SciFi News For 4-15-11

Fassbender Praises "Prometheus" Director And Crew (Story):

http://www.dailyblam.com/news/2011/04/09/michael-fassbender-praises-prometheus-director-and-crew

Universal Picks Up Joe Kosinski's "Horizons" With Tom Cruise (Story):
http://www.firstshowing.net/2011/universal-picks-up-joe-kosinskis-sci-fi-horizons-with-tom-cruise/ 

Battlestar Galactica's Tricia Helfer Talks About Her Role As "Number Six"  (Story): 

http://scifiandtvtalk.typepad.com/scifiandtvtalk/2011/04/sci-fi-blast-from-the-past-tricia-helfer-battlestar-galactica.html

Q&A With Sanctuary's Amanda Tapping And Robin Dunne (Interview):

http://eclipsemagazine.com/hollywood-insider/12881/  

Catching Up With Star Trek Voyager's Jeri Ryan (Interview 2 Parts):

http://www.startrek.com/article/catching-up-with-voyagers-jeri-ryan-part-1

http://www.startrek.com/article/catching-up-with-voyagers-jeri-ryan-part-2

Roving Science Lab "Curiosity" To Make Unique Landing On Mars (Video 5:25):

http://www.space.com/11368-curiosity-unusual-landing-mars.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+spaceheadlines+%28SPACE.com+Headline+Feed%29

New FBI Online Resource Available For UFO's (Database):

http://vault.fbi.gov/unexplained-phenomenon

Is The Future Of America's Space Program At A Crossroads: (Story):

http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1822/1

Bid To Keep Shuttles Flying Commercially In The Works (Story):

http://www.space.com/11391-nasa-space-shuttles-commercial-proposal-nss27.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+spaceheadlines+%28SPACE.com+Headline+Feed%29

Five SciFi Brain Hacks That Modern Science Is Making Possible (Story):
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/technology/5-sci-fi-brain-hacks-that-modern-science-is-making-possible.html

"Sleep Dealer" Injects Sci-Fi Into Immigration Debate (Story):
http://www.wired.com/entertainment/hollywood/news/2008/01/sleep_dealer 

Official Site: http://www.sleepdealer.com/ 

OTHER NEWS 

Rumors have long been circulating about a remake of John Carpenter’s unique science fiction thriller "They Live". Now Deadline are reporting a new development: Matt Reeves has signed on to direct a film version of Ray Nelson’s 8 O’Clock in the Morning, the short story "They Live" was based on. The tale focuses on a man who realizes that aliens secretly control society. Apparently though, the new movie won’t re-use Carpenter’s cool concept of the hero being able to see the aliens with the aid of special sunglasses.

Michael Shannon has been cast as General Zod in Zack Snyder’s Superman: Man of Steel. It follows weeks of rumours as to who was going to take on the Kryptonian bad guy.In a press release, Snyder said, "Zod is not only one of Superman's most formidable enemies, but one of the most significant because he has insights into Superman that others don't. Michael is a powerful actor who can project both the intelligence and the malice of the character, making him perfect for the role." The question is, of course, can Shannon pull off a performance to rival the mighty Terence Stamp, who played the role in Superman and Superman II?

Google Wants Computers to Feel Regret! Artificial Intelligence researchers have struggled for decades to create computers that can understand the range of human emotions and feelings, but a team of researchers at Tel Aviv University simply wants to make them feel regret. Working with funding from Google, they hope to make computers understand what it’s like to pursue an outcome only to be disappointed. That, they think, could teach them to evaluate all the relevant variables surrounding an outcome in advance.

Avatar's are here now, but in years to come they could change the way you attend a class or business meeting. Researchers from Stanford and UC Santa Barbara say in the future we’ll all be meeting in virtual classrooms and conference rooms. However this new technology isn’t like videoconferencing, nor is it like two avatars chatting in two-dimensional environments.The IBM Watson type of technology means avatars could be put on a kind of autopilot, where an AI takes over your digital presence, nodding politely at good points, laughing at jokes and even doctoring your own features.

In the movies, the US president's offices are always high-tech. There's always a top secret underground chamber filled with a million screens, GPS-trackers, and gadgets with "fancy buttons" and stuff. However according to President Obama, the gadgets in the Oval Office leave much to be desired. Speaking at a rally in Chicago on why the US needs to innovate in tech: "The Oval Office, I always thought I was going to have really cool phones and stuff. I'm like, c'mon guys, I'm the president of the United States. Where's the fancy buttons and stuff and the big screen that comes up? It doesn't happen."

BOOK REVIEWS
"3004" by Natasha Murray (April 28):
http://eva-news.com/books/fiction/science-fiction/3004-by-natasha-murray-new-sci-fi-author-unveils-her-vision-of-england/23861957/
"The Plexus" by Fred Brechlin:
http://digitalsciencefiction.com/author-takes-readers-for-a-fantastic-sci-fi-journey-in-new-book/
"The Calcutta Chromosome" by Amitav Ghosh:
http://www.bookchums.com/book-detail.php?b=MTQwOQ==

SCIFI NEWS QUOTE OF THE WEEK 
"I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that." HAL the computer in 2001: A Space Odyssey