A Quick though on the Current Election

(Originally written as response on Facebook.)

It was a new low when we, out of wide field of candidates, put these two forward as the prime presidential candidates. a moron and a liar. We have no one to blame but out selves, We can either look at what the third parties have to offer, demand that this election be reset, or chose the "lesser of two evils." Do not fool yourselves, both are just as bad, they are both reckless, and while Trump's as only been through his words, Clinton has outright violated the trust of the American people with here actions, as Secretary of State and with her foundation. If only the media would be so bold as to treat both candidates on the same level rather than give favors to one or or the other, or push others aside because they deem them nonviable. We should all be ashamed for what has happened in this election, but I also hope that it gives us a good lesson when we only look at the surface in these elections.

Star Trek Beyond: A Review

Despite my reservations about it, Star Trek Beyond was not the joke of a Star Trek film I thought it would be. Obviously there more than a number of canonical flaws, this being a reboot series set in an alternate timeline that seems to have every little concern for what came before it, other than the memes. However, I will over look those flaws for something I have wanted out this new series since the very beginning, that it be Star Trek and not Star Wars.

So what was good and what was bad? Lets look at the bad first:

The Bad

• The worst part of this film was the villain, "Krall". A former "Starfleet Officer" for the 2160s (Star Trek: Enterprise era). His ship and crew crash landed on a planet populated by worker robots from a civilization that had abandoned them long ago. Heavily mutated by the ancient technology that allowed them to extend life, he planned his revenge on the "Federation" for "abandoning" him there. basically he is disgruntled officer who decided to shoot up his old office. Also his philosophy made no sense, then again he's basically a raving mad man.

The Good

• The best thing about this film was, instead of shooting their way out, the crew used their skills and resourcefulness to not only escape the planet after "Krall" attacked the Enterprise, but also to prevent his plan of revenge from coming to fruition. It was refreshing to have bar raised and appeal to what Star Trek fans have been asking for.
• Credit must also be given to the handling of "Dr. McCoy" and "Spock" by the actors and writers. The banter between the two of them was superb. Their silent respect for one another and constant back another arguing was beautifully reminiscent of the original show. All the actors portrayed their parts superbly, even "Kirk" was more like his character than memes about him.

Conclusion

This is not a perfect Star Trek, most of the films aren't, but this one lightyears ahead of it's predecessor. Star Trek from it's inception was meant to be a TV show, it's episodic nature and character development don't a good source from which films can be made, unless your willing to make a lot of them. Star Trek Beyond is a step in the right direction, solving problems intelligently with rich and interesting characters. If they can continue on this line, then there is hope for the future of the franchise.

A Quick Thought: Star Trek Beyond

The controversy surrounding the new Star Trek film deals with character of Sulu being portrayed as  a gay man. According to the film thos is to bring LGBT representation into the film and is the fist LGBT character in Star Trek. However, George Takie, who played Sulu in the orgininal series, disagrees with this, saying that it is unfortunate and doesn't fit with Rodenberry's vision.

As a long time fan of of the series, I must agree with Mr. Takie, infact I would consider extremely lazy writing. Star Trek has never shied away from portraying controversial issues, in fact on "The Next Generation" and "Deep Space Nine", LGBT issues were looked in at least two episodes. This is just a shoehorn for the sake of political correctness, rather then taking on the social issue in a creative way.

In Gene Rodenberry's vision, someone being gay would be a nonissue. People of the 23ird and 24th centuries wouldn't have cared, just like Picard's bald head.I understand the creative license of an alternate universe, however the events that created it would not have changed everything, you are still bound by certain rules.

An Uncomfortable Discussion

Regardless of the venue if they are going to display a history of the United Sates, then you show the good and the bad. So are we just going to white wash our history now?  If the stain-glass windows of the Washington National Cathedral depict the history of the United States, then they should remain, the good and the bad. The moment we start picking and choosing what part of our history to display, we lose where we came from, we lose ourselves.

 What the south tried to defend is a more complex question that one of good vs. evil. Yes, slavery was a major factor, but so was the question of states rights; which was major reason for them seceding from the Union. Plus the removal of slavery would have greatly affected their agrarian economy in a negative way. Not to defend the south, but the Civil War is far more complex war than people make it out to be, a major transitional point in the nation affect the very soul of the country.

History should be taught in a pure way, not altered to fit a political agenda. If we don't know our past, then how are we supposed to prevent the mistakes of the past from repeating themselves? American history has it's good parts and it's bad parts, and the Civil War was one of it's darker chapters. It is where the issues from the founding of this nation came to a head, and unfortunately resolved with war, but we emerged as a stronger nation.

Unfortunately racism and prejudice are still prominent in our culture today. Removing a few flags and stain-glass windows will do nothing to end it. It will only help to create more divisiveness amongst Americans. We need to face the uncomfortable discussions of our time or else we may face another unfortunate breaking point again.

Links:

https://cathedral.org/lee-jackson-windows-task-force/

Not an Easy Choice

The news over the last few days has said that Hilary Clinton will be the Democratic nominee. Many people are dishartened by this, a man of the people defeated by the system. Even though I tend not to vote that way, I could see the quality of someone like Sanders, especially on the world stage.

Hilary is decitful and a liar, she helped distablize nations and create civil war. The people of Libya have nothing to thank her for. The global situation will only get worse under her administration, and more murderus groups will come to power. I don't know what it will be like under Trump, but it can't get any worse.

I can not tell you who to vote for, I haven't even come to a decision sice Rand Paul dropped out. I want a President who will uphold the Constitution and not involve us in pointless conflict. Could that be Trump? I couldn't tell you. In the end I may end up voting for Gary Johnson. All I can say is don't give into hate, keep an open mind, and look objectively. It's hard and frustrating, but its  the right thing to do.

Dear Boston Globe

Dear Boston Globe, 

your job is to report the news or provide commentary. This is neither, this show your biased political agenda. This why the US news media should be second, to China and North Korea, in how horrible they are at reporting anything resembling news. Let people decided rather than telling them. Provide them with facts and intelligent facts rather than let your morons go wild with their biased political reactionary agenda. Plus, have you looked at Ted Cruz or Hilary Clinton, a religious zealot and a Neocon. They are going to keeping us at the status quo or make things worse. Trump is no perfect candidate, but all the good ones are are gone because people listen to the American media, and the media ignores who they think won't make a sensational candidate, and now look at what we have. Either report the news or shut your doors for good.

An annoyed American Citizen

Source:

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/04/10/473709316/boston-globe-runs-fake-front-page-detailing-a-donald-trump-world?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20160410

XBox One: A Review

I've tried to write this review a number of times, so I'm going to be blunt about it, I really don't care for the Xbox One (xbone). Most these reasons are entirely personal, central to that being I had built a gaming PC (& Hackintosh) prior to purchasing it. That, and the taint from the DRM incident (linked below).  In all honesty, it's not a terrible system, this is no "Nintendo Virtual Boy", nor is it like the "Playstation 2" and all it's glory. It does do what it was designed to do with little to no issues, though I do have a few.

For one, that is installation of games on a console. Now, I understand that games are much bigger than they used to be and the graphics are tip toeing the edge of the uncanny valley, but game consoles are supposed to be about ease of use, not waiting for a game you just bought to install. I except that this is a fact with digital copies, but not with games on a disks. At that rate, I might as well just use my gaming PC because of better graphics and more options, such as mods. It's basically a more affordable gaming PC that will be outclassed by something better in the next few years.

Basically, my complaints are just small points from my own perspective, my own pet peeves. I don't like that it the campaign for this machine was based around "TV", if I want that, I'll buy a cheaper Apple TV or a Roku. As well as the lack of front facing ports and non upgradeable storage like it's predecessor (though can hook a hard drive into it). Most games now work cross platform, consoles are now just for exclusives, cost, and convince. That, and there is a lot of social media and gaming community stuff that I wish I could just uninstall, I could care less about MLG and "twitch" (unless they are showing a marathon of Bob Ross).

I won't adamantly, not recommend that you not buy this machine, but if you ask me I'll recommend that you look else where. However, the controller is solid, the interface is good, and console looks nice. The only reason I purchased one in the first place was to play with friends, rarely much for anything else. If you want a "Halo" machine, then get one, you got games to play and plenty of multiplayer or shout obscenities at. The only part of this system that I would praise is the controller, it's better then the "360" version, just buy it for your PC.

There you have it, my thoughts on the Xbone. Not a terrible system, but buy a Playstion 4 or a gaming PC, better investment.

Thanks for reading!