Dmitry Chernikov’s Blog

I finally decided to heed the advice of some of the respondents to my article on Star Trek and bought Firefly. Man, what a show! And they canceled it after only 9 episodes? Are they out of their minds? This is the most entertaining, well-made, and fun sci-fi series with razor-sharp dialog I have ever seen. There is no techno-babble nor the evil close-ups. I just fell in love with the characters. Some episodes stand out, like “Our Mrs. Reynolds”: I tell you, I did not see that coming (you’ll know what I’m talking about). “Ariel” advanced the plot by leaps and bounds, and the special effects were amazing. And “War Stories,” featuring the psychopathic Niska, was absolutely hilarious, torture notwithstanding.

All characters are Artisans, unlike the all-NT Star Trek which explains the show’s tactical cleverness. Jayne is a bit of a caricature of an ISTP but a deliberate one used for comic relief. (But something could have been made out of him had the show had a chance to progress.) There is not a trace of political correctness or of the momentary victim group obsessions of the political class. In other words, men are men, etc. (The economics of the show is not always up to par: in “Ariel” it is never explained why there is a black market in medicine. Are there price controls? Is the industry socialized? The hospital was strangely enough government-run, and we all know that government-run anything is useless and inconsistent with high civilization.)

The acting is exceptionally good, as well.

One of the coolest things is how each episode starts pretty much where the previous episode leaves off. References to earlier episodes are abundant and natural.

I recommend Firefly to anyone. It’s only $20 on Amazon.com. Get it and enjoy the ride.

NB: Click only if you know Russian.

А Ну Отдай Мой Каменный Топор

В Далёком Созвездие Тау-Кита

Диалог У Телевизора

Как Ныне Сбирается Вещий Олег
- It is interesting that in the Pushkin’s version of this poem Oleg asks the magus to reveal to him his destiny; In Vysotsky’s funnier version the magus or magi tell him “out of the blue” or “apropos of nothing.”

Лукоморья Больше Нет

Баллада О Брошенном Корабле

Abe Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League has called for an apology from himself for perpetuating the classic anti-Semitic stereotype of the Jews as a perpetually whining victim group. “It is simply false that Jews are hated by many and need to protect themselves by an organization such as the ADL by playing on the terror most Americans feel of offending anyone, rightly or wrongly,” Foxman said. “The ADL is, at best, unnecessary, and, at worst, a willing cog in the American welfare-warfare state. I hope that I will realize the pain my words have caused to many people and make clear that I understand why my remarks about Jews were so inappropriate and offensive. The cause of liberty, of which freedom of speech and freedom of association are crucial parts, demands not only that I apologize but that the Anti-Defamation League close its doors. The Jews stand in no need of my organization’s services. Seeing that political correctness, naturally repugnant to all lovers of truth, manifests itself both in kangaroo trials in the court of public opinion-molders and in the nation’s legal system, I shall devote my efforts to changing our culture of victimhood, as well as to getting all anti-discrimination laws repealed on every level of government.”

“I shall try to be very crafty at my new task,” added Foxman. “I intend to hire some big-time Jew lawyers in order to make a Constitutional and common law case against grants of legal privileges to the various allegedly ‘oppressed’ groups.”

Thanks to Lew Rockwell for the link to the original story. And here is St. Thomas on craftiness.

Hilarious. (Note: The man in a pointy hat is probably the Pope, and the “nerd” is, of course, William Dembski.)

I am reading Dawkins’s Climbing Mount Improbable, and on p. 6 he says, commenting on the merely apparent design of some natural rock formation, that “the human brain seems actively eager to see faces: it seeks them out.” I’ve suddenly come to appreciate Victor Reppert’s quip: “Sometimes when people talk about what the brain does I want to say ‘Interesting fellow, Mr. Brain. Remarkable what he can do.’”