Happy Halloween from The Enterprise Bridge!

In honor of Halloween, journey to a distant planet full witches, black cats, and haunted castles. No, it's not an episode of Scooby Doo, but Trek's 'Catspaw'.

The first episode of season two produced, the show didn't air until October 27th, just four days before Halloween (1967). Besides being Trek's only holiday-themed show, it was notable for being the first episode filmed after Walter Koenig joined the cast as Russian navigator Chekov. In addition, 'Catspaw' was the first to include DeForest Kelly (McCoy) in the opening credits and also changed the fonts of the title card and closing credits to match that of the opening credits.

Although not a very good episode by any account, it's a fun one to watch for some light Halloween entertainment. Watch the original version (not remastered) here on the official Star Trek site.

Have a safe and happy Halloween, folks!

Tech Tutorial: Installing Opera Mini on the LG840G

Opera Mini is a portable version of the Opera desktop web browser designed to run on mobile devices. In this tech tutorial, we're going to spruce up the LG840G Tracfone (full review to follow) with a browser upgrade, making the phone's 3G/wi-fi connectivity a bit more practical to use. We'll also disable the annoying Java keypad, which, by default, takes up half the screen and just gets in the way.

Keep in mind that even with this upgrade, browsing on the 840G is far from ideal. It works well for what it is, but isn't a replacement for a tablet or other 'true' mobile device. Opera runs fine, but does lag a bit.

I've found that the easiest way to get Opera up and running is to download it on a desktop PC, edit the config file to disable the keypad, and then transfer the file to your phone.

Part 1: Download & Modify the Opera Mini installer

• On a desktop PC, go to the Opera website and download the latest version of the browser (at the time of this writing, version 7.1). The installer will be a .jar file archive/executable.

• Now it's time to disable the Java keypad. Open the archive using your favorite zip file extractor, such as 7-Zip. Assuming you're using 7-Zip, right click > 7-Zip > Open Archive.

• Locate the META-INF folder and double click on it. Within the folder, right click on the file META-MF > Edit. The META-MF file will open in your default text editor, such as Notepad.

• Copy and paste the following below the existing lines of code:
• Nokia-MIDlet-No-Exit: true
  Nokia-MIDlet-On-Screen-Keypad: no
  Navi-Key-Hidden: true
  UseNativeTextButtons: hide
  ReverseSoftkeys: hide
  UseNativeCommands: hide
  MIDlet-Touch-Support: true
  MIDlet-ScreenMode: ROTATE
  MIDlet-Landscape-Support: true
  LGE-MIDlet-Width: 240
  LGE-MIDlet-Height: 400
  LGE-MIDlet-On-Screen-Keypad: no
  LGE-MIDlet-Display-Mode: both

• Click File > Save and then close the window.

• 7-Zip will ask if you wish to modify the archive with your changes. Click 'Yes' and close the 7-Zip window.

Part 2: Install Opera Mini on the 840G

• Connect the 840G to your computer using a standard micro-USB data cable (keep in mind that a micro-SD card must be installed to do this). 

• The phone will ask you if you wand to 'connect as mass storage'. Tap 'OK'. The phone will now display 'Connected as Mass Storage Mode'.

• On your PC, locate your phone under 'Computer' or  'My Computer' -- it will show up as a removable storage device.

• Copy the modified Opera Mini installer to your phone's memory. Note it does not have to be placed in any of the existing folders.

• On the phone, tap 'Exit' and then disconnect the cable. The phone will display 'waiting' until cable is unplugged.

• Open the 840G's File Manager (found on the second page of the apps tray) and locate the Opera installer under the memory card tab. Tap to launch.

• The phone will display 'Untrusted Midlet'. Tap 'Continue'.

• At the next screen (displaying information about Opera Mini), click 'Download' to begin the installation.

• Opera Mini will then install, which should only take a few seconds. At the 'Download Completed' window, tap 'Launch Now' (if your wireless is not enabled, the phone will automatically connect via 3G and use airtime).

• Opera Mini, sans the Java keypad, can now be found under 'Games & Apps'. For quick access, add 'Games & Apps' to your shortcuts home screen (unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a way to make a dedicated shortcut).

With a few other adjustments (such as setting the browser to both landscape and fullscreen modes), Opera Mini works well on the 840G for basic web access. I mainly use it to check email since the phone's built-in client doesn't seem to work. My only real complaint is the on-screen keyboard has very small buttons, making typing anything quite tedious. My suggestion: take advantage of bookmarks.

Interested in installing other Java-based apps? It's as simple as downloading the file on your PC and copying it to the phone's memory (or downloading the app on the phone itself). Then, simply launch the installer. Any installed apps will appear under 'Games & Apps'.

I hope you've found this quick tutorial useful in getting Opera Mini setup on your LG840G Tracfone. Happy web browsing!

Realism and space drama collide in Cuarón's 'Gravity'

"Don't let go."

Gravity has been praised ever since it's initial release, and rightly so. It's difficult to tell from the trailer what the movie's about, but in retrospect, the trailer does say it all. What do you do if a disaster leaves you stranded with no hope of rescue?

The near future. A shuttle mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope goes terribly wrong when a massive, fast-moving debris field destroys both spacecraft and everything else in its path. The two surviving astronauts, a rookie mission specialist (Bullock) and a veteran mission commander (Clooney), must mount their own rescue or face imminent death in the cold vacuum of space.

The plot of the movie is a classic survival story about rising above adversity. Because of this, Gravity really isn't an action film, but when things do get exciting, they do so very rapidly and on a big scale. Bullock's character is clearly not ready to deal with the situation she's facing, yet she must since failure really isn't an option. Like other survival movies, the characters perform one dangerous maneuver after another to reach their ultimate goal of getting home. This aspect of the plot provides some decent character development, giving Bullock some backstory to help explain why she's acting the way she is.

