Team-SciFi

News

SF Signal » REVIEW: Heretics by S. Andrew Swann
Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:29:00 -0800
REVIEW SUMMARY: Swann delivers an outstanding space opera. MY RATING: BRIEF SYNOPSIS: A rogue AI looking for godhood makes himself known to humanity. MY REVIEW: PROS: Well-conceived universe; intricately plotted and clearly explained; several story elements play well off each other; cool, large-scale ideas. CONS: It's (an admittedly small) leap of...

SF Signal » A 2006 Video Interview with Gene Wolfe
Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:15:00 -0800
This is why I love the Internets... Here's a video interview with Gene Wolfe recorded at Balticon 40 in November 2006, around the time his Knight/Wizard books were out. ...

SF Signal » TOC: 'Deep Navigation' by Alastair Reynolds
Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:14:00 -0800
NESFA Press has postedt he table of contents for Deep Navigation, a new collection by Alastair Reynolds that features gorgeous cover art by John Picacio:Introduction by Stephen Baxter"Nunivak Snowflakes""Monkey Suit""The Fixation""Feeling Rejected""Fury""Stroboscopic""The Receivers""Byrd Land Six""The Star Surgeon's Apprentice""On the Oodnadatta""F...

SF Signal » WINNER: Signed Copy of 'Altar of Eden' by James Rollins
Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:12:00 -0800
The winner of our signed copy of James Rollins' latest scientific thriller Altar of Eden giveaway has been notified: David K. from St. Louis, Mo. Congratulations! Thanks to everyone who entered....

SF Signal » SF Tidbits for 2/9/10
Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:05:00 -0800
Interviews/ProfilesThe Geek's Guide to the Galaxy Podcast interviews Cherie Priest.Blog Talk Radio interviews Michelle Zink, Lisa Mantchev, Tonya Hurley and Ellen Hopkins.J.C. Hutchins interviews Ami Greko and Pablo Defendini from The New Sleekness.David Steffen interviews Tad Williams.Agony Column interviews David Drake (podcast).A Working title i...

The Planetary Society Weblog » WISE has found its first comet, P/2010 B2 (WISE)
Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:50:28 -0800
Having discovered its first asteroid on January 12, Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) has now officially discovered its first comet, P/2010 B2 (WISE). The comet was first observed by WISE on January 22, and has since been followed up on by Mauna Kea, Spacewatch, and by Robert Holmes, a two-time winner of a Planetary Society Shoemaker NEO G...

Space Spin » Kepler Mission Manager update, Feb. 8, 2010
Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:21:30 -0800
Kepler experienced a safe mode event on February 2, 2010. A safe mode is a self-protective measure that the spacecraft takes when something unexpected occurs. During safe mode, the spacecraft points the solar panels directly at the sun and begins to slowly rotate about a sun-aligned axis. As a safety precaution, the spacecraft turned off a redunda...

The Planetary Society Weblog » Manic Monday: Chocolate Hills, Io, and NASA's budget
Mon, 08 Feb 2010 10:21:38 -0800
Although I am not suffering under the "snowpocalypse" on the East Coast, I woke up to Monday absolutely buried under a massive pile of things to do for both home and work, and it looks like it's going to take me a few days to dig out. So, with apologies, I'm going to make today's post a linky one. Firstly, today's guest on Planetary Radio is my bos...

Space Spin » Signs of liquid water in Enceladus
Mon, 08 Feb 2010 09:48:54 -0800
Scientists working on the Cassini space mission have found negatively charged water ions in the ice plume of Enceladus. Their findings, based on analysis from data taken in plume fly-throughs in 2008 and reported in the journal Icarus, provide evidence for the presence of liquid water, which suggests the ingredients for life inside the icy moon. ...

SF Signal » SF Books That Could Be Turned Into Video Games
Mon, 08 Feb 2010 03:29:00 -0800
This week on the radio show Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me there was a segment that suggested classic books that would be turned into video games after noting that Dante's Inferno was coming out soon. Here is a list of the ones they came up with.Don Quixote KongA Hundred Years of SolitairePacman and the seaWar and Peace but Mostly WarSuper Karamazov Bro...

