Film Review: Star Trek Into Darkness

Last Friday I went with a few friends to see the new "Star Trek Into Darkness" movie. Here are just a few thoughts.

First, there was a lot of action. Maybe too much, but that's a matter of personal taste. What I found distracting was the repeated cycles of rising action, climax and resolution throughout the movie. All that action made the conclusion seem like a whisper by comparison.

Second, the logistics of the film make little sense. In the first movie of the rebooted franchise, the Enterprise seemed to make it to Vulcan in a matter of minutes. In this movie the situation was the same, with the ship seeming to arrive at Kronos also after only a few minutes. It didn't look like lost time that could be implied. In the TV series and prior movies some trips, like these, could take days. It appears that in order to make the story work, the question of travel time had to be glossed over or ignored.

Third, lens flare. That is all.

Having said all of that, I actually did enjoy the movie. I enjoy the Star Trek franchise but have long found it to be full of shoddy science and overly-dramatic characters. That's part of the fun. After all, it is supposed to be fun. This is entertainment, and I considered it well worth the price of admission.

A Temple on Stilts

Though I'm not "Mormon" and my beliefs differ significantly from those of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have to admire the engineering involved in their rebuilding of the Provo Tabernacle. This building was gutted by fire in 2010, and subsequently the denominational leaders decided to rebuild and rededicate it as a full-fledged temple.

For those of you unfamiliar with Mormon ways, the difference between a tabernacle and a temple is that the former is open to the public and is used for communal worship and other events, while the latter is only open to the general public prior to its official consecration. LDS temples after consecration are only to be entered by full-fledged members in good standing with their church.

To function as a temple where all the secret ceremonies can be performed, the Provo structure will have to be given a basement. Thus, the "stilts."

Critics point out all the money that is being spent on this that could be spent on the poor. Again, although I disagree with large portions of LDS doctrine, I am uncomfortable with those types of comments. First, because Judas Iscariot said something along those lines to Jesus. Second, because it leaves the critic open to the question, "what are you doing for the poor, then?"

Enjoy the video.

Hybrids

Here's a little scifi to brighten your day. It's a short, not a trailer, though one could wish it were the latter. Given its success online, maybe Hollywood will come calling. Who knows?
HYBRIDS from wsp on Vimeo.

Clothe the Homeless with Abercrombie & Fitch

Abercrombie & Fitch has never been my kind of place. Aside from the fact I'm a man approaching middle age and so definitely not part of their target demographic, the place smells. Stinks, really. My daughter loves the store but I can't stand to be in it very long because of the boys locker room odor that is apparently part of the brand identity. Every Abercrombie & Fitch store has the same stench. My reaction may be exactly what the clothing chain is going for, because as a self-described (and undisputed) geek, "boys locker room" does not bring back a lot of great memories for me. I imagine it does, however, for the "cool kids." According to comments made by CEO Mike Jeffries, the store only wants the "cool kids" as customers.

Fine by me.

In response to Abercrombie & Fitch's position, Greg Karber has called for a re-brand. He wants to make Abercrombie the brand of choice for America's homeless.

I'm divided on this approach. On the one hand, I'm all for clothing those in need, and it's certainly a poke in the eye for the down-and-out to be identified with the Abercrombie brand. On the other hand, it certainly seems exploitative towards the poor.

Here's the video where Greg lays out his proposal for giving Abercrombie clothes to the homeless. What's your opinion?

Quebre o silêncio

"Dos filhos deste solo és mãe gentil."

O Bola na Rede é um movimento de enfrentamento à exploração sexual de crianças e adolescentes no turismo.

Digital Project Manager (NYC)

Every so often I put my personal blog to use for...well, personal use. This is one of those times.

Until recently I was employed with a major magazine publishing company working with online projects. For a year I was assigned to a well-known tech brand and worked with a team to bring order to the development process, before handing it off to an on-site tech lead. In that role I established the project workflow and coordinated the work of a team on two coasts. The end result was a well-functioning brand team. For the months following my time with that brand I managed online projects for three other major magazine brands. Although I enjoyed my work with these brands, the time has come for fresh challenges.

I have a strong background with proven skills in project management, web production and customer service. I have a Bachelor's degree and am PMP and CSM certified. I'm familiar with standard PM software and am capable with HTML, CSS and -- to some extent -- Javascript. I am also Linux-savvy and have a working knowledge of Ruby on Rails. I've worked in Teamsite and with Wordpress, and know my way around issue management tools such as Jira and Pivotal Tracker. Additionally, in a prior role I set up and maintained the company's social media approach. Fluent in Brazilian Portuguese.

If interested, please use the "Contact" form on this blog to receive a full resume. References available upon request.