Channel 44 Mad Klingon and me!

Amazing discovery today. I am in somewhat of an awed, even a kind of believable disbelief! I had a good friend years ago who was an avid Trekkie. Not to digress, but she wasn’t just a Trekkie. I saw a poster that described the various stages of one who indulges in Star Trek. I cannot remember the exact levels, but a “trekkie” isn’t the most Star Trek fan absorbed by all things Trek related. It goes much deeper into Quester and Trekker statuses. Darlene owned a Star Trek store and was the promoter for the conventions in Florida making her more of a Trekker than a Trekkie. I even helped out with one. She convinced me to dress the part of a Klingon. And I did. And I won the costume contest. I don’t ever do anything half-hearted. If I am going to be a Klingon, I will be the best damn Klingon at the entire Star Trek convention and beyond! Yes, that’s me in the photo. I don’t usually show this photo to just anyone. It’s kind of embarrassing. I made the costume myself, and thought Velcro would be the way to go for keeping my top shut. Let’s just say that was a lot to ask of a few skinny strips of Velcro.

If you are familiar with Channel 44 broadcasting out of Tampa, Florida, you might recognize my “buddy” as the Mad Channel 44 Klingon. He “hosted” the Star Trek shows on TV.

Back to the story. Darlene had a saying that I must have borrowed a million times. “Science fiction is really just science future.” She would then go on to explain that there were only three things in the Star Trek world that we could not do: warp speed, replication, and “beam me up, Scottie.” She was convinced that one day we would conquer our inability to be just like Star Trek. I searched and searched to find out if what she believed was true, and do you know what? As far as I can determine, she was correct.

The upload date on some of the YouTube videos go back as far as 2008. Where have I been? I just watched a video about a “3-D printer.” Call it what you like, but it IS a replicator! I often fantasized about approaching the replicator and ordering a mug of “bloodwine.” I’m not sure our present day 3-D printer can handle that, but I did just watch a video in which a bicycle was replicated. Ok, so it was not quite as fast, or as perfect as one that would have been replicated from the replicator on the Enterprise, but it’s pretty darn fascinating. It’s just a preview of things to come. See for yourself http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmxjLpu2BvY&feature=related

And while we are talking about Star Trek, remember Data? How could anyone forget Data? Well, they now have the technology to build him too, but we knew that would be a much easier task. Still, it’s kind of interesting. This one isn’t as clean-cut as Data, but hey, this one is not a Star Trek fleet officer. Check him out too while you are cruising the Tube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=Vr_akME9l58

Guess what else they can replicate? Body parts. That’s right. And the coolness of that little trick is that the parts are generated from the patient’s own cells so there will be no rejection factor. I watched that on YouTube too. They call it “bio ink” and use a bio printer to complete the task, which they claim will be the future of organ “transplants.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlHLaAjJuBE&feature=related

Back to our discussion about “science future…” It looks like they will be conquering this replication technology, leaving two of the three things with which to contend, warp speed and “beam me up Scotty.” Beaming is a simple problem of matter-anti matter. THAT, you say is impossible? Before you express your science future naysay, guess what? Like everything else, it’s just a matter of time really. While out in California last summer, I saw the mile-long building that houses all of this science future exploration. Seriously folks, that building is one mile long. And you know why. If you do not, far be it from me to be able to explain that one. Damn it, Jim, I’m just an English teacher. I’ve read about this kind of stuff. “They” say we are on the path of deconstructing that whole matter – vs. antimatter.

That leaves warp speed. It is pretty much fiction, but it sounds very scientific in theory. It’s a faster-than-light kind of propulsion system that circumvents the whole problem with time. If we could just get this matter/anti-matter thing down, we would never have to worry about being late for work anymore. It would definitely be something I would look into and be very interested in using. My truck is in constant need of alignment due to arriving at work on just two of the four wheels. If I could just get a warp drive installed. The theory isn’t that you travel faster, but that a bubble creates an artificial realm allowing time to be distorted. Isn’t that the same thing as driving really, really fast?

Down to two. Now that we have replicating on the way to perfection and usability in the home, yes I said home, we can work on those other two issue boogers. The replicator, or um 3-D printer, is surprisingly relatively inexpensive at around $1000. I have no idea what the cost of “ink” is, but “they” are touting this printer as one that will be in every home in the very near future, just as 2-D printers are presently.

One of the best thing that we presently have and millions and millions have been sold, is the eReader! I fondly remember Spock using his Kindle to access the Amazon.com-like database of Earth literature to discuss Shakespeare once. Fascinating. I own a Kindle and using it makes me feel like I’m on the Enterprise. I just can’t wait for that matter vs. antimatter matter to be solved so I can request to be beamed up when I find myself in unpleasant circumstances. Imagine it. Blind date going really horrifically? No problem. Just request a beam. In the middle of a bad traffic jam? No problem. Request a beam. At the end of your blog commentary and just can’t get a grip on a great ending? No problem.

“Beam me up, please.”