-created by grant naylor
1988-
Well...
Entertaining comedy sci fi. Fun...and never, ever brilliant, which might be a cause for unending frustration, as you might feel this show DESERVES to be brilliant. It certainly had enough chances, with twelve series spread out over four decades. And the novel that inspired it, by rob grant and doug naylor, was smart and funny enough to beget brilliance.
What might Star Trek be if it refused to take itself seriously? The premise is dandy - a deep-space mining vessel suffers a cataclysm, and three million years later the sole remaining crew member, a happy-go-lucky ne'er-do-well, awakens from quantum suspension in the brig, and points the ship homeward. His companions are a senile ship's computer, a holo-projection of the arrogant coward responsible for the radiation disaster, a humyn/cat hybrid, and a service mechanoid he teaches to have a real personality (in other words, lie).
If you catch one of the show's better episodes, you might be charmed. And beneath the humor, they do have occasional legitimate sci fi premises. It's just neither smart nor consistently funny enough to be top-tier. If you commit to watching the whole thing, you may deal with unending finger-pointing over why it's not great. The acting of star craig charles is atrocious the first couple seasons. The cat is a poorly-conceived regular - how many ways can you have him say "I'm vain and dumb"? The writers really failed the actor there. Ultimately, your biggest finger-point might be embarrassment over a franchise created by two men starring four men. Gosh, what a surprise!
Still in all, not awful. If you're hospitalized and recovering from seventy-three broken bones, this might get you through a week or two.
Saturday, September 28, 2019
Thursday, September 19, 2019
"Heavens on Earth"
(The Scientific Search for the Afterlife, Immortality, and Utopia)
-by michael shermer
2018
How can a skeptic have anything to say about the afterlife, that most discrete leap of faith? Our species, so irrepressibly clever, devises ever-more-preposterous ways to measure smallness, largeness, and beyond...we extrapolate, deduce, and "prove" realities unseen...yet no telescope, microscope, or algorithm offers one shred of evidence for an afterlife.
The short answer? He can't. But he'll provide statistical, anthropological, and psychological insight into the whys and wherefores of afterlifeism, before delving into those other topics. He'll explore altered states of consciousness, and debunk psychic charlatans and near-death experiences. He'll explore cryonics, anti-aging theories, computer mind uploading, and the evolutionary psychology of those who think civilization is in decline despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. He'll show why utopian experiments have always led to dystopian nightmares. From the letters of executed prisoners, he'll show what we focus on when death is near (hint: it ain't esoteric speculation). In a burst of hope for those unfortunate souls living in Iran or Texas, he'll show that as many as half of all humyns don't believe in an afterlife.
And he'll save the best for last. His most delightful and resonant prose comes in the final chapter, where he talks about meaning in a "meaningless" world, and how the awe that comes with even partial understanding of the wonders of the universe can lead to a life immensely more motivated and creative and caring than a worldview based upon scriptures from the recesses and backwaters of our intellectually and morally stunted past.
Nicely done, michael.
-by michael shermer
2018
How can a skeptic have anything to say about the afterlife, that most discrete leap of faith? Our species, so irrepressibly clever, devises ever-more-preposterous ways to measure smallness, largeness, and beyond...we extrapolate, deduce, and "prove" realities unseen...yet no telescope, microscope, or algorithm offers one shred of evidence for an afterlife.
The short answer? He can't. But he'll provide statistical, anthropological, and psychological insight into the whys and wherefores of afterlifeism, before delving into those other topics. He'll explore altered states of consciousness, and debunk psychic charlatans and near-death experiences. He'll explore cryonics, anti-aging theories, computer mind uploading, and the evolutionary psychology of those who think civilization is in decline despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. He'll show why utopian experiments have always led to dystopian nightmares. From the letters of executed prisoners, he'll show what we focus on when death is near (hint: it ain't esoteric speculation). In a burst of hope for those unfortunate souls living in Iran or Texas, he'll show that as many as half of all humyns don't believe in an afterlife.
