Mish Sci Fi Musings

Cooking and Star Trek

2012-01-19T18:13:00.000-08:00

I wrote a post a few years back about the Food in Star Trek and the reason I have been thinking about that topic at all is because I am still preserving food. I usually start preserving in the late summer on into the fall, but this year I am still going well into the winter! Sometimes while I am working, I turn on old episodes of Star Trek, TNG, and DS9, and I wonder how replicated food tastes with all dishes consisting of resequenced protein molecules masquerading as a sandwich, a soup, breakfast, you name it! Yuk, is all I have to say, I would rather eat a Cardassian Regova Egg than replicated food, wait, maybe not, I am not sure, but I do enjoy real ingredients and making my own sauces, salsas and dishes in general. I would not mind trying Bajoran food and Haperat in particular, I do like it when the food of the worlds of the Star Trek Universe are introduced to us, and I am glad they cover the subject because in a ship or on a station, food and water are genuine concerns, living on dried foods would not be healthy. On Star Trek: Enterprise, they even have a chef, and Voyager has Neelix a Delta Quadrant native who prepares creative dishes with spices from the worlds in that area! Cool! I always laugh when I think of Red Alert Chili, great name! Anyways, you can peruse the list of Star Trek food and enjoy!

LOL! I Love Creative Cartoons!

2012-01-03T18:08:00.000-08:00

I love cats and lolspeak plus I love math (yes it is true I do love math) so in summation you have a fantastic cartoon! You can follow more of the antics of the Laugh-Out-Loud cats at the HOBOTOPIA blog.

Superheroes and Breast Cancer Awareness

2012-01-02T11:32:00.000-08:00

Breast cancer awareness is an important topic and one I am very familiar with because I work in a medical clinic and come in contact with many women who have concerns, symptoms, and even cancer. Last month when the Superheroe campaign was making the rounds through all of the sci fi blogs and interesting sites like BoingBoing, I liked it, found it interesting, and loved the drawings. I believe that it is good to reach as wide an audience as possible, because breast cancer is a real issue and information and education is the best defense against this disease. I have seen women diagnosed with breast cancer and take the steps necessary to fight it, I have seen other women who denied anything was wrong and ended up dying, and I have seen women who would rather keep their new BMW luxury auto than sell it and have a surgery. When did things start to have more value than our own lives? I have seen in over the almost two decades I have been working with doctors and patients, a real decline in the self-respect and respect in general of patients towards their own health, the health of their children, and towards health-care workers. Most are rude, complain, and want everything for free, and many people disagree with me, but nothing in life is free and health-care is not a right. If it is a right, then it should be all or nothing: free medical school, free university, free food, free water, free shelter, free clothes, etc. Then we would be like Earth in the Star Trek Universe: we would have one government, everything controlled, no money, and humans would work to better themselves, sounds good, except, how to rid ourselves of greed, jealousy, murder, rape, abuse, control, war, etc. Well, I have wandered quite a bit from our Superheroes, however, I hope that in this New Year 2012, we can all find a little superheroe in us all and have self-respect and then respect for others, no matter how difficult times are and care for our health.

Spend New Year's Eve With Jupiter and Mars!

2011-12-30T18:38:00.000-08:00

Image via Wikipedia

If you plan on ushering in the New Year, 2012, dancing under the night sky (and it is clear and visible!), you will spend it with Jupiter and Mars. Perfect! Put a Frank Sinatra or Kaye Ballard record on the stereo (ok I am dating myself but so what, once over the hill it doesn't matter how far!) and play "Fly Me to the Moon"......
Fly me to the moon
Let me play among the stars
Let me see what spring is like
On Jupiter and Mars
In other words, hold my hand
In other words, baby, kiss, me...

Ahhh, what could be more perfect!
Happy New Year, a New Year filled with whatever your heart desires and of course Science Fiction!!!!

Science Fiction Musings

2011-12-14T16:27:00.000-08:00

Every December I become busy and have little time to pay attention to science fiction books, shows, movies, or science news in general. This year I am taking time off and I am going to catch up on my favorite sci fi blogs, read some science news, read a book, and watch some shows. The only complaint I have about the SYFYLA..com (sci fi channel in Latin America) is that I do not like the ghost hunter type reality shows. I realize that budgets are tight and shows expensive to make so I would prefer re-runs of good science fiction shows instead of ghost hunts, I would not mind one reality show a day but all day every day!!!( I know I am exaggerating but it seems like it!) Really, the quality of the channel has dropped and I hope they can do better next year because I do enjoy sci fi shows and movies.
In the meantime, I found this great link from Bad Astronomy and hope you enjoy it and have a peaceful and safe holiday season.
The Top 24 Deep Space Pictures of 2011.

Moves Like Jabba

2011-11-02T17:01:00.000-07:00

I listen to Maroon 5 and their hit song "Moves Like Jagger" when I ride my bike, so when I heard this parody of that song I practically did a spit-take, it is a really clever take on Star Wars. Another parody is of the Enrique Iglesias song "Tonight (I'm lovin' You)" and is ok because it combines Star Wars and Star Trek in a weird but funny way.
Thanks to Topless Robot for alerting me to this video!
Enjoy!

Halloween Marathon

2011-10-31T18:06:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia
Last year I enjoyed a marathon of Saw I- IV but this year for Halloween evening I will be watching Halloween with none other than Michael Myers. I am not sure what happened with Halloween III, it really has nothing to do with the main premise of the franchise and almost seems like a cheesy second rate episode of Stargate with symbiotes taking over the US via television and costumes, but Halloween IV picks up where II left off and we have the classic scare fest that worked before. Really, if you have a formula that works, stick with it, build the story and the characters a little, that is all I ask! I still want to watch Saw and I love Hellboy so we will see how much time I have to fit in some classic horror films.
Happy Halloween to all!

Terry Farrell Interview with StarTrek.com

2011-10-12T18:44:00.000-07:00

Image by dapito via FlickrI read the interview with Terry Farrell at StarTrek.com back in August but put off blogging about it until I had sufficient time because Dax has to be my favorite character of the Star Trek franchise. I have to say that I do not know where to begin with my analysis of a most interesting character so I will go back to TNG. When Trills were first introduced in the Next Generation episode "The Host", it was bizarre the way the symbiont was presented as this pulsating thing in the abdomen of the host who could not use the transporter and the host had a strange forehead. Well, I am glad they made changes for the Deep Space Nine series such as changing the forehead for spots and Trills being able to transport. Despite the inconsistencies with the Trill taboo of resuming relationships, I enjoyed the character Dax because of the many life times a symbiont has and that the memories are passed from one host to another and integrated in a positive and interesting way. Jadzia Dax had 328 years of lifetime experience being both male and female, had knowledge of the Klingon customs, was a pilot, diplomat, and scientist. Her personality was playful, direct, and wise: I guess more than 300 years of experience will do that for you. In the interview with Farrell, she discusses some aspectss of playing her character. From StarTrek.com:

Once you settled in, how easily did you slip into Jadzia and what intrigued you most about the character?

Farrell: I think what interested me most was trying to find her strength. She wasn’t defensive at all; she was always calm and relaxed and confident. She had a peaceful, mature way about her. I think that’s what I held on to. I don’t think I really attained that for myself, without being Dax, until I had a child. But I think that playing her was actually my anchor to feeling safe in the world at that time. Playing Dax made me feel like I was secure and I was safe.

I really felt her character came alive in the episode "Blood Oath" in which she fulfills an oath with the Klingons that her former host had made. From there, you could see her character come alive.

In the second part of the interview she talks about her life and gets a bit more personal. I will link both parts of the interview below and I have to add that I loved the show Becker as well.

I know most people groan when they think of Deep Space Nine saying that there were too many weird characters and faces, but I enjoyed the diversity of the show and the darker themes that were tackled by the writers and actors. It still remains one of my favorites of all of the Star Trek series.
Part One of the Interview.
Part Two.

Dinosaurs and Robots

2011-10-07T09:54:00.000-07:00

I have been discussing the concept of science and art for quite a few posts now such as A Frankenstein Moon and Science and Art: A Unique Blend and now I have discovered that a new art exhibition is opening in Anchorage, Alaska today.
From Boing Boing:

"This Tron-o-saurus is part of Dinosaurs & Robots, a gallery show by artists Scott Elyardand Raven Amos, which opens tonight in Anchorage, Alaska. For more info, check out the video trailer that Elyard made."

I am very excited to see more shows combining art and science in such creative ways! Very cool indeed.

Astronaut Says Steve Jobs Will Be Missed

2011-10-06T15:46:00.001-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

I hope we will continue to have great minds like Steve Jobs.
From Space.com:
An American astronaut on the International Space Station said the loss of Steve Jobs, who died Wednesday (Oct. 5), reaches all the way to space and will be felt around the world.

Space station commander Mike Fossum of NASA remembered Jobs, founder and former CEO of Apple, during a televised interview with CBS News today.

"In every generation there are great thinkers and people with vision," Fossum told CBS News. "The vision of what can be, and then have the energy and the skill and the genius to make it happen, and Steve Jobs is definitely one of those rare individuals and the world's going to miss him a lot." [See video of Mike Fossum's tribute]

http://ping.fm/zTdGM

Science and Art: A Unique Blend

2011-10-01T11:11:00.000-07:00

When it comes to subject matter such as physics, biology, or astronomy, to name a few of the sciences, one would not expect to include the visual or musical arts. Examining science through art can reflect the sociological, political, scientific, and economic events in a specific moment in time. For example, if you study art history, the work of art alone is not examined but the context within it was made such as country, political and monetary influence, as well as religious and other social issues, in other words, what was going on at that moment in time that influenced the artist.
I found an interesting article at the website Physics.org discussing the relationship of art and science.
From Physics.org:

"Art and science are very very different things, but I don’t see why they would be in conflict,‘ says Nicola Triscott, director ofArts Catalyst, a leading arts organisation with a focus on science.
Triscott set up Arts Catalyst in 1993, at a time when science seemed to be playing an increasingly influential - and also controversial - role in our lives: the genetics revolution was taking off, concerns for the environment were spreading and the internet was in its early infancy. ‘I thought it’d be really good if I could start some exchanges between artists and scientists and see what happened,’ she explains."
When I studied art, poetry, and literature, I was consistently told I was wasting my time or was I looking for a husband, or isn't that too easy, etc. etc. I sincerely believe the arts are an integral part of our lives and surround us every day. Even during economic downturns and wartime, propaganda art was very important.
(As a side note: when I studied math and geology, I never heard one comment about wasting time and all that!)
Anyway, the entire article is very interesting and worth reading and the link is HERE.

A Frankenstein Moon

2011-09-29T10:45:00.000-07:00

Keeping on theme here with Frankenstein, astronomers set out to investigate if indeed Mary Shelley told the truth about how she conceived the idea for her famous novel of the same name.

From Space.com:

" In June 1816, Shelley attended a gathering at Villa Diodati, which overlooks Switzerland's Lake Geneva. Shelley, who was 18 at the time, was accompanied by her future husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley, her stepsister, Claire Clairmont, Lord Byron and John Polidori.On one dark and stormy night, after the group read a volume of ghost stories, Byron challenged each member of the party to write their own chilling story."The chronology that's in most books says Byron suggested they come up with ghost stories on June 16, and by June 17 she's writing a scary story," Olson said in a statement. "But Shelley has a very definite memory of several days passing where she couldn't come up with an idea. If this chronology is correct, then she embellished and maybe fabricated her account of how it all happened."A separate version of the events states that Byron made his suggestion on June 16, and that after a gap of five or six days, Shelley came up with her idea for "Frankenstein" on June 22."But our calculations show that can't be right, because there wouldn't be any moonlight on the night that she says the moon was shining," Olson said.As it turned out, Shelley's description of the moonlight was an invaluable clue for the researchers."

As interesting as this all is and we know writers love to embellish and exagerate which is why their novels are fun to read, it seems like an odd study or paper to write by university students in astronomy unless they are going to be future authors themselves. Understanding our past sky is important, so I would find a study about the Babylonians, Greeks, and Maya interesting as to why they constructed such elaborate structures to observe the sky and seasons, what were they keeping track of in the night sky? Why the elaborate pyramids or structures? What stars and comets existed, what ideas did these people have about astronomy? All questions asked before, I am sure, but further research could do no harm. I am a big fan of history because if heeded can guide us in the present and future, we do indeed need more people aware of our history and how it has made us who we are today.

Frankenstein (TV 2007)

2011-09-17T14:08:00.000-07:00

I watched a movie for television called Frankenstein(2007) clearly based on the novel by Mary Shelley who wrote her story in the early 1800s. I was hesitant to watch yet another movie about Frankenstein, but this was surprisingly interesting and I enjoyed the acting of Helen McCrory who played a scientist interested in stem cell research and grieving over the death of her son. The movie more or less follows the theme of the novel that there can be unintended consequences that come with experimentation and new procedures. I liked the movie, it was fun, but I think I liked the movie because I enjoyed the novel and was comparing and remembering the written story. Sometimes no matter what you do, there is no substitute for the imagery of a well written novel.

