Latest news with #sciencefiction
New York Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Peter David, Comic Book Writer Who Repopularized the Hulk, Dies at 68
Peter David, who wrote millions of words of science fiction, fantasy and comic-book adventures, becoming a favorite of fans by making it clear that his enthusiasm for genre fiction matched or exceeded theirs, died on May 24 in Patchogue, N.Y., on Long Island. He was 68. His wife, Kathleen, said that the official cause of his death, in a hospital, had not been determined, but that he had had multiple strokes. Known for his puckish sense of humor and for elaborate plotlines that sometimes spanned decades, Mr. David wrote scripts for the television series 'Babylon 5,' highly opinionated columns for the magazine Comics Buyer's Guide, and dozens of 'Star Trek' novels. But it was with his 11-year run, from 1987 to 1998, on the Marvel title The Incredible Hulk, which began as a collaboration with the rising artist Todd McFarlane, that Mr. David left his imprint on the industry. The green-skinned Hulk, the muscular and rage-filled alter ego of the scientist Bruce Banner, had once been a flagship character for Marvel, even starring in a network TV series from 1978 to 1982. But sales of his comic had declined precipitously after the show ended, and the monosyllabic character was seen as marginal. By emphasizing the Hulk's menace and delving into the traumatic childhood that gave rise to the character's split personality, he helped turn the series from a basement dweller into a hit. Valentine De Landro, an artist who drew a dozen issues of Marvel's X-Factor (an X-Men spinoff title) written by Mr. David in 2008 and 2009, praised him as a generous partner and pointed to the afterlife of his work. 'Story lines that he helped build and concepts for characters that he developed from almost 50 years ago are currently being referenced and leveraged,' Mr. De Landro said in an email. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The Review Geek
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
Murderbot – Season 1 Episode 4 Recap & Review
Escape Velocity Protocol Episode 4 of Murderbot begins with us back at Corporation Rim at the Threshold Pass in the Fabrication Center. This is where the SecUnits are made, with humans pushed way beyond their capabilities. Of course, anybody who's worked to the bone and not their sharpest are prone to make mistakes, and every part of this process is littered with issues or problems. It's a nice way of showing off the entire production process, throwing shade at factories that make products for thousands and pay their workers pittances. Nice work, Apple! We're then blasted back to the present where MurderBot is dragged up the hallway by its assailant. Dumped on a table, MurderBot bides its time before suddenly singing the Sanctuary Moon theme. It fights off the attacker after, but unfortunately not before it gets the Combat Override Module locked in. Things look hopeless, until Dr Mensah arrives with a mining drill and manages to take out the attacker. As they stumble off the ship, MurderBot is in and out of consciousness, seeing himself on the Sanctuary Moon set and stumbling through the hallways too. Back at the ship, the others are not happy when they find out Pin-wee was ordered back onto the chopper by Mensah. Ratthi grabs a gun and heads out, soon to be joined by the others, as they prepare to fight back. Ratthi hits himself in the head and isn't much help, while Pin-wee manages to drop the ship right on the robot attacker, eventually squashing it. Unfortunately, the damage has been done. The Combat Override Module looks set to switch on and set its sights on them all. Murderbot decides to sacrifice itself though, turning the gun on itself and firing. The Episode Review So Murderbot returns this week with an action-packed episode, one that dives into the morals of this bot and how strangely human it actually is. We still don't know who or what this attacker is and why it's so interested in overriding Murderbot's programming, but I'm sure we'll find out later in the series. The episode works well to add in some drama and comedy in equal measure, interwoven around the story that zips by at a frantic pace. The storyline is nicely structured as a result, and the ending certainly leaves everything wide open for the next episode. Previous Episode Next Episode Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!
