(Image credit: NASA)

The blog Star Trek Fact Check is a fascinating read. It’s dedicated to setting the record straight on the rumors and legends about the production of Star Trek, most of them from the original series. A post called The Reluctant Astronaut(s) shows how friendly the Star Trek production team was with NASA, as they both benefitted from the excitement surrounding space exploration in the 1960s. The Star Trek production team tried several times to get NASA astronauts to appear on the show, although it didn’t happen until Mae Jemison appeared on Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1993. Jemison might never have joined NASA if it hadn’t been for the space agency reaching out to Nichelle Nichols to recruit women and minority astronauts for them.

Jemison, however, was not the first NASA astronaut to be approached about appearing on the show. Letters in the Gene Roddenberry collection at UCLA reveal that Mercury Astronauts Alan Shepard and Scott Carpenter were both pursued about appearing on Star Trek.

You can read how those attempts went in the post. But there’s more, tracing the many intersections of NASA and Star Trek. For example, there’s this photo.

(Image credit: NASA)

This is NASA engineer and test pilot Bruce Peterson speaking to James Doohan, who played the engineer on the Enterprise. The same year this photo was taken, Peterson survived a crash of a Northrop M2-F2, although he was severely injured. The film of that crash was immortalized in the opening credits of the TV series The Six Million Dollar Man, and was shown in all 100 episodes of the series. -via Metafilter

Cover art is designed with visual appeal in mind, and the best cover art grab the buyer’s attention from across the aisle, begging them to take a closer look. 

Video games used to rely on cover art to help sell cartridges- they presented polished and generally exciting scenes to lure gamers into buying the game, then gamers would discover the in-game graphics looked nothing like the cover art.

That’s why it’s best to think of cover art as a piece of concept art, rather than a faithful representation of what to expect from the game.

With that in mind you should check out GeekTyrant's collection of 15 Best Pieces Of 1980s NES Cover Art, where each piece is paired with a video showing the actual in-game graphics, so you can get a feel for how far off the cover art really is!

When a large, floating blob of flesh with no facial features save a mouth starts singing Frank Sinatra’s classic song “The Lady Is A Tramp” there are two possibilities- you’re either dreaming, or you're watching some weird video on the interwebs. 

(Vimeo Link)

This oddball video is a screen test created by Barcelona-based animation studio Dvein, and leads me to believe that whatever they’re creating might actually turn out to be stranger than this video.

Is this blob what Cassandra from Doctor Who looked like before she had herself stretched out on a rack? Is it the source of all the Adipose creatures in the universe?

Here’s another equally strange video starring the floating mouth blob’s relatives, watch it while you mull over these Whovian parallels:

(Vimeo Link)

I’ve always heard breathing is a big part of singing, but I guess when your mouth takes up about a third of your entire body you don't need a nose to belt out a tune with the best of 'em!

-Via Behance

(Photo: Garymalfa416)

Aren't you lovin' it? This cosplayer at the New York City Comic Con wields a wonderfully greasy Mjölnir. You can hold it, too--if you are worthy. With it, Ronald McThor shall destroy his greatest enemy: Burger Loki.

-via The Geek Twins

Image Credit: Walt Disney Studios

We talk about Disney a lot here because, well, Disney is awesome. From the quality of the animated movies to their awesome theme parks, they are a big part of Americana. But what is one of the things that stands out most to people when it comes to Disney? The songs in the movies. From kids singing songs from Frozen to adults quoting the classics like Sleeping Beauty, Disney songs are a bigger part of our subconscious than we think. The real question is, which song is the best?

Hitflix assembled a list of the 20 best Disney songs, and I think you will find that they are pretty spot-on in their choices. Just keep in mind, anytime you read a "definitive list", it is actually an opinion piece. One person or a collective of people making that decision up, so if you disagree with a choice, that is fine. Just enjoy the list.

Plus, I bet you will be singing some of these Disney songs by the time you reach the end of the list.

