Posts Made By: Dave Mitsky

Great stuff, Jonathan!

Dave Mitsky

I enjoyed Star Trek but I thought the plot was a bit weak and the action too frenetic at times. The acting was good and the special effects were state-of-the-art, as expected. I didn't care for the way the interiors of the Kelvin and the Enterprise were made to look like 20th century factories.

It's certainly worth seeing.

Dave Mitsky

Well, they are known to live with their computers under bridges...

There's a more serious look at Internet trolls at http://www.io.com/~zikzak/troll_thesis.html

Dave Mitsky

Spoiler Alert!






















My wife talked me into seeing Star Trek again yesterday with some of her co-workers. I had thought about seeing the film in IMAX but it appears that the local IMAX theater won't be showing it.

I listened to the dialog very carefully and my opinion of the plot still stands. Information from Star Trek: Countdown that would have made the plot far more logically coherent was not included.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_trek_countdown

If the blast wave from the star Hobus (which may or may not be the home world star of Romulus and Remus - it is said to be "nearby") traveled at superluminal velocity, this is just more bad, make that really bad, astrophysics. Since the Romulans and the Federation knew that the star was a threat, why didn't the Romulans begin an evacuation?

The connection between future Nero, the Narada (his Borg technology enhanced mining ship), Ambassador Spock, the Vulcan Science Academy, and the Federation should have been mentioned, if only briefly, IMO.

I won't even go into why a planet in the Vulcan system (40 Eridani A) would be called Delta Vega (anyone remember Delta Vega from TOS?), other than to mention that the name was chosen merely as an "easter egg".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_egg_(media)

Dave Mitsky

I observed Comet Christensen again last Wednesday and Thursday nights from Cherry Springs State Park through my 12.5" Starsplitter, a 17.5" Telekit, and a 20" Obsession. The coma was bright and irregularly shaped and there was a very noticeable fan-shaped tail.

Dave Mitsky

My wife and I had a late dinner at a restaurant on Monday evening. The meal took a lot longer than it should have and when we finally got outside the young crescent Moon was one of the very first things I noticed.

Dave Mitsky

I found this pretty amusing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02LgdXVkXgM&feature=dir

Dave Mitsky

Very impressive, Ron. I would.

Dave Mitsky

This post-occultation image was taken through the 5" f/5 finder scope using eyepiece projection.

Dave Mitsky

I had the opportunity to skim through Alan Dean Foster's novelization of Star Trek last week. The book explained some of the shaky parts of the plot somewhat better and ended with a great flourish that didn't appear in the film.

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Trek-Movie-Tie-Foster/dp/143915886X

Yesterday, I read the rather expensive graphic novel Star Trek Countdown, which tied together the pre-time travel events involving Ambassador Spock, Nero, Ambassador Picard, Captain Data, General Worf, and Geordi La Forge in a logical and believable manner. I wish that the movie would have incorporated more of this backstory in its plot.

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Trek-Countdown-J-Abrams/dp/1600104207/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244652817&sr=1-1

Dave Mitsky