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Erin Macdonald (PhD, Astrophysics) is a tattooed one-woman STEM career panel, with recognition as a researcher, speaker, engineer, and consultant before her current career. She lives in Los Angeles working as a writer and producer and is currently the science consultant for the entire Star Trek franchise. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/digresscast/message

Dan Moren is the author of the Galactic Cold War series of sci-fi espionage capers, including The Nova Incident—coming in July 2022—The Aleph Extraction, and The Bayern Agenda from Angry Robot Books, as well as The Caledonian Gambitfrom Talos Press. He’s represented by Joshua Bilmes of JABberwocky Literary Agency. The Rocketeer (released internationally as The Adventures of the Rocketeer) is a 1991 American period superhero film from Walt Disney Pictures and Touchstone Pictures, produced by Charles Gordon, Lawrence Gordon, and Lloyd Levin, directed by Joe Johnston, that stars Bill Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin, Timothy Dalton, Paul Sorvino, and Tiny Ron Taylor. It is based on the character of the same name created by comic book artist and writer Dave Stevens. In 1938 Los Angeles, gangsters from Eddie Valentine's gang steal a rocket pack from Howard Hughes. During their escape from the authorities, the getaway driver hides the rocket pack at an airfield, and stunt pilot Cliff Secord's Gee Bee racer is wrecked in the chase, crippling his career. Movie star Neville Sinclair had hired Valentine's gang to steal the rocket pack, and he sends his monstrous henchman Lothar to question the injured getaway driver about its location before killing him. Meanwhile, Cliff and airplane mechanic Peevy find the pack and begin testing it. https://dmoren.com/ https://twitter.com/dmoren --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/digresscast/message

Digress on Film: a Commentary on 1997's Sci-Fi Horror Classic Event Horizon Event Horizon is a 1997 science fiction horror film directed by Paul W. S. Anderson and written by Philip Eisner. It stars Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill, Kathleen Quinlan and Joely Richardson. Set in 2047, it follows a crew of astronauts sent on a rescue mission after a missing spaceship, the Event Horizon, spontaneously appears in orbit around Neptune. Searching the ship for signs of life, they learn that the Event Horizon was a test bed for an experimental engine that created a rift in the space–time continuum and left our universe entirely, allowing a malevolent force to possess it. In 2047, a distress signal is received from the Event Horizon, a starship that disappeared during its maiden voyage to Proxima Centauri seven years earlier, and has mysteriously reappeared in a decaying orbit around Neptune. The rescue vessel Lewis and Clark is dispatched. Its crew—Capt. Miller, second-in-command Lt. Starck, pilot Smith, medical technician Peters, engineer Ensign Justin, doctor D.J., and rescue technician Cooper—is joined by Dr. William Weir, the Event Horizon's designer. He briefs them on the ship's experimental gravity drive with a simple visualization of how it folds space-time. The distress signal seems to consist of a series of screams and howls but D.J. believes he can discern the Latin phrase "Liberate me"("Save me"). --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/digresscast/message

Men in Black (stylized as MIB: Men in Black) is a 1997 American science fiction action comedy film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, produced by Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald and written by Ed Solomon. Loosely based on the Men in Black comic book series created by Lowell Cunningham and Sandy Carruthers, the film stars  Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith as two agents of a secret organization called the Men in Black, who supervise extraterrestrial lifeforms who live on Earth and hide their existence from ordinary humans. The film featured the creature effects and makeup of Rick Baker and visual effects by Industrial Light & Magic.   At the Mexico–United States border, two men in black suits, Agent K and Agent D, interrupt a border patrol sting. They take one of the men attempting to cross the border, who is actually an extraterrestrial in disguise. K is forced to shoot it when it tries to attack a presumptuous border patrol agent. As D believes to be rather weakened by the years he decides it's time to retire... --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/digresscast/message

The Fifth Element[b] is a 1997 English-language French science fiction action film directed by Luc Besson and co-written by Besson and Robert Mark Kamen from a story by Besson. It stars Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, and Milla Jovovich. Primarily set in the 23rd century, the film's central plot involves the survival of planet Earth, which becomes the responsibility of Korben Dallas (Willis), a taxicab driver and former special forces major, after a young woman (Jovovich) falls into his cab. To accomplish this, Dallas joins forces with her to recover four mystical stones essential for the defence of Earth against the impending attack of a malevolent cosmic entity. Starring: Bruce Willis as Korben Dallas Milla Jovovich as Leeloo Gary Oldman as Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg Ian Holm as Vito Cornelius Chris Tucker as Ruby Rhod Luke Perry as Billy Masterson Brion James as General Munro Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr. as President Lindberg Lee Evans as Fog Charlie Creed-Miles as David Tricky as Right Arm John Neville as General Staedert John Bluthal as Professor Pacoli Maïwenn Le Besco as Diva Plavalaguna --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/digresscast/message