Space Spin » Opportunity arrives at 'Concepcion' crater; Spirit improving northerly tilt
Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:32:23 -0800
Opportunity has arrived at "Concepcion," a very young 10-meter (33-foot) diameter crater. On Sol 2138 (Jan. 28, 2010), Opportunity completed a 12-meter (39-foot) approach to the crater. After a few sols of careful imaging in and around the crater, Opportunity drove about 9 meters (30 feet) around the crater to approach some ejecta blocks that mig...

Space Spin » Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter LROC images - February 1-5, 2010
Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:20:51 -0800
The following featured images taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) are now available: Plato Crater Constellation Region of Interest (Released 2 February 2010) The Constellation Program region of interest northwest of Plato crater exhibits a wide variety of geologic features. Out of the Shadows: Impact Melt Flow at Byrgius A Cra...

Space Spin » Cassini ISS images - February 1-5, 2010
Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:15:00 -0800
The following new images taken by the Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) on the Cassini spacecraft are now available: Eyeing Iapetus (Released 1 February 2010) The Cassini spacecraft looks toward a crescent of Saturn's dark and light moon, Iapetus. Spoke/Shadow Combo (Released 2 February 2010) Bright spokes grace the B ring in this image which also ...

Space Spin » Mars Odyssey THEMIS images - February 1-5, 2010
Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:08:21 -0800
The following new images taken by the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) on the Mars Odyssey spacecraft are now available: Proctor Crater Dunes (Released 1 February 2010) This VIS image of the floor of Proctor Crater shows part of the sand sheet and dune forms that are located there. Arkhangelsky Crater (Released 2 February 2010) This VIS i...

SF Signal » Catching Up on SciFi Movies (Part 7)
Sun, 07 Feb 2010 16:25:00 -0800
As before, here are my quick takes on the genre-related films I've watched in the last several weeks... Avatar (2009) - Excellent visuals but it has lackluster story. It's on par with the Star Wars prequels; great eye candy, but not much more beyond that. Brazil (1985) - I absolutely loved the atmosphere and look of Terry Gilliam's weird an...

SF Signal » Free Fiction for 2/8/10
Sun, 07 Feb 2010 16:20:00 -0800
@Smashwords: Haven by Justin Kemppainen. The February 2010 issue of Expanded Horizons includes:"Urban Phantoms" by Anne Abad"Miss Lonelyhearts" by Georgina Bruce"Silver Veins" by Michele Lee"Thrilling Wonder Stories #52: The Invasion of the Zog" by Lavie Tidhar"Distant Deeps or Skies" by Silvia Moreno-Garcia"Bijou LaVoix and the Coal Dust Faery" by...

SF Signal » TOC: 'Conflicts' Edited Ian Whates
Sun, 07 Feb 2010 16:15:00 -0800
The table of contents for the NewCon Press sf anthology Conflicts edited Ian Whates has been posted. It contains "thirteen tales of human striving, of ingenuity, brilliance, desperate action, violence, and resolution." It will be available on April 2nd, 2010.Introduction by Ian Whates"Psi.Copath" by Andy Remic"The Maker's Mark" by Michael Cobley"Su...

SF Signal » Quentin Tarantino's Star Wars
Sun, 07 Feb 2010 16:13:00 -0800
From YouTube: "Have you ever wondered what the original Star Wars would have been like if Quentin Tarantino had animated it on a Macintosh computer?" Interesting take on Leia's metal bikini... [via J.M. McDermott]...

SF Signal » GIVEAWAY REMINDER: Daniel X and Universal Soldier
Sun, 07 Feb 2010 16:12:00 -0800
Just a quick reminder for two giveaways that are ending tonight. We have a copy of the Nintendo DS/DSi game Daniel X: The Ultimate Power plus we've also added a copy of James Patterson's book Daniel X Watch The Skies for the lucky winner. If you're interested, the original post has all the details. This contest ends tonight at 12pm CT so hurry if y...

