The Geek Commandments
I absolutely love StumbleUpon. It’s one of the most fascinating browsing tools you can have. The things I find using the random Stumble! button are really awesome, especially since I can choose my preferences (i.e. I can select what sorts of things I Stumble! for).Well, here is something rather funny and worthy of a little commentary:The Geek Commandments (Computer Geeks especially)I agree with almost all of these except for a few, but here is my one-by-one discussion of the options. Goodness, this definitely should be the first one. Always backup your files. Especially important stuff like writing! (Realizes he hasn’t backed up his writing folder in a while…) Duh! Do people still do this? I’d also recommend not making your password your birthday, your child’s birthday, or anything that someone might look up and try to use for your password. It’s good to have passwords that aren’t directly related to yourself, because if you piss off a friend, they’ll know what it is. Well, see, I don’t know if I agree with this one. Yes, on principle this is good advice, but at the same time you have to download the new version, because somebody has to catch the bugs, right? I agree though, avoid it, but don’t tell people to avoid it, like I’m doing now, because you want some idiot like me to download the new version so when you download it down the line it’ll be fixed up. Duh. Same goes for anti-virus (even if you’re on a Mac, because what’s going to happen to your lovely little piece of crap Mac when some loser with Mountain Dew and potato chips coursing through his veins decides to create a super virus that melts your hard drive? Yeah, exactly.) Well, I guess one shouldn’t steal the neighbor’s bandwidth. Honestly, unless the neighbor is really anal and spends his or her day calculating the fluctuations in his/her bandwidth you probably won’t get caught unless you’re doing something that really slows down the net. Agreed. I don’t have an iPod. I have something better, so ha! (Well, I think it’s better.) Duh. I delete such things quick. No. Sorry. I don’t agree. Slacking is bad. I know, I’ve been doing it lately and it’s not helping with the writing. Umm, excuse me? You know what comes to mind when I play Day of Defeat and play the sniper and completely own everyone from a distance? “Mwahahahahahahaha”. That’s right, I do an evil laugh, because it’s funny. Sorry, it’s always the computer’s fault. Never the user. Yup, that’s what I have to say about all that. Cool list though
Top 100 SF/F/H Books You Must Read Meme
I discovered this list here and immediately thought this would be a great meme. Here is how it works: Bold all the titles you have read, italicize the titles you hope to read or have seen the movie for (since many of these have been turned into movies) and try to make a distinction between the two, and just mark ones you’ve never heard of somehow (preferably with a parenthesis of some sort). People tagged:John of Grasping For the WindSQTGraeme And here is the list: 100 Books Thou Shalt Read Before You DieBy the Inquest Staff 1. Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien2. The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny3. The Ender Quartet by Orson Scott Card (read the first book)4. Neuromancer by William Gibson 5. The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever by Stephen R. Donaldson (6 Books total)6. Foundation by Isaac Asimov (6 Books total) (read the first two books)7. Dune by Frank Herbert8. Elric by Michael Moorcock9. The Man in the High Castle by Phillip K. Dick10. 1984 by George Orwell11. Hyperion by Dan Simmons (four books)12. The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester13. Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay (never heard of it)14. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley15. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Phillip K. Dick (aka Bladerunner)16. The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks (probably will never read)17. The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers (I’ve heard of it, but I don’t know if I’ll read it)18. Lightning by Dean Koontz (probably will never read)19. The Uplift Trilogy by David Brin20. Ringworld by Larry Niven21. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (seen the movie)22. Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser by Fritz Leiber (complete series) (never heard of it, though I have heard of Leiber)23. A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs24. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (and I’ve seen the movie)25. The Stand by Stephen King (tried reading it, got bored; tried watching the movie, got bored)26. Le Morte d’Arthur by Sir Thomas Mallory27. I, Robot by Isaac Asimov (seen the movie)28. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein29. Watership Down by Richard Adams (seen the movie too)30. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury31. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien32. Helliconia by Brain Aldiss (three books)33. The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe (five books) (never heard of it)34. Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathon Swift35. Mindkiller by Spider Robinson (novella in book Deathkiller) (never heard of it)36. Blood Music by Greg Bear 37. The Green Mile by Stephen King (probably won’t read, not a fan of King’s work, saw most of the movie though)38. Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice (saw the movie, probably will never read though)39. Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein (saw the movie)40. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis (seven books) (read the first two books)41. The Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson42. Watchers by Dean Koontz (probably won’t read)43. The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester44. Emphyrio by Jack Vance45. The Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum46. War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells (seen two of the movies)47. Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock48. Animal Farm by George Orwell (seen the movie)49. The Princess Bride by William Goldman (seen the movie)50. Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan (complete series) (not sure I want to read it)51. It by Stephen King (seen the movie)52. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess53. Timescape by Gregory Benford (never heard of it)54. Pern by Anne McCaffery (complete series) (not sure I’ll read this)55. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut56. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett57. Fionavar by Guy Gavriel Kay (three books) (never heard of it)58. Earthsea “trilogy” by Ursula K. LeGuin59. 2001 by Arthur C. Clarke (four books) (seen the movie)60. Xenogenesis by Octavia Butler (three books)61. A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge62. Conan by Robert E. Howard63. Mars trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson64. Midnight at the Well of Souls by Jack L. Chalker (never heard of it)65. A Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony66. The Gap by Stephen R. Donaldson (five books) (I’ve not clue what this is)67. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain68. Adventures of the Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison69. The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury70. Dark Elf series by R. A. Salvatore (not all that interested, especially if this is Forgotten Realms stuff)71. West of Eden by Harry Harrison72. A Fine and Private Place by Peter S. Beagle (never heard of it, but I know who the author is)73. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne (saw the movie too)74. Dying Inside by Robert Silverberg (never heard of it)75. Dragonlance by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman (never read any of this stuff, probably won’t)76. Lensman by E.E. “Doc” Smith (six books)77. Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury78. The Mote in God’s Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle79. Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein80. Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis81. The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells (seen at least three movies based on this)82. Gun, With Occasional Music by Jonathan Lethem (never heard of it)83. Lyonesse by Jack Vance (three books)84. Catspaw by Joan Vinge85. Crystal Express by Bruce Stirling86. The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle87. To Your Scattered Bodies Go by Phillip Jose Farmer88. The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris (never read, didn’t like the style, but saw the movie)89. Downbelow Station by C.J. Cherryh90. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes91. The Songs of Distant Earth by Arthur C. Clarke92. “The Four Lords of the Diamond” by Jack Chalker (never heard of it)93. Swords by Fred Saberhagen94. Way Station by Clifford Simak95. The Kraken Wakes by John Wydham96. Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson97. The High Crusade by Paul Anderson98. Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll (seen at least three movies based on this)99. Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons (never heard of it)100. The Postman by David Brin (saw the movie)
Ten SF Technologies/Ideas I Think Will Come True
Science fiction has been criticized over the years for failing to provide us with all those glorious inventions and ideas we remember from the Golden Age (and after). Let’s face it, a lot of those inventions and ideas will never happen and some are actually being debated right now. Of those hundreds of inventions and ideas, which ones are a sure thing, either soon or in the distant future? Here’s what I think (in no particular order): The SingularityMostly I’m referring to the creation of an artificial intelligence at the human level. Still, I believe there will come a point when the Singularity, across the board, will happen. Technology will reach a point where it can’t be stopped, sort of like the Industrial Machine. I don’t mean we’ll have a world like in The Matrix where machines have turned us into little puddles of energy to be sucked up and what not. I just mean that we won’t be able to stop technology from