On this week’s Fact or Fictional, we talk with Joe Hanson from It’s OK To Be Smart about CYBORGS! Will we have superhuman implants in our lifetime?

But there is one shirt that I have seen on TV and in film more than any other: the James Perse contrast panel shirt.

I first noticed it on Skyler White. Then on Debra Morgan. Most recently, Andrea from The Walking Dead has been sporting it in several colors. Actually, all of these characters own the shirt in at least two different hues. Weirdly, the mom from Silver Linings Playbook was also wearing it.

Why is this shirt so great for on-camera?
1. It comes in a lot of different colors. More wardrobe options.
2. It’s a button up, which can be sexified up or more formal.
3. It’s comfortable and has some give to it, so it’s almost always flattering.

Anyhow, I own it in black and white. It rocks. I have no other reason for posting this other than the fact that I’ve noticed it for so long that I had to tell someone else (you, the internet).

The author of 22 NYT Best Sellers, creator of Drizzt Do’Urden, and all around fantasy genre luminary R.A. Salvatore joins us to talk what’s next for the Drow Ranger, John Fogerty, and why you should quit writing (if you can). Enjoy!

Repost from Sword & Laser, click here for more!

This week Veronica wonders why vampires aren’t flying around in bat form, sucking peoples blood. Dr. Steven Schlozman has answers. Kristina Anapau from True Blood also chats about her role on the show and her theory on vampire existence!

Support Kristina in her 4G4Hope Cure for Cancer!

Follow Dr. Schlozman

**New Episodes Every Friday**

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See more of Veronica on Tekzilla

I’ll be co-hosting a new show on BBC America called Gizmodo: The Gadget Testers, coming March 18th! Joel Johnson, Greg Foot, OJ Borg and I will be putting tech to the extremes. Please watch on March 18th at 10:20pm after the season finale of Top Gear! If enough people watch, we’ll get to make more episodes for you.

Tell your Tivo to record the show

We interviewed one of my favorite authors, Jacqueline Carey, on the latest video episode of Sword and Laser!

Are humans close to evolving into X-Men characters with mutant superpowers? This week Veronica Belmont discusses what it would take to join the mutant force of the X-Men. Special thanks to Caleb Garling from Wired/SF Chronicle for dropping some knowledge!

Follow Caleb on Twitter: @CalebGarling

**New Episodes Every Friday**

What do you want to see featured on Fact or Fictional? Leave a comment or video response below and give us your ideas!

Want more Fact or Fictional? Subscribe to TechFeed!

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Check out more Tech Feed shows

Tech Feed on Google+

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Come follow Veronica on Twitter!

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Here’s the video from my Macworld 2013 panel. Thanks to Carlos for the invite!

Wow, so I am just… like, really bad at blogging regularly. Anyhow. Launched a new show this week! It’s called Fact or Fictional, and each week we’ll be looking at your (and I do mean your) favorite technology from TV shows, movies, video games, comic books, etc, and finding out from the experts if it’s possible.

Our first episode (more of a teaser, since we’re still getting everything together production-wise) is about the Ducati Sport 1000 from TRON: Legacy. Yeah, it’s not the light cycle, but hopefully we’ll get to that one at some point!

We’re taking suggestions from the audience for future episodes, so let me know what you want to see!

Title: Tech News
Description: Tom Merritt and guests discuss what it takes to keep up with the ever-changing tech news industry.
Time: Fri 04:00 pm Location: Crystal Ballroom – Hilton (Length: 1 Hour)

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Title: FSL Tonight!
Description: Justin Robert Young and Tom Merritt will bring you the post-game wrap-up from the FSL championship. Vulcan vs. Lannisport? Coruscant vs. Rivendell? Whatever it ends up being, we’ll be there, with special guests.
Time: Fri 05:30 pm Location: 204 – Hilton (Length: 1 Hour)

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Title: Sword and Laser Podcast – LIVE
Description: Veronica Belmont and Tom Merritt bring their podcast about all things Sci-Fi and Fantasy back to Dragon*Con with special guest R.A. Salvatore!
Time: Sat 02:30 pm Location: Crystal Ballroom – Hilton (Length: 1 Hour)

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Title: 2012 Parsec Awards
Description: The Parsec Award is available for Sci-Fi & Fantasy Original Content, and Speculative Fiction. Join us for the 2012 Parsec Awards Ceremony. Hosted by me and Scott Sigler!
Time: Sat 04:00 pm Location: International North – Hyatt (Length: 2.5 Hours)

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Title: Women in Gaming
Description: TBD! But probably about women in gaming.
Time: Sun 11:30 am Location: TBD (Length: 1 Hour)

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Title: Vaginal Fantasy Live
Description: Join the ladies as they discuss a Vaginal Fantasy book live!
Time: Sun 04:00 pm Location: Centennial I – Hyatt (Length: 1 Hour)

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Title: Getting the Scoop
Description: Forget the old reveal, preview, review cycle. Websites, podcasts, blogs, and forums changed how we learn about games. Are they changing games, too?
Time: Sun 07:00 pm Location: 209 / 210 / 211 – Hilton (Length: 1 Hour)

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Title: NSFW Dragon*Con: Con of a Dragon Three Equals Equals Equals Dee
Description: Brian Brushwood, Justin Robert Young, Tom Merritt, and Veronica Belmont will all return.
Time: Sun 08:30 pm Location: Crystal Ballroom – Hilton (Length: 1 Hour)

I’ve begun advising for a company called Chic CEO, which is a fantastic resource for female entrepreneurs. Women can go to the website to learn how to get their businesses started for free (with premium content as well). From learning how to write up a business plan, filing for an EIN, or getting the right tax forms filled out, it’s all there.

Out of the several companies I work with on a advisory level, this is the only one with a strong female presence. I think it’s hugely important to give women with big ideas the know-how and resources to make them a reality.

Aside from the female POV, another reason I wanted to work with them is because the information is concrete, easy-to-understand and easy-to-implement. The site is geared towards women, but it’s filled with great advice that anyone could use.

They’ve also been written up in Forbes twice recently, in their Top 10 Entrepreneurial Websites For Women and The 10 Best Websites for Millennial Women, and they also regularly host events in the San Diego and NYC area.

I think we’ll be doing some fun stuff at SXSW this year as well, so stay tuned!

Tom and I interviewed the wonderful George R.R. Martin on this week’s episode of Sword and Laser! Naturally, as a huge fan of the A Song of Ice and Fire book series, and the HBO show Game of Thrones, this was a pretty big deal for me! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did making it.

I can cross this one off my bucket list! My fire eating rolls in around 20 minutes.

Recently I appeared on Roadtrip Nation, a great organization that encourages youth (from middle school to college and beyond) to find their own path in life. I spoke about my own journey of figuring out who I am, what I wanted to do with myself, and gave some insight into what a painful, painful nerd I was in high school.

Subscribe to the podcast here in iTunes and RSS.

Current Science Fiction Television
Friday from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM in San Tomas
(with Lon Sarver, Ian Grey, D.M. Pratt and Deborah M. Pratt)

Panelists discuss current current SF/F TV broadcast now on ALL
networks, not just the Syfy channel. It’s all prime time now!

The Evolution of Video Games
Saturday from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM in Ballroom D
(with Lex Scheuble, Tim Crowley, Robert Toland)

From Asteroids and Pong to PC and Xbox 360, our video games have gone
from simple to very complex, from simple arcade games to story-driven
entertainment to exercises in building complete civilizations. Has the
allure increased, or has it turned into a demographic niche? What might
be in our video game future? Join the discussion with our panel of
Gamers and Game Reviewers.

Geek Girls Unite: How Fangirls, Bookworms, Indie Chicks, and other Misfits
are taking over the World.
Saturday from 2:30 PM to 4:00 PM in Ballroom E-F-G
(with Lex Scheuble, Denisen Hartlove, Leslie Simon, Sally RoseRed Robinson, Josephine Gray)

Geekdom, it’s not just for guys anymore! A discussion on how Geek Girls
are influncing the world of SF/F, Gaming, and Comics and becoming a
major force at conventions.

Bof: Sword and Laser
Saturday from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM in Central
(with Tom Merritt)

For fans of the Sword and Laser Podcast and new VideoCast.

The Evolution of Female Characters in SF and Fantasy
Sunday from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM in Ballroom D
(with Juliette Wade, Deborah J. Ross, Daryl G. Frazetti, Brandon Sanderson,
Diana L. Paxson)

From damsels in distress to sword-wielding, gun-toting, and military
masterminds, have women found their place, or are they ‘feminized’ men?
Do the women truly reflect the changing attitudes of the roles of
women?

Erotic Science Fiction and Fantasy
Sunday from 2:30 PM to 4:00 PM in Lawrence
(with Lon Sarver, D.M. Atkins, Jaym Gates)

Boy meets girl meets robot meets vampire: what makes for good erotica
in worlds with different rules than ours?

“Hard Science” Science Fiction Doesn’t have to be Hard
Sunday from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM in Winchester
(with Arthur Bozlee, Scott Beckstead, Norm Sperling, Kyle Aisteach, Eytan
Kollin)

What are some books,movies, comic books, etc. that have used GOOD
science and still managed to be exciting? What was the bad science
that made you howl in pain, could it have been modified to be better
science and still keep the story intact?

The science fiction and fantasy audio podcast (and community) that Tom Merritt and I have been hosting for the past four years is going video! We’ll be joining Felicia Day’s Geek and Sundry YouTube channel starting April 13th! Here’s the promo for the channel below.

The full website is here, and we’re very excited to be a part of it! Audio listeners, have no fear: we’ll still be doing an audio version of the show every other week, which will dive more deeply into the book club portion of the show. The video show will involve interviews, news, and reviews. Stay tuned for more info!

Also, our set is just amazing.

My friend and Game On! co-host Brian Brushwood will be competing (and I will be probably epicly losing) in a Team Fortress 2 charity match for Child’s Play called Mix-Up 4 this Spring! It’s going to be awesome, and there are a lot of great folks involved as well. Check out the full line-up here!

The date will be announced soon, so stay tuned!

As if one book club wasn’t enough, I’ve joined forces with some of my fantastically geeky girlfriends (Felicia Day, Kiala Kazebee, and Bonnie Burton) for a little project called the Vaginal Fantasy Hangout. This new monthly Google+ hangout session will focus on books from the fantasy, science fiction, paranormal romance, and mystery genres. There will also probably be a little sexy-time (as I like to call it) in the stories as well, which we will discuss to great lengths (and to our great amusement).

Our first episode is up, and we also have a Goodreads group and a Facebook page! Hope you’ll join us! Next episode will tape live on Feb 27th at 8pm PST over on Felicia’s G+ page.

LOOK AT THAT BADASS

Writer and gamer compatriot Kiala Kazebee recently wrote a post for the Nerdist blog, in which she lists the reasons why Portal 2 is superior to Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. With more than 70 hours of Skyrimming (that’s a thing, right?) under my belt, I present to you, dear reader, my rebuttal. FIGHT!

1. Yeah, I loved Portal 2. The first time I played it. When it was called PORTAL.

2. Oh, you like your little puzzles, do you? I like slaying dragons using massive fireballs and wielding blades imbued with ice and FEAR. Also, you think running around variations on the same room over and over is exciting, Kiala?? I think your brain was in stasis too long.

I am about to stab you in the head

3. If you’re bored walking through the (scenic and gloriously rendered) mountains, let me introduce you to a friend of mine: Skyrim Murder Bear. He’s been looking forward to meeting you.

4. Not funny? Have you seen the bucket head trick? There is tons of funny dialog and moments in the game, if you take the time to look for them. They’re much more rewarding than having Stephen Merchant lob one-liners into your face every 15 seconds.*

5. I have a husband. His name is Farkas, and he makes me hearty and delicious Homecooked Meals™ whenever I ask. Can your potato do that? Also, he’s manly and wears a hot suit of armor and we live together in the awesome house I purchased by being a total badass.

My wedding with Farkas. He's so sweet.

6. Sure, my Dark Elf may not be the prettiest princess on the block, but she has CHARACTER. I’ve seen Chell, ooooh… maybe twice? Plus, I can change my lady elf’s clothes and weapons at will. Just because I’m a gamer doesn’t mean I don’t like to play dress up once in a while. Enjoy your jumpsuit.

7. Skyrim has shouts. I can move at incredible speed, ground flying dragons, freeze or burn opponents, slow time itself, and more. FUS RO DAH!

8. Sure, the singing turrets in Portal 2 are adorable. But I’d much rather have a choir of hundreds of vikings singing an epic song in the language of the dragons.

9. Oh, I’m also a werewolf archmage assassin (and bard in training). So I’m either about to rip your throat out or sing you a sonnet about Mara, Goddess of Love and Stuff. But you won’t know until it’s too late!

10. The “I took an arrow to the knee” line is the meme of the year.

So these are just some of my reasons why Skyrim is a better game than Portal 2**, and why Kiala is wrong about everything (I’m guessing). Feel free to argue with me or lavish praise upon my argument in the comments.

*I will grant you that Space Sphere is the funniest character in a video game in the past 5 years, but even yelling SPAAAAAACE! can get old after a while.

**I actually loved Portal 2, but writing this post was too fun to pass up.