Hi-Sci-Fi

This week we have Warren Freyburg join us live to explore some special feelings on Doctor Who. Freyburg actually has his own podcast, Radio Free Scaro, and has been working in the tech and media industry in Vancouver, now working on his own web-based production company, FreyburgMedia.com.

We talk shop. We geek out.

by Irma Arkus

If you’ve been watching the “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” perhaps you’ve left the theatre wondering: what is adamantium, the indestructable metal Logan seems to be covered with head-to-toe? What is this strange substance that can destroy anything, and more importantly, where can I get some?

Adamantium is actually a fictional metal. The strange alloy used to make Wolverine indestructable is an alloy found strewn across the comic books. While the comics do explain that the creation of the alloy is a metallurgic creation, patented by a US scientists and kept under lock and key by Pentagon, the idea of Adamantium, the real stuff, has been on the minds of scientists for a while.

We all know that real women and men of science are pretty geeky, and tend to read this blog, and listen to HiSciFi…but I digress. My point is that most scientists have been fantasizing about creating just such an alloy. Over the years, we have been experimenting with variety of metals that would make steel look weak in comparison, and superfluous by consumer standards to boot.

Today, for example, scientists at Indiana University have confirmed that neutron star crusts are 10 billion times stronger than steel.

According to Charles Horowitz, the large-scale molecular dynamics computer simulations revealed the strange dynamic of neutron stars. As they are only slightly less dense than black holes, a teaspoon of the neutron crust “stuff,” should weigh about 100 tons.

These remarkable, sturdy and ultra strong neutron stars are so heavy that the ridges and surface irregularities have the ability to radiate gravitational waves, and suspectedly, may create ripples in space/time.

Neutron star glory aside, spiders are amazing!!!

Spider silk has long been touted as the stuff stronger than steel. But turning it into something that can resemble a vest, or a tank, tends to be little harder.

Recent research into spider silk by Kraig Biocraft Laboratories has made it an even tougher substance. Apparently, using “atomic layer deposition” process, in other words, adding minute amounts of metal to spider silk would make it even stronger than the regular spider silk.

Spider mutants anyone?

The addition of metals, such as zinc, titanium or aluminum to spider silk, makes the silk some three times stronger.

And most recently, Spectra fibre, a super strong polyethylene material that is already utilized in textile industry developed by Honeywell, is some 15 times stronger than steel. While applications for Spectra fibre has come down to rather uncool “storm curtains,” the material is pretty impressive.

The most successful effort at creating cheap, yet awesomely strong material, is Buckypaper. Florida Advanced Center for Composite Technologies (FAC2T) is currently working with Buckypaper, in an attempt to develop some applications for the hardy stuff.

Made of carbon nano-tubes, Buckypaper is twice as strong as diamonds, has thermal and current conductive properties, can be lit and potentially used as a screen material, and much much more.

So, maybe I cannot heal like Wolverine. Or grow tufts of hair like Logan. I can, however, enjoy some of the latest materials, looking forward to my new shiny curtains, and fantasize about my adamantium claws.

Tarek Suliman and Irma Arkus sit in and explain the details on dreaded “Swine Flu” or better known as H1N1.

What kind of virus is it? How do you get it? How to prevent an infection?

Tune in to find out.

by Irma Arkus

New research confirms that marine life in naturally abundant areas has substantially declined.

Simon Fraser University scientists Isabelle Côté, John Reynolds, Michelle Paddack and Phil Molloy authored a study: “Region-wide declines in Caribbean reef fish abundance.” The authors found that it is not only overfishing that has an impact on the declining fish population, once considered unlimited and abundant, but the withdrawal of coral reefs itself.

The loss of habitat is another factor that has to be taken into account, according to the study, and the increased damage to coral reefs, primarily tied to climate change, such as acidification of water, sedimentation, disease and pollution are having an impact on an ocean belt considered invaluable in terms of habitat and fertility of marine life.

