dashPunk

Literature of Change | Tesla Coil Music | Giant Snake | Superguys? | Dollhouse streaming & ratings | Black Sabbath | Cheep Comics | Favorite Anne Rice | Doctor Who One Shot Comic| Look at DC Universe and Community Comments Today on the Project: Shadow Informant.

Culture

• Literature of Change (dashPunk)
• Tesla Coil Plays Imperial March (dashPunk)
• Córdoba’s Giant Snake (via Cryptomundo)

Movie

• Breckin Meyer Writing Superguys: “Ocean’s Eleven Set At Comic-Con” (via /Film)

TV / Series

• Review: Dollhouse Ghost (dashPunk)
  • Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse scratches its way to #1 on iTunes! (via TV by the numbers)
• Analysis: Chuck’s audience grew most; Daisies’ lost most (via SCI FI Wire)

Music

• BLACK SABBATH: Deluxe Expanded Edition Of ‘Paranoid’ Due In April (via BLABBERMOUTH)

Book

• After Watchmen – What’s Next? Identity Crisis! (dashPunk)
• Anne Rice discussion (P:S HQ)
• New Doctor Who one-shot comic coming this month (via SCI FI Wire)

Game

• DC Universe Online: First Look (via Tor)

Webcomic

• Girl Genius

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Related posts

• P:SI #335 “Where Do You Fall on the Fan Spectrum” (0)
• P:SI #332 “Whedon’s Dollhouse and OMG JMS” (0)
• Speculative Fiction Today #382 “X-Men Done Right” (0)
• Speculative Fiction Today #373 “Spielberg Loves Revenge of the Fallen?” (0)
• P:SI #350 “Repulsion Is Our Business and Business Is Good” (0)

Cat of Zuul | Amazon Unbox | Netflix + Xbox | Tor SF & F Site | Hellboy II | The Rundown | Watchmen | Dr Horrible’s Master Plan | Tin Man | Black Sabbath | Alice Cooper | Last.fm | and KOTOR MMO!!! Today on the Project: Shadow Informant.

Culture

• Der is no Fluffy (via Icanhas Cheez Burger)
• Amazon Video on Demand launched today to beta testers; bye bye, Unbox (via Dvice)
• Xbox 360 and Netflix Team Up (via Xbox)
• Tor Launches SF&F Site (via Sci Fi Wire)

Movie

• Exploring: Hellboy II: The Golden Army (dashPunk)
  • Pictures from Hellboy II set (via Neil Gaiman)
• The Rundown on Hulu (via Hulu) (Amazon)
• See the Watchmen Trailer iTunes Exclusive (via Watchmen)

TV / Series

• Dr Horrible’s Master Plan (dashPunk)
• Tin, Battlestar Get Emmy Nods (via Sci Fi Wire)

Music

• Black Sabbath “Rules Of Hell” Animated Trailer out 7-22 (P:S HQ)
• ALICE COOPER: Entire New Album Available For Streaming (via Blabbermouth)
• Last.fm: The Next Generation (via Last.fm)

Game

• FINALLY – KOTOR Online Confirmed (via Gay Gamer)

WebComics

• Girl Genius
• KISS 4K

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Netflix lets you rent, watch and return DVDs from home – Try free for 2 weeks

Don’t wait. Guarantee your seat before you go and  avoid a sold out show. Skip the box office lines and buy movie tickets at Fandango.com.

GameFly delivers the best video games to your door! Start for only $8.95 or Try for free

Related posts

• Speculative Fiction Today #382 “X-Men Done Right” (0)
• PSI #208 "Harry Potter and The Titleless Tome" (0)
• P:SI 334 “Pollyanna v. Gloomy Fiction Perspective is Key” (0)
• P:SI #361 “Introducing Our New Alien Overloard” (0)
• P:SI #35 – "Vision of Trek Online" (0)

Black Panther | Mystery Canids | Jupiter’s Red Spot | Countdown Freed | Spinal Tap on Stonehenge | California Marriage Licenses | Dragonball images | ABC Player updates | Alanis Morissette Trailer | Balck Sabbath’s Box Set | Guitar Hero IV | and City of Heroes Chapter 12 Today on the Project: Shadow Informant.

