Patrick Stewart Totally Looks Like Kennewick Man

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Pictures by: dunno source Caption by: schmell via Our LOL Builder

Captain Jean-Luc Picard – Star Trek: The Next Generation

Captain Picard and Commander Riker – Star Trek The Next Generation

The hot Florida sun runs deep in my veins, well at least it used to.

I think I’m finally getting used to this crazy, mild, below 70 degree weather. It only took me about 22 years, but I’m finally ok with this weather. It reminds me of the episode of Star Trek where Picard gets assimilated to the Borg.

I am finally one of the Borg. One of those people who I thought were crazy for going outside without a jacket in 65 degree weather. Someone who can’t wait for the fog to roll in. A hater of the sun…. ok, maybe thats going  a bit too far.

After the cold and crisp weather we have had here, I was not very happy to see the sun. I wanted the crisp air, cold nights, hell a reason to run the heater at the house. But alas, the sun was out in full effect. Friday was a high of 60 and a low of 55. This was ok only b/c it meant I could omit my jacket for that evenings festivities.

I hope this feeling goes away.

Departe de toti fanii lui, Gigel profita la maximum de cele doua zile in care Marioara este plecata acasa, la parinti pentru a-si lua ramas bun de la prietenele cu care a copilarit, sa isi la revedere de la domnisorie. Petrecerea ei, este una cuminte fara fast si fara prea mult dezmat. Marioara a insistat ca Gigel sa ramana acasa, pentru ca are de lucru la colectia de primavara-vara a tricourilor Guma si a radierelor, purtand semnatura aceluiasi design-er, Surdu Gigel.

Marioara nu il suspecteaza nicidecum pe Gigel de infidelitate, si de aceea in cele doua zile cat va lipsi din cuibusorul de nebunii cu siguranta nu se va intampla nimic. Gigel nu va aparea in ziarul Double Click, sau macar nu va aparea pe prima pagina. Cel mult va aparea la categoria diverse, si astfel va trece neobservat.

Cum si Costel este plecat la Ciuca Macaii sa isi ia ramas bun de la burlacie si de la butoaiele de vin pe care le golea candva, careul de asi al personajelor formeaza acum o pereche de aur : Gigel si Maricica.

Cei doi se hotarasc sa incerce experiente noi in domeniul multimedia, de la  decodarea HD si conectorul HDMI pana la cipurile de sunet cu tehnologie SRS Premium Sound si boxele Altec Lansing.

Acesta e doar prilejul pentru care cei doi se intalnesc, mai ales ca stim cu totii ca Maricicai i se zice IT-ista ecologista si ca lui Gigel ii place foarte mult jocul de-a mama si de-a tata, varianta moderna, cand tatal si mama locuiesc in aceeasi casa, dar in camere diferite.

Luni, ora 19…Apartamentul din Dorobanti este pregatit pentru oaspetele de onoare, Maricica…Gigel o asteapta cu melodia ei preferata, cu sunetul oferit de boxele Altec Lansing.

Gigel nu face niciun fel de presiuni, ci doar vrea sa verifice cat de inalt este Muntele Asus, din punct de vedere multimedia. A invatat de la Dreampoet ca una dintre caile spre inima unei femei este folosirea excesiva a aluziei, si cum poate fi mai justa o aluzie decat din punct de vedere muzical.

Urmeaza vizionarea filmului Star Trek, in format 3D, cu ochelarii de rigoare, la care se adauga formatul HD. Cei doi doresc si o seara tematica, asa ca isi aleg fiecare cate un personaj din celebrul serial american.

Gigel este bineinteles, capitanul Jean Luc Picard, in timp ce Maricica o alege pe Diana Troy, doctorul navetei USS Enterprise. Intre cei doi se stie ca a existat o idila, care insa nu s-a finalizat fericit. Asa ca ai grija, Gigele! Profita la maximum de serviciile medicale, ca ai cam intarziat platile catre casa de asigurari medicale!

Si asa se transforma apartamentul din Dorobanti in nava USS Enterprise, singura schimbare majora fiind mutarea cadrului de pe puntea de control in dormitorul capitanului.

Povestea are un final neasteptat, dupa cum  spune si genericul celebrului serial:

“Space… The final frontier… These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission: To explore strange new worlds… To seek out new life; new civilisations… To boldly go where no one has gone before!”

Marti, ora 9:00, Marioara in pragul unei crize de nervi… (din cauza ninsorii a trebuit sa intoarca bolidul din drum).

“Bine Gigele, eu plec doua zile si voi va jucati de-a romulanii si klingonienii?”

