Viper Pit or Brad Pitt
2022-05-11
What I have a hard time believing is that a Reptilian would be clueless enough to think a wife wants to be woken up in the middle of the night to have sex with her husband.Read More →
What is the metaverse?
2022-03-20
The term “metaverse” was first coined in Neal Stephenson’s 1992 science fiction novel Snow Crash. He used it to refer to an immersive, virtual reality world in which people are embodied as their avatars.Read More →
Writing Classes that Rock: Emotional Truth from Odyssey Writing Workshops
2022-03-08
motional Truth from Odyssey Writing Workshops is a 5-week class that does a deep dive on techniques to heighten the emotional quality of your writing.
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Brandon Sanderson is a dirty liar
2022-03-06
I never should have trusted him. Sure, he’s incredible with his fans. But I feel so betrayed.Read More →
How science fiction precedes science fact
2022-01-26
While we still don’t have the flying cars, time machines, and holographic movies that sci-fi has long offered us, though other predictions have come to life, such as the Star Trek communicators that became Motorola flip phones. Today, virtual fiction is having its moment in the spotlight as the tech world leans into the metaverse.Read More →
The Prestige: the real-life warring Victorian magicians who inspired the film
2022-01-21
The real history of stage magic in the 19th century was as hectic and violent as director Christopher Nolan portrays in The Prestige.Read More →
From pygmies to puppets: what to do with Roald Dahl’s enslaved Oompa-Loompas in modern adaptations?
2022-01-14
There is a troubling aspect to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In the first edition, the Oompa-Loompas are black pygmies who Wonka imports from “the deepest and darkest part of the African jungle” and enslaves in his factory.Read More →
Of Vice and Theremin
2022-01-10
It is hard to judge the effect that last year’s unequivocal confirmation of real UFO footage— captured by real navy pilots—has had on the common man or woman. But this new bill surely proves that the topic of UFOs has moved beyond the eye-rolling phase of the alien debate. Or does it?Read More →
Dune: how high could giant sand dunes actually grow on Arrakis?
2022-01-06
The large and inhospitable sand dunes of the desert planet Arrakis are, of course, very prominent in both the books and film. But just how high would sand dunes be on a realistic version of this world?Read More →
WitchTok: the rise of the occult on social media has eerie parallels with the 16th century
2021-11-20
The occult has made a strong comeback with gen Z.Read More →
Smells like witch spirit: How the ancient world’s scented sorceresses influence ideas about magic today
2021-11-10
You, too, can smell like a witch. Magic and scent were linked in ancient Greece and Rome, and today, you can buy scents that can make you smell like Hermione, Hecate, and other famous witches of literature and history.Read More →
Seven Visions of the Metaverse, Including Facebook’s
2021-11-08
Seven visions for the metaverse we’ve been hearing about. Read More →
Dune: we simulated the desert planet of Arrakis to see if humans could survive there
2021-11-03
Three scientists set out to determine if it were possible for humans to survive on a planet like Dune. They say yes — but not where you’d expect from reading the book.Read More →
William Shatner’s trip to space shows power of science fiction
2021-10-13
Earlier today, actor William Shatner — who played Star Trek’s iconic Captain Kirk on television and in the movies — became the oldest person to ever go to space and helped demonstrate that power of sci-fi to inspire space exploration.Read More →
Rival fantasies: Dungeons & Dragons players and their religious critics actually have a lot in common
2021-09-29
What would lead someone to claim that a fantasy role-playing game like Dungeons and Dragons was a recruiting tool for satan?Read More →
Urban fantasy novels: why they matter and which ones to read first
2021-09-22
The cultural relevance of urban fantasy can be traced back to the time period of its birth — the early nineteenth century — where many were struggling to respond to industrial change and a new economic system. Read More →
Scientists created holograms you can touch – you could soon shake a virtual hand
2021-09-18
These holograms, created with mirrors and jets of air, could be the first steps towards a Star Trek-style holodeck.Read More →
‘Dark Souls’ videogame: Themes of ruin harken to images popularized by European Romantics two centuries ago
2021-09-15
The Dark Souls videogame shares many elements with the literature of British artists in the Romantic era such as Lord Byron and others from the early 1800s.Read More →
Apocalyptic films have lulled us into a false sense of security about climate change
2021-09-01
Rehearsing the end of the world through film may have desensitized us, lulling us into a false sense of security that all will end well — and that we are immortal. Read More →
3 things I learned from teaching students about horror pioneer George Romero’s movies during these scary times
2021-08-22
Romero’s professional ingenuity and powerful metaphors can inspire us during the pandemic.Read More →
What your favorite horror movie says about the type of miserable horror writer you really are
2021-08-15
Robert Stahl has analyzed some favorite horror films to present this list for your consideration.Read More →
Why Gil Scott-Heron’s ‘Whitey on the Moon’ still feels relevant today
2021-07-31
The rap song “Whitey on the Moon” has new relevance with the recent space trips of billionaires Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos.Read More →
Militaries plunder sci-fi for tech ideas, but turn a blind eye to the social commentary
2021-07-27
One of the most interesting tools for thinking about future defense technology isn’t big data forecasting and the use of synthetic training environments, but narrative and imagination. And we get this from science fiction.Read More →
Are there any planets outside of our solar system?