Star Trek: Voyager

2011-09-01T14:14:00.000-07:00

I have been watching Star Trek: Voyager lately and have been thinking about how short the television seasons are these days. It is amazing to me that each season of Voyager has 26 episodes more or less and lasted 7 seasons. Now we are lucky if a show has ten episodes and makes it past season two! It is a real treat to sit back and watch Voyager because of the amount of time put into the characters and their history, of course with more money the sets were great, the writing interesting, and unique costumes, and crew. One thing I have to add is that I love the character 7 of 9 and wish they had brought her onboard a lot sooner, maybe the second season, it could have worked the first season but we needed some time to get used to the Delta quadrant. I liked the interaction with the Borg keeping in mind that DS9 was on television at the same time as Voyager for several years and the TNG crew was off making movies, some of it with the Borg, and the writers needed to keep the Star Trek Universe more or less unified and the stories consistent, and I personally think they did a great job!

If you haven't watched Voyager in a while, it is fun to refresh your memory and spend some time in the Delta quadrant!

Homefront: Star Trek DS9

2011-08-23T16:05:00.000-07:00

I watched the two part story of Deep Space Nine entitled Homefront the other day and I became very interested in the title of the episodes. The original air date was the 1st of January in 1996 but who would imagine that the 5th of August 2002 in a speech by George W. Bush, he would use the term "Homeland" when referring to what used to be called the nation, republic, or domestic soil of the United States of America. Suddenly the U.S. is the Homeland that needs to be protected and retaliation must be swift. Homeland is an odd and scary term to me because it has echoes of The Fatherland used by the Nazi Propaganda machine and now the Homeland propaganda machine is in high gear ever since that date. People can believe what they want to believe, but The U.S. is not the same place it used to be and that is a shame and sad.

Everytime I watch Star Trek DS9, I am amazed at how prophetic many of the episodes are, such as the Sanctuary Districts which I wrote about a while back.

If you have not watched these episodes, I think them well worth the time and see if you can recognize anything in these stories with the current events of today.

Robots and Empire and Bicentennial Man

2011-08-01T18:35:00.000-07:00

I have been reading the novel entitled Robots and Empire by Isaac Asimov and then happened to see the movie Bicentennial Man based on his novel by the same name. I was able to note that Asimov had been a co- writer of the screenplay of the movie because his style of writing is, in my opinion, very poetic and I recognized it immediately. I love poetry in general of any genre, especially science fiction, and his writing has that special flavor, almost a musical quality to it. His portrayal of robots is wonderful, Daneel is very human - like and Giskard has special mental abilities that can influence people and situations in the novel and I feel like I am floating through the story with the greatest of ease. However, if you are not able to spend the time on a lengthy novel, Bicentennial Man is a lovely tale of the evolution of Andrew, the robot and main character of the film, and what a film it is, a real treat. I highly recommend watching this movie, I don't even want to describe it so that it unfolds in front of you and you become as aware of the world as Andrew does, I put a clip of the movie below, enjoy!

Moonbow in Yosemite National Park

2011-07-26T17:30:00.000-07:00

The full moon this 15th of July caused a sensation by forming moonbows also known as Lunar Rainbows over Yosemite Falls. When I attended university, ever summer I used to go to Yosemite National Park to camp and hike and I can tell you from first-hand experience just how beautiful it is there in the spring when the waterfalls are full. Later in the summer the falls begin to dry up and become a trickle so it is best to get there in early spring. As well, the night sky is just amazing with the sound of the waterfalls roaring in the background. Those are times in my life I will never forget!

The Space Shuttle Program has come to an End

2011-07-21T09:35:00.000-07:00

Today the Space Shuttle Atlantis landed and with that comes the end of the shuttle program. Next stop, I imagine, for the shuttles will be a museum for public viewing.

Shuttle Atlantis Has Left The Building

2011-07-18T09:01:00.000-07:00

The crew of the space shuttle has packed up and left the ISS for the last time. They are preparing to return to Earth this Thursday for the last and final landing of the shuttle and marks the end of the space shuttle program.

Space.com has a detailed account of the activities of the crew as they prepare to return home.

Carmageddon!?

2011-07-16T09:09:00.000-07:00

When I first heard the term "Carmageddon," I thought to myself what crazy end of the world movie has Hollywood cooked up now? As it turns out, it is just road work on a very busy portion of the 405 freeway in Los Angeles. I wonder how many board meetings were convened and money wasted to come up with that very commercial name to draw the ever needed attention that Los Angeles craves? Anyway, I lived there several decades ago and there is too much traffic, too many cars, and it takes a minimun 1/2 an hour to travel from one point to another, needless to say, I do not miss it.

Here is a link of some film clips that involve traffic jams.

Sci Fi Beauties of Movies and Television

2011-07-13T15:41:00.000-07:00

I have not made a blog post in quite some time because sometimes life gets filled with the "Real" stuff and leaves me little time to ponder my favorite subject: science fiction. I found a photo gallery that highlights some beauties who have added cunning, intelligence and wit to some great science fiction stories and I was pleasantly surprised that I agreed with almost all of their picks and was even being reminded of some great female characters from some exciting movies and television shows. For example, I loved Sigourney Weaver in all of the Alien movies but forgot that she made the hilarious movie Galaxy Quest which is a spoof on Star Trek and Star Trek conventions! I loved Lindsay Wagner in the Bionic Woman, and Winona Ryder in Alien Resurrection and Star Trek (even though that part was miniscule). Of course I adore all the Star Trek characters, but I was a little disappointed that Samantha Carter(Amanda Tapping) of Stargate SG1 wasn't there on the list(maybe I missed it but I checked twice).

Anyway, with so many interesting Science Fiction short stories, novels, and the last flight of Atlantis, I will make a concerted effort to blog, besides, I am in the middle of an Isaac Asimov novel and just loving it, but that is for another post.

I hope the link to beauties in Sci Fi works, check it out it is worth it!

Sanctuary Districts and The Real World

2011-05-11T08:13:00.000-07:00

I was watching the two part episode of Star Trek DS9 entitled "Past Tense Part 1 & 2" and I looked up an older post I made about those episodes which you can read HERE. Not very much has changed in the USA since I made that post and the economy and living conditions seem to be heading in the direction described in that 2 part episode. As well, I looked up my posts on the Stargate Atlantis episode "The Real World" which you can read HERE. There has been no recovery or improvement in housing and in fact people are still losing homes, facing rising food prices, and ending on the streets begging, of course this is not reported in the news, I just hear this from people who live in Southern California since I myself do not live there, however, I have heard this from a wide range of people so I believe it to be true.
Science fiction can be fun to watch or read, but it can also be a way to make people aware that bad things can and do happen and the best thing is to be aware and not turn a blind eye to what is going on around you, try to be prepared, and do what you can to solve problems in your corner of the world.

Space Shuttle Endeavor Final Launch Delayed

2011-04-29T11:09:00.000-07:00

The final voyage of the space shuttle Endeavor has been delayed:

Update, 1:15 p.m. ET: NASA reports that the launch of space shuttle Endeavour will be delayed until at least Monday.

Space shuttle Endeavour, NASA's youngest orbiter, was scheduled blast off into space for the final time at 3:47 pm EST Friday, marking the next-to-last scheduled launch of the shuttle program, but liftoff was delayed due to technical issues.

According to the AP, Commander Mark Kelly and his crew were on their way to the launch pad, when NASA halted the countdown. The heaters on one of the ship's power units failed about four hours before liftoff.

Science Fiction Short Stories

2011-04-04T12:58:00.000-07:00

If you enjoy reading science fiction and short stories you are in luck because there is a wonderful website entitled Daily Science Fiction that has a wealth of creative and interesting stories in the Sci Fi and Fantasy genre. The most recent story the website published is called "Trust" written by David D. Levine. This is exactly the type of dystopian story I enjoy reading: the details are graphic and in places become very painful and sad to read. It is the tale of a family forced to live in a tent in a camp with other people in the same situation due to a natural disaster, subsequent food shortages, and describes how this one particular family copes with the situation. It is well written, moving, and I feel a reflection of our difficult economic times. As quoted from the author himself:

"I wrote this story at the Taos Toolbox workshop taught by Walter Jon Williams, prompted by the sad state of the world both politically and environmentally. It was a hard story to write and many people find it a hard story to read. I hope it makes people think."

Wow! You can read the entire story HERE.

Musings by Ursula K. Le Guin

2011-03-28T12:29:00.000-07:00

I was reading the most interesting thoughts of Ursula K. Le Guin at The Book View Cafe Blog regarding the overuse of profanity in books and movies these days. She cleverly describes how film and literature have both moved beyond the shock value of profanity and now use it as a crutch for writing instead of looking for creative words or dialogue to describe a setting or situation. A quote from her humorous piece:

"I keep reading books and seeing movies where nobody can fucking say anything except fuck, unless they say shit. I mean they don’t seem to have any adjective to describe fucking except fucking even when they’re fucking fucking. And shit is what they say when they’re fucked. When shit happens, they say shit, or oh shit, or oh shit we’re fucked. The imagination involved is staggering. I mean, literally."

The way she expresses her viewpoint is fun, worth the read, and by the way, I agree 100% with her. I enjoy naughty words here and there but would much rather read clever dialogue that transports me from the mundane into an incredible world of fantasy.
You can read her opinion HERE.

Japan 9.0 Earthquake

2011-03-17T13:46:00.000-07:00

I have been watching the events of the 9.0 Japanese earthquake with horror and sadness wishing instead that I were watching one of my science fiction end of the world movies; sadly, what I have been watching is reality and I feel sorry for the people in Japan. I am no stranger to earthquakes throughout my life and more recently the 2010 Baja California quake during which I felt tremendous fear so I cannot imagine how a 9.0 earthquake felt and the amount of time it lasted, it must have felt like an eternity that the ground shook. Then the subsequent tsunami was frightful and now the nuclear power plants are melting down, sadly this is a true real life disaster in the making.
The magnitude of the quake was so intense there were actual physical changes to the Earth's rotation on its axis.
From NewsRoomAmerica:

(Newsroom America) -- NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory says the March 11, magnitude 9.0 earthquake in Japan may have shortened the length of each Earth day and shifted its axis, but it says you shouldn't notice the difference.Using a United States Geological Survey estimate for how the fault responsible for the earthquake slipped, research scientist Richard Gross of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., applied a complex model to perform a preliminary theoretical calculation of how the Japan earthquake-the fifth largest since 1900-affected Earth's rotation.His calculations indicate that by changing the distribution of Earth's mass, the Japanese earthquake should have caused Earth to rotate a bit faster, shortening the length of the day by about 1.8 microseconds (a microsecond is one millionth of a second).The calculations also show the Japan quake should have shifted the position of Earth's figure axis (the axis about which Earth's mass is balanced) by about 17 centimeters (6.5 inches), towards 133 degrees east longitude.Gross said Earth's figure axis should not be confused with its north-south axis; they are offset by about 10 meters (about 33 feet). This shift in Earth's figure axis will cause Earth to wobble a bit differently as it rotates, but it will not cause a shift of Earth's axis in space-only external forces such as the gravitational attraction of the sun, moon and planets can do that, it said.

Wow, amazing statistics. You can read more HERE.

Space Shuttle Discovery Has Retired!

2011-03-10T10:48:00.000-08:00

The Space Shuttle Discovery has returned from its final mission and proved itself a worthy craft. From AOL news:

It made its debut in 1984 following shuttles Columbia and Challenger, dispatched the Hubble Space Telescope in 1990, flew the first shuttle rendezvous to Russia's Mir space station and carried the first female shuttle pilot in 1995, and gave another ride into space to John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, in 1998.

It got NASA flying again, in 1988 and 2005, following the Challenger and Columbia disasters. And it flew 13 times to the International Space Station, more than any other craft. On its last trip, it delivered a new storage compartment packed with supplies and a humanoid robot.

NASA's boss, Charles Bolden, a former shuttle commander, led the welcoming party. He'll announce the final homes for Endeavour and Atlantis on April 12 - 30 years to the day that Columbia soared on the first shuttle flight.
NASA planned to move Endeavour out to the launch pad Wednesday night for its April 19 liftoff, but delayed the move until Thursday because bad weather was expected. The mission will be commanded by the husband of wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, Mark Kelly. His identical twin brother Scott is currently the skipper of the space station; he returns to Earth next week on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft.

Atlantis is slated to make its last trip at the end of June.

It looks like one down and two to go!
Read entire article HERE.

Science Fiction & The International Women's Day

2011-03-08T13:50:00.000-08:00

I love science fiction stories and on this day, The International Women's Day, I had to rack my brains to come up with some famous women who specialized in writing science fiction; the first and not at all least I remembered was Mary Shelley and her famous story "Frankenstein." That is no small or insignificant story as it has been remembered since its inception in 1818. As for other female writers, their names roll off my tongue, names such as Beatrix Potter, Emily Bronte, Louisa May Alcott and easily come to mind for the more romantic, familial, or children themed subject matter, not to say these women did not struggle to get published, their efforts and works are remarkable. However, a stark absence of more female writers of science fiction from earlier times is missing amongst these other wonderful writers.
It appears that more women sci fi writers were published after the 1960's and the first to come to my mind is Margaret Atwood albeit she denies being such a writer, and Ursula K. Le Guin famous for "The Left Hand of Darkness," and many other novels.
I wish on this day in the future, I will be able to not only list the famous women authors of fiction off the top of my head, but also many famous women science fiction writers as well who will eventually write stories that will transport us to new worlds, inspire us to look differently at the positives and negatives of science, and invite us into strange dystopian futures. I do look forward to those stories and I am convinced they are being written at this very moment and soon will be published.