Additionally, coastal developments are increasingly causing damage to the coral reefs. Recent attempts at rehabilitation of coral reefs using core concrete fills has been a success, but only marginally so, as the programs cannot keep up with increasing damage to the coral.

Now, authors hope to uncover more information on additional coral structures. Most famous ones, and only recently uncovered are in Georgia Straight area, a marine ecosystem that has had until recently very little research attributed to. The scientists hope to uncover links of how these factor and ecosystems interact, affect fish and marine life population, and vice versa.

For more information, read here.

by Irma Arkus

Reviews are showering the newly released Wolverine with some kind words, and announced already is a planned sequel to adventures of the fab mankitten (is it me, or have we been cat-obsessed lately?).

Wolverine is a popular X-Men character who had a comic book series of its own, simply because the healing powers, cool hair and retractable claws ooozed with cool. Most fans however, had very little knowledge of Wolverine’s past and origins, and even though fans of X-Men feel slightly cheated, as the X-Men movies featured Wolverine prominently and were partially focused on his past, the film was meant to elaborate in-depth on the humble origins of one of world’s best known comic book characters.

The major focal point of the film is Wolverine’s tie to Sabretooth, and the evolution of their complicated relationship.

While the film boasts the meager PG-13 rating (*yawn* “Has anyone seen Will Smith?!”) the screenplay did treat the film subject in a mediocre yet acceptable fashion. Oh, sure, this is no Dark Knight, but it does provide for a well-designed superhero experience, once again confirming that the comic book film franchises have matured to an acceptable, if slightly predictable, level of filmmaking. Best of all, Wolverine made up for the lackluster X-Men film finale.

As a fan of X-Men, my ire had no bounds. The last film in the X-Men franchise left me cold, and disinterested, but watching the mankitty do his thing on the silver screen, made up for that initial waste of time.

The comic book superheroes have all grown up. Now we just have to muster enjoying their on-screen feuds. With pleasure, I say.

This week we talk with Clare Bell, author of Ratha’s series of books, some pretty novel literature aimed at young adults: cats, better yet prehistoric cats, who are intelligent, a little bit hormonal, like to socialize and indulge in animal rearing.

The interesting thing about Bell is that she is currently using Twitter to write her next novel. The new approach to utilizing this new technology allows her to get instant feedback and comments from fans who are subscribed to her Twitter chatter, and it definitely influences her novel.

We give you the latest on Apocalypse Meow: as in, now for something completely different! And the latest updates on the Pirate Bay Trial.

Tune in and send fish!

Image via Getty.

Atheists of Silicon Valley offer an array of articles, research and critical examinations of religious texts and beliefs.

The comprehensive site is mainly, but definitely not solely focused on Christianity: there is a section on Islam, and “other,” so it does leave room for desire.

However, it offers the arguments from a science based perspective, which can provide for hours of entertainment. Check out the godless geeks.

Mmmm. The best find of the day is Tokyo Damage Report on Japanese food: its size and packaging. One of my favorites is the miniature Kirin beer cans.

Check it here.

by Irma Arkus

Newly proposed rules in EU will enable broadband providers to manipulate users in an unprecedented ways.

Under the suggested Telecoms Package, Internet Service Providers will be able to “limit the number of websites you can look at, and to tell you whether or not you are allowed to use particular services.”

Similarly to Canadian ISPs, the EU ISPs are attempting to package more expensive “consumer options” in order to manipulate use of content at a far greater degree than ever before.

In this case, the ISPs will be able to restrict what users may or may not access. The type of “walled garden” approach will allow access to only certain content, rather than Intenet as we know it.

The Blackout Europe warns of the legislation, and describes in terms of corporations and governments reasserting their control over what citizens can and cannot do:

“It means that the Internet will be packaged up and your ability to access and to put up content could be severely restricted. It almost certainly means an end to free sharing online. It will create boxes of Internet accessibility, which don’t fit with the way we use it today. This is because Internet is now permiting exchanges between persons that cannot be controled or “facilitate” by any middlemen (the state or a corporation) and this improve the citizen life but force the industry to lose power and control. That is why they are forcing government to act those changes.” (Blackout Europe)

What is the reason for this type of legislation?