2021-07-21
The number of planets in the universe is truly astronomical — some are gas giants, like Jupiter in our solar system. Others may be water worlds or ice planets. And some are Earth-like.Read More →
Can consciousness be explained by quantum physics?
2021-07-19
New knowledge of quantum fractals could provide the foundations for scientists to experimentally test the theory of quantum consciousness.Read More →
Female astronauts: How performance products like space suits and bras are designed to pave the way for women’s accomplishments
2021-07-15
NASA recently had to cancel a long-planned spacesuit because of the lack of a spacesuit in the right size. NASA, you broke our hearts.Read More →
Four ways artificial intelligence is helping us learn about the universe
2021-07-12
To take on some of the biggest challenges of the next generation of astronomy, astronomers are turning to AI)to build new tools to rapidly search for the next big breakthroughs.Read More →
The Life of Frank Herbert, Dreamer of Dune
2021-06-11
Denis Villeneuve’s adaption of Dune scheduled to be released this fall in theaters and on HBO Max, but the author’s life is a tale in and of itself.Read More →
Nasa has just rejected missions to moons of Jupiter and Neptune – here’s what we would have found out
2021-06-07
Two Venus missions will be launched some time between 2028 and 2030, instead of missions to the moons of Jupiter and Neptune. What are we missing out on as a result?Read More →
We’ve been imaging mind uploads for centuries
2021-05-19
Transhumanists predict that science will enable us to free our minds from bodily constraints. But these ideas actually date back to the 18th century.Read More →
Afrofuturism: The Rise of Black Science Fiction and Fantasy
2021-05-04
More Black writers and artists are turning to science fiction — and an artistic movement known as Afrofuturism — to tackle issues around race and inequality and give fans an escape from the harsh realities on Earth.Read More →
Could octopuses evolve until they take over the world and travel to space?
2021-04-30
If and when they eradicate humans, they would be better suited to space travel. In orbit, octopuses could maneuver much more easily and fit in smaller spaces.Read More →
How I learned German in virtual reality
2021-04-22
When I arrived in Austria I had to complete a German language course before I could attend university, but I had trouble focusing in the online learning platform. Immersive virtual reality solved the problem.Read More →
Where One Vulnerability Researcher Sees AI in 2030
2021-02-22
Looking at least one decade into the future, I believe we will see significant advancements in three areas by 2030 as a result of AI — personal assistance devices, genomics, and space exploration.Read More →
New CRISPR technology could revolutionize gene therapy
2021-02-03
The head of the US National Institutes of Health, Francis Collins had joined forces with Harvard University professor David Liu and others to tackle progeria, a genetic disorder that causes children to age rapidly.Read More →
Scientists: Super AI will be beyond our control
2021-01-25
While more progress is being made all the time in artificial intelligence, some scientists and philosophers warn of the dangers of an uncontrollable superintelligent AI.Read More →
Science fiction builds mental resiliency in young readers
2021-01-21
Reading science fiction and fantasy may help young people cope, especially with the stress and anxiety of living through the COVID-19 pandemic.Read More →
Fragments of energy – not waves or particles – may be the fundamental building blocks of the universe
2021-01-08
Matter might not be made of particles or waves, as was long thought, butm more fundamentally, of fragments of energy.Read More →
Mermaids aren’t real – but they’ve fascinated people around the world for ages
2021-01-06
Just because mermaids are not real does not mean they are not meaningful.Read More →
Major changes coming for the global space industry
2021-01-04
A quiet revolution is taking place in the global space industry and its full impact on global space industry should be measured over the next decade.Read More →
AI in 2020: Facial recognition discriminates against race and gender
2020-12-24
One thing we learned from 2020 is not to trust AI facial recognition –it’s biased against race and gender.Read More →
Free Will in an Algorithmic World
2020-12-18
In this brave new world, many of our choices aren’t choices at all.Read More →
Space-based nuclear reactors a boon to thriller writers
2020-12-17
Yesterday’s directive promoting the use of nuclear power in space, including in low Earth Orbit, presents lots of interesting plot possibilities for thrillers.Read More →
Six things we will do with Elon Musk’s Neuralink, according to sci-fi
2020-09-05
Last Friday, billionaire inventor Tony Stark — I mean, Elon Musk — showed off progress on his latest project, the Neuralink.Read More →
Could Science & Technology Allow Us to Cheat Death?
2020-08-24
What if one day we could cheat death? What if we could live longer – possibly forever? And if we could, would we want to?Read More →
A new quantum paradox throws the foundations of observed reality into question
2020-08-23
A new paradox in quantum mechanics – one of our two most fundamental scientific theories – throws doubt on some common-sense ideas about physical reality.Read More →
Nikola Tesla: The extraordinary life of a modern Prometheus
2020-08-14
Tesla was a real-life Prometheus: the mythical Greek titan who raided heaven to bring fire to mankind, yet in punishment was chained to a rock where each day an eagle ate his liver.Read More →
My vision of the future is wireless, and we’re one step closer
2020-08-04
Wireless power transmission is the future, but there are a lot of technical challenges to overcome.Read More →