An introduction to pulp fiction in Europe before 1914
The history of science fiction in America and Great Britain has been the subject of a number of popular and academic studies, and in general is well known, at least among science fiction fans. But the history of European science fiction, defined in this case as the countries of continental Europe, the Scandinavian countries, Russia,…
Upgrade Your Man Cave
Or your lady cave. Take this equal-opportunity survey and you could win a $150 gift certificate to Best Buy. Just email the last question to [email protected] with “Best Buy Gift Card Contest” as the subject line. You could get new speakers, or a TV, and finally have the “alone time space” of your dreams. Standard…
Why Capping a Blown Oil Well at the Bottom of the Ocean is so Insanely Difficult
Last year’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill dumped an estimated 2.6 million gallons of oil A DAY into the Gulf of Mexico – you’d think someone would have gotten on that faster. Oh, they did? Fire on the Horizon explains what took so damn long. Nature provides no shortage of elaborate, even bizarre mating rituals. The…
io9’s March Movie Madness Hits The Sweet Sixteen: Serenity Vs. Back To The Future – Polls Now Open!
Things got ugly last Wednesday (Star Wars just shamed The Incredibles in the polls). But it’s about to get a lot uglier. Today Serenity goes up against Back To The Future. Make the right choice, people. In other interesting March Movie Madness news, The Fifth Element lost to 2001 and Termintor shoved little Wall-E in…
12 Great Reasons to Be Scared of Your Phrenologist
See, back in the day, after the doctors finished lobotomizing you with a stick and applying the leeches, they’d jam one of these on your noggin to see which of your humours was out of balance…or some such quackery. Our friends at Oobject.com have some more examples of stuff you don’t want on your head.…
Oobject Headgear Gallery
19th Century Phrenology helmet 19th Century Phototherapy Helmet Strangley simple and baroque all at the same time Fixed Stereotactic Head Frame To keep your head still Head-Measurer of Tremearne A device used to measure people’s heads for dubious ‘anthropological’ purposes. Home Phrenology Device Crap science, but nonetheless superior to most installation art. Mind-Reading Pinball Helmet…
Why Is NASA Burning Out Its Comet Hunting Spaceship?
This is Stardust, NASA’s comet hunter about 312,000,000 kilometers from Earth. Yesterday, they ordered her main engines to burn at full throttle until they consumed all the available fuel, and then turned off her radio. But why? Launched in February 7, 1999, the brave 661-pound spaceship was the first spacecraft in history to return to…