friend and mine
Think of every way other people have done this and ask yourself - "how could it be different?"
Plausible is fun but pleasure is better - people need a story they can engage with and will forgive all kinds of logical fallacies if you've engaged with their emotions sufficiently.
Yeah I know about those Interdictor cruisers from the EU, that was my second idea I also mentioned: e.g. generating gravity wells so that you can't jump to hyperspace. But I believe that only ships of the size of an ISD could have such components. And as such only the militaristic empire in my setting would be able to get a hold on that.
This is an intrinsic functionality of an implausible science-like device that A) hyperspace is a 'speed' you can achieve and B) gravity wells affect their behavior.
I'm saying all that to say this: when it comes to scifi, your technology doesn't have to be 100% factual, logical, plausible. Engage w/ their emotions - make them feel something.
Christmas in the Stars: Star Wars Christmas Album is a record album produced in 1980 by RSO Records. It features recordings of Star Wars-themed Christmas songs and stories about a droid factory where the robots make toys year-round for "S. Claus". Much of the album is sung and narrated by British actor Anthony Daniels, reprising...
The release of “Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire,” a pan-African Disney Plus Original animated series that will drop globally on the streaming platform on July 5, could be a game-changer for an African animation industry that continues to scale new heights....
Before it was re-positioned as the grand Avengers moment of an expanded “MonsterVerse,” the idea of King Kong fighting Godzilla had evolved for decades. It began as an entirely different project, then became a blockbuster success in Japan and abroad. From there, it would spawn a rumor that changed how people saw the film,...
The bad, although expected news is that according to Similarweb via Gizmodo Reddit traffic is back to pre-protest levels. The caveat is that some of the traffic might still indicate protests, (i.e. John Oliver pics). Most interesting:...
Let’s understand that Reddit has spent over a decade enjoying its status as a world-leading platform while kicking the ‘we’ll figure out how to monetize later’ can down the road. Along the way, some important social questions have arrived and Reddit is still failing to show leadership in this matter. Let me explain:
So that’s what Reddit is supposed to do as a ‘platform.’ What about Reddit as a ‘company?’ Sadly, boardroom shenanigans have pursued Reddit throughout its entire lifecycle. Reddit lost the public-spirited people like Aaron Swartz, and gained trolls, hate groups, and the soap opera that was the Ellen Pao debacle. As Will Durant said: ‘A great civilization is not conquered from without, until it has destroyed itself from within.’
Actions this year by Reddit have pushed it much farther down the path of ‘less user-oriented.’ Worse, public statements and private actions by the company leave nothing to doubt when it comes to their intentions. “We’ll continue to be profit-driven until profits arrive,” Steve Huffman the CEO of Reddit, wrote in a recent AMA.
Spez' decisions have ripped the guts out of Reddit's understood social identity and community intent. Those public statements and private actions by the company I mentioned earlier? They aren’t there to make Reddit a more human-centered place. Monetizing API use won’t increase Reddit’s stature as a ‘a safe space for all viewpoints.’ Like when managers decided to launch the Challenger space shuttle, “the concerns about the O-rings that ultimately led to the explosion were buried in a vast sea of thousands of other decisions … leading up to the ill-fated launch.”
Risks don’t rely on your perspective for existence. “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away,” as Philip K. Dick famously said. This recent Reddit move to monetize APIs creates major cracks in its foundations of digital altruism and human-centered behavior. As I said last year with Twitter: “Twitter has every chance to prove to us that it can be a safe, responsible place for us to interact with our readers if they want to. In the meantime, it’s getting too weird around here. I’m mustering at the life boat station now, in case we must abandon ship.”
The 2015 science fiction film 400 Days was written and directed by Matt Osterman (Ghost from the Machine, Hover) with performances by Brandon Routh (Superman Returns, Scott Pilgrim vs.
spoilers ahead I felt like the character conflict arcs were contrived and ultimately the idea of learning a language makes you a pre-cog fell flat for me. In science fiction, the big idea goes 'woo!' or the characters go 'woo!' but in the case of Arrival, nothing really went 'woo!'...
