Treky trivia

• Denise Crosby was originally cast to play Counselor Troi, and Marina Sirtis was cast as a security chief named Lt. Macha Hernandez. Shortly before filming the pilot, the two switched roles and the security chief's name was changed to Lt. Natasha Yar.
  
  
• Tim Russ, later to play Tuvok on Voyager, was a candidate for the role of Geordi
  

• The ceiling of the transporter chamber on the Enterprise D is in fact the floor of the transporter chamber from the Enterprise in the original series.
  
  
• The original version of the Starfleet uniform was very uncomfortable for the actors, leading to a change of design from one-piece to a two-piece outfit in Season Three. Although the new uniforms were easier to wear, the jackets had a tendency to "ride up" when the actors were sitting down. Patrick Stewart got into the habit of straightening his jacket with a sharp downward tug as he stood up, an action that became known among the cast and crew as "The Picard Maneuver" (from a tactical maneuver mentioned in the show).
  
  
• Data's cat "Spot" is a male throughout the history of the show, but is suddenly female in the episode "Force of Nature, and in the episode "Genesis" gives birth to kittens.
  
  
• Stephen Hawking is the only person to appear as himself in the series (in a holodeck scene where Data plays poker against Einstein, Newton, and Hawking [Hawking wins]).
  
  
• Two characters on the show were named after real people: The alien "Q" was named for Janet Quarton, a British fan; and Geordi La Forge was named after another Trek fan, George La Forge, who was confined to a wheelchair.
  
  
• The Master Alarm sound was reused from the original Star Trek series.
  
  
• Along with other humorous readouts, the table in Engineering has an item labeled "Infinite Improbability Generator" in a reference to the propulsion system aboard the Heart of Gold in Douglas Adams' "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy".
  
  
• Worf's prosthetic forehead changed in season 2 because the original was stolen.
  
  
• When the cast decided to lobby for a salary increase, actor Wil Wheaton's first offer from the producers was to instead have his character's rank raised to Lieutenant. His response was, "So what should I tell my landlord when I can't pay my rent? 'Don't worry, I just made Lieutenant'?"
  
  
• Most of the characters underwent minor changes before the show debuted: Picard's first name was Julien; Riker was spelled 'Ryker'; Data's name was pronounced 'dat-uh' instead of 'day-tah'; Wesley Crusher was Leslie Crusher, Dr. Crusher's daughter.
  
  
• Geordi's VISOR was improvised on the first day of shooting using chiefly an automobile air filter.
  
  
• Whoopi Goldberg (the re-occurring mysterious bar-keeper Guinan, seasons 2-6), was given the role after being a fan of the original series and expressing interesting in having a re-occurring role in the new series
  
  
• Jonathan Frakes returned to rehearsals at the start of the second season sporting a beard with the intention of shaving it off before shooting began, but the producers liked it and asked him to keep it. It remained for the rest of the show's run. (He eventually shaved it off during an ending scene of the movie Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)).
  
  
• Marina Sirtis wore a hairpiece for most of the series and her real hear was styled around the "fall" while Gates McFadden wore a full wig for her entire time on the show.
  
  
• The colored portions of the uniforms are actually much darker in real life (e.g. the red uniforms are really maroon), but appear that bright due to the lighting used on the show.
  
  
• Michael Dorn's makeup as Lieutenant Worf took approximately two hours to apply.
  
  

Fear

I've been having an ongoing converstation with several friends about fear. What are the kinds of things that cause people to cringe or hold back? My take is that most people fear themselves more than anything else.

Marianne Williamson said it best "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure."

I often wonder what sort of people we would be if we were less scared of our trueselves. Would we be spiritually powerful communities? would we be able to treat our friends and family healthfully? would our world be a little less choatic?

I don't know the answers to these questions. All i know is that there are aspects of ourselves that we don't know how to deal with and we fear that if we allow these aspects to appear, we will have no control over them. But in reality, all aspects of ourselves, both feared and unfeared, are all part of us and thus are controled solely by us.

We must be brave and look at all of what we are. Accept all of what we are and move forward from that point.We all desire the courage to face ourselves ; to be who we were made to be. But we must remember that courage is not a lack of fear.

"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear." - Nelson Mandela

Sinfest, again

work with me

Don't you hate it when you get a high priced cameraman and then the cameraman just doesn't get what your doing? It's like you both have two seperate visions of the project and they just don't quite mesh. That is what happened when this lovely tour guide tried to help her audience understand Sydney better. The cameraman thought she was just on some sort of crack.

