There's a new word in the dictionary. Cyberia....
I'm reminded of an early episode of Star Trek in the '60s where two warring peoples had stopped conventional war for centuries by peacefully choosing random people to voluntarily eliminate themselves. In today's real world the horrors of WW2 and subsequent fighting remind us every day of the horrors of war and the killing of millions - usually initiated by the pride of a single dictator or brain-washed, deranged groups constantly seeking more land to aggrandise personal motives. One reason why many Remainers voted to stay in the EU was to avoid such wars. But now we also have cyber warfare where warmongers are much more subtle, using the silent web to further their aims. Deterrence? You'd need to stop everyone using a computer - impossible. If we can't stop the proliferation of conventional wars, how on earth can we stop Cyberia?
....No point calling on Scottie to put up his defence shields. There are none yet for Cyberia. Come on Sir Tim Berners-Lee, on the anniversary of your invention: we need you. Otherwise we're all out in the cold.
Showing posts with label Star Trek. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Star Trek. Show all posts
1 March 2015
Wise men say......
Last week we went to an amazing show at La Salle des Spectacles in Gaillac. It was sponsored by L'entente cordiale in aid of cancer support and the room was packed. After a meal and wine - well it is La France - we settled down for the entertainment. The show was entitled The Time Machine and two time-travellers sporadically twiddled a machine's dials and the curtains opened to a different time zone. I knew something special was about to happen when 'David Bowie' appeared singing Ground Control to Major Tom. But when the '50s appeared in the shape of an English Elvis singing, my spine tingled. I don't know who he was but his voice was spectacular - far better than you hear on TV talent shows. I can still hear his voice now. Have always liked the time-travel genre, so was sorry to hear of Leonard Nimoy's death on Friday. His family came from E. Europe too (Ukraine) and it was he who introduced that special wide-fingered salute in Star Trek in his parents' honour - it's the letter Shin, meaning God. So, whether it's Elvis or Mr. Spock, remember LLAP because
............some things are meant to be.
Last week we went to an amazing show at La Salle des Spectacles in Gaillac. It was sponsored by L'entente cordiale in aid of cancer support and the room was packed. After a meal and wine - well it is La France - we settled down for the entertainment. The show was entitled The Time Machine and two time-travellers sporadically twiddled a machine's dials and the curtains opened to a different time zone. I knew something special was about to happen when 'David Bowie' appeared singing Ground Control to Major Tom. But when the '50s appeared in the shape of an English Elvis singing, my spine tingled. I don't know who he was but his voice was spectacular - far better than you hear on TV talent shows. I can still hear his voice now. Have always liked the time-travel genre, so was sorry to hear of Leonard Nimoy's death on Friday. His family came from E. Europe too (Ukraine) and it was he who introduced that special wide-fingered salute in Star Trek in his parents' honour - it's the letter Shin, meaning God. So, whether it's Elvis or Mr. Spock, remember LLAP because
............some things are meant to be.
I dreamed a dream...
My father once said to me: to be famous you need to say the right thing at the right time to the right person.
Watching the YouTube video of Susan Boyle - from the Britain's Got Talent show - brought this home to me. Here was a middle-aged woman, who walked in front of an audience and got the typical reaction: laughter. How dare someone so old, plain and out-of-fashion have the effrontery to think she was a star? The cameras panned onto the faces of the illustrious judges, then across the young faces in the audience. All were laughing in sheer disbelief.
And then she started to sing.....
If you haven't watched the video, I recommend it. Not so much for her voice - which brings a tingle down the spine - but for the story it unfolds. Just Google on Susan Boyle, then turn on your PC speakers. From the first few bars of 'I dreamed a dream' from Les Miserables, it was absolutely obvious that she was a star.
In another genre, I was reading about a new Star Trek movie just out. Back in my heyday of the early '60s, the original TV series was a flop. It wasn't until they relaunched it in the early '70s that it suddenly took off (literally).
What I'm trying to show here is that my father's original message was correct. Having talent or an original idea isn't quite enough. Susan Boyle's voice wasn't any less good when she got thrown out from the X-Factor and all those other auditions she tried. The Star Trek series broadcast in the '60s was still just as good. For both of them, the message was right, it might even have been to the right people, but it wasn't the right time.
Maybe for me and my writing, I'm like Susan Boyle. The message is right. Maybe the right people haven't yet read it. Maybe the right time is just around the corner.......
Watching the YouTube video of Susan Boyle - from the Britain's Got Talent show - brought this home to me. Here was a middle-aged woman, who walked in front of an audience and got the typical reaction: laughter. How dare someone so old, plain and out-of-fashion have the effrontery to think she was a star? The cameras panned onto the faces of the illustrious judges, then across the young faces in the audience. All were laughing in sheer disbelief.
And then she started to sing.....
If you haven't watched the video, I recommend it. Not so much for her voice - which brings a tingle down the spine - but for the story it unfolds. Just Google on Susan Boyle, then turn on your PC speakers. From the first few bars of 'I dreamed a dream' from Les Miserables, it was absolutely obvious that she was a star.
In another genre, I was reading about a new Star Trek movie just out. Back in my heyday of the early '60s, the original TV series was a flop. It wasn't until they relaunched it in the early '70s that it suddenly took off (literally).
What I'm trying to show here is that my father's original message was correct. Having talent or an original idea isn't quite enough. Susan Boyle's voice wasn't any less good when she got thrown out from the X-Factor and all those other auditions she tried. The Star Trek series broadcast in the '60s was still just as good. For both of them, the message was right, it might even have been to the right people, but it wasn't the right time.
Maybe for me and my writing, I'm like Susan Boyle. The message is right. Maybe the right people haven't yet read it. Maybe the right time is just around the corner.......
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