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Careful, you'll end up shipped to the Alpha Site like the guy in tonight's Stargate episode.

Lets hope this project doesn't look like a giant comfy chair and extracts memories.

"SF is preferred over scifi,"

The Light of Other Days.

From what Brian Henson said here, it doesn't sound like they're trying to wrap it up:

"Part of the plan was to bring Farscape to a place in the big story where we could now go in lots of diffrent directions. We could make a movie, we could make a spin-off series, and I hope to do all of those things."

From Brian Henson's statements here:

"Our intention is that new audiences should be able to follow this, but they will have to concentrate hard."

He also says that the miniseries will "bring Farscape to a place in the big story where we could now go in lots of different directions. We could make a movie, we could make a spin-off series, and I hope to do all of those things."

This all depends on the success of the miniseries though, so even if you're new, even if you're a Trekkie, you should still tune in. Give SciFi a reason to stop making the sub-B garbage they're constantly spewing out and stick with what works.

EFNET? EFNET?!? Home of channel flooders, net splits, and a little channel called #startrek? Man oh man, that takes me back to 1995 :-)

I switched to the scifi channel's dominion convention irc server (events.scifi.com? something like that) back in like 19...97? Anyone out remember the original name of scifact's (before he turned into rifraf) channel? I got to ask Walter Koenig two questions (including the final question). Very exciting for the nerdular teenage boy that I was. Just check out the transcript. I'm still using the name nick (Gulthek - don't ask).

I still maintain contact with three people I met on that server.

Thanks for the trip isotope23.

jarjar binks on tv? *yawn*
In more important news: NEW Battlestar Galactica is on SciFi January 2005!

Lexx used this technique and did a pretty good job of it - especially considering it was being done for television.

http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/classics/classics_ archive/spinrad/spinrad1.html

Ah yes - The Light Of Other Days by Bob Shaw.

I, however, like the idea of having the playback speed slower than the input speed so the image steadily gets further out of sync.

Of course, there would be a need for ever increasing buffer space:-)

Here it is it's worth the read.

Here's the story. The concept in the story is based on some homogeneous material, but that's a nit.

Next project for this guy should be "slow glass."

Haven't you seen the ads for the Farscape Peacekeeping Wars coming in October?

Latest reports have a 10-foot-tall fungal-like growth expanding rapidly and resisting all fire and chemical methods of containment.

Oh, come on. Everyone knows it's going to be nearly impossible to tell what's going on, except that the rubber fittings on the helicopters will spontaneously dissolve, and the only survivors in the nearby town will be the colicky baby and the Sterno swigging wino. Right?

We've seen this before and it goes without saying that bringing unidentified samples of space-stuff back to Earth is, of course, 100% safe. Good thing it's Utah and not Piedmont, Ariz., right?

Maybe Genesis is a perfect name? ;-)

Here's a Sci-Fi Channel review of a book of Star Trek Origami. My brother owns this book (he's an origami geek); it's definitely cool.

A realistic description of such a society may be found in Walter M. Miller Jr's science fiction classic A Canticle for Leibowitz . Some excellent reviews of this book may be found here, and, on our own Slashdot, here.

If I remember correctly, the first part of the book concerns a garden variety electronic schematic entitled "Transistorized Control System for Unit Six-B". A monastic religious order has devoted itself to the preservation of this and other "memorabilia". In an attempt to preserve it, one of the younger monks has reproduced it by hand. The reproduction is not an exact copy though; it has been "illuminated" with gold lettering, ivy climbing around the margins, and cherubs. One of my favorite scenes is when the "illuminated" copy is mistaken for the original.

I imagine that the residents of such a world would marvel at the amazing artifacts left by "the Ancients". They might wonder about things like Road , as the inhabitants of John Crowley's book Engine Summer refer to our freeway system. I can hear questions like "What was it used for?" and "I wonder how they lived." (See David Macaulay's Motel of the Mysteries for a scholarly discussion of what our descendents might think a toilet seat was used for.)

