OTF's Blue Publication January 2015
The following members have been promoted for the month of December 2014.
Congratulations and thanks to all of you for your contributions to Outpost 10F!
Recently there was a changing of the guard in one of the Outpost's long standing Departments. Our Vice Commander, Tanya stepped down as the Senior Manager of Engineering and that made way for a new Chief Engineer. Tanya chose longtime Outpost 10F member Katrina to fill the role. Since it's been a while since someone new has occupied the Chief's office, we thought we'd take some time and get to know one of the latest members of the Executive Council.
BR: Hi Katrina, thanks for taking some time out of your schedule.
Katrina: It's become a crazily busy schedule this past month, but I'm glad to carve some time out for this.
BR: I know you're new, but have you had any time to get settled into your office?
Katrina: I've been heading up a few projects for a while now, so I feel pretty settled already. Technically I've been on vacation almost since this transfer of leadership was announced though, so I haven't done a lot with the outpost.
BR: So tell us some more about you?
Katrina: I've been knocking around the outpost since I was practically a child - 18 is a child, right? I'm almost 35 now. It's bizarre, but I swear I don't feel a day over 28. I feel like everyone knows everything already; I met my husband at the outpost, have one son, work pretty hard at whatever project I set my head to at any given moment regardless of what the project's destination is.
BR: How did you get involved with engineering?
Katrina: I believe I've been on engineering's roster for quite some time now. I was added when the Firefly room first became a thing, but it's only in the past two years or so that I feel I've been contributing to the department actively. I started working like crazy for avatars in August of 2013, and after some time elapsed and that avatar overhaul project felt like it wasn't continuing like I'd like, I sort of took it and ran with it. I assembled a team and went with it from there.
BR: So You've just been made the new Chief Engineer of the Outpost, what does that entail?
Katrina: I'm meant to make sure that Outpost 10F's public presentation of work appears professional overall, overseeing things that have a direct impact on the functions or appearances of the place. I feel like I have a bit of a hand in everything, but that may be the whole InDev connection. A lot of the improvements made by InDev over the past year or so were my ideas, asked for by me and then implemented by Al.
BR: How do people enlist the services of the Engineering Staff?
Katrina: Just pop an email over to me, I reckon.
BR: What are your goal as the new Senior Manager?
Katrina: I'd like to continue overhauling the avatars for Minas Tirith, as well as get some upgrades there. I'm looking for some LotR fans to assist with that. We also have several secret-ish projects on the horizon. I'm also intending to bring the Outpost's large amount of pages into the current year and lose some of the references to long-gone people.
BR: What are some of the item on your to-do list?
Katrina: How did you know I have a to-do list? My list includes updating many many documentation pages, changing things that have been sitting around and need changing (links to people's emails who haven't been around in a long time, stuff like that), updating the help section to include Doctor Who ranks, and..on and on, really.
BR: We've seen a few new rooms pop up for chatters in the last few years. Are you planning on adding any more?
Katrina: Not personally, but I'm definitely up for more.
BR: Engineering had been a mystery team as of late, who is currently on the roster?
Katrina: Myself, Trekkey, Thrawny, Ayanna. There are a few more technically on the roster and I need to drop them lines and find out if they're still interested in participating.
BR: Are you looking to add any more personnel?
Katrina: Probably. Once I find out who's staying and who's going, I'll know more. I'm still on vacation right now. Outpost stuff is taking a back seat to visiting my family.
BR: What do you want OTF to know about what Engineering is doing?
Katrina: We're doing stuff! Lots of stuff. And if you run into something that doesn't work like it should, please let us know, and I'll add it to the list. katrina@outpost10f.com
BR: Thanks for taking a few minutes today.
Katrina: Absolutely!
It’s been another busy December for the Blue Report on Facebook. News of a trailer released for Terminator: Genisys hit the web on the 4th. Then it was announced that J.K. Rowling would be releasing a dozen new short stories based on her wildly popular Harry Potter series. Benedict Cumberbatch was reported to be branching out into the Marvel universe, having been cast as Doctor Strange.