Why Copyright, of course.

This latest attempt of government interference on behalf of corporate interests is naturally tied to attempts to control piracy. However, issues of free speech, freedom of information, for that matter, consumer or any of civil rights that may be impinged upon, are undermined by the proposed legislation.

Additionally, any imposed limitation to Internet access will ultimately result in that dreaded economic slowdown of new enterpreneurs. But we will end up saving the industry dinosaurs from extinction.

Read more here.

Thanks to Jelle for the tip.

by Irma Arkus

George R. R. Martin’s incredible series of books will see the light of day on the small screen. Or so he says on his blog.

“A Game of Thrones” is coming to HBO, and the pilot will be shot in October in Northern Ireland.

For the most part, the readers of the George R.R. Martin will probably say: “it’s about damn time!” And they would be right, too.

Martin’s “A Game of Thrones” was nominated for a Nebula, a World Fantasy Award and won a Locus. And that’s quite the roster.

Once it made the splash, back in 1966, it immediately inspired six sequels to the storyline, a board game, some trading cards, a role-playing game, and now *pheew* a TV show.

Like all fancy fantasy, George R. R. Martin’s “A Game of Thrones” is set in Medieval times. The setting is complex, as it encompasses not one, but seven kingdoms that are naturally prone to war.

I consider myself generally allergic to fantasy, am cheering for the albino direwolf, and am actually looking forward to seeing the pilot.

by Irma Arkus

The breakout news of the day is that judge who presided over the Pirate Bay trial, has been found to be a member of numerous pro-copyright groups. According to TorrentFreak, the judge belongs to a rather pro-industry exclusive club, whose members are also Henrik Pontén, Monique Wadsted and Peter Danowsky.

Who are these people? What do these names represent?

Well, Henrik Ponten, for example, is a member of the Svenska Antipiratbyrån, or in translation, The Swedish Anti-Pirate Bureau, a lobby group representing large corporations and media industry.

While the judge, Tomas Norström, is obviously not working as a lobbyist, he does however participate in groups affiliated with the lobbying efforts.

Tomas Norstrom is an active participant in Swedish Association of Copyright (hello Henrik Ponten, you again!), an organisation working towards “tougher copyright laws,” as well as holding fun think-tank sessions, such as Nordic Championships in Intellectual Property Rights Process Strategies. Another prominent member of this organisation is Peter Danowsky, the prosecution lawyer in the Pirate Bay case, representing music and film industry interests.

But that is not all. Tomas Norstrom is also an active member of the Swedish Association for the Protection of Industrial Property, as well as The Internet Infrastructure Foundation.

In other words, the presence of the judge in this case is extremely biased, and riddled with ethical concerns. The ombudsman at the Stockholm court expressed his dismay at the fact that Norstrom has not take a chance to recuse himself from the case on the grounds of a possible perception of a bias, especially since the case has international prominence, as well as political and social repercussions.

According to Norstrom, his participation in these extremely polarized groups, associated with heavy industry lobbying, somehow did not constitute a bias: “I made the judgment that the membership in the Association for Copyright did not constitute a bias that would rule me out from participating in the case. The association works to promote knowledge of copyright.”

This revelation has prompted the defense to start the process of requesting a retrial.

The bias is, by association, definitely present in the case of judge Tomas Norstrom. However, being that this is not an episode of Law and Order, but rather grittier, real life drama, the courts have to actively decide that Norstrom has been in fact biased. And that may be more difficult than one may initially suspect of.

In case of a successful appeal, the bias of the judge would dismiss the current verdict for the Pirate Bay Four. Currently, they await a one year incarceration, and are expected to pay a sum of $3.6 million in damage fines.

But that does not mean that the case itself would be dismissed. The Pirate Bay Four in that case, would have to endure a new trial.

by Irma Arkus

Tor Books publishing had a brilliant idea, and since 2008, they decided to throw us a bone. A literary bone. Their occasional short stories, available for free on site, prompt readers to a) read more brilliant short stories, and b) get introduced to new, brilliant writers they would never have heard of, and finally c) visit Tor Books and glance at their latest offerings.