“Pai draga, incercam limitele multimedia ale Muntelui Asus, nu poti sa ne condamni!”

Sfarsitul serialului la SuperBlog 2009.

Acest articol a fost realizat ca parte integranta a concursului SuperBlog 2009, organizat de PC News.

PS: Pentru cine a apreciat acest serial si poate sa ma ajute sa public sub forma unui roman sau sub forma unor schite, astept propuneri. Orice idee este binevenita. Doresc doar sa nu platesc eu editarea, nu am pretentii financiare legate de carte…

BBC News announced that researchers at Stanford University have developed a method of creating batteries out of paper. This involves taking standard, run of the mill paper and coating it in an “ink” made out of carbon nanotubes, a material that will revolutionize the way we make everything. Don’t expect just your cell phone and your laptop to see a reduction in size and weight, the researchers also claim that the new batteries would be ideal for powering cars, though they have no plans to start production on those, probably because they don’t want to make a several buttloads of money.

Nerd-dom rejoice! The Enterprise is ready for launch. No, Kirk nor Picard will be aboard, though you may have to ride with a crazy Brit.

Pictured: Crazy Brit, Richard Branson, Owner, Virgin Group

 Virgin Galactic has officially unveiled the V.S.S. (Virgin Space Ship) Enterprise to its potential clientele, people who have already put down a deposit on the $200,000 Virgin Galactic ticket. There were 300, give or take, people in attendance, which means VG is set to make at least $60 million. Capable of sitting six people, there will be at least 50 flights to accomodate those who’ve already got a hold on tickets. Don’t hold your breath on getting a cheaper flight into space – according to Will Whitehorn, President of Virgin Galactic, after 3-5 years the price will only drop by about half. So start saving now.

The Only Thing Between Me and the VSS Enterprise is $200,000

Google is in the news a lot today, with announcements over the new bar-coding system that will allow patrons to scan a code with their cell-phones and pull up all (im)pertinent information; that Google Goggles, a search engine that uses pictures as the query (no more typing, just point and click), will move to other platforms besides Android; and the release of their new real-time search, which according to this article, blows Bing’s Twitter Search out the water (via, say, not having to go to a separate page to do it).

Finally I found a solution for the segmentation fault, that occurred when I tried to process ogg (and sometimes mp3) files with Picard. It’s a reply to the bug report and all I had to do, was insert the repo and upgrade my picard. Now scanning works.

langue, lecture et slam… PICARDS !

ici

Slightly funny trekkie going to McDonalds. Only in America. The funniest bit is the cameraman laughing.

M. Cerloux was looking for information on her ancestor Beatrice Ranger.

Information

Elphege Charette married Beatrice Ranger on September 24th, 1925 in Lachine. Lachine is on the Island of Montreal and the name of the parish was Saintes-Anges. Elphege was the son of Francois Charette and Angelina Picard while Beatrice was the daughter of Exalem Ranger and Ledia Dion.

Francois Charette married Marie-Angelina Picard in the same parish as above. They were married on November 19th, 1895. Francois’ parents were Jean Baptiste Charette and Philomene Cardinal while Marie-Angelina was the daughter of Ephrem Picard and Marie-Ozeline Meloche.

 

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Evelyn in Montreal

Fuck to the yeah: the Cappy and I are just doing the usual, chatting, but it happens to be while he packs to leave that hellhole, thank you very much! I could not oversell my happiness right now.

So we were talking about how he’s going to return soon to his apartment in Krautland after having been gone for a year, in this whole other life in this whole other country, like it’s a reboot to a previous setting of existence, and I can only think what a trip that is in general for any serviceman, but in the specific for my friendoh (hey, I’m selfish, what can I say). Especially emotionally, being in a different place in life and all now but with all these former trappings waiting for him.

Naturally, because we are awesome and you wish you were cool like us, we segued into discussing “Tapestry,” Season 6, Episode 15, Star Trek: The Next Generation. This is not the first time we’ve discussed this episode and the trend of do-overs in TNG. I’m serious: it came up earlier this year. We are consistent, okay? Plus, it also reminds me that I haven’t yet shared all my Ashley Judd pictures! I’ll get on that ASAP, I promise.

Elizabeth: we have, in the last thirty minutes, discussed chicken wings, heavy emotional shit, an episode of star trek tng that we’ve even discussed before, divorce, rebuilding one’s life, and legos

the Cappy: I rule. I know.

