Gundam Cosplay from Russia
Posted by Michael Pinto on Feb 19, 2008 in Fandom
Shown above is an amazing Gundam cosplay outfit from an anime fan in St.Petersburg, Russia. Below is some related convention footage worth checking out:
The Transporter vs. Quantum Teleportation
Posted by Michael Pinto on Feb 19, 2008 in Star Trek
If you’re an old time Star Trek fanboy there’s an amazing article at Scientific American on the reality of making a Transporter:
Beam Me Up Scotty? A Q&A about Quantum Teleportation with H. Jeff Kimble
Why the effect is nothing like Star Trek
“What’s the biggest misconception about teleportation? That the object itself is being sent. We’re not sending around material stuff. If I wanted to send you a Boeing 757, I could send you all the parts, or I could send you a blueprint showing all the parts, and it’s much easier to send a blueprint. Teleportation is a protocol about how to send a quantum state—a wave function—from one place to another.”
Project Orion: Nuclear Powered Rocket Travel
Posted by Michael Pinto on Feb 18, 2008 in Science
Shown above is a video of author George Dyson at the TED conference. Dyson wrote an amazing book on Project Orion, a massive, nuclear-powered spacecraft that could have taken us to Saturn in five years.
Mahfood Makes a Great Mixtape
Posted by Michael Pinto on Feb 18, 2008 in Comic Books
Mixtape Volume 1: Food One
Sailor Moon and Gundam 00 Dance the Dan-Jo
Posted by Michael Pinto on Feb 17, 2008 in Fandom
I just came across this fan made video which features the characters from Sailor Moon dancing to the song Dan-Jo. It seems to be a reply to this video which features the characters from Gundam 00:
Doctor and Davros
Posted by Michael Pinto on Feb 17, 2008 in Dr. Who
I sometimes just don’t get the folks who do the merchandising! Shown above is limited edition $300 model of Doctor and Davros from the classic 70s Dr. Who episode Genesis of the Daleks. While I loved that episode I just don’t get the appeal of having this on your shelf unless it’s some sort of eBay investment scheme. Why not instead release a model based on sexy sidekick Leela whom every fanboy had a now not so secret crush on? I’m also amazed that in this era of mainstream acceptance of cosplay that the Doctor’s fashion forward isn’t on sale at better apparel shops worldwide…
eBay investors please take note: Dark Horse will be releasing the above model in May.
Set Phasers on Blu-ray!
Posted by Michael Pinto on Feb 16, 2008 in Star Trek
Shown above is an entertaining DIY video on how to build a classic Star Trek phaser using a mechanism from a Blu-ray player.
Video by Kipkay found via ValleyWag.
Disney Revisits the House of the Future
Posted by Michael Pinto on Feb 16, 2008 in Hobbies and Collections
Shown above is the 1957 version of the House of the Future which was removed and destroyed in 1967. I think it would be much more fun to create a Retro House if the Future complete with a jet pack stand and nuclear power generator in the basement ala the Jetsons rather than trying to re-invent the concept:
House of Tomorrow returning to Disneyland
“Disneyland will team with Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard and others to bring the $15-million Innoventions Dream Home to Tomorrowland in May, according to the Associated Press. The two-bedroom demonstration home with a kitchen, living room, dining room, study and backyard (but no bathroom) will feature current and near-future technology, including:
* Closets that help select clothes and suggest matching outfits.
* Touch-screen kitchen countertops that recognize groceries and make menu recommendations.
* Digital artwork that adjusts to personal preset preferences.
Disney actors will play the fictional Elias family of four (an obvious nod to Walter Elias Disney) living a “digital lifestyle” in the 5,000-square-foot “smart house” inside the rotating-floor Innoventions building.”
Ummm, no bathrooms in the house of the future?!
A Real James Bond Submarine Auto
Posted by Michael Pinto on Feb 16, 2008 in Hobbies and Collections
Sure it wasn’t a Sean Connery picture but The Spy Who Loved Me was one of my favorite films back in 1977. I think every fanboy back then would have loved to go on a dream date with Barbara Bach while driving underwater in a Lotus Esprit:
Swiss create Bond-like underwater car
‘sQuba’ concept set to make a splash at Geneva Auto Show
“OK, so the Swiss have invented a car that runs on land and underwater. But did they REALLY have to make it a convertible? It’s called the “sQuba,” and conjures up memories of James Bond’s amphibious Lotus Esprit from “The Spy Who Loved Me.” That fictional vehicle traveled on land and, when chased by bad guys in a helicopter, plunged into the water and became an airtight submarine — complete with “torpedoes” and “depth charges”.”
Salt Kills Martians
Posted by Michael Pinto on Feb 16, 2008 in Science
H.G. Wells was wrong! It wasn’t the germs that killed the poor martians but too much salt:
Early Mars ‘too salty’ for life
“The Red Planet was too salty to sustain life for much of its history, according to the latest evidence gathered by one of the US rovers on Mars’ surface. High concentration of minerals in water on early Mars would have made it inhospitable to even the toughest microbes, a leading NASA expert says.
Clues preserved in rocks that were once awash with water suggest the environment was both acidic and briny. The observations were made by the US space agency’s Opportunity rover. It has spent months examining rocks on an ancient Martian plain.”
The Goon Goes Goth
Posted by Michael Pinto on Feb 15, 2008 in Comic Books
Eric Powell covers always feel more like a good old fashioned pulp fiction magazine rather than showing super heros covers which always feature guys running around in their underwear — shown above is a detail from the cover of The Goon #24 which will be out on May 14th at a creepy comic book shop near you.
