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Articles by Jack B Nimble
The Inner Life of Transcendent Genius
A review of The Philosophy of Modern Song by Bob Dylan, 352 pages, Simon & Schuster (November 2022) The last century has proved that transcendent genius is not necessarily that unusual. The science of physics, for example, produced Einstein, Fermi, Feynman, and Hawking within a few decades of each other. Cinema, meanwhile, is barely over 100 years old, and produced three authentic geniuses (Griffith, Eisenstein, and Chaplin) before it emerged from the silent era.
What is the floor plan of the Huxtable home?
5 I'm trying to figure out the placement of all the rooms in the Huxtable home on the Cosby Show. They seem to have following rooms: Kitchen Living Room Formal Dining Room 4 Bedrooms? (Master Bedroom and 3 Bedrooms?) 3 Bathrooms (including master bath) 2 sets of stairs Clair's Study (eventually built in the 8th season) I'm wondering if the layout of the rooms as seen in the sets can be lined up to an actual floor plan.
#5 Iso-lationships - Are They Legit?
#4 Concerts From the Couch Virtual music festivals and gigs are taking off across the world…but what do these free gigs mean for the music industry in the long run? 15:43 April 27, 2020 #3 Thinking and Shooting Inside the Box Video and photo productions have come to a grinding halt leaving thousands of creatives out of work. So how can you shoot from isolation? 11:01 April 20, 2020 Do you feel like the constant bombardment of COVID-19 news is inescapable? Is it taking a toll on your mental health?
'The Guarded Gate' Review: Elites and Their Eugenics Projects
A review of The Guarded Gate: Bigotry, Eugenics and the Law That Kept Two Generations of Jews, Italians, and Other European Immigrants out of America by Daniel Okrent, Scribner, 496 pages (May, 2019). ….our people refuse to apply to human beings such elementary knowledge as every successful farmer is obliged to apply to his own stock breeding.
Any idea why the Ferengi are classed as Species 180, by the Borg?
The episode in which they are referred to as Species 180 is Voyager's "Infinite Regress". The script and production notes for the episode do not offer any reason for the low number. It seems that the novels and comics are not helpful here either.
Why don't starships use holodecks as living quarters?
Holodecks draw a lot of power. Anytime you had a need for shields or weapons you would likely be distrupting the Holodeck environments. It is a lot more energy efficient to have non-holographic beds and rooms for crewmen. Additionally, even though it may seem like you are in a wide open field with a cabin, in reality there is a finite amount of space inside that room. If you had a lot of people in the room, eventually the Holodeck would be unable to hide everyone from your line of sight, or sound.
Who are these DC superheroes?
Main group: Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman, Black Canary Hawk Girl, Black Lightning, Red Arrow / Speedy, Vixen, and Red Tornado.
Earth: Green Planet or Blue Planet?
The short story "Peril of the Blue World" by Robert Abernathy was first published in the Winter 1942 issue of Planet Stories, well before the first satellite images of the earth. The "Blue World" of the title is indeed Planet Earth. Here is the beginning of the story: There are those who have criticized the wisdom of the members of the First Earth Expedition in returning to Mars so precipitately, without completing the observations and explorations which it had been intended they should make.
How Do We Know The Name of the Robot on the Jupiter II?
In this answer, the Robot on the Jupiter II is stated to have the name B9. This seems common knowledge among viewers and fans and is generally accepted as fact. In the Lost in Space pilot and first episode ("The Reluctant Stowaway"), the Robot is described merely as an environmental robot. No name or designation is given.
In The Avengers (2012), How did they communicate at the climax without any ear device even though the inner ear technology was created in 2013?
Note: This is not a duplicate of How do the Avengers Communicate? The question in the link is about Avengers:Age Of Ultron (2015) but this question is about The Avengers (2012) In the Avengers (2012), in the climax fight how did the Avengers communicate with each other without any sort of ear equipment? The inner ear piece communication technology seen in Avengers 2 was developed by SHIELD and introduced in Agents Of Shield S01E01 in 2013.
Why does the Terminator-an infiltration machine-steal clothes by attacking humans anyway?
I think there are a few problems with your question. The people targeted by the T-800 in the first two movies are not entirely "innocent". In both cases, the T-800 starts the confrontation by demanding clothes, but in both cases, the other party makes the confrontation physical. In the first movie, the punks pull knives; in the second movie, the biker puts a cigar out on the Terminator's chest.
Why does the Terminator-an infiltration machine-steal clothes anyway?
I think there are a few problems with your question. The people targeted by the T-800 in the first two movies are not entirely "innocent". In both cases, the T-800 starts the confrontation by demanding clothes, but in both cases, the other party makes the confrontation physical. In the first movie, the punks pull knives; in the second movie, the biker puts a cigar out on the Terminator's chest.
