London Loop

Hello to Diamond Geezer if he is reading this. I like your blog.

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I got into the habit of long walks during lockdown because I had to do something to keep myself from going crazy and more recently, as restrictions have eased and I could get a train back, I have started to head further afield. Now I am starting on a goal to walk the entirety of the London Loop, the 150-mile orbital footpath around the capital city. It's apparently "the M25 for walkers", but the M25 is nowhere near as overgrown in places or taking you through areas that seem to just waiting for the zombies to turn up.

So far, I have done:

• Section 22: Harold Wood to Upminster Bridge. I did this in reverse direction. This bit is awfully signposted and I added a good mile to my walk because I got lost midway through.
• Section 23: Upminster Bridge to Rainham. Walking through the site of the old RAF Hornchurch, this is by far the most accessible bit I have been so far and is pictured above.
• Section 24: Rainham to Purfleet. Seriously overgrown in places; I got cuts on my arms from brambles - you'd be insane to wear shorts doing these walks. There are an array of 'comedy pirate graves' along the river. Someone has clearly put a lot of effort into everything except the puns.
• Section 1: Erith to Bexley. The path doesn't go the whole way round of course; there's a river in the way and you can't walk across the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge. At 8.7 miles including the connections to the stations at either end, it's something best done in two stages with a break for lunch in Crayford.

I'll post some photos from Section 1 below. Along with a video of a Class 465 Networker leaving Erith.

More information can be found here if you want to do this.

Afghanistan #3

So much for by next Saturday. It's over, the Taliban have taken over.

This is the biggest humiliation for the United States since the fall of Saigon in 1975, except the helicopter has two rotors this time. 

But crowing about it won't do any good. We need to be prepared for whatever happens next, especially if the place becomes a terrorist base again.

Afghanistan #2

Many analyses from even a few days ago are looking old; it is entirely possible that the Taliban could be in the centre of Kabul by next Saturday now. It depends on whether Ghani can get his forces in any form of order or there is some kind of brokered ceasefire where he stands down.

A full assault is likely to be a bloodbath on all sides. We're likely to end up with millions of refugees in any event.

Does anyone know any good charities I can donate to here?

Yes, but does it run Fortnite? (Review: 'Star Trek' 2.24, "The Ultimate Computer")

When arriving at a station, a Commodore arrives onboard the Enterprise to tell Kirk that his ship is going be involved in testing a new computer, M-5, designed to run a starship autonomously, with just a skeleton crew staying on board during a series of manoeuvres and war games. The computer has been made by the famous inventor Richard Daystrom, who has revolutionised computing and the M5 promises to make human crews in Starfleet redundant. So, what can possibly go wrong?

****

Computer technology has been a popular topic for science fiction over the decades, with the ethical issues about artificial intelligence and how to control it discussed by most famously Isaac Asimov[1].

"The Ultimate Computer" is a tale of what happens when you allow a scientific genius free reign and forget to peer-review his work, as the Enterprise find themselves in an escalating situation in a ship they don't control. The story was also written at a time when factory mechanisation was putting American workers out of a job.

It's definitely a very enjoyable episode - and a tightly contained one to boot - taking place pretty much entirely on the main ship with a few extra scenes clearly using the same set, done to save money[2]. I will say that it falls somewhat apart at the end, with the main threat resolved by a method that wouldn't pass muster to a modern coder.

The regulars are all present and correct; James Doohan even does two extra voice roles as the M-5 computer and an off-screen commodore. Spock in particular is on very fine form, getting in some excellent jibes at McCoy, particular in the final scene. Kirk's command decisions are mostly brilliant, although I wonder why he didn't threaten to put Daystrom in the brig for not doing as he was told.

Richard Daystrom is played by African-American actor William Marshall, who was deeply moved to get a role where he played a highly respected genius that even Kirk looks up to. His voice is brilliant (he did a lot of Shakespeare) and he does a great job portraying a character who is clearly falling apart. The fact that the Daystrom Institute becomes a fairly big thing despite the events of this episode suggests that some form of cover-up happened, but it is not made explicit. However, the 50 minutes overall is well-paced and not wasted.

A highlight of this episode is the action, which is a bit odd because there's very little of it actually shown on screen - stock footage was used in the original version and the CGI is fairly limited in the remastered one. Whereas today's Trek shows would show us all the detail in 4K, we're often reliant on the cast relaying the action by verbal report on the bridge, more akin to a submarine movie. It works remarkably well and more shows should use that instead of reaching for things like stock footage in my honest opinion.

Oh, and because this is TOS, a redshirt buys the farm as usual. Plus ça change...