Fanboy Fantasy: Shoot Down the Spy Satellite
Posted by Michael Pinto on Feb 15, 2008 in Hobbies and Collections
When I first read the The Pentagon is going to shoot down an ailing US spy satellite, my first thought was “I want that job!” But sadly instead of sending up fanboys on the space shuttle armed with ray guns (like the Japanese Tin Space Gun pictured above) the Pentagon will just do the conventional solution of firing a missile from boat:
Indiana Jones: New Trailer
Posted by Michael Pinto on Feb 15, 2008 in Cinema
I hare to admit it, but this looks pretty darn good! I know I made all of those jokes about Geriatric Jones but come May 22nd I get the feeling that this old dorky fanboy is standing on line waiting all day.
Take Me to Ninjatown
Posted by Michael Pinto on Feb 15, 2008 in Videogames
I got a good laugh after watching the above trailer for the upcoming Ninjatown game on the Nintendo DS.
Hanging Out at the C3 Skybase
Posted by Michael Pinto on Feb 14, 2008 in Videogames
Shown above is the 3D work of talented interactive media pioneer Larry Rosenthal. Larry has just opened his own 3C Skybase (shown above) and Star Trek Tribute Lounge in Second Life:
Cube3 Opens New C3 Skybase and Star Trek Tribute Lounge with the SFCSLQ
“Second Life, Jan 21, 2008: Cube3 the creators of the Starbase C3 Online World and RPG, has created with the sponsorship of the StarFleet Command Second Life Quadrant Roleplayers ( SFCSLQ) a new multilevel floating outpost at the groups sim at Sovereign. The Outpost , named the C3 Skybase Sovereign is now open and all aliens, avatars , etc, are welcome to attend.
Social Networking with Hello Kitty
Posted by Michael Pinto on Feb 14, 2008 in Hobbies and Collections
If you think that MySpace and Facebook have jumped the shark well perhaps it’s time to try social networking with the kitty? Hello Kitty Online is the new community site from Sanrio and it’s now accepting players for closed beta.
Found via ValleyWag.
Creepy but Cute: The Petit Pterosaur
Posted by Michael Pinto on Feb 13, 2008 in Science
It’s amazing to think to think that the creature above isn’t a space alien but once upon time was flying around China:
Tiny perching pterosaur discovered
“A beautifully preserved fossil of a tiny pterosaur suggests that the giant pterodactyls that roamed the skies during the late Cretaceous period may have come from much smaller, tree-dwelling ancestors. The new fossil, which was discovered in 2004 in western Liaoning province, China, is about 120 million years old.
“This is a very, very complete specimen of an unusual little pterodactyl,” says Michael Caldwell, a vertebrate palaeontologist at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. The new fossil also sheds some light on another mystery of pterosaur evolution – whether pterosaurs began to fly upwards from the ground, or whether they first climbed into trees and then began to glide downwards.”
Illustration by Chuang Zhao, found via Neatorama.
Clone Wars Coming to Theaters in August
Posted by Michael Pinto on Feb 13, 2008 in Star Wars
Some more details on the upcoming The Clone Wars film and TV series for Star Wars fanboys:
Star Wars: The Clone Wars In Theaters and on Television in 2008
“A new era of Star Wars entertainment begins in 2008 when Star Wars: The Clone Wars, from creator George Lucas, premieres as an all-new feature film in August, followed by the television series debut in the fall, in a partnership announced today between Lucasfilm Ltd., Warner Bros. Pictures and Turner Broadcasting System Inc.
Produced by Lucasfilm Animation, Star Wars: The Clone Wars takes audiences on incredible new Star Wars adventures, combining the legendary storytelling of Lucasfilm with an eye-popping, signature animation style. Star Wars: The Clone Wars will open in North American theaters Friday, August 15. International release dates will be announced soon.”
Kung Fu Panda Trailer
Posted by Michael Pinto on Feb 13, 2008 in Animation
This latest trailer for Kung Fu Panda doesn’t look too bad, although to be honest I’ve always preferred Pixar to Dreamworks. I think it’s that Dreamworks always relies upon sitcom jokes with well known actors while Pixar films are always about the story itself with the humor playing a supporting role. Also Pixar uses animation to tell the story while with Dreamworks you might as well use puppets.
The Top Ten Worst Mistakes by Sega
Posted by Michael Pinto on Feb 12, 2008 in Videogames
Chris is a videogame fanboy who made the above documentary on The Top Ten Worst Mistakes by Sega, even though the production values are crude his insights into the game industry of the 90s are great. I found myself laughing a few times watching this, it’s amazing to think how many times Sega would become their own worst enemy. Part two is below:
Sew a UFO!
Posted by Michael Pinto on Feb 12, 2008 in Hobbies and Collections
Talented Teresa of Sewing Stars created the wonderful hand crafted UFO above. I just love how she managed to make the space aliens look ever so cute!
Atari Game Manuals
Posted by Michael Pinto on Feb 11, 2008 in Videogames
Shown above are just two examples from an amazing collection of Atari game manuals and other associated items collected by designer Joe Kral. I have to say that I was blown away with the quality of the print design work associated with Atari in the 80s, I tend to associate good taste from that era with IBM and Apple but their taste wasn’t too shabby.
Post-It Notes Animation from Russia
Posted by Michael Pinto on Feb 11, 2008 in Animation
The above film was produced by 18 animators living in St. Petersburg, Russia. I love how the entire film was created by drawing on Post-It Notes. The song featured is by Oppa Novy God.
Found via MetaFilter.
Transporter Accident Space Dog
Posted by Michael Pinto on Feb 10, 2008 in Star Trek
The folks behind the lolcat website I Can Has Cheezburger? now have a site for dogs! Being a Star trek fan I loved the loldog shot above from the episode The Enemy Within from 1966. As you’ll recall the poor horned space puppy went red shirt in the episode when used for unethical transporter testing, causing Dr. McCoy to comment “It’s dead, Jim”. Arf! Arf!