:: Captain's Personal Blog ::

Stardate: Thursday, October 31, 2002

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

This is my favorite holiday (when I get a chance to do something about it which, alas, this year I do not.)

That being said, I would like to take this opportunity to go on a rant about something I thought about on the train ride this morning. I call it:

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE STAR TREK PEOPLE

I started wondering, this morning, why STAR TREK was so bloody unpopular nowadays. STAR TREK is by NO means dead, but it does seem to be slowly headed in that direction. To that end, I blame this on the one man who always takes blame for this sort of thing: RICK BERMAN.

Now I wish no ill will towards Mr. Berman. To be quite frank, for what he has been doing, it has been a good job. I just don't agree with what he's doing. STAR TREK has become a niche franchise. It does what no other franchise used to do, but more and more are now doing, and that's cater to it's own audience.

I'm sure that last sentence sounded stupid, but hear me out for just a moment. The original STAR TREK was not aimed at any real audience in particular (sensibility-wise) It was put out there as a source of entertainment, and hopefully, enlightenment. The writers told mini-morality tales, cautionary tales, and sometime just pure adventure or love stories. The characters were not selected out of a desire not to piss off anyone who might have felt left out, but because it was felt that these characters needed to be there. The alien was there to point a magnifying glass on ourselves. Any minorities were there in an effort to show that we progressed as a society and that anyone could do anything they wanted to. The science technobabble was thrown in when necessary to advance the plot and was not there to kill time.

Now on to STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION. This sequel series was roughly the same. You can tell because in the grand scheme of things, the ORIGINAL STAR TREK (TOS) was probably mentioned no more than 10 times over the course of a seven season run (now, you know you are a hardcore Trekker if you are actually checking the aforementioned statistic -- shame on you.) To make everyone happy, let me amend that figure to no more than 15 times.

While the technobabble increased exponentially (by each season) the core of the show was still to appeal to the broadest audience possible. (Or at least it seemed that way.)

By the time STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE came on the scene, things started to get a little bumpy. The show was so steeped in canon that it was hard for someone to jump on board. Yes, we met few new species, but Trekkers themselves had helped to contribute, with their fanaticism, to the overall notion that STAR TREK was for TREKKERS. It got to be complex enough between backstory and taking for granted that the audience knew what everyone was talking about that people were turned off. ESPECIALLY considering that they could get a canonless version over on BABYLON 5.

STAR TREK: VOYAGER, with it's "we're all alone out here" plotline tried, ever so slightly, to amend that. Unfortunately, this series was hurt by the fact that the fledgling UPN network was not available everywhere and that the technobabble had reached it's apex. In the book THE MAKING OF STAR TREK, Gene Roddenberry and a scientific advisor discuss, via memos, the fact that when Spock is scanning something, he should be using the ships "sensors." It is not necessary to say what kind of sensing device, because the more technical you get the easier it is to lose the audience. Now will someone please tell me how an "Inverse Tachyon Pulse" fits that description? (It was in "All Good Things...." - TNG.....Look it up)

At this point, it was flat out public opinion that STAR TREK was for TREKKERS only because they were the only ones who could understand it.

Now, ENTERPRISE comes along, with the promise of giving STAR TREK back to the people. Unfortunately if fails miserably in that respect. Moving past the stygma of being a STAR TREK series, I ask you: Who would be interested in a prequel if they weren't interested in what is already out there? For the most part, no one. How do you cure that? Add a sexy alien in a skin tight outfit. A clever ploy, but fleeting at best.

Don't get me wrong. As a standalone show, ENTERPRISE is pretty good. For a STAR TREK show, it's marginal.

Final point: What revitalized that STAR TREK franchise the most? STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME. And how did it do that? It brought STAR TREK back to the people. Back to the general audience of anyone out there who liked a good story. It was a film for everyone. Of course, that budding audience was killed by the abomination that was STAR TREK V: THE FINAL FRONTIER (which at least a few people I know liked,) but who's counting?

I don't know if there is a simple solution to this problem anymore. If there is, I don't know if it can be done on television. Maybe in the theatres. At any rate, STAR TREK has, to me, become TOS and it's films. Anything else I can't bear to watch. It's like watching a beloved relative slowly dying of a disease. At first there's hope because things are looking up. Then, slowly, things start to get worse and worse, and you don't know if there is any hope left.

Fatalistic? Maybe. Ah well. It's just a TV show.......
:: J 8:50 AM [+] ::
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Updated my DVD collection with my new purchases, and fixed the version of THE EVIL DEAD included in my collection. Again, you can see it My DVD Collection, here. Also added the link to my websites of note section.
:: J 11:37 AM [+] ::
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GOD I HATE SURGERY!!!!!

Well, I had my miniature surgery this morning, and it went off without a hitch. Well, sort of. First I had to have two needles in the toe to make it numb. That hurt a bit. Then, for some embarassing reason, I started to feel nauseous. After getting a cold compress on my head, sitting in a reclined position and breathing deeply, I felt better enough to have the surgery continue.

Then the doctor went in (with curtain mercifully drawn around my foot) and snipped away at the nail and moving around the surrounding skin.

According to the sheet she gave me (The doctor) I have to keep my foot up for the rest of today. Tomorrow morning I have to remove the bandages and soak the foot in a solution of Betadyne and Water. Afterwards I can go to work. I'm currently wearing my very first surgical shoe. I'll probably wear it tomorrow and even the next day, if it still hurts. I just pray it doesn't rain.

Anyhoo, time for me to take some time to rest. I'm home, so I had better take advantage of it. Ciao, for now.
:: J 11:00 AM [+] ::
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I HATE KNIVES!!!!!

Well, tomorrow I am going under the knife. Supposedly. And it's a very small knife, so don't think this is going to be life threatening or anything. Essentially, due to my stubbornness, I have had an ingrown toenail for about a month and have tried to take care of it on my own.

For the first time in my quarter-century life, I failed to cure the problem.

And so, tomorrow morning I have a doctor's appointment to have the nail taken care of. On the plus side, I can finally have this toe taken care of and can take a day off of work. On the minus side.......I HATE GETTING NEEDLES IN MY FOOT, and I feel that this is inevitable. Having had plantors worts removed in the past from the heel of my foot, I do know what foot surgery is like and I HATE IT WITH THE FIERY PASSION OF A THOUSAND SUNS!!!!

Ah well. Maybe I can blog in pain tomorrow. There's something to look forward to.
:: J 11:43 AM [+] ::
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BTW, fixed Privacy settings on my DVD Collection, you can use the link below to view it now. Although, since I bought a few more DVDs yesterday, that are yet to be added to the list, it is mildly outdated.
:: J 11:03 AM [+] ::
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Announcing a new link to the Websites area: Jossolalia

What is this wonderful new site and how does it affect you? Well, that's a good qustion (or was that two) and here's the answer. Jossolalia is a blog devoted to the shows and other wonderful creations of the very-popular and uber-prolific Joss Whedon. Our friend Joss created the shows Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel and Firefly. He's also got an animated Buffy and another Buffy Spinoff (Ripper) set for future releases. And the best part is that not only is he prolific, but he's damned good too. I mean not only is he making all kinds of shows, but they're high quality ones too.

Anyway, enough about that here, you can read much more about it at Jossolalia.
:: J 9:02 AM [+] ::
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And for those of you who have a modicum of curiosity (or just want to see pop culture at it's collective worst) you can check out My DVD Collection, here.
:: J 10:34 PM [+] ::
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And for my last negative thought of the day (and hopefully the week):

One last thing I can't stand, are people who will harp on the same jokes over and over and over and over, every day, ad nauseum, thinking that it is absolutely hysterical, but being totally obnoxious.

Let's be honest. Catch phrases in sitcoms work because you only have to hear them once a week. I think that it is safe to say that if you heard it thirty times a day, every day for 22 weeks, you would get pretty annoyed. And that would just be for a television season. Imagine having to do it year round.

My problem is that for a good portion of the day I am surrounded by people who spout things that aren't inherently funny unto themselves, over and over again, and laugh at the sheer stupidity of it. I got the joke (or at least pretended to) the first thousand times. After the seventeen thousandth, you tend to get a little annoyed.

I personally have my own personality quirks, but I don't necessarily intend for them to be funny per se, I just like them. For example, I occasionally speak in accents. Maybe it emphasizes things for comedic effect, but for the most part I don't lapse into it to be funny, and if someone is getting annoyed, I will stop.

But these meaningless catchphrases and wacky musical stings (which are even less funny when produced by a person's voice than they are by musical instrument) are slowly starting to get to me. I am so glad that I am not a violent person, and that I have my nice music to keep me (for the most part) blissfully out of it.)
:: J 2:56 PM [+] ::
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Consideration in the workplace becomes entirely subjective

Doesn't it? Or is it just mine? I mean, let's be real. When you sit in a communal "pod" (as it is called) when one person talks to another, is it perfectly OK for someone else to chime in?

Let's look at this from another angle, shall we? Let us say that I ask someone a legitimate, work-related question. Does that give someone else in the workplace the right to attempt to make me feel like I have no business asking? I know, this is a bit of a generalization, but the simple point which I am trying to make here is, when you speak to someone, at what point is that conversation a two person one, and at which point is it open to the public.

If you say "Bob, what is the square root of 144?" does that mean that Sara can come over and say "Why don't you just use a calculator?" or should she just mind her own business and let Bob say "144." Either response is constructive, but you are only looking for one. The other seems a bit less appreciated because yes you could use a calculator, but for the purposes of this conversation, and the fact that you know that Bob is good at math, it would simply be easier to just ask Bob.

Now, did the scenario above happen to me? Yes and no. I've changed the particulars and the names, but the essential event did indeed take place.

In an earlier rant from weeks ago, I stated that I find my work environment occasionally frustrating since I can ask questions and talk, and no one hears me (or they are ignoring me.) It is with this in mind that I want to know how it was that someone was able to not only hear my innocent question, but felt that they had to take the time to try to make me feel stupid for asking. What was the bloody point?

One day I shall figure it out, or I will just tell this person to return to the hellgrounds from which they were spawned. Either way, I think I just want this week to end. I think it has gone on long enough.


:: J 2:30 PM [+] ::
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Updates:

New Links Section Added to profile below. This will just showcase areas of interest to me, and should be updated semi-regularly.
:: J 10:50 AM [+] ::
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Excite Quote of the Day:
The first virtue of all really great men is that they are sincere. They eradicate hypocrisy from their hearts.
- -- Anotole France

Yay Eradication of Hypocrisy!!!!

Anyhoo, heard from my ex-girlfriend yesterday. It appears that she is hell-bent on paying me pack bit by bit over time. I suppose that I'm OK with that, seeing as how she is paying me back and all, but the fact that she is paying me back in increments leads me to believe that she may not be financially ready to pay me back. Oh well, I should just be glad to be getting some of the money back. Unlike last time. Last time I lent her a sum of money, it took so long for her to pay it back that I just decided to let her have it as a wedding present. That was over 2 and a half years.

Now here's some proof of why celebrities are celebrities. A little over a week ago, we were being inundated on the news with pictures of the court sketches of Sam Waksal, ImClone CEO. Now the man is not a particularly attractive fellow to begin with, but his court sketches were just hideous. Just now, watching Good Day New York, I just saw some of the court sketches of Winona Ryder. They were positively beautiful. I don't mean that she was (although she is attractive) but the sketches were down right flattering. My luck, I would look like Milhouse Van Houten (no small feat since I don't even wear glasses.)


:: J 8:41 AM [+] ::
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Found this little gem courtesy of Brian




take free enneagram test

:: J 8:23 AM [+] ::
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Birds of Prey and other Picture Postcards

And so the time has come for me to write a review of the television show, BIRDS OF PREY. Well, let me just say, I like it enough to continue watching.

First off, let me state that I have nothing against the female leads of this series. Dina Meyer, Ashley Scott and Rachel Skarsten to FANTASTIC jobs bringing life to the characters.

Dina Meyer has done a lot to overcome the handicap of having to act in a wheelchair. The pilot showed a certain green-ness in the chair, but this was eliminated by the second episode. One can hardly fault her for having any problems when considering that she had to concentrate on more than just her feelings, being in the moment. Also, and let's be honest, the one overriding thing that prevents me from giving the series four gold stars hindered the pilot as well as the second episode. And that would be the writing. The stories, don't get me wrong, are great. It's the dialogue that is having problems. Harley in particular, but the characters in general.

The writing leans heavily towards melodrama. People are saying things that human beings just don't say. Since no particular piece of dialogue stands out enough to make this point, I'll just have to settle for saying that the series dialogue lapses occasionally into the parlance of 1950s comic books. How can this be a condemnation for a series that has it's roots in comic books? Good question. Here is the answer. The dress and feel of the series would seem to lend itself to a more mature audience than those 50s comics (well before BIRDS OF PREY was ever published) would be associated with.

Back to Dina Meyer. It is this sort of melodramatic writing, which I felt hurt Dina in the Pilot. Not her acting. She did an excellent job with what she was given, and for all intents and purposes, she IS BATGIRL/Barbara Gordon. The second episode featured a little less of this melodrama for Oracle, and so her performance benefitted greatly.

Harley, is another matter. Mia Sara does a great job as Harleen Quinzel, but is a bit hindered when it comes to playing Harley Quinn. The writers/producers have to make a decision as to how Harley should be portrayed. It is a tremendous burden to put on any actress to have to speak in Harley's Urban Tones (even more so for one who does not sport that particular accent.) Certain phrases that Harley uses work better when used in that tone/accent. "Mister J," "pudding" (actually, it would appear that her nicknames for people work best with the accent.) To give the character of Harley the names and not the accent seems a bit of a bad fit. As an acting choice, it would work greatly to have Harleen not have the accent, but Harley to have it. Make a distinction to show the mania of the character.

Now, I can't say that I know anything better than Ms. Sara, and I would not presume to tell her how to do the job. The fact may be that hearing that voice in a cartoon works, while live action just looks silly, and I would not wish that on anyone. This is the largest problem with me for the series, and that says a lot seeing as how it's pretty small.

Ashley Scott's Huntress suffers from the melodrama a little bit, but I think that her character needs to grow a bit and that will take care of it. In fact, I think tomorrow night's episode will do that nicely.

Rachel Skarsten has done a marvelous job, thus far, and I look forward to a larger role from her in the next few episodes.

Ian Abercrombie is excellent and Alfred. Shemar Moore is good as Reese, and like Huntress, his character just needs to grow a little past his hook (or, in layman's terms - why he has to be a character.)

It's good to see that the canon people are working overtime on this series, making references to all kinds of DCU characters and events. It's a wonderful nod to the audience, and also opens the possibility (in our hearts) for these people to show up - especially during sweeps. And you know which characters I am referring to (and if you don't, watch the show, because they may have been throwaway lines, but they were cool.)

Also, I am looking forward to a flashback episode. It would be great to see an episode that shows more of Batgirl/Batman, but told from Batgirls point of view (to keep her in the limelight.) Dina Meyer exuded confidence and power and Batgirl, and the audience sure wouldn't mind seeing some more of that. She pulled off what Alicia Silverstone could have done, if she had been in a better film than Batman & Robin.

As a whole, I give this show *** (three out of four stars) and look forward to seeing this show grow into the powerhouse that it could be.
:: J 11:11 AM [+] ::
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I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!!!!!
Now this is just plain stupid. Since January of this year (as evidenced by the archives to the left) I have maintained this little piece of the internet, known affectionately as "CAPTAIN'S PERSONAL BLOG." Now, after doing an inocuous web search, I have found this:

Dr. Mark A. Foster's Editorials at SocioSphere

He's got the stupid name TRADEMARKED!!!! Now, I have to think of another name for this place. *sigh*
:: J 9:25 AM [+] ::
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Thoughts of the day:
Courtesy of Me

First off, by "Me" I don't mean someone with the Alias of "Me" but actually me, myself. You know who.

Now, onto my little rant of the day. I can't stand playing social games. I don't necessarily mean dating (although it does rank up there) but I mean the little social interractions that go something like "That person made me angry, but instead of telling them, I'm just going to make them angry instead."

My dad and I were actually discussing this the other night, about how people just can't come out and say that they are angry at you. Instead they make all sorts of bravado in an effort to either try and make you feel miserable, or just piss you off instead.

I suppose, that in this instance (yes, someone is doing it to me) it worked because I am pissed off enough to write this little rant. On the other hand, how well could it have worked if I am not pissed off enough, that I noticed in the first place. What I did to upset this person in the first place (and whether or not it is my fault) is of little to no importance. I am not going to argue whether I did it or not, because odds are, I did it. The simple truth is that I did not intend for it to upset, nor did I believe it was that big a deal to begin with. The infuriating part is that instead of discussing this like two intelligent adults, we are going to just sit back, relax, and let the storm blow through.

