The Technology Behind 'Minority Report'
Written by: admin
Audiences flocked to to the futuristic thriller Minority Report when it debuted in 2002, impressed not just with thefilm noir mystery, but also the visually stunning futuristic world depicted onscreen. So naturally there was a packed house at the Hammer Museum on April 22 to hear a talk called “Beautiful…
Learn more ›
Zap! Or, Where Would Science Fiction Be Without Lasers?
Written by: admin
It’s hard to believe, but 2010 is the 50th anniversary of the laser. In 1960, Theodore Maiman, at the Hughes Research Labs in California, first applied a 40 year-old theoretical insight from Einstein to produce an intense beam of red light from a chunk of solid ruby. Einstein’s idea was…
Learn more ›
C is for 'Caprica'
Written by: admin
Fans of Battlestar Galactica are avidly following the brand-new “prequel” series,Caprica, which explores the genesis of the Cylon race that is created by, and then rebels against, their human creators. The series’ technical script consultant, Malcolm MacIver, is an ideal person to provide insights on a fictional world that grapples…
Learn more ›
Small Town Science
Written by: admin
The Science and Entertainment Exchange found itself in Berkeley last week for Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory’s first-ever Science Cafe. The event featured Jaime Paglia, co-creator and showrunner for SyFy’s hit TV series, Eureka, with a special Skype appearance by Colin Ferguson, who plays Sheriff Jack Carter on the show. Eureka is …
Learn more ›
Creating a Conversation Through 'Creation"
Written by: admin
A brand new film, Creation, opens in theaters this Friday, January 22nd, in major cities across the country (New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, and Washington DC) and will certainly stir pundits on both sides of the creation “debate” in the US. The film, starring Paul Bettany and Jennifer…
Learn more ›
"Rift" Sets Its Hero Adrift
Written by: admin
Just when you thought the world was safe from universe-destroying black holes, comes a nifty short film from L Studio called Rift that explores just such a scenario. It’s described as “a surreal interpretation of Pandora’s Box about a scientist whose failed experiment results in the formation of a black…
Learn more ›
Holy Concussive Incident, Batman!
Written by: admin
Batman takes a lot of blows to his head. These come from his fighting activities and from being routinely thrown—or leaping—onto or into hard objects like walls, floors, and moving vehicles. The issue of concussion in Batman’s career is something I addressed in Becoming Batman. In examining the scientific possibility…
Learn more ›
End of the World
Written by: admin
Master of Disaster Roland Emmerich has another blockbuster on his hands with 2012, if weekend box office returns are any indication. The film’s premise derives from a popular doomsday prediction centered on the Mayan calendar. It lasts 5126, at which point the calendar abruptly stops at December 21, 2012. For…
Learn more ›
Goats in the Machine
Written by: admin
The new film, The Men Who Stare at Goats, is based on the book by Jon Ronson detailing a weird military research project involving psychic warriors, LSD, astral projection and the like. But while the movie might be fiction — and highly amusing fiction at that, thanks to stellar performances…
Learn more ›
Creation, Darwin, and Movie Censorship
Written by: admin
When I first moved to the United Kingdom I had a bit of a shock upon seeing a £10 note. Currency in the United States features revered presidents and revolutionary war heroes. Yet, staring back at me on another country’s official currency was a man reviled by a large section…
Learn more ›
