Weather has been used for dramatic effect since fiction began, so much so that the term ‘pathetic fallacy’ is probably one of the main things you remember from your English Literature classes. But how does this apply to Hollywood cinema and film?
Hands down, the most dramatic of all meteorological phenomenon is fog.
It can be used to ratchet up tension, conceal terrifying creatures and even provide important characters with a suitably dramatic entrance.
Spanning genres from horror to sci-fi, mist and fog are more versatile than mere set dressing; they dominate scenes and often make them the most memorable part of their respective movies.
So, without further ado, let’s investigate the importance (not forgetting the scare-factor) that fog brings to the silver screen in this infographic from our friends at vapingman.
Which films are we missing? Which scenes have stood out for you? Please comment below.
Black Mountain, NC, June , 2023 —William R. Forstchen, Ph.D., prays that he is remembered 30 years from now as a crank. Widely considered one of the foremost experts on electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attacks, Dr. Forstchen wants more than anything to be wrong when he says an attack is imminent.
Dr. Forstchen is also a New York Times bestselling author who has written extensively about EMP weapons. His upcoming book, Five Years After, traces the plight of protagonist John Matherson as he struggles to protect the fragile civilization helped rebuild following an EMP strike.
A means of delivery- Newscom/Alamy Stock Photo/M2T8T5 North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missile Hwasong-15 is displayed during a military parade in Pyongyang, 8 February 2018.
Most people have lived through minor power outages lasting anywhere from a few hours to a few days. But what would happen if the power went out and didn’t come back on? Historian William R. Forstchen, Ph.D., warns that if something were to cripple the U.S. power grid — an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) for instance — it would trigger a cascade of deadly events, and long-term survival would depend on being in the right place at the right time with the right food supply.
“It is catastrophic. It is not ‘tinfoil hat,’” said Forstchen in a recent interview. “With an EMP, when it hits, it blows the grid out. You’re going to lose your water immediately. Within several days, that’s going to be bad. Second: food supply. … Medication. … and then of course, disease sets in.”
Widely considered one of the foremost experts on EMP attacks, Forstchen is also the New York Times bestselling author of the One Second After series, a fictional exploration rooted in the cold, solid facts of how an EMP strike above U.S. soil would impact society.
The Canadian Press/J.P. Moczulski An aerial view of the Bruce Power nuclear generating station in Kincardine, Ontario, Canada. An EMP event affecting this facility could have catastrophic consequences.
The latest book in the series, Five Years After, follows protagonist John Matherson as he contends with new threats to the fragile civilization that he helped rebuild.
In Five Years After, the Republic of New America has all but collapsed into regional powers, and the world at large is struggling to remain stable as regional conflicts ravage the post-EMP landscape. After several years attempting to lead a quiet life, John receives word that the President is terminal with cancer, and John is asked to take over the reins of government.
Pulled back into the fray, John struggles to hold the tottering Republic together. Facing threats on multiple fronts, he races against time to stop another EMP attack on the former United States and China, putting years of progress at risk. With so much of his work under threat, John must find the strength within to start over, so that he can save the country and the people that he holds dear from even greater calamity.
Forstchen’s depiction of a post-EMP society throughout his One Second After series is rooted in years of extensive research, and he has long been advocating for greater awareness and preparation against an EMP strike, which he considers a very real threat. His goal is not to alarm, but to prompt proactive measures to protect the North American public.
“We’ve got to live our lives; we’ve got to enjoy ourselves … don’t make this the obsession,” Forstchen said of the topic of EMPs. “But it should be out there. You should be thinking about this and doing some basic planning.”
Featured image- NASA “Mini-EMP attacks do happen when conditions on the Sun create discharges powerful enough to reach the Earth’s surface. Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory’s view of the 23 July 2012 coronal mass ejection. The event was the fastest-ever coronal mass ejection, leaving the sun at between 1,800-2,200 miles-per-second.
About the Author
William R. Forstchen is a New York Times bestselling author and a Professor of History at Montreat College, in Montreat, North Carolina. He holds a doctoral degree from Purdue University with a specialization in military history and technology. He is the author of more than 50 books, including the One Second After series that details the realistic effects of an EMP strike.
He is a noted expert historian and public speaker and has been interviewed on FOX News, C-SPAN and many others on topics ranging from history to technology and cultural issues, to space technology development, to security threats.
