Author: storiesbywilliams

Matt Williams is a professional writer, science fiction author, and science communicator who currently writes for Universe Today, Interesting Engineering, Stardom Space, and Stellar Amenities. He is also the Director of Media Communications for Mars City Design and a member of Enterprise in Space and Explore Mars. His novels, The Formist Series, are available at Amazon.com and through Castrum Press. He lives with his wife and family on Vancouver Island in beautiful British Columbia.

How The Hobbit Should Have Ended

It’s been awhile since I checked HISHE, and it seems they tackled a few gems while I was out doing other things. The latest in their lineup is this, a parody on Peter Jackson’s latest adaptation from the Tolkien universe. While I have yet to see the movie, I read the book and am familiar with just about everything the movie did by reputation alone. And I think these guys stuck it pretty good, as usual!

In fact, I would recommend checking out the site when you’re done watching this video and seeing what they did for Lord of The Rings as well. Not only do they tie together, but are a pretty example of how a more sensible ending can cut down on some serious screen time!

Here in the link to the site. Enjoy the video!

Controlling Epilepsy with Lasers

optogenetics-640x353For over a century, scientists have sought to learn more about epilepsy, the most common form of seizure activity in humans. Basically, these seizures are what happen when neurons misfire in response to sudden exposure to light. Arising in discrete regions on either pole of the brain, this neurological disorder effects many people worldwide and can have a drastic impact on their lives. Luckily, it seems that researchers may finally have a way to predict the seizures and even eliminate them  altogether.

It’s called optogenics: the science of using genetically modified viruses to insert light-responsive channels into the neurons and then following that up with the use of lasers to reduce and even eliminate TLE, or temporal lobe epilepsy. And thanks to ongoing research, there might just be a way to both predict and shut down these episodes of unwanted neurological activity just as they begin. And ironically, its all through the use of targeted laser light.

Mouse-HippocampusThe breakthrough came in a recent study by Nature Communications, researchers were able to trigger seizures in mice by treating the hippocampus section of their brains (the part involved in seizure activity). It began with the use of an acid named kainate that is derived from seaweed, which in turn left them susceptible to spontaneously generated seizure activity. Then, through the use of a series of implanted EEG electrodes, the researchers were able to detect signs that seizures were beginning and then shut them off with light.

Naturally, there are concerns about adapting the technique to humans. Not only were the mice specifically engineered for the study, there is also the issue of achieving full optical stimulation in human subjects. To address these issues, a number of solutions are in the works. For example, biocompatible polymer electrodes have been designed to ensure that the genetically-modified virus can be delivered properly to the human brain. In addition, a number of key developers have been working on compact devices that contain hundreds of discrete delivery electrodes that ought to provide the requisite neurological stimulation.

neurozeneIt is research, and it’s ongoing. But the results are encouraging and with ongoing development to adapt it to humans, anti-seizure medical devices are expected to be exploding in the near future. Much like the tiny electrodes used to stimulate brain activity and recollection in a simian, we could be looking at the prototype for a new type of brain implants that addresses and eliminates neurological disorders.

Source: Extremetech.com

Revenger Assignments: The Tyrene Code!

superheroes_civil-war-by-leinilyuMorning fellow superheroes! Here are your homework assignments for the coming mission. As you have been made aware, we have a matter of stolen artwork that may or may not contain clues to a matter of national security. Since this mission contains several potential threads, we will be forced to divide into teams. I do hope people approve of the following division of teams and objectives…

Team #1: Track the first stolen painting
As my friend in securities used to say, “if you want to find a hot item, go to where the hot market”. There’s only place in town that deals with precious items such as artwork, cultural artifacts and rare items can be fenced. The shipping district in the western burb of Craigflower Hill, where a man named Arthur Goehner runs stolen goods out of an abandoned storage facility.

Word around the campfire is that Goehner comes from a long line of people who cut their teeth moving stolen and precious goods from one country to another, usually during times of war (hint, hint). He needs to be taken aside and made to offer up any and all information he might have on who stole Tyrene’s painting and whether or not they tried to move it.

