SciFi Diner Podcast Ep. 163 – Our Interview with Dr. Susana Deustua, Working with Hubble at the Space Telescope Science Institute, at Shore Leave 34

Dr. Susana Deustua Dr. Susana Deustua

Dr. Susana Deustua is a member of the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) Instrument Team at the Space Telescope Science Institute. Previously, Susana was Director of Education of the American Astronomical Society, based in Washington, D.C. She joined STSCI in 2008.

Susana’s background is in physics and astronomy. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree with Honors in Physics, Astronomy and Medieval History from Swarthmore College and a Ph.D. in Astronomy in from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She held a postdoctoral fellowship at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, followed by an assistant research scientist position at the University of California-Berkeley’s Space Sciences Laboratory. She taught at Case Western Reserve University for a year before returning to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory as Project Director for the Hands-On Universe and a staff scientist in the Physics Division as a member of the Supernova Cosmology Project.

Susana’s research interests span a broad range from dark energy and supernova cosmology, instrumentation, gas content of elliptical galaxies, precision spectrophotometric calibration, and, astronomy education research. She is a member of the American Astronomical Society, the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, the International Astronomical Union and the American Association of Physics Teachers. She is the International Year of Astronomy 2009 US Program Co-Chair, and serves on the IAU IYA 2009 Executive Working Group.

Susana shared the 2007 Gruber Prize in Cosmology awarded to the Supernova Cosmology Project, the High-Z Supernova Team, Saul Perlmutter and Brian Schmidt for their discovery of Dark Energy.

TV News:

Relive Walking Dead S3’s 13 most shocking moments (so far)
Krystal Clark

The Walking Dead has brought its A game this season. This isn’t the same group of survivors from three years ago. They’ve turned into lean, mean killing machines. After an uneven second season, season three has been firing on all cylinders. Within the first eight episodes, we’ve seen multiple deaths, and we’re not talking random zombies. Characters have come and gone, and the danger continues to rise. Here are 13 of the season’s most shocking moments to date.

And obviously … spoilers ahead!

Machete to the head

From the moment he stepped on the scene, Tomas was trouble. He was pompous, selfish and reckless. Rick gave him fair warning about his attitude, but he continued to push it. The last straw was when he casually threw a walker in Rick’s direction. At that point, he’d signed his own death certificate.

T-Dog checks out

This still grinds our gears. When T-Dog made it to season three, we thought maybe, just maybe, he’d get more screentime. Unfortunately, his biggest episode was his swan song. When walkers invaded the prison T-Dog was bit, but he still soldiered on. It wasn’t until later that he met his messy demise. In an effort to save Carol, he sacrificed what was left of his life.

Lori’s death and Carl’s killshot

Not to sound cruel, but Lori’s death was inevitable. In her world, pregnancy is a death sentence. She was forced to give birth via C-section with Carl’s hunting knife. There was no anesthesia or sterilization. Just blood and guts. After she passed, Carl chose to give her the final death blow. A shot to the head.

“No, no, no!”

How could you not cry in this scene? When Rick learned of Lori’s death he broke down. There was nothing anyone could do to console him. The acting was top-notch. The look Andrew Lincoln gave Chandler Riggs (Carl) deserves an Emmy in itself.

The Governor loses his cool and his eye

Thanks to Michonne, the Governor’s hideous inside can match his outside. After watching her “kill” Penny, he lost it. He didn’t care about appearances, he just wanted Michonne to suffer. They had a knock-down, drag-out fight that resulted in her stabbing his eye. If Andrea hadn’t stepped in, his neck would have met Michonne’s sword.

Will he or won’t he? The Governor tortures Maggie

This is one of the most disturbing scenes of the season, and zombies weren’t involved. The Governor used intimidation to demean Maggie in the worst way. He led her and viewers to believe that she would be raped. It was disgusting and showed how twisted he really is. We could barely keep our eyes open during this one.

