The Nitpicker's Guide for X-Philes


Book Description

The truth is, the nits are out there.... What's weird about Samantha T. Mulder's birthday? (She has two of them: January 22 and November 21.) What's amazing about Mulder's cell phone? (It operates inside a metal boxcar, buried in a canyon, out in the deserts of New Mexico: anywhere!) Scully and Mulder, you have reason to be paranoid. Armed with keen detective sense, attention to detail, and a VCR, author Phil Farrand has done some forensic work of his own and dissected every technical foul-up, plot oversight, and alien intrusion on the X-Files(r). Paranormal he's not, but he'd like to know why T.A. Berube has a six-digit zip code or how the VCRs at the 2400 Court motel in Braddock Heights, Maryland, can play a tape after it's been ejected. Nitpicking? You bet. So join his conspiracy to have hours of mental stimulation and fun with: Equipment flubs Changed premises Plot oversights Fun facts Trivia questions Reviews of every show for all four seasons And more




The Nitpicker's Guide for Next Generation Trekkers Volume 1


Book Description

Six seasons of bloopers, flubs, technical screw-ups, and picayune plot discrepancies for discriminating fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation Stardate 41153.7-46999.9 Starship Enterprise, Registry NCC-1701D We’re watching you. . . Is there a control panel inside the turbo lift? (No . . . except in the episode “Brothers”) Do or don’t personnel have to tap their badge to access their communicator? (Only when the writers feel like it) Yes, we’re fans. But we’re not unobservant. Some of us even have Vulcanlike logic. Author Phil Farrand figures that even if you love somebody, you can tell them about that dab of mustard on their upper lip. So here’s a compendium for Trekkers who are unafraid of pointing the finger at oversights, and who know it’s great fun to find the sloppy mistakes (or cost-cutting cheating) in a show that takes itself very seriously. So get your VCR ready and your mind set for hours of enjoyment and mental stimulation with: • Plot oversights • Production problems • Changed premises • Equipment oddities • Trivia questions • Fun facts • Covers every show for the first six seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation • And more!




The Nitpicker's Guide for Classic Trekkers


Book Description

Six feature films, the wildly successful television spin-off "Star Trek: The Next Generation," endless reruns, videotapes, conventions, a line of best-selling novels, and William Shatner's "New York Times" best-seller "Star Trek Memories" have kept the "Star Trek" spirit alive and well, even 25 years after its cancellation. Now this must-have book for all Trekkers -- which covers every episode of the original series, the pilot, and all six movies -- reveals all the bloopers, continuity errors, plot oversights, equipment malfunctions, and goof-ups that discerning, die-hard fans love to spot, but may have missed. Written especially for all those who find themselves thinking, "Hey, if the transporter is broken, why don't they just use a shuttlecraft?," this nitpicky volume includes Kirk's toupee watch; an examination of the logic of the miniskirted female crew members; number of times Kirk violated the Prime Detective and lots of trivia questions, fun facts, quizzes, and more. Live long and nitpick.




Gigantic


Book Description

It was a beautiful spring day in downtown San Francisco — before a gigantic armored alien appeared from out of nowhere and began smashing things all to hell! Who is this invader? Why is he being attacked by strange alien beings? And why is he so Gigantic? A twist on The Truman Show, Gigantic focuses on a brainwashed alien superhero deposited on Earth to be the spotlight of an intrusive, around-the-clock television program being filmed without his knowledge.




The Nitpicker's Guide for Classic Trekkers


Book Description

Six feature films, the wildly successful television spin-off Star Trek: The Next Generation, endless reruns, videotapes, conventions, a line of best-selling novels, and William Shatner's New York Times best-seller Star Trek Memories have kept the Star Trek spirit alive and well, even 25 years after its cancellation. Now this must-have book for all Trekkers -- which covers every episode of the original series, the pilot, and all six movies -- reveals all the bloopers, continuity errors, plot oversights, equipment malfunctions, and goof-ups that discerning, die-hard fans love to spot, but may have missed. Written especially for all those who find themselves thinking, "Hey, if the transporter is broken, why don't they just use a shuttlecraft?", this nitpicky volume includes Kirk's toupee watch; an examination of the logic of the miniskirted female crew members; number of times Kirk violated the Prime Detective and lots of trivia questions, fun facts, quizzes, and more. Live long and nitpick.