New family member

After many months of marriage, hubby and i got a bit romantic and decided to add to our family. After much debated we've narrowed the list of new family members to the following choices. feel free to vote

A) Dolphin- we've still got enough water in our backyard.
B) A miniture pig- we hear they make great pets, very cuddly
C) a child- although we hear they don't do well unless you feed them
D) or a dog...this is our top choice, so i've enclosed a picture
.

Let the punishment exceed the crime

In the news today there are reports that a Texas man was killed when the he was attacked by a mob of people. The reason he was attacked was that the car he was riding in (he was not the driver) struck a child. The child was not killed, but witnesses were enraged and pulled the driver from the vehicle and started to beat him. When his passenger got out to stop the fight, they turned on him. They beat him to death while a group of 2 dozen people stood by and watched.

There is something to be said for Mob mentality. The flow of a group of people seems to be able to stay any personal moral thoughts. But of the bystanders? What happens in their brains that suggest that they can do nothing but watch this happen?

Maybe they think that someone else will stop it. Maybe they think he is the driver and deserves this. Maybe they are too shocked to move. Maybe they are scared that they themselves will become victims.

It has been suggested that people perserve themselves first and then look after family, then friends. Very few go so far as to help strangers and fewer still (almost no one) will help enemies.

So what catagory did this man fall into for this crowd of people? probably he was only a stranger to them. Some might have percieved him as an enemy. But what would this man have been to you? Would you have tried to save him?

Sinfest

Fashion

I'm not usually the one to comment on fashion...at least not on this blog...but i saw this picture and had to say something. Take a look at Posh's glasses, then look at Katies. Don't they look the same? They probably went shopping at the same over-priced store (that sells over-sized glasses) ...but then it looks like Katie suddenly realised her mistake.

"damn," she thinks, "i'm wearing the same glasses as a former member of SPICE GIRLS! and what is more, i'm wearing shades when but no one else but the three of us are. I bet sun glasses went out of fashion and i didn't get the memo! i try so hard to look cool! i mustn't cry. its only glasses"

For all the geeks out there

While randomly surfing the net (as i'm prone to do) i came accross this little gem. It's called the Physics Guy Rap. I think you'll like it...

and you can quote me on that

As a myspace junky, i enjoy a good read of the bulletin board every now and again. Today, however, i wished i had not. I found a post that i will copy for you. If you have the stomach to read it all, its all below. If you'd rather skip to my thoughts, scroll down.

Written by a housewife from New Jersey and sounds like it! This is one ticked off lady.

"Are we fighting a war on terror or aren't we? Was it or was it not started by Islamic people who brought it to our shores on September 11, 2001?

Were people from all over the world, mostly Americans, not brutally murdered that day, in downtown Manhattan, across the Potomac from our nation's capitol and in a field in Pennsylvania?

Did nearly three thousand men, women and children die a horrible, burning or crushing death that day, or didn't they?

And I'm supposed to care that a copy of the Koran was "desecrated" when an overworked American soldier kicked it or got it wet?...Well, I don't. I don't care at all.

I'll start caring when Osama bin Laden turns himself in and repents for incinerating all those innocent people on 9/11.

I'll care about the Koran when the fanatics in the Middle East start caring about the Holy Bible, the mere possession of which is a crime in Saudi Arabia

I'll care when these thugs tell the world they are sorry for hacking off Nick Berg's head while Berg screamed through his gurgling slashed throat.

I'll care when the cowardly so-called "insurgents" in Iraq come out and fight like men instead of disrespecting their own religion by hiding in mosques.

I'll care when the mindless zealots who blow themselves up in search of nirvana care about the innocent children within range of their suicide bombs.

I'll care when the American media stops pretending that their First Amendment liberties are somehow derived from international law instead of the United States Constitution's Bill of Rights.

In the meantime, when I hear a story about a brave marine roughing up an Iraqi terrorist to obtain information, know this: I don't care.

When I see a fuzzy photo of a pile of naked Iraqi prisoners who have been humiliated in what amounts to a college-hazing incident, rest assured: I don't care.

When I see a wounded terrorist get shot in the head when he is told not to move because he might be booby-trapped, you can take it to the bank: I don't care.

When I hear that a prisoner, who was issued a Koran and a prayer mat, and fed "special" food that is paid for by my tax dollars, is complaining that his holy book is being "mishandled," you can absolutely believe in your heart of hearts: I don't care.