Judgement: Muscle and no-nonsense interrogation
Bonfire: Intimidation
Freedom Fighter: Ass-kicking and flight

Team #2: Steal the second painting from the Art Museum
The second painting needs to be procured from the Art Museum before the thieves in question decide to steal it as well. In this case, we need tact, stealth, and flexibility. In short, this mission calls for a light touch, otherwise we might find ourselves in some hot water!

Atrum Auditor: Disable the Security feeds, presense any problems
Erotica Girl: Distract the guards should they be alerted, and take them down!
Pax: Teleport through the building’s walls, let the other team members in to retrieve the artwork

Team #3: Procure the third from the Old Lady
Next, we need to get our hands on the only other painting created by Tyrene. This mission is also of particular importance, and requires some serious tact and maybe even diplomacy. As a result, I’m sending in the superheroes who specialize in being unseen and dealing with more sensitive cases.

Styka: Use invisibility to beat the ladies security and sense her presence
Panacea: Convince the old lady to part with her precious object should she become aware of our presence

Team #4: Meet with the NSA Source
A final team, led by me, will meet with the high level-source from the National Security Agency. Based on our last conversation, he has information vital to our mission and will only pass it on to me. He said “come alone”, and as far as he knows, I will be!

Me: Meet with the informant and get the info
Dark Angel: Backup and overwatch should things turn hairy
Veiled Tsunami: Backup and telepathy to scan my informant

Well, that’s everyone. You have your homework assignments, people. Let’s make it happen!

The Latest From Mars: Water, Drilling, and Night Photos

curiosity_drilling2And we’re back from Mars with another slew of updates and breaking news! It seems that ever since the Curiosity Rover landed back in early August, the revelations and interesting facts have been pouring in non-stop. With each bit of news, we learn a little more about the Red Planet’s composition, its history, and how both are so similar to our own.

And in recent weeks, ever since Curiosity moved into Yellowknife Bay, there have been a number of interesting developments. One came back in January when the Rover found a series of calcium-rich deposits, similar to the kind observed here on Earth. These types of deposits are observed wherever and whenever water circulates through cracks and rock fractures. This is just the latest in a long string of discoveries which support the conclusion that Mars was once home to vast rivers.

curiosity_calciumThe images above show the similarity between the sulfate-rich veins seen by Curiosity rover to sulfate-rich veins seen on Earth. The view on the left is a mosaic of two shots from the remote micro-imager on Curiosity’s Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument which were taken on Dec. 14, 2012, or the 126th sol (Martian day) of operations. The image on the right is from the Egyptian desert here on Earth, which a pocket knife included for scale.

curiosity_night1The next bit of news came on January 25th when Curiosity’s high resolution robotic arm camera – also known as the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) – snapped its first set of nighttime images. The images were illuminated by both an ultraviolet and white light emitting LED’s (shown above and below). The rock outcropping – named “Sayunei”, located at the site of the “John Klein” outcrop – was just one of many to be found in Yellowknife Bay where Curiosity has been conducting ongoing surveys.

curiosity_nightIn this case, it was breaking the rock apart in an effort to try and expose fresh material, free of obscuring dust. Once exposed, the pictures were meant to determine the internal makeup of the rock. “The purpose of acquiring observations under ultraviolet illumination was to look for fluorescent minerals,” said MAHLI Principal Investigator Ken Edgett of Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego. “If something looked green, yellow, orange or red under the ultraviolet illumination, that’d be a more clear-cut indicator of fluorescence.”

In addition, certain classes of organic compounds are also fluorescent. Yes, that search continues!

Curiosity_drillAnd last, but not least, came the news at the end of January that indicated that Curiosity’s long-awaited test of its high-powered drill will finally be taking place. This first drilling operation entailed hammering a test hole into a flat rock at the John Klien formation for the purposes of making sure everything works as needed. If things pan out, then the team would conduct many more tests and collect the drillings for analysis by the Rover’s CheMin and SAM analytical labs in the coming days.

