Link Round-Up: October 25, 2017

Aliens: Defiance #3 Cover by Massimo Carnevale

40 of the Creepiest Book Covers of All Time selected & riffed on by Emily Temple, Associate Editor at Literary Hub

An Oral History of Batman: The Animated Series from Vulture.

Link Round-Up: October 23, 2017

"The Shining" by Christopher Shy of Studio Ronin

At 1:00pm on May 17th, 2017, Neil deGrasse Tyson tweeted that he occasionally longed for someone to read "Good Night Moon" to him as he falls asleep. Six minutes later, LeVar Burton tweeted "I got you... Let's do this!" And do it they did.  Burton, of course, was the host of Reading Rainbow for two decades. His new podcast, LeVar Burton Reads, is like Reading Rainbow for adults.

Video Game Round-Up: October 20, 2017

"Super Mario Odyssey" by Iain Reed (SoulStryder210)

Humble Bundle has been acquired by media giant IGN. [Gamasutra] “Media giant IGN announced today that it has acquired Humble Bundle, the company best known for selling packs of indie games at pay-what-you-want prices. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. This is potentially a big deal for game developers, since Humble has expanded beyond its bundling business to publish games, pay devs to make games for its subscription-based monthly game club, maintain a subscription-based online game trove, and operate an online game storefront. However, a press release confirming the deal also noted that Humble will continue to operate independently in the wake of the acquisition, with no significant business or staffing changes.”

Sci-Fi Round-Up: October 20, 2017

"Star Wars: The Last Jedi" by Dan Mumford

The first of four exclusive prints from the 'Star Wars Sundays' promotion by AMC Theatres.

Interviews

Creator of The Matrix code Simon Whiteley reveals its mysterious origins
Douglas Hofstadter on why AI is far from intelligent - "Computing hardware can do anything that a brain could do, but I don't think at this point we're doing what brains do."
David Fincher Opens Up On Why His Axed Hbo Series Went From ...
Jim Sturgess Dishes On Sci-Fi film Geostorm
Kate Beckinsale, John Barrowman, "Buffy" Q&A's

Link Round-Up: October 20, 2017

"The Old Curiosity Shop" by Kevin M. Wilson

Prints available for purchase from Hero Complex Gallery.

10 Last Minute Halloween Decorating Ideas

Bad Astronomy's Phil Plait lays out problems of modern science and the Nobel awards.

English novelist Kazuo Ishiguro perhaps best known for The Remains of the Day has been given this year's Nobel Prize in literature. If you want to know more about Ishiguro, the British Council has a good profile on him, but it might also be a good idea to read these two dialogues, one between him and fellow Nobel Laureate Kenzaburo Oe and another with Neil Gaiman [previously] or the Paris Review interview in the Art of Fiction series. For live updates, analysis and reaction, head to The Guardian's liveblog and The Comlete Review's Literary Saloon blog.

Link Round-Up: Blade Runner

"Blade Runner 2049" by Paul Shipper

4 Differences Between Deckard From Blade Runner and the book

A Blade Runner for our time: The 1982 film introduced a new vocabulary, inspired a generation

Alison Hammond of This Morning sat down with Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling to conduct a playful interview with the duo about their upcoming film, Blade Runner 2049. Ford and Gosling could not stop laughing with the constant barrage of hilarious jokes going back and forth between them and Hammond.

Are Blade Runner’s Replicants Human? Descartes and Locke Have Some Thoughts

Link Round-Up: October 6, 2017

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 by Rocky Davies

A ballerina dances as the joints on her body are traced with a computer-generated rotoscope animation technique, an algorithm that brings a mathematical layer to her natural movements.

Famous corporate Logos drawn from Memory by more than 150 People

The grid pattern on this placemat creates the optical illusion that the placemat has sunk under the weight of your tableware.

How IBM’s ThinkPad Became A Design Icon

Sci-Fi Round-Up: October 6, 2017

"Lord Of The Rings" by Zaki Hamdani

Interviews

The Orville: Adrianne Palicki On The Incredible Sets And The Hopeful ...

