Funny Science Fiction Videos on Youtube

A few of my favorite youtube videos.

Best Mac commercial ever
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how it should have ended has quite a few fun videos these are a couple of the best.

Recommendations for reading you first science fiction book

Science Fiction is not the easiest genre to begin reading. There is a huge variety of books many of which aren’t all that good and many more than assume some knowledge of the genre. So as a first time science fiction reader it can be tricky to know where to begin.

So, recommending a novel for the friend who is willing to give science fiction a chance or the kid who is just getting old enough to become interested in the genre can be difficult. Here are a few ideas of books that might hook someone.

1> Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

Why?

Tops many lists as the best science fiction novel of all time. This is a character driven story in a world that is advanced from ours but close enough to not overwhelm the reader.

Who’s it for?

Anyone who has avoided science fiction because it’s all about science. People who want to see interesting characters.

Who isn’t it for?

The snob who thinks that science fiction is for kids. He’ll see that the main character is a kid and never  get over it.

What Next?

Assuming they love Ender’s Game there are several good sequels that explore the character and the ramification of his actions further. Then you can let them try “Stranger in a Strange Land” it’s far different from Ender’s Game but its still good and still about characters.

2> I, Robot by Isaac Asimov

Why?

As a collection of short stories the first time reader can sit down and enjoy a complete story all at once.  This lowers the chance of them getting distracted.

Who’s it for?

The busy person you know who is constantly starting books but never finishing them or the person with a plane ride who wants to be done when he lands

Who isn’t it for?

The guy who thought that I, Robot was the best movie ever. The three laws and a few names are the main connection between this story and the movie. Someone reading this because they loved the action of the movie will be disappointed.

What next?

“Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”. Sticking with the robot theme this book initiates readers into the paranoid world of P.K. Dicks without quite the level of weirdness in his other books. This will show them the variety of possibilites even on the same subject.

3> Contact By Carl Sagan

Why?

This is a science fiction story that feels like a real story based on real technology and discussing themes and ideas that w

ould change the world and could really happen.

Who is it for?

People who look into the sky and wonder who’s looking back.

Who isn’t it for?

People who would never watch the science channel. There is

a lot of science in this book and if you don’t care about it at all you’ll get bored.

What Next?

“2001: A Space Odyssey” Some of the same ideas are explored in 2001 as in contact and someone who liked Contact would

almost certainly enjoy 2001.

4> “Star Wars: Heir to the Empire” by Timothy Zahn

Why?

They know the characters and universe already

Who is it for?

People who love Star Wars

Who isn’t it for

Star Trek fans. (If they prefer Star Trek try Q Squared by Peter David)

What Next?

There are a huge number of Star Wars expanded universe books but  getting them out of the Star Wars books you can try “Starship Troopers”, it has enough action to keep them entertained.

Star Wars: Dark Empire Review

“Star Wars: Dark Empire” Is a graphic novel that takes place a few years after the events of the Star Wars movies. The alliance gained considerable power, but the empire is still fighting back. Leia and Hans Solo have twins and Luke is a full Jedi Master.

The story really takes off when shortly into it you discover that while the Emperor technically died in the events of the movies he has clones across the galaxy and he is able to use the power of the Dark Side to transfer into these bodies making him practically immortal.

With the force of the Emperor behind them the Empire again begins to grow quickly using a new super weapon they have created. These include ships with built in droid factories able to create unmanned fighters during combat and devastators that, while weaker than the Death Star are easier to mass produce.

Convinced that he will be unable to beat the empire Luke agrees to become his apprentice in order to learn his secrets and while for a short while he leads the armies of the Emperor he is never truly on the side of the empire and he becomes powerful enough to destroy the emperor’s clones and defeat him again.

Made by Dark Horse comics Dark Empire was published in the early nineties and was remarkable both because it was the first comic books in the Star Wars universe made by Dark Horse as well as because they followed the events of Timothy Zahn’s “Grand Admiral Thrawn” trilogy.

There is a great deal here that the fans of Star Wars will love. From seeing what happens to the characters to the visual representations of so many great ideas and inventions of the Star Wars movies. This is, in my opinion, the stories that the Star Wars fans wanted instead of the prequels.

That said there are some problems. Though in many places the art is great it is often difficult to truly see which character is which by the art. Luke and Hans often appear in monochrome and it is difficult to tell which is which. Luckily most of the characters are very easy to tell apart as they are seven foot tall Wookies or droids. In addition to this the story sometimes moves a bit to quickly. The choice of Luke to work with the emperor happens within panels.

Even with its few flaws this is a fantastic story with a true Star Wars feel and a considerable amount of extra materials and anyone who considers himself a fan of the Star Wars movies should pick up this graphic novel and give it a chance.

Star Wars and the Public Domain

Having stayed up until 4 last night playing Star Wars: The Force Unleashed my question returns to one I have often had in the past. Why is it that Star Wars so often does better in other formats than it movies.
The original movies are great and I don’t even hat the new ones but still, having played Knights of the Old Republic 1 and 2 and read numerous books I have to say that I like the stories better there.
Part of that has to do with the iconic stature that the movies have archived. People know these universes and so there are many good authors who can write in it.
Second is that in the movies you have to try to reach a broader audience. A video game is a success with far fewer customers than a movie and a book even less so because of this you can add in the more difficult to understand points. In the force unleashed you begin as a Sith hunting down Jedi, it’s fun but it would upset people if you had a movie like that.
Third is of course George Lucas. The man is a fantastic writer, but he should stick to that and industrial light and magic. Let other people deal with the individual Star Wars.
The other thing that it makes me think about is our current system of public domain, or more accurately the lack of it. I’m not saying that Star Wars should be part of the public domain, yet, but I am saying that movies the movies should be public domain at some point.
The argument of course is that he developed it so why wouldn’t he make the money? That is fine but I think we should be encoring our creative people to have more than one good idea in a lifetime.

Darth Liberty

Star Wars Toy Lines: Gone Too Far

Grocery Wars

This is an interesting video. I don’t know that I completely agree with the message but they did a good enough job with the production and humor to get me to watch the whole thing. And if you’re not aware of the stuff they are talking about it’s well worth considering even if you ultimately disagree.

Darth Vader Reading

Darth Vader and Son

Brainstorming Session for Death Star