I wanted to be a lion tamer.

Fizzbin!

It should be noted that Mumps can also cause deafness (about one case in 20,000, according to the CDC).

The question, "will a major Hollywood movie made in 2015 have a story that requires the viewer to have seen and remember a movie made in 1979?" sort of answers itself.

I know this is a complete cliche at this point, but really ... what would an alien observer (or a "god," for that matter), have to say about our stewardship of our blue marble?

There is only one superpower that's worth risking the consequences:

And the tradition continued with the Abramsverse Trek, with barcode scanners serving as throttles on the navigation console.

One cannot have this discussion without mentioning the ingenuity of the original Trek folks, like Matt Jeffries and William Ware Theiss. What they did with toothpicks, plastic wrap, salt shakers and navel lint is quite amazing.

Shhhh!

Well, "Burr" by Gore Vidal saw a jump in sales on Amazon this morning, so I'll bet we sparked something here with some in the industry.

The duel took place in Weehawken, New Jersey. Burr did have a meal on Blennerhassett Island in the days after the duel.

I would say each duelist bears equal responsibility for the entire sad event. Here's a very interesting article from Smithsonian: http://www.aaronburrassociation.org/Smithsonian.ht…

Aaron Burr. Fascinating historical figure. Lt. Colonel in the Continental Army, Vice President, winning duelist vs. Alexander Hamilton, lawyer, western adventurer possibly involved in treason. There is such rich material here.

Nope. Roddenberry was cremated.

You're onto something there. A musical would totally be the hook they've been searching for to justify an appearance by Shatner! And Nimoy again!

If Gene Roddenberry wasn't spinning in his proverbial grave after "Into Darkness," he sure is now.

How about this: Consider those people you regularly interact with, and assign shady, conspiratorial motives for their behavior.

I agree with everything you say, with two quibbles:

Intriguing response. Especially given that Haldeman's fine book was praised by the man himself, Navy vet Robert Heinlein, and given that, by Haldeman's own admission, "The Forever War" wouldn't exist without the original — "Starship Troopers."

Damn, you're right. I should have used this one.