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AUGUSTA, Ga. – Jack Nicklaus has shared his secrets and strategy about Augusta National with anyone who wanted to learn from a six-time Masters champion, a list that includes Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald and Nicolas Colsaerts. But not Tiger Woods.
Nicklaus said he's never had a sit-down with the man who is trying to break his records.
In fact, he said they hardly talk at all.
"I never really had a conversation with Tiger that lasted more than a minute or two — ever," Nicklaus said Thursday morning after hitting the ceremonial tee shot. "He stayed away from me from a conversation standpoint. Never had a conversation on the Masters in general. I've said, 'Hello, how are you doing? Nice playing this year. You've played very well.' End of conversation. People ask me, 'Has Tiger ever talk to you about his record?' Never one word."
Nicklaus said he was surprised Woods hasn't talked to him about the Masters, though he's not the least bit offended. Woods, after all, figured out the course quickly. He won the Masters three times in his first six years as a pro.
"He's got his own focus and what he does, and I respect that," Nicklaus said. "I respect when somebody is involved in their deal. They concentrate on what they do and not what you did. That's OK. It's not my position to go talk to him about it. I respect that. I wouldn't intrude on that."
Even so, it offered some rare insight into the relationship between Woods and Nicklaus, with whom he has been linked ever since Woods was a youngster and kept a timeline of the milestones Nicklaus achieved in his career.
They spent time together at the Presidents Cup during the four times Nicklaus was captain, and Nicklaus has sat at his side during the champion's interview the five times that Woods won the Memorial. Nicklaus even shared one story from the Presidents Cup when he noticed Woods and Mickelson spending time together. Nicklaus had ready plenty of stories about the tension between them.
"I said, 'You guys seem to get along.' And he said, 'Yeah, we get along fine.' I said, 'What all this about that other stuff?' He says, 'I don't know. Just press stuff.' So I said, 'You guys want to play together?' And he said, 'I'd rather not.'
"The point being, he's got a little bit of his number," Nicklaus said. "And he doesn't want anyone to get really close to him because he feels like he's got a little dominance over them. I understand that. You've got to respect that."
Nicklaus and Woods played together only once in the majors, the opening two rounds of the 2000 PGA Championship at Valhalla. They also were teammates in the old "Battle at Bighorn." Woods once told a story of asking Nicklaus about all the rivalries he faced during three decades, and how Nicklaus told him, "Just make sure you're always part of the conversation." Nicklaus said even that chat in South Africa didn't last very long.
"I get along fine with Tiger. I like Tiger. I don't have an issue with Tiger. There's always pleasantries and so forth," he said.
Woods moved from Orlando, Fla., to the West Palm Beach area last year after building a home along the ocean with his own miniature range. The speculation was which golf club Woods might join, and he settled on The Medalist. Several other pros are members at The Bear's Club, which Nicklaus built as his home course in Florida.
"I asked him when he came to Florida if we wanted to come to The Bear's Club," Nicklaus said. "He stayed away from it. He didn't want to intrude where I was. He never told me why, but other people told me, 'He says he didn't feel comfortable being there where I was because that was a record he was trying to break.' I said, 'I don't care about that. We'd like to have if you want to play and be part of it.' He comes out and plays quite often. I'd include him in everything
"But everybody has their own personality. That's not a fault. It's not a criticism. It just is what it is."
So what kind of golf talk is Woods missing out on?
Nicklaus spoke mainly about taking risks only when the percentages and the situation called for it, and realize that a shot into the middle of just about any green at Augusta National will leave a reasonable chance at birdie.
He still thinks about the 3-wood he hit into the water on the 15th hole that cost him in the final round of the 1971 Masters.
"One shot shouldn't be a shot that puts you out of the tournament," Nicklaus said. "I needed to make 4. I didn't need to make 3. I should have laid the ball up. Why put yourself out of the tournament on one shot? That's the thing I stress.
"I wouldn't take risks unless it was necessary to take risks," he said. "These guys that come to me and ask me about the tournament, basically what I tell them is there's a half-dozen shots on this golf course (where) you can put yourself out of the tournament."
He mentioned the tee shot on the par-5 second hole; the second shot into No. 11; the tee shot on the par-3 12th. The tee shot and the second shot on the par-3 13th; and the second shot on the par-5 15th.
"Think about what you're doing on them," Nicklaus said. "If you've got a 50-50 chance of doing it, certainly I wouldn't be doing it. If you've got a 90-10 chance, think real hard about it, and try to make sure you eliminate the 10. It's a golf course that when you make a mistake, it's really difficult to make up for it."


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i am alert to that and i'm going to brussels next week to meet with nato and one of the agenda items is operation unified protection. we have got to be candid with each other. i assure you i will be about what we can reasonably provide and what they need to provide in terms of isr, the fusion of intelligence and operations, and investments and to make to close the gaps here to fore they have relied almost exclusively on us to provide. i actually see this as a positive thing. >> what do you think are the greatest risks if the united states intervenes? >> on occasion, i have been portrayed as saying this is too hard, but not do it. that is not the case. if asked to do something, we absolutely have the capability. but as far as my concerns and how they would translate, i have to be clear about the military objectives i was being asked to achieve an i would have to be clear about how those contributed to some outcome that we would all understand and probably agree upon. if the outcome is just stopping the violence, that's one the outcome. just stopping the regime is another. i can build
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the humanitarian aid, and reaching out to the neighboring countries of syria -- both ambassadors in brussels and three authorities on the ground. we are working to ensure an effective and coordinated response. me of suspended all types of operation. the european investment bank, with which we work closely, has suspended all technical assistance to syria. we have maintained a that benefits the population, students, human rights defenders, and the opposition. those programs with syrian students and universities will continue. we are supporting efforts to deliver shelter, medical supplies, food, and whatever is needed. we have put together a contribution of 29 million euros in a bit too affected syria and neighboring countries. the support to the neighboring countries is essential. i discussed these issues when i was in turkey over the weekend with the prime minister who also joined the prime minister by video link. the situation on the turkish border is critical. the turkish response has been critical, fast, and professional. i have offered our assistance on a number of occasions. i did so aga
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Mr. Clyde W. Key, of Knoxville, Tenn., for petitioners.
Fannie M. Flowers, pro se. [330 U.S. 464, 465]
Mr. Justice DOUGLAS delivered the opinion of the Court.
This action for death benefits under the Workmen's Compensation Law of Tennessee (Tenn. Code Ann.1934, 6851 et seq.) was commenced in 1945 by plaintiff-respondent in the Chancery Court of Hawkins County, Tennessee. The defendants-petitioners are the former employer of her deceased husband and the employer's insurance carrier. Service was had on the insurance carrier in Hawkins County, and on the employer in Knox County. Respondent is a citizen of Tennessee, the employer is a North Carolina corporation, and the insurance carrier is a Connecticut corporation. The complaint alleged that respondent's husband died as the result of an accident occurring in the course of his employment. Burial expenses plus benefits in the amount of $5,000, the maximum under the Tennessee statute,1 were sought on behalf of respondent and her two minor children, aged twelve and fifteen.
On May 28, 1945, petitioners mailed a notice of intention to file a petition for removal to a federal District Court which was received by respondent's attorney on the morning of May 29. The petition for removal was filed in the Chancery Court the same day, and on June 5, the removal order issued. in the federal court the petitioners moved for dismissal on the ground that venue was not properly laid in the Hawkins County Court, so that [330 U.S. 464, 466] under Tennessee law that court had lacked jurisdiction. 2 Respondent sought a remand of the case to the state court, contending that the requisites of diversity jurisdiction had not been met either as to jurisdictional amount, or as to proper notice of filing of the removal petition and that the suit was not removable because not one of civil nature in law or equity. The District Court concluded that Hawkins County was not the proper venue. It thereupon dismissed the action without reaching the questions raised by respondent's motion for a remand.
The judgment was reversed on appeal. 154 F.2d 881. The Circuit Court of Appeals held that the jurisdictional minimum of $3,000 in controversy ( Judicial Code 24, 28 U.S.C. 41(1), 28 U.S.C.A. 41(1)) was not present, and therefore ordered the case remanded to the state court. In this disposition the Circuit Court of Appeals reached neither the state venue question raised by petitioners, nor respondent's contention that the required notice of the filing of the removal petition was lacking. We granted certiorari because of an apparent conflict with Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen v. Pinkston, 293 U.S. 96 , 55 S.Ct. 1, as to the jurisdictional minimum requirement.
First. It is suggested that a decision of a Circuit Court of Appeals ordering remand of a case to a state court is not reviewable. And it is also said that we lack power to review the action of the Circuit Court of Appeals, since the mandate of that court has issued and the District Court has remanded the cause to the state court.
An order of a District Court remanding a cause to the state court from whence it came is not appealable, and hence may not be reviewed either in the Circuit Court [330 U.S. 464, 467] of Appeals or here. Judicial Code 28, 28 U.S.C. 71, 28 U.S.C.A. 71; Kloeb v. Armour & Co., 311 U.S. 199 , 61 S.Ct. 213; Metropolitan Casualty Ins. Co. v. Stevens, 312 U.S. 563 , 61 S.Ct. 715; United States v. Rice, 327 U.S. 742 , 66 S.Ct. 835. But no such limitation affects our authority to review an action of the Circuit Court of Appeals, directing a remand to a state court. Gay v. Ruff, 292 U.S. 25 , 54 S.Ct. 608, 92 A.L.R. 970. Nor does the fact that the mandate of the Circuit Court of Appeals has issued defeat this Court's jurisdiction. Carr v. Zaja, 283 U.S. 52 , 51 S.Ct. 360, and cases cited.
Second. We think that the jurisdictional amount of $3,000 was involved in this suit. The contrary conclusion of the Circuit Court of Appeals was based on the nature of the award under the Tennessee statute. The award may be paid in installments at regular intervals by the employer or by a trustee with whom the amount of the award, reduced to present value, has been deposited. Tenn. Code 6893. Moreover, the death or remarriage of respondent, plus the death or attainment of the age of eighteen by the children, would terminate all payments. Tenn.Code 6883. Since an award to respondent would be payable in installments, and by operation of conditions subsequent the total payments might never reach $3, 000, the Circuit Court of Appeals concluded that the jurisdictional amount was lacking.
