and they've been really enjoyable - New Amsterdam only lasted eight episodes - given more time, i think it could have developed into something quite remarkable - New Amsterdam is about this guy (a police detective in present day), who saved the life of a Native American woman hundreds of years ago, and is given immortality until he finds his soul-mate - the Danish actor, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is one to watch out for - (he's already got another gig as the main character in the tv show, Virtuality) - and his co-star was an actress i always enjoy watching - Zuleikha Robinson

Journeyman - with Scottish actor, Kevin McKidd - lastly of Rome - is about this newspaper reporter who finds out that he travels back in time - mostly based around lives San Franciso - to "fix" things - i'm in the middle of the 13 episodes which are on Hulu right now (Hulu is only available to people in the states, so bye-bye when i get to Europe - so scummy - seems to me that it only helps for these sites to be available to people in other countries) - but, i like the show

below is the opening credit sequence from New Amsterdam - the music caught me - it's only 30 seconds - but i'm addicted

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Reason #19 to attend Mountain-Con:
Scott Schwartz

At Mountain-Con, we just love announcing our guests! This week, we have reason to celebrate one of the largest talents in Hollywood ... literally and figuratively ... Mr. Scott Schwartz.

Mr. Schwartz is 6' 10" tall and about 300 lbs (according to information from his Web site). Combined with his athletic ability, Mr. Schwartz certainly is an imposing figure. No wonder he touts himself as "The Ultimate Bad Guy". Now this Ultimate Bad Guy will give us the ultimate thrill of hanging out with us in person!

In his varied career, Mr. Scott Schwartz has been a professional wrestler as well as an actor. Known as "Joshua Ben-Gurion, the Israeli Commando", Mr. Schwartz has wrestling credits from 1979 all the way through 1990.

Mr. Schwartz has appeared in a few movies you may or may not recognize, such as:

• Ocean's Eleven (Bulldog, the Bruiser a.k.a. the guy who beat up George Clooney's character)
• Ocean's Twelve
• Ocean's Thirteen
• Starsky & Hutch (the 2004 movie)
• Spider-Man (the screaming wrestler who was defeated by "Bone Saw")
• The Scorpion King
• Fun With Dick and Jane
• The Flinstones in Viva Rock Vegas

Mr. Schwartz also guest-starred in these television series, among others:

• Buffy, the Vampire Slayer
• Angel
• Star Trek: Enterprise
• V.I.P. (remember that show with Pamela Anderson?)
• Black Scorpion (anyone remember this show?)
• Nash Bridges

(Thanks to IMDB and the official Scott Schwartz Web Site (http://www.ultimatebadguy.com) for Scott's credits.)

So...visit www.mountaincon.org for your tickets, links to the hotel, and scheduling information...and be on the lookout for additional "Reasons" to be announced over the next few weeks.

(Reminder: Pre-sale tickets for an adult, 3-day Mountain-Con VI pass are $40. After August 31st, we will discontinue the pre-sale registration and sell tickets at the door for $45. Single-day rates are also available at the door.)

Please note:
In last week's reason, the author erroneously stated that August 31st was in a few short days. That is incorrect.
August 31, 2008 is a Sunday...in approximately four weeks.

To recap:

Reason #1 to attend Mountain-Con: "Because it's just that COOL!"

Reason #2 to attend Mountain-Con: Brandon Sanderson

Reason #3 to attend Mountain-Con: KidCon

Reason #4 to attend Mountain-Con: "Location, location, location!"

Reason #5 to attend Mountain-Con: Kevin Sorbo

Reason #6 to attend Mountain-Con: Cool props

Reason #7 to attend Mountain-Con: Club Fahrenheit 451

Reason #8 to attend Mountain-Con: Sarah Douglas

Reason #9 to attend Mountain-Con: Star Trek: Of Gods and Men

Reason #10 to attend Mountain-Con: "We are YOUR people!"

Reason #11 to attend Mountain-Con: Herb Jefferson Jr.