Space Shuttle Discovery: The Final Mission

2011-02-26T17:47:00.000-08:00

The Space Shuttle Discovery is on its last mission before being retired, and today it arrived successfully at the International Space Station. Wow, I cannot believe it finally made it into space since it should have completed the mission last November, but hey, it made in one piece and will spend a little over a week at the station. The shuttle also happens to be carrying a humanoid robot! I sure wish a Data from Star Trek could be created sooner than later, and since I am wishing, it would be nice to have a space craft that could travel throughout the galaxy and encounter new worlds, one day! For now, I will continue to read and watch science fiction stories that will take me there in my mind.

Ths Box (2009)

2011-02-17T13:57:00.000-08:00

The Box is a movie that was based on a short story entitled "Button Button" written in1970 (1970!!!!) by Richard Matheson. The movie is well acted, interesting, and disturbing, at least to me anyways. The story is science fiction with a heavy emphasis on actions have consequences and the main characters have serious problems both financial and physical but that does not justify selfishness and callousness in exchange for personal well being and gain. The main characters are given a choice between instant cash vs. a significant amount of money but in exchange someone in the world will die. So the story goes that if you do not know the person who dies but you will gain then it does not matter in your life, but as the story progresses we learn that it does matter and what comes around goes around. The movie and short story both have more detail and without spoiling the story, the plot is interesting, curious, and deep, and I feel the movie is worth seeing. It is not a light or easy to watch film but the message to me is clear: your actions do have consequences no matter how far removed.

Star Trek: My Favorite Couple For St. Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T08:14:00.000-08:00

I was inspired by Star Trek on Facebook who had asked the question: "Who is you for favorite couple in the Star Trek Universe in honor of Valentine's Day?" I thought that was a creative question and being a die-hard Trek fan this prompted me to think about the characters from the entire Star Trek franchise.
The Original Series had Capt. Kirk who seemed to always get the girl, but I have to say, in my favorite episode, "The City on the Edge of Forever," I loved Kirk with Edith Keeler, that was a classic episode and great story.
In The Next Generation I liked the long term off again and on again Riker and Troi relationship. I have to admit, I liked the sexual tension,the love and respect they always had for each other, and the eventual marriage in the movie "Nemesis." I also loved the Data and Lt. Yar hook-up in the first season and how Data always remembered that experience in subsequent episodes, that was cool.
I do not know enough about Voyager to pick out a couple and in Enterprise, T'Pol with Commander Tucker was the best, I loved how their relationship started but I was very disappointed that they killed him off at the end of the series. I would have liked the image of T'Pol and Tucker together off on missions with their baby.
Last but not least of all, Deep Space Nine is my favorite of the all the series and they had so many good couples. I liked Nog and Leeta, Odo and Kira, Quark and gold pressed latinum(just kidding), but of course, my all time favorite has to be Dax and Worf. They had great chemistry, were opposites, had fun, and were both warriors and explorers at heart. My favorite episode is "You are Cordially Invited," because it has humor, cold feet before the wedding, trouble with the in-laws, and great bachelor parties!
Well, there it is, Dax and Worf, my favorite Star Trek Valentine's Day couple and I wish you a Happy Valentine's Day with your special partner!

Hannibal Lector and Thomas Harris

2011-02-08T07:18:00.000-08:00

Hannibal Lector is an interesting and rich character created by the author Thomas Harris who first wrote the novel Red Dragon in 1981 and later in 1988 wrote The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal in 1999 and then Hannibal Rising in 2006.
I have not read the novels but I sure have seen the movies! The Silence of the Lambs has to be one of the classics in the horror genre and introduced us to the chilling Hannibal Lector the cannibal played by Anthony Hopkins and Clarice Starling played by Jodie Foster. The story is interesting and startling but I have to say the I preferred Hannibal Rising which could not have been as good as it was without The Silence of the Lambs. Hannibal Rising gets to the root of how the cannibalism began in Lector and the horrors he suffered at the end of World War Two as a young boy from a wealthy family in Lithuania. I have read history and I have learned that due to hunger, cannibalism was a common practice in the colder areas of the Eastern European countries and Russia during the war, so the story for me, anyways, does not seem that far-fetched. I read that the film was not that popular with critics for whatever lame reason, but I have to tell you I think it was fantastic and as I watched the movie kept thinking back to The Silence of the Lambs saying: "That is why Hannibal Lector did this or that!" The movie is slightly different than the novel but not by much so if you prefer to read the story or watch the movie it is well worth the time if you like horror movies with blood and guts and a great story!

Superhero : Data, Vincent, or Hellboy?

2011-02-04T09:41:00.000-08:00

I have been watching old episodes of Beauty and the Beast as I mentioned in a previous post, and I got to thinking about Linda Hamilton and Ron Perlman who are the stars of the series, then I happened to watch both Hellboy(Ron Perlman is Hellboy) and Terminator I and II, in which Linda Hamilton stars, and I immediately ruled out the good Terminator in the second movie because those things (the machines) just give me the creeps. Ron Perlman is amazing as Hellboy, I love all of his cats, his good nature, and his looks are very other worldly. In Beauty and the Beast, Vincent also has unusual looks but a heart of gold who is always ready to help and protect Catherine, he is wise, smart, and strong. Since I am on the topic of Ron Perlman, I loved him as the Reman Viceroy Vkruk in Star Trek Nemesis, Perlman is really the master of disguises, but this brings me around to Data, the endearing android from Star Trek: The Next Generation. He is strong, obviously smart, yet he strives to learn human emotions and be sensitive. The thing with Data, is he could outlive me but what would be wrong with that?! I realize this is all from a chick point of view and I am not going for the typical superheroes such as Superman or Spiderman, but I cannot decide who I would like to have as my superhero, so I will look at the cons. Vincent stays in the tunnels under the city in New York, so I would see him once in a while if I lived in New York, Hellboy works for the US Federal Government( I couldn't see him on a whim) , and Data works on a star ship, so unless I would not mind being on the Enterprise(which I would not) I could be with Data more often. I cannnot decide, I like all three superheroes and I would not mind knowing all three, I just like musing on the idea that there could be a superhero out there looking out for us all!

Wil Wheaton talks about Librarians

2011-01-31T13:24:00.000-08:00

I visit the science fiction website SF Signal quite often and have a link to them on the side of my blog, but what I want to talk about is a story they linked to the blog of Wil Wheaton, from Star Trek: The Next Generation, and a lovely story he wrote about librarians. He described that as a youngster, he discovered how helpful and knowledgeable librarians are, and how wonderful libraries are. I, too, since youth have loved libraries ranging from the local city library to the university library. I loved going through the card catalog to look for a science fiction book, non-fiction book, or sometimes just to sit at a desk in some corner, by a window, behind the book stacks, to study. That was the best and most memorable studying because the idea of being surrounded by so many books seemed to infuse in me knowledge and the desire for more of it.
Anyway, HERE is a link to Wil Wheaton and his wonderful post about librarians.

Food Prices, Riots, and Soylent Green

2011-01-28T13:12:00.000-08:00

This morning I awoke to the riots in Egypt which have been in progress for over four days now, as well as in Tunisia, there have been social protests in many other countries, and I have watched Spaniards tell their stories of being unemployed for up to two years and some of the women look like they are starving due to high food prices and little or no money to purchase it with. A large portion if not all of these riots have to do with lack of jobs, lack of food or high prices, and deplorable living conditions. Here is a quote from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the 2011 Davos conference regarding rising population and lack of food:

"Violent demonstrations over recent weeks in several countries -- including Tunisia and Algeria -- have been provoked in part by escalating food prices.

Noting that the world population is already approaching seven billion this year and expected to reach nine billion by twenty-forty-five, he warned that a failure to manage resources including food could spark the next conflict.

"The next economic war or conflict can be over the scarce resources if we do not manage it together," Yudhoyono said."

Food is the concern, not oil, not drugs, not terrorism, but FOOD!
If you have not seen the movie Soylent Green, I suggest it because it deals with just this issue and the solution is horrific. Note that people still rely on the government or a company in the movie to get fed these lovely wafers instead of learning how to garden and grow their own food! Unless you want to eat processed people, I suggest you try to grow your own food, it can be done indoors and outdoors and in cold climates and warm climates. When I think of how people in Leningrad during WW2 were eating human flesh and even baked dirt, I get very motivated to learn to grow fruit and vegetables and have a few chickens and roosters. People will do horrific things, and are easily manipulated when facing the prospect of not having food.

Good Boy (Dogs from Outer Space)

2011-01-24T17:03:00.000-08:00

Good Boy is a science fiction film made in 2003 and based on the novel "Dogs from Outer Space" written by Zeke Richardson who also helped to write the screenplay. I watched the movie in December with my family, but I had a very difficult time enjoying the story and probably not for the usual reasons: bad story, horrible acting, rotten filming, no, I have a personal reason for not enjoying the movie. The story is unique, the voices of the dogs cute, and I wish there were some dogs from outer space who would return to Earth to see what has been happening to their species, at least where I live. The movie is about dogs who came to Earth thousands of years ago to rule the world but ended up being pets to human beings. The dogs from outer space decide to recall all dogs from Earth back to whence they came because this was not the original plan. Well, I wish that could happen because it just breaks my heart to see people dumping their dogs ( and cats) in the street because they can no longer feed them during this financial depression. Daily, I see dogs with collars and even a leash, disoriented and lost in the street with no street smarts because they were house pets. On a bike ride, I personally witnessed a large older dog being pushed out of a car, with the children crying in the back seat and the parents in the front driving off while the dog followed the car running at top speed for SIX blocks, trying to jump in the car at each red light, until the car was able to lose the dog. I cannot repeat here in my blog what I yelled at the people, but myself and my cycling mate stopped to help the elderly dog because she was tired, lost, and confused and at risk of getting hit by a car. Fortunately, a man in front of his house saw what had happened and between the three of us got her and he decided to keep her, and believe me, he did not have a rich house and looked very poor but was willing to share his food with her and take care of her.
I know times are tough but it is painful to see animals being dumped in the street and makes me wonder when I will start seeing dead babies in the trash, oh wait, that has happened, umbilical cord and all!
I hope people in the future will think 2, 3, or 4 times before taking in a pet, pets have feelings, needs, and when we care for them, they get used to the care. Dumping them in the street is no guarantee they will survive, I have seen them get hit, dogs on three legs with no tail, and looking like skeletons from starvation, I have seen one dog eating a dead dog because of lack of food. As I said before, I wish dogs and cats would come from outer space and recall pets that are left in the street because they are suffering on a daily basis.

Beauty and the Beast (La Belle et la Bete)

2011-01-20T18:04:00.000-08:00

Once in a while I take a break from science fiction and delve into other genre such as comedy, horror, or believe it or not, fairy tales, which can at times be horrific in and of themselves in terms of the content of the story. Some of the early work (around the early 1800's) of the Grimm brothers, for example, was not seen as appropriate for young readers but revised editions more suitable for children were praised and inspired future writers and the stories have probably touched our lives in one form or another. Walt Disney was particularly fond of fairy tales as evident in many movies made by Disney and the original conception of Disneyland.
Since the title of the post is La Belle et la Bete, I must say, this mid 1700 French fairy tale as been retold many times in many languages in many forms such as prose, film, television, and opera. The most famous film version of the tale is probably the 1946 French version directed by Jean Cocteau, and there is also a modern day version entitled Spike(2008), sort of a horror version of the tale, but I like the television version with Ron Perlman and Linda Hamilton (1987 - 1990) set in New York in the world above and the world below. I know, this version is a little bit of a corny, chick-flick style of show but I do like it, the story is well adapted to modern times: instead of a castle, the beast lives under the city of New York in a labyrinth of tunnels and secret passages and the story contains what I believe to be the essential moral of the story in that inner beauty and strength of character is what is most important in life, more than material things or false pretense. Whichever version you choose to read or watch, even modern day adaptations, it is like looking through a time machine to the past and how people thought and lived. I think that is the sci fi lover in me, and time travel through great writing turns me on every time.

George Orwell and Star Trek

2011-01-16T13:38:00.000-08:00

I finally saw the 1984 version of the movie "1984" by George Orwell, since I had only read the novel and never seen any of the movies. While I did enjoy the film, I still enjoyed the novel better, but the movie got me to thinking about the novel and torture specifically in regards to trying to convince the character Winston Smith that he saw 5 fingers when only four were being held up. Well, I have to say, this reminded me of the two part episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation entitled Chain of Command in which Captain Picard is abducted and tortured by the Cardassians. Gul Madred drugs and tortures Picard by various methods and tries to get the Captain to admit that there are five lights when there are only four. I read that this aspect of the episode was meant to be an homage to the novel 1984! Both "1984" and the episode Chain of Command are worth the time to read and watch. I enjoy the stories because they show us how little human nature has changed and the need to manipulate and control others exists within us all and that is why it is important to be educated, aware, and learn to use critical thinking skills to think for yourself no matter the circumstance.

Science Fiction Television Shows for 2011

2011-01-10T08:08:00.000-08:00

I enjoy having a science fiction television show to look forward to each week so I perused the io9 blog that has a very complete list of the shows for this year 2011.
As I have stated before, I was sad to notice that Stargate Universe will be ending this year when they show the remaining episodes of season two sometime this spring. The show was dark and never really had an outside enemy, instead, the enemies were within the group stranded on the Ancient ship and the politics of military vs. civilian vs. science. I thought the characters were interesting and the theme a reflection on our times, it also seems that the budget for the show was small and without the large audience watching, well that was the kiss of death.

