Even if, in the end, all the charges are dropped, we will likely be very safe from the DDOS Mafia. Think about it: every bit of data they transmit will likely be monitored. Sure, they might try to pull a quick one past the government, but all of a sudden, at least for them, such an attempt just got much more difficult.
To be fair, the Christian Scientists themselves do tend to get shelved in with the Fundies; it's the CS sect, I believe, that would rather watch their children die than be given blood transfusions. The term "Scientists" in their name have nothing to do with real scientists.
What other posters are saying is that the CSM is a legitimate source of journalism, and has nothing to do with any version of Christianity.
That's certainly a possibility, but I don't think it's a big deal.
If that is the Heart of Gold, they've still accomplished what Adams did with his description of a ship shaped like a sneaker: that is, in all ways, inside and out, the Heart of Gold is an absolute and unparalleled absurdity.
A little reading on Adams will tell you that every time some new H2G2 thing comes out is meant to contradict at least a little bit with everything else.
The readio show, the books, the TV series, the musicals, everything, they all contradict, and if this is faithful to Adams' vision, there is no doubt that it will contradict too.
The characters are important, not the scenery. The art for Marvin is spot on, and Mos Def is going to be a great Ford Prefect.
I don't think fan-fiction is unique, I agree, but the level at which Trekkies internalize and identify with the fan-fiction they create is almost certainly unique.
Yes, there are very small numbers of those types for anything that can be fan-fic'ed, but I'm referring to Trekkie-ness as more of a social phenomenon, and not as isolated incidents.
Star Trek is unique in that it does all of the things that Sci-Fi can do: it philosophizes about the future, it raises modern moral questions in a unique context, it has strong dramatic elements, it is occasionally action oriented, and it fills other traditional sci-fi roles as well. Furthermore, Star Trek is an entertainment empire, with TV series, movies, video games, RPG's, novels, comics, and more.
The problem, then, is that Star Trek competes directly with all Sci-fi, thematically and on all mediums. To give other sci-fi personal market share is to deny Star Trek. This isn't necessarily true with other Sci-fi.
People who are fanatical about Star Trek have no option then but to insulate themselves nationalistically within the Star Trek world, because there is no room to embrace other sci-fi without at least some internal perception of denigrating Star Trek. The cognitive dissonance that would be involved is probably enough to dissuade the fanatical trekkies from pursuing fandom in other sci-fi.
On the surface, it seems like Trekkies are just really big fans, and that fandom propels them to participate in the universe.
It seems to me, however, that something different is going on. Fandom is often emulation--the Spock ears, the "Dammit Jim" variations, that sort of thing. But Trekkies take it a step farther: they create new material that is meant to merge with the pre-existing Trek world. In this way, Trekkie-ness is more like playing D&D than being in a Sci-Fi film club.
What I wonder (and here's my question) is whether you've noticed some common ground that launches people to go past being a fan and becoming a Trekkie. Is it dissatisfaction with new series and recent movies being weaker than past ones? Possibly some other characteristic that fans tend to share that, when merged with fandom will lead into Trekkie-ness? Is there something inherent about the star trek world that encourages people to internalize their identification with the star trek world? Or is there nothing at all consistent about the way Trekkies enter that world?
I don't like Bush very much, he seems too willing to sell my freedom in the name of security (and being one of the "he who would surrender freedom for security deserves neither" crowd, it's a sticking point for me.
I don't like Kerry, either; I think he's promised too much this election. I do want to see the things he's proposed come to fruition (better education/healthcare, decreasing the defecit), but I doubt whether it can really be done.
But more than that, I distrust a single-party goverment. The House and Senate will go to the Republicans--the system so strongly favors incumbants that it's only likely to shift a few seats. Pair that with a Bush presidency, and you've got two thirds of government covered. On top of that, at least 2 or 3 Supreme Court justices are likely to retire, and with a willing legislature, Bush can act carte blanche in his appointment of the most extremely conservative judges he's able to find. That's the entire federal government dominated by the right.
Put Kerry in instead, watch what happens: Congress and the President will have to fight for every inch on their agendas and when Supreme Court appointments come around, Kerry will have to look more toward the middle for his judges, belaying fears about him appointing from the far left.
If it works, it works great. If it doesn't work, it's deadlock. But I'd rather have deadlock than giving my government over to the agenda of a single party, left or right.
Slashdot Mirror
Even if, in the end, all the charges are dropped, we will likely be very safe from the DDOS Mafia. Think about it: every bit of data they transmit will likely be monitored. Sure, they might try to pull a quick one past the government, but all of a sudden, at least for them, such an attempt just got much more difficult.
To be fair, the Christian Scientists themselves do tend to get shelved in with the Fundies; it's the CS sect, I believe, that would rather watch their children die than be given blood transfusions. The term "Scientists" in their name have nothing to do with real scientists.
What other posters are saying is that the CSM is a legitimate source of journalism, and has nothing to do with any version of Christianity.
That's certainly a possibility, but I don't think it's a big deal. If that is the Heart of Gold, they've still accomplished what Adams did with his description of a ship shaped like a sneaker: that is, in all ways, inside and out, the Heart of Gold is an absolute and unparalleled absurdity.
Toby,
A little reading on Adams will tell you that every time some new H2G2 thing comes out is meant to contradict at least a little bit with everything else.
The readio show, the books, the TV series, the musicals, everything, they all contradict, and if this is faithful to Adams' vision, there is no doubt that it will contradict too.
The characters are important, not the scenery. The art for Marvin is spot on, and Mos Def is going to be a great Ford Prefect.
IMDB's H2G2 page seems to indicate that he's still MtPA, and I'll take that as reasonably more credible than the B Ark'ers at Yahoo.
I don't think fan-fiction is unique, I agree, but the level at which Trekkies internalize and identify with the fan-fiction they create is almost certainly unique.
Yes, there are very small numbers of those types for anything that can be fan-fic'ed, but I'm referring to Trekkie-ness as more of a social phenomenon, and not as isolated incidents.
Star Trek is unique in that it does all of the things that Sci-Fi can do: it philosophizes about the future, it raises modern moral questions in a unique context, it has strong dramatic elements, it is occasionally action oriented, and it fills other traditional sci-fi roles as well. Furthermore, Star Trek is an entertainment empire, with TV series, movies, video games, RPG's, novels, comics, and more.
The problem, then, is that Star Trek competes directly with all Sci-fi, thematically and on all mediums. To give other sci-fi personal market share is to deny Star Trek. This isn't necessarily true with other Sci-fi.
People who are fanatical about Star Trek have no option then but to insulate themselves nationalistically within the Star Trek world, because there is no room to embrace other sci-fi without at least some internal perception of denigrating Star Trek. The cognitive dissonance that would be involved is probably enough to dissuade the fanatical trekkies from pursuing fandom in other sci-fi.
On the surface, it seems like Trekkies are just really big fans, and that fandom propels them to participate in the universe.
It seems to me, however, that something different is going on. Fandom is often emulation--the Spock ears, the "Dammit Jim" variations, that sort of thing. But Trekkies take it a step farther: they create new material that is meant to merge with the pre-existing Trek world. In this way, Trekkie-ness is more like playing D&D than being in a Sci-Fi film club.
What I wonder (and here's my question) is whether you've noticed some common ground that launches people to go past being a fan and becoming a Trekkie. Is it dissatisfaction with new series and recent movies being weaker than past ones? Possibly some other characteristic that fans tend to share that, when merged with fandom will lead into Trekkie-ness? Is there something inherent about the star trek world that encourages people to internalize their identification with the star trek world? Or is there nothing at all consistent about the way Trekkies enter that world?
I don't like Bush very much, he seems too willing to sell my freedom in the name of security (and being one of the "he who would surrender freedom for security deserves neither" crowd, it's a sticking point for me. I don't like Kerry, either; I think he's promised too much this election. I do want to see the things he's proposed come to fruition (better education/healthcare, decreasing the defecit), but I doubt whether it can really be done. But more than that, I distrust a single-party goverment. The House and Senate will go to the Republicans--the system so strongly favors incumbants that it's only likely to shift a few seats. Pair that with a Bush presidency, and you've got two thirds of government covered. On top of that, at least 2 or 3 Supreme Court justices are likely to retire, and with a willing legislature, Bush can act carte blanche in his appointment of the most extremely conservative judges he's able to find. That's the entire federal government dominated by the right. Put Kerry in instead, watch what happens: Congress and the President will have to fight for every inch on their agendas and when Supreme Court appointments come around, Kerry will have to look more toward the middle for his judges, belaying fears about him appointing from the far left. If it works, it works great. If it doesn't work, it's deadlock. But I'd rather have deadlock than giving my government over to the agenda of a single party, left or right.