Lauren Davis, Author at Gizmodo

Empathic Virtual Humans will Pass the Voight-Kampff Test

The robotic Replicants in Blade Runner were indistinguishable from humans except for their lack of empathy. Now researchers are creating virtual humans that can detect human emotions through non-verbal cues and develop appropriate responses. This could lead to artificial life forms who are not only intelligent, but empathic as well. Catherine Pelachaud develops virtual humans,…

io9 Lauren Davis

Exiled Fables Could Find a New Home on Television

In Bill Willngham’s comic book epic Fables, Snow White, the Big Bad Wolf, Prince Charming, and scores of other characters from folklore are forced to live together in exile in Manhattan. Now ABC is offering them all a chance at life on television. The network has ordered a pilot based on the trials and tribulations…

io9 Lauren Davis

Zombie Fashion Models Show Off More Than Skin

After we get the zombie outbreak under control, the undead will become contributing members of society, even getting work as fashion models. Fumie Sasabuchi adds drawings of exposed bones and organs to models in high fashion magazines, transforming traditional symbols of beauty into the walking dead. Sasabuchi takes pages from fashion magazines and uses ballpoint…

io9 Lauren Davis

Get Rid of Your Mind-Controlling Parasite in Nine Easy Steps

So you’ve gotten yourself infected with mind-controlling parasite. And now the parasite is using your body, running up your credit card debt, and trying to take over your planet. Although possession by an alien parasite often means certain death, we offer a few remedies you should attempt before you resign yourself to a life of…

io9 Lauren Davis

Cybernetic Sea Monsters and Flying Houses in Ink and Watercolors

Take one part Shel Silverstein, a heavy dose of Baroque fashion, and mix with steampunk sensibility, and you get Mattias Adolfsson’s ink and watercolor illustrations. The Swedish illustrator draws witty and often sweet illustrations of unusually shaped robots and impossible vehicles, imagining a world where bears fly rocket ships, brick houses hover high above the…

io9 Lauren Davis

Joss Whedon and Ron Moore Want to Kill Seth Green

Seth Green is currently guest starring on Heroes, but in this clip from tomorrow night’s Robot Chicken season premiere, Tim Kring wasn’t the first science fiction television producer he approached for work. Green and his Robot Chicken co-creator Matthew Senreich find themselves unemployed and ask Joss Whedon and Battlestar Galactica creator Ron Moore for a…

io9 Lauren Davis

Futurama Review Explains the Origin of Fry’s Tinfoil Hat

The title of the fourth, and possibly final, Futurama direct-to-DVD movie, Into the Wild Green Yonder, revealed the film’s environmental theme, but the most recent trailer explains little about the Planet Express crew’s tinfoil hat wearing, robot Mafia shooting, pink camouflage clad adventures. But one reviewer who’s seen the movie offers a few more details…

io9 Lauren Davis

Nazi Experiment Gives Prisoner Trippy Time-Travel Powers

In Istvan Masdarasz’s awesome new short film, Sooner or Later, the Nazis, desperate at the end of World War II, test a time travel serum on human subjects, hoping they can still claim a retroactive victory. But when the serum starts to work on one of the subjects, neither the subject nor the guard watching…

io9 Lauren Davis

The Day the Earth Stood Still Remake You Never Saw

Some fans have been up in arms over the upcoming remake of the classic film The Day the Earth Stood Still. But the film is itself an adaptation of Harry Bates’ short story “Farewell to the Master,” originally published in the magazine Astounding Science Fiction. In 1973, Marvel editor-in-chief Roy Thomas acquired the rights to…

Movies Lauren Davis

Imagining Life After the Invisibility Cloak

Researchers claim that the creation of an invisibility cloak is feasible with future technology, and that soon humans could have the ability to blend in with their surroundings. Not content to wait for science to catch up with imagination, Dutch artist Desiree Palmen uses paint to camouflage her subjects, giving us a taste of what…

io9 Lauren Davis

Teddies Boldly Go Where No Bear Has Gone Before

England’s newest astronauts are plush. Last week, the Cambridge University Spaceflight program sent four brave teddy bears into suborbital space as part of a program to get young people interested in space exploration. The experiment taught the children about the importance of proper insulation in space and created a series of photographs they’re sure to…

io9 Lauren Davis

Science Fiction’s Deadliest Plants

The BBC announced last week that it plans to remake The Day of the Triffids, the classic tale of flesh eating plants that prey on a blinded humanity. Plants may seem sweet and innocent, rooted to the ground or sitting in pots on your windowsill. But our list of the deadly plants found throughout science…

io9 Lauren Davis

Spend Time with Your Own Private Moon

In this series of photographs by Russian artists Leonid Tishkov and Boris Bendikov, people enjoy private moments with their own personal crescent moon, eating meals with it, having conversations with it, and taking it on nighttime journeys. The resulting images are like snapshots from a magical realist story about our relationship with a giant piece…