The television series V is back and I find this show fun and the alien Anna deliciously evil. In fact, I remember this actress from season 10 of Stargate SG1 as the character Adria when the Ori were the main enemies of Earth. On a side note, I did not care that much for Season 9 or 10 of SG1, there were some good episodes but it just wasn't the same, however I digress. I enjoyed season 1 of V and I have mentioned before that I like this show more than I liked the mini series. I cannot wait to see what unfolds this season!
The Big Bang Theory is the other show I adore. It is funny and smart and a treat to watch each week.
If you want to check out all the science fiction shows for this year I suggest you beam over to io9 and review their complete list. Meanwhile, here is a video of V.

A New Year Filled with Science Fiction

2011-01-06T07:41:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe it is already the year 2011!!! It has been a while since I have blogged because December was a crazy, busy month for me, but now I will have some more time to make note of science fiction stuff I enjoy be it in print form, movies, or television.
I was waiting in November and December for the Space Shuttle Discovery to launch but it looks like it may be some time this year, a possible February take off.
I am still enjoying Stargate Universe and especially the food they are growing on the ship because I have my own garden now and have been toiling away to grow vegetables and fruits, currently I have root veggies because of the cold cold weather but I am looking forward to spring! However, Stargate Universe has been canceled, I guess it is too dark but to me it is just a reflection of the times we are living in ( even though I know quite a few folks in denial and think the world and economy are just fine and without problems, maybe where they are but not where I live!)
Lastly, I found a funny interview at GateWorld with Amanda Tapping and William Shatner, how cool is that! The video is poor quality and the sound cuts out around the 6 minute mark into the video, but the first 6 minutes are worth it. Enjoy the video and happy new year!

End of the World Movies: Knowing and 2012

2010-11-01T14:12:00.000-07:00

I like to watch end of the world movies, some are well made with interesting ideas and some are down-right silly. I am consistently amused that the United States of America and more specifically either New York or California has been destroyed more times than I can count! Occasionally other countries are thrown in for good measure, but you can count on the Hollywood sign or the Statue of Liberty being destroyed in some form or another.
Anyway, I just watched two different end of the world movies: "2012" starring John Cusack and the other movie "Knowing" starring Nicolas Cage. I could barely watch 2012, really, I could not focus on this movie it was so ridiculous. I like John Cusack's acting for the most part in other movies, but this script was a stinker. On the other hand, I enjoyed Knowing tremendously. Overall, the story was good, interesting ideas, nice discussion on determinism vs indeterminism however brief, and alien involvement in human affairs. There were some action scenes that were over the top and in my opinion not too important to the story but I guess they were aiming to appeal to a wide audience.
If you had to pick between these two movies, I would go with Knowing, it is worth the time and interesting.

The Horror Movies Saw I - VI

2010-10-18T16:59:00.000-07:00

I rarely blog about horror movies even though I enjoy watching them, and I just watched all of the Saw movies in sequence and I have to say that I have not seen such a great series in a while. These movies are not for viewers who are squeamish about watching blood and guts, mutilation, and screams. I loved every minute of each movie and I enjoyed how Jigsaw wanted each player of the game to learn a lesson and appreciate life. That sounds a little crazy coming from a horror movie of this nature but it works well and in some cases I am glad the player dies, but that is just me. I also love the character Amanda who in the first movie managed to free herself from one of the Jigsaw traps. I wish she could have continued on in all of the Saw Franchise movies as a major character because I liked her better than the detective who later took over for Jigsaw. She appears only in flashback scenes in Saw V and Saw VI.
I love this time of year when Halloween is approaching and I get to watch all of my favorite horror films like Carrie, Christine, Friday the 13th, Halloween, Jeepers Creepers, etc, but this year I am going to have a marathon of the Saw movies because they ROCK!

Space Shuttle Discovery Ready For Last Flight

2010-10-05T10:48:00.000-07:00

The Space shuttle discovery has made its last trip to the launch pad to get ready for the last trip into space scheduled for the 1st of November this year. I still cannot believe that the shuttle program is coming to an end, but it is, and from Space.com:

NASA sent out more than 700 invitations to shuttle workers so they could bring their families to watch Discovery's rollout from a viewing area located just near the river rock-lined road that the treaded crawler transported followed to the pad.Discovery is scheduled to lift off on NASA's second-to-last flight of its nearly 30-year space shuttle program on Nov. 1. The mission will deliver a storage room to the International Space Station (ISS) and a humanoid robot assistant for the outpost's astronaut crew.
NASA is retiring Discovery and its two sister ships, Atlantis and Endeavour, as it shifts into a new space exploration plan aimed at sending astronauts to visit an asteroid and, ultimately, Mars. Only two more shuttle flights are currently scheduled. Discovery will fly in November followed by Endeavour in February 2011. This space trip and the next will be a must see for me because I remember so well watching the very first space flight of the shuttle Columbia with great optimism a few decades ago, and I will watch with sadness the last flight of shuttle Endeavour in February 2011 .

The Ultimate Star Trek Voyage: A Trek to a Star Trek Urn

2010-09-24T20:19:00.000-07:00

If you are a die hard fan of Star Trek (and I mean DIE hard fan), you can make final plans to travel to the great beyond in Star Trek fashion by having your ashes placed in a Star Trek themed urn. From Trek Today:

Star Trek fans who prefer to be cremated when their time comes can now have their ashes stored in a Star Trek themed urn.Eternal Image, Inc, a company who designs, manufactures and markets officially licensed memorial products, has announced the Star Trek urn, which will be available in two models.Officially licensed from CBS Consumer Products, two models will be offered: To Boldly Go and The Voyage Continues. The suggested retail price for an urn will be $799, and the urn should begin shipping on or around October 1, 2010.

Well, I was hoping the urn could then be hurled into space to continue on an eternal mission exploring strange new galaxies, etc., etc., but I guess that would cost extra! What will they think of next?

The Enduring Love of Star Trek

2010-09-15T05:22:00.000-07:00

Star Trek celebrates its 44 year anniversary this September with the original air date September 8, 1966, and it is incredible to think that the original series lasted a brief 3 seasons but the legacy continues today in the year 2010! Incredible! From Trek Today:
Forty-four years ago tonight,Star Trek was one of three shows airing at 8:30 on that Thursday night, and those tuning in saw. The Man Trap, a story about a strange creature who killed to obtain salt. Airing on NBC,Star Trek was up again ABC’s The Tammy Grimes Show, and the still-popular My Three Sons which was airing on CBS.
It’s hard to believe that a show which aired in 1966 would still be going strong today. Certainly, fans and others involved with it back in 1966 had no clue that it would last so long. “Nobody knew that Star Trek would be successful,” said William Shatner, the original Captain Kirk.

Well I, for one, am glad the show has endured and that Desilu Studios under the direction of Lucille Ball agreed to air the work of Gene Roddenberry back in the 1960s so that science fiction fans would have years of fun watching interesting shows and movies.

The Food of Star Trek

2010-09-02T12:49:00.000-07:00

I was inspired by a post at the website of Mike Brotherton about food and drinks in science fiction, but what I found to be most interesting is that there is a wiki page devoted to the beverages and food of Star Trek! Wow, I had no idea the list was so extensive, but after perusing the different species of all of the Star Trek series, I think I would most enjoy the food they eat on Vulcan. Here is a list of what might be on the menu:

I have always found Klingon food to be to undercooked for my liking and Ferengi food is just as raw and I am not really into insects:

Anyway, the list of food is fun and detailed and it is amazing that there are people who love Star Trek as much as I do that they would list all the food and drink that have appeared in the shows throughout the years!

Marina Siritis Interview

2010-08-25T20:37:00.000-07:00

I read a wonderful interview with Marina Sirtis, who played Deanna Troi on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and I liked her viewpoints on plastic surgery which happen to be the same as mine! I really cannot stand this trend that actors have of completely reconstructing their faces to the point of being unrecognizable! What is the point, they looked great before and would look great if they could age gracefully, what is wrong with that?
From the interview:

In a new interview with Kougar Magazine, Marina Sirtis lets her hair down and discusses everything from her career and the expectations of Hollywood, to middle-aged sexuality. “And I’m like, okay, first of all,” explained Sirtis, “when you’ve been ugly, if you had said to me when I was 12, you’re going to be a sex symbol when you’re older, I would’ve laughed and said, ‘Are you high?’ So, to me it’s like a huge compliment. And especially as I’m older. I was in my thirties when I became a sex symbol; it wasn’t something that happened when I was young. And I think it’s great. I mean, I really think it’s great. However, the body, it was hard to maintain!”There’s a downside to maintaining that image, the necessity for many actresses to undergo plastic surgery. Sirtis had her own plastic surgery, but regrets it now. “Well, first of all, it doesn’t make sense for actresses,” she said. “It doesn’t make sense for actresses to have plastic surgery because there’s no point in looking forty when you’re sixty because you know what? They’re gonna hire somebody who’s forty.I love her common sense approach to things and her dry sense of humor when discussing topics. She is so funny in interviews in real life which is the complete opposite of her character in Star Trek!
You can read the interview HERE.

Klingon Opera on Planet Earth!

2010-08-18T20:59:00.000-07:00

This sounds like a lot of fun and very creative at that, a Klingon Opera Performance to be performed without the hastle of traveling to Kronos, the Klingon homeworld. From the TrekToday article:

Klingon opera lovers who are stuck on planet Earth, rejoice. A Klingon opera, named “U,” which features fragments of the famous Honorable Battle opera, will be performed this September in The Netherlands.“U“, presented by the Klingon Terran Research Ensemble, is a tale of the mighty deeds of Kahless the Unforgettable.According to the opera creators (including Marc Okrand, creator of the Klingon language), “Klingon opera uses the principle of musical combat. Beauty in Klingon music comes from the impact of two opposing forces. To quote a well known Klingon proverb qa’ wIje ‘meH masuv or ‘We fight to enrich the spirit.’ The Klingon orchestra is made up of various indigenous Klingon instruments, some that have never been heard on earth before.” “U” will be performed at the Zeebelt Theater in the Hague, Amsterdam from September 9-12 for humans and other lesser beings. Klingons will of course prefer to wait for the performance scheduled exclusively for Klingons on September 18th, which will be held at the Celestial Vault in Kijkduin, Amsterdam.

This sounds creative, fun and difficult, imagine learning Klingon and then performing several shows! This show is for the die-hard Star Trek fan who loves Klingons in particular.

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Stephen Hawking Comments on Life on Earth

2010-08-11T10:57:00.000-07:00

The famous physicist Stephen Hawking made some chilling comments about the future of human beings right here on planet Earth, from Space.com:If humanity is to survive long-term, it must find a way to get off planet Earth — and fast, according to famed astrophysicist Stephen Hawking.In fact, human beings may have less than 200 years to figure out how to, Hawking said in a recent interview with video site Big Think. Otherwise our species could be at risk for extinction, he said."It will be difficult enough to avoid disaster in the next hundred years, let alone the next thousand or million," Hawking said. "Our only chance of long-term survival is not to remain inward-looking on planet Earth, but to spread out into space."Humans stuck on Earth are at risk from two kinds of catastrophes, Hawking said. First, the kind we bring on ourselves, such as possible devastating impacts from climate change, or nuclear or biological warfare.A number of cosmic phenomena could spell our demise, too. An asteroid could slam into Earth, killing large swaths of the population and rendering the planet uninhabitable. Or a supernova or gamma-ray burst near our spot in the Milky Way could prove ruinous for life on Earth.Life on Earth could even be threatened by an extraterrestrial civilization, Hawking has pointed out on his Discovery Channel television series, "Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking."Dangerous aliens may want to take over the planet to use its resources for themselves, he said in the series. It would be safer for the survival of our species if we had people living on other worlds as a backup plan, Hawking proposed."The human race shouldn't have all its eggs in one basket, or on one planet," he told Big Think. "Let's hope we can avoid dropping the basket until we have spread the load."Maybe I should watch, Stargate in case Ra or any other Goa'uld decides to come and kill us off or enslave us all! Then I need to watch Deep Impact, and the Day After Tomorrow to prepare for any swift climate change that may hit us.

The Captains, a Star Trek Documentary

2010-08-05T17:25:00.000-07:00

William Shatner is directing a documentary about the various captains of the different Star Trek series over the years such as Star Trek the Original Series, TNG, DS9, etc. From Trek Today:
Shatner explained a bit more about The Captains due out next year. “I’m talking to all the captains of Star Trek,” said Shatner. “I’m hoping to find out things about them that even they themselves don’t know. And in the process, find out about myself.”Earlier this month, TrekToday reported The Captains, a feature documentary directed by William Shatner. More information has come out regarding the movie, originally thought to be solely about Shatner’s career.Yesterday, filming for the documentary took place at Chuy’s Mesquite Grill in Moorpark (L.A. area), where Shatner used one of the two dining rooms for the movie shoot. Shatner interviewed other actors, including Scott Bakula(Archer).“We’re just trying to stay out of their way,” said restaurant manager Andy Hessick. Shatner is a regular at the restaurant. Although Shatner has directed before Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, and various TV episodes), this will be the first time he has directed a documentary film. This documentary sounds interesting and I hope it is balanced and covers all the captains of Star Trek because I found them all to be interesting each in his/her own way and I look forward to watching it next year!

