Category: Star Trek
Tweets from 2011-10-07
- TGIF. #
- In case there was any doubt “Real Steel” is a Rock’em-Sock’em Robots movie, there is now a “Real Steel” Rock’em-Sock’em Robots toy. #
- Yes! RT @doycet: Solo Dad time! Time for some responsible choices. For dinner: Lil Ricci’s NY Pizzeria, Coldstone ice cream. #goodparenting #
- May well have been my last Friday lunch time walk in shorts and sandals. #winteriscoming #
- My mom found some old S&H Green Stamps at my grandmother’s condo. Brings back memories, though we were more of a Blue Chip Stamps family. #
- ST:TOS Rewatch “Court Martial”: Hysterical god-daughter! Hacked computer records! Perry Mason! Decaying orbit! Poor Finney! Books FTW! #
- ST:TOS Rewatch “Space Seed”: Eugenics War! Rich Corinthian Dictator! Romance novel obsessed Historian! KHAAAN! Club beats fist! Milton FTW! #
- ST:TOS Rewatch “Taste of Armageddon”: Another dickish Federation bureaucrat! SimWar! Disintegration booths! What Prime Directive? MAD FTW! #
- ST:TOS Rewatch “This Side of Paradise”: Evil Outer Limits Flowers! Spock smooches! Mint juleps! No happiness just eternal struggle FTW! #
Unblogged Bits (Fri. 7-Oct-11 1130)
Links (most recent first) that caught my eye, but did not warrant full-blown blog entries ….
- Barnes & Noble Pulls Watchmen, Sandman And 100 DC Graphic Novels From Their Shelves Over Amazon Kindle Fire Deal Bleeding Cool Comic Book, Movies and TV News and Rumors – Wow. I can understand B&N being torqued at DC, but I don’t see this as a smart move on their part. Anything that reduces traffic into or sales from a bricks & mortar store isn’t a good idea.
- The Other Guy Who Died: Jeffrey Weston
- Oct 7, 2011 – Ten Years Later – Priorities …
- I Just Don’t Know What You See in Him – I can honestly say my wife is more of a “gamer chick” than I am a “gamer dude.” And it’s cool.
- California Officials Quash School Rule That Forced Students Into Separate Lunch Lines Because Of Low Test Scores – Incenting achievement by rewarding it in some fashion is a fine idea, if done carefully and properly. Turning it into a “dunce cap” program, though, is neither careful nor proper.
- Obama’s Food Safety Law That Republicans Fought Could Have Prevented Tainted Melon Outbreak: Alex Seitz-Wald
- Wells Fargo Forecloses On Home Because The Title Was Never Transferred – Stay classy, Wells Fargo!
- What do these books have in common? – Go, Kate, go!
- Drug Maker Adds Line To Pill’s Surface To Delay Generic Versions – Best Health Care in the World!
- Vintage Right-Wing Whine: Hank Jr. Says His First Amendment Rights Were Violated By ESPN – You keep citing that “First Amendment”. I do not think it means what you think it means …
- Herman Cain Quotes Obscure 20th-Century Strike-Breaker and Attributes it to Lincoln – Don’t let your “facts” and “history” get in the way of my sound bite!
- Wall Street Journal: neutrinos show climate change isn’t real – Science doesn’t know everything! So science really knows nothing, and we must ignore it when it tells us really inconvenient stuff! (Dolt.)
- Strong winds mussing your Colorado lifestyle? Get used to it – The Denver Post – Should be an “interesting” winter this year.
- Parents’ code word thwarts stranger’s advances toward CAK student » Knoxville News Sentinel – An interesting family safety idea.
- Panel: Healthy men shouldn’t get prostate test – The Denver Post – Very, very interesting. The question is not whether folks have had their lives saved by PSA testing, but whether more lives have been lost (and others injured) by the follow-up activities from such testing.
- Crackdown on California dispensaries planned; Colorado shops watch development closely – The Denver Post – Really, Justice Department? You don’t have any other more urgent law enforcement concerns going on out there? Really?
- ‘Blues Brothers’ Actor Charles Napier — Dead at 75 | TMZ.com – Also a ST:TOS alum. “His name was Adam.”
Unblogged Bits (Thu. 6-Oct-11 1730)
Links (most recent first) that caught my eye, but did not warrant full-blown blog entries ….
- Fischer: I Am Persecuted For Telling The Truth – You keep using that word “truth.” I do not think it means what you think it means.
