Category Archives: 37 Minutes

Here at Channel 37, our aesthetic is based on the 1950s and early 1960s style. As well as having very distinct visual and musical styles, this era was also undergirded by a most peculiar blend of euphoria and paranoia. At its essence, the American philosophy was something like this: there’s nothing we can’t do, but someone out there is determined to stop us from trying.

One of the results of this cultural schizophrenia was the iconic Civil Defense film “Duck and Cover,” which gave a generation of schoolchildren the confidence that they could ride out a nuclear holocaust by hiding under their school desks — the original “Nuke the Fridge.” (if you’ve never seen the ur-documentary of the genre, The Atomic Cafe, you must do so now. You will understand Channel 37 so much better.)

It was also the golden era of the alien invasion story, particularly flying saucers. This is the era that gave us Earth vs. the Flying Saucers among many other science-horror films along the same lines.

And now, thanks to the good folks at SciFiWood, we have just learned about a short film that manages to blend all of these themes together into a single, wonderfully-twisted Civil Defense film from a parallel alternative past. From the dangerous minds of Dastoli Digital, we present “Keep Watching the Skies!:”

Enjoy! If you dare!

This week scientists discovered, via the Martian rover, quantities of gypsum on Mars. According to most scientists, this is seen as conclusive proof that there was once water on Mars. Most believe that where there is water, there will be some sort of life, however primitive and microbial as can be.

While this is seen as great event, in the world of space exploration, Channel 37 would like to take this moment and proffer “The Theory of the Great Migration.”

Water can now be understood to have existed on Mars at one point. Without it, life as we know it cannot prosper, there cannot be any growth. Perhaps on Mars there was once life, maybe even intelligent. As water resources dwindled, Martian inhabitants needed to look for new sources of water. Obviously, no Martians being found on Mars, we must conclude that they left to pursue alternative sources. We, at Channel 37, call this event “The Great Migration.”

As the water supply dwindled, citizens of Mars had two options, move or die. If they decided to move, there were two options, Earth or one of Jupiter’s moons, Europa. Both had quantities of water that guaranteed enough to support a civilization (or two).

Europa was a cold moon far away from the sun and did not offer much in way of relocating. Earth was not much better at the time. There was massive volcanic activity. Huge, ravenous creatures roamed the lands, each more vicious than the last.

Martian scientists probably concluded that a move to earth at the time would be foolhardy. Obviously, there was time to come up with a solution.

The asteroid belt, being near Mars presented an opportunity. Three of four asteroids, possibly up to a half dozen, were sent on their way disrupting the fragile ecosystem.

The end of the dinosaurs brought about another circumstance. The cooling of the Earth began a newer life form, mammals. This evolution led to homo erectus, a being very similar to Martians. IT was at this time the Martians came to Earth as their new home.

For those looking for the missing link, it’s not going to happen. Bones of homo erectus are all that remain.

Where is the evidence? It is in front of us all the time,

Those of us who were conscious in the 70’s may remember a book that caused a great uproar. The Book? Chariots of the Gods by Erich Van Daniken presented startling evidence that aliens visited Earth. This book had many valid points and we at Channel 37 think that all should read it soon. Buy it here.

While we grasp the information presented in this book, we disagree with the conclusions. We at Channel 37 feel that these space travelers were not visitors; we feel that they are our ancestors. This, of course, would explain everything. But more on this latter on.

If the Martians moved to Earth, where are their ships? Obviously they have to be somewhere. Could this be related to UFO sightings around the world? This is a very easy correlation to make. These ships are hidden in secret places on Earth. The Martian “Space Force” has been maintaining these vehicles and going on regular training flights. Sometimes they are seen. Perhaps when they pick people up and probe them all sorts of ways, they are just looking for recruits. We know that this may seem callous, but those of us who grew up with Army doctors, it seems very reasonable.

It is very evident that Van Daniker relied on much evidence from the Mayan culture. This culture was one of the most advanced and developed cultured of the ancient world. The Mayan calendar is also being held as one of the chief pieces of evidence of the end of the world in 2012. We at Channel 37 do see it as a calendar.

We see it as a countdown.

