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:Astronaut Luca Parmitano describes near-drowning experience in spaceWith water already obscuring his vision,…Current_EventsThe Wounded (#StarTrek #TNG Rewatch, Season Four, Episode 12)…
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:New Data Shatters Video Game Player Stereotypes: Gamers Regularly Involved in Community, C…”Gamers are everywhere…
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:Serving at Christmas on the Hill 2025PersonalCharlie Brown has his kite-eating tree. I have my keys-eating chair. #foundthem PersonalTaking a break from my syllabustering in order to design some stairs. I’ve learned so much…Taking a break from my syllabustering in…PersonalSorry, not sorry. I don't want such friends. Back in 2003, shortly after I moved …CultureWe celebrate…
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:Idlewild's Story Book Forest Improves Its SignageIn the past, I have pointed out copy-edi…AestheticsTop deck of a #neovictorian #steampunk cruiser needs an airlock at the top of the spiral s… AestheticsAdded an overhead minimap to my #medievalyork #unity3d simulation. #mysteryplayAdded an overhead minimap to my #medieva…DesignFather-daughter bonding between takes.That’s a prop knife in my…
Similar:On set. #indiefilm #historicaldrama #creativity #enjoylifePersonalWhich of my colleagues wants attention?AcademiaBook geyser. My latest #Blender3D practice.In a peaceful grassy setting, a geyser o…AestheticsA Christmas Carol — new audio adaptationBooksFight choreography via teleconference. As You Like It @steelcityshakespearePersonalSold out opening night of Mamet’s Oleanna. Chilling. Gasps from the audience. Office furni…Sold out opening night of Mamet’s…
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:Shrek: The Musical (Nov 22-24; Stage Right! Greensburg)Come see me as the Captain of the Guard,…Current_EventsIn a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. @thepublicpghIn a hole in the ground there lived a ho…BooksThe Course of True Fun Never Did Run Smooth: A Midsummer Night's Dwarf Fortress ReflectionI am in rehearsals to play Oberon…
Similar:Dress rehearsal for Mamma Mia.PersonalMy Son Plays Mozart Too Fasthttps://youtu.be/gXAtRI1NLxs He says “M…AmusingThe lighting doesn't really convey that this is supposed to be a slightly curved scroll of…AestheticsYes, I do feel rather awesome right now.Lost brand-new earbuds. Reached in pocke…PersonalTrying out a new lens to capture creepy-toy-come-to-life choreography. AestheticsModular support craft from the #neovictorian #steampunk…
Similar:We were a Neilsen ratings family during the pandemicIn March 2020, just as the lockdown clos…Business#SHUConvocation is about to begin @setonhilluniversityPersonalAbove the ready-room desk is the captain's power-napping loft, because self-care is i…AestheticsI'm Gradually Losing My Hearing. (It’s Part of Aging.)During a department meeting today, I not…AcademiaA Grave Tale (a short story I narrated for…
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:The choreographer daughter is doing a thing.The choreographer daughter is doing a th…Personal'Dream' casting a family affairAmong actors in Cabaret Theatre’s upcomi…CultureVolunteering at our local food bankEthicsHelp! I may be running out of excuses for not wearing…Help! I may be running out of excuses fo…CultureA day may come when the strength of the girl fails…
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…