This is, in my humble opinion, a win win win win for everyone involved, and all it took was a little digital magic, and some “open source reading.”

Latest offering is that of Stephen Gould’s “Bugs in the Arroyo,” a short story about a society confronted with a sudden metal scarcity, due to a metal-eating invasive species. A la “Creature of the Pit” with Tom Baker, if you may, Stephen Gould writes some fine, imaginative stuff.

Responsible for writing the ever popular “Jumper” (yes, the movie with the one we dare not speak his name) Gould has been enchanting us for a while. Nice to see his flexed muscles on some rather smaller bit, like “Bugs in the Arroyo.” Illustration is by Mark Zug, a master of fantastic meets cool, whose illustrations are quite frankly, breathtaking (yes, yes! like the baby!).

by Irma Arkus

Admittedly, I am crushed. The recent decision to pronounce the Pirate Bay owners guilty of crimes (what crimes, do tell?) something akin to “aiding and abbeting” to distribution of copyright materials, has me reeling in pain. I sat down in the studio on Friday and could not believe my eyes when I read the verdict.

That aside, glum news are neverending, so we decided to also bring you the latest updates of the EFF case files: they have a pending lawsuit against the Bush administration and FBI, but since the fun never ends, we also find out the dark side of the Obama administration work, as well as get the goods on some outrageous warrants issued for a Boston College student’s posssessions. It appears that the world is made up of either very old, or probably, and more likely, very ignorant people, who suffer from severe case of ephiphobia, as well as allergies to digital technology in general.

Either way, tune in and get some popcorn and tissues…

Also in the news, we cover COWS, and use of fiber optics in brain tissue! Ta da!

Send us mail! Email us at hiscifi@gmail.com, or just send money.

by Irma Arkus

Despite the fact that sci-fi offerings seem relatively prodigious this year, comparatively to that of previous few, I have been left relatively unsatisfied in my anticipation.

Worst of all, with my brain scalded numerous times with misleading coolness (read = lies, all lies) of trailers, touting the film to somehow be THE last film we will need to watch, I have been progressively staying clear of their beauty, preferring instead to watch them first, and then declare my delight.

Many of you have appreciated this fact over the years. But this year, there is a film that has actually captured my attention. And it isn’t just me - the Internets are abuzz with new Sam Rockwell film, “Moon.”

“Moon” is promising to both tickle the brain and the eyes, as Rockwell plays Sam Bell, an employee working the moon-mines for solid, lonely, three years.

He talks to his family, recalling memories of the happier, less solitary days. His contract is about to end, when strange events occur. In fact, the trailer shamelessly shows a second Sam Bell appearing in the base. And a wiley computer, convincing Sam that he is the sole, and only person on board the base.

The lick is two-fold. On the one hand, visually, the film possess the kind of beauty that we expect from Tarkovsky or Kubrick. The sets clearly imitate the “2001: A Space Odyssey,” an homage to the great visual aspects of the film that has captivated us for decades.

On the other hand, the original story penned by Duncan Jones, whose credits are far shorter than this blog, allows for some speculation - mainly that Jones is mixing his science and fiction rather well, by introducing good corporate schemes, cloning, and psychological warfare against the employee, Sam.

Even if I am entirely correct, the film, also directed by Duncan Jones, is still promising to bring a hard sci-fi story to the silver screens. One that we have not seen probably since “Solaris.” Looking forward to it.

See trailer here.

While awaiting the Pirate Bay court decision, we caught up with Mininova.org president, Erik Dubbleboer, who gave us the goods on why Peer-to-Peer traffic, specifically use of torrents, is such an efficient way of transferring data.

There is also a mention of Garfield and Conan, Titanic, and there is also that small issue of Joe Haldeman’s novel being turned into a film by none other than the great Ridley Scott.

