tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8526498499129692237.post6586645576284144653..comments2024-03-22T05:17:53.112-04:00Comments on Big Bad Bald Bastard: Its Fifty-Year Mission: To Entertain, to Inspire, and Occasionally to Provoke DiscussionBig Bad Bald Bastardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01983025559556548658noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8526498499129692237.post-41013005353016348082016-09-11T13:05:35.814-04:002016-09-11T13:05:35.814-04:00Actually, I'm coming around to the view that T...Actually, I'm coming around to the view that Trump's circle of advisors (Giuliani, Ailes, Steve Bannon, Lewandowski, Roger Stone, et al.) are pod people dropping their human disguises.bowtiejackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03269786110593961195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8526498499129692237.post-28770154635741486702016-09-10T21:55:04.917-04:002016-09-10T21:55:04.917-04:00I believe the Clintons and Trumps are hostile liza...I believe the Clintons and Trumps are hostile lizard people. It's not working, Captain!<br />~ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®©https://www.blogger.com/profile/06252371815131259831noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8526498499129692237.post-8210095105321338762016-09-10T01:45:08.006-04:002016-09-10T01:45:08.006-04:00The science of 'Trek' is pretty execrable....The science of 'Trek' is pretty execrable. The physics of FTL-travel is dubious, but the needs of the narrative, with the 'planet of the week' structure, necessitated a lot of handwaving.<br /><br />Regarding alien evolution, H.P. Lovecraft actually imagined some pretty convincing aliens in his pulps, and Poul Anderson is also pretty good at imagining how evolution could work on alien worlds. David Brin and Vernor Vinge also wrote some interesting aliens, though the whole 'ancient alien intervention' theme seems a bit Von Dänikenian to me.<br /><br />Yeah, Thunder, it's better than ours... maybe we need hostile lizard people to threaten us in order to convince us not to kill each other so often.Big Bad Bald Bastardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01983025559556548658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8526498499129692237.post-899126175745260692016-09-09T18:25:41.579-04:002016-09-09T18:25:41.579-04:00The society portrayed in Star Trek isn't perfe...<i> The society portrayed in Star Trek isn't perfect</i><br /><br />No question, but it's better than ours.<br />~ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®©https://www.blogger.com/profile/06252371815131259831noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8526498499129692237.post-54989444507374416982016-09-09T11:27:27.288-04:002016-09-09T11:27:27.288-04:00I've watched a bunch of the original and a few...I've watched a bunch of the original and a few of TNG, but I never became any kind of true fan. Star Trek did, however, contribute to my interest in physics. Understanding what they were saying when they said 'Warp Drive' and learning about anti-matter were important points in my existence, but they also led me to a point where I had (and still have) a great deal of trouble suspending my disbelief around faster than light travel, maneuvering spaceships and directed energy weapons. I also remember wondering at some point in almost every episode why so many aliens were esentially the same physical layout and size as humans. Why would the dominant species of Vulcan Be nothing but humans with deformed ears. Is the human physical structure an inevitable result of the evolutionary process?<br /><br />Obviously, it's because they needed to use human actors, but it's deeper than that. It's incredibly hard for humans - the only intelligent species we've every seen - to imagine the alternative courses evolution might take.<br /><br />Not to mention all the planets they visited with earthlike gravity and breathable Oxygen=Nitrogen atmospheres, or the fact that their tiny little phasers could in no way have delivered enough power to be anything other than fancy laser pointers. But I WOULD recommend Lawrence Krauss' 'The Physics of Star Trek' for a thoughtful analysis of how some of these things MIGHT be possible and what they would require...mikeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13057701313718589322noreply@blogger.com