text: Great geek debates: Star Trek versus Star Wars Culture 05 August 09 by Matt Blum http://www.flickr.com/photos/steevithak/3615160365/Flickr CC: Steevithak To the casual observer, Star Trek and Star Wars look a lot alike, beyond the obvious similarity between their names.Each has a lot of spaceships, strange worlds, ray guns, and aliens, many of whom look startlingly like humans with prosthetics and makeup. But of course geeks are not casual observers, and we know just how different they are.Now, I freely admit to having been a huge fan of both since childhood, and I know many people who feel the same way. So why should we debate about which is better? Because we're geeks, and that's what geeks do! So, in the finest tradition of completely unnecessary geeky arguments, let's create a preposterous hypothetical situation that requires you to choose between the two: Suppose you were adrift in space after your spaceship's engines died, and while you're waiting for your rescuers to find you, you wanted to watch a movie. Suppose, further, that the only two videos available were your favorite Star Trek movie and your favorite Star Wars movie (whichever ones those happen to be), but your video player has only enough power left for you to watch one of them. Which one would you choose? To help decide, since I suspect everyone reading this has a pretty good idea of what to like about both, I'm going to focus on what not to like.Star Wars is grounded in mythology: the struggle between good and evil drawn in such broad strokes that few characters have any shades of grey. Even Darth Vader, who switches from good to evil and then back again, is never anywhere in between - he flips between extremes. Is it any real surprise that the most popular character from the original trilogy is Han Solo, who isn't as cut-and-dried? The Star Wars storyline requires you to take a lot for granted: most fundamentally, the main characters are far, far more important than anyone else in their world, even the "good" ones. Look, for instance, at how everyone acts after Luke returns from blowing up the Death Star: they're all cheering and hugging, and then Luke gets really upset about R2-D2 being damaged - his good friend Biggs and a dozen other men were just blown to pieces, but Luke's upset because his droid is busted. Nice. And at the end of Return of the Jedi, Vader turns good and saves Luke by killing the Emperor, and then the ghost of Anakin Skywalker appears along with Obi-Wan and Yoda. This man is responsible for personally killing hundreds of innocent beings, for ordering the deaths of countless more, and for torturing quite a few as well; but he is completely redeemed because he saved his son's life. This can only mean that Luke's life is worth as much as (or more than) those of all the (probably) thousands of people Vader slaughtered put together, because otherwise it simply makes no sense, right? These are the two examples that stand out the most in my mind, but there are plenty more where they came from.Star Trek begins with a premise so ridiculous it could only have originated in the Sixties: a united Earth, only about 250 years from now. At least Star Wars started off by telling you it was happening "in a galaxy far, far away" so any assumptions based on what we know about Earth and humanity didn't necessarily apply. But Trek is science fiction, not fantasy, and so different rules need to apply, and they break them all the time.First they go and invent things like warp drive and transporters, which are implausible but not outside the realm of normal suspension of disbelief. Then, having created rules around how these marvelous devices work, they regularly break those rules. It's not enough that the Enterprise can travel many times faster than light speed; now they can go through a rift in subspace (or somesuch) and wind up thousands of light years away in an instant. It's not enough that they can go back and forth between a planet and their ship in a few seconds; now an ion storm (whatever that is) sends them to an alternate universe (yes, it's one of my favourite episodes, too, but that doesn't make the premise less silly). And why did it never occur to anyone designing chairs for Starfleet to install seat belts? I mean, I know they would have deprived us of some lovely scenes of actors throwing themselves back and forth and pretending to fall, but there might have been other benefits, too!Of course, we have to consider the serious failures that are a part of both universes. The Star Wars universe would look so much better were it not for Episodes I - III, and the Ewoks. And the Star Trek universe would look much better without Star Trek V, and Generations, and Insurrection, and (in my opinion, anyway) Nemesis, not to mention quite a few episodes of each of the five TV series.I hate to have to make a call here, but it's my job. I have to give the nod to Star Trek. For all its technobabble and implausible extrapolation from current reality, it's just on the whole a better product. It's far more egalitarian, and so easier to identify with. I get the feeling that, if I were transplanted to the Star Trek universe, I could make a