And oh, by the way, I've noticed that sometimes it's spelled "Koran" and other times "Quran." Well, Jimmy Crack Corn and-you guessed it-I don't care !!

If you agree with this viewpoint, pass this on to all your E-mail friends. Sooner or later, it'll get to the people responsible for this ridiculous behavior!

If you don't agree, then by all means hit the delete button. Should you choose the latter, then please don't complain when more atrocities committed by radical Muslims happen here in our great Country! And may I add:

"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem." -- Ronald Reagan

I have another quote that I would like to add AND.......I hope you forward all this.

"If we ever forget that we're One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under." Also by.. Ronald Reagan

One last thought for the day:

In case we find ourselves starting to believe all the Anti-American sentiment and negativity, we should remember England's Prime Minister Tony Blair's words during a recent interview. When asked by one of his Parliament members why he believes so much in America, he said: "A simple way to take measure of a country is to look at how many want in... And how many want out."

Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you:
1. Jesus Christ
2. The American G. I.

One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.

YOU MIGHT WANT TO PASS THIS ON, AS MANY SEEM TO FORGET BOTH OF THEM.
AMEN

I'll start at the top and work down..to keep my thoughts ordered.

1. Yes, many people died in the September 2001 attacks. It is tragic. No amount of words will ever replace the lives lost, yet there is still questions to be asked. Why would someone feel so desperate as to take their and other lives? Just because they weren't christian does not make them evil and completely heartless. They still have human motives. What were they? To not ask these questions is to dishonour the lives that were needlessly lost. We say that their lives were not worth the whole truth of the matter, they were worth only the propaganda.
   
2. What makes 'us' so different from 'them' if we see no need to respect what is not ours? If it is revenge we are seeking in Iraq how many deaths will repay the lives lost on US soil? How much torture will heal the nation?
3. If we are going to hold up on a pedestal all those soldiers dying for the freedom of the USA, than maybe they would be kind enough to mention all the soldiers that have come to the aid of the USA. There are many troupes in Iraq fighting with America, but it seems only the American ones are considered gods....
4. By stating that the only two forces have offered to die for the average person (Jesus and the American G I), the writer is equating the soldier to that of god Himself. A very high pedestal to stand one on. Let us not forget the Jesus spent His life healing and teaching before his death. I'm so glad that the American soldiers have been trained to be just like Him.

Well, if i haven't already alientated half my readership, we'll see you all here again tomorrow.

weighing in on the Microwave effect

According to the Nutritionist i saw a few months ago, I'm overweight. I am outside the "normal" body weight for someone of my height and age. I'm not really that worried. I eat pretty healthfully (lots of veggies and fruits and wheats and all those good things). I admittedly don't exercise as much as i should, but I'm learning to.

Most of the weight solutions I've seen advertised focus on quick weight loss. I consider it the microwave effect. We have gotten so used to being able to do things quickly (like bake a potato in three minutes) we just assume we should be able to speed up everything like that.

Maybe its that i don't consider myself out of control as far as my weight goes, but i have never considered a diet pill in my life.... until about 10 minutes ago when i read an article about the new FDA approved pill Alli. Now when i say "consider" i imagined what it would be like if i took this pill and everything they say about the pill were true.

Sure, I'd probably lose a bit of weight. My body would become unable to absorb the fat that i eat, and expel it from my body with the rest of the things expelled. But the warning label reminds me that this drug could cause me to lose my ability to control my bladder for myself. That could be embarrassing. Then there is the pesky farting with oily discharge. I'd ruin some of my best underwear that way!

So after considering taking this diet pill, i decided not to. Not only because the side effects could ruin my social more than a great body could ever fix. I just don't see why i should rush a process that by all accounts works best (as in long term) if done slowly. I suppose you could consider this my microwave rebellion.

Got Talent?

It never ceases to amaze me the kind of reality shows that get put on television. Big Brother is a classic example of reality television lost in space. Sure, you get to meet knew people (or at least spy on new people) and yes, you get to see what silly things they'll do next...but It's kinda sad when you suddenly realise that you and your partner are sitting around in a living room, watching friends in a living room sit around and talk about what they are going to make for tea.

The various countries versions of "_____'s Got Talent" seems to be something that sucked me in. Somehow i like the idea of watching people do absolutely strange things. It is also pretty sad to suddenly realise I'm watching a show to see what sort of freak is going to be featured next.

Reality TV is all the rage, but it seems to be that it is a substitute for an actual life. We hire or bribe people to entertain us and the more painful for them it is, the more fun it is for us.

