Science Fiction

Do You Find School Boring?

October 27, 2011 | goulds

Well then, you might try enrolling in either Master Dreadthorn's School for Wayward Villains or Blatt School for the Insanely Gifted. Granted, you must be the child of a notorious evil entity, such as Dracula, The Big Bad Wolf, or a warlock and be lacking in evil to normally qualify for entry into the former school, but heck, you could always give it a shot. "Gifted" has a lot of definitions. The deciding factor for entry into the later school is that you have the ability to invent something the headmaster might want to steal from you, thereby increasing his fame, fortune, and power — but you don't know this of course. Trust me, if you do have the opportunity to attend one of these schools, you will gain a whole new perspective on education.

Villain School : good curses evil by Stephanie S. Sanders — Join Rune, Jez, and Wolf Junior as they try to succeed at a nearly impossible Plot in order to avoid being expelled for not being bad enough.

Voice Control

October 4, 2011 | Brad Czerniak

At today's Let's talk iPhone event, Apple VP Phil Shiller announced Siri, an advanced voice-activated control system included with the new iPhone 4S. Even though this is an exciting step forward, computers have had speech recognition for years, and movies and television have simulated it for even longer. Here are some examples of fictional computers in movies that could hold a conversation:

2001 [videodisc]: a space odyssey by Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer

The time machine [videodisc] by DreamWorks Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures present a Parkes/MacDonald production

The Terminator [videodisc] by Hemdale presents a Pacific Western production of a James Cameron film; Cinema '84; a Greenberg Brothers Partnership

Ruby Red Rave Reviews

September 3, 2011 | goulds

Are you in the mood for an awesome time-travel triology that promises to have a Twilight-ish romance flavor to it too? Then you'd better get started with book #1, Ruby Red by Kirstin Gier now. Gwen lives in London with her mother's rather eccentric family. For years all the attention has been focused on her cousin Charlotte who is supposed to be carrying the family time-travel gene and preparing her for life in the past. However, when Gwen turns 16, she is the one who suddenly starts disappearing into the past. This shocking news sends tremors through the whole family, as well as the Guardians, the old, powerful and dangerous secret society that monitors time travelers and seeks to control what they do. Gwen is a convincing modern teen with a great best friend and mom, who seeking to protect her daughter, ends up making matters more difficult for her and others. A handsome, albeit rather conceited, 19-year-old Gideon adds a romantic element as her destined fellow time-traveler. Action, adventure, humor, mystery, and totally believable characters make this novel a real page-turner. First published in Germany, Ruby Red has enjoyed great success throughout Europe.

What We're Reading: Staff Picks July, 2011

July 13, 2011 | madame librarian

The fatal touch: a Commissario Alec Blume novel by Conor Fitzgerald

The last stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn by Nathaniel Philbrick

Knuckler: my life with baseball's most confounding pitch by Tim Wakefield with Tony Massarotti ; foreword by Phil Niekro

The quantum thief by Hannu Rajaniemi

Dating Mr. December by Phillipa Ashley

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