So, to wrap things up, we will proffer a list of the mysteries that this theory explains:
• The disappearance of the dinosaurs
• Lack of the missing link
• Artifacts in EVERY culture showing spacemen
• World-wide UFO sightings
• The Mayan Countdown, er, calendar

This is, of course, the short version of the “The Theory of the Great Migration.” The crew of Channel 37 will be happy to give the longer version at events across the nation. Just make sure we have time on the ole’ Mayan countdown.

Christmas in the 1960s, at the dawn of the Space Age, was pretty cool for a young kid, I hear. There were great real-life adventures going on in space, lots of cool TV shows with great gizmos, and — thanks to the miraculous transistor — inexpensive high-technology available for fun and games.

As the last of five kids who were all born or grew up in the 1960s, I inherited many cool toys from my older brothers. As beat-up and well-used as they were for me, they were still pretty impressive; I can’t imagine how awesome they must have been when they were brand-new OOTB (that’s “out of the box,” for you non-nerdy types — as if there were any reading this! *geeksnort*). Here are some of my favorites. I imagine that the kids in The Tin Can Society probably asked for a lot of these too:

Revell 1/24 Scale Gemini Spacecraft. Gemini was the muscle-car of spaceships, with a real fighter-plane cockpit, ejection seats, and a whole squadron of macho astronaut pilots to fly them. There were an incredible ten manned flights in just two years — enough to make it seem like a weekly moon shuttle would be just around the corner. What kid wouldn’t want to be a Gemini spaceman?

This is a huge kit when assembled — big enough to pretend you’re sitting in it on a space mission (which I used to do for hours). The twin doors swing open to reveal a fully-detailed cockpit full of dials and switches, and the astronaut suits are really detailed with straps and buttons and all that. You can run a complete mission from launch to splashdown with this monster, but you’ll have to imagine the launch booster — or make one yourself.

Estes Flying Model Rockets. If you wanted to supplement the space missions in your imagination, there was no better way than flying model rockets. What a great way to learn the whole shebang: proper tool use, structural engineering (so you don’t believe it when the instructions say to cut the balsa wood fins so that the grain is parallel to the leading edge? Go ahead, try it without it. You’ll see.), aerodynamics and ballistics, electricity, chemistry — even proper painting technique. A couple of burns and cuts were a small price compared to the thrill of seeing something you created take off on its own, arc into the sky, pop its ‘chute, and come gliding gently down to Earth again — and be ready to do it again!

The thing about model rocketry, though, is that it fills all the senses. Not just the visual thrill of a launch, but also the tactile feel of smooth-sanded balsa fins and the tackiness of dried white glue on your fingers. The smell of a fresh coat of spray paint. The inimitable hissshhhhh of a rocket leaping off the pad. The unforgettable acrid smell of a freshly-burned motor — the smell of “mission accomplished.” It’s truly a sensory feast!

Archer Space Patrol Walkie-Talkies. On any mission — whether exploring deep space or spying on the enemy’s camp — good communications are essential. And for generations of young astronauts and spies, the radio of choice was the Archer Space Patrol walkie-talkie by Radio Shack. Rugged and reliable, it came with a plastic belt pouch so you could pull it out quickly (you couldn’t help but feel like Captain Kirk when he whipped out his communicator to call the Enterprise). Plus, it came with a Morse code option, and the Morse alphabet embossed on the back, in case you needed to send a coded signal because you couldn’t talk “in the clear.”

Agent Zero-M Gear. Let’s face it, you can’t play astronaut all the time. Sometimes, you have to be a spy, risking your life for glory and adventure in a whole different arena. With shows like I Spy and The Man from UNCLE showing just how glamorous the spy’s life can be, how can you resist? The thing is, every good spy will tell you that you’re only as good as your gadgets. And there were no finer gadgets than those designed for Agent Zero-M, whose adventures were featured in comic books in one-page adventure ads. For traveling incognito, Agent Zero-M’s gear was peerless — a transistor radio that sprang apart to form a sniper rifle (with the handle serving as the scope), and instant cameras, movie cameras, and even a pocket knife that popped open into pistols. Perfect disguises — no adult would ever know you were on a secret mission of national urgency. (And when secrecy wasn’t important, there was always the super-sexy Man from UNCLE pistol.)

As you can see, Christmas at the dawn of the Space Age was wonderful!

As this year winds down, Channel 37 would like to take a few moments in retrospection of the past year. In fact, if the Mayans are right we will not have that opportunity next year, so let us have a little fun – while there is yet time.

