Author Archive

Autopilot 02 – Battlestar Galactica (1978)

Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise began with the original television series in 1978, and was followed by a brief sequel TV series in 1980, a line of book adaptations, original novels, comic books, a board game, and video games.

Hosts: Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Iyaz Akhtar and Jason Howell

Google reveals augmented reality glasses, Nokia Lumia 900 rocks the world, Alaskans get cheap iPhones, and more.

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Running time: 41:03

In 1911 – Cuthbert Hurd was born in Estherville, Iowa. He would grow up to work at IBM where he quietly persuaded the company that a market for scientific computers existed. He sold 10 of the very first IBM 701s and managed the team that invented FORTRAN.

In 1951 – Dean Kamen was born in Rockville Centre, New York. He grew up to found DEKA Research in 1982 which developed a portable dialysis machine, a vascular stent, and the iBOT — a motorized wheelchair that climbs stairs. Oh and the Segway.

In 1998 – Long before texting or cell phones while driving were considered a danger, a driver in Marseilles, France was distracted by her Tamagotchi virtual pet. She ran into a group of cyclists killing one and injuring one other.

Hosts: Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Iyaz Akhtar and Jason Howell

Facebook fights back against Yahoo, RIM’s plan for success, flying cars (or driving planes), and more.

Guest: Jason Hiner

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Running time: 43:34

Hosts: Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Iyaz Akhtar and Jason Howell

Hot iPad not too hot, Dell goes all 1960 on computing, Microsoft conquering all, and more.

Guest: Peter Wells

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Running time: 46:40

In 1954 – Daniel Kottke was born in Bronxville, New York. Who would go on to befriend Steve Jobs at Reed College, assemble the first Apple Compyters with Steve Wozniak and work on the original Macintosh team.

In 1975 – Bill Gates and Paul Allen formed a partnership in Albuquerque New Mexico. The venture was later named Micro-soft.

In 1994 – Marc Andreessen and Jim Clark found Mosaic Communications Corp, which they later renamed Netscape Communications Corp. Andreesen developed the Mosaic browser while at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois.

Hosts: Tom Merritt and Scott Johnson

We’ll need a disaster to teach us computer security, but we won’t have those nasty keyloggers since we’ll all use tablets.

Guests: Dwight Silverman and Tony Wang

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Running time: 49:59

Hosts: Brian Brushwood and Tom Merritt

Is cable dominance slowing? Google TV coming to Europe, Kutcher to play Jobs, and more.

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Running time: 1:09:19

We realise right off the top of the show that we need to start planning for our 100th episode.  Soon!  We also figure out why SciFi is sometimes better than reality and dish what we thought of The Hunger Games movie. Also: GAME OF THRONES!!!

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?

Tom: 2011 Viñedos Errázuriz Ovalle Merlot/Malbec Panilonco Reserve Viñedos Marchigüe

Veronica: 2006 Bruno Rocca Barbaresco

QUICK BURNS

Expecto Patronum! Harry Potter is now an e-book 

On sci-fi and technology 

Could the Amazon Kindle Revitalize Science Fiction? 

John Hodgman and Rob Reid talk Year Zero, Aliens, and the RIAA 

CALENDAR

BARE YOUR SWORD

What books would you recommend to someone scared of the Genre?

What do you do when reading?

TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES

HBO releases extended GoT world map 

Here there be White Walkers in stylized Game of Thrones maps 

GAME OF THRONES companion book announced 

BOOK CHECK-IN

The Magicians by Lev Grossman 

In 1966 – Luna 10 became the first spacecraft to enter lunar orbit. It completed its first orbit in two hours 58 minutes.

1973 – Martin Cooper, general manager of Motorola’s Communications Systems Division made the first handheld portable phone call from a New York City street to Joel S. Engel at rival Bell Labs. Presumably he gloated at least a little.

In 1981 – Adam Osborne unveiled the Osborne 1 at the West Coast Computer Faire in San Francisco. It cost $1,795 at retail.

In 2000 – U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson ruled that Microsoft violated the nation’s antitrust laws by using its monopoly power in personal computer operating systems to stifle competition.