Hating parts of Star Trek is an essential part of loving Star Trek

Enlarge / Star Trek Beyond might be good or it might be bad, but either way it belongs in the canon. (credit: Paramount Pictures)

To continue our celebration of Star Trek’s 50th anniversary, we’ve decided to resurface a few of our favorite Trek stories from the Ars archives—like this one from December 2015. Star Trek Beyond has since debuted and, predictably, disappointed. But as Andrew Cunningham points out, having gripes with the franchise is part of true love.

Some other sci-fi movie is stealing most of the thunder this week, but Star Trek fans got some table scraps in the form of a trailer for Star Trek Beyond, the third film set in the revised Trek universe established by J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek (2009). The fan reaction was generally unkind, citing everything from the song choice to the lack of sci-fi to the presence of director Justin Lin, veteran of The Fast and the Furious.

Slashfilm published a nice interview with Lin that should at least partially mollify upset fans (he didn’t love the trailer either, nor did co-writer and costar Simon Pegg), and I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, but let’s assume for the sake of argument that the movie isn’t great, or that fans don’t love it (which is not the same thing). I’m okay with that, because bad Trek is just as big a part of the franchise as good Trek, and an essential part of being in love with the franchise is hating parts of it.

Read 9 remaining paragraphs | Comments

– Source

Hating parts of Star Trek is an essential part of loving Star Trek

Coworkers make the perfect cake for woman who was laid off

Your work family knows exactly what you need at the end of a terrible day.

A woman who got laid off from her human resources job was touched to see that her closest work friends brought her a special cake on her last day.

SEE ALSO: Man quits job in the best way possible

Apparently the lay-offs, which dissolved the company’s entire HR department according to the woman’s post on Reddit, were widely considered a bad move by employees.

However, the woman was grateful to have such loyal work friends on such a hard day.

…

More about Conversations, Pics, Watercooler, Jobs, and Funny – Source

Coworkers make the perfect cake for woman who was laid off

Here's what happens when you melt a TV with a blowtorch, if you were curious

Try not to cry in the next two minutes.

Aptly named YouTube channel Let’s Melt This took a blow torch to humanity’s loyal friend, a flat-screen TV, because we must always destroy what we truly love. Also, it’s just fun to melt things.

Rest in peace, TV. We hardly knew ye.

Homemade version of ‘Die Hard’ death scene is just as suspenseful

7 more things you probably didn’t know about ‘Fast & Furious’

‘Kindergarten Cop’ mashup just about sums up Australian politics in 2016

…

More about Watercooler, Wtf, Viral Videos, Videos, and Tv – Source

Here's what happens when you melt a TV with a blowtorch, if you were curious

The scary, intrusive thoughts you can only confess to a search engine

Editor’s note: This story discusses violent and graphic mental imagery.

Most people have experienced an intrusive thought even if they can’t put a name to it.

These unwelcome flashes of imagination force us to consider horrible scenarios. A new mother might envision dropping her child several stories; a pedestrian might picture hurling himself in front of an oncoming car; a devout person might see herself blaspheming god.

Intrusive thoughts, say experts, have no bearing on a person’s intentions or moral character. Rather, they are the product of the brain’s constant motion — sometimes what it produces is inexplicably terrifying. …

More about Ocd, Search, Internet, Lifestyle, and Mental Health – Source

The scary, intrusive thoughts you can only confess to a search engine

7 more things you probably didn't know about 'Fast & Furious'

Did you know that one of the cars in Fast & Furious also appeared in Herbie: Fully Loaded? There are plenty of things you might not know about the beloved franchise, so in this episode of Things You Didn’t Know we reveal six other fun facts.

Can’t get enough? Watch part 1 of Things You Didn’t Know, Fast & Furious here: http://on.mash.to/2c1XYOY

Subscribe to CineFix for more videos: https://www.youtube.com/c/cinefix

‘Kindergarten Cop’ mashup just about sums up Australian politics in 2016

Lady Gaga goes back to her roots, debuts new song at tiny London club

Cat crossing the street is a model for pedestrians everywhere

…

More about Things You Didn T Know, Standalone Featured, Justin Lin, Paul Walker, and Vin Diesel

– Source

7 more things you probably didn't know about 'Fast & Furious'

5 essential trips for 'Game of Thrones' superfans, organized by house

LONDON — As summer draws to a close, Game of Thrones fans might be beginning to feel the creeping chill of a long, Westeros-less Winter as the comedown from Season 6 gives way to withdrawals during the excruciating wait for Season 7.

What better way to fill the Throne-less void than with a GoT themed vacation?

SEE ALSO: 9 Vacation Spots to Reenact ‘Game of Thrones’

From glaciers to gardens, the following trips are based not just on filming locations, but attempt to capture the distinguishing spirit and lifestyle of Houses Martell, Targaryen, Lannister, Stark and the Free Folk. …

House Martell — Seville, SpainMore about Iceland, Spain, Uk, Northern Ireland, and Croatia – Source

5 essential trips for 'Game of Thrones' superfans, organized by house

Angry Birds 2 receives a substantial content update, with new levels and piggies

The seasons are a-changing, and Rovio’s way of acknowledging falling leaves and the return is the PSL is by throwing Angry Birds 2 a bunch of new content. The forefront of this sizable update is two new chapters, which each bear 40 new levels and 6 boss pigs to sling-shot your way through. The chapters aren’t Fall-themed like one might expect. Rather, they’re a ode to the sunny days leaving us: a hot and humid jungle called Hamazones and the beachy Copacabacon.

