NASA is currently running the final Hubble mission, upgrading the satellite one last time. If you are interested in watching the mission in real time, as always you can see it on NASA TV, both online and on select cable systems. If their are any problems with the mission, NASA now has an emergency response shuttle ready to run a rescue flight. Part of the mission is to bring home the camera that saved the Hubble, the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2. Installed in 1993, this was the first camera with a corrective function for the flaw in the Hubble’s mirror. To commemorate the retirement they have released one last beauty shot of planetary nebula Kohoutek 4-55; the camera will be added to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum permanent collection. For other incredible images captured by the Hubble, take a look at their Gallery site. And if you get by the Smithsonian in the next week or two, don’t forget to see the original Enterprise model used in the 60s Star Trek TV show, and maybe catch the Star Trek IMAX version of the new movie. They will also be running other Sci-Fi IMAX films including NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN and Transformers 2 Revenge of the Fallen. Here is the video of the shuttle capturing the Hubble to bring it onboard for repairs.
Not books about Pirates, but pirating books. Ursela K LeGuin recently found some of her own books available online as downloads, even though neither she nor her publishers had authorized their release in that media. Text pirating has now joined audio and video as a top copyright violation, mostly due to the growing popularity of portable text viewers. There are a lot of legally free books and stories you can read online or download for your portable player (kindle, palmtop, cell phone, etc.). Some are there as a marketing tool to increase sales, some are available because the author released it under a creative commons or equivalent copyright license, some because the copyright has expired. Like everything else, there is a history and controversies about copyright laws, with multinational companies on one side, users of the intellectual properties on the other, and the actual creators lining up on both sides depending on individual inclination and attitude. Personally, I consider it the authors right to decide how they want their works to be made available. Having their work distributed without their permission and without compensation does not create a sustainable creative environment; authors deserve a payday as well.
There are a number of viral Terminator: Salvation sites online, as there were for the new Trek movie and many others. One such site is Resist Or Be Terminated, done as the propaganda arm of John Connors resistance. Another is Enitechlabs Research, at first glance a particle physics web site. But a camera they have developed that takes pictures about 3 years in the future has begun to show some disturbing images, and something seems to be after the scientists now. Then there is Skynet Research, who are looking for a few good robotics design engineers, offering free download and installation of their Distributed Computing Network software, and giving away their security systems to install in your home or business…
There are two very different posts focused on the top science fiction moms for this mothers day I would like to share. The first is the Top 10 Sci-Fi/Fantasy Mothers from Fandomainia. Besides the usual TV and Movie actresses you would expect, there is at least one entry I know only from books… because the Maximum Ride movie doesn’t even have a trailer yet. With a completely different attitude, SciFi Sizzle has also put together a list of SciFi’s Hottest Moms. While several of the names and actresses are the same, the pictures are anything but similar. Even with the differences, there is not a single entry on either list I could possibly argue with; take a look at both, and see if you don’t agree.
If you haven’t already, of course. I love the reboot known as Star Trek 11, and can’t wait for the next one. Simon Pegg as Scotty and Karl Urbana as Bones both brought something to the characters that gave them a spark of life even the originals didn’t have (shields up, prepare to repel flames), and Zach Quinto as Spock was dead on the money. There were a few details I can quibble with, that still didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the movie; but the folks at Sci-Fi Wire said it first and better, so read their version. Above all, go see the movie!
If you enjoy the books of David Weber, particularly the Honor Harrington series, here is a gaming site you will wan to visit: The Honorverse.