Was the T-800 certain it had the right Sarah Connor?
In The Terminator, Reese says Skynet had almost no information on Sarah Connor: Just her name, and the name of the city where she lived. The T-800 arrives in 1984, finds a phone book, and dispatches the first two Sarah Connors listed. It then goes to Sarah's apartment and, in a case of mistaken identity, kills her roommate Ginger (and Ginger's brave but luckless boyfriend Matt). Then it hears Sarah leave a message on the answerphone and realises she is still alive.
Does Neo actually know kung fu?
would Trinity be able to fly an actual helicopter if given a chance in the real world? That would depend greatly on how accurate The Matrix's simulations of real world helicopters is. I mean, what if the machines got it wrong? Maybe what I think Tasty Wheat tasted like actually tasted like oatmeal, or tuna fish. That makes you wonder about a lot of things. You take chicken, for example: maybe they couldn't figure out what to make chicken taste like, which is why chicken tastes like everything.
Can Beast Boy turn into other humans?
It doesn't appear that there is any reason he can't shape shift into other humans, albeit green ones. Beast Boy has the ability to morph and transform into any animal that he has seen himself or has seen in an illustration (as is the case when he shapeshifts into an animal such as an extinct dinosaur) wikipedia He also doesn't appear to be constrained by Earth-born creatures, or even by creatures with a certain lower limit of intelligence. He has total control of his shape shifting abilities.
Need help identifying this robot from a cardboard cutout
My neighbor has this large cardboard cutout of a robot with a chicken burger, obviously part of some fast food ad campaign. I'm curious to know if the robot in question is from some specific work, or if it was created just for this campaign. Also, what company was the campaign for?
Does Superman's Heat Vision have a Maximum Range?
We can safely assume that Superman's heat vision moves at the speed of light, meaning that shooting across the cosmos would involve some delay for the light to get there. But otherwise, it's just a matter of how focused the beam is: perfectly focused and it will continue forever. But if it's even slightly unfocused, it will gradually get dimmer as the distance increases, the way the brightness of a flashlight diminishes over distance, because the light cone has gotten wider.
Is Jon Snow a Targareyan by birth?
Jon Snow is the son of Ned Stark. In later books it is indicated that Jon Snow is actually the kid of Ned Stark's sister and Danny Targaryen's uncle. Why did the author chose to do this?
Why are Superman and Batman against each other?
Because fans love that kind of thing. "Who would win in a fight of X vs. Y" is a perennial favourite discussion topic, especially when X and Y are both good guys and would not normally be opposed, so that there is no canon answer.
What class are these Federation ships?
From Memory Alpha's article on the Freedom Attack Fighter: The Federation attack fighter was a type of starship employed by Starfleet as an attack fighter during the Dominion War. (DS9: "Sacrifice of Angels") The Maquis appropriated several of these ships and used them as attack fighters during their insurrection against the Cardassian Union. Prior to 2370 these ships were civilian Federation support couriers not used by Starfleet.
Why is Captain America's shield called indestructible if Vibranium can be broken down for microscopic applications?
First, "if Vibranium is indestructible, how was Captain America's shield created (melting and hammering shouldn't work)?" type questions should be trivial. Answer can be similar to that of Adamantium: Just after extraction, it can be molded just once. The shape would be permanent after that. But, in Avengers: Age of Ultron movie, Vibranium was used to create Vision's muscular body.
Does Avada Kedavra have any effect on inanimate objects?
We see several cases of AK hitting inanimate objects in Order of Phoenix, with varying effects, during battle in the Ministry: From this we can infer that SOME objects will be critically damaged (from set on fire to exploded in pieces), but NOT always. However, we see OTHER things explode from spells that aren't (necessarily or at all) AK: Since JKR usually very explicitly shows Avada Kedavras (by name or green color), this was most likely NOT AK. "You won't say no?
How does Captain America's shield work?
Captain America does not throw his shield and have it return like a boomerang. Instead, he uses his shield much more like a Frisbee disk, bouncing it around an area using his enhanced strength and his awareness of three dimensional space to cause it to return after striking a variety of targets (usually opponents). Considering the number of surfaces he is able to use to redirect his shield, his awareness of vector dynamics would make him an extraordinary marksman or billiards player.
Identify book: controlling the weather as a weapon in silent global war
I remember a book that was about a secret war being carried out by Russia against America (and with retaliation) that used weather as a weapon. One of the main characters was a weatherman that started to figure this out: there was no declared war, but epic floods would ravage Texas then Moscow would see a "blizzard for the centuries" and back and forth. The book would have been from the 1980s or before. UPDATE Given when I would have read it, the story must actually have been published in the 70s.
How did Iron Man fly without a big tank of fuel?
