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The TV Guide article is here.

The place I got these links as well as the repository of all B5 info is here.

There's a review of The Day of the Triffids here. Another great vegetation-out-to-get-us movie from the same era is The Thing, a precursor to all the Alien movies.

Keep watching the skies!

Using a system called "TCP/IP", we will use "open-source" blueprints to create a "server". Once this "server" is complete, it will hold the plans for my greatest invention ever. (Horn sting) The Alan Parsons Project! (Pinkie to corner of mouth)

But I've heard rumors that the show contains some elements from Alan Dean Foster's "Humanx Commonwealth" series of novels, which include the great "Pip & Flinx" books. For instance, the fact that the big U.N.-style government is called the Commonwealth, and that at some point in the show they meet an insectile alien race that resembles the Thranx.

Some links to the conflict:
http://www.andromedatvfans.com/thread.asp?b=2&t=11 7
And a call to action from the author in a letter to Sci-Fi Weekly (about 2/3 of the way down the page): http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue190/letters.html

Again, I haven't seen the show, and I've read a ton of his novels, so I'm not in a position to make a decision one way or the other. Anyone out there notice a connection?

Available at scifi.com at http://www.scifi.com/exposure/frameup/tripping.htm l in Real format.

It works just great over the cable modem at work (but, ah, this isn't the censored version so you probably don't want to watch it someplace where you might attract an audience--Terry Farrell makes lots of "noises" at the end).

Urk. Preview is your friend. Let's try this again:
I'm a fan, does it show? You should play Mindprobe on SciFi.com. There's a collective groan every time a Blake's 7 question comes up. Hardly anyone there knows it. (I remember bits and pieces>)

"What are we going to do tonight, Bill?"

I'm a fan, does it show? You should play Mindprobe on SciFi.com. There's a collective groan every time a Blake's 7 question comes up. Hardly anyone there knows it. (I remember bits and pieces>)

"What are we going to do tonight, Bill?"

But the ports are open and vulnerable, so we must plug them.

But we don't know what ports are open, so we must scan them.

--
Shaft of light

The theatre was only about 1/2 full and this was opening weekend. That was the first sign of suckness. Then, I saw that about 95% of the audience was under 16, and they were giggling a lot before the movie even started. Second clue to suckness. Then, all of the previews were for teen movies. That was the third sign of suckness. (Side note: There was a preview of American Pie 2, which looks like a jolly good teen movie. Not all teen movies suck, just most.)

The movie is full of modern music and it is just plain stupid. AC/DC, Queen, and so on, just as Katz said. I can't believe he didn't completely trash this movie! What is wrong with him. It sucked.

The jousting is boring. It is the same thing again and again. The sword fights are much worse than any Society for Creative Anachronism fight I have evr seen. My backyard light saber fights as a kid were better done. The fighting sucked! Don't see this movie expecting any reasonable fighting.

Don't see this movie as a favor to your girlfriend or wife, or friends. Don't see it is a way to burn off extra time on the weekend. Don't see it because you are drunk or high. Don't see it. Please don't see it. It sucked so bad that it isn't even worthy of a MST3000 lampoon. It wasn't stupid or funny or interesting. Avoid the sucking beyond sucking! Avoid it like the plague!

Talk about how bad a Knight's Tale is right here! Tell other people about how bad the movie was. Share your story about the sucking beyond sucking. Prevent others from suffering through this crap stick of a movie....

Try Legend of the Rangers which may possibly become a series like Outer Limits with a change of scene every week.

No - the next generation muppetshow would have to be Farscape, which is, after all, co-produced by The Jim Henson Company

... and possible series (as mentioned in other posts):

http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/art-sfc.html?2001-0 3/20/15.20.sfc

There's also a fan site with more info (spoilers on the B5 character appearing, etc.):

http://www.b5lr.com/

Sci-Fi has said that the new series will launch if the movie looks/does well.

I also enjoy Andromeda very much.

It and Farscape are two of the best Sci-Fi on these days.

Oh, and The Invisible Man

I also enjoy Andromeda very much.