With driverless cars already on the streets, will there be similar AI breakthroughs in the future of parking?
In the ’60s, The Jetsons, a cartoon about a family living in the future, featured a flying car that folded down into a briefcase when not in use. It is unlikely that we will ever see that solution to parking become a reality, but many other sci-fi books and films have predicted self-driving vehicles, and we know they are coming because they kind of exist today.
Parking facilities in the future must make allowances for electric vehicles. (Photo by guteksk7/Shutterstock)
While brands like Tesla have pushed the boundaries of driver assistance to become a version of self-driving, including parking the vehicle automatically, currently the parking infrastructure has not really kept up.
But we know that cannot continue, and the reality is that as transport technology evolves, parking solutions will have to evolve as well. But what does that mean long term? Will we be able to arrive at a parking center, get out and leave the car to it, then call it back to us when we want to leave? That seems like the dream approach to parking, but what does it need to make it happen?
Parking tech
There are two parts to that kind of service, the technology in the car park itself, and the technology within the car. For such a seamless experience, the two will need to work together, in that the vehicle must be able to drive autonomously, but also receive information about parking locations and when it should return to the entrance, from the car park itself. Both sets of technology actually exist today, not as refined as required for a reliable autonomous parking experience, but that is only a matter of time and development. But is it the right answer?
Right now, parking systems know which cars are parked where within the car park, this data is used to establish remaining capacities and so on, and while not universal, there are cars that can go off and park themselves when needed. So that future service is nearer than we think, but in the meantime what does car parking look like? Some may say that the future is already here without needing self-driving cars.
In Japan and some cities in the US, lift-based parking solutions offer a similar experience today. You arrive at a parking garage; your vehicle is pulled into a cubicle which is then lifted away. When you want to return to your car, the system finds the right cubicle garage and then returns it to the entrance, so you can drive away.
There are advantages to this approach, without the need for ramps to drive up and down to reach the parking, more cars can be parked in a given space. Because no one actually enters the building where vehicles are stored, it is also incredibly secure too. These systems are being constantly refined, and in the future, it is likely such a garage could be completely automated. With the advantages of space and security, is that more likely to be the future of high-density parking? If we look at other factors, it may well be.
Cities are increasingly looking to decrease car numbers, opening up spaces instead for social areas, encouraging cycling and other more environmentally friendly approaches to transportation. This is unlikely to change even with the widespread adoption of electric cars, so parking will naturally require large hubs with high-density parking that allows easy access to walks, bikes or public transport to central areas. To get an idea for the future of parking, we can look at what technology best fits this scenario.
Robotic Solutions
It is likely that these robotic lift-type solutions that pack more vehicles into each parking area fit the needs of city designers better than any more traditional multi-story or underground system that requires ramps and so on, whether the cars are operated by drivers or park themselves. There are other things that are in favor of this approach too.
Architects are under pressure to soften the appearance of buildings in cities across the world, to create spaces that have more light and elegance. A more compact multi-story space, or an underground alternative with only one small entrance space is easier to disguise with cladding, color and other design tricks that much larger car parks that have ramps and so on.
There is also the matter of technology. While there are cars that can drive themselves in a limited way now, and numbers are only going to increase, they are not all cars, and may never be. Holden stopped making cars in 2020, but in 20 years’ time, there will still be Holden cars driving on the roads. Those cars can never use autonomous parking systems, but they can use the robotic systems that take your car away and bring it back via a crane lift. They can use them today, and they can use them in the future.
Machine learning to park
So, the dream of a car swooshing away into its own spot automatically could well be the future. However, it is more likely to be carried there by a machine rather than drive itself. But not all parking is in cities with integrated parking solutions ran by the local authorities. For parking elsewhere, things will develop alongside vehicle technology, and there is one area that must advance for the future of the automotive industry itself, never mind parking. That is electric car charging.
Right now, charging is a bit of a mess: different speeds depending on the charger installation, there is no real cohesive system and owners often have to wrestle with a number of different apps to access charging networks on the go. Then there are the mechanics of charging, a heavy cable that has to be plugged in, account information and payment input before the car can be charged. As with phones, wireless charging is the solution, it removes much of the hassle and fail points for a better experience. But what would that look like in cars?
