I can't help but like Tyson, he's always cheerful, has something to say,
and is quick to make Star Trek references without acting like he's
supposed to be embarrassed by it.
I also like the way he supposedly gets flak for saying things like, "that
balloon parachute guy didn't really jump from space," "Gravity has plot
holes," "Titanic got the sky wrong." The first two in particular I like
because they fight the popular tendency for people to think that "space"
is a place, and once you're in it you're pretty close to all of the other
things in "space." All the people who think the Space Shuttle could have
flown to the Moon. I say "supposedly" because for all I know he invents
the "flak" to help him launch another story.
What I don't understand is why he's "Neil deGrasse Tyson." I'm not aware
of any other "Neil Tyson" he needs to be distinguished from. Maybe he just
wants to keep reminding us Americans that we owe our independence to the
French.
> Derek's tired and bitchy. :)
>
> I've aways been something of a Tyson fanboy. It's hard to find a
scientist you can watch for more than 3 minutes without falling asleep.
Between him, Bill Nye, Brian Greene and Michio Kaku it's nice to see
people talking about science in a way that excites me about the things
that are going on in our world and the possibilities that exist in the
future.
>
> These guys are articulate and passionate about their individual fields.
And if that inspires my son I'm there for it...
>
> Derek Stanley
> Sent from my iPad
>
>> On Apr 7, 2014, at 1:39 PM, wrote:
>> That's odd, Uxi's reply appears to have pulled forward some
>> conversation
>> from Derek that I haven't seen yet.
>> Based on last night's show we must be coming up on Galileo. It will be
interesting to see if they take the easy/popular way out. Based on the
time and format I'm sure they won't be able to go into the detail of
some
>> stuff I've read that shows the problems with Galileo's assertions and the
>> fact that Church scientists agreed with some of what he was saying and
that the conflict turned on finer points and personalities. Probably
have
>> to be content with finer shades of phrasing than the typical, "Stupid
Church believed Bible literally," as that's a more recent and largely
American phenomenon.
>> DANGEROUS GROUND, STOP TREADING
>> > The show made him out to be a martyr for astronomy/science (similar
to
>> hiw
>> > Galileo's issues are usually misrepresented) when instead his
>> cosmological
>> > ideas were more like astrology and based on occultist cosmology.
Bruno
>> was
>> > no scientist and never pretended to be.
>> >
>> > A viewer without any knowledge will come away with decent science,
>> perhaps
>> > but a completely dishonest portrayal of Bruno as a man, as well as
why
>> he
>> > burned.
>> >
>> > - Sent from my SM-N900T
>> > On Apr 7, 2014 11:32 AM, "D. Stanley" <> wrote:
>> >
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> You looked of course at the writers and noticed that the people who
wrote
>> >> the original Cosmos wrote this one as well. Well except for Sagan
but
>> I
>> >> guess we'll have to excuse him for not putting his 2 cents worth
>> into
>> >> this
>> >> one. J
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> It's been a few weeks since I watched the first episode so I don't
recall
>> >> 100% what was said about Bruno but the essence of the individual was
there. Benedictine monk, heliocentric solar system, excommunicated
>> by
>> >> the
>> >> church, thought some crazy things, wandered Europe, burned at that
stake.
>> >> The problem with History is it's written by the victors and being
>> burned
>> >> at
>> >> the stake doesn't count as a victory in my mind. Was Bruno a weird
>> guy
>> >> who
>> >> wrote a lot of crazy things? Yes. Did he come up with an idea that
>> no
>> >> one
>> >> else had come up with? Yes.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> To be honest if the average person walked away from the episode
>> learning
>> >> that the Earth goes around the sun and not the other way around...
>> USA
>> >> I'm
>> >> looking in your direction here... I'd be happy.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> http://time.com/7809/1-in-4-americans-thinks-sun-orbits-earth/
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> *From:* [
>> >> ] *On Behalf Of *Master Uxi
>> >> *Sent:* Monday, April 07, 2014 11:05 AM
>> >> *To:*
>> >> *Subject:* Re: [Traveller_TNE] Seth McFarlane
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> I haven't watched since I saw the mendacious propaganda on Giordano
Bruno
>> >> and its complete misrepresentation of history. Definitely unworthy
>> of
>> >> Sagan's series.
>> >>
>> >> - Sent from my SM-N900T
>> >>
>> >> On Apr 7, 2014 10:54 AM, "D. Stanley" <> wrote:
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Heheheh...
