A Closer Look at The SS Intrepid *Star Trek Starships Collection*
Month: October 2016
Me, Robot
Congrats — you’ve been handed a robot whose sole job is to relieve you of one chore, job, or responsibility you particularly hate. What is it?
Aha, finally my dream is coming true. So you give me a robot, an android. Ok, let’s make it that the robot is designed to look, sound and behave a lot like me so that everyone is fooled into thinking that he is in fact me, a human. He has my mannerisms, my voice and my walk. Everyone thinks that he is human and everyone who knows me think he is me. Infact only if you take a medical or if you cut him will you know that he is infact a robot.
So I would make him go to work for me. He would have all my skills and knowledge plus would not get tired and sleepy so he would do a great job. He would leave on time and get to the office on time and do the work, attend meetings and interact with people. But he won’t get tired or stressed out or upset and do everything I need him to do for me.
Meanwhile I will sleep in late, watch a bunch of movies and tv shows, go out and enjoy some good food or go with friends or go to the movies. Enjoy life. Because the money will still flow into my bank account. Robot does not need it. When he comes back home, I will switch him off and he need to be activated only when I need him to go out again. Cool life to live!
Prompt from The Daily Post at WordPress.com
Arsenal 6 Ludogorets 0
Mesut Ozil scored a hat-trick after stunning goals from Alexis Sanchez and Theo Walcott as Arsenal dismantled Ludogorets Razgrad in a ruthless Champions League display. Sanchez got the first with a masterful chip from just inside the box. Walcott powered a curling shot home after Ludogorets’ Wanderson hit a post. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain smashed a loose ball into the corner for the third, before Ozil claimed the first hat-trick of his career. The Gunners have won seven games in a row in all competitions – scoring 23 goals – and are unbeaten in 11 matches. Their last defeat was at home to Liverpool on the opening day of the Premier League season.
Victory over Bulgarian champions Ludogorets means Arsenal top Group A ahead of Paris St-Germain, who beat Basel 3-0, on goal difference. As Sanchez’s drifting lob settled in the Ludogorets net, gleeful manager Arsene Wenger leapt from the bench in celebration. It was just the beginning. The Frenchman’s side were so dominant and full of confidence they perhaps should even have won by a greater margin. Oxlade-Chamberlain certainly might have provided a better finish to Sanchez’s beautifully disguised chipped through pass – the Chilean’s second moment of genius on a night his hard running and quick mind came to the fore. But the player who most obviously embodies Arsenal’s new dynamic mood is Walcott. He impressively put two earlier missed chances out of mind when doubling the lead with a powerful strike that signalled the away side’s slide towards heavy defeat. It was the 27-year-old’s seventh goal in his past six Arsenal games, having scored the same amount in his previous 42.
For 60 minutes, Walcott and Sanchez terrified the opposition backline with their pace, and he went off to huge round of applause when he was replaced by Lucas Perez. There were big smiles as he took up a seat on the bench – from both Walcott and Wenger. In each of the past six seasons, Arsenal have fallen at the first knockout stage, the last 16. In all but one of those seasons, they finished second in their group. With Swiss club Basel and Ludogorets six points adrift with three matches to play, Group A will surely be won by Arsenal or French champions PSG. The Gunners began their Champions League campaign with a battling point in Paris, and the two teams meet in north London on 23 November.
Walcott has scored three Champions League goals this season, already his best return in a campaign. Ozil’s assist for Walcott’s goal was his first in 10 games in all competitions for Arsenal this season. This game was the first time since October 2000 two English players scored in a Champions League match for Arsenal (after Ray Parlour and Lee Dixon v Sparta Prague). The Gunners are unbeaten in their first three Champions League group games for the first time since 2011-12. Arsenal scored six goals in a Champions League game for the first time since September 2010 (6-0 v Braga).
Unboxing The SS Intrepid *Star Trek Starships Collection*
Here is one ship which I almost didn’t remember despite watching Enterprise 3 times. It’s one of those things that skips your mind unless you are looking for it or if your imagination is captured by it. Yet, now this design and class of ship is a big favourite. It’s also a ship that seems to complement the hero ship of that series, the NX-01 Enterprise or the NX class. The SS Intrepid, also known as UES (United Earth Starfleet) Intrepid, was an Intrepid-class United Earth Starfleet light cruiser starship in service during the mid-22nd century, under the command of Captain Carlos Ramirez.
The Intrepid, first ship of its class, entered service around the year 2153. (ENT – Rise of the Federation novel: A Choice of Futures) In April 2153, the Intrepid and two other starships came to the rescue of the Enterprise (NX-01) when it was attacked by a Klingon Bird-of-Prey as it entered the Sol system. (ENT episode & novelization: The Expanse) In 2154, the Intrepid was part of a fleet of starships that welcomed back the Enterprise to Earth following its successful mission in the Delphic Expanse.
In 2156, the Intrepid was part of a war game in which a shuttlepod from the Enterprise penetrated the warp detection grid in the Sol system, displaying the weakness which had been exploited by the Romulans in other systems. The Intrepid was also part of the United Earth Starfleet armada that retook Berengaria VII from the Romulan Star Empire on April 2. (ENT – The Romulan War novel: Beneath the Raptor’s Wing) In October that year, Captain Bryce Shumar was in command of the Intrepid. The Intrepid helped taking the half-finished hulks from the Utopia Planitia shipyard to a hiding place. On October 10, Admiral Mindar led ten Romulan warbirds into the Battle of Sol. The Intrepid hemmed in several ships behind Mars. A total of six Romulan ships were destroyed, the remainder retreating. The Intrepid suffered major damage and returned to Earth on impulse power. Starfleet Command had recalled Crewman Terry Stiles, the Intrepid’s chef, because he was the last surviving member of the Stiles family in service. Unfortunately, Crewman Stiles died in the battle before the order could be carried out.
In 2159, the Intrepid along with Enterprise and Republic escorted a supply convoy in the Vorkado system where they were attacked by a Romulan ship. In the ensuing battle the Intrepid and the Republic suffered severe damage. Among the few casualties was Captain Ramirez. (ENT – The Romulan War novel: To Brave the Storm) By 2161, the Intrepid had been succeeded in name by the Intrepid (NX-07). (TNG novel: Indistinguishable from Magic)
In an alternate timeline where Earth was successfully destroyed by the Xindi’s superweapon, the Intrepid was one of the few Starfleet vessels to survive the attack and subsequent Xindi attempts to wipe out the rest of Humanity. Along with the Enterprise and one other Starfleet ship the Intrepid escorted the last surviving six-thousand Humans to the Ceti Alpha system and patrolled the system once a colony had been established on Ceti Alpha V. In 2165, Captain Malcolm Reed was due to replace Ramirez as commander of the Intrepid, but was killed while aboard Enterprise when the Xindi attacked. The Intrepid was also involved in the battle, and was severely damaged, with its port nacelle severed. (ENT episode: “Twilight”)
If you look at the ship it;s like a cutaway of the NX class, which in a way makes the Intrepid class the Nebula class of this era. Awesome looking design and it’s a good model. Hope you like the pics and enjoy the unboxing of the SS Intrepid.
The Berlin Book Forest
Happiness Radar
Are you a good judge of other people’s happiness? Tell us about a time you were spot on despite external hints to the contrary (or, alternatively, about a time you were dead wrong).
I would think so. I can notice slight changes in mood for most people and know when it’s a good day or a bad day. It’s in the small things that they say or do. Or it can be in their facial expressions, especially if you are like me and have your emotions or heart on your sleeve.
I don’t think anyone can hide most of their emotions all the time and it is really unhealthy to hold things back and keep things bottled up and hide it. Because one fine day things will leak out or even explode and then it’s not a good things to be around at all. It’s not healthy and it’s not human.
I’d like to think that I can gauge when people are really happy and even want to share in that happiness. Because it is infectious and can even change someone else’s day when you share it. The little things, the big things anything really. Share it!
Prompt from The Daily Post at WordPress.com
Food Review #121
Death By Chocolate @ Couchyn – a chocolate milkshake with lots of chocolate syrup.
Inferno
Inferno is a 2016 American mystery thriller film directed by Ron Howard and written by David Koepp, based on the 2013 novel of the same name by Dan Brown. The film is the sequel to The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons, and stars Tom Hanks, reprising his role as Robert Langdon, alongside Felicity Jones, Omar Sy, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Ben Foster and Irrfan Khan.
The movie starts off with billionaire geneticist Bertrand Zobrist,who believes that the world is overpopulated and that rigorous measures are necessary to reduce the population, being chased to a tower and who commits suicide rather than being caught from the group of men chasing him. Robert Langdon, awakens in a hospital room in Florence, Italia, with no memory of what has transpired over the last few days, but being plagued with visions of Hell. Dr. Sienna Brooks, one of the doctors tending to him, tells him that he is suffering from amnesia as a result of a bullet wound to his head. All of a sudden, Vayentha, a female assassin, shows up in the hospital. Sienna helps Langdon to escape, and they flee to her apartment. In his possession Langdon finds a Faraday Pointer with a modified version of Botticelli’s Map of Hell, which itself is based on Dante’s Inferno. Langdon & Sienna make out that Zobrist created a a virus with the potential of decimating the world’s population. Both the assassin and local law enforcement reach the apartment so the two escape via a different exit. Langdon’s knowledge of Dante’s work, history, and hidden passages in Florence allows the two to follow clues such as letters and phrases which lead to various locations in Florence and Venice, while evading the assassin and the authorities.
The assassin Zayenta works for a mysterious security company led by Harry Sims (Khan, what a ridiculous name your character has) who are acting on behalf of their client Bertrand Zobrist, who has provided Sims with a video message about the virus, to be broadcast after the virus has been released. The armed authorities turn out to be the World Health Organization (WHO), headed by Elizabeth Sinskey, trying to prevent the release of the virus. Shocked by the video, Sims allies with Sinskey. However, Langdon and Sienna are contacted by Bouchard, a man purporting to be working for the WHO, warning them that Sinskey has a double agenda and is after the virus for her own profit. The three cooperate for a while, until Langdon realizes that Bouchard’s story is a lie and that it is Bouchard who is after his own profit. Again, Sienna and Langdon flee. Langdon figures out that the virus is in the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. With that knowledge, Sienna abandons Langdon, after revealing that she is the lover of the late Zobrist and that she will ensure the release of the virus. Zobrist and Sienna used to play treasure hunt games; this treasure hunt was the backup plan in case something would happen to Zobrist. Langdon now joins Sims and Sinskey.
We learn that Sinskey and Landgon were romantic interests but their jobs in different parts of the world have kept them apart. It was she who asked Langdon for help in interpreting the imagery from the Faraday pointer. Langdon was then kidnapped by Sims’ men and drugged with benzodiazepine to induce a memory loss; the events in the hospital were all staged. The virus is in a plastic bag hidden under water in the Basilica Cistern in Istanbul. The WHO team with Langdon, Sims, and Sinskey race to locate and secure the bag while Sienna with two Turkish allies attempts to detonate an explosive that will rupture the bag and aerosolize the virus. The bag is secured just in time, while Sims, Sienna, and the two Turkish men are killed. The movie ends with Sinsky bidding farewell to Langdon, who takes some time out to return a Dante artifact back to it’s rightful museum before he leaves for Cambridge.
Kinda boring and haphazardly done to keep you entertained or interested in the story. I found it lackluster. The characters aren’t as interestingly or well done as the previous two films. Irffan Khan; never liked him before and certainly here he is the weak point with that ridiculous character. The Sinskly – Langdon relationship should have been explored more and I wish it ended better. 6 outta 10!
A Closer Look at The 22nd Century Klingon Bird Of Prey
A Closer Look at The 22nd Century Klingon Bird Of Prey *Star Trek Starships Collection*
Arsenal 3 Swansea City 2
Theo Walcott scored twice as 10-man Arsenal won their sixth Premier League game in a row, despite a spirited Swansea City display in Bob Bradley’s first match as manager. Gunners and England forward Walcott now has five goals in eight games, taking advantage of a heavy Jordi Amat touch for his first and a poor Jack Cork header for his second. The Swans looked dejected after the quick-fire double, though Gylfi Sigurdsson pounced on a Granit Xhaka error to curl in and give them hope before the break. Mesut Ozil volleyed an Alexis Sanchez cross into the top corner to restore a two-goal lead for the hosts, but substitute Borja tapped in from the impressive Modou Barrow’s cross to set up a tense finale.
