Babylon 5, which ran from a 1993 pilot movie until its final episode in 1998, has been called the greatest science fiction show ever created. Producer, director, and writer J. Michael Straczynski created a high drama that set a new standard for science fiction television. Here are some things that you might not know about the series:  

1. Straczynski planned the entire story arc from the beginning. He kept a written copy of it on a 200-page encrypted computer file. Straczynski never revealed his full plans to his writing team until the very end of the series. He intentionally included red herrings in the plot so that viewers would not be able to predict the outcome of the series.

2. Staczynski wanted to create mature, adult science fiction -- not a kids’ show. His rule was that any cute kids that appeared in an episode had to be killed off by the end of that episode (e.g. “Believers” and “Confessions and Lamentations.”)

3. The design of Vorlon ships (right) by special effects artist Ron Thornton is based on the shape of a bulb of garlic.

4. In the episodes “Shadow Dancing” and “Z’ha’dum”, Bruce Boxleitner (John Sheridan) played opposite of Melissa Gilbert (Anna Sheridan), John’s late wife returned from the dead. In real life, Gilbert and Boxleitner are married.

5. Naval personnel in particular were fans of Babylon 5 because, compared to other science fiction shows, it realistically showed life inside a small metal box far away from home.

6. The space suit props worn by B5 Starfury fighter pilots were liquid-cooled. The detailed helmets alone cost $3,000 each.

7. Jerry Doyle’s (Michael Garibaldi) favorite episode was “Points of Departure” because his character spent the entire episode in a coma, but Doyle received full salary for that role.

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8. Author Peter David made J. Michael Straczynski a teddy bear wearing a baseball jersey. The shirt was inscribed “Babearlyon 5” on the front and “J.S.” (for Joe Straczynski) on the front. Straczynski made it the topic of conversation in a scene between Sheridan and Ivonova.

9. Babylon 5 actors Jerry Doyle (Michael Garibaldi) and Andrea Thompson (Talia Winters) married in 1995.

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10. The Psi Corps recruiting commercial that appears in the episode “And Now for a Word” contains a subliminal message that says “The Psi Corps is your friend. Trust the Corps.” It’s at 1:49. Sources: Bassom, David. Creating Babylon 5. New York: Random House, 1997. Lane, Andy. The Babylon File: The Definitive Unauthorised Guide to J. Michael Straczynski's TV Series Babylon 5. London: Virgin, 1997. Images: Warner Bros.

Toronto-based Taiwanese Artist An Te Liu made this house. It's 2009 work called Title Deed and is located in Willowdale, Ontario.

http://www.ignant.de/2010/07/26/an-te-liu/ (Google Translate) via Make | Artist's Website | Photo by the artist

TrustoCorp is a New York City-based art collective that spreads messages to the public by creating signs or shopdropping. Its Flickr photostream is filled with works similar to the sign above.

Flickr Photostream and Official Website via Super Punch

Previously: Is Shopdropping (Reverse Shoplifting) a Crime?

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Yes, this is a real product. It's 128 times the size of a normal gummy worm, weighs 3 pounds, and contains 4,000 calories. The candy is available in a variety of flavors.

Link via Nerdcore

A box was found unattended on the front steps of the Social Security office in Cocoa Beach, Florida. The bomb squad rushed to the scene to defuse what employees feared might be a bomb. It turned out to be a box full of kittens:

The bomb squad quickly suited up and headed to the scene to defuse the situation. Once they arrived on scene, specialists found a box slightly stirring. There was no "tick-tock," but a different familiar sound. Meow.

A quick examination by the experts determined the box's contents was about to explode - with cute and cuddliness. Inside were two kittens, which the bomb squad manual states is more dangerous to a ball of yarn than to an office building.

Link via Gizmodo | Photo (unrelated) via Flickr user abcrumley used under Creative Commons license

Chupacabras are legendary creatures said to roam North America at night. They've been occasionally sighted, but never definitively proven real. Some researchers now think that they're actually just coyotes with severe cases of mange. Barry O'Connor of the University of Michigan explained:

[...] the mite responsible for the extreme hair loss seen in "chupacabras syndrome" is Sarcoptes scabiei, which also causes the itchy rash known as scabies in people. Human scabies is an annoyance, but not usually a serious health or appearance problem, partly because our bodies are already virtually hairless and partly because the population of mites on a given person usually is relatively small---only 20 or 30 mites.

Humans have likely evolved natural defenses for this mite over the years. When we began to domesticate dogs, we likely spread the mites to them. When the mites then transfer to wild dogs, such as foxes, wolves and coyotes, the victims appear to be less able to fight them off.[...]

