Skip to main content
Andrew Liptak on Muck Rack

Andrew Liptak

Vermont
As seen in: Transfer Orbit, OneZero, CNBC, Gizmodo, io9, The Verge, Barnes and Noble, Lifehacker, Slate, Substack, Polygon and
Covers:  Science fiction, fantasy, cosplay, fanfilms, literature, astronomy, geology, exploration, military,
find me elsewhere
Back to Andrew Liptak’s profile

Andrew Liptak’s Journalist Portfolio

View as a grid

How Pokémon GO Turned Me Into a Birder

How Pokémon GO Turned Me Into a Birder

Lifehacker — Niantic celebrated the 25th anniversary of Pokémon last week, using the occasion to roll out an extensive event on its popular mobile game, Pokémon GO. I've been playing the game for a couple of years now, ever since my son got interested in Pokémon through his friends at daycare.
Who shared?

The Space Between Worlds is a clever read about power and parallel worlds

The Space Between Worlds is a clever read about power and parallel worlds

Transfer Orbit — The idea that there might be other worlds out there is a pretty compelling one for science fiction readers and writers. What would happen if the sequence of events in your life was slightly different? Minute variations in that domino effect of events leads to radically different possibilities for your alternate selves.
Who shared?

Actions have consequences

Actions have consequences

Transfer Orbit — Gina Carano has been ejected from the Star Wars universe. The news broke last night after a day of mounting outcry over an antisemitic post that The Mandalorian actress shared on an Instagram story, which compared the state of US politics as the precursor to Nazi Germany. She also shared posts mocking California'...
Who shared?

Waking the Leviathan

Waking the Leviathan

Transfer Orbit — This piece was originally published back in May 2015 on the B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog, before Syfy debuted its adaptation of the series in December. I'm reprinting it now with some minor edits. If you enjoy this post, please consider signing up as a subscriber or sharing this post on social media.
Who shared?

Adapting the department

Adapting the department

Transfer Orbit — Last year, I decided to binge watch my favorite fantasy TV series: Law & Order: SVU. All 21 seasons of it. I started with Season 13, right when the series experienced a bit of a reset when co-star Christopher Meloni (Detective Elliot Stabler) left, went to the end, then started with season 1 and worked my way up to that episode.
Who shared?

Fan fiction is the lifeblood of fandom

Fan fiction is the lifeblood of fandom

Transfer Orbit — When I was a teenager, Star Wars was everything. I watched the films constantly, I read every book I got my hands on, spent an ungodly number of hours on message boards, and wrote for a bunch of fan sites over the years. And when I ran out of stories to re-read ...
Who shared?

Orwell Would Be Horrified by the Right Wing’s Use of Orwellian

Orwell Would Be Horrified by the Right Wing’s Use of Orwellian

Slate —
Who shared?

At Last, Dangerous Visions

At Last, Dangerous Visions

Transfer Orbit — There are plenty of books that go unpublished, much to the frustration of devoted fans. George R.R. Martin's Winds of Winter, Patrick Rothfuss's Doors of Stone, and Scott Lynch's Thorn of Emberlain are infamous for their tardiness, as the anticipation builds year after year.
Who shared?

Cyberpunk's power came from global dystopian politics

Cyberpunk's power came from global dystopian politics

Transfer Orbit — CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077 comes out today, and judging from the trailers and early reviews, it's a game that leans heavily into the '80s styling for the subgenre: lots of neon, people with tons of body augmentations, and lots of over-the-top violence. I'm looking forward to playing the game - it's currently sitting...
Who shared?

Inside Star Wars writer Alan Dean Foster's fight with Disney

Inside Star Wars writer Alan Dean Foster's fight with Disney

Polygon — The #DisneyMustPay viral campaign to get Star Wars and Alien novelization writer Alan Dean Foster paid faces murky legal waters, according to lawyers. But the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) is fighting a fight in hopes of helping writers in the future with royalties. Here's what's really going on.
Who shared?

The [AI]nformation battlespace

The [AI]nformation battlespace

Transfer Orbit — Under the cover of darkness, a team of soldiers from the United States Special Operations Command quietly makes their way into an unnamed East African city. They're clad in specialized clothing and makeup that hampers facial recognition software from matching their faces against freely-available online databases of hacked Department of Defense files, and carry secured cell phones to communicate with their home base - a converted cargo ship anchored off-shore in international waters.
Who shared?

Tech CEOs should stop using Science Fiction as a blueprint for humanity's future in space

Tech CEOs should stop using Science Fiction as a blueprint for humanity's future in space

Pando — In September 2016, Elon Musk went before the International Astronautical Congress with a program that outlined an ambitious set of goals: lay out the steps that would help establish a permanent human presence on Mars. "What I really want to try to achieve here is to make Mars seem possible," he said.
Who shared?