Glenn fights a walker, while tied to a chair

Glenn’s known for being fast and resourceful, but this was pushing it. After Merle left him bound and defenseless against a walker, we thought he was a goner. Thankfully, he picked up a few tricks while under Rick and Daryl’s tutelage. It was a nail-biter, but somehow, some way, he made it out of there.

The Governor reveals his fish tanks (starts at 6:00)

This is the moment we knew the Governor was more than just a dirtbag. How does he unwind after a long day’s work? He sits in a dark room and stares at floating zombie heads. You could argue he’s trying to numb himself to the horrors of reality. Unfortunately, that doesn’t make it less creepy.

Shane returns… sort of

By the end of season two, Shane was nothing but walking testosterone. He bumped heads with Rick at every turn. Therefore, when he was finally killed off we were ecstatic. So imagine our surprise when he popped up in Woodbury! Granted, he was a figment of Rick’s imagination. We hated Shane, but loved his portrayer, Jon Bernthal. It took us back to the good (bad) old days.

Hershel loses it

Yes, Hershel’s an active senior, but he should have sat this one out. While on the move, he was bitten by a walker. To keep him from turning, Rick had to act fast. Hershel endured a horrifying surgery, where Rick hacked off his leg. The camera didn’t shy away from the blood and bone. We saw it all! We still have nightmares about it.

The group vs. riot gear walkers

In order to survive, you have to adapt. While clearing the prison yard, the gang encountered a new type of walker. They were protected by riot gear. None of their usual moves worked. Luckily, Maggie found away to get around them. Go for the neck!

Rick and those creepy phone calls (starts at 5:44)

While in the throes of grief, Rick got a phone call. If you haven’t read the comic, you didn’t see that coming. A part of us thought it could be legit, but then we realized something was up. Rick wasn’t talking to anyone from the outside world. He was chatting with dead people. Dead members of his group, to be exact.

Daryl and Merle’s horrible family reunion

Once Daryl learned Merle was in Woodbury, we knew it was a matter of time before they reunited. Unfortunately, the Governor kidnapped Daryl and used him in a power play. He wanted to punish Merle for his lies (Michonne’s still alive, surprise!), so he pit the brothers against each other in a fight to the death. It’s a revelation that’s yet to play out. Expect to see the aftermath in next week’s “The Suicide King.”

The Walking Dead returns Sunday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on AMC

Special Interest:

Spacelord Mutha Fu… well, we’ll say Mo Fo because we’re in polite company… Spacelord Mo Fo’s said to be a one man army who walked into a bar and let loose a hell that destroyed a city. Of course, the truth behind that tale is something more, but that’s a truth for another telling.
We pick up the thread some two months later, in the dust-choked hellscape of Tomb Towers, the last almost-civilized city on the Edge of Endspace… It’s the kinda place where trouble always comes calling… and, today, it rode in with a capital Mo Fo!
From the awesomely disturbed minds of Pat McNamara (Angelwitch Series) &David G. Williams (Wolverine: Doombringer, Catwoman, In Flesh & Spirit), The Legend of Spacelord Mo Fo is an ass-kickingly kick-ass post-apocalyptic, space-western, love story… with guns, presented in the trailblazing Digital Cinegraphic Novel format (like Marvel’s Infinite Nova & Thrillbent’sInsufferable).
The Legend of Spacelord Mo Fo is for a more mature audience… well, not for ‘kids’ anyway, not sure about the ‘mature’ part.

Episode 1 Digital Download includes:
196 Panels of Uncensored and Full HD Mo Fo Action!
Spacelord Mo Fo Theme Music by Seb Hudson
28 Page ‘Why Digital?’ – The Comic Evolution Featurette.
22 Page Meet the Ironclad Imagineers & Making of Featurette.

