Many art historians believe this to be the famous painting, Luncheon of the Boating Party (Le déjeuner des canotiers) by the French impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir, painted in 1881. They are right on two counts: it was Renoir, and it was … Continue reading →
Continue readingTag: science fiction
Chadwick's Blog & Commentary: Tom Swift and His Rocket Ship
I was 8, maybe 9 years old, when my parents gave me a hardcover copy of Tom Swift and His Rocket Ship by Victor Appleton II. Probably a birthday or Xmas present. I can’t recall which. I just recall how … Continue reading →
Continue readingmark a rayner | scribblings, squibs & sundry monkey joys: Take me to your breeder
Klaktron XII was the Hyper-Commander of the United Federation of Incredibly Regular Planets Space Vessel, Cheeznip. His was a storied career. He’d eaten ultrasonic oysters in the Seafood Nebula, and lived to tell the tale (in five-part harmony). He’d fought … Continue reading →
Continue readingRedBedHead: Prometheus: Big Ideas Made Dull
$130 million and all you can come up with is that we were created by muscular white dudes with waxed chests? Let’s keep this quick and painless and cut straight to the point: the $16 I spent to see Prometheus in 3D (and, sorry Andrew, I dragged you into a
Continue readingmark a rayner | scribblings, squibs & sundry monkey joys: Why doesn’t SF produce “big idea” books anymore?
“…today you don’t need to read SF to get a sense of wonder high: you can just browse “New Scientist”. We’re living in the frickin’ 21st century. Killer robot drones are assassinating people in the hills of Afghanistan. Our civilisation … Continue reading →
Continue readingArt Threat: Ghosts with Shit Jobs – Is this $4,000 “lo-fi sci-fi” the future of Canadian Filmmaking?
It is the year 2040. China is the world’s dominant economic power, while North America’s decline has forced most of its citizens into degrading and menial jobs. In Toronto, two “silk-gatherers” collect and sell “spiz,” the remnants of secretions from giant arachnoids. Other jobs of the future include “digital janitor,”
Continue readingmark a rayner | scribblings, squibs & sundry monkey joys: Vermeer’s Girl With Funky Hat About to Be Sucked Into A Naked Singularity
Few people know the Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer had an advanced understanding of modern physics, but only alluded to it in some of his works because he dare not reveal his knowledge. He lived in the mid-17th century, so if … Continue reading →
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