areer scientist Phil Plait has made it his mission to tackle widely held but nevertheless mistaken beliefs about astronomy, whether they are urban legends or the ludicrous pseudo-science often seen in SF movies. Cheerful, chatty and scientifically rigorous, his Bad Astronomy Web site posts the facts about everything from whether comets contain water to why data
from the Hubble Space Telescope is withheld for a year. Want to know why the sky is blue, or how it is that the moon can sometimes seem so much larger than usual when it is hanging just over the horizon? This is the site with the answers.
The above sample of simple but often misunderstood basics of space and earth science are just a few of the myths debunked at Bad Astronomy. For SF lovers, though, the true fun on this page may lie with its movie reviews, which list the (sometimes rare) moments of scientific accuracy along with the outrageously poor science in movies as diverse as Men in Black,
Mission to Mars and Tomb Raider. Television does not escape unscathed, either; a long series of essays takes apart bad science on the tube with precision and wit.
Which movie comes in for the most ire from the Bad Astronomer? Without a doubt, it is Armageddon, whose list of science mistakes goes on and on. But even as he trashes film mistakes by the dozen, Plait takes care to assure visitors that he really does love movies, going so far as to post a long list of his favorites (which includes Independence Day, by the way). Each review has a brief spoiler-free version, and each is scrupulously fair—no matter how howlingly bad the flick, if it got anything right, Bad Astronomy will say so.
With a recommended reading list, Bad Astronomy bulletin boards, and even T-shirts, this site works hard to spread the truth about what's out there ... and what's here on Earth, too.
—A.M. Dellamonica
Site of the Week—November 22, 2004
s there anyone left out there who doesn't know who Joss Whedon is? The multitalented creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is deservedly well known—even revered—within SF fandom. He is also the subject of Whedonesque, a first-rate weblog on all things Joss-related.
Bloggers at Whedonesque must provide a link with every entry, as well as a summary of what Web surfers will find when they click: articles, interviews, reviews of the latest issue of Whedon's outstanding new comic, Astonishing X-Men, or information about Buffy-themed books and other tie-ins. Only members can post or submit comments to the site (oddly, would-be members can join only on weekends), but even a casual visitor can read the entries.
Whedonesque exudes a calm-but-busy tone. It averages about 200 posted links per month, and these entries generate 10 times that many comments. Older posts are archived by month, and for visitors less interested in general browsing, they are also categorized using a number of handy labels. This allows for easy sifting by anyone looking for information on specific shows, print publications, fan activities, cast and crew news, or data on collectibles.
This site has very clearly laid-out guidelines for posting and a solid policy on how to label spoilers. This makes it a good stop for spoiler-phobic fans, whether they are seeking information on the Firefly movie, the fate of Eliza Dushku's presumed-dead series Tru Calling or any snippet of gossip about what Joss is working on now that television is tragically Whedon-free for the first time since Buffy premiered.
— A.M. Dellamonica
Site of the Week—November 15, 2004
ilm blunders of every description are the domain of Wallywood, a site that seeks out the silliest moments, factual errors and continuity goofs of SF and other movies. The goal is to breathe new life—and new fun—into beloved and often-watched films. The site provides a quick recap of each picture, along with a list of factual errors and other flaws. These are all indexed by the exact time the mistake occurs. The time index makes it easy for fans to catch previously unseen details and tiny technical glitches the creators meant to keep hidden ... all without having to comb through the movie frame by frame.
Half the fun of Wallywood is playing along. Visitors are encouraged to join the site (membership is free) and to begin seeking out and submitting their own mistakes. Easy-to-follow flash animations tour a new member through the submission process, and the site awards "Oscars" to its best mistake-spotters. Earning an Oscar can take time; some veteran members have posted more than 400 mistakes, so new visitors will have to work hard to catch up. Despite the obvious fannish enthusiasm that drives this site, the community section on Wallywood is not very active. Few members are posting messages to its rudimentary film discussion boards.
Wallywood offers links to DVD e-commerce sites, as well as web downloads for cell phones, a movie poster shop, e-postcards that parody well-known films and a handful of simple flash games, one of which is modeled on the classic final battle sequence from Star Wars. This site also has a large links page, pointing websurfers to official sites for most current
movies as well as to other film-related Web pages.
Fans visiting this site for the first time may want to maximize the fun by looking up recent SF blockbusters with long mistake lists, like The Matrix, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace or the Lord of the Rings trilogy. These are the best pictures to watch with a Wallywood goof list in hand, though lesser-known films are likely to have fewer listed mistakes, making them better candidates for new site members looking to earn a coveted Oscar.
— A.M. Dellamonica
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