The obvious answer is charging areas embedded into the road or parking space, with a vehicle stopping on top of it automatically charging. There are hurdles to this, it would mean an end to the various account systems currently used to access charge networks, and instead have something tied to the vehicle itself. However, this kind of solution offers easy and efficient charging without the hassle we have today.
This would also require new technology for parking. For instance, our robotic car parks could have a charge loop in each container or cubicle, so electric vehicles charge automatically once they are taken away for storage. Likewise, on-road parking at parking meters could include chargers under each space.
This makes the charging process so much less hassle but allows for electric car charging without having to install endless charge stations in streets, and avoiding all the cables that the current system will need. Given the sheer number of electric cars that will be in operation in just a decade or so, and one cable per car, you can see how much an alternative is required.
But while technology will continue to drive the parking experience, and in cities and communities the need for clean, open spaces will change where we park and what that parking looks like, there will still be areas where parking sits outside of these grand designs. At its heart, a parking space is somewhere to store a vehicle while you go off and do something, and that need is not going to change. Large robotic parking systems in cities may appear in numbers, but they are not going to be the norm in areas with a smaller traffic flow or specific needs.
What we may see, and it is happening now, is that entrepreneurs and visionaries can find ways to provide a more selective parking solution on a smaller scale, that caters to a very specific need in a specific location. Not only are these services essential and in high demand, but they can be a source of income for anyone who has access to suitable parking space. With more cars than ever on the roads, and with a shift to electric not changing that, the future of parking looks to be heading in multiple directions.
The centralized systems operated in cities and other large communities will follow an approach that minimizes the space required and seek to integrate such facilities into an overall plan for the area. However, in some areas where there is no overall control of parking operations, the idea that you can rent a parking spot from a single person makes sense. Some people have space, others need that space, and as more cars are used, that space is in ever higher demand. This article is an excerpt from the complete e-book Parking Made Easy by Daniel Battaglia.
Can’t figure out what to get the film buff in your life? Delight any movie lover with high-quality EntertainArt. Set the scene with exclusive, limited edition, ready-to-hang wall art from some of the hottest movies, classic comics and TV shows like Star Wars, Alice in Wonderland, Batman and many more.
All products are officially licensed by entertainment studios and in-house designers develop this exclusive artwork with customization, accenting, vibrancy and creativity to every piece.
Featuring rich detail, deep color saturation, and exciting embellishments, EntertainArt is a modern way to display artwork on quality canvas with or without a frame. So what are you waiting for? Shine a spotlight on your space with the magic of the movies.
Whether you’re a fan of sci-fi, Disney princesses, or Marvel and DC superheroes, EntertainArt is the place to find the most unique designs and authentic wall decor. Want to class up your home while still representing your favorite flicks? Check out a few examples of EntertainArt’s growing selection of officially licensed artwork:
Batman Blimp: The world’s greatest detective, Batman, protects his beloved city of Gotham from the rooftops. DC Comics created some of the world’s most popular characters such as Superman and Wonder Woman and is the oldest active publishing company. Beautiful comic book covers like this one from Jim Lee will make for beautiful, bold designs to display proudly on your wall.
Alice Looking For Wonderland Tea Fall: Follow us down the rabbit-hole to a curious place filled with mad hatters, white rabbits, and evil queens. Create a world of your own with wall art that will transport you to wonderland with Alice.
Rogue One, A Star Wars Story: Rebel and Imperial forces collide in this legendary collage. Celebrate this inspiring tale with a creative canvas art piece. Decorate your home with the epic saga of a rebellion built on hope.
About our friends at EntertainArt
EntertainArt is created by entertainment enthusiasts who wanted to fill a void of online stores selling high-quality wall décor for movies, comics and alike. EntertainArt is the leading online destination for officially licensed entertainment wall art. We provide quality ready-to-hang wall art from your favorite movies, comics, and TV Series. Whether you’re a fan of sci-fi, princesses, or superheroes, we are the place where you can find the most exclusive designs and authentic wall decor.
When the next episode of STAR TREK CONTINUESis revealed, science fiction fans will see a familiar face in a guest star role. The new episode, titled Still Treads the Shadow, features guest star Rekha Sharma, perhaps best known to science fiction fans for her role in more than 30 episodes of Battlestar Galactica. While details of Sharma’s character in STAR TREK CONTINUES are being kept under wraps until April, she says the offer for a role came after meeting Vic “Kirk” Mignogna at FedCon Germany last year during the 50th Anniversary of STAR TREK event.