The “year that was” was unique in so many ways, that we’ll probably miss a couple of highlights, so please feel free to comment!

Perhaps the most significant in science is the fact that the speed of light is no longer the “absolute limit.” You can find our coverage here. That this absolute limit has been bypassed is huge! Someday, scientists will figure out how to propel things bigger than parts of an atom, but the breakthrough came in 2011.

This past year also was the end of the manned Space Program in the USA. This was covered here. Even thought we have several unmanned missions to Mars, nothing is planned as manned flights. Hopefully, the Space Program will be revitalized within the next several years.

In 2011, the world was due to end – not once but twice! We had coverage here. Fortunately, the world didn’t end (or did it). Of course, the world will end in 2012, so we will see how that one works out!

Channel 37 was privileged to attend Balticon here are some of the great updates: Day One, Day Two, Day Three and Day Four. A great time and much learning was had by all.

By the way, Channel 37 has produced some high quality e-books, complete with period cover art. Check it out at our store here.

Have a Great and Safe New Year Everyone!

What’s your sign? Channel 37 has your horoscope dialed up and ready for you to start the day right.

Aries (March 21 – April 19):

A warp core breach could change your afternoon plans. Don’t buy anything from the Ferengi you meet. Reconsider that shuttlecraft trip!

Taurus (April 20 – May 20):

A mysterious signal could bring adventure! Travel in pairs today and don’t touch any eggs. Your ship’s scientist may not be what he appears.

Gemini (May 21 – June 20):

Your passage to Alderaan may be rocky. A relative you have not seen in a long time is looking for you — stay by the phone today! Oh, and by the way, that’s no moon.

Cancer (June 21 – July 22):

A surprise romantic relationship turns explosive! Make sure your romance isn’t all in your head. Do you want to be respected or liked? Politics could be in your future! Don’t worry: all this has happened before and will happen again.

Leo (July 23 – August 22):

You will seek the solution to an old mystery, but the answers may bring more confusion. A cryptic message will not become clearer. Do not let your friend go for a spacewalk. Where are the keys to the space pod?

Virgo (August 23 – September 22):

Some days it just feels like there aren’t enough of you to get everything done. You will feel younger today. Carry some gold with you in case you run into an old adversary. Try wearing a funny hat today!

Libra (September 23 – October 22):

You will have a hard time convincing people today, but be persistent! Others believe you, but they may be silent; don’t despair. People’s little fingers can tell you a lot about them. There’s always an epilogue.

Scorpio (October 23 – November 21):

Your travel plans may be interrupted; take plenty of sunblock! An offer of help may not be genuine. If things don’t make sense, just relax and wait for a flashback. Eventually you and your friends will move on together.

Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21):

You will ask a mysterious stranger many questions. A mythical animal could reveal a secret about you (or not, depending on which version you’re in). Don’t forget your lighted umbrella today!

Capricorn (December 22 – January 19):

Add some spice to your life today! Be careful where you put your hand, but remember it’s all in your mind! Your journey may seem long — really, really long. A blue-eyed stranger may offer you a drink. Remember your sunblock!

Aquarius (January 20 – February 18):

Innocent pranks can have big consequences today. You will have to solve a puzzle. Next time, learn to swim. If someone asks you if you want to play a game, say no!

Pisces (February 19 – March 20):

Your world may feel unreal today; eating a red pill may help. Stressful situations may slow things down for you, but that can be a good thing. Yes, you’re the One!

This science fiction horoscope is provided as a public service of Channel 37.

This is purely a random idea for a list generated by watching many movies over the holidays. Obviously, this is just our opinion – please feel free to express your own. This list is for both wide and small screens.

10. Leslie Nielsen. Leslie Nielsen was one of the great Science Fiction actors of the 50’s. The movie, The forbidden Planet, is one of the greatest iconic films in the Science Fiction genre ever made. He was the ULTIMATE space captain. Watching it recently, we almost expected one of Nielsen’s quips from Airplane and other comedic movies and shows, but Mr. Nielsen maintains perfect composure and is quite stoic.

9, Arnold Schwarzenegger. OK, he doesn’t really act. That’s why he is low on the list. But he did the Terminator movies, which are a huge part of SF culture. He did Conan, which is a huge part of Fantasy culture. Another great SF film, Total Recall helped form his large relationship with SF.