Halloween Costumes Originally Started On Thanksgiving, Not October 31st

Halloween Costumes Originally Started On Thanksgiving, Not October 31st

cosplaycentral.com — If you're a science fiction or fantasy fan like me, Halloween likely holds a special place in your heart: a holiday where budding cosplayers can discover the joys of costuming by dressing up as your favorite character as a kid, or by throwing something together for a costume party when you're older.
Who shared?

Halloween Costumes Originally Started On Thanksgiving, Not October 31st

Halloween Costumes Originally Started On Thanksgiving, Not October 31st

cosplaycentral.com — If you're a science fiction or fantasy fan like me, Halloween likely holds a special place in your heart: a holiday where budding cosplayers can discover the joys of costuming by dressing up as your favorite character as a kid, or by throwing something together for a costume party when you're older.
Who shared?

Dragonlance changed how we read fantasy

Dragonlance changed how we read fantasy

Transfer Orbit — If you went to a bookstore's science fiction and fantasy section starting in the mid-1980s, you'd likely encounter a block of novels taking up an entire shelf or two: Dragonlance.
Who shared?

I'm Guy Raz, Author and Podcaster, and This Is How I Work

I'm Guy Raz, Author and Podcaster, and This Is How I Work

Lifehacker — If you've listened to National Public Radio at all over the years, there's a good chance you've heard Guy Raz's voice. Formerly the host of All Things Considered, he made the jump into podcasts nearly a decade ago, hosting shows like the TED Radio Hour, How I Built This, kids series Wow in the World, and Wisdom from the Top on Luminary.
Who shared?

Timothy Zahn on his return to Thrawn

Timothy Zahn on his return to Thrawn

Polygon — Before The Force Awakens and the Skywalker sequel trilogy, there was Heir to the Empire, which introduced Star Wars fans to Grand Admiral Thrawn and tons of Expanded Universe lore. With the new Star Wars book Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising on shelves, Zahn looks back on his career as a novelist companion to George Lucas.
Who shared?

Mushroom Clouds on the Future Horizon

Mushroom Clouds on the Future Horizon

Transfer Orbit — Thank you for signing up for Reading List! This newsletter is a regular column on the world of science fiction and fantasy. If you like what you read, please consider signing up as a paid subscriber and sharing this newsletter with a friend. "Hiroshima now lay to the west on the right side of my airplane.
Who shared?

The U.S. Military Is Turning to Science Fiction to Shape the Future of War

The U.S. Military Is Turning to Science Fiction to Shape the Future of War

OneZero — In 2030, a severe drought triggers a refugee crisis, which in turn sparks a war between two African nations. The UN steps in, deploying U.S. and French soldiers to keep the borders secure. An information warfare specialist is sent in when a disinformation campaign depicts U.S.
Who shared?

History Of The 3D Printer: From An Expensive Machine To A Cosplayer's Ultimate Tool

History Of The 3D Printer: From An Expensive Machine To A Cosplayer's Ultimate Tool

cosplaycentral.com — Within the cosplay world, it seems as though everyone and their mother has a 3D printer or two. Where such a device might have cost in the tens of thousands of dollars a decade ago, you can now find a variety of low-cost machines that are widely available and affordable for the making public.
Who shared?

Wretched Hive Creations: The Creators of the Ahsoka Tano Headpiece

Wretched Hive Creations: The Creators of the Ahsoka Tano Headpiece

cosplaycentral.com — Nestled in the middle of Lowell, Massachusetts alongside the Pawtucket Canal, maker Bob Gouveia lets me into the narrow studio space that is Wretched Hive Creations. The shop is part of the Western Avenue Studio, which occupies a former factory mill that once produced industrial fabrics for the country in the 1800s.
Who shared?

Star Wars inspired Mandalorian fans, then Mandalorian fans inspired Star Wars

Star Wars inspired Mandalorian fans, then Mandalorian fans inspired Star Wars

Polygon — Boba Fett captured the imaginations of Star Wars fans after Empire Strikes Back, but Mandalorian mania really took off after the prequels. Groups like the 501st Legion and Mandalorian Mercs made customized armor, mask, and weapon cosplay that expanded the history of Mandalore. That movement impacted Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, and even George Lucas.
Who shared?

The Clone Wars followed Star Wars' streak of humanizing the clones

The Clone Wars followed Star Wars' streak of humanizing the clones

Polygon — From the start, George Lucas had a specific idea in mind for the look and feel of the foot soldiers of his Galactic Empire. The Stormtrooper were to invoke specific imagery from real-world wars: the "Imperial people to look efficient, totalitarian, fascist" according to military historian and costume designer John Mollo in The Making of Star Wars.
Who shared?

The Stars Are Legion is a bold science fiction novel about warring women at the edge of the unive...

The Stars Are Legion is a bold science fiction novel about warring women at the edge of the unive...

The Verge — Every now and again, you'll pick up a science fiction or fantasy novel that will absolutely blow you away because of how boldly it imagines an invented world. N.K. Jemisin's The Fifth Season did...
Who shared?
Show More