True Skin: SciFi-Short about Cyborgs and Augmented Reality
Vimeo Direktskin, via Polkarobot
Toller SciFi-Kurzfilm von Stephan Zlotescu (bislang vor allem FX-Mann bei Musikvideos für Kanye West oder Lady Gaga) über Cyborgs, Augmented Reality und Memory-Backups: „True Skin – A sci-fi short set in the not too distant future where augmentation is the way of life. For Kaye, still a natural, augmenting will help him keep pace in this now hyper-paced world. However, after acquiring an off-market prototype, Kaye quickly finds himself fighting not only for his own humanity, but something much larger.“
Sehr Bladerunneresque und ein bisschen so hatte ich mir immer eine Verfilmung von William Gibsons „Neuromancer“ vorgestellt, nur ein bisschen weniger neon und weniger cheesy. Aber der Short ist insgesamt doch sehr stimmig und wird in Hollywood schon als Feature-Film gehandelt, Snip vom Hollywood Reporter:
Directed by Stephan Zlotescu, the action is set in the not-too distant future where everyone is augmenting their bodies. The story’s hero can’t afford to augment in the U.S. so heads to the black market of Bangkok where he gets a hold of a mysterious chip that he discovers is not only slowly turning him robotic but is also a hot commodity wanted by shadowy forces. Jumping off the short, the hero faces a race against time to elude his pursuers and save what’s left of his humanity.
Zlotescu is a FX guru who’s worked on videos for Kanye West, Lady Gaga and Nikki Minaj. With his FX background, he was able to make the short of very little, overseeing the FX work himself. He shot it on location in Bangkok with his frequent collaborators, Chris Sewall, and a man by the name of H1, who acted as producer and cinematographer, respectively.
Humble eBook-Bundle
Youtube Direktbooks, via Hacker News
Awesome! Das Humble Bundle bietet seit heute nicht weniger als acht Bücher als PayWhatYouWant-Download an, unter anderem Cory Doctorows neues Buch „Pirate Cinema“, John Scalzis „Old Mans War“ und Lauren Beukes „Zoo City“, das ich vor ein paar Wochen regelrecht verschlungen habe und das ich jedem nur ans Herz legen kann (Review wollte ich eigentlich längst gepostet haben, aber man kommt ja zu nix.) Wie immer ohne DRM-Murks, in den Formaten PDF, Mobi und ePub. Großartig, ich hab grade sowas von zugeschlagen.
Eight works of literary genius. Humble eBook Bundle features eight masterful works from a prodigious league of award-winning authors. Name your price and receive Pirate Cinema, Pump Six and Other Stories, Zoo City, Invasion: The Secret World Chronicle, Stranger Things Happen, and Magic for Beginners. Customers who beat the average will also receive Old Man’s War and the graphic novel Signal to Noise!
Pay what you want. This collection of fantastic stories would typically cost around $52, but we’re letting you set the price!
Compatible with computers and mobile devices. These books are available in multiple formats including PDF, MOBI, and ePub so they work great on your computer, eBook readers, and a wide array of mobile devices! Please note that this is the digital debut for some of these great titles, and if you’re having any viewing or usability issues, please let us know!
Open Source SciFi-Short: Tears of Steel
Youtube Direktsteel, via Polkarobot
Toller Kurzfilm der Blender Foundation, die crowdfinanzierte Open Source-Filme realisiert. Die Schauspieler agieren ab und zu etwas hölzern, das reissen die tollen Effekte aber mehr als raus, außerdem mag ich die Mischung aus Steampunk- und Tron-Optik sehr.
“Tears of Steel” is a short film made in Amsterdam the Netherlands by the Blender Institute, well known for realizing the open source short animation movies “Big Buck Bunny” (2008) and “Sintel” (2010). As usual these films get financing by crowd-funding in online communities of 3D artists and animators. For “Tears of Steel” the funding target was to explore a complete open source pipeline for producing a high quality visual effect film, with as theme “Science Fiction in Amsterdam”.
