Re: [scifinoir2] topic: They are here
In a message dated 5/14/09 1:19:13 AM, hellomahog...@gmail.com writes: > > > Early Sunday morning the sun is shining, birds chirping. You get out of > bed, open the curtains and look out the window. Out over the horizon is a > large floating ship about 2/3rds the size of the horizon. They are here. It > finally happened. What would you do? > Turn on the BBC, and hit the internet for more news on whats happening. I wouldn't freak out-yet (after all these guys could be like ST's Federation). -GTW ** Dell Mini Netbooks: Great deals starting at $299 after instant savings! (http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1222627952x1201458914/aol?redir=http:%2F%2Fad.doubleclick.net%2Fclk%3B214819460%3B36680227%3Bi)
Re: [scifinoir2] Did Anyone Watch The Season Finale of Fringe?
I could not believe how much I liked this episode! That final image was just so amazing..I cannot wait for next season. --- On Wed, 5/13/09, Mr. Worf wrote: From: Mr. Worf Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Did Anyone Watch The Season Finale of Fringe? To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Wednesday, May 13, 2009, 9:05 PM Yea, I have been in love with the show since it started. I love that they dusted off a lot of the fringe scifi thinking from the 1960s and 70s! Most people probably have forgotten about some of the ideas that they talk about in the show. On Wed, May 13, 2009 at 2:10 PM, B. Smith wrote: I have to say this show has grown on me and I loved the season ending revelations. The title of the episode was "There Is More Than One of Everything" and boy did it deliver on that promise. I figured out one of the big reveals but it was still shocking and the final image of episode just floored me. I'll have to give it to Abrams the show has matured and really come into its own. I'm officially hooked. http://io9.com/ 5252731/is- there-more- than-one- final-episode- for-fringe - - -- Post your SciFiNoir Profile at http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/scifinoir2 /app/peoplemap2/ entry/add? fmvn=mapYahoo! Groups Links http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/scifinoir2 / Individual Email | Traditional http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/scifinoir2 /join (Yahoo! ID required) mailto:scifinoir2-digest@ yahoogroups. com mailto:scifinoir2-fullfeat u...@yahoogroups .com scifinoir2-unsubscr i...@yahoogroups. com http://docs. yahoo.com/ info/terms/ -- Bringing diversity to perversity for 9 years! Mahogany at: http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/mahogany_ pleasures_ of_darkness/
[scifinoir2] topic: They are here
Early Sunday morning the sun is shining, birds chirping. You get out of bed, open the curtains and look out the window. Out over the horizon is a large floating ship about 2/3rds the size of the horizon. They are here. It finally happened. What would you do?
Re: [scifinoir2] Did Anyone Watch The Season Finale of Fringe?
Yea, I have been in love with the show since it started. I love that they dusted off a lot of the fringe scifi thinking from the 1960s and 70s! Most people probably have forgotten about some of the ideas that they talk about in the show. On Wed, May 13, 2009 at 2:10 PM, B. Smith wrote: > I have to say this show has grown on me and I loved the season ending > revelations. The title of the episode was "There Is More Than One of > Everything" and boy did it deliver on that promise. I figured out one of the > big reveals but it was still shocking and the final image of episode just > floored me. > > I'll have to give it to Abrams the show has matured and really come into > its own. I'm officially hooked. > > http://io9.com/5252731/is-there-more-than-one-final-episode-for-fringe > > > > > > > Post your SciFiNoir Profile at > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/app/peoplemap2/entry/add?fmvn=mapYahoo! > Groups Links > > > > -- Bringing diversity to perversity for 9 years! Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon
I think that the Star trek stories all stem from the Eugenics wars that happen at the latter part of the 20th century. (where the plotline from the Wrath of Khan and Khan star trek episode came from) In the wars a group of scientists created a new "master race" that eventually climaxed in a war against everyone else. Khan and his people survived after launching themselves into space. However, I think a lot of this stuff has more to do with Hollywood racism in casting. If you look at non-star trek scifi you still see few people of color in movies. Perfect all white utopian societies full of white people. Although the number of white people on the planet is considerably small. That is truly a fantasy at work. On Tue, May 12, 2009 at 3:20 PM, Martin Baxter wrote: > And brilliant thoughts they are, George. > > In most Dystopian novels/movies I've seen in which there are no people of > color, I always think that they did what I would do in such a sitch -- get > the first available transport as far away from the combat zne as possible. > Australia is my first thought. And I await that weaving myself with joy. > > > > > > -[ Received Mail Content ]-- > > Subject : [scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon > > Date : Tue, 12 May 2009 15:11:42 -0700 (PDT) > > From : George Arterberry > > To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com > > > Was the majority of "us" wiped out in WW3? Remember in most novels Black > characters were from the United States of Africa.I know I know, but its > interesting that no novel has been written yet by a Black author. > > > > Would love to see how President obama is woven into the Trek universe? > There is a Black woman president added to Mount Rushmore that never made ST > V final cut. > > Just thinking out loud. > > > > > > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds -- Bringing diversity to perversity for 9 years! Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/
Re: [scifinoir2] To Boldly Go... Backwards
Thank you, Daryle. That was one of the reasons I posted this, to display this obvious *lack* of Trek knowledge. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [scifinoir2] To Boldly Go... Backwards Date : Wed, 13 May 2009 19:58:32 -0400 From : Daryle Lockhart To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com It sure would have been nice if the author had watched more than 5 episodes of The Original Series before writing an article. We need to remind people that Patrick Stewart was not a castmember of "the original series". The first time we ever see Mark Lenard in the ears is as a Romulan. THAT's the original series. On May 13, 2009, at 4:13 PM, Martin Baxter wrote: > Fell across this while reading my daily HuffPost update. I bring it > to your gentle and wise eyes... > > > http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-weiner/to-boldly- > gobackwards_b_202233.html > > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
Re: [scifinoir2] To Boldly Go... Backwards
It sure would have been nice if the author had watched more than 5 episodes of The Original Series before writing an article. We need to remind people that Patrick Stewart was not a castmember of "the original series". The first time we ever see Mark Lenard in the ears is as a Romulan. THAT's the original series. On May 13, 2009, at 4:13 PM, Martin Baxter wrote: > Fell across this while reading my daily HuffPost update. I bring it > to your gentle and wise eyes... > > > http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-weiner/to-boldly- > gobackwards_b_202233.html > > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek
I got bored with the game, Keith. In the middle of a match. Tried to wander off, ended up forfeiting rather than continue to do what I felt to be a waste of my time. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek Date : Wed, 13 May 2009 22:32:29 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com I'd have figured you for a chess master, Martin! - Original Message - From: "Martin Baxter" To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2009 4:05:09 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek That's about when I gave up chess, Keith. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek Date : Wed, 13 May 2009 17:05:36 + (UTC) >From : Keith Johnson To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Ha-ha! Love that game! There's nothing like the anticipation of seeing if plans you lay out come to fruition. I need to get back into chess, but I never really learned to play it well, and it's been about fifteen years - Original Message - From: "Martin Baxter" To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2009 8:01:41 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek Keith, now I KNOW I should've been hanging out with you back then. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek Date : Wed, 13 May 2009 02:27:36 + (UTC) >From : Keith Johnson To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Not being a drinking man, and never having gone the strip club route, you know what I did the night before my wedding? Stayed up til 5 am laughing and joking with buddies, making milkshakes (my only weakness on Earth), and...playing Risk for hours! Of course I won every game. :) We used to modify Risk in ways to make it fun. We always entered into alliances, forming unions of nations wherein the members avoided attacking each other, promising to gang up on weaker countries, etc. The fun part was the inevitable moment when someone would yell "The Alliance is broken!" and then start attacking his former friend. A friend of mine who was in the Navy said they added an option to Risk called "Nuclear Flash": if you managed to roll three sixes at once as the attacker, the country you're attacking is instantly wiped out by a high megaton thermonuclear strike! Then you just mosey on end and take over. Now I think of it, I guess if you can immediately occupy the country, the bomb had to be a neutron bomb... - Original Message - From: "Martin Baxter" To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, May 12, 2009 6:05:38 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek As do I, Fate. Once I dove into the piece, I went full-immersion, and worked every scenario as a real-time combat sitch. Danger of being a long-time Risk player. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek Date : Tue, 12 May 2009 07:21:56 -0700 (PDT) >From : Augustus Augustus To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com but Martin, i give the author credit on some of his points. the rumsfeld comment and the dhs were priceless! Fate. --- On Tue, 5/12/09, Martin Baxter wrote: From: Martin Baxter Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2009, 7:56 AM Looks like a somewhat sound analysis. One problem that the author fails to take into account, though. The Romulan ship is from the future. Its tech, ergo, is going to be head-and-shoulders above anything Starfleet can throw at it (unless the timeline alteration also handed them a massive upgrade int hat department, that is). It would probably take a concerted effort by everything 'Fleet had to throw at it. It's the only way they were able to stave off the Borg, the Dominion and the Breen until they were able to gain a technological advantage. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek Date : Mon, 11 May 2009 21:58:17 -0700 >From : "Mr. Worf" To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com This is a pretty interesting look at the movie. What do you think? http://www.wired. com/dangerroom/ 2009/05/star- trek-a-military- analysis/ http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek
I got bored with the game, Keith. In the middle of a match. Tried to wander off, ended up forfeiting rather than continue to do what I felt to be waste my time. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek Date : Wed, 13 May 2009 22:32:29 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com I'd have figured you for a chess master, Martin! - Original Message - From: "Martin Baxter" To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2009 4:05:09 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek That's about when I gave up chess, Keith. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek Date : Wed, 13 May 2009 17:05:36 + (UTC) >From : Keith Johnson To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Ha-ha! Love that game! There's nothing like the anticipation of seeing if plans you lay out come to fruition. I need to get back into chess, but I never really learned to play it well, and it's been about fifteen years - Original Message - From: "Martin Baxter" To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2009 8:01:41 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek Keith, now I KNOW I should've been hanging out with you back then. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek Date : Wed, 13 May 2009 02:27:36 + (UTC) >From : Keith Johnson To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Not being a drinking man, and never having gone the strip club route, you know what I did the night before my wedding? Stayed up til 5 am laughing and joking with buddies, making milkshakes (my only weakness on Earth), and...playing Risk for hours! Of course I won every game. :) We used to modify Risk in ways to make it fun. We always entered into alliances, forming unions of nations wherein the members avoided attacking each other, promising to gang up on weaker countries, etc. The fun part was the inevitable moment when someone would yell "The Alliance is broken!" and then start attacking his former friend. A friend of mine who was in the Navy said they added an option to Risk called "Nuclear Flash": if you managed to roll three sixes at once as the attacker, the country you're attacking is instantly wiped out by a high megaton thermonuclear strike! Then you just mosey on end and take over. Now I think of it, I guess if you can immediately occupy the country, the bomb had to be a neutron bomb... - Original Message - From: "Martin Baxter" To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, May 12, 2009 6:05:38 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek As do I, Fate. Once I dove into the piece, I went full-immersion, and worked every scenario as a real-time combat sitch. Danger of being a long-time Risk player. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek Date : Tue, 12 May 2009 07:21:56 -0700 (PDT) >From : Augustus Augustus To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com but Martin, i give the author credit on some of his points. the rumsfeld comment and the dhs were priceless! Fate. --- On Tue, 5/12/09, Martin Baxter wrote: From: Martin Baxter Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2009, 7:56 AM Looks like a somewhat sound analysis. One problem that the author fails to take into account, though. The Romulan ship is from the future. Its tech, ergo, is going to be head-and-shoulders above anything Starfleet can throw at it (unless the timeline alteration also handed them a massive upgrade int hat department, that is). It would probably take a concerted effort by everything 'Fleet had to throw at it. It's the only way they were able to stave off the Borg, the Dominion and the Breen until they were able to gain a technological advantage. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek Date : Mon, 11 May 2009 21:58:17 -0700 >From : "Mr. Worf" To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com This is a pretty interesting look at the movie. What do you think? http://www.wired. com/dangerroom/ 2009/05/star- trek-a-military- analysis/ http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
Re: [scifinoir2] Top 10 real-life spy gadgets
You can catch the episodes online. The 1940's Yakuza vs. the 1920's New York Mafia one was interesting. I'm still surprised the Mafia won the battle. Mostly it was surprising because the final fight was a one-on-one, and I'd have given that situation of hand-to-hand to the Yakuza guy every time. Not sure about that one. That's like the pirate vs. the knight battle, where the pirate's use of guns and explosives was an understandable advantage. But allowing the knight to hit the pirate in the head with the Morningstar and *not* kill him rendered their simulation suspect. - Original Message - From: "Martin Baxter" To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Cc: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, cinque3...@verizon.net, "Chris de Morsella" , "Jr.' 'Curtis" , "Sincere" Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2009 4:08:54 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Top 10 real-life spy gadgets Keith, ab initio, I forgot about the show being on. :-( I'd forgotten about that Spetsnaz knife thing, and I've witnessed it in an exhibit. Jaw-dropping. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [scifinoir2] Top 10 real-life spy gadgets Date : Wed, 13 May 2009 16:59:39 + (UTC) >From : Keith Johnson To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Cc : cinque3...@verizon.net, Chris de Morsella , "Jr.' 'Curtis" , Sincere I was watching Spike TV's "The Deadliest Warrior" ( a show I've grown to love) last night. It featured a match up between the US Green Berets, and the Russian Spetsnaz. It was a brutal show, testing grenades, shotguns, sniper rifles. When all weapons and tactics were analyzed, the team --using that computer program that runs 1000 combat simulations and announces a winner--gave the title to the Russians! It was an amazing decision ,and I could only wonder how some true-blue "USA! USA!" types watching the show felt. But at any rate, one of the reasons the Russians won was in comparison of close-range weaponry. The Green Berets use a device that is basically a shovel. They get up on an opponent and whack him on the head, shattering the skull. Effective if crude. But the Russians use a knife for their close in fighting. The crew wasn't too impressed at first. A knife versus a big old shovel? But then the Spetsnaz doing the demonstration showed another trick: the knife can be fir! ed, shooting the blade toward its target at nearly 40 mph! At close range, that's enough to penetrate a person's throat or chest to a depth that is fatal. It can even penetrate basic combat clothing. Despite the one-chance-only nature of firing the knife, the team felt the surprise factor and added distance given by the knife gave the Russians the edge. It reminded me of some James Bond type weapon. I had no idea any military used something like that. - Original Message - From: "Tracey de Morsella" To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Cc: cinque3...@verizon.net, "Chris de Morsella" , "Jr.' 'Curtis" , "Sincere" Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2009 12:16:24 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [scifinoir2] Top 10 real-life spy gadgets Top 10 real-life spy gadgets With the news that MI5 is looking for a Chief Scientific Adviser, spy novelist Jeremy Duns reveals his ten favourite real espionage inventions 1. Poison-tipped umbrella Probably the most infamous real-life spy gadget is the umbrella used by the Bulgarian secret services – with KGB help – to kill dissident writer and broadcaster Georgi Markov. KGB technicians converted the tip of an ordinary umbrella into a silenced gun that could fire a pellet containing a lethal dose of ricin. On September 7 1978, Markov felt himself being jabbed in the thigh as he walked across Waterloo Bridge. A man behind him apologised and stepped into a taxi. Markov died four days later. No arrests have ever been made. Times Archive: Tiny platinum ball is link in attacks on Bulgarian defectors 2. Dart gun It wasn’t just Soviet bloc spies who used such techniques, though. In a 1975 US Senate hearing on intelligence, CIA director William Colby handed the committee’s chairman a gun developed by his researchers. Equipped with a telescopic sight, it could accurately fire a tiny dart – tipped with shellfish toxin or cobra venom – up to 250 feet. Colby claimed that, as far as he knew, this and other weapons had never been used, but he couldn’t entirely rule out the possibility. 3. Compass buttons During the war, the Special Operations Executive – ‘Churchill’s secret army’ – created a wealth of Q-like devices. One ingenious invention was magnetized trouser buttons, which were to be used for agent who became lost - if they were taken prisoner, for example. By cutting off the buttons and balancing them on each other, they turned into compasses. Times Archive: Cloak and Swordsmen 4. Exploding briefcase Another SOE invention was a briefcase designed to hold sensitive documents, but which would a
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek
I'd have figured you for a chess master, Martin! - Original Message - From: "Martin Baxter" To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2009 4:05:09 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek That's about when I gave up chess, Keith. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek Date : Wed, 13 May 2009 17:05:36 + (UTC) >From : Keith Johnson To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Ha-ha! Love that game! There's nothing like the anticipation of seeing if plans you lay out come to fruition. I need to get back into chess, but I never really learned to play it well, and it's been about fifteen years - Original Message - From: "Martin Baxter" To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2009 8:01:41 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek Keith, now I KNOW I should've been hanging out with you back then. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek Date : Wed, 13 May 2009 02:27:36 + (UTC) >From : Keith Johnson To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Not being a drinking man, and never having gone the strip club route, you know what I did the night before my wedding? Stayed up til 5 am laughing and joking with buddies, making milkshakes (my only weakness on Earth), and...playing Risk for hours! Of course I won every game. :) We used to modify Risk in ways to make it fun. We always entered into alliances, forming unions of nations wherein the members avoided attacking each other, promising to gang up on weaker countries, etc. The fun part was the inevitable moment when someone would yell "The Alliance is broken!" and then start attacking his former friend. A friend of mine who was in the Navy said they added an option to Risk called "Nuclear Flash": if you managed to roll three sixes at once as the attacker, the country you're attacking is instantly wiped out by a high megaton thermonuclear strike! Then you just mosey on end and take over. Now I think of it, I guess if you can immediately occupy the country, the bomb had to be a neutron bomb... - Original Message - From: "Martin Baxter" To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, May 12, 2009 6:05:38 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek As do I, Fate. Once I dove into the piece, I went full-immersion, and worked every scenario as a real-time combat sitch. Danger of being a long-time Risk player. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek Date : Tue, 12 May 2009 07:21:56 -0700 (PDT) >From : Augustus Augustus To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com but Martin, i give the author credit on some of his points. the rumsfeld comment and the dhs were priceless! Fate. --- On Tue, 5/12/09, Martin Baxter wrote: From: Martin Baxter Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2009, 7:56 AM Looks like a somewhat sound analysis. One problem that the author fails to take into account, though. The Romulan ship is from the future. Its tech, ergo, is going to be head-and-shoulders above anything Starfleet can throw at it (unless the timeline alteration also handed them a massive upgrade int hat department, that is). It would probably take a concerted effort by everything 'Fleet had to throw at it. It's the only way they were able to stave off the Borg, the Dominion and the Breen until they were able to gain a technological advantage. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek Date : Mon, 11 May 2009 21:58:17 -0700 >From : "Mr. Worf" To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com This is a pretty interesting look at the movie. What do you think? http://www.wired. com/dangerroom/ 2009/05/star- trek-a-military- analysis/ http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
[scifinoir2] Did Anyone Watch The Season Finale of Fringe?
I have to say this show has grown on me and I loved the season ending revelations. The title of the episode was "There Is More Than One of Everything" and boy did it deliver on that promise. I figured out one of the big reveals but it was still shocking and the final image of episode just floored me. I'll have to give it to Abrams the show has matured and really come into its own. I'm officially hooked. http://io9.com/5252731/is-there-more-than-one-final-episode-for-fringe
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon
got u. --- On Wed, 5/13/09, Martin Baxter wrote: From: Martin Baxter Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Wednesday, May 13, 2009, 4:02 PM No, no, my friend, merely a customer in good standing. If I owned the store, I'd never post anywhere online. Be too busy reading my stock... -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon Date : Wed, 13 May 2009 09:49:45 -0700 (PDT) >From : Augustus Augustus To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Martin, please tell me that u mean the store u go 2, and not that u own a store.cause if u do, then i am a customer! Fate. --- On Wed, 5/13/09, Martin Baxter wrote: From: Martin Baxter Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Date: Wednesday, May 13, 2009, 12:29 PM That should be no problem, Fate. My store keeps issues a year back. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon Date : Wed, 13 May 2009 07:05:25 -0700 (PDT) >From : Augustus Augustus To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Martin, i understand u. all i did was read the 7 final issues. did not buy all of the tie-ins. the thing went over mulitple titles, but i never buy into that. i just read the initial story. but if u can get your hands on those 7. do it! Fate. --- On Wed, 5/13/09, Martin Baxter wrote: From: Martin Baxter Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Date: Wednesday, May 13, 2009, 8:05 AM Fate, I did see that, but I didn't buy it, because I had been just flitting over the entire Final Crisis run, and didn't want to buy a piece and then have to buy another and another... -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon Date : Tue, 12 May 2009 18:33:50 -0700 (PDT) >From : Augustus Augustus To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com speaking of Blacks in Sci-Fi. did anyone other than me read DC Comic's Final Crisis books from July 98 - Feb 09? it was a 7 issue mini that featured a Black President in the Finale. not just a Black President, but he was Superman from a parallel Earth. i thought that that was so kool, again, just me. Fate. --- On Tue, 5/12/09, Martin Baxter wrote: From: Martin Baxter Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2009, 6:20 PM And brilliant thoughts they are, George. In most Dystopian novels/movies I've seen in which there are no people of color, I always think that they did what I would do in such a sitch -- get the first available transport as far away from the combat zne as possible. Australia is my first thought. And I await that weaving myself with joy. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon Date : Tue, 12 May 2009 15:11:42 -0700 (PDT) >From : George Arterberry To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Was the majority of "us" wiped out in WW3? Remember in most novels Black characters were from the United States of Africa.I know I know, but its interesting that no novel has been written yet by a Black author. Would love to see how President obama is woven into the Trek universe? There is a Black woman president added to Mount Rushmore that never made ST V final cut. Just thinking out loud. http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=JQdwk8Yntds
[scifinoir2] To Boldly Go... Backwards
Fell across this while reading my daily HuffPost update. I bring it to your gentle and wise eyes... http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-weiner/to-boldly-gobackwards_b_202233.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
Re: [scifinoir2] Top 10 real-life spy gadgets
Keith, ab initio, I forgot about the show being on. :-( I'd forgotten about that Spetsnaz knife thing, and I've witnessed it in an exhibit. Jaw-dropping. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [scifinoir2] Top 10 real-life spy gadgets Date : Wed, 13 May 2009 16:59:39 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Cc : cinque3...@verizon.net, Chris de Morsella , "Jr.' 'Curtis" , Sincere I was watching Spike TV's "The Deadliest Warrior" ( a show I've grown to love) last night. It featured a match up between the US Green Berets, and the Russian Spetsnaz. It was a brutal show, testing grenades, shotguns, sniper rifles. When all weapons and tactics were analyzed, the team --using that computer program that runs 1000 combat simulations and announces a winner--gave the title to the Russians! It was an amazing decision ,and I could only wonder how some true-blue "USA! USA!" types watching the show felt. But at any rate, one of the reasons the Russians won was in comparison of close-range weaponry. The Green Berets use a device that is basically a shovel. They get up on an opponent and whack him on the head, shattering the skull. Effective if crude. But the Russians use a knife for their close in fighting. The crew wasn't too impressed at first. A knife versus a big old shovel? But then the Spetsnaz doing the demonstration showed another trick: the knife can be fi! red, shooting the blade toward its target at nearly 40 mph! At close range, that's enough to penetrate a person's throat or chest to a depth that is fatal. It can even penetrate basic combat clothing. Despite the one-chance-only nature of firing the knife, the team felt the surprise factor and added distance given by the knife gave the Russians the edge. It reminded me of some James Bond type weapon. I had no idea any military used something like that. - Original Message - From: "Tracey de Morsella" To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Cc: cinque3...@verizon.net, "Chris de Morsella" , "Jr.' 'Curtis" , "Sincere" Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2009 12:16:24 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [scifinoir2] Top 10 real-life spy gadgets Top 10 real-life spy gadgets With the news that MI5 is looking for a Chief Scientific Adviser, spy novelist Jeremy Duns reveals his ten favourite real espionage inventions 1. Poison-tipped umbrella Probably the most infamous real-life spy gadget is the umbrella used by the Bulgarian secret services – with KGB help – to kill dissident writer and broadcaster Georgi Markov. KGB technicians converted the tip of an ordinary umbrella into a silenced gun that could fire a pellet containing a lethal dose of ricin. On September 7 1978, Markov felt himself being jabbed in the thigh as he walked across Waterloo Bridge. A man behind him apologised and stepped into a taxi. Markov died four days later. No arrests have ever been made. Times Archive: Tiny platinum ball is link in attacks on Bulgarian defectors 2. Dart gun It wasn’t just Soviet bloc spies who used such techniques, though. In a 1975 US Senate hearing on intelligence, CIA director William Colby handed the committee’s chairman a gun developed by his researchers. Equipped with a telescopic sight, it could accurately fire a tiny dart – tipped with shellfish toxin or cobra venom – up to 250 feet. Colby claimed that, as far as he knew, this and other weapons had never been used, but he couldn’t entirely rule out the possibility. 3. Compass buttons During the war, the Special Operations Executive – ‘Churchill’s secret army’ – created a wealth of Q-like devices. One ingenious invention was magnetized trouser buttons, which were to be used for agent who became lost - if they were taken prisoner, for example. By cutting off the buttons and balancing them on each other, they turned into compasses. Times Archive: Cloak and Swordsmen 4. Exploding briefcase Another SOE invention was a briefcase designed to hold sensitive documents, but which would act as a booby trap for any enemy agent trying to open it the wrong way. If the right-hand lock was held down and simultaneously pushed to the right, the briefcase would click open safely; otherwise, the left-hand lock would ignite. Churchill's Wizards reviewed by Max Hastings 5. Exploding rats If exploding briefcases weren’t enough, the SOE boffins created something even more outlandish to battle the Nazis – exploding rats. Developed in 1941, the devices used the skins of real rats, with fuses concealed inside. The idea was to use them to blow up German boilers, but they were quickly discovered and so never put into production. SOE in the Land of the Eagle reviewed by Max Hastings 6. Cigarette-case gun In 1954, Soviet agent Nicolai Khokhlov was sent to Frankfurt to assassinate an anti-Communist leader. But Khokhlov had a last-minute attack of nerves and instead defected t
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek
That's about when I gave up chess, Keith. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek Date : Wed, 13 May 2009 17:05:36 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Ha-ha! Love that game! There's nothing like the anticipation of seeing if plans you lay out come to fruition. I need to get back into chess, but I never really learned to play it well, and it's been about fifteen years - Original Message - From: "Martin Baxter" To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2009 8:01:41 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek Keith, now I KNOW I should've been hanging out with you back then. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek Date : Wed, 13 May 2009 02:27:36 + (UTC) >From : Keith Johnson To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Not being a drinking man, and never having gone the strip club route, you know what I did the night before my wedding? Stayed up til 5 am laughing and joking with buddies, making milkshakes (my only weakness on Earth), and...playing Risk for hours! Of course I won every game. :) We used to modify Risk in ways to make it fun. We always entered into alliances, forming unions of nations wherein the members avoided attacking each other, promising to gang up on weaker countries, etc. The fun part was the inevitable moment when someone would yell "The Alliance is broken!" and then start attacking his former friend. A friend of mine who was in the Navy said they added an option to Risk called "Nuclear Flash": if you managed to roll three sixes at once as the attacker, the country you're attacking is instantly wiped out by a high megaton thermonuclear strike! Then you just mosey on end and take over. Now I think of it, I guess if you can immediately occupy the country, the bomb had to be a neutron bomb... - Original Message - From: "Martin Baxter" To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, May 12, 2009 6:05:38 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek As do I, Fate. Once I dove into the piece, I went full-immersion, and worked every scenario as a real-time combat sitch. Danger of being a long-time Risk player. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek Date : Tue, 12 May 2009 07:21:56 -0700 (PDT) >From : Augustus Augustus To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com but Martin, i give the author credit on some of his points. the rumsfeld comment and the dhs were priceless! Fate. --- On Tue, 5/12/09, Martin Baxter wrote: From: Martin Baxter Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2009, 7:56 AM Looks like a somewhat sound analysis. One problem that the author fails to take into account, though. The Romulan ship is from the future. Its tech, ergo, is going to be head-and-shoulders above anything Starfleet can throw at it (unless the timeline alteration also handed them a massive upgrade int hat department, that is). It would probably take a concerted effort by everything 'Fleet had to throw at it. It's the only way they were able to stave off the Borg, the Dominion and the Breen until they were able to gain a technological advantage. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek Date : Mon, 11 May 2009 21:58:17 -0700 >From : "Mr. Worf" To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com This is a pretty interesting look at the movie. What do you think? http://www.wired. com/dangerroom/ 2009/05/star- trek-a-military- analysis/ http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon
No, no, my friend, merely a customer in good standing. If I owned the store, I'd never post anywhere online. Be too busy reading my stock... -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon Date : Wed, 13 May 2009 09:49:45 -0700 (PDT) From : Augustus Augustus To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Martin, please tell me that u mean the store u go 2, and not that u own a store.cause if u do, then i am a customer! Fate. --- On Wed, 5/13/09, Martin Baxter wrote: From: Martin Baxter Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Wednesday, May 13, 2009, 12:29 PM That should be no problem, Fate. My store keeps issues a year back. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon Date : Wed, 13 May 2009 07:05:25 -0700 (PDT) >From : Augustus Augustus To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Martin, i understand u. all i did was read the 7 final issues. did not buy all of the tie-ins. the thing went over mulitple titles, but i never buy into that. i just read the initial story. but if u can get your hands on those 7. do it! Fate. --- On Wed, 5/13/09, Martin Baxter wrote: From: Martin Baxter Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Date: Wednesday, May 13, 2009, 8:05 AM Fate, I did see that, but I didn't buy it, because I had been just flitting over the entire Final Crisis run, and didn't want to buy a piece and then have to buy another and another... -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon Date : Tue, 12 May 2009 18:33:50 -0700 (PDT) >From : Augustus Augustus To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com speaking of Blacks in Sci-Fi. did anyone other than me read DC Comic's Final Crisis books from July 98 - Feb 09? it was a 7 issue mini that featured a Black President in the Finale. not just a Black President, but he was Superman from a parallel Earth. i thought that that was so kool, again, just me. Fate. --- On Tue, 5/12/09, Martin Baxter wrote: From: Martin Baxter Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2009, 6:20 PM And brilliant thoughts they are, George. In most Dystopian novels/movies I've seen in which there are no people of color, I always think that they did what I would do in such a sitch -- get the first available transport as far away from the combat zne as possible. Australia is my first thought. And I await that weaving myself with joy. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon Date : Tue, 12 May 2009 15:11:42 -0700 (PDT) >From : George Arterberry To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Was the majority of "us" wiped out in WW3? Remember in most novels Black characters were from the United States of Africa.I know I know, but its interesting that no novel has been written yet by a Black author. Would love to see how President obama is woven into the Trek universe? There is a Black woman president added to Mount Rushmore that never made ST V final cut. Just thinking out loud. http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek
Ha-ha! Love that game! There's nothing like the anticipation of seeing if plans you lay out come to fruition. I need to get back into chess, but I never really learned to play it well, and it's been about fifteen years - Original Message - From: "Martin Baxter" To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2009 8:01:41 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek Keith, now I KNOW I should've been hanging out with you back then. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek Date : Wed, 13 May 2009 02:27:36 + (UTC) >From : Keith Johnson To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Not being a drinking man, and never having gone the strip club route, you know what I did the night before my wedding? Stayed up til 5 am laughing and joking with buddies, making milkshakes (my only weakness on Earth), and...playing Risk for hours! Of course I won every game. :) We used to modify Risk in ways to make it fun. We always entered into alliances, forming unions of nations wherein the members avoided attacking each other, promising to gang up on weaker countries, etc. The fun part was the inevitable moment when someone would yell "The Alliance is broken!" and then start attacking his former friend. A friend of mine who was in the Navy said they added an option to Risk called "Nuclear Flash": if you managed to roll three sixes at once as the attacker, the country you're attacking is instantly wiped out by a high megaton thermonuclear strike! Then you just mosey on end and take over. Now I think of it, I guess if you can immediately occupy the country, the bomb had to be a neutron bomb... - Original Message - From: "Martin Baxter" To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, May 12, 2009 6:05:38 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek As do I, Fate. Once I dove into the piece, I went full-immersion, and worked every scenario as a real-time combat sitch. Danger of being a long-time Risk player. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek Date : Tue, 12 May 2009 07:21:56 -0700 (PDT) >From : Augustus Augustus To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com but Martin, i give the author credit on some of his points. the rumsfeld comment and the dhs were priceless! Fate. --- On Tue, 5/12/09, Martin Baxter wrote: From: Martin Baxter Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2009, 7:56 AM Looks like a somewhat sound analysis. One problem that the author fails to take into account, though. The Romulan ship is from the future. Its tech, ergo, is going to be head-and-shoulders above anything Starfleet can throw at it (unless the timeline alteration also handed them a massive upgrade int hat department, that is). It would probably take a concerted effort by everything 'Fleet had to throw at it. It's the only way they were able to stave off the Borg, the Dominion and the Breen until they were able to gain a technological advantage. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek Date : Mon, 11 May 2009 21:58:17 -0700 >From : "Mr. Worf" To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com This is a pretty interesting look at the movie. What do you think? http://www.wired. com/dangerroom/ 2009/05/star- trek-a-military- analysis/ http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
Re: [scifinoir2] 140 characters? 'Nuff said
Ditto! Rave's stuff was great too! - Original Message - From: "Martin Baxter" To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2009 7:40:12 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] 140 characters? 'Nuff said LMNAO!! -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [scifinoir2] 140 characters? 'Nuff said Date : Wed, 13 May 2009 00:48:02 -0700 (PDT) >From : Gerald Haynes To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com I use Twitter in a different way as well. I used to jot down my funny takes on life in the vein of The Onion, The Daily Show & SNL Weekend Update. I was planning on doing a podcast or something but I think Twitter is a great way to use my creative muscles to be concisely funny. Two examples below. The genesis of the first was a post on this list. The second seems to still be relevant. 2009/05/11-Exit polling during Star Trek opening weekend shows Nichelle Nichols still considered the finest Uhura. New actor lacking hips. 2007/05/30-Recording of "Barack the Magic Negro" propels Touched Limbaugh to level of "Super Racist." "I now hate on a David Duke level." http://twitter.com/spoofjackson Gerald Haynes "Time, Money, and Quality, you may have only two." "Never enough time to do it right. Always enough time to do it over." "Continual improvement is always better than delayed perfection." From: ravenadal To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, May 12, 2009 1:57:45 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] 140 characters? 'Nuff said I am fond of Twitter, although I don't use it to post the mundane happenings of my day. I enjoy doing social commentary and melting down my thoughts to 140 characters or less. Such as: Supporters of Rush Limbaugh are mad at Wanda Sykes. Ain't that just like the pot calling the kettle fat? ~rave! http://twitter. com/ravenadal http://blackplush. blogspot. com www.mcall.com/ business/ local/all- texting0512, 0,1858050. story themorningcall. com 140 characters? 'Nuff said By Mark Milian Tribune Newspapers May 12, 2009 To understand how the wizards of Twitter settled on 140 as the magic number of characters in a single tweet, you have to go back two decades to Bonn, Germany. One day in 1985, Friedhelm Hillebrand sat at the typewriter in his home there, tapping out random sentences and questions on a sheet of paper. As he went along, the communications researcher counted the number of letters, numbers, punctuation marks and spaces on the page. The blurbs nearly always clocked in under 160 characters. "This is perfectly sufficient," he recalled thinking. "Perfectly sufficient." Hillebrand and a dozen others had been developing plans to standardize a technology that would allow cellphones to transmit and display text messages. Because of the tight bandwidth constraints of the wireless networks at the time -- they were used mostly for car phones -- each message would have to be as short as possible. Before his typewriter experiment, Hillebrand argued with a friend about whether 160 characters provided enough space to communicate most thoughts. "My friend said this was impossible for the mass market," Hillebrand said. "I was more optimistic." His optimism was warranted. Americans last year started sending more texts than they made cellphone calls, according to a report from research firm Nielsen Mobile. It's been a boon for telecoms. Giants Verizon Wireless and AT&T Inc. each charge 20 to 25 cents a message, or $20 a month for unlimited texts. Just 10 years ago, however, there were none. Verizon Wireless adopted the technology in the early part of this decade as a way to deliver daily news and weather forecasts to cellphone users. Later, mobile-to-mobile communication took footing in America, but even then, users could communicate only with people on the same carrier. "It really hindered the growth," Verizon spokesman John Johnson said. But adoption skyrocketed when telecoms pushed CTIA -- the Wireless Assn., an industry trade group, to set American standards for interoperability and short codes (the five-digit numbers used in text-in voting systems like those on "American Idol"), Johnson said.. Twitter, the fastest-growing online social network, which is being adopted practically en masse by politicians, celebrities and news outlets, has its very DNA in text messaging. To avoid the need for splitting text messages into multiple parts, the creators of Twitter capped the length of a tweet at 140 characters. They reserved the extra 20 for the user's unique address. In 1985, of course, the thirty-something guys who invented Twitter were probably still playing with Matchbox cars. Hillebrand's unscientific investigations at his typewriter gave him new confidence in the ability of 160 characters to be useful while not tying up too much space on the carriers' networks. And he was in
