Scientists Create Star Trek-style 'Deflector'

Star Trek fans are very familiar with the command "Shields up!" In the not so distant future, astronauts may be hearing the command on real spacecraft. Scientists working at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, near Oxford, are working to create a force field that will be similar to the protective shield used on Captain Kirk's starship Enterprise. The radiation shield will mimic the deflection properties of the Earth's magnetic field to protect astronauts on a mission to Mars. The idea is to guard against dangerous space radiation that could increase the risk of cancer and cognitive problems, the New Scientist reports. Read more about it here. (Illustration Ruth Bamford et al/Rutherford Appleton Laboratory)

Parallel Universes Do Exist, say Scientists

The Original Star Trek episode "Mirror, Mirror" and the Star Trek TNG episode "Parallels" are based upon "the parallel universe theory" first proposed in 1950 by the American physicist Hugh Everett. Everett formulated the theory in an attempt to explain mysteries of quantum mechanics that baffled scientists. In Everett's "many worlds" universe, every time a new physical possibility is explored, the universe splits. Given a number of possible alternative outcomes, each one is played out - in its own universe. A motorist who has a near miss, for instance, might feel relieved at his lucky escape. But in a parallel universe, another version of the same driver will have been killed. Yet another universe will see the motorist recover after treatment in a hospital. The number of alternative scenarios is endless.

The TNG episode "Parallels" climaxes when realities begin to merge into one another, and hundreds of USS Enterprise star ships appear, each experiencing a different possible outcome. In "Mirror, Mirror", captain Kirk and crew are teleported into an alternate universe where they find that their alternate universe counter parts are cruel and imperialistic. An interesting theory to explore with science fiction story telling. In the past, this was no more than a bizarre idea which was dismissed as fanciful by many experts. But, not any more. According to a mathematical discovery by Oxford scientists, parallel universes are no longer just a theory or Science fiction. The discovery is being heralded as "one of the most important developments in the history of science". New research from Oxford shows that it offers a mathematical answer to quantum conundrums that cannot be dismissed lightly - and suggests that Dr Everett, who was a PhD student at Princeton University when he came up with the theory, was on the right track.

New Medical Treatment Inspired by the Star Trek Medical Tricorder

Emergency medical technicians rush to the scene of a horrific accident. The victim has several severe visible injuries, is writhing in pain, and is having difficulty breathing. The most serious injury is trauma to the victims lungs. The medical technician reaches into his case and removes a handheld device which he holds over the victims chest. Even though the device never makes physical contact with the victims body, it begins to repair the damage.

We have seen a similar event in how many Star Trek episodes? The ship's doctor uses their trusty medical tricorder to "heal" a wound. Well, it seems that this is no longer confined to Science fiction. "Harborview Medical Center. Engineers at the University of Washington are working with Harborview doctors to create new emergency treatments right out of Star Trek: a tricorder type device using high-intensity focused ultrasound rays. This summer, researchers published the first experiment using ultrasound to seal punctured lungs."

"No one has ever looked at treating lungs with ultrasound," said Shahram Vaezy, a UW associate professor of bioengineering. Physicists were skeptical it would work because a lung is essentially a collection of air sacs, and air blocks transmission of ultrasound. But the new experiments show that punctures on the lung's surface, where injuries usually occur, heal with ultrasound therapy. "The results are really impressive," Vaezy said. He cautions that this is still in the early stages and the technique is not yet being tested on humans.

High-intensity focused ultrasound is now being investigated for a number of different treatments. It promises "bloodless surgery" with no scalpels or sutures in sight. Doctors would pass a sensor over the patient and use invisible rays to heal the wound. Researchers are exploring the use of high-intensity focused ultrasound - with beams tens of thousands of times more powerful than used in imaging - for applications ranging from numbing pain to destroying cancerous tissue.

In this case, lenses focus the high-intensity ultrasound beams at a particular spot inside the body on the patient's lungs. Focusing the ultrasound beams, in a process similar to focusing sunlight with a magnifying glass, creates a tiny but extremely hot spot about the size and shape of a grain of rice. The rays heat the blood cells until they form a seal. Meanwhile the tissue between the device and the spot being treated does not get hot, as it would with a laser beam. "You can penetrate deep into the body and deliver the energy to the bleeding very accurately," Vaezy said. Recent tests on pigs' lungs showed that high-intensity ultrasound sealed the leaks in one or two minutes. More than 95 percent of the 70 incisions were stable after two minutes of treatment, according to results published this summer in the Journal of Trauma.

The findings suggest that ultrasound might replace what is now a painful, invasive procedure. Lung injuries are relatively common because the chest is a big surface that's often exposed to crushing or puncture wounds, said co-author Gregory Jurkovich, chief of trauma at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and a UW professor of surgery. A busy trauma room like Harborview's, he said, admits about two patients with bleeding lungs per day.

Often the bleeding can be stopped simply by packing the wound and applying pressure. In other cases, doctors insert a straw and drain the blood and air so the wound can heal. But in about one in 10 cases neither of these methods is successful, and doctors must operate to stop the bleeding. That means making a long incision and separating the ribs, and then either sewing up the organ or removing a section of the lung.


The new research shows that in these difficult cases, high-intensity focused ultrasound applied from outside could stop bleeding and air leaks. Vaezy and colleagues in the Center for Industrial and Medical Ultrasound in the UW's Applied Physics Laboratory have been developing ultrasound for surgery for more than a decade, concentrating on frequencies in the 1 million to 10 million hertz (cycles per second). The device producing the ultrasound rays, about the size of a golf ball, is inserted into a handle that doctors use to scan the outside of the body. Previous experiments used the tool to seal blood vessels and stop bleeding in the spleen.

Someday, Jurkovich predicts, this tool might be used for image-guided therapy. "Doctors will scan the body from the outside, recognize where the injury is, focus the beam on the injury and use the beams to seal the wound," Jurkovich said. The futuristic medical technology's promise is substantial, he said. "It would be non-invasive and it would stop the bleeding from the outside. When it happens, that's going to revolutionize how we would care for some of these injuries."

The research was funded the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense and the National Space Biomedical Research Institute.

Luke's Saber Heading to Space

Luke Skywalker's light saber from the original 'Star Wars' is headed where no lightsaber has gone before. In fact, it may be headed where no movie prop has gone before. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the movie, NASA has agreed to take the saber on the next space flight of the shuttle 'Discovery'. Chewbacca handed the prop (they claim it's the actual prop used for filming) to NASA at the Houston Space Center. R2D2 will be on had to receive it when 'Discovery' returns. Video of the hand off is here. I'll bet the guy that first sold that old Graflex tube would get a kick out of this story.

Scientists Exceed the Speed of Light

A pair of German physicists claim to have exceeded the speed of light - an achievement that would undermine our entire understanding of space and time.

Investigating a phenomenon called quantum tunnelling, which allows sub-atomic particles to break apparently unbreakable laws, the two Scientists conducted an experiment using energetic packets of light called "microwave photons". Dr Gunter Nimtz and Dr Alfons Stahlhofen, of the University of Koblenz, say that they made these packets of light travel a distance of 3 feet instantaneously.

If this is verified to be true, expect this violation of the special theory of relatively to open a whole new world of possibilities. While the theory behind "warp drive" in 'Star Trek' isn't necessarily the same kind of technology, it is still interesting to see another "Trek-like" possibility come to life. As Stephen Hawking's character in Star Trek The Next Generation episode "Descent" would say, "Wrong again, Albert!"

We're Back, Baby!

Long time no blog. But, we are back and so is Futurama!!!

The Greatest Show in the History of The History Channel: "Dogfights"

by Propmaster - staff writer

If you haven't watched, tune into the History Channel on Tuesday and Friday nights. The series DOG FIGHTS recreates famous air battles using state-of-the-art computer graphics. With up to 25 percent of the program consisting of animation, viewers will feel like they're in the battle, facing the enemy. First-hand accounts will drive the story. Rare archival footage and original shooting supplement the remarkable computer graphics.

Watch digital recreations of incredible aerial feats from the under dog F4F Wildcat to the WWII crowned king of dog fighters the Grumman Hellcat. Watch Sabers battle MiG 15s in MiG Alley over Korea, F4's taking on MiG 21s in Vietnam, and the Flying Tigers in their P40 Tomahawks fight to the death against Japanese I-97s.

Never in the history of the History Channel has there been a better show. Sure, their shows about pirates and ancient civilizations are good, but "DogFights" is great!

Sona Mobile's Star Trek Cell Phone Project on Hold - Seeking Investors

by Propmaster - staff writer

We told you about the Sona Mobile cell phone project a while back. However, despite the excitement and support Sona Mobile received for a cell phone faithfully designed to look like the communicator from Star Trek the original series, they have put the project on hold while they seek investors for the project. They discovered that it would take approximately $3,000,000.00 to produce 25,000 of the phones. If you can help them as an investor or can hook them up with an interested investor, send them an email at partnership@sonamobile.com.

