There has been some chatter about Carl Sagan's Cosmos being available online in the chatter pannel, which got me thinking.
The first series that got me hooked on these epic, far reaching TV series was Jacob Bronowski's The Ascent of Man. He was a prominent mathematician, but his mind was not bound by mere numbers. He was more of a numbers-based anthropologist, able to dissect what it is to be human through the lens of science. Much like one of my favorite authors, Lauren Eisley.
The Ascent of Man talked about not just science, but the scientific mind and the unraveling of the human story. Filmed at the height of cold war tension, the series is an appeal to the scientific reason which both brought us to the verge of annihilation, and could being us back. Here is the final clip, where Bronowski goes to Auschwitz, where many of his friends and family members were killed.
It is one of the most moving pieces of film I have ever seen.
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10/23/2008 09:13 #46269
Jacob Bronowski10/22/2008 19:27 #46257
Fucking Idiot in Chief.
I have said it before and I will say it again, John McCain should have fired his entire political operation months ago. Look at that scarf!
I guess while in Neiman Marcus spending $115,000.00 she asked the sales clerk "I need a political scarf, the one for my party. Is that the one with the Elephant or the Donkey?"
and the good clerk said hiding the smile "The donkey, definitely the donkey. You betch'ya."
gardenmama - 10/23/08 16:50
Re: libertad's comment - "How many are LEFT?" LEFT - that's hysterical!
Re: libertad's comment - "How many are LEFT?" LEFT - that's hysterical!
james - 10/23/08 11:06
Well Taddykins, she dropped 150k at a few different retailers. NM, Macy's, Saks, to name a few. I am not sure if she picked up this gem at any of those, but it is hilarious to speculate.
Well Taddykins, she dropped 150k at a few different retailers. NM, Macy's, Saks, to name a few. I am not sure if she picked up this gem at any of those, but it is hilarious to speculate.
fellyconnelly - 10/23/08 11:00
hahahahaha awesome!
hahahahaha awesome!
libertad - 10/23/08 10:55
No luck on the website. I'm thinking about calling them with a super femme voice and say "I just have to have that scarf that Sarah Palin was wearing at the latest rally. How many are left?!"
No luck on the website. I'm thinking about calling them with a super femme voice and say "I just have to have that scarf that Sarah Palin was wearing at the latest rally. How many are left?!"
libertad - 10/23/08 10:50
Thank you for a great laugh. I didn't even notice the donkeys at first because I was so taken aback by the absolutely hideous scarf itself. Now I wonder if they have that listed on their website...
Thank you for a great laugh. I didn't even notice the donkeys at first because I was so taken aback by the absolutely hideous scarf itself. Now I wonder if they have that listed on their website...
jason - 10/23/08 09:12
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA......HAHAHAHAHA. Unbelievable.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA......HAHAHAHAHA. Unbelievable.
james - 10/22/08 22:11
Paul: the story isn't fake. It was all in the campaign's financial disclosure reports.
But christ she must be dumb.
Paul: the story isn't fake. It was all in the campaign's financial disclosure reports.
But christ she must be dumb.
paul - 10/22/08 22:04
Is that for real? It seriously blows my mind that she can be so dumb. I mean even if the story is fake about the shopping experience, she is wearing a red, white, and blue donkey scarf that says vote on it, lol.
Is that for real? It seriously blows my mind that she can be so dumb. I mean even if the story is fake about the shopping experience, she is wearing a red, white, and blue donkey scarf that says vote on it, lol.
gardenmama - 10/22/08 19:58
I'd say definitely an ASS!
I'd say definitely an ASS!
janelle - 10/22/08 19:33
Or a goat??
Or a goat??
tinypliny - 10/22/08 19:33
Hahaha... $115K in erroneous scarves.
Hahaha... $115K in erroneous scarves.
janelle - 10/22/08 19:32
Maybe they are moose or caribou.
Maybe they are moose or caribou.
10/22/2008 08:50 #46246
And the Ass Saw the Angel...... and that angel had pea soup on his chin.
John McCain got an endorsement today that is right out of the Onion. John McCain has said he will be tough on terror. He wont come home from Iraq in defeat. John McCain is going to crack down on rogue states like Iran and their all powerful president. So it is no surprise that McCain should receive the endorsment of...al-Qaeda?