One of the film's most-discussed aspects is its realism. In short, it's pretty close to the real thing, much more so than most Hollywood space disaster movies. Are there issues with the science and physics? Of course. The producers went to great lengths to get the majority of the details right, from astronaut jargon to physics, but also had to take creative liberties to sustain the story. It's rare to find movies that aim for realism, especially in a sci-fi setting such as this, so kudos to the producers for getting that right.

The visuals are simply extraordinary, especially in 3D. Much like Avatar, Gravity utilized a huge amount of CG to create the world our two surviving astronauts float around in, and had to develop revolutionary new techniques to do it (for example, in many shots, only the faces of the actors are real). This adds quite a bit to the film's sense of realism, since nothing looks, well, fake. It's one of those films that you can't truly appreciate unless you've seen it on the big screen of a movie theater.

If you're looking for a breath-taking space drama that's a bit closer to home, check out Gravity. Just don't watch it as your in-flight movie to the International Space Station :-)

Want more classic Trek? This fan series delivers.

Star Trek's original five-year mission may have ended two years too early, but the adventures are far from over. The new live-action fan series Star Trek Continues picks up exactly where the original left off, and it definitely doesn't disappoint.

Produced in part by the same studio responsible for Starship Farragut, STC has released three vignettes and one full-length episode so far. The first vignette re-films and expands the ending of 'Turnabout Intruder' (the final episode of TOS), allowing the viewer to easily transition into the next phase of the five-year mission, with an all new cast portraying the classic characters.

In the pilot episode, the Greek god Apollo (from TOS 'Who Mourns for Adonais?') returns to wreck havoc with the Enterprise crew. It's more than just a villain episode, though. It's very clear the producers went to great lengths to recreate the look and feel of TOS down to the last detail.

The show's CG visual effects are quite impressive as well, if not a bit inconsistent at times. While some shots look downright professional, others look, well, like CGI. Regardless, it's a great effort, and what I'd come to expect from the studios producing it.

The actors and characterizations are amazingly accurate, and the writers weave a very engaging story with all the elements of the best TOS episodes.

It's really difficult to find much to fault with Star Trek Continues. Thus far, it's a very professional-looking series in the spirit of the original, and probably one of the strongest efforts I've seen. If you enjoy Star Trek: Phase II, Starship Farragut or other similar fan productions on the web today, definitely check out this series.

Want to help fund future episodes? Drop by STC's 'Kirkstarter' campaign page to donate.

Love it or hate it, Yahoo! Mail has been redesigned once again

It's been less than a year since Yahoo's last interface redesign, and only months since their controversial logo update. Just like the previous redesign, I found myself switched to a totally new interface unexpectedly after using the 'old' look all day long.

Notable changes include:

• Conversations: the ability to group messages and replies together (optional).
• Snippets: the first few words of a message appear next to the subject line (optional).
• Page-wide themes with transparency.
• 1 TB (yes, you ready correctly) of free storage, enough for '6,000 years', according to Yahoo. 
• All features of Yahoo! Mail Plus are now free (disposable address, POP email, and mail forwarding).

• Calendar and Contacts, originally tabs above the 'Compose' button, have been moved to the sidebar.
• Folders are now hidden and require that you click the 'Folder' button to see them.
• Messenger is also hidden until the 'Messenger' button is clicked.
• When replying to a new message, 'To', 'From', and 'Subject' are now hidden by default and formatting options are at the bottom of the pane rather than the top.

Many of these features are now also available on the mobile Yahoo! Mail app for Android and iOS.

If you use Yahoo! Mail daily, the new look and feel will take some getting used to. If you're also a Gmail user, the blow will be softer since both services now share many similarities.

Ark: unravel the mystery in this 9-part web series

Ark is an incomplete, nine-part web series following two people, Connie and Daryl, who wake up aboard a mysterious ship in deep space. With no knowledge of how they got there or why, the pair begin exploring the vacant vessel in an attempt to discover its secrets. I recently watched through the entire 'series' -- it's unfortunate production didn't continue since the show had quite a bit of potential.

For those of you unfamiliar with the concept of a web series, each 'webisode' is only a few minutes in length and always ends on a cliffhanger (also see BSG: Blood & Chrome). Therefore, each episode picks up exactly where the previous one left off without any gaps.

All nine webisodes are available for viewing on Hulu. It's definitely work checking out -- just don't be too disappointed when the show abruptly ends and there's still lots of unanswered questions.

Space Rangers: a forgotten sci-fi gem?

I recently learned of this obscure, short-lived '90's series and just wanted to share it with you. Set in the year 2104, it follows the adventures of a rag-tag team of police/marine 'Rangers' based at the Earth colony Fort Hope. The show isn't exactly considered 'great' sci-fi, but it has its moments (at least, from what little I've seen).

Produced in part to capitalize on such hits as Star Wars, Space Rangers had heavy competition from Star Trek: Deep Space 9, which premiered the same week. It also suffered from meddling network execs, who among other things, aired the episodes in a different order than produced, confusing viewers.

In some ways, Rangers reminds me of Space: Above and Beyond, another short-lived (but well-liked) '90's series about a team of marines fighting in a war against aliens. The show doesn't take itself nearly as seriously, though.

Although Space Rangers seems to have had a lot of potential, it was canceled after only one of the six produced episodes had aired. In fact, only four of the six episodes were ever shown on US network TV. The entire 'mini-series' did air in the UK, however.


Sci-fi gem? Probably not, but worth a peek for some light action/adventure entertainment.