And he'll save the best for last. His most delightful and resonant prose comes in the final chapter, where he talks about meaning in a "meaningless" world, and how the awe that comes with even partial understanding of the wonders of the universe can lead to a life immensely more motivated and creative and caring than a worldview based upon scriptures from the recesses and backwaters of our intellectually and morally stunted past.
Nicely done, michael.
Saturday, September 14, 2019
can you say "muffin"?
Bikers are often treated to fascinating slices of life that go whizzing by. Today i passed an adult leaning down to a child, saying "Would you get your fingers out of your mouth? Can you say 'muffin'?" His tone was...not loveless, but peremptory. The two sentences rolled into one another. They were the words of someone who has spoken such messages too many times, and hasn't slept enough this decade.
I'm sympathetic. Parenting, as our culture constructs it, is a life-sucking exercise at best. Unless you're rich, or a man who knows how to make a womyn do most of the work, parenting is a sucker's bet, and it's only profound socialization that allows anyone to think otherwise.
Not that i'm assuming most parents choose their path. I love the internet, for the avalanches of obscure statistics. Wanna know whether left-handed people have a lower sex drive? Me too! They must, else why would there be so few of them?? Yet the one stat that eludes me is how many people become parents through choice, as opposed to "oops"?
I've been alive for decades, and have uttered millions of words...yet have never said anything vaguely close to "Would you get your fingers out of your mouth? Can you say 'muffin'?" Everyone here turn to the person closest to you, and say those words. Say them like you mean it, and i dare you to not laugh. As i biked on, all i could do was keep repeating those words, amidst giggles and chuckles. It kept me entertained for a mile or two. But it made me think about parenthood, and how on some level it's akin to saying "I really have no idea what to do with my life, but i know i have to do something, and if i keep putting off doing something, people are going to start looking at me funny, so...i don't know, YES, let's make a baby! Oh god, that was a dumb idea..."
The child was a girl, and i felt great sympathy for her. Why can't our culture provide parents less worn-down? Subconsciously, she has to know when a parent is phoning it in. I so, so much wanted for her to respond "I got a muffin for ya, daddy-o. Blow it out your ear." The fact that she was a year or two away from any such language construct only made it funnier. I longed for her to BE that child, and even dreamed of who THAT child might be grown up...the kind of fearless, non-conformist, chop-busting womyn i've always dreamed would be a perfect complement for me.
Which brings me to astrology, for i know what THAT womyn would think of astrology, and i wonder whether there isn't a parallel between parenthood and astrology.
I have no shortage of disregard for tarot and the like...though perhaps not for the reason you assume. Yes, the brazenly unabashed endorsement of superstitious thinking ought make any evolved person cringe, but on a deeper level, our fascination with star signs or readings reveals a profound narcissism at work - it's all about me, tell me about Me, what about MEEEEEEE??? Y'know what, wentworth, maybe it's not all about you. Maybe just maybe you should pull your head out of your ass long enough to take in all the apocalyptic suffering of humyns and other animals on this rock so that you can figure out how you might help, rather than wonder about the dark-haired stranger who will soon make your life bearable.
I'm not unsympathetic. In this culture of greed and fear, we DO all live lives of varying unbearability. Sticking your head up your ass (or inside a bottle) is a perfectly sane response.
But to me, the desire for horoscopes/readings is akin to rolling belly-up and saying "I have no idea what to do about any of this...kill me now, or let magic take me awayyyy..." You might as well curl up on the couch with reality TV, Cosmo, and a heroin needle. The world needs you, but you've checked out with no forwarding address. The copernican revolution was five centuries ago, but most of us still haven't caught up to the notion that our planet (and by extension, ourselves) are NOT the center of the universe.
Can you say "muffin"?
I'm sympathetic. Parenting, as our culture constructs it, is a life-sucking exercise at best. Unless you're rich, or a man who knows how to make a womyn do most of the work, parenting is a sucker's bet, and it's only profound socialization that allows anyone to think otherwise.
Not that i'm assuming most parents choose their path. I love the internet, for the avalanches of obscure statistics. Wanna know whether left-handed people have a lower sex drive? Me too! They must, else why would there be so few of them?? Yet the one stat that eludes me is how many people become parents through choice, as opposed to "oops"?