Reason #12 to attend Mountain-Con: Banquet with the Stars

Reason #13 to attend Mountain-Con: Fan Film Festival

Reason #14 to attend Mountain-Con: "Starfleet Academy" classes at the Wasatch Campus

Reason #15 to attend Mountain-Con: Costume Contest & Masquerade

Reason #16 to attend Mountain-Con: Brandon Mull

Reason #17 to attend Mountain-Con: Mark Goddard

Reason #18 to attend Mountain-Con: Richard Herd

Reason #19 to attend Mountain-Con:
Scott Schwartz

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Reason #18 to attend Mountain-Con:
Richard Herd

This week, we have the pleasure of announcing one of our guests... Mr. Richard Herd.

Mr. Herd is a prolific actor. Just look at some of the shows he's been in:

• The China Syndrome
• V (the original miniseries)
• V: The Final Battle (also starring Ms. Sarah Douglas - another of this year's wonderful guests)
• T.J. Hooker, in which he played William Shatner's boss
• Simon & Simon
• Knott's Landing
• Star Trek (both The Next Generation and Voyager)
• SeaQuest DSV
• Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman
• Seinfeld
• Scarecrow & Mrs. King
  

Mr. Herd also was also in the movie "InAlienable" (completed just this year), written by Walter Koenig and starring Richard Hatch, both of whom are former guests of Mountain-Con. (Note: We will have the rare opportunity to view InAlienable during our convention this year.)

(For more information, check out Mr. Herd's page on IMDB and the official Richard Herd Web site.)

While attending Mountain-Con, Mr. Herd will conduct an auditions class for all those wishing to learn more about the auditions process. There is a fee for this class, and seating is limited. (Please see our Web site for details.)

The multi-talented Mr. Herd is also part of The Enterprise Blues Band, a group of former Star Trek actors and behind-the-scenes people. Check out the Enterprise Blues Band Web page here.

So...visit www.mountaincon.org for your tickets, links to the hotel, and scheduling information...and be on the lookout for additional guests to be announced over the next few weeks.

(Reminder: Pre-sale tickets for an adult, 3-day Mountain-Con VI pass are $40. After August 31st (which is THIS FRIDAY), we will discontinue the pre-sale registration and sell tickets at the door for $45. Single-day rates are also available at the door.)

To recap:

Reason #1 to attend Mountain-Con: "Because it's just that COOL!"

Reason #2 to attend Mountain-Con: Brandon Sanderson

Reason #3 to attend Mountain-Con: KidCon

Reason #4 to attend Mountain-Con: "Location, location, location!"

Reason #5 to attend Mountain-Con: Kevin Sorbo

Reason #6 to attend Mountain-Con: Cool props

Reason #7 to attend Mountain-Con: Club Fahrenheit 451

Reason #8 to attend Mountain-Con: Sarah Douglas

Reason #9 to attend Mountain-Con: Star Trek: Of Gods and Men

Reason #10 to attend Mountain-Con: "We are YOUR people!"

Reason #11 to attend Mountain-Con: Herb Jefferson Jr.

Reason #12 to attend Mountain-Con: Banquet with the Stars

Reason #13 to attend Mountain-Con: Fan Film Festival

Reason #14 to attend Mountain-Con: "Starfleet Academy" classes at the Wasatch Campus

Reason #15 to attend Mountain-Con: Costume Contest & Masquerade

Reason #16 to attend Mountain-Con: Brandon Mull

Reason #17 to attend Mountain-Con: Mark Goddard

Reason #18 to attend Mountain-Con:
Richard Herd

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I know it's nearly August, but there are lots of great science fiction and fantasy audiobooks being released in July. Check out the video to see what's new.

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Oh yes, a great science fiction plot object.  My father's favorite story line.  The "Time Travel" gimmick that entertains everyone from the Geek to the casual reader.

I am a big viewer of the "Nerd Channels" on television.  I like to watch the Science Channel and Discovery channel quite regularly.  I've given up on TLC as it has just become the decorator channel.  Although Discovery seems to be the Alaska channel now, but I digress...

I have always been interested in science.  No, not the junk science so many practice now days with their "assume that..." theories and such, and claiming them as facts.  I am talking about pure science.  The kind of real science politics, government funding and Al Gore can't pollute into a false religion.

Don't get me wrong, TV is not my only source of information.  I love to read as well, and have read more than just fiction.  While I don't claim the mental fitness of Einstein, I do grasp the concept of relativity and for the most part, it makes sense to me.

