THQ reacquires Homeworld licence from Sierra!

Amidst a lot of hinting and speculation there is official word that the licence of the Homeworld game franchise has been transferred from Sierra to THQ. The original developers of Homeworld was Relic, also the creators of the War of Dawn Warhammer 40000 series. The first two homeworld games as well as Homeworld: Cataclysm were published by Sierra. Relic was later bought by THQ and the possibility of a new game set in the Homeworld universe was very slim since the license and the creators were split. Now THQ, owner of Relic, has acquired the license of the franchise and there will be a new title probably announced!! here is the news. Also here is a great site with homeworld art: Homeworld Shots

Scale study part 3: Atlas of the Universe

Have you ever wondered how big the universe is? What are the suns that neighbour our own and how far they are? You have to visit... www.atlasoftheuniverse.com. Well this is a very good resource for the scale freak! Many suns, galaxies, clusters and stellar bodies combined over many different distances provide an accurate enough map of the known universe.

Pic of the day #6: Starship Orgone

Encyclopaedia Galactica reference: Starship Orgone is a living organism, a new ship engineered with the incorporation of machine and organic parts. The ship has its own free will and intelligence. In the little time it has been allowed to evolve it has decided its own course in evolution. Initially designed as a militant entity the starship willingly chose to experiment on an open sourced philosophy with the incorporation of varied knowledge from all parts of the cosmos and not only warfare. It is continuously traveling the universe in search of new data. Orgone is still a small child trying to grow up.

Terraforming Mars: Ecopoiesis

While we worry about the climate changes in our habitable planet and try to work on our ecology to cut down on gas emissions and global warming there are many scientists that actually visualize a similar process for the planet Mars. In this case there is no need for a restoration of an ecological balance but the whole process of creating conditions suitable for life and a stable ecosystem, in one word: ecopoiesis, the creation of a new earth.
There are many notable visionary scientists that dreamed of taming the red planet. Most notable of them was Carl Sagan. The late astronomer conceived a way of a biological factory of algae that will process carbon dioxide and generate oxygen and heat. In this way there will probably be a new more viable atmosphere created over time through the melting of the Martian polar caps, the vast expanses of iced water that are found to lie underneath the planet's poles. During a period of many hundred years the climate of the planet will gradually change to a more earth compatible one. The process also known as terraforming. In the picture shown there is a four step artistic illustration of the process of Mars' terraforming.(source wikipedia)
Also Martyn J. Fogg published in the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society his views on planetary engineering and presented that although mars used to be a biocompatible planet compared to Earth, a certain cataclysmic event, possibly an asteroid collision has turned it to an inhospitable place. The process of terraforming could be done anew but at immeasurable costs.
There are many issues ethical, political and financial in the way of a successful ecopoiesis. The political issues arise from the national divisions and the sovereignty of nations on the new planet. It is extremely possible that new conflicts will arise on this mater. The next thing is the economic impact of who and how will benefit from the time and resource consuming process. Will it be political nations, corporations, the settlers themselves? Finally if we come to nationality what will the future Martians be calling themselves? Americans, Russians, Greek or generally Terran? Probably none of these, a new revolution will surely start on the new motherland.

Pic of the day #5: The faithful departure of Viora SR-136

The Viora SR - 136 experimental cruiser was based on technology recovered from an archeological dig in an ancient derelict structure from the 23rd spiral region. The ancient technology that GALAXIA ΤF-aRc corp had salvaged and utilised in many prototypes was thought to be buried for millions of years. The derelict had long since been turned into the corporation's primary shipyard. Thousands of ships were launched and Galaxia's profits skyrocketed. The relic was moddified accordingly with scaffolding, living facilities and working quarters. Ore was mined from the asteroid field and used for the ships' srtuctural alloys. It was during Viora's maiden voyage when a strange source of radiation emerged from the distant part of the asteroid field. Everyone was mobilised to find the source when the whole sector was shocked by a cataclysmic explosion. The scale of the blast was such that all objects in a radius of 0.4 AU vaporised instantly! Nothing survived the self-destruction mechanism. The Old Ones finally had their vengeance!

