Charlie Jane Anders, Author at Gizmodo

Rutger Hauer Punches Out, Then Shoots, An Alien’s Heart. Time To Die.

You really don’t want to get on Rutger Hauer‘s bad side. In the climax to Split Second, he punches an alien in the chest, rips out its heart, and then shoots the heart for good measure. Because he’s Rutger Hauer. Split Second is sort of an uneasy mash-up of Blade Runner and Alien, but it…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Aug 13 '09

Terminator 2 Storyboards Show The Destruction Of Skynet

Terminator 2 storyboards include some sequences that were too expensive to film — like an extended future war sequence, where we see Skynet’s destruction from the point of view of a wounded soldier. Gallery below. Looking at these storyboards, we wish we could go back in time and give Terminator Salvation’s entire budget to James…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Aug 13 '09

A Military Targeting Computer, Circa 1922

A stiff-backed man manipulates the knobs and levers of a “target computor (sic),” designed to help aim large pieces of artillery, in this image from 1922. Bigger version at the link. [Shorpy, thanks Bec!]

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Aug 13 '09

In Defense Of Romo Lampkin — And His “Mitochondrial Dog”

We caught up with actor Mark Sheppard at Comic Con, and he explained why Battlestar Galactica’s Romo Lampkin really was a good guy — and why Romo’s pet dog was the ancestor of all other dogs on Earth. Sheppard doesn’t agree with our assessment that he always tends to play “shifty” characters (like Badger in…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Aug 13 '09

The Day The Flying Saucers Came, Everyone Was Naked… Except For Their Masks [NSFW]

Women, naked except for weird mask/hood thingies, watch as a flying saucer arrives. A gang of dominatrices confronts a man in a helmet and a jumpsuit that reads “UNO.” It can only be the psychedelic art of Guy Peellaert. (NSFW!) Peellaert, who died last fall, did the cover for Bowie’s Diamond Dogs album and a…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Aug 13 '09

An “Alternate History For Newbies” Primer Makes A Stab At Creating An Allohistory Canon

Interested in diving into alternate history fiction? The Onion AV Club has an unusual recommendation: steer clear of both Philip Roth and Harry Turtledove, and start with a Pulitzer-nominated but seldom-discussed 1972 novel instead. The AV Club’s “Gateways To Geekery” series recommends Robert Sobel‘s Pulitzer Prize-nominated 1972 novel For Want Of A Nail: If Burgoyne…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Aug 13 '09

Wolverine 2 Sexiness, Gamer Hot-Wiring, And Maybe A Peek At The Tenth Doctor’s Final Words

Hugh Jackman talks Wolverine’s lovers (plural!) and there’s a scorching new Gamer clip. ScarJo talks Iron Man 2, and Chris Pine talks Trek 2. Plus some awesome Dollhouse and Doctor Who hints. Also: Stargate, Heroes, Warehouse and True Blood spoilers! Wolverine 2: Another snippet of Hugh Jackman, apparently from the same interview as yesterday’s report.…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Aug 13 '09

Max Barry Jams In Public, Creates A New Publishing Model, Slices Your Legs Off

Max Barry‘s Jennifer Government was one of the most original and entertaining dystopian novels of the past decade, and now Barry is helping to reinvent publishing. Or at least, his bold experiment, Machine Man, seems to have paid off. Barry has been posting chunks of his novel Machine Man online since March, although he hasn’t…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Aug 12 '09

Why Jonathan Lethem Keeps Coming Back To Philip K. Dick

Motherless Brooklyn author Jonathan Lethem started his career channeling Philip K. Dick, and now Lethem is returning to Dick’s orbit. Lethem is editing a collection of four Dick novels, and says his new novel is his most Dickian in years. In an interview in The Jewish Daily Forward, Lethem explains that his collection of four…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Aug 12 '09

Intense Clips From Fringe, District 9 And New Moon. Plus Supernatural’s Mute Visitors!

Today’s spoilers include new hints for Iron Man 2 and Wolverine 2 — plus the Supernatural guest stars you never expected! There’s a “redband” clip from District 9. Plus Dollhouse, Lost, Fringe, Time Traveler’s Wife, New Moon, Stargate and Heroes. Wolverine 2: As we reported the other day, Logan’s second outing is headed to Japan.…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Aug 12 '09

Beastwizard Lives! Rejoice And Alert The Kingdom!

Miss Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles? Us too. Luckily, 1982 sword-and-sandal epic Ator The Invincible is a spitting image for Beastwizard, the action franchise that starred a Terminator’s lookalike. Behold the blonde swordswoman, the young hero, and their bear cub. Seriously, does Miles O’Keeffe look remarkably like Garret Dillahunt in that scene or what? Maybe…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Aug 11 '09

Can You See The “God Spot” In This Brain Scan? Neither Can We

Don’t be fooled by headlines suggesting neuroscience researchers have found the “God spot” in the brain that triggers religious devotion, say experts. Yes, it’s back to the drawing board with our “worship me now, fools” raygun. Reuters’ FaithWorld blog has been covering the University of Pennsylvania’s Neuroscience Boot Camp, going on now, and one message…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Aug 11 '09

Who Will Seize The Upper Hand In The Battle Of Repo Man Non-Sequels?