- Re-Watching Star Trek: The Motion Picture – I remember standing in line for hours opening night of this film. And being simultaneously wowed by the production values and really disappointed by the story and characters.
- Why Romney Won’t Stand up to the Bigotry of Bryan Fischer | Religion Dispatches – Certainly doesn’t make me think of him any more favorably as presidential material.
- M82: Starburst Galaxy with a Superwind – Pretty.
- Geller Says Liberals Love Nazism, Sharia – In case there was any question, Pamela Geller’s a dolt.
- An Atheist Goes to a Christian Men’s Conference (Part 1) – Ah. Church as feel-good chest-thumping entertainment. Ick.
- Supreme Court weighs legality of putting public domain works back under copyright – In this case, I find myself (oddly) agreeing with both Scalia and Roberts in their comments.
- Study debunks myths on organic farms
- No Justice Scalia – Conservatives like Scalia are about the Law and Process. The human lives behind them seem to make little difference, as long as the t’s are crossed and the i’s dotted. Referring to a “spirit” of the law is blasphemy in their ears, and “compassion” is a dirty word.
- It’s About To Become A Bit More Expensive To Shop At Costco – I easily save that much every time I visit.
- Palinisms – (Rolls eyes.)
- Back When Protests On Wall Street Weren’t Peaceful – People forget about the Gilded Age excess and violent unrest that eventually led to the Progressive Movement (under Republicans, no less). Strangely, it’s just the sorts of reforms from that era that ended the violence that so many monied interests today are eager to roll back. Those who forget the past …
- Time lapse of stop-motion puppeteer at work – That. Is. Awesome.
- Steve Jobs ~ 1955-2011: Peter Carey
Tweets from 2011-09-21
- Denver emergency agencies holding a terror drill across metro area Friday, Operation Mountain Guardian. Yes, “OMG”. Link #
- Got robocall fr school district, warning us That Man is going to give a live speech to Our Children AGAIN, in case we want to opt out. #sigh #
- ST:TOS Rewatch “Return of the Archons”: Sulu stoned. Are you of the Body? Kirk destroys computer, society. Festival! Festival! Festival FTW! #
- Unfortunately, Orlando conference trip in October couldn’t be worked into mini-DisneyWorld vacation for family. Next time … #
- One thing having my comic book podcast has done is to make me a lot more diligent about picking up and reading my comic books. #
Tweets from 2011-09-18
- We bought our “new” car a year ago today. Time flies … #
- Paintballing for Jesus! #noreally #
- A nice weekend: mead tasting, paintballing, yummy dinners, playing game, watching TV, and being family. #
- ST:TOS Rewatch “Tomorrow is Yesterday”: Even w/ new CG, Enterprise in atmo looks silly. Plus, time travel science goofymeter pegs at 12. #
Unblogged Bits (Fri. 16-Sep-11 1731)
Links (most recent first) that caught my eye, but did not warrant full-blown blog entries ….
- Hagee: Harry Potter, Secular Humanism Ruining America – Can you find me a case of a kid being “taught witchcraft” by Harry Potter? Because I keep trying all those spells in the books, and I just can’t seem to get them right.
- Robert Reich Debunks the Six Big Lies About The Economy – “The greatest enemy we have is mass cynicism. When people really get to the point where they think nothing can be done, the other side wins.”
- If You Already Hate Windows 8 Then You Hate Technology [Windows 8] – “If you’re not intrigued by Windows 8 and Metro, if you can’t recognize that it’s a big leap forward, if you’re not excited about what it means for you, personally then you don’t really care about technology; you care about brands. You care about platforms. You care about politics. You’re a fanboy.”
- Update on the Cranston West High School God Banner Lawsuit – I, for one, marvel at the cognitive dissonance of one school committee member asserting (favorably) it’s an explicitly moral and religious expression, and the others trying to argue that, no, it’s just “tradition.”
- Superman is a profane dick – Wait, “as a Christian” this guy is okay with Batman or Green Arrow or Green Lantern taking the Lord’s name in vain, but he “draw the line” at Superman? (And a just-off-the-farm pre-classic Supermman at that?) That’s just … silly.
- Perry, Texas and Stimulus Spending – “You can argue over whether the stimulus bill created enough jobs given the amount of money spent. You can argue over whether the cost of those jobs was too high because of the debt increase that resulted from the spending. But to argue that the spending didn’t create a single job is so mind-numbingly idiotic that it could only be said by a Republican presidential candidate.”
