io9.com Updates

Travel back to Neo-Seoul with more "Cloud Atlas" concept art

mselledee — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 18:00:57 -0800

Before Cloud Atlas kind of, sort of delighted us, we got a peek at a tumultuous version of the film’s futuristic Seoul. Concept artist Adam Kuczek shows off the more brightly colored side of Seoul, its neon centers of commerce and its glowing transportation systems.

Kuczek created some of these images while the producers were pitching the film to the Cannes Film Festival, but you can also see some earlier concept designs from the film on his website and over at Concept Art World. One change: an earlier version of the transit system involved tubes made out of a glowing energy, inside which vehicles would float and fly. Kuczek is also working with Cloud Atlas directors the Wachowskis on their upcoming film Jupiter Ascending.

Kuczek also designed many of the weapons and vehicles from the film.

Concept Design [Adam Kuczek via Concept Art World]

What would Miyazaki characters look like in real life? Andrew...

mselledee — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 17:01:10 -0800

What would Miyazaki characters look like in real life?

Andrew Michael Golden made it his mission to create photorealistic images of the odd and mystical characters from various Studio Ghibli films. I must say, Porco Rosso cuts a rather convincing—not to mention stately—figure. Over at his site, you can see Golden’s attempts at Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Ponyo, and more.

[via Geek Tyrant]

The Ruins of an Abandoned Zoo Transformed into a Trippy Graffiti Gallery

mselledee — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 16:01:15 -0800

By Lauren Davis

While the ruins of Los Angeles’ Griffith Park zoo have been left to molder as an oddball tourist attraction, the abandoned remains of Torino, Italy’s old zoo have gotten a second life as a Street Art Museum. Now the lion cages and primate houses are covered in bizarre, sometimes nightmarish works of public art. Warning: Fleeting NSFW imagery and lots and lots of fisheye lens.

The Street Art Museum is part of the Border Land project, which utilizes Parco Michelotti, the former site of the zoo, as a cultural venue. SAM was conceived as an urban regeneration initiative, utilizing and raising awareness about the neglected space. The organizers acknowledge that it’s a small revitalization of the ruined zoo, but they hope it will promote an interest in both the space and street art. And now, during Border Land events, you can dance the night away while wolf-headed monsters stare out at you from behind their barred cages.

You can see photos of the individual paints at the Street Art Museum website.

[Discovered via reddit]

Archaeologists banned from referring to ancient humanoids as "hobbits"

mselledee — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 15:01:10 -0800

Homo floresiensis likely stood about 3’6”, making this prehistoric human roughly the average height of one of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Hobbits. For years, Flores Man has been referred to by the nickname “hobbit,” contributing to the species’ popularity. But one company that owns film rights in The Hobbit has decided that the archaeologists who discovered Homo floresiensis cannot refer to the ancient human by that name.

The Guardian reports that Dr Brent Alloway, associate professor at Victoria University, is planning a free lecture on Homo floresiensis by Mike Morwood and Thomas Sutikna, two of the archaeologists who discovered the species. But when Alloway approached the Saul Zaentz Company/Middle-earth Enterprises, which owns rights in the film, for permission to title the lecture, “The Other Hobbit,” their lawyer responded that ”it is not possible for our client to allow generic use of the trade mark HOBBIT.” The Tolkien Estate, which owns registered trademarks on the word “Hobbit” in several companies, was not approached.

On the one hand, I can see a company that has a trademark interest in the word “hobbit” worrying about that word becoming generic. And Alloway acknowledges that he organized the lecture specifically to coincide with the release of The Hobbit film and capitalize on the name. But Alloway and his fellow scientists are clearly using the word in a different market—scientific, rather than storytelling—and the very fact that they call it “The Other Hobbit” acknowledges Tolkien’s invention of the word.

But regardless of whether the Saul Zaentz Company is legally obligated to protect its trademark interest in the word “hobbit,” it strikes me that this conflict could have had a very simple resolution. The company could have licensed the use of the word to the lecture organizers for a nominal fee. Even without the company’s blessing, however, Homo floresiensis remains a “hobbit” in much scientific literature—and in our hearts.

Photo: Cast of Homo floresiensis compared to a microcephalic skull by Avandergeer from Wikimedia Commons.

