Tag Archives: star wars

Farpoint 2023 Recap

Farpoint’s 30th anniversary has come and gone and it was a fantastic weekend filled with amazing cosplayers (far more than pictured below), lively discussion panels, cooperative weather, and most importantly, quality time with friends.

Vintage Paperbacks
Treasures from the dealer room at Farpoint.
Saturday Night at the Writers Lounge
Saturday Night in the lounge with Keith DeCandido, Russ Colchamiro, Glenn Hauman, Christopher D. Abbott, Mary Fan, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Wrenn Simms, Michael Jan Friedman, Phil Giunta, Jonathan Roth. Out of frame: Heather Hutsell and Aaron Rosenberg
Blair Learn and the Famous Farpoint Snow Shovel
Blair Learn and the Famous Farpoint Snow Shovel
Horse on Wall
It’s those horses in every hotel room. They stare… neigh, they judge. Neigh, I say!
Captain Phasma
Photo credit: Blair Learn
The Guinans
Photo credit: Paul Balze
Andorian
Photo credit: Danielle Ackley-McPhail
Star Trek: First Contact
Star Trek: First Contact
Toy Story
Photo credit: Laura Inglis
Dumb and Dumber and The Mask!
Dumb and Dumber and The Mask!
Evil Queen
Photo credit: Danielle Ackley-McPhail
Carmen San Diego meets Seven of Nine
Carmen Sandiego meets Seven of Nine
Admiral Kirk - Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Photo credit: Blair Learn
Admiral Kirk - Star Trek II
Admiral Kirk – Star Trek II
Captain Avatar
Captain Avatar – Starblazers

 

After Action Report – Lehigh Valley Comic Con

The post-COVID return of the Lehigh Valley Comic Con (LVCC) was a success! It was a gorgeous day and attendance was the highest I’ve ever seen at this con. Sold six books. Made a profit. A few friends from the area showed up to keep me company. All told, it was a blast and as always, the cosplayers did not disappoint as you can see from the pictures below.

   

 

LVCC’s next show is October 1, but I will be signing books in Rehoboth Beach that day, so I’ll be back for their final show of the year on December 3rd.

The Toy Robot Museum

My wife and I spent a marvelous day with several friends in Adamstown, PA, renowned for its myriad antique shops and the home of the Toy Robot Museum, owned and operated by longtime friend, Joe Knedlhans.

In addition to touring Joe’s incredible museum—which never gets old no matter how often we’re there—we managed to visit only four antique shops along Route 272. It would take an entire weekend to see them all, but many people in our group left with some amazing treasures.

The Toy Robot Museum is located in the Stoudtburg Village.

Address: 9 Market Plz, 17569 Reinholds, PA
Phone: (717) 484-0809


Rockem Sockem Robots

Star Wars Display R2-D2 Toy Chest

Robots on Display!

Robots on Display! Robot Movie Posters

Wooden Robots

Daleks

Robot Display Cases

Maria from Metropolis   Phil and Stuart at the Toy Robot Museum-Adamstown, PA

RoboCop Display

Toy Robot Museum-Adamstown, PA

Stuart Roth and Chris Ochs in the Toy Robot Museum

Toy Robot Museum-Adamstown, PA

Toy Robot Museum-Adamstown, PA

 

 

 

Book Review: Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku

Physics of the Impossible by Michio KakuCo-founder of String Field Theory, Doctor Michio Kaku discusses the scientific plausibility of a wide range of popular science fiction devices, abilities, and technologies in his book, Physics of the Impossible.

The topics covered in this engaging analysis include force fields, invisibility cloaks, phasers, laser beams, lightsabers, teleportation, telepathy, time travel, robots, psychokinesis, UFOs, alien races, faster than light travel, and more. Doctor Kaku references many popular SF TV shows and films including Star Trek, Star Wars, Flash Gordon, Back to the Future, Doctor Who, The Fly, Independence Day, E.T., and others.

I was delighted to note that Doctor Kaku also draws from a rich array of SF novels and short stories such as The Man Without a Body by Edward Page Mitchell, The Disintegration Machine by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Slan by A.E. van Vogt, Larry Niven’s Ringworld series, Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series, Douglas Adams’s Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and the works of Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Arthur C. Clarke, and Robert Heinlein.

Backed by practical and theoretical physics, chemistry, biology, and a rich history of scientific discoveries, Doctor Kaku offers detailed explanations as to which fictional technologies and abilities might be possible in the future and which are simply impractical—at least based on our current understanding of science.

Physics of the Impossible is by far one of the most enthralling and illuminating scientific discourses I’ve read to date. I equate Doctor Kaku with Doctors Carl Sagan and Neil deGrasse Tyson for his considerable talents as a science communicator.

Fan Fiction – Week XVI – “Star Wars: Pursuit of Force” Part II

In our second act, Luke Skywalker encounters the enigmatic Jianna Droxx on the planet Steruub—just before the Empire arrives. Meanwhile, Han Solo departs for Ord Mantell with two Alliance Intelligence agents to broker a black market deal for the Rebellion…

Click here to read “Star Wars: Pursuit of Force” Part Two