Link Thread

[Nate the Great]

July 27th was the 25th anniversary of Stargate SG-1. I'm waiting for the 30th anniversary to start the retrospective, but here's some Stargate links:


Reddit thread where fans celebrate their favorite lines (https://www.reddit.com/r/Stargate/comments/w9f4xt/stargate_sg1_25_year_anniversary_share_your/)
Gizmodo celebrates the anniversary (https://gizmodo.com/stargate-sg1-25-anniversary-chris-judge-amanda-tapping-1849332966)
Gateworld gives a short history of the franchise (https://www.gateworld.net/news/2022/07/stargate-sg1-turns-25-looking-back-10-years-scifi-greatness/)
Star Trek and Farscape parodies from the 200th episode (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whfMMfR4KKw)

[Nate the Great]

AVGN's top five TV shows. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fki5GjuIP-E) TNG is #3.

[Nate the Great]

Steve Shives does a tribute to Uhura. (http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itjDsOfyj0o)


Someday I really should go through TOS and try to come up with places where the Trinity could've given up screentime to Uhura, Sulu, and Chekov. I certainly intend to do something similar when I get to Voyager in 2025.

[Nate the Great]

pocket83^2 mods "safe" lawn darts to have points again (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dCnPCU2ztA)

[Nate the Great]

Ashens covers some Canadian food (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwCVkgLENvc)


Some of this stuff I wouldn't even consider Canada-specific.

[Nate the Great]

For some reason I'm in a Chip 'n Dale mood today.


The original by The Jets (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjqD5cYn_QA). I first heard this one during a Magical World of Disney (okay, at the time was probably the Disney Sunday Movie) episode that was shilling the upcoming show.


The actual episode (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4c3rjXpvJs). I forgot that Carol Channing was on the show!



And the music video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rlFd4Gcrsw). Too...much...'80s!


I never knew about this alternate version of the theme (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ugkv9J2e7gQ), but I can see why they went with the Jets instead.



The cover from the recent show. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIwaY3A7np8) I don't know how to feel about this one, there seems to be a lack of enthusiasm in the voice and it's a bit too slow. Hip hop should never feel slow.



Can someone explain to me why making a song stutter and adding a drum track is supposed to improve a song?
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eq5m7VYpJBk)


Jonathan Young strikes again. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57TNF8_Naqc) I didn't know he could play the keytar. I like how the sparkly synth balances the drum.


On a church organ. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLCLubGLKXs) Now this is transforming a song to match the instrument while still keeping the heart.



A full orchestra almost makes the theme sound cinematic (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFnxGzfy_vo)


Like I'd skip the Coo-Coo Cola theme in a post like this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyOBXnfg1Wk)


Have I really not posted Of Mice and Mayhem (https://old.cdrrhq.ru/comics/?author=Fischer&comics=mom_eng) yet? It's a very good webcomic continuation of the show that's able to go a bit darker while still keeping the heart of the show.

[DrWho42]

rewatching nathan for you (2013-2017). i forgot about the one song where they try to use the smoke detector as a musical instrument:

Orphaned Skies (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN_ElpaabJU)

[Nate the Great]

The Desk of Death Battle tackles the question of whether "James Bond" is actually one guy or simply an alias that goes along with the 007 title. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFKCctoDkaQ)


To me everyone Pre-Craig is the same guy. Tracy married the Lazenby Bond, but it was clearly implied that Moore and Dalton's Bonds were married to the same woman. The references in regard to the Brosnan Bond were more oblique but still there.

[Nate the Great]

EC Henry tackles the fundamental message of TOS (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk_GAMAKPEw)


He presents some interesting ideas. I'm not sure if I agree or disagree with it (one could debate forever about the true meaning of the Roddenberry Gospel), but it's still thought-provoking.

[Nate the Great]

The animation from the failed "Saban Moon" pitch has been found.
(http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0L67YFwnQCQ&t=6390s)


Yeah, um, that was...something.

[DrWho42]

someone set the beginning of doctor who's season 23 to the red dwarf theme song:

"I knew the opening to Trial of a Time Lord reminded me of something..." (https://twitter.com/PoorlyAgedWho/status/1562935895564713984)

[Zeke]

The animation from the failed "Saban Moon" pitch has been found.
(http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0L67YFwnQCQ&t=6390s)

As amazingly bad as all that was, somehow the part that annoyed me most was Luna complaining "There goes one of my nine lives" over a gentle two-foot drop that the actual cat clearly handles fine.

[Nate the Great]

I couldn't watch much of it, the animation was just too bad and it was clear that the characters didn't have much personality.



I had a whole screed planned around the question "why make a new product around the name Sailor Moon if you're not actually going to adapt what makes Sailor Moon unique?" Especially when you consider that this is a time period when American children only had access to anime via television dubs. Nobody here even knew what "Sailor Moon" was, so why do we care?


With the modifications made to the character designs and plot for the sake of "Americanizing" it, why not go whole hog, rename everyone, and drop the Sailor Moon branding entirely?

[DrWho42]

dan voltz (https://danvoltzart.com/) (@djvoltz1701) did this piece of the enterprise-e:

NEW artwork today. Behold, the Sovereign-class USS Enterprise-E. (https://twitter.com/djvoltz1701/status/1564608373802295296/photo/1)

[Nate the Great]

TrekCulture's list of ten Trek episodes that aren't the worst, but people ignore them, and they deserve a second chance. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLlrtG3SZQE)


Voyager: "Resistance". Yeah, I don't return to this one. Prostitution, torture, and terrorism are not my idea of a good time, and good acting performances can't cancel that out.
Voyager: "11:59". I enjoy this one, I just wish that they hadn't wasted time on Janeway's illusion of O'Donnell being shattered, instead spending more time on the rest of the crew's stories of their families.

TOS: "The Empath". Another one that I enjoy. My only complaint is that there's a bit too much talking (and the budget could've been a bit bigger, of course).
DS9: "The Reckoning". I'll come right out and say it-I don't like it when higher life forms use our heroes as puppets and chess pieces. Not in the slightest. Furthermore, the concept of the Prophets was never properly thought through. They claim to exist outside time, yet their interactions with our heroes always have "before" and "after" states. As Phil Farrand says in the DS9 Nitpicker's Guide, they should never have conversations with Sisko, instead giving the necessary information in one go.
DS9: "Hippocratic Oath." I can't cover this one briefly except to say that I don't like "O'Brien Must Suffer" episodes at all.

TAS: "How Sharper Than A Serpent's Tooth." I can't speak to the quality of TAS episodes, I haven't seen that many. I do hate the old chesnut of "aliens advanced a human society past what they could've done on their own" that cheap scifi keeps using. Frankly all of TAS deserves a second look in my opinion.
TNG: "We'll Always Have Paris." Too much technobabble but some good character work.

TNG: "Pen Pals." This one never worked because Data is supposed to be smarter than he's presented here AND the Prime Directive is presented as adaptable when it was specifically designed to not be. No contact with prewarp societies. Period, end of sentence. Not "a little contact", not "contact as long as we don't get caught", NONE.

ENT: "Acquisition". I don't care if the Ferengi never gave their names, this episode is still stupid. It's also another examples of the creators wanting to take the easy way out when writing episodes instead of, y'know, putting some work in.

TOS: "A Private Little War". IF the Prime Directive didn't exist I wouldn't mind seeing episodes like this more often. There are a lot of TOS episodes I wouldn't mind seeing variations of IF the Prime Directive didn't exist. But it does. Furthermore, TOS (and TNG for that matter) could've gotten a lot of mileage out of the galactic powers attempting to exploit prewarp societies without letting them know that they're being exploited by aliens. You know, continue the tradition of proxy wars that happened so often during the Cold War and even today. The Byrne comics told us how the Klingons and Romulans used EACH OTHER as proxies in the TOS era.

[Nate the Great]

A TNG parody of "Let it Go"-named "Make it So", of course (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BuLr1IHlkQ)


So, yeah, that happened. It almost reminds me of an early Newgrounds video.

[DrWho42]

finally saw piercing (2018). loved the use of miniatures in the movie!

NIX + GERBER + Piercing (http://www.nixgerberstudio.com/piercing-1)

[Nate the Great]

I may have mentioned that I'm a massive Cardcaptor Sakura fan (and still like Cardcaptors in an ironic sense). So of course I've seen the American theme (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERpK-7K70ws), the Japanese theme (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDezQD57h-g), and the laughably bad Australian theme (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIq2-cCt3pw) (how the guy that rhymed "Sakura" with "girl-a" sleeps at night is beyond me).


Today's wonderment is the South Korean theme (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6Yn4WNULsE), which seems to have absolutely nothing to do with the show.



After hearing that I had to track down as many other language versions as I could.


Spanish (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh59AvisoZ4). This one seems to flow with the Japanese music better than most.


Vietnamese (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Y5SHYHvXZg). This one sounds very '90s, I wonder if that was the intent.

[Nate the Great]

The Queen died today. She was never particularly important in my life, but she was a constant that it feels odd to lose.


It turns out that fanart of the Queen in a Starfleet uniform isn't that uncommon:


One of the worse modifications of her clothes into a TNG S1 uniform (https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesun.co.uk%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F04%2FNINTCHDBPICT000575 837509-1.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.the-sun.com%2Flifestyle%2F656379%2Fqueen-speech-photoshop-fan-royal-speech-star-wars-sex-pistols%2F&tbnid=p9EUCYKWX9NvnM&vet=12ahUKEwj9gamz9YX6AhWoSfUHHW7UCg8QMygBegUIARDF AQ..i&docid=WXNLp5RGkGgX-M&w=1378&h=1378&q=star%20trek%20queen%20elizabeth&client=firefox-b-1-d&ved=2ahUKEwj9gamz9YX6AhWoSfUHHW7UCg8QMygBegUIARDFA Q). Never did like that thing.


In a TOS-inspired dress (https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fpbs.twimg.com%2Fmedia% 2FC0k6QBuWIAAcCma.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fnasawatch%2F status%2F813245336479289344&tbnid=wYU0wR8dFYr-0M&vet=12ahUKEwj9gamz9YX6AhWoSfUHHW7UCg8QMygCegUIARDH AQ..i&docid=_BpdYg2JkfU8BM&w=1200&h=961&q=star%20trek%20queen%20elizabeth&client=firefox-b-1-d&ved=2ahUKEwj9gamz9YX6AhWoSfUHHW7UCg8QMygCegUIARDHA Q)


A rather scary image of her in Command Yellow (https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.squarespace-cdn.com%2Fcontent%2Fv1%2F5c4b6b663c3a5399055adb5f% 2F1609738339924-CIDZEXQOFDVFHI3R3JZT%2FGeorgeTaQueenertewrtwert.jp g&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cakewrecks.com%2Fhome% 2F2021%2F1%2F4%2Fthe-star-trek-queen&tbnid=2bQqzc82tjyLcM&vet=12ahUKEwj9gamz9YX6AhWoSfUHHW7UCg8QMygWegUIARDx AQ..i&docid=Y6jwB9_GikXHLM&w=800&h=608&q=star%20trek%20queen%20elizabeth&client=firefox-b-1-d&ved=2ahUKEwj9gamz9YX6AhWoSfUHHW7UCg8QMygWegUIARDxA Q)


Knighting Patrick Stewart with a bat'leth (https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2Forigina ls%2Fc0%2F2b%2Ffe%2Fc02bfeb23888e7f81c49f3d1823b43 b2.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F 143833781819533501%2F&tbnid=cQ2mh2OiEUSkbM&vet=12ahUKEwj9gamz9YX6AhWoSfUHHW7UCg8QMygHegUIARDR AQ..i&docid=f-LTouAYMId93M&w=425&h=565&q=star%20trek%20queen%20elizabeth&client=firefox-b-1-d&ved=2ahUKEwj9gamz9YX6AhWoSfUHHW7UCg8QMygHegUIARDRA Q)

[Nate the Great]

A Star Trek Sudoku for Star Trek (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rM5FLHEIbAo)


Simon mentions owning a TNG pinball machine, so here are some soundbytes from it.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYSk17vCfC0)


I've never played it, but through pop culture I remember Picard's line of "all hands, prepare for multiball!"


Listening to the soundtrack also reminds me of how much recent Trek has dropped the ball in terms of music.

[Nate the Great]

minutephysics and XKCD team up for a video...


What if Pluto was made out of Plutonium? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tu0mIpX8nU)

[Nate the Great]

CinemaSins covers the original Pinocchio (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ux5c0pvfLxk)


You have to watch it if only for the random TNG reference. Trust me, it's worth it.

[DrWho42]

kor skeete from the rehearsal answered my question about whether he heard of kor from star trek since his favourite subject is television trivia (he hadn't):

cameo (https://www.cameo.com/recipient/6317cb05045fbe8461290437)

[Nate the Great]

An absolutely ludicrous LEGO device: a music box-style set of pegs that trigger hammers to hit pressure plates to trigger drum sounds in a synthesizer.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlaY8kSTO28)

[Nate the Great]

Fiction Addiction covers The Brave Little Toaster To The Rescue. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JxApQLeN9Y)


I don't remember it being this insane. Then again, I have limited experience with the sequels to begin with. I guess I don't want to ruin my memories of the first one.

[Nate the Great]

Facebook meme time. (https://scontent.fslc3-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/301402215_3302444299998535_6945726341735605703_n.j pg?_nc_cat=111&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=5cd70e&_nc_ohc=vX2AymWdJKsAX-4QlT1&tn=-B52b3fitalSGjuT&_nc_ht=scontent.fslc3-2.fna&oh=00_AT8yJ-megRQKgFEgmfcfN8d1Y3V-_zg1mCTuOZlEhsRSow&oe=6323EA99) If you love cats and/or hate inkjet printers, this one's for you.



Boy, do I hate inkjet printers. Laserjet forever!

[Nate the Great]

I enjoy watching videos of Power Rangers toys. I think I had an action figure or two, but never the Zords, too expensive.


Anyway, this Japanese set of Zord toys (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt4FoAEpzBg) has way more points of articulation and details than the American set. Amazing.

[Nate the Great]

What if someone made the Sovereign-class have the same general outline as the Excelsior-class? (https://i.redd.it/1fkp8tfujkn91.png)


It's an interesting idea whether or not you think the design is appealing.

[Nate the Great]

A groanworthy joke courtesy of a Not Always Right commenter (https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/ba7400fb87dabdad3486fa89a9081969c78edf0f3c86d10c44 ed275e3918c30c.jpg)

[Nate the Great]

A new Trek filk song. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-PJ21L8d7k) I don't have the words, just watch it...

[Nate the Great]

This year's finalists for entry into the Toy Hall of Fame (https://www.snopes.com/ap/2022/09/14/bingo-lite-brite-nerf-among-toy-hall-of-fame-finalists/)


Call me a purist, but I don't think games with formalized rules count as "toys" in the traditional sense. Especially something as complex as Settlers of Catan.



I am amazed that spinning tops and Nerf balls weren't in the Hall of Fame already.