8. Sean Connery is low on our list, not because of his ability, but more due to his only starring in a few SF&F Films. The ones he did were quite notable, however. His First SF film, Meteor, was a typical “astronauts go save the earth” type movie. One his early fantasies was Time Bandits. He also starred in two Highlander movies and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. One of the great missteps in his career, we feel, is turning down the role of Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings.

7. William Shatner. NO! I will not argue about this. The man brought Science fiction into living rooms across American in the late 60’s. His swashbuckling portrayal of Captain James Tiberius Kirk was what a Starship Captain needed to be, not some namby-pamby guy who brought his shrink (excuse me consular) with him wherever he went. He would risk everything, his ship, his crew – even those guys with the red shirts.

6. Will Smith. Mr. Smith captured our attention with the aliens vs. earthlings adventure Independence Day. Since then he’s been in the Men in Black series. He also starred in the film adaption of I, Robot. I Am Legend was recently on late night, so we got to see him once again.

5. Sigourney Weaver. Her roles in the Alien series helped shape Science Fiction and Horror crossover type movies. The two Ghostbusters movies were a foray into the fantasy world. Her recent role in Avatar firmly implants Ms. Weaver in the Science Fiction and Fantasy worlds. (Supposedly there will be an Avatar II).

4. Harrison Ford. Harrison Ford propelled to fame with Star Wars. He then starred in the Fantasy series as the ultimate explorer, Indiana Jones. Also, he was the hero in one of the great dark Science fiction films, Blade Runner.

3. Ian McKellan. As Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Sir Ian rocked. How cool to walk around with his stick. Sir Ian also is the arch-enemy in the X-Men movies. His appearance as Number Two in the redone Prisoner Series shows he is willing to take risks and do some obscure type Science Fiction.

2.Patrick Stewart. Not only does he do a great Starship Captain (other comments not withstanding), but he plays the leader of the X-Men. Not only does is he the leader of the X-Men, but he does voices for great RP Games like Oblivion. His Shakespearean training and smooth voice propels him to the top of this list (He would have been number one if he were a little hotter!)

1. Milla Jovovich. Oh come on! She made a name for herself in the great movie The Fifth Element. She also starred in all the Resident Evil incarnations. Though some of you may question her actual acting ability, she has great screen prescience and is, well, hot. Her roles in non-SF&F movies are not well-known, but every now and then we see a movie and go, “Hey! That’s Leeloo!” She has the great quality of looking like a scared little girl that kicks butt.

Writers can get backed into storytelling corners if they’re not careful. One of the benefits of science fiction, though, is that writers in a tight spot can wave a magic wand (okay, a sonic screwdriver) to get themselves out of it — a kind of “pay no attention to what my right hand is doing” scenario. How many of these have you encountered?

1. “Tech the Tech to the Tech:” — made popular (or is it notorious?) in Star Trek: the Next Generation, technobabble is a great way to avoid being cornered. All you have to do is conjure something that sounds all science-y, and that wraps everything up with a big red bow when the button is pushed.
2. Alternate Reality — your protagonist just got herself killed? Don’t worry. Turns out it was all happening in a parallel reality. Or in a virtual-reality experiment. Whew! Pull the ripcord and bail out of that tight spot, and live to write another day.
3. Clarke’s First Law — you know, the one that says “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” This is a lot like #1 above, but the difference is that this is the alien’s technology we’re talking about here. So not only do your readers not understand how it works — neither do your characters. But it must have worked, because now everyone’s safe at home again. Thank goodness! (See the ending of The Abyss for a classic recent example.)
4. MacGuffin Creep — getting tired of writing believable scenes with thoughtful dialogue and sustainable tension? Why not take a vacation in Digressionland? Offer up a complete history of the alien culture’s socioeconomic system. Recap the history of star flight technology up to the present day. By the time you get back to the “A” plot, no one will remember where you left them hanging. Hey, if encyclopedic trivia worked for Tom Clancy and James A. Michener, it can work for you too — and you can make it up on the spot!
5. Blow People’s Minds — Lost. ‘Nuff said.

Today on Channel 37 we play homage to The Chaos Theory. We first became aware of The Chaos Theory from the Jurassic Park movie and books. Since then we’ve explored quite a bit of information on the subject.