Yeah, legitimately, now I’m lego-shopping thanks to his link. I should totally get him some Star Wars ones for when he comes to visit at Christmas! ‘Cause it is making him happy to browse through this site, and I believe that everyone in the Army who is super-important and dignified needs quiet time with legos in the comfort of their own apartment, okay? Haters to the left. I’m just giddy that he’s getting out of the Middle East.

the Cappy: I’m glad you sent that
the Cappy: because I totally was thinking of the wrong episode
the Cappy: it wasn’t tapestry
Elizabeth: it wasn’t?
Elizabeth: which one was it
the Cappy: The Inner Light

the Cappy: its where the Enterprise finds a probe in the middle of nowhere
the Cappy: and it zaps Picard
the Cappy: and he ends up living this second life on another planet in his mind
the Cappy: and has a wife and kids and everything
Elizabeth: OH YEAH

I’m sorry, but your father and I talked it over. You can’t come back to the Enterprise ’til you cut your hair and get a job, Captain.

I totally see the comparisons. That’s a very poignant and moving episode, by the way.

Biggest. Dorks. Ever. I love this boy!

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Trente-deux boîtes de soupe, parfaitement identiques.

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Déjà vu cent mille fois en reproduction. Aucune surprise lors de la rencontre de l’oeuvre elle-même. Et puis aujourd’hui Warhol, c’est un peu de la soupe… (oui, osons ce mauvais jeu de mot, les artistes du kitsch ne sont plus à cela près !) D’accord.

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Warhol, Campbell’s Soup Cans, 1962. Museum of Modern Art, NYC.

A mettre cependant en perspective avec le processus d’uniformisation et de standardisation du goût, actuellement à l’oeuvre dans l’industrie agro-alimentaire…

Et à faire dialoguer avec l’article “Compte-Rendu d’Exploration : Six soupes Picard ” !

A utiliser pour la lecture de l’article Kitschen, essai sur le kitsch dans la cuisine.

Mardi 3 novembre, il pleut à Paris…

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Automne – hiver : Saison des soupes

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Et le soir où l’on n’a pas envie de la faire soi-même … mais qu’on préfèrerait éviter de donner dans la brique ou le lyophilisé ?

Que penser des soupes surgelées Picard ? .

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Compte-rendu de dégustation / exploration de six soupes Picard

Mode opératoire : Chaque soupe a été dégustée par deux personnes, après trois minutes au micro-ondes (test en conditions réelles : a priori, rares sont ceux/celles qui font chauffer leurs soupes surgelées à feu doux…). Aucun assaisonnement supplémentaire n’a été ajouté. Afin d’éviter toute influence, la liste des ingrédients des soupes n’a été consultée qu’après dégustation.

Un superbe pain de campagne a été utilisé pour ‘vérifier’ les fonds de soupe qui le méritaient !

________________________________

–é,

Soupe 1 : Potage aux trois légumes verts : haricot vert, brocolis, épinard. (2€70/kg)

Bilan : Cette soupe est très bonne !

La texture est très veloutée, sans être crémeuse. Le goût dominant est clairement celui du haricot vert, avant l’arrivée en renfort du brocoli, en fin de bouche… La soupe est également relevée par une pointe d’oignon. Pas trop salée.

Remarque :  Mais où est passé l’épinard alors ? un peu à la trappe. (Je vérifie !). En y mettant du sien, on le devine, mais il faut avouer qu’il reste extrêmement timide. – C’est bien le seul qu’on puisse faire à cette soupe : à quoi bon créer un effet d’attente sur l’épinard, alors qu’il est quasi absent cette soupe (3%) ?

Ingrédients : Eau, haricots verts (25%), brocolis (2o%), crème fraîche (5%), épinards (3%), oignon, sel, lactose, protéines de lait.

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Soupe 2. Velouté de légumes du potager : carotte, navet, pomme de terre. (3€50/kg)

Bilan : Cette soupe est plutôt bonne, mais tellement sucrée…

La texture est plus liquide que la soupe précédente. L’attaque se fait sur une saveur sucrée de navet, avant le développement du goût de l’oignon. La carotte est surtout présente dans la couleur de la soupe, et en fin de bouche par une note légèrement terreuse. Sur certaines bouchées, le goût d’une herbe inidentifiable surgit (après examen de la composition, je crois que c’était le poireau) L’ensemble est suave, sucré, agréable mais assez rapidement écoeurant. Disons qu’on ne s’en resservirait pas un second bol.

Remarque : La pomme de terre, qu’on attendait pour épaissir l’ensemble, est assez neutre, et la soupe reste vraiment liquide (c’est la plus liquide des soupes testées ici).

Ingrédients : Eau, carottes (12%), courgettes, oignon, pommes de terre (5%), navet (5%), poireau, beurre (2%).

