|
If you wan some pulpy, get me through 3 hours on the tarmac, sci-fi read the Dahak "Trilogy". I say trilogy because the last book is laughably bad and WAY off base compared to the other two books. Also, has anyone else read the Deathstalker series of books by Greene? It's campy and pulpy as poo poo but if it isn't some great space opera. Also, this sums up the Dune *quels 
|
#
¿
Oct 3, 2011 05:58
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 15, 2024 10:50 |
|
|
You Am I posted:I do the same when I see your posts 
|
|
#
¿
Oct 4, 2011 01:10
|
|
|
duTrieux posted:
departure from: moon 
|
|
#
¿
Oct 6, 2011 19:10
|
|
|
I don't have autism and read for fun, with that in mind does Embassytown get better or does it remain this boring book about dinner parties i'm 1/3 in and nothing has really happened other that world building and lessons in linguistics.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 7, 2011 06:00
|
|
|
FEMA summer camp posted:whu? younger Marina Sirtis was built like a 12-yr. old greek boy
|
|
#
¿
Oct 7, 2011 14:06
|
|
|
Voyager Random Episode Generator: http://www.firsttvdrama.com/funstuff/voyagen.htmlquote:'Indifferences' quote:'Theories' quote:'Lessons'
|
|
#
¿
Oct 14, 2011 16:15
|
|
|
sticky wizard posted:the awfulness of pandorum is the metric i use to judge other terrible films by Ultraviolet is the movie I use as my nadir for lovely movies. Nothing to this day has actually been shittier. And I've watched that Turkish Star Wars movie.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 25, 2011 23:19
|
|
|
Boner Buffet posted:ds9 owns As the San Diego Padres and New York Yankees took the field at Qualcomm Stadium for Game 4 of the 1998 World Series, there was another baseball game of some importance being played. That night, the seventh season episode of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" called "Take Me Out to the Holosuite" aired for the first time. In it, the space station's senior staff (dubbed the "Niners") was challenged to a game by a crew of baseball-playing Vulcans (known as the Logicians) in what one might call a "Worlds' Series". This premise may seem a bit off-base for the usual "Star Trek" fare, but it was established very early in the series' run (the first episode, in fact) that station captain Benjamin Sisko was a devoted fan of the sport. In the episode, Sisko is tasked with taking his crew and turning them into a fully-functioning ballclub in only two weeks time. The team ends up with 11 players on the roster - only three of whom have ever played the game before (Sisko, his son Jake, and his future-wife Kasidy). The remaining eight players must take those two weeks to learn how to throw a ball, catch a ball, hit a ball, and field a position. They must also learn the rules of the game from scratch, including such complicated concepts as the infield-fly rule and obscure terminology like "bunts" and "Fancy Dan". Everything is made worse when you realize that their opponents are a team of Vulcans, an alien race that is physically stronger and faster than the majority of the Niners. Kasidy tells us, in fact, that "a Vulcan has three-times the strength of a human." It's not exactly a fair match-up. Sisko, however, is a Starfleet captain who, among other things, has battled Cardassians and the Dominion and dealt with the politics of a God-like race overseeing the planet that his station guards. He is even known as the Emissary of the Prophets to the Bajorans. A man like that knows how to lead a team of hardworking individuals against even the longest odds. So - how well did Benjamin Sisko actually do in assembling and managing his team of would-be Vulcan beaters? Team Analysis A position-by-position breakdown of the DS9 Niners: Pitcher - Jake Sisko An easy choice for Sisko. Ben has been playing baseball with his son for Jake's entire life, making Jake the default best player on the team (and likely the only one who even knows how to pitch a baseball). However, we also know that Jake bats no earlier than fifth in the line-up. Why would you have your best hitter bat so low? It's possible that Sisko was sticking with the "pitcher bats ninth" theory of line-up construction, but that hardly speaks to his managerial skills. (Side note: the actor who plays Jake Sisko is Cirroc Lofton, a nephew of Kenny Lofton. Jake wears a Braves hat during the game in honor of Cirroc's uncle.) First Base - Worf At first-glance, another fairly easy choice. As Sisko reminds his team early on, there are only two players on the squad who the Vulcans are not stronger than: Worf, the Klingon warrior, is one. Assuming he has the power of a corner-infielder, it makes sense for the biggest, strongest player on the team to play first. However, it is also well-established that Worf is a tremendous athlete and can run rather well. He is not Adam Dunn. Considering his overall athleticism and strong arm, a rightfield assignment would make more sense - as would catcher (but we'll get to that in a minute). Worf deserves special mention for his contributions to on-field chatter. During a spirited round of "Hey, batter, batter! Hey, batter, batter!" by the Niners' infielders, Worf chimed in with "Death to the opposition!" Later, when Nog is confused as to what to do on a play and asks "What do I do now?", Worf answers with the Klingon-riffic "Find him and kill him!" Trust me - the delivery is perfect. Second Base - Benjamin Sisko The manager places himself at second base, presumably because he is most comfortable there. The best defensive play of the game - a diving stab at a grounder up the middle - comes from Sisko, so he must be pretty good. As a tall, strong man, Sisko doesn't exactly fit the physical profile of a second-baseman, especially considering that the team features two undersized Ferengi and four small-statured women. Sisko is much better suited for shortstop on this team, where he can use his fielding skills at a much more important position while continuing to be the "field general". It would also put a better arm at the position with the longer throw to first. Shortstop - Col. Kira Nerys It can be safely assumed that Colonel Kira Nerys is in top physical shape. A survivor of many battles, she has risen to the rank of colonel in the Bajoran military. She is very strong-willed and disciplined. Assuming that these traits make Kira physically strong enough to give her and Sisko equal arm strength despite her small stature, a player with only two weeks of baseball under her belt in her entire life probably shouldn't be given the toughest position on the field. It's possible that Kira showed a natural skill at the position, but it's hard to believe she's the better choice than Sisko. The two of them should switch positions. Third Base - Kasidy Yates Third base was originally supposed to be manned by Chief Miles O'Brien, who Sisko intended to "anchor the second half of our lineup". However, at some point during practice, O'Brien tore his rotator cuff. Doctor Bashir was able to repair the tear, but it still needed time to heal, forcing O'Brien to be pitching, hitting, and first-base coach. To replace him, Sisko called upon his future wife Kasidy, a freighter captain who grew up with baseball (her brother even plays on a professional team). As the third and final player with experience in the game, she fits in well at third base. Placing her in the outfield would mean that the outfield wasn't filled entirely by inexperienced rookies, but it's not a terrible decision. With Kasidy at third and Kira at short, there is some potential for Kasidy to help Kira by stretching the position a little. Leftfield - Dr. Julian Bashir There are two players on the Niners who are as strong as, or stronger than, their Vulcan opponents: Worf, the Klingon, and Dr. Bashir. Tall and thin, Dr. Bashir was genetically engineered/altered as a young boy, giving him a superior intellect, precise hand-eye coordination, and superior reflexes, all traits that should make him a great baseball player. Centerfield is probably the best spot for the doctor, but, considering the athleticism of the actual centerfielder, leftfield doesn't seem like a bad choice. Later, when Sisko is ejected from the game, Bashir is moved from left to second to fill in for the captain. Offensively, the doctor was given the leadoff spot in the line-up. However, the one time Bashir is seen at the plate, he strikes out on a very bad swing. He is also shown watching a fly ball go over his head and getting mixed up with shortstop Kira on a practice fly ball. It's a bit tough to believe that a genetically-enhanced individual with such spectacular reflexes and hand-eye coordination would be so bad at the sport. Centerfield - Ezri Dax First things first: Ezri Dax is a poor substitute for Jadzia Dax. There's just no argument there; DS9 fans will know what I'm talking about. Now that that's out of the way: Ezri Dax is young and athletic. In one of her previous hosts (the Dax character is Trill symbiont, moving from one host to another after each one dies), Dax was an Olympic-level gymnast and, while most skills don't transfer from host to host, this one seemed to. Late in the game, one of the Vulcans hit a long line drive to straight-away centerfield. Dax sped toward the wall. At the last moment, she leapt up in midstride, climbing up the wall in two steps and pushing off into a backflip at the top. She made the catch. Anyone with that kind of speed and athleticism can play center anytime. Rightfield - Leeta Nog's step-mother, a Bajoran who married a Ferengi. Honestly, she's only on the team so the roster can be filled with just the right number of players that the story requires (nine starters, a coach, someone to come off the bench after the ejection, and Rom, the Rudy-type figure who gets one special at-bat at the end of the game). The episode shows absolutely nothing about Leeta's baseball abilities. When Bashir moves to second-base after Sisko's ejection, Leeta moves to leftfield and the Ferengi Quark comes in to play right. Not good enough to make the starting roster, Quark is shown making a fine relay throw into first base late in the game. Catcher - Nog Probably the biggest question mark on the whole team. Nog is a young Ferengi who recently joined Starfleet. He is roughly the equivalent of a nineteen year-old boy. He is also about 4'11" tall, weighing maybe 100 pounds. Somehow, though, he's Sisko's starting catcher. We know he's a pretty good ballplayer (he's the only one who shows actual talent during the team's first practice), but no one that small should ever be behind the plate. Think of all the stolen base opportunities a physically-superior race like the Vulcans would have with Nog having to make the throw to second. It's hard to say where Sisko should have put Nog, though. At his size, very few spots on the field seem suitable. Second base is the first thought, but where would Sisko or Kira play? If Worf were moved off of first, Nog could go to second, Kira to first and Worf to either rightfield or behind the plate. Seeing as how Leeta would likely make a terrible catcher, Worf might be the best choice. The Vulcans would think twice before challenging the throwing arm of a Klingon. Overall, while Sisko's team is not in the ideal set-up, it is likely pretty close. Only Nog is an egregiously bad decision and, in the Logicians' 10-1 victory, he probably factored in very little. The Vulcans' power and the inexperienced Niners' mistakes (they allowed 14 hits and committed four errors) almost certainly accounted for all the runs against Jake Sisko. I expect a lot out of my Starfleet captains, but even I know it was impossible for Sisko's crew of misfits to beat a practiced crew of Vulcans. I'm glad the episode realized that as well. A few other stray thoughts about "Take Me Out to the Holosuite": Odo, the humorless constable, was the umpire - of course. The lone umpire, making all calls from behind the plate. When Sisko asked him to don the gear, he gave Odo an impassioned speech. "I don't want a computer program calling a baseball game. That's something [the Vulcans] would do. I want a real person behind the plate, not just some collection of photons and magnetic fields." Nice to know that 24th century baseball fans still can't handle any kind of automated umpire. Sisko puts his index finger on Odo's chest during an argument and is ejected for it. Odo cites rule 4.06, subsection A, paragraph 4 for the ejection. This is the correct rule in the rulebook. (Sisko was arguing a called third strike that he and Worf thought was low and away. Odo made the right call.) A pivotal play in the game shows a Vulcan missing the plate after trying to score and then returning to the dugout when he realizes that Nog thinks he's safe. Eventually, Nog has to go into the dugout to tag out every Vulcan until the runner is out. If Odo had made the proper call, the Vulcan would have been called out the moment he headed into the dugout. Sisko not only adds a player to the roster in the middle of the game (Nog's father, Rom) but also communicates with the dugout after being ejected. The final play of the game is a run-scoring bunt, with Rom at the plate and Nog coming in from third. Rom, who had been completely incompetent all game, lays the bunt down perfectly by accident - he's leaning forward while in the batter's box, trying to understand what the dugout is telling him. Rom was in the batter's box, so a pitch was legal - but it seems awfully low for the Vulcans to pitch the ball while the batter was clearly not set or ready. Once the run scores, the team carries Rom off the field on their shoulders, as if they had just won the pennant. Have you ever heard of a "Fancy Dan"? Scotch flavored gum sounds pretty tasty. Larry Granillo is an author of Baseball Prospectus.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 5, 2011 04:47
|
|
|
when sports and trek spergs combine
|
|
#
¿
Nov 5, 2011 18:29
|
|
|
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kye37wiui2A I like movies with a lot of edge
|
|
#
¿
Nov 8, 2011 19:25
|
|
|
quote:owns Saw Forever War, list is poo poo
|
|
#
¿
Nov 9, 2011 22:40
|
|
|
golgo13sf posted:gently caress physical media
|
|
#
¿
Nov 10, 2011 06:02
|
|
|
Cygni posted:I read the Timothy Zahn Star Wars books and they p good, so I bought two others from some other authors and they were horrific ok gotta go now many more posts to make This and the X-wing series of books are the only ones worth reading out of all the star wars poo poo and even then parts of the x-wing series are ultra  That jedi guy was the worst reveal since a shamalan movie
|
|
#
¿
Nov 10, 2011 08:23
|
|
|
Cygni posted:not once have i met a sgu fan and thought 'thats a p cool dude' never leaving your moms basement will do that
|
|
#
¿
Nov 10, 2011 21:59
|
|
|
Leviathan Wakes is some solid space opera, and the first in a trilogy.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 13, 2011 22:36
|
|
|
First of all this, gently caress those fish:NINbuntu 64 posted:actually i had sex with the secretary because it was the easiest way to have somebody take care of my videogame fish sticky wizard posted:wait is this the one where the moon is a secretly a space ship and theres another, evil space ship underneath the antarctic Probably and it's a great 2/3rds book (it's an omnibus of three books, where the first two are great and the third is poo poo) just kidding it's all poo poo but it's a great airplane read
|
|
#
¿
Nov 22, 2011 06:03
|
|
|
Ulf posted:Ulfwife wants to know what this is, she's read all the honor harrington books but that doesn't sound like it. She's a glutton for trashy sci-fi. Also she says hi. Tell her I said "enjoy"  http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77733.Empire_From_the_Ashes honestly though, tell her to read this first because it's some pro cheesy sci-fi. Basically it's a war between earth/mars and the asteroids with zombies. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8855321-leviathan-wakes Optimus_Rhyme fucked around with this message at 06:07 on Nov 22, 2011 |
|
#
¿
Nov 22, 2011 06:05
|
|
|
Luigi Thirty posted:wrex https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uINq9gHtB-w
|
|
#
¿
Nov 22, 2011 06:18
|
|
|
Ulf posted:excuse me i am having a conversation with raruler here It's actually not that bad (for a trashy sci-fi airport novel)
|
|
#
¿
Nov 22, 2011 06:34
|
|
|
god damned fire upon the deep is good. about a third through a really enjoying it
|
|
#
¿
Nov 29, 2011 03:07
|
|
|
 A real thing
|
|
#
¿
Nov 29, 2011 18:43
|
|
|
Luigi Thirty posted:halfway through season 1 of farscape it's p good You lie (though it does get much better)
|
|
#
¿
Dec 4, 2011 07:27
|
|
|
Just finished Fire Upon the Deep and it was amazing. Is the prequel any good?
|
|
#
¿
Dec 9, 2011 23:36
|
|
|
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPoqNeR3_UA
|
|
#
¿
Dec 11, 2011 00:03
|
|
|
axolotl farmer posted:Ecclestone supremacy. wrong-o *begin five page internet argument about my opinion vs your opinion*
|
|
#
¿
Dec 11, 2011 21:54
|
|
|
Shaggar posted:is terra nova still really bad? really bad? no, it's just bad now
|
|
#
¿
Dec 13, 2011 07:31
|
|
|
For your kindle    
|
|
#
¿
Dec 13, 2011 07:44
|
|
|
http://goodnightdune.com/ http://issuu.com/gryfndrprefct347/docs/ohthetimesandplacesyoullgo this is a thing (that I will read to my son everynight) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRvvQ7fpImU
|
|
#
¿
Dec 13, 2011 07:54
|
|
|
NINbuntu 64 posted:sure, if youre like suicidal or something. you completely lose all individuality and just exist as a meat sack to carry out the will of the collective which you are now a part of so no different the normal human existence?
|
|
#
¿
Dec 15, 2011 07:05
|
|
|
NINbuntu 64 posted:you cant drink or masturbate when you're at work
|
|
#
¿
Dec 15, 2011 08:29
|
|
|
rotor posted:it sorta starts out as an amusing parody and then slowly over the course of about 100 pages stephenson forgets its a parody this, also, Ready Player One is basically the sequel to Snowcrash but written for juniors
|
|
#
¿
Dec 16, 2011 03:13
|
|
|
TOOT BOOT posted:at least he writes really good endings ready player one finished equally as abruptly, I even read the acknowledgements just to see if Stephensen helped write it. basically if your 18 and liked snowcrash but thought it was too deep and lacked 80s references out the rear end then Ready Player One is for you
|
|
#
¿
Dec 16, 2011 03:37
|
|
|
mr_jim posted:yeah, but i still like it. Cryptonomicon, Snowcrash then stop reading (starting Reamde after I read Master of Doom, is it any good?)
|
|
#
¿
Dec 16, 2011 04:58
|
|
|
BUSINESS CATTE 2.0 posted:well honestly I hated Anathem (got maybe 1/4 through) and his silver age books where god awful. I heard that he use to write his books in pen first so that it would stop him from rambling on, it didn't work quote:
|
|
#
¿
Dec 16, 2011 05:26
|
|
|
TOOT BOOT posted:I've only read the first Ringworld book but the whole book basically boiled down to 'Explore featureless wasteland filled with nothing but small settlements of savages every couple thousand miles' just like the game 
|
|
#
¿
Dec 18, 2011 06:28
|
|
|
rotor posted:you people are literally the worst things about everything on the other hand quote:When I saw Avatar for the first time, like a lot of people, I left the movie theater feeling depressed. Not because I longed to live on the majestic world of Pandora but because I was never going to get a chance to bone Neytiri. I have a mad crush on that blue cat chick for sure. Ummm is that considered beastiality? What ever it is I would break all the laws of nature and procreate with her in a heart beat. Judging from the pictures above I would say that I am not the only person who feels this why. So if you are like me and dream about shooting hot sperm inside Neytiri then click on the link below because this is the closest you are gonna get to having that come to fruition. Try not to be too depressed about it  http://i.imgur.com/e4Qso.jpg
|
|
#
¿
Dec 19, 2011 01:32
|
|
|
law abiding rapist posted:because Cameron used tits as a cover for having no real ethical or moral dilemmas which is lazy and shallow. the movie was poo poo.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 19, 2011 02:28
|
|
|
fantasy? in my sci-fi thread? 
Optimus_Rhyme fucked around with this message at 00:32 on Dec 23, 2011 |
|
#
¿
Dec 23, 2011 00:28
|
|
|
to be honest atleast Dr Who is original and not tainted by the chucklefucks who made Voyager etc (Terra Nova specifically). I always feel like it's all tongue in cheek
|
|
#
¿
Jan 5, 2012 20:41
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 15, 2024 10:50 |
|
|
qirex posted:plus it's nice to see everything involving aliens taking place in London instead of Vancouver for a change
|
|
#
¿
Jan 5, 2012 22:56
|
|