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> I was as shocked as you when I saw he was a producer months back but
when
>> >> I saw an interview with NdGT about it made a lot more sense.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Can't find the original interview but here's one with Seth and while
>> I
>> >> don't have a ton of use for Family Guy you can't deny he's right
>> about
>> >> the
>> >> lack of Science literacy in the world and if this makes people
>> wonder
>> >> and
>> >> question things well I'm all for that.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> http://youtu.be/Ua5xqQpZp8Q
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> My 7 year old is kind of on and off about the program, he's the
>> poster
>> >> child for ADHD and when he's got the focus he's onboard for it but
>> when
>> >> the
>> >> focus dwindles it's difficult for him to concentrate long enough to
connect
>> >> the thoughts. Oddly he cheers every time Albert Einstein and Stephen
Hawking are mentioned, although he doesn't really understand what
they're
>> >> about they're his hero's for some weird reason. I'll just go with
>> it.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> It probably started when he was about 5 and I was watching something
about
>> >> the theory of relativity on the TV and after this long discussion on
>> the
>> >> TV
>> >> that he really didn't seem to be following he looked at me and said.
"So
>> >> they're saying that an object in space bends and twists the fabric
>> of
>> >> space
>> >> around it?"
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> *From:* [
>> >> ] *On Behalf Of *
*Sent:* Monday, April 07, 2014 10:36 AM
>> >> *To:*
>> >> *Subject:* RE: [Traveller_TNE] Re: TNE - Stellar failure
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> > On a related through, I noticed in your reply to DED that Frank
>> hated
>> >> the
>> >> > "high-pop hostile" world. I really hate those, too, and (with the
>> >> horrible
>> >> > upheaval even in the Domain of Deneb/Regency) used that as an
>> excuse
>> >> to
>> >> > ruthlessly crush many (maybe most) of those worlds. (In fact, I
>> >> initially
>> >> > went too far and ended up putting some of them back.)
>> >>
>> >> I remember some early pre-TNE conversations where Frank saw the Hard
Times, post-Rebellion, eventually Collapse dynamic as an in-game
>> "silver
>> >> lining" way to get rid of those worlds.
>> >>
>> >> Not an invalid thought, but you'd still have players and RC going to
them
>> >> to scrounge vacuum-preserved goodies. And there was also the dynamic
that
>> >> star change introduced into it. In addition to the Hi-Pop airless
>> rocks
>> >> you also had the Hi-Pop worlds with atmospheres around stars with no
habitable zones, which worked out almost the same way, because you
>> still
>> >> had to put the population under domes or underground to provide
artificial
>> >> heat. Fixing the stars would allow them to survive without
>> technology,
>> >> but
>> >> would require the "Collapser" to remember to fix the star before
applying
>> >> "Collapsing." That is the way it ought to have been done. Maybe the
Gelinas article Alan mentioned in Challenge 77 goes into that, as I
>> am
>> >> clearly leery of saying, "this is what we did, and we succeeded,"
>> where
>> >> that dynamic is involved.
>> >>
>> >> By the way, I had the TV on last night and watched some of the new
"Cosmos" series on Fox, and I realized what the root of all my
>> problems
>> >> is.
>> >>
>> >> The executive producer of the new "Cosmos" is Seth McFarlane (Family
Guy,
>> >> American Dad, Cleveland Show).
>> >>
>> >> Clearly, everything that I thought I knew about anything is wrong.
>> Just
>> >> wrong.
>> >>
>> >> > Ã Oh look, there's Alell. Never mind, DED, we found it.
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> > Oh look, there is a big ol' screw-up on me.
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> > The physical characteristics of Alell are 467. So, yes, indeed, it
>> >> should
>> >> > have had one of its stars increased to be F-K. I probably should
>> have
>> >> made
>> >> > it have stellar data of "K7V M7V". I dunno why I screwed it up.
>> Maybe
>> >> I
>> >> > thought two M7Vs in a tight formation would have produced enough
>> heat?
>> >> > Regardless, I should have definitely bumped it. Maybe I could have
>> >> swapped
>> >> > it around with Boughene and make Boughene be an M7V, and Alell be
>> a
>> >> K7V
>> >> > M7V
>> >> > so as to try and keep the distribution a little more like the
>> >> original.
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> > On a related through, I noticed in your reply to DED that Frank
>> hated
>> >> the
>> >> > "high-pop hostile" world. I really hate those, too, and (with the
>> >> horrible
>> >> > upheaval even in the Domain of Deneb/Regency) used that as an
>> excuse
>> >> to
>> >> > ruthlessly crush many (maybe most) of those worlds. (In fact, I
>> >> initially
>> >> > went too far and ended up putting some of them back.)
