Author Archives: Mika

American and oppose the SOPA/PIPA copyright/internet censorship bills? Use this list to find out where your representatives stand, then give them a call to say “thanks” or lobby to change their mind.

Posted on 18 January 2012 by Mika | Leave a comment

Sand-grain snowman Reality overlaid with a mischievous sense of humour and a bit of surrealism. Hardware hacking meets one of my go-to Adorable Bad Day songs Moon-geese Deliveries in San Francisco Data Visualization Related Reading 2011 Link Fest

Posted on 30 December 2011 by Mika | Leave a comment

Science & Entertainment Exchange

Posted on 29 December 2011 by Mika

I have a new article up on The Science and Entertainment Exchange about the process of science consulting. For more Stargate-centric stories, check out the older Physics Today piece.

Posted in Stargate | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Raptor Red

Posted on 17 December 2011 by Mika

Raptor Red by Robert T. Bakker is possibly the most entertaining way to learn his theories on early Cretaceous social behaviours of assorted critters. Bakker is a paleontologist who consulted for Jurassic Park, and is an early advocate for science … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Fiction | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Extraterrestrial Mining

Posted on 14 September 2011 by Mika

In my last field camp, I watched a pair of movies on aliens invading LA to exploit our resources. Skyline‘s aliens wanted our brains, and Battle Los Angeles‘s aliens were seeking water. Ignoring the big question of why the aliens … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy, Movies, Planetary Science | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

OpenScience Friends of the Future camp

Posted on 19 June 2011 by Mika

The Institute For The Future is hosting a meeting in one week on 26 June “to discuss and spark ideas around the bleeding edge futures of scientific exploration across multiple disciplines over the next decade.” Roughly two thirds of the … Continue reading →

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Near Earth Objects: movies in impact catastrophes

Posted on 9 June 2011 by Mika

I’m currently seeking recent movies/mini-series where great big chunks of rock hit the planet. I’m attempting to update my scifi examples to replace Deep Impact (1998) and Armageddon (1998). So far my list is: Impact (2008) Meteor (2009) Meteor Storm … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

PAX: Science in Entertainment

Posted on 8 June 2011 by Mika

We’ve all laughed at flux capacitors, reversing polarity, and all the other terrible science that fills in the gaps in mass-market entertainment. But sometimes, a bit of real science sneaks in. Why? What sort of influence does a science consultant have during production, and what is the job actually like? This panel features a mix of philosophy, practical guidance on blending science and fiction, and backstage stories from the industry. Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Science | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

Lessons for Science Consultants

Posted on 1 June 2011 by Mika

I already covered 8 lessons from being a science consultant over on Physics Today last month; now it’s time a few more promised stories that were cut from the final draft. To bring it up to a numerically-satisfying 10: Be … Continue reading →

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The Crazy Hall

Posted on 2 May 2011 by Mika

I’m travelling without my computer so I can’t add any more behind-the-scenes science stories until June, but I can elaborate on an anecdote about the curiosity of the Stargate cast. When Chloe Armstrong walked into the Crazy Hall of spaceship … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Stargate: Universe | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment