Again with the "identify this short story." [more inside]
posted by ricochet biscuit on Nov 19, 2009 - 12 answers

Dating in San Francisco : will the women here expect me to have a car? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Oct 12, 2009 - 20 answers

Good online resources (particularly videos) that explain the seasons of the San Francisco Bay Area?
posted by one_bean on Oct 7, 2009 - 2 answers

What are the most alien aliens in Comics, TV or Movie SF? [more inside]
posted by signal on Sep 29, 2009 - 53 answers

Identify a science fiction story about a giant, unfixable traffic jam. (spoilers inside.) [more inside]
posted by escabeche on Sep 16, 2009 - 25 answers

Pacific Northwest Roadtrip: SF to Portland and back. 6 days. Which roads to take? Which towns and parks do we have to see? Your favorite spots along 1? We're interested in anything and everything. Thanks!
posted by mrunderhill on Sep 4, 2009 - 11 answers

My visceral dislike of the movie District 9 combined with years of other sub par science fiction movies has pretty much killed any desire to see more films of the genre. Help me rekindle the flame. (Minor District 9spoilers inside) [more inside]
posted by Brandon Blatcher on Aug 19, 2009 - 82 answers

Recommendations for erotica [more inside]
posted by ninebelow on Aug 6, 2009 - 8 answers

I will be in San Francisco for the next 48 hours, does anyone know of a good Chinese doctor I van visit for my eczema? [more inside]
posted by jontyjago on Jul 15, 2009 - 4 answers

SF short story filter: I read this sci-fi short story a long time ago. It's fairly memorable...I'm hoping someone on AskMeFi knows of it. [more inside]
posted by diode on Jul 2, 2009 - 3 answers

Music Mix Filter: Long story short, next week the model at my event is coming dressed as the Alien Queen from the ALIEN movies. I have no idea what kind of music to play for the background. The film scores seem obvious but who wants to listen to clanking and increasing strings for 3 hours? I can either go scary-horror-sci-fi or campy-alien-novelty songs. Ideally I could do both. What kind of weird space music recommendations do you have? Gotta have songs about alien invaders?
posted by The Whelk on Jun 30, 2009 - 33 answers

How can one visit the David Rumsey Map Collection to see the maps in person? [more inside]
posted by pantufla_milagrosa on Jun 11, 2009 - 2 answers

Science fiction - filter: I used to read and love Dick, Farmer, LeGuin, and others who coupled great writing with directly confronting sex, violence, and societal change. What contemporary authors might I like? [more inside]
posted by Forktine on May 28, 2009 - 40 answers

I'm vacationing in San Francisco, and I have a rental car that gets returned tomorrow morning. What things outside SF should I go check out? [more inside]
posted by gregr on May 19, 2009 - 21 answers

Name-that-golden-age-SF-bookfilter: a kid wins a contest to go to a space station, and it's not Have Space Suit--Will Travel. [more inside]
posted by The Bridge on the River Kai Ryssdal on May 7, 2009 - 9 answers

Where can I play squash in San Francisco? (And would optimally be able to bring guests?) [more inside]
posted by Pontius Pilate on May 1, 2009 - 3 answers

Where can I watch the Big Unit's debut as an SF Giant in NYC tonight? I'm in the financial district but any decent bar in close to the subway would do.
posted by bitdamaged on Apr 8, 2009 - 1 answer

Looking for sci-fi/speculative fiction that deals with the issue of colonization, immigration, and refugees. The more details the better! Specifically looking for stories that deal (at least partly) with the stories of the immigrants themselves, and not just the abstract idea. [more inside]
posted by sarahkeebs on Apr 4, 2009 - 40 answers

I have an idea for a SF novel (/screenplay?), but I have the nagging feeling that it isn't at all original. Have you read or seen this concept before? [more inside]
posted by zardoz on Apr 3, 2009 - 36 answers

Wanted: Science Fiction Books moved by a great central idea such as: Ringworld by Larry Niven or The Forever War by Joe Haldeman. [more inside]
posted by MasonDixon on Mar 25, 2009 - 34 answers

Help with my homework filter!! I want to compile a list of time travelers from literature, television and cinema. I am looking for a couple specific attributes. [more inside]
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur on Mar 9, 2009 - 35 answers

Superbowl agnostics: What's an ideal activity to do during the game that would otherwise be too crowded? [more inside]
posted by benzenedream on Feb 1, 2009 - 18 answers

"ID this short story" Filter: Story about a storyteller toy à la Teddy Ruxpin who is discarded by its owners after they receive a new model. [more inside]
posted by infinitewindow on Jan 10, 2009 - 6 answers

I'm looking to get a new pair of ski boots in the SF Bay Area, preferably in the South Bay/Peninsula area. Since boot fitting isn't an exact science I'm looking for suggestions for great, not good boot fitters. [more inside]
posted by laradar on Jan 2, 2009 - 4 answers

StoryID: Alternate history where physics is based on angelology. [more inside]
posted by rwhe on Dec 31, 2008 - 8 answers

Is the tv show "Lost" science fiction? [more inside]
posted by zardoz on Dec 3, 2008 - 24 answers