In anticipation of the planned drilling operation, the rover carried out a series of four ‘pre-load’ tests on Monday (Jan. 27), whereby the rover placed the drill bit onto Martian surface targets at the John Klein outcrop and pressed down on the drill with the robotic arm. Engineers then checked the data to see whether the force applied matched predictions. The next step was an overnight pre-load test, to gain assurance that the large temperature change from day to night at the rover’s location would not add excessively to stress on the arm while it is pressing on the drill.

curiosity_drilling1The photo above shows the before and after shots of the rock where the drill conducted its hammering. And as you can see, the rock powered and is of a different color inside – slate gray as opposed to rust red. If the MSL lab deems the slab suitable, a number of test holes are likely to be drilled – using the rotation as well the percussive action – before a powdered sample is picked up and delivered to Curiosity’s onboard laboratories.

And so far, according to Curiosity project scientist John Grotzinger, things are looking good:

“The drilling is going very well so far and we’re making great progress with the early steps. The rock is behaving well and it looks pretty soft, so that’s encouraging,” he told BBC News.”

Ultimately, the purpose of the rover’s mission is to try to determine whether Gale has ever had the environments in the past that were capable of supporting bacterial life. Detailing the composition of rocks is critical to this investigation as the deposits in the crater will retain a geochemical record of the conditions under which they formed. Drilling a few centimetres inside a rock provides a fresh sample that is free from weathering or radiation damage, both of which are common to the Martian surface.

There is more to follow, for sure. And in the meantime, check out this video of the Mars Science Labs providing the latest Curiosity Rover Report explaining their finds for the month of January and plans for February.


Source: universetoday.com, (2), (3), BBC.co.uk, nasa.gov

The Tyrene Code, Continued!

security-guard-museum-entraHello Avengers. As you are all no doubt aware, we seem to have a case on our hands. Thanks to the information provided by Judgement, we find ourselves tasked with unlocking a rather peculiar mystery, which I have dubbed the Tyrene Code. Named in honor of famed artist, thief, and treasure hunter Mike Tyrene, this mission is unlike anything we’ve done so far as a team.

For one, this mission may be a matter of national security. It seems that some years back, Tyrene stole something of importance from a government facility. For reasons that are unclear, he was never prosecuted for the offense, and to this day no one knows what exactly he took. However, when Tyrene turned to art and made an impact in the art world, rumors abounded that he hid clues as to what he took and where he was hiding it in his paintings.

As you we all know, one of the paintings was just stolen from the city’s most prestigious art museum. Two remain, one in another major art museum and the other in the possession of one of the cities most prestigious collectors – a Mrs. Lydia Morris. Given the possible nature of these paintings, its likely the other two will be stolen soon, and then whoever’s taking them will have all three pieces to the code for themselves.

lasersAnd for this reason, I am proposing that we do something drastic. Already I have placed a call with a source of mine inside the NSA in the hopes that he could give us some clue as to what Tyrene stole. He could not be specific, and indicated that he would only give me what he could in person, away from where others in his agency might be able to notice. And of course, he would only give this information to me…

Second, we need to get to those paintings before the thieves do. And we all know that we can’t exactly buy them from the museum and a rich art collector, not at current market value and the money we make! So we’re going to have to steal them. I know grand theft doesn’t exactly look good on our league’s resume, but we may not have a choice. What is hidden in those paintings was enough to keep the government off Tyrene’s back for years. A few thefts will be worth it if it can save lives.

Justice-LeagueWhile I’m meeting with my source, I need three teams to form up and begin working on a solution. The first team will be charged with breaching the museum’s security while the second will be tasked with breaking into Mrs. Morris’ home. The third needs to learn what they can about the first painting which was stolen. If we knew exactly how it was taken, it could give us a clue as to who these people are and how they work.

We will not move until I get the information we need, but we can certainly case the places out and determine what kind of abilities and specialties will be needed.

As usual, this is the point where I would ask for volunteers…

In Remembrance of Columbia

The STS-107 crew includes, from the left, Mission Specialist David Brown, Commander Rick Husband, Mission Specialists Laurel Clark, Kalpana Chawla and Michael Anderson, Pilot William McCool and Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon. (NASA photo)
The STS-107 crew includes, from the left, Mission Specialist David Brown, Commander Rick Husband, Mission Specialists Laurel Clark, Kalpana Chawla and Michael Anderson, Pilot William McCool and Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon. (NASA photo)

Just two days ago, the tenth anniversary of the shuttle Columbia disaster came to pass. On that day, the pilots who lost their lives, as well as those who died on the Challenger and Apollo 1 missions, were commemorated at a special wreath-laying ceremony at the Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. It is a somber day, when people all over the world come together to commemorate those brave souls who died in the name of advancing exploration.

