February 2004

Oh no! Controversy!
Submitted Friday, February 27, 2004 - 11:49:01 PM by Klaitu

Here's a little snippet from Bill O'Reilly's site:

Mayor Gavin Newsome has decided that California's law defining marriage as solely between a man and a woman, a law that was voted on directly by the citizens of the Golden State in a proposition, is not worthy of being obeyed. Newsome took a hard look at that marriage law and not only gave it a thumbs down, he gave it a middle finger up.

And by issuing marriage licenses to gay couples himself, Mayor Newsome may have actually broken the law in addition to defying it. California Penal Code Section 115 prohibits the filing or recording of any false instrument in any public office.

Uh-oh.

So I fully expected to see those tough "rule of law" editorials reprised in The Washington Post, the Orlando Sentinel, and the San Antonio Express-News vis-a-vis Newsome. But, alas, they did not appear in those publications or in most other newspapers. Apparently, the law rules in Alabama, but not in San Francisco.

The Ultima Reconstruction
Submitted Friday, February 27, 2004 - 2:12:14 PM by Klaitu

Here's a webpage dedicated entirely to updating news about remakes of the classic Ultima games. It's quite good, much like fansforultima used to be. If you're an oldschool Ultima fan like me, this is the site for you.

http://reconstruction.voyd.net/index.php

Particularly neat is this little video of the Lazarus Project. Enjoy!

http://reconstruction.voyd.net/zips/laztrailer_divx_l.avi

Origin dead.. again
Submitted Thursday, February 26, 2004 - 11:19:44 PM by Klaitu

How many times has Origin died? More than anyone can really count.

In the beginning, there were few gaming companies, and many of them produced good games. My top 5:

1. Sierra On-Line
2. Origin Systems, Incorporated
3. Interplay
4. Microprose
5. Broderbund

Today, all of them are dead, so far as I know, or can tell. What was their fate?

1. Sierra On-Line
Sierra is by leaps and bounds, by far the greatest PC game-making company ever thought of by the human race. It was founded in 1979 and lasted until 1996. "What about Half-Life?" you say? Sierra was sold to Cendant, a.. french.. company in 96. The first thing the company did was fire everyone, and make a FPS. (before that point, Sierra had made no FPS's)

During time of the "real" Sierra, it was headed up by Ken Williams, who was, quite possibly, one of the smartest guys in the computer gaming industry. He predicted the MMORPG in 1992, predicted the industry move to Windows 95 in 1993, and during his tenure, Sierra produced zero games that were absolute crap.

Popular games:
King's Quest series
Leisure Suit Larry Series
Space Quest series

2. Origin Systems, Incorporated
Origin, founded by the Legend, the man.. Richard Garriott. This man was also a genius.. eccentric, but a genius nonetheless. Origin is responsible for Wing Commander and The Ultima series of games. Ultima is, I think, the longest-running epic adventure ever made.

Garriott made a deal with the devil.. Electronic Arts. I don't know why he did this, but I'm sure he had a good reason. Electronic Arts is fascinated with Sports titles, and believes that all series should be published yearly, with or without quality. As a result, you see the quality of the Ultima series die after Ultima 7.

EA eventually usurped Origin, and Origin will be completely dissolved by April 2004. Garriott bailed long ago.

3. Interplay
Not nearly as popular as the first two companied, Interplay was "for gamers, by gamers" and they were owners of the Star Trek TOS license for a long time. Interplay, if I remember correctly, went bankrupt because of some contract dispute over a game that was going to suck anyway.

4. Microprose
You played Civilization. You played Civilization 2. Microprose also owned the Star Trek TNG license for awhile there as well. As best as I can recall, they were absorbed by Activision.

5. Broderbund
Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego? You can think Broderbund for that craze. They also made a game called Bushido Blade, and one called Karitika, not that you'd know about those. I don't know what happened to them.

Evolution of Computer Sound
Submitted Thursday, February 26, 2004 - 4:12:27 PM by Klaitu

This is fascinating for me because I grew up with all these different computers and kinds of cards. So, how far have we come?

