Interesting question

I was reading something that asked this, and I found it a rather interesting question. So I am asking you folks about it.

Which setting would you rather live in; Star Trek, or Star Wars?

Now, I'm not asking if you'd rather command a Federation star ship or pilot an X-wing, that's a different question entirely. I'm asking if you'd rather be an ordinary citizen of the Empire and the later restored Republic, or of the Federation. Assuming you stay yourself, keep your skills in more or less the same area, adjusted to fit the local tech base, which place would you prefer?

Interesting thought, isn't it? Because on an entertainment level, I prefer Star Wars, even with the massive drop in quality in recent years, to Star Trek. But when it comes to realistically considering the settings, I find Star Trek to be both easier to relate to, and more appealing to live in. Star Wars is essentially feudal. If you're not a ruler of some sort, you're a peasant, a non-entity. (Did you know that even Han Solo is supposed to be descended from some ruling family or other?) Star Trek is much more democratic and egalitarian, so since I'm hardly likely to become a princess or president, I'd rather live there.

Snake update

I fed Anthony today. He has finally stopped eating his mice butt first. Now he is attempting the futile task of eating them sideways. Yes, for both of his last two feedings he has tried to swallow the mouse starting with the center of the torso. Needless to say this has not gone well, as in its narrowest dimension the mouse is nearly as big around as Anthony's whole body, so length wise it is three or four times too big.

However! After several minutes of attempting to swallow and getting nowhere, both times he has given up and tried again from the head, so there's hope for him yet.

Sometimes though I swear he's slow even for a snake.

He's also had his first shed, which was sadly rather patchy. He's still got a tiny smidge of it still on. However I gather that patchy first sheds are not abnormal, and I didn't notice he was shedding until it was starting to peel off, so I wasn't keeping his tank especially moist, and it's been a dry week. I shall endeavor to be more alert next time! The thing I always read about as a sign of imminent shedding was a pink underbelly, which he never displayed as far as I can tell. His sign seems to be playing pet rock and refusing to come out and explore they way he usually does when he's done digesting. He's around 18 inches long now, and weighs 95 grams when not stuffed with a mouse. Measuring him is a pain, as he refuses to hold still or lie straight.

He also appears to have learned to teleport, as I catch him snoozing in one place or another, but never catch him moving between them, and he sometimes shifts from one end of the tank to the other when I've only been looking away for a minute or so, which is awfully fast. (His usual speed when not striking at food is "slow, awkward meander with lots of bumping into things.")

There's your snake news for the week.