hat is the future of science? This is a question asked in many different ways by science fiction. Writers extrapolate the technology of the future to a wide variety of degrees—Geoffrey A. Landis creates a next generation of tools that might be used on voyages to Mars, while Linda Nagata imagines far-flung nanotech creations so powerful that they render humans virtually immortal ... while changing them so completely they might as well be aliens. Also critical to the genre is consideration of the role humanity's inventions will play in shaping society, for good or ill. Often these visions are dark indeed.
The Academy for Future Science sounds like the stuff of SF: an organization that takes these same concerns about science into the real world, it sets for itself the mission of resolving current global resource problems and building "a new scientific civilization with a positive future in the twenty-first century." This futuristic vision takes the Academy all over the world, where its scientists work (among other things) to improve renewable energy sources, study the development of space law, encourage multiculturalism and participate in archaeological digs.
The site has articles on all research of interest to the Academy: remote sensing, biomedicine and terraforming, to name just a few. Environmental issues are a particular focus of the group and receive a great deal of attention. All of the essays are laced with ideas for writers and readers alike, making for an intriguing afternoon's reading. Perhaps more importantly, the optimistic and science-friendly outlook of this organization is uplifting. Just as the original Star Trek television series offered fans a bright and compelling future to embrace, a visit to this site is emotionally satisfying as well as informative.
— A.M. Dellamonica
Site of the Week—May 27, 2003
n its incarnation as a print fanzine, Firelight Shocks had a promising startup in Scotland in 1999. Now, having expanded onto the Web and available to a wider range of readers, this toddler of a horror 'zine not only provides coverage of cult and offbeat cinema, but also sponsors Shockerfest, an annual film festival held in California.
At present, the site has four issues under its belt, with a fifth to come soon. (For those who prefer the print version, it is available and can be ordered at the site.) Contents of these first issues include reviews of new DVDs (including truly esoteric fare like the Blair Witch Project-influenced The Collingswood Story), interviews, horror links and news on personalities and upcoming films of interest to horror fans.
The feature articles at Firelight Shocks are a gourmet menu of fun and strangeness. There is an article about the writer/director of the upcoming Sasquatch movie The Untold, which will star Millennium actor Lance Henriksen. Another piece focuses on slasher films, arguing that the genre is the last great exploitation-movie fad. A recurring item called "Low Budget Hell" chronicles the making of extremely inexpensive movies, in one case tracing the history of a number of cannibalism flicks. The interviews are similarly quirky—there is one with all three of the actresses who appeared in The Evil Dead, and another with actor Michael Berryman of The Hills Have Eyes fame.
Firelight Shocks has a sparse archive of articles at the moment, a natural side effect of its being a relative newcomer to the Web. The quality of what is there already, though, makes this site worthy of support as it continues to grow and add content.
— A.M. Dellamonica
Site of the Week—May 19, 2003
tomFilms is a virtual movie palace, a gathering place for Internet video makers who want to share their productions. With dozens of short films available, this site has offerings that range in tone from dead seriousness to side-splitting hilarity.
The site has a heavy skew to animated pictures, and is not solely SF—romantic comedies, dramas, Flash projects and mature-themed projects are all available on AtomFilms, too. However, the Web page does have an SF section, and it contains several gems. One piece, called Freak Zoo, is about a woman who meets a man on the Internet, agrees to a date and ends
up waiting for him at an extremely eerie zoo. In the slick and brilliantly directed "Grey," an ordinary man encounters his own doppelganger, with tragic results.
The largest draw for many SF fans, though, will certainly be the Star Wars Fan Film Awards. Many of the entries in this collection of Star Wars parodies are not to be missed: the "Star Wars Gangsta Rap," for example, and "Dark Side Switch Campaign," in which Anakin Skywalker explains his reasons for turning to evil. "Jar Jar's Walking Papers" shows a meeting between a certain not-so-lovable alien and his creator, George Lucas, while "Trooper Clerks" combines the Star Wars universe with characters created by Kevin Smith to wittily imagine the goings-on at a Death Stop convenience store.
With such a vast and varied collection of material on offer, AtomFilms can guarantee every visitor some first-rate entertainment—and usually in handy installments of five minutes or less!
— A.M. Dellamonica
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