“Vic and I kept in touch after FedCon, and then he asked if I’d be interested in coming aboard STAR TREK CONTINUES. He told me about a script that was in development and the character he had in mind. I’m so delighted that it worked with my schedule,” Sharma says. Sharma’s first introduction to the original STAR TREK series came from her big brother. “All my friends were watching Full House or something. I’m not sure! And there I was, coming home after school and watching the original STAR TREK and old Perry Mason reruns! I remember my brother told me that there were people opening and closing the doors, which I thought it was so cool and cheesy. And it very much appealed to my dreams of utopia — especially as a young colored girl growing up in very white neighborhoods,” says Sharma. Rekha’s character of Tory Foster in the rebooted Battlestar Galactica, which began in 2004, developed after several auditions. “From the very first audition, I was immediately struck by the intelligence, artistry and kind-heartedness of the directors and producers. I thought, I’d really like to work with these people! First I went in for the role of a Viper pilot, then a captain, and then the role of Tory came along. Oh yeah, I thought, this is a perfect part for me.” Galactica’s producers apparently agreed. “Working on Battlestar Galactica was a dream come true. From my previous experience, I honestly didn’t think I could be creatively satisfied working in TV. But Battlestar Galactica changed that. Not only was it creatively satisfying, but we also had such a great team of people. We are all like family to this day,” Sharma explains
What does it mean to be a STAR TREK CONTINUES guest star? “It means I have fulfilled a dream, in a way, and that I’ve come full circle. I loved those stories. They had a wonderful morality and vision for humanity that made my heart sing. And then I got to step onto those sets and step into my childhood and be a part of telling that kind of story. Not only that, but that world was so fun! I loved those neat-o futuristic gadgets when I was a kid. And now, as an adult, I got to play with them. I got to sit on the bridge. There weren’t any trailers, so when I needed to rest between scenes, I took naps in sickbay on board the Enterprise. And I got beamed in the transporter! I can’t wait to see that,” she says enthusiastically. The experience of working on the STAR TREK CONTINUES set “was so refreshing,” Sharma says. “Everyone is there for love, not money. It felt like Battlestar Galactica that way. Although it’s a fan run project, the STAR TREK CONTINUES sets were surprisingly professional and very impressive. It was a mix of TV veterans and total newbies, and that made for an awesome atmosphere to work in. It was the best of both worlds, really.” Sharma likes to compare the character she’s playing in Episode 8 to be much like aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart. “She is smart as a whip, very technically inclined, and brave. I thought of her as a bright light of goodness and intelligence with a big heart.” She admits to being very surprised at what the cast and crew have created with STAR TREK CONTINUES. “You know, Vic told me that I’d become part of the family, but I had no idea what he meant. They have chosen a team who are all friendly, diligent, thoughtful and good-hearted people. I felt so welcomed and incredibly lucky. It makes sense that they’re shooting in the south – they’re so hospitable! And those sets! Again, Vic told me what they built, but until you’re there you just can’t conceive of it. It’s really impressive. I know I’m not the only one who was moved to tears,” Sharma says. Fans will be able to see Rekha Sharma at future conventions and events. “It’s funny. At first it felt so strange to do conventions, but as time has gone on I’ve really come to appreciate them. It’s special to have the opportunity to meet the fans and discuss the themes of these shows. You get to connect with people that you’d never get to meet otherwise. And sci-fi fans are awesome because, generally speaking, they still have dreams. They’re not jaded. They believe in possibility. And without that, nothing would ever change for the better. We’ve got to hold on to our dreams and keep being warriors in this world – to truly go where no man has gone before.” “Still Treads the Shadow” will premiere at Fan Expo Dallas on April 1 at the Dallas Convention Center.
How are you getting around the guidelines for fan films? As CBS/Paramount has made clear, the guidelines are not laws; they are general parameters applied on a case-by-case basis. Since the implementation of the guidelines, we have stopped all crowdfunding activities and have focused strictly on completing the four episodes which had already been funded as of that time by fans’ donations to our 501(c)(3) non-profit. STAR TREK CONTINUES has always followed any and all instructions given to us by CBS regarding our production, and will continue to do so. Does STAR TREK CONTINUES have any type of special and/or official arrangement with CBS/Paramount? No.