The disaster took place on Feb. 1st 2003, roughly sixteen days after the shuttle departed from Earth to conduct microgravity experiments. During re-entry, contact was lost with the shuttle as the orbiter suffered a catastrophic failure due to a breach that had opened in one of the shuttle’s wings. This had occurred during launch when a piece of foam fell from the external tank during launch.

columbia_arlingtonThe seven person crew of the STS-107 Columbia, which included Rick D. Husband, William C. McCool, David Brown, Laurel Blair Salton Clark, Michael P. Anderson, Ilan Ramon, and Kalpana Chawla, died just 15 minutes before they were meant to touch down at Kennedy Space Center. Addressing the nation, then-President Bush said, “mankind is led into the darkness beyond our world by the inspiration of discovery and the longing to understand. Our journey into space will go on.”

On Feb. 1st, President Obama and Charles Bolden, Administrator for NASA, also marked the occasion with somber words of remembrance. The former emphasized the ongoing important of space exploration and its inherent risks:

“The exploration of space represents one of the most challenging endeavors we undertake as a Nation. Whether it’s landing a 1-ton rover on Mars, building a space telescope 100 times more powerful than the Hubble, or preparing to send humans beyond the Moon, it’s imperative America continues to lead the world in reaching for the stars while giving us a better understanding of our home planet.”

Bolden expressed similar sentiments, calling to mind other tragedies and drawing attention to the lessons learned from the disaster:

“After the tragedy of Columbia, we not only returned to flight, we established policies and procedures to make our human spaceflight program safer than ever. Exploration will never be without risk, but we continue to work to ensure that when humans travel to space, nothing has been left undone to make them as safe as possible.”

Naturally, I hope he’s right about that. As we embark on an era of renewed exploration – to the Moon, to Mars, and even beyond – there will plenty of risk incurred and only a few people bold and intrepid enough to risk their lives to see it done. Much like veterans who died in the name of peace, we should never forget those explorers who died in the name of advancing humanity’s knowledge, awareness, and understanding of the universe.

Rest In Peace you brave souls!

columbia_memorial

Sources: Universetoday.com, history.nasa.gov, nasa.gov

Going to Seattle!

Space_Needle002Hi folks. Just a heads up from your humble blogger to say that I will be out of town for the next few days, and therefore quite AFK! In fact, it seems I’ve been away-from-keyboard quite a bit these past few weeks. But it’s been that kind of month. Plenty of drama, tragedies involving old friends, injuries and illnesses, and lots of lots of tiring work.

Naturally, this weekend is expected be a reprieve from most of that. The family, which includes my mother, father, sister and brother-in-law, are all getting together in Seattle to celebrate the birthdays of my darling wife, mother and myself. Ah, perhaps I should explain that better. You see, our three birthdays all fall within a few days of each other. And as my sister lives down in Oregon, we find it is difficult for large-scale family gatherings.

As such, we do our best to convene the six of us whenever we can as close to the days of January 21st to 26th as possible. As usual, there is to be shopping, visits to local places of color and culture, and hopefully a good long walk in the Pike Place Market. Always a good time down there, and this year I wonder if I will run into half as many crazies as last year. I tell ya, within the space of a block, there was a man yelling “I didn’t do it!” at me, a woman handing out pamphlets of how RFID chips were the “Mark of the Devil”, and a Church of Scientology offering free IQ tests. I’ll leave it to you to guess which I found the nuttiest!

