Science My Science Fiction: The Future of the Deaf and Blind? by Adam Callaway

One of my favorite things about the nonstop progress of technology is how it assists the less fortunate to interact with the world on a more complete level. A lot of these technologies — DARPA’s advanced carbon-fiber limbs, implantable retinas, brain-computer interfaces — try to correct disabilities so these people can live a “normal” live. […]

Science Our Science Fiction: Vegetarians on Mars

According to RT, Elon Musk of Paypal / SpaceX fame wants to put a colony on Mars.  Musk’s proposed city will help re-settle 80,000 people, run on sustainable technology (at least in part), and contain a population of — you guessed it — vegetarians.  I’m intrigued by this idea because it makes me wonder about […]

Question: What happens when laser pistols are everywhere?

The question is actually more complicated than the title suggests.  It reads as follows: In a science fiction world where guns can be made of deadly lasers, pew pew pew, that you’d have to move at the speed of light to avoid, would there be a need for guns? I mean, if you got mad […]

38 Reasons Why Darth Vader is Better (and Cooler) Than Iron Man

io9 recently posted a list of 38 reasons why Iron Man is better than Vader. As a Star Wars fan, I am horribly offended. Tony Stark? Better than Vader? Pah! That’s a load of crap, and here’s why (more after the fold; click the read more): Vader practically rules the entire frakking Galaxy. Stark can […]

Science Fiction and Fantasy in Airports

As promised, I do have something interesting to point out about the presence of science fiction and fantasy in airports, and something that might be a good indicator of the power of books among travelers. First things first, I can honestly say that I’ve seen a significant increase in the number of book-specific shops in […]