Docu-series profiles Sir Arthur C. Clarke, Philip K. Dick & the trailblazers of the Sci-Fi universe
A recent edition to the ZZZFROMHELLZZZ channel on Youtube are three hour-long documentaries related to Science Fiction. The first, Profits of Science Fiction: Arthur C. Clarke, centers on Sci-Fi visionary Sir Arthur C. Clark, the revered science fiction writer responsible for some of the most iconic stories of the genre. The landmark novel 2001: A Space Odyssey was his most famous work, but Clarke also contributed to the concept of satellite technology and its use in telecommunications. Twenty years after his essay on satellite technology was published, Intelsat I was launched. The second documentary, Prophets of Science Fiction: Philip K. Dick, focuses on the mind of the seminal author best known for his short stories and novels. Nine films have been adapted from his work, including Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report, Paycheck and Next. His work typically explores technology’s impact on human consciousness, the protagonists in his literature often times struggling with separating reality with its high-tech duplicate.
Lastly in Pioneers of Television: Science Fiction we’re treated to a look back at the innovators of some of the genre’s most famous television shows. The creators behind watershed Sci-Fi series like Lost in Space, Star Trek and The Twilight Zone all attempted to combine both entertainment with subject matter that questioned contemporary issues in humanity. Race relations, gender equality and war were common topics throughout Stark Trek‘s life cycle — of course taking place in the early ’60s when these were highly debated issues in the public forum. Series founder Gene Roddenberry is generally heralded as one of the most inventive science-fiction writers to date, someone who overcame great odds simply getting the show on network TV. It of course went on to become a cult classic with William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy leading the cast as Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock, birthing a virtual universe of other shows, animated series, films and books in the decades after the original Star Trek ended in 1969. Created by Irwin Allen, Lost in Space was another space exploration-focused series, loosely based on the novel The Swiss Family Robinson and most known for its iconic robot and the meddlesome, quixotic Dr. Smith. Another of the landmark series that came out in the late ’50s and lasted until the early ’60s was The Twilight Zone, an anthology that absorbed the works of sci-fi literary greats like Charles Baumont and Richard Matheson. Rod Sterling created the series and unlike other sci-fi shows at the time, scripts were set in familiar contemporary surroundings. There are many who consider all 152 episodes to be classics.
The “Arthur C. Clarke” video below, with the other two docs in the series after the Jump…
Is the world ready for alphabet furniture? If have you an obsessive need to narcissistically spell out your name in your home or office, designer Sascha Grewe has a solution. Her A-Z furniture was part of the DMY 2011 Asia Exhibition tour and includes various stools, desks, chairs and book shelves in 250 bright, modern colors. Nice work for anyone who wants to think out of the box and into the alphabet.
Warning: Naga Jolokia-infused vodka not to be taken lightly
The folks at Master of Malt will soon be releasing the world’s hottest chilli vodka, dubbed “100,000 Scovilles Naga Chilli Vodka”. The spirit was made from infusing vodka with Naga Jolokia, the world’s hottest chili. Competitive types be aware, this vodka is not meant to be drunk neat — and especially not in shot form. Named after the measurement used to rate the heat of chillies, the bottle features a very lengthy warning. Each Scoville unit denotes how many times the chilli must be diluted by its own mass of water until the heat is only just detectable. For comparison sake, a Jalapeno pepper has around 5,000 Scovilles — but the pepper used to make the vodka can exceed 1 million Scovilles, which is more than most Law enforcement-grade Pepper Spray. The team at Master of Malt recommends this drink be used sparingly and only to add spice to exotic cocktails or even in cooking. Still interested? Buy a bottle of the 100K Scovilles Chilli vodka for under $50 (£31.95).