Repo Man director Alex Cox will premiere his new movie Repo Chick at the Venice Film Festival in September, say sources — but Repo Chick isn’t a sequel. And neither is Universal’s new movie Repo Men. Confused yet? Blame the financial crisis for a new boom in movies with “repo” in the title, as well…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders Aug 11 '09

Just Ten Days Until The First Trailers For Cameron’s Avatar And Nolan’s Inception

Two of science fiction’s greatest auteurs, James Cameron and Christopher Nolan, will release trailers for their new original films on August 21. “Avatar Day” will be your first official look at that movie, plus Nolan’s ultra-mysterious Inception. As Cameron announced at Comic Con, you’ll be able to go see around 15 minutes of Avatar footage…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Aug 11 '09

The Terrifying Beauty Of A Combat Vehicle That Thinks, Plans, And May One Day Harbor Dark Desires

Try not to drool on this prototype of the X-47B Navy Unmanned Combat Air System, on display yesterday at Naval Air Station Pax River. Designed for autonomous launch and recovery, it’s sleek, shiny and menacing. (Click to enlarge.) [Getty Images]

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Aug 11 '09

Top 10 Silliest Alien Prosthetics

Movies and TV have made huge strides towards giving us awesome-looking superheroics, but let’s face it: aliens still mostly look like Hare Krishnas after a candle-related accident. Here are the 10 most ridiculous alien head modifications from classic scifi. Antennae The Pathetic Rationalization: Snails are already kind of alien, right? They’re French, which is like…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Aug 11 '09

Krugman Explains Why Progress Is Slowing Down

It’s become a cliche to say that our world is changing faster and faster, as we hurtle towards an ultra-advanced future. But it’s not true, Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman told Worldcon. Actually, change is slowing down. Krugman came to Worldcon for two events: a conversation with his favorite living science-fiction author, Charles Stross (which…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Aug 11 '09

Creepiest Cult Indoctrination Scene Of All Time

Sure, your cult has a charismatic leader, a crackpot ideology and a 401k for long-term members. But can you match the psychotic Lunar orbiter mania of this apocalyptic cult’s meeting, from Japan’s 20th Century Boys? We doubt it. [IMDB]

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Aug 11 '09

Hugos 2009: The Fashion, The Fervor And The Suspense!

Last night, the 2009 Hugo Awards Ceremony brought together many of the genre’s leading lights, and we were there. A few victories surprised us, and a couple of speeches moved us. Here’s our gallery of the parties and the glamor. Probably the biggest surprise was Best Novel winner, Neil Gaiman‘s Graveyard Book, which defeated Neal…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Aug 10 '09

What Does It Take To Build A Magazine Subscription Base Nowadays?

One of the most exciting new short fiction publications of recent years, Jim Baen’s Universe, is closing down after its fourth year, says editor Eric Flint. The magazine will cease publication with its April 2010 issue. The reasons for the magazine’s halt to publication speak to the challenges of starting any new magazine in this…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Aug 10 '09

Charlie Jane Anders

Rutger Hauer Punches Out, Then Shoots, An Alien’s Heart. Time To Die.

Terminator 2 Storyboards Show The Destruction Of Skynet

A Military Targeting Computer, Circa 1922

In Defense Of Romo Lampkin — And His “Mitochondrial Dog”

The Day The Flying Saucers Came, Everyone Was Naked… Except For Their Masks [NSFW]

An “Alternate History For Newbies” Primer Makes A Stab At Creating An Allohistory Canon

Wolverine 2 Sexiness, Gamer Hot-Wiring, And Maybe A Peek At The Tenth Doctor’s Final Words

Max Barry Jams In Public, Creates A New Publishing Model, Slices Your Legs Off

Why Jonathan Lethem Keeps Coming Back To Philip K. Dick

Intense Clips From Fringe, District 9 And New Moon. Plus Supernatural’s Mute Visitors!

Beastwizard Lives! Rejoice And Alert The Kingdom!

Can You See The “God Spot” In This Brain Scan? Neither Can We

Who Will Seize The Upper Hand In The Battle Of Repo Man Non-Sequels?

Just Ten Days Until The First Trailers For Cameron’s Avatar And Nolan’s Inception

The Terrifying Beauty Of A Combat Vehicle That Thinks, Plans, And May One Day Harbor Dark Desires

Top 10 Silliest Alien Prosthetics

Krugman Explains Why Progress Is Slowing Down

Creepiest Cult Indoctrination Scene Of All Time

Hugos 2009: The Fashion, The Fervor And The Suspense!

What Does It Take To Build A Magazine Subscription Base Nowadays?

Before ‘Witch Hat,’ Kamome Shirahama Blessed Us With a Hilarious Romp About Gals Being Pals

Meta Axes Contractors Who Had to Review Explicit Video From Smart Glasses

World’s Slowest Rocket Company Suddenly Wants to Churn Out 60 Rockets a Year

Lego’s May Releases Are Swooshing In

Buying Prescription Smart Glasses Might Not Be Such a Good Idea After All

Spirit Airlines Is Reportedly Moving Forward With Plan to Shut Down

Trump Resurrects Keystone Pipeline Killed Over Climate Concerns

The Old Republic Reigns Supreme in Hasbro’s New ‘Star Wars’ Figures

Everything You Missed From Elon Musk’s Testimony in the OpenAI Trial

New FCC Satellite Rules Could Improve Starlink Capacity to a Surprising Degree

The Best Tech Gifts for Mother’s Day 2026

Asus’ Dual-Display Gaming Laptop Will Ruin Your Single-Screen Lifestyle

Steam Controller Review: Trackpads Change Everything for PC Gaming

Soundcore Space 2 Review: A Shockingly Stellar Value for Budget ANC Wireless Headphones

Anker’s UV Printer Can Handle Almost Anything… If You Know What You’re Doing

HP’s EliteBoard Keyboard-Computer Proves We Can Stick a PC in Anything

Sleep-Tracking Earbuds Didn’t Fix Me, but They Did Open My Eyes

I’ve Tested a Lot of Bad Smart Glasses and These Are the Worst Yet

Roborock’s Qrevo Curv 2 Flow Is the Ultimate Robot Mop—If You Don’t Have Corners or Walls

Alienware’s $350 QD-OLED Gaming Monitor Nixes Everything for a Pretty Screen