[Nate the Great]

Steve Shives tackles the usage of the Mirror Universe in Trek (on screen and in the Expanded Universe). (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8d5QEvPVWQ)


As I've said before, I hate the DS9 Mirror Universe episodes and don't revisit them. First, the contrivances necessary to keep all of the people in the same locations between locations pile up and up and up as the years go by. It's okay for a single point of intersection in "Mirror, Mirror", but anything more lis ludicrous. Second, it falls into the same trap as "Year of Hell" and "Course: Oblivion", creating a playground that the creators can play with without worrying about consequences.

[Nate the Great]

Guys make a huge battery using over a thousand lemons. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa5MRqrEdJI)


All that work for not even five volts.



As it turns out, I watched one of their videos years ago without making the connection: How much sawdust can you put in a rice crispy bar before it's inedible? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKDal51f5LU)


Making a wooden bicycle. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yJdz-kjfLk&t=611s) I wouldn't want to get on that thing, it looks like a disaster in the making...

[Nate the Great]

A Voyager meme that gave me a chuckle... (https://www.reddit.com/r/startrekmemes/comments/xh1e2h/saw_a_meme_earlier_that_deserved_an_upres_so_i/)

[Nate the Great]

Obscurus Lupa tackles "The Naked Time" vs "The Naked Now." (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vw0Wo6jRIcg) She has more respect for TOS than I thought. Also wait for the discussion of the Data/Yar relationship. And plenty of Gene bashing.

[Nate the Great]

Kyle Hill completely misses the point of the Lord of the Rings Eagle Problem (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvbD7GgMWv4)


The issue isn't the cube square law, this is explicitly another world where magic exists in all lifeforms, even the eagles.



A more educated reply (https://www.polygon.com/lord-of-the-rings/22432394/eagles-lotr-plot-hole-mordor)


The TL;DR:
* Gandalf is friends with one eagle who owes him, he can't just summon a whole flock anytime he wants.
* The eagles have their own society and they aren't as concerned with this Sauron stuff as our heroes.
* Sauron's tower is surrounded by flying monsters who would detect a flock of giant eagles almost immediately. Placing the One Ring in the vicinity of them would be a Bad Idea.

[Nate the Great]

Astrophysicist ranks fictional starships. (http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsMXXNXMhCY)



The only Trek ships on the list are the NCC-1701 and the Narada. I would've liked the Klingon Bird of Prey and Borg Cube being discussed.


I was also disappointed that he didn't know the name of the ship from Flight of the Navigator. Neither did I, but I could find it on the Disney wiki in less than a minute. It's a Trimaxion Drone Ship.

[Nate the Great]

It's "Male Versions of 'Let it Go'" Day!


NateWantsToBattle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xGmx4K81Hc). The first one I ever saw, and still the best in my opinion.


Caleb Hyles (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oHylk6VxdQ). I like his work, but in this one he has the bad habit of trying to emphasize every word. Proper musical flow doesn't work like that.



princepeterwolf (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlFUUw8r-CA). He puts his own spin on it, this is more like sing-talking.



Caissie Levy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVuepFot3O8). You can tell that this more of a Broadway version.

[Nate the Great]

I was in the mood for some Trek filk songs that I'd never heard before...


Space Shanty (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eneo1PPfHvc&list=PL_Y3EMs4HrC6p0XpoV1xwmnl5xrhkEdkz). TNG songs are a bit rarer than TOS ones.
Enterprise (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmhOS1ywdjs&list=PL_Y3EMs4HrC6p0XpoV1xwmnl5xrhkEdkz&index=2). I thought I'd already heard all of the Julia Ecklar ones, but I guess not...
Call the Navigator (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntzMjAr43LU&list=PL_Y3EMs4HrC6p0XpoV1xwmnl5xrhkEdkz&index=4). I hold fan creators to higher standards when it comes to canon, and it's inexcusable to call flame gems Aldebaran and not Spican. (In Enterprise flame gems (two words) come from Rigel). (As it turns out Spica is a real star in the constellation of Virgo. And that's the Amazing Thing That I Learned Today).
For The Need of the One (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBMys6_Rxfw&list=PL_Y3EMs4HrC6p0XpoV1xwmnl5xrhkEdkz&index=5). Another Ecklar contribution, and another example of fans caring about deep lore. She uses the word "T'hy'a", which in Vulcan means friend/brother/lover and comes from the STTMP novelization.
Mineral Rights (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPvw0mHbyd0&list=PL_Y3EMs4HrC6p0XpoV1xwmnl5xrhkEdkz&index=7). I never expected a musical retelling of "Devil in the Dark."
All About That Borg (http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D58UtUeSQQc&list=PL_Y3EMs4HrC6p0XpoV1xwmnl5xrhkEdkz&index=14). My favorite "All About That Bass" parody is still the Pokemon-themed "Spinning Round That Bass (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2V4WTf1rI0&t=0s)", but this one is okay too.
Eternal Loser (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mvhWapdxz8&list=PL_Y3EMs4HrC6p0XpoV1xwmnl5xrhkEdkz&index=16). A ballad by Kirk dedicated to his women.
Eternal Loser. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmxMR_R5D8Q&list=PL_Y3EMs4HrC6p0XpoV1xwmnl5xrhkEdkz&index=17) You don't encounter the same filk song being covered by more than one singer very often, but this one was. Which one do you like more?

[Nate the Great]

A Not Always Right story about someone who doesn't know what a gazebo is (https://notalwaysright.com/natural-selection-at-work/70409/)


Of course the commenters were quick to make oblique references to the tale of Eric and the Dread Gazebo (https://web.archive.org/web/20080804140516/http://www.dreadgazebo.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=8).


I don't even play RPGs (besides Pokemon), but that one was a classic of early Net culture.

[Nate the Great]

Teaser Trailer for the new Mario movie (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X2251IuWp0)


So yeah, that's happening.

[Nate the Great]

When it comes to fan-made LEGO models of Star Trek ships, I'm very hit or miss as to whether I'll like it. Then I found this one on Reddit (https://www.reddit.com/r/lego/comments/y0dbus/mini_uss_defiant/) that couldn't help but make me smile. So yeah, let's do a roundup!


USS Reliant (https://www.reddit.com/r/lego/comments/wczlzv/its_one_of_ours_admiral_its_reliant_uss_reliant/)


A variety of ships. (https://www.reddit.com/r/lego/comments/tss3gt/i_made_these_star_trek_microbuilds_back_in_2020/) At this scale they seem more like chunky kids toys than faithful recreations



Type 8 and Type 9 shuttles (https://www.reddit.com/r/lego/comments/vl41u7/star_trek_lego_voyager_shuttles_type_8_and_type_9/)


NCC-1701 (https://www.reddit.com/r/lego/comments/w32zfg/star_trek_uss_enterprise/). I'm not sure if this is supposed to be the original or the Discoprise.


A variety of ships. (https://www.reddit.com/r/lego/comments/mb4dvb/i_couldnt_wait_for_official_star_trek_sets_so_i/) Some I like, some I don't. I leave the determination as an exercise for the reader.



A large Runabout (https://www.reddit.com/r/lego/comments/kufnft/star_trek_runabout_moc/). On the whole I like larger sets for more accurate details.


All of the Enterprises in approximate scale with each other (https://www.reddit.com/r/lego/comments/twxdhl/to_celebrate_first_contact_day_today_i_built_star/).

[NAHTMMM]

https://panelsandprose.com/2022/10/02/early-polly-inventing-the-sitcom/

An article about how the American situational comedy was developed in early comic strips. Incidentally, some of those early comic strips were awfully wordy.

[Nate the Great]

Angela Lansbury died today. Time for a roundup!


Her first scene. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNZwCDvXmFQ) Her Cockney accent is worse than Audrey Hepburn's, and that's saying something.


Beauty and the Beast (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90b2R6yzIzE&list=RDEMWg2EXZXGdllSORWLYcN_Og&start_radio=1). You knew this one was coming.


As Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0RXwD7RCiY)


Performing "Bosom Buddies" with Bea Arthur (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaW3YTAzkXA)


When it comes to young Angela I'm most familiar with her part in 'Til The Clounds Roll By. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIsmINWdkVQ)


I'll bet you never thought you'd see Angela and Julie Andrews dressed up like Carmen Miranda... (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1aV-8MLpFQ)


Angela reads the Nativity Story accompanied by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_HCRaraDCQ)


I had forgotten that she starred with Judy Garland in the Harvey Girls (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsNtsqxvC8E)


I can't remember if I've ever actually seen Court Jester (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=An_XG30nJis).



She did a good job in Anastasia (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MTBAvwFZN4)

[Nate the Great]

A Trek-themed XKCD (https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/space_adventure_2x.png)

[Nate the Great]

Bookmark alignment chart (https://scontent.fslc3-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/312538446_5581330085314401_4484588368342623949_n.j pg?_nc_cat=108&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=5cd70e&_nc_ohc=90Yiq5_ZrFAAX_EqDB_&tn=-B52b3fitalSGjuT&_nc_ht=scontent.fslc3-2.fna&oh=00_AT9moc7DV-ktM0IruGqhVwmoNbhNGoKwqvblJEFATjgafQ&oe=6358BA5B)


I guess I'm chaotic good-scrap paper all the way. Even if a book ribbon is present, I just can't keep up with it.

[Nate the Great]

SF Debris covers The Killing Game (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYmnC-e-1HM)


Even if you aren't into Chuck's reviews, watch his recap of World War II from 15:45 to 18:35 using references to numerous movies. It's absolutely ludicrous how much stuff pop culture has crammed into six years.



In fact, the only thing Chuck really missed is how the Stargate was moved out of Egypt to stop the Nazis from getting it.

[Nate the Great]

People are connecting their old Commodore 64s to the Internet (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfahsGLtQwc)


I never used a C64, my nostalgic pre-DOS memories are limited to the AppleIIe at school and the TI-99/4A at home. Which is a shame, Matterhorn Screamer looks way better on the C64 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWFrGwEileY) than it did on DOS (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1tGRZfW9E0) or Apple (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzNSBo7HRF4).


And today's Amazing Thing that I learned is that someone hacked Dragon's Lair to work on a TI-99/4A (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QB3oHdSjfCE). And I mean the original FMV game, not the NES platformer. Impressive.

[Nate the Great]

The Battle of the Superfloppies! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggWW67iPgXI)


I didn't know that ZIP disks had so many competitors. I miss ZIP disks...

[Nate the Great]

Only TOS fanatics know that the bridge of the 1701 is actually rotated at 36 degrees because of the location of the turbolift. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qogYjHvcxhY)


However, he also compares the bridge to a theatrical stage to justify this rotation, which never occurred to me.

[Nate the Great]

The Toshiba Satellite (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49PmfDvIk6E)


Twenty years ago when I was in college this was my laptop. I still have fond memories of it. I eventually got a PCMCIA card for it that not only had a joystick port, but also had a built-in soundcard and speaker that let me hear the full range of game music and sound effects for the first time. I also had a docking station for it. Plus the ability to swap between a CD drive and a floppy drive (with the other one in a housing connected by a cable if needed) at will was amazing. Good times.

[Nate the Great]

Adam Savage looks at some props from Excalibur. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEoFAV3jKt4)


I recognize the props, but I'm not a fan of the film. What I was interested in was the Enterprise-C model in the background.

[Nate the Great]

Steve Shives tackles Fan Service VS. Fan Entitlement (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHJj5i-bO-A)


I think he's confused about what those two phrases really mean. Fan service isn't just "make what you think the fans want" and fan entitlement isn't just "I think I have the right to ask you to remove this from canon because I personally don't like it."



By all means, creative staff with a vision and passion for that vision should be allowed to proceed without worrying what the "fans" will think about it. But Steve seems to think that all creative staffs have that vision and passion, and they don't.



I'm reminded of what Nicholas Meyer said when confronted with the opinion that you can't kill Spock. "Of course I can, the question is if I can do it well." Whether current Trek is being made with the old passion or is merely assembly line product is up to personal opinion.

[Nate the Great]

So where was Main Engineering on the 1701, anyway? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2HeQ_HpyEw&list=WL&index=36)


We Travel By Night tackles the question, making a reasonable argument that there were two engine rooms (impulse/saucer and warp/stardrive) using the same set. The different corridor configurations outside and the named decks would support this hypothesis. Furthermore it could be argued that whenever Kirk (and Finney, and Kevin Riley) were the only people in Engineering, they were in the engine room that wasn't being used at the moment. Scotty goes from the Impulse room to the Warp room or vice-versa as needed.

[Nate the Great]

An amazing LEGO Mario level using 14 motors. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzfauF92Il8)


I love it when fans are able to show off their passions and hard work to others.



The only improvement I could think of is adding a series of buttons in front of key scenes to trigger appropriate sound effects for those scenes.

[Nate the Great]

Only Wintergatan has problems like this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nal8Q0fG4qk)


How accurate can you make a marble drop so it passes cleanly through a ring only a little bigger than itself?

[Nate the Great]

Lofty Pursuits makes ham candy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOhSi2DWPA8) for Thanksgiving.


Confession time. I hate ham. The very smell is nauseous to me. However, I love pork and bacon. No, I can't figure it out either.

[Nate the Great]

Kevin Conroy died today. Ouch. Time for some tributes.


General Batman DCAU Tribute (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47Pt3vUEDls)
This one is more Conroy based, including the Arkham games (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpKALqpxTtU)

[Nate the Great]

I couldn't find any Star Trek cakes over at Cake Wrecks, so I did a more general Google search. It's Star Trek Cake Day!


Of course we have to include the Data's nightmare Troi cake (https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.startrek.com%2Fsit es%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fstyles%2F1200x628%2Fpublic% 2Fimages%2F2019-01%2F747d3443e319a22747fbb873e8b2f9f2.jpg%3Fitok%3 DczlxISG1&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.startrek.com%2Farticle %2Flet-them-have-cake&tbnid=FkbGLpsqdOM-oM&vet=12ahUKEwj7kJ_Ko7T7AhUWkI4IHb6zBJQQMygFegUIARCk Ag..i&docid=Og38qJ_EmzrDWM&w=1200&h=628&q=star%20trek%20cake&client=firefox-b-1-d&ved=2ahUKEwj7kJ_Ko7T7AhUWkI4IHb6zBJQQMygFegUIARCkA g)

A nice image of the Constitution Refit 1701 (https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.shopify.com%2Fs%2F files%2F1%2F2534%2F8132%2Fproducts%2F2021020600522 1521979-cakeify_grande.png%3Fv%3D1642372518&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.abirthdayplace.com%2Fp roducts%2Fabpid06742-star-trek-uss-enterprise-galaxy-background-edible-cake-topper-image&tbnid=84hvIU_WCeDbnM&vet=12ahUKEwj7kJ_Ko7T7AhUWkI4IHb6zBJQQMygBegUIARCY Ag..i&docid=v48s03HApZhGBM&w=600&h=600&q=star%20trek%20cake&client=firefox-b-1-d&ved=2ahUKEwj7kJ_Ko7T7AhUWkI4IHb6zBJQQMygBegUIARCYA g)
The bridge of the 1701 (https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.trekmovie.com%2Fima ges%2Ftrekcake1.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Ftrekmovie.com%2F2008%2F05% 2F25%2Fstar-trek-the-cake%2F&tbnid=xv7iUoOBpt4A8M&vet=12ahUKEwj7kJ_Ko7T7AhUWkI4IHb6zBJQQMygMegUIARC0 Ag..i&docid=crsPHEaIaEBSbM&w=1024&h=684&q=star%20trek%20cake&client=firefox-b-1-d&ved=2ahUKEwj7kJ_Ko7T7AhUWkI4IHb6zBJQQMygMegUIARC0A g)
For some reason the 1701 is sinking into a cylinder of water as Kirk and Spock lean against it (https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2Forigina ls%2Fa6%2F9c%2Fda%2Fa69cdaaef8425d5cf3f132047449cf b4.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F 550776229402346074%2F&tbnid=GphT1bZzH9nh5M&vet=12ahUKEwj7kJ_Ko7T7AhUWkI4IHb6zBJQQMygOegUIARC5 Ag..i&docid=r-U-CeMBUbMiXM&w=1280&h=1600&q=star%20trek%20cake&client=firefox-b-1-d&ved=2ahUKEwj7kJ_Ko7T7AhUWkI4IHb6zBJQQMygOegUIARC5A g)
You have to see the messed-up proportions of this 1701 (https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fpic.cakesdecor.com%2Fm %2Fg4zoutrwherthpbupoma.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fcakesdecor.com%2Fcakes%2F2 09223-star-trek-uss-enterprise&tbnid=MWGVOn36MPXoVM&vet=12ahUKEwj7kJ_Ko7T7AhUWkI4IHb6zBJQQMygnegUIARD1 Ag..i&docid=QeaZJZYtF1xYsM&w=640&h=595&q=star%20trek%20cake&client=firefox-b-1-d&ved=2ahUKEwj7kJ_Ko7T7AhUWkI4IHb6zBJQQMygnegUIARD1A g)
Voyager after being compressed in a vice (https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.coolest-birthday-cakes.com%2Ffiles%2F2017%2F01%2Fcoolest-star-trek-voyager-cake-2-21349558.jpg%3Fv%3D1632652457&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.coolest-birthday-cakes.com%2Fcategory%2Fcharacter%2Ftelevision-and-web-series%2Fstar-trek%2F&tbnid=LWAhgqSopcYMjM&vet=12ahUKEwj7kJ_Ko7T7AhUWkI4IHb6zBJQQMyg1egUIARCc AQ..i&docid=wDSFid5xfHvmtM&w=376&h=400&q=star%20trek%20cake&client=firefox-b-1-d&ved=2ahUKEwj7kJ_Ko7T7AhUWkI4IHb6zBJQQMyg1egUIARCcA Q)
An impressive 1701-D, probably fondant around a frame (https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2Forigina ls%2F7a%2F9e%2Fe2%2F7a9ee2116cc323d90907f65225eeef 3e.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F 198580664797757627%2F&tbnid=yqwWn5RtbcIknM&vet=12ahUKEwjrudGVpLT7AhUEgY4IHZFsBycQxiAoAnoECAAQ HQ..i&docid=5HWF3afL9cAyoM&w=500&h=647&itg=1&q=star%20trek%20cake&client=firefox-b-1-d&ved=2ahUKEwjrudGVpLT7AhUEgY4IHZFsBycQxiAoAnoECAAQH Q)
Kirk and Spock in front of the NX-01 (https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2Forigina ls%2Fab%2F73%2F79%2Fab73799ee9e93ba47bcf846da86ae3 c6.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.de%2Fpin%2F2 67823509060686225%2F&tbnid=J6efnnAgMQT4HM&vet=12ahUKEwjrudGVpLT7AhUEgY4IHZFsBycQxiAoA3oECAAQ Iw..i&docid=Zaz25TXQzFhrwM&w=2492&h=1689&itg=1&q=star%20trek%20cake&client=firefox-b-1-d&ved=2ahUKEwjrudGVpLT7AhUEgY4IHZFsBycQxiAoA3oECAAQI w#imgrc=J6efnnAgMQT4HM&imgdii=g1Z9wbs15hmiuM). No, I don't get it either.
Is the Millennium Falcon chasing the 1701-D, or vice-versa? (https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fgaynrd.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2019%2F07%2FWedding-Cake.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fgaynrd.com%2Fkentucky-baker-proudly-displays-gay-couples-star-trek-star-wars-mash-up-themed-wedding-cake%2F&tbnid=LFuDLlFmq49UnM&vet=10CEUQMyiFAWoXChMI-POYjaS0-wIVAAAAAB0AAAAAEAI..i&docid=jF8qVzY_QwbSMM&w=754&h=461&q=star%20trek%20cake&client=firefox-b-1-d&ved=0CEUQMyiFAWoXChMI-POYjaS0-wIVAAAAAB0AAAAAEAI)

A Trek wedding cake (https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.susies-cakes.co.uk%2Fsusies-cakes%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2017%2F11%2F3-tier-star-trek-themed-half-and-half-wedding-cake-poole-dorset-main.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.susies-cakes.co.uk%2Fcake%2F3-tier-star-trek-themed-wedding-cake%2F&tbnid=kJfzTnwjH5gBYM&vet=12ahUKEwiXxeidpLT7AhUIoI4IHTEcAwoQxiAoB3oECAAQ GQ..i&docid=uYhf-Hoeq4w24M&w=1186&h=1800&itg=1&q=star%20trek%20cake&client=firefox-b-1-d&ved=2ahUKEwiXxeidpLT7AhUIoI4IHTEcAwoQxiAoB3oECAAQG Q)
Busts of Spock and Sulu (https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fglobalgeeknews.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2012%2F11%2FSpock-and-Sulu-Cakes.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.globalgeeknews.com%2F20 12%2F11%2F16%2Fstellar-star-trek-sulu-and-spock-cakes-pic%2F&tbnid=uqSs759Kb6jnqM&vet=10CNMBEDMowQFqFwoTCPjzmI2ktPsCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAC ..i&docid=VQ-jTkJ4YW3UVM&w=640&h=437&q=star%20trek%20cake&client=firefox-b-1-d&ved=0CNMBEDMowQFqFwoTCPjzmI2ktPsCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAC)
A Trek/Wars crossover wedding cake (https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.etsystatic.com%2F683 2810%2Fr%2Fil%2F24c7d2%2F1649010669%2Fil_570xN.164 9010669_19i0.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.etsy.com%2Flisting%2F5 47584811%2Fmovie-theme-custom-wedding-cake-topper&tbnid=K2mtC_BE3fuq3M&vet=10CD8QMyjqAWoXChMI-POYjaS0-wIVAAAAAB0AAAAAEAM..i&docid=QBMTxX0BrKGDdM&w=570&h=760&q=star%20trek%20cake&client=firefox-b-1-d&ved=0CD8QMyjqAWoXChMI-POYjaS0-wIVAAAAAB0AAAAAEAM)
I'll bet you never thought you'd see Geordi marry Sailor Mars. (https://jessichucreations.com/products/geordi-la-forge-groom-sailor-mars-bride-star-trek-x-sailor-moon-inspired-wedding-cake-topper) Don't ask me why his skin is so pale or why he has a TOS film commbadge.
A threefer: Star Trek, Halloween, and wedding (https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fglobalgeeknews.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2012%2F10%2FStar-Trek-Halloween-Cake-Toppers.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.globalgeeknews.com%2F20 12%2F10%2F19%2Fstar-trek-halloween-wedding-cake-pic%2F&tbnid=Yzm2wORSB8M3aM&vet=10CKUBEDMo5ANqFwoTCPjzmI2ktPsCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAI ..i&docid=ON7_D_jB_13BTM&w=500&h=750&q=star%20trek%20cake&client=firefox-b-1-d&ved=0CKUBEDMo5ANqFwoTCPjzmI2ktPsCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAI) . I don't see the TNG S1 miniskirt uniform very often, so it's weird that he's wearing a uniform from a few years in the future. Wibbly wobbly timey wimey indeed.

[Nate the Great]

Adam Savage examines the original 1701 shooting model (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VMyePEToYE)


I could've sworn it was larger (they keep saying 11 ft, but I seem to recall all the reference materials saying 14 ft), given previous photos. I may have even seen it in person when the Smithsonian did their nationwide tour back in the nineties (great field trip!).



I still think it's silly that there is some "you have to change x% of the design or you'd have to pay someone royalties" nonsense that keeps the classic design from ever reappearing.

[Nate the Great]

Some interesting LEGO mechanisms (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NI0rDaEpTvI), along with plenty of footage of them destroying themselves when given a motor that was too powerful.

[Nate the Great]

The YouTube channel Watchtower Database does DCAU videos, and it's "Zeta Month" over there.


Anyway, they just posted a video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJ7NSBiQ6ME) about how all of the tech in the DCAU's "present" could've led to the Zeta Project, along with some remarkable connections between "present" characters and those who could've worked on the Project.


It's comforting to know that I'm not the only nutjob who looks into deep lore for connections. Even though I'm not into deep DCAU lore as much as Trek, that doesn't mean I don't respect the efforts of others.

[Nate the Great]

Someone created a CG "LEGO stop motion" movie (slightly abridged) of The Voyage Home (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dk-aQI2WWs). Using the original voices, of course. A few interesting design choices, especially where clothes are concerned.

[Nate the Great]

While XKCD is always clever, it rarely makes me actually LOL. This recent one (https://www.comic-rocket.com/read/xkcd/2698?mark) does.



(If you need an explanation, watch this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojatBoMZubk)).

[Nate the Great]

Some LEGO builders are just plain nuts. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkP6TM1Fptc)


A machine to tip over giant dominoes and then automatically set them back up so you can tip them over again.

[Nate the Great]

Don't have the money to buy a self-transforming Optimus Prime? You can just make your own with aluminum cans, dowels, and magnets! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOv65i8C9Qo)


Personally I think the self-transforming figure drifted too far away from the original for the sake of the gimmick. The flap behind Optimus' head and the feet in particular.

[Nate the Great]

This year's Cliff Stoll update (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdLXvJ8wFY4) has the actual maker of the glass Klein bottles come to his garden to make one on camera.

[Nate the Great]

A little Trek Thanksgiving meme (https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thetopicistrek.com %2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F10%2F56803354.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thetopicistrek.com%2F2 020%2F10%2F16%2Fepisode-77-tng-it-stands-for-those-new-guys%2F&tbnid=6HuEKdumvRQL4M&vet=12ahUKEwig6Y_Fn8j7AhXTjY4IHcSFDSAQMygeegUIARD3 AQ..i&docid=eQI_8AUK18eVPM&w=400&h=400&q=star%20trek%20thanksgiving&client=firefox-b-1-d&ved=2ahUKEwig6Y_Fn8j7AhXTjY4IHcSFDSAQMygeegUIARD3A Q)

[Nate the Great]

The official trailer for the new Mario movie (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnGl01FkMMo)


I'm still conflicted as to whether this looks good or not. Some of the voices rub me the wrong way, and integrating game mechanics into a narrative-based world is a delicate balancing act that few adaptations can pull off. At some point you have to ask why there are floating blocks all over the place. Who put them there? How are they floating? How come Mario doesn't crack his skull when he jumps into one?

[Nate the Great]

Kirstie Alley died today.



I still wonder what would've happened if she had stayed on as Saavik. I always thought that it was simple ego on her part, but it turns out that the studio tried to shaft her on salary.



I also remember one of her most infamous performances in Toothless.

[Nate the Great]

TrekCulture ranks the "hero ships" of Trek. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahWSmzRbHuQ)


After all these years I'm glad the E-D still gets respect (even if I would place the E-A above it in terms of aethetics), but after thirty-odd years can we finally admit that the saucer was too big and the nacelles were too small?

[Nate the Great]

Ben 10 was a little after my time, but I know the basics. So when I stumble across a clip that has a subtle Trek reference (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG7wKo3pATY), I'm surprised. See if you can find it.

[Nate the Great]

Someone took the first generation of Pokemon games (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRfO_0eRwh0) and turned them into an animated movie that uses no dialogue. Sound effects and music straight from the games, and character interactions you never saw even in the anime. Plus lots of Pokeshipping if you lean that way. Rarely do I get to say "this made me feel like a kid again", but this really did. Even though I was in my late teens when Pokemon hit the scene, I still feel a connection with the first few generations.

[Nate the Great]

A guy solves a single-color jigsaw puzzle by taking pictures of each piece and programming a computer to solve it for him. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsPHBD5NsS0&t=902s) And then programming a robot to put each piece into place.



The best part was putting the pieces into a tumbler to soften the rough edges, then getting surprised that the pieces also shrunk a bit in the process.



You know, twenty years ago I would've called this guy the craziest person on the Internet. But now he ain't even top ten. I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing.

[Nate the Great]

This year is the 30th anniversary of The Muppet Christmas Carol, and Entertainment Weekly had an interview with some of the Muppets. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3gzf9ej18I)


Kermit's voice is absolutely AWFUL. You'd think by now getting appropriate voice actors for legacy characters would be something that can't be screwed up, but I guess not. Even the current voice of Baby Kermit on the Muppet Babies reboot (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ne6146qnhSM) does a better job.

[DrWho42]

dalek 63•88 did a video on the special weapons dalek (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAeqxp0SAbM)

[Nate the Great]

Certifiably Ingame tackles ships with nacelle numbers other than two. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XGxvIfT0K8)


I'm not a fan of the single-nacelle kitbashes.



CI's idea that four nacelle ships could have larger ranges because they could have "main" and "supplementary" nacelle pairs that swap at intervals is interesting, but I'm not a fan. The warp field would become extremely lopsided. Such a premise would work better if the four nacelles were along the same plane with "outer" and "inner" pairs that swap as needed.

[Nate the Great]

Three seconds from every TNG episode (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_fjhi4Tu5M)


When you take three second snippets out of context, TNG looks a little weird. What a surprise! :rolleyes:

[Nate the Great]

It's Miser Brothers cover day!


The originals (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-keSFPz-66o): Year Without A Santa Claus stop motion, live-action, and Miser Brothers Christmas.

Gooseworx instrumental cover (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Es9OhuC6q68)
Chi-chi and KayVox (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g1Ygkqc0OU)
WarDoc and CG5 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvsTPXmbid4)
KittenSneeze and Bbyam (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1edWG3kjSk)
Soul2Soul A Capella (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgCGjFyp0Bo)
OnjakuVA (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spKL3H729to)

[Nate the Great]

Miracle on 34th Street is now on YouTube! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqokHUJ-iOs&t=41s)


34th Street is one of my essential Christmas movies, up there with White Christmas and various Christmas Carols.

[Nate the Great]

Food Theory tackles all the stuff Santa eats and drinks on his Christmas ride. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fiw9CskKnTA)


I'm all for exaggeration for comic effect, but this one is just silly. Obviously Santa converts the calories into magic power to:
* Maintain the time dilation field that allows him to visit all the houses in one night

* Powering the spatial fold inside the bag of presents
* Levitating the sleigh
* Imbuing the reindeer with the power of flight
* Reinforcing everything with a structural integrity field
* Teleporting into houses without adequately-sized chimneys
* And so forth



In fact, you could argue that Santa would burn himself out without all those cookies.



Merry Christmas

[Nate the Great]

After twenty-five years, the Pokemon anime won't focus on Ash anymore. (https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2022/12/19/ash-ketchum-leaving-pokemon/10925383002/)


It took long enough. Will he retire as world champion at age 10?


I may have mentioned that I jumped ship before the voice cast change back in 2006. The original Mastermind of Mirage Pokemon dub appalled me. The first few generations of the show still hold meaning for me.



Here's a link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEyQZJpHxnc&list=PL565C8A56193DE6D1) to the Pokemon Christmas Bash album on YouTube.

[Nate the Great]

I have fond memories of the BRIO wooden train sets. Well, someone made a Maker program (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4E3DdJ0GzSo) to make virtual train sets in virtual rooms.

[Nate the Great]

Christmas Eve on Sesame Street (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF4XRQwzls8&t=2s)


I discovered that Bob McGrath died this year. Ouch. I know that 90 years old is nothing to sneeze at, but it's still a bummer. One more piece of my childhood gone forever.



Bob playlist!


Of course we must start with Keep Christmas With You (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sd5PEVKuAro)

People in Your Neighborhood (Grocer/Doctor) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2bbnlZwlGQ) After hearing the Fireman/Postman version on CD for decades, it's nice to have a change.

A more jazzy version of the Sesame Street theme (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QC_-aIgmfqs&list=RDEM86JIiB8aRgt8BqpqxxFPoA&start_radio=1).
What's the Name of That Song? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TjX5r37V0Q)

[Nate the Great]

Time for another Star Trek Deviantart Christmas Special!


Q plays Santa (https://www.deviantart.com/dziwaczka/art/star-trek-christmas-special-344799934)
Santa Kirk and Elf Spock (https://www.deviantart.com/foureyedalien/art/Star-Trek-Christmas-147281739)
I know I've posted this one before, but seeing Trek characters in Peanuts style (https://www.deviantart.com/johnny-radar/art/Star-Trek-Christmas-Card-648252637) doing those ridiculous dances never gets old
Santa Worf (https://www.deviantart.com/bebbe88/art/Santa-Worf-70943449)
A manga-style TOS trinity celebrates Christmas. (https://www.deviantart.com/highwind-vinnie7/art/Star-Trek-Christmas-152194530) And per usual the older Bones is deaged for manga purposes.
A chibi-style TNG crew. (https://www.deviantart.com/vemavra/art/Star-Trek-TNG-Christmas-vs-New-Year-344284188) It's not every day that you see Picard in a reindeer costume!
Sometimes the simple things are the best. A tribble in a Santa hat. (https://www.deviantart.com/nellipset/art/Christmas-Tribble-579040578)
A married Chakotay and pregnant Janeway celebrate the holiday (https://www.deviantart.com/torri012/art/Star-Trek-Voyager-J-C-Christmas-5-865848767)
An unusual Voyager Christmas gathering (https://www.deviantart.com/deidara1444/art/Christmas-U-S-S-Voyager-778197338). Naomi is extremely off-model, but it's not every day that Tal Celes makes an appearance in fanart.
It would've never occurred to me to make a Christmas tree shape (https://www.deviantart.com/brandtk/art/Star-Trek-Christmas-501787899) by stacking three Cochrane deltas, much less have the star be a Command star symbol
Seeing Scotty dressed like Santa was inevitable (https://www.deviantart.com/princessofvernon/art/Chibi-Santa-Scotty-497306533), but I wish the suit could've resembled the Monster Maroon a bit more.
Kirk and Rand under the mistletoe. (https://www.deviantart.com/jqroxks21/art/A-Star-Trek-Xmas-864765100) Does Kirk look like James Bond Jr. to anyone else?
Santa replaces his reindeer with nacelles for sleigh runners (https://www.deviantart.com/radpreacher/art/Merry-Christmas-2019-824477505)
Kes makes for a very cute elf (https://www.deviantart.com/glee-chan/art/Christmas-Kes-336244407), but a problem with drawing her in chibi manga style is that if you're not very careful it'll look like Yar.

Santa looks comfortable in the captain's chair (https://www.deviantart.com/brandtk/art/Star-Trek-Santa-650376359)

[Nate the Great]

Today SF Debris's final Voyager review was posted. Wow. I know he still has plenty of Trek left, but still...


He's dissected Voyager for almost fifteen years. He's been through server changes and the death of Blip, the implosion of TGWTG, multiple fights with YouTube's copyright lawyers, and a lot more. He's had to remake every episode at least twice and yet he continues.


He also posted a summary episode taking us back to how he got started reviewing Voyager. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4QE2XQYvo8)

[Nate the Great]

DOS emulators for iPhone aren't new, but what if you wanted to install Windows 3.1 on one with a USB floppy drive? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4R3LA4awCCM)


It's more complicated than you'd think.

[Nate the Great]

A most unusual commercial for TOS (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XuW964FDJ8)


You gotta see this one to believe it.

[Nate the Great]

Well, this is something I wasn't expecting to see today.


Webster was once zapped onto the Enterprise-D by a video game where he met Worf! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVqt4OjuDbI)


I don't recall watching much Webster back in the day. I'm not sure why. Maybe I had already been burned out on heartwarming orphans. There were a lot of shows with heartwarming orphans back then.

[Nate the Great]

Certifiably Ingame gives a breakdown of the Battle of Wolf 359 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxaJl4F4fLw)


I'm disappointed that there wasn't a mention of the "destruction" of the U.S.S. Righteous (Star Trek: Borg).

[Nate the Great]

As a fan of the 1985 Anne of Green Gables and 1994 Little Women of course I knew about the similarities between the proposal scenes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6_KQdBBbKk).



I'm also a fan of the 2019 Little Women, but it was only today that I realized how much closer the proposal scene in that one match's Anne's (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msUsIZ9cPqY).



It's odd. I like several versions of Little Women (as I've mentioned before, you gotta see William Shatner and John deLancie in the 1978 one), but Anne is a completely different kettle of fish. All versions other than Sullivan's (first two) films pale in comparison. The World Masterpiece Theater anime is a valiant effort, but still falls short. I refuse to watch Anne With An E on principle, but that's a whole other rant.

[Nate the Great]

LGR covers some 3.5" disk versions of old DOS shareware games. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQ3znwa9AL8)


I still have fond memories of the shareware era. I don't think I ever had the 3.5" disks, I got them on CD compilations. Anyway, if you remember this era the video is worthwhile if only for the atrocious cover art. The Commander Keen art alone is worth the watch.

[Nate the Great]

How to Talk Minnesotan the PBS TV special (http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiSzwoJr4-0)


This stuff is thirty years out of date, but it's still funny to me. Reading the comments was also great, especially seeing how it also applies to residents of the Upper Midwest and Scandinavia in general.

[Nate the Great]

Irish People do the Mystery Hot Sauce Challenge (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPJafwnTEAQ)


Twelve sauces from 1-mild to 12-HOT! What will you get?


I like spicy food, but some of those hot sauces sound scary. I don't think I've ever had ghost pepper.

[Nate the Great]

Trailer for the Power Rangers 30th Anniversary Special (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEYg_da4pCY)


Am I petty for resenting how well these guys have aged compared to me?


I've gone on about my history with the franchise enough times that I don't want to become tedious. Sufficed to say, there are parts of me that wish that I still had time to watch the show.



Linkara's History of Power Rangers Playlist (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7sNIZgPErY&list=PL0Cv84OTeDd5YJPWaKhIgaHZiyfrko1Vm)


The epic remix of the MMPR Theme (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMdge2fwqvM)
331Erock Metal Cover (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6p_j-0YCg04)

Epically bad mashup of the Power Rangers and Avengers themes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1hABTl-0fw)

[NAHTMMM]

I can't remember if I've ever actually seen Court Jester (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=An_XG30nJis).
It's a great movie and you should.

TrekCulture ranks the "hero ships" of Trek. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahWSmzRbHuQ)


After all these years I'm glad the E-D still gets respect (even if I would place the E-A above it in terms of aethetics), but after thirty-odd years can we finally admit that the saucer was too big and the nacelles were too small?
I have always said the D is the worst Enterprise (until Enterprise started coming up with awful future Ents). It's a caricature.

[NAHTMMM]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccjPTF7NQPI

The evolution of baseball games over the decades. We had Hardball 4, which is not in this video but was fun enough, other than the impossibility of hitting home runs outside of the home run derby.

[Nate the Great]

A breakdown of the Constitution class. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJ4wfQo0tHg&t=710s) Were there really only 12? Were there different versions? Did they have staggered launches?


Today I learned that the 12 thing comes straight from "Tomorrow Is Yesterday"...


CHRISTOPHER: Must have taken quite a lot to build a ship like this.
KIRK: There are only twelve like it in the fleet.
CHRISTOPHER: I see.



Many of us over the years have taken this to mean only 12 (I don't particularly like the idea of 13: 12+Enterprise).

Seen on-screen as definitely Constitution-class: Enterprise, Constellation, Lexington, Excalibur, Hood, Potemkin, Defiant

We can assume: Constitution

Only seen on the repair chart in "Court Martial": Exeter, Kongo

Appears as Constitution-class in the remastered version: Intrepid

Only seen in reference material or the novels as Constitution-class: Essex, Farragut, Hornet, Republic, Valiant, Eagle, Yorktown


So that's 11 TOS-era ships and 7 possibles. And some of the possibles could be pre-TOS era ships or a different class entirely.

[Nate the Great]

Adam Savage unboxes his new Back to the Future II DeLorean model (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efC45I1IlHE)

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efC45I1IlHE)
I still think the DeLorean is one of the most iconic film cars ever. It's up there with Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Herbie, the Mach 5, and the Aston-Martin DB5.

[Nate the Great]

So what class was the original Enterprise, anyway? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2x0L7VPNu8&t=331s)


I was surprised to learn that "Constitution Class" as a concept didn't really exist until the TNG era. Of course I knew that the 1701 plaque reads simply "Starship Class", but that can be excused by Early Installment Weirdness (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EarlyInstallmentWeirdness). As I've discussed elsewhere, in TOS the difference between "spaceship" and "starship" was much more defined back then.



Then again, "Enterprise Class" only appears in the films on the TWOK simulator room sign. Does it really refer to the class of starship, or could it refer to the Enterprise herself as the ship depicted in the simulator? That is, a classroom depicting the Enterprise? Wouldn't it stand to reason that cadets would want to pretend that they're serving on the flagship and that the simulator room is regularly updated along with the Kobayashi Maru test?



In the novels its stated that by the 24th century the test is against Romulans and not Klingons, and one presumes that the test was updated to be against the Dominion during the DS9 era. Would it not make sense to think that Cadet Picard took the test in a simulator based on the Enterprise-C, and the door still says "Enterprise Class"?



I don't think that holodecks were advanced enough to completely replace Kobayashi Maru simulator rooms until the TNG era, do you?

[Nate the Great]

The Groovy Sound of Music (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpMVVOJ3_-w&list=OLAK5uy_nDUNZ46gaWAQLR39YwYJ36lgbRWn6HIGg&index=1)


Songs from the musical redone as xylophone jazz. Only in the '60s would that make sense as a thing to do.



To this day I most associate the xylophone with the Mister Rogers theme (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SFgEyJ5D-8). I guess I never realized that the theme was meant to be jazz.

[Nate the Great]

So I'm watching Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark for the first time in decades, and I'm gobsmacked when I hear Sallah start to sing "A British Tar." (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMMCz07zfeA)


Of course John Rhys-Davis does it better than Stewart (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_kXyLMWdqw). More natural, more like he's actually having fun rather than trying to impress anyone.

[Nate the Great]

1981 South African version of Tom Foolery (the Tom Lehrer Revue) (http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd-yizlRa6E)


It's worth the watch if only for the fashion sensibilities.

[Nate the Great]

An alternate take on Admiral Morrows blatant error saying that the Enterprise is twenty years old in STIII. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPQF5xg4CEY&list=WL&index=81)


He doesn't even bring up the captains before Kirk. He makes a convincing argument that the age of the ship was reset during the pre-STTMP refit, and thus it can't possibly be twenty years between STTMP and TSFS.


After all, how much of the 1701 actually survived the refit process? The nacelles were replaced, the saucer was replaced. At best the bottom part of the stardrive (the proverbial "keel") survived. How is this the same ship?


For that matter, why was it so important to maintain that the ship in STTMP was the same ship as that in TOS? All we had to be told was that the 1701 was destroyed saving the Federation, and this new ship was named the same to honor it.



Furthermore, you don't need to fall back on the age of the ship to justify scuttling it in TSFS. Khan beat the heck out of it. Ships pre-Defiant just don't shrug off that much weapons fire while unshielded to be recoverable.

[Nate the Great]

Someone actually made earrings that look like Ceti Eels. (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=6211257062268907&set=gm.9070292559708808&idorvanity=275841852487300)


Cool, but gross.

[Nate the Great]

An attempt to chart the course of the 1701 in TOS S1. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqeQHa_Ge_A)



I never would've thought that it would zigzag so much.



It's an interesting thought experiment: how many TOS episodes take place on planets that they find along their set course of exploration, or on Federation colonies that they happen to visit along said course, and how many episodes are we given the distinct impression that Starfleet Command diverted the 1701 from it's normal route?


For example, in "The Trouble with Tribbles" the Enterprise just happened to be the closest ship during the crisis. We can therefore assume that they were on their normal patrol/exploration route. On the other hand, "The Menagerie" involves a deliberate diversion from their normal course.

[Nate the Great]

Cliff Stoll shows us how he packages his glass Klein bottles for shipping. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNq0eUBxPXc)


Cliff is always fun to watch.

[Nate the Great]

Ashens 15th Anniversary Compilation (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-apf8V3XZnk&list=PLnx36PaKEpxG54SScro_tadKG1yaBWTEN&index=856)


Snippets from each video he's made (well, the ones that still exist, anyway, I could see some omissions). If you're not subscribed already, give this one a try and see if something tickles your fancy.

[Nate the Great]

Clips from the little-known Singapore dub of Yu-gi-oh. (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRUphQXmyvN8MyDrUp10-wtMkLlIH2yDV)


Why someone would want to turn Yami into a surfer dude I'll never know.

[NAHTMMM]

For that matter, why was it so important to maintain that the ship in STTMP was the same ship as that in TOS? All we had to be told was that the 1701 was destroyed saving the Federation, and this new ship was named the same to honor it.
The ship is as much a character as the people. Would fans be less likely to buy a ticket if, say, Chekov had been recast? Probably. Psychologically we want to watch the same ship we loved during the series, even if it looks kinda different now.

The context of the long spacedock scene would be different too. It would be less "See how we prettied up your favorite ship for the big screen!" and more "Your favorite ship looked dumb, see how much better our version is!"

[Nate the Great]

You can now watch The Questor Tapes at the Internet Archive. (https://archive.org/details/the-questor-tapes)


Of course a Gene Roddenberry pilot would feature Majel Barret.

Watch for Questor gambling like data.



These events will eventually be referenced in Trek novels, particularly Immortal Coil, where Questor's creator Vaslovik will be revealed to actually be Flint (who faked his aging when McCoy scanned him), and will eventually take the name again to be the mentor to Soong and Graves.

[Nate the Great]

Pre-pilot promos for TNG. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeMF32tLw8U)


I don't like the reuse of footage, especially when it's clear that they had at least the first handful of episodes to work with.



You can't deny that the whole thing is very '80s.

[Nate the Great]

Electronic Press Kit for TNG (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkAKGs_yXHE)


Stardate 41153.7, 78 years have passed since the days when the original crew of the USS Enterprise explored the unknown wonders of the universe.


This is the correct stardate for "Encounter at Farpoint. However, it is also the year 2364. 78 years would be 2386, the same year that the (bookends of) Star Trek IV are set in. Since that would've been the most recent movie at the time, this is reasonably accurate.


Now a spectacular Galaxy starship, eight times larger...


That's Galaxy-class, dude. Many online sources are ready to give overall dimensions for the various classes, but not very many are willing to give volumes. I'll trust the figures from ST-v-SW.net (http://www.st-v-sw.net/STSWvolumetrics.html), which somehow has dimensions for everything in both the Trek and Wars universes.


For "Constitution B", their term for the refit, or what I still call "Enterprise-class" on occasion, the volume is 235,000 m^3. Enterprise-D is at 5,821,000 m^3. That's 25 times bigger (because the E-D's saucer is WAY TOO BIG).


(Meaningless aside, but I intend to return to st-v-sw.net in future once I've had time to explore properly)


To boldly go where none have gone before.


"None" seems a bit clunkier than "no one", doesn't it? I actually prefer the proto-Enterprise version, "no human." It doesn't seem to have the same racist vibes. "Oh yeah, only humanity counts as being people!"


The most technologically advanced starship ever built.


To adequately judge this station we need a proper definition of "most technologically advanced". One could certainly argue that the D'deridex class has more advanced tech, but is it designed to be totally self-contained for years on end like the E-D was designed to be?


It was Picard who ordered [Jack Crusher] on his ill-fated mission.

Oh boy, is there a lot to unpack here. Even after all these years we don't know all that much about Jack Crusher's death. He died while serving on the Stargazer in an accident on an away mission, that's it. While it's true that Picard as the captain would've ordered him on the mission, there's never been any indication that he knew of an extraordinary level of danger.



The novel Reunion portrays the events quite differently. It wasn't an away mission, Jack was doing a spacewalk outside the Stargazer during repairs when he was injured in an accident. Picard chose to rescue security chief "Pug" Joseph first as he was closest. Jack died before Picard could return.



The novel Q-Squared reveals that there's only one reality where Jack survived, but kharma still needed Picard and Beverly to get together, so Wesley was killed instead. Their grief split Jack and Beverly up, but it wasn't until both of them being posted on the Enterprise-D that Beverly started a relationship with Picard. It all gets a bit messy after that, by all means read the novel.


The novelization of "Encounter at Farpoint" (later contradicted by actual canon) states that Jack was killed by natives who suddenly turned violent on an away mission. I think I prefer the Reunion version.


(An alternate version of a scene from Farpoint)
Q: You will now answer to the charge of being a grievously savage race.
Picard: "Grievously savage" could mean anything. I will answer only specific charges.


A good point, I wonder why they didn't keep this one.


I never saw Robert Justman talk before! He was one of the old hands from TOS that Gene eventually scared away when he went crazy. I remember him well from the book "Inside Star Trek."


Frakes: To a long and successful voyage, the new crew of the Enterprise!
Burton: Live long and prosper!



I remember that from the "Journey's End" documentary!


Berman: We didn't want in any way to be accused of trying to recreate the old series.


Well, you kinda muffed that one, didn't you, Rick?


It's odd to see Sirtis use such a strong English accent.


Frakes: This is science fiction in a very believable format, I think.


Not really. At this point in Trek history the universe was supposed to be very aspirational. This is what we could actually do someday. Conflict was no longer required in most cases. All that Roddenberry gospel that conflicts with creating good drama.



It's too soon to tell yet whether the relationship between Riker and Counsellor Troi will develop.

This is a question that could be taken many ways. I think it was always assumed that both parties would date other people for awhile as they built a new relationship with each other based more on friendship than sexual desire or rescuing each other. I'll refer you to the novel Imzadi for that.


In the '80s it was understood that the chase was much more interesting than the actual relationship. Doing a long-term plotline like the O'Briens wouldn't even have been thought of at this point.


Best-known for his roles in the miniseries Roots and the TV movie Dummy, LeVar Burton...


I'd never heard of Dummy. It was a 1979 film where he costars with Nikolai Roshenko actor Paul Sorvino. Burton plays a deaf man who is framed for the murder of a prostitute.



Geordi sees through the use of a VISOR-a Visual Input Sensory Optical Reflector.


Eventually the acronym will be settled as Visual Instrument and Sensory Organ Replacement. Still a little clunky, although I have to admit wondering how "reflector" has any meaning in this context.


(Dorn speculates that the creators saw that he could do anything.)


You're telling me. It could be argued that of the TNG regulars, Worf transformed the most during the series. Toss in DS9 and you might have a contender for "transformed the most in the entire franchise".


(Wil Wheaton uses the term "really rad")


Had I been drinking at that moment, that might've been a spit take. I know it's the '80s, but seriously?


Berman: I think the only way that this show can work, the only reason that it is going to work, is Gene Roddenberry.


Oh, the joys of hindsight!

[Nate the Great]

Well, here's a crossover that I never expected to see: Numberphile and Eric Harshbarger! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5q32heFz1bs)


You should all know what Numberphile is by now. Eric is another story entirely. Back in the day he was one of the foremost professional LEGO sculptors (http://www.ericharshbarger.org/lego/portfolio.html). He doesn't really do that anymore, but I didn't know that he makes games now.

[Nate the Great]

SF Debris revamped his "Darmok" review and the accompanying Tamarian language video today. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu5pO16pYP4)


He makes a valiant effort to explain how the language works, but it completely falls apart under scrutiny. The Universal Translator can translate the Companion, a being who lacks common references with any humanoid language or mindset. Are you going to tell me that the UT became LESS sophisticated in a hundred years?



It's sad how the Babel Fish is actually more plausible than the Universal Translator. At least the Babel Fish knows how to establish a telepathic connection with the language centers of the brain. We're never given the implication that the Universal Translator can do this. If it could, the Tamarian metaphors would be convertible with no problems.



We know that the UT can't make a direct telepathic link because if it could we wouldn't need a mind-meld to understand Horta. Then again, perhaps the Horta don't "speak" via sounds, perhaps they can create vibrations in the rock around them to transmit ideas (or control their own heat signature to create patterns, for that matter). In the novels one of the Horta children joins Starfleet and has a custom UT, but that's another story and it probably took Spock's experience to build it to interpret vibrations or heat signatures or whatever.

[Nate the Great]

Tom Lehrer turned 95 a couple weeks ago. To celebrate here's a song I never knew existed, a cover of "Trees." (http://https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=kl21zJnQ1y8)



Of course you'll remember "Trees" as a song that Wayne and Wanda failed to sing on The Muppet Show.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JGVHndX5MA)

And someone reworked the elements song into a song about the kinds of trees.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1r4k39y0Z0)


A compilation of live performances by Lehrer himself. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9p5kY4UjGdk) A few differences from the album versions threw me off a bit.


And now a few more recent Lehrer covers:


The Masochism Tango (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBXnK5QNG9g)
Lobachevsky (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYKbEU1fv8U)
We Will All Go Together When We Go (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzwgsRftHno)
Smut/The Elements (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=465P5nCgMmY&t=36s) (wasn't expecting that pair as a double feature!)
The Masochism Tango (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5yQn_a9rW4) again...on America's Got Talent!

[DrWho42]

listening to an old favourite: from an ancient star (2009) by belbury poly (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nxjqj-pnNjTI2tfejntOuHILUVCtvO7Es)

[Nate the Great]

TNG bloopers that I've never seen before. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnA8pPewd88)

[Nate the Great]

Route of the 1701 during TOS S2&S3 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHEbcttsqmM)

Talk about zig-zagging. One thing that I have a problem with is how close they go to the modern (i.e. 24th century) borders of the Cardassian Union and the Ferengi Alliance. All of the major powers besides the Klingons and Romulans (and minor powers like the Tholians and Gorn) should be far away from space explored in TOS. In fact I don't think the Federation even extended far enough to encounter the Cardassians and Ferengi until the 24th century.

It's also sad how many TOS planets haven't been depicted on "modern" starcharts since the '70s. You'd think all of this would've been established fairly early on in the Pocket Books era.

One of these days I really have to go episode-by-episode to see how many of the 1701's missions were really pure exploration (or at least, a result of being the closest ship when major events happen i.e. "The Trouble with Tribbles") and how many involve serious deviations from the regular patrol course. For example, "Amok Time", "The Ultimate Computer", and "Journey to Babel" would've involved major deviations.

[NAHTMMM]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Ytsmn4gv4

It's 400 years since Shakespeare's First Folio was published. The Victoria and Albert Museum takes a look at one copy and other related things.

[Nate the Great]

LGR fills a 12-drive bay computer tower with the weirdest 5.25" drives he's collected over the years. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXlZXH4aQ5k)


1. A vacuum tube audio meter
2. An audiocassette player
3. A cigarette lighter and cigarette storage drawer.
4. A cooling unit for the computer.
5. An air conditioner for you.


And more...

[Nate the Great]

A dramatic audio reenactment of Eric and the Dread Gazebo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLop9wYFOfc)

[Nate the Great]

Ley's Play With Brigands covers Sim Tower (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TA1xIh-H9Tg)

I spent many happy hours on this game in my youth. I had all kinds of notes written about how to best arrange things. How far are people willing to walk to the elevator, what is the optimal office/restaurant ratio, how many hotel rooms can you properly service with one housekeeping unit, etc.

[NAHTMMM]

Animating A Charlie Brown Christmas (https://animationobsessive.substack.com/p/animating-a-charlie-brown-christmas)

Animating Schulz's style in four months was really hard to do, and they didn't like the result.

[Nate the Great]

If you want some real groaners of Trek puns, look no further than the comments on this Not Always Right story (https://notalwaysright.com/overheard-in-space-dock/294016/).

[Nate the Great]

A guy makes a motorcycle model out of old watches. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMtObCAcGy4)

I was reminded of my dad even before I realized that today is Fathers Day. He would've loved this.

[Nate the Great]

Today I found out that this year is the 50th anniversary of Schoolhouse Rock. Of course ABC made a special to commemorate it (https://abc.com/shows/schoolhouse-rock-50th-anniversary-singalong/episode-guide/season-01/01-schoolhouse-rock-50th-anniversary-singalong).

I can't begin to tell you what Schoolhouse Rock means to me. It's a labor of love by people who really wanted to educate and entertain children at the same time. While it's had its clunkers (most of Earth Rock comes to mind immediately), you never feel that these guys are phoning it in. I'll forgive a lot of flaws if the creators had passion.

[Nate the Great]

As a followup to the Schoolhouse Rock 50th Anniversary here's a tape someone made way back in 1973 off their TV, including the first ever airing of Schoolhouse Rock, the first short "Three is a Magic Number." (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGS3n8rgO_4&t=1572s) Seeing the different animation surprised me, but I guess gunshots, even from a carnival game, was deemed non-PC for the time.

(The YouTube video says 1971, but we know Schoolhouse Rock didn't air until 1973).

[Nate the Great]

So they're making a Willy Wonka prequel movie. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8fGvJHarb8)

So, yeah, um....

Errr...

I'm conflicted.

[Nate the Great]

Another Schoolhouse Rock parody to celebrate the 50th anniversary. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEe1nWxGb5s)

[Nate the Great]

Some new Trek filk songs that I found today. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snW6R1FGEyw)

[Nate the Great]

The final scene from Voyager (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vji7w6ldxto)

The scene's not the important part, it's the hilarious joke in the comment chain. You have to read this thing for yourself.

[Nate the Great]

Going back through the Trek time travel adventures, OrangeRiver asks when Trek history deviated from our own. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fc43yatGkHU)

Obviously the answer is "The Big Bang", because I don't think our Big Bang had a starship inside it.

Plus, y'know, we're not descendents of the Projenitors, nor were our dinosaurs capable of making spaceships.

[Nate the Great]

Tomorrow, August 28th, is the thirtieth anniversary of the premiere of Power Rangers!

The original version of the pilot "The Day of the Dumpster" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYsnIiLEXds)

Zordon (or "Zoltar", I should say): Teleport to us the most dangerous group of ruthless, underhanded, overbearing, self-absorbed, and emotional humans in the area.
Alpha: No! Not teenagers!
Zordon: Correct.
Alpha: I was afraid of that.

The real pilot (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTh2Aj3gPqI)

Come to think of it, how many of the original cast really counts has having "attitude", anyway? Just Tommy when he was mind controlled by Rita!

Even after all these years, I still think this is the best version of the theme song. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMdge2fwqvM)

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnbOB7EugI4&t]The anniversary special, "Once and Always"[/URL]

I have mixed feelings about this one. I think I'll stick to the uncontroversial stuff and say that I never liked CG zords. Ever. Part of the charm was the clunky movement of the guys wearing rubber suits and cardboard boxes. The OG Megazord should not move that smoothly. But if they have to do a recreation, they have to do it more faithfully than that. It's shocking when a fan does a better job. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxSxmGZm6Gg)

The original movie. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIXZfHWqSmI) Cheesy as all get out and objectively awful, but I still have fond memories of it.

The Turbo movie. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1F4wFtfSob8) I enjoy this one more since it's more faithful to the series.

The Z Wave (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wkIbmuQokM). One of the key events in the series.

[Nate the Great]

A bridge that you can turn upside down with a hand crank so ships can pass under it.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsGEcLwjgEg)

As both a math fan and a structures fan this amazes me.

[Nate the Great]

Dark Materia is well-known for the Picard Song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6oUz1v17Uo) and the Worf Song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Da8BwV-Zrg0), but the Riker Song (aka Frame of Mind) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSF48WK6SFY) is a little more obscure.

[Nate the Great]

I like it when someone thinks way too much about something from my childhood, it makes me feel better.

Someone actually took the time to analyze the RNG of Mario Party 1 to find the most efficient way to play each board. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nceU5D-E_PQ)

I spent way too much time playing Mario Party 1 in my youth.

[Nate the Great]

The climatic scene from "The Trouble With Tribbles. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbulHWimsmY)"

Always a fun scene, but I wanted to point out the hilarious song-based joke in the comments. It's worth it, I assure you, especially for the Disney fans out there.

[Nate the Great]

Somebody strapped model rocket engines to a LEGO car. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atAXZsNQ8oU)

I went through a model rocket phase as a boy and of course my love of LEGO is on record, so I enjoyed this.

[Nate the Great]

Enterprise showrunner Manny Coto reveals his problem with the premise of the show. (https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/enterprise-had-a-big-problem-from-the-star-trek-prequel-s-start-says-showrunner/ar-AA1izKgb?ocid=msedgntp&pc=DCTS&cvid=c5cfa346f6a141409fcb577633688045&ei=51)

I find this idea that the problem was all the humans they kept bumping into ludicrous. Absolutely hilarious and completely missing the point.

[Nate the Great]

A TNG tribute video that I've never seen before. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNj21ILH4yM)

My only problem is the use of that orchestral version of the Inner Light theme that's practically a cliche by now. I know it's a great song, but there are other versions of it out there!

[Nate the Great]

Robert Justman stated that there was no ship-specific emblems in TOS, it was rather split by the classification of postings:

Starship (or Heavy Cruiser, if you prefer) (Enterprise, etc.): Cochrane delta
Spaceship (auxiliary craft like the Antares): Lopsided heart with oval
Outpost and Colonies: Sideways oval/fin
Cadets: Silver Flower (as seen on Finnegan)
Starbase: Gold Flower (as seen in "The Menagerie" and elsewhere)
Flag Officer: Bow/Knot (as seen on Commodore Decker)

The weird thing is that the Defiant crew (as seen in "The Tholian Web") wore Cochrane Deltas in TOS, but for ENT in "In a Mirror Darkly" they were given a special emblem (sideways fin). It is speculated that the costumer for ENT was operating under the "every ship gets its own emblem" theory.

Video link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFzepOjUzgY), or you can read the article (https://www.startrek.com/news/starfleet-insignia-explained) that it's based on.

[Nate the Great]

A breakdown of saucer separation mentions in TOS (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IForllHl1k)

There were only two, and in both cases it almost sounds like Kirk is referring to ditching just the nacelles, not the entire secondary hull.

I still find it interesting that nobody can quite agree on where the hull separation (if any) exists. I prefer the TNG-style "cobra head" left with the secondary hull to the version where part of the neck stays with the saucer.

"The Apple"-Vaal has rendered the antimatter inert. Kirk seems to think that the Enterprise should ditch the nacelles and escape with impulse engines. Cue obligatory "space is big, really big" quote. I suppose the idea is that Vaal can only affect things in orbit and the Enterprise just needs to escape the operational range to get a message out asking for a rescue (I'd imagine once you leave orbit you can just let the planet move away from you). But in that case you wouldn't want to ditch the warp drive if it can be refueled.

"The Savage Curtain"-Yarnek is affecting the matter/antimatter seal. Kirk orders the nacelles to be jettisoned. This situation is more immediate, warp core breaches are nothing to sneeze at. This seems more like a traditional saucer separation is warranted.

[Nate the Great]

A Trek medley from a crew of fans performing their instruments individually and assembling it later. It's always nice to see the movie music be represented more, far too often the TV show main themes take the spotlight. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7x2Y10-MdDU)

[Nate the Great]

Atomic Abe does reviews of backdoor pilots, so of course he made one for "Assignment: Earth." (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xaUODjODGI)

I still think it would've made for a cool show, and I still recommend their appearances in the John Byrne comics.

[Nate the Great]

Nintendo has announced that they're making a live-action Zelda movie! (https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/gaming/nintendo-has-officially-announced-a-live-action-legend-of-zelda-movie/ar-AA1jyuxd?cvid=43aee45118ee4bdf87410d37fa596476&ocid=winp2fptaskbar&ei=13)

[Nate the Great]

This year's weird candy from Lofty Pursuits is carrot-flavored. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyR931v0VQg)

This guy was having trouble getting an artificial carrot flavor to work, so he actually freeze-dried real carrots into powder to mix with the hot sugar.

[Nate the Great]

Not really a link but I had to share this. I’ve seen my fair share of misspellings on Reddit, but this one takes the cake. I get that Nerys might be hard to remember for the casual fan, but “Norise” is laughably bad.

[Nate the Great]

Certifiably Ingame tackles single-nacelle ships. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHwnLVB3SF8)

Apparently in recent years these things have been made official canon. I was never a fan. I still abide by the original Roddenberry rules (https://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/articles/design.htm):

1. Nacelles must be in pairs. (I'm more okay with third nacelles than single nacelles, but I feel that the Galaxy-X class could've done it better).
2. Nacelles must have at least 50% line of sight to each other. (There's a screed to be had here about Voyager and Defiant, but that's a story for another day).
3. Nacelles have can't be blocked from the front. (You need an adequate operational angle for the Bussard collectors, after all).
4. The bridge has to be at the top center of the primary hull. (For dramatic purposes if nothing else, remember that even the battle bridge follows this logic when the ship is separated).

The rule that has been violated most often in canon is the line of sight rule. The rule that seems to be exploited most often is the bridge on the top center, which allows for different bridge modules (most often seen in the TOS movies).

Ex Astris Scientia has an entry specifically bashing the Galaxy-X class, be sure to read it.

[Nate the Great]

I've mentioned ViHart in passing before, but it's time for her to get a proper schilling.

She's a YouTuber who does stuff with math that nobody else does, usually through drawing cute little drawings. In particular she tackles pi vs. tau and how to use everyday objects to demonstrate mathematical ideas.

Turning candy button strips into Mobius Loops to make eating them more efficient. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOLIB3cjFqw)

A sillyband fight that has nothing to do with math (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktW43nEqcDg). Sillybands were a fad back in the nineties, rubber bands that were deliberately made to be shaped like objects and not just circles. Stay tuned for the Hitchhiker's reference.

Playing with those jointed plastic snakes that you buy at the arcade with tickets. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx5D09s5X6U)

Playing with Dragon Curves (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdyociU35u8)

[Nate the Great]

Last month was the 25th anniversary of Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time!

David Erick Ramos' 10th Anniversary video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE7z8X5SpUo). I saw this when it came out 15 years ago (it seems like a different lifetime). David does a lot of ocarina videos, both playing and reviewing the many ocarinas in his collection.

David Erick Ramos plays OOT music:
Title theme
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIRtmg50k7A)
Kokiri Forest (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rU0VLphIn0A&list=PL4hqIpA4A_Cf-6xhG7f0RWhOFT3DNqE4N&index=3) (combined with Lost Woods from A Link to the Past)
Shop Theme (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIN06lmsMDc&list=PL4hqIpA4A_Cf-6xhG7f0RWhOFT3DNqE4N&index=16)
Zelda's Lullaby (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55vtOmGS_BI&list=PL4hqIpA4A_Cf-6xhG7f0RWhOFT3DNqE4N&index=24)

Studi Ghibli-inspired fan film. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iio_ZOS2T3s&t=2s)

The Return of Ganondorf, a fun film that I used to watch all the time on Newgrounds. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsnqimxFvsc)

Robin Williams commercial for OOT 3D (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09wBn4ux3N0)

Medley by the Guitar Brothers. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFw-FrYmAEw)

OOT medley from Smash Brothers Ultimate (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wElFM2EC9dI)

Something about Ocarina of Time (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiDx6aQ928o&list=PL_nUhPfMOdafrG_2mkNNNwZXYqGXu1Oci). Think of it as a fan animated abridged series of sorts.

Ocarina of Time With Lyrics (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRGxbQcunnU). If you're not subscribed to Brentalfloss yet you're really missing out.

Parody from Powerpuff Girls. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-KEuSt0lZI)

Lindsey Stirling does a Link cosplay and plays a violin medley (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3KUyPKbR7Q). Lindsey is someone else you should be subscribed to, here's my favorite Christmas video from her (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jg4sZZaf3Gg) as long as we're in the festive season.-

Life with Navi (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sZ0Yn16Dgg). I think I also saw this one on Newgrounds first.

An April Fool's movie trailer for a fake OOT movie. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBCzkz3gHb8) It's sad to think that the real movie won't be as faithful as this.

[Nate the Great]

It's been four years since I schilled Pocket83.

He's mad that his favorite brand of pencils are now garbage.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SleO4Ia_Ihw)

While I'm not obsessed with pencil quality (although I do prefer 100% wood shafts to this pseudo-plastic nonsense they use these days), I can respect his anger. I've certainly been passionate about much sillier things myself, I am not one to judge.

[Nate the Great]

I may have posted about John C. Worsley's Trek music videos before, but I can't seem to find it. Anyway, he likes to do a Christmas-themed one each year:

Santa, When the Claus Fell (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYUMmIBWm-8)
You're a Mean One, Mr. Spock (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7s7X9LdNDs)
All I Want For Christmas is Q (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KvWwJ6sh5s)
Wonderful Deep Space Nine (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cCTgRax94o)
Tuvok, the Vessel's Vulcan (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmrMuwcpKkY)
Enterprise Rock (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JDjkUswzvQ&list=PL82X_lc7KC5AOo9cyYdzu4fhSZtee1If4) (I'll call a Christmas truce with Enterprise)

Other Trek/Christmas filk songs

Make it So (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiSn2JuDQSc&list=PL31BEYNSla5jSC8StYPUOboEief6x2oBx)
Twelve Days of Star Trek (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85n9ye73DjE&list=PL31BEYNSla5jSC8StYPUOboEief6x2oBx&index=4)
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Starfleet (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZYhXgol8mw&list=PL31BEYNSla5jSC8StYPUOboEief6x2oBx&index=9)
Janeway Pi Rock (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27GNDLRh1KA)

And now some miscellaneous Trek/Christmas crossovers (mostly just appropriate Trek clips to a popular Christmas song)

Santa Baby (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyfDrmQ3dxk&list=PL39B7C536EE463415&index=1)
All I Want For Christmas (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfjVMVQTi2A&list=PL39B7C536EE463415&index=2) (if you're not a Janeway/Chakotay shipper I'd stay away from this one)
Let it Snow (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uM_gFjV7Ynw&list=PL39B7C536EE463415&index=5)
Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYTNC6905u4&list=PL39B7C536EE463415&index=10)

Times when Christmas appeared in Trek

Picard's Nexus fantasy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86xLrMnykeQ)
Voyager is now a Christmas tree ornament (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kit4Lhyg1DI)

[Nate the Great]

I've known about Kate Mulgrew's role as Mrs. Colombo for awhile now. My parents were big fans of Colombo (and a lot of other independent detective shows for that matter, a list would quickly become exhausting).

Well, here are the first ten minutes of the pilot. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zD9v1gB5II&t=4s) Seeing a babyfaced Mulgrew wasn't the surprise, seeing René Auberjonois was. I haven't seen him in a beard since his cameos on Frasier!

[Nate the Great]

Wintergatan continues to work on the Marble Machine 3, and this week he visited an antique musical instrument museum to get some inspiration (http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i63t7ekNFoY). Or to put it more simply, he's going to build music box tech into the part of the marble machine that reads the music.

What fascinated me was the notion that you could have the music box cylinder move slowly along the axle like a screw to make new pins available to be played.

[Nate the Great]

A DS9 tribute music video that's a little bit different (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmdrhfA0-Fw&list=RD4cCTgRax94o&index=16)

[Nate the Great]

To celebrate Christmas Disney posted "Once Upon A Studio" on YouTube. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gB90me0aqSY)


My biggest complaint is that for a 100th anniversary tribute, some of the voice doubles that they found were just awful. And I mean awful.



But fair is fair, I was touched by Elliot pushing Cody like Marahute would do.

[Nate the Great]

So Walmart cashed in on the popularity of the Grinch in a commercial (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4H-uzByjH4)


So yeah, this is offensive.



And I thought that the Singin' in the Rain VW commercial (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gs_T_cEoX6I)was the worst exploitation possible.

[NAHTMMM]

Yeah, that's offensive. Capital One's been running ads with the Grinch too but I don't think they're outright rewriting the book's moral.

[Nate the Great]

A nice Trek/Winnie the Pooh mashup (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10231516487725314&set=gm.24707794712198674&idorvanity=275841852487300)

[Nate the Great]

If you want a fast way to feel old, here it is. (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=751094707061791&set=a.618996120271651)


I scored 4, how about you guys?

[Nate the Great]

So Steamboat Willie is in the Public Domain now (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7GW-1mAPAg)


I hadn't watched the whole thing in years. It's not as good as I remembered.

[Nate the Great]

Glynis Johns died today. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glynis_Johns)


I'll skip right past the obvious Mary Poppins links.


The only other Johns movie that I've seen is The Court Jester



The Pellet with the Poison's in the Vessel with the Pestle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJ9f2rnjB84) (Third base!)


How could I forget that she cameoed on Cheers? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEu6cCNUU94)


Costarring with Jimmy Stewart in "No Highway in the Sky." (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tT9Wug_exPY)

[Nate the Great]

Steve Harwell of Smash Mouth died last year, and I just found out. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Harwell)


I can't articulate what Smash Mouth meant to me growing up. I tried, but it was a fairly long and boring screed. Let's just say that I encountered the band's music a handful of times before I tied it all together and became a fan. The band's music represents an important period in my life.

[Nate the Great]

It's always nice to see two of my favorite YouTubers do a crossover

Simon from Cracking the Cryptic explains a Sudoku trick on Numberphile
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pezlnN4X52g)

[Nate the Great]

Saturday Night Live sketch where Patrick Stewart and a bunch of people pretending to be the TNG crew serve on the Love Boat instead. (https://vimeo.com/67326569?fbclid=IwAR3QWit6Fb8SvxCQI6CqrPJ4j5lGh6IO P00_Qzoa-t9ihDfauJRaqGlKvpo)


It must be seen to be disbelieved.

[Nate the Great]

It's been five years since I shilled for James Lileks, but in today's rummage through his archives I found a Star Trek joke (http://lileks.com/80s/catalog/sears1986/42.html).

[NAHTMMM]

https://phrontistery.info

Collections of unuusal, obscure, or specialized words.

[NAHTMMM]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAer4rDnA6I

Hummingbird pool party!

[Nate the Great]

Junkball gives a retrospective on the USS Jenolen. (http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZA0H-ywGYo)


Stay until the end for Doohan's Data impression from the Relics audiobook! For some reason he makes Data sound like a TOS android.

[Nate the Great]

50 mistakes you might have missed in the best TV shows of all time (https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/50-mistakes-you-might-have-missed-in-the-best-tv-shows-of-all-time/ss-BB1hSI3f?cvid=1138e4f946d043619956e3939fed3139&ocid=winp2fptaskbar&ei=8&sc=shoreline#image=51)


The Star Trek entry is ridiculous...


In the science fiction realm, writers are often forced to find a balance between the fantastical and the realistic, melding real science with wild concepts to make the worlds created as believable as possible. In the instance of "Next Generation," however, one of the main data points was the ship's computer having an odd need to breathe in the middle of sentences. Considering it was supposed to be all function and not a human form, a breathing computer seemed a little too far-fetched for fans.


People actually lose sleep about this? They do realize that in the '80s automated voices were horrifically primitive and grating, right? Did they expect Majel Barrett to record one sentence at a time so the staff could splice them together without breathing noises?

[Nate the Great]

A Christmas Carol like you've never seen before. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieC-QuFKFVc)


As in a stage musical in the form of an '80s prog rock album.


It must be seen to be disbelieved.

[Nate the Great]

A Not Always Right Story with a painful Star Trek joke in the comments (https://notalwaysright.com/spectacularly-stupid-stubbornness-over-speedometers/321520/)


Seriously, I groaned at this so all of you have to groan at it too.

[Nate the Great]

Element14 makes a tribble that will react positively to Mr. Spock and negatively to a Klingon. (http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZ_qIJMJwZw)

[NAHTMMM]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ikqU6G6Xgs

The bad or dubious choices that went into the music of the Les Mis movie.

[Nate the Great]

Sesame Street once did a Power Rangers spoof (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rS5ZKfGWa7c)


Well, that's surreal.

[Nate the Great]

Today is my 42nd birthday, so it's time for some links...


Of course 6X9=42 in Base 13, but as Douglas Adams himself said, "I may be a sorry case, but I don't write jokes in Base 13. (https://www.reddit.com/r/quotes/comments/anvcm5/i_may_be_a_sorry_case_but_i_dont_write_jokes_in/)"


Numberphile tackles the number (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6tINlNluuY)


And again. It took a long time to find how to get 42 by summing three cubes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyG8Vlw5aAw)


Miscellaneous mathematical properties from Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/42_(number))


Star Trek events in years that end with 42 (Memory Alpha and Beta):
2342: Picard refuses to meet Jenice in Paris, Ishara Yar is born, Bevery Howard starts her medical training
2242: Gary Mitchell and Janice Rand are born, construction begins on the 1701 under the command of Robert April
2142: Wendy Raymond (great great granddaughter of Clare Raymond) dies
2042: Final World Series (won by Buck Bokai)
1942: The Nexus ribbon passed through the galaxy this year, Chekov is transported to this year by an omnipotent being in a novel and meets one of Kirk's ancestors

[Nate the Great]

Teaser Trailer for STTMP featuring Orson Welles narration (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwivz3gECus)


I wasn't expecting to encounter this today!

[Nate the Great]

A LEGO stop-motion film retelling The Princess Bride using Star Wars characters and references. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNSwzRpKZyA)


It's...something else.

[Nate the Great]

Collage of scifi characters from Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=8207299359287376&set=gm.10161606681204468&idorvanity=2200404467)


Trek is well represented.

[Nate the Great]

Matt Parker has drafted hundreds of volunteers to attempt to break the record of most digits of pi calculated by hand.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIg-6glbLkU)

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIg-6glbLkU)
While I'm all for mathematical enthusiasm, this one seems a little ridiculous.

[Nate the Great]

Certifiably Ingame tackles the warp speed limit. (http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VeNglHDdYA)


I still have trouble with the idea that the entire fleet could be replaced with ships of a less damaging profile that fast. Furthermore, it's clear that the variable nacelle geometry of Voyager was in the design before the fortunate side effect was discovered.


Then again, I'm more than willing to go with "Voyager still damages subspace, but the point is that it's the most powerful ship in the quadrant (within reason, of course) and the Delta Quadrant lacks the monolithic governments and well-trod "warp highways" that the Alpha Quadrant has."


I mean, think about it. What race (other than the Borg, who use a completely different propulsion technology) has enough high-warp ships to cause the kind of damage seen in "Cause and Effect"? None.

[Nate the Great]

Possum Rob (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktC9d5TC0pg&list=PLXaW73f6ppLq2w2YWgLH3ZF72uNsVMBz3)


A new Trek review show that I just discovered. He's covering the TOS episodes one by one in a very different way. Treknology and continuity issues are secondary to the character work and ideas presented by the story. A very relaxed approach.

[Nate the Great]

A Princess Bride/Trek meme from Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=3361021030869567&set=gm.25330762679901871&idorvanity=275841852487300)

[NAHTMMM]

https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.20268

In the seven years that the starship Voyager spent in the Delta Quadrant, it used many questionable techniques to engage with alien civilizations and ultimately find its way home. From detailed studies of their logs and opening credits, we simulate Voyager's practice of orbiting a planet, to examine the effect on planetary rings. We outline a feasible planetary system and simulate the extent to which its rings would be disrupted. We find that Voyager's orbit could inflate the height of the rings in the vicinity of the spacecraft by a factor of 2, as well as increase the relative speeds of neighboring planetesimals within the rings. This increase in ring thickness has the potential to alter shadows on any moons of this planet, impacting ring-shadow based religions. Additionally, the acceleration of these planetesimals could rival their gravity, bucking any alien inhabitants and their tiny civilizations off of their planetesimal homeworlds. Finally, we posit that due to increased collisions amongst the planetesimals (which may harbor tiny intelligent life) the trajectory of these civilizations may be forever altered, violating the prime directive.

[Nate the Great]

Today is Jane Goodall's 100th birthday. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Goodall)


I first heard of her through the infamous The Far Side cartoon (http://https://i0.wp.com/www.dailycartoonist.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Screenshot_2020-04-24-original-jpg-JPEG-Image-427-%C3%97-624-pixels.png?ssl=1), the one that her lawyers hated but she loved.


Then I found the article that Erma Bombeck wrote about her in her book When You Look Like Your Passport Photo, It's Time to Go Home. (https://www.amazon.com/When-Look-Like-Passport-Photo/dp/0061099813)


Then the joke that Ape made in the George of the Jungle movie. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DsTV2BXTmg)


Here's a random assortment of single-panel Jane Goodall gags (https://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/j/jane_goodall.asp).


And some more factoids that I found today...


* The Jane Goodall Institute's Center for Primate Studies was at my alma mater the University of Minnesota (which had the amusing email address of [email protected])
* LEGO made a Jane Goodall set to celebrate International Women's Day 2022. (http://https://jaysbrickblog.com/news/lego-40530-jane-goodall-tribute-gwp-revealed-for-international-womens-day-2022/)

[Nate the Great]

The Gaming Historian made a documentary about the history of Oregon Trail (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QbjlHeoLdc)


I attended a Minnesota elementary school during the Apple IIe era, so the MECC games have a special place in my heart.

[Nate the Great]

A guy sculpts a sculpture of Cookie Monster eating/terrorizing a bunch of Shrek-style gingerbread men. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1tOX_TOuUc)


Crafts like these impress me because I don't have that kind of artistic talent myself.

[NAHTMMM]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBnVL1Y2src

The first attempt to "animate" The Hobbit. Condenses the whole thing into 11 minutes, and uhh . . . yeah. Cute art but not the same story, or even some of the same words.

[Nate the Great]

Resurrected Starships tackles inconsistencies in the usage of "transwarp" between STIII, the Borg, etc. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AY3z7nghDNk)


I'm all for assuming that "The Great Experiment" of the Excelsior wasn't "transwarp" as understood later on, i.e. not Warp 10 or special warp paths like the Borg and other species use, but merely a major upgrade to conventional warp that would allow for far superior speeds than the TOS warp scale. Once the kinks were ironed out I'm willing to believe that "transwarp" became the new TNG warp scale, far faster than anything in TOS (except for Kelvin intervention or the like, of course).



He also hypothesizes that when Kirk said "let's see what she's got" of the Enterprise-A, he really meant the new warp drive design that was a refinement of the Excelsior.



I'm not a fan of the notion that the Excelsior's transwarp drive was completely abandoned when Scotty "stopped up the drain" and replaced with a standard warp drive. All Scotty did was remove some key components that couldn't be replaced in time to stop the Enterprise (along with some minor hacking to give Captain Stiles a message, of course). In fact, I shudder to think of the amount of work that would have to be done to rip out half of the stardrive section and replace it, even if a spare Constitution warp core was available immediately.

[Nate the Great]

LGR reviews a TRS-80 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3lhtcGzhkc).


I only knew of the TRS-80 through Linkara's reviews of the Tandy Computer Whiz Kids comics. However, it was nice to see that a TRS-80 next to a TI 99/4A and an Apple IIe. I still miss this era of computing. What do we call this era, the BASIC program-it-yourself/program cartridge era?

[Nate the Great]

Today is the 40th Anniversary of King's Quest!


Roberta Williams recorded a YouTube video to celebrate. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNiqcSUrAOo)



A roundup of the different versions of the first game. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GzqoZfVLUc)

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GzqoZfVLUc)
Let's Play With Brigands Playlist, this one also covers the fan remakes. (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPSg4CGjoztkpzCbm6F9RzRueRCoMEk7R)


Space Quest Historian review's King Quest playlist (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilZcid-f71o&list=PL5LHFjKlZBT_X2gjNTpCJ4UIhlLAa3hpQ)


Paw's Let's Play of KQV (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydC_YXcWoBw&list=PL5ACDE10D49E44AA3). He also did VI and the fan remakes, but I won't link to everything.


OneShortEye's KQ speedrun history videos (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sbb2GNDVqFc&list=PLUdq9HOCsrmccvFuvmPZ4glo1MxXbPB3A).


A metal cover of "Girl in the Tower" (http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrkCgzTKhwI)


King's Quest cosplay (https://www.google.com/imgres?q=king%27s%20quest%20cosplay&imgurl=https%3A%2F%2F64.media.tumblr.com%2Fb113eeb 70cc460b2773d41fa836c5704%2Ftumblr_nc2lddGkYo1rs2t 3mo1_500.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fallhailkingsquest.tumblr.c om%2Fpost%2F97946327736%2Fwrathofconpics-dragoncon-2014-kings-quest&docid=1up51FB0aleUHM&tbnid=qbyefKI2SqPeVM&vet=12ahUKEwiB6of594OGAxVXI0QIHVBECvcQM3oECGEQAA.. i&w=500&h=667&hcb=2&ved=2ahUKEwiB6of594OGAxVXI0QIHVBECvcQM3oECGEQAA)


Overclocked Remix presents a cover of the KQV intro music (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4o1Q_ocQ2bE&pp=ygUUb2NyZW1peCBraW5nJ3MgcXVlc3Q%3D)

[Nate the Great]

Fan animation of Spock and McCoy discussing Kirk's "death" in Generations.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MQAbujcg8E)

[Nate the Great]

Happy Towel Day!

I thought I had already exhausted the relevant links in previous years, but I found a new one (http://https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/hitchhikers/images/4/4d/Robin_Williams.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20120914220027).


EDIT: I guess not. Here's a roundup of Towel Day events (https://www.towelday.org/) that are occurring around the world today, and a video from an astronaut (http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVQgVGhygeo)explaining how useful towels are during space missions.

[Nate the Great]

Someone made a LEGO Delta Flyer at minifig scale. (https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10161399187024555&set=pcb.1917905048642132)

[Nate the Great]

Richard Sherman died last Saturday. He was one of the last survivors of the golden age of Disney.



Trailer for the Sherman Brothers documentary (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOQr7fYME34). I really have to get around to watching it one of these days.


The Sherman Brothers didn't just do Disney movies, they did the songs for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Charlotte's Web, the theme parks, the anthology series (The Wonderful World of Disney today), on and on. They wrote the screenplay for The Slipper and the Rose, one of the best Cinderella adapatations out there.


The Sherman Brothers Songbook (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kplef9I7J7Dlyz-YLpOPRjKQVpV60DQmU). I own this CD set, but you can listen to it on YouTube. I would advise skipping the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang songs, however. As CCBB isn't a Disney movie they had cover artists do the songs for this Disney CD. The last track features them singing with Walt Disney himself!


Another YouTube playlist (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfTU_gZYKO-ej2kDLATXgxnMVRQbW0Fsc). This one has some of the more obscure songs that they did.



Richard returns to Walt's office to play "Feed the Birds" for inclusion in "Once Upon a Studio." (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fo2deBkMqQ) I hadn't noticed it, but it does play in the background (http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gB90me0aqSY&start=270) for a few seconds while Mickey takes a moment of silence with Walt's painting.

[Nate the Great]

Phelous reviews a 1987 Sears catalog (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFAjcNdrleU&list=PL3XCSTT5utps_Rf5xx3Ctc2oEJDCIo6dV&index=29).


As a child of the eighties a lot of this stuff is nostalgic for me.

[DrWho42]

new commission by @thoughtographic based on a ufo case from kentucky in 1977:

abduction (commission) (https://x.com/thoughtographic/status/1797169291642499175)

[Nate the Great]

Adam Savage looks at the newest TOS tricorder collectable. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yX_-yrJgpH4)


My biggest problem is that the Cochrane Delta on the case doesn't have the Science Division symbol (https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Starfleet_insignia?file=Starfleet_division_insigni a%2C_2266.svg) in it. That one seems like a "duh" addition to me.



But yeah, the prop looks great. And including all of the official logs and the Edith Keeler archival footage was a stroke of genius.



If Majel Barrett was still alive it would've been great to have her read off TOS-related entries from the Star Trek Encyclopedia in an in-universe style. A brief summary of the major races, historical events like the Eugenics Wars and the Tarsus IV disaster, etc.

[Nate the Great]

A fanvid of Spock visiting Kirk's grave on Nimbus III. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0U-O7f53kg)

[Nate the Great]

Out of the Trees by Graham Chapman and Douglas Adams (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saxhV4gzm5c)


A failed TV pilot that predates both Hitchhiker's Guide and Monty Python, but features actors from both.



Frankly while there are good bits the whole thing seems rather disjointed. I get that these sketches aren't supposed to be components of a comprehensive storyline, but there has to be SOME sense of structure. If not a narrative then by theme, emotion, or contrast of style.

[Nate the Great]

Some modelers took Galileo model kits and transformed them into pop culture mashups. (http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i14YX316skE)


Combine the Galileo with an Imperial shuttle! Or the ECTO-1! Or Battlestar Galactica! Or the A Team van! Or the Winnebago from Spaceballs! Or a Tie Fighter!

[Nate the Great]

We Travel By Night presents a walkthrough of the TOS sets. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLSGaJ3I3F8)


Of course I already knew about this layout from the reference materials published over the years, but it was still nice to see a 3D model.

[Nate the Great]

A group of students are working to recreate the University of Minnesota campus in Minecraft. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ie3jNNDqzzc)


It's always nice to see my old alma mater, even in a form like this.



I never got into Minecraft, it seemed like something that I would have to devote a lot of time to research and practice to get any enjoyment out of. I've seen some impressive creations, but it's not my thing.

[Nate the Great]

Simon over at Today I Found Out talks about what the Antikythera Mechanism does. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_ePbbujrp0)


Studying the history of math and science is a hobby of mine, so I've known about the Mechanism for decades, but these recent revelations still blow my mind.

[Nate the Great]

It turns out that the Bird of Prey and the Defiant were not the only ships to have major questions regarding their sizes...


Comparison of Shuttlecraft Galileo sizes according to the interior set, the exterior prop, and dialogue. (https://scontent.fslc3-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/449920619_2499230756943792_9152369074741265442_n.j pg?_nc_cat=105&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=aa7b47&_nc_ohc=5QKiTAXUrIcQ7kNvgH2HjpS&_nc_ht=scontent.fslc3-2.fna&oh=00_AYCy-IPykcaYyWil295hbSY5xQLbKjdjRhr04hkdrQ7yAQ&oe=6691E00A)


You'd think all three of these could easily be the same. It's not like they had to make a complete exterior, couldn't they get away with only making the front half for camera purposes?

[Nate the Great]

A Frasier/Columbo crossover that's...something else. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V3-ZXoPA0g)


Columbo was a little before my time, but my parents were fans. I mainly know Peter Falk from The Princess Bride. Plus my recent discovery of his performance in Brigadoon (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJ0XF6hkZEE).

[Nate the Great]

Adam Savage now has a drill that can make a hole the width of a human hair. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5cZk_w7XlU)


He has to look through a microscope to see what he's working on.


I have much respect for Adam and am in awe of the stuff in his cave, but this is one purchase I really have to question. Once the new car shine has worn off, how often is he going to use this thing?

[Nate the Great]

Time for another Star Trek Deviantart Day!


A nice collection of Enterprises NX-F (https://www.deviantart.com/thomasthecat/art/To-Boldy-Go-363046762). I haven't had a good look at the F until now, I'm not a fan. It's like someone clumsily mashed the E and Voyager together.



The Galaxy-X E-D (https://www.deviantart.com/zagoreni010/art/Lost-Trek-Files-77-Galaxy-class-3-868786762). While I don't have a problem with the phaser lance (and think it should appear more often), that third nacelle...no. Just no. Call me a purist, but nacelles should always be in pairs. Period.



The 1701 meets the Andromeda Ascendant. (https://www.deviantart.com/makaayr/art/Generations-326502310) Is that the Discovery or SNW version of the 1701? I really should rewatch Andromeda someday, It's just that Babylon 5 and Battlestar Galactica are ahead of it in line...


I don't think that I've posted this TNG cast group shot yet... (https://www.deviantart.com/benttibisson/art/Star-Trek-the-Next-Generation-painting-617241159)


A TOS/Doctor Who crossover (https://www.deviantart.com/summerset/art/Star-Trek-vs-Dr-Who-196176108). My only problem is the usage of TNG-era uniforms for the Klingons and Romulans...


A fanmade shuttle design (https://www.deviantart.com/donmeiklejohn/art/Shuttlecraft-Hollows-782228533). It just seems odd that they'd put TNG-style nacelles on a ship that otherwise looks much more advanced...


A nice DS9 tableau (https://www.deviantart.com/oliverink/art/Deep-Space-9-676266001). Except that the Galor-class ship is way too small. We've seen Galor-class ships in contrast with the station, and this one is just wrong.


What if the Monster Maroons were actually in TOS colors? (https://www.deviantart.com/gazomg/art/Star-Trek-Wrath-of-Khan-colored-Uniforms-590607836) They wouldn't look very good, actually...


The TOS crew in an alternate universe where they were played by different actors (https://www.deviantart.com/habjan81/art/Star-Trek-Original-Crew-280320521) (the faces are that bad!). I'm tempted to add a link to the Spaceballs stunt double scene.


The Voyager girls (https://www.deviantart.com/darkelfslair/art/Star-Trek-Voyager-719070501). It's odd that they're showing the tops of Torre's tools, but not the actual pocket protector (or the jacket the pocket protector was on). And Janeway's smile is just a bit too wide, like she's a snake about to snap at a mouse.


A portrayal of some of the TAS characters in a more realistic style. (https://www.deviantart.com/kmadden2004/art/Star-Trek-The-Animated-Series-848002169)



It was inevitable that someone would put Seven in a TOS miniskirt... (https://www.deviantart.com/gazomg/art/7-of-9-Star-Trek-Retro-813348035)


A rendition of the TAS cargo ships in TOS style (https://www.deviantart.com/robcaswell/art/Wagon-Train-to-the-Stars-452491261)

[Nate the Great]

For various reasons the painting Nighthawks by Edward Hopper (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nighthawks_(Hopper)#/media/File:Nighthawks_by_Edward_Hopper_1942.jpg) holds a special place in my heart, so when someone does a crossover between it and Star Trek (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=998920542045701&set=a.535208721750221) it caught my attention.

[Nate the Great]

Dusty Abell returns with a Trek/Dr. Who crossover fanart. It even includes the modern Trek and Who stars if you're a fan of that. (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=8650238381670314&set=gm.26400404782937650&idorvanity=275841852487300)

[Nate the Great]

Matt Parker explains how the Greenwich Observatory defines the Prime Meridian (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XB5xuAhrkWE)


I knew about some of this stuff from Isaac Asimov articles, but I still learned a lot from the video. Such as how the actual Prime Meridian moved to more precise locations as the measurement equipment got more precise. Until 1984 when they gave up and just picked a line independent of the stars in the sky.

[Nate the Great]

Adam Savage encounters Wah Chang's original tricorder sketch and one of the original tricorders. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlxXGaS8gek)


I feel that's it's sad that the contributions of Wah Chang, Matt Jeffries, etc. will be forgotten over time. Eventually the only person from the TOS production staff that anyone remembers will be Gene himself.

[Nate the Great]

Adam Savage meets the Okudas. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D24tYFIVyv0)


The Okudas are Trek royalty, up there with Matt Jeffries and Wah Chang. I don't think I've heard them speak before, the closest I got was the technical subtitle commentary tracks for the Trek films.

[Nate the Great]

Stuff Made Here attempts to make the world's smallest (as in shortest front to back) bicycle. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqywL9PkM2s)


It's ludicrous stuff like this that really makes my day.

[Nate the Great]

Watching AI-generated fan trailers can get ridiculous sometimes, and this recast of TNG (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6Z3yTylD68) is no exception.



I can't even comment without falling down the nitpicking hole. Just watch it, it's worth seven minutes of your time.

[Nate the Great]

The ten TOS episodes that were written by DC Fontana. (https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/all-10-star-trek-tos-episodes-written-by-d-c-fontana-ranked-worst-to-best/ar-AA1ozcpi?ocid=winp2fptaskbar&cvid=94c252b62d3e4b3ba833f7a5f6831501&ei=6)


Now that's an interesting selection.



To follow up on a prior post, Fontana is definitely Trek royalty.

[Nate the Great]

As a Midwesterner I of course have a soft spot for butter sculptures. Well, someone decided to make some for the 1701 (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10160032230647470&set=pcb.7937941122910448) and the TOS crew (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10160032230597470&set=pcb.7937941122910448).

[Nate the Great]

Adam Savage encounters more Trek prop replicas. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LycdzNt-zqk)

[Nate the Great]

You can now buy the electronic innards of the Enterprise-D warp core and 3D print the rest. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVtG_mw6T00)


Unofficial PNQ: Which is your favorite warp core?


Not Voyager. NOT Voyager. That thing was hideous.

[Nate the Great]

Adam Savage meets the next generation of 1701 models. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dm2_ZUmZesA)


I hope these are still prototypes, because I definitely see some coloring errors, especially in the nacelles.

[Nate the Great]

If you follow the Trek reddit channels, no doubt you've seen plenty of posts about how the real date of the Bell Riots is coming up.


Well, Orange River made a video discussing it. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_CUJyCxnsA)

[Nate the Great]

The Starfleet Promise (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4QLQF-fQQw)


One problem with Trek tribute videos is that they tend to recycle the same cliched scenes over and over again. This one doesn't. Not only does this video get to the heart of Trek, it even dips into related scifi shows that try to teach the same sort of lessons. And there's plenty of NuTrek if that happens to be your thing.

[Nate the Great]

I try not to post cosplays anymore, there are just too many of them to keep up, but this one is special.


Truly Scrumptious as the doll on the music box, complete with performance (https://www.youtube.com/shorts/wJmq48CtueE)

[NAHTMMM]

The Starfleet Promise (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4QLQF-fQQw)


One problem with Trek tribute videos is that they tend to recycle the same cliched scenes over and over again. This one doesn't. Not only does this video get to the heart of Trek, it even dips into related scifi shows that try to teach the same sort of lessons. And there's plenty of NuTrek if that happens to be your thing.

That's a great video.

[Nate the Great]

Matthias Wandel returns with a giant wood screw and nut (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzs6Q9sktjc)


Actually I'd call that thing a bolt, not a screw. To me screws have points and hold things together via friction. Bolts don't have points and use nuts to hold things together via compression and shear strength.



Then again, I'm an engineer and take these things more seriously.

[Nate the Great]

A math/Pokemon joke from Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=948874947285144&set=a.466937742145536)

[Nate the Great]

There's an arrowhead-shaped arrangement of blue ice in Canada that some are calling a lookalike for the Star Trek insignia (a Cochrane delta). (https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/arctic/earth-from-space-iconic-star-trek-symbol-shines-brightly-in-sea-of-muddy-arctic-sea-ice)


I can see where they'd get that impression, but I'm OCD enough to say that to really be a Cochrane delta you need the left leg to be fatter than the right. So that's just a generic arrowhead to me, nothing more.

[Nate the Great]

Pop culture mug, including the 1701 (https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1092582122512115&set=gm.1508117563200433&idorvanity=125735774771959)


Of course the part that irks me is putting the 1701 refit at 2265. The 1701 refit was launched during STTMP in 2271 (Memory Alpha notes continuity problems with this, but I always put STTMP in this year, two years after the 5 year mission).


2265 doesn't even work for the start of the five year mission, that was 2264! So this entry is a 100% truth failure! You'd think the manufacturers of the mug could take five minutes and Google this stuff.

[Nate the Great]

Scientists discovered several new species of frog, so they named them after the Trek captains. (https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/the-final-frog-tier-scientists-find-7-new-frog-species-name-them-after-star-trek-captains/ar-AA1skMun?ocid=winp2fptaskbar&cvid=9c6093bf10a44860e10c0c9b93b62335&ei=9)

So yeah, that happened...

[Nate the Great]

Well, it had to happen eventually...


The Sailor Scouts cosplaying in TOS-themed versions of their costumes. (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10234333140008692&set=gm.8438906262813929&idorvanity=1686201314751158)

[Nate the Great]

Well, this one is a little disturbing. The Voyager crew cosplaying as the Mystery Inc. team. (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1091853578970551&set=a.592611242228123)

[Nate the Great]

Yahtzee gives some farcical mnemonics for remembering the fifty states. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3qD5Ux3wnA)


As a geography nerd this is slightly triggering, even though I can appreciate the jokes.



Ross from Friends can't remember all fifty states. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFXGxlqd9B0)

[Nate the Great]

The "complete" story of Gargoyles in 63 minutes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3XvveTP-IQ)


I put complete in quotation marks because this guy considered some episodes skippable filler that I do not. Even so this is a good summary. Even so, you should watch the full show (except for Goliath Chronicles, of course).

[Nate the Great]

Time for another Star Trek DeviantArt Day!


Dramatic shot of the Nexus stream hitting the E-B (https://www.deviantart.com/joran-belar/art/The-Nexus-658934307)


Have I mentioned lately how much I hate those stupid fins on the sides of the E-B? Yes, it was a clever way to damage the model without actually damaging the model, but still...


DS9 with Defiant and Galor-class ship (https://www.deviantart.com/jensdd/art/Deep-Space-Nine-786205022)


I'm kinda sad that I've never seen DS9 with the heads of Galor-class ships docked into all six pylons, like they were designed for.



Kelvinverse E-A meets the Andromeda Ascendant (https://www.deviantart.com/makaayr/art/Generations-326502310)


I wish I knew more about why the Andromeda is shaped like that.


Tom and Harry (https://www.deviantart.com/larkistin89/art/Tom-Paris-and-Harry-Kim-Star-Trek-Voyager-853129099)


Interesting expression on Harry there...


A uniform concept that's sort of a mesh of TNG and Monster Maroons (https://www.deviantart.com/jjohnson1701/art/Star-Trek-Uniform-concept-dress-uniform-variant-2-382791735)


I never did like the idea of putting a Cochrane Delta on the belt buckle...


What if the Excelsior existed in the Kelvinverse? (https://www.deviantart.com/jetfreak-7/art/USS-Excelsior-Kelvin-Timeline-144622366)


What if the TAS character designs were a little more realistic? (https://www.deviantart.com/sumtimesiplaythefool/art/To-Boldly-Go-Star-Trek-50th-Anniversary-623712004)


Fan poster for "Mudd's Women" (https://www.deviantart.com/jlbanchick/art/Star-Trek-Mudds-Women-541221676)


A nice portrait of Kirk (https://www.deviantart.com/andycwhite/art/The-Captain-637373870)


Defiant and Romulan warbird (https://www.deviantart.com/thefirstfleet/art/Escort-ship-926604295)


Have any of you read the Shatnerverse novel where the Defiants sneaks between the warbird's hulls and cracks open the warbird like an egg?


Of course someone would put Seven in a TOS miniskirt (https://www.deviantart.com/gazomg/art/7-of-9-Star-Trek-Retro-813348035)

[Nate the Great]

A Dr. Seuss/TOS gag. (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=873008051630041&set=a.425855633011954)

[Nate the Great]

We Travel By Night tackles the Enterprise-B Deck 15 problem (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkWKxbwUQSQ)


Numerous times it's stated that Kirk died in the deflector control room on Deck 15, but the problem is that the E-B is too big for Deck 15 to be near the deflector dish where the Nexus took a chunk out of the hull.


You have to wonder why the writing staff AND technical advisors dropped the ball so badly on this one.

[Nate the Great]

Yesterday was the 30th anniversary of the premiere of Spider-Man TAS...


It would be a lie to say that SMTAS had as great of an influence on me as Trek or H2G2 or Yu-gi-oh, but it did mean something to me.



The theme (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_u7iOCy5GM)


A remix of the theme as if the show was made into an arcade game (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALUvrEfzzgM)

[Nate the Great]

765874 - Unification (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgOZFny7F50&t=2s)


A love letter to Kirk and Spock.


I hate to say it, but I didn't get nearly as much out of it as a lot of people seemed to. Part of it is the deepfake, part of it is the lack of dialogue, and part of it is the addition of seemingly pointless characters. What is Gary Mitchell doing here? Who is that Vulcan guy next to Saavik, is he supposed to be her son with Spock?


And apparently "765864" isn't a stardate, it's just a number used by the production company for their projects, borrowed from Yeoman Colt's service number.

[Nate the Great]

The Sound of Music soundtrack performed on five grand pianos (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BkejInpuAg)


It's a shame that the recording equipment wasn't good enough for the task.

[Nate the Great]

Someone photoshopped Christopher Reeve Superman with William Shatner Kirk... (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=984896706998780&set=a.550667073755081)


Or at least that's supposed to be William Shatner. That guy looks like a stunt double or maybe the actor of the stage musical.

[Nate the Great]

The trailer for the Snow White remake. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV46TJKL8cU)


So...um...yeah...


This exists.

[Nate the Great]

What if "The Trouble With Tribbles" was an '80s anime? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMiq41tHMCk)

[Nate the Great]

I got sick of Trolley Car Problem parodies a long time ago, but this one (https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=989933966508736&set=a.463776079124530) made me smile. Trust me, it's worth it.

[Nate the Great]

This year's John Worsley Trek Christmas video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEjrCchWQ2M)


I have mixed opinions on this one.


The entire playlist. (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHT79nKoWWtSLLpO25Ekgs8PKwaPA5eE0)

[Nate the Great]

I don't think I've shilled Cas van de Pol before. He does animation recaps of cartoons with little to no dialogue, instead using a bunch of sight gags to tell the story.



Well, today he did the first season of Pokemon. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-UwaetV5EM)

[Nate the Great]

Mathologer covers helicones and irrational number approximations. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqPxCMsu684)

[Nate the Great]

Someone made a giant DS9 out of Lego bricks. (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1179449020206531&set=pcb.1179449093539857)

[Nate the Great]

Someone put the DS9 cast in B5 uniforms. (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=122185205936104498&set=a.122141247908104498)


I agree with the comments: why have Quark as G'Kar and Worf as Londo when the other way around makes so much more sense?

[Nate the Great]

LGR reviews a VCR tape of the 1993 Computer Electronics Show (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVViepyE0ug)


Boy, was the technology featured a real nostalgic boot to the head. Just think about it, this is before the Windows 95 revolution or the adoption of ethernet!