The other year we wrote about the LCARS Reader app for Apple’s iOS. I absolutely loved the concept, but it wasn’t long before the novelty wore off and I found myself deleting the app altogether. I’m not sure if it was just that I found the interface to be slightly buggy and difficult to navigate, or that it seemed to lack the polish I’ve become accustomed to with properly licensed products — maybe a bit of both. It’s been over a year, and CBS has finally got around to creating their own LCARS interface with their official Star Trek PADD app. Took them long enough, am I right?
When I heard about this news, I went over to the U.S. SyFy Channel’s schedule and saw that the cable network is showing the three original Indiana Jones flicks, National Treasure, and six hours of Hollywood Treasure, a reality show about a team of Californians who acquire and resell props and other memorabilia. Blech. Meanwhile, Canada’s Space TV is getting a reality show spotlighting actual fans.
Ever heard of game developer Mane 6? No? Yeah, that’s not surprising: it’s a batch of bronies (and presumably a few female fans as well) who are working on a 2D indie fighter game featuring the characters from Hasbro’s surprisingly popular television cartoon My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Read more…
We recently got a glimpse of Dori, Nori, and Ori, three of Frodo’s dwarf companions in the upcoming Hobbit films. Today, we get to see two more, in the form of Oin and Gloin, cousins of Thorin Oakenshield. The name Gloin should sound familiar to those who’ve seen the original Lord of the Rings trilogy — he’s Gimli’s dad! There’s definitely some family resemblance there. I’m pretty happy with the dwarves we’ve been shown thus far; all of them have a unique look, thankfully giving us an ensemble filled with something more than just a dozen Gimlis. Read more…
Normally, when two powerful forces meet, you only need to worry about which of them wins. But as we’ve learned with the Alien vs. Predator films, whoever wins, we lose. But could you survive a clash of these extraterrestrial titans? This handy infographic from Stephen Taubman helps you figure out your chances. It also gives helpful advice if you end up running into either side, like curling into the fetal position and peeing all over yourself if you meet a Predator. Good advice! Unfortunately, given the rest of the infographic, your odds aren’t so good even if you follow all proper protocol. Game over, man! Game over! Read more…
There are many, many reasons why we’re glad that the planned Akira live-action remake reportedly isn’t happening, but we can now confirm an entirely new one. Chris Weston, a British artist who was working as a production artist for the film, talked with Cinema Blend about what some of his tasks were. One of them stands out as possibly horrific: he was charged with redesigning Kaneda’s prized motorcycle. You know, the iconic one? The perfect one? Weston said the very thought of it terrified him, since “the fanboys” (hey, that’ us!) would be at his throat if it came out wrong. Hell, they even discussed turning the bike black. There are just some things you don’t do, man. Read more…
HBO’s Game of Thrones finale got you in the summer doldrums? Need something to pore over while you wait for A Dance with Dragons to be released in stores? A good place to start would be this huge, detailed, spoiler-filled map of the Seven Kingdoms of the Game of Thrones universe (click to embiggen!). This particular map was created by an artist going by the name of Other-in-Law, whose gallery also features a bunch of other GoT maps as well. But this one is probably the crown jewel of the collection, filled with Easter eggs for observant fans. Read more…
The good news is that the space shuttle Atlantis takeoff went well, but the bad new is that this is the last flight: As of this moment the only nations that have an active manned space program are Russia and China. It’s great that America has a good relations with Russia so we can bum a ride — but frankly we should be leading the way in space exploration. Making matters worse the successor to the Hubble telescope was canceled last night. We may not have realized it just yet, but we have entered a dark age of space exploration in the United States, and this is a very bad thing. Read more…
