Layered over the historical fiction is a sci-fi element: The main character is a modern-day barman, Desmond Miles, who is forced to travel through time to relive the story of his ancestors and collect artefacts.

BBC: Michael Fassbender

Tickets include admission to the Science Fiction Museum, which has enough sci-fi movie props to satisfy the most obsessive trekkie.

CNN: Seattle: What to see

The Make it So: Learning from Sci-Fi Interfaces panel at SXSW looked at how science fiction might influence the future of design.

BBC: Beyond the keyboard and mouse

Lives extended, cancers (and a menagerie of other diseases) cured is almost like sci-fi medical technology come true (there may be more science fiction references as you read onward).

FORBES: A Skeptic's Take on Nuvilex After Speaking With Management; Patience Should be Rewarded

Named after Hugo Gernsback, the editor of groundbreaking sci-fi magazine Amazing Stories, the Hugos (originally the Science Fiction Achievement Awards) have been awarded annually for science fiction and fantasy writing since 1953.

CNN: Ustream apologizes for killing Hugo Awards webcast

Masters of Science Fiction on ABC, a series of episodes directed and written by various prominent sci-fi authors.

ENGADGET: HDTV Listings for August 4, 2007 HD