The Chemistry department invites applicants for an assistant professor whose research requires the outdated and esoteric equipment we have sitting around in our labs.
Book fifty-one of 2019: The Trouble With Tribbles, by David Gerrold. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
A fun, breezy memoir about the creation of one of Star Trek’s most beloved episodes, this is an enjoyable peek into the creative process for television in the 1960s, and Star Trek in particular.
Book fifty of 2019: Conjure Wife, by Fritz Leiber. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1944 Retro Hugo Best Novel
I enjoyed this one more than I expected when I started it. There’s an entertaining story in here, you just have to deal with the very mid-40s gender stereotypes.
Today, on my dad’s birthday, I’ll be seeing the 40th anniversary theatrical screening of Star Trek: TMP. Two-year-old me sat on his lap watching TOS, exclaiming “speesh!” and pointing somewhere over my shoulder as the Enterprise whooshed across the screen…. 🖖
It: Chapter Two: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Not bad, but not nearly as strong as the first. Good character building and creepy scares became too much CGI and too many jump scares. In the end, the creepyness of part one becomes just another collection of loud noises and CG monsters in part two.
Book forty-nine of 2019: Star Trek: The Official Guide to the Animated Series, by Aaron Harvey and Rich Schepis. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
TAS finally gets its behind-the-scenes episode-by-episode review. Artwork, trivia, and memories from those involved make this a must for TAS fans. 🖖
Book forty-eight of 2019: How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems, by Randall Munroe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Smart people over-thinking things to the point of absurdity” has been many of my favorite conversations with friends, and this is that, in book form.
Book forty-seven of 2019: Starfleet Academy, by Diane Carey ⭐️⭐️⭐️
A quick and simple bit of fluff, based on an early CD-ROM game. As such, not exactly the most complex or demanding of novels, even among Trek books, but that’s about what I expected, so no disappointment.
Just returned from an Alaskan cruise. Enjoy this sequence of a humpback whale breaching in the distance. I sure enjoyed seeing it.
Book forty-six of 2019: Dead Wake, by Erik Larson. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Fascinating account of the sinking of the Lusitania, and the many factors that led to the tradgedy. Larson’s historical non-fiction work is great — perfect reading while taking a pleasure cruise vacation!
