(click for podcast) By this time, it would be surprising to find anyone who hasn't heard of James Cameron's new blockbuster, Avatar. The most exciting thing about it - at least to me is the Na'vi language! The Na’vi language is the constructed language of the Na’vi, the sapient humanoid indigenous inhabitants of the fictional moon Pandora in the 2009 film Avatar. It was created by Paul Frommer, a professor at the Marshall School of Business with a doctorate in linguistics. Na’vi was designed to fit James Cameron's conception of what the language should sound like in the film, to be realistically learnable by the fictional human characters of the film, and to be pronounceable by the actors, but to not closely resemble any single human language. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Na%27vi_language Even better, there is a terrific community already discussing and providing resources to learn the language at http://www.learnnavi.org - check it out! They have the vocabulary, and linguistic background - even simple phrases: I've also created a simple lookup tool at http://navi.mrklingon.org In other news - I've rebuilt a number of my pages using Google pages: http://www.mrklingon.orghttp://klv.klingonword.orghttp://mndbible.klingonword.org In addition, you'll now find the complete Mando'a vocabulary available, as well as a Mando'a version of the Universal Translator Assistant!

(click for podcast) Building a spaceship, and exploring a new universe. http://www.delta7studios.com/ The new universe..... http://podiobooks.com/title/quarter-share http://podiobooks.com/ Bonus! Klingon software! http://www.twobrotherssoftware.com/tlhaq/ Music, "The Lucky Black Cat" by James Curran, from Archive.org http://www.archive.org/details/jamescurranluckyblackcat

(click for podcast) Wouldn't it be FUN to have a plastic pal - your very own robot - well you CAN! Of course... not all robots are fun... Here's Marvin, everyone's favorite paranoid android, with genuine people personality! http://www.boingboing.net/2007/10/19/boing-boing-tv-tanks.html https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/BEAM_robotics BEAM roboticsThe word "beam" in BEAM robotics is an acronym for Biology, Electronics, Aesthetics, and Mechanics. This is a term that refers to a style of robotics that primarily uses simple analog circuits, such as comparators, instead of a microprocessor in order to produce an unusually simple design (in comparison to traditional mobile robots) that trades flexibility for robustness and efficiency in performing the task for which it was designed. ... he basic BEAM principles focus on a stimulus-response based ability within a machine. The underlying mechanism was invented by Mark W. Tilden where the circuit (or a Nv net of Nv neurons) is used to simulate biological neuron behaviors. ... Other rules that are included (and to varying degrees applied): Use the lowest number possible of electronic elements ("keep it simple")Recycle and reuse technoscrapUse radiant energy (such as solar power) http://www.streettech.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1618 Boing Boing tv: Tanks-A-Lot / Mark's Vibrobot Posted by Xeni Jardin, October 19, 2007 10:21 AM | permalink http://www.boingboing.net/2007/01/15/howto-make-a-vibrobo.html http://boingboing.net/videos/vibrobot.mov PROMO: http://www.spacecasey.com/ Music: Title: I played my concertina Performer: Arthur Osmond.

(click for podcast) NEW! Try the Star Wars Phrasebook in Java! (https://swlanguages.mrklingon.org) (http://members.aol.com/jpklingon/uta/GALDict.html) http://www.panicstruckpro.com/revelations/ http://mashup.starwars.com http://origamiaerospace.blogspot.com/ http://origamiaerospace.blogspot.com/2007/10/flight-of-paper-x-wing.html Music Corellian Shipyards - From "Revelations" soundtrack http://www.chrisbouchard.co.uk/

(click for podcast) Reflecting on the popularity of "Empires" in Science Fiction stories. CoDominium (Niven and PournelleBarrayar (Lois McMaster Bujold)Manticore (David Weber) Do it yourself - build your own space empire with a Free "4X" (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, and eXterminate) game: FreeOrion - www.FreeOrion.org Music - from the Cylinder Preservation Project: The US Marine Band - Emperor's Manoeuvre

(click for podcast) How to hack your way into spacehttp://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/08/how-to-hack-you.html Way up there! You can also find the video at http://www.archive.org/details/OrigamiAerospace-TestFilm Play / Download (help) 64Kb MPEG4 (1.2 MB) 256Kb MPEG4 (2.9 MB) Windows Media (6.7 MB) Here's my first attempt at creating a film using Air Rockets. I used a snippet from NASA's Columbia Anthem Gets Grammy Nod, and two flights put together. http://www.sciencetoymaker.org/airRocket/index.html I recently showed off model rockets for some neighbor kids this week, and I built one of these to show off some almost free rockets that you can blast off. I tested it indoors (big mistake) then had to work to clean the smudge off the ceiling. These are more powerful and fast than you'd expect. Out doors it disappeared (almost) higher than the trees. After two launches it was lost in the trees. No matter - a little paper and tape and I've got two more ready for flight. More Rocket Fun! Googling around and I found a terrific rocket simulator/design tool at NASA! http://exploration.grc.nasa.gov/education/rocket/rktsim.html This amazing thing does simple ballistic, water, and solid engine rockets. Even better - it does AIR ROCKETS! (pictured). Clicking on the links, it turns out there is some pretty sophisticated information and math for rocket scientists. ----------------------- MUSIC: "Way Up There" Columbia Anthem Gets Grammy Nod