How long are the episodes? They will be exactly the same format as our previous episodes Why are you ending the series? Recent developments necessitated our finishing up sooner than we intended, but it was always our goal to bring The Original Series to a conclusion. With our final four episodes, we will have done that. It’s been an amazing five years creating this series, and we will miss making it. But all good things… Weren’t you going to make 13 episodes? Did CBS make you stop? CBS is not responsible for the decision to end the series. We are doing 11 episodes instead of 13 because another fan group took advantage of the good graces of the copyright holders forcing them to protect their property and the interests of their license holders. In deference and gratitude to CBS, we are wrapping up earlier than planned. We always have stood, and continue to stand, with CBS. Can we get DVDs/Blu-ray discs of the final episodes? As we do not own STAR TREK, we cannot sell DVDs or Blu-ray discs. In the past, we’ve made a limited number of discs available as crowdfunding perks. However, since we are no longer crowdfunding, providing episodes to the public on DVD and/or Blu-ray discs is not currently feasible for us. What will happen to the studio/sets? Will set visits/tours be available? We don’t have a definitive answer on this right now, but we’re considering all our options.
The 10 foot tall ( 3.048 m) work in progress Robocop statue. image: freep.com
In the 1987 the Dutch auteur film maker Paul Verhoeven created a movie unlike any other. He called it Robocop and I’m old enough to remember watching this dark comedy sci-fi masterpiece when it was brand spanking new.
This film and its sequel (humbly titled: Robocop 2) continue to resonate and influence today’s art and culture. Sometime this year or perhaps next, in the real-world city of Detroit a ten-foot tall Officer Murphy (aka Robocop himself) statue will be unveiled- 26 years after Verhoeven chose Detroit as the setting for a near future city on the brink of disaster due to the privatization of that city’s police force and its resulting corporate mismanagement.
It seems OCP, Detroit’s police force, have no choice but to create a half-man half-machine cyborg in hopes of not only a public relations coup but with an eye on a bright future of profitable policing. Enter the complicated messages stitched into Robocop.
Film like all media, has been used as a political statement before but perhaps Robocop did this unintentionally. It’s a sci-fi movie first and foremost but the personal message exists too: THIS MIGHT HAPPEN. “Dead or alive….you’re coming with me.” CP
The maniacal Hal9000 computer was in charge of operating a spacecraft in Kubrick’s 2001:A Space Odyssey.
It’s time to scrap Ontario’s Drive Clean program and the latest reboot of the decade old Drive Clean program should get the boot altogether. I make this claim following the Wynne government’s latest set of changes introducing a bureaucratic and excessively onerous procedure for consumers and car dealers to follow if their vehicle fails the new Drive Clean test. The changes build on a government revamp of the program that now have vehicles undergo an OBD (On-Board Diagnostics) test instead of an emissions test directly at the tailpipe – changes that resulted in an immediate jump in failure rates from 5 per cent up to 10.5 per cent.
[In the scene below- astronaut Dave is refused entry back into the main spaceship after retrieving the body of fellow astronaut Frank. The Hal9000 computer incorrectly diagnosed a failure in the spaceship’s communication antenna array. CP]
When our previous government introduced the program in 1999, emission reduction was both the goal and the result – today numerous drivers are being told their car has failed the test simply because its on-board computer isn’t ‘ready with the only reduction coming to the motorists wallet. It’s clear government introduced a more stringent e-test as a way to justify a program that has obviously outlived its usefulness.
To ensure all monitors/on-board computers are ready, the Ministry of the Environment has suggested motorists should spend a few days driving the vehicle on the highway and around town.
It seems hypocritical that a program geared to emission reduction would also encourage Ontarians to drive around aimlessly to remedy a technical glitch before they can pay more money to take another e-test. The fact that this is an unworkable, ineffective money-grab that has well passed it’s best before date. The Auditor General specifically warned the Liberals last year to delay the implementation of their new e-test in order to ensure that all technical testing was completed and problems were resolved.
In typical Liberal-fashion, the government ignored the advice of the Auditor General and rushed ahead with their new emissions test – neglecting any due diligence whatsoever. For the Silo by Toby Barrett
Contact Toby for more information at 519-428-0446 or 1-800-903-8629