In these unfortunate animals, large numbers of mites burrowing under the skin cause inflammation, which results in thickening of the skin. Blood supply to hair follicles is cut off, so the fur falls out. In especially bad cases, the animal's weakened condition opens the door to bacteria that cause secondary skin infections, sometimes producing a foul odor. Put it all together, and you've got an ugly, naked, leathery, smelly monstrosity: the chupacabras.

Link via Slashdot | Photo by Flickr user justinjohnsen used under Creative Commons license

Chen Wei-yih of Taiwan has found the right person to marry -- herself. She's spending $5,675 on a groom-less wedding that concludes with a honeymoon in Australia:

"Age thirty is a prime period for me. My work and experience are in good shape, but I haven't found a partner, so what can I do?" Chen said.

"It's not that I'm anti-marriage. I just hope that I can express a different idea within the bounds of a tradition," she added.[...]

"If I had a steady boyfriend, I wouldn't do this," Chen said. "It would be offensive to him, anyway."

Link via Glenn Reynolds | Photo: Sin Wing (?)

The Essanay Film Manufacturing Company was in business from 1907-1925. It was noted for a series of silent Charlie Chaplin films. Pictured above is a manuscript rejection notice, presumably mailed to writers who contacted the company.

In the comments, make suggestions for disqualifiers that you would like to see on a modern version of this document.

Link via Geekosystem

Previously: Mad Magazine Rejection Letter

Sony's portable tape cassette player -- a revolution when first released in 1979 -- has finally reached the end of its production life:

The final batch was produced in Japan in April, and no more will be produced as soon as the current run is sold out. Just over 200 million cassette Walkman players have been sold over the years since being first introduced in 1979.[...]

The Walkman is widely credited with pioneering the concept of personal, portable audio beyond the radio. It helped spur on the cassette as a popular format and also maintained interest in albums. Interest only began to fade in the 1990s when the Discman took over, and saw a more definite end when the iPod was in sight.

Link via reddit | Photo by Flickr user zer(o_0)ne used under Creative Commons license

I'm at a loss to explain precisely why, but somehow this cross stitch featuring Jabba the Hutt, Princess Leia as his slave, and the Serenity Prayer makes perfect sense. It was made by Emily and Matt Fitzpatrick. Their website is filled with similar cross stitch samplers inspired by pop culture.

Link and Etsy Store via Urlesque

British Telecom has been selling off public phone booths in the UK. Some have been converted to public toilets, showers, or art installations. The village of Westbury-sub-Mendip turned one into a 24-hour public library:

Users simply stock it with a book they have read, swapping it for one they have not.

"It's really taken off. The books are constantly changing," said parish councillor Bob Dolby.

He added: "It is completely full at the moment with books. Anyone is free to come and take a book and leave one that you have already read.

Link via DudeCraft | Photo: BBC

The Australian architectural firm Clarke Hopkins Clarke designed a clock called "Parallel of Time." As the shapes move, the shorter hands indicate the hour and minutes:

Time is parallel. The speed of time (on earth) is indubitable but everyone’s perception of it is somehow different. Using multiple clocks and cables to create a number of parallelograms, a design is generated: the Parallel of Time. The parallelograms are interconnected, creating an optically illusory axonometric timepiece.

Mechanically speaking, since the hands on every clock (within the same time zone) produce the same angle, the lengths of the connecting cables remain constant as the clocks run. The hour and minute hands are positioned on either side of the glass to prevent cable collisions.

You can watch the clock in action at the first link.

Clock Website and Explanation via technabob

Ben Cuevas knitted a realistic human skeleton. He calls the project "Transcending the Material", and made it while in an art collective called the Wassaic Project. There are eleven more pictures at the link. The level detail on the vertebrae is amazing.

Link via Make | Photo by the artist

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Serkan Toto of CrunchGear informs us that this is a Japanese-language video of a Chinese vending machine that sells live crabs:

This model is located in a subway station in Nanjing, China, and keeps the crabs at 5°C at all times. In other words, the crabs inside are alive, “hibernating” in a frozen state.

A sign in front of the machine promises 100% customer satisfaction: if buyers get a dead crab, the maker (a Chinese company based in Nanjing whose name I couldn’t decipher) promises they’ll get three crabs for free.

via CrunchGear

Duane Innes, a manager on the F-22 Raptor project, knows his physics. When he saw a truck driving in front of him on the highway veering out of control, he decided to rescue the driver:

"Basic physics: If I could get in front of him and let him hit me, the delta difference in speed would just be a few miles an hour, and we could slow down together," Innes explained.

So he pulled in front of the pickup, allowed it to rear-end his minivan and brought both vehicles safely to a stop in the pull-off lane.

Link via Gizmodo | Photo: Jim Bates/Seattle Times