(click for podcast version) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_jordanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wheel_of_Timehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Tongue http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Obit-Jordan.html Author Robert Jordan Dies By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: September 17, 2007 Filed at 3:23 p.m. ET CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) -- Author Robert Jordan, whose ''Wheel of Time'' series of fantasy novels sold millions of copies, died Sunday of a rare blood disease. He was 58. Jordan, whose real name was James Oliver Rigney Jr., was born and lived in this southern city most of his life. He died at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston of complications from primary amyloidosis with cardiomyopathy, his personal assistant, Maria Simons, said Monday. The blood disease caused the walls of Rigney's heart to thicken. He wrote a trilogy of historical novels set in Charleston under the pen name Reagan O'Neal in the early 1980s. Then he turned his attention to fantasy and the first volume in his Wheel of Time epic, ''The Eye of the World,'' was published in 1990 under the name Robert Jordan. Jordan's books tells of Rand al'Thor, who is destined to become the champion who will battle ultimate evil in a mythical land.... LANGUAGES! http://www.wotmud.org/game/glossary.html http://www.wotmud.org/directory/oldtongue.php WOTMUD IV Wheel of Time MUD http://wotmud.org/ http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/ Title: The armourer's song [Robin Hood. Selections] Performer: Frank C. Stanley. Issue Number/Label: 8074: Edison Gold Moulded Record Year of Release: [1904] The armourer's song

(click for podcast) Wermo (wer moh) n. 1. A stupid person, an idiot. 2. One who is pitiable, contemptible, or weak-willed. 3. Worm. 4. slang Boy. http://www.completewermosguide.com/ Welcome to Summer, the creator of the Complete Wermos guide. From MentalFloss.com - the world's geekiest crossword puzzle: worksheet_conlang.pdf

Back to the Cantina! (click for podcast) UTA - the classic VB3 program Classic UTA for Windows updated to include the Galactic Phrasebook! miitkad - a minimalist Windows text editor with alien language font support http://miitkad.mrklingon.org Cantina: The next generation UTA program: -------------------- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_and_Linguistics_in_Frank_Herbert%27s_Dune Frank Herbert's novel Dune, and his Dune series in general, incorporates a number of different themes related to language or linguistics, both in the techniques Herbert used in the actual writing itself, and more obviously, in the plot and characters. This is consistent with a broader theme of these novels, specifically, the nearly limitless power inherent in the human mind and body, and the power of training and discipline to enhance both physical and mental performance. Accordingly, heightened language skill and linguistic power are among the traits explored by Herbert in his works. -------------------- Look at your library for Net Library! A great way to get free linguistic education! Net Library: http://www.netlibrary.com

(click for podcast) http://www.lostinspacerobot.com Guest: Karen Traviss Here's some information from Karen's website at www.karentraviss.com MANDO'A LANGUAGE RESOURCE - the Mando'a to English and English to Mando'a dictionaries plus the grammar guide are here . Updated November '06. Next update: March '07. Oya! Site updated November 3 2006 NEW - REPUBLIC COMMANDO - HARD CONTACT will be available in Polish translation from Amber Books in December. Russian editions of CITY OF PEARL and CROSSING THE LINE coming next year. More details later. OUT NOW MATRIARCH, book four of the wess'har wars, from HarperCollins. (Yes, this is a six-book series - it didn't end in book three! Plenty more to come yet...) BLOODLINES - New York Times bestseller! Also available in a hardcover special edition from the Science Fiction Book Club. A PRACTICAL MAN - a Boba Fett e-novella available from Random House, Diesel e-books and Mobipocket. You can also get it (and my other e-stuff) from Fictionwise and most other e-book sellers. Coming in 2007/08 Book 5 of the Wess'har Wars - ALLY April 2007: book 6, JUDGE, Fall/ Winter 2007. LEGACY OF THE FORCE: SACRIFICE - June 2007. REPUBLIC COMMANDO #3 - August 2007. LEGACY OF THE FORCE #8 -March 2008. REPUBLIC COMMANDO #4 -August 2008. http://www.karentraviss.com Heading back to Mars! Thanks to NASA and the Planetary Society, we'll soon be heading back to Mars on the Phoenix Mission, see? You can come, too! MUSIC: www.chrisbouchard.co.uk From Star Wars Revelations Soundtrack.