It’s Monday already.
- In response to my bad pun last week, several people have told me that C.S. Lewis did write science-fiction: Space Trilogy (Amazon US or UK).
- Strange Horizons, a science-and-speculative-fiction magazine, has a great article discussing the rise of Right-Wing apocalyptic Christian scifi thrillers.
- There’s no theological allegories in Japanese toy consumerism. Toymaker is producing human-sized versions of the Gundam Mobile Suits from the Japanese anime classic. When they build one that I can actually pilot, then I’ll be impressed.
- Robotics researcher Hiroshi Ishiguro has built a life-like android in his own image to teach long-distance classes.
- It all started with Astroboy, and decades later Japan continues to march into the future of robotics.
- If our global civilisation dies, what will replace it? Cockroaches, lawyers and bloggers is my guess.
- For decades, the Amazonian Kayapo people have defended their land against developers, and they’re not giving up.
- A travel piece about the Catholic shrine at Lourdes, which predictably doesn’t mention the cave’s fairy origins at all. You can read Greg’s interviews with Vallee and Hancock in Sub Rosa issues 2 and 4.
- A Florida medium says he can contact the dead, and that everyone has the capability to do so.
- FATE magazine has an interesting article about Wolf Messing, Russia’s greatest psychic. He has a Native American cousin, Messing With Wolves.
- The UK’s MoD is investigating muliple sightings of orange orbs in the night sky.
- It’s not the Sword of Damocles from the Cave of No Return (I went there once), but a golden dagger has been discovered in Bulgaria, as sharp as it was 5000 years ago.
- The Roman numeral VI has been discovered etched into an Indian hill, resembling the lines of Nazca in Peru. If there’s a IV or a VII nearby, then look for a tall structure casting a shadow.
- Five years after the Taliban blew up the giant Bamiyan Buddha statues, UNESCO is helping to fund an Aghan initiative to put them back together again.
- Galloping in the ancient hoofprints of Ghengis Khan.
- Southwest China is experiencing one of the worst droughts on record, with 2.39 million people facing a serious shortage of clean drinking water.
- Ugandan politicians are considering making ancient reconciliation rituals part of the country’s legal system in an effort to help end one of Africa’s longest wars. Do they have those in Judaism and Islam?
- Five years after the event, the Scholars for 9/11 Truth are dusting off their tweed jackets with the corduroy elbow patches and chasing conspiracies.
- Microsoft has invited hackers to test the security of their new Windows Vista software, only to find the hackers invited themselves months ago.
- Feeling down when online? Computer-based art will change to match your mood. You’re in trouble if Hieronymous Bosch is set as wallpaper.
- A UK bank plans to send 1.6 million hand-held password devices to its customers in a desperate bid to beat increasing levels of internet fraud. No one’s impersonated me on TDG yet.
- Our good friend Cernig is most probably off to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this week. Don’t be shy to ask the ladies of Bangkok for a dance to a good ol’ Scottish jig.
- Or if you’re feeling even more adventurous, perhaps you’d like to attend Europe’s first ever Masturbate-a-thon.
- If you go blind, Hong Kong scientists have developed a pair of glasses and shoes that will help you navigate the trickiest of terrain.
- Astronauts may need a pair, as NASA plans to send a manned mission to the dark side of the moon.
- The moon’s odd bulge around the middle has been explained, and it’s not because of rabbits feeding it too much mochi.
- In the Chilean Andes, astronomers are building a telescopic time machine to catch a glimpse of the universe exploding 1.3 billion years ago.
- Ten years after a martian meteorite caused an extraterrestrial controversy, few people still believe it contains fossilised bacteria from Mars.
- Russia is asking for volunteers to take part in a simulated 520-day flight to Mars. They should use Big Brother contestants, and make it one way.
- Store plenty of apples: apple juice is one of the best foods for boosting brain function and memory.
Thanks Kat.
Quote of the Day:
Reality is whatever refuses to go away when I stop believing in it.
Philip K. Dick