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Soupe 3. Velouté de cresson, pomme de terre, crème fraîche. (3€95/kg)

Bilan : Cette soupe a du caractère, et restitue vraiment celui du cresson.

La texture est veloutée, crémeuse, sans être écoeurante. Le goût du cresson est agréablement restitué ; son amertume est parfaitement maîtrisée par la compagnie de la crème et de la pomme de terre. Le persil joue par petites touches, sur certaines bouchées. L’ensemble conserve un côté brut, à peine assaisonné. (Qui se marie très bien avec l’acidité d’un bon pain de campagne…!)

Remarque : Pas trop salée ; à la limite, plutôt légèrement sucrée par la crème mais cette fois sans excès. Equilibre impeccable entre sel, sucre, amertume et acidité de la soupe (apportée par le poivre – ou plutôt par l’arôme naturel de poivre, qui me laisse perplexe : pourquoi ne pas utiliser du bon vieux poivre plutôt que d’en extraire l’arôme? Peut être pour mieux en maîtriser le dosage… )

Ingrédients : Eau, cresson (26%), pommes de terre (16%), crème fraîche (14,9%), persil, sel, amidon de riz, arôme naturel de poivre.

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Soupe 4. Velouté fève, épinard, cuisinée à l’huile d’olive. (2€90, vendu en sac de 600g)

Bilan : Cette soupe est écoeurante.

La saveur des légumes est couverte par un goût d’huile d’olive industrielle rance, type Puget de grosse cavalerie. Les fèves arrivent à se faire un peu remarquer, les épinards restent sur la réserve. Quant à la texture, elle se rapproche de celle du mouliné de légumes, et conserve de la mâche. Mais elle possède aussi un côté visqueux, assez désagréable.

Remarque : Cette soupe est trop salée, trop marquée sur l’huile, sans aucune finesse de l’ensemble. Tout cela est très écoeurant. (Je ne la sauce même pas, elle gâche le pain!)

Ingrédients : Eau, fèves (12%), pommes de terre (12%), huile d’olive vierge extra (5%), feuilles d’épinard coupées (4,5%), feuilles de blette coupées, pois chiches, extrait de levure, ail, sel, sauce piquante (piment, hile d’olive, sel, ail).

Soupe 5. Potage au champignon, pomme de terre, crème fraîche. (3€65/kg)

Bilan : Cette soupe est une vraie gourmandise !

Le petit goût de sous-bois du champignon est bien là, dans mon bol, et se développe gentiment en bouche. Au même moment, une saveur de caramel au beurre salé surgit, et ne vous quitte plus. Incroyable.  L’ensemble est assez liquide, et légèrement sucré.

Remarque : Le côté beurre noisette de cette soupe se marie très bien avec les saveurs du champignon!

Ingrédients : Champignon de Paris (43,8%), eau, pomme de terre, oignon, crème fraîche, carotte, céleri rave, beurre, sel, ail.

Soupe 6. Velouté d’asperge verte, pomme de terre, crème fraîche (4€95/kg)

Bilan : Cette soupe joue bien le jeu de l’asperge.

On retrouve vraiment le goût de l’asperge verte, avec son côté terreux, si caractéristique. La texture est bien veloutée et crémeuse (sans être lourde ou écoeurante).

Remarque : L’assaisonnement est discret, mais bien dosé. Ce qui faut de sel et de poivre à mon goût.

Ingrédients : Eau, asperges vertes (29%), pommes de terre précuites (11%), lait écrémé en poudre, crème fraîche (3%), beurre, sel, poivre blanc.

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Bilan général de l’exploration : Que penser des soupes surgelées Picard ?

Sur les six soupes dégustées, quatre sont vraiment réussies, et mériteraient qu’on s’en resserve un second bol… Les deux autres (soupe 2 et 4) sont plus écoeurantes : la soupe carotte navet (2) est plutôt agréable mais trop sucrée ; le palais en est vite saturé. Quant à la soupe fève épinards à l’huile d’olive (4), elle est décidément sans finesse, trop salée, lourde, au point qu’on a du mal à finir son assiette !

Elle est en réel décalage avec le reste des produits testés : de façon générale en effet, les soupes Picard restituent bien le goût du légume, avec un côté brut, légèrement assaisonné.

Côté ingrédients, ils sont plutôt rassurants, simples et naturels. Un peu d’amidon de riz, et des protéines de lait se baladent dans certaines soupes ; et puis ce mystérieux arôme naturel de poivre qui vient mettre son grain dans la soupe de cresson…

Côté prix, selon les ingrédients, ils vont du simple au double. Les sacs étant souvent conditionnés par kilo, ils restent plus attractifs que ceux des soupes en briques, etc.