continuously progressing, no matter what we do. You might find that a silly notion (why would we care if technology just keeps going?), but there will come a time where some technologies will hit a point they shouldn’t cross…and they will cross it. AliensYes, we will discover aliens. I don’t know if they will be intelligent, but I don’t doubt that at some point in the next few hundred years we will have discovered proof of alien existence. And yes, little microbes count. Near-light EnginesNo, I don’t think we will ever get FTL drives. I think Einstein might be right on that part. We may be able to use wormholes or some other mode of travel that manipulates the fabric of space, but I’m going to be realistic here. I do think we will get Near-light Engines (or NLDs–near-light drives–if you will). This is a very vague description, but basically what I mean is the ability to reach speeds significantly faster than what we have now so that trips between stars might not be so completely outrageous. Granted, trips will still take years, but in the future that might not be such a big deal. If a trip takes you ten years it may very well be worth it. Genetic Manipulation, etc.I have no doubt that in the relatively near future (maybe 100 years or so) there will be significant advances in medical technology, the result of which will be extremely long lives, easy methods to creating new organs, and most likely significant genetic tampering (though I imagine there will be controls for this). Basically, I think we’ll be doing just about everything possible with the human body from making it live longer to making it stronger against viruses and infections. My hope, though, is that we don’t get the point where we are creating supersoldiers or genetically “superior” individuals. Human diversity is a necessity. Space Stations/HotelsNot I.S.S., but a real station. You know, like you see in the movies with people walking on the walls and actually doing things other than floating around in a giant metal can. I think we’ll definitely have these things. Some of them will likely be military facilities. As the military becomes more involved in space it will be a necessity to have first-response units in space, not to mention a presence there to protect space tourism. It sounds like, gasp, science fiction, but with Virgin Galactic getting very close to turning space travel into a tourist trade it’s not that unlikely that we’ll have hotels and big stations in the future. Solar Power (on a massive scale)I think this will likely become viable first as a ground-based option and then as a space-based option. The thing is that people have to be willing to pay for these things. Solar power isn’t cheap (it’s not grossly expensive either), but in the long run it is a better solution that fossil fuels and other sources. The sun is free, after all. So let’s get on top of it. Yes, we might have to pay a bit more for it, but think about it in the long run? When we pay off the loan that would be used to make it, can you imagine prices dropping drastically? Yeah. But we might have to wait a while for that to happen, or wait until folks can make it more financially desirable. I can’t wait for that space-based facility though! Solar power 24/7. Fusion PowerThis is a long way off, but I think we’ll have it in a viable form in the future. It may or may not coincide with Solar Power (which might be beneficial if you think about it). We’re getting remarkably close to it now. Maybe in the next fifty years, or maybe longer. The fact that scientists are seriously testing and dealing with the concept, and getting useful data from doing so, suggests that this will be a real possibility at some point in the relatively near future. I don’t know what the result will be, though. Maybe it will be mostly good things, but that’s what they thought about nuclear power too, remember? Intelligent RobotsI, Robot, had it right, and perhaps so did The Matrix, though on a much darker scale. Obviously if I’m right about the whole AI thing, then it would be applied to robots, in some fashion. I don’t know if robots will become evil man-killers (perhaps we’ll be smart enough to consider this possibility and put in safeties to prevent it), but I do believe we will have walking, talking, thinking robots that may very well integrate into society on a higher level than we might suspect. I don’t know if we will treat them as human, but most likely you can expect some backlash from the human community. Who knows where it will go? Regardless, robots are becoming more complex now and will be so complex in the future that they might be considered on par with human beings, or better in some
SF/F Links: April Roundup (First Half)
