I have a problem with the Kelvin timeline. Specifically how they depicted the Kobayashi Maru sequence. No, I don’t care if Spock programmed it. My issue is that Kirk’s behavior stank. He straight up cheated, but even worse, he was smug about it. That didn’t show leadership potential at all. That was conduct unbecoming of an officer.

I’d always had it in my head that Kirk simply disagreed with the test philosophically. It’s a simple scene to set up. Kobayashi Maru tests officers to see how they deal with a losing path in a simulation of a deterministic universe, but especially to reveal the quality of their character. But Kirk doesn’t believe in fate. He believes in a quantum universe, where infinite possibilities spring from the vacuum every instant. In my mind, Kirk wouldn’t simply reprogram the hostile ships’ shields to drop at an exact moment, then just line up his shots. That’s still determinism! Instead he would subtly reprogram the simulation to account for random chance, and depend upon his skill to beat the odds against whatever the scenario might throw at him. Examining his changes to the code would reveal not a spoiled rotten, cheating, nepotism brat, but a confident leader with a fundamental difference in personal philosophy for approaching the Universe, and furthermore, who simultaneously argued that the Kobayashi Maru was a flawed exercise, while generously offering a patch to improve it. That’s captain material.

That scene would have made me lose all respect for Kirk if I regarded it as canon, so I can’t. I would never follow a man like that into the unknown, no matter his supposed tactical brilliance. No disrespect to any of the actors. It’s just bad writing. Beyond that, I’ve got no problem with Kelvin beyond minor quibbles.

Yeah maybe, but we’re 40 now.

I was intending more like reverse psychology. “I’ll show you!” That kind of thing.

I get how I might not have said that well enough though.

“Well I don’t want to bike with a fridge on my back!”

“Oh I was never suggesting you could.”

I still don’t have a 4k TV either. The PS5 is friggin HUGE. My space is at a premium.

You know what? I barely play the games I already have. I should just go to the gym.

Someday, parts of what used to be you almost certainly will.

I’ve heard some push to just call them all “Worlds.” Planets, moons, asteroids, etc. and all, which is also fine by me.

I’m well aware of the existence of countless dwarf planets in the solar system, and the naming issues that arose from the discovery.

I don’t mind that they called them dwarf planets. But I don’t know why everyone got so upset about it. It sounds like just another class of planet to me, which seems quite appropriate.

I agree that they marketed the change about as poorly as they could.

Gas giant planets, ice giant planets, rocky planets, dwarf planets.

I don’t see what the big deal is.

I can’t, but this astrophysicist is the one who proposed the idea. Both techniques use compatible tech. https://youtu.be/rFqL9CkNxXw?si=WkbEiTM6usQnSgyy

Just about the only thing I agree with for the death penalty. Everything else can be reformed or quarantined. Wealth and power are cancerous. Doesn’t matter where they are, they will never stop trying to take over, and total destruction is the only way to ensure they never get loose to wreak havoc on millions of us ever again.

I’m not convinced they’re visiting us. None of the reports I’ve seen appear credible. But non-interference is often critical to scientific study. They could just be doing a decent job at hiding from us.

If they’re out there, I’d be shocked if they wouldn’t visit. Our solar system has been showing life signs for 3.5B years, and technological signs for about a century or so. There aren’t apparently many planets like ours around. We are a very tempting target for study.

It appears to be quite difficult to develop a spacefarring civilization. But there are credible models for sailing light beamed from stars, and even gravity surfing orbiting black hole pairs. The vast energies required for interstellar travel should be impossible to conceal. We ought to already be able to see them out there, if they’re close.

13.5B years is an eyeblink in the potential age of the Universe. We developed early. Perhaps not first, but very early. Intelligence and technology are difficult and expensive to develop. Our hubris may destroy us. We might easily be alone in our local neighborhood. Technological civilizations may still be rare. But once they go interplanetary, there are few ways for such a civilization to go extinct.

I’m fairly confident they’re out there somewhere. I’m sceptical that they’re close. We may be the first in our galaxy, or even the Local Group. Who can say? I don’t know.

Fuck it. I don’t want such “advantages” anymore. I want a small house, a workshop, and a garden. I’ll be lucky if I can get even that. The world can just go pass me by.

Jesus warned his followers to beware wolves in sheep’s clothing, only there to prey upon the flock from within.

So who else would they be besides con artist preachers?

If you spent your days cooking with fire, and your nights watching it and warming yourself, you’d definitely start tossing anything you could find into it just to see what would happen. People did this every day and night for eons.

Mine was a 1969 Belair. Damn I miss that thing.

This is not a party. It’s a discussion about science. You didn’t expect the participants to be methodical?

I’d like to support solarpunk development. I just want to live a simple life, with high tech in cooperation with the environment. We need it badly. I would fund so many community libraries. Don’t misunderstand me though. I still want space travel, but I no longer trust capitalists with it.

Welcome back. Please ignore the 10 foot pole.

The vampire murders.

https://www.dailycommercial.com/story/news/local/eustis/2020/04/11/vampire-killer-keeps-his-life-sentence/1367922007/