Hobbit banned as title of lecture on prehistoric ‘hobbit’ [The Guardian via reddit]

Lavie Tidhar's Osama wins World Fantasy Award

charliejaneanders — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 14:09:27 -0800

By Charlie Jane Anders

The winners of the 2012 World Fantasy Awards were just announced here in Toronto, Canada — and the Best Novel Award didn’t go to George R.R. Martin or to Jo Walton, who’d already swept the Nebula and Hugo Awards. Instead, it went to Lavie Tidhar’s Osama, a strange pulp-oriented alt history about Osama Bin Laden.

Here’s the description of Osama from Amazon.com:

In a world without global terrorism Joe, a private detective, is hired by a mysterious woman to find a man: the obscure author of pulp fiction novels featuring one Osama Bin Laden: Vigilante…

Certainly a lot more topical, and arguably a lot more experimental, than A Dance With Dragons. Here are the rest of the winners, and finalists, via the World Fantasy Awards page:

Novel
winner Osama, Lavie Tidhar (PS Publishing)
Those Across the River, Christopher Buehlman (Ace)
11/22/63, Stephen King (Scribner; Hodder & Stoughton as 11.22.63)
A Dance with Dragons, George R.R. Martin (Bantam; Harper Voyager UK)
Among Others, Jo Walton (Tor)

Novella
winner “A Small Price to Pay for Birdsong”, K.J. Parker (Subterranean Winter 2011)
“Near Zennor”, Elizabeth Hand (A Book of Horrors)
“Alice Through the Plastic Sheet”, Robert Shearman (A Book of Horrors)
“Rose Street Attractors”, Lucius Shepard (Ghosts by Gaslight)
“Silently and Very Fast”, Catherynne M. Valente (WSFA Press; Clarkesworld)

Short Story
winner “The Paper Menagerie”, Ken Liu (F&SF 3-4/11)
“X for Demetrious”, Steve Duffy (Blood and Other Cravings)
“Younger Women”, Karen Joy Fowler (Subterranean Summer 2011)
“A Journey of Only Two Paces”, Tim Powers (The Bible Repairman and Other Stories)
“The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees”, E. Lily Yu (Clarkesworld 4/11)

Anthology
winner The Weird, Ann & Jeff VanderMeer, eds. (Corvus; Tor, published May 2012)
Blood and Other Cravings, Ellen Datlow, ed. (Tor)
A Book of Horrors, Stephen Jones, ed. (Jo Fletcher Books)
The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities, Ann & Jeff VanderMeer, eds. (Harper Voyager US)
Gutshot, Conrad Williams, ed. (PS Publishing)

Collection
winner The Bible Repairman and Other Stories, Tim Powers (Tachyon and Subterranean Press)
Bluegrass Symphony, Lisa L. Hannett (Ticonderoga)
Two Worlds and In Between, Caitlín R. Kiernan (Subterranean Press)
After the Apocalypse, Maureen F. McHugh (Small Beer)
Mrs Midnight and Other Stories, Reggie Oliver (Tartarus)

Artist
winner John Coulthart
Julie Dillon
Jon Foster
Kathleen Jennings
John Picacio

Special Award—Professional
winner Eric Lane, for publishing in translation – Dedalus books
John Joseph Adams, for editing – anthology and magazine
Jo Fletcher, for editing – Jo Fletcher Books
Brett Alexander Savory & Sandra Kasturi, for ChiZine Publications
Jeff VanderMeer & S.J. Chambers, for The Steampunk Bible

Special Award—Non-professional
winner Raymond Russell & Rosalie Parker, for Tartarus Press
Kate Baker, Neil Clarke, Cheryl Morgan & Sean Wallace, for Clarkesworld
Cat Rambo, for Fantasy
Charles Tan, for Bibliophile Stalker blog
Mark Valentine, for Wormwood

Do you know your sci-fi spaceship ABCs? Head over to Time for...

mselledee — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 14:01:22 -0800

Do you know your sci-fi spaceship ABCs?

Head over to Time for Hugs and get the full-resolution version of this poster. (Creator Scott Markley is emailing out files since he can’t sell the copyrighted images.) Print it out and hang it on a child’s wall. Drill them on it every day. That is all.

