I guess that I am one of those “elite eggheads” that Rush Limbaugh (college flunkout and several times divorced, in addition to being a self proclaimed drug addict), Sean Hannity (college dropout), Glenn Beck (college dropout and divorced, and a self proclaimed alcoholic), Bill O’Reilly (who has a BA and and MA and a settled case of sexual harassment), Greta van Susteren (with a law degree from Gerogetown, and returned to teach law there), and the mighty eye candy Gretchen Carlson, the Miss America whose nanny was not any other than the bizarre Michele Bachmann, now in Congress from the diverse state of Minnesota. By the way, Carlson has a degree in the liberal (socialist) field of Sociology.

So the radical right goes from the ignorant to the well educated.  I guess that I do not fit in well.

The Carbon Creek episode (the first episode filmed for the second season of the very underrated Enterprise) is close my heart because that is the year of my birth.  Please bear with me for an update to it.

For those of you who are not very familiar with the Star Trek fictional universe, you should make it so.  Gene Roddenberry was literally a visionary and has shaped our reality now.  The “flip” cellular telephone is a direct result of the original communicator from Star Trek (we aficionados call the first iteration TOS, shorthand for The Original Series).  Additionally, many of our most prominent scientists were influenced by the program.  Even Professor Stephen Hawking appeared, playing himself, in an episode of TNG (The Next Generation, in shorthand).

So, without further ado, let us see what Mestral has been up to since 1957, below the fold.

Things get expensive from time to time.  Right now, with the cold weather, heat is expensive.  At other times, being cool is expensive.

Please follow me over the fold to talk about cutting expenses starting now.  Most of them will not affect your comfort, but one the most important one just might.

Carbonated water is incredibly common, and, in one form or another, just about everyone drinks it.  Sometimes it is enjoyed alone, but often it is mixed with flavoring ingredients.  Just about all soft drinks are flavored carbonated water, and in a sense beer, ale, champagne, and spumati are as well, except the traditional carbonation method for the alcoholic drinks is different from that of carbonated water.

Carbonated water with no other ingredients is usually called seltzer in the United States, whilst carbonated water with some added minerals is usually referred to as club soda.  Please join me in looking at the history of this material and its unlikely contribution to modern chemistry.

Carbonated water is incredibly common, and, in one form or another, just about everyone drinks it.  Sometimes it is enjoyed alone, but often it is mixed with flavoring ingredients.  Just about all soft drinks are flavored carbonated water, and in a sense beer, ale, champagne, and spumati are as well, except the traditional carbonation method for the alcoholic drinks is different from that of carbonated water.

Carbonated water with no other ingredients is usually called seltzer in the United States, whilst carbonated water with some added minerals is usually referred to as club soda.  Please join me in looking at the history of this material and its unlikely contribution to modern chemistry.

“Captain, tomorrow you will get your ship.  She is the best in the fleet.  Cruising at Warp 7, you will have the best of the best that we have.”  Admiral Archer told Smith.

“Sir, thank you for the confidence.  I will try to make us proud.”

“Don’t be late for the ceremony.  Have you chosen your crew yet?”

It is still cold here in the Bluegrass, as it is in much of the country.  The last time that it was freezing or above was at 02:00 on New Year’s Morning.  My thermometer right now reads 17.4 degrees F, and it made it up to nearly 30 when the sun came out for a little while this afternoon.  There is still snow all over the ground, but the road crews have done a good job with the roads, although two people were killed on the highway off of which I live when it fist started, one only about two miles from me.  Drive carefully, please.

Someone asked me the other day why static electricity is so noticeable in winter and not so much so in the summer.  I thought this would make a good topic for Pique the Geek, but to understand that it is important to understand what static electricity is in the first place.  Please follow for fun and information.

Wow, what a sendoff for Tennent!  He saved the universe from The Master, and also booted the Time Lords from existence, since they would have done anything to continue to exist.  This new series, like the new Star Trek, is a reboot.

I prefer the original timelines, but I also understand that to keep viewers, the story much change to be current.  But it does not mean that the original timeline has to chance.  Please keep with me to agree that I, Translator, should be the next Doctor in the series.

Hello, all!  Sorry not to post at the regular time last night, but I was enjoying my final hours with the family this trip and did not intend to disturb them by blogging.  Please forgive me, but they are extremely important to me.  I am sure that you will understand.

Part of our activities last evening was to watch the new Star Trek motion picture.  It recently came out on DVD, and the former Mrs. Translator and the two boys remaining at home rented it for us to watch.  It was nice to be able to pause it and hit the good Christmas leftovers from time to time as well.