Bladerunner Final Cut!

Bladerunner is my favourite movie ever, Period! I have enjoyed watching it so many times that I can recite all the dialogues from start to end. It is a timeless jewel that 25 years after its original release still amazes and gives thought about issues such as life, death, the social hierarchy, violence, love, racism, the decisions we make, our misconceptions and our regrets. Ridley Scott, the director, has remastered the original version with new vibrant colours and has edited again for one final cut. Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Daryl Hannah, Joanna Cassidy, Edward James Olmos are still giving monumental performances! The restored film relies on the 1992 director's cut and expands the question of being a "replicant", an artificial being, even more with the addition of new scenes. The theatrical screenings have begun in the States but here in Greece we are still waiting for a cinema to host this brilliant restoration. There will be a 5 disk boxed set by the end of the year including bluray and Hd dvd versions! The film is based on Phillip K Dick's classic novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep". Watch it and you'll see things you wouldn't believe!

Bronko's Turrican Page!

Bronko is a modder and a fan and this is his marvelous Turrican page! He is from Germany where there are a lot of fans of the classic Turrican games. He is an active member of the Turrican community and is currently modding for the T2002 engine! His current project is called Underneath and he was also involved in Morgul Returns! You can check out his page here! There is also a forum with news and answers on Turrican mostly in the german language. Way to go Bronko keep up the good work! For german speakers click here.

My Conquest is the Sea of Stars.

My conquest is the sea of stars is the pilot movie to the series "Legend of the Galactic Heroes" probably one of the most complex and extraordinarily philosophical anime that have ever been created. The production is from 1988 but nevertheless it is a series of more than 110 episodes with a plot that is so thick with action that EVERY episode is compared with big budget action movies! Main characters are easily killed and there is a degree of realism that is disturbing with bombings, battles and political assassinations. The struggle to rule humanity is the theme and two nations battle over political and ethical supremacy. The scale of the conflict is massive and there is a very clear chain of command that is the backbone of the story. Literary hundreds of characters are introduced all of whom are voiced by different people! The fact that are completely massive space battles in the range of tens of thousands of spaceships has made this show an instant classic for me. The best thing though is that all the space battles are accompanied by classical music! Imagine 40 thousand spaceships blasting each other on the tune of Ravel's Bolero!!! It is beyond words! Just watch it!

Heroic Age!

Age is one of the last of the Heroic tribe, a civilization so advanced that could destroy planets and stars during their rage. The Golden tribe the rightful rulers of the galaxy have left for another universe and the rest of the tribes are left to sweep up the mess in the chaos that has followed. The humans, called the iron tribe must survive the vengeful vendetta waged by the technologically advanced Silver tribe and their henchmen, the alien Bronze tribe. The odyssey of the human tribe is told beautifully in 26 episodes in what is one of the most visually stunning anime around! The designs are beautiful and the colouring... AWESOME! Tip: Watch the high definition version!

Pic of the day #4: The super-intelligent humanoid parrot

There are many parrots in all the different regions of the cosmos but no other is nearly as intelligent as Hue Avinni the Genius. Raised by a family of human academics he was in the ideal environment for his overwhelming intelligence to flourish. At the age of 8 he finished highschool and by the age of 12 he had received his first Doctorate. Unfortunately even though his academic career was brilliant his mind was wandering on other methods for gaining power. He soon set up a network of criminally intent genetic scientists and started mysterious experiments on humans and animals alike. He created many chimeras, beings that were part human and part animal, trained them, and used them as assault troops in mob-like operations. His fortune rose to huge levels from arms and drugs dealing as well as technology and body part shipping and patenting. His gangster methods at industrial espionage were legendary as was his extravagant lifestyle and addiction to an exotic mind enhancing drug called mithral. He has had 23 children all of them genetically modified clones of himself. He is 45 years old although the race of parrots he originates from have a life expectancy of at least a hundred.