The fun part about this is that no one, and I do mean NO ONE, can wait like I can. I, for one, have boundless patience for someone who thinks that they can toy with me. I have no desire to play these games so I can sit back, relax, and enjoy myself.

Ooops. I have to go make a call. More on this later, I think.

OK, I am back now. The fact of the matter is that I just can not abide people who think that they are the center of all things and that anyone who does not fit in to their plan is inconsequential. This is the type of person who should not be as intolerant of interruptions as they are. I personally feel that there are very few people in the world who should be as intolerant as this person is. Usually those people are getting paid upwards of six figures a year and have the futures of thousands hanging on what decision they make next. Believe me, dear readers, when I say that this person does not fit that qualification. I am not saying that my time is more important than anyone else's, but whenever someone wants my time, I immediately give it to them, unless there is a prior EMERGENCY that I am needed on. I can't tell you how many times I am ignored by this person or am greeted by a waving finger (which says that I must wait.)

I can't sit here forever, explaining myself. That would be more for your benefit than mine. The point of all this is that I just can't stand people who like to play manipulative games with their associates, rather than just coming out and saying it like it is.

And to the best of my knowledge, I practice what I preach.
:: J 1:16 PM [+] ::
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Excite Fortune for the day:


Money is the root of all evil. And man needs roots.


:: J 12:24 PM [+] ::
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The World's Funniest Joke -- Official
Thu Oct 3,10:34 AM ET
By Corey Ullman

LONDON (Reuters) - After a year of painstaking scientific research, the world's funniest joke was revealed on Thursday.



In a project described as the largest-ever scientific study into humor, the British Association for the Advancement of Science ( news - web sites) asked Internet users around the world to submit their favorite jokes and rate the funniness of other people's offerings.

More than 40,000 jokes from 70 countries and two million critiques later, this is it:

"Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He doesn't seem to be breathing and his eyes are glazed. The other man pulls out his phone and calls emergency services.

He gasps to the operator: "My friend is dead! What can I do?" The operator in a calm, soothing voice replies: "Take it easy. I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead."

There is a silence, then a shot is heard.

Back on the phone, the hunter says, "Ok, now what?"

Researchers found significant differences between nations in the types of jokes they found funny.

People from the UK, the Republic of Ireland, Australia and New Zealand preferred gags involving word play, such as:

PATIENT: "Doctor, I've got a strawberry stuck up my bum."

DOCTOR: "I've got some cream for that."

Americans and Canadians favored jokes where people were made to look stupid.

TEXAN: "Where are you from?"

HARVARD GRAD: "I come from a place where we do not end our sentences with prepositions."

TEXAN: "OK -- where are you from, jackass?"

Meanwhile, many Europeans liked gags that were surreal or made light of serious subjects such as illness, death and marriage:

A patient says, "Doctor, last night I made a Freudian slip, I was having dinner with my mother-in-law and wanted to say: 'Could you please pass the butter?'

"But instead I said: 'You silly cow, you have completely ruined my life.'"

Marriage-mocking also featured in the top American joke:

"A man and a friend are playing golf one day. One of the guys is about to chip onto the green when he sees a long funeral procession on the road next to the course.

"He stops in mid-swing, takes off his golf cap, closes his eyes, and bows down in prayer. His friend says: 'Wow that is the most thoughtful and touching thing I have ever seen. You are truly a kind man.'

"The man then replies: 'Yeah, well, we were married 35 years.'"

Death earned big laughs in Scotland:

"I want to die peacefully in my sleep like my grandfather. Not screaming in terror like his passengers."

And animals figured prominently. Take the number one joke in England:

"Two weasels are sitting on a bar stool. One starts to insult the other one. He screams, 'I slept with your mother!'

"The bar gets quiet as everyone listens to see what the other weasel will do.

"The first again yells, 'I SLEPT WITH YOUR MOTHER!'

"The other says: 'Go home dad, you're drunk.'"

The survey revealed other fun facts:

-- Of the countries rating the highest number of jokes, Germans, perhaps surprisingly, laughed the most. Canadians laughed least.

-- If you want to tell a funny animal joke, make it a duck.

-- The most frequently submitted joke, at 300 times, was: "What's brown and sticky? A stick."

Researchers said no one ever found it funny.

The findings can be read at www.laughlab.co.uk

:: J 11:25 AM [+] ::
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