Of course, perspectives like these are not unfamiliar to us; think about how we view the Egyptians and the Mayans. Makes one wonder...

He's more of a Darph Bobo, IMO.

The author Iain M. Banks has discussed this issue throughout his "Culture" series of books. He suggests that perhaps there are galazy spanning civilisations out there, but that they are evolved enough to leave us alone until we reach a level as a species where we can be considered for inclusion in the galactic community.

Why would they need to do anything as unsubtle as establishing moonbases when they could have invisible ships 30 kms long able to control every single tv screen on this planet from outside the orbit of Jupitor? :)

In fact, one of his short stories from the collection The State of the Art is about what happens when the Culture use Earth as part of a control group. An excellent read.

Of course this is sci-fi but you get the drift. If anyone is interested I would go as far as saying that for thought provoking Sci-Fi, Iain M. Banks is the man to beat at the moment.

Here he is in an interview at scifi.com talking about his writing. And here is the man with a few introductory notes on the Culture for the unitiated - I just picked this site from the top of google so I hope they don't mind me posting here :P

Online chat I had once...

Moderator: <Chanchiya> to <Moderator>: Mr. Shatner, would you appear on Star Trek again as another character if the opportunity rose?

WilliamShatner: No, I would not. And duty calls in the form of the audience that I have to appear in front of.

WilliamShatner: So let me say goodbye for now.

Stargate SG1: Spinoff of a pretty good movie
Stargate Atlantis: Spinoff of a spinoff
BS: Galactica: Remake
Andromeda (LBX): Bought from syndication
Scare Tactics: science FICTION channel REALITY series.

They have a couple other "original" series that I have not seen so I do not feel comfortable talking about. Good for them that there seem to still be a few original shows. See here for their seriously weakened lineup when compared to a few years ago: http://www.scifi.com/onair/shows/

Apparently original ideas are no longer acceptable on SciFi channel. ;)

Why else cancel the amazing show that is Farscape? Farscape takes science fiction to a new level, and a lot of people are picking up on it after the huge fan response to the cancellation.

(Okay actually SciFi didn't "approve" of Farscape because they didn't own it top to bottom. The Farscape game, the little action figures, everything, was under Henson's control. Under the surface the Farscape cancellation is about media consolidation; SciFi Channel doesn't like what they can't own completely.) See this Ted Turner article about this general trend in the industry: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2004/040 7.turner.html

A lot of people still haven't seen Farscape, so I invite you to watch it Monday through Friday, 9AM-4PM, from Friday, Oct. 1, through Friday, Oct. 15. SciFi channel is airing all 4 seasons so people can catch up.

I beg of you; spread the word about this amazing show.

p.s. I do not wish to offend on Stargate fans or Andromeda fans. Im just extremely passionate about Farscape, I hope you will not be turned off by my enthusiasm.

Farscape is coming back as Farscape: Peacekeeper Wars. Old News.

New series based on Ursula K LeGuin's EarthSea coming in December. Old News.

Firefly is coming back in movie form as Serenity next summer. Old News.

SciFi channel is also contemplating a Larry Niven Ringworld miniseries. Old News.

And most likely, there's going to be another 8 or so Tremors spinoffs...

Farscape is coming back as Farscape: Peacekeeper Wars. Old News.

New series based on Ursula K LeGuin's EarthSea coming in December. Old News.

Firefly is coming back in movie form as Serenity next summer. Old News.

SciFi channel is also contemplating a Larry Niven Ringworld miniseries. Old News.

And most likely, there's going to be another 8 or so Tremors spinoffs...

No, this is a pretty light bike.

http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue109/classic.html

THX 1138

Err, didn't battlestar galactica get picked up?
http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/

I seem to recall O'neil using a similar interface when they found the outpost of the Ancients in Antarctica. (episode guide here) He smooshed his hand around in some jelly-like substance and then suddently, a swarm of arse-kicking energy-beam thingys handed Anubis his ass.