Will Smith is one of those actors who I think we all secretly are waiting for a "good" movie from. There was a time when he was the go-to guy for big, epic, fun movies. But his last few outings have been awful (After Earth, blah), but I, personally, always want to keep my hopes high that we have not yet seen the best of Will Smith. Though Fresh Prince was a high water mark that many would find hard to surpass.

Even though we have not heard from the actor in some time, seems we have our first new trailer for the new Will Smith movie, Focus.

(YouTube Link)

The problem I am having wih Focus from what I have seen so far is, people have lost the idea of what makes Will Smith movies work when they actually work. They have to be fun. This "serious" Will Smith thing takes away some of what makes him so likable in the first place. Hopefully, Focus will pack a punch and put Smith on the map.

I kind of like the dude.

(YouTube link)

When we got a Bad Lip Reading episode of The Walking Dead a couple of weeks ago, we were promised a part two. Here it is! Although the musical interludes are not as involved as Coral’s rap in the earlier video, we get to hear Tyrese, Michonne, and a walker all croon a little. “I hope you’re not afraid of owls, ‘cause I’m gettin’ you one.” -via Uproxx

The U.S. Postal Service has unveiled its set of stamps to commemorate Batman’s 75th anniversary.

For 75 years, Batman has protected Gotham City from the forces of evil. Since his debut, he has become one of the most iconic super heroes in history. This year, the U.S. Postal Service® chronicles the evolution of the character, from his origins to present day.

This new issuance showcases eight unique designs in a sheet of 20 stamps. Four versions of the iconic DC Comics super hero are depicted from four eras of comic book history. In addition, there are four incarnations of the Bat-Signal.

You can order the stamps online, or look for them at your local post office soon. -via Laughing Squid

(Images credit: WBCP/DCE/USPS/DC Comics)

Disney Studios have been creating lively characters, with personalities that leap off the screen and stories that capture our imaginations, for nearly one hundred years.

Disney's legacy may have started with a mouse, but it soon extended to include all sorts of diverse characters, some human, most anthropomorphic animal.

So what would Mickey Mouse, Goofy and the rest of the gang look like as human beings?

Japanese illustrator Chaico has come up with some pretty solid ideas of what their humanized forms might look like.

Her character designs capture the personality of each character so well you don't even need to be told who they are to figure it out.

Chaico's humanized critter designs are how I imagine these staple Disney characters would look if Studio Ghibli and Disney Studios ever co-created an animated feature.

Will Chaico's designs make this megastudio crossover a reality? Stranger things have happened!

-Via Sploid

(YouTube link)

In 2009, we told you about a Star Wars Uncut, a project in which volunteer filmmakers from around the world were going to remake Star Wars, with each participant responsible for a 15-second sequence. Episode IV was completed in 2010, and we finally got to see it in 2012. But that was just one movie, the film we now know as Star Wars Episode Four: A New Hope. The folks behind Star Wars Uncut immediately began working on the next movie: The Empire Strikes Back.

With more than 480 fan-made segments culled from over 1,500 submissions, The Empire Strikes Back Uncut (also known as ESB Uncut) features a stunning mash-up of styles and filmmaking techniques, including live action, animation, and stop-motion. The project launched in 2013, with fans claiming 15-second scenes to reimagine as they saw fit – resulting in sequences created with everything from action figures to cardboard props to stunning visual effects. Helmed by Casey Pugh, who oversaw 2010’s Emmy-winning Star Wars Uncut, the new film has a wonderful homemade charm, stands as an affectionate tribute to The Empire Strikes Back, and is a testament to the talent, imagination, and dedication of Star Wars fans.

