Science Fiction Site

New Post At https://sciencefiction.site/the-best-recent-science-fiction-reviews-roundup/ - Heather Child’s debut novel, Everything About You (Orbit, £14.99), reads as though the author has travelled to the future and returned with an itemised report. We are in near-future Britain, and Child has extrapolated from current trends in social media to catalogue the pitfalls and benefits of a world in which most citizens take part in various forms of virtual reality and smartware curates everyone’s identity. The novel begins eight years after Freya’s 17-year-old stepsister, Ruby, vanished without trace, and Freya has been living with a burden of guilt and grief. When she borrows her ex-boyfriend’s Smartface hardware, its algorithms trawl the datasphere and provide Freya with a default virtual helpmate – a construct based on her sister’s old online presence. The novel is low on plot but high on acute psychological observation as Child skilfully portray...

New Post At https://sciencefiction.site/drool-over-these-zeiss-cinema-lenses-that-you-probably-cant-afford/ - Zeiss Zeiss is known for high-end lenses  and now that extravagance (and expense) is extending to cinema. On Thursday, May 24, Zeiss announced the launch of the new Zeiss Supreme Prime , a collection designed for cinema cameras that will eventually include 13 fixed focal length lenses. With a quality and price designed for high-quality film productions, however, more will probably see the results of the lens in theaters than the number of videographers that actually get to shoot with one. The lens line will eventually extend from 15mm to 200mm, but the first lenses in the series will be the 25mm, 29mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, and 100mm. The remaining lenses will all roll out gradually over the next two years. The series is designed for large format cinema cameras like the Sony Venice, RED Monstro, and ARRI Alexa. The lenses are designed for versatility, extending from...

New Post At https://sciencefiction.site/may-the-forks-be-with-you-when-you-use-the-millennium-falcon-waffle-maker/ - The Force surely was with Uncanny Brands when the company launched the  Deluxe Millennium Falcon Waffle Maker on Friday, May 25. The appliance’s appearance coincided with the opening date for Solo: A Star Wars Story , the latest film in the science-fiction franchise. The Deluxe Millennium Falcon Waffle Maker is patterned after Hans Solo’s YT-1300 freighter and sports a Rebel Alliance symbol on the waffle plate. Dual indicator lights let you know when the plates are hot enough for pouring batter and when the waffles are ready. A regulating thermostat and weighted lid help ensure even browning. According to the manufacturer, you’re not limited to cooking only waffles. You can also use the Deluxe Millennium Falcon Waffle Maker to create Star Wars-theme hash browns, cookies, and other snacks for random Ewoks and Wookies in you...

New Post At https://sciencefiction.site/lamborghinis-electric-supercar-wont-contain-batteries-it-will-be-one/ - Lamborghini and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) introduced the Terzo Millennio , an ultra-futuristic design study powered by electricity, last year to show what the eco-friendly sports car of tomorrow could look like. While the whole package tells a tale set in the relatively distant future, Digital Trends learned from Maurizio Reggiani, the head of Lamborghini’s research and development department, that it might not be as science fiction-esque as it appears. Reggiani told us Lamborghini often discusses what a full electric car could look like and when it might realistically arrive. His team always comes to the same conclusion: the present-day technology used in cars built by the likes of Tesla , Nissan , and Jaguar is not suitable to power a super sports car like the Aventador S . The main problems are the weight and the packaging of the battery pack. M...

New Post At https://sciencefiction.site/heres-what-to-expect-from-bethesdas-e3-2018-press-conference/ - Bethesda’s press conferences are typically straightforward, featuring trailer after trailer with little commentary. There’s no reason to believe Bethesda will abandon that format this year, but how will Bethesda fill what could be its longest press conference ever ? Considering much of what Bethesda and its partner studios have in development is under wraps, that’s the million-dollar question. Bethesda’s conference is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. PT on June 10. Here’s what to expect from the show, which could feature a couple of major new announcements. ‘Fallout 76’ [embedded content] On May 30, following a series of cryptic teases and a really long livestream, Bethesda Game Studios revealed its next game,  Fallout 76 . Details on the game are scarce at the moment, but based on the teaser, the game seems to take place a year before nucle...

New Post At https://sciencefiction.site/heres-what-to-expect-from-sonys-e3-2018-press-conference/ - The Last of Us: Part II Sony’s E3 2018 showcase will differ from the norm, according to Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Shawn Layden, who announced the June 11 6 p.m. PT time slot during an episode of PlayStation Blogcast . From the sound of it, Sony will have a video-centric showing, similar to Nintendo’s recent E3 outings, that may or may not include a stage. On top of that, Layden revealed that Sony will focus its attention on four upcoming PS4 exclusives . Not only does that mean there won’t be a PlayStation 5 tease, it seems unlikely Sony will even reveal any new games. That’s not entirely unsurprising since most of Sony’s development studios and third-party partners already have upcoming PS4 games that we know about. On the bright side, in lieu of surprises, we’re guaranteed to get extended looks at four of the PS4’s most exciting exclus...

New Post At https://sciencefiction.site/westworld-star-saddles-up-for-sonic-the-hedgehog-film-role/ - Courtesy of HBO Actor James Marsden currently stars in the HBO science-fiction series Westworld, which often functions like a video game, with characters “dying” only to reappear uninjured a short time later. His next project, however, will be even more like a video game, as he has reportedly been chosen to star in a Sonic the Hedgehog film adaptation. According to Variety , Mardsen has signed on, but it didn’t specify if he would actually be playing the title character or a different role. The film is being directed by Jeff Fowler, who will make his full-length directorial debut, as he has primarily worked in writing and animation up to this point. It’s scheduled for release on November 15, 2019. In addition to his role as “host” Teddy on both seasons of Westworld , Marsden has played Cyclops, whose real name is Scott Summers, in several of the X-...