Ma préférée ? La soupe aux légumes verts ! Et celle de ma mère !

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Vous les avez goûtées ? Vous connaissez d’autres bons (ou mauvais) plans soupes ?

N’hésitez pas à laisser un commentaire !

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Compte-rendu à mettre en perspective avec l’article Warhol, c’est de la soupe!

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More than three years ago, I and some college friends were making plans for our evening. Katherine, a compatriot of mine since the discovery of our mutual love for Star Trek the Next Generation during our Freshman year, suggested an episode or two. After all, what’s an evening on-campus without a little Riker beard? We contacted Kathleen, a fellow Star Trek fanatic who has actually become my fiance (what better foundation for a solid marriage than Data’s existential groanings, Riker’s insatiable need for the opposite sex, and one big heaping pile of Borg?), joined us for one of my all-time favorite episodes. You know the one! That’s right. Data starts dreaming. The next thing we know, he’s answering telephones in his chest and contemplating a refreshing beverage straight from Riker’s skull! The most striking image, of course, is Counselor Troy divided up into birthday cake slices. That moment of Star Trek stuck with me over the years with more vividness than any other.

I have to wonder, is this Melvin’s music video an allusion? I can’t help but assume that the mighty King Buzzo, singer and guitarist, knew what he was doing. All we need now is a couple of rogue agents to gun down a representation of Sigmund Freud from the Enterprise Holodeck, yes?

PSA: Wesley Crusher’s Butthole is in Constant Jeopardy!

Did You Know?

It gets lonely in deep space, and Starfleet chicks are mainly bleah (we’ll spotlight non-bleahs as time goes by, don’t you fret). Consequently, Wesley Crusher’s butthole is in constant jeopardy.

PICARD
A bit of good news, as well.
We’re to rendezvous with a
shuttlecraft carrying Wesley
Crusher. He’s on vacation from
the Academy.

Riker reacts, pleasantly surprised.

RIKER
Wesley… good. We’ll need an
extra hand around here.

Picard smiles — it’s clear they’re both looking
forward to seeing Wesley again.

– Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 5, Episode 106, “The Game.”

Almost makes me feel sorry for him, but he’s got that creepy German Shepherd mole on his neck. Forget it!

Remember how I mentioned not long ago that I’d spent an entire morning downloading pictures of Ashley Judd in this and her other featured episode as Ens. Robin Lefler on TNG? Yeah, I’ve finally had enough private time with that, and I’m ready to share. So look for that!

Há dois posts recentes que lidam com assuntos muito interessantes… e que eu realmente gostaria de ter mais tempo pra comentar mais extensivamente… mas, por enquanto, os links vão ter que servir.

• Witten on Analytic Continuation of Chern-Simons Theory; &
• Seminar on Cobordism and Topological Field Theories at UCR.

Ambos os assuntos dos links acima estão interligados e de modo não-trivial, o que significa que ainda há muita Física escondida por aí.

A palestra do Witten tem como background um assunto muito interessante: Teoria de Morse nos complexos e em superfícies de dimensão infinita. Mais sobre isso pode ser lido nas seguintes referências,

• The Picard-Lefschetz theory of complexified Morse functions; &
• Witten’s complex and infinite-dimensional Morse theory.

De saidêra, eu deixo um artigo bem interessante: Applying Physics Concepts to Questions in Education.

Ich nutze den MusicBrainz-Tagger Picard, um meine Musik komfortabel mit den korrekten ID3-Tags zu versorgen. Leider hat die momentan in den Ubuntu-Quellen befindliche Version 0.11 einen nervigen Bug, der das Scripting mit Picard unmöglich macht. Jedesmal, wenn man dort eine Klammer eingibt, friert das Programm ein. Doch gerade in der Möglichkeit, die zu speichernden Tags durch Scripting zu beeinflussen, ist eine der großen Stärken des Programms. Der Bug selbst ist den Picard-Entwicklern schon lange bekannt und behoben, jedoch wird die offizielle Veröffentlichung wohl noch etwas auf sich warten lassen, denn der Fix ist erst für die nächste Version 0.12 angekündigt. Wer jedoch jetzt schon in den Genuss der Scripting-Funktionen kommen möchte, kann auch selbst Hand anlegen, denn da Picard in Python geschrieben ist, brauch man lediglich den Quellcode anzupassen, ohne das Programm neu kompilieren zu müssen. Die Änderungen belaufen sich außerdem gerade einmal auf zwei Codezeilen in einer einzigen Datei. Die nun folgende Anleitung zum Selbstbeheben des Fehlers entnehme ich dem betreffenden Patch der Picard-Entwickler.

