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Do you ever think about how William Shatner made a career while being a captain of the USS Enterprise but had never been to space? Well, that’s about to change! That’s right, Captain Kirk is going to space. Why? Because rich people have nothing better to do with their time than waste money on things like this when everyone else just watches it happen while struggling to survive.

Joining the vice president of mission & flight operations of Blue Origin, Audrey Powers, Shatner will be launched into space on October 12, and honestly, this just feels like a mistake, but if Captain Kirk wants to see space, go ahead and spend the money, I guess.

Two incredible and inspirational people will join the #NS18 crew. Actor @WilliamShatner and Blue Origin’s Vice President of Mission & Flight Operations Audrey Powers @AudreyKPowers. pic.twitter.com/xqI9nw1KX8

— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) October 4, 2021

“I’ve heard about space for a long time now. I’m taking the opportunity to see it for myself. What a miracle,” Shatner said in a press release. I suppose he’s referring to his long-running stint as Captain Kirk through three seasons of Star Trek and into the subsequent film franchise.

Twitter is … well, they’re making fun of this.

The fact that SNL aired a Star Trek parody with Blue Origin the day before William Shatner was announced to be flying on Blue Origin is proof that the universe is beyond parody at this point

— June 🏳️‍🌈 (@June_space_) October 4, 2021

OFFICIAL: Carrie Fisher was not in the wrong when she bullied Bill Shatner

— 💀 SKELETRINA 💀 (@ohcatrina) October 4, 2021

Looks like @JeffBezos is sending Capital Kirk to the space. This is what happens when a nerd ends up with a bucketload of money https://t.co/UjQC4XdAww

— Harshvardhan Takawale (@HarshTakawale) October 4, 2021

Please tell me his first broadcast starts with, “Captain’s log: Stardate 111221.” #StarTrek https://t.co/1sFbk5D8hx

— Eric Schwartzberg (@eschwartzberg) October 4, 2021

As one tweet says, this is what happens when nerds have too much money. I can just imagine Bezos sitting there and thinking, “Huh, it’d be so funny if Captain Kirk came to space on Blue Origin” and then contacted William Shatner. I just fear that Bezos attempted to contact Harrison Ford only to be met with an angry Ford on the other line screaming at him about his nonsense. Honestly, that’d I’d rather see that than Shatner going to space for 5 seconds and selling it as a Star Trek miracle for the next twenty years.

Anyway, sorry to my brother, who will probably read this because he loves William Shatner a lot, but there’s a reason I like Chris Pine as James T. Kirk more than Shatner …

(image: CBS)

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When people think of bugs they generally think of gross pests that need to be kept at a distance. The farther away, the better. But insects, especially flying ones, have a strange, gross beauty to them upon close inspection. Dr. Adrian Smith, the Head of the Evolutionary Biology & Behavior Research Lab at North Carolina’s Museum of Natural Sciences, shows us that unique aesthetic in a new slow-mo video of flying insects.

Laughing Squid picked up on Smith’s video, which is one of many on the YouTube channel, Ant Lab. Smith hosts the videos on the channel, and his soothing voice matches the featured insects flying in slow motion perfectly. (Really, though, have you ever felt more soothed after watching a bunch of bugs fly around?)

Ant Lab

In this new video Smith shows off 15 different types of flying insect species. The insects include everything from the Carolina Mantis to the ambrosia beetle, and they’re each mesmerizing to watch in their own right. Especially at 6,000 frames per second; a speed that perfectly reveals how their tissue paper wings grab hold of the air to carry them away.

It’s hard to pick which flying insect takes the trophy for cleanest takeoff, but each one has its own slightly ridiculous method. Smith notes, for example, that many weevils use a “tripod” method for takeoff. Using this style, the bugs ready themselves with their middle legs up, their back legs down, and one front leg raised. They then proceed to leap into the air like the Karate Kid walloping somebody with a Crane kick.

Ant Lab

Unfortunately, even fascinating, beautiful grossness is… still pretty gross. About half way through the video Smith shows how mites like to attach themselves to flying insects in order to travel from place to place. A phenomenon that’s very intriguing but also makes us want to wash our eyes out with hand sanitizer.

The post Insects Flying in Slow Motion Reveal a Gross Kind of Beauty appeared first on Nerdist.