And today, The Empire Strike Back Uncut is here for all of us to enjoy. -via Boing Boing

Last Friday, we told you about a wonderful word problem written by 8th grade student Cody Swanek. It's about the troubles that J.J. Abrams, the director of the next Star Wars movie, faces during production. Pictured above is his original manuscript. It reads as follows: 

J. J. Abrams is making Star Wars Episode 7. He rented three speeder bikes which was 700 imperial credits to start. He must pay 100 imperial credits to keep his speeder bikes daily. If he does not pay daily, Prince Xizor and other Black Sun members will kidnap J. J. Abrams, bring him to Mustafar, and sacrifice him.

J. J. Abrams is also paying 5 bounty hunters to keep separatist spies out. That costs 200 imperial credits to start, then 50 imperial credits for each bounty hunter every time they capture a spy. The Separatists send 2 spies every day.

In how many days does J. J. Abrams spend the same amount of imperial credits on speeders and bounty hunters?

Abrams has undertaken the monumental responsibility of creating the Star Wars movie and is thus not a man to shirk from a challenge. Topless Robot reports that Abrams solved Cody's problem and mailed him a handwritten explanation of his reasoning.

-via Nerd Bastards

The 1990s were the last great era of Saturday Morning cartoons, when cartoon giants like Hanna-Barbera were still creating animated series in their classic style, and anime had yet to take over on network television.

Shows and spinoff shows were popping up left and right, and producers and network executives were open to trying out all kinds of ideas for an animated series.

Want a show about Rick Moranis teaching a bunch of teenage monsters how not to ruin their lives? Sure, why not.

(YouTube Link)

How about a series based on a hockey team's mascot, and loosely based on the movie that inspired the creation of the hockey team in the first place? Alrighty then!

Gravedale High and The Mighty Ducks are but two of the strange, and in some cases really cool, cartoons found on GeekTyrant's list of Ten 1990s Cartoons You Probably Don't Remember.

They've got more information on these strange shows, and clips that might jog your memory, but don't be surprised if you can't remember them all!

Volkswagen wants people to think of its electric cars as futuristic, so it hired William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy to appear in this German language commercial. It shows a young and hardcore Trekkie getting the thrill of his life when William Shatner moves into his neighborhood.

(Video Link)

This behind-the-scenes video, which is embedded below, is even better. I gather that Owen Jonas, the boy in the video, is an actual Trekkie himself. Shatner looks around the toy collection and shares bits of interesting trivia with him. For example, Shatner explains that toymakers made hand phaser replicas that were better than the props, so the show began using the toys instead of the props.

(Video Link)

-via The Geek Twins

We've read their comics, watched their movies, TV shows and cartoons, and dressed like them for Halloween. But where did our favorite superheroes come from?

1. Superman

Arguably America's first superhero, the Son of Krypton made his debut in June of 1938 in Action Comics. Being, as he was: faster than a speeding bullet, stronger than a locomotive (we're confused by that metaphor, too) and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, Superman represented an entirely new kind of American hero. No longer satisfied with idolizing self-made men, pioneers, and various and sundry presidents, American kids suddenly seemed to need a hero who was incredibly powerful and, with his easy sense of right and wrong, deeply not human.

2. Lex Luthor

Every hero needs a nemesis and that role in Superman's life was soon filled by mad scientist, wealthy businessman, and occasional presidential hopeful Lex Luthor. Of course, the Lex of the 1930s looked nothing like the slick tycoon you're accustomed to, largely because, at the time, he sported a clown-esque shock of red hair. It wasn't until 1941 that Lex acquired the smooth pate we've all come to know and love. However, later editors would revise what was originally a simple fashion decision into something much deeper.

This clever ring set shows the Enterprise engaged in saucer separation--a process which permits the primary hull to detach from the secondary hull. In the Next Generation, saucer separation was a fairly smooth process. In classic Trek, this was an emergency procedure assumed to be permanent. This Enterprise appears to be from the modern, re-imagined universe. I don't know what is canon about saucer separation on that ship. But we can assume that it portends ill for the relationship.

Allison Hourcade, a jeweler who maintains the RockLove studio, designed this ring. It's one of her many inventive designs. You can view more of them here.

-via Tor