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Terraforming Earth

The clones intend to save planet Earth, no matter how many million years it takes them

CC.

This article focuses only on console games, ignoring the similarly-large range of PC franchises torpedoed by bad decisions or greedy publishers.

Star Control III was nowhere the game its predecessors were. SC2 was possibly the best space exploration title ever released, better even than Starflight 1 & 2, whereas SC3 was a lame duck pseudo-RTS with a terrible plot and spaceships populated by talking puppets. Jesus wept.

Thief 3 was another PC title that fell far short of its predecessors, though a lot of the game's problems stemmed from compromises made in adapting the game for XBox, especially the division of levels into extremely small zones.

The ICF should be looking in Eureka, everyone knows that!

SCI FI Channel unveiled a new slate of programs in development, which includes shows from executive producers George Clooney, Darren Star and Mark Burnett. SCI FI made the announcement Jan. 12 at the Television Critics Association's winter press tour in Pasadena, Calif.

Diamond Age, based on Neal Stephenson's best-selling novel The Diamond Age: Or a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer, is a six-hour miniseries from Clooney and fellow executive producer Grant Heslov of Smokehouse Productions.

source: http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category= 0&id=39447

It is true that once you measure that photon, you only extract the one bit of information, but if you were to send this photon into a quantum computer, you could do all sorts of analysis on it first. So in some sense the information is there, it's just not extractable.

Also, see the 1966 short story by Bob Shaw that anticipated this:
Slow Light

Season 10 is in mid-season hiatus. Just to confuse matters, the SciFi network often refers to the last episode before the hiatus as a "season finale" and the first episode after the hiatus as a "season premiere."

According to the official website for SG-1, new episodes are "coming soon." Looks like the UK already got to see episodes we're currently waiting for, if comments in the Gateworld forum are to be believed.

So far, I haven't been able to pin down an exact air date for the US. The Wikipedia entries for SG-1's episodes only give the original airdate for "The Quest part 2" as January 9th, which appears to be the airdate for the UK. This kind of scheduling idiocy is why season 1 of Battlestar Galactica was well underway in the UK by the time it started airing in the US.

Best I can say: According to this forum thread, the second half of season 10 will begin airing here in the States in April. Kind of a long time to wait, IMHO.

Season 10 is in mid-season hiatus. Just to confuse matters, the SciFi network often refers to the last episode before the hiatus as a "season finale" and the first episode after the hiatus as a "season premiere."

According to the official website for SG-1, new episodes are "coming soon." Looks like the UK already got to see episodes we're currently waiting for, if comments in the Gateworld forum are to be believed.

So far, I haven't been able to pin down an exact air date for the US. The Wikipedia entries for SG-1's episodes only give the original airdate for "The Quest part 2" as January 9th, which appears to be the airdate for the UK. This kind of scheduling idiocy is why season 1 of Battlestar Galactica was well underway in the UK by the time it started airing in the US.

Best I can say: According to this forum thread, the second half of season 10 will begin airing here in the States in April. Kind of a long time to wait, IMHO.

I thought the story was about Battlestar Galactica until I read the summary. :)

With this set of personal flying wings strapped to your back, you'll be able to bail out of a plane miles from your target, glide to a landing area while staying virtually undetectable by radar, and then pull the rip cord on your 'chute for a soft landing

The key thing I think they've failed to account for in all of this is that, if they're even a little smarter than the guards in Splinter Cell, people are somewhat likely to be alarmed enough by falling wings that they don't just go back to patrolling while you continue to descend by parachute.

Shear Thickening Fluid (STF) is a liquid armor that turns extremely hard and spreads itself out when punctured or struck with a high-velocity object, such as a bullet.

Making it only a matter of time before the phrase "Gear up" is replaced by "STF up!"

So more important to me is will we get slow glass out of this? Slow glass is glass that light can take really (years) long periods to pass through. The idea for slow glass comes from a great short story by the late Bob Shaw called Light of Other Days. See the full text at:

http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/classics/classics_ archive/shaw/shaw1.html

And could slow glass function as a "type" of invisibility or camouflage in this context?

Thanks,

PaGeN

What about the Eugenics Wars?