****

Conclusion

A solidly good Star Trek story that kind of falls down a bit at the end, but is still enjoyable.

8/10

[1] During my writing of this, I learned that he was rather 'handsy' towards women at conventions etc. The fact that this was known and broadly tolerated by many speaks volumes of a world we have only partly left behind.

[2] Bottle episodes often are.

Afghanistan

The situation for the Kabul government is not, to put it simply, going very well. The loss of nine provincial capitals in a week to the Taliban with little or no fighting in some cases is creating a strong air of crisis as the Americans end their 20-year, $2 trillion operation in the country.

It is possible that Kabul will fall - it is also quite possible that it will not and if a fight is put up there, taking a city of 4 million people would be beyond the Taliban's capability.

What is clear that the current government has failed to gain widespread legitimacy among many of its people and as a result, much of the country will now be under a regime that thinks music is sinful. Ultimately, that is on the Afghan so-called leadership themselves. Sadly, we have not seen the last of that country's troubles.

Exit Jodie Whittaker and Chris Chibnall

So, Jodie Whittaker is following the example of her three predecessors being doing "three seasons and out"; her final Doctor Who story will be broadcast next autumn. Chris Chibnall will be out of the door as well.

Jodie Whittaker is a very good actor and ultimately never got the material needed to fully shine as the Doctor. I hope she does some Big Finish, which very much redeemed Colin Baker in the eyes of the fandom.

Chibnall, while having done some good stuff in the past, like Broadchurch, ultimately proved out of his depth for the show. You need someone with strong fantasy/science fiction experience as well, which he ultimately didn't have. Some of the stories were a bit too preachy - while political commentary has a strong place in science fiction, it works best when it's subtle and wrapped in an entertaining story.

As to the next Doctor, I would definitely like another woman in the role.

Black Widow & Loki

Went and saw this last weekend. Definitely highly recommended, with a great story and excellent characters. Florence Pugh is worth the price of admission on her own and definitely deserves a long stay in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

As always with Marvel movies, you should stay right to the end of the credits; there's a scene that is well worth seeing.

Also, Loki is well worth watching on Disney+; it very much fulfils its glorious purpose and while Tom Hiddleston is brilliant, Sophia Di Martino is the icing on the cake.

All in all, Marvel is doing very well at the moment and What If? in particular looks very interesting.

Coronavirus #31: To mask or not to mask

With increasing cases of the highly contagious Delta variant in the UK, there is concern that making masks voluntary on 19 July will simply make things worse.

Masks are more about protecting others from expelled virus than protecting yourself, but their impact is limited and they are not themselves a substitute for other measures like test-and-trace, self-isolation and physical distancing where possible. From my own observation, a lot fewer people are wearing masks than used to be and I am sure many of them don't have exemptions.

Public compliance and goodwill have largely gone; Matt Hancock's antics were a final straw, I would wager. 

For my part, I intend to do as Professor Chris Whitty has advised after the 19th; I will wear a mask when asked or when I can't physically keep my distance from others. I'm double jabbed anyway and also do twice-weekly lateral flow tests, which I doubt is common.

Coronavirus #30 - The final unlock?

This weekend, the government will decide whether to go to Stage 4 of the roadmap and eliminate nearly all the remaining domestic restrictions, although some like the self-isolation policy for red and amber list countries will almost certainly stay for a while - I can see an exemption for the fully vaccinated incorporated at some point there.

With the current case trajectory and a slight increase in hospital admissions, caused by the more infectious 'Delta' variant as we are now calling it, I feel there are grounds for a two week daily to 'Freedom Day' to double jab as many of the most vulnerable as possible.

Elite Dangerous: Odyssey

Got the latest DLC for this game and it's a huge upgrade, knocking Star Citizen, still stuck in Alpha after eight years, into a cocked hat.

It's nice to get out of your ship and walk around stations. I'm amazed at just how big my Krait, Coventry Speedboat II, actually is when I walk up to it.

Also, here's my commander, Stephen Hunter, out and about.

See you in the deep black! O7

Israel destroying the media building

It may well have been the case that Hamas was using that building to store equipment, but it was probably not a good idea for Israel to destroy it, even though they warned everyone to leave. People will be using that as an example of 'Zionist crimes' for years to come.

As for the popular narrative of 'the oppressed becoming the oppressor', there is a certain element of truth to that. If the Palestinians are doing what they are doing because of Israeli actions and a traumatic history, then the reverse is true. Arguably much more so considering the impact of the Holocaust.