SF Signal » Books Received: February 8, 2010
Sun, 07 Feb 2010 16:11:00 -0800
In the interest of full disclosure, here are the books and stuff we received this week. ...

SF Signal » WINNERS: 'Rocket Boy and the Geek Girls' eBook
Sun, 07 Feb 2010 16:10:00 -0800
The winners of our Rocket Boy and the Geek Girls eBook giveaway have been notified. They are: Kazimak T. Erin H. Congratulations! Thanks to everyone who entered....

SF Signal » SF Tidbits for 2/8/10
Sun, 07 Feb 2010 16:05:00 -0800
Interviews/ProfilesFantasy Worlds interviews Vera Nazarian.Flipping Pages for All Ages interviews Rachel Caine.Innsmouth free Press interviews David Conyers.John Scalzi's The Big Idea: James Knapp.Odyssey Podcasts features Jack Ketchum.Gerry Canavan has posted video of Kim Stanley Robinson speaking at Duke University.Michael Moorcock on J.G. Ballar...

malariacontrol.net » Project News 2010-02-08
Sun, 07 Feb 2010 16:00:00 -0800
The project will be offline for approx. two hours tomorrow Tue Feb 9 from 10.00am CET for maintenance....

SF Signal » RIP: William Tenn (Philip Klass)
Sun, 07 Feb 2010 07:02:54 -0800
Sad news... The Official Home Page of Science Fiction Writer William Tenn is reporting that Philip Klass (who wrote as William Tenn) died on Sunday, February 7, 2010 at age 89. Klass only wrote one fiction novel (Of Men and Monsters) but was a prolific short story writer whose work was recently collected by NESFA Press in the three volumes Immodest...

PrimeGrid » The Year of the Tiger Challenge
Sun, 07 Feb 2010 06:50:00 -0800
One week till the start of the 2010 Challenge Series with the Year of the Tiger. A 3 day (14-17 Feb) Challenge is being offered on PrimeGrid's Proth Prime Search (LLR). Come join us as we stalk the primes. Application builds are available for Mac, Linux, and Windows. For more information, please see this forum thread. ...

The Planetary Society Weblog » That's a lot of motion for a "stuck" rover!
Sat, 06 Feb 2010 04:14:55 -0800
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory posted a video to YouTube today showing what seems to be a remarkable amount of motion out of Spirit lately, especially given that she's supposed to be a "stationary science platform" now. The video consists animations from Spirit's forward and rear Hazard Avoidance Cameras -- the belly-mounted, fish-eye cameras that h...

Space Spin » Pluto's white, dark-orange and charcoal-black terrain captured by Hubble
Thu, 04 Feb 2010 10:46:55 -0800
NASA has released the most detailed and dramatic images ever taken of the distant dwarf planet Pluto. The images from the Hubble Space Telescope show an icy, mottled, dark molasses-colored world undergoing seasonal surface color and brightness changes. Pluto has become significantly redder, while its illuminated northern hemisphere is getting bri...

PrimeGrid » 54 digit factor to F14!!!
Thu, 04 Feb 2010 10:45:00 -0800
GIMPS has found another Fermat factor, a 54 digit factor to F14!!! What makes this unique and exciting is that it is the first factor for F14. It was found by Tapio Rajala of Finland. For more information on this discovery, see this mersenne forum thread. For more information about the factoring status of Fermat numbers, please see Wilfrid Keller's...

The Planetary Society Weblog » New maps of Pluto show pretty amazing amounts of surface change
Thu, 04 Feb 2010 10:17:07 -0800
I just posted my writeup of today's press briefing on a new map of Pluto produced from Hubble images. The main conclusion was that Pluto has shown an astonishing amount of changes across its surface between 1994 and 2002 -- more, in fact, than any other solid surface in the solar system. An interesting perspective on the announcement, which concern...

Space Spin » Forming the present-day spiral galaxies
Thu, 04 Feb 2010 08:56:04 -0800
Using data from the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have, for the first time, created a demographic census of galaxy types and shapes from a time before the Earth and the Sun existed, to the present day. The results show that, contrary to contemporary thought, more than half of the present-day spiral galaxies had so-called peculiar shapes onl...