Producer Ton Roosendaal invited young Seattle talent Ian Hubert to come working in Amsterdam for 7 months to write and direct the film – assisted in Blender Institute’s studio by an international team of 3d and vfx artists, and with a Dutch film crew and Dutch actors.
The film’s premise is about a group of warriors and scientists, who gathered at the “Oude Kerk” in Amsterdam to stage a crucial event from the past, in a desperate attempt to rescue the world from destructive robots.
Googles Star Trek-Doodle
Google hat zum morgigen 46jährigen Jubiläum von Star Trek TOS, die am 8. September 1966 zum ersten mal ausgestrahlt wurde, ein Google Doodle am Start. Ein nettes, kurzes Point’n'Click-Adventure. Die erste Folge war „The Man Trap“, Snip von Wikipedia:
The first regular episode of Star Trek aired on Thursday, September 8, 1966 from 8:30-9:30 as part of an NBC “sneak preview” block. Reviews were mixed; while The Philadelphia Inquirer and San Francisco Chronicle liked the new show, The New York Times and The Boston Globe were less favorable, and Variety predicted that it “won’t work”, calling it “an incredible and dreary mess of confusion and complexities”. Debuting against mostly reruns, Star Trek easily won its time slot with a 40.6 share. The following week against all-new programming, however, the show fell to second (29.4 share) behind CBS. It ranked 33rd (out of 94 programs) over the next two weeks, then the following two episodes ranked 51st in the ratings.
(Danke Marco!)
Lord Byrons Copy of Frankenstein found, signed by Mary Shelley!
Im September verkauft das Londoner Antiquariat Peter Harrington eine extrem seltene Kopie der Erstausgabe von „Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus“, die ursprünglich Lord Byron gehörte und eine an ihn gerichtete Widmung von Mary Shelley enthält. Zur Erinnerung: Mary Shelley verbrachte damals den Sommer 1816 in Lord Byrons Villa am Genfersee und schrieb dort während eines Ghoststory-Wettbewerbs ihren ersten Roman „Frankenstein“, der Urknall der Science-Fiction. Diese Erstausgabe mit Widmung ist quasi ein Teil der Ursuppe eines ganzen Genres. Holy Crap!
The copy at hand is one of only six copies given Mary by her publisher. Inscribed, it was mailed to Byron by Mary’s husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley. Lord Byron once recommended the book to a friend, saying, “Methinks it is a wonderful work of a girl of nineteen — not nineteen indeed — at the time”.
First edition copies of Frankenstein are rare and can fetch upwards of $100,000. Until now, only one other signed copy was known to exist, and although this new find is incomplete — originally published as three slim books, here, only the first volume has survived — it was inscribed to and once owned by Lord Byron who, as it were, attended the birth of Frankenstein. Given the remarkable provenance, this unique copy is estimated to be worth over £400,000 (roughly US$635,000).
Found! Frankenstein inscribed by Mary Shelley to Lord Byron!, mehr bei Peter Harrington: Lord Byron’s copy of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein und hier die Meldung auf PRNewswire: Lost Treasure of Literature Expected to Fetch Over £400,000 Discovered in Family Library After 50 Years
Chute Libre SciFi-Covers
John Coulthart hat eine schöne Sammlung alter SciFi-Cover aus dem französischen Verlag Champ Libre, die zwischen 1974 und 78 veröffentlicht wurden, inklusive ein paar seltene Arbeiten von Moebius. Teilweise NSFW.
Chute libre means “free fall” in French, and here refers to an imprint of French publisher Champ Libre that from 1974 to 1978 reprinted a series of science fiction titles under that name. The imprint is notable for a number of reasons, not least the striking covers which impress with their uniform design and bold imagery. The combination of black cover with vivid artwork is very similar to the covers Penguin were producing for their SF titles a few years earlier but since there’s little written anywhere about the French books I can’t say whether this was an influence or merely coincidence. I’ve not been able to find a complete list of all the illustrators either. At least two of the covers are the work of Moebius, rare examples of him being commissioned outside the comics medium.