Sure i could criticize Reality TV for being shallow and Colosseum-like, but whats the point? we'll still watch with blurry eyed fascination tomorrow night.

I'm sure i'm not the only one who's noticed that society, like Bugs Bunny, failed to take a left at Albakerky. From music to news to television it seems the pop culture jumped some tracks and i'm just not sure where is happened or what to do about it. But alas, i've started this discussion in the middle without proper background information.

If you were in a western country in the 90s you probably remember the Spice Girls (if you don't click the link). They were hailed as "Girl Power"! Parents all over the world suddenly worried that their daughters would turn into raging hormone driven monsters because the girls dressed in skin tight shorts and showed off their mid-driffs. The songs themselves often promoted friendship with girl friends above romantic relationships and keeping close to your friends.

Flash forward to today and the Pussy Cat Dolls are being dobbed as the new Girl Power group. While their style of clothes (or lack there-of) could be suggested to follow on from the Spice Girls, their lyrics can't. Many lyrics suggest that sex is the important claim of a woman. She puts her lust above others and seems to care nothing for other women. How this is empowering for girls or even women as a group, i'm not really sure.

News is not part of pop culture. Or at least it shouldn't be. 12 years ago OJ Simpson was tried for the murder of his wife and suddenly, the news takes on a whole new content! News was meant to feature stories that affected a large portion of people. Now we are flooded with how sad Paris Hilton feels now that she got stuck in jail. We could fill up hours of news if we gave this much "news" time to regular Joe Blows.

But i suppose if i'm honest, i'm not really worried about the lack of a turn in pop culture. I'm more concerned with how little resistance this new phase of pop has. I don't think its because we're apathetic to our current trends, but rather the fact we embrace this new place. We like seeing Paris in the news much more than the war or politics because, lets be honest, the war and politics can be depressing. Watching Paris 'get it' for drunk driving is easier to watch. Her life doesn't really affect our lives and thus, we can easily pass judgement (for or against) her without too many reprocussions.

This is the paragraph where i wrap up all the interesting parts of this with a eye opening idea as to why or how we continue to celebrate this new culture we've made for ourselves. But the truth is that i don't have an eye opening insight. It could be that we've grown tired of seeing so much death and "seriousness" on television that we've moved away to things that are easily enjoyable. Maybe the cultural and economic gap is widening and pop culture is being used as a signal that our society is pulling apart. Maybe this was just the obvious next step in the progression of society....maybe.....maybe

top 5 actors

In a shameless attempt to actually post something on my blog, i've devised a top five actors who are worth watching. i feel i should define "worth watching". Worth Watching refers to their ablity to craft a believable character that is fun and interesting to watch.


5. Liam Neeson

Status: Sold soul to Hollywood for a title role in Star Wars...(somewhat forgivable)
Great Characters: Jean Valjean, Oskar Schindler, Daniel,
Why he's goood: He brings an earthy sort of feel to his characters. You actually believe you might bump into one of them on the street.

4. Kevin Kline

Status: Pure actor
Great Characters:Otto, Luc Teyssier, Nick Bottom
Why he's goood: He manages to create unique characters for each movie is in. He also seems to be able to distingish (for the most part) between a quality film and a quality paycheck.

3. Edward Norton

Status: Unknown. he's scheduled to play the Hulk. If he does, he sells out.
Great Characters: The Narrator, Monty Brogan, Brian Finn, Aaron Stampler
Why he's goood: His nice guys are good, his bad guys are terrifyingly believable. (anyone remember the stutterer from Primal Fear?)

2. Christian Bale-

Status: Soul sold to Hollywood when he stared in the movie Batman Begins
Great Characters: Cowboy, John Preson, Alfred Borden
Why he's goood: He has the ability to change accents subtly to fit any character. I have never known him to use the same accent on two characters.

1. Johnny Depp

Status:
sold his soul to the big hollywood scene when he filmed Pirates of the Carribean
Great characters:
Edward Scissorhands, Ichabod Crane, James Matthew Barrie, and even Jack Sparrow.
Why he's goood:
He flaws his characters in ways that are believable and yet intice you to want to understand the person more. The flaws are often believably exaggerated, so that the audience can laugh at the character while still recognizing the flaw as realistic.

Super Hero

As in all the stories, super hero help comes when the going gets really tough. Then the super heroes can be found. Turns out Australia has its own Super Hero squad. Bowen Tonkes and Kye Ullman found that they too were big enough to make a difference during the clean up efferts.