Philip K. Dick is famous for saying 'reality is that in which, when you stop believing in it, does not go away.' Languages, perceptions, are still materially beliefs and changing beliefs doesn't change reality. I wanted to see HOW the language allowed you to perceive time and it never got there.
Let’s understand that Reddit has spent over a decade enjoying its status as a world-leading platform while kicking the ‘we’ll figure out how to monetize later’ can down the road. Along the way, some important social questions have arrived and Reddit is still failing to show leadership in this matter. Let me explain:
So that’s what Reddit is supposed to do as a ‘platform.’ What about Reddit as a ‘company?’ Sadly, boardroom shenanigans have pursued Reddit throughout its entire lifecycle. Reddit lost the public-spirited people like Aaron Swartz, and gained trolls, hate groups, and the soap opera that was the Ellen Pao debacle. As Will Durant said: ‘A great civilization is not conquered from without, until it has destroyed itself from within.’
Actions this year by Reddit have pushed it much farther down the path of ‘less user-oriented.’ Worse, public statements and private actions by the company leave nothing to doubt when it comes to their intentions. “We’ll continue to be profit-driven until profits arrive,” Steve Huffman the CEO of Reddit, wrote in a recent AMA.
Spez' decisions have ripped the guts out of Reddit's understood social identity and community intent. Those public statements and private actions by the company I mentioned earlier? They aren’t there to make Reddit a more human-centered place. Monetizing API use won’t increase Reddit’s stature as a ‘a safe space for all viewpoints.’ Like when managers decided to launch the Challenger space shuttle, “the concerns about the O-rings that ultimately led to the explosion were buried in a vast sea of thousands of other decisions … leading up to the ill-fated launch.”
Risks don’t rely on your perspective for existence. “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away,” as Philip K. Dick famously said. This recent Reddit move to monetize APIs creates major cracks in its foundations of digital altruism and human-centered behavior. As I said last year with Twitter: “Twitter has every chance to prove to us that it can be a safe, responsible place for us to interact with our readers if they want to. In the meantime, it’s getting too weird around here. I’m mustering at the life boat station now, in case we must abandon ship.”
Childhood adversity is identified as any exposure to abuse, neglect or family dysfunction. Greater exposure to childhood adversity has been strongly identified with increased morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to examine differences in creative experiences, fantasy proneness, dispositional flow, exposure to adult...
A strange object found in a school meal in China was the head of a rat, Chinese authorities have concluded, overturning previous official reassurances that it was duck neck in the latest twist to a food safety scandal that gripped the nation for weeks.
An alien predator arrives on Earth and starts picking off the locals, evoking their culture’s tales of mythic glory in the process. One guy — a guy who might mean more to the natives than they know — stands up to find a weakness and fight back. Sound familiar? Nope, we’re not talking about the actual Predator… though...
"The broad attention is showing the world what local leaders have spent the past half-century trying to prove: This desert city can be a major player in global tech and manufacturing."...
Some might be curious about the rules of /m/scifi so I have them posted here for reference:
Rule 1: Respectful and Inclusive Discussions
In the federated internet community about science fiction, it is crucial to foster an environment that values respectful and inclusive discussions. Members should treat each other with respect, regardless of their backgrounds, beliefs, or opinions. Discrimination, harassment, or any form of hate speech should not be tolerated. Encourage open-mindedness and a welcoming atmosphere where everyone feels comfortable expressing their ideas and engaging in constructive debates.
Rule 2: Evidence-Based Arguments
As a community centered around science fiction, it is important to base discussions and arguments on evidence and logical reasoning. Encourage members to support their viewpoints with references to relevant literature, movies, or other credible sources. Promote critical thinking and discourage baseless claims or unfounded speculation. By fostering evidence-based discussions, the community can maintain its credibility and contribute to a more informed understanding of science fiction.
Rule 3: Mutual Learning and Collaboration
The federated internet community should serve as a platform for mutual learning and collaboration among its members. Encourage individuals to share their knowledge, insights, and experiences related to science fiction. Foster a culture of curiosity and intellectual growth, where members can engage in constructive dialogues and learn from each other. By embracing diverse perspectives and promoting collaboration, the community can become a vibrant hub for science fiction enthusiasts to expand their understanding of the genre.