Taschen's comprehensive exploration of architecture today
Comprehensively detailing exciting complete and under-construction projects around the world, Architecture Now! 8 is an amazing resource for contemporary architecture. The hardcover book covers a wide array of geographic locations including the jungle, the modern city and the desert. These interesting building projects are discussed thoroughly, and celebrate the architects whose ingenuity created the unique structures — from superstars like Zaha Hadid, Ryue Nishizawa and Thom Mayne to rising stars like Joshua Prince-Ramus and Sou Fujimoto. Favorites include the building in the shape of a square robot, and the astoundingly complex clean white geometrics of the Guangzhou Opera House. Pre-order now at Taschen for $40.
Stainless steel, black leather and Japanese quartz movement
Evan Clabots is a Brooklyn-based designer with Nonlinear Studio. His latest piece of work is a new take on designs we’ve seen over the last year inspired by the idea of minimalism, its lack of numbers or a background make for a clean design. Its skewed stainless steel face appears like its slipping from your wrist, and is complimented by a black leather. Make Evan Clabots Japanese quartz movement Slip Watch yours for $200.
Two more looks of the Evan Clabots-designed Slip Watch after the Jump…
Time lapse footage taken during the bands album sessions
The psychedelic rabblerousers in Animal Collective have released a video of their time spent in the studio recording their breakthrough 2007 album Strawberry Jam. The time lapse video is a collection of footage, short clips taken once a minute for the entire time the band was in the studio. The resulting video, an idea first mustered by their producer Scott Colburn, is completely unedited — kind of a nice peek into the working ways of one of New York’s best bands. The entire album was recorded at Wave Lab Studios in Tucson.
Bizarre blends and mash-ups created out of Stephen Ives’ mind, Strange Toy Remixes are fantastical, creative and some border on grotesque. From the reinvention of the face Mr. Potato Head into Saddam Hussein to the epic comic rewriting of the story of Pooh Bear to Ives’ own line of Lego prostitutes, Ives’ inversion of cultural icons are simultaneously quirky and bizarre.
"Mad Max" Stöckl attempts to break the World Serial Mountain Bike Speed Record
Austrian downhill mountain biker Marcus “Max” Stöckl has been training to claim the record as the fastest on Earth. To seize the title, he’ll have to beat renowned French rider Eric Barone’s time of 101.68 mph — a record Barone established a decade ago on the unforgiving Cerro Negro volcano in northern Nicaragua. It was a run that almost claimed his life, and now Stöckl has returned to the Black Moutain to give it his best shot. This is his story. Read volume I of Black Mountain CrusadersHERE.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011 Cerro Negro, Nicaragua
Max Stöckl sits atop his stock mountain bike on the crest of the Cerro Negro volcano, looking down at the vertiginous slope before him. The wind is blowing stronger than it has all week, whipping the ends of the Red Bull wrap Markus has affixed to his head. Quietly he contemplates the run ahead. The first two runs of the day have gone smoothly, and preparation has segued into actualization. The moment is at hand. Everything is silent on the peak, the only sound the sharp flapping of the plastic flags set to delineate Max’s trajectory over the volcano’s lip. From here the air tastes like arid rocks. We all wait, wait for him to be ready, wait for the wind to calm even just a bit, offering a clear window for which to make a record-breaking run for Fastest Human on Dirt. The he puts his helmet on.
It’s an inexplicable feeling to be here, ready to witness such an event. Historic? Perhaps not — who will remember such a feat? How many avid fans of Speed Mountain Biking are there? But the anonymity of the endeavor makes it all the more authentic. What is the true motivation for many record-breaking attempts — money, notoriety, fans, women. It’s quite positive this feat, whether successful or not, will not provide Markus with much of the above. Still, he does it for no other reason than because he simply “likes to go fast,” as Stöckl is fond of saying.
Then suddenly, he’s going fast. He’s going very fast down the blackened face of the volcano. From up top all you can follow is a cloud of black dust. And then there’s the yelling, and the running.
Hit the Jump to continue reading the final installment of “Black Mountain Crusaders”…