- Metro-style Internet Explorer 10 ditches Flash, plugins – While it’s an interesting idea, I’m not particularly interested in living without my LastPass or my Xmarks. Sorry, IE10Metro.
- Dr Oz crosses the line – Don’t let your fancy-schmancy chemistry get in the way of my big publicity moment!
- Do users change their settings? » UIE Brain Sparks – I’m one of those obnoxious types who makes a beeline to the Options / Preferences menu. I learn a lot about a program that way.
- You Don’t Make Social Security More Solvent By Eliminating Its Funding Base | ThinkProgress
- Perry Once Bashed Financial Industry For Being ‘Run On Greed,’ Now Wants To Repeal Wall St. Reform | ThinkProgress – Sorry, “overregulation” of the finance industry is part of what “problem,” Rick? Certainly not Wall Street bank profits, which are looking extremely healthy.
- Texas School District Looks To ‘Abstinence-Plus’ Curriculum After ‘Abstinence-Only’ Proves Ineffective | Mediaite – Well, there’s a bit of sanity for a change. Personally (and as the father of an 11yo girl), I think abstinence is a fine goal, but including realistic info on contraception and safe sex is critically important, too.
- The Colbert Report doing a segment on DIA’s conspiracies | The Spot — Denver, Colorado politics and government news — The Denver Post – Exxxxxcellent. (And, btw, that’s the first pic of the Demon Horse of DIA that actually looks halfway decent.)
- Epic fight choreography: Kirk vs. Gorn – Boing Boing – Ha! We actually just watched this ep last night. The sad thing is, this is the best action sequence in the episode.
- Colorado’s 300 days of sunshine claim: It’s a myth, and state’s climatologist tells us why – Denver News – The Latest Word – But I still like the weather here. 🙂
- Google LatLong: South Sudan is now official on Google Maps
- John Lewis And 50 Other Congressmen Ask Georgia Parole Board To Grant Troy Davis Clemency | ThinkProgress – Nobody’s suggesting setting the guy loose (which is a completely different question), but there seems way too much doubt to morally support an execution in this case.
Tweets from 2011-09-15
- Lovely, cool, refreshing morning, enough to recommend long sleeves. I approve. #
- Watched the zany Hawaii Five-O s.1 finale again last night. Looking forward, in a popcorny way, to s.2 kicking off next week. #h50 #
- Interestingly, the old 60s series is “Hawaii Five-O” (letter), while the new series is “Hawaii Five-0” (number). Ah, the digital age. #h50 #
- ST:TOS Rewatch “Galileo 7”: Another dickish bureaucrat. Spock needs remedial Academy time, tactics + people skills. Folsom points FTW! #
- Plus side, boss says he will owe me a huge favor for what he just asked me to rush. Down side, he’s getting off cheap. #
- So I have 4 jobs tomorrow. Don’t mean tasks, mean full-time jobs. #sendintheclones #
- Must confess new FX in the BluRay Star Trek TOS are growing on me. Like nostalgia of old FX, but appreciate new (non-plot-changing) shiny. #
- ST:TOS Rewatch “Arena”: Massacre! Dickish uber-aliens! Blinking Gorn? Hissss! Saltpeter! Pins! Forgiveness? Vic Perrin & Vasquez Rocks FTW! #
Tweets from 2011-09-12
- Doctor Who “The Girl Who Waited” – okay, that was creepy, disturbing, awesome. You’ve earned your pay for the week, if not whole season.. #
- Amazingly bright full moon this a.m. Pretty. #
- ST:TOS Rewatch “Shore Leave”: Crew on stupid pills. Shoot that just-found gun! Samurai, rly? McCoy fails his Disbelieve roll! Finnegan FTW! #
- Kay’s intramural athletics requires not one but two different cards with contact numbers, insurance info, etc.? Arrgh! #stupid #irksome #
- I keep missing when the next insane #GOP debate is going on. Perhaps the Universe is looking after my blood pressure. #
Unblogged Bits (Sat. 10-Sep-11 2330)
Links (most recent first) that caught my eye, but did not warrant full-blown blog entries ….