Sci-Fi Round-Up: October 4, 2017

"Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back" by Noriyoshi Ohrai

Interviews

Author Greg Cox has written Star Trek, movie novels for decades
Blade Runner: Grumpy Harrison Ford has 2049 reasons to smile
Domhnall Gleeson Reveals Why He Almost Turned Down His Role In Star Wars
Ethan Hawke interview: On the legacy of the Before trilogy and Jesse and Céline's future
Former Deadpool 2 Director Tim Miller Explains His Exit
How Adam Savage went from kid geek to mythbuster to nerd whisperer

Link Round-Up: October 4, 2017

"221b Baker Street" by Tracie Ching

Sherlock-inspired fan art

Danish architecture firm EFFEKT has created an absolutely beautiful way to experience the Gisselfeld Klosters Skove preserved forest with their exquisitely designed “Camp Adventure Treetop Experience“, a 600 meter circular wooden ramp that gently rises within the forest up to the observation deck, which 45 meters in the air providing for a stunning bird’s eye view of the trees.

How Crossrail is using 3D-printing to build its stations Crossrail is a big fancy new rail route through London and surrounding counties. In the process thet're also building a load of lovely new stations. Here's a nice short article about the 3D printing process used to make exciting futury curved concrete panels.

Gaming Round-Up: Microtransaction Criticism

"Fallout" by Fabled Creative

Behind the addictive psychology and seductive art of loot boxes by Alex Wiltshire: “Loot boxes are everywhere. They're in shooters, RPGs, card games, action games and MOBAs. They also take the form of packs, chests and crates. They're filled with voice lines, weapon skins, new pants or materials to get you more loot boxes. They're in free games and paid ones, singleplayer and multiplayer. They can be free to open and paid for with real money. You may feel an almost violent antipathy to the very idea of them, but you've probably also opened a fair few. The appeal isn't hard to grasp. Opening a loot box is a rush: a moment of anticipation followed by release. That colourful animated flurry is often accompanied by disappointment, but is sometimes with the joy of getting exactly the item that you wanted. And then you feel the gambler's pull to open another, pushing you back into the game to grind or digging into your wallet to earn or buy your next one.”

Sci-Fi Round-Up: October 2, 2017

"Aliens" by Rich Davies

Interviews

Aliens, Mind-Controlled Robots & Multispecies Conflict: Provenance Author Ann Leckie
Denis Villeneuve on (Re)Creating the World of Blade Runner 2049
Domhnall Gleeson on Working with Rian Johnson on The Last Jedi & Abrams Return
Evan Rachel Wood on Her Gritty New Psycho-Thriller, the Emmys, and Westworld Season Two
Horrified? No, fans are delighted as Stephen King and son discuss writing at Lindenwood University
Is ‘God Complex’ Science Fiction Or A Frightening Documentary? Paul Jenkins Knows
James Marsden Reveals His 'Westworld' Pre-Nudity Rituals
Liam Neeson Talks Possible 'Star Wars' Return, Admits He Tried to Talk His Son Out of Acting
Orville Star Mark Jackson Talks Science Fiction, 'Star Trek,' And A Brighter Future
Stream-Of-Consciousness Interview With Niels Arden Oplev On Flatliners
You won't see iPhones in Blade Runner 2049, director Denis Villeneuve says

Link Round-Up: October 2, 2017

"The Goonies" by George Bletsis

A Short Trip is an interactive illustration by Alexander Perrin. Use left and right arrows to move. (Requires WebGL)

Aston Martin partnered with Triton Submarines to create “Project Neptune,” an upcoming limited edition luxury mini submarine that will allow up to three people to explore under water at depths of around 1,650 feet at a max speed of 3.5 miles per hour. The ritzy air-conditioned sub, which will be 5.9 feet tall and 8,800 pounds, is currently still a concept design and will eventually go into production.

Electrical engineer Greg Leyh has a long history of building amazing Tesla Coils, some of which have been featured in Survival Research Labs shows and at Maker Faire. He is currently is working on bringing the world’s largest Tesla Coil to life and he’s nearly completed the project, but unfortunately, he lost his creative space at The Big Art Studios at American Steel in Oakland, California when the building was sold. Rather than look for another studio, Leyh is raising funds through Indiegogo to outfit a custom mobile trailer from which he can work to finish the coil.

Link Round-Up: September 13, 2017

"Nemesis" by UK-based Martin Simpson

News: IDW is launching Full Bleed: a hardcover, 200-page quarterly magazine about comics and culture. The content in the first issue is wide-ranging, from interviews with Neil Gaiman and Stephen King to new short fiction to historical articles.