Rule 4: No Spoilers without Proper Warnings
Respecting the enjoyment of others is essential in any community centered around science fiction. Avoid sharing spoilers without proper warnings and considerate labeling. Recognize that people may be at different stages of experiencing various science fiction works and may not appreciate having key plot points or surprises revealed prematurely. By being mindful of spoilers, members can maintain an environment that allows everyone to fully engage with and appreciate the narratives within science fiction works.
Rule 5: Self-promo is a privilege, not a right
The ratio of content to self-promotion in a community can vary depending on the specific context and the community's goals. However, it is generally recommended to prioritize content over self-promotion to maintain a healthy and engaging community environment. Here are some guidelines to consider:
Content First: Emphasize the importance of valuable and relevant content that adds value to the community.
Limit Self-Promotion: While self-promotion can have its place within a community, it should not dominate the content. Encourage members to engage with the community through meaningful discussions and contributions rather than solely promoting their own work or products. Promote Community Engagement: Actively encourage community members to participate in discussions, share their perspectives, and contribute to the community's growth. Engaging content fosters a sense of community ownership and encourages members to interact with each other.
Clear Self-Promotion Guidelines: Establish clear guidelines regarding self-promotion to avoid ambiguity and ensure transparency.
Edit - 09/19/2023 Update - The John Shirley Rule - Authors with long-standing industry pedigree (John Shirley, et al) are allowed flexibility on Rule #5. Flexibility is granted on a case-by-case basis.
Remember, the ultimate goal of a community is to facilitate meaningful interactions, shared learning, and the exchange of valuable content. By prioritizing content over self-promotion, the community can maintain its focus, encourage active participation, and create a more vibrant and engaging space for its members.
Rule 6: No NSFW content - we cater to SF fans of all ages.
Maintaining a Safe and Inclusive Environment: The scifi community's decision to prohibit NSFW (Not Safe for Work) content is primarily aimed at creating a safe and inclusive space for all members. By disallowing explicit or adult-oriented content, the community ensures that people of all ages and backgrounds can participate without feeling uncomfortable, offended, or excluded.
Focusing on Intellectual Exploration: The scifi community often emphasizes intellectual discussions, creative exploration, and thought-provoking content related to science fiction. Preserving Professional and Academic Relevance: Many members of the scifi community include professionals, academics, and industry experts who contribute their knowledge and expertise to discussions and projects.
For next 30 days, feel free to add your comments/feedback on these rules and then we'll call them 'done' for the next 12 months. Thanks. :)
[Discussion Thread] How can we grow the /m/scifi community? (kbin.social)
I have my own ideas about growing /m/scifi and extending our 'table' to include more scifi people. What are yours? I'm keen to learn
Science Fiction Turned Reality: Smart Skin Empowers Robots with Unparalleled Space Performance (www.msn.com)
Robots have become an integral part of space exploration, performing tasks that are too dangerous or impractical for humans. To enhance the capabilities of these robots, scientists are now developing a revolutionary technology known as smart skin. This innovative solution aims to provide robots with a sense of touch, enabling...
Sci-fi thriller ‘Fort Solis’ arrives on PlayStation 5, PC and Mac on August 22nd (news.yahoo.com)
If you’re a fan of psychological horror, you should mark August 22nd on your calendar. That’s when an intriguing new game called Fort Solis arrives. Developer Fallen Leaf describes its debut as a psychological sci-fi thriller. The game casts players as Jack Leary, an engineer sent to investigate a remote mining base on Mars....
A couple marking their 50th anniversary were stabbed to death, and a suspect has been charged (apnews.com)
BOSTON (AP) — A suspect was arrested Monday in the weekend killings of three people, a Boston-area husband and wife celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary and the woman’s 97-year-old mother, authorities said....
Man charged with murder after ‘willfully and deliberately’ torturing baby girl, deputies say (www.eastidahonews.com)
SALMON — A Lemhi County father is charged with first-degree murder for the death of his 2-month-old daughter. Roger Aaron Denig, 21, is being held in the Lemhi County Jail on $500,000 bail after appearing before Magistrate Judge Andrew Woolf on Monday afternoon. The investigation began when the Lemhi County Sheriff’s Office...