Spaceship Alphabet [Time for Hugs via Geeks are Sexy]

The books Mark Twain "dictated" from beyond the grave

mselledee — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 13:01:09 -0800

By Lauren Davis

There are always folks trying to exploit the success of authors long after those authors have died. Whether it’s capitalizing on a famous ancestor (see Dacre Stoker) or continuing to publish under a deceased writer’s pen name, some writers and publishers refuse to let celebrity novelists rest in peace. But few tales of posthumous publishing are quite as strange as those involving Mark Twain. After Samuel Clemens, better known to the world as Mark Twain, passed away in 1910, at least two women claimed Clemens communicated with them via Ouija Board, making him the ultimate ghostwriter.

mental_floss points us to the curious cases of Emily Grant Hutchings and Mildred Swanson, two women who published books based on their Ouija-mediated interactions with the famed humorist. Hutchings is the more famous of the two; she published her novel Jap Herron in 1917, after which she was sued by Clemens’ daughter. Hutchings was acquainted with Clemens while he was still alive, and correspondence between the two indicates that he offered her advice on her own writing efforts. Hutchings was also friends with one Pearl Lenore Curran, and the two frequently occupied themselves with their Ouija Board. Curran achieved some fame when she began publishing works she claimed had been authored by the ghost of a 17th century girl, Patience Worth. It was only a matter of time before Hutchings got a spectral writing buddy of her own.

Jap Harron was the tale of a young man born into poverty in Missouri, who grows up to be a fine and noble fellow and reinvigorates his home town. The New York Times review was less than admiring, telling readers, “If this is the best that “Mark Twain” can do by reaching across the barrier, the army of admirers that his works have won for him will all hope that he will hereafter respect that boundary.” Clara Clemens and Harper and Brothers publishers, who held the exclusive rights to publish Twain’s work, went to court over the book. The case never went to trial, but the book was eventually withdrawn from publication and most copies were destroyed. Curious readers can, however, find the complete text online.

Mildred Swanson, on the other hand, wasn’t so ambitious as to write a novel and then attribute it to Twain. She and her husband John were members of the Midwest Society of Psychic Research and they had created their own version of the Oujia Board, called the “Nona Board.” She collected a diary of her supposed exchanges with Clemens, which she titled, Good Bless U, Daughter, the phrase she claimed Clemens always signed off with. (It seems that in addition to losing his wit, Clemens also descended into text speak in the spirit realm.) It’s not surprising she couldn’t find a publisher. She ended up publishing the work herself.

Clemens probably would have had a biting word or two to say about this whole ghost business as he was not a believer in the spirit world. A 1918 editorial in the New York Times put it best:

It is much to be regretted that MARK TWAIN himself is precluded by circumstances from commenting on the forthcoming and very posthumous production. The task is one that would have delighted him - and its performance by him would delight everybody else - except, perhaps, the psychical researchers who so industriously set down the products of subconscious activities. His daughter should not be unduly disturbed. Her father’s memory is safe, no matter what nonsense the “mediums” say he makes them talk or write.

Oujia Board photo by ryan.

You can read more about the Hutchings affair at Twain Quotes, and about Mildred Swanson at paranormal investigator James Offutt’s site. mental_floss has more tales of books “dictated” by dead authors.

This children’s book will teach you all about the Houses...

mselledee — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 12:01:51 -0800

This children’s book will teach you all about the Houses of Westeros

Bran Stark might have had an easier time learning those House mottos if he’d grown up with a book like this. mrstater posted this series from the imaginary children’s book of Game of Thrones houses, inspired by Eric Carle’s Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

[mrstater via Popped Culture]

Jedi younglings find their lightsaber crystals on "Clone Wars" and it's gorgeous

mselledee — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 11:01:19 -0800

By Lauren Davis

On this week’s Clone Wars, we took a break from teaching rebels how to blow up power stations and headed back to the Jedi enclave. A group of Jedi younglings gathers for an important rite of passage: the discovery of their lightsaber crystals. Each youngling must confront his or her own greatest flaw in order to find their personal crystal—and the animators give us some striking visuals in the process.

Whew. I never thought we were going to get off Onderon. This week’s episode was a pretty simple and straightforward one, and while it had its flaws (namely a few too many characters to hit the right emotional resonance), it was a relief to get away from the back-patting battles and into some good old-fashioned Star Wars mysticism. Remember the days when the Force worked in mysterious ways?

