Scientific American has a special issue on 'The End', with one article - "Death to Humans!" - devoted to listing "visions of the apocalypse in movies and literature". There are categories for astronomical catastrophes, biological calamities, geophysical disasters, machine-driven takeovers and war. Oddly enough, given we're talking 'apocalypse', there's no religious category...I guess Sci-Am doesn't want wander too far from their home territory (but then, if you're going to put movies like Armageddon in there, are we really talking science?). Here's the 'Biological Calamities' list:

Earth Abides (novel 1949)
After humanity is wiped out by a deadly airborne illness, a small band of survivors set about rebuilding civilization.

A Sound of Thunder (short story 1952, film 2005)
A time-traveling hunter inadvertently crushes a butterfly during an excursion to the Jurassic period. It causes a succession of “time waves” to batter present-day Earth — and its embattled human occupants — and wrenches reality onto a different evolutionary path. Think baboon-dinosaurs besieging your local gas-mart.

I Am Legend (novel 1954, films 1964 (The Last Man on Earth), 1971 (Omega Man), 2007 (I Am Legend))
One lone man is immune to a pandemic virus that ravages humanity. He struggles to develop a treatment to save the infected.

The Andromeda Strain (novel 1969, film 1971, TV miniseries 2008)
A satellite returns to Earth with a deadly microbe that wipes out an entire town except for a baby and an old man.

The Stand (novel 1978)
A deadly virus is accidentally released from a research lab, wiping out humanity. The story chronicles the confrontations that occur among the survivors.

12 Monkeys (film, 1995)
A terrorist release of a virus has devastated civilization, forcing the remainder of humanity underground. Scientists send a convicted felon back in time as part of an effort to stop the release.

28 Days Later (film 2002)
A chimpanzee harboring a deadly virus escapes from a research lab and infects the entire population, resulting in societal collapse. The film focuses on four uninfected people and their struggle to survive.

Reign of Fire (film 2002)
Dragons suddenly populate Earth and wipe out all people in their path. Small bands of survivors across the planet struggle to evade the dragons and fight for their lives.

Apocalyptic fiction (both in literature and movies) is one of my favourite genres, with Day of the Triffids pretty much top of the list (not sure what that says about me psychologically...). Great to peruse this list, but the question I've got for you is - have they missed any of your favourites? For more ideas you might like to check out apocalypticmovies.com and the Wikipedia entry for apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction as well.

A few years ago we produced six issues of a free, downloadable magazine (as a PDF file) that we titled Sub Rosa. Each of those releases was downloaded by about 10,000 people - so I'm assuming we did a pretty good job. However, the time investment was significant and, being a free magazine, there was little return on that investment...so it fell by the wayside unfortunately.

One of the drawbacks of a PDF magazine was that people had to be sitting at their computer to read it. However, with the release of the iPad it occurred to me that Sub Rosa would work pretty well as a 'tablet' magazine - so last week I dropped into the local Apple store and downloaded an issue to take a look. I only opened it using Safari - so it did struggle a little with the flow of the magazine and image manipulation - but it still looked great. I'd imagine it would work much better in a dedicated PDF reader such as GoodReader (note though I haven't tested it). Check it out (and hang in there for the zoomable Alex Grey eye-candy):

So, if you have yourself an iPad, head on over to the Sub Rosa website and download all six issues. Makes me wonder whether this might be something worth looking at again in the next few years as touch tablet devices become more ubiquitous.

There's the creation and evolution of the cosmos, and then there's this. I'm not sure which is more amazing. "Big Bang Big Boom" by Blu:

One of the most brilliant things I've seen in a long time. The project apparently took 13 months to 'paint' (I can imagine). See also "Combo", also by Blu (and David Ellis).

With the year 2012 fast approaching, the Institute for Human Continuity has announced that after "more than two decades of rigorous research from the world's top astronomers, mathematicians, geologists, physicists, anthropologists, engineers, futurists...we know in 2012 a series of cataclysmic forces will wreak havoc on our planet." In response, they have begun a series of initiatives aimed at ensuring 'human continuity' beyond the disaster, the details of which can be found on their website.