I've been alive for decades, and have uttered millions of words...yet have never said anything vaguely close to "Would you get your fingers out of your mouth? Can you say 'muffin'?" Everyone here turn to the person closest to you, and say those words. Say them like you mean it, and i dare you to not laugh. As i biked on, all i could do was keep repeating those words, amidst giggles and chuckles. It kept me entertained for a mile or two. But it made me think about parenthood, and how on some level it's akin to saying "I really have no idea what to do with my life, but i know i have to do something, and if i keep putting off doing something, people are going to start looking at me funny, so...i don't know, YES, let's make a baby! Oh god, that was a dumb idea..."
The child was a girl, and i felt great sympathy for her. Why can't our culture provide parents less worn-down? Subconsciously, she has to know when a parent is phoning it in. I so, so much wanted for her to respond "I got a muffin for ya, daddy-o. Blow it out your ear." The fact that she was a year or two away from any such language construct only made it funnier. I longed for her to BE that child, and even dreamed of who THAT child might be grown up...the kind of fearless, non-conformist, chop-busting womyn i've always dreamed would be a perfect complement for me.
Which brings me to astrology, for i know what THAT womyn would think of astrology, and i wonder whether there isn't a parallel between parenthood and astrology.
I have no shortage of disregard for tarot and the like...though perhaps not for the reason you assume. Yes, the brazenly unabashed endorsement of superstitious thinking ought make any evolved person cringe, but on a deeper level, our fascination with star signs or readings reveals a profound narcissism at work - it's all about me, tell me about Me, what about MEEEEEEE??? Y'know what, wentworth, maybe it's not all about you. Maybe just maybe you should pull your head out of your ass long enough to take in all the apocalyptic suffering of humyns and other animals on this rock so that you can figure out how you might help, rather than wonder about the dark-haired stranger who will soon make your life bearable.
I'm not unsympathetic. In this culture of greed and fear, we DO all live lives of varying unbearability. Sticking your head up your ass (or inside a bottle) is a perfectly sane response.
But to me, the desire for horoscopes/readings is akin to rolling belly-up and saying "I have no idea what to do about any of this...kill me now, or let magic take me awayyyy..." You might as well curl up on the couch with reality TV, Cosmo, and a heroin needle. The world needs you, but you've checked out with no forwarding address. The copernican revolution was five centuries ago, but most of us still haven't caught up to the notion that our planet (and by extension, ourselves) are NOT the center of the universe.
Can you say "muffin"?
Tuesday, September 10, 2019
"Star Trek: Phase II/Continues"
STAR TREK: NEW VOYAGES/PHASE II
-created by james cawley and jack marshall
2004-2016
STAR TREK CONTINUES
-developed by vic mignona
2013-2017
These twenty-one episodes, which continue the voyages of the classic TREK, are the only fan films to merit consideration. The production values are startlingly good (particularly STC, which almost looks like a perfected version of the original), the acting competent, and the writing tantalizingly close to good. They take on issues of social relevance, even arguably outdoing DS9, VOY, and ENT (the STC episode on immigrant hatred stands out). The shows are peppered with cameos by TREK/genre actors (marina sirtis, john de lancie, michael dorn, denise crosby, grace lee whitney, william windom, malachi throne, anne lockhart, rekha sharma, gigi edgley, jamie bamber, colin baker, michael forest, john winston, and erin gray...plus christopher doohan as scottie in STC, and creative contributions by dorothy fontana and david gerrold). The stories return to the galactic barrier, the mirror universe, the Defiant, Orion slavers, and introduce a ship's counselor. STC culminates the five-year mission with kirk accepting promotion. Both productions are clearly missing the writing touch of a visionary, to say nothing of lapses in plot structure and plausibility. One wishes they might have strayed further from the "big three", and devoted episodes to uhura or scotty (chekov and sulu get a turn in the sun, with koenig and takei onboard). STP2 particularly suffers from revolving-actor syndrome in the leads, and their scotty is unfortunately reminiscent of dan aykroyd's rendering. But the dialogue is generally competent, and the devotion to the original almost breathtakingly expressed (with a charming mix of state-of-the-art graphics and intentionally clumsy alien costumes). One STC episode starring lou ferrigno as an orion captain, even cracked my franchise-wide marathons. Not brilliant, but brilliantish.