Pike Place Market SeattleAnd, assuming I get my way, we shall also be taking a tour of the Pike Place Brewery this year, one of North America’s oldest and most venerated craft breweries! As a beer snob with his own website (check it out here), I always enjoy sampling new and exciting beers and this place has been a very good source of Pacific Northwest brews over the last few years. It, like much else about the Northwestern US, makes me think that a Cascadian Republic could really work. Or failing that, that the great states of Washington and Oregon should be invited to become part of Canada. It’s not so crazy, many people say they are practically the 11th and 12 provinces anyway! 😉

In any case, I look forward to seeing my sister again, as we get so few chances to get together anymore. Hoping to score some decent swag and give my sister the presents she’s been waiting on for the past few birthdays and Christmases as well. I shall be back on Sunday, so whatever editing, writing, and articling I have promised or committed to shall resume by then. Hope you all have a great weekend too, cuz I know we’ve all earned one! I look forward to us all being well-rested, relaxed and alert come Monday!

Wing Commander: Privateer A Review

Hello all and welcome to another installment in my video game review series! Today, I will be tackling an old (and I mean really old) favorite, a special installment in the Wing Commander series known as Privateer. Falling in between Wing Commander II, one of the best selling space combat simulators of all time, and WCIII, this game was a diversion for the series in that it dealt with the dark underside of the WC universe. Rather than delving into the Kilrathi War, which was central to the series, this game addressed the lifestyle of merchants, mercenaries and pirates.

And that’s what makes this game so cool. In fact, each game in the series had its own particular appeal, choosing to do things a little differently than the last. In the first, you flew missions and were promoted in rank and to new squadrons based on your performance. Over time, your success was mirrored in the course of the war and the theaters of operation you were sent to. In game two, much the same was true, except that you did not move in rank and the entire game was story-driven rather than based on your personal progress.

This time around, players were entirely independent, flying missions for private contractors or government payees, building up their savings, and using that money to buy new ships, new weapons, and new equipment. There was a story within the game, but you could either follow that or play entirely on your own. Naturally, the best approach was to combine both elements, playing freelance until you had a descent arsenal, and then taking on the storyline missions. And once it was all over, you had the feeling that a pretty damn good gaming experience had just occurred.

Plot Synopsis:
The game opens with the player’s character – Burrows, a privateer – being introduced aboard a mining station in the Achilles system. As you play your first missions and attempt to make your bones, rumors begin to spread that a mysterious ship is attacking shipping in the system. Eventually, you find your way to the New Detroit system, where a private contractor named Sandoval hires you to take an artifact off his hands. After running a mission for him and returning to the planet, you discover that the man is dead.

You are left with his artifact in your hands, and a lady named Tayla who offers answers, in exchange for a few missions. These take you to and from a Pirate base located out on the rim, where you run a series of missions hauling Brilliance (the designer drug of the day). Once complete, Tayla indicates that Sandoval was not the original owner, and sends you to the station of New Constantinople to meet Mr. Lynch, the notorious mob boss who will take you further.

wcprivateer_ndOnce again, you are contracted to fly a series of missions in exchange for information. After confirming that the artifact is of alien origin, he double-crosses you and sends his body guard Miggs to kill you. After beating him, you head for Oxford where the University and Archives are located to conduct research on the artifact yourself. Upon landing there, you work out an agreement with Masterson, the dean of the university. In exchange for running missions, he will allow you access.

Once you’re finished scanning the artifact, it concludes that it was uncovered by an archaeological dig in a far-flung system, led by a doctor named Monkhouse. Apparently, the doctor was investigating an ancient civilization known as the Steltek, a super-advanced species that is believed to have died out. Monkhouse was last seen in the Palan system at the edge of known space, so its off to Palan you go…

To find Monkhouse who is looking to get out of the system as soon as possible. There is a standoff between bounty hunters who have the world blockaded, and they must be defeated before he can be evacuated. After fighting with Lynn Murphy, the woman who is running a resistance against the bounty hunters, you are able to fly Monkhouse out of the system and learn that the artifact comes in two pieces, and he gives you the other half.

wcprivateer_derelictIt seems that the two form an ancient star map, and the coordinates they give indicate a system just beyond the fringes of charted space. To find the indicated system, you have to travel to the Rygannon system where you find Taryn Cross of Exploratory Services. She contracts you to investigate the rim and this eventually leads you to a Derelict at the edge of known space. Once you land, you find the ship is deserted and adrift, and an inoperative fighter with a weapon you are able to take.