Now before you busily grab a shovel and start construction of your bunker, it's worth pointing out that the IHC website is just a piece of viral marketing for Roland Emmerich's upcoming disaster movie 2012 (along with ThisistheEnd.com and FarewellAtlantis.com). But the site is so well constructed and straight-faced that some are now saying - including Caltech planet-hunter Mike Brown - that it tips over the line from marketing into a dangerous hoax:

Brown found some spam among his email, an ominous missive that purports to be from the director of the Institute for Human Continuity. It warns: "The IHC has uncovered evidence indicating that the disasters of 2012 are both real and unavoidable. We believe with 94% certainty that ... cataclysmic events will devastate our planet and many who inhabit it. December 21, 2012 cannot be ignored."

A link in the email to the IHC's supposed web site actually takes you to a site that is so cleverly designed, an unsuspecting person who doesn't recognize the actors on the page might think the IHC is real, that the end is near, and that buying a ticket (to somewhere, on something, who knows?) is the only hope of survival.

...Brown, who is a pretty smart guy, admits that unlike many doomsday websites designed by quacks, it took him a while to figure out this web site is a fake.

"It is slick. It is professional. There is no obvious sign anywhere that this is the work of kooks," he said.

The LiveScience story also inspired a follow-up which discusses the Planet X/Nibiru claims, and references NASA space expert David Morrison's FAQ on the topic. It all makes for interesting reading - personally I've never seen too much of substance in the 2012 meme (and it seems a majority of TDG readers agree), but if you've got some good resources or insights to the contrary feel free to discuss in the comments section.

So what do you think - does the marketing for 2012 cross the line?

A new film released in August is District 9, promoted by Peter Jackson and directed by Neill Blomkamp. In an alternate present, an alien race has landed on Earth and is forced to live in slum conditions, denied basic rights and forced to live in isolation. The very real issues of illegal immigration, human rights, and Big Brother are very much at the forefront of this thinking person's scifi. Is this how it would play out in a real case scenario? It's not entirely an original idea, the premise being explored in 1988's Alien Nation, which was later turned into a short-lived television series. The District 9 viral marketing and Alternative Reality Gaming has already started, so it'll be fun to determine where fact and fiction separates. With the new Star Trek movie catering to a wider audience who want more action and less Warp Core theories (boldly profiting in the Box Office where no Star Trek movie has profited before), it's great to see scifi-that-makes-you-think is still making it onto the big screen. ET disclosure continues...

Here's the trailer:

Mmmmm, the BBC is going to remake The Day of the Triffids. John Wyndham's post-apocalyptic novel featuring nasty plant critters is one of my favourite books ever, so I'll be looking forward to this (don't screw it up Beeb!). In HD no less.

Best-selling author Michael Crichton, whose books coined the term tecno-thriller, died on Nov. 4th due to a long battle with Cancer.

A Harvard Medical School graduate, Chicago-born Crichton became the toast of Hollywood when his 1971 novel The Andromeda Strain was turned into a film.

Many of his novels and screenplays were adapted for cinema. The most successful were Jurassic Park, which burst onto the screen in 1993, and its sequel The Lost World.

ER has won a host of Emmys since it began in 1994, and helped launch the career of George Clooney.

I personally have a great personal debt to Crichton. Not only he became my favorite author during the 90s, but his books helped me rekindle my passion for Science—as well as helping me tune my English reading skills!— I remember that trip to visit my sister living in New England, when I read Jurassic Park in 5 days or less just before going to see the movie; we also went to the Museum of National History where they held an special exhibition of the movie's props and models of the dinosaurs. That was a GREAT experience.