It and Farscape are two of the best Sci-Fi on these days.

Oh, and The Invisible Man

It's a short story. It will take you less than an hour to read. It is definitely worth reading. One of the 'must-reads' of sci-fi. It's short, to the point, and stays with you forever. (At least it has for me.)

Hard to say whether you'd like it, though. It would be a good one to start on, if it's your first Ellison. Also recommended are his 'Dangerous Visions' anthologies. I've got a shelf-full of his stuff.

A few years ago, (quite a few, now) someone tried to publish something with the same name (in Britain). You can copyright the work, but you can't copyright a title. Harlan took them to court and the courts told them they couldn't use his title. It's that important. At least the Brits feel that way. Love them for that. :)

Hah! Found it online. http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/classics/classics_ archive/ellison/ellison1.html It's not long at all. Still affects me the same way, though. Lucky you are, for the first time experience. Can't wait for Alzheimer's. ;} (That's a joke, everyone! Settle down. My grandmother had it. Not fun.)
--

This
or
That

Dancin Santa

TiVo is paranoid enough about your privacy that when they do upload the viewing logs, they are given a creation date and time that's bogus so they can't be matched to the "public" logs. Or to the time you called in. Even if I knew when you called and what you watched and had access, I'd have no way of matching which viewing log went with which machine.

Naturally, no one at the "Privacy Foundation" sought to see what was implemented on the *server* side of the process to ensure anyone's privacy.

But, getting back to all this, why is such information useful? Because shows are expensive to produce. Because airtime is expensive. Because the information about what someone who watches A also watches might be of interest to someone. Like an advertiser.

Perhaps, in the future, better information will help prevent cancelling my favorite shows (like Total Recall 2070 and Cleopatra 2525). Perhaps companies will realize the value of syndication for hour-long quality dramas. Perhaps it'll help open more markets.

And, while I'm in the middle of this commentary, perhaps it'll mean that we get MORE diversity in shows. For example, science fiction author Steven Barnes makes the point that the first show in which an African-American actor: 1) received top billing; 2) for an hour-long drama; 3) that lasted more than one season was Avery Brooks for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Isn't that about 40 years too late?

And so we have Gina Torres, a Hispanic African-American actress, who may well be the second. And the show gets cancelled. Yeah, Cleo isn't exactly as serious as DS9, but it is a solid show. If you care, please write to feedback@studiosusa.com and program@www.scifi.com. After all, it's better than half the original series on SciFi.

_Deirdre

--Ty

Wow, that rant was about the worst thing one could expect from a professional writer.
What happened to eloquence and subtlety?
What happened to NOT drowning out one's own point by using all caps??
What happened to having one's own lawyer review the contents of the release to assure effectiveness??

Haven't read any of his work, have you? Harlan Ellison is about as subtle as the Death Star most of the time, and his only competition for "Most Opinionated Human on the Planet" is George Carlin. Stephen King once described the forward to Harlan's book Strange Wine as making him

suspect I was experiencing something roughly similar to a six-hour rant delivered by Fidel Castro. Always assuming that Fidel was really on that day.*

I stopped taking Harlan seriously after seeing three or four his rants on an "entertainment news" show that the SciFi Channel used to have on. Don't get me wrong, he does good work -- the "City on the Edge of Forever" episode of Star Trek was frickin' brilliant, as were some of the ideas he gave JMS for Babylon 5 -- but IMHO he's kind of a loon.

--Troy

Consider this, though: I argue that the brilliance of SF is that it can address very volitile social issues, like racism, environmentalism, sexism, etc., and do so safely. People may dismiss a story about slavery, for example, but when you change the races to Gorthos enslaving Kangoids, you can tell the same story, and get the same message across. Those of us who grew up in the 70's and 80's all clearly remember the fear of nuclear war, right? The most memorable episode for me was the one called "Experiment in Terra", where Apollo ends up on a suspiciously "earth-like" planet, and has to diffuse a nuclear confrontation between "The Eastern Alliance" and "The People's Nationalist Force". The allegories were clear, even to my 10 year-old brain. It was then that I learned the true power of Science Fiction, and officially became a nerd.