We learn in the introductory narration that younglings are hard to come by these days. I guess that’s why Anakin was able to decimate the next generation of the Jedi order in such a short amount of time? Anyway, Ahsoka is in teacher mode at the moment, leading six younglings, Katooni, Petro, Zatt, Ganodi, Gungi, and Byph, on the Gathering. They must enter the icy cave at Ilum and find the lightsaber crystal that chooses them.

This week’s fortune cookie reads, “He who fights himself finds himself.” It’s reminiscent of Luke Skywalker’s training on Dagobah, when he battled a phantom of Darth Vader only to find his own head rolling out of the helmet. The younglings are in for some hazards (they could fall to their deaths or die in freezing water), but they’re in for a far less traumatic experience. It seems if you’re raised in the Jedi order, rather than coming to it as a teenager, you get a kindler, gentler training experience.

This is a rather sweet introduction to the “Young Jedi” arc. It’s clear that the younglings are meant to be stand-ins for young Star Wars fans. When they arrive on Ilum to find Yoda waiting for them, they’re overjoyed to be greeted by a real celebrity Jedi knight. Clone Wars is clearly asking kids to put themselves in the younglings’ shoes. What if I got to meet Yoda? What challenges would I face in the crystal cave?

Yoda uses sunlight to melt the frozen entrance to the cave, and he and Ahsoka explain the younglings’ quest. They must enter the cave, find their crystal, and exit before the sinking sun causes the entrance to freeze over again. How will they know which crystal is theirs? They’ll just know.

Each youngling brings into the cave some small personality flaw, something that will interfere with their ability as a Jedi. Katooni is timid and lacks confidence in her abilities. Petro is selfish and brash. Zatt relies too heavily on technology and not enough on his own instincts. (If there ever was an audience stand-in, it’s Zatt; he’s glued to the Star Wars version of a smartphone.) Ganodi is easily frustrated. Byph is afraid of what he’ll find in the darkness. Gungi is impatient.

Naturally, when each youngling’s crystal calls out to him or her, the youngling must overcome their flaws. Katooni must climb to reach her crystal, only to find herself trapped when she tries to take the easy way down. Petro dashes off to find his crystal with no concern for the others; when he thinks he’s found it, it turns out he’s grabbed a piece of ice by mistake. He can find his crystal only after he’s stopped to help one of his compatriots. Zatt must abandon his smart phone and trust in the Force to guide him. Ganodi must break through her frustration and refocus her energies. Byph must hurtle into the darkness without his friends for support. Gungi must sit by the side of an icy lake and meditate until it freezes over, knowing that the entrance to the cave is closing as he waits.

So there are a couple of really nice things about this episode. One is that we have some simple “mysteries of the Force” moments. It’s not overdone, but each youngling brings only his or herself into the cave, leaving the Force to deliver the lessons each young Jedi needs. There’s no talk of midichlorians, just a dark place that feeds on your fears.

The other was that this episode was quite gorgeous in places. I know a lot of folks are resistant to the 3D animation, and this Clone Wars will never match the elegance of the 2D animated series, but the animators know how to use the tools they have at hand. Sometimes there are rough spots; some of the guest characters are a bit doll-like (Lux in the last arc, for example) and Wookiee fur always looks really funky, but Ahsoka is more beautifully animated in each episode, and when they put their minds to it, the animators can really create an environment. My favorite, embedded up top, is Ganodi’s sequence, when she finds herself surrounded by twinkling lights. The use of light of this episode—for crystal, ice, fire, and sunlight—really added to the ambiance and mystique.

It was also a bit easier to take this episode on its own terms. Sometimes, it’s easy to forget that Clone Wars is an episode aimed at kids—especially when I’m itching for some Battlestar Galactica-style politcking or bloodshed. Yes, when the door freezes over and Petro manages to burst out anyway, crystal in hand, my first thought was, “Damn, I kind of wanted that kid to get trapped inside.” But no, his escape was appropriate for the story Clone Wars was trying to tell: no one can keep a Jedi down except a Jedi. Patience and compassion are important, but so is confidence and a desire to fight your way out. Perhaps the secondary moral should be, “If you find yourself stuck without an exit, make one.” And that’s not a bad moral to walk away with.