How did the whole planet earth come under the dominion of a handful of super-human genetically engineered dictators?

How did the regular people win over their oppressors?
It would be great to have an episode where the ending shot is of a lone ship fleeing earth from the far side of the moon,
that ship being found again in Space Seed where Kirk meets Khan.
What massive oppression forced a battle so great that Khan lost badly, and fled Earth?

There was a big buildup of the fall of civilization before the founding of star fleet and the enterprise,
with people living in walled off sections of cities with no jobs, chaos in the streets, ( a lot like certain gated community areas in Florida).

That whole - Pre Federation - Pre Enterprise time period was as dark and hopeless as TOS was inspired and optimistic.
Just when you don't think the show could not get darker - it constantly gets worse and worse for the protagonists?

That would be a great prequel build up explaining how Enterprise came to be,
all that stuff that hit the fan before the 1st Warp Drive and the Vulcans came into the picture.

Sort of a Mad Max Meets Star Trek.

Alternately - just do TOS entire series in the mirror universe!
The Empire kicked A** and made sure the whole galaxy was aware of it!
"Weapons are at Maximum."

LONG LIVE THE EMPIRE!

"Informative!? I see toys, clothes and video games, but no gadgets."

Sorry. Gadget-wise, he used to sell a "remote anti-gravity flying saucer (for $625,000.99 U.S.)", but I can't find it in his catalogue anymore. He must have sold out.

"... fracking ..."

According to http://blog.scifi.com/battlestar/, it is actually spelled "frakking" ("frak" for the standard form).

Whoo-hoo! Grammar Nazi for science fiction words!

You can see 'em here
http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/video/

Or go find them on bittorrent as .avi's
(which is what I did)
(it's not like the writers are getting residuals anyways)

...you can take the popularity and success of the format to realize how you can do what they do even better and still profit, either by streaming it yourself for free, or selling downloads.

Now I don't have to watch the rest of Eureka to see what it is.

BTW, The new season of Battlestar Galactica premieres tomorrow night on Sci Fi! :) Check out the webisodes on http://www.scifi.com/ today. They update you on what happened between the two seasons.

Hmmm. I seem to have digressed. What was I going on about again? Oh, yeah, Star Wars was NOT a "low budget movie". Anyway, who cares. Watch Battlestar Galactica tomorrow night. :)

That's already being done with Caprica. I wouldn't be surprised if some drunken human did shoot a Cylon first (i.e., "Ah, sheriff, the stupid toaster was in my way!") and another Cylon took it personally.

I must humbly interject at this point to gently point out that you surely must be out of your frackin' mind.

Ahem.

Anyways, you may want to include a profile of a Viper or a Battlestar, or perhaps a portrait style shot of a metallic Cylon soldier (those would be the more classic looking ones).

Surely there have to be other sci-fi series in production. Hmmm... does the Spaceballs cartoon count?

Is CERN trying to copy b movies
http://www.scifi.com/blackhole/

According to Sci-Fi Wire, those won't start airing until next week: "CBS Paramount Domestic Television will release the digitally remastered episodes of Star Trek for air in syndication on more than 200 broadcast stations, starting Sept. 16."

I'm not sure about episodes, but the scifi moments that stand out most for me are the end of the the ST:TNG season 3 finale The Best of Both Worlds, Part I, and the beginning of the BSG episode Downloaded, in which Alternate Baltar is first seen.

I have some life, but it's a slippery slope, isn't it?

From the channel's website, http://www.scifi.com/help/channelfaq/

2. How do I get SCI FI?
The cable "universe" has been estimated at around 74 million homes, and almost all of them get SCI FI. Keep telling your cable provider what you want to see. One way to get word to your cable company is to write them at the address printed on your bill. A useful list of companies can also be found at the TVinsite/Broadcasting & Cable trade-magazine site, along with links where available. We are aware of the few cable affiliates in the country that don't presently carry us and are doing everything we can to get them to do so. International viewers might be able to pick up SCI FI by satellite. SCI FI UK /SCI FI Europe is available to those across the big pond, but although they used to be part of this company, we have no affiliation with them now. Furthermore, SCI FI Europe has its own programming schedule and always has.