Many times, when I see scientific and experimental concepts discussed about time travel, I only hear the theoretical and Earth-centric aspect of it being spoken of.  Things such as worm-holes, warping, and folding space come into the conversation.  These theories may have scientific merit, but they don't have practical understanding.  I frequently see scientists in the world that concentrate on their fields exclusively, and frankly, are completely ignorant of many other scientific fields of study.  If there's one thing I have learned as a computer professional, it's that knowing hardware, software, and all technologies relating to the industry gives an edge to the quality of work offered as a programmer.  Those that only understand programming and have no idea how a CPU and its relating electronics work together will always be at a disadvantage and missing a very important point of view.  Science is the same way.  You may be nuclear physicist, but maybe, just maybe, knowing a bit about astronomy and geology might just help you in your field.

Back to time travel.  I hear a lot about the fundamentals of relativity being discussed in relation to time travel theories,  but I never ever hear the practical and obvious problems relativity brings to the issue.  Only the deepest theories are discussed, but never the problems they cause.

Let me lay it down, so to speak, for everyone to understand.  Let's say someone figures out how to travel through time and makes a "Mr. TimeTravel" or "flux capacitor" device.  Yay for him/her!  Guess, what?  It still will be unusable.  They have only conquered the tip of the iceberg.  How?  The universe is not like a Hollywood movie, nor is the Earth sitting stationary in space.  Bending some laws to achieve time travel does not eliminate other laws.

Consider for a moment that nothing in the universe is sitting still.  In fact, most, if not all of it is moving quite fast, blazingly fast.  You think you are sitting still on Earth reading this, but in reality this is happening:

• You are traveling (if sitting on the equator) 1000 miles per hour as the earth rotates on its axis.  You have this great spinning force wanting to fling you off into space, but the Eath's gravity keeps you firmly in your chair.
• The Earth is orbiting the Sun, a simple star called "Sol", at approximately 18.5 miles per second.  Pretty darn fast in and of itself!  The Earth should be flung out into space, but it and the Sun's gravity keeps it comfortably in a stable orbit.
• The Sun, "Sol", orbits the Milky Way Galaxy's center at approximately 450,000 miles per hour, with a slight oscillation through the galactic plane.
• The Milky Way Galaxy is (by most scientific estimates) traveling through space at approximately 1.3 million miles per hour.

OK, you now have this fancy-schmancy "Mr. TimeTravel" device or a flux capacitor, and you want to do some time traveling.  GREAT!  Now you need to solve the problems of distance.  If you want to appear even five minutes into the past, then you had better be wearing a space suit and have a REALLY fast space ship, because you aren't anywhere near the Earth when you arrive.  You will appear at precisley the point where you left the Earth at that particular time.  You will also have the relative inertia of all of that speed from the Earth's rotation, the Earth's orbit, the Sun's orbit, and the Milky Way's speed all at once without the gravity to govern it.  In a split second after you arrive, you will be nowhere near where the Earth is going to be even in just five minutes worth of time travel.

Where you appear all depends on what direction you were heading when you left, and what direction the Earth was heading.  There is a chance you might end up inside the Earth itself or inside the moon or other object, if not out in space.  There's no way you are landing on the Earth after you zap to another time.

So time travel may sound cool, romantic, and a great way to write a story.  I don't think mankind will ever be able to actually experience it.  There's just too much going against you.

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Reason #12 to attend Mountain-Con:
Banquet with the Stars

Ever since the second Mountain-Con, we have had an excellent "Banquet with the Stars"...an opportunity to share a meal and some experiences with one of our guests.

Held on the Friday night of the convention, the Banquet is sort of the "official opener" for the convention. The banquet comes with a souvenir photograph and other unique opportunities available only to Banquet attendees.

Since the Banquet is one of those extra "add on" goodies, there will be a cost to it. Considering all that comes with the banquet, the price is definitely reasonable (under $100)...which is much less than some other conventions charge.

Please note: Only those 18 or older will be admitted to the banquet. Additionally, the Banquet has a dress code... costume or nice dress (Sunday best).

(Rumor has it that Club Fahrenheit 451 will run a cash bar at this year's Banquet.)