Arsenal saw Xhaka sent off for a petulant trip with 20 minutes left and dug in to earn a win which moves them level on points with league leaders Manchester City. Defeat leaves Swansea in the bottom three, winless since the opening day and they have now equalled their worst start to a league season. But it would be wrong to be overly negative about this display. They were competitive early on but two defensive lapses left them facing a deficit they almost clawed back. Walcott was on hand from close range to punish them and he has now scored as many goals in eight outings as he did in all 28 of his Premier League appearances last season. The 27-year-old has only ever reached double figures once in a league season, scoring 14 times in the 2012-13 campaign. But he seemed hungry in front of goal, with six shots – a game high – and showed instinct to sense Amat would have difficulty dealing with a bouncing ball, allowing him to prod the opener. Walcott’s approach play was also sharp – completing 92% of his passes – and he worked hard too, with only Santi Cazorla and Hector Bellerin covering more ground for Arsene Wenger’s side.
Late on he missed two one-on-one chances for his hat-trick, the first of which saw him strike the post and watch as the ball rolled agonisingly back across the goalline. Walcott’s late misses were among 16 Arsenal shots – but Swansea managed 13 themselves. Xhaka was Arsenal’s main negative during what was at times a thrilling encounter. His error for Sigurdsson’s excellent finish gave Swansea a footing, his late kick on Barrow almost put his side under more pressure than they could take. Wenger said he would not appeal the dismissal but admitted it “made it difficult for us” after watching his goalkeeper Petr Cech save headers from Leroy Fer and Federico Fernandez late on. The erratic display by his £35m signing may prompt concern, but Wenger should be pleased to see what he called “good solidarity” to hold on for the win. The recent international break marked 20 years at the club for the Frenchman. With his contract up in the summer, how many more chances will he have to guide Arsenal to their first title since 2004? His side have trailed for just 52 minutes in the league this season. They have been solid and when questioned by Swansea they found the grit which will undoubtedly be needed if they are to end their title wait. The Gunners are the only Premier League side to have won (30) more games than they’ve lost (26) when they’ve had a player sent off.
Battling Fear
How would your life be different if you were incapable of feeling fear? Would your life be better or worse than it is now?
I think it would have been great for to have not felt fear in certain points in my life. Taken the bold decisions at points in my life where I should have. They would have fared me better and I think my life would have been much better of if I had taken those decisions boldly and bravely because it would have been worth it. Plus I could have afforded to do so at that point in time.
I think we should look at things as they are, make our choice based on the facts and on a cool head and then decide what to do. If you feel that you can afford to take the leap, do it. It will be so much more worth it and you have bragging rights in the end. But I think fear is important as it keeps you from making a rash choice and making things that much more difficult for us. I think a level head is needed at most times but there are so many times in the past where I wished I could do the impulsive thing because thats what I really wanted to do so badly. But fear kept me back and I thought I should be wiser.
Battling fear is a tricky one. If you have less to lose, fear tends to go on the backburner. I wish I could be that lucky. Everything I do I keep thinking, I need to be sure that it’s the right choice. I do not want to regret things a few days down the line. Not having to feel that is a great thing indeed.
Prompt from The Daily Post at WordPress.com
Escape Plan
Describe your ultimate escape plan (and tell us what you’re escaping from).
I have often thought about starting afresh in another place, leaving it all behind here and going off to a place where non one knows who I am. If I wanted to I could live in total anonymity and not make more than the casual of acquaintances and not have any connections to anyone but perhaps a landlord and the local bartender.
Being the futuristic scifi nerd that I am, my ultimate escape plan would be to pack a few belonging in a small starship, enough space for a couple of rooms and stuff, and take off into deep space. Find a small, peaceful planet with plenty of rivers, lush green grass meadows and mountains but no people on it. Land the ship in a nice secluded location and spend the days in quiet solitude.
But in reality….just two days away from home would be great. It wouldn’t even have to be very far. Somewhere in the district. Pack a bag, a book and head to a nice hotel somewhere. Just a room with room service, ac and cable tv. That’s not hard to find and it’s dooable. But I won’t tell anyone where I was. Just pay the front desk, get food and drink delivered to you. Sit in bed all day, read eat a pizza and some beer and relax. Watch some silly movie all night long. Just switch your mobile off. It would do!
Prompt from The Daily Post at WordPress.com
Food Review #120
Teriyaki Beef on Fried Bread @ Couchyn – weird tasting beef on bread!
Food, Anyone?
My appetite seems to have gone missing. After almost a week of eating very little during my 6 day bout with fever and sinusitis. During those 6 days and even yesterday I couldn’t really eat much and my taste buds and appetite seem to have wilted. I could barely put down 2 slices of bread on those days, though yesterday atleast for breakfast I could eat. I had 4 slices toasted and with honey. I had a bit of rice for lunch a coffee with cashew nuts for evening coffee but by dinner, even though I was hungry and craving meat, I couldn’t manage much.
I saw pepper chicken on the menu in one of the office cafeterias and wanted to try that as it looked delicious so my colleague and I ordered that with 3 porottas each but I barely managed 2 porottas as I soon felt tired. I managed to eat most of the chicken but left the rest. I thought I would be hungry later but I wasn’t. That was at 8:40 pm and at around 1 am, all I wanted was some coffee. So I did get some.
Thought looking at some pics of food from this restaurant I have been dying to try out but still haven’t yet is making me yearn for some Arabian food. I always seem to want shawarmas once I come back from a fever. I dunno why. But I do love shawarmas.
Update On Health
Well hello there folks. Roshan is still alive and kicking. Recovering from his bout with fever and chest / lung infection. I have barely had any food in the last few days, struggling to eat more than a meal a day. Last two days 2 slices of bread dipped in gravy has been difficult for me to complete. I eat a little rice at lunch and that’s about it. Also, I haven’t pooped in 4 days!! I hope that changes today.
I finally started anti-biotics yesterday because this doesn’t seem to be going away. I have slept so much and yet am so tired. Atleast the medicines seem to be having an effect on me and I think I will be fine. But I am so so tired. I haven’t blogged (a rarity for me), but I’ve lain in bed and watched a bunch of movies. Sleep is still at around 10-12 hours a day which is so odd for me. But I’ve never had it so bad like this.
Anyway, I can’t wait for it to be all over and get back to a proper routine of life. I have taken 4 leaves off work and I don’t want to take anymore.
Down With The Fever
I have been down with a fever since yesterday evening. I couldn’t go to work because of that. I think I must have slept around 15 hours yesterday and today as well I have slept quite a lot. Yesterday I took some cough syrup right after lunch at 1pm and slept for 3 hours and then after coffee I tried to take a shower and get ready for my evening but I couldn’t get the strength to sit up. I could feel it feeling warm on my body and my joints started to pain. I slept for 2 more hours and then watched a bit of tv lying on my bed before going to sleep at 11pm.
This morning after I woke up and brushed my teeth, drank some water I got a coffee but I was so tired and with a sinus headache raging in my head, I went back to bed for another 4 hours. I ate two spoonfuls of upma for breakfast and a little rice with fish for lunch. Too more cough syrup and did some inhalation and went back to sleep for another 4 hours. Damn, that a lot of sleep!
Barely had any food but I am not hungry. I am very tired though and will need more sleep to recover plus taking my medicines, it has been a bad two days. Hopefully I will be much better tomorrow. I don’t want to sit in front of the laptop for long.
Nice Evening In Kacheripady
Childhood Revisited
Sure, you turned out pretty good, but is there anything you wish had been different about your childhood? If you have kids, is there anything you wish were different for them?
I had an awesome childhood for the most part but I wish I could have had things turn out differently. Is that being selfish and ungrateful? Some may think so but the desire to better oneself is intensely a human aspect. I wish I had taken up martial arts and finish trainings on them so I could be fit and better equipped to defend myself or others in a crazy situation.
I wish I had exercised more as a young kid so that I had a healthier life growing up. I wish I take continued with my guitar lessons instead of quitting because I had a lousy teacher. I wish I had taken my license when I had my motorbike and stuck with driving lessons. I wish I instilled upon me the need to study hard at a time when I should have studied hard and that by doing so I could get a job in a country of my choice and I could go live the life that I wanted for myself.
I wish for many many things. I wish we could have moved abroad – not that India or where I live in India is bad but that’s not where I want to live. I wish I could achieve a whole lot more and make everyone proud of me. I haven’t done that yet.
Prompt from The Daily Post at WordPress.com