Sci-Fi Gun Poster

Coolness.

Firefly Returning

Well, the original series, but in HD, and in the right order at least.

The Science Channel has acquired the rights to the cult-hit and will air the series in its short-lived entirety, plus some new extras. Science Channel will wrap each episode with interstitial segments starring renowned physicist Dr. Michio Kaku, who will discuss the theoretical science behind the show’s sci-fi concepts.

Plus an interview with Nathan Fillion, the actor who played Mal.  He says he'd play him again in a heartbeat.

Guns of Firefly

Possibly my most favoritest live action TV show ever, and I don't watch much TV to be honest.  Uncle linked to a good variety of the guns featured in the series.

Chamelioline Cloaks? For the Realz?

Hardcore 40k fans will have no doubt read Dan Abnett's fantastic Gaunt's Ghosts series, and will know the Tanith First and Only are famous for their scouting and stealth abilities, the later of course being strongly augmented by their use of one of the Imperium's most underused technologies, Chamelioline.  While never really explained, Chamelioline seems to be a sort of fiber interwoven into their camouflage cloaks that changes color and blends with their surrounding environment.  I can only assume it's a type of fiber, as it is only used in cloth uniforms utilized by certain elite Imperial Guard units, some Assassins, and some Astartes chapters for their scouts.

All cool and whatnot for the geeky 40k fan like me, but it turns out that there's a company, Hyperstealth, looking to make what they call SMARTCAMO, an adaptive camouflage material that blends in with the surrounding terrain colors.

Guy Cramer, the CEO of Hyperstealth, gave a presentation at the International Camouflage Symposium in Brussels back in October featuring a video of the stuff.

The video was of an actual camouflage cloth around his arm, which could change colors between Desert and Woodland and anything in-between, the colors also showed the ability to become brighter than the desert colors for use in a late fall climate or even snow. Cramer announced at the end of the presentation that the video was to be released on the HyperStealth web site after the conference.

 Apparently since the presentation he has been asked not to release said video by the US Military.

However the release goes on to mention that the material was developed using "fractals" to create feedback loops in the pattern and nanotechnology.

Some seriously cool stuff being worked out.  They also apparently have developed a system for vehicles that not only works as a visual camo, but stealths it out from a large chunk of the electromagnetic spectrum, something the Imperium apparently never figured out (stupid religious views...)

But if all that isn't Science Fictiony enough for you, SSD is tossing some more conspiracy level fodder into the mix.

Then, we find out that Dr. Joseph Resnick, Lt. Col. Timothy R. O’Neill, Ph.D (U.S. Army, Ret.) and Guy Cramer (of Hyperstealth fame) have owned mineral rights for 95% of the side of the moon that faces Earth, the polar regions and 50% of the far side of the Moon since 2007. And that isn’t to mention their mineral rights onMars!

So this has got to be it, they have found some rare mineral on the Moon that makes SMARTCAMO™ work. Now the question is, how did they get it back to Earth?

Darkship Thieves

I picked this one up after the fantastic Larry Correia suggested it to his readers a little back.  In so many words, I'm very glad I did.  It has been a very fun ride, and one of the better space operas I've read in a while.  So good I had to come on here and let you guys know about it as soon as I finished (seriously, I finished the last sentence, pulled out the netbook, and typed this up.) I'm just going to go ahead and steal some of Larry's words on this one-

Darkship Thieves is classic sci-fi and it is very good. Honestly, reading it took me back to when I was a teenager and first discovered Heinlein. It is kind of a libertarian space-opera adventure. Sarah’s got big ideas, visualizes an interesting future, and writes a really fun main character. Athena Hera Sinestra is a troubled, snarky, pain in the ass, stubborn, rich kid, with an attitude. Basically she’s a badass, she’s funny, and you can’t help but root for her.

And I've got to say, I agree 100%. 

100 Best

Movie Spaceships

Flipping through killing some time...

ETA:  Now that I've flipped through, good to see Serenity in the top 10, if not for the design of the ship, but for what it stands for.  As for the number one choice, well, it may be heresy in some circles, but really?  Just because it's from Star Wars?  The most overrated franchise I can think of? Lame....

Slow Postage

After the combo blow of a link from Tam and another from Say Uncle, I've definitely had an increase in readers the last few days (last Friday had as many visitors as I usually get in a month alone...) It's tapered off a bit, but today still had twice as many visits as has been the norm for a while, and I wouldn't mind keeping some of you guys around.  It is nice to see people actually reading and passing my rambling pseudo-nonsense around the interwebs.

Tuesdays however, are almost always my day off.  Classes in the morning, and the weekly game day at the local comic/gaming shop.  Gotta push the little army men around the table and throw dice at each other (and a bit of 40k roleplaying later in the evening.)  Lots of fun, my Angels of Vengeance once again dropped from the sky and slaughtered, and my Guardsman sniper for Dark Heresy somehow managed to get an auxiliary grenade launcher for his close range gun.  Kinda the 40k equivalent of an M4 with a 203 at this point.  I think it cool.

Anyways... the whole point of this mess.... if you're new around these parts, Tuesdays are like my Sundays as far as posting goes, so don't be alarmed.

Obligatory 40k pic... still can't get the highlights on the armor to photograph right though, it's not that strong in person. Sandolphon, Master of the Deathwing, Angels of Vengeance Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes.

Well I think he's a fantastic author.

And so does Sarah A. Hoyt. I pretty much cut my science fiction teeth reading Heinlein, and can pretty confidently say I have read almost everything he has written, most of it several times. (I'm on my third copy of Starship Troopers... I keep wearing them out, and I don't know how my copy of The Cat Who Walks Through Walls is still in one piece, it's beautiful testament to whatever publisher put out my particular copy...) To say he is my favorite author of all time would be an understatement.

Apparently there are people out there that don't like him. I think they're the same people who say Glocks are better than a 1911. And Sarah Hoyt seems to be in the same boat as me, only she's a much better writer than I, and put together a nice piece on the very subject.