Pic of the day #3: The honoring of Baron Bren McGuire

Baron Bren Mcguire had been the liberator of the border worlds and strategic consultant to the Emperor himself. He single handedly defeated Morgul the three-headed, destroyed the Machine and later hunt down the machine cult heretics. After the fall of the allied worlds of men and during the catastrophic civil wars that devastated many civilizations he helped to bring order and stability to the universe. He was appointed commander of the Praetorian Guard and regional governor of the eastern core sector. In his early nineties the old veteran presented his arms dressed in his full ceremonial Turrican suit, bearing the crest of his rank and was honored by the imperial hand for his overall contribution to galactic stability. The Baron stood firm and unmoving in the great coronation hall. He stoically received the blessings and hurriedly left to attend to his duties. Bren McGuire, a true hardened warrior, was never at ease with formalities.

Pic of the day #2: Demise of the space Pirate

The infamous Var Lothe, the space pirate was the scourge of the west galactic stream. On countless occasions he had hijacked the unaware and the unprepared. His techniques were brutally efficient and he had accumulated great wealth and a large band of associates. It all changed the day that the imperial regional governor placed a bounty on his head so high that even his own colleagues could not ignore! A mutiny was quenched and on many occasions he barely survived capture and defeat. It was during one of his raids on a border world orbiting a gas giant that his second in command Johr Aile and his faithful group of Wolves, the elite ruffians betrayed him. The attack relied on surprise and Var Lothe was surely to be doomed or captured by the ferocious pack of ships. In the last possible moment before the inevitable the old pirate dived in the atmosphere of the gas giant. The pursuers followed hot in pursuit blasting large chunks of the ship to pieces. Then gravity had its way and his ship started to be crushed under the massive pulling forces. The dogs left the hunt and in his last moment Var Lothe disappeared flaming into the thick methane gases never to be seen again. Tales of his deeds and his demise spread around nearby system and rumor has it that his ship still haunts a certain secluded dark nebula.

Pic of the day #1: The Garbage world of Brokkan

The Galactic empire had been in the climax of power for thousands of years. Countless worlds had been habitated and terraformed and a lot of resources were used in the process. Since times long past the Imperial system has fallen into decadence and corruption, the splendor of long ago lost forever. In their overconsumption the Emperors and their courts needed worlds that byproducts could be dumped. Ecologically destroyed these world were turned into massive junkyards where spaceships were left to die and decompose and all the trash of the colonies were brought to be left forever. One of these worlds is Brokkan on the outer spiral of the galaxy, once a beautiful green planet now a world covered in trash and broken metal. Scavengers have made a living here together with people with no home; space pirates, cultists, mutants, outcasts have all found their haven.

Extrasolar planet Gliese 581c

On April 24, 2007 a significant discovery was made by the HARPS instrument of the European Southern observatory. The exoplanet of Gliese 581c is within the habitable zone where water -a necessary ingredient for life as we know it - could exist in liquid form. Gliese 581 c is the first extrasolar planet believed to possibly have a surface temperature similar to that of Earth although it is significantly bigger, possibly having a radius approximately 50% larger than that of Earth and approximately 2.24 times Earth's gravity. There is a lot of speculation on whether it really is habitable and if we have finally found the first alternative to a new earth.

Last Exile

In the floating world of Prester a couple of young children are situated between the struggle of two rivaling nations Anatole and Dysis. In this victorian steampunk war setting floating warships are common and naval battles are waged above the clouds. Claus and Lavie, the two protagonists, pilot a vanship a small wingless aircraft and travel to many beautifully painted settings in the search for their father's whereabouts. The mysterious and technologically advanced guild is present to give them a difficult time and to set in motion events that will change their world forever! The language used for this world setting by the artists is ancient Greek although they use it with some poetic leave; It really doesn't make much sense for the Greek scholar. A wonderful anime nonetheless, well worth watching!