1. PC Speaker
One Voice, One note, One tone at a time. Played music by its own beepity frequencies. Check out this sample in MP3 format:
http://www.crossfire-designs.de/download/articles/soundcards/speaker_monkeyisland.mp3

2. Tandy 3-voice/PCjr
What happens when you basically stick 2 PC speakers together? You get Tandy 3 voice! Here's a sample of the same song!
http://www.crossfire-designs.de/download/articles/soundcards/pcjr_monkeyisland.mp3

3. Adlib Music Synthesis
Prepare to leap ahead with actual synthesized sounds, and not a manipulated beeper. It's a huge jump!
http://www.crossfire-designs.de/download/articles/soundcards/adlib_monkeyisland.mp3

4. CMS Gameblaster
There was a time when Creative Labs wasn't too bright. This card is basically what happens if you slap 7 PC Speakers together. It sounds nice though.. but nowhere near AdLib.
http://www.crossfire-designs.de/download/articles/soundcards/gameblaster_monkeyisland.mp3

5. Roland LAPC-1
A True MIDI card that most of you don't own, and have never owned because it is WAY expensive. Still, this is the pinnacle of MIDI playback.
http://www.crossfire-designs.de/download/articles/soundcards/lapc_monkeyisland.mp3

Of course, there were all sorts of other sound cards out there, but most of the remaining ones emulated something You've already seen here (and it didn't work too well).

For more info, check this page out:
http://www.crossfire-designs.de/index.php?lang=en&what=articles&name=showarticle.htm&article=soundcards&page=1

The Passion of the Christ
Submitted Thursday, February 26, 2004 - 2:38:10 PM by Klaitu

You've heard the hype. You've heard the charges. You've seen the previews. You've even read the book. What about the film?

There isn't a lot I can really say about this movie. From a technical perspective, it is probably the most flawless movie I have ever seen. The music is great and fits perfectly. The Languages are accurate. The editing is brilliant, the cinematography is fresh and helps to tell the story.

The story is pretty much the one most of us know: Jesus is crucified. This version adds in some "creative liberty" scenes that work well with the story, but are not biblically accurate. This dosen't detract from the story at all, as all of these added things are in the correct "flavor".

Changes from Bible to movie:

Here's some of the non-biblical things in the movie, at least the stuff I noticed when watching it through once.

- There's a great scene with Jesus making a table for a rich guy. He horses around with his mother some.

- The Satan character has a physical form in this movie. The body is a woman, but the voice is a man's. It's really creepy. The character is not out of place, and I think it is probably almost neccessary for a film.

- The roles of minor characters are often expanded. Peter lops a guys ear off, Jesus heals it.. that's in the Bible, but in the movie that guy who had his ear heald is totally freaked out by it.

- Pontius Pilate's role has been considerably expanded, and of all the supporting characters, I think that I found him the most interesting.. even though all but like 3 of his lines are non-biblical.

- Barabbas was slightly expanded upon in an effective way.

- Near the end of the film, there's some excellent improvisation with the worldly effects of Jesus' death. I won't ruin those for you because they are effective.

Some FAQs:

Q. Is this the most violent movie ever?

A. I don't think so. In fact, I didn't have a problem with having to look away or any of that. Nearly everyone in my theatre was gasping, looking away, or crying for most of the movie though. To boil it down, most of the movie is Jesus stumbling around covered in blood.

Q. Okay, what about gore then?

A. The movie is pretty gory, but not the goriest I have ever seen. Makeup and special effects are used effectively here to lend credance to the story. I don't feel that the movie was overly brutal in any way, nor was there too much "blood and guts". From the way it was filmed, the wounds are obviously there to tell the story, and not there to gross you out.

Q. When does the movie take place?

A. The movie takes place during the 12 hours preceeding the crucifixion for the most part. There are flashbacks to different time periods. The earliest one is when Jesus was a child. The movie ends just after His resurrection.

Q. Is the movie anti-semetic?

A. Not in any way, shape or form. The movie is accurate to the actual events in this regard. Caiaphus, a Jewish religious leader is the main proponent of Jesus' crucifixion. He is backed by other religious leaders of his order. All of who are Jewish. There are others who oppose his Crucifixion, including scores of other Jews. The whole racial thing is irrelevant. The question to ask here is "Is the Bible anti-semetic?" because the movie is pretty close in that regard.