The Confederate captain wore jaguar pants If you thought...

mselledee — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 10:01:00 -0800

The Confederate captain wore jaguar pants

If you thought cheetah, leopard, and jaguar print clothing was a strictly modern phenomenon in the West, take a gander at the outfit of Captain Samuel J. Richardson, commander of the W.P. Lane Rangers, an independent Texas cavalry that fought for the Confederacy during the American Civil War. Richardson wore trousers made of jaguar hide, with a pair of matching holsters. While Richardson’s outfit may have been one of the more flamboyant marching about Texas, it wasn’t the most elaborate use of animal skin. Texas Republic President Sam Houston was himself known for wearing a jaguar vest, and members of the 8th Texas Cavalry were said to wear bearskin pants—one even had a full bearskin suit.

[Spotted on Retronaut]

The zombie gummy bears are coming to get you,...

mselledee — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 09:30:50 -0800

The zombie gummy bears are coming to get you, Barbara

Photographer Tau Zero makes sci-fi scenes even stranger by replacing all the characters with sweet gummy candy. Gummy Alien? Check. Gummy A Clockwork Orange? Yep. The gummy bears even travel to spots as diverse as Oz, Arrakis, and the Overlook Hotel.

Sweetness and Fright [Tau Zero via Ian Brooks]

Do amnesiacs dream of Tetris?

estheringlisarkell — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 09:01:03 -0800

By Esther Inglis-Arkell

This was an actual experiment. And the results of it showed that the Tetris Effect - the fact that those who played Tetris for long periods of time tend to fit shapes together in their dreams and in the rest of their life – is a learning tool.

Many people have heard of The Tetris Effect, the fact that gamers tend to have dreams that involve repetitively playing the same games that they do when they’re awake. Some people also spend their waking hours idly thinking about how the shapes of office buildings or paintings on the wall can be fitted together, as in Tetris. It might sound like a minor quirk of the brain, but sleep and dream scientists considered it a great opportunity. All of a sudden, they had a reliable ability to link waking and dreaming life. And so they did what most people do. They recruited some amnesiacs – specifically, they had the kind of amnesiacs that forgot, from day to day, everything they’d learned the day before. The scientists also recruited expert Tetris players and novice Tetris players. They gave a short lesson, and started the players out, playing an hour or two in the morning, the afternoon, and at night. They then had each report their dreams, and tracked their playing from day to day.

The experts didn’t have Tetris-centric dreams. Many of the novices did – at least after the second day- and scientists saw their games improve considerably. Some of the amnesiacs also reported having the types of Tetris dreams that the novices had. Although they didn’t see any improvement in their games during the short experiment, they were familiar with how to place their hands on the controls, even if they had to be taught the game all over again.

Scientists were puzzled by the fact that the amnesiacs did dream, but didn’t improve. Otherwise, though, the dreaming beginners and dreamless experts fit in with ways that the brain trains itself to play Tetris.

Another study, on how much of the brain gets used, revealed that less and less of the brain is used on the higher levels. This, they think, is because only experts get to higher levels. Dreams of Tetris represent the brain trying to work things out. This requires a lot of energy, and not a lot of efficiency. As the person gets better, and their playing involves less dithering over pieces and considering different options, less and less of their brain is used. Both experientially and mentally, they learn to use the least amount of effort to get the best results. After they are at a high level of efficiency, the brain sees this as business as usual, and settles down.

I’ve had Tetris dreams. I’ve even had computer solitaire dreams. But I have to ask, does this work for every game? Are drivers Mario Karting? And what about those people playing first person shooters? Are you thinking about how you can edge around walls in the mist to take out your opposition?

With this week, in We Come From the Future, we take a look at the best fictional video games, drink sugar, and I reveal how graphing calculators are the gateway drug to a Tetris addiction.

Top Image: Mark Sebastian

Second Image: Liz Lawley

Via Scientific American and Wired.

Make a pair of dinosaur-heeled shoes of your very own

mselledee — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 08:30:47 -0800

When we saw an amazing pair of high-heeled shoes propped up by neon green T-Rexes, we wanted a pair in every dinosaur. Sadly, we couldn’t figure out the origin of those theropod shoes, but Instructables user mikeasaurus comes to the rescue with a guide on how to convert ordinary pumps into custom dinosaur heels.

mikesaurus’ method does require a bit of welding—so you’ll need to know how to weld or know someone who can weld for you to pull this off. Otherwise, the key seems to be finding a pair of plastic dinosaurs that are the same height as the heels you’re replacing. He used two Dilophosaurus toys from his local dollar store.

I suspect someone with the skills to replicate mikesaurus’ results could make a killing on Etsy making custom heels in a variety of sizes and species.