Most employees say their well-being has worsened or stayed the same (www.nbcnewyork.com)
“This shows that executives are disconnected from the reality of the workforce,” said Dan Schawbel, the managing partner of Workplace Intelligence.
INDIANA JONES Star Harrison Ford Finally Has Something Nice To Say About STAR WARS: "[It] Changed My Life" (sffgazette.com)
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny star Harrison Ford has reflected on making the Star Wars movies, praising George Lucas and admitting that he's grateful to the franchise for the career he's had...
Record-Breaking Runaway Stars Are Fleeing the Galaxy at Mach 6,000 (www.syfy.com)
SYFY’s The Ark (streaming now on Peacock) opens on a crew of explorers slumbering soundly in their cryochambers, when disaster strikes. Woken a year before their arrival at Proxima Centauri, the crew must work together, and quickly, to stay alive. Even the closest stars are pretty far away and getting to another star system in...
The Biggest Sci-Fi Bombs Of 2023 So Far (www.msn.com)
How would interdiction of Spaceships be possible?
Hello Sci-fi fans and writers, I hope that this here is the correct spot to ask this question regarding a conundrum I have come about during my work on a sci-fi short Story....
TIL that producers of the 1980 STAR WARS Christmas music album replaced the lead singer for the track "R2-D2 We Wish You a Merry Christmas" with the 17 y/o kid who was sweeping floors at the studio, and he nailed it. His name was Jon Bon Jovi. (en.wikipedia.org)
Christmas in the Stars: Star Wars Christmas Album is a record album produced in 1980 by RSO Records. It features recordings of Star Wars-themed Christmas songs and stories about a droid factory where the robots make toys year-round for "S. Claus". Much of the album is sung and narrated by British actor Anthony Daniels, reprising...
Why Disney+ Sci-Fi Anthology Series ‘Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire’ Is a ‘Watershed Moment’ for African Animation (www.msn.com)
The release of “Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire,” a pan-African Disney Plus Original animated series that will drop globally on the streaming platform on July 5, could be a game-changer for an African animation industry that continues to scale new heights....
60 Years Ago, 2 Sci-Fi Movie Legends Collided — and Spawned a Strange Rumor (www.msn.com)
Before it was re-positioned as the grand Avengers moment of an expanded “MonsterVerse,” the idea of King Kong fighting Godzilla had evolved for decades. It began as an entirely different project, then became a blockbuster success in Japan and abroad. From there, it would spawn a rumor that changed how people saw the film,...
TIL Fungi in Chernobyl appear to be feeding off gamma radiation and are growing towards the reactor core. (thebiologist.rsb.org.uk)
TIL Mr. T stopped wearing virtually all his gold, one of his identifying marks, after helping with the cleanup after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. He said, "I felt it would be insensitive and disrespectful to the people who lost everything." (en.wikipedia.org)
Wes Anderson and Steven Spielberg use sci-fi the same way (www.polygon.com)
Asteroid City takes inspiration from Close Encounters of the Third Kind — but the two directors were always in sync
11 Overused Tropes in Sci-Fi Movies That Make Us Roll Our Eyes (movieweb.com)
The Creator blurs the lines between human creativity and AI brilliance, reflecting society's concerns in a dystopian world. (gamerant.com)
Hooray - my Mastodon and Kbin icons have arrived - now I can put them up on my website. (www.inkican.com)
Little stuff like this is how we're going to get the Fediverse from 0 to 1.
Just to let you know, there is now a m/TheCulture magazine to discuss Iain M. Banks Culture series (kbin.social)
Posting it here for awareness, with mod approval. Thanks!...
Reddit traffic returning normal, sort of. (gizmodo.com)
The bad, although expected news is that according to Similarweb via Gizmodo Reddit traffic is back to pre-protest levels. The caveat is that some of the traffic might still indicate protests, (i.e. John Oliver pics). Most interesting:...
New FIREFLY Series Brings The Show Back To Its Western Roots (screenrant.com)
NASA Is Launching a Year-Long Simulated Mars Mission (www.syfy.com)
The 2015 science fiction film 400 Days was written and directed by Matt Osterman (Ghost from the Machine, Hover) with performances by Brandon Routh (Superman Returns, Scott Pilgrim vs.
