Episode Log: Asteroid Mining

Listen to Episode 110: Asteroid Mining

Suffering from a double dose of Vitamin K deficiency this week, with the mysterious absences of the bodacious Bajoran and the charismatic Kanadian, the Admiral did the only thing there is to do in such an instance…he called on the double-K power of the one and only…UNKK!!TM

What with all the recent space happenings, including the shuttle shuffle along the East Coast and the announcement of the group Planetary Resources (yes, that group) to partake in some good old-fashioned asteroid mining, there’s lots to chat about with our favorite NASA denizen! So pop some Tang, crunch up some astronaut ice cream over your real ice cream, and settle back for some space banter guaranteed to edify you in a celestial way!

Random space nerd humor…

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by starbase66 on May 8, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by starbase66 on May 8, 2012

http://starbase66.com/2012/05/08/episode-log-asteroid-mining/

Final Flight

Special thank you to the Starbase’s NASA correspondent UNKK!!TM for sending us these gorgeous shots of the Shuttle Discovery’s recent relocation from Kennedy Space Center to her new home at the Smithsonian’s Udvar-Hazy Annex of the Air and Space Museum!

Welcome home, Discovery!

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by starbase66 on May 4, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by starbase66 on May 4, 2012

http://starbase66.com/2012/05/04/final-flight/

A Small Sample of Suzie

For those who are interested in learning more about Suzie Plakson’s work, The Return of King Lillian, here is a special snippet of the audio book for your enjoyment. Take a listen and, if you can help out with a donation, that would be fantastic! If not, please help by spreading the word!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/517829065/the-return-of-king-lillian

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by starbase66 on April 27, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by starbase66 on April 27, 2012

http://starbase66.com/2012/04/27/a-small-sample-of-suzie/

Episode Log: The Return of Suzie Plakson

Listen to Episode 109a: Suzie Needs You!

Never let it be said that the Starbase crew does anything halfheartedly (well, except for those anger management retreats the Bajoran keeps going through…the redshirt turnaround is proof positive that someone isn’t putting much effort into listening).

Regardless, when we feel passionately about something, we go for the full-body plunge. No toe dipping here, faithful listeners! That’s why we were thrilled to be joined once again by the always delightful Suzie Plakson for her third visit to the Starbase (third time’s a charm, but she’s a joy every time!). Listen in as Suzie shares with us a bit of the back story behind her latest creative endeavor, The Return of King Lillian.

Described by Suzie as “an allegorical story for non-conformists of all ages,” The Return of King Lillian is a labor of love that Suzie has finally captured in proper form for telling. Now she needs our help to raise the funds to bring Lillian home.

Using Kickstarter, the world’s largest funding platform for creative projects, Suzie recently launched The Return of King Lillian fiction project. The goal of this project is to raise $7,500 to fund the creation of the eBook, the audio book (which will be recorded by Suzie), and an accompanying Web site.

The deadline for this Kickstarter project is May 10, 2012. Suzie’s almost halfway there now, but she needs our help to cross the finish line!

Every contribution helps, whether it’s a monetary donation, the sharing of this project with other Suzie fans, or even just well wishes sent Suzie’s way, either through her official Facebook page or her Web site. If she doesn’t reach her goal, however, please note that no funds will be deducted from your credit card. Kickstarter is an “all or nothing” kinda site.

So, do what you can, keep your fingers crossed, and we’ll keep you posted about Suzie’s progress!

Q’apla!

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by starbase66 on April 18, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by starbase66 on April 18, 2012

http://starbase66.com/2012/04/18/episode-log-the-return-of-suzie-plakson/

The Return of King Lillian

This is what happens when the Admiral leaves the keys to the blog in the hands of that tricksy Bajoran…

So rumor has it that our favorite charismatic Klingon, that vixenish Vulcan, the Quintessential Queen Q, and the most audacious Andorian to ever grace the promenade of our humble Starbase has written a book! And she’d like your help to share it with you!

That’s right, Suzie Plakson has recently announced that she’s completed work on The Return of King Lillian, “a newfangled narrative with an old-fashioned feel. An allegorical tale for non-conformists of all ages.” In line with the modern multimedia experience, she’d like to release this as both an e-Book and as an audiobook performed…by her!

To help make it so (sorry, it needed to be said), Suzie has launched a Kickstarter page, to help her raise the funding for this fabulous project. Head on over to her project page, let her tell you more about the project, and then, if you can, help her reach her target funding goal! And if you can’t help with a donation, make sure to pass along the news to all your other groovy genre fan friends!

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by starbase66 on April 10, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by starbase66 on April 10, 2012

http://starbase66.com/2012/04/10/the-return-of-king-lillian/

Episode Log: The Borg

Listen to Episode 109: The Borg.

We’ve been telling you this all along, listeners: Resistance is futile.

Know what else is futile? Herding cats…and trying to keep the crew of the Starbase away from the great Tangent Trail. Be kind listeners: It’s the first time the whole crew’s been together in Ops since episode 99! Listen as they bounce along from topics that range from remembering the artistic greatness of Ralph McQuarrie, Jake Lloyd comes out for AnnieAnti-Bullying measures, the Admiral nears aneurysm levels over Lucas’s Greedo sacrilege, Superman Vs. Hulk…

Okay, let’s pause a moment for Superman Vs. Hulk, shall we?

Okay. Back on track!

Kennedy keeps confusing franchises, Ro raves about her recent UNKK!!TM Experience, and the Admiral decides that the crew should rendezvous at Kennedy Space Center for the 2013 unveiling of Atlantis’s new home. Meanwhile, Ro is nearing total apoplexy over the imminent arrival of Discovery to the Udvar-Hazy, Kennedy is angry that Disney is bringing down another of his favorite book franchises while the Bajoran doesn’t understand why he’s getting so worked up over a character from ER.

Finally, it’s time to alert Starfleet Command: We have engaged the Borg. But we enter into the ongoing struggle against these cybernetic foes with backup from Jason, host of Atomic Trivia War 9000 and co-host of Simply Syndicated’s newest podcast, Remastered.

Listen as we divulge classified information on the origin of the species, famous conflicts, infamous alterations, favorites, flubs, one crew member’s worrisome knowledge of Hugh Borg’s life after his Descent, queens of all kinds, and…well, as all conversation about the Borg are destined to do, gushing over our favorite Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero One.

Futile, indeed.

So secure the docking bay doors, charge up the weapons, and take your stations. We’re going after the Big Bads of the Delta Quadrant in full force, listeners! But while we wait for them to recharge their batteries and search for a stronger wi-fi signal, enjoy this educational video on the Pwnage of the Son of Mogh. Q’apla!

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by starbase66 on March 29, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by starbase66 on March 29, 2012

http://starbase66.com/2012/03/29/episode-log-the-borg/

Episode Log: Artificial Intelligence

Listen to Episode 108: Artificial Intelligence.

While Ro tries to convince HAL to open the pod doors before her rum stash drops to critical levels, the Admiral and Kennedy sit down at Ops for a look at one of sci-fi’s most pervasive tropes: the uprising of artificial intelligence.

First, they chat a bit about Benedict Cummerbund Cumberbatch and speculation as to who he might be in the new Trek movie, how IDW Publishing is retelling TOS episodes within the realm of the new Trek universe, the Admiral blows a bit of a fuse over the term “Vulcan death grip” as well as the return of one of his least favorite weaponry EVAR, Star Trek – Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Special Edition, more talk about Wild, Wild West the show, the movie, and its little known sequel starring Salma Hayek, Crack Attack 2: Dairy Air Boogaloo, DS9 versus Degrassi, Kate Beckinsale in vinyl (we defer to the Nerd Hurdlers on this topic), discussion of a question from listener Josh (@king_follower on Twitter) that somehow conjures an image of Emo George Lucas, and talk about some of this summer’s expected comic book blockbusters.

Then it’s time to boot up the discourse module for some in-depth analysis of a question posed to the Starbase crew by our Quito Outpost Technician, Agustin Chancusi: Do we think that there will ever come a point when artificial intelligence will reach levels of sentience similar to what we see in our favorite sci-fi movies, shows, and books? Will toasters one day become seductive Cylons with glowing spines? Will we all have a shot at owning our own Data? Should women named Sarah Connor start changing their names now? Listen in as the Admiral and Kennedy reveal their thoughts on the future AI uprising and what it could mean for humanity…as well as what it could mean for the future of politics:

Seriously, I think this sounds like a better ticket than any we’ve seen in a very long time. WRITE-IN VOTE!!

Oh, and if you’re not familiar with the Sound Blaster Acting Intelligent Text to Speech Operator, take a peak here. Yes, this was Dr. SBAITSO. Yes, he seems quaint now. Back in the day? You told him whatever you wanted. He just had a way with you…

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by starbase66 on March 22, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by starbase66 on March 22, 2012

http://starbase66.com/2012/03/22/episode-log-artificial-intelligence/

The Admiral’s Table: Doctor Who, Part Deux

Listen to the Admiral’s Table: Doctor Who, Part 2.

Time to pack up the TARDIS and spin off from the Starbase for another roundtable romp with the Doctor and his companions!

The Admiral welcomes to this discussion of the second half of Doctor Who‘s sixth season Listener ExtraordinaireTM Emma Lou, Shane (half of the dynamic duo responsible for The Greatest Events in Sporting History podcast), James (he’s better than the “Dread Pirate Roberts”…he’s the “Scandalously Salacious Captain Morgan“), and Greg, our Inappropriate Conversationalist.

Once again, dear listeners, we must set you upon this sea of discourse without the saving buoy of show notes. The Bajoran unfortunately discovered early in her attempted travels with the eleventh Doctor that she hates fish fingers and custard and is at the moment loathe to imagine anything cool about kooky head wear of any variety. All parties involved thought it best to temporarily remove her from the Whoniverse before there was an unfortunate bow tie-related strangulation case to investigate. Starbase Security already has its hands full with all those mysterious spacings…

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by starbase66 on February 28, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by starbase66 on February 28, 2012

http://starbase66.com/2012/02/28/the-admirals-table-doctor-who-part-deux/

Episode Log: Immortality

Listen to Episode 107: Immortality

Immortality: A toy which people cry for,
And on their knees apply for,
Dispute, contend and lie for,
And if allowed
Would be right proud
Eternally to die for.
—Ambrose Bierce

Do you have inside you blood of kings? Can no man be your equal? Are you a god? (Remember, Ray, say yes!) Or have your lips recently turned blue and you find yourself with an overwhelming need to petulantly harass a balding Englishman with a French name?

Then this week’s episode is for you!

From vampires to Cylons to Q to work currently being undertaken by groups like the Immortality Institute “to conquer the blight of involuntary death,” the Admiral and Ro discuss the concepts, reality, genre representations, and general pursuit of eternal life. Who wants it? Who thinks there’s no room for it? Who’s ready with a bowl and spoon for their first heaping helping of Soylent Green? Tune in to find out!

If you are lining up for your first crack at a positronic upload or a sip of Lisle Von Rhuman’s eternal elixir, here are some tasty nuggets of geekery to fill all that time you’ll find yourself possessing:

The first look at The Amazing Spider-Man!

Ridley Scott’s return to the sci-fi horror genre!

That Superb Owl commercial that features all those Marvel comics dudes who got their own individual movie (or two…shout it out if you’re green and loud or a genius billionaire playboy philanthropist!)…plus that Black guy with the eye patch and the chick in the pleather onesie!

And, settle in for the long haul with this one, kiddies!

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by starbase66 on February 16, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by starbase66 on February 16, 2012

http://starbase66.com/2012/02/16/episode-log-immortality/

Episode Log: Let’s Talk Tolkien!

Listen to Episode 106: Let’s Talk Tolkien!

He’s not Canadian, but his name starts with a “K,” and his prowess as a sensei of the Ring Trilogy and Beyond makes the Admiral’s friend Keith a favorite returning guest here at the Starbase! Join us as we talk all things Tolkien with Keith, learning along the way what he thinks makes Tolkien such an enduring contributor to the fantasy genre, his thoughts on Peter Jackson’s cinematic interpretation of the trilogy, what he hopes for and expects from the upcoming Hobbitses movie, and other shocking revelations (including one about Xander Harris that knocks the resident Bajoran so off her game that she’s just now getting to this episode’s show notes)!

Humblest apologies for just now getting to this entry, listeners. In light of our (read: The Prodigal Bajoran’s) lateness, here are some fun “accessories” to go along with your listening experience:

  • The Little Pod of Horrors will be re-launching soon! Two out of three Starbase officers adore the horror genre, so while the third is hiding in his quarters, we’re looking forward to joining Gordon and Boz in their weekly dish on all things dark and diabolical!
  • The Trek game whose name eluded Ro for the duration of this episode was Star Trek: The Next Generation–A Final Unity. Tedious battle scenes aside, the Bajoran remembers this being a fairly entertaining game, and it was obviously a major studio investment…voiced by the original TNG cast and packed with what was the best of the best in CGI for a 1995 release. We’re not sure how well the story or game play would hold up 17 years later, but we do remember a great deal of antici…pation at the Bajoran outpost for the release of more TNG.
  • Finally, enjoy this lovely photo of Dame Helen Mirren. We spoke fondly of her in this latest episode, and since she and others have voiced a serious interest in her donning the title of The Doctor whenever Fez Boy finally moves along home, we feel her presence here at the Starbase is more than appropriate.

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by starbase66 on February 6, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by starbase66 on February 6, 2012

http://starbase66.com/2012/02/06/episode-log-lets-talk-tolkien/

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