Nerd of the Week Thread #1: Carl Sagan

[Amaris]

How did I miss this? This is awesome!

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

I like the expression "Sexy as fuck." YMMV.

 

[cooleddie74]

Don't get Kenny started, cosecant help himself.

Isosceles what you did there.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I am ashamed to point out that I can't think of a single geometric pun.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

I am ashamed to point out that I can't think of a single geometric pun.

See? They're as easy as pi!

 

[Timewalker]

I am ashamed to point out that I can't think of a single geometric pun.

You appear to be in acute distress.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

I am ashamed to point out that I can't think of a single geometric pun.

Don't believe him! He's just waiting for the right moment to unleash a string of geometry puns. In other words...

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ You give me far too much credit. I have precisely zero mathematical talent, so I'm not really wired for math jokes...

Nice threadbomb, though.

 

[cooleddie74]

Oh, don't be such a square.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

^ You give me far too much credit. I have precisely zero mathematical talent, so I'm not really wired for math jokes...

Nice threadbomb, though.

Yes, it is a nice thread bomb. But it's funny that you made a geometric pun, when you claimed that you couldn't think of any, however unintentional that it was.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

But it's funny that you made a geometric pun, when you claimed that you couldn't think of any, however unintentional that it was.

I'm not following.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

But it's funny that you made a geometric pun, when you claimed that you couldn't think of any, however unintentional that it was.

I'm not following.

"point"
"geometric pun"

get it?

 

[the G-man]

Sagan was a professor at Cornell (my alma mater) back in the 70s and 80s.

He wasn't particularly accessible to students, even ones in his own field.

There was a story that may or may not have been exaggerated in the retellings about this:

Sagan lived in a house on one side of Ithaca's famous gorges. A fraternity had the house directly across from his place.

Supposedly, one fall, the fraternity (possibly because they just moved into the house) sent Sagan a letter, saying that they wanted to be good neighbors and inviting him to tour the house and come to dinner.

Some time later they received a form letter back...from Sagan's agent. The letter said that "Professor Sagan charges [thousand of dollars] for personal appearances. If you like to discuss hiring him for your event, please contact us to discuss payment and scheduling."

For several years after that, every Christmas, the frat would arrange the Christmas lights on the roof of their house facing his into a pattern that read "Carl blows."

He probably never even saw that letter. Some secretary was too stupid to know that it should have been passed up the food chain.

Yeah, as I said, the story was probably exaggerated in the retelling. That being said, I think it gained so much traction because, as other posters have noted, the guy had a huge ego and was a drama queen.

That doesn't take away from the good things he did, but it is a bit ironic that someone who did so much in an attempt to make his field more accessible and friendly to the public was so inaccessible and unfriendly himself.

 

[Cjohnson1701]

I'll give Sagan 4 and a half pocket protectors. (I can't give the guy stars, or cosmos's?)

That guy made me fall in love with science and science fiction again.

 

[1001001]

They were airing Cosmos this morning, and I TiVo'd a couple of episodes. Like others have said, he made me get interested in science.

I loved those when they came out, but man is some of it cheesy as hell now.

 

[Timewalker]

What aspects of it do you consider cheesy?

 

[RJDiogenes]

^^ This is 2014. Anything inspirational is cheesy.

Didn't someone express interest in Eratosthenes?

Yes, but, being a nerd, he was oblivious to the signs. Now it's too late. Far, far too late.

Yeah, as I said, the story was probably exaggerated in the retelling. That being said, I think it gained so much traction because, as other posters have noted, the guy had a huge ego and was a drama queen.

That doesn't take away from the good things he did, but it is a bit ironic that someone who did so much in an attempt to make his field more accessible and friendly to the public was so inaccessible and unfriendly himself.

Well, nobody's perfect. Perhaps he was unprepared for the level of fame he achieved.

 

[cooleddie74]

Maybe the dated graphics, effects and fashions are what seem so cheesy after all this time. Public television circa 1980 did have a pretty vivid disco/New Wave/brown-and-orange casualwear feel and look to it.

 

[the G-man]

Well, nobody's perfect. Perhaps he was unprepared for the level of fame he achieved.

Oh, I think he enjoyed the fame. It's not like he was drafted into appearing on talk shows, getting big bucks for lectures, etc.

 

[1001001]

What aspects of it do you consider cheesy?

Oh, I don't know. The narrative gets pretty flowery at times. Then there are the long, meaningful stares out into space while dramatic music rises...

It just struck me yesterday as a bit dated and over the top. Still love the series. I was riveted to it as a kid.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I thought it was mildly amusing that Sagan's "spaceship of the imagination" had a control panel in it. Apparently his imagination couldn't actually steer.