To recap:

Reason #1 to attend Mountain-Con: "Because it's just that COOL!"

Reason #2 to attend Mountain-Con: Brandon Sanderson

Reason #3 to attend Mountain-Con: KidCon

Reason #4 to attend Mountain-Con: "Location, location, location!"

Reason #5 to attend Mountain-Con: Kevin Sorbo

Reason #6 to attend Mountain-Con: Cool props

Reason #7 to attend Mountain-Con: Club Fahrenheit 451

Reason #8 to attend Mountain-Con: Sarah Douglas

Reason #9 to attend Mountain-Con: Star Trek: Of Gods and Men

Reason #10 to attend Mountain-Con: "We are YOUR people!"

Reason #11 to attend Mountain-Con: Herb Jefferson Jr.

Reason #12 to attend Mountain-Con:
Banquet with the Stars

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ReBoot - Brought to you by Rainmaker

http://www.reboot.com/index.php

The ReBoot saga continues with this first installment of the Code of Honor storyline: Paradigms Lost. Two mortal enemies set aside their differences to battle a viral outbreak that threatens the stability of cyberspace. Will the unlikely allies cooperate... or stab each other in their backups?

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S4_08_wal_13

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Hey guys!

Got my hands on some exclusive, first-look screen captures from the upcoming action/adventure film, City of Ember (in theatres, 10/10/08). 

Synopsis:  The latest fantasy novel adaption from Fox Walden is City of Ember. Based on the 2003 novel by Jeanne Duprau, Ember follows two kids, Lina and Doon, who live in the City of Ember, where the sky is always dark. As Ember’s power source begins to fail and the lamps start to flicker, they search for clues that will unlock ancient mysteries about the city and save the people of Ember. The film stars Bill Murray, Tim Robbins, Saoirse Ronan, Harry Treadaway, Toby Jones, Martin Landau, Mackenzie Crook, Mary Kay Place, and Marianne Jean-Baptiste. 

Other notable mentions:  Directed by Gil Kenan (Monster House, Oscar nominated) and screenplay by Caroline Thompson (The Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands).

I have posted the exclusive screen shots below, there's a little description of what's going on underneath each of the images...

Bill Murray plays Mayor Cole; I'm really looking forward to his work in this film! He has such great comic timing, and I'm sure he'll do well to make this film good for all audiences, young and old.

Lina Mayfleet (Saoirse Ronan, Atonement) with the "Instructions of Egress" that unlocks the mystery to finding a way out of the City of Ember.

Gives you a good idea about the set design-- Martin Laing (Titanic, Pearl Harbor) really gave the movie an epic and unique post-apocalyptic aesthetic. Another tidbit, it was filmed in a former paint hall in Belfast, Ireland's Titanic Quarter. Other filming sites included England, Romania, Prague and Berlin.

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Reason #9 to attend Mountain-Con:
Star Trek: Of Gods and Men

Mountain-Con has the unique opportunity to show all three parts of "Star Trek: Of Gods and Men", starring former Mountain-Con guests Walter Koenig, Garrett Wang, and Chase Masterson and Mountain-Con 4 guest Herb Jefferson. ("Star Trek: Of Gods and Men" also stars Nichelle Nichols, and Alan Ruck with Ethan Phillips, Cirroc Lofton, JG Hertzler, Gary Graham, and Tim Russ.)

Of Gods and Men is set in an alternate reality, and it is fun to see some of our favorite characters in situations you never thought you'd see. Come join us for this unique opportunity!

You can find out more about "Star Trek: Of Gods and Men" at their Web site: http://www.startrekofgodsandmen.net.

To recap:

Reason #1 to attend Mountain-Con: "Because it's just that COOL!"

Reason #2 to attend Mountain-Con: Brandon Sanderson

Reason #3 to attend Mountain-Con: KidCon

Reason #4 to attend Mountain-Con: "Location, location, location!"

Reason #5 to attend Mountain-Con: Kevin Sorbo

Reason #6 to attend Mountain-Con: Cool props

Reason #7 to attend Mountain-Con: Club Fahrenheit 451

Reason #8 to attend Mountain-Con: Sarah Douglas

Reason #9 to attend Mountain-Con:
Star Trek: Of Gods and Men

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