Arriving just in time for this week’s theatrical release of Star Trek Into Darkness, the Klingon language — occasionally referred to as “Klingonese” — has made its way to Bing’s online translator.
In partnership with CBS and Paramount, Bing allows users to translate multiple languages, including English, Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Spanish and Russian to Klingon.
According to a story on Mashable, Bing worked with Dr. Marc Okrand, the man responsible for developing the Klingon language for Star Trek.
Matt Wallaert, a behavioral scientist at Bing, discussed the process of bringing the language to the translator.
Although the new film is coming out soon, this is an idea we were kicking around for awhile,
Star Trek has always looked at the future of technology and it is the most widely spoken constructed language, even though only a handful of people are actually fluent.
Klingon has been widely publicized, discussed and practiced, first written about by Marc Okrand in 1984′s The Klingon Dictionary.
Wallaert went on to discuss the history of the language.
Although there have been dictionary efforts with Klingon, there hasn’t been a true translation service with full grammatical structure until now,
He also talked about the challenges and the unique patterns of the language.
This is a geeky thing for us to do, but it’s also a fun challenge of our own teams to enhance translations and work with a language with a distinctive pattern.
So, grab your bat’leth, tip back a tall glass of bloodwine and give it a try at bing.com/translator.
From all of us here at TrekNews.net, we’d like to wish you a great First Contact Day.
Today, we honor the future flight of Dr. Zefram Cochrane, who in the Star Trek universe, will brake the warp barrier on April 5, 2063. That achievement will prompt the Vulcans to make first contact with the human race.
Just fifty years to go!
Below is a clip from Star Trek: First Contact, where Dr. Cochrane makes the fateful flight.
On Thursday’s episode of The Big Bang Theory, entitled “The Bakersfield Expedition,” Sheldon, Leonard, Howard and Raj attend the Bakersfield Comic-Con dressed as characters from Star Trek: The Next Generation.
While the guys are at the con, Penny, Bernadette and Amy venture to the comic book shop.
This isn’t the first time Star Trek has shown it’s impact on the CBS hit comedy. Former TNG stars LeVar Burton, Brent Spiner and Wil Wheaton have all appeared in previous episodes. Last season, Leonard Nimoy lent his voice to an episode.
Check out a preview of Thursday’s episode “The Bakersfield Expedition” below.
The Big Bang Theory airs Thursdays on CBS at 8/7c.
On Monday, Paramount Pictures and Qualcomm announced the official STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS iPhone app at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The app is set to hit the iTunes store at the end of January. During the presentation, which included INTO DARKNESS star Alive Eve, it was revealed that the app will unlock a surprise during the second quarter of this year’s Super Bowl on February 3rd.
According to the press release, some of the app’s features will include:
• An audio scan function that can be turned on to automatically recognize and reward users for watching “STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” content on TV and other media;
• An image scan function that enables users to interact with images printed or viewable in the real world;
• An audio scan function that can be turned on to automatically recognize and reward users for watching “STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” content on TV and other media;
• An image scan function that enables users to interact with images printed or viewable in the real world;
• A geofencing function for location-based experiences;
• New “STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” content, such as videos, images and wallpapers delivered directly to users’ mobile devices;
• Exclusive opportunities and special offers only available to app users;
Scroll down for the full press release.
Check out the CES announcement below.
Press release:
PARAMOUNT PICTURES AND QUALCOMM ANNOUNCE UNPRECEDENTED “STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” APP USING CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGIES
KICK-OFF WILL BEGIN WITH THE ABILITY TO UNLOCK THE FIRST OF MANY SURPRISES DURING THE SECOND QUARTER OF THE BIG GAME THIS FEBRUARY
LAS VEGAS, NV (January 7, 2013) – Paramount Pictures, a division of Viacom Inc., and Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM), through its subsidiary Qualcomm Labs, Inc., today announced that Gimbal™ context awareness technologies will be used to deliver exclusive content and advanced real world game experiences for the “STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” application based on the upcoming movie from J.J. Abrams.
These cutting edge technologies are being showcased in a never before-seen way and will enable users to automatically engage with a wealth of movie related materials by utilizing their real-life surroundings to auto-complete integrated missions by employing audio scan, geo-location recognition, and image recognition functionality powered by Qualcomm Vuforia. The “STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” app will launch at the end of January. Qualcomm’s Chairman and CEO Dr. Paul E. Jacobs made the announcement today during his keynote address at the International CES show in Las Vegas.
During the second quarter of the big game, the app will allow users the ability to unlock the first of many surprises during the airing of the “STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” tv-spot, making this one of the most unique and interactive apps ever created for a movie. As a bonus, users who register for the app will be automatically entered into a sweepstakes for the chance to win a VIP trip to the U.S. premiere. To be the first to get the app and enter the sweepstakes, visit www.StarTrekMovie.com/CES.
“We are excited about collaborating with Paramount on this app as it further brings to life Qualcomm’s vision of the digital sixth sense, where devices intelligently interact with the world around you,” said Dr. Jacobs. “By leveraging the Gimbal platform, this app harnesses the power of the smartphone to bridge the digital and physical world, allowing the studio to market the film in the real world and simultaneously bring users into the film’s story and world.”
Highlights of the “STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” app include:
• An audio scan function that can be turned on to automatically recognize and reward users for watching “STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” content on TV and other media;
• An image scan function that enables users to interact with images printed or viewable in the real world;
• An audio scan function that can be turned on to automatically recognize and reward users for watching “STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” content on TV and other media;
• An image scan function that enables users to interact with images printed or viewable in the real world;
• A geofencing function for location-based experiences;
• New “STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” content, such as videos, images and wallpapers delivered directly to users’ mobile devices;
• Exclusive opportunities and special offers only available to app users;
• One lucky sweepstakes winner will be rewarded with the grand prize of attending the “STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” U.S. premiere.
“STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” is written by Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman & Damon Lindelof and directed by J.J. Abrams. Abrams is producing with Bryan Burk through Bad Robot Productions, along with Lindelof, Kurtzman and Orci. Jeffrey Chernov and Skydance Productions’ David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Paul Schwake are the executive producers.
“STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” opens in theaters everywhere May 17, 2013.
The official Star Trek PADD app has been updated to version 2.0. Previously only available for use on Apple iPad, the second version brings support for iPhone, iPod Touch and the recently released iPad Mini.
The second version brings with it a bevy of new features including an updated databank with over 170 new entries, an updated main PADD screen now with a messages button for communiqués from Starfleet Command, voice-activated searching utilizing Apple’s Siri technology, push notifications to alert users about enhancements to the database, full screen databank images, plus enhanced Twitter and Facebook feeds.
The original version, released in July of 2011, was the #1 app in the Apple App Store following its release and one of the top 25 paid entertainment apps for 3 months straight.
Developed for CBS Interactive by San Francisco app development studio ArcTouch, the PADD app is available on the iTunes App Store and is priced at $4.99 for the iPad version and $1.99 for iPhone and iPod Touch.
Star Trek PADD app on iPhone 5
Updated version of Star Trek PADD app for iPad
Check out the press release below.
OFFICIAL STAR TREK PADD APP BEAMS ONTO IPHONE 5 AND IPAD MINI
Version 2 of Award Winning App Features Updated Databank and Voice Integration
San Francisco, CA – stardate 2012.12.04
After 45 years of continuous development and enhancement, most of which took place in a future timeline, engineers from Starfleet and United Federation of Planets have announced the immediate availability of the official Starfleet PADD (or Personal Access Display Device) app for iPhone and iPod touch. A new version for the latest iPad devices is also available.
Developed for CBS Interactive by San Francisco app development studio ArcTouch, and previously only available for the Apple iPad, the new version is now optimized for all iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch devices, including the new iPhone 5 and the iPad mini. The original iPad version was the #1 app in the app store, one of the top 25 paid Entertainment apps for 3 months straight, and the winner of a Media Vanguard Award from Advertising Age.
“Our team implemented a focused chronotron particle generator to open a temporal wormhole to the 24th century,” said Captain Eric Shapiro from ArcTouch. “We condensed 20 billion gigaquads of data about aliens, planets, and technology into a databank and created an app to access it.”
The PADD app provides beings from every quadrant of the galaxy with the ultimate mobile “Trekkie” experience, including access to data spanning from Star Trek: The Original Series through to Star Trek: Enterprise and the related movies of The Original Series and The Next Generation. The app features a rich database of information, full screen images, actual sound effects from the series, and an authentic LCARS experience.
In addition to iPhone and iPad mini support, version 2 includes:
• Updated databank with over 170 new entries, such as Gorgan (possibly the last known inhabitant of the planet Triacus), and enhanced data and images to many existing entries.
• The main PADD screen now has a button marked MESSAGES that shows communiqués from Starfleet Command.
• Starbase Intelligent Response Integration (Siri) for voice-activated searching.
• Subspace “push notifications” allows Starfleet to notify users about enhancements to the PADD databank.
• Full screen databank images.
• Live updating of databank content, which is delivered over terrestrial wireless channels and appears automatically.
• Enhancements to terrestrial data feeds from Facebook and Twitter.
• Under 50 megaquads of data for initial download stream. (Using the lingo of 21st century earth, the app can now be installed over a 3G, 4G, or LTE connections, without requiring WiFi.)
The Star Trek PADD app is available today for just a few bars of gold- pressed latinum ($4.99 for iPad, $1.99 for iPhone/iPod touch from the Apple App Store). Visit http://arctouch.com/2012/12/star-trek-padd-app-version-2/ for more information.
About ArcTouch
ArcTouch is the leading 21st century app development studio based in San Francisco, California. ArcTouch’s expert app developers create custom smartphone and tablet apps for iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and HTML5. The ArcTouch app development team has created over 150 apps for the Fortune 500, technology leaders, and world-class brands, including CBS, Walmart, Salesforce.com, Adidas, MillerCoors, and Travelocity.
ArcTouch can be reached via subspace radio at http://arctouch.com
Actress Ashley Eckstein, the voice of Ahsoka Tano on the animated series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars and her company, Her Universe, have announced a line of Star Trek apparel, for female fans.
Similar to her Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, and Doctor Who lines, Eckstein’s line of Star Trek apparel attempts to keep female fan-girls in mind, both with both their design and style.
According to the press release, the first wave of Star Trek items from Her Universe will roll out over the course of 2012 and will include fashion tops and hoodies. All items will be available on July 11th through the Her Universe website.
Scroll down for the press release.
Press Release
HER UNIVERSE BEAMS UP STAR TREK™ LICENSE
ACTRESS ASHLEY ECKSTEIN LAUNCHES STAR TREK APPAREL LINE FOR WOMEN
NEW YORK, NY – June 28th, 2012 – For the first time in Star Trek’s 46-year history, one company is focusing exclusively on the female fans of the legendary space adventure. Her Universe™, a leader in female genre merchandise, announced its new license with CBS Consumer Products to create a collection of apparel and accessories for the growing female Star Trek fan base.
With a limited debut July 11th at San Diego’s Comic Con and online at www.heruniverse.com, the Star Trek by Her Universe line will feature fashion tops and hoodies rolled out over the course of the year highlighting images, characters and phrases from the Star Trek franchise. To recognize the female fans of Star Trek, CBS Consumer Products has created a unique Star Trek logo which will only appear on merchandise from the Her Universe collection.
Ashley Eckstein, no stranger to the sci-fi universe, is the founder of Her Universe and is known to sci-fi fans as the voice of Ahsoka Tano on the hit animated series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Eckstein, who started the company because she could not find sci-fi apparel for herself, designs and creates the Her Universe merchandise.
“Star Trek has been one of the most requested Sci-Fi franchises from our fangirls,” said Eckstein. “It is truly a dream come true for me to design for this iconic brand. We plan to Boldly Go where no one has gone before with the first ever Star Trek apparel line just for women.”
Star Trek apparel and accessories from the Her Universe collection will be available in the U.S. and Canada at both www.heruniverseshop.com and store.startrek.com and through national retail outlets such as Hot Topic. The Star Trek By Her Universe merchandise line will also be available at select conventions including its premiere at San Diego Comic Con (July 12th-15th at the San Diego Convention Center).
About Her Universe
Her Universe was launched in 2009 by actress and entrepreneur Ashley Eckstein, and her partner, The Araca Group, known as one of the most innovative theatrical production and merchandise companies in the world. Her Universe was created to directly address the expanding market of female fans by entering into its first agreement with Lucas Licensing to develop and produce a line of female-centered Star Wars apparel and accessories. The success of that line was followed up with a collection for the Syfy network including such shows as Battlestar Galactica and with BBC America for its Doctor Who franchise. You can learn more about Her Universe and purchase the current line of fangirl apparel and accessories by going to www.heruniverse.com and by following Eckstein on Twitter and visiting the Her Universe Facebook page.