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> > Mike West
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >
>
and is quick to make Star Trek references without acting like he's
supposed to be embarrassed by it.
I also like the way he supposedly gets flak for saying things like, "that
balloon parachute guy didn't really jump from space," "Gravity has plot
holes," "Titanic got the sky wrong." The first two in particular I like
because they fight the popular tendency for people to think that "space"
is a place, and once you're in it you're pretty close to all of the other
things in "space." All the people who think the Space Shuttle could have
flown to the Moon. I say "supposedly" because for all I know he invents
the "flak" to help him launch another story.
What I don't understand is why he's "Neil deGrasse Tyson." I'm not aware
of any other "Neil Tyson" he needs to be distinguished from. Maybe he just
wants to keep reminding us Americans that we owe our independence to the
French.
> Derek's tired and bitchy. :)
>
> I've aways been something of a Tyson fanboy. It's hard to find a
scientist you can watch for more than 3 minutes without falling asleep.
Between him, Bill Nye, Brian Greene and Michio Kaku it's nice to see
people talking about science in a way that excites me about the things
that are going on in our world and the possibilities that exist in the
future.
>
> These guys are articulate and passionate about their individual fields.
And if that inspires my son I'm there for it...
>
> Derek Stanley
> Sent from my iPad
>
>> On Apr 7, 2014, at 1:39 PM, wrote:
>> That's odd, Uxi's reply appears to have pulled forward some
>> conversation
>> from Derek that I haven't seen yet.
>> Based on last night's show we must be coming up on Galileo. It will be
interesting to see if they take the easy/popular way out. Based on the
time and format I'm sure they won't be able to go into the detail of
some
>> stuff I've read that shows the problems with Galileo's assertions and the
>> fact that Church scientists agreed with some of what he was saying and
that the conflict turned on finer points and personalities. Probably
have
>> to be content with finer shades of phrasing than the typical, "Stupid
Church believed Bible literally," as that's a more recent and largely
American phenomenon.
>> DANGEROUS GROUND, STOP TREADING
>> > The show made him out to be a martyr for astronomy/science (similar
to
>> hiw
>> > Galileo's issues are usually misrepresented) when instead his
>> cosmological
>> > ideas were more like astrology and based on occultist cosmology.
Bruno
>> was
>> > no scientist and never pretended to be.
>> >
>> > A viewer without any knowledge will come away with decent science,
>> perhaps
>> > but a completely dishonest portrayal of Bruno as a man, as well as
why
>> he
>> > burned.
>> >
>> > - Sent from my SM-N900T
>> > On Apr 7, 2014 11:32 AM, "D. Stanley" <> wrote:
>> >
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> You looked of course at the writers and noticed that the people who
wrote
>> >> the original Cosmos wrote this one as well. Well except for Sagan
but
>> I
>> >> guess we'll have to excuse him for not putting his 2 cents worth
>> into
>> >> this
>> >> one. J
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> It's been a few weeks since I watched the first episode so I don't
recall
>> >> 100% what was said about Bruno but the essence of the individual was
there. Benedictine monk, heliocentric solar system, excommunicated
>> by
>> >> the
>> >> church, thought some crazy things, wandered Europe, burned at that
stake.
>> >> The problem with History is it's written by the victors and being
>> burned
>> >> at
>> >> the stake doesn't count as a victory in my mind. Was Bruno a weird
>> guy
>> >> who
>> >> wrote a lot of crazy things? Yes. Did he come up with an idea that
>> no
>> >> one
>> >> else had come up with? Yes.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> To be honest if the average person walked away from the episode
>> learning
>> >> that the Earth goes around the sun and not the other way around...
>> USA
>> >> I'm
>> >> looking in your direction here... I'd be happy.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> http://time.com/7809/1-in-4-americans-thinks-sun-orbits-earth/
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> *From:* [
>> >> ] *On Behalf Of *Master Uxi
>> >> *Sent:* Monday, April 07, 2014 11:05 AM
>> >> *To:*
>> >> *Subject:* Re: [Traveller_TNE] Seth McFarlane
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> I haven't watched since I saw the mendacious propaganda on Giordano
Bruno
>> >> and its complete misrepresentation of history. Definitely unworthy
>> of
>> >> Sagan's series.
>> >>
>> >> - Sent from my SM-N900T
>> >>
>> >> On Apr 7, 2014 10:54 AM, "D. Stanley" <> wrote:
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Heheheh...
