18||0|2269|0| 0|0|0|||1||Speaking of Star Trek|Gryphon||21:55:45|03/05/2014|So since I%27ve started playing STO again and the sinusoidal track that is my interest in %5Bi%5DStar Trek%5B%2Fi%5D generally seems to be on the upward curve at the moment%2C there are a couple of things I%27m curious about that I figured I should check with the rest of the class about.%0D%0A%0D%0A1%29 %5Bi%5DStar Trek Into Darkness%5B%2Fi%5D. I skipped it. Mistake or good call%3F I know more or less what happens%2C and even from a fairly detailed synopsis I cannot actually tell where on the excellence%2Fserious injury continuum it falls. The first one somehow managed the interesting%2C quantum-mechanics-like feat of being at both ends simultaneously%2C which was interesting but rather stressful. It%27s out on video now and that gap on the shelf is mocking me. %22Come on%2C you piker%2C%22 it%27s saying. %22You paid someone a quantity of actual United States dollars for the two-disc DVD version of %5Bi%5DStar Trek V%5B%2Fi%5D so that there wouldn%27t be a hole here%2C and now you%27re holding out on something with Benedict Cumberbatch and Peter Weller in it%3F They%27ve got to be worth watching a movie that also has Chris Pine in it%2C haven%27t they%3F%22%0D%0A%0D%0A2%29 The %5Bs%5DSpace Welsh%5B%2Fs%5DRihannsu novels. I attempted the first one... gosh... a large number of years ago and found it %5Bi%5Dentirely%5B%2Fi%5D too precious%2C but on the other hand%2C it%27s not as if the canonical interpretation of the Romulans post-TOS is in any way satisfactory either%2C so I dunno%2C it might be worth another look. I%27ve encountered support for them before on these boards%2C but it seems to me it was rather vaguely stated%2C and if I%27m going to drop more than five dollars per for ebooks %28and as an aside%2C what the %5Bi%5Dfuck%5B%2Fi%5D is that about%3F%29%2C I want more data.%0D%0A%0D%0A--G.%0D%0A-%3E%3C-%0D%0ABenjamin D. Hutchins%2C Co-Founder%2C Editor-in-Chief%2C %26 Forum Mod%0D%0AEyrie Productions%2C Unlimited http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eyrie-productions.com%2F%0D%0Azgryphon at that email service Google has%0D%0A%5Bi%5DCeterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.%5B%2Fi%5D 1|1|0|||||RE%3A Speaking of Star Trek|Malkarris||23:44:01|03/05/2014|Well%2C all this is my own opinion%2C so take with a gram or ton of salt%2C as you wish.%0D%0A%0D%0A1. Into Darkness is not the Wrath of Kahn%2C and I%27ll leave any spoilers at that. I would say if you liked the first reboot%2C I don%27t think you will hate this one. Its a popcorn movie%2C don%27t expect much more than that. Personally I liked it%2C but I seem to like a lot of things other people say is terrible. If nothing else%2C it not only has Benedict Cumberbatch and Peter Weller in it%2C but Scotty%27s little green knobby friend. I mean you can%27t beat that.%0D%0A%0D%0A2. Eh%2C never read all of them. The first one I liked%2C the others seemed to kinda bog down from there. They were interesting%2C but not what I was in the mood for at the time. You could try and find them at a used book store%2C or try a library%2C I know some of the ones here let you check out ebooks. Or I am sure there are other ways. 2|1|0|||||RE%3A Speaking of Star Trek|drakensis||02:36:34|03/06/2014|Can%27t help with Into Darkness%2C but for the Rihannsu books %5Bi%5DMy Enemy%2C My Ally%5B%2Fi%5D is probably the strongest as a story%2C more or less Kirk and his Romulan counter-part working together to put a stop of a war crime. %5Bi%5DThe Romulan Way%5B%2Fi%5D has a framing story of McCoy being put on trial by the Romulan Senate but it%27s really a history of the Romulans which is considerably more interesting than the story. The other two are so unmemorable I can%27t even recall their names. 3|1|0|||1||RE%3A Speaking of Star Trek|laudre||06:42:29|03/06/2014|1%29 I paid to see it in the theater%2C and I don%27t regret it%2C but I won%27t claim it%27s a great film or a great %5Bi%5DTrek%5B%2Fi%5D film. It%27s fun if you don%27t think about it too hard%2C and there%27s a fair number of continuity Easter eggs %28which I%27m sure have been examined exhaustively somewhere on the Internet%29. It%27s not without its flaws%2C of course%2C but it%27s not a bad way to spend a couple of hours.%0D%0A%0D%0A2%29 I%27ve only read %5Bi%5DThe Romulan Way%5B%2Fi%5D%2C and I quite liked it %28maybe I%27ll reread it after I finish my long-overdue reread of %5Bi%5DThe Final Reflection%5B%2Fi%5D%29. I%27ve considered getting ebook versions of the entire series%2C but%2C like you%2C I find the pricing somewhat absurd %28and doubly so for the ebook version of the omnibus%2C which is about %2432%2C or more than the combined price of the four novels it contains%2C and%2C because of timing%2C doesn%27t include the fifth novel in the series%29. I do certainly think much better of it than most of the Romulan development that%27s happened in canon.%0D%0A%0D%0A%22Mathematics brought rigor to economics. Unfortunately%2C it also brought mortis.%22%0D%0A - Kenneth Boulding 4|1|0|||||RE%3A Speaking of Star Trek|CdrMike||06:56:45|03/06/2014|1%29 %5Bi%5DInto Darkness%5B%2Fi%5D is definitely worth a watch if you liked the first film. I joked the other day about it being a %22remake%2C%22 but it does recycle elements. That said%2C it does so in ways that are fresh and different and wholly within the confines of the timeframe as we know it. It%27s by no means bad%2C it%27s not %5Bi%5DST%3AV%5B%2Fi%5D%2C %5Bi%5DNemesis%5B%2Fi%5D%2C or even %5Bi%5DST%3ATMP%5B%2Fi%5D bad%2C it%27s closer to %5Bi%5DST%3AIII%5B%2Fi%5D in terms of quality. And yeah%2C Cumberbatch and Weller make it worth putting up with Pine%2C though they do try to make his character less of an annoying little shit.%0D%0A%0D%0A2%29 Can%27t help you%2C never really read into the novels. Or rather%2C most of the ST novelverse books I%27ve read are post-TNG era ones%2C like the %5Bi%5DNew Frontier%5B%2Fi%5D series. 5|1|0|||1||RE%3A Speaking of Star Trek|Mister Fnord||14:04:08|03/06/2014|[updated:LAST EDITED ON Mar-06-14 AT 02:04 PM (EST)]As far as %5Bi%5DInto Darkness%5B%2Fi%5D goes%2C it%27s a lot like its predecessor in terms of how it plays out. Everything runs at a pretty breakneck pace%2C mostly because they%27re trying to keep people from noticing that the plot doesn%27t hold up well to scrutiny and the characterization is still a little thin. On the other hand%2C the first ten minutes of the movie makes for a cracking %22%5Bi%5DEnterprise%5B%2Fi%5D finds trouble and saves the day%22 adventure%2C the action setpieces are pretty well done%2C Cumberbatch and Weller give solid performances and the cinematographer cut down on the freaking lens flare.%0D%0A%0D%0AI paid money to see it in theaters and I don%27t regret it%2C but it%27s definitely YMMV based on how much you liked the first movie.%0D%0A%0D%0A--%0D%0AMr. Fnord did really like the way they shot the %5Bi%5DEnterprise%5B%2Fi%5D this time. 6|2|5|||1||RE%3A Speaking of Star Trek|Gryphon||14:31:07|03/06/2014|%3Emostly because they%27re trying to keep people from noticing that %0D%0A%3Ethe plot doesn%27t hold up well to scrutiny%0D%0A%0D%0AIn fairness%2C this is a feature that is shared with many of the best-loved %5Bi%5DStar Trek%5B%2Fi%5D stories. I mean%2C %5Bi%5DStar Trek II%5B%2Fi%5D%27s premise is %5Bi%5Dludicrous%5B%2Fi%5D if you think about it for a second. %5Bi%5DReliant%5B%2Fi%5D is conducting a survey mission of what is explicitly established as utterly exhaustive detail%2C and %5Bi%5Dthey don%27t know which planet they%27re looking at%3F%5B%2Fi%5D Kirk strands the most dangerous war criminal Earth has ever known on an uninhabited planet and %5Bi%5Dnobody at Starfleet writes down which one%3F%5B%2Fi%5D It%27s %5Bi%5Dincredibly%5B%2Fi%5D stupid%2C and this is the %5Bi%5DStar Trek%5B%2Fi%5D movie virtually everybody appears to agree is The Best One.