This reminds of one of crappy sci-fi B movie i saw last year ... http://www.scifi.com/larva/

Carter... skip Carter
Joe rules!! http://www.scifi.com/eureka/cast/jo/ See her in the lastest one? And her line was perfect, it applied to that kid(guy) in the show and everyone watching. And I knew I saw her before somewhere..

http://www.scifi.com/dresdenfiles/

It's due in January, at last word. Hopefully it will be good.

I saw a blurb somewhere about the show, and that's how I got into the books. And I'm damn glad I did. :)

The Sci-Fi channel lost my respect when they were airing the "Crossing Over" fake psychic show. From this link, http://www.scifi.com/johnedward/aboutjohn/ it looks like they are still airing it.

I'd rather them finish the Ori story reasonably quickly and end the show on a moderately high note (probably not as high as season 8, but high nonetheless) rather than dragging it on and on. While it's commendable how they've handled the transition to the new cast, it's not something that can be kept up indefinitely.

And that was the problem I had with the timeing of Sci-fi canceling the show. Everything I had read, from scifi channel and from fan sites, said that the actors and writers had both signed on for both the 10th and 11th seasons. Canning the show in the middle of the 10th season like this, with summer left for filming the second half of the season, I can't help but expect an ending much like Farscape. As the folks over at gateworld.com have said, "Ironically, this is the first year since Season Four that plans were already in place, both creatively and in signed actor contracts, for another year. The show has lived on year-to-year since moving to SCI FI, with the writers forced to write a possible series finale every year -- only to find the show renewed once again." http://www.gateworld.net/news/2006/08/istargate_sg -1i_cancelled_iatlan.shtml

At least Devlin has said there are serious plans for a movie sequal. http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?id=37194

Arrgh!!! Now what am I to do on Friday nights?!?!?!?!?

The only thing that last episode made obvious to me was that it is time for me to stop wasting my time on SG-1. And Atlantis wasn't much better...

The only thing that last episode made obvious to me was that it is time for me to stop wasting my time on SG-1. And Atlantis wasn't much better...

Nice try. Anyone who remembers "Crackers Dont' Matter" is obviously a die-hard fan. ;)

Ding,ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!
Star Gate is in fact cancelled

You'll love scifi.com then! Try it from a non-flash browser. This thing will just keep on refreshing -forever- trying to detect flash.

Ironically, this site isn't alone (and supposedly isn't `amature' either).

You, my friend, fail.

Nah, I prefer to use this for situations like that.

http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category= 3&id=35849&type=0 Rick McCallum, George Lucas' longtime Star Wars producing partner, told SCI FI Wire that future projects are a ways off, including a live-action TV show that is at least a year and a half away. "Star Wars TV series, probably not for a couple of years," McCallum said in an interview at the Saturn Awards in Universal City, Calif., on May 2. "George is starting to start the basic concept of it. ... We're interviewing writers. We're seeing a lot of people. But I'd say it's not going to be happening for another at least 18 months." McCallum also denied rumors that the new series would focus on members of the Skywalker family, but repeated that the show will take place in the timeframe between Episode III and IV. "All-new characters," he added. "That missing 20-year period when Luke is growing up. ... Think bounty hunter. That's all I can tell you. There's nobody else that you'll know [in it]. At the moment. You know, it's still [in] really, really early stages. He hasn't really sat down to think about which direction [he's going]."

Some guy posted below about this but he linked to YouTube - why do that when you can link directly to the SciFi page for The Amazing Screw-On Head. It's a pretty well written cartoon with an interesting style, and I thought it was much funnier than "Nobody's Watching". After you finish watching it on SciFi you can tell them what you thought about the pilot via a quick poll, and if enough people like it we'll see more on SciFi.

Remember the Zombie Parasite threads here a few weeks ago?

Sci-Fi's special Stargate SG-1 True Science repeats tonight at 1AM Eastern.

Among the items mentioned:
Pig parasites in people
Ant parasites that cause suicidal behavior

We now resume our regularly scheduled thread.

