Rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generation after a 20-year break. The Enterprise visits a sexist planet run by women, where… well, that’s about it. There’s nothing particularly science-fictional about the plot, except that the Enterprise is tracking a space-freighter and looking for space-survivors who disappeared years ago near this space-planet. There’s nothing strategic about the…
From Buzzfeed: Sitting before the Stars and Stripes, another flag pinned to his lapel, former president Barack Obama appears to be delivering an important message about fake news — but something seems slightly…off. Similar:The chief engineer of a fantasy #steampunk flagship needs a small booth for shift change r…AestheticsWhy are we so bored?On average…
The girl tried to weird me out with a video of the Latvian “blblblblbl ah ah” guy. I retaliated with Devo’s “Whip It” and Max Headroom, then finished her off with “Now is the time on Sprockets when we dance.” Similar:Sad Doggy Says: People Who Confuse Correlation and Causation Are More Likely to Accept Sch…Somehow…
In “Datalore,” an encounter with Data’s more human-like “brother” showcases Brent Spiner’s acting talents and the optical FX crew’s mad split-screen skillz. While I enjoyed the plot twists and character bits as they happened, as a work of science fiction this episode offers little beyond popcorn “evil twin” fare.
The opening captain’s log lampshades an unprompted, random visit to Data’s home planet. The “Data practice sneezing” scene is silly, but the character development subtly allies Data’s desire to be human with Wesley’s desire to be respected by adults. The scene also accustoms us to the idea that Picard uses Wesley to deliver in-person messages, which kinda sorta helps explain why in this episode Wesley ends up where he needs to be to witness just enough to suspect Lore, but not enough to prove anything to the dumb-as-a-fencepost adults.
Similar:Did you see that guy’s license plate?Did you see that guy’s license plate? …AmusingProper commenting is an important part of coding any project, especially in an educational…Proper commenting is an important part o…PersonalCrazy, Kinetic, Acoustic Visit to the Carnegie Science CenterA few days ago, I blogged about visiting…EducationGreat energy at our Comp & Culture poster…
My 20yo son, who plays a lot of Star Wars battle simulations, was very taken with the music and story. I had read about this game when it came out, so some plot points were spoiled for me, but I still teared up at the end. You can find it for a very reasonable price…
Rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generation after a 20-year break. The first of (far too) many “trapped on the holodeck” episodes. Exhausted while preparing for a high-stakes diplomatic ritual, Picard takes a break in a virtual-reality simulation of a 1940s detective novel. I remembered enjoying Brent Spiner’s portrayal of Data adapting to the noir setting,…
Sometimes people get the name of my school wrong. On a whim, I searched Google for “dennis jerz seton hall” and found a recent letter to the editor that referenced one of my handouts: Verify or Duck: Good Journalists Confirm Details They Didn’t Witness Dennis Jerz of Seton Hall University writes “Good journalists confirm details they…
Similar:More #blender3d #cgi practice. Added workstations underneath the chief engineer's sta…PersonalFaculty Senate meet & greet. With food. In the parlors till 6. AcademiaAdded a splash of color to this section of a #neovictorian #steampunk control panel (for m…AestheticsCarolyn made it to the next round of the 2017 PPT Shakespeare Monologue contest. Finals ar…CultureStack of wooden…
Similar:Carolyn as Cosette in the wedding scene in Les Miz. #feelsPersonalDatalore (TNG Rewatch, Season 1, Episode 12) Data's bro wants to be with a big crystal tr…In “Datalore,” an encounter with Data’s …CultureHanging with the rude mechanicals @setonhilluniversityA Midsummer Night’s Dream.CultureFather David Hudgins RIP | In His Own Words My friend from high school passed…
Rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generation after a 20-year break. This low-stakes, character-driven rom-com pulled off everything it set out to do — fill out the romantic backstory between Riker and Troi, showcase Patrick Stewart’s comic timing, and set up an apparently unrelated B plot as the surprise resolution to the A plot. In her…
Rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generation after a 20-year break. The powerful, unpredictable Q conjures a Napoleonic scenario from Picard’s mind and takes the rest of the bridge crew there, leaving Picard on the Enterprise. Memorable not for the fuzzy-faced toy soldiers that get way too much screen time, but for a Shakespeare quote battle…
Similar:Here I am sketching spaceships like I’m 12 again. I feel like re-reading the novelization …AestheticsThe Forsaken (#StarTrek #DS9 Rewatch, Season 1, Episode 17) Lwaxana Troi and the station c…Rewatching ST:DS9 Bashir is hosting t…CultureSecurity is Sleeping in the Back Seat of the CarFor decades, my mother collected paperba…EmpathyAnd you thought your last teleconference was…
Similar:Me, contemplating the implications of maybe doing a socialize this weekend.PersonalI was perhaps a bit more conversational and chipper than usual during class today. A grinn…I was perhaps a bit more conversational …AcademiaMy college writing students are out making short videos responding to a prompt.While my students are out of the room ma…AcademiaFall 2023 Grades:…
Similar:My 1951 day DuoLingo streak was fun, but… Ever since DuoLingo announced it…BusinessI Find Myself in Another Showhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=517BhV1j0…DramaSimulated iceberg, preserved artifacts and re-creations at the Titanic installation. …CultureIt's been a Dwarf Fortress afternoon. AwesomeShe was nervous about the dog misbehaving during "Tomorrow," so I told her she could pract… https://youtu.be/718e4XsNvGY Leap…AmusingAnother very rough day. Students…
A Ferengi set on revenge tricks Picard into lowering the Enterprise’s shields and unceremoniously beams him into space.
Uh, no, actually the Ferengi plan involves finding a derelict starship Picard abandoned nine years ago and slipping a beach-ball sized “thought maker” into his personal effects, so that when he stops by his old cabin and gets a headache he can’t finish packing, so his uninspected trunk is brought to his quarters on the Enterprise, where opening the lid tips over a bucket, causing a marble to flip a little man into a tub, in which Picard re-enacts the Battle of Maxia and triggers the jittery vengeful descent of a little plastic cage.
She ended up waiting out the light cycle directly in front of me. When I looked straight ahead I was looking at her profile. With an innocent expression she continued to pretend not to notice she had cut me off, but I guess guilt or curiosity got the better of her, and she glanced to her left. I was ready.
In which Wesley commits a crime on the Legalistic Planet of Blond Joggers. (Rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generation after a 20-year break.) We get right into the story by having an away team return to the bridge and briefly report on their first contact with the Edo, a peaceful people who seem to spend…
Similar:My mother has taught me so much. I'm delighted I get to sit in her living room and te…PersonalI told them to put their name on both pages.I told them to put their name on both pa…AcademiaCrabby 10yo Ties Self to Pole to Protest InjusticeMy wife confiscated my preteen daughter’…CultureFrom this station on the bridge,…
I had a complex model that I created in Blender 2.79, and imported (with some tweaking) successfully to Unity 2018 a few months ago. When I switched to Blender 2.8 and Unity 2018.2, I found big problems with my model. Blender 2.8b tells me that all the normals are exactly what I expect — the…