If I recall, SG1 was Sci-Fi's highest rated series last year, but I can't back that up. However, the season premiere last Firday broke almost every record they had.

Battlestar Galactica

I still want Crusade back. :(

Avoiding the flash...Check out this related article at Sci Fi Wire: Atlantis Forges Own Identity and another at the Florida Sun-Sentinel: Stargate SG-1 spinoff tinkers with the tale of the lost continent in a planet far, far away.

This doesn't look very promising, imho.

-s4xton

THIS has been done before.

We can rebuild him. We have the technology.

We have the capability to make the world's first Bionic man.

Rafael Macedo de la Concha will be that man.

Better than he was before.

Better . . . stronger . . . faster.

duh nah nah nah nahhhh...

Jack O'Neill: "That's O'Neill with two L's, the other one has no sense of humor."

http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/art-main.html?2004- 06/04/09.00.books

And yet ... his technology/science is first rate, as already mentioned. But more than that, I find his vision of future history and culture to be quite compelling. And I would disagree that he has pacing problems, I find them to be very tightly plotted and exciting to read. And, as John Clute said about Revelation Space, he is good at evoking "the thrilled melancholy of the abyss" which I would agree is part of the appeal of space opera.

All in all though, having just read Absolution Gap I am disappointed that Reynolds hasn't overcome these sorts of problems after four novels. Perhaps he is just better at the short forms of fiction (Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days was excellent). His next novel is not tied to his previous ones, and he has also taken the plunge into writing full-time, so maybe he will take this opportunity to became the great writer that he easily could be.

Oh, and my other suggestions for where to go after Vinge: Greg Egan, Iain M. Banks, Ken MacLeod, Gregory Benford (especially the Galactic Center books), David Brin (Uplift).

Bad idea

this

• 1) Meteorites
• 2) Anomalous plant growth

• 3) Pro... $%$! NO!... Be afraid be VERY afraid

This sounds familiar.... I think if you keep pushing down on it, you'll pick up alien plans to invade Hollywood. It's amazing! [scifi.com]

For the fine art of tit-bounce physics, check out Tripping the Rift on SciFi. (The first episode is available streamed from their site).

Did they find the Stargate there?

Realdoll + Asimo + aforementioned milking machine = alpha build of the sex slave android.
Seriously, Honda, stop it with the freaky looking spaceman shit, and give us some Six of One.

Some might argue South Park beat them to it. Sure, it wasn't originally made for the Internet, but its popularity once it hit the net surely was a big part of them getting a show.

But if you don't think that counts, Tripping the Rift definately should.

Nope. Looks like it's "a new director's cut".

It's not a movie, but a show geared towards adult audiences. Tripping the Rift is CG featuring adult-oriented content. No actual sex or nudity so far, but lots of adult humour. A few choice quotes from the show would be:

"Just once when I moan 'Oh God...Oh, God!', I really want to mean it."

"Well, you know what they say: You can lead a horse to water, but you can't get over how big its genitals are."

"How'd you like to take a free ride on a girl with four gams and no gag reflex?"

It's coming to a television near you. Watch it.

And viewers get to vote who gets excluded from the radiation shield during particle storms? Awsome!

Actually it is boring because it is too predictable: The person voted out is either the nerd, minorities, or the guy with the red shirt.

July 16 2004.

Here is the official site.

Come on now...the theory I linked to is just as valid!

This is old news.

Atlantis is a lost colony of the Ancients. There will be series about it starting around July, 22 episodes or so.

Robert

PS ;)

In other news, sources close to the project reveal that their lead for locating the lost city of Atlantis was provided to them by insiders at the NID, a US civilian agency which monitors top-secret military and intelligence projects. Those sources also revealed their apprehension that the US president would appropriate the site and assign its exploration to an elite team of Air Force operatives who have been exploring other worlds during the past seven seasons and one feature film.