I think NDT is doing a fantastic job so far

4/8/2014 9:37:05 PM

I love the subtle and not so subtle references to the original. I am a little dismayed that it took four episodes to get a "billions and billions" reference unless I missed it earlier.

4/9/2014 1:19:57 PM

"billions and billions" was never actually said in the original Cosmos.

4/9/2014 1:28:01 PM

Quote :

"I think NDT is doing a fantastic job so far"

Dude's got a mean pimp walk too.

4/9/2014 2:17:19 PM

Meh. Even if not, the phrase is still attributed to Sagan.

4/9/2014 2:22:11 PM

oh yeah no doubt. one of his last books was titled "billions and billions" (he always took the jokes about the phrase in good humor since he purposely emphasised the "B" in billion)

4/9/2014 2:53:33 PM

Sorry, but the change in classification for Pluto makes sense. Anyway I wonder how many heads exploded when he explained some significant contributions to science from the Islamic world.

4/10/2014 10:15:46 PM

Quote :

" Sorry, but the change in classification for Pluto makes sense"

Who's saying otherwise...?

4/10/2014 10:25:20 PM

^lol thought the same thing. The only other mention of Pluto in this thread is someone saying the same exact thing.

4/11/2014 8:40:37 AM

I'm still pissed that Ceres, Pallas, Juno, and Vesta were declassified as planets in the 1850's

4/11/2014 8:47:12 AM

My reaction certainly wasn't "OMG NGT hates Christianity!!1", but rather "WTF happened to Islam then?" I feel as though the same thing could happen here if Radical Christianity continues to have a significant influence on certain elected officials....

4/11/2014 2:27:39 PM

^ he talks about that too (or maybe he talked about it in his Hunt Library discussion...), but there was some cleric a long time ago who basically made it wrong to ask questions in Islam, and that's when they went downhill.

Islam is what ended the Dark Ages in Europe...

But when you look at the staggering number of Americans that reject the theory of evolution, it's not hard to believe we are on the precipice of a "don't ask questions" era. The answers we are getting back recently have been particularly damning of religion, which makes me think the opposition to questioning is only going to increase.

4/11/2014 3:26:57 PM

I've seen this floating around, and I would desperately like for someone to confirm that this is akin to The Onion or The New Yorker...
Kansas to Black Out “Cosmos” Show Over Controversies

Quote :

"National Report>The Fox television show COSMOS: A Spacetime Odyssey has attracted its fair share of detractors since the docudrama first aired on March 9th. But soon, the controversy revolving around the show might reach climactic new heights, as several State senators in Kansas will propose a bill on Thursday that would force Fox affiliates in their state to black out the science show completely. The bill, which many are expecting will pass, would force local Kansas television stations affiliated with Fox to pay steep fines for airing the program. Should any network continue to air all thirteen episodes of the show’s first season, the State would move to revoke their broadcasting privileges completely, driving those networks off the air. Conservative lawmakers in Kansas are, however, offering Fox a back door through which they could skirt the new law: they won’t press this law into effect if Fox will agree to immediately develop a new show, hosted by young-Earth creationist Ken Ham, which pushes the theories of so-called “intelligent design.” This new show would need to be aired on Sunday evenings, before Cosmos, in order for the small-time Fox affiliates to avoid Kansas’ legislative wrath. The new bill is the brainchild of an ironically-named Kansas State Senator: Tom Edison (R). “Cosmos is a liberal brainwashing program, designed to force our children into questioning the existence of our lord and savior Jesus Christ,” Edison said during a recent interview on one of the Fox affiliates under the gun. “It’s a keystone of the liberal agenda that America’s youth be converted into following their so-called `logic,’ so conservatism dies out in a generation or two. Well, we aren’t going to stand for this. We aren’t going to let this TV show ruin our children.” Edison went on to explain all the reasons why he “hates” the TV show. “This show has no basis in reality whatsoever. The host goes on and on about science and scientific method, but never once does he say anything positive about Jesus. He claims evolution and global warming are facts, not the opinions we all know them to really be. And he very proudly tells viewers that he wants our children to question authority, question religion and faith. This show won’t rest until all of our children are godless heathen liberals.” His problems with Cosmos didn’t end there, either. “I’ve been watching this show since the first episode. They’ve gone to great lengths to claim Christianity has been terrible for science, and oppressive toward scientists. But then, last night [April 6th], the host goes on a huge tirade about how awesome Islam is and how the Arabs were all pro-science! So let me make sure I understand this… Christianity is evil, God doesn’t exist, and Muslims are the kindest people on Earth? This show is a scourge, and our black out bill is the cure.” Opponents of the bill note that it’s a clear violation of the first amendment, and the federal government may intervene with legal actions of their own should the law pass. “This law clearly violates free speech, as well as the separation of church and state,” said a statement issued by the Justice Department. “If we need to take this fight all the way to the Supreme Court, we’re prepared to do so.” But Edison claims he isn’t worried about any legal action taken against the bill by the Federal government. “Jesus will protect this bill and ensure its safe passage. These liberal science-lovers might question the power of the almighty, but real believers in Christ know that soon, these people are going to see real evidence of the existence of God, when he delivers us from this television show.”"