By the way, this is going to be long since I’m pulling links off my desktop and my laptop. So, get ready for a long list of SF/F related links! Universe Today Want to know what happens when two black holes collide? What about three? Sound like science fiction? Yeah, they asked the same question too. It’s not. Intel, being the cool company that they are, have begun devising ways to protect microchips from cosmic rays. Basically, the chips are going to be smart enough to go “hey, that’s not right” and magically fix themselves–in theory. Want to read more about how all life on Earth is from outer space? So do I. Screw E.T. We’re more interesting (well, not really, humanity is somewhat boring to me now). New images of an actual dust avalanche on Mars! Now all we need are skiers. And just to add to this I think a cute picture is needed: the little blue planet and its moon from Mars. I love this planet. We’re so cool. Apparently Saturn’s moon, Rhea, has rings. Who knew? I always thought their relationship was strictly professional. Hubble, being the great piece of machinery that it is, has turned up evidence for organic molecules around an exoplanet! It just keeps getting better and better. Salt deposits discovered on Mars might be a good place to look for evidence of life (fossilized, but still, life is life). I’m skeptical, but enthusiastic. Even if we find microbial life, it’s good. New evidence has been discovered to suggest that Titan has a liquid ocean underneath its crust! Good news? Yes, actually. This has some interesting implications about the possibilities for life on other planets. Did the asteroid impact for Sodom and Gomorrah happen? It’s quite possible. A clay tablet that has been puzzling scientists is believed to describe an asteroid impact a long long time ago on this very planet. So maybe it really happen, eh? Futurismic First flights from Boeing to use fuel-cells! Yeah! Now we are getting closer to the answer to my question: When oil runs out, what happens to airline flights? The lovely folks in the Netherlands have a low-tech way of converting salt water into something drinkable. To add to the frightening change in our cyber-culture, there are now reports of high-tech heart monitors being hacked into. Scary? I think so. Apparently British waters are a great place to get mostly clean energy. Read about it here. Stem cell research shows it can help deal with Parkinson’s. Babies killed to figure that out? Zero. Good job everyone! In a serious note, this is great news for me because I’d like to see Michael J. Fox come back to to TV. We’re one step closer to suspended-animation, since we can now almost completely do it with mice. Yeah, this is good news because now I don’t have to completely BS this stuff. Afghanistan is smart. Now with food prices on the rice it seems that all those lovely opium fields are being converted to wheat fields. Yay democracy, or whatever prompted them to do that. Listverse Top 10 Sciencific Frauds and Hoaxes. A bonus is you get a nice anti-evolution hoax in there. Fun! 10 More Unsolved Mysteries. I’m particularly fond of 5 and 3. Top 10 Bizarre Genetically Modified Organisms. Michael Jackson isn’t on this list by the way. Top 10 Evil Human Experiments. Because we humans tend to be a little screwed up. Top 12 Things You Need to Be a Mad Scientist. Oh yes, now I have a mission in life! Top 12 Dystopian Novels. Also known as the list of really awesome books. Top 15 SF Book Series! Another good list! 8 Atrocities Committed in the Name of Religion. Not a particularly powerful list (missing a few things that need to be there), but certainly one I will give a thumbs up to. Top 10 Interesting Abandoned Places! I love these kinds of lists! io9 This is fascinating. Apparently studies show that dyslexics are able to work comfortable when working in a language other than the one they first learned. So someone who speaks English might not have much problems working in Chinese. The article also talks about why such people are great at computer programming. Need a 20% decrease in fuel consumption on those oil-guzzling transport ships? Well, attach a sail to it. This might be just the thing we need to stick it to them damned oil companies. Apparently some scientists think we might not be that different from aliens after all. Genetic manipulation might be used for good: stopping HIV in its tracks. Yup. New studies show that we are born with a gene that could combat the virus, but that it is turned off. So, should we turn it on at birth? (Note, the gene is present in people infected with HIV) Detailed military specs on how to stop a giant monster in your home town. Yeah, someone has a lot of time on their hands. The survival guide to bad SF movies. Great list indeed! Want to see something scary? The science vs. scientology timeline! Yeah, apparently the Thetans are inside us all. Apparently this lizard can drink through its foot. That has to suck. Google, being so awesome, is teaming up with MIT to design the first satellite that can actually detect small Earth-like planets around other stars. I love you, Google. Apparently this is the new bacteria that will cause the next pandemic. I’m skeptical. It looks like a wimp to me. Menopause sucks (or so I hear). But guess what? You need men even more now because studies show that you can use testosterone to counter the bad effects of menopause! Yeah! Scientists have found a mirror galaxy to ours. Don’t get your hopes up. It’s not exactly like ours, but it shares similarities. Heathrow Airport will now have a new form of transportation from the parking structures to the airport. And it’s unmanned! Awesome!