One of the better books of the subject is Chaos: Making of a New Science by James Gleick, available here.

Gleick breaks down Chaos Theory. How it came to be. The important of great Chaos scientists such as Benoit Mandelbrot, the French-American scientist born in Poland (How Chaotic is that!). Mandelbrot, as every geek knows, was instrumental in fractal geometry, which has been associated with Chaos Theory.

Basically, Chaos Theory is the scientific explanation of “S**t Happens!” The formulas used in science sometime are not as precise as scientists would like. Ask any meteorologist.

As a literature tool, Chaos Theory shows up in several Event Horizon stories. Just a couple of examples are “Three Seconds” and lately “Happy New ?”.

We encourage our readers to become familiar with Chaos Theory. We consider it the second best theory of all-time – following the ever popular “The Theory of the Great Migration.”.

Many people date the official birth of science fiction as a genre to 1926, when Hugo Gernsback launched Amazing Stories and coined the portmanteau “scientifiction.” But by the time Gernsback came on the scene, science- and technology-driven storytelling had already been thriving for decades (Gernsback himself published his seminal novella Ralph 124C 41+ in 1911). Now, after nearly a century of neglect, many of the classics of this forgotten era are coming out in fresh new editions courtesy of HiLoBooks, the new book imprint of HiLobrow. And better yet, they’re coming out in a form that is near and dear to our hearts here at Channel 37 — as weekly web serials!

While we here at Channel 37 take our literary cues from a later generation of science fiction, we are keenly aware that the writers from that era were themselves inspired by the pioneering stories of Gernsback, Jack London, Rudyard Kipling, Arthur Conan Doyle, and others who were busy producing speculative fiction between 1904 and 1933 — an era that HiLoBooks has dubbed the “Radium Age.” Here’s how they describe it:

“Science fiction’s most fascinating era began in 1904 and ended in 1933. We’ve dubbed it the Radium Age of science fiction because the phenomenon of radioactivity — the 1903 discovery that matter is neither solid nor still and is, at least in part, a state of energy, constantly in movement — is a fitting metaphor for the first decades of the 20th century, during which old scientific, religious, political, and social certainties were shattered.”

First up on their list of serialized titles is Jack London’s novel The Scarlet Plague, which will be running through April. It will be followed in June by Rudyard Kipling’s novel With the Night Mail: A Story of 2000 A.D. and essay “As Easy as A.B.C” — taking place in a future where giant airships straddle the globe carrying mail, freight, and passengers. Fans of our first serialized story, The Terror from the Other Dimension!, will surely appreciate this vision.

Channel 37 salutes HiLoBooks for introducing today’s readers to some of the foundational epics of science fiction, and also for reminding us of an era when science and technology were the heralds of the promised utopian era yet to come — an era that for some of us is still right around the corner, waiting to be conjured by our stories, our imaginations, and our goodwill.

Many thanks to loyal reader David Joyner for passing along the news of this cool new venture!

Like your wi-fi? Thank Hedy Lamarr

Many of the Hollywood actors and actresses of “The Golden Age” made phenomenal movies back in the day. Many of the actors and actresses had rather glamorous, yet uninspired lives. Acting may seem an exciting profession, but the truth actors play professional “make believe” for a living.

Imagine our surprise in reading an article about a year ago. The article listed Hedy Lamarr. Hedy Lamarr was the proud owner of US Patent number 2,292,387 (view the patent here)

The interesting thing about this particular patent it was designed to provide a secure, encrypted signal to direct radio controller torpedoes. It was an idea that Hedy’s ex-husband, Friedrich Mandl, a Viennese arms manufacturer who was well received by the Nazis (even though he was half-Jewish). At one of the lavish parties, which hosted both Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, Hedy disguised herself as a maid, escaped to Paris and filed for divorce.

So, the patent was registered in 1942, just in time for the US to ignore it until the Cuban Missile Crisis. The patent morphed into something called frequency-hopping spread-spectrum invention. This became this basis for wi-fi technology and some cell phone technology.

So next time you get on wi-fi, thank Hedy Lamarr!

By the way, Boeing Corporation featured Hedy Lamarr and her accomplishments in a recruitment campaign a few years ago. The article is here