http://nationalreport.net/kansas-black-cosmos-show-controversies/

And in other news...
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/03/12/oklahoma-fox-station-removes-evolution-from-cosmos-by-cutting-only-15-seconds/

4/12/2014 7:33:06 PM

Quote :

"National Report is a news and political satire web publication, which may or may not use real names, often in semi-real or mostly fictitious ways. All news articles contained within National Report are fiction, and presumably fake news. Any resemblance to the truth is purely coincidental. Read more at http://www.snopes.com/politics/satire/cosmos.asp#uZYc0ZPrvsB7Zh4M.99"

4/12/2014 7:49:32 PM

...Annnnd breathe..... Thank you.

4/12/2014 7:51:19 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSgiXGELjbc

4/27/2014 11:28:09 PM

Haha. I am glad someone else thought that too. My wife thought I was crazy when I got all excited and started laughing.

4/28/2014 8:00:10 AM

Nother gr8 sode

5/5/2014 12:03:38 AM

"The dinosaurs didn't see the asteroid coming. What's our excuse?"

5/5/2014 7:44:28 AM

That was dumb.

5/5/2014 8:57:27 AM

Pretty cool story about faraday. I wonder how much they are dramatizing this? Pretty amazing faraday a glass sample was so useful after all those years.

If they taught science and math by humanizing the discoverers like this in schools, I bet way more students would be interested.

5/12/2014 12:01:54 AM

i was channel surfing and came across the animation and thought "WTF is this shit?" then i heard NDT's voice and realized it was this show and after watching for 5 minutes, it's apparent that they're just using it as filler.

couldn't NDT just paraphrase the Faraday stuff? why the cheesy cartoons?

5/14/2014 12:08:30 PM

^Because...

Quote :

"If they taught science and math by humanizing the discoverers like this in schools, I bet way more students would be interested."

My wife and I say this all the time while watching this show.

5/15/2014 9:21:19 AM

I love how they pointed out that the Gilgamesh flood came first. That is sure to set some peoples' hair on fire tomorrow.

5/18/2014 9:22:04 PM

Here we go with the hippy shit

5/18/2014 9:58:04 PM

How about teaching science to adults? Most of the country still needs a fairy godmother to make themselves feel better.

5/19/2014 1:12:21 AM

Religious people can't fathom the timescale exists before the Bible. Cognitive dissonance will just tell them that's not true.

I like the depiction of panspermia though. I generally dismissed the idea, but if you accept that evidence suggests life was evolving while the earth should have been lava, we know organisms can survive in space, and we know rocks can bounce between planets, the idea that biogenesis is a process of a solar system or galaxy rather than a single planet becomes very compelling.

This seems like a hypothesis that could be tested in various ways.

5/19/2014 2:12:39 AM

Quote :

"Here we go with the hippy shit 5/18/2014 9:58:04 PM"

Ha I think is pretty obvious that one of the objectives of the writers of this show is to demonstrate that spirituality can exist independently of mythology. You can see beauty in nature and science, you can believe in an afterlife of sorts, without relying on myths or nonsensical dogma.

5/19/2014 2:14:54 AM

^ I was referring to the predictions for the future with a peaceful and unified humanity.

5/19/2014 8:38:04 AM

Oh, yeah, that's never going to happen.

5/20/2014 6:18:53 PM

OMG BOYCOTTING COSMOS

"Maybe it's those damn volcanoes"

6/1/2014 10:18:45 PM

MacFarlane Refined Lard

6/2/2014 8:51:48 PM