Since your images are from the film Iron Man, I'll initially address that universe. In the film canon, Tony constructs a miniature Arc Reactor and implants it in his chest. This provides a fantastic power source for the armors he later builds. In the Mark 2 & 3 armors, Tony uses his Arc Reactor to power repulsors (a fictional technology that uses energy to generate thrust), which his suit contains on the palms and feet (per Wikipedia).
Is Eli blind, or can he just read braille?
He is blind, although it is not always obvious. This was particularly the case for me since I saw this movie on a plane, which had been edited (the movie, not the plane). Some of the subtle clues to demonstrate he is blind: When he flicks the lighter open and flicks it, he moves his hand over the flame to prove to him it works because he's blind. He kept clicking the iPod even though it said battery low. If he could see, he'd realize the battery was low.
Why does the aluminium need to be transparent?
In Star Trek IV, Scotty gives away the formula to the (likely) inventor of transparent aluminium. This aluminium, if my memory serves me, is to contain the humpback whales they must procure from the past. Crazy, I know. But why do the humpback whales need to be in a transparent container? I know it wouldn't be pleasant, but it would be for a few short hours after they'd stolen them.
Why aren't more of the mutants having their powers restored?
While the High Evolutionary would love to have such a willing group of subjects (he is a bit amoral in his quest for knowledge) the technology and capability to restore access to a mutants genetic legacy would be difficult to find or apply to the entire world at one time.
Why was Darth Vader called Lord Vader?
From the Wookieepedia page on the word "Darth": Darth was a title given to the Dark Lords of the Sith Order, which preceded a moniker different from the birth name. The Sith names of Sheev Palpatine, Dooku and Anakin Skywalker were Darth Sidious, Darth Tyranus and Darth Vader. The title was already in use about one millennium before the Clone Wars, when Darth Bane created the Rule of Two.
Can a Dementor Destroy a Horcrux?
If a Dementor can eat and destroy a persons soul, and a horcrux is part of someone's soul in an object, Could harry have just found a horcrux and thrown it at a Dementor, so that it could destroy it for him?
In The Walking Dead, where do the survivors get gasoline?
There's a lot of driving in The Walking Dead. The survivors drive from Atlanta, then back to Atlanta, then away from Atlanta in a caravan of vehicles. Where do they get the gasoline to fuel their vehicles? If I recall correctly, in the premier episode, Rick was unable to find enough gasoline for his single police cruiser to make it to Atlanta, and had to switch to horseback. Additionally, wouldn't accessing gasoline from gas stations require electricity to get the pumps working?
What Star Wars novels are still Canon?
It contains the wisdom of the canon.
As of Phase 2, what's the status of the original Helicarrier?
After the events of Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s helicarrier has taken quite a bit of damage. Between the Hulk/Thor battle and the sabotage from Hawkeye's attack, it's taken a beating. However, I don't recall seeing it in Phase 2 (yet, there are 2 more films). Although we do see what more modern helicarriers would look like in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, we don't see the old one in the films or TV series (I don't read the tie-in comics). Is it still around, functional? Does SHIELD still use it?
What spells/powers can a war wizard use?
I'm picking back up the Sword of Truth books and I recall that Richard Rahl as a war wizard was able to do all sorts of magic by instinct when the need arose. However, I don't recall if there was ever a real defined concept of what sort of powers and spells (using the term loosely, as they are done by instinct) could be used. He used healing magic a few times and he seemed to be able to enhance his archery skills. He also found a book he needed in a giant library and did some other minor stuff.
How was Dumbledore able to defeat Grindelwald, since Grindelwald had the Elder Wand?
This question: How could Dumbledore ever become the owner of the Elder-Wand? just speculates on the transfer of ownership of the Elder wand. But the Elder Wand is supposed to greatly enhance the powers of the wielder.
What was C-3PO basing his odds on?
I'd say just assumptions based on average asteroid field density/size as well as average Star Destroyer stats, etc. I'm not really sure why he'd know, but it might be useful to provide better context when translating or negotiating. Maybe they just wanted to support the fact that droids obviously can know lots of stuff, but they might never be able to determine the right situation to use that knowledge on their own. To be honest, I don't remember that scene in detail.
star wars - C3PO: a cyborg? - Science Fiction & Fantasy Stack Exchange
I had always interpreted it as a description of his name and function: name: C3PO primary function: human-cyborg relations It had never occurred to me that "human-cyborg" might be his race, but now that it has, I see the line being read as if you were looking him up in an index, which strikes me as a very C3PO-esque way describing himself, as in: C3PO, odds, calculator of, sharer of, human-cyborg, relations, stiffness of, shininess of, worry-wart
Science Fiction & Fantasy Stack Exchange
Even from the first episode Bender seems to have an unusual power. After his attempt at bending a girder, both of his arms fall off, but somehow the arms pick themselves up. How does he do that?