- Drunken moose ends up stuck in Swedish apple tree – CNN.com – “A Møøse once bit my sister … No realli! … Mynd you, møøse bites Kan be pretty nasti …”
- Sunday favorites – Perhaps all that “divine wrath” that the Fischers and the Robertsons and the Bachmanns of the Right are nattering about aren’t punishments about the gays and the Muslims after all …
- Rich Dominionists in an Age of Hypocrisy – ” For those who would maintain that the theonomists have never had any significant influence, I would point out here that one of their long-term aims has been to replace the words ‘rich’ or ‘wealthy’ with the more virtuous-sounding word ‘productive.’ Judge for yourself, in 2011, whether or not their desired influence has been influential on that score.”
- Christian Reconstructionists Warn Of “Tyrannical” Seven Mountains Theology – Some fascinating cognitive dissonance going on here. I’m really trying to parse the difference between imposing a theocracy from some sort of coup, and getting enough popular support to impose a theocracy on the few who don’t go along. If you’re a dissenter, an apostate, or a sinner, you’re screwed regardless.
- Brown: Gay Activism Responsible For Murder Of Lawrence King – Yes, if only he’d stayed closeted, he’d have never been targeted for death. In the same way, capitalism is responsible for the conspicuous displays of wealth that lead to robberies, and the Democratic Party is responsible for the selection of John Kennedy as their candidate in 1960, and therefore for his assassination. Yeesh.
- Selling Star Trek – A fun review of the sales brochure NBC used to sell the show to affiliates and advertisers.
- U.S. Migration Patterns and Reasons Why We Move. – Interesting looking at the variation by region.
Unblogged Bits (Thu. 8-Sep-11 2330)
Links (most recent first) that caught my eye, but did not warrant full-blown blog entries ….
- Colorado doctors still accepting money from drug companies – The Denver Post – Caesar’s doctor must be beyond reproach.
- 5 Things That Are Way Easier Than They Look in Movies | Cracked.com – It’s amusing that, for all the things that movies make seem so easy, that there are things that movies make look overly hard (or, at least, “professional”).
- Rick Perry Says It’s ‘Misinformation’ To Suggest He Wants To Abolish Social Security | ThinkProgress – Methinks the candidate demurreth too much.
- 4th Circuit Upholds Rule of Law in Healthcare Case | People For the American Way Blog – Good news for ACA proponents (e.g., self), but … I’m always a bit hinky about “standing” rulings (as they cut in all directions in often nonsensical ways). I am glad to see that the individual mandate is recognized by a court as the equivalent of a federal tax; I think, on that basis, it will be far more difficult to challenge as something outre.
- APOD: 2011 September 4 – In the Shadow of Saturn – Glorious. You want justification for NASA’s budget? Here you go.
- Relive 45 years of Star Trek in one handy timeline – Nice.
- Get the dayum gubmint out of our lives! – Wait …. was Bachmann (and her cohorts) advocating price controls? No, of course not. That would offend her (et al.) corporate sponsors.
- So is Boehner suggesting the US government regulate all drug prices?: John Aravosis (DC)
- John Boehner: Most Americans Would Choose Football Over The President – If the GOP were really interested in reducing the role of the President to that of Prime Minister, it might be a defensible position. But I have no doubt that the disrespect that the GOP presently shows to Obama will be denounced as near-treason at such time as the GOP retakes the White House. I hate hypocrisy.
- Amazon cuts deal with California on Sales Tax collection – Interesting. Well, perhaps the Affiliate programs will then return to Colorado …
- Press reaction: Rick Perry, shallow thinker – My initial impression of Perry was that he was a slick Texan politician mouthing conservative thinking to earn votes. I’ve become more and more convinced I was giving him far too much credit.
- Junk Code – SMBC September 08, 2011 – Django!
- What Good Is a Legal Right to Record Police Activity – If the Cops Target You When You Do It? – Until the police who abuse their powers actually face penalties for their actions, they will continue to abuse their power … and discredit the law throughout society.
- Publishers Are Squandering Their Cachet On Imprints – Unknown but class-sounding imprints are of value only when there’s a base assumption of quality. I have to wonder — if publishers insist on maintaining these “elite” imprints, will they eventually subtitle them (“Gnosticon – a Random House imprint”)?
- Unclear on the concept – “Science is not determined by public opinion, and you don’t settle it by running a poll. Shall we vote on math, chemistry, physics, psychology, history, literature, and Spanish, too?”
- Quote of the Day – Yup.
