Comments on: Symphony of Science: Onward to the Edge

By: Onward « A View From The West

Onward « A View From The West — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 17:43:54 +0000

[...] Bad Astronomy. Share this:Like this:LikeBe the first to like this post. from → Astronomy, Music, Science, [...]

By: Messier Tidy Upper

Messier Tidy Upper — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:55:11 +0000

@ ^ Grand Lunar : YES!

Seconded by me – & think that applies to a lot of this series as well.

By: Grand Lunar

Grand Lunar — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 23:27:38 +0000

The SoS videos are often inspiring, and this here is no exception!

Always loved Dr. Tyson’s roles in them.

Perhaps NASA could make use of this video.
Maybe post it on their site.
Or show it to Congress….

By: Joseph G

Joseph G — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 22:05:37 +0000

@26 oldebabe: Autotune is the electronic effect used in the video to turn speech into “singing.” It was originally invented to make singers who couldn’t carry a note in a bucket sound decent. These videos, I think you’ll agree, is a much better use of the technology.

Also, if you have the misfortune of listening to any pop or hip-hop from the last 18 months or so, you’ve undoubtedly heard autotune at some point

By: oldebabe

oldebabe — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 17:56:42 +0000

Oh, most excellent. I can’t stop re-listening… and re-listening… ah, and the punch line …

By: oldebabe

oldebabe — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 17:49:14 +0000

Never heard of `autotune’ before or how it applies here, but this was surely a delightful video/audio in every way. Thanks, Phil.

By: Joseph G

Joseph G — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 17:41:09 +0000

Superluminous. Hyperluminous, even!

Y’know, I agree that autotune is acceptable in this case, but I wonder – given the popularity of SoS, and the (as far as I can tell) relatively approachable nature of the “performers,” isn’t it possible that Tyson, Porco and Cox would be willing to go back and actually sing the relevant lines? Not unlike an actual music video, where the video portion is just lip-synced, with the recorded vocals added later.

By: icewings

icewings — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 17:31:31 +0000

I wish Neil deGrasse Tyson would run for President. But he’s too smart for that. I just hope he inspires lots of kids to become scientists. Maybe they can save the human race.

By: Lewis

Lewis — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 14:57:32 +0000

Autotune in these cases are great because it’s being used in an artistic creative way. Autotune for existing, popular and “talented” artists is something I dislike very much. Anyhow, I’m a huge fan of the SoS series.

By: Random Excess

Random Excess — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 13:42:17 +0000

#10 @ Micheal

NdGT did a series of 12 30-min lectures in a class room type setting. It is very good, here is a link to the first one. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sidLNXlTyU4

By: Onward to the Edge! | Rearranging Prejudices

Onward to the Edge! | Rearranging Prejudices — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 09:43:03 +0000

[...] Beautiful. …[S]haring a love of science is not a zero-sum game, a conserved quantity. The more we share it, the more people who are heard and seen doing it, the more desire there is for it. Each of us broadens the audience for all. There is no fixed capacity for learning and wonder. [...]

By: Teshi

Teshi — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 08:44:58 +0000

What? Who me? I’m not tearing up!

Oh wait, I definitely am. This one was really brilliant.

By: Wzrd1

Wzrd1 — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 04:46:00 +0000

@Al, #15, so, what do you thinkof me?
I believe in a God. But, I firmly believe in reason too.
That said, I also understand daily immersion in life and occupation and the “blindness” it induces. I’ve not personally experienced it, but have observed it in many, many, many, many co-workers.
As an example, I started a new job a few weeks ago. I’m STILL awaiting a logon for our network, but have a local account on my computer.
I have NO duties to attend to, as our client has thoughtfully not provided my token to access their VPN.
So, I’ve spent 1/4 of my workday of one day in learning all there is to know about what I’m the “expert” in. As such research has proved in the past, many times, to MAKE me the subject matter expert, I’ll trust to that experience whenever they get around to letting me access that which I am contracted TO access.
The rest of my time was learning.
I’ve learned quite a few things specific to my current career (in my half century of life, I’ve changed careers as many times as I have decades of life, all a subject matter expert and all analytic in nature.)
The majority were on many, many, many topics. Ranging from current DNA research to drug shortages, to current disease outbreaks, to astronomy, to physics, to IP traffic analysis, to current European economic trends and issues and far, far, far more.
So, I get paid a couple of grand a week to be hopelessly bored OR LEARN SOMETHING NEW.
I’ll stop learning, POSSIBLY, three days after I’m dead. The backlog is that extensive, I read THAT fast and I process even faster.
So, what does a believer like me, who can quote special and general relativity equations verbose and UNDERSTAND THEM INTUITIVELY mean?
Other than one who can think outside of the box, whateverinhell the box LOOKS like?

