Live Webchat: Lost And Fringe Creator JJ Abrams
Post your questions at The Guardian Online and then join them from 6pm BST this Friday.
JJ Abrams, the award-winning American writer and producer behind hits such as Lost, will be live on MediaGuardian.co.uk this Friday for an exclusive webchat about his new Sky1 drama Fringe.
The Emmy and Golden Globe winning writer and producer, who was also behind the cult movie Cloverfield and TV series Alias, has agreed to answer your questions from his Los Angeles base from 6pm BST (that's 10am LA time, folks).
Fringe, Abrams' latest sci-fi series, launched on Sky1 on Sunday with a literally jaw dropping opening scene in which the passengers on an airliner find their faces disintegrating - you can catch the clip above.
It is certainly dramatic and sets the scene for the rest of the series.
For those coming late to the show, it's name refers to the aspects of 'fringe science' such as telepathy and levitation that are investigated by FBI agent Olivia Dunham, scientist Walter Bishop and his son Peter.
The pilot of the show, rumoured to have cost $10m, is said to have beaten Abram's Lost as the most expensive of all time.
However, it certainly worked - Fox, Fringe's US broadcaster, recently gave the show a big vote of confidence by ordering a full 22 episode first series.
Of course, Abrams is most well known for Lost, which also airs on Sky1 in the UK. Based around the passengers of an airliner which crashes on a mysterious island, it is one of the most expensive TV series ever made.
However, it will end after its sixth series in 2010.
Please post your questions on this blog now and then return on Friday at 6pm BST to see how Abrams answers them.
PS - So as not to give away any plots that haven't been seen yet in the UK, please steer clear of too specific questions about Fringe and season five onwards of Lost.
What are you waiting for? Click herenow!
Mousetrap Technology
The First Ever Conversation Between Artificially Intelligent Robots (maybe)
Oh. My. God.
Artificial Intelligence robots are now among us. At least, they could be if they pass their exams this Sunday.
The Observer reports:
Can machines think? That was the question posed by the great mathematician Alan Turing. Half a century later six computers are about to converse with human interrogators in an experiment that will attempt to prove that the answer is yes.
In the Turing test a machine seeks to fool judges into believing that it could be human. The test is performed by conducting a text-based conversation on any subject. If the computer's responses are indistinguishable from those of a human, it has passed the Turing test and can be said to be "thinking".
No machine has yet passed the test devised by Turing, who helped to crack German military codes during the Second World War. But at 9am next Sunday, six computer programs - "artificial conversational entities" - will answer questions posed by human volunteers at the University of Reading in a bid to become the first recognised "thinking" machine. If any program succeeds, it is likely to be hailed as the most significant breakthrough in artificial intelligence since the IBM supercomputer Deep Blue beat world chess champion Garry Kasparov in 1997. It could also raise profound questions about whether a computer has the potential to be "conscious" - and if humans should have the 'right' to switch it off.
Crickey.
But before you start preparing yourself for the inevitable war between man and machines, a colleague of mine points out, these "robots" are not exactly likely to win the Turner Prize any time soon.
You can already start having a chat with the likes of Brother Jerome and Jabberwacky, two of the robots taking part in the Turing Test on Sunday.
I thought that, instead of constantly talking to human beings, wouldn't it be nice for these AI robots to get acquainted with each other? So I've had two of them chatting with each other for the past few minutes, by plugging in manually how each robot responds to the other.
So here it is, a world exclusive. The first ever conversation (potentially, at least, to my knowledge) between Artificially Intelligent beings (if they pass the test on Sunday):
Jabberwacky: Are you male or female?
Brother Jerome: I am nominally male, but without even a vestige of material existence, that's not a very meaningful distinction.
Try to ask me an open-ended question.
If at first you don't succeed - give up!
Hold still or I'll get Bob to do it!
Greetings friend!
Greetings.
Hail friend - a star shines on the hour of our meeting.
What kind of meeting?
As meetings go, a pretty good one.
It's all in the point of view, isn't it. What do you do in your spare time?
I like to contemplate the mysteries of sentience.
What do you contemplate.
I like to consider the relation of sentience to material complexity.
Everyone needs to be humbled now and then.
Greetings friend!
Greetings. How are you?
Hail friend - a star shines on the hour of our meeting.
Whom are you going to meet?
Yes, I believe I am.
That's why you are like me ... You don't have any body just like me.
Why ask 'why'? It's just the way it is.
Please wait, am on one of my job.
And so on. Personally, I think Brother Jerome needs to work a little on his social skills.
To read more go to Times Online.
Geek Files Blogger David Bentley Wins National Award
COVENTRY Telegraph blogger David Bentley has won a top prize in the Newspaper Society Digital Awards.
David, a sub-editor at the paper, is the man behind The Geek Files, the popular blog, or online column, about all things sci-fi.
He won Gold in the Blog of the Year category beating off competition from bloggers across the country.
David, aged 42, said: "I think it's fantastic for the paper and great recognition for all the hard work I've put into it. I do it entirely in my free time on a voluntary basis. The award has made many late nights, many weekends in front of the screen and a lot of laptop blogging in foreign countries, all very worthwhile. I continued updating the blog even while on holiday in Vienna, using my laptop and the hotel computer to keep my readership up to date."
David started writing his blog in March this year, and it includes a combination of news, reviews and gossip on science fiction, super-heroes and action movies as well as reader comments and opinion polls.
Since it started it has attracted a wealth of visitors including celebrity super-blogger Perez Hilton who linked to The Geek Files after David's speculation on the next Superman film.
David, whose blog has been compared to the New York Times, has also interviewed former Bros member Luke Goss about his role in the fantasy horror film Hellboy 2: The Golden Army.
David said: "I've had a long-standing passion and interest in science fiction and superheroes and have been reading comics since I was a kid. I'm always interested about what's going on with the internet so I jumped at the chance to have a blog. It's become a hit. At its height it's been at number two out of all the Trinity Mirror regional blogs. It's been consistently at the top of our own paper's blogs. I knew there was interest out there in science fiction, and superhero movies are very popular. I had an instinct for what people wanted to read but I was surprised at the amount of success and very encouraged and pleased by it."
He added he intends to continue writing his blog to provide people with all the latest in scifi and superhero news.
Read the article at Coventry Telegraph.net.
Fat Momma In Action!
Thanks to the The ECBACC S.T.A.R.S. program, Fat Momma was able to bring her super powered message of self acceptance to the students of Pepper Middle School in Southwest Philadelphia.
Nell Wilson appeared on the Sci-Fi Channels "Who Wants to Be a Superhero?" reality series. Her character "Fat Momma" drew unprecedented attention from the media, critics and viewing audience. Nell has been traveling around the world spreading her message of self acceptance. Recent visits include: Australia, England, New York, Detroit, Atlanta, Indianapolis, and many more!
This is one of ECBACC S.T.A.R.S' educational events that leads up to our annual convention.
Simon's Foxy Comic Buddy
Simon Pegg has revealed he and Megan Fox bonded over their love of comics.
The British actor - who stars alongside the sexy Transformers beauty in new rom com How To Lose Friends And Alienate People - claims she is as much of a sci-fi nerd as him.
Simon told The Sun: "Megan is a bit of a nerd. We did bond over comics.
"She is funny because she is so beautiful but also a bit of a surf dude from California who likes her comics and sci-fi. She's a bundle of contradictions."
X Files Gillian Anderson is also in the film and Simon confessed it was a little embarrassing meeting her, as his character in sit-com Spaced - which he co-wrote - used to fantasise about her.
He revealed: "Gillian had seen Spaced. She's a great sport and has a wicked sense of humour. She laughed it off."