What a chilling retelling of The Emperor's New Cloths.
John McCain got an endorsement today that is right out of the Onion. John McCain has said he will be tough on terror. He wont come home from Iraq in defeat. John McCain is going to crack down on rogue states like Iran and their all powerful president. So it is no surprise that McCain should receive the endorsment of...al-Qaeda?
This requires presence of an impetuous American leader such as McCain, who pledged to continue the war till the last American soldier," the message said.
"Then, al-Qaeda will have to support McCain in the coming elections so that he continues the failing march of his predecessor, Bush."
"If al-Qaeda carries out a big operation against American interests," it said, "this act will be support of McCain because it will push the Americans deliberately to vote for McCain so that he takes revenge for them against al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda then will succeed in exhausting America till its last year in it."
What a chilling retelling of The Emperor's New Cloths.
tinypliny - 10/22/08 11:37
LOLZ it's just so conspiracy theorized, I couldn't help it. ;D
LOLZ it's just so conspiracy theorized, I couldn't help it. ;D
james - 10/22/08 11:35
They could use someone like you at FoxNews TP. ^_^
They could use someone like you at FoxNews TP. ^_^
tinypliny - 10/22/08 11:31
Or it could be a reverse psychology attempt to make people vote for Dems.
Or it could be a reverse psychology attempt to make people vote for Dems.
james - 10/22/08 09:11
Chilling indeed.
Perhaps more chilling was that al-Qaeda communicates via online forum. Can you imagine what those flame wars look like?
Chilling indeed.
Perhaps more chilling was that al-Qaeda communicates via online forum. Can you imagine what those flame wars look like?
jason - 10/22/08 09:08
Apparently they believe in McCain so much they are willing to execute a pre-election attack to make it more likely. Obviously none of us support this, but it is chilling as hell, ain't it? It sounds like they're talking raw numbers, like they can kill more Americans if McCain is elected.
Apparently they believe in McCain so much they are willing to execute a pre-election attack to make it more likely. Obviously none of us support this, but it is chilling as hell, ain't it? It sounds like they're talking raw numbers, like they can kill more Americans if McCain is elected.
10/21/2008 13:48 #46232
We Come in PeaceNever has the 70's been so monumentally awesome.
10/20/2008 16:58 #46212
Happy MeaversaryThis is my 300th journal. I think a month ago I had 250, but I am working hard to make semi-quality posts for you (e:Paul) so we meet our quota.
I have been so busy this summer I didn't get a chance to take as many photos as I would have liked, but here are a few I took with my homemade pinhole camera. I took all of these on that walkway ontop the tide break on the Niagara river.
It makes nice little abstractions from objects on account of the lack of focus. Often the lens will be dirty, and being just a pinhole it gets some cool color anomalies.
But sometimes a regular landscape looks like something soaked in gin.
This winter, I need to do more indoor photos. Which means bigger, badder light bulbs!
I have been so busy this summer I didn't get a chance to take as many photos as I would have liked, but here are a few I took with my homemade pinhole camera. I took all of these on that walkway ontop the tide break on the Niagara river.
It makes nice little abstractions from objects on account of the lack of focus. Often the lens will be dirty, and being just a pinhole it gets some cool color anomalies.
But sometimes a regular landscape looks like something soaked in gin.
This winter, I need to do more indoor photos. Which means bigger, badder light bulbs!
Very cool indeed. And I find myself agreeing with everything he says. Science is about knowing that we are just human and rejoicing in that knowledge for the better.
Damn, James. I think you've turned me on to a series I'm really going to enjoy. Thanks a bunch.
That is what I love about the series and something I think the current angry-atheist movement could learn from. If religion, as they contend, is a symptom of ignorance, why not fight ignorance? Ignorance does not infect only the religious and it is ignorance, not religion, that perpetrates crimes of faith.
This is a great clip. It's not a science v. religion thing, or a right v. left thing, it's arrogance and certainty v. humility and inquiry.
It isn't a good TV series unless there is that cold war hullabaloo. My favorite series are
1)The Ascent of Man
2)Connections
3)Cosmos
and all three are just brimming with atom bomb terror.
I'm sure you noticed this too, but watching Cosmos it really seemed like Sagan thought we were really going to blow each other all to hell.