Jump to content

Banner.jpg.b89429c566825f6ab32bcafbada449c9.jpg

All Doom and Gloom from Brian Cox


CGolder

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 255
  • Created
  • Last Reply
There has to be an element of entertainment as well as education

I don't care how many people watch it, frankly, those that can't appreciate stuff like astronomy don't have to be cajoled into it. I do care when the BBC is making an entertainment program and passing it off as part of its educational commitment.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't care how many people watch it, frankly, those that can't appreciate stuff like astronomy don't have to be cajoled into it. I do care when the BBC is making an entertainment program and passing it off as part of its educational commitment.

What a snooty elitist attitude.

Today while trying to buy my new telescope i was informed that all the models on my shortlist are out of stock until the end of march. Gutted for me.

The reason I was informed was that since Brian Cox has been doing his thing recently, sales of telescopes have gone through the roof.

Whatever you have to say about the man and his latest program, he inspires a lot of people to get into science. If he inspires the kids in this country to want to get into studying it then that is a GREAT achievement. This country certainly needs people like him to inspire the kids. I imagine there may well have been some great discussions in science lessons all over the country on Monday. Without the next generation of science kids we are going to fall behind as a country.

Plus, nobody has ever slated David Attenborough for not including enough degree level biology into his programs.

If you want more than that from 9pm Sunday viewing i suggest you turn off your television and pick up a science book that is up to your perceived level of self intellect, read it and stop whinging about Brian Cox.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I liked it.

I think it was probably a bit of a blunder starting with this program as the arrow of time can be quite heavy going, but what the heck.

He explained things in a manner that a non-physics audience could understand, I thought his analogies were fine, and I have no problem with him having got himself a job where he gets flown to lots of great places in the world, gets lots of costume changes, and no doubt gets paid a fair sum too.....good luck to the lad :)

Rob

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Did anyone else notice he had the Union flag up-side-down on his sand castle.

You will blame him for the manufacture of that flag next. I doubt he was the one who attached the stick to it. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought it was a bit slow moving - but it did improve in the last 10 minutes, and I wonder if the perception of time he had built throughout the programme would not have been so hard-hitting at the end without the first 50 mins...?

Still - onto better things next week....?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Aha.. maybe deliberately.. isn't that the sign for "In distress.. help" :)

Nah. Wasnt he in the southern hemisphere at the time?. The flag only looked upside down from our perspective being in the northern hemisphere,LOL.

Honestly, i didnt even know there was a right or wrong way to hang the union jack.

Learn something new every day.

Not the worst show ive ever seen by a long shot. He explained what i imagine to be some very complicated issues in a way that even myself or Karl Pilkington can understand. Sorry Karl.

It was all generally interesting. Not sure why we were treated to sea turtles laying eggs. Maybe because its been happening for hundreds of millions of years at the same time every year and humans have only been around for a nano second compared to the time scale of turtles laying eggs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I liked it.

I think it was probably a bit of a blunder starting with this program as the arrow of time can be quite heavy going, but what the heck.

He explained things in a manner that a non-physics audience could understand, I thought his analogies were fine, and I have no problem with him having got himself a job where he gets flown to lots of great places in the world, gets lots of costume changes, and no doubt gets paid a fair sum too.....good luck to the lad :p

Rob

Hear, hear.. :):icon_salut:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, I quite enjoyed the programme, and didn't find it to be 'all doom and gloom'. After all, look on the bright side - we'll all be food for worms long before the end of the universe... :)

True enough, but one thing Brian said that really made me sit back and think was (and i am not directly quoting):

There will come a time when there will be one last perfect day on earth.

Imagine being alive on that last "perfect day" and knowing that the Sun was going to enter its death throws tomorrow and there is not a damn thing you can do about it.

That's kind of depressing but more sobering i think. Because even though you and i wont be around.................many will.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ugh once again the bbc DO NOT make programs just for your viewing pleasure, they have to appeal to a wide audience to get satisfactory viewing figures, or else the program/series gets binned.

the great british public don't want to see programs where the presenter walks around a scrap dealer in surrey explaining entropy, they could feasibly go to a scrap dealers themselves, they want to see different locations. do you think brian cox comes up with all the ideas for the program or is it maybe the producers looking for viewing figures? the point raised about him changing his clothes during the program was thoroughly banal too, he's not lisa simpson with a wardrobe full of the same clothes to wear of course he wears different clothes he's travelling round the world for pete's sake do you go on holiday and kick around in the same grotty clothes the entire time? didn't think so

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There will come a time when there will be one last perfect day on earth.

Imagine being alive on that last "perfect day" and knowing that the Sun was going to enter its death throws tomorrow and there is not a damn thing you can do about it.

That's kind of depressing but more sobering i think. Because even though you and i wont be around.................many will.

He may be right Luke, but I wonder if those that are around will realise when that day is until it's too late.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Honestly, i didnt even know there was a right or wrong way to hang the union jack.

The right way to hang the union jack is on a boat. Otherwise it is a union flag...

Sorry, I seem to have turned into a pedant. :)

Chris

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On balance I liked it.

Most science based programmes only have 5 mins science per hour (Horizon for example) so this had definitely more than average. Although I thought I knew what entropy was I had got it the wrong way around his examples of high and low entropy nailed it for me.

You have to remember the movers and shakers of the BBC all have arts degrees. If you want more science for your buck tune into the OU programmes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't have access to the BBC but from what I read on the thread it sounds like Cox talked about entropy and there was rather a lot of doom and gloom. For those who haven't read it, check out Asimov's "The Last Question"

The Last Question -- Isaac Asimov

It's a short sci fi story about entropy and the heat death of the universe. I think it's quite possibly the best short story Asimov wrote and it's intriguingly hopeful.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I for one didn't find it depressing; wasn't there some nice music at the end to make you feel better? :) I don't know if this offers the more depressed of you a glimmer of hope, but by some theories new Universes are born all the time...

However I did find it frustratingly low on real content. I guess you just have to see it as a nice well-shot hour of pondering. I can't believe he stole the pale blue dot ending straight from Carl Sagan's Cosmos though and didn't even credit him!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.