Do
you consider starship blueprints works of art? Are technical journals
your idea of light reading? Do you know a Jeffries Tube from a magnatomic
flux chiller? Are you turned on by transwarp technology? In other words,
are you interested in what makes everything go? If so, then you have come
to the sacred bastian of the modern-day equivalent of the grease monkey
we know and love as the Engineering Department.
In
fiction, these are the people that make sure everything works...and if
it doesn*t, they find a way to cheat the laws of physics. In reality,
Engineering members are crazy about technology and learning how things
function.
In
the Avenger's Engineering Department, these responsibilities are divided
into seven distinct areas:
Warp
Systems:These are the ship's main (warp)
engines, which enable it to travel vast distances in relatively
short periods.
Impulse
Systems:This department is responsible
for repairing and maintaining the ship's impulse (sub-light) engines,
as well as the reaction-control thusters.
Power
Systems:The Officers and specialists
in this department oversee the operation and maintenance of the
ship's power-generation and distribution grids.
Defense
Systems:
Phasers, Photon Torpedo equipment, deflector screens and shields
are the responsibility of this department.
Environmental
Systems:The crucial areas of life support
fall under the skilled care and maintenance of this department.
These systems include air conditioning, air circulation, heating,
water circulation, waste recovery and radiation protection.
Transporter
Systems:
Need to beam down to or up from somewhere? This department oversees
that function, as well as the maintenance of the transporter systems.
Auxiliary
Systems:This department picks up where
the others leave off. Their responsibilities include maintaining
and repairing "quality of life" systems and vital mission components.
Examples of Auxiliary Systems include food synthesizers, fabricators,
turbolifts, and all the doors. Auxiliary Systems specialists are
also charged with maintaining and repairing the ship*s shuttlecraft,
although engineers from other divisions can be called in to assist
when needed.
Members
who join the Engineering Division can specialize in a particular department,
depending on what they're interested in. In real-life, Engineering personnel
have worked on the Avenger's General Plans (See: Ship
Schematics). They are also interested in all things mechanical and
technological. Do you like figuring out how things work? Avenger Engineering
may be the perfect place for you!
For
further information, or if you have any questions, contact the Chief
Engineering Officer;
Chief Engineer's Blog, Stardate 10704.02 (Monday, April 2, 2007):
Thank goodness I now have a few days to catch my breath. I've just submitted my monthly report and materials for the next issue of our newsletter. Two less things to do.
I was part of a group that visited the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens this weekend. Although they had quite a nice exhibit of Star Trek memorabilia on display, the other exhibits were equally impressive if not more. They had the actual costumes worn by Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Richard Gere in the movie Chicago, along with Robin William's Orkan uniform from the TV show Mork and Mindy. Along with old nickelodeons, early motion picture cameras and sound gear, film projection machines, and even a piece of the miniatures used in the film Blade Runner, they had a display devoted to video games. Whoa, talk about archaic systems.
Speaking of video games, the museum even had a hall on its lower level where you can try out actual games. They had a Tron game which I was drawn to like a moth to a flame. There was also a Star Wars game, the one where you fly an X-Wing into battle at the Death Star. They even had a couple of home game consoles set up, one using a Sony Play Station. They had it set up with PaRappa The Rapper, which I thought was a weird-a** game when it first came out about 10 years ago. I learned one thing: you need MAD DEXTERITY to operate Play Station. All in all, it was a good day.
Chief Engineer's Log, Stardate 10703.25 (Sunday, March 25, 2007):
I've been following the last few episodes of Battlestar Galactica...including the season finale which just aired tonight, and I have to say I am disturbed about a few things. I've never reacted this way to any show before, but this season even tops the one where one of the Sharons capped the old man right on his own bridge. And, since the apparent departure of Starbuck, I've felt the need to get a few things off my chest.
First, why did Kara Thrace (aka Starbuck) have to die? Furthermore, did she actually commit suicide or did something actually paste her Viper?
Second, what's going to happen to Gaius Baltar now that he's been declared not guilty? He really seems to be a man without a colony now.
Third, why didn't anyone figure out that Colonel Tigh, Anders, Tori, and Tyrol were Cylons just awaiting that fateful command to activate them? And why did that signal have to contain the song "All Along The Watchtower"? COME ON!!! By the way, some of the promos said we would find out who the Last Five Cylons are. We have apparently seen four. What about the fifth? Or, did I miss something...
Finally, (and this is where it gets really freaky-deaky), where the frack did Starbuck come from when the Cylon forces caught up with the Galactica and her fleet going into that nebula? Was Lee Adama (aka Apollo) hallucinating? Ain't NO WAY she could have jumped way across the galaxy and back and made the jump look like an explosion.
Too bad we won't get any further answers until NEXT YEAR!!! Ron Moore, David Eick...you two are such TEASES! ;-) Well, until then, there's always Mind of Mencia or whatever else Comedy Central ends up carrying in this time slot.
Patrick's party was a blast. I think he got a kick out of the retro-game software I gave him, along with the copy of "Pac-Man Fever" I burned for him. Not only did we have fun, I got a chance to sample Jose Tejas' cuisine. NOT BAD. Although, I didn't count on how popular the place is...or how much parking is at a premium on Saturday nights. I must have orbited the lot four or five times before finally procuring a small patch of asphalt real-estate. By the time I parked, it was almost about 6:20 PM...but that worked out, because everyone else was still waiting to be seated. And I thought Outback was crowded...
I finally got my new insurance cards for the Corolla. All I need now is to await the arrival of my new registration, so I can finally go ahead and mount my plates.