SF/F Links: March/April Roundup
A little delayed, but finally I have some links for you all. There are loads more, so I think I’m going to have to go with a weekly schedule so it doesn’t pile up like it is doing now. In any case, here are the links: io9 Things you can do to help create artificial intelligences! You’d be surprised what simple things there are that can help in that field. Stuff you might already do regularly. Post-apocalyptic scenes made out of food! I had a link similar to this from Listverse a long while back. This is in the same vein and amazing. Anyone wanting some advice on map-making should start looking at vector maps of things on other planets and moons in our solar system. Seriously, go to this vector map of a methane sea on Titan and see how cool extraterrestrial maps are! Six earth cities that will give us ideas on how to colonize Mars. This is pretty cool actually. Rather interesting when you look at it from a realistic perspective. The Navy announces a five-year plan to build laser blasters. We’ve gotta keep up with those Chinese guys somehow right? Yeah. Good idea, but I wonder who is paying for it. Got a bum kidney? Well apparently there is a new way to get rid of them: give birth to it. Yeah, I don’t quite understand it either, but give it a look. New medical practices are revolutionizing how we do things these days. Nano-wire shirt that generates electricity while you move, but burns out if you sweat on it. Good idea, needs rethinking. A new biomedical gel that can fix your severed spine. Works on mice, should work on us. Paralysis might not be a problem of the future! Listverse Top 10 Ways to Fly Under the Radar. Yup, for all you ex-cons out there, or anyone writing about ex-cons. 10 Great Inventions That Should Be Invented! Interstellar travel here we come! Universe Today Quantum communications might be viable in the near future if we get on top of it like this article suggests. Astrium, from good old Europe, is ramping up plans to mass produce space planes. Yup, good stuff indeed. Cassini picks up hints of organic chemicals shooting off from Saturn’s Enceladus! Cool stuff indeed! 13.73 Billion Years. That’s the current measurement of how old the Universe is. Find out about it here. Hawaiin hippy files lawsuit against the Large Hadron Collider. Go away and stop fooling with complex science that you don’t understand! New research suggests that galaxies with quasars in the middle are not so good for planet formation. Yup, not good at all. I found this online somewhere (if I got it from you, please let me know). This is a look at the differences of opinion between the U.S. and England. It’s amazing how different we are. They are, by and large, far more progressive than we are. This image of these concept designs of future robotic police forces are amazing. Check out the gallery too. Simply stunning image. Michio Kaku on things we’ll probably never see. Sadly, he’s likely right. Ten sci-fi movie survival tips. Screaming is good, though. Scifi reading list with the subject “not quite human”. Lots of goodies in there. (Courtesy of SF Signal, I think) New Scientist Scientists have found the answer to the origins of two mysterious meteorites found in Antarctica. Find out here! Find ISS in this picture and you win nothing, because I have nothing to give. This is amazing though: a picture of the International Space Station over the Sun! Chrononautic Log has a video of a bizarre insect-like robot. Check it out. L. E. Modesitt, Jr. talks about SF’s ability to predict the future. Good stuff as usual. One of the coolest things that has ever been desired by Kung Fu fans since Bruce Lee died is now about to happen: Jackie Chan and Jet Li are getting together to make a movie! Yes, look at the trailer now! MentalFloss has 5 reasons why we’ll miss Arthur C. Clarke. *sniff* (By the way, some of these aren’t related to literature, just so you know) Mike Brotherton has a hard SF writer’s bookshelf. Good stuff, check it out if you are even marginally interested in writing SF. Dave Walton’s page of writing advice. There is a whole lot of stuff here. Seriously. A LOT. Like two books worth. Space.com has this cool article about alien sociology. So, are the aliens going to come and kill us? Hmm? Cyber-cops are getting organized. Watch out hackers! CERN, the most complicated thing humans have built thus far! The Thinking Blog profiles it. Want to know how bad the economy really is? Look at these poor folks. Yeah, Mr. Bush, this is what you’ve done to this country. Congrats.