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> I was as shocked as you when I saw he was a producer months back but
when
>> >> I saw an interview with NdGT about it made a lot more sense.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Can't find the original interview but here's one with Seth and while
>> I
>> >> don't have a ton of use for Family Guy you can't deny he's right
>> about
>> >> the
>> >> lack of Science literacy in the world and if this makes people
>> wonder
>> >> and
>> >> question things well I'm all for that.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> http://youtu.be/Ua5xqQpZp8Q
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> My 7 year old is kind of on and off about the program, he's the
>> poster
>> >> child for ADHD and when he's got the focus he's onboard for it but
>> when
>> >> the
>> >> focus dwindles it's difficult for him to concentrate long enough to
connect
>> >> the thoughts. Oddly he cheers every time Albert Einstein and Stephen
Hawking are mentioned, although he doesn't really understand what
they're
>> >> about they're his hero's for some weird reason. I'll just go with
>> it.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> It probably started when he was about 5 and I was watching something
about
>> >> the theory of relativity on the TV and after this long discussion on
>> the
>> >> TV
>> >> that he really didn't seem to be following he looked at me and said.
"So
>> >> they're saying that an object in space bends and twists the fabric
>> of
>> >> space
>> >> around it?"
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> *From:* [
>> >> ] *On Behalf Of *
*Sent:* Monday, April 07, 2014 10:36 AM
>> >> *To:*
>> >> *Subject:* RE: [Traveller_TNE] Re: TNE - Stellar failure
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> > On a related through, I noticed in your reply to DED that Frank
>> hated
>> >> the
>> >> > "high-pop hostile" world. I really hate those, too, and (with the
>> >> horrible
>> >> > upheaval even in the Domain of Deneb/Regency) used that as an
>> excuse
>> >> to
>> >> > ruthlessly crush many (maybe most) of those worlds. (In fact, I
>> >> initially
>> >> > went too far and ended up putting some of them back.)
>> >>
>> >> I remember some early pre-TNE conversations where Frank saw the Hard
Times, post-Rebellion, eventually Collapse dynamic as an in-game
>> "silver
>> >> lining" way to get rid of those worlds.
>> >>
>> >> Not an invalid thought, but you'd still have players and RC going to
them
>> >> to scrounge vacuum-preserved goodies. And there was also the dynamic
that
>> >> star change introduced into it. In addition to the Hi-Pop airless
>> rocks
>> >> you also had the Hi-Pop worlds with atmospheres around stars with no
habitable zones, which worked out almost the same way, because you
>> still
>> >> had to put the population under domes or underground to provide
artificial
>> >> heat. Fixing the stars would allow them to survive without
>> technology,
>> >> but
>> >> would require the "Collapser" to remember to fix the star before
applying
>> >> "Collapsing." That is the way it ought to have been done. Maybe the
Gelinas article Alan mentioned in Challenge 77 goes into that, as I
>> am
>> >> clearly leery of saying, "this is what we did, and we succeeded,"
>> where
>> >> that dynamic is involved.
>> >>
>> >> By the way, I had the TV on last night and watched some of the new
"Cosmos" series on Fox, and I realized what the root of all my
>> problems
>> >> is.
>> >>
>> >> The executive producer of the new "Cosmos" is Seth McFarlane (Family
Guy,
>> >> American Dad, Cleveland Show).
>> >>
>> >> Clearly, everything that I thought I knew about anything is wrong.
>> Just
>> >> wrong.
>> >>
>> >> > Ã Oh look, there's Alell. Never mind, DED, we found it.
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> > Oh look, there is a big ol' screw-up on me.
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> > The physical characteristics of Alell are 467. So, yes, indeed, it
>> >> should
>> >> > have had one of its stars increased to be F-K. I probably should
>> have
>> >> made
>> >> > it have stellar data of "K7V M7V". I dunno why I screwed it up.
>> Maybe
>> >> I
>> >> > thought two M7Vs in a tight formation would have produced enough
>> heat?
>> >> > Regardless, I should have definitely bumped it. Maybe I could have
>> >> swapped
>> >> > it around with Boughene and make Boughene be an M7V, and Alell be
>> a
>> >> K7V
>> >> > M7V
>> >> > so as to try and keep the distribution a little more like the
>> >> original.
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> > On a related through, I noticed in your reply to DED that Frank
>> hated
>> >> the
>> >> > "high-pop hostile" world. I really hate those, too, and (with the
>> >> horrible
>> >> > upheaval even in the Domain of Deneb/Regency) used that as an
>> excuse
>> >> to
>> >> > ruthlessly crush many (maybe most) of those worlds. (In fact, I
>> >> initially
>> >> > went too far and ended up putting some of them back.)
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> > Mike West
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >
>