vintage
Vintage articles and footage from the science fiction archives.
Most Sadistic Cults of the 20th Century
"Don't drink the Kool-Aid" doesn't sound like such an important warning, but if the People's Temple followers in Jonestown would've been given this advice, over 900 lives would have been saved. Until September 11th, the largest loss of American civilian life occurred when cult members of the People's Temple ingested fruit punch that was laced with cyanide in a mass suicide. Cults are both fascinating and terrifying. Their mystery draws the attention of the public, but the often brutal and radical ways of cults instill fear. Some of the deadliest cults since the 1950's may not be the most well known, but their attacks were brutal, and their unconventional views attracted individuals to support their dangerous causes. As a result, when the 10:00 news asks, "Do you know where your children are?" you better hope they're not joining a cult with a 16-year-old who claims to be a 500-year-old vampire. Individuals of all ages join cults for many reasons; whether it is for friendship or identity, or as a result of pressure, people are constantly joining ranks among the masses to be part of a movement that they believe in. Since the 1930's, cults have been a primary subject in sociological study. Cults are made up of people from all walks of life, and are formed all over the world. The reasons why vary—from the belief that they themselves are vampires, to the idea that children born after 1981 must be terminated because they are evil.
By George Gott9 years ago in Futurism
Classic 1940s Sci-Fi Movies
When people think of sci-fi movies, they rarely think of the best 1940s sci-fi movies. They usually think of franchises like Star Wars and Star Trek, the Stargate TV series, and the many original flicks on SyFy Channel. There’s a huge selection of science fiction movies to choose from and the genre has become mainstream thanks to shows like The Big Bang Theory. Sometimes, though, the most diehard sci-fi aficionados crave the classics from the silver screen era. These are some of the best 1940s sci-fi movies:
By Lindsie Polhemus9 years ago in Futurism
Physics of Frisbees
No one gives a flying disk about Frisbees. It’s just a sport reserved for semi-athletic college students who don’t want to try out for a real team, right? Wrong. In 2012, Ultimate Frisbee players developed the American Ultimate Disc League which now has 25 teams across North America, according to the New Yorker. In August of 2015, the International Olympic Committee recognized Ultimate Frisbee is eligible to be an event at the summer Olympics. Some people have become so passionate about Frisbees that they have dedicated their lives to studying the physics behind them. That’s exactly what Tom McClintock, a University of Arizona Physics graduate, is doing with his career. He plans on studying the physics behind Frisbees so that he can help UltimateFrisbee players increase their skills on the field.
By Futurism Staff9 years ago in Futurism
Morris Kline Interview
Morris Kline was a slender man, soft-spoken, polite, cultured. For most of his lifetime he was a mathematician, in pursuit of what Alfred North Whitehead called "a divine madness of the human spirit." Yet Kline did not display the madness so often paraded by his fellow mathematicians. He was a champion of common sense, but, as Lord Kelvin put it, "Mathematics is merely the etherealization of common sense." That connection eluded many of Kline's colleagues.
By Futurism Staff10 years ago in Futurism
Voyager 2's Expedition
It weighs almost a ton and measures approximately four meters by four meters. Its two television cameras take tens of thousands of pictures of worlds in the outer solar system. A collision with a micrometeoroid could cause it to lose its orientation temporarily, but it wouldn't founder. It is made of millions of parts. If certain components fail, others will take over. We're talking about the fantastic Voyager 2, the semi-intelligent robot that, for nearly 40 years, has explored unknown worlds.
By Futurism Staff10 years ago in Futurism
Ultimate 'Battlestar Galactica' Guide
Glen Larson—musician, screenwriter, producer—had wanted to do something like Galactica, he told us, long before he saw Star Wars. That Lucas blockbuster, though, gave Larson’s idea “legs”—as they say in showbiz—made Galactica seem a profitable notion that could stand on its own and walk away with a bundle.
By Futurism Staff10 years ago in Futurism
'This Island Earth'
The Zahgon fighter ships dive suicidally toward the planet Metaluna. Slicing through the thick cloud covering of the planet’s Ionization Layer, the delta-winged invaders magnetically carry a payload of deadly meteors in tow. The ships swoop in for the kill, sending the meteors hurtling down onto the war-ravaged planet’s surface. In a series of spectacular explosions, the space boulders sear into the Metalunan landscape. Eye-boggling displays of molten rock and incandescent smoke mushroom into the air, illuminating the surrounding area for miles around.
By Futurism Staff10 years ago in Futurism
Bill Lear Interview
William Powell Lear was a notable rarity among inventors of the 60s and 70s: He turned his ideas into money. The classic inventor sold out in despair after years of unrewarding toil, then watched someone else make a fortune out of his invention. Bill Lear, by contrast, was worth between $30 and $50 million in his prime—and he started from scratch.
By Futurism Staff10 years ago in Futurism
Women of 'Andromeda'
It sounds like the sci-fi equivalent of Thelma and Louise: Actresses Lisa Ryder and Lexa Doig teaming up in a futuristic action-adventure series called Rumble and Sparks. OK, so it wa really just a recurring joke between the two co-stars of Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda, but hearing Ryder talk about the idea was irreverently amusing.
By Futurism Staff10 years ago in Futurism
