Star Trek’s Prime Directive and Moral Relativism

Star Trek Into Darkness, the second installment in director J. J. Abrams’ reboot of the classic sci-fi franchise, warped into theatres this week—and in case you don’t care for spoilers, skip down to the next paragraph. The film begins with Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) violating the United Federation of Planets’ “Prime Directive” (surprise, surprise) by revealing the technologically advanced USS Enterprise to a primitive civilization during an effort to save First Officer Spock’s (Zachary Quinto) life.

Wikipedia explains, “The Prime Directive dictates that there can be no interference with the internal development of alien civilizations.”

 

The Inconceivable Misuse of Science Words

In the oh-so-quotable The Princess Bride, swashbuckling Spaniard Inigo Montoya calls out bossy Sicilian Vizzini on his overuse of the word “inconceivable.”

“You keep using that word,” Inigo says, “I do not think it means what you think it means.”

The same could be said about science terminology. A recent article on LiveScience.com laments the general populous’ frequent misuse of seven science words and phrases. The list includes, “hypothesis,” “theory,” “model,” and “skeptic,” among others. Blame for this lack of understanding, as we at RTB would agree, lies with poor science education.

 

Pixels and Nucleotides: Artistry in the Details

We’re big movie fans in our house and we love to see how our favorites were made. While exploring the “behind-the-scenes” featurettes on our copy of Disney•Pixar’s Brave I stumbled across a little gem called “Wonder Moss.” In it, sets forest development artist Iñigo Quilez explains the complex mathematics used to create the film’s beautiful Scottish setting:

Most people think of mathematics as something boring and mechanical—but that’s not the way we see mathematics at Pixar. For us, maths are a tool to create images, movement, richness, and fun, actually.

 

Oh, What a Rain: Earth’s Remarkable Water Cycle

A song I sing to my little daughter as I get her ready for the day goes like this:

If all of the raindrops
Were lemon drops and gumdrops
Oh, what a rain that would be!

I imagine that sort of “rain” would be more like a sugary hailstorm (à la Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs). While our Creator did not see fit to endow the skies with a candy dispenser, He did create a sweet water cycle perfectly suited to support life and human civilization.

 

The Heart of Christianity

It’s no wonder Holy Week is so special to believers. As RTB theologian Kenneth Samples writes, “Jesus’ being raised to new life three days after His execution pumps the heart of the Christian gospel (doctrine), and is Christianity’s central supporting fact (apologetics).”

In previous years, we (Sandra and Maureen) have shared our thoughts on Palm Sunday, Lent, and Good Friday. This year we asked our fellow RTB staff members for their thoughts on or traditions for Holy Week.

 

Beware the Ides of March—and Conspiracy Theories

O mighty Caesar! dost thou lie so low?
— Julius Caesar, Act 3. Scene I.

The murder of Julius Caesar on March 15, 44 BCE, is one of the most famous assassinations in history. It resulted from a conspiracy of 60 Roman senators, led by Gaius Cassius Longinus and Marcus Junius Brutus, in an effort to prevent Caesar from turning the Roman republic into a tyranny.

John Wilkes Booth’s assassination of President Abraham Lincoln was also determined to be the result of a conspiracy.

 

Whales, Jellies, and Fish-Oh, My!

Ocean life is a wonder to behold, whether on a Discovery Channel show, at an aquarium, or in the ocean itself. My husband and I have developed an interest in marine animal parks and, fortunately, California offers several good ones. On a recent visit to SeaWorld San Diego we got up close to sharks, Galapagos penguins, flamingos, bottle-nose dolphins, sea lions, and the park’s star attractions, killer whales. Feeding and petting the bat rays was my personal favorite.

Visiting aquariums has made me more aware of the need for ocean conservation—

 

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

— Lamentations 3:22–23

These verses, from a book whose title refers to “the act of expressing grief,” influenced the lyrics of “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.” A staple of church hymnals, this beautiful song celebrates

 

You’ve Got a Friend in Me

Over the last several months my family has faced a number of challenges—ranging from specific illnesses and injuries to general life hurdles. Through it all we’ve been surrounded by the loving support of family and friends. Whether through encouraging Facebook comments, prayer groups, or meals and flowers, everyone has a different way of letting us know they are standing with us.

Even an introvert like me has to admit that community is vital to human health—physically, mentally, and spiritually. The Bible’s been declaring this message for thousands of years.

 

The Human Genome: Useful and Beautiful

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” — William Morris

The blogosphere is replete with advice for taming clutter and getting organized—helpful reading for any upcoming spring cleaning. While I’m not exactly a Martha Stewart of organization, I do have my husband’s junk-filled man cave/household office slated for a good purging. Unless they have a useful purpose (or sentimental value), all those unread textbooks, random cables, and various odds-and-ends have to go. Without function or beauty, the objects in an office (or any room) end up as clutter.

Until recently, scientists believed the human genome is full of genetic clutter—DNA fragments that may have possessed function in the past but possess it no longer.