SF/F Links: March Roundup Part One
This is a little later than usual, but so be it. There will be a roundup at the start of April, most likely, rather than two roundups for March, although I’ll still call it a March Roundup. I got behind due to finals. In any case, here are a load of links that might be of interest to you all (more to come): Universe Today Galileo returns to the Vatican. Yup, they’re putting up a statue for him. About damn time. On the subject of Galileo, New Scientist had a controversial question about whether or not scientists should exhume his body to do DNA tests to figure out if the person buried with him, presumably his daughter, is actually his daughter. Quite honestly I really don’t care. This is the same as arguing that Shakespeare didn’t write his plays. Who cares? Venus’ south pole has some weird weather patterns and it’s sort of stumped scientists. Imagine when you pull the plug out of a drain and watch the water go down. Yeah, something like that. Apparently scientists are thinking about putting an “Ark” on the Moon. What does that mean? Basically a giant computer run complex that holds seeds and genetic info and what not in case we all blow ourselves to pieces. Not necessarily news, but scientists believe that all the little bits that formed together and created life might have been brought here by meteorites. This is apparently due to having found meteorites with rich concentrations of amino acids, which are rather important after all. I wrote about germs becoming three times more likely to spread disease a while back, but Universe Today has an article on it which is quite interesting here. There’s a lot more talk about what this means for long space missions too. We might be able to find small, terrestrial planets around Alpha Centauri, which is every SF fan’s wet dream. All we need is five years a a moderately sized telescope. I’m in. More reasons why Pluto is so much better than Venus and Mercury, who are still planets (I feel sorry for Pluto…this is nothing short of racism): Pluto has two more moons, Nix and Hydra. Eat that Venus! Kessler Syndrome: the idea that space travel will become impossible without hitting something. Yeah, this is a problem we may be facing pretty soon. We need a giant garbage machine to go up there and eat up all that stuff and turn the material into convenient little metallic bobble-heads. That would be cool. Write, Pam, Write! has an awesome list of seven writing tips. Check it out! Strange Horizons has part one of an awesome article on the realities of space warfare! (Courtesy of SF Signal) The Devil Frog! That’s right, scientists have uncovered information about a giant frog that lived a long time ago when dinosaurs still roamed. Sixteen inches doesn’t sound like a very large frog, but that’s pretty freaking huge in the frog world! There’s a bit more about it here. Star Wars Toys that will never be made. Hilarity ensues. (Courtesy of SF Signal, I think) A supersaturated view of the moon. That translates to a really freaking cool looking rendition! Don’t know where I found this, but how about a list of nine of the most baffling theme parks around the world? Yeah, coolness! 25 ways to break your procrastination habit. Yeah, I need to pay attention. 10 Things You Didn’t Know About the Milky Way Galaxy. Too bad one of them isn’t “cause it’s freaking awesome”. (Courtesy of SF Signal) The only reason Bungie, the company that made the Halo games, is any good. One of the Mars Orbiters discovered an ancient Mars lake that might have been inhabitable once. (No, there wasn’t any water) New Scientist has an article that suggests that hardy bacteria could survive in Lunar soil (not in the vacuum though). That’s pretty cool. Listverse Top 10 Badass Swords. Poke! Top 10 Most Overlooked Mysteries in History. This one is youtyreally freaking cool! By the way, I want to see this Voynich manuscript! io9 A wristband your boss can use to track your emotions. Yeah, cause we need people to have MORE control of our lives. Sand Dollars (you know, those really interesting shelled critters with the cool shells?) apparently clone themselves when in danger, which is fascinating to think about. Imagine if you could clone yourself on command. These are hilarious. Pictures of scifi things that look like things in real life! 8 Unstoppable Rules For Writing Killer Short Stories! Yes! There’s been a breakthrough in how digits are grown, meaning that we might be able to “naturally” grow replacement digits. Now that’s cool right? We once figured that sleep patterns were primarily controlled by changes in light, well new studies suggest that TVs can also have an effect. I’m screwed, since a computer screen isn’t that much different. Crap. Would you inject your breasts with nanoparticles if they could be used to detect cancer? If I had breasts I would, but since I don’t…regardless, nanotech is the wave of the future. This is interesting: plants develop new reproductive systems in cities. They go from being dispersing systems (the seeds fly to some other spot) to nondispersing (they just lend next to the parent) because it’s more efficient. That’s neat! Evolution for the win AGAIN! Eat it creationists! 20 SF Novels That Will Change Your Life. Self explanatory right? Nanocrystals that absorb carbon dioxide. Cool? Yes, I think so. Robots are going to fight our wars for us. There’s some good and some bad about this. I might have to rant later. Scientists have found krill living as deep as 9,800 feet in the ocean below Antarctica. That’s good news for those of us hoping to find little aliens on Europa and what not. Rule 34: No exceptions. Yes, this picture is hilarious! Futurismic Immune system in a jar. That’s the title I’m going with. So, a virologist basically says