3D Printed Translucent Building Façades Let the Light In

6 Larger Than Life Art Projects Coming to Maker Faire New York

7 Alternative Abodes You Can Build From the Ground Up

Sci-Fi Round-Up: September 11, 2017

"ET The Extra-Terrestial" by Jonathan Burton

Limited edition prints available for purchase from Mondo on September 12. US$50

Interviews

Always the captain: Star Trek legacy lives long and prospers, William Shatner says
Classics Professor Benjamin Stevens Gives His Take On Not-So-Classic Films
Daniel H. Wilson interview: The Clockwork Dynasty
Geeky Q&A: Jade Tailor, co-star of The Magicians. 
Interview With Mortal Engines Author Phillip Reeve About Peter Jackson'S Upcoming Film
Special-Effects Legend John Knoll On Copying The Cosmos In Star Wars...
The Orville Interview: Mark Jackson Reveals Exciting New Details...
Seth MacFarlane Discusses "The Orville," Star Trek, and the Struggle to Make Sci-Fi Funny

Link Round-Up: September 11, 2017

"Danerys with her favorite son" by theDURRRRIAN

News: Judge rules monkeys don’t own the copyright for the selfies they take

Beautiful and absorbing four minute video of Cassini's life one week before it burns into Saturn.
Nightmare fuel: Photos from the Alamo Drafthouse's All-Clown screenings of It.

Link Round-Up: September 8, 2017

"Starlord!" by Brice Garlick

News: Locals outraged after beloved mural is painted over to advertise new Jennifer Lawrence movie

News: Woman Stripped of Prizes After Using Public Domain Photos to Win Contests: Sasin Tipchai is a talented photographer from Thailand who shares many of his amazing photos on Pixabay. As he designated the images as public domain, technically anyone can use his photos for any purposes. What Tipchai did not expect was that someone would steal his photos to enter international photography competitions. According to Khaosod English, a Swiss photographer by the name of Madeleine Josephine Fierz won first prize at the Moscow International Foto Awards and grabbed a second place award at the Fine Art Photo Awards earlier this year using Tipchai’s work.

10+ Times Kids Came Up With Amazing DIY Inventions

Link Round-Up: September 6, 2017

"Stranger Things" by Paul Mann

55 of the best free fonts for designers. Sometimes in the world of free fonts, you get what you pay for. But Tom May (at art and design blog Creativebloq.com) has found the best free fonts by professional designers from a range of countries including Spain, Argentina, Indonesia, Brazil, Sweden, Greece, Latvia, the UK, Uruguay, Finland, the US, Ireland, and Canada. The fonts are arranged into eight categories: serif, sans serif, handwriting, vintage and retro, brush, tattoo, graffiti and "unusual".

Castle-themed sundial installed at Berkeley Castle

Sci-Fi Round-Up: September 4, 2017

Star Wars: The Last Jedi promo art by Brian Rood

Interviews

Cat Rambo on The Nebula Awards, Game Writers, Sfwa, Cats In Sf, And More.
Epic Space Battles, Deadly Equations: Yoon Ha Lee of NineFox Gambit
Geeky Q&A: Wes Chatham
Seth Macfarlane Talks Mission Of 'The Orville'
Stephen King reveals what he REALLY thinks of new Pennywise adaptation
Stephen King’s IT – Exclusive Interview With Director Andrés Muschietti

Link Round-Up: September 4, 2017

"Akira Time" by Brazil-based Robson Gomes

An Adventure Time / Akira Mash-Up

Back in May, it was announced that Netflix would be producing a limited series prequel to the classic Jim Henson film The Dark Crystal. And in keeping with the spirit of the original, the new series will feature all new puppetry and animatronic characters. For fans of the original film who also have an artistic bent, the filmmakers have decided to hold a very unique contest: Design your own creature for the series and Jim Henson's Creature Shop will bring it to life.

Fake War Photographer Gets Exposed After Fooling the World: "Right now, a conflict photographer named Eduardo Martins is supposedly driving around in a van somewhere in the Australian outback. And you probably won’t see any new work from him anytime soon: he’s in hiding after pulling off one of the craziest cons in the history of photojournalism."