%0D%0A%0D%0A--G.%0D%0A-%3E%3C-%0D%0ABenjamin D. Hutchins%2C Co-Founder%2C Editor-in-Chief%2C %26 Forum Mod%0D%0AEyrie Productions%2C Unlimited http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eyrie-productions.com%2F%0D%0Azgryphon at that email service Google has%0D%0A%5Bi%5DCeterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.%5B%2Fi%5D 7|3|6|||1||RE%3A Speaking of Star Trek|Mister Fnord||17:41:20|03/06/2014|%3E%3Emostly because they%27re trying to keep people from noticing that %0D%0A%3E%3Ethe plot doesn%27t hold up well to scrutiny%0D%0A%3E%0D%0A%3EIn fairness%2C this is a feature that is shared with many of the %0D%0A%3Ebest-loved %5Bi%5DStar Trek%5B%2Fi%5D stories.%0D%0A%0D%0AWell... yeah%2C fair point. I may just be old%2C bitter and hypercritical. %3A%29%0D%0A%0D%0A--%0D%0AMr. Fnord 8|1|0|||1||RE%3A Speaking of Star Trek|Mercutio||20:57:28|03/06/2014|[updated:LAST EDITED ON Mar-06-14 AT 08:58 PM (EST)]%3ESo since I%27ve started playing STO again and the sinusoidal track that %0D%0A%3Eis my interest in %5Bi%5DStar Trek%5B%2Fi%5D generally seems to be on the upward %0D%0A%3Ecurve at the moment%2C there are a couple of things I%27m curious about %0D%0A%3Ethat I figured I should check with the rest of the class about. %0D%0A%0D%0ASee%2C you value our opinion. I think history has proven%2C conclusively%2C that this is the sort of mistake that leads to you ending your life in exile on St. Helena.%0D%0A%0D%0AToo late to back out now%2C though%21 %3A%29%0D%0A%0D%0A%3E1%29 %5Bi%5DStar Trek Into Darkness%5B%2Fi%5D. I skipped it. Mistake or good %0D%0A%3Ecall%3F %0D%0A%0D%0AExcellent call. Do not pay money to see %5Bi%5DInto Darkness%5B%2Fi%5D. If you feel you need to see it%2C which is a perfectly understandable feeling for someone with affection for Star Trek%2C I encourage you to steal it or at the very least borrow it from a friend so as to not funnel one thin dime to J.J Abrams.%0D%0A%0D%0A%5Bi%5DInto Darkness%5B%2Fi%5D is competently to superbly acted for the most part %28even Pine improves%2C and Quinto%2C of course%2C was born to be Nimoy%27s successor in the role of Spock%29 but it is a completely absurd movie%2C and I mean that in the worst possible way. The original set of movies%2C as you point out in the thread%2C were not without flaw in the plotting department %28Although frankly%2C I%27ve always thought that %5Bi%5DVoyage Home%5B%2Fi%5D was the strongest one%2C as opposed to %5Bi%5DWrath%5B%2Fi%5D%29 but %5Bi%5DInto Darkness%5B%2Fi%5D takes things to a whole other level%2C to the point where you rather feel like it wasn%27t even trying.%0D%0A%0D%0AThis%2C by the way%2C is a flaw endemic to much of the Abrams%2FOrci%2FKurtzman canon%3B they have a knack for creating engaging characters and for making solid casting choices and writing solid emotional beats%2C but they also often decide %22the story will have Huge Plot Points A%2C B%2C and C in it%2C and we don%27t much give a fuck about how they%27re connected or indeed if it makes any sense. Also%2C we might get bored between B and C and head off to Point Q instead.%22%0D%0A%0D%0A%28Still bitter about the trainwreck that was the last two seasons of %5Bi%5DFringe%5B%2Fi%5D. And the last three or four of %5Bi%5DLost%5B%2Fi%5D.