Do tools and weapons make us human?



Do weapons and tool use make us human?

I am currently watching 2001: A Space Odyssey. Call it research for what life will be like in the early days of the High Frontier. In particular, I am interested in the spaceships. Pretty much for film and television, it is 2001: A Space Odyssey and StarCops if you are interested in attempts to make the early High Frontier space vehicles realistic.

Nevertheless, I do find some things disturbing about 2001.

One of which is the thought that the movie implies that it is tool and weapon use that make us human. No monkey has ever used a tool or thought of beating his neighbor with a stick--unless there was a monolith involved.

I guess it is the fact that I have watched too many animal shows where animals are using tools or using their built-in weapons to fight with one another or kill a tasty meal of rich protein. Either that or it is the current semester of Chinese Philosophy and Religion that has warped my brain.

Early man did not survive because of tool use; they survived because they figured out how to keep a fire burning. If anything separates us from the animals, it is the use of fire. Other animals have weapons, and make a form of war on others; other animals use tools. Only mankind has harnessed fire.

Ereaders are here to stay

Not only can you read an ebook in Star Trek, you can write it on a PADD too.

Ereaders and ezines and ebooks are here to stay. I know that it is true. After all, Star Trek wouldn't be wrong about this, would they? The first time I encountered the idea of an ebook was Star Trek. I am not sure what episode. I am fairly sure that I remember seeing Scotty reading technical manuals in ebook (ereader) form in the episode Trouble With Tribbles...but I could be wrong...for the life of me, I cannot find a picture of it on the internet.

But seriously, ebooks and ereaders are here to stay. And engineers will be using them. And we do not need Star Trek to tell us this. The US Air Force is telling us this.

The USAF is currently looking to obtain 63 to 18,000 "iPad 2, Brand Name or Equal devices." And for what? To replace the bulky technical manuals and flight charts that the crews of the C-5 Galaxy and C-17 Globemaster cargo airplanes are currently using. Let's be honest---if the military is adapting these devices, they are sure to be around for decades. And while weight is a consideration in their decisions here on Earth, one knows that when we finally kick the dust of this planet from our heels and slip off into space, weight will be a major reason why there will not be any paper books being shipped to Mars.

A Doctor Who Timeline

I love timelines! I really, really do. And the good folks at CableTV.com have just created a wonderful one for those of us who really like Doctor Who. Enjoy.


Via: CableTV.com

Two Lost Episodes of Doctor Who Rediscovered

Doctor Who Galaxy 4 part three Airlock.

The big news of the day is that two more lost episodes of Doctor Who has been recovered. The two episodes are from William Hartnell's Galaxy Four (part three Airlock) and Patrick Troughton's Underwater Menace (part two). The discovery of these episodes brings the total of missing episodes down to 106 (still 59 percent of the 253 installments that Hartnell and Troughton made). I still hope someday to see the final episode of Tenth Planet without having to build a TARDIS of my own.

For more on the news, check out the article on the recovery of these two episodes by Radio Times.

Where no chocolate has gone before

Red M&M as Captain Kirk.

The Hamilton Collection has a figurine this season of the Red M&M dressed up as Captain Kirk (about $38 total). I am not sure if I believe their claim that "Stellar demand is expected, so jump into warp speed and order now!" Nevertheless, it will make some nerd's Christmas list.

Star Trek Pizza Cutter

What does every Trekker need for Christmas? A Star Trek pizza cutter. Yes, there is a pizza cutter shaped like the NCC-1701 Enterprise. You know you want one. (Heck, I want one, but my wife says "No." Evil Klingon wife.)

Happy 48 Doctor Who!

48 years ago today, the very first episode of Doctor Who was aired on BBC. I understand that other important things happened that day; but let's be honest, I am just not old enourgh to be as heavily invested in them as I have been in Doctor Who.

My first Doctor was actually Peter Davison, and the last Doctor (of the ones that existed at the time) was Tom Baker. I guess that makes me a little weird, doesn't it? I actually saw new episodes with both Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy before Tom Baker.

This odd exposure to the Doctors was the result of my public broadcasting station which were showing the episodes in order---except for the new seasons as they were released to them. I had actually started watching during the first episode of Castrovalva, that is how close I came to having the typically American (80s) experience of seeing Tom Baker first.

Happy 48th Doctor Who---may the good stories keep coming for many more years.