wcprivateer_steltekAs soon as you leave though, the Steltek ship – the alien one that has been causing all the trouble – shows up and begins pursuing you. Once you find your way to a mining base (any mining base in the game), you are met by a woman named Sandra Goodin, the attache to Admiral Terrell, the supreme commander of all Confederation Forces in the sector. She tells you the Steltek ship has been on a path of destruction since it was woken up, and seems to have been following you all along.

wcprivateer_perryYou are persuaded to go to Perry Navy Base and meet with Terrell, who contracts you to lure the enemy ship into a trap. On your way there, you are met by another Steltek ship, an ambassador ship that explains to you that the vessel that’s been marauding the sector is an automated drone left over from the old days. It was designed to destroy advanced tech since it was this very thing that did the Steltek civilization in. They want to stop it, since it is a remnant of their old ways, and agree to help you.

wcprivateer_gemini_gold_14After getting your weapon supercharged, you meet with the Confed fleet and engage the Steltek ship. After a pitch battle, the ship is destroyed and you report back to Perry Naval Base to get your reward. Admiral Terrell offers you a position with the fleet, but you turn it down so you can continue to be what you always have – a Privateer!

Summary:
Pound for pound, this game is one of my oldest favorites. I loved the Wing Commander series ever since I got my hands on the first game, and this installment was especially cool in that it delved into the seemy underbelly of it all. What’s more, there were aspects of the universe which didn’t make it into the main series of games, not to mention some themes and motifs which seemed very much inspired.

For one, you have a number of locations located in the fictitious Gemini Sector, a place which is involved in the war but not featured in the other games. Here, you have such planets and installations as New Detroit*, Oxford, Perry, New Constantinople, mining installations, pirate bases, agricultural colonies, and pleasure bases. Each has its own character, feel, and these determine the nature of trading you can conduct.

Wing_Commander_privateer_01Then there are the factions featured in the game. In addition to the familiar warring parties – the Terran Confederation and the Kilrathi Empire – you also have a number of interesting parties that play their own role in the game. For example, there are the traders and mercs that are basically like you – privateers who are just doing there business and who’s guilds you can join.

And then there the perennially hostile parties such as the pirates, the ones engaged in illegal trade who will prey on you if you’re a merchant or merc, but can easily become friends, assuming you’re willing to embrace a life of crime. Then there are bounty hunters who just may be trying to fulfill a contract on your head. And then there are the Retros, a fanatic religious sect that is determined to force humanity to abandon its addiction to technology and embrace a simpler existence.

wcprivateer_shipupgradeAnd on top of that, there is the added benefit of being able to buy and upgrade your own ships. In other games, you fly increasingly advanced vessels as you increase in rank or move farther along with your missions. And by the third installment, you even get to customize your loadouts. But it is only in Privateer where you have total freedom to arm, equip, and outfit yourself. As long as you can afford it, you can make it happen.

And last, there was the storyline, which I really enjoyed the first time I played it. I was still in my teen years at the time, and this was one of the first franchises that introduced me to the concept of ancient aliens. And having been able to play it again years later, when my understanding of science fiction and classic motifs has matured considerably, I think they did a pretty good job of it.

wcprivateer_tarsusIn fact, the mission where you land aboard the derelict Steltek ship remains with me as a spine-tingling moment in gaming history! And the fact that the entire story is set against the backdrop of the war, an ongoing affair which really isn’t going so well for humanity, gives everything a dark and somewhat desperate feel. It’s like the universe is coming to an end, but you got your bills to pay and in the midst of all that, there’s an even more urgent menace making the rounds.

Gemini Gold Edition:
I should also mention that given the cult status of this game, a fan-made version was released in 2003 which boasted updated graphics and gameplay. In fact, it was one of several fan-made products released over the years by enthusiasts who were looking to introduce subsequent generations of gamers to its glory. Having played it, I can attest that it is certainly more fluid and visually impressive, but it just didn’t feel the same.

Yeah, we’ve all come to be pretty pampered with modern gaming, so much so that we think those DOS games that were once visually stunning are pretty laughable now. But if you want to appreciate a classic, appreciate it as is. As Billy Joel once sung, “Don’t go changing to try and please me!”