If this case were one where judgment could be entered only for the installments due at the commencement of the suit (cf. New York Life Ins. Co. v. Viglas, 297 U.S. 672, 678 , 56 S.Ct. 615, 617), future installments could not be considered in determining whether the jurisdictional amount was involved, even though the judgment would be determinative of liability for future installments as they accrued. Wright v. Mutual Life Ins. Co., 5 Cir., 19 F.2d 117, aff'd 276 U.S. 602 , 48 S.Ct. 323. Cf. Button v. Mutual Life Ins. Co., D.C., 48 F.Supp. 168. But this is not that type of case. For the Tennessee statute which creates liability for the award contemplates a single action for the determination of claimant's [330 U.S. 464, 468] right to benefits and a single judgment for the award granted. See Tenn. Code 6880, 6881, 6890, 6891, 6893; Shockley v. Morristown Produce & Ice Co., 171 Tenn. 591, 106 S.W.2d 562.
Nor does the fact that it cannot be known as a matter of absolute certainty that the amount which may ultimately be paid, if respondent prevails, will exceed $3,000, mean that the jurisdictional amount is lacking. This Court has rejected such a restrictive interpretation of the statute creating diversity jurisdiction. It has held that a possibility that payments will terminate before the total reaches the jurisdictional minimum is immaterial if the right to all the payments is in issue. Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen v. Pinkston, supra; Thompson v. Thompson, 226 U.S. 551 , 33 S.Ct. 129. Future payments are not in any proper sense contingent, although they may be decreased or cut off altogether by the operation of conditions subsequent. Thompson v. Thompson, supra, 226 U.S. p. 560, 33 S.Ct. 130. And there is no suggestion that by reason of ife expectancy or law of averages the maximum amount recoverable can be expected to fall below the jurisdictional minimum. Cf. Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen v. Pinkston, supra, 293 U.S. p. 101, 55 S.Ct. 2. Moreover, the computation of the maximum amount recoverable is not complicated by the necessity of determining the life expectancy of respondent. 3 Cf. Thompson v. Thompson, supra, 226 U.S. p. 559, 33 S.Ct. 130; Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen v. Pinkston, 293 U.S. p. 100, 55 S. Ct. 2.
Third. Respondent, as is her right, United States v. Ballard, 322 U.S. 78, 88 , 64 S.Ct. 882, 887, and cases cited, seeks to support the action of the Circuit Court of Appeals on other grounds. But those questions were not passed upon by that court nor adequately presented here. So we deem it more appropriate to remand the case to the Circuit Court of Appeals so it may consider those questions. United States v. Ballard, supra.
[ Footnote 1 ] Death benefits are provided in the amount of 60% of the average weekly wages of the employee (as computed in accordance with Tenn.Code 6852(c)), but payments may not exceed $18 per week, nor continue for more than 400 weeks. 6880; 6883(17). In addition there is a ceiling of $5, 000 on total benefits exclusive of burial and certain other expenses. 6881. See Haynes v. Columbia Pictures Corp., 178 Tenn. 648, 162 S.W.2d 383. The complaint alleged that 60% of the average weekly wages for the statutory period would exceed $5,000.
[ Footnote 2 ] The contention was that proper venue lay only in Roane County where, it was alleged, the accident occurred and the business of the employer is conducted. It was argued that service on the insurer in Hawkins County did not give the Hawkins County Court jurisdiction of the case.
[ Footnote 3 ] See note 1, supra.
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WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and other ships in its strike group are heading west towards the Red Sea to help support a limited US strike on Syria, if needed, defense officials said on Sunday.
The Nimitz carrier strike group, which includes four destroyers and a cruiser, has no specific orders to move to the eastern Mediterranean at this point, but is moving west in the Arabian Sea so it can do so if asked.
"It's about leveraging the assets to have them in place should the capabilities of the carrier strike group and the presence be needed," said the official.
"We try to reduce the physics of time and space so we can be as ready as possible should we be needed," said a second official, cautioning that decisions about ship positioning in the Mediterranean were still being finalized.
President Barack Obama on Saturday delayed imminent cruise missile strikes by five destroyers off the coast of Syria until Congress had time to vote on the issue, effectively putting any military action on hold for at least nine days.
The delay gives military planners more time to reassess which ships and other weapons will be kept in the region - and which may be swapped out - before the military launches what defense officials say is still intended to be a limited and narrowly targeted attack on Syria.
The US Navy doubled its presence in the eastern Mediterranean over the past week, effectively adding two destroyers to the three that generally patrol the region.
The destroyers are carrying a combined load of about 200 Tomahawk missiles, but officials say a limited strike on Syria could be accomplished with half that number.
The Nimitz carrier group had been in the Indian Ocean supporting US operations in Afghanistan but was due to sail east around Asia to return to its home port in Everett, Washington, after being relieved in recent days by another aircraft carrier, the USS Harry S. Truman.
Given the situation in Syria, US military officials decided to re-route the Nimitz and send it west towards the Red Sea, and possibly the Mediterranean, officials said.
The Navy has also sent the USS San Antonio, an amphibious ship carrying 300 Marines and extensive communications equipment, to join the destroyers, diverting it from a different mission that would have taken it farther west.
A second official said the San Antonio could serve as an afloat forward staging base, providing a temporary base for special operations forces, if they were needed. It could also assist with non-military evacuations.
A spokesman for the ship declined comment, referring questions to the Navy. Lieutenant Adam Cole, spokesman for the Navy's European headquarters, declined to discuss any specific plans for the San Antonio or future ship movements.
Decisions about Navy ship positioning will be made in coming days, based on military needs, maintenance issues and staffing requirements, officials said, noting that the delay in a strike on Syria had sent planners back to the drawing board.
The USS Kearsarge, a large-deck amphibious ship that is part of a readiness group with the San Antonio, is also on the way toward the Red Sea after a port call in the United Arab Emirates, officials said. No further specific orders had been issued to the ship, they said.
The Kearsarge, which carries 6 AV-8B Harriers, 10-12 V-22 Ospreys and helicopters, played a key role in the 2011 strikes on Libya. Two Ospreys launched from the ship helped rescue a downed F-15 pilot during that operation.


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Disclaimer: Because the program is licensed free of charge, there is no warranty for the program, to the extent permitted by applicable law. The copyright holders and/or other parties provide the program "as is" without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The entire risk as to the quality and performance of the program is with you. Should the program prove defective, you assume the cost of all necessary servicing, repair or correction.
Maude is not fully tested on Windows and some of the software used is alpha and should be treated as such. Caveat usor.
This installer allows you to run Maude on a Windows platform without requiring any aditional software installed in your system. The maude binary included in the installer has been compiled with the help of the Cygwin environment.
This binary version should compatible with all the i586 compatible processors.
The Maude Development Tools are a set of Eclipse plugins (publicly available under the terms of the GPL license) that provide:
The Maude Development Tools plugin is designed to run in UNIX/Linux systems with the "bash" and "kill" commands. Because of Java does not provide native support for POSIX signals, we need these external programs to know the PID of the Maude process and to send the SIGINT signal to it (entering the debug mode).
This distribution of Maude for Windows is specially designed to be used by the Maude Development Tools Plug-in. It includes all the required files to execute these two commands in a Windows environment as if it were a UNIX/Linux system.
The Cygwin team discourages running or even installing more than one Cygwin on the same OS instance of Windows. Cygwin is designed to be unique in your system (installed only in one place).
There are several situations that can produce errors or misconfigurations in your system, for example:
If you have not installed Cygwin previosly to Maude for Windows, you will not have any problem running Maude. If you have Cygwin installed in your system, the installer will try to install Maude without interfering with Cygwin. Nevertheless, you should read this document If you experience problems running Maude for Windows, you shoul avoid to run any other Cygwin applications at the same time.
If you are unable to get the Maude for Windows application running, maybe you should try to compile Maude by yourself.
To run Maude as an standalone program with the default options you will need:
To run Maude inside the Maude Development Tools plug-in, the programs "bash" and "kill" are also required. These programs need the following libraries:
Bash also needs the "/tmp" folder. In case you have not installed Maude previously, this folder will be missing. By selecting the option "MDT Eclipse plugin options -> Required mount points", the "cygwin\tmp" folder in the Maude for Windows installation directory will be mounted in "/tmp", avoiding the warning message.
The maude files included are:
Cygwin is requierd to run Maude under Windows. To avoid to have to install Cygwin completely, the requierd files are included in this installation, these are:
The installer provides some predefined installation types based on your system configuration. If the options that you have selected can conflict with any previous Cygwin configuration, the installer will warn you before the installation process starts.
The installer also creates a backup of the registry key corresponding to the mount points defined by your previous cygwin installation ("HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Cygnus Solutions\Cygwin\mounts v2\"). The file with this information is "backup\mountpoints.reg", in your Maude for Windows installation directory. So that, you can always recover the previous state of this key to its initial state.
We recommend this installation. The installer automatically checks your systems configuration looking for a previous cygwin installation. It tries to install the maximum number of options that does not conflict with your cygwin configuration (if found).
If you have not cygwin installed in your system, all the options will be selected.
If you have cygwin installed in your system and you do not plan to use the MDT plug-ins, you can directly deselect the "MDT Eclipse plug-in options" component.
If you have cygwin installed and you plan to use the MDT plug-ins, you can try any of the following two solutions:
This installation type selects all the components without checking if they conflict with your system configuration. In that case, you will be warned.
This installation type selects the all the components required to run Maude, excluding the ones related with the MDT plug-ins. This install type should no conflict with any previous installation of cygwin.
In case you select a set of components that does not correspond to any of the previous types, the Custom type will be selected.