‘Home Improvement’ Star Zachery Ty Bryan Amassed a Bitcoin Fortune, Then Spiraled Amid Domestic Violence Arrest, Allegations of Fraud (www.hollywoodreporter.com)
The 41-year-old seemed to have avoided the pitfalls of child stardom, then “he torched … all aspects of his life.” How did it all go so wrong?
TIL The cast of FRIENDS each made $1M per episode in the final two seasons and now make $20M per year per cast member for reruns. The show still generates $1B/year for Warner Bros. All thanks to David Schwimmer encouraging the cast to negotiate as a team. (www.cheatsheet.com)
TIL that in 1916 there was a proposed Amendment to the US Constitution that would put all acts of war to a national vote, and anyone voting yes would have to register as a volunteer for service in the United States Army. (www.huffpost.com)
TIL that after reading the first draft of "Smokey and the Bandit", Burt Reynolds told its director Hal Needham that it was the worst script he had ever read, but that he would still make the movie. Most of the dialogue in the movie was improvised on set. (en.wikipedia.org)
This article calls 'Arrival' as 'One of the Best Sci-Fi Films of the Century' but was it? I tried it and I was like ... 'meh' (www.msn.com)
spoilers ahead I felt like the character conflict arcs were contrived and ultimately the idea of learning a language makes you a pre-cog fell flat for me. In science fiction, the big idea goes 'woo!' or the characters go 'woo!' but in the case of Arrival, nothing really went 'woo!'...
Reddit is in danger of a death spiral (www.zdnet.com)
Can Reddit survive as its volunteer workforce close down subreddits and walk away from the site in protest at the management's new policies?
Elon Musk Silences Critics By Deactivating Accounts And Reaching Out To Their Employers (finance.yahoo.com)
TIL Creative people report greater trauma in their childhood (www.frontiersin.org)
Childhood adversity is identified as any exposure to abuse, neglect or family dysfunction. Greater exposure to childhood adversity has been strongly identified with increased morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to examine differences in creative experiences, fantasy proneness, dispositional flow, exposure to adult...
The godfathers of AI are at war (www.newstatesman.com)
Existential threat or humanity’s salvation? The founders of AI don’t know what’s next.
Liquid metal could turn everyday things like paper into smart objects (arstechnica.com)
This futuristic new liquid-metal coating can make ordinary objects extraordinary.
TIL Carrie Fisher delivered a cow tongue inside a Tiffany box to a predatory producer who had assaulted her friend. She said, "The next delivery will be something of yours in a much smaller box!" (www.bbc.com)
Strange thing found in student's meal is rat head, Chinese officials rule after food scare anger | CNN (www.cnn.com)
A strange object found in a school meal in China was the head of a rat, Chinese authorities have concluded, overturning previous official reassurances that it was duck neck in the latest twist to a food safety scandal that gripped the nation for weeks.
Postal worker dies in Dallas, woman found dead in Louisiana as temperatures reach record highs (abcnews.go.com)
New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana are under heat alerts amid record-breaking temperatures. Rain is expected to break the heat after Wednesday.
Not Science Fiction: Planet Orbiting 2 Stars Discovered Using New Technique (scitechdaily.com)
It is only the second such system found with 2 planets....
Outlander Is the Crazy, Sci-Fi Alien Beowulf Movie You Didn’t Know You Needed (www.yahoo.com)
An alien predator arrives on Earth and starts picking off the locals, evoking their culture’s tales of mythic glory in the process. One guy — a guy who might mean more to the natives than they know — stands up to find a weakness and fight back. Sound familiar? Nope, we’re not talking about the actual Predator… though...
What is Kbin’s identity?
I’m trying to get my head wrapped around the identity (or purpose) of Kbin....
Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg agree to hold cage fight (www.bbc.com)
Earlier this month, Meta showed staff plans for a text-based social network designed to compete with Twitter.
Phoenix is emerging as the city of the future (www.axios.com)
"The broad attention is showing the world what local leaders have spent the past half-century trying to prove: This desert city can be a major player in global tech and manufacturing."...