Starship Troopers is a 1997 American military science fiction action film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Edward Neumeier, based on Robert A. Heinlein's 1959 novel of the same name. The story follows a young soldier named Johnny Rico and his exploits in the Mobile Infantry, a futuristic military unit. Rico's military career progresses from recruit, to non-commissioned officer, and finally to officer, against the backdrop of an interstellar war between mankind and an insectoid species known as Arachnids. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/digresscast/message

Aaron Bossig is the host of the Hungry Trilobyte and you can learn all about Aaron at his wonderful website! But after you listen to the show... --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/digresscast/message

Andrew Buchanan is principal timpanist of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Puerto Rico, a post he has held since 2018. Prior to joining the OSPR, he served as principal timpanist of the Fox Valley Symphony in Illinois. Dr. Buchanan has been a part of several symphony orchestras over the past twenty years. He was principal timpanist of Orchestra X in Houston, TX and the Prairie Ensemble in Champaign, IL. He also served as principal percussionist with the Prairie Ensemble and section percussionist with the Champaign-Urbana Symphony, the Peoria Symphony, and the Sugar Creek Festival of Symphony and Song in Watseka, IL. Dr. Buchanan has also performed as extra percussionist with the Houston Symphony and with the New World Symphony in Miami, FL. Dr. Buchanan trained at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, The Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, and the University of Arizona. He completed his Doctorate of Musical Arts in Percussion at the University of Illinois in 2015 where he was a University Fellow. Dr. Buchanan has studied timpani with David Herbert and percussion with William Moersch and Richard Brown. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/digresscast/message

Imagine never knowing what your child’s favorite color is. Their favorite food? What is their favorite animal? Do they like sports? These are even the simplest of questions that most parents can answer about their child, because they have not only told them so, they have been able to show them. Alex has never been able to do any of these things. We ask him a question, and we don’t get an answer. We have had 7 years of constant guessing games. He has always struggled with communication and emotion regulation. After a year of research about how Stem Cell Therapy can help those that are Autistic, and praying about what else can be done for Alex, it was brought to our attention that age 7 years is a crucial age for neurodevelopment. In general, most neurotypical children become more aware of the world around them during this age. Alex has struggled for a long time with this, particularly the last six months. As he has grown and developed, his neuro functions have essentially “misfired.” His neuro ticks, and behaviors have become extremely repetitive, and his ability to understand the world around him lessened more than even when he was first diagnosed as Autistic. Alex has been in Speech Therapy for close to three years with minimal success. A recent evaluation performed by his Speech Pathologist has shown that he has plateaued in Speech over the last several months. We were introduced to a speech device to help him communicate over a year ago in which he has very little interest in learning to use. Over the years we have attempted many forms of therapy, nutrition changes, supplements, and even some medications. Though neuro medications have helped his attention span while in school, the side effects have left him to be intensely angry, and he has retreated further into himself. Of all the things we have tried, there has always seemed to be something lost in the grey area of his success. Stem Cell Therapy is the next step to get him going. He has waited his entire seven long years. Now is the time. We are asking for help to get the Stem Cell Therapy for Alex. The treatment would take place in Panama at the Stem Cell Institute. The therapy is not covered by insurance. The total cost is for the treatment, stay, and travel expenses. For more information on how the Stem Cell Treatment works, please visit the link below: https://www.cellmedicine.com/stem-cell-therapy-for-autism/ https://www.gofundme.com/f/no-more-grey-area-stem-cells-for-alex --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/digresscast/message

Yours Truly, Runa, and Cicero dig into the family reunion that was Star Trek Mission: Chicago Both Cicero and Runa are returning guests to Digress! Join us for the inside deets on the recent Trek Con in the Windy City! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/digresscast/message

Guy English returns to the show to talk about Batman, and the new film The Batman. You can check out Guy on Twitter, check out The Biffcast, and learn all about Guy on his fancy website! https://www.theincomparable.com/biff/ http://kickingbear.com/blog/about --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/digresscast/message

Martel Campbell is my oldest friend and brother. Going all the way back to 5 in kindergarten, we talk about our history growing up, and where we landed. Here's what he has to say on his bio: "I’m a corporate accountant with 20+ years experience, an entrepreneur, and an investor. Finance and numbers are “my thing.” If you have a viable project that needs to be managed or financed, contact me." --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/digresscast/message