It’s not hard to idolize Albert Einstein, who turns 134 today (on 3/14, pi day). The man is responsible for the general theory of relativity, a cornerstone of physics and a way of understanding our universe that has proven so consistently reliable that it is probably the closest humanity will ever get to a decisive cosmic capital-T Truth. He’s the scientist you first learn about when you are introduced to the very concept of science. Mere decades after his death, his name is synonymous with the term “genius.” Even if you don’t know who Einstein is, you’ve still heard the term “Einstein.”

And how he came to that point is by exploring the world in exactly the same way we do when we write or talk about science fiction and fantasy.

[Read more]

After exploring an epic fantasy realm for years it seems only natural—especially in the down time between books—to want to know what exists beyond the borders of the story in lands only hinted at. George R. R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series accomplishes this in a wonderfully classic way, portraying a world that gets cloudy at the edges and hints that “here be dragons” while also literally pointing out... here be dragons.

The release of The Lands of Ice and Fire map book in the fall of 2012 finally gave us a beautiful, clear, and official picture of “the known world” in the series. So let’s see if we can figure out how large the entire world is and what percentage of that is the Known World.

[How big is the planet that Westeros is on?]

This past Friday you likely came across President Obama making an amusing geeky gaffe. In response to a White House press corp question, the President stated he couldn’t just perform a “Jedi mind meld” and make Republicans agree to his plans.

The internet took it and ran, as is the internet’s way. Personally, I’m not one to begrudge the leader of the free world over a mix-up of sci-fi terms (I would begrudge myself, but getting that correct is literally part of my job.) and just ignored the development.

[Then the White House totally owned it]

WinterIsComing.net recently revealed the episode titles for Game of Thrones season 3, including a third name-change for the George R. R. Martin-penned episode 7. Check them out! SPOILERS AHEAD.

[Game of Thrones season 3 episode titles. Spoilers!]

Last summer it was revealed that the upcoming third season of HBO’s Game of Thrones will only depict the first half of A Storm of Swords, the third book in the Song of Ice and Fire series. Fans of the books could readily see why: a lot happens in A Storm of Swords, even if you don’t count the shocking game-changer that appears about three-fourths of the way through.

Now that the third season premiere is nearing (and we have our first trailer) I sat down with the book to puzzle out what we’ll see and what will wait for Game of Thrones season 4.

[How Game of Thrones will split A Storm of Swords. Big spoilers ahead.]

See that guy up there? That’s my guy! He’s probably thinking about how much he loves me and wants to destroy me. And according to a scientist based in the Czech Republic, he’s also probably infected me with parasites that have re-routed neural responses in my brain.

He’s literally making me crazy.

[Read more]

Artist Angela Taratua (@alassieI89) took several screenshots from Sherlock’s “A Scandal in Belgravia” and rendered them as these amazing cartoon illustrations. We were so taken with these that we decided to put them together in the order in which (we’re pretty sure) they appeared in the episode, to form a little storybook! All credit to the artist. Also, thanks to The Mary Sue for bringing this to our attention.

[The storybook version of “A Scandal in Belgravia”]

The DVD and Blu-ray release of Game of Thrones season 2 hits on Tuesday, February 19 and includes a huge bundle of special content, including commentaries on every episode, special featurettes, histories accessible in-episode, and hidden “dragon eggs” (deleted scenes, actually).

Some of what gets revealed in those commentaries and featurettes is a little eye-popping, so I’ve combed through all of it and pulled out some of the best bits for curious fans. Want to know how to get on the show? Need a summary of the hints dropped about the forthcoming third season? Want to know what wildfire is made of? And what cast member the entire ensemble is really worried about? Read on!

[Some of the best bits from the Game of Thrones season 2 DVD/Blu-ray set]

This Valentine’s Day, I urge you to remember the various and lovable members of Rogue Squadron who gave their lives to free the galaxy (not this one, another one) from oppression by giving Rogue Squadron valentines to your sweetie!

Pick out the most appropriate one from the five total cards in this post. There’s no better way to say I Heart You! (Which is my problem, and I’m working on it.)

[Star Wars Rogue Squadron valentines]

Director Bryan Singer has been systematically announcing new casting news and items about the forthcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past film through his Twitter account, and Wednesday evening he dropped another bombshell on us: Peter Dinklage has been cast in the movie!

Singer made no mention of what part Dinklage will be playing, although those familiar with the X-Men comics and the larger Marvel Universe immediately envision Dinklage as Puck, the skilled fighter and acrobat from Canada’s premiere (re: only) superhero team Alpha Flight.

[But...]

New Game of Thrones merchandise debuted during this week’s Toy Fair and it includes probably the most idiosyncratic-yet-wonderful stuff ever. Want a pillow with your favorite House that also doubles as a shield? DONE. Want a plush version of Ghost? Or Summer? Or Lady? Or Nymeria? DONE. (Hold tight to Lady, though!)

[Oh, there’s other stuff, too]

When the Weather Channel started naming winter storms this past November, no one really noticed. Then, a few weeks after the debut of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Winter Storm Gandolf came along. And Winter Storm Khan.

This weekend, the northeast is expecting to get hit by Winter Storm Nemo. And it isn’t out of the question that Winter Storm Q might send some muck our way shortly after that. Are our favorite characters from science fiction/fantasy actually assaulting us with wind, sleet, and snow? Or are we seeing a pattern that isn’t there?

The geeky names are no coincidence. And we have Bryan Norcross, the Weather Channel’s Senior Executive Director of Weather Content and Senior Hurricane Specialist, to thank.

[Why the geeky storm names, and the ones we might see next year!]

Groundhog Day has always been an odd little day. If the name of the day itself doesn’t make this apparent, imagine explaining it to someone from a foreign country, or an alien. (“It’s, um, this day where we pretend that a big ground squirrel can predict the weather?”) February 2nd has become, like Valentine’s Day or April Fool’s Day, a largely symbolic gesture, in this case representing our desire for winter to conclude.

Since the movie Groundhog Day came out, though, the day has also begun to remind one of the concept of time travel. So, starting with the premise that time travel is inarguably awesome, I wonder... should Groundhog Day become an appreciation of time travel?

[I’m serious!]

As brilliantly highlighted in a recent installment of the web comic XKCD; the title of the latest Star Trek film has precipitated a grammar smack down on a Wikipedia talkpage between whether the “into” in the title Star Trek Into Darkness should be capitalized. Most of this “controversy” probably would have never occurred if a colon had been present in the title. So what’s the big deal?

Grammar snobbery is something we enjoy at Tor.com (we recommend the Merriam Webster Ask the Editor Series for a more fun, relaxed take on grammar) especially when grammar outrage gets to silly levels.

[Engage! Or stop. Stop engaging.]

Vertigo Comics revealed the cover to The Unwritten issue #50 today, revealing that the title will cross over with Bill Willingham’s Fables universe. (Or that, specifically, Tommy Taylor from The Unwritten and Bigby Wolf from Fables will interact.) While nothing has been revealed in regards to the story, the crossover makes a certain amount of metafictional sense, since both titles deal with how stories shape the fabric of reality.

Still, it feels a bit...cynical?

[More about the titles involved. Spoilers for The Unwritten]

Tina Fey and the writers of 30 Rock have never been shy about letting their geek flag fly, both in extended parodies and homages and in delightfully random, obscure references peppered throughout the rapid-fire dialogue. Liz Lemon’s affection for/obsession with Star Wars, for example, is undeniable—as she insists to Jack in a recent episode, “I am not some kind of nerdery slut—I like Star Wars!”—and not since Spaced has a show featured quite so many jokes about Leia, Jedi, Sith Lords, and Admiral Ackbar.

Liz’s deep-seated fan loyalties aside, the show itself has always played the field when it comes to nerdery, gleefully getting down and dirty with everything from Batman and Lost to Ghostbusters and Game of Thrones. So in honor of the series’ finale this Thursday, here are some of our absolute favorite geeky references from all seven seasons of 30 Rock:

[BY THE HAMMER OF THOR!]

Despite my father’s love of science fiction, that headline is probably not something he ever imagined one of his children saying.

This past Saturday, one misplaced mouse click in MMORPG EVE Online sent a lone Titan spaceship hurtling into enemy territory, triggering a cascade of alliances somewhat akin to the run-up to World War I, and resulting in one of the largest space battles ever seen in the history of the game. At its peak, the battle involved over 2800 ships and 3200 players, slowing the already-robust EVE servers to a mere 10% of their normal speed.

[Also, a lot of people lost a lot of very real money.]

The emergence of the Hyrule Historia, out on January 29th from Dark Horse Comics, was meant as a pleasant retrospective for The Legend of Zelda video game series, but ended up making a little history itself. Made available for pre-order in early 2012, it immediately knocked Fifty Shades of Grey off its perch as the number one bestselling book on Amazon.

So how did that happen?

[Read more. Spoilers for Skyward Sword]

In one Age, called the Third Age by some, an Age yet to come, an Age long past….

These words open every Wheel of Time novel and illustrate the cyclical nature of the world of Robert Jordan’s epic fantasy series. Those who read deeper into the series eventually find out that the title of the series is eponymous; that the Wheel is comprised of seven Ages in total, and that the events of any one Age eventually repeat when the Wheel makes a full revolution. Jordan’s series chronicles the final years of the Third Age of this world, an age that has been defined by a millennias-long struggle against the Dark One, the literal embodiment of evil.

That struggle has come to an end in the recently published final book of the series, A Memory of Light, and we have been left to wonder how our favorite characters will progress into this new Fourth Age. While we’ve had some fun theorizing on possible futures, a larger anthropological question remains: what happens when you take away the antagonist that has motivated mankind for thousands of years?

[Read more. Spoiler ahead for A Memory of Light.]

You’ll forgive a Doctor Who fan if these days we get caught up in wondering just what is going on with the Doctor’s newest companion, Clara Oswin Oswald. We met her for the first time last fall in “Asylum of the Daleks,” became enchanted with her, then watched as she was obliterated along with an entire planet.

Then we saw her on a completely different time on a completely different planet, with an entirely unrelated life. Why has she shown up in two completely unrelated places/time periods? How did she come back to life? Why doesn’t she remember the Doctor?

[A theory and the evidence that backs it up. Spoilers for all current episodes.]