Sarah Quinn
Bio
I'm a writer in love with India, Stars Wars, fantasy, travel, and Thai curries. My childhood heroes were Luke Skywalker and Joan of Arc. I muse on superheroes, sci-fi, feminism, and more.
Stories (72/0)
Sci-Fi Webcomics to Devour All At Once
Not so long ago, there weren't enough great sci-fi webcomics to shake a ray-gun at. Now, you've got serious options for pretty much every sub-genre you can imagine, from hard sci-fi to space opera to satirical speculative space fantasy. Here's my list of the best sci-fi webcomics to make you laugh, make you think, and feel like a kid again with the best Sunday paper in the galaxy.
By Sarah Quinn8 years ago in Futurism
Cruelty-Free Ways to Care For Your Skin That Will Make You Feel Like a Goddess
When you’re slathering, rubbing, or scrubbing something onto your skin, you want to know what it’s made of and where it comes from. Many supposedly “all-natural” and “organic” options have a long list of questionable ingredients or can’t prove anything about their suppliers and their testing process. The following five brands stand ahead of the competition in their quality, their transparency, and their committment to cruelty-free, truly natural ways to care for your skin. Find your favorite (or a mix of them all) to feel refreshed, relaxed, and kind to the earth.
By Sarah Quinn8 years ago in Longevity
How the Wisdom of Confucius Can Help You Be Less of a Jerk
I’m sure you’re a pretty nice person. I like to think that I am too. But sometimes I let myself justify getting pretty snippy with the customer service rep - like it’s her fault that Comcast is stupid. Other times I find myself muttering under my breath when my kids eat graham crackers in my unmade bed, or I let a friend’s Facebook post piss me off for the rest of the day. Nobody’s perfect, but if you feel your inner Hulk bursting out in a rage every time the wind doesn’t blow your way, it might be time to try walking a more peaceful path. Let the Great Sage (aka Confucius) help you get there. He’s famous for little snippets of wisdom that can sound like they came out of a fortune cookie - until you look deeper. Sometimes a simple phrase can help you see things differently and make keeping your cool a little easier. Feel free to scrawl any of these on a post-it note or make them the background on your lock screen. If they really change your life, they might even make it onto a canvas you can look at every night as you fall asleep. Hopefully, you’ll be sleeping more peacefully when you’re treating others in a way that makes you both feel great.
By Sarah Quinn8 years ago in Longevity
Madaya Mom: How Marvel's Latest Comic Profiles A Real-Life Superhero
As starvation and death plunge the Syrian mountain town of Madaya into despair, a mother fights to keep her family alive. Since the town is under siege by the Assad regime, access to fuel, food, and electricity is extremely limited. Except for the occasional humanitarian aid truck, no one can enter; no one can leave. Even journalists have been unable to enter since the siege began; Assad’s regime is operating a complete media blackout. But that doesn’t mean that the story of Madaya can’t be told. During two weeks in January, ABC News communicated via text messages and phone calls to get first-hand descriptions of what conditions in Madaya are like from a woman nicknamed “Madaya Mom” and her family, and now ABC News journalists Xana O’Neil and Rym Montaz and Marvel Comics illustrator Dalibor Talajic have teamed up to tell the story of a family (who remains nameless for their own protection) struggling for survival in an online graphic documentary available to read here.
By Sarah Quinn8 years ago in Geeks
Homemade, Energy-Packed Vegan Snack Bars You'll Love
What’s currently hanging out in your snack cupboard? I’ve got...let’s see...1/4 of a bag of off-brand BBQ potato chips, 3 partially crumbled cheese-flavored rice cakes, some extremely stale Wheat Thins from a camping trip several weeks ago...and, oh, goody! Two alarmingly bendable graham crackers! I do also have lots of fresh fruit, but the thing about fruit is...it just doesn’t feel like a snack on its own. To avoid opening the giant bag of Reese’s Peanut Butter cups I just bought for Halloween, it’s going to have to be vegan energy bars TO THE RESCUE! Shun your own stale snack cupboard and stir up some of these fresh, crunchy, sweet and salty bars to munch. I can’t promise I’ll stay away from the candy stash completely, but at least it’ll have a fighting chance of lasting a little bit longer. (Tying yours up in brown paper and twine is completely optional, albeit adorable.)
By Sarah Quinn8 years ago in Longevity
What Your Favorite Stars Wars Characters Eat for Breakfast
Star Wars is known for being groundbreaking and innovative in many, many ways, but I think it’s safe to say that delicious intergalactic cuisine is not one of them. From those nasty space frogs Jabba slurps up to that fish stick thing Yoda finds in Luke’s mess kit, most Star Wars food looks pretty unsavory. Exceptions: when Darth Vader shows up on Cloud City, he appears to be seated at a banquet table of acceptable looking dishes, and the granola bar stick that Leia shares with Wicket looks ok. Also, try to honestly tell me that you've never wanted to try blue milk (my research tells me it’s actually Bantha milk, which I think just put me off the idea forever). Generally speaking though, I think the characters from Star Wars would be thrilled to try more palatable foods from our world if they had the chance. Here’s what some of your favorites and mine might eat for breakfast on an imaginary vacation to planet Earth.