About CBS Consumer Products
CBS Consumer Products manages worldwide licensing and merchandising for a diverse slate of television brands and series from CBS, CBS Television Studios and CBS Television Distribution, as well as from the company’s extensive library of titles, Showtime and CBS Films. Additionally, the group oversees online sales of programming merchandise. For more information, visit www.cbsconsumerproducts.com
Leonard Nimoy delivered an inspirational convocation address at the Boston University (BU) College of Fine Arts on Sunday. He said when he was asked to speak at this memorable event, by BU President Dr. Brown, the “yes” came back so fast the President may have thought he was “stunned by a phaser” and that refusing the invitation would have been “highly illogical.”
He discussed his life growing up in Boston, including memories of going to sports games, selling newspapers on a windy Arlington Street in the winter, and his Italian and Jewish neighborhood called the “West End.” He said he remains grateful to this day that the city of Boston surrounded him with an environment for academia, the arts and a “powerful wave of immigrant energy.”
Nimoy told the class of 2012 that he first stepped on stage when he was 8 years old at the Elizabeth Peabody playhouse on Charles Street, a community house established to help immigrants find their way into the culture. The establishment had a small space for theater performances and 8-year old Leonard was asked to sing a song, probably, “God Bless America,” and was cast as Hansel in a production of Hansel and Gretel.
Later, when he received his first adult role at the age 17, he thought acting gave a sense of illumination to the audience, and was convinced that if he could do that for the rest of his life, he would be happy. He was fortunate to receive a scholarship from a Jesuit priest at Boston College for the summer where the students worked so hard they sometimes they even fell asleep on stage He then ended up selling vacuum cleaners on Boylston Street in order to save money for theater school in California, but he ultimately dropped out because he was not feeling inspired. He then started looking for work on his own and played a Zombie in a project called “Zombies of the Stratosphere,” an endeavor which may have sunk because of its very title.
During the years while he was still establishing his career, he worked various jobs, joined the army for two years, and drove a cab at night in order to be available for auditions. As a cab driver, he picked up the future president John Kennedy and after chatting briefly, the two of them agreed that politics and entertainment had a lot, maybe too much, in common. Kennedy then said to Nimoy: “Just remember there is always room for one more good one.”
“Did I really want to put those pointy ears?”
It took 15 years before his famous Mr. Spock role came along but during that time Nimoy found a way to learn more than the craft of theater, but to learn about theme and subtext and about how to add something personal to a role. He admitted to the graduates that the role of Spock was not easy to accept, “ I hesitated. I took my work seriously. Did I really want to put those pointy ears?” Later, he thought that Spock was much like the immigrants from his childhood, a half-human, half-Vulcan alien with a complex inner life, a character that stimulates thought about how we establish our identity and integrity. Spock reminded Nimoy of another quote by John Kennedy, “Art is not a form of propaganda. It is a form of truth.” To Leonard Nimoy, Spock was a form of truth. Art itself, as a form of truth, demands that one walk on a “razor’s edge” between logic and emotion in order to remain truthful, a struggle and a balance that nobody embodies better than Spock.
Nimoy shared that after the last season of Star Trek, he rejected other roles that failed to carry the inner complexity and emotional depth of Spock. That’s why he encouraged graduates to try to both find and provide illumination through their art. He also asked them, somewhat in jest, “for the sake of culture, for the sake of mankind, not to create any more reality shows.”
“Since Star Trek went on the air, 46 years ago, I have never been without work.”
In another funny and touching moment during the speech Nimoy pleaded “Scotty, please, beam me out of here.” He then went on to share that, although he never worked drunk or high, he did smoke cigarettes and drink, and he was glad he gave up drinking 23 years ago. He urged graduates to respect their bodies.
The three words he wanted them to remember were “persistence, persistence, persistence. “ Even more importantly, he urged them to try to be both “creators and curators” of their own lives and, as artists, to enlighten others: “Give us your best, give us the best of your art. We hunger for it. Help us to seek ourselves, to know ourselves. “
The speech ended, logically, with the all-time favorite Vulcan salute, “Live long and prosper.”
Watch Leonard Nimoy’s entire speech, courtesy of Boston University, below.
Top photo: Boston University’s Facebook page. All other photos: Alexandra Grashkina/TrekNews.net
One-day-and-it’s-gone online t-shirt retailer TeeFury has a gruesome new Star Trek-inspired shirt available for a short time this weekend, The Walking Red.
