Futuristic 3D videogame-esque film “Avatar” is a “triumph of technology storytelling” for a writer/director who had to propel the special effects he wanted into existence.
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On this day 46 years ago the Time Lord (aka Doctor Who) hit television screens, sparking several generations of hick British science fiction.
The intellectual trap of exploring a new place — whether through actual travel or by reading a book set there — is the practically unconscious assumption that we can generalize. […]
John Irving came by Big Think to discuss his latest book, “Last Night in Twisted River,” and the craft of fiction writing. He explained that for each of his 12 […]
The Guardian says it’s a bad idea for the the Times of London to build a paywall by next spring. Spectator Magazine (UK) only lost 3% of readers after putting […]
Stanford scholars are considering the legal implications of using robots – with issues extending beyond personal injury and property damage to criminal and civil rights.
Harvard is the latest US University to take up the fictional wizard-sport Quidditch which features in the Harry Potter books.
It is true: Eat, Pray, Love was not for everyone—although it was for many, many people, over five million people—mainly women. Women went so mad for the novel they not […]
It’s hard to avoid the barrage of end-of-decade retrospectives this last week of 2009, a decade marked by an interesting combination of the sublime and the ridiculous. But in a […]
A group of NASA engineers have perfected a replicating machine that resembles something out of Star Trek.
Even while wars have unfolded in all kinds of ways since it ended, World War II remains the war to end all wars. It’s scope so large that seemingly everyone […]
A tongue in cheek look at an alternative universe – “what if Germany hadn’t won the War?”
Kurt Andersen has worked across a wide variety of mediums, yet nothing compares to the challenge of writing fiction. Here he gives advice on everything from mapping out a project […]
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The world’s scientists are getting together in November to figure out how to put off getting old and dying.
“Curb Your Enthusiasm” comic Larry David is under fire from critics over a fictional incident where he urinates on a painting of Christ.
An experiment in creativity saw a Twitter-based version of ‘exquisite corpse’ started by Neil Gaiman. But is this really how fiction should be made?
When you hear the name Leonardo da Vinci you automatically think “Genius” with a capital “G.” Such Genius that he seemingly came from nowhere to walk among us. Science fiction […]
‘Lypton Village’ was a fictional land occupied by a group of teenagers that went on to create some of the most popular music in the world. Here Guggi, who assigned […]
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These are not particularly easy times for novelists. For one, they have to figure out how to stay focused on a single project or idea for a sustained period of […]
The constraints of reality, Gay Talese argues, have turned many great writers away from non-fiction. Yet, with the proper patience and engagement with one’s subject, those bound to the facts […]
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With New York City Comptroller William Thompson now officially going head-to-head against Mike Bloomberg in his bid for a third term as Mayor of New York City, a clandestine political […]
John Kerry and Barbara Boxer’s new Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act is being trumpeted into the Senate this week. The act, stronger than the bill passed by the […]
Quentin Tarantino’s latest film, Inglourious Basterds looked like a divisive piece of historic fiction long before it was in theaters. The Jewish Holocaust revenge fantasy features a fictional troupe of […]
Bill Scheft discusses the differences between comedy fiction and monologue writing, and his latest novel, “Everything Hurts.”
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Recap: The Internet made previously paid-for content suddenly free and vendors who relied on the profitability of the written, spoken and video recorded word are struggling to stay afloat. Journalism […]
For better or for worse, Adolph Hitler has been inescapable throughout history, whether as a reminder of the evils of fascism or a rallying force for hateful extremists. A seminal […]
An Irish Sunday Tabloid recently carried the following Headline on it’s front page, “Kerry: I’ll die young”. For those of you who don’t know, the Kerry in question is not a figure in Politics, not a Humanitarian,not a film star and not a pop star, not anymore anyway.
Not unexpectedly, one of the main industries hurt by the precipitous economic slump of the past few years has been philanthropy. In fact, the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University […]
The Free Library of Philadelphia (Philly’s public library system) shuts down on October 2nd, 2009 due to budget cuts.
First off, yes, it’s entirely possible that we’ve watched too many science-fiction movies, like I, Robot and the Matrix. But a variety of new scientific innovations, particularly in the world […]