Re: [scifinoir2] Top 10 real-life spy gadgets
I was watching Spike TV's "The Deadliest Warrior" ( a show I've grown to love) last night. It featured a match up between the US Green Berets, and the Russian Spetsnaz. It was a brutal show, testing grenades, shotguns, sniper rifles. When all weapons and tactics were analyzed, the team --using that computer program that runs 1000 combat simulations and announces a winner--gave the title to the Russians! It was an amazing decision ,and I could only wonder how some true-blue "USA! USA!" types watching the show felt. But at any rate, one of the reasons the Russians won was in comparison of close-range weaponry. The Green Berets use a device that is basically a shovel. They get up on an opponent and whack him on the head, shattering the skull. Effective if crude. But the Russians use a knife for their close in fighting. The crew wasn't too impressed at first. A knife versus a big old shovel? But then the Spetsnaz doing the demonstration showed another trick: the knife can be fired, shooting the blade toward its target at nearly 40 mph! At close range, that's enough to penetrate a person's throat or chest to a depth that is fatal. It can even penetrate basic combat clothing. Despite the one-chance-only nature of firing the knife, the team felt the surprise factor and added distance given by the knife gave the Russians the edge. It reminded me of some James Bond type weapon. I had no idea any military used something like that. - Original Message - From: "Tracey de Morsella" To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Cc: cinque3...@verizon.net, "Chris de Morsella" , "Jr.' 'Curtis" , "Sincere" Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2009 12:16:24 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [scifinoir2] Top 10 real-life spy gadgets Top 10 real-life spy gadgets With the news that MI5 is looking for a Chief Scientific Adviser, spy novelist Jeremy Duns reveals his ten favourite real espionage inventions 1. Poison-tipped umbrella Probably the most infamous real-life spy gadget is the umbrella used by the Bulgarian secret services – with KGB help – to kill dissident writer and broadcaster Georgi Markov. KGB technicians converted the tip of an ordinary umbrella into a silenced gun that could fire a pellet containing a lethal dose of ricin. On September 7 1978, Markov felt himself being jabbed in the thigh as he walked across Waterloo Bridge. A man behind him apologised and stepped into a taxi. Markov died four days later. No arrests have ever been made. Times Archive: Tiny platinum ball is link in attacks on Bulgarian defectors 2. Dart gun It wasn’t just Soviet bloc spies who used such techniques, though. In a 1975 US Senate hearing on intelligence, CIA director William Colby handed the committee’s chairman a gun developed by his researchers. Equipped with a telescopic sight, it could accurately fire a tiny dart – tipped with shellfish toxin or cobra venom – up to 250 feet. Colby claimed that, as far as he knew, this and other weapons had never been used, but he couldn’t entirely rule out the possibility. 3. Compass buttons During the war, the Special Operations Executive – ‘Churchill’s secret army’ – created a wealth of Q-like devices. One ingenious invention was magnetized trouser buttons, which were to be used for agent who became lost - if they were taken prisoner, for example. By cutting off the buttons and balancing them on each other, they turned into compasses. Times Archive: Cloak and Swordsmen 4. Exploding briefcase Another SOE invention was a briefcase designed to hold sensitive documents, but which would act as a booby trap for any enemy agent trying to open it the wrong way. If the right-hand lock was held down and simultaneously pushed to the right, the briefcase would click open safely; otherwise, the left-hand lock would ignite. Churchill's Wizards reviewed by Max Hastings 5. Exploding rats If exploding briefcases weren’t enough, the SOE boffins created something even more outlandish to battle the Nazis – exploding rats. Developed in 1941, the devices used the skins of real rats, with fuses concealed inside. The idea was to use them to blow up German boilers, but they were quickly discovered and so never put into production. SOE in the Land of the Eagle reviewed by Max Hastings 6. Cigarette-case gun In 1954, Soviet agent Nicolai Khokhlov was sent to Frankfurt to assassinate an anti-Communist leader. But Khokhlov had a last-minute attack of nerves and instead defected to the Americans. The Americans wasted no time in showing the world press the would-be assassin’s equipment, which included a gold cigarette case that concealed an electrically operated gun capable of firing cyanide-tipped bullets. In Ian Fleming’s novel From Russia With Love, fearsome assassin Red Grant tells his masters at SMERSH that they gave Khokhlov's job to the wrong man: “I wouldn’t have gone over to the Yanks.” Times Archive: Surrender To America
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon
Martin, please tell me that u mean the store u go 2, and not that u own a store.cause if u do, then i am a customer! Fate. --- On Wed, 5/13/09, Martin Baxter wrote: From: Martin Baxter Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Wednesday, May 13, 2009, 12:29 PM That should be no problem, Fate. My store keeps issues a year back. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon Date : Wed, 13 May 2009 07:05:25 -0700 (PDT) >From : Augustus Augustus To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Martin, i understand u. all i did was read the 7 final issues. did not buy all of the tie-ins. the thing went over mulitple titles, but i never buy into that. i just read the initial story. but if u can get your hands on those 7. do it! Fate. --- On Wed, 5/13/09, Martin Baxter wrote: From: Martin Baxter Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Date: Wednesday, May 13, 2009, 8:05 AM Fate, I did see that, but I didn't buy it, because I had been just flitting over the entire Final Crisis run, and didn't want to buy a piece and then have to buy another and another... -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon Date : Tue, 12 May 2009 18:33:50 -0700 (PDT) >From : Augustus Augustus To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com speaking of Blacks in Sci-Fi. did anyone other than me read DC Comic's Final Crisis books from July 98 - Feb 09? it was a 7 issue mini that featured a Black President in the Finale. not just a Black President, but he was Superman from a parallel Earth. i thought that that was so kool, again, just me. Fate. --- On Tue, 5/12/09, Martin Baxter wrote: From: Martin Baxter Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2009, 6:20 PM And brilliant thoughts they are, George. In most Dystopian novels/movies I've seen in which there are no people of color, I always think that they did what I would do in such a sitch -- get the first available transport as far away from the combat zne as possible. Australia is my first thought. And I await that weaving myself with joy. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon Date : Tue, 12 May 2009 15:11:42 -0700 (PDT) >From : George Arterberry To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Was the majority of "us" wiped out in WW3? Remember in most novels Black characters were from the United States of Africa.I know I know, but its interesting that no novel has been written yet by a Black author. Would love to see how President obama is woven into the Trek universe? There is a Black woman president added to Mount Rushmore that never made ST V final cut. Just thinking out loud. http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=JQdwk8Yntds
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon
--- On Wed, 5/13/09, Martin Baxter wrote: > From: Martin Baxter > Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon > To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com > Date: Wednesday, May 13, 2009, 12:29 PM > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > That > should be no problem, Fate. My store keeps issues a year > back. > > > > > > -[ Received Mail Content ]-- > > Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black > America in Star Trek canon > > Date : Wed, 13 May 2009 07:05:25 -0700 (PDT) > > From : Augustus Augustus yahoo.com> > > To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com > > > > Martin, > > > > i understand u. all i did was read the 7 final > issues. did not buy all of the tie-ins. the > thing went over mulitple titles, but i never buy into > that. i just read the initial story. but if u > can get your hands on those 7. do it! > > > > Fate. > > > > --- On Wed, 5/13/09, Martin Baxter wrote: > > > > > > From: Martin Baxter > > Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in > Star Trek canon > > To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com > > Date: Wednesday, May 13, 2009, 8:05 AM > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Fate, I did see that, but I didn't buy it, because I > had been just flitting over the entire Final Crisis run, and > didn't want to buy a piece and then have to buy another > and another... > > > > > > > > > > > > -[ Received Mail Content ]-- > > Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in > Star Trek canon > > Date : Tue, 12 May 2009 18:33:50 -0700 (PDT) > > From : Augustus Augustus > > To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com > > > > speaking of Blacks in Sci-Fi. did anyone other than me read > DC Comic's Final Crisis books from July 98 - Feb > 09? it was a 7 issue mini that featured a Black > President in the Finale. not just a Black President, > but he was Superman from a parallel Earth. i thought > that that was so kool, again, just me. > > > > Fate. > > > > --- On Tue, 5/12/09, Martin Baxter wrote: > > > > From: Martin Baxter > > Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star > Trek canon > > To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com > > Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2009, 6:20 PM > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > And brilliant thoughts they are, George. > > > > In most Dystopian novels/movies I've seen in which > there are no people of color, I always think that they did > what I would do in such a sitch -- get the first available > transport as far away from the combat zne as possible. > Australia is my first thought. And I await that weaving > myself with joy. > > > > > > > > > > > > -[ Received Mail Content ]-- > > > > Subject : [scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star > Trek canon > > > > Date : Tue, 12 May 2009 15:11:42 -0700 (PDT) > > > > From : George Arterberry > > > > To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com > > > > > > > > > > > > Was the majority of "us" wiped out in WW3? > Remember in most novels Black characters were from the > United States of Africa.I know I know, but its interesting > that no novel has been written yet by a Black author. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Would love to see how President obama is woven into the > Trek universe? There is a Black woman president added > to Mount Rushmore that never made ST V final cut. > > > > > > > > Just thinking out loud. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=JQdwk8Yntds > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=JQdwk8Yntds > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > http://www.youtube. com/watch? > v=JQdwk8Yntds > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon
That should be no problem, Fate. My store keeps issues a year back. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon Date : Wed, 13 May 2009 07:05:25 -0700 (PDT) From : Augustus Augustus To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Martin, i understand u. all i did was read the 7 final issues. did not buy all of the tie-ins. the thing went over mulitple titles, but i never buy into that. i just read the initial story. but if u can get your hands on those 7. do it! Fate. --- On Wed, 5/13/09, Martin Baxter wrote: From: Martin Baxter Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Wednesday, May 13, 2009, 8:05 AM Fate, I did see that, but I didn't buy it, because I had been just flitting over the entire Final Crisis run, and didn't want to buy a piece and then have to buy another and another... -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon Date : Tue, 12 May 2009 18:33:50 -0700 (PDT) >From : Augustus Augustus To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com speaking of Blacks in Sci-Fi. did anyone other than me read DC Comic's Final Crisis books from July 98 - Feb 09? it was a 7 issue mini that featured a Black President in the Finale. not just a Black President, but he was Superman from a parallel Earth. i thought that that was so kool, again, just me. Fate. --- On Tue, 5/12/09, Martin Baxter wrote: From: Martin Baxter Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2009, 6:20 PM And brilliant thoughts they are, George. In most Dystopian novels/movies I've seen in which there are no people of color, I always think that they did what I would do in such a sitch -- get the first available transport as far away from the combat zne as possible. Australia is my first thought. And I await that weaving myself with joy. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon Date : Tue, 12 May 2009 15:11:42 -0700 (PDT) >From : George Arterberry To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Was the majority of "us" wiped out in WW3? Remember in most novels Black characters were from the United States of Africa.I know I know, but its interesting that no novel has been written yet by a Black author. Would love to see how President obama is woven into the Trek universe? There is a Black woman president added to Mount Rushmore that never made ST V final cut. Just thinking out loud. http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
[RE][scifinoir2] Skipping Church
So those are those "mysterious ways" I keep hearing about... -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Skipping Church Date : Wed, 13 May 2009 07:53:48 -0700 (PDT) From : Augustus Augustus To : Sci Fi SKIPPING CHURCH Father Norton woke up Sunday morning and realizing it was an exceptionally beautiful and sunny early spring day, decided he just had to play golf. So... he told the Associate Pastor that he was feeling sick and persuaded him to say Mass for him that day. As soon as the Associate Pastor left the room, Father Norton headed out of town to a golf course about forty miles away. This way he knew he wouldn't accidentally meet anyone he knew from his parish. Setting up on the first tee, he was alone. After all, it was Sunday morning and everyone else was in church! At about this time, Saint Peter leaned over to the Lord while looking down from the heavens and exclaimed, "You're not going to let him get away with this, are you?" The Lord sighed, and said, "No, I guess not." Just then Father Norton hit the ball and it shot straight towards the pin, dropping just short of it, rolled up and fell into the hole. IT WAS A 420 YARD HOLE IN ONE! St. Peter was astonished. He looked at the Lord and asked, "Why did you let him do that?" The Lord smiled and replied, "Who's he going to tell?" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
[scifinoir2] Skipping Church
SKIPPING CHURCH Father Norton woke up Sunday morning and realizing it was an exceptionally beautiful and sunny early spring day, decided he just had to play golf. So... he told the Associate Pastor that he was feeling sick and persuaded him to say Mass for him that day. As soon as the Associate Pastor left the room, Father Norton headed out of town to a golf course about forty miles away. This way he knew he wouldn't accidentally meet anyone he knew from his parish. Setting up on the first tee, he was alone. After all, it was Sunday morning and everyone else was in church! At about this time, Saint Peter leaned over to the Lord while looking down from the heavens and exclaimed, "You're not going to let him get away with this, are you?" The Lord sighed, and said, "No, I guess not." Just then Father Norton hit the ball and it shot straight towards the pin, dropping just short of it, rolled up and fell into the hole. IT WAS A 420 YARD HOLE IN ONE! St. Peter was astonished. He looked at the Lord and asked, "Why did you let him do that?" The Lord smiled and replied, "Who's he going to tell?"
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon
Martin, i understand u. all i did was read the 7 final issues. did not buy all of the tie-ins. the thing went over mulitple titles, but i never buy into that. i just read the initial story. but if u can get your hands on those 7. do it! Fate. --- On Wed, 5/13/09, Martin Baxter wrote: From: Martin Baxter Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Wednesday, May 13, 2009, 8:05 AM Fate, I did see that, but I didn't buy it, because I had been just flitting over the entire Final Crisis run, and didn't want to buy a piece and then have to buy another and another... -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon Date : Tue, 12 May 2009 18:33:50 -0700 (PDT) >From : Augustus Augustus To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com speaking of Blacks in Sci-Fi. did anyone other than me read DC Comic's Final Crisis books from July 98 - Feb 09? it was a 7 issue mini that featured a Black President in the Finale. not just a Black President, but he was Superman from a parallel Earth. i thought that that was so kool, again, just me. Fate. --- On Tue, 5/12/09, Martin Baxter wrote: From: Martin Baxter Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2009, 6:20 PM And brilliant thoughts they are, George. In most Dystopian novels/movies I've seen in which there are no people of color, I always think that they did what I would do in such a sitch -- get the first available transport as far away from the combat zne as possible. Australia is my first thought. And I await that weaving myself with joy. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon Date : Tue, 12 May 2009 15:11:42 -0700 (PDT) >From : George Arterberry To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Was the majority of "us" wiped out in WW3? Remember in most novels Black characters were from the United States of Africa.I know I know, but its interesting that no novel has been written yet by a Black author. Would love to see how President obama is woven into the Trek universe? There is a Black woman president added to Mount Rushmore that never made ST V final cut. Just thinking out loud. http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=JQdwk8Yntds
Re: [scifinoir2] New Trek- My take *SPOILERS*
As soon as I can scare up a few batches... -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [scifinoir2] New Trek- My take *SPOILERS* Date : Tue, 12 May 2009 21:31:51 -0400 From : To : Romulan ale...I have to say that I went to see it. I was surprise that it was good. The only problem that I had with it was that the relationship that they felt that had to interject with Spock. Seeing the flow of the movie I am glad that they did not use an older Kirk in this movie. It would not have made any sense. I like the nod they gave to Captain Archer in the movie. Great movie now enough with the Enterprise bring me a movie with DS9. Oh Mr. Baxter--hurry with the Ale. Where I am from in Georgia it is illegal. --Lavender From: Martin Baxter Sent: Monday, May 11, 2009 7:32 AM To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] New Trek- My take *SPOILERS* I like the cut of your jib, Lavendar. Can I bring anything? -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [scifinoir2] New Trek- My take *SPOILERS* Date : Mon, 11 May 2009 01:00:13 -0400 From : To : I hope to see this tomorrow, which would be today when this email is posted. I too am a core trekkie. I am not saying that I am the one that is dressed in uniform as I am writing this. I have always felt that a movie needs to bring in a new crowd but with doing that not to loose the old one. We are the ones that are buying the product. I find it unlikely that we will see any newbie's at conventions this year based on this movie. I thought that it was cannon that the Vulcan's were a major player in Trek history. If this is not the case then who were? I would love a mention of TPol in this. I mean she might would have been the only person to really do a cross over without a time travel being involved. When I see this, I hope I get the feeling that he has done justice to the series. If not--I am going to Ace Hardware and get a deflector dish. Then I am going to bill a multiplexing beaking to put on top of it to contact the Borg to get rid of JJ Abrams and his crew. Then I going to invite Q over for dinner to try to convince him to fix this whole thing. Any one up for dinner? --Lavender -- From: "sincere1906" Sent: Sunday, May 10, 2009 4:24 AM To: Subject: [scifinoir2] New Trek- My take *SPOILERS* > Okay it's 4am, I saw the new Trek movie about 8 hours ago and am just > getting in after a night of debauchery. So I might be writing this on a > Red Stripe buzz, but here goes... > > S P O I L E R S ! ! ! > > I liked the movie. As a movie, it was good. The plot was decent. There was > well-paced excitement, humor, etc. The cast was relatable. I thought > everyone did a great job playing their roles--even down to Chekhov. So as > a movie, good. I give it 3 stars out of four. > > The larger question, what I suppose matters the most on a group like this, > is was it good Trek? > > On this, I'm truly torn. > > First off, I knew they said get ready to forget everything you know about > Trek, but damn...I didn't know they were this serious! Thanks to that > Romulan ship coming through a black hole and killing Kirk's father, the > timeline that we know from that point on has been severed. The Butterfly > effect has created a host of new phenomenon--right down to a love affar > between Uhuru and Spock--which never seemed to exist before. This was a > bold and daring move. The writers of this new Trek world have an entire > alternate reality on their hands. They can do anything. And with Vulcans > reduced to a virtual minor colony the entire course of the Federation > could be altered, not to mention the balance of power in the Alpha > Quadrant. They should call this "Ultimate Star Trek!" There's a sense of > loss here knowing that the Trek reality that I've long called home no > longer exists (or exists in some other timeline). For all we know future > figures like Picard might never have been born. For the first time I can > recall, we have a Trek spin off that cannot fit into the larger Trek > universe. That will take some getting used to. > > Second, where a part of me is concerned, is I'm trying to figure out where > this new story fits into Roddenberry's vision. Even with all its faults, > the original Trek world was one that took radical positions--a Russian > main character, a black main character, etc. I don't see this Trek taking > any such bold moves. I don't see a vision here, even as we stand in the > midst of a time almost as socially and politically challenging as the > 1960s. Nothing illustrated this more than seeing product placement ads for > Nokia, Budweiser and Jack Daniels. Pardon me for using a cross-sci-fi > swear word, but "what the frack!?!" Earth endures eugenics wars, a nuclear > holocaust, a post-atomic court of horr
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon
Fate, I did see that, but I didn't buy it, because I had been just flitting over the entire Final Crisis run, and didn't want to buy a piece and then have to buy another and another... -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon Date : Tue, 12 May 2009 18:33:50 -0700 (PDT) From : Augustus Augustus To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com speaking of Blacks in Sci-Fi. did anyone other than me read DC Comic's Final Crisis books from July 98 - Feb 09? it was a 7 issue mini that featured a Black President in the Finale. not just a Black President, but he was Superman from a parallel Earth. i thought that that was so kool, again, just me. Fate. --- On Tue, 5/12/09, Martin Baxter wrote: From: Martin Baxter Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2009, 6:20 PM And brilliant thoughts they are, George. In most Dystopian novels/movies I've seen in which there are no people of color, I always think that they did what I would do in such a sitch -- get the first available transport as far away from the combat zne as possible. Australia is my first thought. And I await that weaving myself with joy. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] The fate of Black America in Star Trek canon Date : Tue, 12 May 2009 15:11:42 -0700 (PDT) From : George Arterberry To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com Was the majority of "us" wiped out in WW3? Remember in most novels Black characters were from the United States of Africa.I know I know, but its interesting that no novel has been written yet by a Black author. Would love to see how President obama is woven into the Trek universe? There is a Black woman president added to Mount Rushmore that never made ST V final cut. Just thinking out loud. http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek
Keith, now I KNOW I should've been hanging out with you back then. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek Date : Wed, 13 May 2009 02:27:36 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Not being a drinking man, and never having gone the strip club route, you know what I did the night before my wedding? Stayed up til 5 am laughing and joking with buddies, making milkshakes (my only weakness on Earth), and...playing Risk for hours! Of course I won every game. :) We used to modify Risk in ways to make it fun. We always entered into alliances, forming unions of nations wherein the members avoided attacking each other, promising to gang up on weaker countries, etc. The fun part was the inevitable moment when someone would yell "The Alliance is broken!" and then start attacking his former friend. A friend of mine who was in the Navy said they added an option to Risk called "Nuclear Flash": if you managed to roll three sixes at once as the attacker, the country you're attacking is instantly wiped out by a high megaton thermonuclear strike! Then you just mosey on end and take over. Now I think of it, I guess if you can immediately occupy the country, the bomb had to be a neutron bomb... - Original Message - From: "Martin Baxter" To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, May 12, 2009 6:05:38 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek As do I, Fate. Once I dove into the piece, I went full-immersion, and worked every scenario as a real-time combat sitch. Danger of being a long-time Risk player. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek Date : Tue, 12 May 2009 07:21:56 -0700 (PDT) >From : Augustus Augustus To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com but Martin, i give the author credit on some of his points. the rumsfeld comment and the dhs were priceless! Fate. --- On Tue, 5/12/09, Martin Baxter wrote: From: Martin Baxter Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2009, 7:56 AM Looks like a somewhat sound analysis. One problem that the author fails to take into account, though. The Romulan ship is from the future. Its tech, ergo, is going to be head-and-shoulders above anything Starfleet can throw at it (unless the timeline alteration also handed them a massive upgrade int hat department, that is). It would probably take a concerted effort by everything 'Fleet had to throw at it. It's the only way they were able to stave off the Borg, the Dominion and the Breen until they were able to gain a technological advantage. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] topic: A military analysis of Star Trek Date : Mon, 11 May 2009 21:58:17 -0700 >From : "Mr. Worf" To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com This is a pretty interesting look at the movie. What do you think? http://www.wired. com/dangerroom/ 2009/05/star- trek-a-military- analysis/ http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
[RE][scifinoir2] Star Wars v. Star Trek
"Where is the KA-BOOM? There should have been an earth-shattering KA-BOOM!" -- attr to Marvin the Martian -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Star Wars v. Star Trek Date : Tue, 12 May 2009 19:39:32 -0700 (PDT) From : Augustus Augustus To : Sci Fi http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KRc7fn434Y Fate. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
[scifinoir2] Re: 140 characters? 'Nuff said
Spoof Jackson, you have just gained another follower. ~rave! --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Gerald Haynes wrote: > > I use Twitter in a different way as well. I used to jot down my funny takes > on life in the vein of The Onion, The Daily Show & SNL Weekend Update. I was > planning on doing a podcast or something but I think Twitter is a great way > to use my creative muscles to be concisely funny. Two examples below. > The genesis of the first was a post on this list. The second seems to still > be relevant. > > 2009/05/11-Exit polling during Star Trek opening weekend shows Nichelle > Nichols still considered the finest Uhura. New actor lacking hips. > > 2007/05/30-Recording of "Barack the Magic Negro" propels Touched Limbaugh to > level of "Super Racist." "I now hate on a David Duke level." > > http://twitter.com/spoofjackson > Gerald Haynes > > > "Time, Money, and Quality, you may have only two." > "Never enough time to do it right. Always enough time to do it over." > "Continual improvement is always better than delayed perfection." > > > > > > From: ravenadal > To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com > Sent: Tuesday, May 12, 2009 1:57:45 PM > Subject: [scifinoir2] 140 characters? 'Nuff said > > > > > > I am fond of Twitter, although I don't use it to post the mundane happenings > of my day. I enjoy doing social commentary and melting down my thoughts to > 140 characters or less. Such as: Supporters of Rush Limbaugh are mad at Wanda > Sykes. Ain't that just like the pot calling the kettle fat? > > ~rave! > > http://twitter. com/ravenadal > http://blackplush. blogspot. com > > www.mcall.com/ business/ local/all- texting0512, 0,1858050. story > > themorningcall. com > 140 characters? 'Nuff said > By Mark Milian > > Tribune Newspapers > > May 12, 2009 > > To understand how the wizards of Twitter settled on 140 as the magic number > of characters in a single tweet, you have to go back two decades to Bonn, > Germany. > > One day in 1985, Friedhelm Hillebrand sat at the typewriter in his home > there, tapping out random sentences and questions on a sheet of paper. > > As he went along, the communications researcher counted the number of > letters, numbers, punctuation marks and spaces on the page. The blurbs nearly > always clocked in under 160 characters. > > "This is perfectly sufficient," he recalled thinking. "Perfectly sufficient." > > Hillebrand and a dozen others had been developing plans to standardize a > technology that would allow cellphones to transmit and display text messages. > > Because of the tight bandwidth constraints of the wireless networks at the > time -- they were used mostly for car phones -- each message would have to be > as short as possible. > > Before his typewriter experiment, Hillebrand argued with a friend about > whether 160 characters provided enough space to communicate most thoughts. > "My friend said this was impossible for the mass market," Hillebrand said. "I > was more optimistic." > > His optimism was warranted. Americans last year started sending more texts > than they made cellphone calls, according to a report from research firm > Nielsen Mobile. > > It's been a boon for telecoms. Giants Verizon Wireless and AT&T Inc. each > charge 20 to 25 cents a message, or $20 a month for unlimited texts. > > Just 10 years ago, however, there were none. Verizon Wireless adopted the > technology in the early part of this decade as a way to deliver daily news > and weather forecasts to cellphone users. > > Later, mobile-to-mobile communication took footing in America, but even then, > users could communicate only with people on the same carrier. "It really > hindered the growth," Verizon spokesman John Johnson said. > > But adoption skyrocketed when telecoms pushed CTIA -- the Wireless Assn., an > industry trade group, to set American standards for interoperability and > short codes (the five-digit numbers used in text-in voting systems like those > on "American Idol"), Johnson said.. > > Twitter, the fastest-growing online social network, which is being adopted > practically en masse by politicians, celebrities and news outlets, has its > very DNA in text messaging. > > To avoid the need for splitting text messages into multiple parts, the > creators of Twitter capped the length of a tweet at 140 characters. They > reserved the extra 20 for the user's unique address. > > In 1985, of course, the thirty-something guys who invented Twitter were > probably still playing with Matchbox cars. > > Hillebrand's unscientific investigations at his typewriter gave him new > confidence in the ability of 160 characters to be useful while not tying up > too much space on the carriers' networks. And he was in position to push the > format; he was serving as chairman of the non-voice services committee within > the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), a group that sets > sta