Solar Sail Space Craft

2010-07-26T11:59:00.000-07:00

A very interesting article in Space.com reminded me of an episode of Star Trek:Deep Space Nine in which Capt. Sisko decides to build a Bajoran lightship in order to prove that the ancient Bajoran culture had been able to travel through space into the Cardassian system long before Cardassians and way before humans for that matter.From the DS9 episode:A Bajoran lightship was a type of early space going vessel that utilized solar sail-powered space flight. These vessels were used by the Bajorans as early as the "16th century" at a time prior to the Fall of their "Bajoran First Republic." Bajorans first traveled from Bajor to Cardassia and established First_contact between the two worlds. For many years the Cardassians disputed this claim, referring to it as a "Bajoran Fairy tale because they refused to admit that the Bajorans had achieved interstellar flight before they had.From Space.com:Solar sails that use sunlight pressure instead of fuel to fly through space have long been touted by space exploration advocates, but the novel space travel method could also be tapped to settle an unproven theory by famed scientist Albert Einstein.A gossamer solar sail would be a prime platform for an experiment that would test the so-called frame-dragging hypothesis in Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, said Roman Kezerashvili, a professor of physics at New York City College of Technology. He presented the experiment concept during the International Symposium on Solar Sailing held here July 21 at the college.Solar sails are reflective arrays just one-fifth the thickness of saran wrap, but can have an area comparable to half the size of a football field. They harness the pressure generated by the sun's light just as a cloth sail catches the wind, propelling a spacecraft as if it was a sailing ship.It is fun to see science fiction and science come together like this and if you have the chance to watch this episode of Star Trek it is worth your time!

Would You Live in a Sanctuary District?

2010-07-15T06:45:00.000-07:00

I have discussed in many posts that the economic depression we are in is not being fully or truthfully reported in the mainstream press and if you want the truth you have to rely on bloggers and independent media. I also found a great website that lists all of the jobs being cut on a daily basis, DailyJobCuts.com. I cannot stress enough to my friends and family that we are in a depression and just open your eyes and look around at all the closed stores, friends who are unemployed, and the dramatic rise in crime.
The two episodes in Star Trek: Deep Space 9 entitled Past Tense parts one and two, in which Sisko, Bashir, and Dax get beamed back in time to the year 2024 is an excellent example of what could happen to people when too many are unemployed. Capt. Sisko and Dr. Bashir get picked up by the police and placed in what was called a Sanctuary District for those who have no home, no work, or are mentally ill. These people are walled in, have ID papers, and are not allowed to leave but are going to receive help in finding work, which of course does not happen. Sound familiar? There are so many unemployed in the USA what will happen when there are no more social nets like unemployment insurance? The Federeal Reserve cannot keep printing money forever, and soon hyperinflation will come and food will be expensive or some are saying it could be a deflationary spiral which in any case would be a lot of pain and suffering for people. The writers of these two episodes had great insight into what could happen if too many people were without work and how the government would handle it: put them out of sight, in over crowded conditions, supply very little food, while those on the outside who do have jobs need to work with the government and follow all of their rules and ignore those in the Districts. Wow, this is a great story and a scary one at that. What is going to happen to all of the unemployed, will they get "put away" somewhere?

Total Solar Eclipse 11th July 2010

2010-07-10T06:58:00.000-07:00

It looks like the total solar eclipse will be a great show with just one hitch: you need to be in the right spot to see it!! According to Space.com:
The total solar eclipse Sunday may only be visible to a lucky cadre of die-hard skywatchers spread across the southern Pacific Ocean, but that hasn't dampened spirits at remote spots like Easter Island – where tourists and scientists have flocked to catch the celestial show.The best seats on Earth for the total solar eclipse are on Easter Island and other islands and atolls along a southern Pacific Ocean path that stretches from a spot just north of New Zealand to the tip of South America. Thousands of tourists are expected at Easter Island alone, drawn by both the looming cosmic show and the island's mysterious history. Oh well, maybe I will catch another eclipse one day in the future, but to those who get to view the event I say, enjoy and may this solar eclipse give luck to the Spaniards against the Dutch in the World Cup Finals because they may just need it this Sunday!

520 Day Mission to Mars

2010-07-06T14:47:00.000-07:00

520 days is the amount of time that six astronauts will be in a simulated trip to Mars, however, the simulated ship will be wood paneled, no windows, and have "artificial" gravity, so to speak. From the article:

Living in five modules divided between areas for work and rest, the crew will first simulate a 250-day outbound flight to Mars, followed by a landing. Then, during a 30-day Mars surface stage, three of them will move to the Mars lander simulator, don space suits and walk around in a specially designed sandpit that is standing in for the Red Planet. Finally, there is the 240-day return trip to Earth.

So far that sounds good and like a true simulated trip.
Although they are supposed to be simulating a space mission in a mock-up spaceship, one has to say it doesn't look very spaceship-like in any of the five modules. All have pine walls, pine furniture and pine bookcases, making it look more like a Swedish sauna than an interplanetary craft.As for the bedrooms, think student accommodation. As a whole, it looks like a holiday cottage with no windows.OK, why could they not get some props that have been auctioned off lately or consult with some science fiction movie and television producers for some serious looking space craft? They could make it steel grey metal, make it small and cramped, put in some small windows with a film of the stars and change them appropriately as they travel closer to Mars.It's bound to be stressful. Although they know each other well and have been psychologically profiled not to have obvious clashes, this is no 10-day space-shuttle flight, during which a crew can put up with personal problems. If they are not careful, simmering resentment, jealousy, inappropriate competition and even mutiny could wreck the mission. Previous experience of such isolation suggests people get heartily sick of other people's stories after a few months, and soon afterwards run out of stimulating conversation. Then the tensions ramp up.That is a very valid study, in the movies or tv, the crew is always like a "family", except on Stargate Universe which is a more realistic look at how people interact with each other under extreme pressure.

All in all it sounds very interesting and those astronauts who make it to the end will get paid.

Here is a link to the article.

Corey Allen Passes

2010-07-02T18:23:00.000-07:00

I was reading in Trek Today that actor/director Corey Allen died on the 27th of June this year. He directed some very interesting episodes of Star Trek: TNG and Star Trek: DS9, for example, in The Next Generation, he directed Final Mission which was a nice send off as a regular cast member on the show for the actor Wil Wheaton.
The Deep Space Nine episode I liked that Allen directed is entitled Paradise, but I think Corey Allen is best remembered for his role in Rebel Without a Cause and that knife fight with James Dean at the Griffith Park Observatory in Los Angeles. From the article:

As an actor in Rebel Without A Cause, Allen played bully “Buzz” Gunderson, who challenged James Dean to a “chicken run” car race which ended in death for Buzz. RIP.
Here is the article in TrekToday.

NASA Delays End of Space Shuttle Program

2010-07-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

NASA, according to Space.com, has decided to fly the last space shuttle mission into next year 2011. From the article:

Space shuttle program managers officially decided Thursday to delay the launch of NASA's next space shuttle mission to Nov. 1 and push back the last scheduled flight to late February 2011.
NASA is retiring its space shuttle fleet after 30 years of service to make way for future programs aimed at sending astronauts to visit an asteroid by 2025, then target missions to Mars.
Once the space shuttles retire for good, NASA will rely on Russia's Soyuz spacecraft to ferry astronauts to and from the space station until American commercial spaceships become available.
So, we have until next year to watch the space shuttle and I hope the last flight will be celebrated because most people have either forgotten about it or do not realize that the program is ending. It will be a sad day, but hopefully new ships will be built in the private sector as long as the governments do not put up too much red tape and make it difficult for private companies to fly in space.

Vulcan Honours Leonard Nimoy

2010-06-25T14:21:00.000-07:00

The city of Vulcan received Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) , from the article:

The Star Trek legend was celebrated during his April (10) visit to the region, which shares its name with the home planet of his most famous character Mr. Spock, and has become a popular tourist attraction for fans of the franchise.

Nimoy, who announced his retirement from Hollywood in April (10), visited the town and even posed next to a bronze statue of his likeness, before watching the locals put on a procession.

And the sci-fi icon admits he was delighted with the small-town tribute.

He says, "I've never had an experience as touching as that in my life. Spock has been a role model for a lot of people by showing dignity, intelligence and professionalism. I'm very proud of that."

I wish more people had dignity, self-respect, pride in their appearance, intelligence, kindness towards others, and plain ol' common courtesy. I find it wonderful that a town holds such positive ideals so dear and I hope that more people around the world would regain some self-respect.

Bravo Vulcan, Live Long and Prosper. HERE is the link to the article.

Classic Sci-Fi Spaceships

2010-06-21T15:19:00.000-07:00

An online gallery has been created to experience spaceships in cyberspace, from the article:

If all the spaceships from the sci-fi shows you loved as a child were actually real, they'd probably be on display today in some kind of air show. Since that can't exist,Bill George decided to create one online in the form of a gallery, and it's stunning. George isn't just any old sci-fi fan with some mad Photoshop skills, either. He was the visual effects supervisor on six Star Trek and two Star Wars films. In other words, his stuff is really frakking good. We've got a couple of screenshots below to whet your appetite; then we encourage you to immediately head over to the Sci-Fi Air Show and take the guided tour of the rest.
The website is very cool and I enjoyed browsing the ships, it is worth a visit!

NASA Forecasts a Space Storm by 2013

2010-06-18T06:48:00.000-07:00

NASA has warned that a space storm could arrive in 2013 and could cause a super storm that would disrupt electronic devices. From the article:

National power grids could overheat and air travel severely disrupted while electronic items, navigation devices and major satellites could stop working after the Sun reaches its maximum power in a few years.

Senior space agency scientists believe the Earth will be hit with unprecedented levels of magnetic energy from solar flares after the Sun wakes “from a deep slumber” sometime around 2013, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.

“It will disrupt communication devices such as satellites and car navigations, air travel, the banking system, our computers, everything that is electronic. It will cause major problems for the world.

“Large areas will be without electricity power and to repair that damage will be hard as that takes time.”

That would be horrible to be without electricity for any length of time because of the food in the fridge and freezer. I think I could do without a cellular phone or I-pad and even the computer, but electricity in general, that is very necessary. Getting yourself as self- sufficient as possible is a good idea in these economic times despite an oncoming storm because governments have less money to repair important infrastructure anyway. The electricity could go out for any number of reasons and food could be unavailable because markets could also be without power.

The link to the article in full is below.

The Aliens of Stargate Universe

2010-06-14T11:48:00.000-07:00

I read an article in the LA Times a while back commenting on the aliens that appear in Stargate Universe stating just how alien they look being blue and all. I like how they are handling the show by first concentrating on character development and then introducing the aliens by use of the communication stones and the abduction of Dr. Rush. From the article:

Those who watched the first half of the first season of Syfy's "Stargate Universe" probably noticed something a bit different about the spacefaring series from most others -- no aliens.

Yes, Robert Carlyle's Dr. Rush and the rest are on an alien vessel, but (maybe due to their being in hyperspace a lot), had yet to face any external aliens besides a weird cloud of dust and a swarm of space bees. But that changes in this second half of the season, which launches Friday night. This crew, a mixture of a few military personnel and a lot of civilians, will have first contact with a very non-humanoid, non-friendly species.
"Universe" co-creators Robert Cooper and Brad Wright wanted to make sure they established the crew on Destiny and the challenges they'd face daily. With this careful character development, aliens did not play a huge part in it, but now that they're here, the "Stargate" folks want to make sure aliens are really ... alien.

I just love the show, it is dark, neo-survivalism, and an interesting mix of characters who have different skill sets and abilities for coping in extreme situations. I cannot wait for more!
HERE is a link to the article.

Top Ten Favorite Sci Fi Quotes

2010-06-11T14:02:00.000-07:00

Over the years, some lines in science fiction movies have become famous and are used in everyday vernacular. There are so many movies and shows to choose from that I narrowed it down to my personal favorites.

10. ET, Phone Home (ET, 1982)

9. I'll be back. (Terminator, 1984)

8. Get away from her, you bitch! (Aliens, 1986)

7. May the Force be with you! (Star Wars, 1977)

6. I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that. (2001- A Space Odyssey, 1968)

5. They're here already! You're next! You're next! You're next! (Invasion of the Body Snatchers, 1956)

4. Live Long and Prosper! (Star Trek: First Contact, 1996)

3. Do you know of the Klingon proverb that tells us revenge is a dish best served cold? (Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, 1982)

2. The Universe is a pretty big place, so if it is just us, it seems like an awful waste of space. (Contact, 1997)

1. You've got to tell them! Soylent Green is people! (Soylent Green, 1973)

Scientists Study Saturn´s Moon Named Titan

2010-06-07T07:46:00.000-07:00

Scientists from NASA have been studying the moon Titan that circles Saturn and they are coming to the conclusion that life could exist in its atmosphere, from the article:

Researchers at the space agency believe they have discovered vital clues that appeared to indicate that primitive aliens could be living on the moon.

Data from Nasa's Cassini probe has analysed the complex chemistry on the surface of Titan, which experts say is the only moon around the planet to have a dense atmosphere.

They suggest that life forms may have been breathing in the planet’s atmosphere and also feeding on its surface’s fuel.

Chris McKay, an astrobiologist at Nasa Ames Research Centre, at Moffett Field, California who led the research, said: “We suggested hydrogen consumption because it's the obvious gas for life to consume on Titan, similar to the way we consume oxygen on Earth.

"If these signs do turn out to be a sign of life, it would be doubly exciting because it would represent a second form of life independent from water-based life on Earth.”

This reminds me of the different aliens portrayed in many different science fiction shows and movies all capable of living in different types of atmospheres, or sentient being living in the oceans of a world, or even living on rogue planets and survivng from thermal vents within the planet.

This study is interesting and the artist interpretation of what the surface would look like is fascinating as well.

I have always though that sentient life would be found outside our solar system, but who knows.

