Charlie Jane Anders

Asia’s notorious “Tuk-Tuk” taxis could become electric vehicles

If you’ve spent a lot of time in Asia, you’re probably familiar with the Tuk-Tuk, a three-wheeled buggy that’s commonly used for taxi services. They’re noisy, smelly and environmentally unsound. But one Japanese company has plans to replace them with space-age-looking electric vehicles. According to Autoblog: The company plans to build the car in the…

The petition to get Isaac Asimov a commemorative plaque at his 1940s homehas already reached 2000 signatures, but it could use yours. Show that the Good Doctor still has a posse.

Birdemic is the ultimate so-bad-it’s-awesome movie — and now there’s a sequel!To celebrate, director James Nguyen is on Reddit, answering readers’ questions right now. Including “what bird would you be and why.”

How long before Marvel makes its own Daredevil movie?

We’ve known since last fall that Marvel was going to be getting the movie rights to Daredevil back — last October, there were widespread reports that Marvel was willing to extend Fox’s option for a Daredevil film, in exchange for getting to use Galactus in a Marvel movie. But Fox chose the Destroyer of Worlds…

Nanomachines really are magic, according to Revolution

Ah, nanomites… is there nothing you can’t do? Apparently not, judging from the “lights out and stop texting, kids” show Revolution. This show has apparently decided that nanotechnology is the all-purpose explanation for everything. Spoilers attack! Not only did nanomachines cause all electricity and technology generally to stop working — they also cured the rare…

Brand New Exclusive Concept Art from the Animated Adventure Epic

Amanda Seyfried gets shrunk to tiny size and joins a race of strange little people as they fight against evil monsters, in the animated fantasy adventure Epic. This film is based on the children’s book by William Joyce (Rise of the Guardians), and we’ve got some lush, fairy-tale-themed concept art from the film, exclusively at…

Summer Movie Preview: 34 Movies To Watch Out For

Will this be the summer that all your favorite icons reach their true potential for greatness on the big screen? Or will all your favorite characters be stuck in generic tentpole films about angst and terrorism? We’ll find out soon! Here’s the complete guide to this summer’s science fiction, fantasy and comic book films. Top…

Things That Will Make Literary Agents Throw Your Novel Across the Room

The first chapter of your science fiction or fantasy novel absolutely needs to hook readers, and that goes double for any literary agents or editors who might be looking at it. But at the very least, you don’t want your opening chapter to contain any of the red flags that make agents toss books in…

What does the Star Trek game reveal about the destiny of the Vulcans?

We’ve waited four long years for our next installment in J.J. Abrams’ movie series, and Star Trek Into Darkness is almost here. But meanwhile, you can catch up with the rebooted Trek with Star Trek: The Video Game, which comes out today. We’ve got tons of concept art, and an exclusive interview with Paramount’s Brian…

The first Thor 2 trailer reveals Thor’s biggest weakness!

There’s enough cheese for a billion pizzas in this new trailer for Thor: The Dark World. But it also makes the Asgardian sequel look fun, and promises a film that ups the ante — including a situation so dire, Thor has to make an almost unthinkable decision. Minor spoilers… You have to admire the moxie…

This is a surgical amputation kit from the 19th century. That is all.

It looks beautiful and elegant — until you imagine someone performing an actual amputation using these tools. Probably with not terribly great anesthetic or antibiotics. What do you think the curved one is for? These implements are on display at Drexel University as part of an exhibition called “A Legacy of Art, Science & Industry:…

“Sexy” Star Wars Costumes Will Give You a Disturbance in the Force

Seriously, these “sexy” women’s Star Wars costumes are the worst — they remind me, in a weird way, of those ultra-cheap Halloween costumes from the 70s where you had to wear the face of whoever you were dressing as. Except these also have the trashy “sexy version of regular costume” going on. Like Sexy Darth…

This lovely unicorn poster contains all of Peter Beagle’s Last Unicorn

Tomorrow, Peter S. Beagle kicks off his world tour for The Last Unicorn, and to celebrate Litographs.com is releasing this Last Unicorn poster — which contains the entire text of the novel, in collaboration with Beagle. https://gizmodo.com/see-a-restored-print-of-the-last-unicorn-with-author-pe-472547263 According to the Litographs product page, where you can order your own poster: Every Litograph design emerges from…

Portal 2 writer Ted Kosmatka imagines a world where Creationism won

Ted Kosmatka’s Prophet of Bones takes place in a world where absolutely everybody knows that Darwin was wrong, and the world is only 5,800 years old. Until one researcher happens on an archeological miracle: an early hominid who used tools, and clearly diverged from humans longer ago. And then people start turning up dead. Spoilers…

On Game of Thrones, revenge is a dish best served among friends

Last night’s episode of Game of Thrones had a pretty clear theme of mutilation and revenge running through it. But slightly further below the surface was the idea that seeking revenge requires not just patience, but strange friendships. Scheming to destroy the people who’ve hurt you actually changes who you are. Spoilers ahead… First off,…

Remember how boring Buffy‘s “First Evil” was? Vampire Diaries doesn’t

There were a number of problems with the final season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer — but chief among them was the overuse of The First Evil, a malignant force that could appear as any dead person. Why did Vampire Diaries think copying that storyline was a good idea? Spoilers ahead… I was all set…

This Week’s TV: Can a new superhero show succeed where others failed?

Television is a brutal arena for superheroes, where dozens enter and a few survive. Can the latest superhero epic beat the odds? Plus Syfy’s latest movie is literally as dumb as rocks. Deadshot is back on Arrow, and Fusco’s in trouble on Person of Interest. Check out clips and details for all this week’s television!…

It’s always a love story on Doctor Who these days

Tonight’s “haunted house” episode of Doctor Who has a lot going for it, including some genuinely creepy moments and a companion rescuing the Doctor in a way we’ve never seen before. But it also exposes how the show’s over-reliance on romance as a storytelling engine is running into the law of diminishing returns. Spoilers! Towards…

Producer Mark Johnson on the Galaxy Quest Sequel: “It’s not over.”

The world is full of movies that don’t need a sequel, a remake, or a reboot — and then there’s the Star Trek spoof Galaxy Quest, which left us wanting more. Flavorwire talked to Breaking Bad producer Mark Johnson, and asked him what’s up with the Galaxy Quest sequel. Here’s what he said. I wish……

Who would win in a fight: J.K. Rowling, or J.J. Abrams?

What if the creator of Harry Potter met the originator of Alias and Lost, on the field of battle? Assume that Rowling gets to wield any item that’s introduced in the Harry Potter books. Meanwhile, Abrams gets any device from his TV shows, but nothing from Mission Impossible, Star Trek or Star Wars. Who ya…