Maude for Windows provides an uninstallation program to remove all the installed components. When the program is executed, it scans the windows registry to find all the mount points defined in the cygwin environment. These mount points are showed in a list to the user, who can select which ones are going to be removed. By default, the mount points that are linked to folders under the MaudeFW program directory are selected to be deleted.
To run properly the Maude Development Tools plug-in, the "bash.exe" and "kill.exe" commands must be on the search path of the system (the PATH environment variable). This step can be done automatically by the installation program if you select the "Add cygwin files to path" component. You can see the result in this example:
Microsoft Windows XP [Versión 5.1.2600](C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp. C:\>echo %PATH%C:\WINDOWS\system32;C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\System32\Wbem;d:\Program Files\cvsnt;d:\Program Files\MaudeFW\cygwin\bin;C:\>
Microsoft Windows XP [Versión 5.1.2600](C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp. C:\>echo %PATH%C:\WINDOWS\system32;C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\System32\Wbem;d:\Program Files\cvsnt;d:\Program Files\MaudeFW\cygwin\bin;C:\>
Nevertheless, if you have a complete installation of Cygwin in your system, to include these files when installing Maude for Windows may cause problems when running Cygwin. To solve this, you only have to modify the "cygwin.bat" file, in the cygwin directory, modifying by hand its contents.
By default "cygwin.bat" will contain be something like this:
@echo offc:chdir c:\cygwin\binbash --login -i
@echo offc:chdir c:\cygwin\binbash --login -i
Adding a line setting the value of the PATH var would solve the problem, for example:
@echo offSET PATH=%SystemRoot%\system32;%SystemRoot%c:chdir c:\cygwin\binbash --login -i
@echo offSET PATH=%SystemRoot%\system32;%SystemRoot%c:chdir c:\cygwin\binbash --login -i
If you have decided to install Cygwin once you have installed Maude for Windows, we recommend to uninstall Maude for Windows first (and its mount points). Then you can install Cygwin normally.
Finally, when the cygwin installation finishes, you can reinstall Maude for Windows, the installer will analyze your new configuration and will select the best options for your system.
Maude is developed by the Maude Team at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The precompiled version of Maude for Windows is developed and maintained by Abel Gómez, member of The MOMENT Project, at the Universidad Politècnica de València.
The MOMENT Project members:
© Abel Gómez. 2007. The MOMENT project http://moment.dsic.upv.es


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Historic Homes For Sale, Rent or Auction
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No Listings Found.
At the moment, we have no active listings in this state. But check with these agents who specialize in old houses:
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Save the old houses


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Designed in Australia, Ezy-Guard™ guardrail crash barriers impose lower forces to the impacting vehicle than traditional guardrail crash barriers. As the crash barrier deflects, vehicle impact energy is dissipated and as a result, reduces occupant risk. The ductile Z-posts provide a forgiving impact, reducing ride-down deceleration forces and minimising vehicle damage.
The Z-post profile shields post edges from vulnerable road users and provides sectional strength when driving through difficult ground conditions.
Ezy-Guard™ has been crash tested and evaluated according to the specifications of the AASHTO Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) TL3. In the crash test, Ingal Ezy-Guard™ has demonstrated containment and re-direction of a 2,270kg pick-up traveling at 100km/h and impacting at 25° to the barrier. The MASH specification is an update to and supersedes NCHRP Report 350 for evaluating new safety hardware devices since 2009.
Ezy-Guard™ has been accepted by the road authorities in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia (LLM), Brunei and many other countries.
Ingal Ezy-Guard™ System
Metric Units
Ezy-Guard Smart Z-Post Length
1,600 mm
Rail Height Above Ground
730 mm
Z-Post Height Above Ground
720 mm
Z-Post Spacing
2,000 mm
Ezy-Guard™ Smart system Width
200 mm
End terminals should be installed in accordance with the proprietor's drawings and specifications. Z-posts are not to be used in the terminals unless approved by the proprietor. Please see subject below End Terminals for more information on our proprietary systems that are suitable for Ezy-Guard™.
Please click here for more information on Valmont Highway Armorflex End Terminals suitable for Ezy-Guard™.
Please click here for more information on the Ingal Ezy-Guard™ guardrail system.


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There is nothing like sitting somewhere comfortable and staring into an image filled with space. Perfect for inner city dwellers, we love Chris Sisarichs' stunning personal works.
Product Information:
Small: 20cm x 30cm or
Medium: 40cm x 60cm or
Large: 60cm x 90cm
Archivally printed on 310gsm 100% matte cotton rag.
This item is available unframed, and can also be framed for Australian customers.
Please note this product is printed to order so allow time for delivery. This item is shipped from Melbourne
About the Maker:
Chris Sisarich is one of New Zealand's most recognised photographers, credited by Lurzer's Archive as one of the 200 top advertising photographers in the world. Chris works in both still imagery and motion and has worked with reputable brands including Air New Zealand, Uber, BMW and Lexus. His personal work, captured between commercial projects is calm, slightly eerie and extremely captivating.


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Microsoft just released a giant "Patch Tuesday" bulletin for the month. Weird thing about this update? More than half of the bugs found in Microsoft products were reported by none other than Google engineers.
It's not unusual for Googlers to uncover security flaws in Word, Office, Internet Explorer, and so forth. Mountain View's finest found one in October, November, and December, and none in January. And Microsoft gives credit where credit is due. But this time around Google guys discovered 33 out of 57 issues. Mateusz "j00ru" Jurczyk sniffed out 32 of them, five of which Gynvael Coldwind collaborated on. And it was one of the biggest updates ever, closing in on the standing record of 64.
So just why are Google employees looking around Microsoft software? Bugs are probably found because engineers are researching other products, like Google Chrome's PDF viewer. These guys also just might be genuinely interested in finding flaws. But Microsoft would probably like to see some of its own employees addressing the problems. [Microsoft via The Verge]
Image by Tischenko Irina/Shutterstock


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This article or section is outdated. Some of its content may no longer be accurate due to changes in the latest release. Please update this article.
The information on this page is no longer relevant, it is left here as solely as an archive
Progress of this project has been paused since december 2008, there is a similar project Passenger and cargo distribution going on.
Support for Passenger and cargo destinations in OpenTTD exists in the new cargo packets branch by Celestar and Peter1138. An explanation on how to download and install this branch is given in the Installation section of this page.
Passenger and cargo destinations, or in short Cargodest, is a system where cargo (this term includes passengers in the following) has a fixed destination to be delivered to, instead of the player deciding where to deliver it (by sending vehicles somewhere). This greatly increases the challenge and detail of the game and frankly, it's more fun and realistic as well. There have been a number of attempts at integrating this feature into OpenTTD and we're nearly there meanwhile. This page provides a short manual on how to use Passenger and cargo destinations, and a more detailed section on the technical side of its implementation in OpenTTD.
Savegames which are created with this branch might no longer work in subsequent versions. They will for sure not work in trunk, even after cargodest has been merged into trunk
Also, please bear in mind that savegames from trunk might not work in the patched version
Please bear in mind that this is a feature which might not yet be stable. Read this page carefully because it shows what might work and what doesn't
This section explains how to install and use Passenger and cargo destinations.
You can download a precompiled binary or source code here. Like any normal OpenTTD version, it needs the trg*.grf and sample.cat files to work, as described in the Installation FAQ.
If you want to obtain the newest source code from the mercurial repository, look in the section Obtaining the source code.
CargoDest is easy enough to use: Once it is enabled in the Advanced Settings menu, the cargo will find its routes on its own. The Routing Network is built up using the orders of the vehicles. If you have two vehicles, one which goes from A to B and another from B to C, there will be (among others) cargo generated in A with C as its destination. That cargo at A will board any vehicle that goes to B (the transfer station), unload there and then use any vehicle that goes to C. Any vehicle implies any vehicle going directly from A to B, vehicles with a stopover in D (meaning A-D-B) will not be used.
When your vehicles have Transfer orders, they will be ignored, the cargodest system handles it automatically. Transfer orders don't break anything, they're also not removed, they just act like any normal order does.
New Advanced Settings
Some settings were added to the Advanced Settings menu to tune Passenger and cargo destinations to your liking.
- Enable or disable the usage destinations for passengers, mail, valuables and other cargo individually in the Economy tab.
- Select your preferred cargo view method for the station window in the Interface tab. You can still switch between those views during the game by CTRL-clicking in the station window.
More details about the new settings can be found in the Configuring section.
New GUI
Some changes were made to the user interface to help you finding out more about your routes.
- The minimap got a new map overlay, see Minimap Route Network
- The station window has new options for displaying the waiting cargo, see Station Cargo List
- The vehicle detail window now shows the destination of its transported cargos under Total Cargo, see Vehicle Cargo List
Detailed description
In this section, the implementation of Passenger and cargo destinations by Celestar and Peter is described in detail.
Route Network is the representation of stations and orders in order to make cargo go from a Station A to a Station B. Route networks are stored in graphs (not graphics, graphs in the mathematical sense!) There exists one Route Network for each cargo type.
Vertex is the representation of a station in the graph. For this purpose, "Station" and "Vertex" are interchangeable. However each station is represented by one vertex per cargo type.
Edge is something that connects two vertices. If any vehicle has an order that causes it to load a specific cargo type at a station P and unload the same cargo type at station Q, a directed edge connects P to Q (but not necessarily Q to P).
Routed cargo is any kind of cargo that has one specific destination
Unrouted cargo is any kind of cargo that behaves like previously (i.e. can be transported to any station that accepts it)
Transit Station is a station where the vehicle stops, but the cargo remains in the vehicle and moves on
Transfer Station is a station where the vehicle stops and the cargo is unloaded to continue its trip on another vehicle
Terminal Station is the station where the cargo ultimately wishes to go to
- Destinations are assigned by station size and distance
- Destinations can be activated and deactivated in a running game
- Independent settings for Passengers, Mail, Valuable-type cargo, and other cargo
- Fast
- Network-safe
- Intermediate stops are not taken into account. For local trains, you'll have to set orders to each and every station it is supposed to go to. Concepts on how to overcome this are under consideration
Items for version 2
This is stuff which will not be in the first incarnation of cargodest, no matter how much you bug us ;)
- Symmetric cargo generation (Passengers and Mail), i.e. the same amount of passengers go from A to B as vice versa. This requires a rewrite of the cargo generation system and is currently not within the scope of the project. It's big enough as it is
- Adjust cargo generation to network (if you only have one power station connected, you just get less coal than when you have five)
Distinguish between a transit and transfer station, so that cargo prefers to stay in the vehicle
- Preview finished, test phase
- Route load balancing (don't send everything via the cheapest route)
- Full handling of conditional orders
- MAYBE: Distance dependency depends on town size
Known problems
- The game asserts sometimes when switching from unrouted to routed cargo. This is because sometimes cargo packets get a destination that is their current position.
