Sunday Supervillainy - reboot of Fantastic Four

The word is that there's going to be a reboot of the not-very-successful Fantastic Four movie franchise. I'd love to see the Fantastic Four done a bit better than we've seen to date, perhaps even with the sort of goofy science-fictional dignitas that you can find in the original Stan Lee/Jack Kirby run of the book, back in the early sixties when it really was "The world's greatest comic magazine!"

At this stage, I have no idea of what is going to be involved in the movie, and I guess we won't know for a long time, as the scheduled release date is 2015. Since it's a reboot, I guess it has to include a version of the origin story, in which the FF members gain their powers when accidentally bombarded in space by mutagenic cosmic rays (yeah, yeah, goofy). Maybe it would be a mistake to try again with Dr. Doom this early in a rebooted movie franchise. I'd love to see Black Bolt, Medusa, and the other Inhumans introduced, but that might get too complicated for an initial movie with an origin story to tell.

Looking forward to some more clarity on this as the time approaches.

Marketing copy

More on this soon, but Udo Schuklenk and I have now received the marketing copy for our new book, 50 Great Myths About Atheism (to be published by Wiley-Blackwell). There is still a considerable lead time before publication, but we can see the basis here for a strong campaign to market the book. Needless to say, we're excited about the book itself, which addresses many of the myths, misconceptions, half-truths, etc., about atheists and atheism - as well as presenting a brief history of atheist thought and our views as to why, at this point in history, atheism is the most reasonable view on the God question.

A sceptical review of Kurzweil's new book in The New Yorker

I haven't yet read Ray Kurzweil's new book, How to Create a Mind, and therefore can't comment on this piece by Gary Marcus - except to say that it's provocative, and it makes me more, rather than less, interested in reading the book. Marcus is sceptical about the structure of the brain posited by Kurzweil, and quite scathing about some of the latter's arguments. This may be deserved, but there will probably be much buzz, pro and con, about Kurzweil over the next few months.

Contents of Dreaming of Djinn announced

Ticonderoga Publications has just announced the contents of its forthcoming anthology, Dreaming of Djinn, edited by Liz Grzyb. Contents are as follows:

• Marilag Angway "Shadow Dancer"
• Cherith Baldry "The Green Rose"
• Alan Baxter "On A Crooked Leg Lightly"
• Jenny Blackford "The Quiet Realm of the Dark Queen"
• Jetse de Vries "Djinni Djinni Dream Dream"
• Thoraiya Dyer "The Saint George Hotel"
• Joshua Gage "The Dancer of Smoke"
• Richard Harland "The Tale of the Arrow Girl"
• Faith Mudge "The Oblivion Box"
• Havva Murat "Harmony Thicket and the Persian Shoes"
• Charlotte Nash "Parvaz"
• Anthony Panegyres "Oleander: An Ottoman Tale"
• Dan Rabarts "Silver, Sharp as Silk"
• Angela Rega "The Belly Dancing Crimes of Ms Sahara Desserts"
• Jenny Schwartz "The Pearl Flower Harvest"
• Barb Siples "The Sultan's Debt"
• Pia Van Ravestein "Street Dancer"
• DC White "A Dash of Djinn and Tonic"

Hello, Newcastle!

I'm back in town after a week in Melbourne - a week in which I caught up with numerous friends, including (in the order in which we saw them) Alison and Tony, Alison and Ron, Marj, James (whom I met for the first time), DJ, Corinne, Kirstyn and Jason, Janeen and Jack, Peter and Clare, and Paul and Meredith. Love you guys!

First thing tomorrow - at the crack of dawn, more or less - I have a meeting with my local state member of parliament. Stuff does keep happening...

Sunday Supervillainy - look what happened to Professor X!

Yes, the Red Skull stole his brain, as revealed in Uncanny Avengers #1 and #2. Horrors!

Nice seeing some interaction between Rogue and the Scarlet Witch, including Rogue's memories of when she first joined the X-Men... with Professor X defending her despite her villainous past.

US Supreme Court to decide gene patents case

The Myriad gene patents case will be heard by the US Supreme Court. That is good news, I think. The whole area of gene patents is murky as a matter of law and legal principle.

My report on the original case can be found here. However, that judgment was overturned on appeal. In my view, the original judgment had a great deal of merit. In any event, the issue is overdue for consideration by a national court at the highest level. I hope we get a clear, principled decision out of this, however the court views it.

Randi the other night - now this is a bit better...

DJ Grothe sent me this shot.

Same-sex marriage issue could go to US Supreme Court

Will the US Supreme Court be willing to take on a case that would potentially overturn a Californian ruling in favour of same-sex marriage? If not, provision for same-sex marriage stands as law in California. If so, this will be a very important and legally complex case, in addition to its obvious social importance.

(My views on same-sex marriage can be found in Freedom of Religion and the Secular State, among other places. For a relatively brief discussion of how I see marriage, go here.)

A fine day in the country

We had a fine day in rural Victoria - visiting our dear friends Janeen Webb and Jack Dann. No photos this time, but it's always nice to catch up with much-loved people in your life whom you don't get to see as often as you'd like to. Great food! Great conversation! And I enjoyed seeing what they've done of late to their beautiful house.