Dinosaur Heels [Instructables via Geekologie]

How did MST3K pick those terrible, terrible movies?

mselledee — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 08:01:19 -0800

Over the course of 10 seasons, the folks at Mystery Science Theater 3000 mocked nearly 200 movies. The films were bad, but watchably bad thanks in part to commentary from the show’s trio of B-movie snarkers. But how did the MST3K team select films that walked that line between bad and atrocious?

Benjamin Vigeant at Splitsider sought out the answer to this timeless question, and the answer is pretty simple: one guy watched a lot of bad movies. A lot a lot:

Frank Conniff, who joined the show as a writer late in the first season and then joined the cast as TV’s Frank in the second season was given the job to select these movies. During his tenure (through the sixth season) they made fun of movies like Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, Teenagers from Outer Space, and most memorably Manos: The Hands of Fate. “I think I was given the job because everybody else was busy with other stuff.” Conniff recalls. The job was particularly difficult because for every one movie that made the show, he had to watch approximately twenty duds. He couldn’t skim either. During the second season of MST3K they got the rights to a film that they had only skimmed a part of. When they sat down to write the show, they discovered that there was a violent rape scene towards the end. The movie, Sidehackers, stayed in, and the cast just had to explain to the audience why the female lead suddenly disappeared.

So over the years he watched a few thousand bad movies? That’s a lot of terrible acting. At Splitsider, Vigeant further explains the qualities that make for an ideal MST3K film.

The Highest of Low Standards: How ‘MST3K’ Picked Movies to Mock [Splitsider via mental_floss]

When the Insect Army invades, it will bring bee-mounted guns and...

mselledee — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 07:30:49 -0800

When the Insect Army invades, it will bring bee-mounted guns and beetle tanks

Job Van Der Molen adds mechanical equipment to preserved insects, imagining a future in which these creatures might serve as our labor-saving servants—or tiny, fearsome enemy combatants. Just tell me those bullets aren’t laced with bee venom.

[via Ian Brooks]

Who destroyed the White House best?

mselledee — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 07:03:16 -0800

By Lauren Davis

Independence Day may feature the most iconic destruction of the White House, but is it the best? This week, we celebrate Election Day—and cope with our exhaustion with the US presidential campaign—by examining the myriad ways pop culture smashes up the presidential home.

The British (1814): We may as well kick things off with a real historical example. During the War of 1812, British forces occupied Washington, D.C., setting fire to many of the public buildings. When they got around to burning the White House, they added fuel to fire to ensure that it would continue to burn over the next day.

Drawing by George Munger, via Wikimedia Commons.

Superman II (1980): This one is a rarity among monumental destructions in that it largely takes place from the inside. When Zod and his compatriots invade the White House, Team Human tries to shoot him into submission. But they only succeed in tearing up their own symbol of American leadership.

Thundarr the Barbarian, “The Brotherhood of Night” (1980): While it’s a bit dilapidated, the White House of 3994 isn’t in terrible shape. It’s the rest of Washington that’s a mess. Also, it’s infested with werewolves.

Give Me Liberty (1990): The White House meets its maker twice in Frank Miller and Dave Gibbons’ series. First it’s blown up by Saudi Arabian terrorists, then by Colonel Moretti. You can always build a new White House.

Independence Day (1996): This is the classic White House demise: one alien ray beam and the building is kaput.

Command & Conquer Gold (1997): This game lets you select a monument to destroy. The White House blows apart in one easy blast.

Seven Days (1998): In the pilot episode, a pair of terrorists fly a plane laden with explosives into the White House, killing both the president and the vice president. That’s what starts the NSA off on their crazy time travel project.

Futurama, “When Aliens Attack!” (1999): In the 31st century, the White House, like most of the world’s landmarks, lives at Monument Beach. That’s where the Omicronians go when they want to engage in a little Independence Day parody. There is still a White House in Washington, but it’s not clear which one is the original.

Read or Die (2001): The OVA adaptation of the light novel series actually opens with the destruction of the White House. The samurai Gennai Hiraga appears on the roof and explodes the building with a glowing green energy.

Metal Wolf Chaos (2004): Sometimes you have to destroy the White House in order to protect it—or if not destroy it, at least cause a small explosion with your mecha power suit.

Category 7: The End of the World (2005): In the “hitting close to home” category, a powerful storm rips the White House to shreds as the staff scrambles to evacuate.