I found this to be one of the best movies I have ever seen, both on technical merit, and on subject matter and story. This is a very heavy film, obviously, so be prepared for that ahead of time. I'm not going to say that the movie is an enjoyable experience, but it is certainly not a waste of time.

I'd recommend this movie to almost anyone, and I think that if you haven't seen it yet, you should go see it as soon as possible.
(if you can find tickets).

Overall Score: 9 out of 10.

Our chickens are diseased
Submitted Thursday, February 26, 2004 - 9:49:57 AM by Branwen

According to today's publication of "International Trade Today," on February 23rd the USDA confirmed that a dangerous strain of avian influenza had been identified in Gonzales County, Texas. As a result, 28 countries to date have banned imports of our poultry. This includes some of our biggest trading partners, such as the European Union, Canada, Mexico, China, India, Japan and Singapore.

You can read more about this here:

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2004-02-24-poultry-banned_x.htm

Let me get this straight. Cows can have mad cow disease, chickens can get fatal flu bugs and pigs just generally like to defecate in their own food supply.

So, anyone up for squirrel stew?

More Space Mexicans
Submitted Wednesday, February 25, 2004 - 1:22:48 PM by Klaitu

Ash sent in with a couple notes:

Edward James Olmos was Adama in the Battlestar Galactica remake.

Roxann Dawson aka B'Elanna Torres is of Mexican descent as well.

Then there's Erik Estrada playing Marco on Sealab 2021. Yeah it's a comedy cartoon, however it still is labeled Sci-Fi.

Mexicans in Sci-Fi
Submitted Tuesday, February 24, 2004 - 3:43:52 PM by Klaitu

A buddy of mine named Nero brought up this question: Where are all the space Mexicans? You know, I thought about that for a bit, and I really couldn't come up with that many. This sort of thing bugs me, so I started making a comprehensive list. I know the most about Star Trek, so there will be lots of Trek ones.

If you guys can think of a Mexican in Sci-Fi, let me know!

Robert Beltran
Played Commander Chakotay on Voyager, the first officer.
His character was American Indian, but he himself is of Mexican descent.

Ensign Lopez
He was an underling of Worf on the Enterprise D who didn't prepare a crew roster properly.

Captain Lopez
A different guy from Ensign Lopez, he was one of the Captains who benefitted from the guidance of Boothby.

Dr. Sanchez
A Medical Examiner during the Original Series.

Ensign Sonya Gomez
An Antimatter specialist on the Enterprise-D who appeared in 2 episodes.

TV Execs Still Idiots
Submitted Tuesday, February 24, 2004 - 1:42:36 PM by Klaitu

That's right, nothing has changed since last report. You may recall that UPN was considering replacing Enterprise with a reality TV show about Amish people in the "outside world".

TV Execs: Hey! This is a great idea!
Congress: Um. That's stupid, no.

The network's proposed Amish reality series has sparked intense criticism from several quarters. Over fifty members of Congress signed a petition protesting against the show, which would follow five teenagers experiencing "normal life" before they decided whether to commit to the Amish lifestyle. "The mentality reminds me of the old sideshows in the circus," congressman Joe Pitts told E! Online. "And it is wrong to do this to a minority group like the Amish."

Subzero in Hell
Submitted Monday, February 23, 2004 - 2:56:14 PM by Klaitu

What's going on? The entire world has changed! The WB has ordered a pilot for a remake of Lost in Space! I can't figure out why they did this.. Lost in Space was a good show, but the WB is dedicated to making only crappy shows. How can a good show fit into a lineup of witches, vampires, and teen angst?

Then it came to me.. They're going to change the series around so that instead of being good, it sucks. Penny will probably be gay, and Dr. Smith will be a black woman, so that there is some cultural diversity. Professor Robinson will probably be an indian that turns into a vampire.

Well, at least they came up with a good idea, which is more than I can say for UPN.

Uematsu's Concert
Submitted Friday, February 20, 2004 - 2:42:45 PM by Klaitu

May 10! You Californian readers out there should mark that on your calendars. Nobuo Uematsu is going to be conducting the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra just before E3. You'd be a fool to miss it!