By Sarah Quinn8 years ago in Geeks
The Best Gifts for Wonder Woman Fangirls
Sometimes life is an uphill battle and you just need a reminder that it’s worth fighting for. Whether you’re the one who loves everything about Wonder Woman or you’ve got a friend who idolizes her, you’ll be delighted to discover that you’re not alone. From caped socks to inclusive art to astonishing historical non-fiction, there’s a great big world out there of Wonder Woman goodness to enjoy. When you’re having a rough day, you can throw on your favorite superhero shirt or ring and tackle it like a woman. And as Queen Hippolyte says, “...go in peace, and remember that in a world of ordinary mortals, you are a Wonder Woman.”
By Sarah Quinn8 years ago in Geeks
Five Free Things You Can Do To Be Healthier and Happier Now
When I say “free” I am assuming that you have a source of clean drinking water and the internet. If you don’t have those things (at least the water), your potential for health and happiness are probably pretty limited (Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs comes to mind). But if you DO have those things, and you’re feeling miserable and lonely and dehydrated and achy, it’s worth taking a few simple steps to care for yourself. The term “self-care” is bandied about a lot on the internet these days, and sometimes suggestions for achieving it are unrealistic. Not everyone can afford a massage; not everyone can see a therapist. Those things can be wonderfully helpful for different people, but you’ve got to start where you are. Here are my top five favorite free, stay-at-home things to do when you're down.
By Sarah Quinn8 years ago in Longevity
Sci-Fi's Obsession with Ancient Greece and Rome
Sometimes science fiction returns to the past for places, people, and themes to enrich its mind-journeys into the future. Such is the case with these sci-fi movies, TV episodes, and works of fiction, each one drawing from the ancient worlds of Greece or Rome to dress its story. Brit Marling, a screenplay co-writer of Another Earth, says that this isn’t really surprising. “We’re retelling the same dramas from Ancient Greece,” Marling said. “These stories are so fundamentally old, the mythology that they come from, the hero’s journey — the way a narrative works. Science allows you to take the same story and see it from a new perspective because the science is always new and fresh.” Science fiction’s interest in the ancient world goes beyond mere allusion, as in the middle name of Captain James Tiberius Kirk (Tiberius, in case you’re wondering, was a somber, reclusive Roman ruler who nevertheless left the empire in a better state than he found it). If you’re deeply interested in how the speculative worlds of the future and the worlds of ancient Rome and Greece intersect, you may be interested in a serious paper by academic Tony Keen, “The 'T' stands for Tiberius: models and methodologies of classical reception in science fiction.” If that sounds a little heavy, enjoy the following summary of a few times when togas, laurel wreaths, aliens, and spaceships partied it up in one crazy combination.
By Sarah Quinn8 years ago in Futurism
The Funniest Star Wars Parodies, Spoofs, and Sketches
When it comes to Star Wars humor, there is seriously a LOT to choose from. Robot Chicken Star Wars, Jeffrey Brown's Vader's Little Princess and Darth Vader and Son, and a plethora of hilarious Star Wars t-shirts didn't even make my final cut (but go check them out too). The short and long videos, Twitter accounts, comedy sketches, and art that you'll see below are my favorites because they keep the spirit of the canonical films without taking things too seriously. Some are new on the scene, some are old classics, but each of them is another great way to enjoy the best movies ever made.
By Sarah Quinn8 years ago in Geeks
Sweet Revenge: Watch Underdog Girls Weaponize Dessert
There’s more than one way to have a food fight. Sure, sometimes flinging your lunch around the room can be a blast, but you don’t have to get covered head to toe in mashed potatoes to have a good time - and get what’s yours. When it comes to taking edible revenge and showing the bad guys who’s boss, geek girls are the best at getting creative. I mean ANYBODY can have a food fight, and a lot of people can have a pie fight, but smashing a chocolate ice cream cone into a cheerleader’s clean white uniform? That’s style. It’s definitely a dirty fight when food’s involved, but an underdog girl has gotta do whatever it takes, no matter how messy the method. Enjoy the following clips from movies where underdog girls (and women) used sugary treats in many forms to stick it to the man and get sweet, sweet revenge.
By Sarah Quinn8 years ago in Geeks
Why I Stopped Washing My Hair and How the "No 'Poo" Method Works For Me
Before you’re totally grossed out, let’s get things straight. When I say that I stopped washing my hair, I don’t mean that my hair never comes in contact with water. What I mean is that I’m no longer using shampoo and conditioner like you buy at the store or salon - and my hair has never been shinier and healthier. What prompted this obviously insane change? I’m not a scientist, a stylist, or a healthcare practitioner of any kind, but I can tell you all about my personal hair journey and what worked (and still works!) for me.
By Sarah Quinn8 years ago in Longevity