Vulcan Honours Leonard Nimoy

The city of Vulcan received Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) , from the article:

The Star Trek legend was celebrated during his April (10) visit to the region, which shares its name with the home planet of his most famous character Mr. Spock, and has become a popular tourist attraction for fans of the franchise.

Nimoy, who announced his retirement from Hollywood in April (10), visited the town and even posed next to a bronze statue of his likeness, before watching the locals put on a procession.

And the sci-fi icon admits he was delighted with the small-town tribute.

He says, "I've never had an experience as touching as that in my life. Spock has been a role model for a lot of people by showing dignity, intelligence and professionalism. I'm very proud of that."

I wish more people had dignity, self-respect, pride in their appearance, intelligence, kindness towards others, and plain ol' common courtesy. I find it wonderful that a town holds such positive ideals so dear and I hope that more people around the world would regain some self-respect.

Bravo Vulcan, Live Long and Prosper. HERE is the link to the article.

Classic Sci-Fi Spaceships

An online gallery has been created to experience spaceships in cyberspace, from the article:

If all the spaceships from the sci-fi shows you loved as a child were actually real, they'd probably be on display today in some kind of air show. Since that can't exist,Bill George decided to create one online in the form of a gallery, and it's stunning. George isn't just any old sci-fi fan with some mad Photoshop skills, either. He was the visual effects supervisor on six Star Trek and two Star Wars films. In other words, his stuff is really frakking good. We've got a couple of screenshots below to whet your appetite; then we encourage you to immediately head over to the Sci-Fi Air Show and take the guided tour of the rest.
The website is very cool and I enjoyed browsing the ships, it is worth a visit!

NASA Forecasts a Space Storm by 2013

NASA has warned that a space storm could arrive in 2013 and could cause a super storm that would disrupt electronic devices. From the article:

National power grids could overheat and air travel severely disrupted while electronic items, navigation devices and major satellites could stop working after the Sun reaches its maximum power in a few years.

Senior space agency scientists believe the Earth will be hit with unprecedented levels of magnetic energy from solar flares after the Sun wakes “from a deep slumber” sometime around 2013, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.

“It will disrupt communication devices such as satellites and car navigations, air travel, the banking system, our computers, everything that is electronic. It will cause major problems for the world.

“Large areas will be without electricity power and to repair that damage will be hard as that takes time.”

That would be horrible to be without electricity for any length of time because of the food in the fridge and freezer. I think I could do without a cellular phone or I-pad and even the computer, but electricity in general, that is very necessary. Getting yourself as self- sufficient as possible is a good idea in these economic times despite an oncoming storm because governments have less money to repair important infrastructure anyway. The electricity could go out for any number of reasons and food could be unavailable because markets could also be without power.

The link to the article in full is below.

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The Aliens of Stargate Universe

I read an article in the LA Times a while back commenting on the aliens that appear in Stargate Universe stating just how alien they look being blue and all. I like how they are handling the show by first concentrating on character development and then introducing the aliens by use of the communication stones and the abduction of Dr. Rush. From the article:

Those who watched the first half of the first season of Syfy's "Stargate Universe" probably noticed something a bit different about the spacefaring series from most others -- no aliens.

Yes, Robert Carlyle's Dr. Rush and the rest are on an alien vessel, but (maybe due to their being in hyperspace a lot), had yet to face any external aliens besides a weird cloud of dust and a swarm of space bees. But that changes in this second half of the season, which launches Friday night. This crew, a mixture of a few military personnel and a lot of civilians, will have first contact with a very non-humanoid, non-friendly species.
"Universe" co-creators Robert Cooper and Brad Wright wanted to make sure they established the crew on Destiny and the challenges they'd face daily. With this careful character development, aliens did not play a huge part in it, but now that they're here, the "Stargate" folks want to make sure aliens are really ... alien.

I just love the show, it is dark, neo-survivalism, and an interesting mix of characters who have different skill sets and abilities for coping in extreme situations. I cannot wait for more!
HERE is a link to the article.

Top Ten Favorite Sci Fi Quotes

Over the years, some lines in science fiction movies have become famous and are used in everyday vernacular. There are so many movies and shows to choose from that I narrowed it down to my personal favorites.

10. ET, Phone Home (ET, 1982)

9. I'll be back. (Terminator, 1984)

8. Get away from her, you bitch! (Aliens, 1986)

7. May the Force be with you! (Star Wars, 1977)

6. I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that. (2001- A Space Odyssey, 1968)

5. They're here already! You're next! You're next! You're next! (Invasion of the Body Snatchers, 1956)

4. Live Long and Prosper! (Star Trek: First Contact, 1996)

3. Do you know of the Klingon proverb that tells us revenge is a dish best served cold? (Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, 1982)

2. The Universe is a pretty big place, so if it is just us, it seems like an awful waste of space. (Contact, 1997)

1. You've got to tell them! Soylent Green is people! (Soylent Green, 1973)

Scientists Study Saturn´s Moon Named Titan

Scientists from NASA have been studying the moon Titan that circles Saturn and they are coming to the conclusion that life could exist in its atmosphere, from the article:

Researchers at the space agency believe they have discovered vital clues that appeared to indicate that primitive aliens could be living on the moon.

Data from Nasa's Cassini probe has analysed the complex chemistry on the surface of Titan, which experts say is the only moon around the planet to have a dense atmosphere.

They suggest that life forms may have been breathing in the planet’s atmosphere and also feeding on its surface’s fuel.

Chris McKay, an astrobiologist at Nasa Ames Research Centre, at Moffett Field, California who led the research, said: “We suggested hydrogen consumption because it's the obvious gas for life to consume on Titan, similar to the way we consume oxygen on Earth.

"If these signs do turn out to be a sign of life, it would be doubly exciting because it would represent a second form of life independent from water-based life on Earth.”

This reminds me of the different aliens portrayed in many different science fiction shows and movies all capable of living in different types of atmospheres, or sentient being living in the oceans of a world, or even living on rogue planets and survivng from thermal vents within the planet.

This study is interesting and the artist interpretation of what the surface would look like is fascinating as well.

I have always though that sentient life would be found outside our solar system, but who knows.

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James Cameron Offers to Help BP with Oil Leak

When I first heard this story I really did not know what to think: here is a Hollywood director who directed some awesome movies like Aliens (1986), Titanic(1997), and more recently Avatar(2009), sitting down with the United States Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) and telling them that British Petrolium turned down his offer of help. From Reuters:

"Over the last few weeks I've watched, as we all have, with growing horror and heartache, watching what's happening in the Gulf and thinking those morons don't know what they're doing," Cameron said at the All Things Digital technology conference.

Cameron, the director of "Avatar" and "Titanic," has worked extensively with robot submarines and is considered an expert in undersea filming. He did not say explicitly who he meant when he referred to "those morons."

"I know really, really, really smart people that work typically at depths much greater than what that well is at," Cameron said.

The BP oil spill off the U.S. Gulf Coast is located a mile below the surface.

His comments came a day after he participated in a meeting at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency headquarters in Washington to "brainstorm" solutions to the oil spill.

This is not a science fiction movie but a tragedy taking place in the Gulf of Mexico in terms of the quality of the water, the destruction of oxygen and plant and animal life not to mention the effects on the food chain for years to come, and the EPA is consulting with James Cameron!?

All I can say is that this oil spill will ruin the Gulf waters and coasts for decades, what a shame. Here is a link to the full article.

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