Missing features
- Modification of the vehicle detail window so that is shows the origins
- New icon for the Route Network view of the map: Suggestion: Full quality TIF here: [1]
A couple of new patches are available:
|GUI Category
|What kind of listing to display in the station window by default
|Whether or not to use the new destination behaviour for various cargo types
Further options are available in the config file in the [rn] section:
|Default Values
|The "cost" of a route is the distance (Manhattan) times the vehicle penalty factor, which can be set from 1 to 10. The default settings will have cargo prefer the faster vehicle types
|This is the base cost of a route (that is added to the length-dependent part). The higher this value (from 1 to 1000), the more likely cargo will use direct trains over ones with stopover. This especially plays a role when there are routes on different vehicle types from A to B.
Minimap Route Network
The minimap has received a new overlay called Route Network. If you select this mode, you can view a visual representation of the route graph, where you can see exactly which stations (= nodes) are connected with (= have edges to) which for the selected cargo type(s). You can toggle each type of cargo at the bottom of the window individually, or use the Enable/Disable All buttons.
Stations (nodes) are represented with squares in company color, their size indicating the amount of the selected cargo type(s) currently waiting at the station. Connections (edges) are shown as thin lines in the color of the cargo type they represent.
Station Cargo List
The Station Cargo List will be one of your main tools to work with. To ease network optimization, several different cargo views are available in the station view window:
- Conventional View
- Detailed Views:
You can expand the conventional view to a detailed view, which gives you more information about the waiting cargo's routing. It's possible to switch between the different detailed views by using the drop down box in the in station view. The view type can be set for each window individually, and the default view type (which will be selected each time you open a window) can be set in the advanced options.
When using one of the detailed views, you can click on any station name mentioned in the window to move your main viewport there, or Ctrl-Click to open a new viewport on the station's location.
Conventional View
We all know this view from the early days of TTO, but it doesn't reveal much information except how much cargo we have for each type.
The little "+" sign indicates that there is more information about this cargo type. This is available for routed and unrouted cargo, however, the unrouted cargo needs this by far not as badly as the routed stuff. Click on the "+" and you can be bombarded with loads of information.
Full View
This is possibly less useful a view but it's there nonetheless. It shows, for every piece of the selected cargo type, the origin and the destination. This is more for the detail-loving people among us than to really help optimizing your network.
Yellow lines indicate cargo that transfers at this station (i.e. comes from somewhere else and goes one), while black lines show cargo that originated here (i.e. has never been transported before)
The main problem with it is the sheer amount of entries you get even for a mid-sized station as the one displayed.
The Full View can be sorted alphabetically (by destination) or by the amount of cargo.
Destination View
Here we go simple and straightforward again. We see all the destinations are currently "in use" along with the amount. However, we don't know how the cargo is attempting to get there.
The Destination View can be sorted alphabetically or by the amount of cargo.
NextHop View
We call this the NextHop view.
The term NextHop refers to the station a piece of cargo will go to next. What is important to understand that the piece of cargo might not leave the vehicle at the NextHop, should the vehicle then continue to the following NextHop.
This is quite helpful if you have a lot of cargo at a station and need to find out where you have to send your vehicles to transport them. The good thing about this view is that it's not very cluttered, since the number of NextHops is always rather limited, even for large stations.
The NextHop View can be sorted alphabetically or by the amount of cargo.
Tree View
This view is possibly the most useful, if you get used to it. It shows a forward-tree of the cargo and its destinations (i.e. forward tree because this tree doesn't care about where the cargo comes from).
Each level of indentation indicates an additional hop between the current station and the one displayed. So, the stations that are not indented are the NextHops. However, here we can see what amount of cargo actually uses the NextHop as a destination, and the number that uses it as a transfer point (including the ones staying on board). There, we see the NextHops from there, but only the amount from the current station (i.e. the one who the window belongs to), and so on.
This can for example be helpful to determine where to introduce new non-stop services to, to reduce the number of Hops the cargo needs to take and reduce congestion at transfer points once they become saturated.
Should there be a cargo for which no route can be found, it is shown in red in the Tree View along with a "no route found" remark.
The Tree View cannot, at this point, be sorted.
Vehicle Cargo List
To see the destinations of cargo a Train is currently transporting, click on the Total Cargo tab of the train details window. For other types of vehicles, this information is displayed directly in the details window.
The sources of the cargo are not displayed (yet).
There's a new console command called "rn" in the game, which has a number of subcommands:
These commands are used to obtain indices (cargo type and station index) we need for the other ones
- lv: Lists all "vertices" of the routing network along with their indices (we'll need them later). You can define a filter by using "rn lv Foo". This will list only stations that start with "Foo" in their name.
- lc: Lists all cargo types with their indices
These commands can be used to analyse your network:
- le: Lists all outgoing edges of a station for a given cargotype. This needs the cargo type and the station in index form (to be obtained from 'lv' and 'lc'.
- fr: Manually finds a route from one vertex to another. This needs one cargo type and two stations in index form
Debugging stuff:
- rr: Resets the whole routing network and start from scratch. *Believe it or not, this is network safe on both server and client. You shouldn't need it anyway, it's in there for testing
- dl: Shows the destination list. This dumps the cache that is stored for each GoodsEntry of each Station. It's only used for debugging purposes and it's output should be identical to the NextHop view of the station list. We see how many pieces of cargo go via what NextHop.
Technical details
Obtaining the source code
Available via mercurial:
- Celestar (svn r14691)
So for example:
hg clone http://hg.openttd.org/developers/celestar/cargodest.hg/ cargodest-celestar
Unofficial patches
Against r15708 from Aali HG Patch (-p1)
In addition to the normal libraries and such that OpenTTD trunk requires, you will need the development headers/libraries for Boost - specifically, the Boost Graph library. Both versions 1.34 and 1.35 should work.
Under debian/ubuntu, this is provided via the libboost-graph-dev package, which also depends on the various other required portions of Boost.
So for example:
sudo aptitude install libboost-graph-dev
On Mac OSX these can be installed from MacPorts:
sudo port install boost
For Windows installer try Boostpro Computing:
The normal configure/make applies as well.
./configure make
Note, however, that the ./configure script currently does not support/check the boost libraries, so you may need to run configure with
./configure CFLAGS="-I/path/to/boost"
instead, where /path/to/boost is the directory you installed the boost libraries to.
The basic idea of the implementation was to make the whole system as least intrusive as possible. The whole cargo handling system has been moved into a new base class, and the derived classes determine whether it is "routed" or "unrouted"
Check the doxygen documentation of the tree for more info, everything is documented in there
Adding Routes
Routes are added to the Routing Graph when the corresponding orders are inserted in a vehicle's order list.
Look at the following example:
The first four orders don't add any route from one station to another, but they're there for some kind of realistic depot usage of the train.
However, as order #5 is inserted, the routing system parses the new data and adds a new edge from Badinghead (Station <0>) to Senpool(<1>). It also adds an edge for the return trip. Both edges get a cost of 105, and are shown in the minimap.
The route is added both for passengers and mail as it seems that the train can carry both types of cargo.
Destination Algorithm
(how OpenTTD picks destinations for cargos)
Routing Algorithm
Cargodest uses a shortest path routing algorithm to find a route for the passengers and cargo to take. The distance between two stations is defined as the Manhattan distance between them, multiplied by a (vehicle type-dependent) penalty factor, plus a stop-over penalty. The cost of the complete route is the sum of the costs of the needed stops. Only the route with the lowest cost is selected (i.e. cargo will never take the second-best route). All penalties are configurable (see above).
From a post in tt-forums:
But I also have a question about this: Suppose I have 2 cities quite far away on the map. They are connected by train via some other train stations. but there are also 2 airports that have connection with the railway stations of these 2 cities. If I have a hovercraft service from the airport to the railway station, do passengers still prefer the airport then? I'm wondering because I've read that they prefer planes over trains over buses over ships? (OpenTTDHooligan)
Train from A1 stops at A2 and then goes to airport A3, flight to B1, take ship to B2, take non stop train to B3:
- A1 -> A2: 50 tiles, cost 2 * 50 = 100
- A2 -> A3: 20 tiles, cost 2 * 20 = 40
- A3 -> B1: 200 tiles, cost 1 * 200 = 200
- B1 -> B2: 20 tiles, cost 4 * 20 = 80
- B2 -> B3: 20 tiles, cost 2 * 20 = 40
- + 5*25 for the stop-overs = 125
The total route has a cost of 100+40+200+80+40+125 = 580
Of the possible routes between A1 and B3 that with the minimum cost is taken. So, to answer the question above, it depends on how many stations the train stops at. If it went from A1->B3 non-stop and the distance was 250 tiles the cost would be 525 and thus considered cheaper than train+train+flight+ship+train.


text:
Everyone has a favorite lemon tart, don't they? I think of them as one those pastries that people obsess over to the point that crafting a great one is practically considered a higher calling. And I'd joke about this (okay, well, just a little) but if you've ever had a good, nay, great one, you totally get it. An awesome one will blow your mind. Some are filled with only a simple lemon curd, others with a creamier lemon filling, some are studded with fresh raspberries or have bits of candied lemon peel inside and the rare one even has a chunk of a fresh lemon segment within. I have never met one I didn't like.