You’ll also get a couple new (and pesky) piggy foes along the way. One of them, known is the Beamer Pig, is equipped with a gravity altering beam gun that can frustratingly throw your bird off course. The second new enemy is actually three, on top of each other. Aka, the Pig Tower, a trio of balancing pigs will stop your bird in its place if caught in the wrong angle.

Rovio is also adding onto the daily challenges, and upping the game. A new challenge mode called King Pig Panic will unlock upon completing a daily challenge, comprised of five stages. It’s not for the faint of heart, as you’ll be on a 30 minute time limit to complete them all. There’s no do-overs if you fail, you’ll just have to do better the next day.

See also: 15 best Android games of 2016181

Lastly, if you’re into dressing up your birds with fashionable hats and multiplying your damage points, Rovio threw in three new collections: Back-to-School, Beach, and Pirate. The update is out now, which you can grab in the link below, so get crackin’.

Angry Birds 2 on the Play Store – Source

Angry Birds 2 receives a substantial content update, with new levels and piggies

6 reasons to buy and not to buy iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus

Here we give six reasons for why you should buy the new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, and six reasons why you shouldn’t. So, read and decide on whose side you are. – Source

6 reasons to buy and not to buy iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus

Why I’m giving my company Election Day off

This year’s U.S. presidential election is confusing for everyone. The popularity contest that has become the election is diluting our time, attention and ability to think critically. Which is ironic, given that we are more connected to information than we have ever been before, and the computation necessary to model problems has never been cheaper. Read More

– Source

Why I’m giving my company Election Day off

'Enjoy the tea!': Man confronts racist conversation with a nice pot of tea

A Perth man’s clever response after overhearing a racist conversation in a café has gone viral on Facebook.

In a post that has been “liked” more than 9,000 times, Jarred Wall described how during lunch, he overheard two elderly women speaking about Aboriginal Australians. He suggested their conversation was “less than distasteful with words like assimilation thrown around willy nilly.”

SEE ALSO: Underpaid, under-protected: Australian football’s women players deserve better

Instead of confronting the pair in-person, Wall became the living embodiment of Michelle Obama’s …

More about Facebook, Aboriginal Australians, Australia, Watercooler, and Pics – Source

'Enjoy the tea!': Man confronts racist conversation with a nice pot of tea

'Hidden Figures' hidden no more as Taraji P. Henson breaks down in tears at Toronto event

TORONTO — Hidden Figures is hidden no more.

20th Century Fox threw a special event featuring footage from the space-race drama, which stars Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae as three NASA staffers who helped launch astronaut John Glenn into space. The film doesn’t hit theaters until Jan. 13, but it’s preparing for takeoff this awards season with a sneaky Oscar qualifying run in late December.

The Toronto International Film Festival’s artistic director Cameron Bailey introduced the footage with the help of director Ted Melfi, who was unable to attend the event but sent along a video in his absence. …

More about Hans Zimmer, Pharrell Williams, Kirsten Dunst, Jim Parsons, and Glen Powell – Source

'Hidden Figures' hidden no more as Taraji P. Henson breaks down in tears at Toronto event

Trump campaign responds to Clinton's 'basket of deplorables' comment

The Trump campaign is pulling out all the stops in the wake of Hillary Clinton’s “basket of deplorables” comment — even a years-old tweet from President Obama.

Clinton faced major criticism Friday for calling “half” of Trump supporters part of a “basket of deplorables … the racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic — you name it” at a fundraiser.

Saturday morning, however, she apologized for her phrasing. “Last night I was ‘grossly generalistic,’ and that’s never a good idea. I regret saying ‘half;’ that was wrong,” she said in a statement.

SEE ALSO: …

More about Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Election 2016, and World – Source

Trump campaign responds to Clinton's 'basket of deplorables' comment

AirPods Safety Strap looks like a joke, but it's the help Apple needs

Whether it’s a total hoax, Photoshop joke or an earnest attempt at addressing a need, the AirPod Safety Strap is simply awesome for a number of reasons.

First off, it highlights, in no uncertain terms, what I’ve believed since Wednesday: Apple’s new wireless AirPods are so ridiculously designed, they’re an internet meme waiting to happen. And that’s exactly what did happen after Apple’s iPhone 7 event. The only problem is that the AirPods are real and Apple really wants you to pay $159 for these things.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s AirPods are either genius or a complete disaster

Enter the AirPod Safety Strap, something we’re going to call a concept accessories idea that provides an attachment allowing you to connect the two AirPod devices together, presumably making them harder to lose. It’s described as “a connection strap for the new AirPods so they do not get lost,” and comes with …

More about Concept Devices, Accessories, Airpods, Earpods, and Apple – Source

AirPods Safety Strap looks like a joke, but it's the help Apple needs

Weekly poll results: the majority is faithful to the Galaxy Note7, despite recall

Some call it embarrassing, others praise Samsung for coming clean, still others say that the recall could nave been handled better – either way, the Galaxy Note7’s future doesn’t look all that grim after all. Certainly not among our readership judging from the latest poll results.

Last week we asked you where you stand on the Note7 recall predicament – patiently wait to have it replaced, or give up on Samsung and pick up a different handset instead. The results are in, and 3 out of 5 people are going the former route – 63%, to be precise.

The other 2 folks aren’t as understanding,…

– Source

Weekly poll results: the majority is faithful to the Galaxy Note7, despite recall

At Amazon the Flywheel Effect drives innovation

When Amazon CTO Werner Vogels talks about his company’s philosophy around innovation, it’s probably a good idea to listen. Amazon CEO and founder Jeff Bezos has always found a way to capitalize on technology trends, whether being an early online retailer, seeing the future of cloud computing and forming Amazon Web Services, or developing delivery drones and commercial… Read More

– Source

At Amazon the Flywheel Effect drives innovation