The Nitpicker's Guide for Next Generation Trekkers Volume 2


Book Description

A follow-up to the first, best-selling Nitpicker's guide ferrets out the plot inconsistencies, scientific inaccuracies, and other foul-ups in the seventh, final season of the TV series, Star Trek: The Next Generation.




City Kid


Book Description

Traces the author's rise from a youth spent in Brooklyn's Brownsville housing project to a Grammy Award winner and two-time National Book Critics Circle Award finalist, in an account that describes his early family life, the pop culture that inspired his career, and his collaborations with such figures as Spike Lee and Chris Rock.




Sorry, Wrong Answer


Book Description

Where were Venetian blinds invented? What color is the black box on a commercial airplane? Where did India ink originate?* Most of us know more than we think we know. We also think we know more than we actually do-because some of what we think we know simply "ain't so." We all harbor misconceptions that are accepted not only because they are popular but also because they make sense. It makes sense to believe, for example, that German chocolate originated in Germany rather than the truth: that German chocolate is so named because it was created by Sam German. It seems logical to believe that Mercury is the hottest planet because of its proximity to the sun, or that buttermilk contains butter, that Danish pastry is from Denmark, and that the boat race America's Cup was named after the United States of America. In Sorry, Wrong Answer, Rod Evans takes readers on a tour of misleading trivia, debunking commonly held assumptions and sharing surprising "right" answers. *Answers: Japan; Orange; China




PopLit, PopCult and The X-Files


Book Description

For six acclaimed seasons, FBI paranormal detectives Mulder and Scully have been chasing monsters and little green men and exposing government conspiracies, while espousing the mantras "trust no one" and "the truth is out there." This work takes a close look at the popular television series and shows how its style, character and narrative structure have continued to tease and please a wide viewing audience every week for six years. The first section examines the text of the series and the progression of its mythic story arc. This part also looks at the show's use of expressionistic techniques in both its visual and sound effects; the related tropes of self-reflexive humor, irony and the grotesque; and its ability to give the audience an occasional strong sensory jolt. The second section explores the context that has given rise to The X-Files phenomenon in the 1990s. The show's gothic horror tradition is established, and its contribution to the Zeitgeist of the 90s is also acknowledged.




Ask a Manager


Book Description

From the creator of the popular website Ask a Manager and New York’s work-advice columnist comes a witty, practical guide to 200 difficult professional conversations—featuring all-new advice! There’s a reason Alison Green has been called “the Dear Abby of the work world.” Ten years as a workplace-advice columnist have taught her that people avoid awkward conversations in the office because they simply don’t know what to say. Thankfully, Green does—and in this incredibly helpful book, she tackles the tough discussions you may need to have during your career. You’ll learn what to say when • coworkers push their work on you—then take credit for it • you accidentally trash-talk someone in an email then hit “reply all” • you’re being micromanaged—or not being managed at all • you catch a colleague in a lie • your boss seems unhappy with your work • your cubemate’s loud speakerphone is making you homicidal • you got drunk at the holiday party Praise for Ask a Manager “A must-read for anyone who works . . . [Alison Green’s] advice boils down to the idea that you should be professional (even when others are not) and that communicating in a straightforward manner with candor and kindness will get you far, no matter where you work.”—Booklist (starred review) “The author’s friendly, warm, no-nonsense writing is a pleasure to read, and her advice can be widely applied to relationships in all areas of readers’ lives. Ideal for anyone new to the job market or new to management, or anyone hoping to improve their work experience.”—Library Journal (starred review) “I am a huge fan of Alison Green’s Ask a Manager column. This book is even better. It teaches us how to deal with many of the most vexing big and little problems in our workplaces—and to do so with grace, confidence, and a sense of humor.”—Robert Sutton, Stanford professor and author of The No Asshole Rule and The Asshole Survival Guide “Ask a Manager is the ultimate playbook for navigating the traditional workforce in a diplomatic but firm way.”—Erin Lowry, author of Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping By and Get Your Financial Life Together