Whose fist dent is there on the seclusion retreat cabin of S.H.I.E.L.D.?
In the S02E14 of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Coulson took Skye to a secret seclusion retreat facility of S.H.I.E.L.D. which was built by Bruce Banner. In the next episode, a fist dent on Vibranium-lined Honeycomb wall was shown: Whose fist dent is this? I debated about this in comments of this question. I believe that the fist dent was made by Captain America (others believe that it was Hulk's) because Coulson told Skye that Rogers spent few weeks there after he was defrosted.
How did Harry come to master the Elder Wand?
What is not made clear in canon, but is explained later by J.K. Rowling, is the fact that if a wizard or witch defeats another and earns the allegiance of their opponent's wand, all wands under the control of the opponent switch allegiance to the victor and it is possible for a witch or wizard to be the master of more than one wand at a time, and to lose the allegiance of more than one wand at a time.
Science Fiction & Fantasy Stack Exchange
The actual joke is never told. Here is the transcript from Generations: DATA: Ha, ha, ha! I get it. Ha. ha, ha! I get it. LAFORGE: You get what? DATA: When you said to Commander Riker 'The clown can stay...' Ha, ha, ha. '...but the Ferengi in the gorilla suit has to go.' Ha, ha, ha. LAFORGE: What are you talking about? DATA: During the Farpoint mission. We were on the bridge and you told the joke. That was the punch line. Ha, ha, ha! LAFORGE: Farpoint? Data, that was seven years ago. DATA: I know.
Why doesn't Agent J remember his father?
Actually, it's incorrect to assume that Jay didn't remember his father at all. In fact, he distinctly has memories of his father from when he was a boy. As we find out later in the film, Agent J's father, Major James Edwards Jr., was killed by Boris the Animal during the launch of the Apollo 11 rocket. Young James Edwards III (Jay) witnessed this, and the young version of Agent K then used a neutralizer on him to erase the memory.
What are these other relics in the movie Thor?
Odin's Trophy Room, also called the Vault has held a number of powerful artifacts captured in battles against the enemies of Asgard. This is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe #19999. Some of these items include: The Orb of Agamotto - an orb with the power of clairvoyance able to cross dimensional realms. It can be blocked by powerful sorcerers. In the canon Marvel Universe #616 the device is in the possession of Dr. Strange.
How do I build a Cyborg using Science Fiction
I'm writing a book, and my character is a Cyborg. Now how would I describe to the readers how my hero was built, from the ground up?
Is the name Longbottom a funny-sounding/joke name?
No, it's a real English surname, with fairly non-funny and non-insulting meaning/origins. This interesting name is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and is a topographical surname for someone who lived in a long valley or dell. In some cases the modern surname, found as Longbottom and Longbotham, may also be locational in origin, from the place called "Longbottom" in Luddended Foot in West Yorkshire.
Is Skye's mother based on a character from the comics?
As far as we can tell, no. Skye's mother is named Jiaying, and there is no Inhuman by that name in the comics. In addition, her power in the series appears to be longevity, and possibly even immortality (given what she has survived thus far). In the comics, all Inhumans are long-lived, though not immortal, and I haven't found one that has the near-Wolverine-level regenerative power that Jiaying seems to be showing.
Do the cities in the DC Universe correspond to real world cities?
If you refer the map in this answer http://scifi.stackexchange.com/a/5710/1148 you'll see that all of these cities have a place on the map independent of real cities. However, your question reads more wanting to know the original inspiration for the cities. Within the DC Universe, Metropolis is portrayed as one of the largest and wealthiest cities on Earth. Since then, Metropolis has become a city inspired by New York City, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Toronto, Vancouver, and Los Angeles.
Why did Nightwing's costume change from black and blue to black and red in the DC New 52?
The characters also are getting a makeover. While most of the specifics are still top secret, Lee says he worked with both staff and freelance artists to redesign costumes in a contemporary way as well as alter the physicality of many heroes and villains to modernize the DC Universe. If you look at this link you'll see many (if not all) characters had costume design changed for the New 52.
Will I be able to follow the story if I skip The Next Generation & watch Deep Space 9 directly?
Two things to consider: Apart from a couple of crossovers (a two-parter TNG episode is set on DS9 - and the Picard/Borg link in the pilot) - and the appearance of races and characters from the earlier TNG into DS9, I don't think that you'd have any problems following the story and development in DS9.
Why does Spider-Man shoot webs from his wrist in the movies?
There IS a reason Spider-Man shot organic webbing from the top of his wrists. But to know how this came about, you need a bit of Spider-Man lore that is overlooked in the movie. This was the costume that changed where webbing came from in Spider-Man lore nearly thirty years ago.
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