Yes you can. No captain at all. The entire ship is run by a committee... or it could be an anarchy... or a group mind... Hmm, this might even get me to watch the series for an episode or two.

Yes you can. No captain at all. The entire ship is run by a committee... or it could be an anarchy... or a group mind... Hmm, this might even get me to watch the series for an episode or two.

This rumor has been around for months and the first time it shows up on slashdot is just a few days AFTER it gets refuted.

Rumors have suggested that the new series...will center on the early days of the Federation, in the days before the original series. Berman has denied those rumors.
----------

Voyager was so absolutely terrible that I don't care about Star Trek any more. Among Voyager's sins were making the characters one-dimensional and then making them repeatedly behave out of character, and completely ignoring the consequences of past events. It was very shallow Trek, written for people with short attention spans and no background in science fiction.

However, one of the 'More Headlines' on the Trek article page caught my eye: "Pern Pilot Preps For March." "http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/art-main.html?2001 -02/16/14.00.tv" (Note that it's prepping to start shooting in March, not air in March.)

A Pern series could be really cool, and could be unlike anything else that's been on TV before. Pern, if you're not familiar with it, is a planet in a series of books far in the future; a colony ship from Earth lands on this remote planet and is soon beset by environmental problems which cut the colony off from the rest of civilization. Over centuries, technology is gradually lost and science is forgotten, and the people revert to a feudal caste-based society and forget their past. Adventure, romance, and some of the strongest female characters I've seen in literature; it's remarkable stuff, really!

So, who cares about Trek? I want Pern!

If you're in the UK, or somewhere else that gets the UK version of the SciFi channel (no longer related to the US one) this film is being shown tonight at midnight.

A Boy and his Dog. Now that was SF.

yes! it was also made into a movie, although the critics thoroughly panned it. i've never seen it, but what i've read about it implies that it was a pretty faithful adaptation, aside from leaving out some arguable innuendo about just how close the boy and his dog were.

i have to say that harlan ellison is one of the most rewarding reads available. he has all the bizarre alien landscapes of space-opera SF, the WTF?! effect of psychedelic SF, and the imaginative plot-lines of hardcore SF, while never letting you, the human reader, off the hook. he's a very... emphatic person, and his writings reflect that; demanding that you confront some issue other than the fact that you wanted something entertaining to browse while waiting for your dental appointment. yet he does this without resorting to the sometimes embarassing theatrics of, say, Spider Robinson, who tried with Time Pressure and other works to do for the eighties what Heinlein did for the sixties.
except that, at the time, Heinlein was still with us.
and it was the eighties.

again, though, everyone should at least read a few selections from the Essential Harlan Ellison collection. even if you're turned off by his sharpness, you'll not easily forget the experience of reading it.

---

Perhaps what you need is bliss, the amazing product that is .. uum amazing, and everybody needs it.. yeah.. needs it.. hmm.

By the way, whatever happened to Starbridge systems and Time Domain? They were supposed to be the next big thing(tm) too!

Some scenes were from previous Star Wars episodes, the blowing up of the "adobe-looking" wall was from Dune. You can check that out at sci-fi.com. The lightsaber scene was from Braveheart. I must admit they did a good job.

As a matter of fact at starwars.com they are actively requesting people to submit trailers. Just recently there was some legal dispute over this, which resulted in this.

If you've never seen them before, you can find them on their web site, in RealPlayer format. Follow the "I Am Sci Fi" link on the right.

My personal faves are Lara Croft losing at Pong and Moby remixing Close Encounters.

We're not scare-mongering/This is really happening - Radiohead

They're looking for ppl who are "Progressive. High Tech. Exciting. Futuristic. Cutting Edge" That sounds about right. Of course never having met Slashdot's fearless leader, I wouldn't know.

It only takes three seconds to pop his name into the form. Wouldn't you like to know you helped CmdrTaco complete "the ultimate goal of any human being"?

mcSey921
Free your source and the mass will follow.