BBC News
6 days ago
- Science
- BBC News
Bovril: A meaty staple's strange link to cult science fiction
Alamy Invented to make beef last long journeys to market, Bovril became a famous British kitchen staple. Less well-known is its link to an odd, pioneering science fiction novel. A stout black jar of Bovril with a cheery red top lurks in many a British kitchen, next to tins of treacle and boxes of tea. The gooey substance, made of rendered-down beef, salt and other ingredients, can be spread on toast or made into a hot drink, but what many people don't realise is that this old-fashioned comfort food has a surprising link to science fiction. The "Bov" part of the name is easy enough to decipher – from "bovine", meaning associated with cattle. But the "vril" bit? That's a different story, literally. In 1871, an anonymous novel was published about a race of super-humans living underground. The narrator of The Coming Race, who has fallen into their realm during a disastrous descent into a mine shaft, is shocked to learn that they are telepathic, thanks to the channeling of a mysterious energy called vril. "Through vril conductors, they can exercise influence over minds, and bodies animal and vegetable, to an extent not surpassed in the romances of our mystics," the narrator realises. Vril gives them strength, as well, rendering them capable of incredible feats. The people call themselves the Vril-Ya, and their society seems in many ways superior to that of the surface dwellers. (Read more from the BBC about the weird aliens of early science fiction.) Alamy The Coming Race was a runaway bestseller. It eventually became clear that the anonymous author was Edward Bulwer-Lytton, the prominent politician and writer (and, to give you a sense of his prose, the first person to start a novel: " It was a dark and stormy night…"). It became such a cultural touchstone that 20 years later, the Royal Albert Hall in London played host to the Vril-Ya Bazaar and Fete, to raise money for a school of massage "and electricity". In 1895, a writer for The Guardian newspaper started a review of a new novel with this statement: "The influence of the author of The Coming Race is still powerful, and no year passes without the appearance of stories which describe the manners and customs of peoples in imaginary worlds, sometimes in the stars above, sometimes in the heart of unknown continents in Australia or at the Pole, and sometimes below the waters under the earth." The work under review? The Time Machine, by H G Wells. And so you can see how, in the 1870s, when John Johnston, Scottish meat entrepreneur, was coming up with a name for his bottled beef extract,"vril" was a tip-of-the-tongue reference. Beef extract was not, on its own, a terribly compelling product. Johnston and other makers of the substance were responding to a demand for beef products in Europe, where raising cattle was prohibitively expensive, and the growth of cattle ranches in South America, Australia and Canada. How do you make a salty meat paste sound nourishing? By linking it to a fantastical substance with great powers There was no way to get fresh meat from these far-flung places to Europe. But rendering the meat down into a paste and sealing it in jars yielded a shelf-stable product that could make the long journeys involved. (Johnston was not the only player in the meat extract game – Justus von Liebig, one of the founders of organic chemistry, founded Leibig's Extract of Meat Company to commercialise his process. The company later went on to produce Oxo bouillon cubes and Fray Bentos pies.) How do you make a salty meat paste sound nourishing? By linking it to a fantastical substance with great powers. An excitable advert for Bovril in the program from the Vril-Ya Bazaar reads, "Bo-VRIL is the materialised ideal of the gifted author of 'The Coming Race'… it will exert a marvellous influence on the system, exhilarating without subsequent depression, and increasing the mental and physical vitality without taxing the digestive organs. It is a tonic as well as a food, and forms the most Perfect Nourishment known to Science." More like this: • Can your body become intolerant to meat? • An odd-tasting oil that packed a healthy punch • The rise and fall and possible rise of the oyster The Coming Race has had a somewhat ominous afterlife. Members of the theosophy movement, including the spiritualist medium Madame Blavatsky, claimed that vril was real. Willy Ley, a German rocket enthusiast writing about conspiracy theories in Germany during the rise of the Nazis in the magazine Astounding Science Fiction, said there was a society in Berlin that believed in vril: "They knew that the book was fiction, Bulwer-Lytton had used that device in order to be able to tell the truth about this 'power'. "The subterranean humanity was nonsense, Vril was not. Possibly it had enabled the British, who kept it as a State secret, to amass their colonial empire." Odd bedfellows, for a cup of meat tea. -- If you liked this story, sign up for The Essential List newsletter – a handpicked selection of features, videos and can't-miss news, delivered to your inbox twice a week. For more science, technology, environment and health stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram.