Playing off the popular “Walking Dead” comics and television show, as well as Star Trek‘s favorite expendable crewmen, this limited-edition shirt is currently on sale at TeeFury.
Move fast, though: the shirt disappears at midnight on Sunday (or whenever it sells out), and then it’s gone forever.
TeeFury specializes in “one new super limited-edition tee every 24 hours for $10,” featuring artwork by a variety of artists in a number of styles and genres. A quick look through their gallery shows work drawn from science fiction, video games, comics, geek culture, and more.
Looks like the Red Shirts get the last laugh this weekend!
From all of us here at TrekNews.net, we’d like to wish you a great First Contact Day.
Today, in the Star Trek universe, we honor the future flight of Dr. Zefram Cochrane, who will brake the warp barrier on April 5, 2063. That achievement will prompt the Vulcans to make first contact with the human race.
Below is a clip from Star Trek: First Contact, where Dr. Cochrane makes the fateful flight.
Fresh off last month’s Science Channel premier, Trek Nation director, Scott Colthorp has another project in the works which also involves an element of Star Trek. His next documentary, The Good, True and Beautiful, examines the feelings and thoughts of human beings.
The “The Good, True, and Beautiful” is a feature-length documentary that illuminates humankind’s potential through the bringing-together of the best thinkers in science, art and morality.
For most of history the ‘three lenses to the divine’ — often called morality, science, and art — have become the best descriptors of Humankind’s potential.
Often times, these primary values compete for dominance. Sometimes one holds sway at the expense of the others, like the Church of the 17th century, or scientific-materialism of the 20th century. But, ultimately they all share a common goal — to satisfy humankind’s hunger to explore all of life’s possibilities.
“The Good, True, and Beautiful” documents Humankind’s maturation toward deeper feelings, truer thoughts, and greater inclusiveness that considers the welfare of more beings. By assembling the brightest integrated thinkers, we hope to prove that beauty, truth and goodness work in tandem to advance culture’s consciousness and humankind’s potential.
Yesterday, Apple finally announced the new iPhone — the iPhone 4S.
The new phone includes a variety of upgrades from it’s predecessor, the iPhone 4, including an upgraded camera, doubled processor speed, doubled power, plus the ability to work on CDMA and GSM networks.
While few were blown away by yesterday’s announcement, hoping for an iPhone 5, one of the handful of new features has quite a few people talking and the internet buzzing.
That feature is called Siri — Apple’s voice control artificial intelligence, which will allow users to speak to their phone to send text messages, check the weather, schedule meetings and place phone calls.
This new feature allows user’s to speak to their mobile phone as they would another person — Reminiscent of countless sci-fi films and TV shows, including Star Trek.
Remember Captain Jean Luc Picard calling out orders to the Enterprise-D’s on-board computer system and replicator? “Tea, Earl Grey, Hot.” or Data asking “Computer, where are the Captain and Commander Riker?”
Unfortunately, the voice of Siri will not be that of Majel Roddenberry, as it was on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager. Instead, the standard computerized female voice on current iPhones will handle the interaction with it’s user.
Another feature of Siri is it’s ability to take dictation. So, instead of typing, the user can say what they’d like written and the iPhone 4S will listen. Siri will be able to take notes, search the web, send messages and update your Facebook status.
Personally, I’ll be starting each dictation with “Captains Log…”
For more information on the new iPhone 4S, visit Apple.com.
Star Trek: The Exhibition, the traveling museum of screen worn Star Trek uniforms, props and other memorabilia from every live-action Star Trek series and film, will be headed to the Saint Louis Science Center beginning next month.
“Star Trek: The Exhibition aligns with our scientific mission,” said interim President and CEO of the Science Center, Philip Needleman. “From the Planetarium to Cyberville and the Breakthrough Gallery to Space in Popular Culture, the Science Center is full of galleries directly related to science and technology that have been inspired in some way by Star Trek.”
The Exhibition will open at the Saint Louis Science Center on October 28th with a preview for SciFest attendees on October 21st and for SciFest Family Fun Night visitors and Science Center Members on October 22nd.
Tickets will be $17.50 for adults, $15.50 for seniors and $13.50 for children 5 to 12.
treknews
treknews
treknews
treknews
treknews
treknews
treknews
treknews
treknews