James Cameron Offers to Help BP with Oil Leak

2010-06-05T12:46:00.000-07:00

When I first heard this story I really did not know what to think: here is a Hollywood director who directed some awesome movies like Aliens (1986), Titanic(1997), and more recently Avatar(2009), sitting down with the United States Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) and telling them that British Petrolium turned down his offer of help. From Reuters:

"Over the last few weeks I've watched, as we all have, with growing horror and heartache, watching what's happening in the Gulf and thinking those morons don't know what they're doing," Cameron said at the All Things Digital technology conference.

Cameron, the director of "Avatar" and "Titanic," has worked extensively with robot submarines and is considered an expert in undersea filming. He did not say explicitly who he meant when he referred to "those morons."

"I know really, really, really smart people that work typically at depths much greater than what that well is at," Cameron said.

The BP oil spill off the U.S. Gulf Coast is located a mile below the surface.

His comments came a day after he participated in a meeting at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency headquarters in Washington to "brainstorm" solutions to the oil spill.

This is not a science fiction movie but a tragedy taking place in the Gulf of Mexico in terms of the quality of the water, the destruction of oxygen and plant and animal life not to mention the effects on the food chain for years to come, and the EPA is consulting with James Cameron!?

All I can say is that this oil spill will ruin the Gulf waters and coasts for decades, what a shame. Here is a link to the full article.

The International Federation of Trekkers Relaunch

2010-05-31T14:57:00.000-07:00

I am glad the International Federation of Trekkers will relaunch their website because I never saw the first one! The countdown clock they have is very cool and as I write this there are 14 days left until it is up and running. From the article:

The International Federation of Trekkers (IFT), a Star Trek fan club, was first organized in 1984. A nonprofit corporation, IFT’s purpose, is “To promote the humanistic philosophies and ideals portrayed in the Star Trek myths in a realistic fashion conducive to the continued existence and responsible advancement of human kind. To provide, promote, and support education and positive legal activism in the area of human rights, racial and sexual equality, environmental causes, and space exploration. To promote a more positive impression of Star Trek fans as intelligent, socially conscious, active individuals who are aware and concerned about the real world today.”

Well, it looks like they have a lot of work to do in promoting their very positive ideals with an oil spill destroying the Gulf of Mexico, many wars currently being fought, and massive unemployment due to a global economic crisis. While a lot of the ideas are nice in the Federation, I doubt it would work and it sounds too much like one world government. I do not know if humans could evolve to the point of leaving greed for money and power behind, like the Vulcan species suppressed their violent emotions in exchange for approaching life with pure logic, and be able to handle a Federation that involves working with and getting along with other species when we cannot even get along on Earth with other races.
Here is a link to the article about the website.

Would You Like To Be Infected With A Computer Virus?

2010-05-28T12:27:00.000-07:00

If you would like to be infected with a computer virus, you would first need to have implanted in your body a chip, and I discussed that topic in a previous post. A scientist who has a chip implanted in his hand decided to infect it with a computer virus. From the article:

The virus, infecting a chip implanted in Gasson's hand, passed into a laboratory computer. From there, the infection could have spread into other computer chips found in building access cards.

All this was intentional, in an experiment to see how simple radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips like those used for tracking animals can host and spread technological diseases.

Gasson had a relatively simple chip implanted in the top of his left hand near his thumb last year. It emits a signal that is read by external sensors, allowing him access to the Reading laboratory and for his cell phone to operate.

He and his colleagues created a malicious code for the chip. When the lab's sensors read the code, the code inserted itself into the building computer database that governs who has access to the premises.

"The virus replicates itself through the database and potentially could copy itself onto the access cards that people use," Gasson said.

The experiment showed that implants which wirelessly communicate with other computers can infect them and vice versa.

He also goes on to explain that bionic medical devices such as a heart pacemaker, for example, may receive a malicious code to stop it from working properly thus endangering the patients life. Cochlear implants and brain stimulators used for patients with Parkinson´s disease also face interruption by a malicious virus.
My interpretation of this study is skeptical, but then again I usually am when it comes to research that looks at the nefarious uses of technology. Why choose to do research on how a computer virus can infect an implant unless in the future, an implant will be required for business, identification, and money transactions. Of course this is the science fiction, tin foil hat wearer in me, but I still wonder about this type of research.
You can read the entire article at LiveScience.com at the link below.

"The Rikers" from Star Trek: The Next Generation

2010-05-24T09:37:00.000-07:00

The actors Marina Sirtis and Jonathan Frakes who played Deanna Troi and Will Riker on Star Trek: The Next Generation, did an interview talking about many things including an idea about a sitcom called The Rikers, a half hour comedy about the Rikers in space. If they are serious, that show would be extremely funny, because the two of them talking together had me laughing non-stop. It is fun to hear them remembering their time acting in Star Trek and about the conventions they attend, and I will post the video, it is a little over 9 minutes, but I could have listened for an hour, they are that much fun.
You can read more about the interview on TrekToday. From the article:

In the video, the pair, whose characters married in Star Trek: Nemesis, talk about their Star Trek days as well as what they would do if they could make their own half-hour sitcom.

“We have this idea for a sitcom,” said Sirtis.

“A half hour, the Rikers in Space,” added Riker, “their wacky uncle Data, their little dog Worf. Two of us, on like the Titan probably, being funny. And we’re dead serious.”

I would watch that show, it sounds original and funny!

V (1983 Miniseries) and V (2009 TV series)

2010-05-19T12:19:00.000-07:00

I watched the miniseries V in 1983 and enjoyed the story very much, but I was not 100% into it, however I did like the idea and execution of the story, but I have never been a big fan of aliens that come to conquer the Earth unless there are good aliens to help us poor humans defend against them, ha!
I do like the new television series or as they say, re-imaged version of V, because I like the main actors, the story is still good, and the special effects very interesting. I am glad they are making a second season of the show because so often science fiction gets axed very quickly without giving the story and actors time to get into a rhythm. I suggest giving the show a try, it is good and here is a cool clip from the show.

Artificial Gravity on the International Space Station

2010-05-17T06:20:00.000-07:00

NASA is working on artificial gravity for the International Space Station and possibly for space craft as well. Now this feels like it is right out of science fiction! I have been watching some episodes from Star Trek:Deep Space Nine and I always have in the back of my mind that the station is in space while everyone walks around as if they had the gravity of a planet holding them down because everytime I see pictures from the ISS, they are floating around as the astronauts try to complete their daily tasks. The astronauts also need to exercise regularly and take medication to curb bone loss, from the article:

New plans for artificial gravity tests in space using centrifuges may hold the key to helping future astronauts ward off the debilitating loss of muscle and bone due to weightlessness on long missions to asteroids or the moon under NASA's revised space exploration plan.
Space station residents currently rely upon different exercises to keep themselves fit for the eventual return to Earth. But a spinning centrifuge device could create artificial gravity, which simulates the gravitational tug a planet, like Earth, has. The giant spinning device will give astronauts a healthy break from the weightlessness of space.
"You can try to treat each of the effects of weightlessness system by system, with certain pills for bone loss and certain exercise regimens for the muscles," said Laurence Young, an aeronautics and astronautics engineer at MIT in Cambridge, Mass. "Or you can treat the root cause of weightlessness by restoring gravity."

Artificial gravity sets the stage for long term visits to the ISS but if implemented into a craft that could travel long distances in space, could imply longer trips into the solar system as long as fresh air, food supply, and water, can be available for that same amount of time.

The I Inside and Stay

2010-05-15T07:29:00.000-07:00

Two movies you can check out, if you are interested in speculating on what may happen to you if you reach the threshold between life and death, are The I Inside (2003) and Stay(2005). The I Inside centers more on the character shifting back and forth in time trying to correct a mistake, and Stay is more about relationships and actually being at the threshold between life and death. I would not consider either movie an "A" movie, but both are entertaining and interesting if you want a relaxing evening with popcorn and soda and a comfortable couch.

Space Shuttle Atlantis Visible this Weekend

2010-05-12T07:14:00.000-07:00

The Space Shuttle Atlantis will be visible in the early evening sky over the weekend. Remember, this is the last year of the manned space shuttle program by NASA, so try to take advantage of any opportunity to see the shuttle in action:

Skywatchers across the continental United States will get a fine opportunity this weekend to watch as the space shuttle Atlantis — on its final scheduled mission into space — chases and ultimately docks with the International Space Station (ISS).

Both the shuttle and space station will be visible as separate entities, each appearing as bright "stars" sailing across the evening twilight sky on Friday and Saturday. By Sunday evening, Atlantis will be docked to the ISS, and both will appear as a single bright moving "star."

During Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings, both Atlantis and the ISS will make a number of favorable passes across the contiguous U.S. Their respective ground tracks will take them on northwest-to-southeast paths. With a very few exceptions, between one and four crossings of both the shuttle and the ISS will be visible.

Moscow Photo From the ISS !

2010-05-10T09:42:00.000-07:00

There is a fantastic photo taken by Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi of Moscow at night. He took the photo from the International Space Station on the day Russia celebrated Victory Day. From the article:

Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi took the stunning Moscow portrait while flying over Russia at night. The space station was flying about 17,500 mph and nearly 220 miles above Moscow at the time, likely making the city a tricky target.

Noguchi posted it Friday to his Twitter page, where he has been chronicling his six-month mission to the space station under the name Astro_Soichi.

"Golden rings of Moscow, Russia," Noguchi wrote. "Happy Victory Day weekend!"

Victory Day in Russia is May 9 – which also happens to be Mother's Day in the United States. It is a holiday that commemorates the end of World War II when Germany surrendered. American troops will take part in this year's Victory Day parade in Moscow for the first time in history, according to the New York Times.

The Russian holiday will likely see a multinational welcome aboard the International Space Station.

The photo reminds me of one of the scenes from the movie Contact with Jodie Foster after she has traveled through several wormholes and stops at an intersection and looks down to see a city on a strange planet somewhere in the galaxy and the layout was similar to the Moscow photo. Very cool!

Alexander Siddig Comments on Star Trek

2010-05-07T10:49:00.000-07:00

I liked the character of Dr. Bashir on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, but he was not one of my favorites I have to admit. I find his comments on the changes made to his character interesting:

In the fifth season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, after having had his own mental idea of who his character was, had to readjust his thinking about Dr. Julian Bashir. Siddig was not pleased when he saw the script for Dr. Bashir, I Presume and made that displeasure known as best he could after the first shock wore off.“He was a man of science; he was like half good looking, rubbish at pulling girls. I mean it was all the wrong kind of archetypes. And so they kept trying to do things to make it happen. Eventually they did the Bond thing – they did the Bond thing before that actually. And that kicked it off. I have to say that I’m still pretty angry. Well, not angry“Well, it was a bit cynical at the end of the day. But I just fluffed the lines; well I didn’t fluff them completely I literally pinned the lines on the back of someone’s shoulder once, reading them. I wasn’t bothered even to learn them. I just pinned them around the office as if they were lines needed for daily modification. And they got the message and dropped it kind of.”I do understand the frustration he felt about the character because myself as a viewer of the show had to go back and ask, well, did he find a vaccine to the Quickening because he was just smart or genetically enhanced? Were all of his medical accomplishments because he was dedicated and smart or basically his parents cheated him with the enhancements? Either way, I feel it added depth to his character and I never felt like he was a pseudo Spock by any means. Deep Space Nine still remains one of my favorite series in the Star Trek saga and my favorite episode with Dr. Bashir is the Quickening.
You can read the entire interview in TrekToday.

Space Weapon Being Tested

2010-05-05T06:59:00.000-07:00

As reported on Space.com, the U.S. Air Force is testing a space glider and I imagine the little money left for NASA was diverted to this kind of project. It is one thing in a science fiction show to have space craft and weapons to DEFEND yourself from other sentient aliens who have similar technology and there are no provocations, and it is another thing to build space craft to attack right here on planet Earth to provoke hostility one county against another. WOW!

A U.S. Air Force space plane and a failed hypersonic glider tested by the Pentagon represent the latest space missions to raise concerns about weapons in space. But while their exact purpose remains murky, they join a host of new space technology tests that could eventually bring the battlefield into space.
Some space technology demonstrations are more obviously space weapons, such as the anti-satellite missile capabilities tested by the U.S. and China in recent years. India has also begun developing its own anti-satellite program which would combine lasers and an exo-atmospheric kill vehicle, as announced at the beginning of 2010.
The U.S. military could even be using the cloak of mystery to deliberately bamboozle and confuse rival militaries, according to John Pike, a military and security analyst who runs GlobalSecurity.org. He suggested that the X-37B and HTV-2 projects could represent the tip of a space weapons program hidden within the Pentagon's secret "black budget," or they might be nothing more than smoke and mirrors.

You can read the entire article here.
I wish people in their personal lives, cities, states, and countries could live in peace and find peaceful solutions to problems, but I guess that is too much to ask. I have always enjoyed Star Trek: The Next Generation because solutions were sought through talk, treaties, meetings, peace, and fighting was usually the last resort. The entire concept of the Federation of Planets was to invite other worlds who desired a peaceful union working together. Of course there were conquering races such as the Klingons and Romulans, but there will always be a force to face that has interests opposed to your own, thus the ability to negotiate peacefully is vital.

Oil Spill in the U.S. Gulf Coast Affects NASA

2010-05-03T14:36:00.000-07:00

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico caused by the explosion of an oil rig is harming fragile animal, plant, and sea life in what was a beautiful area of water. I have personally visited the southern part of the Gulf of Mexico and I have swum and snorkeled around coral and beautiful fish and it breaks my heart to think of all the destruction this continued leak of oil is causing.
I did not realize it also affects NASA:

The expanding oil slick has cut into the deep water route typically used by NASA barges and their tugs to haul the 15-storey space shuttle fuel tanks from their manufacturing site – the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans – to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to be attached to an orbiter for launch.