Another round of violence in the Middle East

Hamas needs to stop its rocket attacks permanently. There is no self-defence justification for them whatsoever.

Israel needs to stop further settlement building in the West Bank and should frankly let those families faced with eviction stay.

Both sides should not do things they shouldn't be doing just because of the actions of others and those who seek to excuse terrorism need to examine their moral compasses.

VE Day 76

On this day, I can think of little more appropriate to do than to quote a well-known poem from 1914.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

Let us work together to build a better world and show that we truly remember them.

So, that happened (Review: 'Star Trek' 2.23, "The Omega Glory")

There are times when I wonder what drugs the writers were using when they came up with a particular episode. Considering that this is the 1960s we're talking about here, when dropping acid was all the rage, you can certainly get some strange ideas.

But I am struggling to find a suitable drug to explain this one, which was penned by Roddenberry himself.

****

Approaching another planet, the Enterprise finds an abandoned Starfleet vessel. Beaming onboard, they find that the crew have gone... turned into piles of crystals. Warned by the last log entry from the medical officer, they beam down to the planet... discovering the ship's Captain and what may be a fountain of youth.

As well as a war between two civilisations that the Captain is interfering with.

****

This episode was initially planned for the first season, but ordered shelved by NBC as they thought the script was too weak. Roddenberry eventually produced it for the second over their objections.

Some of the initial concepts are OK; the crazy captain, the immunisation effect of a planet, a post-end of civilisation world and the possibility of a fountain of youth. But then things start falling apart pretty quickly.

The regulars get some good material to start off with; Spock is in particular fine form during this episode. Sulu returns after a pretty long absence and is useful here.

Unfortunately, the guest cast let the side down badly; the natives are pretty much poor to a man and the two women in the episode are scantily-clad sex objects with very little dialogue. Alison Bechdel would not be impressed.

We also get multiple Kirk-Fu fights; while very much a part of TOS, it gets more than a bit ridiculous here.

What ultimately massively derails the episode is the revelation that the US Constitution and the Stars and Stripes are objects of worship. Quite how that managed to occur is never adequately explained and the episode truly jumps the shark when Kirk's recitation of the preamble to the former manages to win the way. He does make some good points about how the rights in the US Constitution need to be for everyone, something too often ignored by America's leaders - even its slave-owning Founding Fathers - but the sheer veneration that a human document is held up to here is ridiculous; and sadly, alarmingly mirrored in reality in some parts of that country's politics today.

(Shatner for his part, basically stopped caring at this point and went full ham)

Also, where did they get a copy of the Book of Haggai from the Old Testament?

Finally, while Star Trek often tries to be anti-racist, it doesn't always succeed and in some cases fails quite massively. A quote from Star Trek and History: Race-ing Toward a White Future is worth repeating here:

Like the Federation, the Comms have full command of the English language (although they speak with a homogenized 'Asian' accent). The beginning of the episode thus shows that those with white skin can be uncivilized savages and those with yellow skin can be civilized and rational […] This would be counter to the hegemonic representation of Asians in the United States media; that diverse collective of peoples are consistently constructed in film and television as a menacing 'yellow horde'." Bernardi goes on to say: "'The Omega Glory' is not, however, a counter-hegemonic episode. In fact, the episode not only reveals an unwillingness to be critical of the hegemony of racist representations, but also systematically participates in the stereotyping of Asians. As the story progresses, the Yangs are constructed as noble savages; their cause to annihilate the Comms is established as justified. The Comms, on the other hand, are constructed as brutal and oppressive; their drive to suppress the Yangs is established as totalitarian. This more hegemonic articulation of race is made evident when Kirk and Spock realize the extent to which the Yangs and Comms parallel Earth's civilizations. In this light, the Yangs are no longer savages, but noble warriors fighting for a just and honorable cause. They want to regain the land they lost in a war with the Asiatics. (pp. 57-58)

I think that's a good place to conclude.

****

Conclusion

The general view of this episode is that it's one of the worst episodes of the series. They're generally quite right.

3/10

Prince Philip 1921-2021

I've just watched the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh, which I am glad to see that was tailored very much to his wishes and was done very well. I am sure that he will be very pleased with that.

It was also nice to see William and Harry talking together after the service. Perhaps that will lead to better things.

Rest in Peace, Your Royal Highness. You have been a great servant to his country and to the LORD.

Coronavirus #29: Exiting Lockdown 3

Had my first proper haircut since December today and next week I am taking a train into work for some stuff that I really can't deal with at home. I am particularly looking forward to eating in a restaurant again.