But I do have a favorite, and it is so ridiculously simple that when I made it last week I actually kicked myself for waiting so long since the last time I gave it a spin. Where are my priorities? Seriously. I won't slip up again.
This is such a great one to have in your files because it doesn't demand a lot of your grocery list: just one whole lemon. That right, peel, pith and all. And because you only have to buy one, you can go ahead and splurge on the gorgeous Meyers around right now (but fortunately, this works with any kind of lemon). Everything else comes from common ingredients: butter, sugar, eggs and a parbaked tart shell that promises not to shrink up on you but when it all comes together… you won't believe how much came from so little. Or how quickly an entire tart can disappear. Don't say I didn't warn you.
One year ago: Matzo Ball Soup
Whole Lemon Tart
Loosely inspired by a version from the Paris pastry shop, Rollet-Pradier
[Updates, 1/26/11] More eggs were added, which help the tart set and not bubble over, as some (yikes, sorry) experienced with the first version. I've also drastically streamlined the directions — the whole tart is now made in the food processor, as I always have at home. The butter doesn't need to be softened or melted. You'll have the filling made and the tart out of the oven in 45 minutes. This is the perfect dessert to bring to a dinner party. [One final tip, 8/21/14] When I used a riff on this filling for the Whole Lemon Bars in my cookbook, I found over dozens of obsessive retests that the only times that the filling came out too bitter was when the white part of the lemons I'd bought were especially thick. I've adjusted the directions below to have you take a look at your peel thickness when you cut it, and to use less skin if it's especially thick.
1 partially baked 9-inch Great Unshrinkable Tart Shell, or your favorite sweet tart shell
1 average-sized lemon (about 4 1/2 ounces; 130 grams), rinsed and dried*
1 1/2 cups (300 grams) sugar
1 stick (4 ounces or 115 grams) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons (14 grams) cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon table salt
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven 350°F (175°C). Place the tart shell on a baking sheet, which you can line with foil or parchment paper to make any spills a breeze to clean up.
Cut the lemon in half and take a look at the thickness of the white ring of the skin. Does it look thick to you, perhaps 1/4-inch thick or larger? If so, go ahead and remove the skin from one half of the lemon before proceeding. If it looks normal or not especially thick, you'll be just fine. In both cases, slice the lemon halves into thin wheels, remove any seeds, and toss the rounds — lemon flesh and peel — sugar and chunks of butter into the container of a food processor. Process, scraping down the sides of the container as needed, until the lemon is thoroughly pureed. Add the eggs, cornstarch and salt and pulse until the batter is smooth.
Pour into prepared tart shell. It will fill it completely but if due to slight variances in tart pans, egg sizes, lemon sizes or crust thickness, you have too much, do not pour it past the top of of your crust or it will become difficult to unmold later.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the filling is set. You can test this by bumping the pan a little; it should only jiggle slightly. In my oven, I find that the point at which the filling is set is also when it starts to get very light brown on top.
Let cool on rack, unmold tart pan and serve. I actually prefer this tart completely chilled, which makes it a great dessert to make in advance of a dinner or party.
* Meyer lemons might seem the obvious choice here, and they will work, but I actually prefer this with the sharp, less floral, intensity of standard grocery store lemons (Eureka variety).


text:
Welcome to Random Roles, wherein we talk to actors about the characters who defined their careers. The catch: They don't know beforehand what roles we'll ask them to talk about.
The actor: Brent Spiner has worked on both stage (Sunday In The Park With George, 1776) and screen (Independence Day, Out To Sea, The Master Of Disguise), but he's known to most TV viewers for his work as Lt. Commander Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Currently, Spiner is starring as himself in the web series Fresh Hell, which begins with the premise that, at some point in the recent past, he committed a still-unspecified act so heinous that he's forced to rebuild his career and his reputation from the ground up.
Fresh Hell (2011-present)—"Brent Spiner"
Brent Spiner: I've played myself before this—and I've played myself since, for that matter—and playing yourself one of the most difficult characters you can play, 'cause God knows most of us don't know who that is. [Laughs.] The one on Fresh Hell is a little easier, because we make it up. It's a strange kind of hybrid of the real me and… Well, obviously it's me standing there, and it's my voice and my face, but it's also kind of filtered through Harry Hannigan's take on the character, the one he's writing. The character of Brent Spiner. We certainly collaborate on the concept of that, but he basically writes the script, then it's sort of a combination of his voice and my voice.
The A.V. Club: Whose idea was Fresh Hell? Yours, his, or was it a collaboration from the get-go?
BS: Well, I've toyed with this idea for a long time. I actually wrote a feature years ago with this sort of concept in mind, and it's gone through several incarnations, and… It wasn't 'til I met Chris Ellis, who directed me in a little thing that was actually for a ride in Universal Singapore, for those of you who happen to be going to Universal Singapore. [Laughs.] And we had lunch that day, and I was talking about this idea. I toyed with it a little bit on Twitter in story form at one point. And he thought it was a great idea, and he thought, "Well, let's bring my friend Harry Hannigan in, who's a wonderful writer, and let's see if we can put something together." So we did, and we did the first five episodes as a lark, just to see if anybody would respond or be interested, and we got enough feedback that was positive that we thought, "Let's keep going with this and see if we can flesh it out a bit this season." We've had 10 episodes, and they've been longer and a little more complete.
AVC: Given the premise of the series, you showed admirable restraint by waiting until the seventh episode to bring one of your fellow Star Trek: The Next Generation cast members in for a guest appearance.
BS: [Laughs.] Well thank you. I appreciate that. You know, if I can get the rest of them on, I will—and I will, so I don't know how long that restraint will go on, because that particular episode proved to be really popular.
AVC: How much of LeVar Burton's material was written, and how much of it was just two old friends riffing back and forth?
BS: Well, the majority of it was written. There was definitely some riffing going on, though. [Laughs.] As there is with all of us. I mean, most of the people I'm working with… Harry and Chris and most of the other actors: Brian Palermo, who plays Tommy The Agent, and Jeff Lewis, who's in the porn class, and Sandeep [Parikh], who's the Indian billionaire, those guys are about the best improv guys in Los Angeles, so their impulse is to throw some amazingly funny line in when you least expect it. And I love that about them. And Harry and Chris are sitting there while we're doing it, and Chris is directing, obviously, but if we start fooling around a little bit, Harry comes in, and he's got some addition that makes it even funnier. But we start with a complete script.
AVC: Given that a bit of fun is had with ST:TNG fandom in the series, are you concerned about alienating any of the fans with Fresh Hell? Do the majority of them seem to have a pretty good sense of humor, in your experience?
BS: Well, so far everyone seems to have a pretty good sense of humor. [Laughs.] I mean, we're really not taking the piss out of 'em too much. God knows I'm doing it way more to myself than I am to them, and I think they can handle that balance of about 95 percent to 5 percent. Really, the kind of goofy fans we had in the episode with LeVar is the only time we've done that, and it's not our intention, really, to mock Star Trek. I mean, that's not really what it's about at all. Sometimes it just lends itself to the moment. [Laughs.]
AVC: So how far do you have the series mapped out?
BS: Well, we've got it… Wait, what episode did we just do?
AVC: Eight, I think.
BS: Then we've got it completely mapped out to the end of the eighth episode. [Laughs.] No, no, we've got two more episodes this season that we've completed, and then we're kind of consulting with each other right now on where we're going to go with season three. So we kind of know where it's all going to end, and we know what the incident was that sent me down this path, but I don't know how long it's going to take us to get to either of those things.
AVC: Have you toyed with the idea of not revealing the incident at all?
BS: Yeah. And the more we do it, the more it seems pointless to reveal it. The incident really is… It's the comic umbrella under which all of it operates. Because underneath it all, it's actually something kind of serious going on. Obviously we're doing a comedy, and our intent is to entertain, but we're also really aware and trying to stay aware of the subtext of what it's like to reach a certain age and be dismissed, basically, from the fraternity you've always wanted to be a part of, and the desperation involved in trying to claw your way back into it.
Joey (2005)/Family Guy (2009)/The Big Bang Theory (2011)/The Guild (2011)—"Brent Spiner"
AVC: As you said, you've played yourself before bringing Fresh Hell to the Internet. The first time appears to have been, of all places, on an episode of Joey.
BS: Joey being one of my finest performances ever. [Laughs.] And, you know, Matt LeBlanc's basically doing the same thing right now, playing himself on Episodes. When I did Joey, I really leaned on them to make me the biggest ass they possibly could, because, frankly, everyone in their heart of hearts thinks of themselves that way. Or at least I do, anyway. [Laughs.]
AVC: How was the ST:TNG reunion for Family Guy? Presumably most of you were doing your lines independent of each other.
BS: All of us were independent, I think. I mean, I don't know that for sure, but I know I was by myself, with the exception of Seth MacFarlane, who was there reading Stewie's lines, along with the lines of every other character he does. But that was great. I loved doing that. It was a privilege to be working with him, 'cause he's quite brilliant.
AVC: You did, at least, get to re-team with Wil Wheaton for your Big Bang Theory appearance.
BS: That was really fun. You know, I've gotten such good feedback from that, and I hardly did anything. [Laughs.] I mean, I'm the tag of the show! That was one of the easiest jobs I've ever had. I think I worked an average of about 10 minutes a day. It took longer to get to the studio than I actually worked. So I regard the driving there as the actual job. The work itself was just fun. They're a great bunch of people. Bill Prady and Chuck Lorre, the guys who run that show, are really funny and really smart, and the cast is fantastic to work with.
AVC: Did the experience of doing The Guild help you in any way with Fresh Hell?