Our gaming programmers, Steve Danic and Michelle Parent returned from GDC, THE Game Developers Conference. They give us the goods on what’s new in the world of gaming, and we discuss the upcoming industry trends and new games.

by Irma Arkus

You know it, I know it, everybody knows it - when it comes to priorities, western medicine has got an interesting approach. Instead of curing malaria, eradicating rabies, or preventing cancer, we go with Viagra.

Same with stem cells. Oh sure, you could use them to grow tissue, repair damaged liver, kidney and heart cells, maybe even make paraplegics take a shot at the running again. But NO. No such luck after all. Why? Because we have some prioritizing to do: Technology Review reports of a new technique that uses stem cells mixed with extracted fat cells, once injected into boobs, will be a far more suitable concoction for breast enchancement.

On the one hand, I am actually happy that women, who are tortured into contorting their bodies to assume more likeable shapes will, at least, avoid potential cancers and severe health issues that arise from using silicone-filled bags stuffed into their chest. On the other hand….the idea that one of the first usages of stem cells is literally stuffed back into women for aesthetic enchancement…well, it just takes the cake.

Read more here.

by Irma Arkus

Ahhh, the joys of Internets…is that we get to ask the great ones, like author Greg Bear, some questions.

There are but a handful of authors that I can call my favorites, and Greg Bear is in the top three, as far as I am concerned. Now, reddit has managed to get Mr. Bear (he he he) to answer some questions by fans.

So, check the reddit blog here, and ask away.

Meanwhile, if you are unfamiliar with Greg Bear’s masterpieces, I suggest you get crackin’ the books. Start with something lighter, such as “Darwin’s Radio” and continue that with sequel, “Darwin’s Children.” And then turn to some instant classics, like “Blood Music,” “Slant,” and “Dead Lines.”

by Irma Arkus

Life’s release of its archive photos has thus far proven to be a work of genious. The one that is worth stumbling onto is the latest 15 images of Stanley Kubrick’s behind-the-scenes of “2001: Space Odyssey.” Me thinks of getting this one in a larger size.

Check it out here.

by Irma Arkus

My dad is pretty cool. In fact, dad happens to be one of the coolest, most awesome men on the planet, and I am proud to be related to him, but there is the Ian McKellen question…I have to admit that secretly, sometimes even I, the lucky parented child, wish I were an illegitimate child of Ian McKellen.

He left an impression on me in Richard III (1995), left me breathless with Gods and Monsters (1998), made me fall in love with Gandalf, and was mesmerising as Magneto.

What can I say? Just when ol’ Ian McKellan could not get any cooler, he decides to take the role of Number Two, in The Prisoner reboot.

When I just started doing the HiSciFi show, everyone called me to ask if I had watched The Prisoner. The original show, starring Patrick McGoohan as Number Six, who, ironically was the first choice for Jackson’s Gandalf, was a breathtaking adventure, full of intrigue, mystery, and sophisticated technology, much of which we are graced by today.

Number Six awoke after his submittal of resignation to secret service, in a cosy bedroom of a “village.” The minute village, a la Creme Gitmo, with its sophisticated traps was meant to break him and procure information hidden within the walls of his mind. All he could think of though, was how to escape…and so the games begin.

The intricate iconic details of the show have left marks for generations. Geek boys panting over shiny gadgety things, while psychological tension was building around our poor Number Six.

The show that can only be called remarkably Orwellian, our leading man may live in comfort, but is being constantly watched and controlled by the forces that hold him captive. He is a pet, a man without freedom.

In the original show, Number Two is the chief administrator, a head honcho if you may, of the Village. And happens to be played by multiple actors.

Now the show has gotten a reboot. And Ian McKellan is its heart and soul. McKellan, together with Jim Caviezel (who would regularly give me the creeps over that whole Jesus snuff film, if it weren’t for the recent action-sci-fi coolness, Outlander), are part of the 6-part miniseries remake.