- Judge Rules That South Bend City Council Cannot Give $1,200,000 to Private Catholic School – No, they can’t. And they shouldn’t. If a church school really a new football field and athletic track, I’m sure the faithful will support them in the effort without involving all the taxpayers of the city.
Tweets from 2011-09-08
- Distinctly remember last night reminding myself to go Office Depot at lunch today. Remember that, but not *why*. Dagnabbit. #
- Figured out the Mystery Item: a replacement (better) laser pointer for the cats. Took me browsing all of Office Depot to figure it out. #
- Kitten lying in your face at night, tickling nose? Adorable. Larger cat lying on you and purring loudly while grooming kitten? Not so much. #
- “@neiltyson: “To Boldly Go” September 8, 1966: StarTrek first appears on TV 45 yrs ago. Capt. Kirk on risk [2min]: Link #
- Margie’s Kitchen: Curry Dressing for Fruit and Shellfish Salads Link #recipe #
- RT @BarackObama: “I reject the idea that we have to strip away collective bargaining rights to compete in a global economy.” #
- ST:TOS Rewatch: “Menagerie, Pt 2” – Number One is Numero Uno! And they thought they lived happily ever after! Green Orion Slave Girls FTW! #
Tweets from 2011-09-05
- Minor coincidence today: saw Barbara Anderson as Lenore on ST:TOS “Conscience of the King,” then later as IMF member on Mission: Impossible. #
- A month later and IKEA still with event staff and overflow parking. Yeesh. #
- Managed to find our way back out of IKEA, but now we’re all sporting long white beards. #
- After IKEA and lunch, obligatory visit to PetCo to pick up some new cat toys. #wehearandobeythevoiceofkitties #
Tweets from 2011-08-28
- ST:TOS Rewatch: “The Menagerie, Pt 1” Crazy Spock is scarily effective. Beep vs BeepBeep. Old turtleneck outfits. Effective re-use of pilot. #
- Star Trek TOS was a seminal influence on SF tropes since then. It contributed very little original, but very little it didn’t influence. #
- Going to be a scorcher on the course today. Our Lady of the Beer Cart, watch over us and intercede, often. #
- Had best drive for the foursome. Pulling my weight. #
- Blessings be upon Our Lady of the Beer Cart! #
- Clouds, huzzah! #
- Happy with my game so far. Not too embarrassing. #
- And at the 19th hole. Pretty pleased with how I helped the team. #
- So overall did great with driver, decent with putter, almost all else sucked. But only lost two balls, and team was -1, so call it a victory #
- Hmmm … feeling peckish for producing a podcast … #
Tweets from 2011-08-27
- Prepping to golf for the first time in a couple of years. Preparing for hilarity to ensue, buying more golf balls. #
- Huh. Golf thing actually tomorrow. Well, that blows my expectations mindset for the day. Irksome. #
- Suppose I can do all the stuff I planned to do tomorrow, but my brain is reluctant to change gears. Tend to be too expectations-bound. Rrg. #
- Okay, spent an hour shelving, sorting, sifting, culling trade paperbacks. Nice box for some local friends to pick from. Feel virtuous! #
- ST:TOS Rewatch: “Mudd’s Women” – Stupid, stupid sexist tale, but always love Harry Mudd. Spock is bemused. Sand-blasted pans FTW! #
- ST:TOS Rewatch: “What Are Little Girls Made Of?” Corby’s a true tragic figure. Majel can’t act. Amazing Andrea costume. Red shirts! Ruk FTW! #
- ST:TOS Rewatch: “Miri” Dupe Earth, really? Cranky, creepy Captain! Inept grups! Nice plague make-up. Onlies of the Flies: “Bonk bonk” FTW! #
- ST:TOS: “Dagger of the Mind” Madness! Useless security guard! Schweitzer->Mengele! Crazy guy w/ later role! HUGE air ducts! Xmas party FTW! #
- ST:TOS Rewatch: “Corbomite Maneuver” Ted Cassidy=James Earl Jones. Bailey=Baby Picard. First Federation? Respect the xylophone! Tranya FTW! #
Unblogged Bits (Wed. 24-Aug-11 2330)
Links (most recent first) that caught my eye, but did not warrant full-blown blog entries ….
- There’s a time and a place for this sort of thing, and it’s called “College” – HA!