Amazons Attack! (2007): After Wonder Woman is detained by the American government, the Amazons invade Washington, DC. Some of the buildings don’t make it through intact.

Fallout 3 (2008): The entire game is set in the nuclear wasteland that is post-apocalyptic Washington, but the White House? The White House is basically a crater.

Wonder Woman (2009): Another White House attack involving Wonder Woman happened in the 2009 animated film. Ares, god of war, invades Washington with his army and performs an old fashioned White House burning.

Fringe (2009): The White House is long gone by the time we arrive “over there,” the parallel universe where the White House, not the Twin Towers, was destroyed on 9/11. But we do get the newspaper reports about the Obamas finally moving into the newly rebuilt presidential residence.

2012 (2009): When Independence Day director Roland Emmerich gets another shot at destroying the White House, he doesn’t just smack it with a wave. He throws another monument at it: the USS John F. Kennedy.

Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. (2010): Here’s another game that lets you take on the White House, this one an alternate reality presidential manor from 2014.

The Next Resident Evil Movie (?): Okay, this one hasn’t happened yet, but after the events of Resident Evil: Retribution, things don’t look so good for the White House.

So, who destroyed it best? What did we leave out?

Darth Vader tells other Disney-owned characters that he’s...

mselledee — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 17:01:03 -0700

Darth Vader tells other Disney-owned characters that he’s their father

Star Wars/Disney mashups have been flooding the Internet ever since the news of Lucasfilm’s sale to the House of Mouse. But Gale Williams’ comic is particularly clever in the way it uses Disney/Pixar/Marvel media to respond to Vader’s grand paternal revelation. The Lion King ending is especially grand, since Darth Vader (or at least James Earl Jones) actually is Simba’s dad.

[Patbird & Galesaur via Oh Yeah Comics]

Neil deGrasse Tyson's StarTalk Radio is now a video web series

mselledee — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 16:00:57 -0700

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has long been delighting our ears with his space-themed StarTalk Radio. Now you can watch Tyson’s blend of pop culture and space age science on the new StarTalk video web series.

Nerdist has added Tyson’s show to its ever-growing stable of podcasts and web shows. In this episode, Tyson talks with astronaut Mike Massimino, while John Hodgman, Kristen Schaal, and Eugene Mirman serve as the peanut gallery.

“StarTalk” Lifts Off [Nerdist via Neatorama]

This freaky vampire pig is credited as the first meme of the 20th Century

mselledee — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 15:01:09 -0700

This 1907 film, Le Cochon Danseur (The Dancing Pig), features one of the most nightmarish anthropomorphic moments ever committed to film. At the end of the short film, the floor-pounding pig lips his lips to reveal a set of fangs worthy of a midnight movie monster. Lucky us, that early 20th century moment has lived on as a 21st century meme.

Le Cochon Danseur was based on a vaudeville act, and you can probably guess what it’s best remembered for. According to Know Your Meme, it spread from France to America, from theaters to television, a success (one could even say a memetic success) even decades later thanks to its bizarre ending. In 2007, the sequences of a tongue-licking, snarling pig enjoyed another media transformation when it began showing up on discussion forums as an animated gif.

One wonders if the original filmmakers could have foreseen the long and hilarious lifespan of the dancing pig, and that audiences would continue to be disturbed by it more than a hundred years later.

Le Cochon Danseur (The Dancing Pig) [Know Your Meme via Laughing Squid]

"Haven" reveals the identity of the Bolt Gun Killer and why Audrey loves the Colorado Kid

mselledee — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 14:00:00 -0700

By Lauren Davis

Major revelations abounded on last night’s episode of Haven! Duke and Audrey went looking for the Colorado Kid in the logical place possible—Colorado—and learn the game changing truth about his relationship with Audrey. Plus, the Bolt Gun Killer is finally revealed—but what does this revelation means? We even manage to squeeze in a Trouble of the Week. Spoilers!

Now that James Cogan, the Colorado Kid, has both a face and a name, Duke and Audrey head off to Colorado to find Cogan’s mother, June. But she leaves just as the latest Trouble starts. The Hamiltons are a pair of parents whose daughter has fallen out of a tree and died. The father wants to call the police, but the mother tells them that they need to wait until sundown. Suddenly, the little girl appears, happy and alive. The next morning, however, the mother is run down in a parking lot. DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUN.

