Science Fiction Becoming Reality

One of the great materials concocted in the Star Trek lore is transparent aluminum. It was a central feature to the plot of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, since the crew of the Enterprise needed something that was lightweight and able to be able to withstand tremendous pressures. Scotty "invented" transparent aluminum, using his knowledge of the future.

Now, scientists have developed a super-strong glass that mimics many of the properties of that fictional transparent aluminum.

That's why researchers have created a new type of glass that is stronger and tougher than steel.

In fact, this new type of damage-tolerant glass has actually demonstrated a durability greater than any known material.

The new metallic glass is a microalloy that features palladium, a metal with a high "bulk-to-shear" stiffness ratio that counteracts the intrinsic brittleness of glassy materials.

An initially sharp impact does not develop into a fully opened crack. (Image courtesy Robert Ritchie and Marios Demetriou)Those findings come from experiments conducted at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the California Institute of Technology.

Robert Richie is the materials scientist who led the Berkely contribution to the research. In a press release, he says the new glass is stronger than steel because "that glass undergoes extensive plasticity in response to stress, allowing it to bend rather than crack."

For now, the sample sizes are quite small, but the scientists figure to enlarge the size and work on making their discoveries marketable.

Boldly Go Where Many Have Gone Before

Last night Mrs. Lawhawk and I went to see the new Star Trek movie, and it was quite a blast. Everything about the new movie was at once both familiar and new. JJ Abrams managed to convey both what we knew and liked about the old Star Trek characters while infusing them with new energy, motivations, and direction.

As many other reviewers note, the movie is gorgeously produced and there's an ethereal character to the bridge of the Enterprise and many of its passageways. It's a different story in the engineering compartments, where you see the gritty underbelly of what powers a starship, and it isn't as antiseptic as we've seen in any of the prior incarnations of the Star Trek franchise.

The special effects don't get in the way of telling the story, as they can often do.

Casting a movie like this is particularly tough since these are roles that people have grown up with for 40 years. Yet, Abrams and his crew did an admirable job in picking folks who show the beginnings of a camaraderie that made watching Star Trek fun. We never got to see the full backstory of how Kirk and Spock met until now, and it isn't as peaceful and friendly as it would later become.

Zachary Quinto (who plays the sociopathic super-villian Sylar on Heroes) does an admirable job trying mesh the human and Vulcan heritage all while dealing with a calamity of a galactic scale and a threat that seeks to destroy him personally and psychically.

Chris Pine as Kirk shows us the boyish charm, ego, and charisma that we saw with William Shatner during the original series. We also see that he never played by the rules, even as a kid.

Time does play a role in the relationship between Kirk and Spock, along with the main storyline here, which also enables Abrams to create an alternative storyline from which he can now take this new crew wherever he may boldly want to go.

Throw in Bones McCoy and you've got a doctor and not a physicist, damnit. That's as it should be, and McCoy literally carries Kirk into prominence on board the Enterprise that is captained at the time by Capt. Pike (another homage to the original series).

What's nice is that many of the supporting characters on the bridge of the Enterprise get more to do than simply stand around and push a few buttons. Uhura has a surprising love interest, Sulu gets to show that he really knows how to fence, Checkov is a boy-wonder who manages to save the day for Kirk and Sulu, and Scotty shows that he's a mad genius when it comes to all things engineering (both now and into the future). Simon Pegg, who plays Scotty, does so with a whimsy and humor that is particularly attractive and timely in the movie since it is a homage and nod to the original series.

This is a reboot, and a successful one at that. Expect to see this new crew set sail again sometime soon.

RIP: Majel Roddenberry

If the name Majel Barrett Roddenberry name sounds familiar, you're probably a Star Trek fan. She first appeared as Nurse Chapel on the original series alongside Captain Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Sulu and Scotty. She later married Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and found herself appearing on Star Trek: The Next Generation as Deanna Troi's scheming mother. Sharp eared viewers would also recognize her voice as that of the computer of the Enterprise on every iteration of the franchise since the original series. She passed away today of leukemia at her home.

Majel Barrett Roddenberry, the widow of "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry, has died. She was 76. Roddenberry, an actress who appeared in numerous "Star Trek" TV shows and movies, died Thursday of leukemia at her home in Bel-Air, Calif., her representative said.

At Roddenberry's side were family friends and her only son, Eugene Roddenberry Jr. Gene Roddenberry died in 1991.

Among her last credits was the voice of the computer on the JJ Abrams reboot of the Star Trek franchise, which will be opening in 2009.

She will be missed.

Star Trek Rebooted?

JJ Abrams is coming out with a new Star Trek movie next year and the trailer has arrived. It depicts the crew of the original series in the years before we came to know them.



Of course, there are a few things to point out that might get the pointy ears amongst you wondering where JJ Abrams could go wrong. Why would anyone try to kill a vintage Corvette in the fashion that a young Kirk does (jumping out at the last moment to avoid going over a cliff)?

Wynona Rider plays Spock's mom. Leonard Nimoy has a cameo, but William Shatner is not to be seen. I guess that latter bit isn't too bad.

As for the story? There isn't much to tell from here, but it looks like it's going to be about how Spock and Kirk get to know each other all while saving the Federation from the Romulans.

Star Trek Foreshadows Technological Breakthrough Again

The Star Trek franchise has managed to succeed in foreshadowing quite a few breakthroughs, but the latest one is courtesy of the Star Trek: Voyager series.

Scientists have managed to create living computers.

Scientists have genetically tweaked E. coli bacteria to create simple computers capable of solving a classic math puzzle, commonly called the “Burnt Pancake Problem.”

The resulting advance in synthetic biology, according to researchers, hints at the ability of tiny “living computers” to aid in data storage, evolutionary comparisons and even tissue engineering.

For fans of the Star Trek series, they'd know that the Voyager starship used bio-neural gel packs to increase processing speed and better organize processed information for its more standard computing systems.

Star Trek Teaser Released

JJ Abrams is going to have one heck of a year. He's starting the year with a bang. Cloverfield, which opens today, is an Abrams production and the reviews have been pretty good so far.

He's going to end it with a new Star Trek movie, which includes some of the characters we've come to love, including Kirk, Spock and the gang on the original series - with new actors assuming those roles. I'm sure a whole lot of Trekkies out there are looking forward to it and a built in fanbase is sure to come out for it given it has been a few years since a good Trek movie came out - First Contact being the last.

The teaser itself isn't exactly one to rave about, so I hope that the later releases bring it.