The Knights Templar, a medieval order of warrior monks sworn to protect pilgrims to the Holy Land, have been romanticized in popular fiction since early in their history. The first Templars story, a poem called Le Conte du Graal, was written in 1180 by Chretien de Troyes. Troyes’ work was “imitated” by contemporary writers who linked the Templars with the Holy Grail, establishing the Grail legend which Elonka Dunin described during Friday’s panel as “medieval fanfiction.” More modern …

Elonka Dunin: game developer by day, cryptographer by night. To clarify, she does not spend her free time in crypts; she makes and breaks codes, and her obsession in recent years has been the Kryptos sculpture at CIA headquarters, Langley.

Kryptos is a commissioned copper structure out of which an apparently random series of letters was carved by artist and sculptor James Sanborn. The letters in fact form a complex code devised by Sanborn following a crash course in …

The most impressive panel to open Dragon*Con programming in years blasted off to a packed crowd Friday morning at the Hyatt.  Two icons of Science Fiction television, Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner, exuded warmth, camaraderie, and humor throughout the hour-long dialogue. Their friendship as apparent as their talent and enthusiasm combined into a remarkable “fascinating” exchange. Yes, Shatner used the line, emphasizing to Nimoy that, “Just because you used to say it, doesn’t mean you own the word.” He added, “Live Long and Prosper, I can say that, too.” To which Nimoy retorted, “You can say it, but it doesn’t mean the same thing!”

Georgia Aquarium is the biggest in the world for volume of water and numbers of fish and animals, with 8 million gallons of water, compared to the next biggest aquarium which has “only” 1 million! And on Saturday night from 7:30 to 11PM, Dragon*Con-goers will have exclusive access to this record-breaking attraction.

You’ll come in through the main entrance as usual, and all the main aquarium exhibits will be open. The main tracks will be Georgia Explorer, showcasing Georgia’s local …