How the Digital Comic works –
You may have seen or heard of a ‘little’ game-changing comic that debuted in March 2012, Marvel’s Infinite Nova by Mark Waid and Stuart Immonen?… Well, the Mo Fo’s like that. The Legend of Spacelord Mo Fo is a serialized, full-color, digital comic, written and illustrated specifically for the digital storytelling medium, and presented panel by panel in a cinematic widescreen format we call,Cinegraphic.

Praise for the Mo Fo!
“Guns, explosions and psychotic villains make an epic love story.” – Nathan Tan.I Got Superpowers
“Natural Born Killers meets Mad Max in space.” – “If you haven’t checked it out yet, you should!” – Brian LeTendre. Secret Identity Podcast
“I give big hairy kudos to McNamara and Williams…” – Captainhardshell,International House of Geek
“…fantastic space opera for the digital age!” – “The artwork is awesome.” – “…it really does kick ass!” – Paul Norman. Booksmonthly Uk

MOVIE NEWS:

Whoa! J.J. Abrams is directing Star Wars Episode VII!
Last we heard from J.J. Abrams (Star Trek, Lost), he wasn’t too interested in tackling the upcoming Star Wars trilogy. Looks like he might’ve spoken too soon.

The Wrap is reporting that Abrams has signed on to direct Star Wars Episode VII. Their initial report has since been corroborated by Variety, and a Deadline source called the negotations a “done deal.” If it’s true, it’ll mean the geek god has a hand in both the new runs of Trek and Star Wars. Disney hasn’t officially confirmed it yet, but wow.

Abrams has played coy when the prospects of directing this one came up, but the guy’s a huge Star Wars fan. So who knows, maybe Disney offered him a deal he couldn’t refuse?

The report says Lucasfilm head honcho Kathleen Kennedy has been giving Abrams the hard press to sign on, which isn’t too much of a surprise. The man’s about as close as you can get to a golden goose in Hollywood these days. Another interesting tidbit? Ben Affleck (Argo) was apparently on the very short list, as well.

As has previously been reported, Abrams will be working from a script written by Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine).

Assuming this report pans out, Abrams will have to head almost immediately into production on Star Wars to hit the proposed 2015 release date. Considering the fervent love genre fans hold for the franchise, it should be an interesting response across the spectrum to see how the world reacts. Yes, Abrams did introduce a whole new generation of fans to Trek—but he did it by making it hip, cool and throwing the old conventions out the window. Will Star Wars fans be as open to a similar approach?

(Via The Wrap)

TWIST:

Abrams, Trek 2 stars tease ‘relentless’ sequel in new footage

Though he’s talked a lot about Star Trek Into Darkness over the past several months, J.J. Abrams makes it a point not to reveal too much. Luckily, his latest interview about the flick is spliced with some intense new footage—so we get some nifty details, regardless.

A new featurette promoting the sequel has surfaced featuring interviews with Abrams and the cast, and Abrams promises they’re “upping the ante” this time around. Judging by the footage here, he’s not exaggerating.

We get to see even more of those insane FX set pieces, though the director also says each member of the Enterprise will have their own moment to shine. We’ve been hearing for a while that the story is heartrending, so here’s hoping Abrams can find the right balance.

Sci Fi 5 in 5

Great Blade Runner Quotes

5. Gaff: It’s too bad she won’t live! But then again, who does?

4. Deckard: Replicants are like any other machine – they’re either a benefit or a hazard. If they’re a benefit, it’s not my problem.

3. Pris: Must get lonely here, J.F.

J.F. Sebastian: Not really. I MAKE friends. They’re toys. My friends are toys. I make them. It’s a hobby. I’m a genetic designer.

2. Tyrell: The light that burns twice as bright burns for half as long – and you have burned so very, very brightly, Roy. Look at you: you’re the Prodigal Son; you’re quite a prize!

1. Deckard: [narrating] I don’t know why he saved my life. Maybe in those last moments he loved life more than he ever had before. Not just his life – anybody’s life; my life. All he’d wanted were the same answers the rest of us want. Where did I come from? Where am I going? How long have I got? All I could do was sit there and watch him die.