The world's first Spaceport

Conceptual plans for the world’s first tourist spaceport, designed by Foster + Partners, were unveiled.
Known as Spaceport America, the terminal and hangar facility in Upham, New Mexico, will be home to Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic enterprise. It will operate a fleet of two transport airplanes and five spaceships designed by Burt Rutan. The design for Spaceport America includes a hangar for the spaceships, pre- and post-flight training facilities, mission control, viewing galleries, and passenger lounges.

Freespace Architecture

Architect Steve Shaw conceived the idea of a space tourist facility for his masters’ thesis at the University of Manitoba in 2004. He called it Freespace.
Structurally, Freespace is based on NASA-developed technology for the Trans-Hab module. Essentially a large inflatable bladder of multi-layered fabric construction, the skin is nine times stronger than steel. An exoskeletal aluminum truss provides rigid anchor points for docking, solar arrays, and venting. Interior walls are inflatable and facilitate internal routing of electrical and ventilation services. Freespace is designed to be constructed on Earth, collapsed, and shipped where it would be inflated for use.
It looks like a very promising period of time for pioneers of all trades.

ΠΛΑΝΗΤΕΣ Wanderers プラネテス

The Greek word ΠΛΑΝΗΤΕΣ, which forms the title of this anime, means "wanderers". It is the word applied by the ancient Greeks to the "stars" (or so they seemed) which weren't fixed in the night sky, but wandered. This is how the modern English word "planets" derived. The anime deals with the situations that a futuristic society faces in the ending of the 21st century when space flight is common but there are still many unsolved societal problems such as global conflict and capitalistic exploitation. It is really a very deeply philosophical work that goes beyond the obvious simplistic anime to become a rewarding adult experience. The main characters are company workers that spend their time getting rid of "space debris" or literary... garbage! A very resourceful parallel.

Look Fish! Relic's Viral campaign...

Relic, the company that gave us such wonderful games as the Homeworld and Dawn of War series is about to announce a couple of new titles. It seems that it has launched a viral marketing campaign in the forums of Relicnews.com. They have been giving clues such as coordinates to google earth, html source comments and cryptic images with fish and stuff... It is about time they announced a new Homeworld title and spare us the torment! I can only hope... The picture is my representation of their imaginative clues...

Ulysses 31

A long time ago there used to be this cartoon that aired on Greek TV called Ulysses 31. It was the story of a descendant of the Homeric Ulysses that travels the universe in his spaceship in search of a way back to Earth. It was great viewing and had very good designs for that time. I have seen it again a couple of years ago and it brought back memories! check out a fan site here.

Scale study Part 2: Jeff Russell's Starship Dimensions

Have you ever wondered what is the scale relation of the star destroyer and the Eiffel Tower? Or better between the Death Star and the Moon or the Ringworld? Well, the ultimate resource of starship scale can be found here !

Various Sci fi art

These are just some more spectacular drawings that Sophia found on the net! Thanks again!

Solar Sailing!

Solar Sails are the lightest and most delicate of reflective films. They are enormous, for the way they propel the spacecraft is by actually catching the sun's rays. The light from a star such as the sun actually has a very very small force it can exert. In space there is enough solar light pressure to actually move objects. It is a gradual effect, but it builds up with time. Eventually a spacecraft can get moving pretty fast. There have already been designs of real solar sails that have been built by scientists around the world. In science fiction the Solar Sailer of Count Dooku is probalby the best known craft of this type, followed by the Bajoran Lightship. Solar Sailing is one of the most potent ways of transversing between solar systems! Who knows maybe during our lifetime the first star sailor will depart for the distant solar systems! I can only hope to see this!

Various Sci Fi pics

These images have been discovered and are courtesy of the great explorer Sophia! They are vehicle designs mostly land and airospace crafts. They are a fine supplement to the last post!