- Wendy Wright’s New Job: Stopping The Girl Scouts’ “Radical, Feminist, Pro-Abortion” Agenda – Yes, you should just hear my daughter lecturing us on the need for taxpayer-supported abortion, lesbianism classes in public schools, and buying more boxes of Thin Mints.
- ‘Joe the Plumber for Congress’ Could Actually Happen [Candidates] – Oh, for crying in a bucket … FIFTEEN MINUTES, PEOPLE! IT’S UP NOW!
- The concept car that survived a civil war [Monterey Auto Week] – Weird … and cool.
- A Man Found a Mysterious, Possibly Mafia-Connected Safe Inside a Casino Wall and Plans to Open It Live on the Internet [Security] – I vote for the “disappointing” option (sadly). You don’t bury a safe behind an wall (without a door) to hide it; you do that when it’s too inconvenient to move during a renovation.
- Combat Cavities By Re-Growing Your Decaying Teeth [Science] – Ooooooh …
- Ineffable Aether – Light in the Dark – Greg Rucka on the issues of grittiness, sophistication, and the Hollywood machine. Good stuff.
- David Foster Preparing to Pitch New ‘Star Trek’ Series – I’d certainly welcome and watch a new ST series — if it were any good. And I’d give it a try regardless.
- Leaked Cable: McCain Promised Qaddafi To Help Secure Military Equipment From U.S. – Maybe McCain can be asked about this during one of the next of his several dozen appearances on a Sunday press show. HA! Of course he won’t be.
- Feingold’s Progressives United To Push Dems To Walk Away From Bad Super Committee Deal – It’s nice to think that the Dems could actually stick together that well. I’ve yet to see it happen.
- Senate holds first non-ceremonial session off Capitol grounds in nearly 200 years – 2chambers – The Washington Post – “We were able to conduct our business …” of playing politics in obstructing recess appointments. Yes, great job, guys, in continuing the (political) business of the Senate, even in the face of natural disaster.
Unblogged Bits (Wed. 24-Aug-11 1130)
Links (most recent first) that caught my eye, but did not warrant full-blown blog entries ….
- Ron Paul’s Strange Freedom | ThinkProgress – Better to for the media to publicize (and mock) Paul’s zany and dangerous ideas than to simply decide that, despite support in polls and other early campaign activities, Paul should simply be ignored. That’s making the news, not reporting the news.
- Since 9/11, Koch Industries has fought against tougher government rules on chemical plants
- National Zoo Animals React to the Earthquake – National Zoo| FONZ – “According to keepers, the giant pandas did not appear to respond to the earthquake.” Ha!
- Disney Parks Mobile Magic App Now Free for Verizon Customers | The Disney Blog – Spiffy. Now, if only I were going to a Disney park some time soon.
- Case closed: “Climategate” was manufactured | Bad Astronomy | Discover Magazine – “Those are simply the facts. It’s not hard to connect them, as long as you stick to reality and don’t let ideology sway you.” Yeah, well, there’s the problem.
- Joe. My. God.: FLORIDA: Suspended Anti-Gay Teacher Defends Facebook “Cesspool” Rant – The issue here is not a matter of whether the teacher has the right to free speech, but how his speech affects his work environment. It’s an uncomfortable tension between free speech and the consequences thereof. For all his language about “respecting” and “loving” all his students, his language about same-sex unions making him nauseous and gay relationships being a “cesspool” also speak loudly. If he had said this about Christians, I suspect the Liberty Counsel would have been calling for his head.
- The 2012 despair of the right’s intelligentsia – I would give them a Nelson Laugh, except that those are the GOP candidates — and possible President — that all of us are stuck with, too.
- The politics of an earthquake – “Indeed, if we’re going to have a substantive discussion about politics, policy, and natural disasters, perhaps the better place to start would be with Republican efforts to cut funding for the U.S. Geological Survey, which monitors earthquakes, and mocking investments in studying seismic activities.”
- Time spent using Tupperware – The Oatmeal – Yup. Esp. these days, when so many things come in Tupperware-like, reusable, sealable, not-quite-compatible containers. Because you can’t throw them away, because that would be wasteful!
- What’s Obama Reading? – Tevi Troy – National Review Online – Oh, for crying out loud. I didn’t care for armchair-over-psychoanalyzing when it was Dubya, and I care for it even less when it’s Obama. I think it’s a Good Thing if Obama is reading some non-fiction, some mysteries, some things he can enjoy, some things not directly involved in being President. Heaven knows he’s still dealing with that role, 24×7, on “vacation” or not.
