Polarizing Sarcasm

A new addition to STO as of yesterday: Dilithium mining. The mission involves travelling to an asteroid field near DS9 which is owned by a Ferengi, putting on a space suit and heading out to find 5 areas with “deposits” to mine. The actual mining is a mini-game where you align a triangular reticle over a dilithium deposit and adjust it until it fits the correct size and orientation of a red target shape. Lather, rinse, repeat.

The mining game is kind of fun to do, and bouncing around an asteroid in low-gravity is quite cool. Unfortunately, it’s more of a time-waster than a real benefit to your dilithium supply.

Fun but frivolous.

Hmm, I think I just described MMORPGs in general, didn’t I?

I lost one of my oldest friends to cancer this week. He was the person who I considered my best friend, although he had so many friends in this world I know he had better ones than me. I want to say I’m devastated, but I don’t really feel that way. I was devastated back when he got his diagnosis, I was devastated when I learned he wasn’t likely to recover, and I was pretty depressed when I couldn’t talk to him for the last few months due to his treatment and need to rest and heal - but he fought his battle hard and long and he damn well earned a rest.

I’ve lost a dear friend, but I feel fortunate for having known him. I’m glad of the many happy memories I have of shared laughs, and grateful I had a chance to say goodbye. My heart aches for his wife and family. He was one of those people who always made everyone smile, all the way back to our days running BBSes over 20 years ago.

One of the clearest memories I have is of June 18, 1990 when many of our BBS friends gathered at his house for a party, and to watch The Best of Both Worlds, the Star Trek:The Next Generation episode that had the Enterprise-D taking on the Borg, and Captain Picard being abducted and turned into Locutus. Although we shared many common interests such as Doctor Who, Battlestar Galactica, Star Wars, Douglas Adams, Alien, and many more, my most powerful association with him will always be with Star Trek.

I don’t have any means of paying tribute to my friend but this one: I’ve named a starship after him in Star Trek Online. My Liberated Borg Admiral’s Fleet Escort is now the USS Michael Dines.  As long as this game exists, I will have at least one ship named after him at all times.

I miss him.

Of my friend, I can only say this: of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, his was the most… human.

What, me? Oh, just hanging out at Deep Space Nine with the Enterprise-F…