Bob Guccione, RIP

Bob Guccione, founder of much-loved and much-missed science fiction magazine Omni, died yesterday of cancer in a Plano, TX hospital.

Guccione also won fame as the producer of the classic seventies epic Caligula.

A Rolling Stone profile from 2004 is worth a revisit on this day: The Twilight of Bob Guccione. Via: Boingboing

Science Fiction Velvet Paintings

Charlie Jane Anders of io9 has assembled a gallery of sixteen velvet paintings with science fiction themes, such as Yoda/Elvis, Kim Jong-Il as a Sleestak, and the great Wesley Crusher. LINK, Via: Neatorama

Robotic exoskeleton arms

Panasonic-owned firm Activelink Co. built this robotic exoskeleton called a Dual Arm Power Amplification Robot. The Activelink slogan is delightedly science fiction-esque: "Creating a New Human Machine Age." LINK Via: Youtube

From The Telegraph:

A team of six engineers, under Go Shirogauchi, has been working on the project since 2003 and aims to have the device, which is made of an aluminium alloy, ready to go into practical use by 2015.

"The prime use for the arm will be in disaster zones, where wheeled vehicles are unable to operate but heavy weights need to be moved," Shirogauchi said.

When completed, the arm will serve as a common platform that will have a wide range of interchangeable parts that can easily be installed. Other potential applications include in warehouses and on construction sites.

"Japanese scientists create 'Alien' bionic arm"

The Most Badass Female Space Pilots Of All Time

Some of the hottest hot-shot pilots in space opera are women. It's a longstanding tradition in science fiction to show women taking the controls of starships, space fighters and star-cruisers, and here are our favorite badass female cockpit jockeys.

Even as more women are becoming astronauts and getting to pilot the space shuttle, science fiction has shown tons of women taking the helm. Here are some of the most awesome, in no particular order: Follow the LINK