Re: [scifinoir2] 140 characters? 'Nuff said
LMNAO!! -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [scifinoir2] 140 characters? 'Nuff said Date : Wed, 13 May 2009 00:48:02 -0700 (PDT) From : Gerald Haynes To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com I use Twitter in a different way as well. I used to jot down my funny takes on life in the vein of The Onion, The Daily Show & SNL Weekend Update. I was planning on doing a podcast or something but I think Twitter is a great way to use my creative muscles to be concisely funny. Two examples below. The genesis of the first was a post on this list. The second seems to still be relevant. 2009/05/11-Exit polling during Star Trek opening weekend shows Nichelle Nichols still considered the finest Uhura. New actor lacking hips. 2007/05/30-Recording of "Barack the Magic Negro" propels Touched Limbaugh to level of "Super Racist." "I now hate on a David Duke level." http://twitter.com/spoofjackson Gerald Haynes "Time, Money, and Quality, you may have only two." "Never enough time to do it right. Always enough time to do it over." "Continual improvement is always better than delayed perfection." From: ravenadal To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, May 12, 2009 1:57:45 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] 140 characters? 'Nuff said I am fond of Twitter, although I don't use it to post the mundane happenings of my day. I enjoy doing social commentary and melting down my thoughts to 140 characters or less. Such as: Supporters of Rush Limbaugh are mad at Wanda Sykes. Ain't that just like the pot calling the kettle fat? ~rave! http://twitter. com/ravenadal http://blackplush. blogspot. com www.mcall.com/ business/ local/all- texting0512, 0,1858050. story themorningcall. com 140 characters? 'Nuff said By Mark Milian Tribune Newspapers May 12, 2009 To understand how the wizards of Twitter settled on 140 as the magic number of characters in a single tweet, you have to go back two decades to Bonn, Germany. One day in 1985, Friedhelm Hillebrand sat at the typewriter in his home there, tapping out random sentences and questions on a sheet of paper. As he went along, the communications researcher counted the number of letters, numbers, punctuation marks and spaces on the page. The blurbs nearly always clocked in under 160 characters. "This is perfectly sufficient," he recalled thinking. "Perfectly sufficient." Hillebrand and a dozen others had been developing plans to standardize a technology that would allow cellphones to transmit and display text messages. Because of the tight bandwidth constraints of the wireless networks at the time -- they were used mostly for car phones -- each message would have to be as short as possible. Before his typewriter experiment, Hillebrand argued with a friend about whether 160 characters provided enough space to communicate most thoughts. "My friend said this was impossible for the mass market," Hillebrand said. "I was more optimistic." His optimism was warranted. Americans last year started sending more texts than they made cellphone calls, according to a report from research firm Nielsen Mobile. It's been a boon for telecoms. Giants Verizon Wireless and AT&T Inc. each charge 20 to 25 cents a message, or $20 a month for unlimited texts. Just 10 years ago, however, there were none. Verizon Wireless adopted the technology in the early part of this decade as a way to deliver daily news and weather forecasts to cellphone users. Later, mobile-to-mobile communication took footing in America, but even then, users could communicate only with people on the same carrier. "It really hindered the growth," Verizon spokesman John Johnson said. But adoption skyrocketed when telecoms pushed CTIA -- the Wireless Assn., an industry trade group, to set American standards for interoperability and short codes (the five-digit numbers used in text-in voting systems like those on "American Idol"), Johnson said.. Twitter, the fastest-growing online social network, which is being adopted practically en masse by politicians, celebrities and news outlets, has its very DNA in text messaging. To avoid the need for splitting text messages into multiple parts, the creators of Twitter capped the length of a tweet at 140 characters. They reserved the extra 20 for the user's unique address. In 1985, of course, the thirty-something guys who invented Twitter were probably still playing with Matchbox cars. Hillebrand's unscientific investigations at his typewriter gave him new confidence in the ability of 160 characters to be useful while not tying up too much space on the carriers' networks. And he was in position to push the format; he was serving as chairman of the non-voice services committee within the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), a group that sets standards for the majority of the global mobile market. All cellular carriers and mobile phones must support the short messag
Re: [scifinoir2] 140 characters? 'Nuff said
I use Twitter in a different way as well. I used to jot down my funny takes on life in the vein of The Onion, The Daily Show & SNL Weekend Update. I was planning on doing a podcast or something but I think Twitter is a great way to use my creative muscles to be concisely funny. Two examples below. The genesis of the first was a post on this list. The second seems to still be relevant. 2009/05/11-Exit polling during Star Trek opening weekend shows Nichelle Nichols still considered the finest Uhura. New actor lacking hips. 2007/05/30-Recording of "Barack the Magic Negro" propels Touched Limbaugh to level of "Super Racist." "I now hate on a David Duke level." http://twitter.com/spoofjackson Gerald Haynes "Time, Money, and Quality, you may have only two." "Never enough time to do it right. Always enough time to do it over." "Continual improvement is always better than delayed perfection." From: ravenadal To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, May 12, 2009 1:57:45 PM Subject: [scifinoir2] 140 characters? 'Nuff said I am fond of Twitter, although I don't use it to post the mundane happenings of my day. I enjoy doing social commentary and melting down my thoughts to 140 characters or less. Such as: Supporters of Rush Limbaugh are mad at Wanda Sykes. Ain't that just like the pot calling the kettle fat? ~rave! http://twitter. com/ravenadal http://blackplush. blogspot. com www.mcall.com/ business/ local/all- texting0512, 0,1858050. story themorningcall. com 140 characters? 'Nuff said By Mark Milian Tribune Newspapers May 12, 2009 To understand how the wizards of Twitter settled on 140 as the magic number of characters in a single tweet, you have to go back two decades to Bonn, Germany. One day in 1985, Friedhelm Hillebrand sat at the typewriter in his home there, tapping out random sentences and questions on a sheet of paper. As he went along, the communications researcher counted the number of letters, numbers, punctuation marks and spaces on the page. The blurbs nearly always clocked in under 160 characters. "This is perfectly sufficient," he recalled thinking. "Perfectly sufficient." Hillebrand and a dozen others had been developing plans to standardize a technology that would allow cellphones to transmit and display text messages. Because of the tight bandwidth constraints of the wireless networks at the time -- they were used mostly for car phones -- each message would have to be as short as possible. Before his typewriter experiment, Hillebrand argued with a friend about whether 160 characters provided enough space to communicate most thoughts. "My friend said this was impossible for the mass market," Hillebrand said. "I was more optimistic." His optimism was warranted. Americans last year started sending more texts than they made cellphone calls, according to a report from research firm Nielsen Mobile. It's been a boon for telecoms. Giants Verizon Wireless and AT&T Inc. each charge 20 to 25 cents a message, or $20 a month for unlimited texts. Just 10 years ago, however, there were none. Verizon Wireless adopted the technology in the early part of this decade as a way to deliver daily news and weather forecasts to cellphone users. Later, mobile-to-mobile communication took footing in America, but even then, users could communicate only with people on the same carrier. "It really hindered the growth," Verizon spokesman John Johnson said. But adoption skyrocketed when telecoms pushed CTIA -- the Wireless Assn., an industry trade group, to set American standards for interoperability and short codes (the five-digit numbers used in text-in voting systems like those on "American Idol"), Johnson said.. Twitter, the fastest-growing online social network, which is being adopted practically en masse by politicians, celebrities and news outlets, has its very DNA in text messaging. To avoid the need for splitting text messages into multiple parts, the creators of Twitter capped the length of a tweet at 140 characters. They reserved the extra 20 for the user's unique address. In 1985, of course, the thirty-something guys who invented Twitter were probably still playing with Matchbox cars. Hillebrand's unscientific investigations at his typewriter gave him new confidence in the ability of 160 characters to be useful while not tying up too much space on the carriers' networks. And he was in position to push the format; he was serving as chairman of the non-voice services committee within the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), a group that sets standards for the majority of the global mobile market. All cellular carriers and mobile phones must support the short message service (SMS), the group decreed in 1986. The group included Matti Makkonen, who is sometimes credited as the "inventor of text messaging" because of an oft-translated Finnish newspaper article in 2002. Makkonen now refuses to
