Despite early polling data showing a distinct lack of enthusiasm toward the Star Trek movie reboot by J. J. Abrams (Lost, Alias, Cloverfield, Fringe, Felicity), the film had an excellent opening weekend at the U.S. movie box office.

The film took in an estimated $72.5 million over the weekend. Even when adjusted for inflation, that’s far more than any of the previous Star Trek movies took in.

This has cultural significance beyond the fortunes of the Star Trek franchise and its studio. As I noted in writing about an Abrams interview last fall, Abrams said “he was drawn to the idealism behind the franchise. He hopes to make a more optimistic point of view as popular as the somewhat bleak vision of The Dark Knight was.” (more…)

Global Warming is not melting the continental ice cap. Come to find out there’s some shrinkage on the west side, but it’s more than made up by the glacial growth on the east side.

But the business of Big Green is already at hand. As the prophet Al Gore said, “The debate is over.” We’ve already pegged the death of the polar bear on the automobile. Public schools are showing children photos of these cute, cuddly, white bears clinging to shrunken ice floes.

Now we get to choose which side of Antarctica to believe in. Are you an optimist or a pessimist? Half full or half empty? Eeyore or Tigger? (more…)