Spock's Pickled Brain

Since its first debut in 1992, the images and writings of James Gurney's Dinotopia continues to awe and inspire. Take a simple concept, that humans and dinosaurs can create their own symbiotic civilization in peace, and with a truly impressive level of detail and whimsy Dinotopia becomes a place just outside our reach that we'd all like to visit. So as we dive into a series of posts inspired by the dinosaur fiction, here are a few things that stand out for me about this particular lost world. The Art For the Dinotopia series, the art is what comes first, and it is what is remembered most. The incredible level of detail, colorful scenes, and remarkable subjects give us a window into a vibrant and wonderful place. There's a very careful balance of realism to fantasy going on here. In a Dinotopia scene, the level of detail in the people, dinosaurs, and textures leans toward reality. And while you'd think a painting would give our brains a reasonable doubt that t...

Alright folks, strap in for some really bad photoshop and a weird costume.  For this raypunk look, I was influenced mostly by movies like Barbarella and Forbidden Planet, as well a slew of B-movies and early science fiction comics, such as Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon, Star Trek (The Original Series), Lost in Space, etc. Also, I found this pair of ridiculous heel-less platform shoes, and everything else just sort of...happened. The base of this outfit is pretty simple. I happened to have this fabulous 80s jacket, which I have to assume once belonged to the world's most fashionable yacht captain, complete with a double row of gold buttons, sheer panels, and a pair of massive shoulder pads. To go underneath, I picked up the shortest white dress known to man (it's entirely possible that this is supposed to be a shirt). To protect my virtue, I picked up some tights (which you can't really see because the light was terrible, but they're a...

Welcome to the bar in one of science fiction's most colorful genres! Arrakeen Refresher Water may be life, but this tall drink of alcohol is a salve for the soul after you've been roasting in the desert all day. And after you've had a couple of these, does bloody revenge and a messiah complex really matter? Ingredients: 2oz whiskey 1.5oz pineapple ginger nectar 1oz mango juice .5oz lime juice 3 drops yellow sriracha 2 large basil leaves 1 egg white Directions: Rip the basil leaves into large chunks, bruising them gently. Shake with the egg white until very frothy. Add the rest of the ingredients and shake until frothy again. Pour over ice and garnish with another basil leaf. Orchids of Tau Ceti Whether you're frolicking with Barbarella, surviving grendels with Niven and Pournelle's colonists, or battling the Death Busters with Sailor Moon, Tau Ceti seems to be the place to be in science fiction. And if you're going to be e...

All right, here's my attempt at assembling a raypunk-type playlist. Again not 100% convinced on the order but they all have flavors of some of the zany outer space drama. 1. Flash's Theme (Queen) Ming: Klytus I'm bored. What plaything can you offer me today? Klytus: An obscure body in the S-K system, Your Majesty. The inhabitants refer to it as the planet...Earth. 2. Sweet Dreams (Eurythmics) Sweet dreams are made of this Who am I to disagree? I travel the world and the seven seas Everybody's looking for something 3. Cosmic Castaway (Electrasy) Lose my head to the chemical freeway Comin' up on overload In a mystic new dimension Purify and sanctify me 4. Lone Digger (Caravan Palace) Hey brother what you thinking? Leave that old record spinning You feel the rhythm going 5. Jupiter's Child (Steppenwolf) The one who reads the stars has told me Why you're not like everyone Your father is a fiery wizard He travels all around the ...

Over thousands of years, intrepid humans have colonized and explored a galaxy full of strange planets, alien civilizations, and ancient wonders. As empires and coalitions have risen and fallen, law has given over to chaos and criminals escape by hopping star systems. In such a state, bounty hunters like Nova Lux have gained fame and fortune bringing renegades to justice. But greater challenges await, and the fate of the universe may be in the hands of Lux and some unlikely allies... Yes, I am aware this is very much like a bargain bin Mandalorian (for full effect imagine that first paragraph in Star Wars style title crawl). For this build, I drew inspiration from several raypunk sources. The combination of the mask, gauntlets, and cowl, I was imagining one of the villains from Flash Gordon , General Klytus. For the sleek look to the top and pants I was echoing some of the designs and bodysuit from Barbarella   and Teela from the Masters of the Universe live-action m...

When traveling to other planets it helps to have a few gadgets on hand. And for a few places lacking breathable atmosphere, a life support pack can be pretty useful. For the raypunk aesthetic there is a fair amount of creative license taken to create spacesuits, rocketpacks, and other "space" gear. So I decided to make life-support breathing apparatus using a cheap backpack-mounted water pistol, irrigation parts, air fresheners, and some tubing. With a few modifications and additions you can easily make it into more of a rocket-pack or similar. Materials -Backpack water gun -Two 1/2 inch barbed x 1/2 inch MNPT irrigation swing pipe elbows -Two 1/2 inch barb x 1/2 inch male pipe thread irrigation swing pipe couplings -One 1/2 inch barbed irrigation swing pipe tee -2 car-mountable air fresheners -Fuel line vinyl tubing -Gold spray paint -Black spray paint -Clear coat sealer -Coaxial cable clips Tools -Dremel tool -Scissors -Superglue -Hot glue gun 1. G...