The Science Fiction Review – Page 9 – Various reviews related to Science Fiction in books, movies, TV, and games

Humans to become immortal cyborgs within 20 years?Humans to become immortal cyborgs within 20 years?

September 22, 2009| Stettin| 0 Comment| 7:48 pm

About a year an a half ago, I reviewed The Age of Spiritual Machines by Ray Kurzweil. I never did get around to reading his slightly newer book, The Singularity is Near. I just ran across an article that quotes him as saying

I and many other scientists now believe that in around 20 years we will have the means to reprogram our bodies’ stone-age software so we can halt, then reverse, aging. Then nanotechnology will let us live for ever.

He goes on to describe a number of medical advancements that seem unbelievable. He doesn’t really expand on how many people, or rather WHO will have access to this technology. We can’t very well have billions of immortal cyborgs running around for eternity, now can we? I think that those denied immortality, or at least extended life-spans, would wage war against those that would keep the technology for themselves.

Credit: Telegraph via Geekologie

Note: For those of you not familiar with Geekolgie, be sure to check that blog out. I added it to my newsreader about 2 months ago and it keeps me entertained every day!

Installing a fresh new theme for 2009Installing a fresh new theme for 2009

September 12, 2009| Stettin| 2 Comments| 5:55 pm

I’ve been dissatisfied with my current theme for a while now. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a fresh look? I haven’t really touched the site design since I re-launched the site about 2 years ago with the new blog format. Please bear with me while I tweak the site with “Suffusion” by Sayontan Sinha. I’m very impressed with it so far. There are so many easy to customize options. Let me know what you guys think!

Flatland by Edwin A. AbbottFlatland by Edwin A. Abbott

August 25, 2009| Stettin| 0 Comments| 6:37 pm

I’ve been meaning to read Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott for some time now. I’ve seen it lying around the house here and there for many years. My wife actually acquired this book as part of her required reading for a “Sensation and Perception” course in college. I ran across it again when packing up my Asimov collection to bring up to my sister in Minneapolis. It was a short read, which was refreshing after some of the longer books I’ve been tackling recently. (more…)

Angelmass by Timothy ZahnAngelmass by Timothy Zahn

August 9, 2009| Stettin| 0 Comment| 5:21 pm

After reading the Cobra Strike Trilogy, I was glad to be getting back to a more recent book by Timothy Zahn. Angelmass is about a small group of human worlds on the edge of the Galaxy dubbed “The Empyrean” that sprouted up near a very peculiar black hole. They eventually discover that this no ordinary black hole, if it is one at all. They named it Angelmass because it emits “angels” that when harvested can affect the behavior of humans that are near them. They make humans act honorably, when otherwise they might have tendencies otherwise. Soon the government requires that all politicians wear an angel around their neck so that everyone knows they will be trustworthy. (more…)

Tradewars Rising v1.1 releasedTradewars Rising v1.1 released

July 24, 2009| Stettin| 0 Comments| 5:54 pm

The guys over at Sylien software have recently released Tradewars Rising v1.1. At first glance, I can see that this newer version is much more polished. The only downside I saw was that the built-in macro system has been temporarily removed. I’m not sure exactly why this was done, but it will be returning later in a more streamlined form. There are several “BIG” games started by the developers to spark interest in the new version, but I find myself without the time to use up all of my turns by hand. If you’ve never heard of or tried this game, please follow my link and join me! For a little bit more information, please check out my initial post about the 1.0 version.

Ha, so I’m addicted now 🙂

Cobra Bargain by Timothy ZahnCobra Bargain by Timothy Zahn

July 12, 2009| Stettin| 0 Comment| 10:19 am

The main character in the third and final book of the Cobra Trilogy by Timothy Zahn is Jasmine (Jin) Moreau. Her father is Justin Moreau, the twin son of Johnny Moreau that became a Cobra. Jin hopes to continue this legacy, but there is one major roadblock. She’s a woman. Somewhere around this time the government discovers something odd happening back on Qasama, the world that they invaded back in Cobra Strike. Several blind spots in their satellite surveillance have developed. They are worried that the Qasamans might be trying to develop space flight or some type of weapon to use against the Cobra worlds. When a covert operation is planned, her family pushes for her to be trained as a Cobra. All Cobras that the Qasamans have seen have been men, so she should have an advantage. (more…)

Cobra Strike by Timothy ZahnCobra Strike by Timothy Zahn

June 12, 2009| Stettin| 0 Comment| 3:44 pm

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Timothy Zahn after the first book in this series. Johnny, the main character from the first book, now has three sons. The eldest at 27 is involved in politics, just like Johnny. The two other sons are a pair of twins, one which becomes a Cobra. I was hoping that there would be more action, but for the first third of the book I was fairly disappointed. It consisted mostly of political ramblings concerning a very controversial offer that one of the Troft trading partners proposed. They had identified a world near Troft space that was considered a significant threat. If the Cobras could neutralize this threat, the Trofts were willing to give the colony five new worlds. (more…)

Cobra by Timothy ZahnCobra by Timothy Zahn

April 26, 2009| Stettin| 0 Comment| 9:04 pm

I recently started reading the Cobra Trilogy by Timothy Zahn. Cobra, the first book in the series, starts off just after the beginning of the Troft war with the Dominion of Man. At the beginning of the novel, the Trofts have already conquered a two key worlds in the outer systems. The military, in a desperate move, created the Cobra program to train an elite force of enhanced soldiers. One of the first things that came to mind when I came across this series was Starship Troopers, the BOOK, not the movie. I immensely enjoyed the first few chapters of Starship Troopers with the cap troopers in the Mobile Infantry. The main difference is that instead of troopers inside of huge external mech hardware, the Cobras’ enhancements are essentially hidden, yet very deadly. On the outside they look like a normal human, which is one of their advantages.
(more…)

President Obama depressed after the Battlestar Galactica Series FinalePresident Obama depressed after the Battlestar Galactica Series Finale

April 4, 2009| Stettin| 0 Comment| 1:49 pm

If you read my last post, I was a bit disappointed now that Battlestar Galactica is over. I’m glad I’m not the only one!

I guess we’ll all have to wait until the new content comes out.

News story link

What The Frack Starbuck? Are you FRAKKING kidding me!? – The Battlestar Galactica Series FinaleWhat The Frack Starbuck? Are you FRAKKING kidding me!? – The Battlestar Galactica Series Finale

March 21, 2009| Stettin| 0 Comment| 11:18 pm

First, let me say that Battlestar Galactica is by far my favorite Sci-Fi TV series of all time. I was addicted from the beginning of the 2003 miniseries and followed it up until the series finale this week. I liked it so much that prior to season 4.5, I re-watched all of the previous seasons so I would have them all fresh in my mind. In doing so, I managed to get my wife addicted as well and took her along for the ride. I highly recommend everyone watch the entire series.

Let me start off with a huge ***SPOILER ALERT***

continue past the break for my rant 🙂 (more…)