Trekkie politics

I've just returned from watching Star Trek, and it's obvious awesomeness made me think back through all the various incarnations of the TV show. I've always had this basic theory that you can apply overarching and obvious political movements/ideals to each of the series.


Star Trek: Original
Captain: James T Kirk
Enemy: Klingon (angry), Romulan (evil Vulcans)
Lesson: Explore, learn, kick someone's ass and sleep with the sexy alien.
It's the 1960's, and everyone is amazed by the possibilities of space travel, whilst also being terrified of nuclear war and communism. Enter the obviously American space explorers who offer escapism, sexy antics and adventure and futuristic plots. Hard hitting diplomacy and a captain who is willing to fist fight for justice. Just like Uncle Sam.


Star Trek: The Next Generation
Captain: Jean-Luc Picard
Enemy: Cardassian (very angry), Borg (cyborg)
Lesson: Diplomacy will always win, as long as you're always right.
It's the 1980's and things have changed. We're no longer about violence and power - now we're into diplomacy, politics and being morally right. We are holier than thou in our attitude to understanding and bettering ourselves. The Federation is ethically sound, and humans strive towards excellence without material desires (the irony of a society without money during the cash-obsessed 80s is not lost).


Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Captain: Benjamin Sisko
Enemy: The Dominion (genetically engineered ruthless killers)
Lesson: Commerce (and capitalism) rules.
It's the 1990's and sitcoms rule the airwaves. No high-flying adventuring here - stick to the space station, delve into the political ramifications of several species attempting to co-exist and throw in a few blindingly obvious religious themes. Smacks of the West Wing years before it's time. With aliens.


Star Trek: Voyager
Captain: Kathryn Janeway
Enemies: Internal conflict and the unknown
Lesson: Standing tall and fighting with your morals against dirty, sandy rabble is the right thing to do.
We've nearly cracked the big 2000. Time to put a woman in charge. But don't get a feminine woman, we need a manly woman. Captain Janeway accidentally pilots the Federation's flagship vessel Voyager into unknown territory, forcing the crew to deal with completely new situations, enemies and ideas. Increased threat from unpredictable terrorist cells and Middle East insurgents, anyone?


Star Trek: Enterprise
Captain: Jonathan Archer
Enemies: Klingon (still angry), Xindi (crazy)
Lesson: Bluntness and rude attitudes are the best weapons with which to discover the galaxy.
Latest attempt to reboot the series, this time with a total prequel. Scott Bakula from Quantum Leap (one of my favourite shows as a kid) is cast as Captain Archer, to pilot Earth's first warp-capable spaceship years before Kirk arrives on the scene. A weird mix of original series bravado and bluster alongside modern ethics and attitudes. Fail. Can't have it both ways, people.

Check out this piece on Comics Should Be Good for an awesome wrap-up of all Star Trek's tentacles.

Panic sale

Panic, who produce world class apps Transmit, Coda, CandyBar, and Unison are having a 50% off sale. Check out their super happy funtime awesome ad.

Is 'cat-slap' an appropriate term?

This cat loves his treats. The real killer is the stupid black cat at the end.

Holmes. Sherlock Holmes.

I'm so torn. New Sherlock Holmes movie - pro. Starring Robert Downey Drug Addict - pro. Portraying the genius of English detective and mystery as an invincible action hero and sex symbol - hmmm... con?

West going greens

This is Flick's photo, but I think it shows the awesome successes of the Greens over in the west.

This weekend, Adele Carles wrestled the lower house state seat of Fremantle from the ALP, becoming the first lower house Greens member in Australia (if you discount ACT, TAS and QLD, who only have one house). This means party status for the WA Greens, alongside the huge step of gaining more primary votes than the ALP in an election.

Well done to everyone involved, especially Adele.

Pictured from left: Giz Watson MLC, Alison Xamon MLC, Senator Scott Ludlam, Adele Carles, Senator Rachel Siewert, Robin Chapple MLC & Lynn Maclaren MLC.

Melbourne Museum of Printing

I have totally never heard of the Melbourne Museum of Printing. And now, apparently, they're struggling to stay open.

On Sunday May 17 2009 between 2 and 6pm, the museum will be open to the public. This event will take place at the museums print workshop located at 36 Moreland St, Footscray and will include live music, letterpress and typesetting demonstrations and a print exhibition and fundraiser –with works created by some of Melbourne’s leading contemporary artists and design studios, Including Rose Nolan, Callum Morton, Jon Campbell, Alter, 3 Deep Design, Studio Round, Pip & Co, The Narrows and more.

I'm busy on Sunday, but I really want to go to this. Someone go, and tell me how awesome it is. Then I'll probably go during the week. Probably.

Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus

Who says straight to DVD movies suck? With a title like Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus, you've already got me hooked.

Artic sunrise, sunset

Woah. For half of the year in the Arctic, the sun never sets - it just bounces around the sky. This video is a time-lapse of one whole week of Arctic sunrise and sunsets.

Obama jokes with the press corp

President Obama has some fun at the White House Correspondents Dinner - Part 1, Part 2.

This is the best thing I have ever seen!

Hands down - best music video. Ever.

Noam Noam Noam

hehehehehehehe

via BuzzFeed

Bueller IS Tyler Durden

Cool Papa Bell is a fucking genius.

My favorite thought-piece about Ferris Bueller is the "Fight Club" theory, in which Ferris Bueller, the person, is just a figment of Cameron's imagination, like Tyler Durden, and Sloane is the girl Cameron secretly loves.

One day while he's lying sick in bed, Cameron lets "Ferris" steal his father's car and take the day off, and as Cameron wanders around the city, all of his interactions with Ferris and Sloane, and all the impossible hijinks, are all just played out in his head. This is part of the reason why the "three" characters can see so much of Chicago in less than one day -- Cameron is alone, just imagining it all.

It isn't until he destroys the front of the car in a fugue state does he finally get a grip and decide to confront his father, after which he imagines a final, impossible escape for Ferris and a storybook happy ending for Sloane ("He's gonna marry me!"), the girl that Cameron knows he can never have.

via MetaFilter

Here and There

This is a fantastic way to show spatial distances in city areas. Might not work so well in areas without such dead straight streets, or iconic skylines, but very cool for New York.

Here and There - imagine a person standing at a street corner. The projection begins with a three-dimensional representation of the immediate environment. Close buildings are represented normally, and the viewer himself is shown in the third person, exactly where she stands.

As the model bends from sideways to top-down in a smooth join, more distant parts of the city are revealed in plan view. The projection connects the viewer's local environment to remote destinations normally out of sight.

Trafalgar Square Karaoke

It may be an ad for T-Mobile, but this still made me smile.

Protecting the climate is a job for everyone

Just launched - our new TV ad about emissions trading. You can also write to all the major newspapers to voice your concern over the Rudd Government's handling of climate change.