The Planetary Society Weblog » Way-cool Martian flyovers by Doug Ellison
Thu, 04 Feb 2010 05:16:42 -0800
Doug Ellison has been playing with Martian digital terrain models recently, to great effect. Here is a marvelous animation he produced that flies you over the Pathfinder landing site, out of -- and back into -- its own camera view of the terrain. It's surprising how deep the big crater south of the Pathfinder landing site actually is; it's quite a ...

Space Spin » Merging galaxies create a binary quasar
Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:57:22 -0800
Astronomers have found the first clear evidence of a binary quasar within a pair of actively merging galaxies. Quasars are the extremely bright centers of galaxies surrounding super-massive black holes, and binary quasars are pairs of quasars bound together by gravity. Binary quasars, like other quasars, are thought to be the product of galaxy mer...

Space Spin » HiRISE images for February 3, 2010
Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:46:21 -0800
The following new captioned and spotlight images taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft are now available: Central Uplifted Region of Crater in Phlegra Dorsa This image covers part of the central uplifted region of an unnamed crater in Phlegra Dorsa. Mojave Crater Floor and C...

The Planetary Society Weblog » Endeavour Crew Arrives at KSC
Wed, 03 Feb 2010 12:42:57 -0800
Planetary Society volunteer Ken Kremer is reporting for us from the Kennedy Space Center, where he is covering the launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour, set to launch this weekend. Kremer is a research scientist and freelance journalist who spends his spare time giving public outreach presentations on behalf of The Planetary Society as a volunteer and...

Space Spin » Cassini's tour of Saturn extended
Wed, 03 Feb 2010 12:19:11 -0800
NASA will extend the international Cassini-Huygens mission to explore Saturn and its moons to 2017. The agency's fiscal year 2011 budget provides a $60 million per year extension for continued study of the ringed planet. "This is a mission that never stops providing us surprising scientific results and showing us eye popping new vistas," said Jim...

Space Spin » Craters young and old in Sirenum Fossae
Wed, 03 Feb 2010 10:15:54 -0800
The Mars Express High Resolution Stereo Camera has imaged craters both young and old in this view of the Southern Highlands of Mars. Part of the Sirenum Fossae region in the Southern Highlands, the area in this image is centred at about 28°S / 185°E. The image captures an area to the north of the Magelhaens Crater. It extends some 230 km ...

Space Spin » Suspected asteroid collision leaves odd x-pattern of trailing debris
Wed, 03 Feb 2010 09:47:19 -0800
The Hubble Space Telescope has imaged a mysterious X-shaped debris pattern and trailing streamers of dust that suggest a head-on collision between two asteroids. Astronomers have long thought that the asteroid belt is being ground down through collisions, but such a smashup has never before been seen. The comet-like object imaged by Hubble, calle...

Space Spin » A view of Venus while searching for vulcanoids
Wed, 03 Feb 2010 09:32:28 -0800
Images from the latest vulcanoid search are currently being transmitted to Earth, and one of those 256 images is shown here. Vulcanoids are small rocky bodies that have been postulated to exist in orbits between Mercury and the Sun, though no such object has yet been detected. MESSENGER has the unique opportunity to search for smaller and fainter...

The Planetary Society Weblog » Hooray! Cassini's tour has been extended for SEVEN MORE YEARS!
Wed, 03 Feb 2010 09:12:39 -0800
Woo hoo! NASA has just announced that once Cassini's Equinox Mission runs out in June of this year, they will extend it a further seven more years, long enough for the spacecraft to see Saturn through its solstice!! Here's a neat graphic that summarizes Cassini's entire planned tour of the Saturn system:Click to enlarge >Overview of Cassini's mi...