I'm looking for a veterinarian specializing in orthopedic surgery in or near San Francisco, CA. [more inside]
posted by poulet on Dec 2, 2008 - 5 answers

"ID this SF story" filter: I read this story in middle school out of a scifi anthology. It was about a human soldier who was launched into space in a capsule with an onboard computer, containing all the knowledge of the Earth, as well as enough supplies to last him indefinitely. [more inside]
posted by wayofthedodo on Dec 1, 2008 - 6 answers

I'm trying to find something--anything--written by Japanese science-fiction writer Shinichi Hoshi. He's published several novels and collections of short stories, and some have been translated into English, but I can't seem to find any, anywhere! Amazon? Nothing. Ebay? Nada. Scribd (illegal, I know, but . . . ). Zip. Anyone have any ideas where I can find something?
posted by John of Michigan on Nov 28, 2008 - 6 answers

Good spot for a blind date in SF near BART? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Nov 26, 2008 - 7 answers

Does anybody remember seeing an online collection of 100 very short science fiction stories? [more inside]
posted by teraflop on Nov 23, 2008 - 8 answers

Another "ID this SF story" question...a man wakes up in the night to discover (so he thinks) that all the metal in his house is gone. [more inside]
posted by attercoppe on Nov 21, 2008 - 3 answers

ID That Story: novel (novella? short story?) in which a man is standing in line. Pretty much the entire story is his experience while waiting in line. It's a future/dystopia story. The man is waiting in line to make a complaint. He falls in love with the girl in front of him, though she's not allowed to turn and look at him. It's a parable about overpopulation. It was probably written in the 60s or 70s. That's all I remember.
posted by grumblebee on Nov 20, 2008 - 8 answers

What are your favorite Asian restaurants in San Francisco? [more inside]
posted by timelord on Nov 6, 2008 - 26 answers

What travel company is the best for river rafting on the American River in northern California and when would be the best time to go?
posted by ebness86 on Nov 6, 2008 - 3 answers

Looking for an ideal night in the Castro for some gay friends visiting out of town. [more inside]
posted by mto on Oct 11, 2008 - 7 answers

Do you have any recommendations on youth meditation groups in the Bay Area? [more inside]
posted by ebness86 on Oct 1, 2008 - 2 answers

Please recommend a good place to have a sewing machine serviced in San Francisco. [more inside]
posted by Quietgal on Oct 1, 2008 - 1 answer

Help me choose a couple of my next books: Which Dune sequels and which Gene Wolfe book to buy? [more inside]
posted by ersatz on Sep 28, 2008 - 26 answers

In a book by Arthur C. Clarke (Ghost from the Grand Banks if I remember correctly... if I'm wrong please correct me) he talks about an economic theory which predicts great depressions every 80 years or so. Now, current events have brought this prediction rather starkly to mind. Was there a sound basis for that prediction or is it merely that bad economic shocks happen often enough for a fake pattern to emerge? Was it maybe just a lucky guess? [more inside]
posted by Kattullus on Sep 22, 2008 - 10 answers

I'll be in San Francisco for a week, how should I plan for moving there four months later and should I move elsewhere? [more inside]
posted by christopherbdnk on Sep 6, 2008 - 12 answers

What science fiction films are there, iyho, that really measure up to the best of written work in that genre? [more inside]
posted by protorp on Aug 31, 2008 - 51 answers

Looking for a commuting bike for San Francisco. I have about $1000 to spend and am considering a single speed. Details on that, plus my commute, inside. (And yes, I have seen this and this. [more inside]
posted by liketitanic on Aug 16, 2008 - 24 answers

AquaticNecromancyFilter: Combined, the cities of San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley employ about 3500 uniformed police officers. Do they outnumber the army that could be raised by dark magic from the floor of the San Francisco Bay? Approximately how many entire sets of human skeletal remains are there in that body of water, considering disasters, shipwrecks, bridge jumpers, tidal movement of sediment, etc.? [more inside]
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur on Aug 13, 2008 - 21 answers

What sci-fi market might be a good match for my shorts? And, in what fashion should I attempt to sell them? [more inside]
posted by Netzapper on Aug 12, 2008 - 23 answers

I'm trying to remember the name of an SF novel I read back in the early 80s. It took place on a generation ship that has lost its way. [more inside]
posted by Dag Maggot on Jul 26, 2008 - 10 answers

Need a wedding officiant in the sf bay area. I've looked through google ads, craigslist, and celebrantsusa.com listings but haven't found anyone who seems sane yet has a sense of showmanship. We're not interested in deputizing a friend.
posted by benzenedream on Jul 15, 2008 - 6 answers

Where could we get a kitschy, Old-West-themed group shot taken in the Bay Area next week? [more inside]
posted by rafter on Jul 8, 2008 - 8 answers

I'm looking for some science fiction publishers who publish in the New Weird and/or Slipstream styles. I know about Tachyon Publications... can you please point me toward others?
posted by Fuzzy Monster on Jul 7, 2008 - 8 answers

I'm moving to san francisco, where I don't know anyone yet, right before my 21st birthday. Any meaningful/memorable ways to celebrate by myself? [more inside]
posted by acidic on Jun 25, 2008 - 12 answers