*I should also mention that the idea of this planet seemed so inspired to me that I felt obliged, years later, to borrow the name for my own science fiction series (titled Legacies). In fact, there were several details of this game and others in the franchise that crept into my consciousness and stayed with me through the years, forming the basis of my appreciation for science fiction and influencing my writing today.

Upcoming Movie: Knights of Badassdom!

Larping_hobbiesI’m not sure why, but I’ve been inundated with movie previews lately, ones which I feel I must pass on to others. And this is just the latest and most awesome! Seriously, it was like this thing was created with me and my fellow nerds in mind! Some might think it an overly-appropriate commentary, others might sense some irony, but I look at it and just see fandom, nerdom, geekdom goodness!

As would be expected, this low-budget indie film was written and directed by relative newcomers, but happens to star some real heavyweights of the sci-fi, fantasy and horror genres. They include Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister from HBO’s A Game of Thrones), Summer Glau (River Tam on Firefly and Serenity) and Ryan Kwanten (Jason Stackhouse from True Blood).

And of course, the plot is something that will appeal to the nerd in all of us. It begins when a group of friends travel into the woods to do some LARPing (Live Action Role Playing for those not nerdy enough to know). After the wizard of the group accidentally casts a real magic spell, the group must contend with a real-life succubus and an army of dark forces that are suddenly summoned to Earth. In short, a group of people who specialize in make-believe are called upon to become real life heroes and save the world from the forces of hell.

See? I told you it was an awesome concept! Between some genuine talent, a hilarious premise, and a metaphor that couldn’t be more frank, this movie has a lot of promise. The film previewed during ComicCon 2011, but is yet to be released to theaters. And did I mention it stars Peter Dinklage and Summer Glau? Their presence alone in this flick alone are worth the price of admission! Check out the trailer below…

The Future is Here: The AirMule!

urbanaero_muleMilitary necessity has been an engine for creation since the beginnings of recorded history. With soldiers constantly looking for new ways to kill each other, as well as save the lives of their own, one can always expect to see new and exciting technologies taking the field. And often as not, these developments have a way of trickling down and impacting society as a whole.

Take the AirMule, a compact, unmanned, single-engine vehicle that is being developed by Urban Aeronautics. Based in Israel, this company is dedicated to the creation of Vertical-Takeoff-and-Landing (VTOL) craft that utilize internal lift rotors to get in and out of tight areas, ostensibly for the purpose of supporting military personnel,  evacuating the wounded, and conducting remote reconnaissance missions.

airmuleIn an age where military forces are relying increasingly on unmanned aerial vehicles, the AirMule is designed to be used in operations that fit the 3 D’s: Dirty, Dangerous or Dull. In addition, it is controlled through remote operation and Tele-Presence, meaning the pilots who operate it do so from the safety of a base behind the front lines. The addition of this technology allows remote operators to stay safe while still feeling like they are physically on the scene.

The immediate benefits of this vehicle lie in the fact that it is able to fly at extremely low altitudes, allowing it to pass beneath enemy fields of fire and radar. At the same time, it is capable of taking off and landing in regions that are not accessible by conventional CasEvac craft, such as helicopters. This represents another concern for military planners, who are forced to contend with the fact that wars are increasingly fought against insurgents in places like cities, villages and other inaccessible environments.

The vehicle is capable of airlifting a 500 kg load, which can take the form of wounded personnel or 500 kilos of supplies. In this way, the AirMule is able to provide point to point logistic support as well as life-saving evac missions for wounded soldiers. However, it also has a number of applications for non-military use, such as assisting EMTs in rescuing injured people, delivering supplies to disaster-stricken areas, and offering assessment capabilities to companies who need to conduct inspections in potentially hazardous zones.

No telling when the AirMule will be taking the field, but in all likelihood, it won’t be more than a few years. What’s more, with the nature of military engagements changing and unmanned technology on the rise, just about every advanced military on the planet is likely to be following suit. And as always, we can expect the technology to trickle down to society as a whole, with robotic hovercraft replacing ambulances and medevac choppers within a decade’s time.

Check out the video of the AirMule concept and its field tests. It’s a few minutes long, but quite interesting: