Yes, I actually watched the original Star Wars when it was released in theaters when I was a kid. And while I thought the movie was cool, I really never went through a Star Wars geekdom phase. Apparently, some people did and never let it go.
I remember seeing The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi in the 1980's, but I was too busy to be anything except temporarily amused by those films. Then, in 1999, one geeky friend took a gaggle of other geeky friends to the premiere night of The Phantom Menace.
Since I was there, I guess I was considered to be a geek too. To make matters worse, though, I was a dumb geek. I had to have the other geeks explain to me what I was about to see that night was the first in the series of the Star Wars films and the first three films that I could barely remember from the previous 20 years were actually episodes 4-6.
Well, even though I know most of the main characters, I'm still a little confused. I do know there aren't any Klingons in the universe of the Stars Wars epic. That's only because because I became a Star Trek: Next Generation geek. Engage!
Over the course of the unfortunate parking page incident recently, I used my JLC Internet TV to search for some mind candy since waiting for DNS servers to update at my ISP was the only option. I explored dozens of new channels and found a channel named "Science Fiction TV." So far as I can determine, this channel simply continously streams two Star Wars Fan Films at the moment.
Star Wars - Revelations
"Seers once shaped the path of the Jedi Order. But their visions grew unreliable and the Jedi came to distrust those with the ability. Seers hid their visions or left the Order forever. In the wake of the Temple's destruction a power struggle has emerged between Darth Vader, the Dark Lord of the Sith, and Zhanna, the Emperor's Hand. Each seek to eliminate the last of the Jedi and gain the Emperor's favor. Caught between them is one woman who cannot deny the truth of her visions as all race to possess an ancient Jedi secret."
I.M.P.S. (Imperial Military Personnel Stories) aims to show "the best damn job in the galaxy", that of serving on the Revenge class Star Destroyer Relentless as it goes on patrols and missions. The series is divided into chapters, with only one released to date.
Chapter 1: Davenport Gateway: The Relentless is introduced, and viewers join a patrol squad on their final assignment for the day. These are the soldiers tasked with cleaning up the dark streets and dangerous corridors of Davenport Gateway.
I have to say, I was really impressed with both of these short films. While one may be tempted to scoff at the costumes as nothing more than a YouTube video of any Comic Con weekend, the special effects were extremely impressive in both short films. The Relentless offers a little pop culture humor. I thought the Emperor's Hand was an interesting character development in Revelations, even though I thought she was played by Sandra Bernhard at first. Ready my ship! Whatev, bitch.
Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to launch Thursday, December 6th, at 4:31 p.m. EST. The STS-122 mission will deliver the and install the European Space Agency (ESA) Columbus laboratory module (shown above) to the International Space Station (ISS).
I chose this image to show some perspective. What you are looking at is the ESA Columbus laboratory module loaded into the open payload bay of Space Shuttle Atlantis on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center as three NASA technicians inspect the payload before the doors were closed yesterday.
The Columbus laboratory module is 23 feet long and 15 feet in diameter and can hold ten large racks of equipment for operations and science experiments. In addition to the Columbus laboratory module, the STS-122 mission will also deliver two unpressurized external scientific research platforms from the ESA, known as EuTEF and SOLAR.
Watch the Atlantis launch on Thursday via NASA TV. Pre-launch commentary will begin around 11:30 a.m. as the final preparations are being performed. If you haven't been to the NASA website in a while, you should check it out. It has just been redesigned and renovated this week.
Update: Saturday, December 8th
After resolving the glitches with the fuel sensors in the main liquid hydrogen tank, Atlantis has now been cleared for a launch attempt on Sunday, December 9th at 3:21 p.m. local time.
During tanking operations this morning, an engine cut off sensor inside the main tanked failed to work properly and this afternoon's launch was scrubbed. The next opportunity for STS-122 launch will be no earlier than January 2nd, 2008. During a post-mission press briefing held today at 10:00 a.m., NASA officials expressed obvious disappointment mixed with the optimism that the longer delay will give NASA troubleshooting teams the time it will take to understand and resolve the problem.
A team will report a plan of troubleshooting activities this Tuesday. It is not expected at this time that any troubleshooting plan of action will cause Atlantis to have to be rolled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB).
The next shuttle mission is scheduled for launch in February, so a January launch for STS-122 will not negatively affect the overall schedule of construction activities on the International Space Station (ISS). The crew of Atlantis will come out of quarantine and go back to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas until Atlantis is ready for launch.
I just found joyoftech! I'm such a n00b. It is a webcomic that you may need a high level geekiness to find humorous. This means you.
I like how they have a poll attached to each comic, too. The poll for this comic asked, "What you would do with your own Google Android?" I know what I would do.
I can't wait for December to be history. Yeah, I don't do the holidaze ... but really I just want January to be here so I can watch the Sarah Conner Chronicles. I'm warning all of you, now. This show better not suck.
Speaking of things Terminator, I think we're closer to that dystopian future than most people realize. I'd say we're about halfway there technologically, but because knowledge and innovation seem to progress exponentially, the relatively short time it will take will surprise us.
To me, halfway there means that humans are still involved at the present time. Robots are used in hazardous environments under the direction of humans. The Mars Rovers are one example. Deep-sea mini-subs, pilotless military aircraft, and little bomb disposal robots are other examples.
I decided to get involved with an innovative organization called "Kiva.org" earlier this month. I took the opportunity to review the site and explain how it works in an entry on HelpForum blog entitled "Kiva.org: Helping 2.0." This is where I will post updates about my interaction with Kiva.org and its ongoing work.
After browsing the entrepreneurs on Kiva recently, I finally decided to loan $25 to "T. Square Take Away Drinks," in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania (wikimapia, CIA). The owner's name is Gloria Mbgela and here is her profile:
GLORIA, age 49, supports a house of 7 with her bar and liquor store, "T. Square Take Away Drinks." Although she has no children of her own, she and her husband take care of 5 relatives' children, three of which have been orphaned. Gloria's husband, who used to work for the local phone company, is now without a job because of a stroke that affected his memory.
Gloria's bar and shop opened around 2½ years ago and now employs 5 workers. This business brings Gloria an average profit of around $20 a day, from its 10-20 customers on the weekdays and 50 on the weekends.
Gloria has taken out two previous loans from Tujijenge Tanzania to buy a deep freezer and initial stock for her liquor store. Having paid these back successfully, she now hopes for a third loan to increase her inventory and buy chairs for her bar.
Gloria belongs to the group Makete (named after their district in Dar es Salaam), which consists of 15 other members who keep each other accountable and insure one another in paying back their loans.
Gloria Mbgela received her loan in lightning fast time and I was notified by email of an update that the local field partner in Dar Es Salaam, Tujijenga Tanzania, had posted on her Kiva Journal. Awesome!
George Jetson would be proud. Meet the Aptera Typ-1, a nextgen hybrid, about to go into the manufacturing phase after much research and development by the California company, Aptera. This vehicle comes in two models: a totally plugin electric and a hybrid gas-electric for greater range.
The design of the Aptera makes engineering sense, but will people buy a car that looks like an airplane or a fish? Apparently, they will. The Aptera website has been crushed from a riot of people clamoring to pre-register for the first manufacturing run, dropping a cool $500 to get on that list.
One tantalizing feature of the Aptera is that it gets about 300 mpg and has a greatly expanded range from other plugin electric vehicles. The gas-electric hybrid is equally environmentally and pocketbook friendly.
Aptera is legally classified by the California Department of Transportation (CAL DOT) as a motorcycle! This may seem weird to many people, but since I have been following the many issues surrounding new vehicles, I can say this is normal. A car has 4 wheels. The law basically says that vehicles with less than 4 wheels are not cars, but motorcycles. In July, I showed you photos of my friend's tricked-out trike, an increasingly popular model, because it's safer to drive.
While Aptera's bureaucratic classification is an interesting thing, one look at the vehicle on the Aptera website might inspire you to look more seriously into a vehicle like this. The interior is amazing and chock full-o-tech. I've also heard that the Aptera is going to cost about half of what the Tesla Roadster is going to cost you.