True, I became a little disenchanted with him after 'Timeline'; and 'State of Fear' may be regarded in the future as his biggest blunder, in which he labeled environmental groups as 'scare-mongers'—ironic, because the success of his books came from the fact that he made us fear the possible consequences of Scientific progress if left unchecked— Nevertheless, the Scientific world owes a great debt to Crichton, for introducing into popular culture many terms that before were considered too difficult and arcane for ordinary folks; because of Crichton, even a 5-year-old could begin to understand what a DNA strand is! And that has very possitive repercussions in our world.

So Rest in Peace, Mr. Crichton. And thank you for the wonderful images and ideas you introduced in my brain; now I always carry a little Ian Malcolm that keeps whispering in my ear things about Chaos and the ethical responsibility of Science.

Oh! & thanks for the Dino movies, too.

No doubt due to his complete lack of upcoming film projects, my favourite Mexican film director Guillermo Del Toro is set to move into the book industry with a 'vampire trilogy' to be published through HarperCollins:

The first book in the as-yet-untitled series, 'The Strain', concerns the invasion of New York City by a vampiric virus, mysteriously emanating from a plane touching down at JFK airport... The Strain will have a worldwide publication date in summer 2009, with the release dates of the following two books to be confirmed.

Del Toro sounds like the kind of guy that would be right at home here on TDG (I'm sure RPJ would buy him a beer or three).

Previously on TDG: Guillermo Del Toro discusses how paranormal events have shaped his worldview.

George Clooney will be staring at goats in a film adaptation of British journalist Jon Ronson's bestselling book on psychic warfare in the American military (The Men Who Stare At Goats, Amazon US or UK). The film will be directed by Clooney's long-time collaborator Grant Heslov, best known for writing the Oscar-nominated Good Night and Good Luck. Heslov also appeared in an episode of The X-Files, season 8's Via Negativa.

Unfortunately, ESP phenomena, and the people who practice and research it, continues to be treated with scorn and ridicule by smug, condescending pseudoskeptics. Will Heslov and Clooney give Ronson's book the Oh Brother Where Art Thou? slapstick treatment, or will we see a more open-minded Syriana mixed with the humour of Three Kings? I'm hoping the latter: Remote Viewing deserves a serious film, but the subject isn't all black clothing and frowns. The anecdotes of ex-military Remote Viewers display a healthy dose of humour and absurdity, such as Reading The Enemy's Mind by Major Paul H. Smith (Amazon US or UK).

Will the movie open doors to more research and acceptance of psychic phenomena, or will a taxpayer backlash pour enough ridicule on the subject to bury any chance of future development? All I know is Colonel John Alexander is disappointed George Clooney is playing him instead of Brad Pitt, and Jason Alexander (George Costanza from Seinfeld) is the spitting image of Paul Smith.

Incidentally, good friend Ed Kovacs wrote the first big-screen treatment of Remote Viewing, 1992's Blink of an Eye. It stars Michael Pare, which should warn you that this film never won any awards, but Ed's writing is solid.

Last week I posted the music video for "Birds of a Feather", by Australian prog-rock bank Cog. Just wanted to mention that I'm really digging the entire album Sharing Space, and would recommend it to anyone looking for some good music - these guys are definitely plugged into the source. Not as heavy-riff oriented as their debut album The New Normal, but the new album instead uses more dynamics and isn't afraid to rock out when it suits the song - to me, a definite progression. The album was co-produced with Sylvia Massey, who has previously worked with Tool (Undertow) and System of a Down. Can't say enough good things about this band, if they stick at it they will be huge. Hopefully they put more 7+ minute songs on their next album, because they are killer at them.

Get your hands on the album, or at least a track or two - perhaps start with the first single "What If" which has the prog-rock feel but is single-length. And make sure you give it some listens, because - as with all great music - it takes a while to really get the songs. As I always say, support good music! Probably the best way to get it in the U.S. would be via iTunes, use the link on the Cog website (let me know if it's not available in the States). It would be great to see Cog get some serious support from a big U.S. label, what they've produced so far on a virtual shoestring has been impressive - so spread the word. I'll try and post a full review next week.