scifi

Steampunk raygun looks amazing, does nothing

No evil villain would be complete without their own a badass raygun, right? Or in this case, a Goliathon 83 Infinity Beam Projector. No, it doesn't actually do anything. Yes, it costs $621. But the looks you would get bringing one of these to an NRA rally... priceless.

The Goliathon is produced by Weta Workshop designer Greg Broadmore (prop designer for LOTR and Hellboy) and looks like an amazingly crafted artifact caught between the universes of Barbarella and Brazil. It comes with its own velvet-lined case (which it will probably spend a lot of time in, seeing as the … Read more

R2-D2 soon to be taking over neighborhoods, eating mail deliveries

I wish I could tell you this was a joke.

It isn't. I'm sorry.

Though it looks like it could be a great MIT prank, this is actually a project run by the U.S. Postal Service. They're commemorating the 30th anniversary of the release of Star Wars: A New Hope by putting mailboxes decorated to look like R2-D2 into post offices, accompanied by the not-yet-functional Web address "uspsjedimaster.com". Dude, I think Star Wars is great and all, but I really hope none of my tax dollars went into this...endeavor.

$5 says we'… Read more

DIY 'Battlestar'

The SciFi network has a little gift for Battlestar Galactica fans. It's posted downloadable audio and video clips from the show and is running a contest for the best 4-minute, fan-made, BSG knockoff video. Amateur BSG directors are encouraged to mash up the SciFi clips with their own footage. Hopefully, hilarity will ensue.

SciFi isn't providing any online video-editing option (maybe a deal with Adobe, for Remix, or with Yahoo, for JumpCut, would have been a good idea). But there's an upside to that: the BSG files are free and clear to download, not locked into a … Read more

Electric muscle car of the future

Crave's car tech experts warned us not to get too excited about this because it's only a concept model, but we couldn't resist. The photos alone are just too delicious to pass up.

The proposed electric Audi R-Zero, which Treehugger says was created by three students at France's International School of Design, looks like something right out of a sci-fi movie. In fact, some sharp-eyed readers have noted its similarities to another Audi concept developed for the 2004 movie "I, Robot."

Its proposed specs are equally fantastic, with four in-wheel motors that would supposedly … Read more