Randomness

[Linda]

My husband just figured out why there are so many differences between Starfleet protocol and real military protocol on the Star Trek series and movies. He mentioned that most TV shows and movies have advisors from the Army, the Navy, the Marines, the Air Force, so details are done right. He says the problem with Star Trek episodes is that Starfleet has yet to provide such an advisor.

Way to go, Jim. But you shouldn't tell me this when I am driving on the freeway.

[Alelou]

I believe real people from NASA and Jet Propulsion Laboratory and so forth were often floating around the Star Trek production offices. My tour of the TNG set was with a JPL guy who was also in that day and I got the impression from him and the PA that there was quite a bit of back and forth going on. But maybe they didn't have enough real military people in. (Personally I suspect it was more that they chose drama over mundane reality.)

I have a young woman in one of my classes who just got out of six years in the air force, and chose their coin and motto as her avatar and signature for class.

[Linda]

Hmm, for me the "mundane reality" of military protocol would enhance the drama and suspension of disbelief.

[Silverbullet]

Anyone know what has happened to Warpgirl? Haven't seen her post for days. couple threads would interest her.

[Alelou]

You're right. I hope it's just a computer/access problem.

[panyasan]

I was at the "Hermitage" museum in Amsterdam yesterday with my sister and because of the theme "The Russian court" I was thinking of Warpgirl and if I could find some information that could help her with her novel about the Russian court. http://www.hermitage.nl/en/

[Silverbullet]

Alelou, any way we can find out. Believe her e-mail is available to one of themoderators perhaps they can query. She certainly has enough medical problems that could cause her absence

[Alelou]

Just send her a private message. That should generate an email to her. Though it won't help if her problem is online access, obviously.

[Distracted]

She's probably just busy writing her Russian opus.

[Aquarius]

Just send her a private message. That should generate an email to her. Though it won't help if her problem is online access, obviously.

It also won't help if she's ill or something, because if she's too ill to post, she probably won't be checking her email, either.

I know her access craps out on her a lot. I'm sure she'll be back with the full scoop soon.

[panyasan]

I sent Warpgirl a PM, just asking her if she was okay and how her novel was going. I haven't heard from her yet, but last time she was absent for a while, she had computer problems and she is really busy with her first chapter of her novel. So I think she will be back soon.

[Elessar]

Glad to hear she's ok, I was starting to worry too

Hey, anyone heard of this before? This video's kind of long (maybe 5 minutes?) and starts out cheesy but I think it's worth watching b/c it's a pretty remarkable engineering project.

http://www.miapoliscity.com/index.html

I thought maybe this sounded like it just popped up following the opening of the Dubai tower but it sounds like this mammoth project has been in the works for quite some time now. What I find most amazing about it is that it's far from just a spire that hits 3200 ft, it's like the Mall of America + the tallest building in the world + a city. It's basically like if anyone ever played Civilization 3000, and possible the later ones, you could build "Arcologies" that were like cities in a building. That's what this looks like.

I mean, it's possible this NEVER HAPPENS, but it sounds like it'd be worth the investment. I think they said it'd cost $28 billion to build or something, it's absolutely a gargantuan undertaking, but it's also a green structure.

Looks pretty awesome.

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

Star Trek Stops Women From Becoming Computer Scientists

[Distracted]

“You can get a message about whether you want to join a certain group just by seeing the physical environment that that group is associated with,” Cheryan says. “You walk in, see these objects and think, ‘This is not me.’”


Cheryan and colleagues tested this idea by alternately decorating a computer science classroom with objects that earlier surveys pegged as stereotypically geeky—Star Trek posters, videogames and comic books — or with objects that the surveys found to be neutral— coffee mugs, plants and art posters. Thirty-nine college students spent a few minutes in the room, then filled out a questionnaire on their attitudes toward computer science.

Women who spent time in the geeky room reported less interest in computer science than women who saw the neutral room. For male students, however, the room’s décor made no difference.

In follow-up tests, a total of 215 students were asked to imagine they were joining either a geekily decorated or a neutrally decorated company after graduation. For every possible scenario, women preferred the non-geeky space.

“It’s a consistent effect,” Cheryan says. “The environment can communicate a sense of belonging, but it also communicates a sense of exclusion, or a sense that this is not a place where I would fit in.”



Read More http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/12/star-trek-keeps-women-computer-science/#ixzz0dS95vS04

I guess I'm weird, then, because I definitely would have preferred the room with the Star Trek posters.

[Alelou]

We're all weird, or we wouldn't be here...