Space oddities: why the Futurama reboot went from sci-fi to sci-why

The show was axed and remade, moving to Comedy Central and leaving its comedic legacy behindMatt Groening could do no wrong in 1999. The Simpsons was still both witty and money-spinning, and he could get any project he wanted greenlit – even a sci-fi comedy cartoon called Futurama. The show began with New Year’s Eve 1999, when disillusioned pizza delivery boy Philip J Fry fell into a cryogenic vat, only to awaken 1,000 years later in “the world of tomorrow!”. His excitement at his new life was tempered by finding out everyone in the future has a career assigned by the government, and his job was to be a delivery boy for Planet Express – motto: “Our crew is replaceable, your package isn’t!”On board the Planet Express spaceship with the immature and slovenly Fry were cyclops orphan Leela, drunken robot Bender, clumsy intern Amy and incompetent alien medical lobster Dr Zoidberg: a crew of misfits seemingly designed to connect directly to the types of misfits who watch cartoon science fiction. Every mission was an adventure, whether it be discovering a parallel universe in a cardboard box or battling parasites in Fry’s bowels. Present-day celebrities made cameos as preserved heads in jars, which was a lot more satisfying than how The Simpsons handled them. Everyone from Stephen Hawking (“That physicist who invented gravity”) to Al Gore (“Inventor of the internet”) was willing to be decapitated to appear on the funniest show on TV. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2019-06-10 12:00:09 UTC ]
News tagged with: #connect directly #stephen hawking

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Sacred Space: Why Libraries Are Essential to Incarcerated Writers

Libraries are sacred space within the unending, unrelenting madness, the profane that is Society, places where the predominant ideology is to inform. The Library of Alexandria was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World; the Library of Congress is a wonderfully ( dis )organized... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-11-14 09:35:32 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #incarcerated writers #ancient world #libraries


The Venerable Art Publisher Cooking with Gas in the Cookbook Space

It took Phaidon, which turned 100 this year, 82 years to step into the kitchen. But once it did, it found a niche of its own—and owned it. Executive commissioning editor of food Emily Takoudes spoke with PW about the publisher's cookbook program. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-14 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #cookbook


The Importance of Book-Centered Spaces as Third Places

Libraries and bookstores aren't just places to find books, but "third places" where you can find community, great conversation, and fun. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-08-11 10:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #find books #libraries


Why esports companies are bringing order to the collegiate space in 2023

Riot’s involvement in collegiate esports, which includes its partnership with GGTech as well as the Riot Scholastic Association of America, signals how the company is playing the long game with its competitive gaming products. Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2023-08-11 04:01:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #scholastic


NASA+ is the space agency's very own streaming platform

NASA is launching its very own streaming platform called NASA+ sometime this summer. While the space agency already livestreams launches and other events on its website, NASA+ will feature not just live broadcasts, but also collections of original video series. A handful of the first shows on... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-07-28 06:30:42 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #android apps #mobile devices #mobile browsers #media players #apple tv #fire tv #digital presence #search function #beta version #libraries


Stories Are All about Taking up Space: A Conversation with Ekemini Pius, by Darlington Chibueze Anuonye

Stories Are All about Taking up Space: A Conversation with Ekemini Pius, by Darlington Chibueze Anuonye Interviews [email protected] Thu, 07/20/2023 - 15:08 Photo by Offlong EkpenyongThe first week of July, the Caine Prize for African Writing... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2023-07-20 20:08:39 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #editorial process #final version #collective memory #nnedi okorafor #debut novel #short stories


Japan will try to beam solar power from space by 2025

Japan and JAXA, the country’s space administration, have spent decades trying to make it possible to beam solar energy from space. In 2015, the nation made a breakthrough when JAXA scientists successfully beamed 1.8 kilowatts of power, enough energy to power an electric kettle, more than 50... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-05-28 21:43:38 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #solar panels #science fiction


London Public Library refuses to rent space to event featuring author of How Woke Won

The London Public Library in southwestern Ontario is standing by its decision to block The Society for Academic Freedom from holding an event featuring controversial British author Joanna Williams. Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2023-05-18 08:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #academic freedom #british author


Why Teenagers Need Their Own Library Space

This world isn't designed for anyone under 18. Teen spaces in libraries don't just promote literacy: they give teenagers a voice. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-04-27 10:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #world isn #promote literacy #libraries


Literal Star-Crossed Lovers: A Reading List of Space Operas with Romance Subplots

I have loved reading science fiction since age ten, when my school librarian handed me a copy of Jill Patton Walsh’s The Green Book. I fell in love with romance after reading Jane Eyre, which my uncle gave me. When I became a writer, my focus was on the former, but my stories often include […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-04-26 08:52:31 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #space operas #science fiction


Literacy Focus: Welcoming Places, Safe Spaces

We spoke with four librarians about how they create safe spaces for their students, and why it matters so much to them. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-09 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #literacy focus #safe spaces


‘All you have to do is participate’: how the Shotgun Seamstress zine made space for Black punks

As the DIY publication is collected in a new anthology, creator Osa Atoe and the musicians she inspired reflect on its defiant positivityIn 2006, Osa Atoe picked up pen and paper and began to write herself into history. She had decided to create a fanzine, titled Shotgun Seamstress, with a... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-11-21 12:00:20 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #anthology


Ingram iD Enters the Business to Consumer Space

Ingram iD is a new advertising platform designed specifically for book publishers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-10-28 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book publishers


On the Historical Fiction That Lives in the Space Between History and Myth

Let me begin with this admission: every work of historical fiction lives somewhere between history and myth. Before one reckons with the realities of what the research reveals, one must contend with all the layers of subsequent representation of whatever historical moment they approach. Even the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-09-01 08:52:28 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #historical fiction


Humans want to mine the moon. Here's what space law experts say the rules are

Mining the moon might sound like a concept that belongs in a science fiction novel, but it's likely to be a part of reality in the not-so-distant future. That's made it a hot topic of discussion among space lawyers — yes, there are space lawyers... Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2022-09-01 08:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #hot topic #science fiction


Anna Badkhen Finds Space for Hope and Sanctuary Amidst Histories of Imperial Collapse

Emergence Magazine is an online publication with annual print edition exploring the threads connecting ecology, culture, and spirituality. As we experience the desecration of our lands and waters, the extinguishing of species, and a loss of sacred connection to the Earth, we look to emerging... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-07-25 08:52:18 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #emerging stories #emergence magazine #online publication #sacred connection #narrated essays


From Pediatric Cancer to Outer Space: PW Talks to Hayley Arceneaux

Arceneaux, an astronaut on SpaceX’s Inspiration4 last September, describes how having cancer as a child changed her faith and the rest of her life in ‘Wild Ride: A Memoir of IV Drips and Rocket Ships’ (Convergent, Sept. 6). Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-06-22 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #hayley arceneaux #outer space #wild ride #memoir


Liberation is having a space to call your own. L.A.'s Reparations Club proves it

For founder and owner Jazzi McGilbert, the concept bookshop and creative space is a physical offering for Black people in L.A. to be themselves. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-06-17 19:58:19 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #black people #bookshop


Words Without Borders Reboots

The website's mission, to publish works from countries underrepresented in English-first language regions, has not changed since its 2003 launch, but new developments planned to expand the literary conversation include today's reveal of its revamped website. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-06-07 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publish works


PLA & Pacific Northwest Spotlight: How the Multnomah County Library Ensures a Welcoming, Safe Space for All

How did ibrary leaders learn how to make their neighborhood library branches more welcoming to BIPOC and culturally marginalized people? They listened. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-03-04 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #safe space