Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Futurism.
26/1/1967: Re-watching... Tomorrow Is Yesterday
My ongoing mission: to watch classic television fifty years after first broadcast... This one opens unexpectedly with some grainy stock footage (I presume) of some very modern-looking American military aircraft, so having expected the usual futuristic backdrop I’m hooked instantly. The climactic twist to this pre-titles sequence being the site of the USS Enterprise appearing in the blue sky over an airbase. This does highlight that despite what I have considered pretty decent special effects here in 1967, the model work only looks as good as it does because it’s filmed against a black space background. Putting a silver spaceship against blue sky doesn’t quite work, but I love the juxtaposition so its an effective opening scene nonetheless. And it’s certainly no worse than any similar effect in Doctor Who.
By Nick Brown9 years ago in Futurism
MAVEN Spacecraft Makes Evasive Maneuver to Avoid Impact With Mars' Moon Phobos
Mars is a busy place these days, with multiple rovers and orbiters exploring the planet. Out of the several spacecraft currently in orbit, NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) is a fairly recent addition, having been at Mars for just over two years now. Usually, things are pretty routine, but this week the spacecraft had to make an unplanned evasive maneuver - to avoid a collision with one of Mars' two small moons, Phobos!
By Paul Scott Anderson9 years ago in Futurism
Cooper's Creek
I wish I had never heard of that place. The name will haunt me till the day I die, and that's a day that can't come soon enough. I can't even bring myself to write it down. It's as if just writing that damned name will make it real again. If it ever was real; maybe they are right, maybe it was just a psychotic episode.
By Bryan Irving9 years ago in Futurism
Interstellar and Orbit Pavilion
It was Friday morning. Through a sequence of synchronized events, I was taken on a strange journey to the Interstellar of my personal universe. An unexpected, spontaneous visit to one of my sanctuaries: The Huntington Library in Pasadena, California. The gardens are grounding with their spectacular natural exhibition, particularly in springtime when breathtaking wisterias in the Chinese garden and the Japanese ornamental quince are in the bloom.
By Shahram Farshadfar 9 years ago in Futurism
Could the TRAPPIST-1 Planetary System Be Home to Alien Life?
The discovery of seven Earth-sized planets orbiting the star TRAPPIST-1 generated a lot of excitement last week. Earth-sized planets have been found before, among the thousands of exoplanets discovered so far by astronomers, but this is the first time that so many have been detected in one planetary system. As of now, astronomers are limited in how much they can learn about these new worlds, but the James Webb Space Telescope, the upcoming successor to Hubble due to launch in 2018, will be able to gather more data and analyze whatever atmospheres these planets have, perhaps bringing us closer to finding another habitable world.
By Paul Scott Anderson9 years ago in Futurism
21/1/1967: Re-watching... The Underwater Menace – Part 2
My ongoing mission: to watch classic television fifty years after first broadcast... Back here in 1967 televisions weren’t as reliable as they would become, so despite my repeated thumping on the box I’ve been unable to get a picture since last October. And would you believe it, that coincides with all the episodes of Doctor Who which are missing from the archives in 2017! Cah, typical! So it might not come as a great surprise to you that this week my TV screen has suddenly flickered into life. And look: it’s Patrick Troughton as the new Dr Who! And now I can see Jamie too! Seeing this episode after so many audio only episodes has made me realise how much I must have missed out on, as watching Troughton is a very different experience to hearing a few lines from him. There have not really been any lengthy chunks of dialogue or great speeches from the new Doctor so it’s not easy to get a solid impression of the man. But I’m pleased to say he’s a joy to watch. I should also mention that this is genuinely the first time I’ve seen this episode.
By Nick Brown9 years ago in Futurism
Symbiote Chapter 1
The night sky rotated serenely as Xavier Thomas cruised down the I90W corridor well passed Hershey, Nebraska. The flat of the Great Plains seemed to go on forever, to every horizon. The sun had long since retired, and the temperature, which had been hot and muggy during the day, had become cold and moist in the darkness. Though Xavier had always preferred to be in small crowds, so there were less people to piss him off, this time, it was a bit different.
By daniel morris9 years ago in Futurism
Brutalist Stories #7
“Here, at the end of all things, and I still feel you. I’ve lost you, over and over again, so many times. Countless faces through the infinite, the same person, the one I was searching for…” he went silent, looking up to the light piercing the crumbling concrete, the sky outside on fire.
By Brutalist Stories9 years ago in Futurism