The SciFi channel (the Dune site is at Scifi.com/Dune) says they will be releasing the series on VHS on January 23rd, if I am not mistaken. They have already released the "behind-the-scenes" on DVD, so I am hoping they will also release the mini-series.

It looks like all 3 parts will run on Sunday Dec 10 at 1PM EST. Check http://www.scifi.com/schedulebot/.
main(O){10<putchar((O--,102-((O&4)*16| (31&60>>5*(O&3)))))&&main(2+O);}

Also note that there is a Stainless Steel Rat movie in the offing. That's the good news. The bad news is that it will be directed by Jan "Speed" "Speed 2" de Bont. Scifi.com has the scoop here and later here.
--

Also note that there is a Stainless Steel Rat movie in the offing. That's the good news. The bad news is that it will be directed by Jan "Speed" "Speed 2" de Bont. Scifi.com has the scoop here and later here.
--

For those of you with good internet connections here's some links to the trailers from the SciFi Channel's web site scifi.com/dune.

These all require Quicktime:

• Official theatrical trailer
• Trailer 2
• The original trailer
  

For those of you with good internet connections here's some links to the trailers from the SciFi Channel's web site scifi.com/dune.

These all require Quicktime:

• Official theatrical trailer
• Trailer 2
• The original trailer
  

For those of you with good internet connections here's some links to the trailers from the SciFi Channel's web site scifi.com/dune.

These all require Quicktime:

• Official theatrical trailer
• Trailer 2
• The original trailer
  

For those of you with good internet connections here's some links to the trailers from the SciFi Channel's web site scifi.com/dune.

These all require Quicktime:

• Official theatrical trailer
• Trailer 2
• The original trailer
  

For those of you with good internet connections here's some links to the trailers from the SciFi Channel's web site scifi.com/dune.

These all require Quicktime:

• Official theatrical trailer
• Trailer 2
• The original trailer
  

Ah, you're still with me. I've read the Dune series several times. Each time I glean something new from the stories, almost parables. Frank Herbert had a deep understanding of people and this is what his works spoke of to me. Leaders, gods, religion, economy, technolgy, government all were important parts of what he tried to impart to his reader. His vision, his golden path, was understanding. I believe that this was the essence of Frank Herbert's Dune.

When Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson set out to continue the telling of Dune epic they did so for their own motivations. Whether it was out of desire for profit, recognition, or reconciliation--I think Frank Herbert was not the easiest person to be the son of--is known only to them I can only speculate, but what is most aparent and much easier to prove is that the two of them are completely wrapped up even mystified with the plot of Dune that they've missed the underlying messages.

Yes, House Atreides and House Harkonne do have things to say. Duncan's trip to the Ginaz Islands had some interesting points about warfare. Not everyone plays by the rules which gave good argument against the idea that there are no rules in war. But even this pales in comparison to Frank Herberts teachings.

Is it fair or should we even compare Brian Herbert's and Kevin Anderson's writing to Frank Herbert's. Realistically I don't think so. Writing is a glimpse at the mind of the author. They are different people and by the very nature of that fact they will write differently. But, being of the same story changes that a bit. I find Brian Herbert's and Kevin Anderson's Dune stories to be very much in the style of Frank Herbert. House Harkonne seems to be even more so than House Atreides. They have followed the "forms." I do not think that is enough. Of course this is the hardcore Dune fanatic in me speaking. There is also a part of me that is glad to see these stories written.

The Dune epic for all its worth is very convoluted. There are portions that are left out, unexplored, or not finished. I enjoy being able to fill in the gaps. In this respect the stories are very exciting for me. Even more exciting is prospect of being able to finish the epic. (What was with the honored maters and the scattered face dancers? More Teg!) Its all plot but its like reading a good Clancy book. Its exciting. My only hope is that they: 1. do not screw up the Dune story too much, 2. progress enough in their writing abilities and understanding to give Dune 7 the respect it deserves, 3. ditch Kevin Anderson. Actually, I think Brian Herbert could have chosen better. After all he's probably doing this to resolve some long standing conflict with his father.