Oh, and one more thing: if you dress up as Darth Vader, do NOT wear pink and white or any "Hello Kitty" logos! We all got treated to a link on our e-mail list to a JPEG that would make any Jedi cringe. Oy gevalt.
What a way to start the new year. My engine started making some unsettling rattling noises. I took the car in for repairs, but the service manager informed me the engine was so badly sludged, I'd be looking at a $5,000 repair bill. That's what you get for deferred maintenance, kids. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. The manager said at this point, I'd be better off trading her in for something else. The upside is that's exactly what I did. I wound up getting the same exact make and model, but in a nicer color.
I've also noticed some 'Fleeters like to refer to their cars as their personal shuttlecraft. At first, I found the practice absurd. Now, I see so much of it in my little circle, I'm starting to feel left out. What to name my new vehicle. Hmmm.... (to be continued)
Dang, I must really be making up for lost time. I'm starting to feel like Doogie Howser, only without the DOS Word program he used. I shouldn't be such a stranger.
I see our esteemed Security chief Patrick is having a belated birthday party...and just up the road from me. That's one thing I like about the Edison/Iselin/Rahway/Linden/Elizabeth/Newark corridor: it's a TRE (target rich environment) for shopping, dining, and all and sundry forms of entertainment. I have yet to RSVP.
Oh, remember the meeting program I did late last summer about the old Saturday-morning TV show Ark II? A co-worker alerted me the availability of the entire series on DVD, which came out last November. I grabbed a copy at my local Best Buy for under $21.00 (I paid partially with a gift card) and I'm lovin' it. Of course, I still have the old VHS recordings my office colleague gave me a few months before. I hate to have to toss 'em, but the DVD's are so much nicer. Space Academy is coming out later this month. Psych.
Where was I? Oh, yes. Happy New Year, everybody. Let's hope I get it right this time. ;-) I finally hit a milestone of sorts. I've finally replaced all my old record albums with CD's. I have two in the mail (one from Amazon and the other from J&R). I was also able to locate an original vinyl copy of Buckner & Garcia's Pac-Man Fever on e-Bay. I have my old cassette copy which is 24 years old and completely toast. At least when the record comes, I can dub it into my computer and burn it onto an audio CD.
Speaking of CD's, my thanks to our XO Todd for burning us copies of his holiday music "trilogy". I listened to them in my car and grinned and giggled so much, I thought my cheeks would go sore. "Ding, fries are done...ding, fries are done..."
Forgive me, Toddfather, for I have sinned. ;-) It's been way too long since my last entry. What's happened since? A brief recap. We did Rotorfest 2006 out in West Chester, PA, and a video crew interviewed some of our cadre about the Hubble Space Telescope. My body paid the price for this year's "Wallpaper Rutgers" campaign, as usual. To paraphrase the Admiral, curse these desk jobs. We hit the Challenger's annual holiday party and cookie exchange this year and had a chance to try some weird-tasting soda flavors. Who knew you could carbonate pea soup? Kudos to Norm Van Houten for hosting the December shipwide at his place, and for the nice spread he and his family put 0ut for supper. Molto bene! Otherwise, did the holiday thing with the family as usual and breathed a sigh of relief when the new year began. It's been fun. And the best part is we get to do it all over again (not like Groundhog Day, of course, although that would be interesting...).
Bless me, father, for I have sinned. It has been almost four months since my last blog. (Pardon me, but I couldn't resist letting my inner Catholic out. ;-))
These past few weeks have been busy for me. My cousin's younger son made his first Communion last month, and we had a party to celebrate. The Avenger's 21st-Anniversary picnic went off despite some torrential rains. At least we had shelter, and our fellow 'fleeter Joe from the Sovereign had a portable gas-fired grill which we could use under cover of our handy reserved pavilion. The weekend after that was my parents' annual July 4th weekend party, which went well. I worked my tail off helping with setup and cleanup. I was able to collect some overtime working the actual holiday the following Tuesday. Which brings us to what we had been looking forward to all year: Shore Leave 28. Wotta party.
Aside from seeing quite a few celebs, buying a few souvenirs (including more blueprints to add to my collection), taking part in an art workshop (which was the first time I've worked with dry pastels), and seeing our own security chief net two awards for the costume competition, it was another chance to mix and mingle with Starfleeters and fans alike. I'm happy to report that thanks to our XO's distribution of special "carpet decoder" glasses, I did not go Lawrence Marvik on anyone all weekend. >;-) And the best part: I DID NOT CATCH A COLD THIS YEAR! Too bad we couldn't say the same for Connor Trineer (aka Trip from Enterprise), but he was a good sport.
I'm currently debating whether to go to this year's IC in Philly. I'm definitely not doing the entire weekend, but I want to see if I can swing just the Saturday and skip the banquet. In the meantime, I'll enjoy the rest of my vacation before I have to report back to work on July 17th.
In my quest to come up with activity ideas, I was inspired by the sight of the Statue of Liberty over the Bayonne skyline in one of my many trips up the NJ Turnpike. I thought since the ferry departs from Liberty State Park to the Statue, that would be great way to get there without having to cross the Hudson to pick up the ferry from lower Manhattan.
That was before I discovered that the price for tickets to the Statue itself were somewhat prohibitive: about $45.00 if I read it correctly. That doesn't even include the price for the ferry, which would be about $11.50 per adult. Furthermore, I read that all tickets must be purchased in advance, as there is a limit to how many people can be on Liberty Island at one time. Also, while the statue has been refurbished, they only allow visitors to go up as far as the top of the pedestal. From what I understand, the inside of the statue is blocked off but can be viewed through special transparent skylights.
It was a thought, and if anyone wants to discuss it further, I have no problem. However, in light of the expense, I do not predict this will go through.
