Tag Archives: Bjo Trimble

Forry Briefly Hospitalized

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Forry Ackerman has pneumonia, according to a report forward by Bjo Trimble and John King Tarpinian. Ackerman spent a day in the hospital, but went home on Halloween. When Terry Pace called, Ackerman told him he’d spent the evening greeting trick-or-treaters.

Bjo included Terry Pace’s e-mail appeal:

I would highly recommend as many cards and letters as possible, and certainly as soon as possible. The address is:

Forrest J Ackerman
4511 Russell Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90027

If this is indeed Forry’s final bow, the Famous Monster will be reminded (as he certainly knows already) of how much he is truly admired and adored by so very, very many. If there is a chance (however slim) that he can still rebound and recover, the depth and degree of the response would certainly reinforce his will to live and secure whatever strength he has to keep fighting.

Buck Rogers Online?

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James Cawley as Kirk“James Cawley is the Trek fan who has been producing some pretty good Trek episodes using pro actors and writers,” reminds Bjo Trimble, sending along this press notice that a new Buck Rogers production might be in the works:

James Cawley (executive producer and star of Star Trek: Phase II) recently announced at Dragon*Con in Atlanta that he is working with the Dille Family Trust to secure the rights to do a Buck Rogers Internet series. Unlike the Star Trek fan productions Cawley has produced, this would be a for-profit project authorized by the Dille estate. The webisodes will initially be set in the 1930’s era of the original comic strip before of course moving to the 25th Century, and will feature the 1970s TV series’ Erin Gray as Dr. Huer.

Raku Ray Guns

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Delameter raku ray gun

Raku ray guns are one-of-a-kind ceramic sculptures by West Magoon, “inspired by alien technology unearthed at a secret UFO crash site, known only to a tribe of Wyoming Hill People.”

“These are hilarious!” said Bjo Trimble when she sent me the link. “Expensive but really fun.” Bjo’s favorite is the Lensman-inspired Delameter (above). A mere $275.

The ceramics are so exotic because they are made by the low-fire raku technique. They are pulled from the kiln while the glaze is red-hot and molten, placed into a newspaper-filled metal barrel and covered. Raku firing gives the glazes their metallic look.

Red-Shirt Deaths Explained

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Everyone who’s watched classic Star Trek knows the red-shirted crew members have an invisible target painted on their backs. Now the “red-shirt death phenomenon” has been studied with scientific precision by Matt Bailey, in his article “Analytics According to Captain Kirk.” 

In the first year of the series, red-shirt casualties were lower than other color-shirted crewmembers. The second and especially the third seasons were especially brutal. In the third season, only red-shirted crewmembers died; maybe because the other colors enacted better safety protocols, or maybe because they avoided the bridge when a new planet came into view, for fear of beaming down with Cpt. Kirk.

“I love it when someone can do this with a favorite theme,” says Bjo Trimble, who pointed me to site. “Gene Roddenberry would have roared with laughter.”

Remember Who Put the Bopp?

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Come celebrate the 10th anniversary of a celestial shebang. It was on July 23, 1995 that an unusually bright comet outside of Jupiter’s orbit was discovered independently by Alan Hale of New Mexico and Thomas Bopp of Arizona, and promptly dubbed Comet Hale-Bopp. It was the farthest comet ever discovered by amateurs.

Hale is a professional astronomer who primarily specializes in the study of sunlike stars and the search for other planetary systems, with side interests in the fields of comets and near-Earth asteroids, and in the development of spaceflight. Oh, and in his spare time? Bjo Trimble reveals, “He’s a big SF and Star Trek fan as well!” That’s why Hale is reaching out to Trek and SF fans to hold a fundraising quasi-convention over the milestone weekend:

“As hard as it is to believe, this coming July marks the 10-year anniversary of the Hale-Bopp discovery. I’m having an event here (in Alamogordo, NM) to celebrate the occasion; it’ll be July 22 and 23 (Friday and Saturday). This event is, in part, a fundraiser for the Earthrise project I’m developing, and I’m inviting several ‘notables’ for guests, including some of the Star Trek types. (I’ve been talking with Gene Roddenberry Jr., among others.)”

The Earthrise Project seeks to develop an international network of astronomical educational and research centers that will offer a variety of astronomical and space-related activities for students of all ages and levels, with the ultimate goal of the development of a climate that will encourage its participants to form intercultural collaborations.