- History’s End In Tripoli – Interesting. And not something particularly visible (almost by definition).
- Political Animal – Rick Perry and ‘The 5,000 Year Leap’ – The man who would be President …
- 527 – The St. Michael Line: a Straight Story? – I’ve actually been to several of the sites listed (hill forts, stone circles, barrows and the like are a dime a dozen in the West Country, though still cool for all that).
- Star Trek Cat Tree – Hmmmmm …
Tweets from 2011-08-08
- Exciting week at home, and as pre-first-day middle school activities commence for the girl. Next week 6th grade begins! #forms #manyforms #
- Finished up s.4 of “Hustle” last night. Great fun, tho s.1-3 better. Sadly, it appears s.5-6 not available in Region 1 DVD format. #
- Looking for seats for Les Miz. If only we were all on wheelchairs, we could find decent seating. @MEOswell, “Book of Questions” moment … #
- Having a tween daughter gives me a massively greater appreciation for “Charlie X”. #startrek #tos #
Tweets from 2011-08-04
- Big fat stack of comic books this week — and a lot I’m enjoying reading. I predict podcasty goodness. #
- On the one hand, it’s only Thursday, dagnabbit. On the other hand, it’s already Thursday, huzzah! #
- Caught the train today. Go, me! #
- I love Le Central restaurant, but their web page is straight out of 1995. And not in a good way. Link #
- Heading home. Looking fwd to a nice evening with the family. #
- 4 of 5 stars to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling Link #
- Katherine watches her first Star Trek TOS (“Man Trap”). “It’s just too geeky.” Yeah, we’ll work on that. #
As the last guy to show up at the “New, Improved TOS” party …
So I’m a purist at heart. I don’t order toffee raspberry fusion sorbet chip cheese cake. I don’t even order cherries or strawberries drizzled on my cheesecake. When I order cheesecake, I expect cheesecake, dammit!’
I was aware, of course, that at some time in the not-so-distant past, Paramount or CBS or whoever owns the IP rejiggered the Original Star Trek episodes to have New! Improved! Non-Embarassing! Special Effects!
To which I said, “Feh!” The grainy, repetitive, matte-composite miniature FX of Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS to its friends) were part of the classic charm, as much as Shatner’s waistline battles and Kelley’s problems pronouncing alien names.
Flash forward, and I’ve decided that Katherine, the Daughter of My Loins, needs must be initiated into The Order of the Trek. If only so that I can say, “He’s dead, Jim!” and not have her look at me as blankly as Mr. Spock would.
I picked up a Blu-Ray of Season 1.
And we watched the first episode (which, annoyingly, is not “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” but the air broadcast first ep “The Man Trap“).
So, several years later, what do I think of the FX (which can now be toggled between Old and New with the Angle button on the Blu-Ray player, if only our remote had such a button)?
Well …
Okay, there’s no question that the Very Many Shots of the Enterprise orbiting M-113 are crisper and prettier and more geoplanetary and less repetitive than the original TOS. Applause and huzzahs.
On the other hand, the ship simply doesn’t look like it’s in orbit. It looks like it’s powering around the planet, and the angles (and engine sound) are off.
There’s a single non-orbital rejiggered FX shot, panning across the ruins on the planet. And, honestly, it looks like crap. I have no idea (since I didn’t go back and check it out) what the TOS shot was, but even with it being clearly sound-stage, it would have looked better.
And, yeah, I guess they had to replace the opening credits Enterprise-swoosh with a CG version, but it just doesn’t feel right. Except they imitated the font, which rocks.
Outside of the FX shots, the print (on the Blu-Ray rendition) is incredibly sharp. That makes the scenes where Kirk’s close-ups are in a vaguely soft focus vs. McCoy’s every-wrinkle-and-blemish close-ups in sharp focus all the more obvious, but overall it’s a Good Thing. The color saturation has also been punched up from the Saturday afternoon Channel 13 rerun quality. So, overall, it looks pretty darned good, even if all the phaser optics and shape-shifting scenes clearly go to a freeze-frame.
As to the episode, it’s the (network-dictated) monster-of-the-week, rendered more poignant by the script making it clear that the Incredible Salt Vampire is the last of its kind, but the Enterprise crew being willing to hunt it down and kill it.
Katherine’s comment was that it was “too geeky.”
Well, we’ll see what she thinks about “Charlie X” …