New York Times
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Magic, Conspiracy and a Down-on-His-Luck Detective
Tochi Onyebuchi's latest novel, 'Harmattan Season,' opens as many a detective story has, with a mysterious woman seeking the help of a downcast private investigator. In an early-20th-century West African city occupied by the French after a devastating war, we meet Bouba, a 'chercher' making a tenuous living finding missing persons. As a 'deux-fois,' half-French and half-Indigenous 'dugulen' and generally able to pass as either, he's living in semi-squalor in his city's Ethnic Quarter, saddled with unshakable debt, hiding his past fighting on the side of the French and believing himself in possession of a permanent 'bad-luck radius.' When he opens his door to his mystery woman, she is clutching a bloody stomach wound and begging him to hide her. He shuffles her to a closet and moments later the police arrive, saying they need to take Bouba in for questioning. Under the guise of getting his sandals, he rushes back into his house and discovers the woman has vanished. Presented with such a mystery, what can a good chercher do but go searching? The case of the missing woman resolves quickly but not before leading Bouba to a larger conspiracy. As in prior noir-influenced science-fiction/fantasy fare, like China Miéville's 'The City & the City' or P. Djéli Clark's 'A Master of Djinn,' Onyebuchi employs the tropes of the detective novel not only to unravel a mystery but also to trawl readers through an imagined setting whose inventions reflect real-world historical issues. In 'Harmattan Season,' the deeper meditation is about the heavy cost of colonization and conquest. The woman Bouba seeks turns out to be a Floater, someone who can gain the ability to levitate after removing a particular body organ. This process is also used to create surreal explosives eventually employed, in the novel's most indelible image, to lift much of the city's French Quarter, suspending broken buildings in midair while their inhabitants tumble back to earth. This is guerrilla resistance fighting not with guns but with magic, as the dugulen literally eject their oppressors from stolen land. 'Harmattan Season' moves with a thrilling briskness but sometimes its pace works against its other pleasures. Onyebuchi's West Africa is compellingly imagined but the reader is so quickly rushed from locale to locale that one might struggle to stay grounded. Some of the novel's more intriguing characters get somewhat flattened by this haste. Most problematic is how Bouba often feels carried along by his investigation rather than the driver of it: There's a lot of coincidence here, and sometimes characters seem to make plot-crucial choices without clear or pressing motivations. Like many noirs before it, 'Harmattan Season' is about revealing the greedy schemes of the ruling class. Bouba's efforts eventually uncover French machinations to influence a crucial election, where, if the dugulen reform candidate wins, a Truth and Reconciliation Commission promises to expose any number of war crimes, including Bouba's own. If the puppet incumbent retains his post, the evidence of those atrocities will instead be hidden by lucrative building developments designed to house even more French settlers. To those on top, Bouba despairs, the want for more of the same can justify any crime. 'Men like him, they get their money and their desire changes form,' he laments. 'It's all about power.' In the end, Bouba's foes are not unlike the Harmattan, a dry season of blowing dust Onyebuchi cleverly uses to evoke the ever-present despair of oppressive colonization. 'The français,' one dugulen woman says, 'they are a Harmattan that never ends.' It's not easy to fight the wind, Onyebuchi argues, but it's not impossible. Maybe there is a way to change the weather. Maybe Bouba can help bring the sweet rain the city craves, and with it, a new hope.