For more on this topic, try Consider Her Ways by John Wyndham. Men have been wiped out by a gender-specific plague, but an all-female caste society lives on, and considers itself a utopia.

It's a longish short story, and available online for free over here. (Legitimately, no less.)

Wow, it took all those people to "reinvent" a Zero-Point Module (ZPM) device:

"A ZPM is capable of generating immense amounts of energy by utilizing zero point energy which derives from a phenomenon known as the quantum foam (subatomic wormholes opening and closing constantly in and out of subspace). A ZPM contains an artificially created region of subspace from which this power is drawn. Since this process is thermodynamically irreversible, every ZPM (if used) will eventually reach maximum entropy, at which point it is depleted and can no longer provide power."

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero_Point_Module

We knew all along that Dr. Samantha Carter is the brightest of all to figure this one out,
while it took all those people to figure that out. ;)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samantha_Carter

http://www.scifi.com/atlantis/tech/

P.S. I know, I know, it's just a sci-fi show... still! =)

the Q7 fits inside your ear without a clip going over it; it has a small rubber piece that bends within the contours of your ear to keep it stable, which looks kind of strange but is actually quite comfortable.

Uhhh....

Too late.

Mansquito

http://www.scifi.com/mansquito/

I hope it does a really, really good job of discerning between cameras and people with really thick glasses. Or with glassy-eyed stares. Or....

      Specially when they might be driving, walking around the swimming-pool, the stairs, second-story sun decks, marinas. ( Hey, so I can 'patent' a landscape now ? Or a view ? Put a few of these on a mountain range and only paying viewers will be allowed to see the view. As they drive by, for example. ... )

      And, will the anti-pinhole-camera procedures work equally well against mosquitoes and flies ? Might be a bright point, there.

      Or special versions might be made for the view-shy. Pretty girls, ugly girls, Dr. Richard Kimble, etc. Only the 'chosen' would have the right to see them. Imagining tech details oughtn't to be a problem around here.

      How about projecting images directly onto the retina ? How come no-one thought of that ? :-?

      Thank goodness no-one would ever have a more sinister use for the technology. Yadda, etc. (*sigh*!).

If the DVD is inadeqate for your needs, you may still be in luck. From Sci Fi's version of the story at http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category= 0&id=36328:

Blade Runner: Final Cut will arrive in 2007 for a limited 25th-anniversary theatrical run, followed by a special-edition DVD with the three previous versions offered as alternate viewing.

We'll see how "limited" that limited release is, but certainly if you're in a major city (or if you're dedicated enough to travel), you should have the chance to see it on a big screen again.

Wouldn't Picard's days at SA have been more interesting? I mean, he was a party animal, ladies man, and was stabbed through the heart in a fight. Sounds more interesting to me.

Being a Trek fan for the last, oh, 25 years, I REALLY think they need to step outside of Trek lore to create something that will be worth watching. Of course it probably won't happen, but with the commercial and/or critical successes of Battlestar Galactica and Firefly , Paramount needs to wakeup and realize that if they don't change soon, they risk the franchise as a whole.

Next time you're in the aisles of your favorite bookstore, take a peek at some of the fiction aimed towards women. You know the type I'm talking about.

Now take a look at a book aimed more at a male audience.

Which one of these has the lurid sex scenes, do ya figure?

I loaned LoTR to my wife. After reading part of it, she stopped. Why? No sex. If she can't read a classic with a little sex in it, she'd just as soon read something cheesy with a lot of sex in it.

Or compare the typical cheesy male-targeted TV series' content to something that draws a lot more women.

If you want more women, you need more romance. And by "romance," I mean "sex."

This whole "no sex in entertainment" thing is really a male chauvinist guy thing.

Gonna cause whole different attitudes about clothing. Maybe the only relevant story isn't Green Patches. Maybe we should be looking at The Puppet Masters

*snert*

-Rustin

but Zoe's Radio has got to be one of the better ones, she RJs very well for someone so young:
Podcast feed: http://webjay.org/by/iancr/zoe5c27sradioshow.xml

Then let's not forget the (supershort but funny) Onion Radio News.

When BSG's on air, Ron Moore's podcasts are also good listening.