Happy First Contact Day

On this day in Star Trek history:

Almost ten years after World War 3, a scientist named Zephram Cochrane converted an old Titan missile into the prototype for a technology he had developed: Warp Drive.

Warp Drive would allow us to travel faster than the speed of light, puttingpreviously impossibly distant locations within reach.

On the 5th of April 2064 (exactly 59 years from today) Cochrane climbed into the cockpit of the missile he had aptly renamed The Pheonix and used its chemical rocket engines to haul him and the Warp Engine up through the gravity well where he could give it a real go.

He gave the Warp Drive a brief but successful test run before returning to the missile complex in Montana for the celebration.

Unbeknownst to him, at that time a Vulcan survey vessel was passing through our solar system on unrelated business. The Vulcans had previously not had much interest in the primative Humans, but upon detecting the warp signature left behind by the Pheonix, they decided to change course.

They tracked Cochrane's trajectory, and in the midst of the fesitivities the Vulcan ship T'Plana Hath landed. The Vulcans stepped down from their craft and for the first time Humans were greeted with the traditional Vulcan salute and the words "Live long and prosper."

Realising that the humans were in no shape to enter the interstellar community on their own, the Vulcans stayed there to help them rebuild their civilisation and guide them into a new age of deep space exploration and diplomacy. A relationship that eventually led to the formation of the greatest organisation ever devised: the United Federation of Planets.

Phil Plait's Bad Astronomy: Misconceptions: Astrology

Phil Plait's Bad Astronomy: Misconceptions: Astrology

Yay! He finally debunked the big one!

I think I've got it

For most of my adolescent and adult life I’ve been trying to figure out how to make a living from my passion for science fiction.

When I was in high-school I was determined to publish my own comic book series… had dozens of characters and story-lines worked out. It would have been really cool. But I realised the South African comic-book market was very small… and even smaller for locally-published product. The meagre profits gained wouldn’t have offset the expense involved in publishing it. I gave up on that idea.

I’ve had several other ideas over the years, but they all involved winning the lottery… not easy to do.

But yesterday I was thinking and I came up with a pretty cool plan: I want to become a gaming retailer.

I would love to open a shop providing comprehensive gaming solutions… CCGs, RPGs, CMGs, board games and, of course, computer and console games (including the necessary hardware). I would also like to have an in-house facility for tournaments and events, as well as just chilling with fellow gamers.

I know, it’s gonna be lank expensive to organise a premises for something like that… especially taking into account the fact that it’s a very niche market that’s very close to being flooded.

For that reason I’m thinking I should start it online… a kind of mini amazon.com type arrangement specifically for gaming stuff. I would have to maintain a low profit margin in order not to price myself out of the market, but since the overheads for a website are relatively low, I’d be able to do just that.

I already have most of the contacts I need to pull it off… I just have to build relationships with computer and console gaming distributors, and acquire some e-commerce skills, and I’m all set.

Once I’ve saved up enough capital I can open my shop.

It’s not a cash-cow, and it’s not going to make me rich. But maybe if I keep at it and manage it carefully, in a few years I might be able to become a professional gamer of sorts. That would be super cool.

Alien Abduction? UFO sightings? Return to tell the story!

Alien Abduction? UFO sightings? Return to tell the story! Cool new product a perfect unusual Christmas gift...

This is so cool! I'll never get lost in space again!

The purpose

I'm writing this while sitting atop a hill in the Marico district in the North West Province.

Camping with the family was a bad idea. I forgot to take into account that my sisters have babies.

These babies have continuously disrupted my sleep for the past two nights, as well as prevented me from getting a moment's peace, until now.

We're on a short hike, and I've decided to hang back and let the others go on ahead... With the screaming babies.

This moment now has been the entire purpose of the trip up to this point... Sitting on a rock, listening to the birds and the rush of the river on the rocks below. Looking out over the lush green of the valley and hills before me, the only scent on the light breeze is the familiar sweet smell of the bushveld.

This is why I came

WizKids - Marvel HeroClix - Fantastic Forces

WizKids - Marvel HeroClix - Fantastic Forces

Wizkids has released some sneak previews of the next HeroClix expansion: Fantastic Forces.

After seeing some of the really cool dynamics they've used in other games like Mech Warrior and Mage Knights that make special use of multi-based pieces, I'm very glad to see that HeroClix is now following suit.

I hope these figures (as well as the new "transporter" figures, whatever they are) will add something valuable to the gameplay.

Afterlife telegrams

Afterlife telegrams

I thought this was a joke... but apparently it isn't. There are no words to describe the depths pseudoscientists will travel to to exploit the ignorant.

The best definition I've read so far

Science is the process of finding the truth through evidence collection, analysis, and most importantly, the willingness to change the hypothesis to fit the evidence. Belief systems [or as I like to call them, “pseudosciences”] use the process of accepting something as the truth with little or no evidence and the willingness to change the evidence or bias the data to fit the hypothesis. Belief systems are never allowed to change the hypothesis no matter how much evidence is presented.

 

-Mark LaBash

WizKids - DC HeroClix - Superman

WizKids - DC HeroClix - Superman

It took about a month, but I've finally received the latest addition to my HeroClix collection: Superman (Veteran - Hypertime expansion)

I got tired of trying to negotiate with one of my player group for her Experienced version, so I went and bought my own.

For being such a bitch, that player is going to face the wrath of my Man-o-steel in the next tournament. She thought it was bad against Sinestro? She ain't seen nothin' yet.

Sitchin's Twelfth Planet

Sitchin's Twelfth Planet

I've been itching to read Sitchin's works so that I could deconstruct them using scientific fact and considered opinions of real-life archaeologists and linguists, but it seems this guy beat me to the punch.