For Real LCARS

Yesterday I ran across an article on Slate all about how Google is attempting to re-create the computer from Star Trek. I've already drunk the Google kool-aid (I communicate with my friends and family exclusively through g-chat, I only use gmail, I love my google drive, I long for a Nexus 7 and I'm literally writing to you using this google blogging platform) so when I heard this news, I basically jumped up and down.

Even in the future, people mostly just google Seven of Nine.

When I was a kid, just like a ton of other kids, I wished for the day when Star Trek technology would become a reality. Thanks to Star Trek who influenced scientists at the space program which, in turn, made huge leaps in communications technology we now have fancy-shmancy touch phones, satellites that bounce our signals all around the world, and TVs that change the channel when you wave your hand. It's almost a cliche to talk about Star Trek tech but, whatever, I'm gonna talk about it too.

When the iphones (yes, I know they are not Google but I'm also in the Mac cult) first came out, my husband and I both really, really wanted one but we had a bad case of the poors. When we moved to Los Angeles in 2010 we bought some refurbished iphones for like ten cents (and a piece of our soul guaranteed to seep out over the course of our two year contract) and the very first thing I did with mine was equip it with a tricorder app. I have the TOS communicator beeps set up as my ringtone and the TNG view-screen sound as my text alert.

The point is that I love Google and I love Star Trek tech. If Google believes that their one, true destiny is to provide the world with the first Star Trek computer, I'll be the first in line... unless I have a bad case poors again, in which case, I'll wait till the 3rd generation comes out and get a sweet, refurbished model to put on my desk. Then I'll say, "Computer, show me a list of every Star Trek episode."

Then, Majel Barrett Roddenberry's voice will echo sweetly through my living room and say, "There are 716 episodes of Star Trek."

And I'll get my chicken sandwich and coffee ready and reply, "Play all."