Tag Archives: movie

Future Imperfect

As someone who has watched a few Star Trek episodes recently… well, OK, I admit it… a few dozen Star Trek episodes recently, I must express my concern about the quality of hardware engineers employed in the construction of Federation starships.

Why is it, that after several generations, they still build ships with computer consoles that explode at the slightest hint of enemy phaser fire? Perhaps Samsung had a watertight long-term supplier contract and the Federation couldn’t get out of it, but still, it does seem like a serious design flaw, especially on the bridge.

If you search the web, of course, you’ll find that I’m not the only person to have noticed this, indeed, there are many long discussions which might provide an answer if you’re a bit more interested than I was. If you’re considering a career as a Starfleet officer, however, it might be worth your while doing some more extensive research.

Perhaps the consoles are more robust than they might appear, though. Others have pointed out that a surprising number of them do seem to keep working after having exploded.

So the basic underlying manufacturing is sound. Like so many computer consoles, though, more work is needed to improve the user experience.

Broadsword calling Sister Maria…

A bit of movie trivia for you, linking two of the greatest films ever made…

Here’s Maria von Trapp with the children in The Sound of Music. All sing along: “The first three notes just happen to be…”

schloss-adler

Now, you see that picturesque castle in the background? That’s Hohenwerfen Castle which, in a rather different climate (when you’d need more than old curtains to keep you warm), was the setting for Schloss Adler in Where Eagles Dare.

schloss-adler2

So now you know, and you can probably irritate your friends and family by pointing it out just as they’re really getting into the story…

Aerial Anthony Gormley?

This publicity stunt for the movie Chronicle is nicely done, I think.

More info here
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© Copyright Quentin Stafford-Fraser