%29%0D%0A%0D%0AMuch like the first %5Bi%5DTrek%5B%2Fi%5D in the Abramsverse%2C %5Bi%5DInto Darkness%5B%2Fi%5D dedicates quite a lot of time to destroying Spock%27s character%2C because Spock must always be wrong for being the reasonable%2C logical%2C level-headed one%2C and Kirk must always be right even when his decisions are clearly insane. TOS at least managed some nuance in this regard%3B Kirk would often ignore or override Spock and be proven correct to have done so%2C but the narrative didn%27t feel so damn %5Bi%5Dmean%5B%2Fi%5D about it%2C and Shatner%27s Kirk didn%27t come off as a spoiled%2C arrogant frat boy the way Pine%27s so often does.%0D%0A%0D%0AGratuitous Nurse Chapel T%26A. Not cool%2C movie. I like looking at an attractive lady %5Bi%5Den deshabille%5B%2Fi%5D as much as the next guy%2C but come on.%0D%0A%0D%0AAnd the literal %22KHAAAAAAAN%21%22 shout-out%2C especially since they fucking undid it without even having the grace to wait a full movie to do so%2C was both physically painful and mentally %5Bi%5Denraging%5B%2Fi%5D to watch. It%27s like Abrams had some vague idea that people found the original scene to be powerful and moving%2C but couldn%27t quite understand why%2C and so chose to do the cinematic equivalent of a child placing a sheet of paper over a great piece of art and making a shaky-handed traced copy in an effort to capture some of it for himself.%0D%0A%0D%0AIt did not work.%0D%0A%0D%0AThe movie is not without redeeming qualities as far as %22being a movie%22 goes. Benedict Cumberbatch has never acted badly or failed to make you completely engage with him in his entire life%3B he%27s more or less holding %5Bi%5DSherlock%5B%2Fi%5D together purely on the strength of his personality at this point. I%27m willing to say that%2C even controlling for their different origins%2C personalities%2C and the eras they were written in%2C Cumberbatch may be %5Bi%5Dbetter%5B%2Fi%5D at being Khan than Montalban was. He doesn%27t have a single scene as powerful as Khan slipping that worm into Chekov%27s ear%2C but his overall performance I think is at a higher level.%0D%0A%0D%0AIt%27s also pretty as all get out.%0D%0A%0D%0ABut as a %5Bi%5DStar Trek%5B%2Fi%5D movie%2C I am actually kind of offended this was made%2C in a way that I%27m not even upset about the %5Bi%5DStar Wars%5B%2Fi%5D prequels.%0D%0A%0D%0A%3EI know more or less what happens%2C and even from a fairly %0D%0A%3Edetailed synopsis I cannot actually tell where on the %0D%0A%3Eexcellence%2Fserious injury continuum it falls. The first one somehow %0D%0A%3Emanaged the interesting%2C quantum-mechanics-like feat of being at both %0D%0A%3Eends simultaneously%2C which was interesting but rather stressful. %0D%0A%0D%0AThis more or less dovetails with my own feelings on %5Bi%5DStar Trek%5B%2Fi%5D. %5Bi%5DInto Darkness%5B%2Fi%5D took everything about the first one that I found to be excellent and chose to either downplay or remove it%2C while amping up the bad parts.%0D%0A%0D%0A%3EIt%27s %0D%0A%3Eout on video now and that gap on the shelf is mocking me. %22Come on%2C %0D%0A%3Eyou piker%2C%22 it%27s saying. %22You paid someone a quantity of actual %0D%0A%3EUnited States dollars for the two-disc DVD version of %5Bi%5DStar Trek %0D%0A%3EV%5B%2Fi%5D so that there wouldn%27t be a hole here%2C and now you%27re holding %0D%0A%3Eout on something with Benedict Cumberbatch and Peter Weller in it%3F %0D%0A%3EThey%27ve got to be worth watching a movie that also has Chris Pine in %0D%0A%3Eit%2C haven%27t they%3F%22 %0D%0A%0D%0AThis is a good and worthy reason to want a copy of the physical discs in your collection. I just would encourage you to buy them secondhand%2C anything that doesn%27t give money to the studio.%0D%0A%0D%0A%3E2%29 The %5Bs%5DSpace Welsh%5B%2Fs%5DRihannsu novels. I attempted the first %0D%0A%3Eone... gosh... a large number of years ago and found it %0D%0A%3E%5Bi%5Dentirely%5B%2Fi%5D too precious%2C but on the other hand%2C it%27s not as if %0D%0A%3Ethe canonical interpretation of the Romulans post-TOS is in any way %0D%0A%3Esatisfactory either%2C so I dunno%2C it might be worth another look. I%27ve %0D%0A%3Eencountered support for them before on these boards%2C but it seems to %0D%0A%3Eme it was rather vaguely stated%2C and if I%27m going to drop more than %0D%0A%3Efive dollars per for ebooks %28and as an aside%2C what the %5Bi%5Dfuck%5B%2Fi%5D is %0D%0A%3Ethat about%3F%29%2C I want more data. %0D%0A%0D%0AThe %5Bi%5DRihannsu%5B%2Fi%5D novels aren%27t something I have very strong opinions%2C but they%27re pretty %27meh.%27 There%27s some decent writing in there%2C but also a lot of weird Romulan fetishization and... well%2C precious was a very good word for them. Lots of %22Look at my Romulan OC%21 Isn%27t she awesome%3F%22.%0D%0A%0D%0AHaving said that%2C I feel that I should mention that I like the canonical interpretation of Romulans post-TOS%3B my major complaint with them is that they weren%27t featured enough and we didn%27t get to really engage with them the way we did with the Klingons or the Cardassians%2C the two best fleshed-out nonhuman species and polities. %0D%0A%0D%0AI find the idea that there are a bunch of Vulcans who went %22No%2C you know what%3F Fuck you%2C Surak. We don%27t need to practice your weird brand of asceticism in order to avoid murdering each other. We acknowledge that as a species%2C we are very emotional and that makes us prone to aggression and violence%3B we will instead construct a complex authoritarian culture with cunningly concealed release valves to channel off that aggression and violence in ways that%2C if not constructive%2C will at least allow us to continue living our lives without deadening ourselves to the emotions that make said lives worth living%22 to be utterly fascinating%2C and wish they%27d ran further with it. No Star Trek series ever seems to really come to grips with the fact that the mere existence of the Romulan Empire is dispositive proof you can have a productive%2C stable Vulcan culture without needing to follow the Way of Surak.%0D%0A%0D%0ASo take my opinions on Romulans with that in mind.%0D%0A%0D%0AFinally%3A on the filthy pirating site of your choice%2C there are many very readable collections of the entire Star Trek novel collections floating around. If you aren%27t sure about the Rihannsu novels%2C why not check them out that way and then toss a few shekels to the publishers if you feel the experience was worthwhile%3F I understand %28and respect%21%29 if you consider that to be morally unpalatable%3B for myself%2C I view it as little different than going through the hassle of asking my local library to get me dead tree copies via inter-library loan.%0D%0A%0D%0A-Merc%0D%0AKeep Rat 9|1|0|||||RE%3A Speaking of Star Trek|mdg1||21:16:08|03/06/2014|For the record%2C the only TOS-era novels I can recommend without reservation are Mike Ford%27s... and I know for a fact you%27ve read at least one of the pair. %3A%29 10|2|9|||1||RE%3A Speaking of Star Trek|Gryphon||21:25:24|03/06/2014|%3EFor the record%2C the only TOS-era novels I can recommend without %0D%0A%3Ereservation are Mike Ford%27s... and I know for a fact you%27ve read at %0D%0A%3Eleast one of the pair. %3A%29 %0D%0A%0D%0AI have to be in %5Bi%5Dexactly%5B%2Fi%5D the right mood for %5Bi%5DHow Much for Just the Planet%3F%5B%2Fi%5D If I am%2C it%27s hilarious. If I%27m not%2C it%27s a bit like the run on %5Bi%5DDoctor Who%5B%2Fi%5D where Douglas Adams was the script editor and kept putting in wacky Douglas Adams-y stuff that didn%27t work in context.%0D%0A%0D%0A--G.%0D%0A-%3E%3C-%0D%0ABenjamin D. Hutchins%2C Co-Founder%2C Editor-in-Chief%2C %26 Forum Mod%0D%0AEyrie Productions%2C Unlimited http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eyrie-productions.com%2F%0D%0Azgryphon at that email service Google has%0D%0A%5Bi%5DCeterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.%5B%2Fi%5D 11|3|10|||1||RE%3A Speaking of Star Trek|pjmoyer||21:35:20|03/06/2014|%3EI have to be in %5Bi%5Dexactly%5B%2Fi%5D the right mood for %5Bi%5DHow Much for Just %0D%0A%3Ethe Planet%3F%5B%2Fi%5D%0D%0A%0D%0AI%27ve always liked %5Bi%5DHMfJtP%3F%5B%2Fi%5D%2C but I admit to being a full-on theatre nerd. So%2C ymmv.%0D%0A%0D%0A--- Philip%0D%0A%0D%0A%5Btable%5D%5Btr%5D%5Btd colspan%3D%223%22%5D%5Bhr size%3D2 noshade%5D%5B%2Ftd%5D%5B%2Ftr%5D%0D%0A%5Btr%5D%5Btd width%3D%2265%22%5Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.eyrie.org%2F%7Eaerianne%2Ffoth.img%2Fgaia_ser_philip_saber.jpg%5B%2Ftd%5D%0D%0A%5Btd%5D%5Bfont color%3D%22%230000dd%22%5DPhilip J. Moyer%5B%2Ffont%5D%0D%0A%5Bfont color%3D%22%230000aa%22 size%3D-2%5DContributing Writer%2C Editor and Artist %28and Moderator%29 -- Eyrie Productions%2C Unlimited%5B%2Ffont%5D%0D%0A%5Bfont color%3D%22%230000aa%22 size%3D-2%5DCEO of MTS%2C High Poobah Of Artwork%2C and High Priest Of the Church Of Aerianne -- Magnetic Terrapin Studios%5B%2Ffont%5D%0D%0A%5Bfont color%3D%22%230044aa%22 size%3D-1%5D%5Bi%5D%22Insert Pithy Comment Here%22%5B%2Fi%5D%5B%2Ffont%5D%5B%2Ftd%5D%5Btd width%3D%2265%22%5Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.eyrie.org%2F%7Eaerianne%2Ffoth.img%2Fgaia_aeri_coat_sword.jpg%5B%2Ftd%5D%5B%2Ftr%5D%0D%0A%5Btr%5D%5Btd colspan%3D%223%22%5D%5Bhr size%3D1 noshade%5D%5B%2Ftd%5D%5B%2Ftr%5D%5B%2Ftable%5D 12|4|11|||||RE%3A Speaking of Star Trek|eriktown||01:16:11|03/07/2014|%22My Enemy%2C My Ally%22 was one of my favorite Star Trek novels as a kid%2C which led to twelve year old me sending Diane Duane fan mail on CompuServe %28which she kindly answered%2C and answered my questions about how she machine-generated all the Romulan-language dialogue in detail%2C which was pretty neat%29. I recently reread it and thought it was still pretty good. I can see it being a little too precious%2C I guess%2C but I really liked what she did not just in building Romulan culture%2C but in how she captured the various characters we know %28and added some OCs I enjoyed too%2C who also appear in her other ST novels%29.%0D%0A%0D%0AAlso contains best possible use of a Horta ensign getting indigestion.%0D%0A%0D%0A%22The Romulan Way%22 builds on a lot more detail of Rihannsu culture and history%2C though the framing story about McCoy%27s trial was pretty dull. I haven%27t actually read any of the Rihannsu books that came after that.%0D%0A%0D%0ADuane isn%27t in John M. Ford%27s class as a writer%2C but I really liked the direction she took the Romulans%2C and for that I give her books the title of having done for Romulans what The Final Reflection did for Klingons. 13|3|10|||||RE%3A Speaking of Star Trek|mdg1||06:24:27|03/07/2014|Oh%2C I%27m much the same way...%0D%0A%0D%0AAlthough I will say that I gained new respect for the book a few years back when I discovered who all the characters were %28especially Ilen the Magian%29 14|1|0|||1||RE%3A Speaking of Star Trek|Sofaspud||14:25:02|03/07/2014|%3ESo since I%27ve started playing STO again and the sinusoidal track that %0D%0A%3Eis my interest in %5Bi%5DStar Trek%5B%2Fi%5D generally seems to be on the upward %0D%0A%3Ecurve at the moment%2C there are a couple of things I%27m curious about %0D%0A%3Ethat I figured I should check with the rest of the class about. %0D%0A%0D%0AThis seems to be happening to a lot of us lately. I%27ve picked back up on STO after a long hiatus and ... well%2C it%27s just fun%2C is what it is.%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%3E1%29 %5Bi%5DStar Trek Into Darkness%5B%2Fi%5D. I skipped it. Mistake or good %0D%0A%3Ecall%3F I know more or less what happens...%0D%0A%0D%0AI liked it%2C but whereas I paid actual money dollars six times over to see %5Bi%5DStar Trek%5B%2Fi%5D in the theaters%2C for %5Bi%5DInto Darkness%5B%2Fi%5D I only paid once and was quite content with that.%0D%0A%0D%0AFurther%2C while I%27ve watched %5Bi%5DStar Trek%5B%2Fi%5D multiple times on DVD since the theater days%2C I%27ve not felt the urge to watch %5Bi%5DInto Darkness%5B%2Fi%5D again at all.%0D%0A%0D%0AWithout spoiling%2C though%2C I will say that there were quite a few awesome moments in %5Bi%5DDarkness%5B%2Fi%5D%2C including one that my STO-warped brain insists was a STO ground mission with a phaser minigun %28I love those things%29%2C but on the whole I think the Khan angle was badly handled%2C and frankly this Cumberbatch character just couldn%27t hold a candle in this role to the late great Montalban.%0D%0A%0D%0AYMMV and all that.%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%3E2%29 The %5Bs%5DSpace Welsh%5B%2Fs%5DRihannsu novels.%0D%0A%0D%0ASo I got these last year as a gift from Valles here on these boards %28hi%2C V%21%29 and they%27ve been an entertaining read. I prefer the interpretation of Romulan culture that they show as opposed to what Memory Alpha says about the Romulans%2C honestly.%0D%0A%0D%0AHonestly%2C they%27re Star Trek fanfic and read as such%2C it just so happens that someone got paid for this batch. But this is good fanfic rather than the horrible stuff that we%27ve all seen too much of.%0D%0A%0D%0AHm. I might just send you my copy now that I%27m done with it%2C if you want and if you%27re not dead-set on electronic versions %28hey%2C I seem to recall a rant about you hating to read e-text anything... %3AD %29. I don%27t currently have a bookcase%2C which is shameful and I admit it%2C so it%27d probably be safer in your hands than in mine at the moment.%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A--sofaspud%0D%0A-- 15|2|14|||1||RE%3A Speaking of Star Trek|Gryphon||14:36:11|03/07/2014|%3Ehey%2C I seem to recall a rant about you hating to read e-text anything... %3AD%0D%0A%0D%0AI don%27t buy the argument that e-readers are going to Replace Books%2C and there are tasks for which I still maintain they are wholly inadequate. Trying to do research for a paper%2C source quotations%2C etc. with one instead of a proper book is an exercise in woe. Also%2C I don%27t think the technology is quite mature yet%2C particularly in the case of the e-ink ones %28I don%27t think I%27ve ever actually seen an e-ink reader that worked as designed in what I would consider a timely and reliable manner%29%2C and the %5Bi%5Dnon%5B%2Fi%5D-e-ink ones are kind of glarey and annoying.%0D%0A%0D%0AOn the OTHER hand%2C if what you want is to re-read %5Bi%5DThe Final Reflection%5B%2Fi%5D RIGHT THE HELL NOW%2C it%27s out of print in physical media form anyway%2C it%27s two in the morning%2C you%27re reasonably sure you gave away your last physical copy in a fit of %22you haven%27t read this%3F oh you must%22 some time ago%2C and you won a Kindle Fire in a %22thanks for taking a tour of our facility%22 drawing a couple years ago%3F It%27s hard to beat that user experience.%0D%0A%0D%0A%28They%27re also handy for reading in restaurants%2C which I admit I am habitually gauche enough to do when I%27m dining alone%3B unlike physical books%2C you don%27t need to use a hand to keep them open%2C which is useful.%29%0D%0A%0D%0AThey are what they are. Like many modern technological widgets that pundits claim will replace something from the Elder Days%2C they aren%27t as satisfying on a lot of levels and I don%27t think they%27re really going to do it%2C but they have usefulnesses about them.%0D%0A%0D%0AWhat I think you%27re remembering%2C and what I genuinely hated then and still hate today%2C is the way translations of existing documents into e-reader formats are generally a%29 laborious and b%29 often still shite even if someone does the work. I have a number of cheap-or-free e-books in my KF%27s library that could be used as coursework examples of the truth of the old saying%2C %22You get what you pay for.%22 They are to OCR-processed documents what Hong Kong Japanese-to-Cantonese-to-English machine-translated subtitles are to subtitles.%0D%0A%0D%0A%28That%2C and the way early portable display devices couldn%27t cope with 70-column fixed-pitch text%2C which can still be a problem today%2C but not as often - particularly now that most modern smartphones and tablets can work in landscape mode.%29%0D%0A%0D%0A--G.%0D%0A-%3E%3C-%0D%0ABenjamin D. Hutchins%2C Co-Founder%2C Editor-in-Chief%2C %26 Forum Mod%0D%0AEyrie Productions%2C Unlimited http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eyrie-productions.com%2F%0D%0Azgryphon at that email service Google has%0D%0A%5Bi%5DCeterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.%5B%2Fi%5D 16|3|15|||||RE%3A Speaking of Star Trek|Senji||17:22:39|03/07/2014|%3E I have a number of cheap-or-free %0D%0A%3Ee-books in my KF%27s library that could be used as coursework examples %0D%0A%3Eof the truth of the old saying%2C %22You get what you pay for.%22 They are %0D%0A%3Eto OCR-processed documents what Hong Kong %0D%0A%3EJapanese-to-Cantonese-to-English machine-translated subtitles are to %0D%0A%3Esubtitles. %0D%0A%3E%0D%0A Do they rate as excellently as the first UK paperback edition of the Terry Pratchett Book %5Bi%5DFeet of Clay%5B%2Fi%5D which for complex reasons was OCRed from the hardback edition in a rush%2C and they%27d retuned the OCR process so that it got %27clay%27 correct every time%3B leading to almost any word starting with a %27d%27 being wrong...%0D%0A%0D%0AS. 17|4|16|||1||RE%3A Speaking of Star Trek|Gryphon||17:58:51|03/07/2014|%3Ethey%27d retuned the OCR %0D%0A%3Eprocess so that it got %27clay%27 correct every time%3B leading to almost %0D%0A%3Eany word starting with a %27d%27 being wrong... %0D%0A%0D%0AWhat a bunch of clickheacls.%0D%0A%0D%0A--G.%0D%0A-%3E%3C-%0D%0ABenjamin D. Hutchins%2C Co-Founder%2C Editor-in-Chief%2C %26 Forum Mod%0D%0AEyrie Productions%2C Unlimited http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eyrie-productions.com%2F%0D%0Azgryphon at that email service Google has%0D%0A%5Bi%5DCeterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.%5B%2Fi%5D 18|3|15|||1||RE%3A Speaking of Star Trek|twipper||16:24:23|03/08/2014|%0D%0A%3E%28They%27re also handy for reading in restaurants%2C which I admit I am %0D%0A%3Ehabitually gauche enough to do when I%27m dining alone%3B unlike physical %0D%0A%3Ebooks%2C you don%27t need to use a hand to keep them open%2C which is %0D%0A%3Euseful.%29 %0D%0A%0D%0APfft%2C I%27m routinely the guy at national conference each year reading in the BAR while my compatriots carouse around me. That does not however stop me from reading in the bar that the industry guys are picking up the tabs at.%0D%0A%0D%0ABrian%0D%0A%0D%0A