Nerd of the Week Thread #1: Carl Sagan

[cooleddie74]

Oh, I don't think anybody would deny the possibility that the man possessed an ego the size of Ganymede but I prefer to think of him as the brilliant, effective educator about space and science who informed and contributed to my childhood and early years. A lot of people who taste fame and celebrity become primadonnas so it'd never surprise me if Sagan had a pretentious dick side to him.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

Yeah ... Sagan, like the rest of us, was a flawed human being. I don't think that should be swept under the rug. By all accounts, he wasn't the nicest person to deal with. Which is a shame, considering how powerfully he spoke out against the irrational conflicts between nations. But unlike most of us, he also managed to provide inspirational and educational messages that reached millions. He accomplished things that managed to transcend his flaws.

 

[Timewalker]

These pocket protectors are great!

I love Sagan. Plus, I always vote up.

His voice is dreamy. He could read me the dictionary any day or night.

Yep. I was an impressionable high school student when Cosmos was first shown on PBS. I couldn't wait for Sunday night to come around each week, and the following day I'd get together with a friend at school and we'd talk about it.

Might I suggest while going older, the current nerd of the week should be the one to suggest the next nerd of the week?

Eratosthenes
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8cbIWMv0rI[/yt]

I loved that part about Eratosthenes!

I vote 5 pocket protectors simply because I cannot vote "billions and billions" of pocket protectors.

There are not enough pocket protectors in the known universe.

Sagan wasn't particularly well known over here, at least not as much as David Attenborough or Patrick Moore, but having revisited the original COSMOS a few years ago, I can see that his influence on the current generation of science communicators such as Profs. Brian Cox and Jim Al-Khalili is undeniable. He had so much to say about humanity, those who listened were duly enlightened and rewarded. He also had a nice speaking voice.

I still haven't read "Contact" (nor seen the film) but it's something I'd like to get around to doing at some point.

Just keep in mind that some aspects of the novel and movie are very different. In the novel there is no "love story" between Ellie Arroway and Palmer Joss. Both the novel and the movie are excellent in their own ways. I've read the book several times and have honestly lost track of how many times I've seen the movie. Yes, it's that good.


I'm glad there's a new audience for this series, and a new generation of people to appreciate Carl Sagan. It's a shame, though, that parts of the original broadcast were replaced by some awfully bland music and images. I know it was necessary to update a lot of the information and there were likely copyright issues with some of the music, but much of the sheer wonder was lost in some of the sequences.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

What happened to Nerd of the Week #2?

 

[Amaris]

What happened to Nerd of the Week #2?

Oh, the idea is for anyone who wants to take up the next week's nerd, is free to do so. I mentioned that way back. Anyone who has a nerd they want to feature, just say you're going to do it (first come first served), and then do it. That way, everyone gets a chance to share their nerd of the week.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

What happened to Nerd of the Week #2?

Sadly, he was bending over to pick up a Magic: The Gathering card and was accidentally stabbed in the heart by a pen from his own pocket protector.

He didn't even have an inkling of what was coming.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

I don't think Nerd of the Week can be written off so easily.

 

[Timewalker]

Didn't someone express interest in Eratosthenes?

 

[Greylock Crescent]

He may have been penciled in, yeah.

 

[BigJake]

He didn't even have an inkling of what was coming.

What you did there. I saw that.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

Good luck erasing it from memory.

 

[cooleddie74]

This will be quite the protracted discussion.

 

[Amaris]

We should take that as a sine.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

So that's your angle, eh?

 

[CorporalCaptain]

You all've cosined this thread to discussing tangents.

WHEN'S NOTW#2.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

I admit, we're just following a formula. Sometimes I can be a bit obtuse.

 

[cooleddie74]

This will spiral out of control at a geometric rate.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

It's certainly a slippery slope.

 

[Emher]

How did I miss this? This is awesome!

Five out five, easily. Sagan is fantastic. Calling him an inspiration is too light a word.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

This will spiral out of control at a geometric rate.

Don't get Kenny started, cosecant help himself.