Space shuttle fuel tanks are built by Lockheed Martin and are too large to be delivered by train or truck. When fully fueled at the launch pad, they weigh about 1.7 million pounds (771,000 kg), counting the 535,000 gallons of cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellant.

I am sure other commerce has been disrupted and I cannot understand how this tragedy occured but I hope they end the gush of oil that is filling the water every moment.

The Jacket (2005)

2010-04-30T11:03:00.000-07:00

If you feel like watching a an interesting movie, I suggest The Jacket (2005). It is a little on the heavy side in terms of subject matter which includes experimenting on patients who appear to be mentally ill, but the movie is based on the novel written in 1915 by Jack London originally under the title The Star Rover. The difference between the novel and the movie is that in The Star Rover, the prisoner endures torture by escaping in his mind into the universe as if he were a space traveler, in contrast, the movie has the patient shift in time which is induced by experimental drugs. The movie is well acted and of course it is an interesting story.

Stephen Hawking Believes Intelligent Aliens Exist!

2010-04-26T08:53:00.000-07:00

The famous physicist Stephen Hawking believes aliens exist in the universe but that they would be likely to conquer us rather than make friends. So we are looking at meeting Klingons or Romulans as opposed to Vulcans or Betazoids! From the article:

Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking has repeated his long-held belief that intelligent aliens are likely to exist, and that a visit by them to present-day humanity would probably have unfortunate consequences for us.
“To my mathematical brain, the numbers alone make thinking about aliens perfectly rational... If aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn’t turn out very well for the Native Americans.”
“We only have to look at ourselves to see how intelligent life might develop into something we wouldn’t want to meet," he argues. "I imagine they might exist in massive ships, having used up all the resources from their home planet. Such advanced aliens would perhaps become nomads, looking to conquer and colonise whatever planets they can reach.”
Alternatively, in the case of aliens having originally evolved on an Earthlike world, it might simply be their goal to seize and colonise ours, as Prof Hawking says - regardless of the status of their homeworld, they might like to have another. The mere fact of their being able to get here across interstellar distances would tend to suggest they might be technically capable of overcoming humanity and exterminating or enslaving us - or confining limited numbers of us to reservations, if they were relatively kind aliens.

Ok, now I am thinking of the aliens from Stargate such as the Goa´uld or Wraith, yikes! His thoughts on the alien life are very interesting and oppose some the ideas of some of his colleagues who think that life on Earth is a fluke and no other life may exist in the universe.
You can read the entire article HERE.

A True Star Wars Fan!!!

2010-04-24T07:45:00.000-07:00

A woman wore a Stormtrooper costume to her graduation so I do not know if this qualifies as being a fan or a fanatical fan or just plain crazy!
From the story:

Ever hear the story about the woman who wore her Star Trek uniform to jury duty? Interestingly enough, I have another story to tell along that same lines, but with a different genre.

Manja Peters, who is a 36 year old woman, and a student from Canterbury University in the United Kingdom, decided she wanted to do something special for her last graduation. So in order to celebrate getting her Bachelor of

Fine Arts Degree, Peters decided to wear a full Star Wars Stormtrooper Costume during the ceremony.The reason for the costume, Peters admits, is that she is a film major and that she grew up watching Star Wars. It was directors like George Lucas who gave her the interest in film studies. Plus she says, it was meant as a way to make others happy. She commented:

I also wanted to bring a few smiles to people’s faces. It’s been tough, with the recession and redundancies.

Not everyone, though, seemed joyous about her wardrobe selection. According to Peters, some people felt nervous about the costume. But she explained, “I’m short so I’m not that imposing.”

Now where have I heard a line about a short Stormtrooper before? Hmm.

Actually, I think it is very creative and she was being artistic and unique and realistic about the times we live in. If anyone had a problem with her choice of attire, they really need to get over themselves.
LINK

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

2010-04-21T07:55:00.000-07:00

I usually muse about science fiction subjects, but I came across the film entitled Perfume: The Story of a Murderer and was entranced by this unusual and horrific story. The movie was made in 2006 but is based on a German novel written in 1985 by Patrick Suskind.
The story is set in 18th century France and shows us the deplorable living conditions of that time and focuses on Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, the antihero of the story. The journey of his birth to his death describes his super human ability to smell and his eventual obsession to make the most magical perfume in the world, a perfume that could control humanity. However, the way he goes about making this perfume is beyond comprehension and not what you would expect.
If you have not seen this movie, in my opinion, it is a must see because the acting is beyond excellent, the music outstanding, and the cinematography fantastic.

The Lyrid Meteor Shower

2010-04-19T14:53:00.000-07:00

Every year, the Lyrid meteor shower takes place in April and I remember one year camping out in the back yard on a sleeping bag and watching the show in the sky, it was a lot of fun and very memorable. From the Space.com:

Anyone who enjoys watching the sky for "shooting stars" will have an opportunity to observe an old and reliable meteor display over the next several days: the April Lyrids. The best time to watch will be for a night or two around the peak, April 22
.
Faithful meteor shower The Lyrids are an annual display of fairly fast meteors that may be seen any night from April 16 to 25: they are above one-half of their maximum in numbers for about a day or two centered on the date of their peak activity.This year, the peak is predicted to fall during the daylight hours (for America and Europe) on April 22. After the gibbous moon sets at about 2:30 a.m. local daylight time that morning, observers near latitude 40 degrees north will still have about 90 minutes of dark sky to watch for the Lyrids before dawn interferes. The southern states are more favored because the Moon sets earlier and twilight begins later.

The show is even better if you camp out in the mountains, camping is fun with the right crowd, a campfire, s´mores, the whole works!

Star Trek Memories by Whoopi Goldberg

2010-04-17T07:09:00.000-07:00

I was reading the article in TrekToday in which Goldberg talks about her role as Guinan in Star Trek: The Next Generation and in fact, that is the last character Gene Roddenberry ever wrote for the Star Trek series. I have heard her interviewed in the past about her strong desire to be part of TNG, but at the time, the producers did not take it seriously until she got on the phone and said she really was interested. From the article:

But those in charge of The Next Generation weren’t keen initially on having her at first. “When I got the opportunity, I asked to be part of it. But they were like ugh, they don’t wanna … The person I asked was LeVar Burton because he was doing it. I said, ‘Tell them I wanted to do it very much,’ and told them all the reasons. He said OK.”But it took a while before Goldberg got her chance. “A year went by and nothing happened. When I saw [Burton] next I said, ‘What happened?’ ‘They didn’t believe me.’ I said, ‘Give me the phone number,’ and I called them. We had a meeting with Gene Roddenberry who asked me the same question you just did (what drew her to Star Trek). I told them the same thing I told you. I never thought about it that way. So he wrote the last character that he wrote for me, and that’s how it happened.”

The episodes I like the most with the character Guinan are "Time´s Arrow" and Yesterday´s Enterprise and I have to say, Yesterday´s Enterprise has to be one of my favorite episodes of TNG.

The Eerie Silence by Paul Davies

2010-04-15T06:59:00.000-07:00

Physicist Paul Davies has written a book that is exactly the kind of topic I like to read. The basic question he asks is:

If aliens exist, where are they?The physicist Enrico Fermi asked this question 60 years ago, and it has since come to be known as the “Fermi Paradox”. Given how vast the universe is, and the billions of years that life has had to spread across the cosmos, why have we not found any evidence of alien life?Paul Davies takes a fresh look at this question in his engaging and thoughtful new book, The Eerie Silence.

He goes on to discuss if life on Earth is a simple fluke or there is a possibility that life does exist somewhere out there in the vast Universe.

He also explains that communication may take time:

Even if complex life can be found elsewhere, does that mean it will be intelligent? By “intelligent,” we often mean a species that will use science to investigate the universe. Davies again throws cold water on our assumptions, saying the scientific method is a specific outcome of Greek philosophy and medieval European monotheism. Despite this, Davies gamely uses the Drake Equation to estimate there could be 10,000 civilizations in the galaxy capable at this time of communicating by radio waves.

“At this time” is an important element of his estimate, since a barrier to interstellar communications is not only distance but time. Consider aliens living one thousand light years away. Davies points out that if they were able to see Earth in their telescopes, they would not see us as we are today, but as we were in the year 1010 A.D. - long before we invented radio dishes. And because human radio technology is only about 100 years old, it will take another 900 years for our first signals to reach them.

His writing would suggest he feels we are alone in the Universe but in true scientific form he states:

Still, the fact that we don’t know and may never have the answer about alien life is reason enough to keep searching, says Davies. By stretching our minds to try to envision all the possibilities in our search for aliens, not only may we one day find what we seek, but in the process we also will learn about many other deep and enduring mysteries of the cosmos.

I would like to think that life does exist in the Universe, but then again that is why I love science fiction, and I am not being unrealistic, in my opinion, because nothing has been proven to exclude the fact that life does not exist beyond our galaxy. It is a book that gets you thinking about all the possibilities in life.

LINK.

Universe Video

2010-04-14T07:18:00.000-07:00

I found this very interesting video over at the website by Mike Brotherton that takes us on a journey beginning on the surface of the Earth, then depicts the satellites that orbit the Earth, and then shows us our our place in the Universe. It puts into perspective our small place in the Universe and how much we have to explore and learn about this vast place we live in.

Star Trek Live Show

2010-04-12T10:41:00.000-07:00

Since the exhibition of Star Trek at Las Vegas was closed and auctioned off, there is now an option for those die-hard Trek fans:

This summer, visitors to Kennedy Space Center will be able to participate in Star Trek Live, a new stage show.Star Trek Live melds special effects, space technology and audience interaction in a half-hour production from CBS Consumer Products and Mad Science Productions.Reported by Trektoday last fall, Star Trek Live will be appearing at Kennedy Space Center beginning June 11.Star Trek Live will allow audience members to “join Starfleet Academy” where they will be catapulted into an adventure featuring special effects, science, audience interaction and on-screen appearances from Captain Kirk and Spock themselves, with clips from the 2009 Star Trek XI film enhancing the experience.The audience member “cadets” will prepare for their first day at Starfleet Academy, but their introduction is rudely interrupted by an attack from a Romulan renegade. It’s up to the cadets to adapt to living and working in space, and to figure out what has happened and how to fix it as the future of the Federation will be in their hands.There will be five performances scheduled daily at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, the cost of which is included in the KSC regular admission price.

LINK.

Star Trek Auction in Las Vegas

2010-04-10T07:56:00.000-07:00

If you have time and money, this Saturday in Las Vegas you can bid for Star Trek props such as the famed Capt. Picard´s chair which might look great in your living room, or a uniform for the next party you attend.
From the article:

"Star Trek" fans looking for Enterprise chairs, Starfleet uniforms or a model Klingon Bird of Prey can seek out new life for the dismantled pieces of a closed Las Vegas attraction based on the famous franchise. Auctioneer Propworx Inc. plans to sell roughly 1,000 items large and small from Star Trek: The Experience at a warehouse sale Saturday in Las Vegas, CEO Alec Peters said.
The attraction, based on the beloved science fiction television series and movies, closed in 2008 after a 10-year run.

It is sad the attraction had to close but great for those who have the means to collect the items from the exhibition.
HERE is a link to the full story.

Worf on the ISS!!

2010-04-09T12:10:00.000-07:00

I love it, Worf will be on the Space Station:

Amongst the items delivered by the Discovery space shuttle to the International Space Station earlier today, was a patch with a Star Trek connection.The acronym for the NASA patch for the Window Observational Research Facility, a science equipment rack that will enable astronaut-tended and remote-controlled Earth-observation experiments, is the same as the name of Lt. Commander Worf, the Klingon seen on Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Musings about T´Pol of Star Trek:Enterprise

2010-04-07T07:09:00.000-07:00

When I think of the television show Star Trek: Enterprise, I think of my favorite character T´Pol who was the Vulcan science officer. I did enjoy this series of Star Trek even though it was a prequel set 100 years before the Original Series of Star Trek. I usually do not like prequels and this series had problems, in my personal opinion, in the third season but the fourth season explained some differences between TOS and TNG such as the Eugenics Wars as well as the different appearance of the Klingons between these very same series. In Enterprise, my favorite character was T´Pol because she was a strong, smart, yet feminine character, who felt torn between two worlds. She remained loyal to her Vulcan heritage and the suppression of emotion, duty to logic, duty to science, and tradition, and on the other hand, she was very curious about humans and their lack of logic at times, impulsiveness, and willingness to take chances.
I was pleased to read an interview will Jolene Blalock who played T´Pol and her interesting comments:

A science fiction fan from her childhood days, Jolene Blalock loves playing roles in the sci-fi/fantasy genre.Part of the attraction of sci-fi and fantasy, for Blalock, is that it makes people think beyond the ordinary.“Well, sci-fi/fantasy is always going to attract me, because it’s something that’s special to my heart,” said Blalock. “Growing up, I grew up on the original Star Trek. Also, when I was in sixth grade, I would come home from school and watch the Star Wars trilogy back to back every day for the entire year. It’s something that brings humanity outside of itself. It makes us think outside of ourselves, it presents the question what if, what if we could jump the timeline, what if we could meet another intelligent species, what if we could colonize on another planet. It deals with very big ideas, so sci-fi/fantasy, you can do [anything].:As T’Pol, Blalock enjoyed her character’s effect on the men on the Enterprise. “I enjoyed her ability to suck the air out of a room,” said Blalock. “I enjoyed her, what I mean is, the boys could be having their boys moments and she would walk in and all the air would just be sucked out of the room. I enjoyed that. And she didn’t have to say anything. I loved her inability to take a joke. Or to get a joke.”T’Pol had something in common with Blalock’s Sister Nicci character from Legend of the Seeker, both were strong characters without sacrificing femininity. “”I enjoy every role that I take, for different reasons,” said Blalock. “Effeminate, I feel that T’Pol was quite feminine in her own right, and I feel that all of my characters have been quite feminine. They’ve been strong females.”