Culture

• Black Panther in MO (P:S HQ)
• Mystery Canids Killed (via Cryptomundo)
• New red spot appears on Jupiter (via Astronomy)
• Countdown Freed from appointment TV
• SPINAL TAP’s NIGEL TUFNEL Helps National Geographic Channel Decode Mysteries Behind Stonehenge
  • Part 1
  • Part 2
  • Part 3
  • Part 4
  • Part 5
• Calif. Rewrites Marriage Licenses To Conform With Gay Marriage Ruling (via 365 Gay)

Movie

• More Dragonball Cast Images Online (via The Movie Blog)

TV / Series

• ABC Launching Upgraded Video Player For Fall Season (via Mashable)

Music

• Alanis Morissette – Flavors Of Entanglement Trailer (P:S HQ) (get your coy here)
• BLACK SABBATH: ‘The Rules Of Hell’ Box Set Artwork Revealed (via Blabbermouth)

Game

• Linkin Park for Guitar Hero IV (via Kerrang)
• City of Heroes Issue 12 Comic Book is Now Available! (via City of Heroes)

Webcomic

• Girl Genius
• KISS 4K

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Related posts

• P:SI #260 “The Beast Within, The Third Immortal and Making Magical Items” (0)
• P:SI #249 “OMG A White Namic” (0)
• P:SI #237 "Artemis Fowl, No Thanks For The Fish" (0)
• P:SI #122 "Children of the Grave Downtown" (0)
• P:SI #114 "Floodland & Driven Apart" (0)

Games

• Guitar Hero: Aerosmith Game Trailer – Project: Shadow HQ
  It looks fun, I just hope it comes out for the Wii on the same day.
  (tags: GuitarHero videogames)
• Stargate Worlds begins standardizing armor sets
  I cannot wait to play this game, the new picks are nice.
  (tags: StargateWorlds mmo videogames)
• The Legend Of Zelda Movie Trailer – Project: Shadow HQ
  This spoof trailer for a Zelda movie really makes me wish they were doing an actual film. Great April fools, Thanks Bill!
  (tags: spoof)

Culture

• Libraries and the occult – Boing Boing
  genre can be a problem
  (tags: books library)
• The Official Star Wars Blog » The Force is Strong on Telnet
  I love ASCII art! this is great animation
  (tags: starwars)
• DVICE: Rhodes Car merges Fred Flintstone with Thurston Howell III
  hopefully, I will be able to find a price on these, I want one so bad
  (tags: bikes)

Music

• Petula Clark – Downtown – Project: Shadow HQ
  I love this song, Petula Clark is a treasure.
  (tags: musicvideo)
• Black Sabbath – Children of the Grave – Project: Shadow HQ
  Great 1974 concert clip of Sabbath live. I love this song!
  (tags: musicvideo)
• BLABBERMOUTH.NET – BATTLELORE Begins Recording New Album
  The samples sound very good
  (tags: music battlelore)
• DREAM THEATER AND OPETH JOIN FORCES!
  this is the dream team! I must see this show
  (tags: music)

Related posts

• P:SI #122 "Children of the Grave Downtown" (0)
• Speculative Fiction Today #394 “For Everything Else There’s Fwoosh” (0)
• P:SI #211 "Listening to Morgoth Make Dragons" (0)
• P:SI #127 "Fair Use Besieged, Tyrants Giddy" (0)
• Costumes, Role Playing, and Unity (1)

Lies v Negligence | New Flintstone Car | Telnet Star Wars | Libraries & Occult | Doctor Who in U.S. | Battlelore | Dream Theater & Opeth | Black Sabbath | Petula Clark | Zelda Movie | Stargate Worlds Armor Sets | and Guitar Hero Aerosmith Today on the Project: Shadow Informant.

Culture

• Lie or Negligence? (P:S Symposium)
• Rhodes Car merges Fred Flintstone with Thurston Howell III (via Dvice)
• The Force is Strong on Telnet (via Star Wars Blog)
• Libraries and the occult (via Boing Boing)

TV

• Scariest Places on Earth
• Series Four Doctor Who In The U.S. (P:S Symposium)

Music

• BATTLELORE Begins Recording New Album (via Blabbermouth)
• DREAM THEATER AND OPETH JOIN FORCES! (via Roadrunner Records)
• Black Sabbath – Children of the Grave (P:S HQ)
• Petula Clark – Downtown (P:S HQ)

Games

• The Legend Of Zelda Movie Trailer (P:S HQ)
• Stargate Worlds begins standardizing armor sets (via Stargate Worlds)
• Guitar Hero: Aerosmith Game Trailer (P:S HQ)

Webcomics

• Girl Genius
• KISS 4K

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Related posts

• Headlines for 2008-04-03 (0)
• P:SI #211 "Listening to Morgoth Make Dragons" (0)
• Speculative Fiction Today #418 “Boff you Before I Cliff You” (0)
• Speculative Fiction Today #394 “For Everything Else There’s Fwoosh” (0)
• Podcasts (3)

Gravity Waves | Gay Agenda | Floodland | Indy Jones | Death of Fantastic Four | Black Sabbath | Disturbed | Atrocity | B-52s | ABC Problems | and V: The Second Generation Flick? Today on the Project: Shadow Informant.

