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Aug 2011 17

by A.J. Focht

The thought of any remake is normally enough to make me cringe. When a cult classic like Evil Dead gets set for a reboot, my first reaction is to grab my torch and pitchfork. But with both Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell involved in the project, it’s hard not give it my support. Campbell recently commented on the movie, reassuring horror fans that they aren’t just ‘farting out a sequel.’ He had this to say about the project and the new director:

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Aug 2011 12

by Steven-Elliot Altman (SG Member: Steven_Altman)

Our Fiction Friday serialized novel, The Killswitch Review, is a futuristic murder mystery with killer sociopolitical commentary (and some of the best sex scenes we’ve ever read!). Written by bestselling sci-fi author Steven-Elliot Altman (with Diane DeKelb-Rittenhouse), it offers a terrifying postmodern vision in the tradition of Blade Runner and Brave New World

By the year 2156, stem cell therapy has triumphed over aging and disease, extending the human lifespan indefinitely. But only for those who have achieved Conscientious Citizen Status. To combat overpopulation, the U.S. has sealed its borders, instituted compulsory contraception and a strict one child per couple policy for those who are permitted to breed, and made technology-assisted suicide readily available. But in a world where the old can remain vital forever, America’s youth have little hope of prosperity.

Jason Haggerty is an investigator for Black Buttons Inc, the government agency responsible for dispensing personal handheld Kevorkian devices, which afford the only legal form of suicide. An armed “Killswitch” monitors and records a citizen’s final moments — up to the point where they press a button and peacefully die. Post-press review agents — “button collectors” — are dispatched to review and judge these final recordings to rule out foul play.

When three teens stage an illegal public suicide, Haggerty suspects their deaths may have been murders. Now his race is on to uncover proof and prevent a nationwide epidemic of copycat suicides. Trouble is, for the first time in history, an entire generation might just decide they’re better off dead.

(Catch up with the first installment of Killswitch, then continue reading after the jump…)

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Aug 2011 12

by Damon Martin

Recent discoveries by scientists studying meteorites may very well prove everyone on Earth evolved from alien life forms.

Technically, extraterrestrial building blocks to be exact.

Several scientists studying meteorite fragments have discovered they contain the building blocks of DNA, strengthening previous theories that life on Earth may have been spawned from materials landing here from space. According to findings by scientists, meteorites that have landed on Earth contain all the necessary elements to create DNA.

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Aug 2011 05

by Aaron Colter

Last week’s post about Anonymous and the government’s overreaction to their movement was pretty depressing, so this week’s post is just a list of some cool things.

1. Natalie Phillips

I first found out about Phillips’ art through a free press publication called Eleven PDX. Her work is unique, colorful, and beautiful. I wouldn’t at all be surprised if she becomes a very well known artist very soon.

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Aug 2011 05

by Steven-Elliot Altman (SG Member: Steven_Altman)

Our new Fiction Friday serialized novel, The Killswitch Review, is a futuristic murder mystery with killer sociopolitical commentary (and some of the best sex scenes we’ve ever read!). Written by bestselling sci-fi author Steven-Elliot Altman (with Diane DeKelb-Rittenhouse), it offers a terrifying postmodern vision in the tradition of Blade Runner and Brave New World

By the year 2156, stem cell therapy has triumphed over aging and disease, extending the human lifespan indefinitely. But only for those who have achieved Conscientious Citizen Status. To combat overpopulation, the U.S. has sealed its borders, instituted compulsory contraception and a strict one child per couple policy for those who are permitted to breed, and made technology-assisted suicide readily available. But in a world where the old can remain vital forever, America’s youth have little hope of prosperity.

Jason Haggerty is an investigator for Black Buttons Inc, the government agency responsible for dispensing personal handheld Kevorkian devices, which afford the only legal form of suicide. An armed “Killswitch” monitors and records a citizen’s final moments — up to the point where they press a button and peacefully die. Post-press review agents — “button collectors” — are dispatched to review and judge these final recordings to rule out foul play.

When three teens stage an illegal public suicide, Haggerty suspects their deaths may have been murders. Now his race is on to uncover proof and prevent a nationwide epidemic of copycat suicides. Trouble is, for the first time in history, an entire generation might just decide they’re better off dead.

[..]

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Aug 2011 01

by Morgan

Hello again, fellow gamers! This month I’d like to bring you a variety of very different games, ranging from cute to badass. I’ve spent a lot of time this month neglecting WoW but playing some extremely fun games nonetheless. Here’s a selection of the best games I’ve played recently:

1. Touch Cats – iOS devices – Free

Most gamers have some sort of guilty pleasure game they enjoy. For me it’s pet simulation games. Sadly there aren’t many good free ones available. That’s why I was delighted to discover Touch Cats! It’s a basic pet game: you feed, groom and play with the cats you adopt to increase their happiness bar. You can check in on the game once a week or many times a day, though, with the game’s daily goals, checking in a couple of times a day has its rewards. There’s a lot about the game that makes me recommend it. At the top of the list are the missions you can send your cats on. Your cats can regularly search your virtual home for coins and items, and the items can be used for detective and rescue missions the animals can go on to collect rewards (generally clothing items and coins). Connected to this is another plus: the social aspect of the game. You can complete these missions solo or recruit friends and random users to help you. Once you’ve added friends you can also send your cats to visit other kitties in your neighborhood. All in all, Touch Cats is a simple yet adorable and addictive game.

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Aug 2011 01

by Aaron Colter

Goddamn people are dumb. It’s getting old.

I was reading a news article about Anonymous in which some supposed expert, Gabriella Coleman, made sweeping generalizations about the motives of the loose collective. While discussing the skill sets of those involved, she talked about how some are programmers or security researchers, while others “are skilled at video editing and design.”

My fucking eyes rolled so hard I thought the right one was going to pop clean-out of the damn socket. O RLY? Like fucking iMovie and Photoshop? Like that shit is super hard to figure out?

Embarrassing. The government is arresting kids for playing what is the equivalent of a high school prank on a mass scale (if you’re phishing for a Mr. Big in the hacker world – I hear Rupert Murdoch’s a pretty soft target these days). And it remains to be seen if they’re even arresting the correct people. (In response to the FBI’s arrests, hackers have released loads of data that was obtained from ManTech – a security firm paid over $100 million by our government for clearly failing to protect NATO information.)

But regardless of whether they’ve got the right Guy (pun intended), they’re doing it wrong.

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