Geek Girl Authority
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Girl Authority
The Psychology of Chance: Exploring Probability in Sci-Fi Narratives
In the vast expanses of science fiction universes, few concepts are as simultaneously mathematical and mystical as probability. From the quantum uncertainties that drive parallel universe theories to the statistical improbabilities that heroes must overcome, chance and probability form the backbone of countless beloved sci-fi narratives. But what is it about these mathematical concepts that captivates storytellers and audiences alike? As a longtime sci-fi enthusiast who's spent countless hours analyzing the intersection of science and storytelling, I've always been fascinated by how writers use probability as both a plot device and a philosophical exploration. Sci-fi creators leverage these mathematical concepts to build tension, drive character development, and pose profound questions about fate versus randomness in ways that continue to captivate audiences across all media. The Quantum Roll of the Dice: Probability as Plot Device Science fiction has long been enamored with quantum mechanics and its strange, probabilistic nature. The quantum world, where particles exist in states of probability rather than certainty until observed, provides the perfect scientific foundation for narratives exploring chance and multiple possibilities. Notable Examples of Probability-Driven Sci-Fi Plots Science fiction has a rich history of using probability as a central narrative element. The most compelling stories don't just mention chance – they weave it into the very fabric of their universes, using probability as both scientific foundation and philosophical playground. Below, I've compiled some of the most fascinating explorations of probability across various sci-fi media, highlighting how these mathematical concepts transform from abstract theories into powerful storytelling tools. Title Probability Concept How It's Used Impact on Narrative Rick and Morty Infinite universes Creates unlimited parallel timelines Allows for exploration of every possible decision outcome Devs (TV series) Deterministic universe Probability is an illusion; everything is predetermined Creates tension between free will and fatalism Dark (Netflix) Causal determinism Past, present, and future exist simultaneously in a probability loop Explores whether characters can break predetermined paths Doctor Strange Seeing all possible futures The Time Stone allows viewing 14,000,605 possible outcomes Creates dramatic tension through astronomical odds Star Trek Heisenberg Compensators Fictional technology that manages quantum uncertainty Solves the uncertainty problem in teleportation The Three-Body Problem Computational universe Reality behaves like a simulation with probabilistic rules Examines how civilizations might respond to unreliable physics Table 1: Probability Concepts in Popular Science Fiction Works Science fiction writers have masterfully employed these concepts to create tension through improbable odds. Consider the iconic scene in Star Wars: A New Hope where C-3PO informs Han Solo that the odds of successfully navigating an asteroid field are approximately 3,720 to 1. Rather than deterring our smuggler hero, this astronomical improbability only strengthens his resolve, highlighting a uniquely human trait: our tendency to rally against statistical impossibilities. The Human Factor: Why We Misunderstand Probability One of the most fascinating aspects of probability in sci-fi is how it reflects our real-world cognitive biases about chance. Humans are notoriously poor at intuitively understanding probability, and sci-fi narratives often exploit this fact to create compelling stories. Common probability misconceptions that appear in sci-fi include: The Gambler's Fallacy: The belief that previous outcomes affect future independent events The Hot Hand Fallacy: Perceiving streaks in random sequences The Law of Small Numbers: Drawing major conclusions from minimal data points The Monte Carlo Fallacy: Believing that deviations from expected behavior will correct themselves The Base Rate Fallacy: Ignoring general statistical information when judging specific cases The Clustering Illusion: Seeing patterns in truly random distributions These cognitive biases don't just make for interesting character flaws—they reflect genuine human psychology. When a character in Battlestar Galactica insists that jumping to the same coordinates seven times in a row will eventually work despite previous failures, they're exhibiting the same gambler's fallacy that might lead someone to believe a roulette wheel is 'due' for red after several blacks. Fate vs. Randomness: The Philosophical Dimension Beyond plot mechanics, probability in science fiction often serves as a vehicle for exploring deeper philosophical questions about determinism versus free will, fate versus chance, and order versus chaos. Consider the divergent approaches in two classic sci-fi works: Isaac Asimov's Foundation series and Philip K. Dick's The Man in the High Castle . Asimov's psychohistory presents a universe where, while individual actions remain unpredictable, the collective behavior of human societies follows statistical laws that can be calculated with near certainty. This deterministic view suggests that while small-scale events may seem random, large-scale history follows inevitable patterns. In stark contrast, Dick's alternate history novel hinges on the I Ching, an ancient Chinese divination text based on probability. Characters consult the I Ching to make decisions, suggesting a universe governed by chance rather than determinism—yet the narrative itself hints at deeper patterns beneath apparent randomness. This tension between determinism and randomness resonates with audiences because it reflects our own existential questions. Are we masters of our fate or