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GeekNights 20100617 - Carl Sagan's Cosmos

MrPeriodMrPeriod
edited June 2010 in GeekNights

Tonight on GeekNights it's the book club discussing Carl Sagan's Cosmos. The next book club selection is The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch. In the news we discuss FIFA World Cup 2010.

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  • ElJoe0ElJoe0
    Talking about pirate video streams, you could just watch the Univision feed and tune into a radio commentary feed. What bars in the UK do is they use satellite feed from Germany or France and put on BBC Radio 5 over the audio of the satellite feed.
  • Nine BoomerNine Boomer
    Where the hell did Mr. Period come from?
  • RymRym
    Where the hell did Mr. Period come from?
    He hasn't logged in for some time now. We borrowed his account to make these posts out of laziness and convenience.
  • GeoGeo
    Where the hell did Mr. Period come from?
    He hasn't logged in for some time now. We borrowed his account to make these posts out of laziness and convenience.
    Other the aforementioned reasons you gave, I fail to see why it would matter what account you use. Wouldn't it be more effort to log out of either one of your accounts, find a dead moderator's login info, log into it, and use that instead?
  • RymRym
    Wouldn't it be more effort to log out of either one of your accounts, find a dead moderator's login info, log into it, and use that instead?
    We hit the forum programmatically for stuff like this. It's not like I'm typing credentials into the system to make an automatic post.

    We could log into the forum as any one of you if I really wanted. The database is just that: a database. I could change every instance of the word "the" to penis, and it would take less effort than the typing of this very post.

    Also, an additional reason: it's a familiar account to you, but isn't associated with one of myself or Scott. It's more neutral.
  • ZakoSoldierZakoSoldier
    A few comments on Cosmos. There are a few really fiddly things that a number has changed or something small like that. I have yet to read Cosmos although I have watched the show. I have the book and have read some of his other books. I would suggest Demon Haunted World:Science as a Candle in the Dark, in which he attacks pseudoscience and other things like that but it is still done his style.
  • Luke BurrageLuke Burrage
    Nice episode! You convinced me on The Lies of Locke Lamora, and I just picked it up from the second hand bookshop. It might be a while before I read it, but hell, it'll be a long time before Rym reads it too.

    As for discussions on Cosmos and the cosmos in general, it was quite entertaining listening to you guys trying to figure out the ramifications to an expanding universe from first principles. Scott's idea, with two objects parting at the big bang, and still being visible, isn't actually bullshit. We still can see light from the very start of the universe (or from the time when light was first possible). It has red-shifted so far it has become something else, and is now known as the cosmic microwave background radiation. This was actually discovered by accident, and earned two radio dish technicians a nobel prize in physics! I guess before then there were people like Scott sitting around thinking exactly the same thing, but with no answer.

    There were some other points I was going to make, but I can't remember them now.
  • AprecheApreche
    There were some other points I was going to make, but I can't remember them now.
    That's ok. I just finished reading it not more than a couple weeks ago and can't remember which scientist discovered what.
  • Luke BurrageLuke Burrage
    That's ok. I just finished reading it not more than a couple weeks ago and can't remember which scientist discovered what.
    Which reminds me of another point I was going to make.

    Forget Bill Bryson's book, the one you should really read is Who Discovered What When.

    The other points were more about struggling to understand relativity, but even though I do understand it, I'm really not the best person to explain that shit.
  • AprecheApreche
    Forget Bill Bryson's book, the one you should really read isWho Discovered What When.
    That needs to be a web site.
  • TechparadoxTechparadox
    edited June 2010
    Expanded Show Notes:

    Geeknights 20100617 - Book Club: Carl Sagan's Cosmos

    Extended Show Notes - Total Run Time 00:53:34

    Time | Notes
    ---------+----------------------------------------------------------
    00:00:00 | Intro
    00:00:26 | News and Chit-chat
    | - What to do about vuvuzelas...
    | - Scott plays with his bag (of fancy M&Ms)
    | - Discussion of snack foods and how nasty Combos are
    | - Vuvuzelas at golf matches/rounds/whatever you call a game of golf
    | - Putt-putt mini-golf
    | - Vuvuzelas in other inappropriate contexts
    | - Stealth vuvuzelas
    | - Flashmobs (with vuvuzelas!)
    | - Anyone can play a vuvuzela! (No they can't!!) (Yes they can!!!)
    00:11:13 | - World Cup matches
    | - Morality of using pirate video streams
    | - World Cup commentary
    | - Soccer team dynamics
    00:17:01 | Things of the Day
    | - Rym - Vuvuzela Downfall parody
    | - Vuvuzela jokes in general
    | - Vuvuzela video games
    | - FIFA 2011 should have a vuvuzela volume slider
    | - Scott - The Case of the Poopy Nintendo
    | - Methods of stopping vuvuzela players
    00:21:34 | Meta Moment
    | - ConnectiCon 2010 is July 9-11
    | - NerdNYC Recess is this weekend, June 19
    | - Book Club: The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
    | - More upcoming stuff in the city will be discussed in the future
    00:28:11 | Main Topic
    | - Book Club: Cosmos by Carl Sagan
    | - Great value for the dollar - explains history and science both
    | - Tells the story of the universe in a non-boring way
    | - Understandable by everyone
    | - Full of things everyone should know about science
    | - Astronomy was a huge pasttime for previous eras
    | - An excellent refresher of science you may have learned earlier
    | - The book makes you think about the structure of the universe
    | - Could our universe be a black hole?
    | - Discussion on the expansion of the universe
    | - Discussion of near-lightspeed travel
    | - The book doesn't just present the information...
    | - ...it gives you a path to draw your own conclusions.
    | - The TV show is similar to the book but not an exact copy
    | - Discussion of historical scientists
    | - Mention of "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
    | - Discussion of how we don't know if what we're doing today is wrong, science-wise
    | - Cosmos should be required reading for middle-school and above science classes
    | - The book is written from an "Check this out - isn't this awesome?" standpoint
    | - The big bang happened... (*** OMG SPOILERS!!!!!! ***)
    | - Most of the book is old, definitively proven science
    | - The TV show presents updates to some of the info in the book
    00:52:35 | Outro
    Post edited by Techparadox on
  • Luke BurrageLuke Burrage
    These show notes, on the right pages, will bring in the google juice!
  • AprecheApreche
    These show notes, on the right pages, will bring in the google juice!
    I'm working on it. It's not easy.
  • RyienKuRyienKu
    edited June 2010
    Now a book club/random discussion show on Nietzsche. That could be interesting and hilarious.

    Dooooo it.
    Post edited by RyienKu on
  • Victor FrostVictor Frost
    I listened to Carl Sagan reading it in the audiobook. Cosmos is one of my favorites.
  • NeitoNeito
    Hearing Rym talk about "Selective reading of Cosmos" made me think of this clip:

  • Luke BurrageLuke Burrage
    Once again demonstrating why I will never bother to watch an episode of Family Guy.
  • PeguPegu
    image
  • Victor FrostVictor Frost
    I have a vuvuzela app for my android phone.
  • Dr. TimoDr. Timo
    I could change every instance of the word "the" to penis, and it would take less effort than the typing of this very post.
    Please!

    Also, on the expanding universe thingy; a rubber balloon analogy goes a long way.
  • TheWhaleSharkTheWhaleShark
    I have a vuvuzela app for my android phone.
    Really?

    I have one now too. My co-worker threatened to beat me to death with a stapler if I continued playing it.
  • NeitoNeito
    So, I'm about a quarter of the way through Lies of Locke Lamora. It's a pretty easy read so far, but very very interesting. One thing I love how he does is he'll show you something (like the scene with the midnighters, or the scene with them getting the corpse), then explain everything about it afterward. It's kinda interesting to be able to see the con at face value, then see it in a new light. It's a nifty concept. And the intermission chapters being mixed in with the "real" story is also pretty cool. Rather than getting Locke's backstory in one big glob, you get it mixed in with the main story.
  • RymRym
    Locke Lamora
    It's simple and fun so far. The writing style is very utilitarian, and doesn't stand out, though. This book carries itself almost entirely on the events as they occured (or were perceived), rather than the manner in which they are described.
  • AprecheApreche
    Locke Lamora
    It's simple and fun so far. The writing style is very utilitarian, and doesn't stand out, though. This book carries itself almost entirely on the events as they occured (or were perceived), rather than the manner in which they are described.
    This is precisely why I had some hope that we would be able to get more people to actually read it.
  • ApsupApsup
    This is precisely why I had some hope that we would be able to get more people to actually read it.
    I'll read every book of the bookclub, but on my own pace, have have taken disappointingly long time with Kavalier and Clay (planning to finish it this weekend). After that there is Snow Crash in my bookshelf waiting for me and I should get around reading books outside of the bookclub, like The judging Eye. So I'll read Locke Lamora, but not now.
  • blast flameblast flame
    edited July 2010
    I can't remember exactly if this was the episode in which you joked about having a soccer game with a locked Vuvuzela volume meter but I saw this posted on reddit...

    image
    Post edited by blast flame on
  • ChurbaChurba
    I can't remember exactly if this was the episode in which you joked about having a soccer game with a locked Vuvuzela volume meter but I saw this...
    Yep, you have to win a game before that unlocks.
  • Luke BurrageLuke Burrage
    I'm reading The Lies of Locke Lamora at the moment. It's quite fun so far. I have some minor issues with the writing style, but nothing I can't get used to.
  • cosmicenemacosmicenema
    edited July 2010
    Oddly I just finished "A Short History of Nearly Everything" last week and thoroughly enjoyed it! If you liked "Cosmos" check it out.
    Post edited by cosmicenema on
  • gomidoggomidog
    Oddly I just finished "A Short History of Nearly Everything" last week and thoroughly enjoyed it! If you liked "Cosmos" check it out.
    Rym and I have read it.
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