BS: Oh, sure. Needless to say, I was impressed by Felicia [Day] and her moxie with how to do a web series. I mean, she's the queen of the web, y'know? She's really figured it all out, and it was impressive. It was nothing like our set, because her set was like working on a real film. Like, she had a caterer, she had wardrobe people, she had two makeup artists… I mean, we have makeup and we have wardrobe, but Felicia was, like, on it. She had two cameras operating, sets, extras everywhere. It was unbelievable. I don't know what her budget was or is, but she had sponsors for her show, and we don't have a sponsor yet, so basically, the difference is, our moms make our costumes. [Laughs.] I did learn a lot from her, though, and I was able to usurp some of her talent. I got Greg Aronowitz, who does her sets, to do mine as well, and he's just amazing. He can work miracles with nothing. I don't know if you've seen the episode with the Indian billionaire, but he created that whole set, and when Harry wrote it, he wrote this fantastic office that we were going, like, "How are we going to do this with no budget?" And Greg came up with it. And it was fantastic.
My Sweet Charlie (1970)—"Local" (uncredited)
The Dain Curse (1978)—"Tom Fink"
BS: The Dain Curse was a great job. I was in New York, and I was young—I think I'm 28 years old in that—and I got to work with James Coburn and Jean Simmons and Jason Miller. Plus, it was a Dashiell Hammett story, and I had a great character. It was fantastic to shoot. That was really, really exciting for a young actor.
AVC: It seems to have been your first substantial onscreen role.
BS: Yeah, basically. I did have a tiny moment in a TV movie called My Sweet Charlie, starring Patty Duke.
AVC: Right, that's on IMDB. You have the lofty credit of "Local," plus the additional caveat that you were technically uncredited.
BS: Yep. That was me. But I think I was technically uncredited as Local #1, because there were three of us. But I had the most lines. [Laughs.] You know, a couple of years ago, I went to see a production of Wicked in San Francisco with a friend of mine, one that Patty Duke was in, and he said, "Do you want to meet her?" And I said, "Yeah!" And I went backstage, and she walked out of her dressing room, looked at me, and said, "I know you." And I went, "Well, uh, yeah, I was in My Sweet Charlie." And she said, "Yeah! You were the guy in the car on the road!" And I was. [Laughs.] It was amazing. It really was incredible. But, you know, there's every chance she was thinking I was uncredited Local #2 or #3. It's just hard to say for sure.
AVC: So how did you find your way from the stage to in front of the camera? You started in theater, correct?
BS: That's right. I went to New York out of college, and in my day, we were told that was the way you became a good actor. You don't go to Hollywood, you go straight to New York and work in the theater. So that's what most of the people I knew did.
AVC: What led you down the path of acting to begin with?
BS: Uh, I think it was somewhere around age 3 when I fell down the stairs at my house, and I got up and did a Jerry Lewis impression and got a big laugh. And I thought, "Oooh, I like that. I think I need to do this for a living!" [Laughs.] And I had a fantastic teacher in high school. I had one of those guys you dream of having, who molds your life and inspires you to go in a particular direction, and he was quite brilliant. His name was Cecil Pickett, and a lot of the kids from my high-school drama class are in professional show business and have done quite well. Both of the Quaid brothers, Randy and Dennis, were in my class, and Tommy Schlamme, who produced and directed The West Wing with Aaron Sorkin, among many others. Marianne Williamson, who did A Course In Miracles, she was in my high-school drama class, too. So it was kind of an amazing class. I went to the Strasberg Institute in New York for a little while after I got there, and I've never seen anybody who was in any of my classes there ever again. I mean, that's not to say they didn't become somebody. I'm not sure. I mean, Sam Jackson could've been in my class, for all I remember. [Laughs.] But I do know that when I look around in show business, I see a lot of people who were in my drama class in high school.
American Playhouse: Sunday In The Park With George (1986)—"Franz"/"Dennis"
AVC: As far as your early New York theater work, you had a relatively substantial role in Stephen Sondheim's Sunday In The Park With George in 1984, which was immortalized for an episode of PBS' American Playhouse. What was your first appearance on the New York stage?
BS: I did a couple of little Off-Broadway things, but my first Broadway show was A History Of The American Film, written by Chris Durang. Swoosie Kurtz was one of the stars. It was a wonderful show. It closed in 40 performances. I think it was kind of ahead of its time. I tended to do a lot of shows that were ahead of their time and didn't run very long. [Laughs.] I did a great show Off-Broadway called Leave It To Beaver Is Dead that was at the Public Theater in New York. It was written by Des McAnuff, who's an illustrious director now, and it starred… Well, I was in it, Mandy Patinkin, Dianne Wiest, Saul Rubinek, and Maury Chaykin. It was an amazing show. But it was definitely ahead of its time, and people didn't quite get it. About two or three years later, plays started to come along that were very much in that style, and they were huge hits. And we thought, "Man, if we'd waited a couple of years…" But timing is everything, as you know.
Stardust Memories (1980)—"Fan In Lobby"
BS: Yes, that was just after The Dain Curse. My other big uncredited role from back then. I always refer to it as Sharon Stone's and my first film. [Laughs.] I was beyond thrilled to be there, of course, and I was in a scene with… I actually had some funny dialogue, a little piece, and we shot all day in this big ballroom. Gordon Willis was the director of photography, and there were several things happening in the ballroom, and then I had my shtick, and at the end of the day, Gordon turned to Woody Allen and said, "We cannot accomplish all of this in this space. It's impossible." And we'd been rehearsing and trying to shoot this thing all day. So Woody said, "Okay, let's do something else." He looked at me and said, "Come back tomorrow, I'll put you in something else." And he did. And it wasn't as good, but… That's just the way it worked, y'know? I was just happy to be there.
Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2004)—"Graham Barnes"
BS: I really enjoyed doing that. I got to work with Margaret Colin, who was a blast to work with, and a wonderful actress, and Taylor Roberts. She was fantastic. And getting to work with Vincent D'Onofrio, who's amazing. But I loved the characters of the parents, these sick psychiatrists. [Laughs.] I actually wanted them to do a series based just on these two sick people, because I would've enjoyed playing that many more times.
AVC: Do you enjoy doing these one-off roles?
BS: Yeah, it's fun to do something different. And there are things you can do in a small palate that you can't necessarily do in a larger role. You can go a little further and do things you could never pull off for any length of time, but you can do for the short run. Like, I don't know you could do a whole film about Dr. Okun from Independence Day. Although I could be wrong. If Roland Emmerich's thinking about doing that at some point, I'd be glad to don the long hair again. [Laughs.] But sometimes you can just go a little bit further out with something you're only going to be doing for a short run.
Alphas (2011)—"Dr. Kern"
BS: I had a really nice time on that. It was a bunch of really good actors, and I was particularly thrilled to be working with David Strathairn. Basically, my deal is that I choose roles based on three criteria. One is the role, obviously, if it's something that speaks to me. Two is, are they gonna pay me? [Laughs.] And three is, who am I gonna work with? And, really, if one of those is there, I'm pretty likely to do it, but it's particularly important to me who I'm going to work with, 'cause that's part of the joy. I mean, I think we're all fans, and I understand the whole world of fandom, because I am a fan. So when I get to work with people I admire, it's such a bonus, so it was an easy sell when I got this phone call asking, 'Will you do this thing with David Strathairn?'" Also, they didn't ask me to audition, which is another bonus. But they said, "All your scenes will be with David," and I said, "I'm there!"
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)—"Conan O'Brien"
BS: That was kind of interesting. I mean, I love the South Park guys, Trey Parker and Matt Stone. They're geniuses. I throw that word around a lot, but I really do mean it. I think they are geniuses. And they called me one Saturday morning and said, "Can you do an impression of Conan O'Brien?" And I said, "I don't know." Because that was really… He hadn't been on the air that long, and to be honest, I hadn't watched much of him at that point. I have since, but at that point, I hadn't. So I said, "I don't know," and they said, "Well, can you come down to our studio? We're releasing the movie on Thursday, and we still don't have a voice for Conan O'Brien." So I went to Santa Monica to their studio and said, "Well, what does he sound like?" They said, "Well, just try it one time. Read the copy." And I read the copy one time, and they went, "Okay, that's fine. Thanks a lot, that'll do. That's perfect." So I assumed, "Well, I must've sounded like Conan O'Brien, or a reasonable facsimile or something." And there I am in the movie. I was very lucky.
I have to say, though, that somebody pointed out to me on YouTube last year that Conan O'Brien was being interviewed, and he was talking about how, oddly enough, he went to see that movie in Hawaii with his girlfriend or wife or whoever, and he didn't even realize his character was in it. But there he was, and he said, "This voice comes out of me, and I'm thinking, 'That's not me! Who is that? That doesn't even sound like me!' So I asked about it, and I found out it was this guy from Star Trek, and apparently he went to those guys and begged him to let him do my voice, 'cause he said he sounded so much like me, so finally they let him do it.'" I mean, he couldn't have been more wrong, obviously. I didn't beg them at all. They asked me, and I said, "I'll do it."
Ladies And Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains (1982)—"Corrine Burns' Boss"
BS: Oh, wow! Actually, I had a really nice part in that movie. I mean, I have, like, one second in the final-cut version, where I say "You're fired" to Diane Lane. That's about all you see of me. But I actually opened the movie with a hilarious scene, and… [Laughs.] You know, show business is bizarre, the things that happen. I was in New York doing a play at the time, and I auditioned for this part for Lou Adler, who directed the movie. He flew me to Vancouver, back in 1981, I guess, when Vancouver was unbelievably beautiful. They hadn't done the whole high-rise rape of the city, as they've now done in Toronto, too, where everywhere you look, it's steel-and-glass high-rises instead of the beautiful city it was. So I was thrilled to be there, and then I had this really funny, great scene. It took place in a McDonald's, where Diane was employed by me, but I was being interviewed by a TV station and… Well, I won't go into what the scene was all about, but it was a really fun scene. But somewhere, something happened.
