Happy science fiction Day, geeks! Well, actually, it was yesterday, but let’s not let that stop us from celebrating the only genre of fiction wherein anything and everything is totally within the realm of possibility. 2012 gave us some great geeky sci-fi flicks — the awesome, twisted commentary of Cabin in The Woods, the straight-up coolness of Looper, the “big questions” and sexy, empowered lady stars of Prometheus. Of course, 2012 had some amazing moments in real, actual science and society as well.
From Slate:
In 2012 we watched the Mars rover Curiosity and its spunky band of rock star engineers explore the red planet, saw the Higgs boson emerge from the ether, traced Felix Baumgartner‘s 24-mile space-dive, and followed James Cameron seven miles down into the Mariana Trench. Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ helped us share details, rumors, and excitement about these momentous events worldwide. The social media buzz surrounding these events were part of what the New York Times has called “an epidemic of science geekiness” that put millions in contact with the latest news from labs and research missions around the world. It also felt like the year in which science became a like-button topic, a zone of what I call “butterfly engagement” in which you watch a short video, share it with your friends, and move on to the next shiny (or levitating) thing.
Since the new year is still, well, new, I thought it would be a good time to set out a few super-geeky resolutions. Add yours in the comments!
I will actually watch all of the lower-budget/under the radar films on I09’s best science fiction/fantasy movies of 2012 list.
I’ll read the three fantasy novels that have been on my bookshelf for the past year, and finally make good on my personal promise to myself to go beyond the Songs of Ice and Fire series in the genre.
I will actually play all the Humble Indie Bundle games I’ve purchased in the last year (of which there are about 17 I haven’t even started).
I will spend more of my geeky reading time checking out books/documentaries about actual science.
What about you, geeks? Do you have any big dork resolutions for 2013?