Nathan, sensing something Troubling about this new death is on the case. Dan Hamilton raises a fuss to prevent his wife from receiving an autopsy, and Bowen learns that Dan just withdrew a huge sum of money. When Dan’s wife comes back to life at sundown, Nathan and Bowen put the pieces together: someone is killing rich Haven residents, then extorting money from them to bring them back to life. Nathan learns that the car that ran down Mrs. Hamilton belongs to the Hamiltons’ business partners, the Coopers. But when Nathan and Bowen head to the Carters’ home, Mr. Carter has been shot dead and Mrs. Carter is wailing hysterically, saying that she paid the money and someone was supposed to come and lay hands on him.

Nathan and Bowen figured that the extortionist is someone who worked for both families, and they identify Moira. Sure enough, Moira’s sister Noelle has a Trouble, only it’s not so troublesome. If she touches a dead person before sundown on the day they die, she can “absorb” their death, bringing them back to life—though she’ll only risk absorbing one death a day. Noelle and her boyfriend are both EMTs, but it’s Moira who came up with this extortion plot. She resents Noelle for failing to bring their father back to life, and ridicules Noelle for resurrecting folks for free. During an argument, she ends up shooting Noelle’s boyfriend just moments before sundown, prompting Noelle to hurriedly bring him back to life.

But Nathan’s also dealing with Jordan, who tells him that her fellow Guard member Grady is missing. Between Grady’s watch and his Guard tattoo, Nathan suspects Grady of being the Bolt Gun Killer captured on the ATM footage of on of the killer’s kidnappings. Jordan calls on Dwight to help her locate Grady, and when they find him, he’s dead, dead, dead. In fact, he’s been dead far too long to have kidnapped the woman in the ATM video. Dwight calls Nathan and tells him he found Grady’s skeleton along Route 17.

Over in Colorado, Duke and Audrey have found June, who tragically has Alzheimer’s and doesn’t quite remember Audrey. In a moment of lucidity, however, she calls Audrey “Sarah” and asks why she changed her hair (Sarah was a redhead, after all). Audrey is confused; she thought she knew June as Lucy, not Sarah. She does learn, however, that the Guard has a transfer station out here on some sort of Troubled underground railroad. She suspects that, in a past life, she may have helped relocate Troubled people.

Duke pinches June’s scrapbook, and the pair learn that James Cogan was married to a woman named Arla. Audrey and Duke get pretty kissy face after that, but Audrey shuts it down, reasoning that she only has days left to rectify the situation if she screws up their friendship with sex. Sorry, Duke. She does, however, get a bright idea on how to refresh June Cogan’s memory. Audrey dons a red wig and visits June one more time. June gets weepy and apologizes to Audrey/Sarah, saying she tried to take good care of Sarah’s son.

Oh. Ohhhhhh. So that’s why he’s called the Colorado Kid.

Audrey returns to Haven, digesting the information that she was a mama in a past life. Nathan and Bowen track down Moira and Noelle, but while Nathan checks the coordinates of their location in Bowen’s GPS, he discovers that Bowen recently drove to Route 17. After they find Noelle and stick her in the backseat, Nathan sends Bowen to search Moira’s cabin while he inspects the trunk of Bowen’s car—and finds the bolt gun. “It’s a nice one,” Bowen tells him. “I modified it myself.” He shoots Bowen dead, takes a few shots at a fleeing Noelle, and when Duke and Audrey arrive on the scene, claims Moira killed Nathan.

Okay, a lot to process here. I’d be surprised if Nathan isn’t revived in the next episode, but what’s going on with Bowen? Is he really Tommy Bowen? Is he a Troubled person? After this episode, I tend to suspect he’s a shapeshifter who took the form of Grady for the ATM video—plus, we never did see who came into Bowen’s motel room the night he arrived in Haven. Could it have been the real Tommy Bowen? And what is he doing with all those lady parts?

And what does it mean that Audrey had a kid back when she was Sarah? Some of us were speculating a few episodes back that Audrey might stop disappearing if she had a kid to pass her Trouble immunity onto, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Was James Cogan also immune to the Troubles? Did he disappear with the Hunter when Lucy did? Is his father one of the Teagues brothers? And if he married this Arla woman, does that mean one of Audrey’s acquaintances might also be her grandchild? And how many of these questions will be answered next episode?