To get a little better understanding of who Kevin Anderson is i suggest reading one of his books. Won't take more than one though. He does strike me as someone with a great depth of character. Maybe once he's been knocked around enough he'll figure himself out better. This interview is definitely worth a watch.

Here at the bottom of the page.

Also this one with Alec Newman. I think he will do a fine job as Paul in the mini series. Although don't get me started about the Dune mini series. Damnit Leto has a beard!

Here.

Ah, you're still with me. I've read the Dune series several times. Each time I glean something new from the stories, almost parables. Frank Herbert had a deep understanding of people and this is what his works spoke of to me. Leaders, gods, religion, economy, technolgy, government all were important parts of what he tried to impart to his reader. His vision, his golden path, was understanding. I believe that this was the essence of Frank Herbert's Dune.

When Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson set out to continue the telling of Dune epic they did so for their own motivations. Whether it was out of desire for profit, recognition, or reconciliation--I think Frank Herbert was not the easiest person to be the son of--is known only to them I can only speculate, but what is most aparent and much easier to prove is that the two of them are completely wrapped up even mystified with the plot of Dune that they've missed the underlying messages.

Yes, House Atreides and House Harkonne do have things to say. Duncan's trip to the Ginaz Islands had some interesting points about warfare. Not everyone plays by the rules which gave good argument against the idea that there are no rules in war. But even this pales in comparison to Frank Herberts teachings.

Is it fair or should we even compare Brian Herbert's and Kevin Anderson's writing to Frank Herbert's. Realistically I don't think so. Writing is a glimpse at the mind of the author. They are different people and by the very nature of that fact they will write differently. But, being of the same story changes that a bit. I find Brian Herbert's and Kevin Anderson's Dune stories to be very much in the style of Frank Herbert. House Harkonne seems to be even more so than House Atreides. They have followed the "forms." I do not think that is enough. Of course this is the hardcore Dune fanatic in me speaking. There is also a part of me that is glad to see these stories written.

The Dune epic for all its worth is very convoluted. There are portions that are left out, unexplored, or not finished. I enjoy being able to fill in the gaps. In this respect the stories are very exciting for me. Even more exciting is prospect of being able to finish the epic. (What was with the honored maters and the scattered face dancers? More Teg!) Its all plot but its like reading a good Clancy book. Its exciting. My only hope is that they: 1. do not screw up the Dune story too much, 2. progress enough in their writing abilities and understanding to give Dune 7 the respect it deserves, 3. ditch Kevin Anderson. Actually, I think Brian Herbert could have chosen better. After all he's probably doing this to resolve some long standing conflict with his father.

To get a little better understanding of who Kevin Anderson is i suggest reading one of his books. Won't take more than one though. He does strike me as someone with a great depth of character. Maybe once he's been knocked around enough he'll figure himself out better. This interview is definitely worth a watch.

Here at the bottom of the page.

Also this one with Alec Newman. I think he will do a fine job as Paul in the mini series. Although don't get me started about the Dune mini series. Damnit Leto has a beard!

Here.

By looking at the previews (which are available in quicktime on the aforementioned site), it seems that the series will be a visual masterpiece, nothing like the horrible David Lynch adaptation... The director of photography for the new series, Vittorio Storaro, is widely known as "the master of color" - and I think this is justified - so the film will probably be beyond eye candy (more like an eye feast with a spa session, and all other comforts). Don't believe me? Go look at the pretty pictures. :-)

Of course, there's always the possiility of massacring the plot, but since this is a miniseries rather than a film, there's a bit less time constraints, so I think there's less of a chance of that happening...

So yep, overall I have high hopes for this miniseries.

By looking at the previews (which are available in quicktime on the aforementioned site), it seems that the series will be a visual masterpiece, nothing like the horrible David Lynch adaptation... The director of photography for the new series, Vittorio Storaro, is widely known as "the master of color" - and I think this is justified - so the film will probably be beyond eye candy (more like an eye feast with a spa session, and all other comforts). Don't believe me? Go look at the pretty pictures. :-)

Of course, there's always the possiility of massacring the plot, but since this is a miniseries rather than a film, there's a bit less time constraints, so I think there's less of a chance of that happening...