The show has perhaps more relevance today than every before (boy, we say that all the time), especially in its country of birth, the UK. We are confronted with constant surveillance and monitoring, our freedoms and liberties are being subverted every day, and we live in a culture of manufactured fears and paranoias. UK itself serves these days as some kind of a consummate cosmopolitan lab, an island, or a Village, in which technologies are used to test the human limitations of tolerance to control and manipulation. Or at least, that’s how it sometimes looks from the other side of the glass.

The first glimpse of the poster has leaked, so feast your eyes on this sucker.

I would also encourage everyone to watch the original, in anticipation of seeing the new version of the show. It has been originally broadcast in 1960s and has but mere 17 episodes. Enjoy!

by Irma Arkus

Watch the Little Red Riding Hood.

by Irma Arkus

Sweating it to the oldies and goodies with Echo and the Bunnymen, the band that started way, way, way back in 1978, in Liverpool. The punk-rock sweetness of the Echo and The Bunnymen, makes it a band that to this day sounds fresh, contemporary, and meaningful.

Listen to the Killing Moon here.

This week we have some familiar faces from Centre for Digital Media, Steve Danic, and his peeps: Matt Jenkins and Michelle Parent.

The three have been designing video games at an astounding, super-human pace. Designing a video game every two weeks, and then pushing production down to 48-hour period is impressive. Flash they may be, but still fun to play. So, check them out at Big Hadron Games.

Danic also recommends some basic, open-source tools, that anyone can download and try one or another aspect of video game making on your own (or call Steve, I guess).

We also had a brief, but valuable discussion on what the future of video gaming may bring, consider the current economic recession, world burning, etc…

Oh, and we give you the review of the Watchmen. And the goods on Blake 7.

by Irma Arkus

The SciFi network is changing its name to SyFy. The reason?

Apparently, the genial marketing excercise will broaden the appeal of a network specialising in supernatural and science fiction materials to encompass housewives who have lost their remotes, children who do not know the meaning of words “science” and/or “fiction,” and people who are ashamed of watching science fiction in general.

The arrogance of such a rebranding exercise usually results in disenfranchisement of the already existing fans.

And what is SyFy anyways? Any ideas?

by Irma Arkus

Reuters reports on India’s National Remote Sensing Center, meant to serve as a superior, national version of GoogleEarth.

The program called Bhuvan, is meant to do what GoogleEarth does, but better, with a greater specificity on local environment, including soil types and the location of ground water. The idea is to combine the available satellite imagery and geographic field information to improve upon city planning efforts.

The really intersting bit about Bhuvan is that it has a resolution of 2.5 meters, which is highly accurate and provides for a superior resolution to that of GoogleEarth.

This brings up some valid security concerns. In the mentioned Mumbai Attacks, the gunmen were prepared using GoogleMap technology. With Bhuvan, they get to inquire about mining right, do online tours, and only then turn to their terrorist attacks.

This also brings up another interesting point: publicly available satellite images with a 2.5 meter resolution? Yes, you have been watched. [Reuters]

by Irma Arkus

Batman was a pretty dead franchise, cinematically speaking, after the Joel Schumacher fiasco.

And then it came back. Big time.

Not only did Christopher Nolan manage to make a convincing Batman, starring Christian Bale in title role, but he did one better: Nolan managed to make amazing movies period.

With the release of the Dark Knight, Nolan solidified the until then, fragile relatioship between superhero films and great acting, getting as far as receiving Academy Awards.

At this moment, it is impossible to see anyone else directing the films, or for that matter, anyone else being the Batman.

The impossible, however, is rumoured to be happening. Warner Brothers as well as the tabloid press is creating waves with the possiblity that Christian Bale may be replaced.

Furthermore, as Nolan has not yet signed the contracts for the sequel in the franchise, the “press” goes as far as to question whether the director will be returning to Gotham as well?

Sam Worthington as Batman? Really? Who is that? Oh, and I also hear that Joel Schumacher is available for directing. [MTV Movie Blog]

by Irma Arkus

Turns out, Joe Shuster, creator and animator of Superman, wasn’t the average “boy next door” after all, as the latest book by Craig Yoe, “Secret Identity: The Fetish Art of Superman’s Co-creator Joe Shuster,” documents his BDSM work.