io9 Lauren Davis

Aquatic Invader Has Time Lord’s Regenerative Powers

When the Time Lords of Doctor Who face a fatal blow, they can always regenerate, taking on a newer, and often younger, body. A certain species of hydrozoa can perform a similar trick, going into hibernation when times are tough and then emerging as a younger version of itself. And researchers say this potentially immortal…

io9 Lauren Davis

Gift Ideas for the Ten Major Species of Science Fiction Fan

Click to viewWe’ve got the definitive guide to what you and your fannish pals should have on your holiday lists this season. Not sure what to buy for the Star Wars fan in your life? Got a steampunker or zombie lover on your list and no clue where to look? Wondering what’s out there for…

io9 Lauren Davis

For the Star Wars Fan

The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia: The first Star Wars encyclopedia was released in 1998, before the prequels, before Clone Wars. The updated edition, which comes out Tuesday, is three volumes of comprehensive coverage of the Star Wars universe, including character portraits, racial customs, and a timeline of universe. Available for $75.00 from Amazon. Obsessed with…

io9 Lauren Davis

For the Whedonverse Fan

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along-Blog DVD: Joss Whedon’s musical comedy about an aspiring supervillain in love was a web hit and is available for pre-order on DVD. The DVD features musical commentary, making-of features, and fan-made applications to the Evil League of Evil. Available for $13.49 from Amazon. Serenity Complete and Official Map of the Verse: Plan…

io9 Lauren Davis

For the Zombie Fan

The Zen of Zombies: Sure, they may be the mindless undead, but zombies have a lot to teach us. They move at their own pace, go after what they want, and don’t worry about the rules of polite society. This how-to guide helps you tap into your inner zombie. $10.36 from Amazon. The Zombie Survival…

io9 Lauren Davis

For the Battlestar Galactica Fan

Colonial Fleet Propaganda Posters: So that you will never forget the Cylon genocide of the 12 Colonies, these posters will remind you to do your civic duty and keep your eye out for toasters. Get all five posters for $29.95 from NBC, or the “How to Spot a Cylon” poster for $19.95. Cylon Toaster: Celebrate…

io9 Lauren Davis

For the Steampunk Fan

Freakangels by Warren Ellis: The first collected volume of Warren Ellis’ web-based graphic novel, follows a group of telepathic twenty-somethings in the Midwich Cuckoos vein who, after causing the end of the world, lead a steampunk existence in London’s Whitechapel district. $19.99-39.99 from Comic Cavalcade. Steampunk Anthology: Edited by io9 contributors Jeff and Ann VanderMeer,…

io9 Lauren Davis

Lauren Davis

Empathic Virtual Humans will Pass the Voight-Kampff Test

Exiled Fables Could Find a New Home on Television

Zombie Fashion Models Show Off More Than Skin

Get Rid of Your Mind-Controlling Parasite in Nine Easy Steps

Cybernetic Sea Monsters and Flying Houses in Ink and Watercolors

Joss Whedon and Ron Moore Want to Kill Seth Green

Futurama Review Explains the Origin of Fry’s Tinfoil Hat

Nazi Experiment Gives Prisoner Trippy Time-Travel Powers

The Day the Earth Stood Still Remake You Never Saw

Imagining Life After the Invisibility Cloak

Teddies Boldly Go Where No Bear Has Gone Before

Science Fiction’s Deadliest Plants

Spend Time with Your Own Private Moon

Aquatic Invader Has Time Lord’s Regenerative Powers

Gift Ideas for the Ten Major Species of Science Fiction Fan

For the Star Wars Fan

For the Whedonverse Fan

For the Zombie Fan

For the Battlestar Galactica Fan

For the Steampunk Fan

KitchenAid 4.5-Quart Stand Mixer Is Back at Its Lowest Price, a Last-Minute Spring Sale Deal Outside Amazon Prime Day

‘Pizza Movie’ Has a Hilariously Grisly New Way to Say ‘This Is Your Brain on Drugs’ (Exclusive)

Amazon Makes a Last Push for Govee LED Strip Light at a Black Friday Low as the Spring Sale Winds Down, Works with Alexa and Google Assistant

Forget Shokz, Anker Pushes Soundcore AeroClip Open-Ear Earbuds to an All-Time Low in the Final Hours of Amazon’s Spring Sale

Google Pixel 10 Pro Gets Cleared Out at a Record Low, Now Even Cheaper Than AirPods Pro With Trade-In

Meta’s Two New Smart Glasses Are Slimmer and More Like Regular Glasses

JBL Boombox 3 Speaker at 40% Off Is Now Even Cheaper Than Renewed Units on Amazon

Elizabeth Olsen Promises She Knows Nothing About Her Marvel Future

NASA Rover Finds Glowing, Ruby-Like Crystals on Mars for the First Time

Anker Prime Docking Station Hits Its Lowest Price as Amazon’s Spring Sale Winds Down (14 Ports With 160W Output)

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life

Nothing Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Which Pair of ANC Wireless Headphones Wins?

Asus ROG’s Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds Might Be Better Than Wearing a Headset