Die betreffende Datei heißt passenderweise scripting.py und befindet sich im Verzeichnis /usr/share/pyshared/picard/ui/options. Zunächst einmal sollte man von der zu bearbeitenden Datei eine Kopie anlegen, denn sicher ist sicher.

~$ cp /usr/share/pyshared/picard/ui/options/scripting.py ~

Gibt man diesen Befehl im Terminal ein, so erhält man eine Kopie der Datei in seinem Heimatverzeichnis. Anschließend öffnet man die Original-Datei mit Root-Rechten, um die Änderungen vorzunehmen. Ich verwende gedit zum Bearbeiten, natürlich kann hier jeder seinen favorisierten Texteditor nutzen:

~$ gksudo gedit /usr/share/pyshared/picard/ui/options/scripting.py

Die zwei nun zu bearbeitenden Codezeilen befinden sich in den Zeilen 53 und 57. Gegebenenfalls muss man hierzu in den Optionen des Texteditors die Anzeige von Zeilennummern aktivieren. In gedit setzt man dazu den betreffenden Haken vor der Option “Zeilennummern anzeigen” unter Bearbeiten -> Einstellungen. Im folgenden habe ich den einzugebenden Code grün gefärbt, zum Vergleich steht jeweils noch der alte Code in rot darüber.

[...]
Zeile 53 alt:          index = text.indexOf(expr)
Zeile 53 neu:          index = expr.indexIn(text)
[...]
Zeile 57 alt:              index = text.indexOf(expr, index + length + b)
Zeile 57 neu:              index = expr.indexIn(text, index + length + b)
[...]

Anschließend speichert man die Datei und kann von nun an die Scriptingmöglichkeiten in Picard voll ausnutzen. Hierzu gibt es in der offiziellen Picard-Dokumentation eine sehr ausführliche Liste mit möglichen Funktionen und Befehlen.

Zum Schluss habe ich zu diesem Fehler noch ein Launchpad-Ticket für das Ubuntu-Paket angelegt. Vielleicht wird der Fix ja demnächst auch in der offiziellen Ubuntu-Version übernommen.

Listen to the episode HERE.

When Mandi likes a thing, she needs more of that thing in whatever form she can get it. Before discovering Star Trek fanfic, it were the official novels. At one point she had the entire set.

I’m a bit different when it comes to my fandoms. I tend to only enjoy the original iteration. With films I often don’t even feel the need to see the sequels. Though, of course,  I eventually do. I just don’t feel the need. For me having that one perfect movie or book is enough.

So I generally don’t wait in baited anticipation for movie adaptations of my favourite books and reading about the Star Wars Expanded Universe never appealed to me (though I did dip my toe into the Thrawn graphic novels).  The same has applied to Star Trek books. I have more than enough Star Trek to watch and re-watch, why would I need, what I assumed were poorly written, novels on top of that?

But with Star Trek there’s a few extra Nerd Hurdles I needed to leap. Yes, the assumption of simplistic, cheesy writing is at the top of the list, but it’s due mostly to some of the worst book cover art outside of Harlequin romances.

Take Masks for instance. Floating heads over a volcano. And not just the usual nicely blended floating heads you might see on a movie poster, but these look like they were torn from another book cover and pasted on as an afterthought. Picard looks okay but what’s with Riker’s expression? He’s looking both drunk and constipated. I suppose that fits with my general feelings about Riker as a character anyway. Not the wall-eyed drunk so much but there’s something stuck up somewhere within him.

Which is one of the reason’s I’ve never jumped on the Star Trek bookmobile. They seem generally Riker intensive. They were also lined up on one of my highschool buddy’s shelves along with his Dragonlance books. Forever the two series have been intertwined in my subconscious. That’s not exactly true. They’ve been intertwined in the forefront of my consciousness, no “sub” about it. I imagine I don’t need to explain Dragonlance books are a hurdle for me on principle.

 So what did I discover about Star Trek novels during the course of this rather tangent-intensive episode? You’ll have to listen (link at the top of the post) to find out.

Notes: I have since read up about Oliver Cromwell and the Princes in the Tower on Wikipedia.  So there’s no need to school me on English history. Well, there is a need. But not about those two particular subjects.

~ Jakob

The aspect of Tokyo Pop seems to integrate well with pop culture. The key is to maintain a consistent experience but make it work differently within the whole.