As for autotune, I halted the video, as there was no verbal content after a few minutes of reading all posts and every time I typed, it halted to consider, as I have over a hundred tabs open on things I monitor daily at least…
Pretty music, cute slideshow, I prefer INFORMATION, not gesticulation. If I wanted the latter, I’d seek tea party candidates or even Hitler films, BOTH prefer inflammatory speech and gesticulation over FACT AND CONTENT.
JUST the facts. Your religion is only of interest in OTHER matters, in a different field of study.

By: VinceRN

VinceRN — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 03:49:47 +0000

Tyson and Cox are awesome scientists and teachers. Don;t really know anything about Porco, but I’ll be looking into her now too. This is a very good piece, I haven’t seen the talk Tyson’s stuff comes from, but I should try to find it.

(Insert redundant complaints about autotune). This is a good piece regardless.

By: Beau

Beau — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 02:29:19 +0000

Ok, this is my new favorite of SoS. Thanks for posting!

By: Symphony of Science: Onward to the Edge | Bad Astronomy … | Technology News

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 01:49:25 +0000

[...] birthday. And I'm pleased to see it features three people I call friends: Neil Tyson, Bri. [Read More] Sains, Science, [...]

By: Al

Al — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 01:34:08 +0000

@2: Phil’s here:

http://youtu.be/1PT90dAA49Q

“Teach a man to reason… and he’ll think for a life time.”

By: Julio Vannini

Julio Vannini — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 01:32:35 +0000

@Crux: that’s the idea Thanks for the correction. (eating the book would have caused a severe pain hehe)

By: Crux Australis

Crux Australis — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 01:20:39 +0000

You *literally* ate the book? Surely, you mean ‘figuratively’.

By: Ari

Ari — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 01:14:03 +0000

I love that a scientist, in promoting science, quotes a poet who was encouraging a young writer. (“try to love the questions themselves” — R.M. Rilke.) Here we are together, indeed.

By: Julio Vannini

Julio Vannini — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 01:00:35 +0000

I was a teenager in mid highschool when I saw “Cosmos” for the first time. I was mesmerized, atonished and marveled when I began to undestand what Science really is and that we all leave in the shore of that vast Cosmic Ocean. A few months later, my late father made a wonderful gift: a hardcore copy of Cosmos. And I literally ate that book with hunger.

Since then, some 20 years ago, my love for astronomy and the passion for teaching, outreaching and sharing the wonders of Sky has been growing and growing… and I really hope it would never stop.

And I am not the only in Nicaragua that shares that passion. Actually, our amateur society carries the name of Carl Sagan, in his sake.

Thank you Carl.

By: Michal

Michal — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 00:56:16 +0000

Haha this is great. I didn’t know Neil Degrasse Tyson did a great courses lecture

By: Messier Tidy Upper

Messier Tidy Upper — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 00:55:04 +0000

Breath-takingly superluminously marvellous. Love it.

Greatest opening scene ever. Not usually a big fan of autotune – but in this case it works really well, methinks.

Here’s hoping Humanity listens to the message here and does indeed continue going onwards into the Black, the Sacre Noir as Sagan called it.

By: Symphony of Science: Onward to the Edge | Technology News

Symphony of Science: Onward to the Edge | Technology News — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 00:54:36 +0000

[...] Cox, and Carolyn Porco: Isn't that wonderful? Symphony of Science is the work of musician [Read More] Sains, Science, [...]

By: David H

David H — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 00:54:27 +0000

@David Zimmerman: Phil was in “A Wave of Reason”. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PT90dAA49Q