Category Archives: Fiction

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

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

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

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

Physics Today

Posted on 2 May 2011 by Mika

Points of View, the Physics Today section for unusual jobs in science, is currently featuring my piece on working as a science consultant for Stargate: Putting the science in science fiction

Posted in Stargate, Television | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Supervolcano

Posted on 21 April 2011 by Mika

I haven’t watched Supervolcano, but Erik Klemetti wrote up some science-centric thoughts on the docudrama.

Posted in Disasters, Movies | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Alien Lifeforms

Posted on 23 March 2011 by Mika

The How-To guide to Alien Life over on io9 is lovely.

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