Boeing has announced its investment in Reaction Engines Limited, a leader in advanced propulsion systems based in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom. Reaction Engines’ technology will contribute to the next generation of hypersonic flight and space access vehicles. Reaction Engines is known… Read More ›
Since the first ‘proper’ Haynes Owners Workshop Manual, for the Austin Healey ‘Frogeye’ Sprite, was published in 1966, the publisher has covered the innards of many a vehicle – both factual and fictional, some of the covered here on downthetubes…. Read More ›
The latest comic index from Bear Alley Books, Countdown to TV Action, goes on sale from 4th July. The 200-plus page book, which features a a colour cover featuring the work of Gerry Haylock, John M. Burns and Gordon… Read More ›
Panel Borders: Digitising comics Concluding a month of shows looking at web comics, Alex Fitch talks to two experts in web based technologies about their dissemination methods aimed at bringing comics to tablets and other devices. Russell Willis discusses his… Read More ›
Writer / Director: Edgar WriterArtist / Animator: Tommy Lee EdwardsNarrator: Julian BarrattMusic: Unloved (David Holmes, Keefus Green and Jade Vincent)Publisher: Microsoft 4 online episodes, approx 7 mins each The plot: Brandon Generator, a freelance writer with writer’s block, overdoes on… Read More ›
Here’s the latest contribution to our marking of the 40th Anniversary of the first Moon Landing: “Walking on the Moon” by Graeme Neil Reid
Forty years ago today, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin boarded the Lunar Module, Eagle, and undocked from the Command Service Module, Columbia
Forty years ago today, the crew of Apollo 11 were almost at the Moon with their mission progressing smoothly
You know how these things happen when you’re surfing the ‘net. While researching some imagery for a comic strip I’m working on with Ross Dearsley, completely by fortuitous accident I came across information about a touring exhibition organised by the… Read More ›
— or at least, that’s the view of a leading American professor, talking about a new article he’s written for Indiana’s Martinsville Reporter-Times. “Science fiction is no longer kids’ stuff, but serious literature,” acclaimed Jules Verne expert Arthur B. Evans,… Read More ›
Morocco’s state run news agency is reporting that authorities in Casablanca have rounded up the usual suspects and arrested an engineer accused of stealing the identity of Prince Moulay Rachid on Facebook. The prince, shown here perhaps at the moment… Read More ›
It’s the time of year for “Best of..” lists and a look back at highlights of 2007, and here at downthetubes we thought our readers might be interested on what made it into the animated “all star” highlights over at… Read More ›
No, not a new comic from Virgin (although I’m sure it’s been considered somewhere): this is the result of my first test opf google.com/trends, which offers a snapshot of web searches, comparing the number of search results for specific terms…. Read More ›
Sometimes technology people come up with ideas that sound great on paper but in real life – and in the case of this bright idea from Apple, especially in queue-conscious Britain – they’re likely to cause a riot. Last month,… Read More ›
With 2000AD going digital, here’s another interesting use of new technology.
This comic from Hijinks Ensue elaborates changes in new media, and will for many be a fantastic and encouraging statement on the future: that media is becoming more. Becoming less about directly monetized intellectual content and instead focusing on the… Read More ›
Ring tones are a matter of personal choice (I will confess to currently having Shaun the Sheep on my mobile, much to my wife’s despair no matter how much she likes the show), but imagine the sheer horror of your… Read More ›
Tipped off by SciFiTech over on scifi.com, I thought these rather nifty-looking Pixel Watches, available in white, brown or pink, reminiscent of Blake’s 7‘s teleport bands as featured in that inexplicably popular BBC show. Available from online store Red 5… Read More ›
The European Space Agency’s discovery of a new planet five times the size of the Earth that just might have water and thus could support life is great news, although it probably means we’ll now start getting scare stories about… Read More ›
Dutch researchers have recently announced a piece of kit called “RFID Guardian“, which sounds like something straight out of the devilish imagination of SF author Charles Stross (I’m still trying to finish the mind-boggling Accelerando) and could be one in… Read More ›