Link.

I love what she has to say on the subject of scifi/fantasy in that we can think outside of the ordinary such as what we would do if we met a sentient alien being, or how would we react if we could travel in space for long periods of time, how would we treat each other and alien races? These are the types of questions I muse on because even though it might be a science fiction novel or movie, it relates to everyday life, and we can learn that our attitudes and behavior do have real world consequences.
On another note, I enjoyed seeing Blalock in Stargate Sg1 and Starship Troopers 3!

2010 Baja California Earthquake

2010-04-06T14:08:00.000-07:00

I am still recovering from the earthquake that struck the 4th of April, a nice peaceful Sunday afternoon that was disrupted by the intense shaking of the 2010 Baja California earthquake as it is being named! Even though I live about 150km from the epicenter, it was an intense shaking that had myself and my family headed for the back door in panic! I was reading this article on Live Science, well here is what they said:

Yesterday's magnitude-7.2 earthquake that rocked northern Mexico and parts of Southern California was barely worth noting compared to the ongoing, major forces that shape planet Earth. In a geologic sense, there are greater forces at work, from the coming and going of ice ages to an ongoing imbalance in the planet's rotation that make it wobble like a spinning top that's winding down.

Ummm, I agree on a global scale, but in my daily life, when the ground is shaking so hard I can barely stand, it is worthy of note, on my part at least.

"These large earthquakes are rare, catastrophic events," Gross explained. "What's normally causing the Earth's rotation to change is the surface mass movement of the oceans and atmosphere."

I am glad they are rare because it is no fun going through the main event and the aftershocks, and waiting for a larger aftershock, it really rattles the nerves!
I am just having a little fun with the article because it has been so stressful the last couple of days I feel like poking some fun at something, I do enjoy studying about earthquakes and learning new things about them, just not going through the experience first hand, at least this was in the afternoon and not in the middle of the night which is much worse.
Anyway, here is the article.

Apple iPad Reminds me of Star Trek Padd!

2010-04-04T07:46:00.000-07:00

When I saw the new Apple iPad, my jaw dropped, it looked just like the Padd so frequently used in all of the Star Trek series! I always liked those Padds in the television shows because you could write stories, poems, but also look up historical records, do inventory, read books, write mission reports, the sky was the limit. I am not a big fan of new gadgets that come out every week and make the gadget I just purchased obsolete so I tend to only pay attention to what is being invented and usually it takes me years to get something new that I feel will stay around a while without being replaced quickly. When I see something similar to a common Trek prop, I get more curious than usual, but not curious enough to buy until it really has books, history, math, well, something very Star Trek -like, but that is just me, waiting for the ultimate piece of technology. Anyway, I like the look of it but I am waiting to hear if it is easy to use and not too sensitive to the touch or fragile because I am very rough with things like my cellphone, for example, I have dropped it more times than I can count and it still works! I would not want a fragile Padd, it needs to be space-worthy, Ha!

Pac-Man in the Moon!

2010-04-02T11:17:00.000-07:00

When I read the article about the Pac- Man image appearing on the moon that orbits Saturn it made me laugh so hard, but it is true, the image of the tiny moon taken by the Cassini spacecraft does look like the 1980 Pac-Man figure I used to play when you actually had to go to an arcade to play video games on those monstrous machines. I played Pac-Man but my favorite game was Space Invaders, I could play that game for hours as well as air hockey on those huge tables. Sometimes it is nice to go down memory lane....
From the article:

The Cassini spacecraft in orbit around Saturn has caught an interesting new view of the tiny moon Mimas.

The probe measured temperature differences across the object's surface and produced a map that looks just like the 1980s Pac-Man video games icon.Scientists are unsure why Mimas should display such variations but say it is probably related to the diversity of textures in the surface materials.Some textures may retain heat better than others, they explain.Mimas is about 400km (250 miles) across. It has a distinctive scar called Herschel Crater which has led many to draw comparisons with the "Death Star" from the Star Wars movies.

Look for Mercury in the Sky until April 10

2010-03-31T10:15:00.000-07:00

This week until April 10th Mercury will be seen in the evening sky with Venus right after sunset. From the article:

Mercury, the solar system’s most elusive planet, will be easier to see for the next two weeks.Astronomers say that Mercury and Venus will appear unusually close together between now and April 10. Because Venus is one of the brightest objects in the night sky it can be used as a pointer to find the hard-to-see Mercury.Just look in the lower western sky about an hour after sunset. Find Venus and look down and to the right for Mercury.They will appear closest together on April 3 and 4, but Venus is really on the other side of the sun.Mercury is the solar system’s smallest planet and it looks pink. Miami Space Transit Planetarium director Jack Horkheimer calls Mercury the pinkie of the planets.
LINK.

Up On the Roof!

2010-03-30T13:48:00.000-07:00

I have blogged about science fiction from the medical point of view and how it is hard to watch some shows with my spouse and in-laws who happen to be doctors and sometimes roar with laughter at the medical mistakes made in the shows, sometimes I have to go to another room if I want to watch a show in peace! I mentioned I like the television show ER with all the mistakes, and I also adore Becker , which I am told is more medically accurate, and now I like Nurse Jackie as quirky as that show is, it makes me laugh. So why the title of my post? The last episode of Nurse Jackie I watched, she sang the song "Up on the Roof" to her daughter and I was so delighted by that because I had not heard that song in so long. It reminded me of how I get on the roof to use my telescope or binoculars to view the night sky in peace because it gives me the best view. Anyway, I took the long way around to say I love the song and I do get up on my roof to stargaze, and I like the new show Nurse Jackie (which I am told has loads of medical mistakes) but is very humorous.

Two New Trek Books

2010-03-29T10:13:00.000-07:00

I enjoy reading the Star Trek novels especially since no new series have been made in a while. There are plenty of books to choose from and used book stores are my favorite place to pick them up. From Trek Today:

Star Trek: Unspoken Truth, written by Margaret Wander Bonanno and due out at the end of the month, tells the story of Lieutenant Saavik, left behind on Vulcan while the crew of the Enterprise is forced to return to Earth to be court-martialed for stealing the Enterprise and destroying it while on a mission to retrieve Spock’s body and katra.

That sounds good, I cannot wait for that one. More:

The second book, announced on Christopher L. Bennett’s website, has a working title of Star Trek: DTI (Department of Temporal Investigations.) The DTI was introduced in the Deep Space Nine Trials and Tribble-ations episode, when agents Lucsly and Dulmar paid Captain Sisko a visit after Sisko and crew’s visit to the past.“I’m able to announce my new Star Trek project now, and it’s my most offbeat one yet,” said Bennett. “The working title is Star Trek: DTI, with a more specific title to be settled on later.

I hope they keep writing books or make another television series or both, why not?!

Link.

Stephen Hawking to give rare public lecture!

2010-03-27T11:43:00.000-07:00

This is so cool, Stephen Hawking will be giving a public lecture in April, from the article:

Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking returns to Aggieland next month to present a rare public lecture, and officials in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Texas A&M University encourage Brazos Valley residents and members of the campus community to take advantage of a major opportunity to experience one of the most brilliant scientific minds of all time.Hawking, the world-renowned Cambridge University theoretical physicist famous for his theories on black holes and best-selling books about the universe, will detail more than 35 years of breakthrough research on black holes - which aren't as black as previously thought - in his lecture, "Out of a Black Hole," scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday (April 5) in Rudder Auditorium on the Texas A&M campus.

I love that episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation with Data and Stephen Hawking, it is so fun to see that scene! Here is a link to the lecture.

Eagle Eye (2008)

2010-03-26T13:52:00.000-07:00

I just watched the movie Eagle Eye(2008) which is a fast paced hi-tech movie that seems like Hal 9000 from a Space Odyssey meets Cellular the movie. It has a lot of gadgets, running, following directions, twists and turns, and overall fun but not too deep of a plot. If you want pure entertainment then this movie is perfect: get the popcorn, the soda and relax on the sofa after a hard day at work!

Check out Mars in the Sky tonight!

2010-03-25T19:58:00.000-07:00

If you have a clear sky tonight and the next few nights try to get a good look at Mars, from Space.com:

On Thursday night, March 25, many people may look up at the sky and ask the question, "What's that bright star next to the moon?"The answer for Thursday night is Mars, but that answer changes night by night as the moon travels along the ecliptic, the path the sun, moon and planets follow across the sky. If you ask the question again on Monday night, March 29, the answer will be the ringed planet Saturn.Such conjunctions of the moon and planets are regular reminders of how rapidly the moon moves across the sky.

Mars was in opposition to the Sun on Jan. 29, when it appeared 14 arcseconds in diameter, 1/120 of the diameter of the moon. Two months later, it is much farther away, and has shrunk to only 10 arcseconds in diameter.This will be your last chance to get a good look at Mars until it approaches the Earth again in 2012 [see more Mars photos].

Spring Cleaning at NASA

2010-03-22T15:33:00.000-07:00

Since this year is the last year of the space shuttle program, they seem to be going into all the nooks and crannies and cleaning out stuff and deciding who will get what. From the article:

You may get a chance to see the container that holds their, well, you know, astro poop.With the shuttle fleet scheduled to retire later this year, NASA is cleaning out warehouses and storage rooms and offering space artifacts to certain organizations such as schools and universities, museums and libraries.

I doubt I want to see the potty the astronauts used, thank you very much! I find what the astronauts do interesting but not in such detail!

The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex was tentatively allocated 119 items, although officials don't know exactly what all of the items are. The artifacts won't be delivered until the shuttle program ends or as the items are phased out of production.

You can read the rest of the Article HERE and I am sure more news will pop up this entire year since the space program is sadly ending.

Stargate Universe Musings

2010-03-21T11:59:00.000-07:00

I am surprised and relieved at how good the new series in the Stargate saga is, which is entitled Stargate Universe. I think my favorite character is Dr. Nicholas Rush because he is mysterious, brilliant, and driven to do what is necessary to accomplish his goals, and I am not sure if he has nefarious motives or not. Stagate in the past has always had the good guys fighting the bad guys, but in this series, the crew seems to be fighting amongst each other in a neo-surivialist mode: rationing water and food and energy. The show is unexpected and character driven. I love it! I also think Robert Carlyle is an excellent actor, in fact I watched him play Hitler last night in the movie Hitler: The Rise of Evil (2003), wow, what a performance!
All I can say is give me more episodes!

Pets in Science Fiction

2010-03-20T11:36:00.000-07:00

I love pets and grew up with quite a variety from dogs, to cats and rabbits, birds, chickens, etc. My favorite pets are cats and that got me thinking about Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation and his cat Spot. I liked very much that Data wanted to care for a living creature and thus learn to be more human, be responsible for feeding and caring for his cat, and write poetry and paint using his cat as the subject matter.
Here is a funny and sweet vid of Data and his wonderful cat Spot.

RIP Micah, you were loved and cherished and have now crossed the Rainbow Bridge. To my sister and brother in law, my thoughts and hugs are sent out to you.

Would You Embrace Cloaking Technology?

2010-03-19T09:34:00.000-07:00

German scientists have been researching cloaking technology in three dimensions and ironically have been practicing on gold. I could go off on how funny and odd that is, cloaking gold? I know a lot of money has disappeared in this economic crisis, but it has been fiat currency, to make gold disappear, that is another story! In all seriousness, this technology has been researched for some time now with some success achieved in two dimensions and now in three dimensions, using gold. Those of you who watch or read science fiction, for example, Star Trek, the Romulans, Klingons, and Jem ´Hadar, all use cloaks. The Jem ´Hadar from Deep Space Nine are unique in that they cloak themselves and can sneak up right in front of you without you even detecting their presence, the Romulans and Klingons cloak their ships, so in all these examples, the cloak is used for battle or to move from place to place in stealth.
Now I am racking my brain trying to find some purpose that cloaking will benefit humanity and I cannot. Maybe the answer eludes me in this time and place, but all I can see is the military of any country eager to get its hands on this kind of technology as well as police. Not even the Federation in Star Trek used cloaking technology in order to keep the peace with those who used cloaks and the Federation did not believe in spying on its own citizens.
So again, I wonder why this type of scientific study is taking place?

One Very Small USS Enterprise

2010-03-17T08:22:00.000-07:00

Two scientists in Japan decided to make a model ship, the Enterprise, so small you need a microscope to see it and in the mean time taking the art of building model ships to a whole new level. I wonder where they will keep it?

In what certainly has to be the smallest scale ever for a science-fiction ship model, two scientists have constructed the USS Enterprise in a one-billionth scale.The scale model of the Enterprise is so tiny, that it can only be seen by an electron microscope.Scientists Takayuki Hoshino and Shinji Matsui of the Himeji Institute of Technology, located in Japan, used a focused ion beam to cut out the model, using a process called chemical vapor deposition (CVD).The CVD process used phenanthrene gas to etch the tiny 8.8 micrometer USS Enterprise.