Youtube Movies in Deutschland
Youtube hat heute die ersten Filme für ihren offiziellen Video-On-Demand-Dienst Youtube Movies freigeschaltet. Neben der geschnittenen und zerstückelten und unansehbaren deutschen Version von Romeros „Dawn of the Dead“ gibt es David Lynchs krude „Dune“-Verfilmung und den angestaubten „Running Man“, sowie Fritz Langs hervorragenden „M – Eine Stadt sucht einen Moerder“ von 1931 und Carpenters Erstling „Dark Star“, der trotz Wasserball-Alien und Schuhkarton-Tricks auch heute noch ganz prima funktioniert.
“Noch 20 Minuten haben Doolittle und seine Crew zu leben. Es sei denn, sie können die mit einem hochentwickelten Gehirn ausgerüstete Superbombe überreden, nicht zu detonieren…” Mitte des 21. Jahrhunderts: Von Weltraumschiffen getragen, schießen die Menschen mit Überlichtgeschwindigkeit ins All hinaus, um neue Planeten zu bevölkern. 20 Jahre vorab bahnt die DARK STAR den Weg: Sie sprengt instabile Planeten, die für die Kolonisten zur Todesfalle werden könnten. Letzter Zielplanet: Die Bombe ist scharf, der Countdown beginnt. Doch ein Fehler im Airlock droht plötzlich zur Katastrophe zu werden. Kann die Crew das Superhirn überlisten, oder werden alle im interstellaren Universum untergehen?
Youtube/Movies (via Netzpolitik)
The Evil of the Daleks and other Podcasts
Swen hat gestern eine ganze Reihe schöner „Science in SciFi“-Podcasts gepostet und ich höre mir jetzt erstmal eine philosophische Abhandlung über das Wesen des Bösen anhand der Daleks an, ein paar Gedanken eines Psychologen über Batman und den jüngsten Amoklauf und Cory Doctorow über Copyright.
The evil of the Daleks
Radio ABC: “They are among the most loved, or most feared, villains in science fiction. But what is it that makes Dalek such great baddies? What constitutes evil and why do the Daleks represent a very specific idea about rationality and morality? This week, we talk to a philosopher about what the Daleks have to tell us—in their mechanical, screechy voices—about who we are.” […]Dr. Travis Langley – Batman and Psychology: A Dark and Stormy Knight (M4a File)
theofantastique.com: “Dr. Langley is both a social psychologist, and a comic fan who labels himself a “superheroologist.” In this podcast he shares his thoughts on the Colorado shooting and alleged connections to Batman, and additional thoughts on superheroes in American culture.” […]Cory Doctorow on Copyright
Radio ABC 16.07.2012: “A funny thing happened on the way to the 21st century, copyright policy ceased to exist. Because every copyright policy that we make has a seismic effect on the Internet, and you can’t regulate copying without regulating the Internet.”
William Gibsons Junkie-Cyberspace-Dolphin-Tank in Lego
Cole Blaq hat den Cyberspace-Tank das heroinabhängigen Junkie-Delphins Jones aus William Gibsons „Johnny Mnemonic“ in Lego gebaut. Awesome3!
Inspired by Gibson’s Mnemonic featuring Jones in his tank and Jones’ cyberspace ego riding the crystal edges of the matrix.
This whole apperatus might also be a spaceship of the dolphins if they take over evolutions next phase. Travelling time and space and folding the universe just like the space Navigators of the Imperial Guild.
Jones’ Addiction (via Chris)
Metropolis Magazine from 1927
Peter Harringtons Antiquariat hat ein Metropolis-Kinoprogramm aus dem Jahr 1927 online gestellt. Leider nicht wirklich HighRez, aber natürlich trotzdem superinteressant. Die restaurierte Fassung des Films gibt’s übrigens in zwei Teilen auf Youtube.