go of it and be a productive member of society on some level; conversely, I get the feeling that, if I were transplanted to the Star Wars universe, I would be one of those guys who has two lines and then gets shot by stormtroopers, who as everyone knows can only aim well at unimportant folks. Plus, percentage-wise as well as (obviously) length-wise, Star Trek simply has a lot more good material.So, what do you think? I made my choice, so you have to choose, too. Please feel free to explain/defend your decision in the comments, if you wish, and take part in the vote by hitting this link. Edited by Katie Scott Comments Star Trek all the way, I love this article. I still don't understand why anyone works in the ST universe though, they never seem to have to pay for the their replicated meal. RichSpalding Aug 6th 2009 tbh, i've never been a huge fan of Star Wars...It could be because of my age and my first big taste of Star Wars was the latest movies - apparently they suck compared to the originals.Star Trek on another hand is a whole different story. The next generation being my favorite. Pretty much for the same reasons stated in the article above, the technobable, a united earth and a federation of space agencies between different species from different planets - great stuff. sean Aug 17th 2009 Oh my gosh, I know that guy!!!! CAMERON!!!!!!!!!!!11 We're both in Starfleet together!!!!! He's also a whovian, he's got a Captain Jack Harkness coat and everything. So weird!! Katelyn Barnett Jan 18th 2013 Reply to a comment Name Email Comment Submit » Latest on wired.co.uk


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An initiative to establish a new federal law known as "For an unconditional basic income" [fr] was formally introduced in Switzerland in April. The idea, which consists quite simply of giving a monthly income to all citizens that is neither means-tested nor work-related, has generated commentary throughout the Swiss blogosphere.
According to Ben Franklin and Alexander Fraser Tytler....when people realize they can vote themselves money from the public treasury, that typically heralds the end of liberty and the plunge into dictatorship...
"A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations from the beginning of history has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence:
From bondage to spiritual faith;
From spiritual faith to great courage;
From courage to liberty;
From liberty to abundance;
From abundance to complacency;
From complacency to apathy;
From apathy to dependence;
From dependence back into bondage."
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Local briefs: Mark Rodgers talks inside sports at M.E.'s Team event
Mark Rodgers, who represents pro athletes like Stuart baseball pitcher Scott Proctor and Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cliff Lee, will speak at a Jan. 17 event to benefit M.E.'s Team.
The dinner will be hosted by "The Experts" and is sponsored by Steve Swann.
Rodgers' talk is titled, "Don't tell my Mother I am a Sports Agent."
Proceeds from the event will benefit M.E.'s Team Foundation, a Treasure Coast nonprofit organization that Proctor and his wife, Carrie, founded to improve the lives of children throughout the Treasure Coast.
The cocktail party and dinner is $100 per ticket.
For more information, contact Bridget Baratta at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Prospects U13-U18 travel ball tryouts Jan. 12-13
All American Prospects travel baseball team will host open tryouts for the 2013 spring and summer season for ages 13 to 18 on Jan. 12 in Fort Lauderdale and Jan. 13 in St. Lucie County.
The organization offers numerous programs to prepare and expose players to college recruiters, major league scouts and summer competitions.
All American Prospects is looking for highly skilled, competitive players to fill the rosters for the various teams. Travel is required throughout Florida and into Georgia.
For more information, go to the national AAP website at www.aaprospects.com or the local website at http://allamerprospects1.wix.com/prospects.
Goldsmith tennis event Saturday at Mariner Sands
Spots still are available for the Major Goldsmith Fund Tennis Tournament on Saturday at Mariner Sands.
Registration begins at 11 a.m. and play starts at noon.
Frank Froehling, a Grand Slam finalist, will attend the tournament. The awards lunch will be at 3 p.m. followed by a pro exhibition at 4 p.m.
Cost is $65 per person.
The fund bears the name of Martin County resident Jim Goldsmith's father, Major, a World War II veteran and recipient of a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. Jim Goldsmith works in conjunction with the Veterans Council of Martin County and estimates that more than $50,000 has been donated and distributed to date. The goal Saturday is to raise $20,000.
For more information or to register, call Jim Goldsmith at 772-631-4034.
Racquet Club
Tesoro wild card event scheduled for Jan. 4-7
The Racquet Club at Tesoro, 199 S.E. Via Tesoro, Port St. Lucie, will be the site of a $25,000 United States Tennis Association Pro Circuit tournament Jan. 13-20, and a "Wild Card" Tournament will be Friday-Jan. 7.
The winner of the wild card event will receive an automatic entry into the main draw of the Jan. 13-20 tournament, and the other finalist will receive wild card into the qualifying.
Entry fees are $65 per player for W(Op)s, SE, Open and $43.50 per player for W(Op)d, SE, Open.
Deadline for entry is midnight Jan. 2.
For more information, call Tesoro tennis pro Winston Owen at 941-376-2190 or go to www.tesorochallenger.com.
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Jan 31, 2013 9:54AM ET
Rumormongering about an iPad Mini with Retina Display is sort of the perfect rumor for gadget blogs because one day between now and forever, when Apple inevitably releases said device, their predictions will come true.
Jan 30, 2013 6:15PM ET
In one of the most talked-about columns on social media today, The Week columnist Matt Lewis tries to explain how he got trapped in the "prison" of Twitter's apparent decline — even though he's really just trapped himself, by way of a really bad Twitter feed.
Jan 30, 2013 4:44PM ET
The social network's latest earnings report shows why a lot of good is never enough for Facebook, especially when it comes to making money off you and your cellphone.
Jan 30, 2013 3:04PM ET
After a strange unveiling of its new operating system, two phones, and a company rebranding, BlackBerry lifted the embargo on reviews of one of the new BlackBerry 10 smartphones, the $599 touchscreen Z10. Here's the early word.
Jan 30, 2013 1:02PM ET
Not that Research in Motion was ever very cool beyond the corporate crowd, but the company's rebranding, as simply BlackBerry, came with an outward appearance not of confidence so much as outright desperation.
Jan 30, 2013 10:00AM ET
The company formerly known as Research in Motion has unveiled its hail-mary BlackBerry 10 operating system, including two new phones — the Q10 and Z10.
Jan 30, 2013 9:42AM ET
Samsung has won the latest round of its neverending patent war with Apple — and at just the right moment in its cultural ascendance, giving the Korean gadget giant another notch on its "better-than-Apple" belt.
Jan 29, 2013 5:44PM ET
Amazon's earnings were filled with all sorts of misses, including a 45 percent decline in profits, and yet the stock is up around 10 percent in after-hours trading because of one good metric.
Jan 29, 2013 4:26PM ET
Silicon Valley blogger Sarah Lacy thinks the reincarnation of the Gawker gossip blog Valleywag shouldn't cover gossip because people in the tech start-up world like to keep their boring lives private, a hilarious statement since Silicon Valley has industrialized the public flaunting of people's boring private lives.
Jan 29, 2013 4:11PM ET
During his immigration speech on Tuesday afternoon President Barack Obama cited the Brazilian born Instagram co-creator Mike Krieger as an example of the potential jobs and money a non-American can bring to our country, a strange choice considering how teeny-tiny the photo-sharing app industry is.
Jan 29, 2013 12:43PM ET
Despite hiring a couple of linguists to get its new search engine to move "beyond 'Robospeak" and actually understand how people talk, Facebook hasn't actually taught Graph Search how to do that very well just yet. And that's a problem.
Jan 29, 2013 10:27AM ET
Just like Vine, pretty much any of the other "Instagram for video" platforms that have come out in the last couple of years have experienced an inundation of inappropriate content.
Jan 29, 2013 9:14AM ET
Despite the rise of the phablet and its friends, the battle of the very expensive tablets is very much upon us as Apple announced an $800, 128GB version of its iPad on Tuesday morning — less than two weeks before its enemies at Microsoft will launch a $900, 128GB tablet, the Surface Pro.
Jan 28, 2013 2:33PM ET
On the occasion of Data Privacy Day, Twitter says it's giving away user information requested by the U.S. government... without a warrant. It's the continuation of a frightening trend that's as frightening as it is growing.
Jan 28, 2013 11:50AM ET
Twitter was quick to defend itself Monday morning after a pornographic clip briefly made its way in front of all users on the Editor's Picks of its new app, but how much of a porn problem does Vine already have?
Jan 28, 2013 9:05AM ET
The first annual Objectify a Male Tech Writer Day has been canceled because of a number of "valid risks" with using a hashtag to prove a point about the way readers often objectify female tech writers.
Jan 25, 2013 5:41PM ET
Keith Rabois, the chief operating officer of Square who resigned from the payment company of the future with little public explanation late Thursday, has now revealed that he left amid allegations of sexual harassment.
Jan 25, 2013 4:39PM ET
Facebook has now clarified why it blocked Twitter's new video-sharing app Vine, suggesting on its developer blog Friday afternoon that Facebook didn't think much of Vine's integration — or lack thereof — with the social network
Jan 25, 2013 4:30PM ET
Even after a contentious fight this week to turn it around, CBS is still enforcing a made-up rule making CNET tip-toe around lawsuits and products that the media giant sees as a threat.
Jan 25, 2013 12:52PM ET
Apple's terrible, horrible, no good, historically bad day on the markets Thursday has spilled over into Friday, with Apple ceding back to Exxon Mobil the title of the most valuable company in the world.
Jan 25, 2013 11:49AM ET
Following its snobbish tradition of doing away with longstanding Internet-related terminology, the French government is replacing "hashtag" with "mot-diese" — to which we say... bravo!
Jan 25, 2013 11:17AM ET
Instead of the usual song and dance about how privacy is important to companies in the business of selling our data, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer gave a refreshingly honest take today at the World Economic Forum on how privacy actually works .
Jan 25, 2013 9:19AM ET
In a multi-layered, Foxconn-sprinkled update on its working conditions in Chinese factories, Apple has released a report that claims to have found no underage workers in "any of our final assembly suppliers." But Apple's supply chain goes much deeper.
Jan 24, 2013 5:34PM ET
Sales figures for its new tablet were perhaps the most conspicuously absent part of the software giant's on-target earnings report after the markets closed on Thursday. Here's why.
Jan 24, 2013 3:28PM ET
With its new video sharing app, Twitter has once again dictated the length of our online expression, allotting a maximum six seconds for its new embeddable clips. Is that such a good thing?
Jan 24, 2013 1:27PM ET
Facebook announced Thursday that CEO Mark Zuckerberg will host his first political fundraiser at his home for... New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Is the world's most famous young exec actually a conservative wolf in a Silicon Valley hoodie? Time for an investigation.
Jan 24, 2013 12:07PM ET
The latest great idea in saving big-old tech companies is to remind people of a better era.
Jan 24, 2013 10:23AM ET
Apple's tanking stock doesn't just mean a lot of lost money for Apple employees and tech traders, but the rest of us, too. It is very likely that either you or your 401k has some Apple shares.
Jan 23, 2013 5:17PM ET
Despite all the talk about waning demand for the iPhone, Apple broke another phone sales record, reporting 47.8 million iPhone sales last quarter, a full 10 million more phones than last year's holiday season.
Jan 23, 2013 4:57PM ET
For all those brogrammer naysayers, Silicon Valley has given us video proof that the sexist frat-boy programmer does exist, with this NSFW video advertisement from Runa Capital, a "technology-focused" venture capital firm,


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College student Daniel Chong was forgotten in a cell by DEA agents after being arrested in San Diego on April 21st at the scene of a narcotics bust. Chong remained handcuffed in the cell for four and a half days before he was discovered by agents, an act that Chong's lawyers are now calling "torture."
During the narcotics bust, nine suspects were brought in by DEA agents, but the rest of the suspects were either brought to jail or released on the same day. Agents told Chong that they would bring him home later that day, but they never returned to his 5 foot by 10 foot cell.
Chong was kept in confinement, sometimes in complete darkness, with no water and no food. The student was forced to drink his own urine to survive and almost went into kidney failure. While left in the holding cell, Chong said that he could hear agents talking and called out to them, but no one came to his cell. He spent 5 days in the hospital after being discovered by agents who then called an ambulance.
Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA office in San Diego William R. Sherman said of the incident, "I am deeply troubled by the incident that occurred here last week. I extend my deepest apologies to the young man and want to express that this event is not indicative of the high standards that I hold my employees to. I have personally ordered an extensive review of our policies and procedures."
Chong is now suing the federal government for $20 million. The claim against the US government says, "The deprivation of food and water for four and a half days while the person is handcuffed the entire time constitutes torture under both international and domestic law."
In response to the DEA agents' actions, San Diego NORML will be holding a protest on Monday, May 7th at 4:20 PM at the San Diego DEA office. The address of the office is 4560 Viewridge Avenue, San Diego, CA 92123. Go to the peaceful protest to show your condemnation of the DEA's actions. NORML invites you to bring a sign, banner, megaphone, or anything else that will help to publicize the message.


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Another ATM Question
Hello, I was wondering if anyone knows which is more common;
I have 2 bank cards, but I would only like to take 1 with me. One works with the common "Cirrus" network of banks, and the other one works with the "Plus" network. These are the symbols on the back of the card that let you know which banks accept which cards. We will be travelling to the UK, France and Italy. I have chip and pin in both, but for convenience of use, I am unsure of which network is the most common in these countries. I called both banks, and all I get from them is "most of Europe "should" work." Thank you.


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Juvenile angiofibroma
Juvenile angiofibroma is a noncancerous growth of the back of the nose or upper throat.
Alternative Names
Nasal tumor; Angiofibroma - juvenile; Benign nasal tumor; Juvenile nasal angiofibroma; JNA
Causes, incidence, and risk factors
Juvenile angiofibroma is not very common. It is usually found in adolescent boys. The tumor contains many blood vessels, spreads within the area in which it started (locally invasive), and can cause bone damage.
- Difficulty breathing through the nose
- Easy bruising
- Frequent or repeated nosebleeds
- Hearing loss
- Nasal discharge, usually bloody
- Prolonged bleeding
- Stuffy nose
Signs and tests
The doctor may see the angiofibroma when examining the upper throat.
Tests that may be done include:
- Arteriogram to see the blood supply to the growth
- CT scan of the head
- MRI scan of the head
- X-ray
Biopsy is generally not recommended due to the high risk of bleeding.
You will need treatment if the angiofibroma is growing larger, blocking the airways, or causing repeated nosebleeds. In some cases, no treatment is needed.
Surgery may be needed to remove the tumor. The tumor may be hard to remove if it is not enclosed and has spread to other areas. Newer surgery techniques that place a camera up through the nose have made tumor removal surgery less invasive.
A procedure called embolization may be done to prevent the tumor from bleeding. The procedure may correct the nosebleeds by itself, but it is usually followed by surgery to remove the tumor.
Expectations (prognosis)
Although not cancerous, angiofibromas may continue to grow. Some may disappear on their own.
It is common for the tumor to return after surgery.
- Anemia
- Pressure on the brain (rare)
- Spread of the tumor to the nose, sinuses, and other structures
Calling your health care provider
Call your health care provider if you often have nosebleeds.
There is no known way to prevent this condition.
Nicolai P, Castelnuovo P. Benign tumors of the sinonasal tract. In: Flint PW, Haughey BH, Lund LJ, et al, eds. Cummings Otolaryngology: Head & Neck Surgery. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2010:chap 49.
Haddad J Jr. Epistaxis. In: Kliegman RM, Behrman RE, Jenson HB, Stanton BF, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 19th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2011:chap 369.2.
Last reviewed 8/31/2011 by Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington, School of Medicine; Seth Schwartz, MD, MPH, Otolaryngologist, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, Washington. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
- The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition.
- A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.
- Call 911 for all medical emergencies.
- Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites.
©1997 - A.D.A.M., Inc.Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.


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Higher radioactivity level at Bulgarian plant: operators
Sofia (AFP) April 27, 2011
Engineers detected higher levels of radioactivity in the containment reactor at Bulgaria's Kozloduy nuclear plant, prompting a shutdown that prevented any leak, operators said Wednesday.
"A higher level" of the radioactive gas xenon (Xe 133) was found during maintenance work on Tuesday morning in the primary circuit of Reactor 5, which was then shut down, the operators said in a statement.
While staff on duty were exposed to higher levels of radioactivity, it still represented less than a tenth of the annual dose permitted by safety officers.
"No increase in radioactivity was found outside the containment reactor," the statement added.
The level subsided to normal by the end of the afternoon.
The episode came on the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster when Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that he had proposed a new convention on nuclear safety.
Kozloduy is Bulgaria's only nuclear plant, and it shut down four out of a total six reactors at the behest of the European Union in 2007 due to safety concerns.
The two 1,000-megawatt units that remain in operation at the 37-year-old plant are the most modern, built in 1987 and 1991, and brought up to date again a decade later.
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Minsk (AFP) April 26, 2011
Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko Tuesday denounced the head of the EU commission as an "ass" and rounded on Ukraine's president in apparent fury at arrangements for the Chernobyl anniversary. Lukashenko was notably absent from ceremonies at Chernobyl to mark the 25th anniversary of the nuclear disaster, even though his country was badly affected and his Ukrainian and Russian counterpar ... read more
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