subjects to probability? When Commander Adama in Battlestar Galactica states, 'You know, sometimes I wonder if the gods just rolled the dice and decided to see what would happen,' he's voicing the same cosmic uncertainty we all sometimes feel. Games of Chance: Gambling Motifs in Sci-Fi The relationship between gambling and science fiction runs deeper than it might initially appear. Casinos, card games, and betting systems frequently appear in sci-fi narratives, serving as more than just atmospheric world-building—they become powerful metaphors for how characters understand and relate to chance. Consider the iconic casino planet Canto Bight in Star Wars: The Last Jedi , serving as a stark visual representation of how the wealthy elite attempt to control and profit from chance while remaining insulated from its negative outcomes. Or the space station casino in Cowboy Bebop where bounty hunters track targets amid the flashing lights of slot machines—a visual reminder that their profession is itself a gamble. The most compelling gambling scenes in sci-fi often highlight the tension between skill and luck. When Han Solo wins the Millennium Falcon from Lando Calrissian in a game of sabacc, the scene establishes both characters' willingness to risk everything on a single bet—a trait that defines their approaches to the larger conflicts in the story. Similarly, in Battlestar Galactica , the regular card games among the crew serve as moments of normalcy amid chaos while subtly reinforcing the show's themes about control, fate, and human decision-making under pressure. What makes these fictional gambling scenarios so compelling is how they mirror our real-world fascination with probability and chance. In both sci-fi and reality, we're drawn to the tension between mathematical odds and unpredictable outcomes. This intersection of probability theory and entertainment isn't limited to fiction—many sci-fi fans enjoy exploring similar probability systems through real-world games of chance. The rise of online casinos has made it easier than ever to experience these probability mechanics firsthand, allowing people to test theories and strategies against actual odds without leaving home. A particularly useful resource for those looking to explore these concepts is , where you can compare various casino bonuses and analyze the underlying probability systems that govern games of chance—much like the analytical approach that makes probability-centric sci-fi so fascinating. The Multiverse: When All Probabilities Play Out Perhaps no probability concept has gained more traction in modern sci-fi than the multiverse theory—the idea that every possible outcome of every decision spawns its own universe. This concept has moved from fringe physics to mainstream entertainment, appearing in works ranging from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse to Everything Everywhere All at Once . The multiverse provides a narrative playground where writers can explore not just what happened, but what might have happened. Shows like Loki and The Flash use the multiverse to examine how slight variations in probability can lead to dramatically different outcomes, while films like Coherence use quantum uncertainty to create psychological horror from probability itself. What makes the multiverse so compelling is how it addresses our natural tendency to wonder 'what if?' When we see a character encountering their alternate selves who made different choices, we're engaging with the same psychological mechanism that makes us contemplate our own roads not taken. Digital Probability: AI and Randomness in Sci-Fi As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly prevalent in our world, sci-fi has begun exploring how AI systems understand and manipulate probability. From HAL 9000's probability assessments in 2001: A Space Odyssey to the predictive algorithms in Minority Report and Person of Interest , fictional AI systems often serve as the ultimate probability calculators. These narratives tap into our contemporary relationship with algorithmic systems. Today's recommendation engines, predictive text, and targeted advertising all use probabilistic methods to anticipate our behavior. When we watch a sci-fi show where an AI predicts human actions with unsettling accuracy, we're experiencing an amplified version of our daily interactions with technology. This fictional exploration has real-world parallels. Just as sci-fi AI systems calculate character behaviors, actual systems analyze complex probability patterns in various domains. Whether it's predictive policing algorithms or websites evaluating game odds, these systems represent our ongoing attempt to master probability through computation. Conclusion: The Universal Appeal of Chance Why does probability continue to fascinate sci-fi creators and audiences? Perhaps because it exists at the intersection of science and mystery. Probability is mathematically rigorous yet leaves room for the unexpected—the perfect balance for science fiction, which thrives in the space between the known and the unknown. The best sci-fi stories about probability remind us that while we can calculate odds, we can never fully tame chance. As Douglas Adams humorously illustrated with the Infinite Improbability Drive in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy , sometimes the most improbable events are precisely what make life—and storytelling—most interesting. In a universe governed by probability waves and quantum uncertainty, science fiction doesn't just use probability as a plot device—it helps us process our own relationship with chance, uncertainty, and possibility. And in that exploration, we might just find something profoundly human: our persistent hope that despite overwhelming odds, improbable doesn't mean impossible. Prime Video Cancels THE WHEEL OF TIME After 3 Seasons RELATED: Read our The Wheel of Time recaps