We're in a lot better place now with our vaccine rollout; while there are still concerns about the variants, none of them currently truly beats the vaccine. We need to be vigilant, but we can be confident - at present - that we are slowly coming out of this.

Coronavirus #28: Vaccine passports

I would support a limited use of vaccine passports while Covid-19 is still a significant thing in this country - which it currently. Definitely for foreign travel and big events, but not for pubs and shops. I also don't think it is really that discriminatory considering that we will all be getting vaccinated in the next few months.

I also see that the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab won't be recommended for under 30s going forward; the risk of the blood clots for that group is higher than being hospitalised for Covid-19. Which makes sense. Now we need more carrots to encourage people to get vaccinated - I would personally eliminate testing requirements for those with both doses.

Still hoping to go abroad this year, but Europe does need to hurry up with its jabbing...

Show Me More Of This Earth Thing Called Kissing 3: The Drinking Contest (Review: Star Trek 2.22, "By Any Other Name")

Among the many accolades awarded to the USS Enterprise NCC-1701 must be the one of "most hijacked ship in Starfleet" and today, we have another example of that occurring. We also have yet another example of Captain Kirk using the power of lurve to win the day.

I hope Picard isn't like this in TNG.

****

We're straight into the action here with a teaser seeing the main three along with two red shirts - well, a red dress in one case - beaming down to a flowery planet after receiving a distress call. We can go into full meme mode here:

IT'S A TRAP!

A bunch of aliens-in-human-form from the Andromeda Galaxy use a belt-mounted paralysis field generator to freeze the landing part in place. Their goal - to use the Enterprise to return to their galaxy, something that will take 300 years even with their modifications, then come back with an invasion fleet. This of course is something that Kirk cannot allow, but dealing with these people will be more difficult than just a prison break out. When they try that, Red Dress and Red Shirt get turned into plaster cuboctahedrons. The alien leader crushes one of them, killing Red Dress, while Red Shirt (who is also black) is turned back to normal.

So, they need another plan.

****

The title of this episode indicates where we are going here. After another plan fails and they cross the energy barrier around the edge of the Milky Way (first I've heard of that one), they realise that their captors have taken human bodies... but are not used to human sensory inputs.

Thus, we get a massive distraction operation. There are two lady aliens, both dressed in backless outfits more appropriate for Love Island and Kirk decides to basically seduce one by repeated kissing on the lips. This one is massively trope-y and arguably the weakest part of the episode, because it has been done at least twice before.

Spock plays 3D chess, McCoy gives an alien stimulant injections... and Scotty, in a manner that goes into Scottish stereotyping (although to be fair, heavy drinking isn't limited to that culture), engages one in a spot of binge drinking with the aim to put him under the table. This last is actually the funniest part of the episode, but all the regulars bar Sulu (who again isn't in it) get good material.

The aliens, except for the sexy female, are well played and they pose a real threat, making the way the situation is dealt with more satisfying.

Eventually, Kirk manages to drive the alien leader into a jealous rage and after some more Kirk-fu, persuades him of the need for a peaceful solution.

There's a lot of standard Trek tropes here, but this episode - which was extensively redrafted from the original darker concept - uses most of them well. Most of them.

****

Conclusion

While not the most original episode by a long chalk, this is largely well done, fairly tense and pretty enjoyable.

8/10

Easter 2021

I must admit that coming up with angles on Easter is difficult; sermons and preaching are not my strong suit. The Lord has given me other talents and I am hopefully using them for his glory.

So, I will happily use someone else's work to showcase the meaning of Easter:

(This video will be removed after Easter, so watch it while you can)

This was a dramatic human story that touched the lives of not only those present, but countless billions afterwards. Jesus' death and resurrection has shaped our world, arguably for the better. I definitely feel that I am a better person because of my Christian faith and I hope my example shines through to others in the way I conduct my life.

Perhaps you want to give it a try? You won't lose anything and you may gain a great deal.

Happy Easter to you all.

Coronavirus #27: The variants

The UK's case rate appears to be levelling off, with an increase in cases among schoolchildren offsetting falls in the wider population as the vaccine rollout continues, albeit at a somewhat slower pace than previously.

There is a concern about variants that might "escape" the vaccine and so render us back to square one. At the moment, these concerns appear to be somewhat overblown. While some variants do seem to be less impacted by the vaccine, none of them seem to be completely successful in escaping it to the point they are causing hospital admissions among the vaccinated.

This doesn't mean we should throw caution to the wind and we need to remain vigilant, but frightening people unnecessarily is something that the media in particular should not be doing. I somehow doubt they'll stop though, sadly.