Space Spin » Opportunity approaching 'Concepcion' crater rim; Spirit prepares for winter
Wed, 03 Feb 2010 09:11:28 -0800
Opportunity has been driving towards "Concepcion," a 10-meter (33-foot) diameter crater to the south of Marquette Island. Concepcion crater is assessed to be geologically very young with visible rays of ejecta radiating from the center of the crater. The Sol 2136 (Jan. 26, 2010), imagery shows many fragments of ejecta on the surface all around th...

Milkyway@home » Outage
Tue, 02 Feb 2010 20:11:49 -0800
Sorry about the earlier outage. Everything should be up and running smoothly now....

PrimeGrid » The Year of the Tiger Challenge
Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:30:00 -0800
We are kicking off the 2010 Challenge Series with the Year of the Tiger Challenge which just so happens to coincide with Valentine's Day in the West. The Tiger is the third sign in the Chinese Zodiac cycle, and it is a sign of fearlessness. It is considered incredibly brave, evidenced by its willingness to engage in battle. So whether it's your lov...

The Planetary Society Weblog » Spectacular Hubble view of the aftermath of an asteroid collision
Tue, 02 Feb 2010 09:25:17 -0800
This photo is going to be one of the iconic space images of 2010: Hubble has caught an astonishing view of something that's never before been observed, the aftermath of a collision between two asteroids in the main belt.Click to enlarge >Hubble views the aftermath of an asteroid collisionThis astonishing photo, captured by Hubble's newly install...

The Planetary Society Weblog » Mars Express animation of Phobos' shadow transiting Mars
Tue, 02 Feb 2010 08:08:55 -0800
A cool item was posted to the Mars Express VMC website this morning:For the first-time ever, VMC has imaged what we believe to be the shadow of Mars' moon Phobos crossing the surface of Mars. The shadow cast by Phobos as it passes between the Sun and Mars was photographed by VMC on 30 January, just as Mars Express approaches an intensive scientific...

PrimeGrid » New AP25 Found
Mon, 01 Feb 2010 20:20:00 -0800
A new AP25 (Arithmetic Progression of 25 primes) has been found. It is the 11th discovered. The finder is Jan Stenzel (Jan Stenzel) of Poland. He is a member of the BOINC@Poland team.The AP25 progression is written as 49644063847333931+7851809 *23#*n for n=0..24. It was found by an Intel Core i7 860 @ 2.80GHz running 64 bit Windows 7. For more deta...

The Planetary Society Weblog » Planetary Society Urges Congress to Endorse NASA Budget
Mon, 01 Feb 2010 10:29:10 -0800
By Louis D. Friedman The Planetary Society today issued a statement supporting the budget increase for NASA and the Administration's proposal to involve the commercial industry in human space flight. After reviewing the budget, we believe the new plan encouraging government, private, and international partnerships will allow humans to go back to an...

Einstein@Home » Project News February 1, 2010
Sun, 31 Jan 2010 16:00:00 -0800
Our database is currently pretty slow, due to a large number of ABP2 results. We are taking measures to keep the project running, but with a few restrictions: The scheduler (task sending and reporting) is disabled part of the time (clients will see a 'temporarily down for maintenance' message). The server status page has been disabled. We'll also r...

PrimeGrid » Tour de Primes 2010
Sun, 31 Jan 2010 16:00:00 -0800
The Tour de Primes begins. Come join us in laid-back competition in tribute to the number 2...the first prime and the only even prime. The prizes are simple colored jerseys . Yellow for the most primes, Green for the highest prime score, and Checkered for the most primes on 17 Feb. No pressure or stress other than what you put on yourself. :) For m...

Leiden Classical » Project News 1 february 2010
Sun, 31 Jan 2010 15:00:00 -0800
Progress has been made with the new application in development; read more about the science here....

PrimeGrid » Seventeen or Bust
Sun, 31 Jan 2010 09:30:00 -0800
On the eve of the Tour de Primes 2010, we are happy to announce that PrimeGrid is partnering with Seventeen or Bust to help solve the Sierpinski problem! This finally brings PrimeGrid full circle with SoB/PSP primality testing as well as combined sieving. Special thanks to Louis Helm of Seventeen or Bust for helping to make this collaboration possi...