Planet Blog

The crew of Planet Books looked back at what they thought were the coolest books of 2010. Not necessarily the best (as everybody does those lists. Why should we add another?) and certainly some are not the most important. Treat this as those that best stuck in the mind. And be warned, there are two Star Wars books.

8 Albums Enjoyed By Planet Music Staff in 2010

I asked the crew in Planet Music what are their favourite albums of last year and, to give them a challenge, say just five words about each one.

  Konono No 1 - Assume Crash Position

Trance-inducing crash-bang tribalism

Salem - King Night

Cobweb-draped junky drone synths

Sun Araw - On Patrol

Tropical squelches & humid, psychedelic dub

Neil Young - Le Noise

Desert ballads, swirling delay & bones

Teebs - Ardour

Chiming daydream, hazy circular movement

Baths - Cerulean

Deep lagoon beats, love songs

Dimlite - Prismic Tops

Robotic syncopation, gleaming chromium mist
 

Bonobo - Black Sands

Velveteen shimmer & lush orchestration

CELEBRATING 75 YEARS OF DC COMICS 

A History of Robot Design in Film

"The Automation" from The Master Mystery, 1920. Perhaps the first robot on film even though it turns out to be a madman in a suit. Starred Harry Houdini.

The "Maria" Robot from Metropolis, 1927. Remains perhaps the best robot design still.

The Phantom Creeps, 1939. Like the two above, Phantom Creeps was a serial of twelve weekly chapters. Bela Lugosi controlled his robot by way of a remote strapped to his arm. Mad scientist liked heavy handed robots and audiences too so the robot from Undersea became a bigger smash when it reappeard in The Mysterious Dr Satan, 1940.

Gort from The Day the Earth Stood Still, 1951. He could turn the earth into a burnt out cinder.

The Robot Monster from Robot Monster, 1953. Yes, it's a gorilla suit with a TV for a head.

Gog from Gog, 1954. Ivan Tors was trying to take robot design seriously.

In Devil Gril from Mars, 1954 and Target Earth, 1954, we were under threat from fridges. 

Tobor from Tobor the Great, 1954, had a way with kids.

But Robbie the Robot from Forbidden Planet, 1956, had a way with the ladies.

And Robbie remains the quintessential movie robot to this day. Say bye Robbie.

(End of Part One)

Faust (1926)

Metropolis (1927) 

Just Imagine (1930) 

Things to Come (1930)

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Portrait of Jennie (1948) 

This Island Earth (1955)   

Logan's Run (1976) 

The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Heavy Metal (1981)

Blade Runner (1982) 

Tron (1982)

Brazil (1985)

Akira (1988) 

Batman (1989) 

Ghost in the Shell (1995) 

The Fifth Element (1997) 

A.I. - Artificial Intelligence (2001)

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) 

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004)

*Try saying that six times fast.

"I am 100 percent in favor of the intelligent use of drugs, and 1,000 percent against the thoughtless use of them, whether caffeine or LSD. And drugs are not central to my life."

"If you don't like what you're doing, you can always pick up your needle and move to another groove."

"In the information age, you don't teach philosophy as they did after feudalism. You perform it. If Aristotle were alive today he'd have a talk show." 

"There are three side effects of acid: enhanced long-term memory, decreased short-term memory, and I forget the third."

"Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition."

"The universe is an intelligence test" 

"Civilization is unbearable, but it is less unbearable at the top."

  "My advice to people today is as follows: If you take the game of life seriously, if you take your nervous system seriously, if you take your sense organs seriously, if you take the energy process seriously, you must turn on, tune in, and drop out."

"We are dealing with the best-educated generation in history. But they've got a brain dressed up with nowhere to go."

"Think for yourself and question authority."