New Post At https://sciencefiction.site/science-of-the-expanse-tv-show-sticks-to-space-realities-with-one-big-exception/ - Spaceship pilot Alex Kamal (played by Cas Anvar) turns a zero-gravity somersault in a scene from “The Expanse.” (Alcon / Syfy via YouTube) LOS ANGELES — The sci-fi saga known as “The Expanse” has attracted a huge fan following in part because it gets the details of life in space so right, from how to handle zero gravity to what happens when you open up your helmet visor in a hard vacuum. But there’s one space reality that the producers have thrown out the air lock. In space, no one can hear your spaceship scream, because there’s no medium to transmit the sound waves. But in “The Expanse,” as in “Star Wars” and other space operas, spaceships whoosh, crash and roar with regularity. “We actually tried with Season 1 to do it realistically, to not have the ships make a sound,” showrunner Naren...

New Post At https://sciencefiction.site/science-fiction-technologies-are-really-coming-to-life-down-in-limerick/ - Whether it’s the development of spacetech or crucial research into autonomous car development, Limerick has a sci-tech scene with a science-fiction focus. If Dublin and the east coast of Ireland have been established as the centre for the biggest tech leaders right now – such as Google, Facebook and Microsoft – then the mid-west is the epicentre of companies and researchers developing technologies that could determine the future. You only have to take a look at what is going on in the region in the past year to see that things are really brewing from a research and industry-academia perspective, in technologies ranging from artificial intelligence (AI) to  robotics . For example, earlier this month we saw Science Foundation Ireland open its latest Confirm centre focused on the development of smart manufacturing. This includes optimising industry with...

New Post At https://sciencefiction.site/revenge-is-a-dish-best-served-with-ai-and-unicorns-3-sci-fi-reads/ - On the generational ship Olympia, worms like Oichi are supposed to know their place. They’re the servant class, subject to the whims of the Executives. But after Oichi’s parents are killed aboard the explosion of a sister ship, she begins plotting her revenge. Those around her don’t take kindly to that, and Oichi is sentenced to death in the vacuum of space for her trouble. But before she takes her last breath, a sentient AI called Medusa rescues her and Oichi begins to realize just how much she has been lied to over the years. It’s a strange world that Devenport creates, and it takes time to adjust to its intricacies and terms. (“Worms,” for example, is a slur against the lower class, and no reflection on their form). The narrative is dense, but the author did an excellent job guiding me through it. I was specifically fascinated by the otherwo...

New Post At https://sciencefiction.site/the-best-recent-science-fiction-reviews-roundup/ - Heather Child’s debut novel, Everything About You (Orbit, £14.99), reads as though the author has travelled to the future and returned with an itemised report. We are in near-future Britain, and Child has extrapolated from current trends in social media to catalogue the pitfalls and benefits of a world in which most citizens take part in various forms of virtual reality and smartware curates everyone’s identity. The novel begins eight years after Freya’s 17-year-old stepsister, Ruby, vanished without trace, and Freya has been living with a burden of guilt and grief. When she borrows her ex-boyfriend’s Smartface hardware, its algorithms trawl the datasphere and provide Freya with a default virtual helpmate – a construct based on her sister’s old online presence. The novel is low on plot but high on acute psychological observation as Child skilfully portray...

New Post At https://sciencefiction.site/heart-and-soul-of-marian-retires-after-32-years/ - Marian administrators, teachers, current and former students – and even some of their parents – came together May 19 to celebrate the retirement of Marian’s beloved band and choral director, Tom Rome. Rome, who became the first full-time faculty member in the music department in the fall of 1986, defined the position, laying the groundwork for those who will follow him. “I wanted to go while I still really love it,” said Rome, who would often comment that he never felt he had a job or went to work, so rewarding was his time with students. The love that Rome felt for the Marian community returned to him in refrains and choruses at the recent Saturday event. “He was the best part of Marian,” said former student Kathryn Valle Pedersen (Class of 2005). Pedersen, a participant in choir, the musicals, and Madrigals, now teaches at Woodstock North High School. Wh...

New Post At https://sciencefiction.site/warp-speed-thor-and-a-tarantino-space-romp-where-can-star-trek-boldly-go-next/ - A s openings to a saga go, the beginning of 2009’s Star Trek is up there with the best for emotional wrench. James T Kirk’s dear old dad, George, is forced to sacrifice himself to save the lives of the crew members of the USS Kelvin, as well as his pregnant wife and unborn son, by piloting the 23rd-century Federation starship on a collision course with a marauding Romulan ship. [embedded content] We then see how this single incident completely altered the timeline of the younger Kirk’s life. Where Spock’s future bezzie mate always had his maverick side and a natural inclination not to play by the rules, Chris Pine’s version of the future starship captain is now reimagined as a cosmic take on James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause, stealing his stepdad’s 1965 Corvette Stingray , getting into bar fights and generally making a nuisance o...

New Post At https://sciencefiction.site/my-science-fiction-story-about-effs-proposed-jailbreaking-exemption/ - Every three years, the US Copyright Office lets the public beg for limited exemptions to Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which bans bypassing DRM, even in your own property, even for strictly legal reasons. This year, the Electronic Frontier Foundation proposed three exemptions, and tapped three science fiction writers to pen short stories to illustrate what’s at stake: first, John Scalzi tackled our Right to Repair exemption ; then Mur Lafferty wrote a story about our Fair Use exemption , and this week, we present the final installment, my story about our jailbreaking exemption , a story called “It’s Not Brain Surgery.” The day Brian brought home the voice assistant with its smart-camera, Alanna had said, no way, no way was she going to have an internet-connected camera in her home, where they walked around getting dressed, where...