Sure, it’s all fun and games now, but arming the robots just seems like a bad idea. Or maybe I’ve just watched too much sci-fi.
Do lightsabers and hoverboards really exist? A shocking percentage of British adults think so
A survey by the Birmingham Science City finds that “over a fifth of adults” surveyed believe lightsabers are real. Nearly a quarter believe that humans can be teleported, 50% believe that memory-erasing technology (ala Men in Black) exist, and more than 40% believe in hoverboards. Remember them from Back to the Future Part II? Granted, we can probably blame Robert Zemeckis himself for that one. Science fiction, what have you wrought?
That’s no ornament… It’s a Lego Death Star!
Santa Maul is delightfully elite in his tastes, but he cannot help but be charmed by this Death Star Ornament. It will add just the perfect touch of destructive whimsy to any Sithmas tree. The creator has even posted instructions if you desire to create one yourself – or for an internet-unsavvy friend.
Also interesting, for those who require their presents to stimulate even the most jaded of grown-up children, is perhaps io9’s guide to holiday lightsaber shopping.
Video: Fan makes Jedi lightsaber training remote
Just the thing to round out a lightsaber collection. (via)
EUbits: Tenel Ka’s lightsaber, Riptide peek, Legacy cover, John Jackson Miller and more
Fanmade. Check out this version of Tenel Ka’s rancor tooth lightsaber by Heather (@hexterah) who dressed up as the character at DragonCon.)
Riptide. Paul S. Kemp broke out another brief excerpt from his Crosscurrent sequel on Friday.
Comics. Dark Horse has revealed the cover to Legacy: War #2; Writer John Jackson Miller talks Knight Errant at The Sci-Fi Block.
Further reading. EU Cantina has a new column by Chris (@VileZero) and so far he’s addressed the Darth Plagueis novel and upcoming comics as well as some gaming/Clone Wars stuff. Check it out.
Street date shuffle. It was a slow news week, so Random House moving Denning’s Fate of the Jedi: Vortex up a week got a lot of ink. Still months away, but I did update our book schedule.
Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter (@clubjade) for updates and discussion.
TGIF: Every lightsaber ignition & retraction
About halfway through this video I just started laughing uncontrollably. It’s just so… Random. (Also, it was late.)
While we’re on the topic of utterly random things: The Alderaan Trail and Darth Schwarzenegger.
Star Wars in the news: Ashley Eckstein talks Star Wars, Her Universe, and baseball with ESPN
Ashley Eckstein is getting some ink for Her Universe in the most unlikely of places: ESPN! I don’t doubt being married to an MLB player helps widen the field of interest, but let’s not forget we’re the only fandom with a noteworthy gender disparity. (Sports-loving ladies can see the Alyssa Milano line that Ashley mentions as an inspiration at Fandalia.)
Not the lawsuit you’re looking for… Lucasfilm has backed down from their legal threat against Wicked Lasers, which makes a (you have to admit) very lightsaber-looking laser. But elsewhere in the world, the march continues…
Horrors of the audition tapes. Sylvester Stallone auditioned for Han Solo? Sounds like he didn’t get far enough for tapes, but that’s probably a good thing.
Presented without commentary. Are Jedi Knights Libertarian or Socialist?
France’s Henri IV (and horse) go intergalactic
A Paris statue of Henri IV is now sporting a lightsaber as part of an art installation that celebrates the 400th anniversary of the King’s death. Why not? (via)
Lucasfilm C&Ds makers of ‘real lightsaber’
The makers don’t call it a lightsaber (though the internet certainly does) but the Spyder III Arctic laser certainly looks like one, and that’s prompted Lucasfilm to send the Hong Kong company Wicked Lasers a cease and desist.
I’m no lawyer, but the appearance of the laser is pretty blatantly inspired by its fictional forbearer. And anything that might keep “the most dangerous laser ever created” out of the hands of stupid geeks is fine by me.
Star Wars in the news: Lawyers, marriage and lasers
The Star Wars kid is all grown up. Ghyslain Raza, who rose to unwilling internet fame as the subject of one of the internet’s first and most famous viral videos, hasn’t done too badly for himself. He’s pursuing a law degree (perhaps inspired by the lawsuit that he filed against the classmates who uploaded the infamous video?) and is the president of a conservation society in his hometown of Trois-Rivières.
Wedding bells. Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart got hitched Tuesday! The pair made it legal in New Mexico, where Ford is shooting Cowboys and Aliens. New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, a friend of the couple, performed the wedding at the Governor’s Mansion in Santa Fe.
…And not so much. In less happy news, Hayden Christensen and Rachel Bilson, who also got engaged in 2009, are “taking a break.”
Don’t try this at home. No, seriously, don’t. A company in Hong Kong is selling a laser “home theater projector” that resembles a lightsaber and is strong enough to burn skin and cause “irreversable retinal damage.” It can be purchased online for a mere $200. What could go wrong?