-created by james cawley and jack marshall
2004-2016
STAR TREK CONTINUES
-developed by vic mignona
2013-2017
These twenty-one episodes, which continue the voyages of the classic TREK, are the only fan films to merit consideration. The production values are startlingly good (particularly STC, which almost looks like a perfected version of the original), the acting competent, and the writing tantalizingly close to good. They take on issues of social relevance, even arguably outdoing DS9, VOY, and ENT (the STC episode on immigrant hatred stands out). The shows are peppered with cameos by TREK/genre actors (marina sirtis, john de lancie, michael dorn, denise crosby, grace lee whitney, william windom, malachi throne, anne lockhart, rekha sharma, gigi edgley, jamie bamber, colin baker, michael forest, john winston, and erin gray...plus christopher doohan as scottie in STC, and creative contributions by dorothy fontana and david gerrold). The stories return to the galactic barrier, the mirror universe, the Defiant, Orion slavers, and introduce a ship's counselor. STC culminates the five-year mission with kirk accepting promotion. Both productions are clearly missing the writing touch of a visionary, to say nothing of lapses in plot structure and plausibility. One wishes they might have strayed further from the "big three", and devoted episodes to uhura or scotty (chekov and sulu get a turn in the sun, with koenig and takei onboard). STP2 particularly suffers from revolving-actor syndrome in the leads, and their scotty is unfortunately reminiscent of dan aykroyd's rendering. But the dialogue is generally competent, and the devotion to the original almost breathtakingly expressed (with a charming mix of state-of-the-art graphics and intentionally clumsy alien costumes). One STC episode starring lou ferrigno as an orion captain, even cracked my franchise-wide marathons. Not brilliant, but brilliantish.
Friday, September 6, 2019
Riptide 9
Two new songs, "The Ballad of Violet and Tsutomu", and "Happy Holy"...who is that brilliant guy with the belly laugh?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ie80eSeBiMo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ie80eSeBiMo
Sunday, September 1, 2019
ultimate sci fi TVthon
Get the cashews, salsa, and tofutti! Running-around-the-house-breaks recommended.
morning
-The City on the Edge of Forever, STAR TREK
-War Games, SPACE: 1999
-Survival, UFO
-The Trap, PLANET OF THE APES
-The Secret of Bigfoot, THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN
afternoon
-Doomsday is Tomorrow, THE BIONIC WOMAN
-The Living Legend, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
-Pegasus, GALACTICA '04
-Similitude, STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE
-Unchained Woman, BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25th CENTURY
evening
-Yesterday's Enterprise, STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION
-Far Beyond the Stars, STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE
-Scorpion, STAR TREK: VOYAGER
-200, STARGATE: SG1
-The Last Man, STARGATE: ATLANTIS
-Faith, STARGATE: UNIVERSE
-Objects in Space, FIREFLY
-Spaced Out, WONDER WOMAN
morning
-The City on the Edge of Forever, STAR TREK
-War Games, SPACE: 1999
-Survival, UFO
-The Trap, PLANET OF THE APES
-The Secret of Bigfoot, THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN
afternoon
-Doomsday is Tomorrow, THE BIONIC WOMAN
-The Living Legend, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
-Pegasus, GALACTICA '04
-Similitude, STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE
-Unchained Woman, BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25th CENTURY
evening
-Yesterday's Enterprise, STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION
-Far Beyond the Stars, STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE
-Scorpion, STAR TREK: VOYAGER
-200, STARGATE: SG1
-The Last Man, STARGATE: ATLANTIS
-Faith, STARGATE: UNIVERSE
-Objects in Space, FIREFLY
-Spaced Out, WONDER WOMAN
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