Battlestar Galactica: Echoes Of New Caprica The element to maintaining consistency is the balance of the personas established on-screen with extraneous storylines while offering a different perspective in terms of the interpretation of the art of the character. Some characters you can tell are maintained but others are kept vague, presumably because of copyright issues. The first story is set on New Caprica has Laura Roslin trying to run her school and maintain some kind of routine. Dean Stockwell’s character who looks more like a portly version of Michael Knight’s boss on the 1980s TV series “Knight Rider” is trying to make Roslin stop teaching Colonial history. Sheturns it into a standoff about the safety of the kids in her class. Colonel Tigh, working in the background, knows that the rebels have to hit the Toasters. The progression here seems different in terms of the possibility of treating Maya (who turns out to be a Cylon) or her adopted daughter any differently due to what happens later in the series. Baltar’s impression as the President is actually drawn much more as a caricature which is obviously a purposeful choice but also almost too much in your face. Also the biting sarcasm of Baltar is not as represented as it should be. The views of Sharons and the Sixes also are much different in their designs which might create some boundary issues. The resolution of this particular story also is not very impactful.

The second story of this volume follows the inception of a plan by Tom (played in the series by Richard Hatch) to purge and inter the violence against New Caprica betrayers in a swift and quick action. After his friend Jorad seems to get cold feet on the endeavor, Tom enlists Tigh to help take care of the problem. Mirroring the later Cassie airlock execution, Jorad tells Tom that he only did it for his children. You see a brief moral dilemma for Tom’s character. The story was written by Hatch and it plays quite well as during the airlock you begin to see his failings distort. The problem is at times the writing is too verbose when it should simply be used to accentuate the action.

The third story in the Battlestar contingent by comparison is too reaction delayed and also covers some of same ground as the series. However some scenes with Kara (aka Starbuck) especially when she is sitting in bed before grabbing for her liquor bottle gives her a gist almost of Roland from “The Gunslinger”. Her concern is even more accentuated because she finds Kacey, the girl that she seemed to mother on New Caprica, wandering around the ship. The story meanders about but especially in the aforementioned image and frames of her isolated in a crowded area, the possibilities are heightened.

Star Trek: The Next Generation Vol. 1 With the inset of the retread of years lost, the first story “Changeling” examines the similarities and talks about the aspect of Wesley Crusher and his immaturity at the time. Wesley in his would-be state represents the future. But it would have been better relegated if he had the approach of Chris Pine’s Kirk in the new “Star Trek”. Here, Wesley must go through different representations of himself in the holodeck to ascertain his evolution although his last transformation into a hot girl seems a bit much. “Sensation”  by comparison in tone seems more like a TOS episode. The aspect of a misunderstood or misplaced race asking for help but outmoded by what can or what needs to be done is the key in this perspective. I was always a little weary of Deanna Troi as an effective crew member since her interpretations are for the most part too subjective. Her eventual connection to the ethos of the colonists through meditation (which allows her to see the structured hallucinations affecting the colonists) is quite clever although it would be interesting to see it live action with today’s special effects.

“The Picardian Knot” has Picard suffering from would-be withdrawal after a mind meld that happens with Sarek before the story begins. The character structure is out of mode for how he functions. The Neutral Zone angle including an assassination attempt and an artifact left by the assailant seems too contrived. Even though there is a sweet ending, it is lazy storytelling. “Loyalty” in conclusion is one of those oratory filled Star Trek episodes that makes one think of “12 Angry Men” as a structure piece. Nothing action wise happens in general with the exception of erstwhile framing of story. However like TNG episode “Conspiracy”, the aspect of cutthroat politics makes for good dialogue, deft scene structure and interesting pace. Despite a lack of standalone capability, like “Lost”, this simple script about a man not present gives a good perception of psychology and command structure.

The key with adapting good sci-fi into the manga world is to allow different artist perceptions within the structure of what one knows. While “Battlestar” has its moments of poignancy, TNG’s adaptation especially within tales like “Loyalty” show a more inherent understanding of the universe.

Okay, going from best to worst (and btw, take a look at my blog name and gravatar if you’re not sure what way I’m going to go here).

If your sensibilities towards your favourite captain are easily offended and you get mad if someone is rude about them, (I know I do, hehe.) then I suggest you either stop reading right now or bear in mind that this is my opinion and I am entitled to it, and keep reading. And my opinion is right.

1: Janeway. The best captain. Tough, courageous, intelligent, gutsy, charismatic, confident, daring, unorthodox, intuitive, noble, protective, a natural leader, justifiably brash, and she practically bleeds authority. She even has rough edges, like arrogance, stubbornness, and a touch too much self-assurance on occasion. Much like real people have flaws. Not to mention that the real-life woman Kate Mulgrew is the best actor out of the lot of them by a considerable order of magnitude. The best captain, hands fucking down. Also, and this is coming from a heterosexual woman, she’s the best looking one of the lot of them.

(Insult HUGE GAP here between 1 and the rest of the list, similar to the kinds of gulfs that separate galaxies in this immense universe we live in). I think that illustrates how strongly I feel about this matter.

2: Original Series/movies Kirk. This lad’s got some pizzazz, he’s ballsy and brave. Still, I have some questions over his ability to keep any member of his crew not on the senior staff alive…

3: Picard. This man’s way to soft for my liking. Not what I want or expect from my science fiction heroes. Being cerebral is fine and admirable, but I want some badass attitude and some pizzazz as well as that. This guy has NIL, nadda. He doesn’t exhibit forcefulness often enough, which is a shame, because when he does, he’s a real leader, reaching similar heights to Janeway and Kirk. Sure, he’s a professional, but at the cost of his guts. Just tell the Romulans to go to hell man, they do the same to you! Grrrrrrrr. He may be third on my list, but he is certainly second in terms of acting ability. The real life man, Patrick Stewart, is almost at good as Mulgrew in the believability department.

4: Kirk from the new movie. Yup, he’s perhaps a bit young, but he’s got a style and method all his own, which is quickly established in the movie. I think Chris Pine gave a fine performance. Although he does get beaten up a bit too much for my liking. I thought he had advanced combat training? Sheesh. You don’t see Janeway and Picard having their asses handed to them, they’re usually the ones delivering the punishment when necessary. Also, Pine is the second best looking one of the bunch.

5: Archer. He’s to easily led, is easily offended and loses his temper WAY to easily.

6: Sisko. Wow, what a fucking dick. He’s a whiner and skin-peelingly annoying, he looks so miserable most of the time I would reach inside the screen and give him a hug if I didn’t think he was such an idiot. There’s simmering, and then there’s just being a complete arse. He is the latter. However, I have nothing against Avery Brooks, for the record. He seems like a nice guy. If I don’t like a character I’m not going to hold it against their real-life counterpart. That’s just deeply weird.

Case closed.

Voyager out.

Trece greu timpul atunci cand nici macar gandurile nu pot rezista caniculei din depozit. Incep sa cred ca acest loc de munca nu este decat un spatiu in care pierd timpul. Cu siguranta nici astazi nu pot crea imaginea accidentului. Parcarea este goala, nu ma poate calca nici macar o masinuta teleghidata. Mi-e greu sa gasesc un text care sa-mi dinamizeze textul, sa il faca o drama teatrala.

As vrea sa ploua, sa vad oameni plouati, caini plouati. Daca ar incepe furtuna cred ca iarasi as lasa un text prozaic neterminat, inselandu-l cu boema poezie. La o poezie nu obosesti -la modul fizic- scriind, ideile  vin destul de repede si sunt compactate.

Totusi ceva amuzant s-a petrecut astazi. Bine, nu se compara cu macabrul accident la care viseaza mintea mea bolnava si sadica. Am aflat un zvon…o barfa…Intr-o fabrica cu un numar mai mic de 100 de angajati sa devin subiect de barfa dupa numai trei zile de activitate il consider o realizare. Unul dintre colegi, om cu parul alb a aflat ca as fi strain. Se gandea ca vin din Anglia sau Franta.

“Considerati-ma scotian, intotdeauna am avut o simpatie aparte pentru acele meleaguri”, am replicat eu.  Daca acest blogo-text ar fi avut statului unei opere literare, mi-as fi continuat precizarea in felul urmator: “Vin din Edinburgh si sustin echipa Hibernians. In timpul liber port kilt si imi place sa cant la cimpoi”.

Dar repet: aceasta nu este o opera literara…e un amarat de blogo-text. Totusi, lamurind politicos problema i-am explicat omului ca sunt roman si ca sunt un tanar inginer. Oare n-a dat de banuit faptul ca vorbesc foarte bine limba romana?

Mi s-a incins creierul de la aceasta anecdota si de la ideile trasnite pe care le astern pe foaie de cateva zile incoace.

Opriti-va o clipa din citit! Nu seamana acest text cu un jurnal de fabrica? Ceva in genul jurnalul capitanului Picard transpus in fabrica de gips-carton? Cred ca numele de blogo-text sau blogo-jurnal  se pliaza perfect. Oare cati din voi vor citit textul si oare cati dintre cititori vor fi curiosi sa afle si numele companiei?

Uite ca e tarziu si trebuie sa termin statistica pe ziua de azi. Daca n-o fac eu nu o va face nimeni.