Culture

• Gravity Waves in the Sky (P:S Symposium)
• The Gay Agenda video blog: Obamarama! (P:S HQ)
• Floodland (P:S Symposium)

Movie

• Hanging With Shia On Location Featurette (P:S HQ)
• The Fantastic Four Are Dead (via Pink Kryptonite)
• V: The Second Generation Flick? (P:S Symposium)

Music

• black sabbath – neon knights (P:S HQ)
• Disturbed – Land Of Confusion (Video) (P:S HQ)
• ‘Indestructible’ by Disturbed (P:S Symposium)
  • Disturbed – Indestructible trailer (P:S HQ)
• Atrocity – Werk 80 II (Review) (via P:S Symposium)
• The B-52s rock the ‘Hot Corner’ (P:S Symposium)

TV / Series

• What Is Wrong With ABC? (P:S Symposium)

Webcomics

• Girl Genius
• KISS 4K

Subscribe

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Related posts

• P:SI #256 “White Zombie in a Box… ‘Go Home’” (0)
• P:SI #253 “Kevin Smith says Watch it, Slacker” (0)
• P:SI #139 "Del Toro: You Have To Do What You Have To Do" (0)
• P:SI #113 "Clones B Classic" (0)
• P:SI # 77 – "The Swamp Thing is Free" (0)

When I was first getting into Speculative Fiction, it had a spirit of activism, adventure, and dream to it that so much modern fiction simply lacks. Pioneers in this field, Frank Herbert, Gene Roddenberry, Harlan Ellison, David Gerrold, et al, believed that SF could challenge peoples preconceptions and inspire them to transcend the limits imposed upon them by their upbringing and culture. They wrote and produced SF that attacked our sacred cows, presenting the world as it could/should be with all of the ambiguity and possibility that this world offers us.

This is the SF I fell in love with and endeavor produce and support. The trite cynicism that has again become en vogue is antithetical to this spirit of transformative fiction that inspired so many to fall in love with science and hope for a better world. It does not have to go this way. We must reclaim the spirit and art that made SF great.

The root of the problem is the basic existential quandary we each experience in our time. We hope for a meaning and purpose for our lives and when we find that nature does not provide us with an easy answer we can slavishly follow after, we assume life is devoid of meaning and purpose all together. Nihilism is an easy trap to fall into, but is also an easy one to escape.

Sure, life has no grand overriding purpose… or does it? Life seems to exist to survive, thrive, and evolve. With the exception of evolution, these are not very inspiring goals, but the urge to better ourselves and grow throughout our life is a fundamental function, if not purpose of existence.

This is no reason to despair. The fact that life does not impose a purpose on us allows us to find or invent one for ourselves. What a liberating gift from the universe! We are free to choose our purpose and to find meaning for ourselves.

Now, I won’t lie to you. This is a burden to bare, there is no doubt about that, but it is a burden that is easy for us to take up, if we choose to live boldly.

For too long, I have lived my life under the constraints and limitations placed upon me by society. I allowed myself to fall under this nihilistic stupor, but I have had enough.

This is why I am not a fan of Battlestar Galactica or Heroes. They have followed this cynical path into a nihilism I find neither sophisticated nor mature. It is solipsistic and puerile. Yes, life can be dark, but no one benefits from wallowing in that darkness.

When I was growing up, I became an avid fan of Goth Rock, Deathrock, Punk, and Metal. At their bests, these genres are about rising up and railing against these cynical worldview foisted upon us. “Only Theatre of Pain” (Christian Death) is the music of defiance, not acquiescence. Black Sabbath sang in anger at the darkness of life. At their best, these are songs about standing up and not about being trodden under foot.

We have to rise up, stand up, speak out, and most of all dream. If we do not, then the future is indeed lost, but not because of destiny, but because we have let it follow that path.

Dream again, and dream big. Find something to be for, not something to be against. We are strong and imaginative enough to rise above any darkness that comes upon us. Rise up! Let’s take our future back!

Related posts

• Speculative Fiction: The Lost Art of “What if?” (0)
• Gerrold on Trek (0)
• Within (0)
• Why Progressive Speculative Fiction? (0)
• What makes a fan a fan? (0)