Category Archives: Fiction

The Tsunami of “Deep Impact”

Posted on 23 March 2011 by Mika

At the AGU 2010 Fall meeting, the Science & Entertainment Exchange hosted a panel on Hollywood science. On it, screenwriter for Deep Impact, Bruce Joel Rubin, revealed that he got a bit carried away doing science research while writing. For … Continue reading →

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

The Tsunami of Hawaii Five-0 “Kai e’e”

Posted on 8 February 2011 by Mika

I am in no way affiliated with Hawaii Five-0, but as a disaster specialist and instructor of a university course on tsunami, I can’t refrain from commenting on season 1, episode 15: “Kai e’e”, where the science of tsunami and … Continue reading →

Posted in Disasters, Fiction, Science | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Disclaimers for Fiction

Posted on 14 January 2011 by Mika

As an episode or movie closes and the credits roll, one day I’d love to see one last warning at the end: No scientific ideas were seriously harmed in the making of this story.

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

Scifi in Nature

Posted on 5 January 2011 by Mika

Nature, yes, that Nature of scientific paper publishing prestige, has opened public access to its archive of science fiction stories. I’m adding them to my collection of hard scifi short stories; anyone have any favourites or specific recommendations?

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

Ethics of Stargate: Universe “Air”

Posted on 3 January 2011 by Mika

Dr. Rush, the lead scientist in Stargate: Universe, is a character who embodies a non-standard moral stance compared to the usual characters in Stargate. The following observations on ethics and morals are used considering the initial character only, how he … Continue reading →

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

Stargate: From Fiction to Science

Posted on 2 January 2011 by Mika

I’ve written before on the value of using good science in works of fiction; the Stargate franchise embraced this philosophy and I worked as their science consultant for several seasons. I’ve been asked why Stargate cared about having detailed, plausible … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Science, Stargate, Stargate: Atlantis, Stargate: Universe, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review: The Physics of Christmas

Posted on 24 December 2010 by Mika

If you’re looking for a holiday-themed “The Science of…” book, I thought “The Physics of Christmas” was pretty good.

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

Science in Science Fiction

Posted on 15 December 2010 by Mika

After listening to last night’s AGU Hollywood Panel, I have a few thoughts on the role of a science in science fiction. Science in not in conflict with science fiction. Millions of stories happen every day, each one without violating … Continue reading →

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

Atmospheric Science of SG:A “Brain Storm”

Posted on 14 December 2010 by Mika

Stargate: Atlantis “Brain Storm” problem solving boards. Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Science, Stargate, Stargate: Atlantis, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Cryptography of SG:U “Human”

Posted on 10 December 2010 by Mika

My apologies for the long hiatus — my thesis took over for a while, as did splitting off a new, science-only site GeoMika. It’s time to finish off posts that have languished for far too long in the “Drafts” folder. … Continue reading →

Posted in Science, Stargate, Stargate: Universe, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment