Like many Americans, my first introduction to the world of science fiction was through the fantastically popular Star Trek franchise. Being of a certain age, my "first contact" was with the explorers of the original Trek series. For those of that generation, it truly was a brave, new world that Roddenberry served up to us. One that our parents just didn't seem to get.
Since those early days of Captain James T. Kirk, we have had the pleasure of exploring the universe with four other Star Trek captains (yes, I include Benjamin Sisko; even though he "captained" a space station rather than a starship). Recently those five captains met at Comic Con in Philadelphia; together for the first time ever.
The event got me to thinking. We often debate about the merits of each captain and are quick to express our opinion about who we would want to serve under on a starship. The personalities of each are uniquely their own and each one brings his own distinctive style of leadership to the bridge. The merits and shortcomings of each captain have been dissected and discussed ad nauseam and I would have little that is new to add to that debate.
However, another question did occur to me. Given their diverse styles of leadership, exactly how would that translate into the real world of today? In other words, if each of these captains were placed in management positions in an office, which would make the better boss?
Over the next few weeks, I am going to examine each of the captains in this light; objectively (as much as is possible) looking at the strengths and weaknesses that they would bring to the corporate world. At the end of that time, I'll have a poll available and you (my readers) can decide which captain you would want at the helm of your company.
I hope that you will join me each week as we journey through the psyches of the Star Trek captains. Engage!
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Thursday, January 24, 2013
The Appeal of a Zombie Apocalypse
Zombies are all the rage right now. Whether watching Walking Dead or racing in a local Zombie Run, there is nothing like the Living Dead to get your adrenaline pumping. The question that no one seems to be asking is "What is the appeal of a Zombie Apocalypse?" After all, can we imagine any more horrible situation to be in than a world overrun by the walking corpses of our friends and families, whose only desire is to devour us alive.
To me, the answer is in that perverse tendency in human nature to push the envelope. Throughout time, the human race has sought the danger and excitement of new frontiers. We explored new continents, reaching into every remote corner and climbing to the top of every mountain. We plumbed the depths of the oceans and conquered flight. And when there were no frontiers available on this planet, we turned our gaze to the stars.
The only problem was that this "final frontier" was only open to a privileged few. For those born with an adventurous heart, there was no more promise of exploration or adventure- only the monotony of everyday life. And so those with an explorer's spirit must live vicariously through the lives of fictitious adventurers like James T. Kirk and Amelia Pond.
Yet no other adventure challenges the mettle of an individual than a zombie apocalypse. We sit, comfortably secure on our own couches, and imagine how we would respond to the end of the world. Would the horrors of that reality reduce us to a trembling blob of zombie jello? Or is there, at the very core of our being, a seed of greatness that only needs the field of adversity to germinate and grow?
Yes, a zombie apocalypse is possibly the worst thing that could ever happen. But in contemplating its possibility, we cannot help but take a long, hard look at ourselves and wonder what that inner person is really like. In the most horrific of circumstances, our true self comes to light- no longer shackled by the niceties of civilized society. Deep inside us, is there a villain or a hero? A victim or a leader?
It may be that the appeal of a zombie apocalypse is in the fact that it causes us to look into the depths of our own souls and ask the really hard questions.
Or it could just be that we love a good fright. After all, what is there not to love about a walking corpse that wants to eat your face?!
To me, the answer is in that perverse tendency in human nature to push the envelope. Throughout time, the human race has sought the danger and excitement of new frontiers. We explored new continents, reaching into every remote corner and climbing to the top of every mountain. We plumbed the depths of the oceans and conquered flight. And when there were no frontiers available on this planet, we turned our gaze to the stars.
The only problem was that this "final frontier" was only open to a privileged few. For those born with an adventurous heart, there was no more promise of exploration or adventure- only the monotony of everyday life. And so those with an explorer's spirit must live vicariously through the lives of fictitious adventurers like James T. Kirk and Amelia Pond.
Yet no other adventure challenges the mettle of an individual than a zombie apocalypse. We sit, comfortably secure on our own couches, and imagine how we would respond to the end of the world. Would the horrors of that reality reduce us to a trembling blob of zombie jello? Or is there, at the very core of our being, a seed of greatness that only needs the field of adversity to germinate and grow?
Yes, a zombie apocalypse is possibly the worst thing that could ever happen. But in contemplating its possibility, we cannot help but take a long, hard look at ourselves and wonder what that inner person is really like. In the most horrific of circumstances, our true self comes to light- no longer shackled by the niceties of civilized society. Deep inside us, is there a villain or a hero? A victim or a leader?
It may be that the appeal of a zombie apocalypse is in the fact that it causes us to look into the depths of our own souls and ask the really hard questions.
Or it could just be that we love a good fright. After all, what is there not to love about a walking corpse that wants to eat your face?!
Thursday, January 17, 2013
My Encounter with Bigfoot
I was a child when I was first introduced to the existence of the creature that is called "Bigfoot" - through the old docu-drama, Legend of Boggy Creek. The idea that a massive, bidpedal primate was living in America both fascinated and terrified me. For weeks afterwards, I had nightmares about being carried off by a Sasquatch; despite the fact that I lived in metro Atlanta.
I spent the next decade or so hoping that the beast was real, but not really believing that it was. I saw the Patterson film, along with a dozen shows both proving and disproving its authenticity. Through it all, I remained a hopeful skeptic. The accounts of eye-witnesses (many of which were very compelling) continued to roll in and I kept an ear open for any definitive proof.
It was an unexpected encounter with the elusive creature, while in graduate school, that pushed me toward a belief in Bigfoot. No, I am not one of those who have seen the creature with my own eyes. Instead, my encounter came in the form of a 170-year-old letter. Not as awe-inspiring as an actual physical sighting, I admit; but for an archaeologist, this type of documentary support is fascinating.
The letter, dated April 16, 1840, is from Elkanah Walker, the first missionary to the Spokane Indians of Washington. In it, he tells of a visit to the natives in the Cascade Mountains. They warn him about a race of giants who inhabit a nearby snow-covered mountain and who "hunt and do all their work by night." Walker writes that their footprints are about a foot and a half long. The Indians complain to him that the giants frequently come into their camp at night and steal their salmon; eating them raw. The people know when they are near because of the smell, "which is most intolerable."
Though many have asserted that the Bigfoot phenomenon was created largely from the Patterson film and the sensationalism that the media produced following its release, but historical accounts continue to surface that disprove this assertion. From this letter, we can see that reports of this creature have been around for nearly 200 years in North America. This letter, like many of the eye-witness reports, is from a highly reputable source who have nothing to gain (and probably much to lose) from their connection to Bigfoot.
Of course, this letter, is not enough to prove the existence of Sasquatch. However, it is one more drop in the tidal wave of forensic and eye-witness evidence that is pouring in about this creature. While there are many who will not believe until one of these hapless beasts are caught or killed; the sheer volume of evidence that supports the existence of Bigfoot is enough to give the most die-hard skeptic pause.
I spent the next decade or so hoping that the beast was real, but not really believing that it was. I saw the Patterson film, along with a dozen shows both proving and disproving its authenticity. Through it all, I remained a hopeful skeptic. The accounts of eye-witnesses (many of which were very compelling) continued to roll in and I kept an ear open for any definitive proof.
It was an unexpected encounter with the elusive creature, while in graduate school, that pushed me toward a belief in Bigfoot. No, I am not one of those who have seen the creature with my own eyes. Instead, my encounter came in the form of a 170-year-old letter. Not as awe-inspiring as an actual physical sighting, I admit; but for an archaeologist, this type of documentary support is fascinating.
The letter, dated April 16, 1840, is from Elkanah Walker, the first missionary to the Spokane Indians of Washington. In it, he tells of a visit to the natives in the Cascade Mountains. They warn him about a race of giants who inhabit a nearby snow-covered mountain and who "hunt and do all their work by night." Walker writes that their footprints are about a foot and a half long. The Indians complain to him that the giants frequently come into their camp at night and steal their salmon; eating them raw. The people know when they are near because of the smell, "which is most intolerable."
Though many have asserted that the Bigfoot phenomenon was created largely from the Patterson film and the sensationalism that the media produced following its release, but historical accounts continue to surface that disprove this assertion. From this letter, we can see that reports of this creature have been around for nearly 200 years in North America. This letter, like many of the eye-witness reports, is from a highly reputable source who have nothing to gain (and probably much to lose) from their connection to Bigfoot.
Of course, this letter, is not enough to prove the existence of Sasquatch. However, it is one more drop in the tidal wave of forensic and eye-witness evidence that is pouring in about this creature. While there are many who will not believe until one of these hapless beasts are caught or killed; the sheer volume of evidence that supports the existence of Bigfoot is enough to give the most die-hard skeptic pause.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Roswell Revisited
For those of you who continued reading after seeing the title of this blog, I commend you!
The mere mention of Roswell, New Mexico is sure to elicit a strong response in most Americans. For a great many people, that response is skepticism and scorn; the stalwart shields of the unbeliever. Yet even among the increasing number of Americans who believe that we are not alone in the universe, Roswell has become so overdone our minds that we too fail to realize the real significance of that watershed event.
What makes Roswell so important? It did not have the distinction of being the first UFO report. In fact, as UFO sightings go, it didn't seem to have much going for it. The government quickly stepped in; effectively squelching the story with its own account of a misidentification of a weather balloon. The whole incident held the nation's attention for a mere two days before it seemingly sunk into oblivion.
However, the fact that it refused to remain in oblivion is more significant that we may realize. Thirty years after the incident, Jesse Marcel, a veteran of World War II and retired army intelligence officer dared to speak out. He announced that what had been recovered in the desert was not a weather balloon but an alien spacecraft. His claims ignited a firestorm of controversy about the incident that continues to this day.
Sixty-five years later, the event at Roswell, New Mexico is seared into the American consciousness. Ask any college student about what happened at Nagasaki in 1945 or at Antietam in 1862 and you will most likely get a blank stare; despite the fact that these events are duly recorded in our history books. However, ask them about what happened in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947 and you are sure to get a quick response, even though those events are not found in any textbook.
Whether what happened in Roswell was the cover-up of a top secret military aircraft or, as most believe, the crash of a "flying disk" from outer space; it is vital that we remember that Roswell marks the birthplace of American ufology. Because of that distinction, it is important that we periodically revisit Roswell, shake off the commercialism and sensationalism that surrounds it, and look again at the event that forever changed the way that Americans look at the stars.
The mere mention of Roswell, New Mexico is sure to elicit a strong response in most Americans. For a great many people, that response is skepticism and scorn; the stalwart shields of the unbeliever. Yet even among the increasing number of Americans who believe that we are not alone in the universe, Roswell has become so overdone our minds that we too fail to realize the real significance of that watershed event.
What makes Roswell so important? It did not have the distinction of being the first UFO report. In fact, as UFO sightings go, it didn't seem to have much going for it. The government quickly stepped in; effectively squelching the story with its own account of a misidentification of a weather balloon. The whole incident held the nation's attention for a mere two days before it seemingly sunk into oblivion.
However, the fact that it refused to remain in oblivion is more significant that we may realize. Thirty years after the incident, Jesse Marcel, a veteran of World War II and retired army intelligence officer dared to speak out. He announced that what had been recovered in the desert was not a weather balloon but an alien spacecraft. His claims ignited a firestorm of controversy about the incident that continues to this day.
Sixty-five years later, the event at Roswell, New Mexico is seared into the American consciousness. Ask any college student about what happened at Nagasaki in 1945 or at Antietam in 1862 and you will most likely get a blank stare; despite the fact that these events are duly recorded in our history books. However, ask them about what happened in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947 and you are sure to get a quick response, even though those events are not found in any textbook.
Whether what happened in Roswell was the cover-up of a top secret military aircraft or, as most believe, the crash of a "flying disk" from outer space; it is vital that we remember that Roswell marks the birthplace of American ufology. Because of that distinction, it is important that we periodically revisit Roswell, shake off the commercialism and sensationalism that surrounds it, and look again at the event that forever changed the way that Americans look at the stars.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
My Search for the Unearthly
For thousands of years, mankind has been interested in the unearthly things that are an inescapable part of our earthly existence. We have feared those things that "go bump in the night;" while, at the same time, maintaining a fascination with all that is paranormal. As a child, I experienced a series of unearthly events that forever changed the way that I looked at the world.
I grew up under the shadow of that mystery and acquired an insatiable desire to learn more about that part of our world that is termed "supernatural" or "paranormal". An archaeologist by day, I spent my spare time doing another kind of digging: digging through historic documents, verifying eye-witness accounts, and separating the facts from the fraudulent.
As a scientist, I tend to approach a paranormal subject from an analytical way. Yet as a person who has actually experienced the paranormal, I realize that there are things that exist which are outside our present understanding of science.
This blog will look at some of the things that I have uncovered while digging for the truth. I hope that you will join me each Thursday as I investigate a topic or event that can only be described as "unearthly."
I grew up under the shadow of that mystery and acquired an insatiable desire to learn more about that part of our world that is termed "supernatural" or "paranormal". An archaeologist by day, I spent my spare time doing another kind of digging: digging through historic documents, verifying eye-witness accounts, and separating the facts from the fraudulent.
As a scientist, I tend to approach a paranormal subject from an analytical way. Yet as a person who has actually experienced the paranormal, I realize that there are things that exist which are outside our present understanding of science.
This blog will look at some of the things that I have uncovered while digging for the truth. I hope that you will join me each Thursday as I investigate a topic or event that can only be described as "unearthly."
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