The book, available in bookstores and libraries (? Not sure on that one, but I am trying to get you to spend less and read more, yeey!), documents the rare and obscure samples of Shusters work in erotica.

Turns out, in the wee hours of the night, Shuster was drawing images for an independent magazine, “Nights of Horror.” The erotic nature of the magazine made it technically unavailable, sold under counters, until it was banned by rising movement towards censorship.

Shuster’s moonlighting as a creator of erotica, esentially labels him as a man with a “secret identity,” similarly to that of Clark Kent / Superman. One thing is for sure - after reading the “Secret Identity: The Fetish Art of Superman’s Co-creator Joe Shuster” you will never be able to look at the Shuster’s characters the same way again.

That makes me kind of happy too, as the polished, uber-American-rah-rah-USA type Superman seems inadequate for contemporary audience. The latest cinematic incarnation of Superman fell short of my expectations, as it reproduced the images associated with Superman from the 1980s, rather than looking to transform the character and propel him into the future.

Even though the uncovered art has very little to do with Superman, it does allow us a peak at the mind who created him (or co-created him, better said). Perhaps the “Secret Identity: The Fetish Art of Superman’s Co-creator Joe Shuster” will do just that, peeling away the layers of the innocuous, the corporatized and the infantile, and replacing those with the kind of characters that captivated audiences in the early stages of Shuster’s work.

Either way, the collection provides a grand overview of underground artist work that Shuster and his contemporaries were very much a part of, and will perhaps allow us to deconstruct and discard the illusory puritan imagery of the 1950s era with a more realistic picture of the time and its people. [Amazon]

by Irma Arkus

Gaming Target reports on the Mad Max video game, based on the iconic film franchise.

Yeah, now that the 80s are back in full bloom (or is it the 30ties depression era?), the whole DIY wardrobe/crazy murderers and makeshift societies in a post-apocalyptic setting, all together sounds like good times.

While Mad Max director George Miller and God of War II director Cory Barlog were “working” on the game, making most of us squirm in our waiting seats, upon revisiting the issue of the Mad Max game, it turns out that no progress has been made.

O.K. so not necessarily NO PROGRESS. But they did admit that the game will take a few years to finish. So, we just have to cool our heels, and enjoy Mel Gibson as the Jesus man, rather than the plucky, leather-clad hero we all remember fondly.

by Irma Arkus

Now that Battlestar Galactica has retired, after a comeback that enjoyed a vehement fan following and an unprecedented critical acclaim, the rumours are that Blake 7, a similarly humble production, will be remade.

Blake 7, a British science fiction television show produced by BBC, was created by none other than Terry Nation, a man responsible for possibly the greatest science fiction moments in TV history.

Nation not only contributed to Doctor Who, but is the creator of the Daleks, the Borg that will not die, or change their anti-human ways.

Blake 7 is particularly intersting as a show, because it is a much darker show, with relatively dislikeable characters. The highly political nature of the show’s plot, as well as the morally ambigous protagonists, would be more than suitable for contemporary concerns of the TV audience.

The show is focused on Roj Blake, a revolutionary, who leads his band of merrywomen and merrymen against a totalitarian regime, the Terran Federation.

If this reminds you of Firefly, then do not worry, the similarities end there.

Blake escapes from a prison colony, and steals a superior spaceship, the Liberator. Together with crooks, murderors and various plotters, he attempts to freedom-fight the corrupt regime that spans throughout the galaxy.

Blake is the only likeable protagonist, but even he tends to disappear and fall in the story background, as Kerr Avon, a sort of self-interested thief and master manipulator takes over the crew, albeit temporarily.

The show is well known for its lack of cheery tones. Instead, the battle that Blake engages upon seems unwinnable, the goals unattainable, making it a melancholic, dark journey of the soul.

The show has over the years attained an esteemed, cult following, and is considered to be one of the finest space operas.

The remake has been announced by SkyOne, a British satellite television network. [BBC]