Flooding in NSW

Driving home from Tuggarah, we encountered a lot of water

It didn't really get better the further we drove

Hubby kept himself busy by taking pictures as i drove.

The next day, Avondale College was swimming. This picture was taken from the security gate.

Faithful readers

If you, like myself, come here often to read new and interesting posts but have found that it has been kind of slow lately, i aplologize. My ghost writer went missing a few days ago and it's been all i could do to figure out what to place on the blog.

Thus, i'm leaving the thinking until after i make the cookies and will be back to blogging as soon as possible.

Hugs and kisses

KrisdaVix

Don't say it

In the English language there are hundreds of words that are considered to be "bad" words. I'm sure you can think of a few now that would likely cause you a bit of trouble if you said them to a client or to your parents. Uttering these words will not make the world fall apart, nor will these words conjure up a demon that eats your eyeballs. So what defines them as "bad"?

In short, society...specifically the one you are living in. If i use the phrase "bloody hell" in front of my grandmother-in-law, i should be prepared to kiss my ears goodbye because i am in for a discussion about how "bloody" is really unacceptable language for a christian to use. If i use the same phrase to my father he won't blink an eye. Yet if i say the word "fuck", I'll likely get my face hit for using such 'strong language'.

The words and phrases that are socially acceptable to use seem to cause more hurt though. "you're only trouble" can have infinitely more negative impact than uttering an 'f' word. "You don't really know who you are" can be more damaging than a brick falling on your head, and feel just about as good.

Why aren't these sentences deemed "unacceptable" for social speaking? Can we really be so callus that a verbal asterisk is more of a concern than the sentence it comes in?

tv money

I admit that i am not at all up with the latest trends. It is often that i do not stumble upon the latest rage til long after the limelight has faded. Thus is the case with my newest favourite TV series;Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel.

Most of my love of these two TV shows comes from the genius of the writer/creator Joss Whedon. He has a style that is smooth and easy to follow, yet complicated enough that you don't feel like you're being fed pulp. He also has a terrific grasp of the feminine power and of metaphors.

The sad part about this is that i have come to the party 10 years too late. While i eagerly enjoy watching the shows, they do not play on television anymore. Thus I'm forced to either watch it off the net (lots of streamed TV is online) or buy the series at the store.

I am not apposed to purchasing my television shows. i realise that in order for the TV i enjoy to air, i must be willing to put money towards it. Yet, i can't help but feel I'm being ripped off when i go to the store to purchase the entire TV series of Buffy. Best price I've found for Buffy: $350. Forgive me for feeling that is a steep price to pay. $70 dollars per series...which accounts to about $4 per episode. It just feels like a lot of work and money for something i could have gotten at home for free if I'd taped it.

My other option is view it online. This is apparently highly unethical because I'm steeling money from the TV studios. They don't like me watching the same show for free if they aren't getting paid for it. If they air it on the TV, they get commercial profits. If it gets streamed online, they get nothing...BECAUSE THEY DON'T DO IT THEMSELVES!

Most places online that you can watch TV. also have advertisements. They can come as part of the video file, or as part of the website that you visit. If TV studios would open up their own website for viewing their old TV series, i would gladly go to them. I would even pay a monthly fee for access to their archives of streamed TV shows.

So I guess what i really want is for studios to allow me to watch TV on my computer without going to a store to buy it. Is that really so much to ask?

to illustrate

click pic to enlarge

copyright me

Has anyone noticed the rate at which intellectual copyright is increasing? People seem hung up on the idea that as soon as the world figures out how special they are they (the world) will be willing to pay for the specialness. Our consumer society has taught us that everything is for sale...and everything has a price.

The current price of intellectual copyright is that we can not collaborate. If i have an idea that is based off of your, my idea is useless unless i get permission to use your idea first. If can not afford to pay for the use of your idea, my idea is unusable. The world might have less poverty, less crime, or more comforts, but because someone can make money off the initial idea, none of this will ever happen.

My frustration is not that people desire to be recognised for their ideas. My frustration comes from our greed. The need to make money off of every thing, no matter how small or great.

Even i am not immune to this shameless market. (You'll notice i have Google ads on my sidebar.) In the event that the Internet suddenly finds me massively appealing, i should be set to make a windfall...until that time, I'll make three cents a year.

The problem with this is that i have cheapened what i have to say. I have lessened our ability to communicate freely. Thus, in protest of this selfish market, i will be removing the Google ads tomorrow. (I'll leave them up for the day so that you can say goodbye)