More Advent Children
Submitted Friday, February 20, 2004 - 2:36:15 PM by Klaitu

IGN has a new trailer out with even more footage, including what appears to be Barret.

http://media.ps2.ign.com/media/608/608155/vids_1.html?fromint=1

The Time Machine.. Series?
Submitted Friday, February 20, 2004 - 2:29:09 PM by Klaitu

From Cinescape:

The word has been heard by the DreamWorks Fan Site that plans for the continuation of the story begun in THE TIME MACHINE are underway. Reliable sources tell the site that Warner Bros. and Arnold Leibovit Entertainment are in discussions about creating a multi-part mini-series that may lead on to future adventures in an ongoing TV series.

Leibovit served as executive producer on the 2002 DreamWorks version of THE TIME MACHINE that starred Guy Pearce as Wells' Victorian chrononaut.

Bakula + Wayne Brady = Hilarity
Submitted Friday, February 20, 2004 - 2:13:53 PM by Klaitu

Wayne: $27.99. Good. "Would you ever show your booby on live TV for publicity?"

Scott: I think I've already done that!

http://64.141.103.97/trexx/bakula/wb1/WayneBradyShowT1.php

Smelling Poop.. Good For You!
Submitted Thursday, February 19, 2004 - 4:58:38 PM by Klaitu

Essentially, you've got a fart in a tube," says Probert.

http://www.nature.com/nsu/040216/040216-13.html

At least some people are sane...
Submitted Thursday, February 19, 2004 - 4:48:49 PM by Klaitu

This one came from Fox News:

DALLAS — A federal appeals court has agreed to hear a request from the woman formerly known as "Jane Roe" to reconsider the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade (search) that legalized abortion.

Norma McCorvey (search), who joined with anti-abortion activists nearly 10 years ago, is seeking to have the decision overturned, citing what she says is more than 30 years of evidence that abortions are psychologically harmful to women.

A federal district judge threw out her initial request in June, saying it was not made within a reasonable time. But the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has agreed to hear McCorvey's arguments March 2.

"It's something that I've wanted ever since Day One, and it's happening," McCorvey said from her Dallas home.

Dallas County District Attorney Bill Hill (search), whose predecessor Henry Wade who was named in the original lawsuit, has not filed a response to McCorvey's appeal. That may put the appeals court in the unusual position of hearing arguments from only one side.

Wade was named in the original case because he was charged with enforcing the Texas law that prevented McCorvey from having an abortion. Hill's office has argued that since that law no longer exists, Hill has no authority to prosecute and should not be sued.

More than 20 Texas law school professors concerned about an unbalanced hearing filed a brief Wednesday asking to be allowed to argue the other side of the case.

"It's important that the court hear from somebody representing the position that the district court took, which I think is clearly right," said David Schenck, a lawyer representing the professors. "At this point, the case is moot, and she's presenting at best a political question."

The Supreme Court decision came after McCorvey had her baby. The baby was the third child McCorvey put up for adoption; she was a 21-year-old carnival worker at the time.

She publicly identified herself as Jane Roe in 1980.

Insidious Capitalism
Submitted Thursday, February 19, 2004 - 1:48:33 AM by Klaitu

Check out the Special K Message Boards and vote for your favorite, most insidious bastion of Capitalism!

Weyland-Yutani
OCP
Umbrella
Cyberdyne
Initech

The Alien "Quadrilogy"
Submitted Wednesday, February 18, 2004 - 2:15:19 PM by Klaitu

They MADE UP the word "Quadrilogy" but nevertheless this DVD set is pretty good!

1. Alien
The Ridley Scott original masterpiece. One-part 2001. One-part Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I'm not into the gore and the suspense myself, but I hadn't seen the original alien in its entirety.

The Alien special features contains a cool section where you watch the audience watch the movie. When the thing rips out the guys chest, there are some seriously disgusted faces in the crowd.

2. Aliens
Oh yeah, James Cameron, and respects Ridley Scott's style. The result is a nifty sequel that dosen't duplicate the original. Oh, and Bishop is cool.

3. Alien 3
What the heck? This movie sucks butt. The first 2 rocked, what happened? Oh, they fired the director that knew what he was doing, and hired a director that didn't. Who dosen't bring back Hicks and Newt? LAME!

4. Alien: Resurrection
Though not quite as horrible as Alien 3, Alien Resurrection also sucked butt. What do you do when your main character died? You clone her. Then there's this whole thing about how you can't clone the woman and get an alien inside her because they are two seperate things. That's like cloning someone and they groe tattoos. Why did it suck so bad? The involvement of Joss Whedon.

They shoulda chopped it in half and called it the Alien "dualilogy" with supplemental fanfic. The difference in quality is THAT striking.

Alien: 7 of 10
Aliens: 8 of 10
Alien 3: 2 of 10
Alien Resurrection: 3 of 10

Overall, you'd probably be better off buying the first two movies seperately and forgetting the other two actually existed.

More Passion of the Christ
Submitted Wednesday, February 18, 2004 - 2:02:45 PM by Klaitu

Here's some comments on "The Passion of the Christ" by Bill O'Reilly:

Mel Gibson's movie, which opens next week (on Ash Wednesday, February 25) is a faithful depiction of the execution of Jesus, according to the Four Gospels.

Only twice does Gibson stray from the scripture.

First, he creates a Satan character, who encourages the catastrophe.

Second, Gibson expands the role of Simon of Cireen - the Jew forced by the Romans to carry the cross Jesus could no longer bear.

Simon is portrayed as a hero, and is given a definition far beyond his appearance in the gospel. This is an obvious attempt by Gibson to show Jewish heroism during the execution of Jesus.

There are Jewish villains as well. According to the gospels and most historians, some powerful Jews resented the popularity of Jesus.

Is this a shock?

Of course not - any preacher straying from orthodoxy will be vilified, then and now.

Is it a shock that some Jews behaved badly? Come on - as the Islamic killers on 9/11 and the Catholic priest scandal have proven, people of any religion are capable of evil.

Mr. Gibson portrays the Romans as the true killers of Jesus, although he does go a bit soft on Pontius Pilate - I would have been tougher.

The movie is ultra-intense and violent - to me, the violence was numbing. But the suffering Jesus endured is important to understand, because despite all that was done to him, he still forgave his brutalizers.

"The Passion of the Christ" is certainly not an anti-Semitic film, and those who say it is are to be pitied.

I saw the movie with a Jewish friend who believes the danger of possible resentment against the Jews overrides the worthiness of the film.

I do not believe that. Hateful people will find a reason to hate. This film is not anti-Jewish. It is an exposition of how good triumphs over evil.

Mel Gibson wanted people to see how Jesus suffered. He has succeeded in doing that. It would be unfair to deny the world this movie because of what some nut might do.

Americans who do not believe there is a struggle between good and evil in this world will not like the film. People who have no spirituality in their lives will find the movie confusing and off-putting because of the violence.

For the rest of us, "The Passion of the Christ" drives home this singular point: We all must make a choice. Do we throw in with the Romans, who brutally murdered an innocent man, or do we forgive our enemies and devote our lives to helping others, as Jesus did?

Mel Gibson's movie is not for everyone. But if you see it, you may wonder why Gibson has been so brutally attacked (in the media). His apparent sin is being faithful to the Gospels, and wanting people to imitate the compassionate philosophy of Jesus.

If that's a bad thing, than we have truly lost our way.

More Enterprise Cancellation Rumblings
Submitted Thursday, February 12, 2004 - 6:34:08 PM by Klaitu

Straight from TrekToday:

"Star Trek: Enterprise might not be soaring through space next season," began an article on UPN's future plans, quoting CBS and UPN chairman Leslie Moonves on the possibility that Enterprise might not return for a fourth season.

In a Scripps Howard News Service reprinted in the Tri-City Herald, Moonves said,

You see the new stuff, you see the old stuff, and you compare and say, 'What is the better schedule?' So it's not like, 'Gee, if Enterprise is up 10 percent between now and May, it will get picked up.' It's rather - you know, it's not a science, but it's, 'All right. How do we build Wednesday better?' 'Does it include Enterprise?' Very possibly. 'Does it not?' Possibly as well.
Stating that the fate of the series will remain uncertain for several months - at least until April, when the network will review its 2004-5 schedule, Moonves added that instead of being cancelled, Enterprise might move to Friday nights - a move long predicted by Mediaweek Programming Insider Marc Berman.
UPN entertainment president Dawn Ostroff, who along with Moonves announced the development of an as-yet-untitled reality show about five sheltered Amish teens living in the outside world, promised that Enterprise would have many twists and turns for the rest of the season.

As has been widely reported, Enterprise has suffered declining ratings over the course of the past two seasons. Despite critical praise of the action-oriented story arc established this season, ratings remain down from last year.

Stargate Bits
Submitted Thursday, February 12, 2004 - 4:04:35 PM by Klaitu

6 episodes left!

HEROES, PART 1 717 02.13.04

A film crew arrives to document the work of the S.G.C., but may capture more than they planned for when SG-1 is called into action. (Part 1 of 2)

HEROES, PART 2 718 02.20.04

SG-1 is called into action while a film crew is documenting the Stargate program, but the S.G.C. comes under investigation after the mission goes terribly wrong. (Part 2 of 2)

RESURRECTION 719 02.27.04

SG-1 investigates a secret N.I.D. laboratory, where a determined scientist has used cloning technology to create a Goa'uld-human hybrid.

INAUGURATION 720 03.05.04

The newly-elected president must be informed about the Stargate program, and the team confronts the return of an old political foe.

THE LOST CITY, PART 1 721 03.12.04

O'Neill and SG-1 go to great lengths to keep the Ancients' knowledge from falling into Goa'uld hands. General Hammond is reassigned by the president himself. (Part 1 of 2)

THE LOST CITY, PART 2 722 03.19.04

Anubis begins a systematic assault on Earth, and the planet's only hope of salvation depends on whether SG-1 can find the Ancients' mythical Lost City. (Part 2 of 2)

And also.. check out ah audio interview with Amanda Tapping!
http://www.gateworld.net/articles/interviews/tapping01.shtml

JAG Upcoming Summary
Submitted Thursday, February 12, 2004 - 3:58:15 PM by Klaitu

Don't worry, this will be as spoiler-less as a TV Guide Synopsis.

Episode 197: Crash
When a pilot crashes his plane into the deck of an aircraft carrier, Harm and Mac are sent to determine if it was an accident or suicide.

Episode 198: Persian Gulf
Mac plays a high-stakes game of cat and mouse with the terrorist who nearly killed her in Colombia.

Episode 199: Take it Like A Man
Webb is in this episode (yecch).
In the upcoming episode “Take It Like a Man,” a former Marine sergeant passing himself off as a Silver Star recipient and who is charging fees for speaking about his combat experiences is revealed to be deceitful. Once found out, he faces a court martial. This man, Hal Strange, is abrasive and obnoxious in manner— and his personality has stood in his way all his life. As his attorney later learns, Strange actually did perform all those heroic deeds he's been bragging about. But his personality was the difference in him not getting a medal. Will he still be convicted, or given leniency?

Episode 200: What If?
This is the non-continuity episode for the year. You might remember the one with the Navy Nurses in WW2, the one during the Revolutionary War, or the one with the Vietnam Christmas Party.. here's another one. You'll see Harm and Mac married.

Episode 201: Hard Time
Mac sticks her nose where it dosen't belong and ends up on prisoner escort duty. Of course, she loses the prisoner.

Harbinger
Submitted Thursday, February 12, 2004 - 3:49:24 PM by Klaitu

Alright, I was getting to the point where I was looking forward to seeing Enterprise. For awhile, it was more of a routine thing.. there's nothing else worth watching on Wednesday nights anyway. I suffered through countless boring and utterly pointless Enterprise episodes.

That's okay. You see, a lot of times, the Star Trek shows don't really hit their stride until the Third or Fourth seasons. DS9 for instance was not all that great until the Dominion came along. TNG wasn't really any good until Beverly Crusher Returned in Season 3. Voyager took a bit longer, it took until season 5 or 6, and even then it wasn't that good. TOS, of course, hit its stride by the fourth episode.

Well, has Enterprise hit its stride?

I don't know. This latest episode, Harbinger, confuses me. It has good points, and it has bad points.

The A plot is about this alien who is froma transdimensional realm. Apparently his people are reshaping the expanse into something more suitable to them.

The B plot is the feud between Hayes and Reed, who end up with ze fisticuffs.

The C plot is Trip's love life. Will he make out with T'pol, or will he make out with MACO Amanda Cole?

Pros:
Seldom does any Star Trek series attempt to pull off 3 plots at the same time. This is a really bold step for them, as Trek tends to be slow to change styles. (and rightfully so)

The information about the expanse being artificial is nice, especially since we had this figured out since the first sphere appeared. Still, it's nice to see that these theories are confirmed.

Travis had LINES in this episode! It was amazing, I was beginning to think he was an extra. Get this, he actually *gasp* performed a function in the episode.

Cons:
The Trip and T'pol love scene: Gratuitous, unneccessary, out of character. I've come to the conclusion that T'pol is the suckiest vulcan since Sybok. Spock was sometimes emotional, but he was half-human. What's T'pol's excuse?

Amanda Cole. Alright, all things being considered, I think I like Amanda Cole somewhat. I think's it's mainly her wardrobe that was throwing me. How can you take someone who has no bosoms, and then squish them to where it appears like she has some.. in a tank top. It was just a tad bit blatant.

Ho points: T'pol - 1 Cole - 0

Poor Hoshi Sato, poor Travis Mayweather. It's true, they BOTH had lines in this episode (I don't think both of them have had lines in the same episode since the pilot). They need MORE lines. Aside from Archer, Mayweather and Hoshi are the most interesting people on the ship.

So anyway, I liked Harbinger.. mostly. Star Trek is supposed to be a thinking man's show. Remember "The Inner Light"? remember "City on the Edge of Forever"? remember "The Visitor"?

TOS: No love triangles, no naked vulcans.
TNG: Limited love triangle (Riker, Troi, Worf) no naked anyone. (except Picard, but he was being tortured, so it's good)
DS9: Pentangle (Quark, Worf, Bashir, Dax, Ezri) Naked Leeta, Naked Jadzia, Neither were explicit love scenes.

I hope they can Berman and lose the sex. At least they could make it not explicit.

Ender's Game: The Movie
Submitted Thursday, February 12, 2004 - 3:27:00 PM by Klaitu

IF you haven't read the book "Ender's Game" I suggest you go out and do so as soon as possible. It's one of the few books I'll actually recommend to anyone, as for the most part books suck.

Dan Harris and Michael Dougherty have been pickedto do the screenplay for the proposed film. You might know their work from a little movie called "X-men 2". They're also slated to do X-Men 3, but that wouldn't be until after Ender's.

Ocean's Twelve
Submitted Thursday, February 12, 2004 - 3:22:51 PM by Klaitu

How do you make a sequel for Ocean's Eleven? Well, keep the same cast except that chinese acrobat guy, and then throw in Catheine Zeta-Jones as an interpol cop.

Voila, instant success.

Star Breakup
Submitted Thursday, February 12, 2004 - 3:19:25 PM by Klaitu

You all know Barbie Millicent Roberts, right? Sure you do, she drives around in pink corvettes and has a friend named Skipper.She also has a beau named Ken.. Ken Carson. I bet you're suprised that they have full names huh? How about if I told you that Ken served in Vietnam? Him and Barbie never got married, and never had any kids, but Ken has a kid brother named Tommy.

Anyways, Ken and Barbie have broken up! At least, that's what Mattel says. Those of you with brains will put two and two together and say "I guess Barbie hasn't been selling too well".

Those of you who are conspiracy theorists probably believe that Barbie will take a female lover.. you know, because of that whole Gay Marriage whatnot.

There is good news though, apparently they have decided to divide up their 64 years worth of accessories evenly.

He's A Swordsman
Submitted Tuesday, February 10, 2004 - 9:18:43 PM by Klaitu

WHOOPS! I guess not.

http://therionarms.com/pictures/stainless_steel_warning.mpg

The Fartrix
Submitted Monday, February 9, 2004 - 5:09:51 PM by Klaitu

This dosen't actually deserve the "film" icon, but nevertheless it must be viewed, especially by Carson.

http://www.thedierks.com/allowe/video/The%20Fartrix.mpeg

Seperated at Birth
Submitted Monday, February 9, 2004 - 5:04:13 PM by Klaitu

I know a guy named Redlow.

I know a guy named Al Lowe.

I think they're secretly the same guy, or at least twins. For one, their names are 2 syllables. for two, they end in "low". And for three, they're both helplessly addicted to da ladies.

http://www.redlow.net

http://www.allowe.com

And they both have websites featuring their own names.

go take a look. Especially at the humor sections.

I win again!
Submitted Saturday, February 7, 2004 - 10:16:36 PM by Klaitu

That's right, I've won again! This time my prize is the ever-coveted copy of Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers CD edition.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3076181027&category=11056

This game is the win, I played it back in the day! Did I mention there was voice acting? Tim Curry, Mark Hamill, Worf.. they're all in it. SCORE!

Dog Lovin
Submitted Tuesday, February 3, 2004 - 2:45:29 PM by Klaitu

Here's some advice: If you want to make out with a dog, make sure you butter them up with candy and flowers first.. or something.

A THAI man was mauled when he drunkenly tried to rape a dog which fiercely resisted his advances, news reports said yesterday.

Police in Samut Prakan province, on Bangkok's southeastern fringes, told the Thai Rath newspaper that Toryip Rawang, 33, had been drinking heavily with friends before Monday's incident.

Toryip was questioned by police after residents of the area notified local authorities when they saw the bloodied man walking along a road.

He told police he noticed a brown female stray dog wagging its tail and "acting sexy" and pulled it into some tall grass by the roadside.

But the dog resisted, biting him on his face, chest and arms before he gave up his attempt and tried to stagger home.

Under further questioning Toryip admitted to previously raping three dogs while he was under the influence of alcohol.

He told police he always became aroused when he drank heavily but did not have enough money to pay a prostitute.

Police said Toryip had been given a rabies shot and was not charged with a crime, but he had fled his home in an apparent effort to avoid public ridicule.

AAP

The Case of "What was that on her boob?"
Submitted Tuesday, February 3, 2004 - 2:35:32 PM by Klaitu

I know you saw it, everyone saw it. You know, the Superbowl halftime show. That pervert Justin Timberlake exposed Jackson boob in front of all of America.

Americans everywhere were shocked, but then they all asked the question "What the heck is that thing stuck on her boob?"

Well, according to Fox News, what you and 68 million other people saw was a "sun shaped nipple shield". No Joke. One wonders what one's nipple needs shielded from.

Jackson spokeswoman Jennifer Holiner said she was not sure whether Jackson's medieval-looking nipple decoration was meant to be seen, but added that the singer does wear such jewelry.

OOH, Ricin!
Submitted Tuesday, February 3, 2004 - 2:24:30 PM by Klaitu

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,110270,00.html

Someone mailed a biological agent to Bill Frist the other day. They chose to mail Ricin. What is Ricin, you ask? Allow me to enlighten you!

Ricin is a Biological Agent that is a side-product of the creation of castor oil. Exposure causes fever, cough, dyspnea, nausea and chest tightness, profuse sweating, pulmonary edema, cyanosis, hypotension, respiratory failure and circulatory collapse.

Apparently, it has a pretty low mortality rate.

Indiana Jones 4
Submitted Monday, February 2, 2004 - 11:36:53 PM by Klaitu

Frank Darabont, screenplay writer. You've heard of him, yes? Well, you probably saw his work in Shawshank Redemption. Scoop is now he's done writing the screenplay for Indy 4.

Coincidentally, he's now working on Fahrenheit 451, which is the classic Ray Bradbury book about people burning books in the future.

Starship Troopers 2
Submitted Monday, February 2, 2004 - 11:33:02 PM by Klaitu

Yep. Direct to video. This summer.

http://www.starshiptroopers2.net

I want to like it, but odds are that it'll be fanfic.

Battlestar Moving Forward
Submitted Monday, February 2, 2004 - 11:24:31 PM by Klaitu

Sci-Fi channel picked up the series for a minimum of 6 episodes and a maximum of 13 in the current contract period. They've not made any announcement about it, but the actors contracts have been activated.

Enterprise Spoiler
Submitted Monday, February 2, 2004 - 11:18:15 PM by Klaitu

hmm..

A half-vulcan captain named Lorian
A First officer named Karyn Archer
A tactical officer named Greer
An episode named E2

That's all I got, except this episode begins filming tomorrow.