​The Last Days on Mars doesn’t understand how space zombies work

Okay, I know. I hear what you’re saying: They’re space zombies, so they can work any way they want. Before I saw The Last Days on Mars, I would have agreed with you. But now, I’m still pretty sure this movie managed to get them wrong. The Last Days on Mars stars a group of…

This is the horrible way that crucifixion actually kills you

Crucifixion remains a familiar idea, even though it’s a punishment from the distant past. It’s so familiar that we no longer consider of the physical realities of it. Those realities are some of the most gruesome ever known. Here’s how crucifixion actually kills people. Crucifixion stopped being a regular practice long before anyone cared how…

Awesome Lego Kaneda’s bike from Akira is a must-have

The Arvo Brothers have created a perfect Lego model of the most famous bike in sci-fi comic and cinema history: Kaneda’s chopper from Akira. And while Lego may not make it into a commercial set, don’t worry, the Arvo Brothersare publishing an online manual so you can build it yourself. The book will be available…

Batman, Iron Man, knights and more crash couple’s “battle wedding”

You’ve seen the best wedding photos, best proposals, best cakes, best wedding invitations and more. But this is probably going down as the most impressive, most elaborate, and definitely the most nerdy wedding ceremony of all time. Just watch. [Via Uproxx]

This is why you are eating more meat

Why are Americans eating more meat than ever? Are we swayed by ads? Brainwashed by the factory farm industry? Not really. The answer, says Maureen Ogle in her latest book, In Meat We Trust: An Unexpected History of Carnivore America, is that the American public has an ingrained, almost unconscious desire for meat. In recent…

Can MTV and Jon Favreau really bring Shannara to life on television?

There’s going to be a Shannara TV series. (Hooray!) And it’s going to be on MTV, which is… interesting. And with Iron Man’s Jon Favreau directing. Can Favreau really recreate our epic-fantasy dreams on basic cable? Top image: Cover art by Keith Parkinson. Deadline broke the news that Terry Brooks’ classic book series will be…

The 10 Rules of Surveillance Dystopia Stories

What do Person of Interest, Hunger Games and Minority Report have in common? They’re all set in a surveillance dystopia, where They are watching your every move and controlling your life with electronic devices. Like all subgenres, these stories have rules. Here are the 10 rules* that define the surveillance dystopia. * Any resemblance to…

Eureka‘s Amy Berg introduces Caper, a show about superheroes gone rogue

Amy Berg wrote some of our favorite episodes of Eureka, Leverage and Person of Interest — and now she’s creating a new digital series about superheroes who turn to crime, called Caper. She told us why superheroes would want to steal, and how to portray supers on a Youtube budget. Spoilers ahead… Berg created Caper…

Shot-for-shot, storyboard breakdown of Star Wars’ Asteroid Chase scene

Do you like watching how the Star Wars sausage is made? Of course you do! Then check out this clever little video that pairs actual footage from The Empire Strikes Back with the original storyboards. It’s damn delightful. Thanks to the official Star Wars YouTube channel for putting this together. Looks like director Irvin Kershner…

This fan-edit of The Dark Crystal is creepier than you can imagine

The Dark Crystal has always been Jim Henson’s creepiest movie, but when it was finally released it was considerably toned down from his and Frank Oz’s original vision. YouTube user scoodidabop has spent years re-editing the film, using Henson’s original notes and various deleted scenes to create a far, far creepier movie than what you…

Fox wants to build the new Fantastic Four with the help of the X-Men

Simon Kinberg, who has produced X-Men: First Class, Elysium and is now on X-Men: Days of Future Past, is staying at Fox to set up the Fantastic Four franchise and set-up Fox’s version of the Marvel movie-verse. This is good news. THR is reporting that Kinberg just re-upped his three-year contract which will allow him…

The First Drones, Used in World War I

Unmanned remote-controlled aircraft have been around longer than most people think. The Kettering “Bug,” for instance, was developed during World War I. It was a bomb-carrying unpiloted biplane that flew on a pre-set course to its target. Once its autopilot was set, the plane was on its own. Prototypes were built and successfully tested, but…

How to make your neighbors’ Christmas lights flicker inside your head

Feeling Scrooge-y? Here’s a basic way to be judgmental about your local Christmas decorations. Not only are you up in other people’s business, even the act of scrutiny is as obnoxious as it is possible to be — it literally involves sticking your tongue out at people. These days, some people use LED (light emitting…

It’s a Photoshop Party and We’re Fixing All the Movies!

GET YOUR PHOTOSHOP READY, PEOPLE. It’s time to play a game. Have you ever been watching a movie and thought, “This would be better with robots/Muppets/sharks/animation/lasers/space ships/Tom Hiddleston/zombies/as an 18th-century period drama miniseries”? Truth bomb: You were totally right. Today, we’re taking those imaginary movies in our heads — whether it’s a mashup of a…

This is why advertising works — even when you think it doesn’t

Are you unfazed by ads? Annoyed by them? Do you simply “edit them out”? It doesn’t matter what the answer is, because they probably work anyway. Advertising doesn’t have to be good, it has to rely on the “mere-exposure effect.” Does something have to be good for you to like it? No. It just has…

We already know the title of the next X-Men movie, coming in 2016!

Have they cast the not-Lex Luthor villain for Man of Steel 2? Katee Sackhoff is insistent about not being in Star Wars. Go behind the scenes of The Hobbit with three new videos. There’s Warcraft casting, and Orphan Black hints. Plus, the Amazing Spider-Man 2 cast breaks down the trailer. Spoilers now! X-Men: Apocalypse We…

Did Tomorrow People just jump the shark… or was that a masterstroke?

I really can’t decide if the latest plot twist on Tomorrow People is brilliant or the final nail in the coffin of the show’s credibility. This show about super-mutants on the run certainly has my attention, I’ll say that. Spoilers ahead… Last night’s Tomorrow People has a pretty simple plot: Stephen tells the others that…

Are Singulatarians actually Puritans?

Will we be fucking after we leave our bodies behind for cyber-heaven? Over at Steal this Singularity, futurist gadfly R.U. Sirius has a hilarious and smart essay about people who imagine we will transcend sex and random goofiness after the AIs take over. After returning home from annual futurist conference Singularity Summit last year, Sirius…

Prepare to sacrifice all productivity this afternoon. This is a Wikipedia list of every single star that has appeared in science fiction, and where it showed up. There are some obvious favorites like Deneb and Altair — but why are stars in Boötes so cool? You know you want to find out.

It’s about time. Samuel R. Delany was named this year’s Damon Knight Memorial Grand Masterby the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America.