Afronerd Radio can now be heard LIVE courtesy of Apple Music/Itunes

Don't worry citizens, The Grindhouse returns today and it's going to be alright!   Welcome to the umpteenth edition of Afronerd Radio's Grindhouse, airing this Sunday at 6 p.m. eastern on the BTalk 100 internet broadcasting platform.  Listen to your highly-favored AFROnerdist hosts unpack their thoughts concerning the following topics:  the return of Milestone Media forges ahead with the latest issue of Reginal Hudlin's Icon & Rocket: Season One.  And this issue answers the question, what would happen if a Black ubermensch decided to eradicate crime on a global scale?  The crew shares their thoughts...; Sony's Venom 2 debuted this weekend and it appears that it's off to a great start considering the purported 90M post-pandemic box office takedown;  the fan-favorite defunct Marvel Netflix series, Daredevil, appears to be gearing up for a revival with much of the same cast still at play but will the gritty show be a correct fit for the family-friendly Disney+ streaming channel?: we finally get a chance to discuss some the upcoming video games featuring prominent black male and female protagonists/antagonists like Vampire: The Masquerade and Deathloop:

Because it is news...let's banter about The R. Kelly tragedy...briefly (it is what it is); and then there's sports news. instead of adults, now we have children spewing racist taunts at Black soccer players; and what about that recent Brandon Brown NASCAR win that turned into an anti-President Joe Biden event?  I thought politics wasn't supposed to be a part of sports?  Black Panther returns with a new #1 issue and scribe, noted screenwriter, John Ridley:

And as excited as Dburt is to see someone of Ridley's status writing this new iteration of Panther, he does beg to ask, when will marvel employ an African (distinct from FBA) writer to craft a Wakandan tale?  And lastly, Dburt tripped over Ms. Bohemian Soul's "HGTV" style YouTube tiny home channel and, he "begs to ask AGAIN"...shouldn't we have our own Black culture home living universe and/or presence?

One thing that Dburt is doing (finally) is investing in cryptocurrency, courtesy of Roundlyx. We would implore our followers to investigate, discern and then explore by using our referral code: afro-87A4BF

Call us LIVE at 508-645-0100. AFTER CLICKING ON THE HIGHLIGHTED LINK, GO DIRECTLY TO AFRONERD RADIO!!! 

or This link below.....

Also, Afronerd Radio's podcast format can be heard via BTalk 100 Pandora, Spotify and,  IHeartRadio....more formats to follow!

It seems all the horror icons of our youth are making a big comeback. Michael Myers in Halloween Kills, Candyman, and soon, Chucky. The evil “Good Guy” doll has been terrorizing horror fans since Child’s Play in 1988. And making us laugh. Now, SYFY and USA are bringing the tiny terror back in a new TV series. And there are a lot of familiar faces, including Jennifer Tilly as Tiffany, Chucky’s true love. And of course, Brad Dourif as the voice of the titular demonic doll. You can check out the new Chucky trailer right here:

You can also read the series’ official description below:

“In the new television series, an idyllic American town is thrown into chaos after a vintage ‘Good Guy’ doll turns up at a suburban yard sale. Soon, everyone must grapple with a series of horrifying murders. Ones that begin to expose the town’s deep hypocrisies and hidden secrets. Meanwhile, friends and foes from Chucky’s past creep back into his world. They threaten to expose the truth behind his mysterious origins as a seemingly ordinary child who somehow became this notorious monster.”

SYFY/USA Networks

Not only is Chucky’s original creator Don Mancini the series showrunner, but he’s also directing the first episode. Original Twin Peaks writer Harley Peyton is also on board as executive producer. And Devon Sawa, who has quite the horror pedigree thanks to cult classics like Idle Hands, Final Destination, and Casper, is also recurring. In October, Chucky will also feature in the upcoming Shudder series Behind the Monsters, along with his cinematic slasher buddies. A Child’s Play remake hit theaters just a couple of years back, with Mark Hamill voicing Chucky. But as great as Mark may be, nothing beats the original.

The first episode of Chucky airs on SYFY and USA on October 12 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

The post CHUCKY Comes to Life in Brand New Trailer appeared first on Nerdist.