The world’s most valuable movie poster, for Fritz Lang’s 1927 masterpiece Metropolis, is to be auctioned again after making a record $690,000 in 2005. Ephemera related to the film is notoriously scarce, with only four copies of the poster known to survive. Almost as uncommon is this amazing film programme produced for the London premiere at the Marble Arch Pavilion on March 21, 1927, one of only three copies that we have handled. Not only a list of cast and crew, it includes eleven short pieces on the making of the movie, commentary from the director and cast, and numerous production photographs and film stills, many attractively arranged as modernist collages. One of the most interesting sections shows in parallel columns how a passage of film scenes was adapted from the novel of the same name by Lang’s wife, Thea von Harbou.
Metropolis: A Rare Film Programme for Fritz Lang’s Masterpiece (via Wired)
Science Fiction from Africa
Kurzer, toller Podcast der BBC über Science Fiction aus Afrika moderiert von Lauren Beukes, deren Buch „Zoo City“ ich grade lese (Review kommt, fantastisches Buch!) und mit Autor Jonathan Dotse und Neill Blomkamp (District 9).
Beukes hears from film-makers Neill Blomkamp (South Africa – director of the international hit District 9), Wanuri Kahiu (Kenya), blogger Jonathan Dotse (Ghana), writer Nnedi Okorafor (Nigeria/USA) and others on how their particular experiences have influenced their work.
Science fiction often explores the interaction between people and technology. In Africa that theme plays out in surprising ways, from making an appointment with a traditional healer over email, to women in remote villages collecting water while chatting on their mobiles. It’s this mix of magic and technology, challenge and innovation that shapes the science fiction coming out of the continent.
Leaving behind the traditional visions of a high-tech Tokyo, futuristic LA or dystopian New York, and challenging clichéd views of the entire African continent, this is a science fiction being told by the people who live there.
2001 Behind the Scenes-Shots
Tolle Sammlung mit schönen SW-Behind the Scenes-Shots von Kubricks Dreharbeiten zu „2001“. (via Coudal)
Creepy Alien-Testshoots with Bolaj Badejo without Xenomorph-Suit
Youtube Direktalien, via Daniel
Das Internet hat einen alten Alien-Testshot ausgegraben, indem Bolaj Badejo – der schlacksige schwarze Hühne, der das Alien spielte – ohne H.R. Gigers Xenomorph-Kostüm durch die Nostromo schleicht. Kannte ich auch noch nicht, den Clip. Außerdem hat das Alienseries-Blog ein altes Interview mit ihm aus Cinefantastique 1979, in dem er ein wenig von der Produktion des Foodporn-Klassikers erzählt und verrät, das Ridley Scott tausend weitere Ideen hatte, die nicht realisierbar waren und das Viech auch deshalb so wenig im Film zu sehen ist. Glück gehabt, der Film gewann dadurch 300% an Atmosphäre und wurde so zu dem Klassiker, der er heute ist.
HR Giger made the Alien suits worn by Bolaji and the stuntman out of latex, at a cost of more than $250,000. The suit consisted of some ten to fifteen separate pieces, worn over a one-piece black body suit, needed underneath to disguise the fact that the Alien fitted together in sections, and because you could see through parts of it, like the ribcage. The ribcage was put on like a sweater, over the head. The legs and hips were put on separately as sleeves, fitted over with gloves for the hands. The tail was attached separately and operated by a series of wires. Feet were worn like shoes. The head was placed on last. Bolaji likened wearing it to having your head stuck up the middle of a huge banana.
“The Nostromo set itself was only about 6’6 high. I’m 6’10, 7′ with the suit on. I had to be very careful how I spun around or did anything. It was terribly hot, especially the head. I could only have it on for about fifteen or twenty minutes at a time. When I took it off, my head would be soaked.”
Ray Bradbury in The Time Machine
Ray Bradbury in The Original Time Machine. (via The Pictorial Arts)