Top Secret Phaser Video - On Sale Now - Please don't tell.

by Propblaster - guest writer

There is a secret in the Star Trek original series phaser community! Almost 20 years ago, a video of the only authenticated hero Star Trek phaser was created. It has been circulating around the prop community for years. However, some of those who have it refuse to share it or talk about it, unless you fork over more than $200.00. Many, in the very crowd that proclaim to hate secrecy and mercilessly slander and attack certain scrupulous people in the hobby because they think they won't share info with them evidently because they need the information to help some of them make better forgeries, have been circulating the video amongst themselves, and sometimes making a tidy sum in the process. The video is really nothing great. No new knowledge can be derived, some shots are out of focus, however, the hypocrisy of the crowd that has tried to hoard it is clearly demonstrated in its secret circulation. They sell it with the stipulation that the sucker buying it never share it with anyone else. The fact is, the seller probably received it with the same stipulation. You gotta love this hobby sometimes. Anyway, John Long has released a video of Greg Jein's phaser and he isn't charging a penny for it.

Click Here To see a quality video of Greg Jein's hero phaser that was actually used in the filming of the original 'Star Trek' series for the low low price of $0.00.

Forgeries, Recasts and Replicas - What's the Difference?

by PropMaster, staff writer

The idea that anyone would call a legitimate replica a forgery has always boggled my mind. Some people just can't seem to grasp the differences between the two. Therefore, I would like to discuss the facts regarding forgeries, recasts and replicas.

The prop hobby is as much infected by greed and ambition as any other field you can mention. Many prop replica makers seek recognition and wealth while often dealing with prop collectors that are more interested in the investment potential of props than they are in the "hobby" of props. It is not surprising that frauds and recasts would be flourishing in this environment. Some props, like the authentic Star Trek communicators, tricorders and phasers have huge monetary values. Authentic, screen used props are valuable because of who made them; what show or movie they appeared in; the personal preferences of the collector; and the age and condition of the item. Forgery and recasting are illegitimate attempts to cash in on these facts.

What is Forgery?

Forgery is a form of fraud. In committing forgery, a person claims their work is by another person. Forgery is when a person's name is stolen in order to add value to the wrong work. Forgery exists when a work is presented in a way that either insinuates or out right claims to be the work of another with the intent to deceive. Fraudulent intention by the maker or owner is required for a work to be a forgery. A prop presented in such a manner is a forgery and a fake. Many times, a collector will try to sell something that they are not convinced is real. They use phrases like "I was told this prop was used in..." or, after being notified that the prop is a fake, the person wishing to sell it will refuse to accept the facts and try to sell the item sticking with the story they were told when they bought it. There is a lot of this going on at eBay.
The most notorious forger in the Trek prop world is known as "ME". He created many Trek props that looked authentic and several people who are considered experts in the Trek prop field have been fooled by ME's creations. There is evidence to show that "ME" is still active in the Trek prop community.

What is a Recast?

The word "recaster" has a negative connotation. A recaster accepts credit for the work of another. Prop recasting occurs when unauthorized copies of a work are made and sometimes sold, depriving an original artist or license holder of profit and/or recognition. Prop recasters will copy another person's work without giving credit to the original artist. They do it either for recognition or profit. Usually, the recast is made by making a cast of the item and copies are made from the casting. While copying another person's work is legitimate when permission is given from the license holder or artist, there is a "gray" area for prop collectors. Some artists don't care if a person makes a copy of their work as long as it is not for profit and proper credit is given. Some license holders don't care if replicas are made and are presented as such.
However, there is no "standard" for such practice and it is advisable that the collector procure permission from the artist or license holder before making a copy of their work. Some people will mention "fair use" laws, but that is beyond the scope of this post.

What is a Replica?

A replica is a copy of a prop that is presented as a replica. It is clearly described as a replica and careful attention is given to state clearly that it is a replica. It can be recast from an original as long as proper permission is procured, or it can be scratch built or made from a licensed kit. Does anyone think George Lucas will care if you make a replica of Luke Skywalker's light saber in your garage? Probably not, as long as you don't threaten the profits of the company that has proper rights to the item. If you make a saber replica for your own use, Lucas will probably look the other way and celebrate that you are such a fan of his work. However, if you start to sell them or give enough away to threaten his license holder's profits, look out for a cease and desist order (C&D) and maybe even a law suit.

In summary, forgery is a form of fraud. A forgery can take many forms such as recasts or copies that are presented to an audience as authentic and the work of another artist. This can be done for profit or recognition but either way, it is fraud. A recast is a detailed copy of another person's work. It can be done legitimately, in many cases, or it can be done illegally. A recast made to profit from another person's work is stealing.
Replicas are legitimate copies of the real item and are presented as such. These copies can be manufactured for sale as long as proper permission is received, such as is the case with Master Replicas, for example. MR doesn't produce fakes or recasts. They produce licensed replicas, which is perfectly legitimate.