The woman who wrote the movie, her name is Nancy Dowd. She's a wonderful writer. She wrote Coming Home. And when I read the script, at that time, I thought, "This movie is going to do for girls what Breaking Away did for boys." I thought it was going to be huge. It was a great script. So I had two days of shooting on the film, I finished, and then I get a phone call from Nancy. "Can you join me for dinner?" I say, "Sure!" So I met her for dinner, and she said to me, "How would you like to stay on the movie?" And I was shooting on the first two or three days of the shoot, but she said, "How would you like to stay on the whole movie—we're going to shoot here and in London—and coach Diane?" Remember, Diane was 14 at the time. And I said, "Well, yeah, I'd love to do that!" I mean, my God, to go to London? So she said, "Okay, great! Well, you have to ask Lou." Because they weren't getting along at the time. And I said, "Uh, okay." So right before I was leaving, he took a break and was playing basketball, as he tended to do between scenes, and I said, "Hey, Lou, how would you like me to stay on the movie and coach Diane?" And he was not happy with that question at all, which I understand now, but, hey, I took a shot. I was young, and I wanted to stay on the movie.
But then the movie came out, and… A lot of people had seen early cuts of it and had told me how good the scene was, so I was really excited. But then the movie comes out, there I am saying, "You're fired," and that was it. And that's what happens in movies. People shoot movies that are 10 hours long, and they have to cut them down. But I thought for sure that scene would stay in the movie, because it was just such a great piece of writing. So I called his office to see if I could at least get the scene, because I didn't really have much of a reel at the time, since I was pretty new in the movie business. And they informed me that that scene had been destroyed. [Laughs.] I was, like, "Really? He was that offended by my asking to stay on the movie?" I don't even know how it would've happened, but, yeah, they told me they didn't have a copy of it and said that it did not exist any longer. Which is a real shame, because I'd still like to have it. But there you go. [Laughs.]
Threshold (2005-2006)—"Dr. Nigel Fenway"
BS: That was a really interesting series that I think would've been really great had it continued. I know Brannon Braga, who was running the show at the time, had a lot of really interesting ideas for what was going to happen the second, third, fourth, and fifth seasons, and they had it really planned out what was going to go on. But CBS just decided to pull the plug on it. Y'know, we were kind of never one of their favorites, even though we'd gotten really good reviews for the pilot. We were on at, what was it, 10 o'clock on a Friday night? That's kind of where you bury a show if you don't want it to last. But, wow, what a cast, huh? You could never get that cast together again.
[Among Threshold's regulars were Carla Gugino, Peter Dinklage, and Brian Van Holt, who now plays Bobby on Cougar Town, along with Charles S. Dutton and Rob Benedict. —ed.]
AVC: Not without significantly more money, anyway.
BS: Yeah, exactly. That was a wonderful bunch of people to work with. One of the things about working on Star Trek that was always so great was that we all got along as well as we did. We really became family. And I was, like, "Wow, is this ever going to happen again? Am I ever going to work with another bunch of people I get along with this well?" And then, sure enough, Threshold was just a great bunch of people, and I thought, "Hey, I could hang with these people for a long time!" But, unfortunately, it was 13 episodes and we were out of there. It'd be nice if they'd come back and done, like, a big three-hour TV-movie finale for that thing. But it's too late now.
Out To Sea (1997)—"Gil Godwyn"
BS: That was like a dream come true for me, because I got to work with Jack [Lemmon] and Walter [Matthau], who were unbelievable. And Donald O'Connor and Elaine Stritch and Dyan Cannon, and on and on and on. That job, more than any I've ever done, I couldn't wait to get to work in the morning. And not only that, but I had a great part. So it was just beyond fun on every level. When I go to the old folks' home, I'm gonna be sitting in a rocking chair, telling everybody how I worked with Jack and Walter. [Laughs.] And we got to be really good friends. It was just thrilling, every day. Every single day. I had a big couple of musical numbers in it, and I remember doing one of them and shooting it from beginning to end. Of course, when you see it in the movie, it's cut into a lot with other scenes, but we shot the number straight through, so here I am doing it, and sitting right in front of me in the audience was Donald O'Connor. And I was, like, "Oh, my God, I can't believe I'm performing a musical number in front of Donald O'Connor," who's one of the greats of the silver screen. But it was a thrilling experience, it really was. And it began a relationship I had with [director] Martha Coolidge for a few years that was wonderful, and she certainly cast me in the best roles I've ever had in film.
The Aviator (2004)—"Robert Gross"
BS: That came about through John Logan, who I've been friends with for many years. He's maybe the No. 1 screenwriter in the world today, not to mention that he won a Tony for Best Play for Red. So he may just be the best writer period right now. He wrote The Aviator, and I was in New York doing a play, and he asked if they would see me for the film, just meet with me. 'Cause that's what Martin Scorsese does. He pretty much does the Woody Allen thing of just bringing people in and meeting them. I didn't audition or anything like that. But I went into his office… It was his screening room in his office, actually, and I sat and schmoozed with him for about two minutes, which I think is standard, and, y'know, we got on fine.
And then he was kind of wrapping up—"Well, thanks for coming in…"—and I thought, "Oh, God, this is over and I'm out of here, and I really don't want to leave." [Laughs.] So I said, "Can I ask you a question?" He said, "Sure." "What movie do you think you've seen more than any other movie?" And he said, "Wow, let me think about that. I guess probably The Searchers." And I said, "Well, oddly, that's the movie I've seen more than any other movie." And I wasn't just BS-ing. It's true. It's my favorite movie. So we started talking about The Searchers, and then he went on to tell me a story about when he first met John Wayne, and he said, "Hey, you be me and I'll be Wayne," and I said, "No, let me be Wayne!" Anyway, it was a very pleasant conversation, it was clear to him that I was a big movie fan, and by the time I got home, there was a phone call, asking if I'd mind doing one scene in the movie. And I'm, like, y'know, I didn't have a problem doing one scene in Dude, Where's My Car? I'm certainly not going to have a problem doing one scene in a Scorsese movie! [Laughs.]
It was a fabulous experience shooting it, working with Leo [DiCaprio] and Danny Huston in the scene. It was great. I think what was most eye-opening about it was that Scorsese was just like any good director you work with. He basically works just like any other director. You work the scene, you try to find what's best in it and make it work. That's what it was like.
Dude, Where's My Car? (2000)—"Pierre"
AVC: Since you brought it up…
BS: [Laughs.] You know, Pierre could be the best thing I've ever done. When you distill it down to a minute and a half of work, that may be my finest effort. That's one of those things I was talking about earlier. I could never have played that character that way for the length of an entire film, but for a minute and a half, I figured I could pull it off. And I had a blast doing it, working with Andy Dick. It was nothing but fun.
AVC: You weren't actually credited for the role, though. Was that something the producers did to try and surprise the audience?
BS: No, you know, I think I asked for that up front. It came as an offer, and I read it and I thought, "You know, I don't know if I'm going to be any good, if I can pull this off, I don't need it on my résumé particularly…" I regret that now. That was really an arrogant move on my part, because… I think honestly, believe it or not, that Dude, Where's My Car? in a way represents its time better than almost any film made around that. I mean, you look at that movie now, and you know exactly when it was made. And that's what kids were like then. So I really like the movie, I think it's genuinely funny, and I wish I hadn't been so arrogant about it. And, of course, I didn't know it was going to be my best work, either. [Laughs.]
Night Court (1985-1987)—"Bob Wheeler"
BS: I think it was the first thing I did when I came out to Hollywood. It was just one of those things that… I'm from Texas, and it was a character I'd been doing when I was a kid, just for fun. Me and my friends would go into a Denny's or something, and I would be that guy and order… [Bob Wheeler drawl.] A patty melt. Yeah. With extra cheese. [Laughs.] So I would do that character, and I never dreamed when I was a kid that I'd walk into a casting session and they'd hand me a script and I'd read it and go, "Oh my God! This is…" It was a character I called Elmo, and I read it and went, "Oh my God, this is Elmo! I can just go in there and do Elmo!" And I did, and they let me do it. I think we were probably going to become at least semi-regulars on the show in the next season. We did six of them, though. And when I say "we," I mean Annie O'Donnell, who played my wife, and myself. I think they were kind of prepping us to come on in some capacity like that, but then I got Star Trek, and that was that.
AVC: It had to have been strange for unaware Trekkies to tune into Night Court reruns and see you in that role.
BS: I'm sure it was. But Rick Berman, who produced Star Trek, was a big Night Court fan. So he knew who I was as soon as I walked in.
Mama's Family (1986-1987)—"Billy Bob Conroy"
BS: Oh, dear. Oof. Well, that was a favor. [Laughs.] That was… Actually, the lady who cast Night Court asked me to do it, because it was a Friday, and the person who'd been rehearsing it all week got sick and couldn't come to the taping. And she figured I could put it together pretty quickly—it was not all that big a challenge, frankly—and I said, "Of course." I owed her, after all. Gilda Stratton was her name. She was a really, really nice person. So I did it. And I, uh, think anything else is better left unsaid. [Laughs.]
The Simpsons (2012)—"Robots"
BS: Well, you know, what can I say? I felt like I was a natural. [Laughs.] I know a guy who writes on the show, it was his episode, and he called and said, "Would you do it?" And I said, "Yeah." There's not really much else to tell, except that I was thrilled to be on The Simpsons, because it's one of the greatest series in the history of television. Plus, you know, voice acting is about the easiest thing to do. You roll out of bed, throw your clothes on that you had on the night before, you go into the studio, and nobody cares, just as long as you can speak.
AVC: It hasn't happened yet, but we keep waiting for someone to say, "Man, I can't tell you how much I hate voice acting."
BS: [Laughs.] Can you imagine? I mean, really. It's such an easy job. It's like stealing money, really. Which I'm always happy to do.
The Master Of Disguise (2002)—"Devlin Bowman"
BS: Ah, yes. I don't know if you've seen that movie—
AVC: "This is what you're doing. This is what I want you to do."
BS: [Laughs.] Exactly. Well, Dana Carvey is hilarious. He's a really, really funny, talented guy. You know, I can't think of anything I've ever done that I regret doing, and I certainly don't regret doing Master Of Disguise, because I got to hang around Dana. And, again, I got to play a funny part. There was one thing my character did that involved flatulence and laughing at the same time—that was in the script—and that was basically what sold me on it. I really thought, "This can't help but be funny." And when I saw the film, I was proud that I'd had those moments.
AVC: Everyone should have a farting scene in their clip reel.
BS: Don't you think? And now I've got mine. [Laughs.]
Tales From The Darkside (1984)—"Reverend Peabody"
AVC: You've turned up in several anthology series over the years: Tales From The Darkside, The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits…
BS: Wow, yeah, I have. You know, of those, the only one that really stands out for me is Tales From The Darkside, for a couple of reasons, one in particular being who I got to work with on it, which was Eddie Bracken. I mean, what a man. Someone who's done Preston Sturges movies, and I actually got to work with him? And he was great. I really enjoyed him. He told me a great story. He did The Odd Couple on Broadway, replacing Art Carney, and he said, "Art Carney did it for six months and I did it for three years, and I don't think anyone I've ever spoken to saw me. They all saw Art Carney." [Laughs.] That's just the way it goes. But the other thing about it was that the kid in the episode was played by Christian Slater! He was all of about 12 or so, but I've run into Christian many times since then, and he always does his line from Tales From The Darkside whenever he sees me.
Young Justice (2011)—"The Joker"
BS: You know, again, they asked me to do it, and I went in and… Y'know, there's such a grand fraternity of actors who've played the Joker, not the least of whom is Mark Hamill, who voiced it for so long and was so great. I did it one time and… I've gotten some feedback on it from people who've seen it and really enjoyed it, but I don't know. I don't know if the character's come back and it was someone else playing it, or maybe they never did it again. But I loved it. It was a great part to play.
Rent Control (1984)—"Leonard Junger"
BS: Oh wow. Well, Rent Control was an interesting movie. It was directed by… I had done a couple of plays off Broadway, and this Italian director came, his name was Gian Luigi Polidoro, and he determined I was the person to play the lead in his low-budget comedy. He'd won an award at the Venice Film Festival, and… He was, y'know, a skilled director. He and his girlfriend had written this script, it was an American comedy, and they decided I was the guy to play the part. I was young, they offered me the lead in the film, and I said, "Sure, I'll do it." And I'm telling you, there is a movie waiting to be made about the making of a movie like that, particularly at that time in New York. I mean, we shot all over the streets of New York without permits. We would literally grab a shot and run. But Rent Control… I think the total cost was $100,000, and to this director's credit, I think it looks like $200,000. [Laughs.]
AVC: Would you recommend that people try to hunt it up?
BS: Well, it wouldn't hurt. I mean, it's not a terrible movie, certainly not for the budget they had. And, again, it's such an '80s kind of thing. And there are some shots in it… It just occurred to me that there are some beautiful shots with the World Trade Center in the background.
Oh, you know, I can tell you one other story about Rent Control. The lead actress in the film, her name was Elizabeth Stack, and it turned out she was Robert Stack's daughter. The only problem with that—and she was lovely—was that she was basically hired because [Polidoro] thought she was [film producer] Ray Stark's daughter. And he figured that if he ran out of money, her father would kick in some more. [Laughs.] And I can still remember the day he freaked out when he realized she was actually Robert Stack's daughter. He was just screaming "Untouchables!" over and over. [Stack starred as Eliot Ness in the TV series The Untouchables from 1959 to 1963. —ed.]
Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999)—"Earl Mills"
BS: That's probably the best role I've ever been given in a film. And it was a great experience to work with Halle [Berry] and Klaus Maria Brandauer, an Austrian actor who's a hero of mine. Martha Coolidge directed the movie, giving me another shot, and it was an amazing experience.
AVC: When you take on a role when you're playing a real person, do you go out of your way to do your own research?
BS: I try to do as much as I can. I probably knew more about Earl Mills than anybody on earth besides people who actually knew him. [Laughs.] But as it turns out, sometimes that bites you. In this case, I saw pictures of Earl, and…I actually met him. He was quite old at the time, but he had this sort of curly red hair, so we did that in the film. I got a perm and had red hair, and… It was a mess. [Laughs.] It wrecked my hair. But I wanted to look right. I remember a review—a very positive one—in The New York Times that said I was so good in the role that I "even managed to overcome a terrible red wig." I wanted to write her and tell her about the agony I'd gone through with the perm, but I thought better of it.
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)/Star Trek: Generations (1994)/Star Trek: First Contact (1996)/Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)/Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)—"Lt. Commander Data"
AVC: How did you find your way into Star Trek: The Next Generation in the first place? You've said Rick Berman was a Night Court fan, but was it a cattle-call audition for the series? It seems like everyone would've wanted to be a part of a new Star Trek series.
BS: You know, I don't think everybody wanted to be on it. I certainly didn't. [Laughs.] It wasn't exactly a cattle call. I had an agent, and they were seeing people for the parts, so my agent said, "Here's the script, see if there's anything that speaks to you." And I did, and I called my agent and said, "I think this character Data is kind of interesting," and she said, "Well, okay, I'll get you the appointment with Junie Lowry." I had to read with the casting agent first, 'cause nobody really knew me then. So I did, and Junie was very nice and said, "I think you should see the producers." And then after that, I had, I think, six different auditions for the role. And finally it was me.
AVC: How was the process of creating Data as a character? He evolved considerably during the course of that first season.
BS: Yeah, but, y'know, it really was not that difficult a process, because I was playing something that doesn't exist. So it was really based on… Imagination was the key element in that, and whatever I could think of, I could do, because there was no precedent for it. It wasn't like someone was going to say, "Well, an android would never do that." They didn't know! [Laughs.] So it was kind of nice to do. It was open to interpretation, so you could do whatever you wanted.
AVC: Most hold up "Measure Of A Man" as one of the strongest Data-centric episodes. Do you have any personal favorites?
BS: No, I really don't. Because I didn't really watch the show. I still haven't seen about 150 of them. [Laughs.] So I didn't really think of them too much in terms of episodes. I thought of them as kind of one long seven-year episode. But it was a very, very pleasant episode. Again, I've worked with some great people, and I was paid handsomely, and it was a nice role. So the whole experience was positive for me.
AVC: How were the films for you?
BS: Oh, you know, some were good, some were not. [Laughs.] Some were better than others. I think everyone agrees First Contact was our best film, and even at that, they're kind of… I don't know, they're sort of movies. But they're kind of really Star Trek movies, if you take my meaning. It's hard for me to say. I was glad to be doing them. Whether they were good isn't really up to me to determine, and it doesn't matter what I think. I thought we had a really nice script on Nemesis, and the audience didn't seem to care for it, so what can you do?
AVC: Any such talk presumably would've died with the J.J. Abrams reboot, but prior to that, had there ever been anything approaching serious discussion about doing another Next Generation film?
BS: No. We knew Nemesis was our last film. They didn't even really want to make another one, but finally they thought about it and were like, "Would you like to make another one?" And Rick talked to all of us, and we all agreed, "Yeah, let's do one more." But we kind of knew that was it. And I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm certainly too old to do it again. [Laughs.]
AVC: Which was worse to put on, the yellow makeup as Data, or the old-age makeup as Dr. Noonien Soong?
BS: Well, I have to go with Data's makeup, because that was basically every day, 10 months out of the year, for seven years. There were only a couple of days that I had to endure for Dr. Soong. You know, initially I objected to the Data makeup. I said, "Why do I need this makeup? Why can't I just look like me?" In fact, I said to Gene Roddenberry, "Don't you think that by this time in history, they would've figured out how to make skin look like skin?" And he said, "What makes you think that what you have isn't better than skin?" And I went, "Um, okay." [Laughs.] Can't argue with Gene Roddenberry. He was a pretty brilliant guy.
Star Trek: Enterprise (2004-2005)—"Dr. Arik Soong"
AVC: How did that gig come about? Did they just approach you and say, "We'd like to incorporate the Soong legacy into Enterprise"?
BS: Um… you know, I think Rick Berman just called me and asked me if I wanted to do the show, and he said they'd write an arc if I'd do it. And they'd pay me well. [Laughs.] And I said, "Sure, I'll do that! Do I have to wear a lot of makeup?" And he said no, so I said okay. They were nicely written and nicely directed episodes. I enjoyed working with Scott [Bakula]. So it was good to do, and, as you said, it did serve to enhance the Soong legacy.
AVC: That particular arc, along with several other episodes in that last season of Enterprise, worked well because it felt like they'd finally stopped trying to completely invent their own history out of thin air and were trying to build on existing material from the Trek universe.
BS: Yeah, I agree. I think that Enterprise was getting better and better, actually, and if it had kept going, I think it would've turned into as good a show as any other in the Star Trek franchise.
Independence Day (1996)—"Dr. Brackish Okun"
BS: Ah, yes, Dr. Okun. Who's named after a special-effects guy named Jeff Okun, who had done Stargate for Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin, who did Independence Day. But "Brakish" just came up one day when Jeff Goldblum and I were improvising, and he told me his character's name and I told him mine. [Laughs.] That was a sweet, sweet job, because it was one of those big surprises. I had no idea I was part of what was going to be a big mega-hit. I thought I was doing a B sci-fi movie. And, actually, it was Jeff Goldblum who looked at me one day and said, "You know, I think this is going to be really something." And I said, "Well, I hope you're right." And sure enough, it turned out to be. But it seemed like an interesting movie, and I thought I had a take on the part that was going to be unique. That doesn't happen to me very often. But that time, it just jumped out of the blue and into my head as far as how to play this thing. So it was a really pleasant surprise when it turned out to be a successful film. I don't know if you've heard that they're going to be re-releasing it next Fourth of July in 3-D. I've actually only seen it once, and it was in Hawaii, in a little theater in Oahu shortly after it was released. But Roland Emmerich is a really smart guy, and he makes really fun movies to watch.
AVC: Given that you were coming off of having played Data on television for so long, was there ever any hesitation on your part about appearing in a non-Trek science-fiction film?
BS: No, there was no hesitation at all. Mostly because, as I say, I didn't entirely know what I was getting into. [Laughs.]
AVC: A number of actors from the franchise have actively tried to go any other direction but science fiction in order to avoid being completely typecast in the genre, but you don't seem to have any trouble embracing it.
BS: Nah. A job's a job. And I like to work.