The website theverge.com posted an article about a British miniseries that the author compared to The Twilight Zone, called Black Mirror. Anyone who wants to check out that series can go to Netflix to do so. The next article was on Roberto Orci backing out as director of the next Star Trek movie. And in more news about television shows you really should be watching, go read up on The Librarians, especially if you’re still mourning the loss of Warehouse 13. It airs Sunday nights on TNT.
It was reported that Mark Hamill will be in an episode of The Flash, as the villain The Trickster. Bebop and Rocksteady will be introduced in the next Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. Christopher Lee, of Lord Of The Rings and Star Wars has released new music – something that prior to the article, I was unaware was on his resume. News hit the web about a new UK theme park, pulling in inspiration from Sherlock, Doctor Who and Top Gear.
Speaking of Doctor Who, Colin Baker, the man who portrayed the 6th incarnation of the Time Lord in the mid-80s, is set to appear in the Star Trek continues web series. And a new series called Trek: Isolation has hit the web.
The characters seen in the “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” trailer got names (and trading card images) in mid-December. And have you all seen those side-by-side images of Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher as Luke and Leia, then and now? Well, that’s how Mark Hamill actually looks. He was contractually obligated to look older and wiser, with a beard, for the next movie or three. Personally, I think he’s a scruffy-looking nerfherder. A video hit the web featuring the voice of Frank Oz as Yoda for the cartoon Star Wars Rebels, as well as news of a new web series ahead of “The Force Awakens”.
William Shatter is set to guest star on the SyFy Channel’s series “Haven”. Planning a trip to Thailand? Rent a Hobbit Hole-inspired home. A trailer for Season Three of Orphan Black hit the web this month. Following the news that Roberto Orci was out as the next Star Trek director came news that he was no longer writing the next movie either. The only positive thing that came out of December regarding the next movie was a release date of July 8th. And lastly came news of the Smithsonian’s Enterprise conservation project.
Want to read more? Then check out the Blue Report on Facebook!
This past weekend I decided to do something different. I was given a recipe for a breakfast pizza so I thought I’d try it out. Now it’s not as easy as my pancakes, but it’s not bad. You can also make it with some healthy twists. It’s something different on those mornings when you have a few moments to put something quality together. Here’s the how to:
Ingrediants
Directions
So while my kids were on Christmas vacation, I decided to do something special with them and carted them off to see Big Hero 6. I'd seen the trailer and wasn't that impressed, but as it was something my kids would enjoy I decided to bite the bullet. After seeing the film I was rather impressed.
The story revolves around Hiro Hamada, a 14-year-old robotics prodigy who lives in San Fransokyo. His older brother Tadashi is worried that Hiro is wasting his potential and after some prodding from his brother, Hiro decides to apply to S.I.T and he presents his project called microbots, at an admission expo. Alistair Krei, tries to buy the technology from him, but Hiro declines the offer. A fire at the school kills his brother and destroys is project. Hiro then closes himself off from his friends.
Hiro accidentally activates Baymax, a healthcare robot designed and built by his brother and follows one of his microbots to an abandoned warehouse, where they are attacked by a masked man who is controlling hordes of Hiro's microbots which he though destroyed. Realizing the fire that killed his brother was a diversion to steal the Microbots, Hiro decides to catch him, upgrades Baymax with armor karate moves.
Hiro and his friends are then attacked by the masked man and they hide out. Hiro develops superhero suits for everyone and they form a superhero team. During their first battle with the masked man they splinter and fail. It's then that they discover that the attacker is Professor Callaghan and not Alistair Krei as the team believed.
Callaghan is seeking revenge on Krei whom he blames for his daughter's death in a teleportation experiement. The team destroys the microbots, and thus Callaghan's plans for vengence. Baymax reads Abigail's lifesigns, and he and Hiro rush in to save her. Baymax's armor is damaged and he sacrifices himslef to save Hiro and Abigail. Hiro and Abigail make it back, and Callaghan is arrested.
My kids really liked the film and I was rather impressed with it as well. In this age of mindless kid movies, it was refreshing to see one with an actual plot. The animation was good, the characters are "believeable" in the animated sense, and the pace was great. It was just long enough to keep kids entertained. While I wasn't thrilled going in, I was happy coming out. I think my kids will get this on DVD when it hits stores. I am going to give it 4.5 Outpost out of 5.
