nik

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Posts posted by nik

  1. Posted

    I used to collect those Micro-Machine toys, but quit a few years ago. I also have some antique books. My most fascinating collection is my collection of sand and dirt. When I go somewhere, I

    get a sample of soil as proof that I've been there. The only place I've been that I haven't taken

    soil from is the top of Fujiyama. For some reason, it didn't seem right to take something from

    Japan's most holy natural monuments.

  3. Posted

    Nice reading list everyone. Unfortunately, I've been pretty busy, so I've had to set aside

    Douglas Adamss "trilogy" for a few months, and I'm in the middle of such classics as:

    "On the Problem with Only Zeroth Landau Level Occupancy of Electrons/Protons in Strongly Magnetized Neutron Star Matter in Beta-Equilibrium Conditions - The Role of Anomalous Magnet Moments",

    "Inverse Beta-Decay of Arbitrarily Polarized Neutrons in a Magnetic Field",

    "Nuclear Ground-State Masses and Deformations",

    "Nuclear Properties for Astrophysical and Radioactive Ion Beam Applications",

    and (for fun) "Practical Programming in TCL and Tk"

     

    Pretty informative, but not much plot, no chance for a film, and no corresponding soundtrak.

  4. Posted

    Takara_Soong, thanks for the picture. I'm not a Tyson fan (any vulgar guy who beats women and has to bite his opponent in a fight is a major wimp), so I haven't followed his look too much over the years, but another thought comes to mind. Does his mandible look somewhat

    enlarged? Perhaps it's taken quite a few smacks over the years and has some

    additional bone growth, or maybe it's the steroids... That would certainly explain his

    temper as well. Just a thought.

  5. Posted

    Just wondering.. After the imedate culture shock, how long did it take you to adjust to being home?

    Not too long. It was the changes that wree most interesting - friends that moved away, new products on the market, slang and colloquialisms, etc. The biggest effect came from habits

    acquired in Japan. For example, upon returning, people found it strange that I bowed to them, eating habits, removing shoes in buildings, etc. It wasn't a problem to fit in, but the

    changes while I was gone, and the habits picked up (many of which I still do without

    thinking) made for some interesting situations. I've been back a year, and still do some

    "Japanese" things that are unusual in America. Does that answer your question?

  6. Posted

    Interesting point, Tank. A year ago, I returned to the U.S.A. after spending several years

    in Japan. It was like getting culture shock coming home. Many things were the same, and many were different, including myself, having adapted to Japanese culture and language.

     

    I've also found it somewhat concerning that Picard has been through some pretty traumatic events, such as what happened in "The Inner Light," his Borg assimilation, and his capture by the Cardassians. I guess he's just a pretty strong person.

  8. Posted

    Please note: Fluid does not mean liquid. Air is fluid. As well, an organic fluid doesn't necessarily mean a higher viscosity. Rarefied regions about certain quasars have been

    shown - amazingly - to contain organic molecules, but with a density about 10 million times

    lower than air.

    Of course, many denser things are also fluids, including water and glass.

    Have a nice day.

  10. Posted

    My biggest fears used to involve firghtening ways of dying (drowning, buried alive, skinned, etc.). Then

    I used to fear growing old. Later on, I feared Alzheimer's disease (I'm in a career in which I really need

    to think lucidly), and I still fear that a little.

     

    However, now I have children, and my fears changed from involving me to involving them. I used to

    worry heavily about their physical health, but now my biggest fear is that the beliefs and convictions of my children will one day be tested, and I won't be able to do anything except watch. I know that they

    will someday face that test, and it's up to me to prepare them to make the right choices, but it's still

    a daunting task, and the time and form of the test can never be predicted. That's what I fear - failing

    in my task to prepare my children to change the world.

     

    Pretty corny, huh?

  11. Posted

    I have a similar question. Are all the Borg (or all those we've seen) humans - or indistinguishable

    from humans? How come we never see Borg Klingons, Tellarites, Andorians, etc? Also, why don't the

    Borg ever assimilate things like dogs and cats (to do more menial tasks)? I assume they have the

    capability.

  12. Posted

    It's unclear to me that Star Trek necessarily attracts intelligent people. That's not to say that

    there are no intelligent people attracted to Star Trek, but I know many more who enjoy Star Trek who

    aren't very intelligent than those I would consider intelligent. Also, of the people I know, the

    smartest ones (i.e., the smartest 50% of the people I know) are not necessarily attracted to Star Trek.

  13. Posted

    I'd have to say that the best setting was either on Rura Penthe, which seemed completely hopeless or on

    the "Borgified" Enterprise-E. Both seemed very creepy, hopeless, and with real driving emotional appeal.

    Of course, this is just my opinion.

  15. Posted

    The "Kirk FU" was great! I also liked it when Kirk would encounter some alien about twice his size, run up to it, and hit it with a two-fisted shot about three times before getting knocked on his backside.

     

    He was a bit dramatic, but that was fun. I like him coming onto the stage with his back to the camera, and then pivot and start orating really intensely.