So yep, overall I have high hopes for this miniseries.

Not to bash him or anything, but he should really stick to his own work. His stuff with Dune is absolutely awful. Frank Herbert, above all was a writer who could weave complex themes through complex characters in a such a way that you were never aware that you were in the middle of an exposition. Anderson, on the other hand, wouldn't know subtlety if it hit him over the head with a sledgehammer. Herbert lets you figure things out for yourself over the course of the novel, Anderson tells you three times in the character's "thoughts."

On the other hand, I'm really looking forward to the Sci-Fi Channel's Dune miniseries in December. Looks like a good adaptation.

I'm a former owner of an Ohio Scientific Inc. Challenger 4P. [1] Didn't see it in this article's history, so went looking for some links and found a treasure trove of computer history on a site in New Zealand. Check out this query on Google where you can try and reach the original site (I kept getting timeout errors) or access the cached pages on Google.

[1] When I first showed this computer to my girlfriend at the time, she saw the big letters "OSI" on the front of it, and her mouth just dropped open and her eyes got as big as they could be. I could tell she was VERY IMPRESSED. This was around 1982, and since very few people had personal computers, then, I understood her amazement. That is, until she explained that she thought I was involved with the ultra-secret government agency "Office of Scientific Intelligence" which was featured on the then-popular TV show "The Six-Million Dollar Man"!

I'm a former owner of an Ohio Scientific Inc. Challenger 4P. [1] Didn't see it in this article's history, so went looking for some links and found a treasure trove of computer history on a site in New Zealand. Check out this query on Google where you can try and reach the original site (I kept getting timeout errors) or access the cached pages on Google.

[1] When I first showed this computer to my girlfriend at the time, she saw the big letters "OSI" on the front of it, and her mouth just dropped open and her eyes got as big as they could be. I could tell she was VERY IMPRESSED. This was around 1982, and since very few people had personal computers, then, I understood her amazement. That is, until she explained that she thought I was involved with the ultra-secret government agency "Office of Scientific Intelligence" which was featured on the then-popular TV show "The Six-Million Dollar Man"!

Sci-Fi doesn't exactly have a huge treasure trove of quality original programming, but give credit where credit is due. For example: Farscape, despite having Wizard of Oz syndrome in the casting room ("Okay - we need an Alien Warrior, Exotic Priestess, Loveable Rogue, and Good 'Ol Boy - get casting!"), cheesy intro-outro music (think closing theme to ST:TOS style wailing), and awful villians (C'mon. A guy named Scorpius?), has some of the best dialogue to ever grace a sci-fi show, some truly mind-fscking plot twists, and some great special effects. Not to mention, many bonus points for Claudia Black. Rrowl.

#40 on the list, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, has been very influential to old school Mystery Science Theater 3000 fans.

I mean, really. How much material did we get from that one?? The Patrick Swayze Christmas song alone was one of the great formative experiences of my childhood. Well, sorta. OK, no. But it was damn funny!

- Greg, MSTie #24910

seanmeister

Nickie Haflinger has a unique talent: He's a phone phreak, someone who can manipulate the global data network using an ordinary veephone. And in a world where everything but the odd "paid-avoidance zone" is tied to the net, he's a dangerous man. More than one man, actually, since his ability -- combined with a pilfered high-level government code -- allows him to change identities at will.

A good deal of the time Science Fiction only gets part of the future right. John Brunner, at least in terms of the setting of the future, is very correct. His book foresaw the internet when most science fiction writers were still imagining big supercomputers acting as separate entities, programmed by tons of punch cards. However the pessimistic view he takes of the effect of this new future I find unbelievable. But then again, what do I know, this essay might have well caused someone to experience information overload :-)

To answer your question about tapeworms, in 1980 researchers at Xerox PARC dubbed the first self-replicating, self-propagating computer program a "worm", after the "tapeworms" Nickie used to erase his previous identities.

Hope this helps.