Neil deGrasse Tyson to remake Carl Sagan's COSMOS

Ironhide wrote:Is it proper nerdy science or dumbed down for the average viewer?

It's not dumbed down at all, but it does cover the very basics before going into more in depth stuff, and spends a good amount of time on the history of science too. Unlike most shows though, I find that even if it's covering stuff I already know it still manages to be interesting and entertaining. Tyson is a fantastic presenter and it all looks lovely.

Another good episode.

Finally caught up on the episodes, what a brilliant show.

The evolution episode was awesome, shows the power of nature. Also manages to portray the span of time for evolution to occur which I think a lot of people struggle to comprehend. Massive strawberry float you to the young earth religious whacks :lol:

The gravity episode was a low point for me, but sill enjoyable nonetheless.

Been watching this recently, up to the gravity episode. Not finding it particularly good at all.

Its all very basic, and spends far too much time preaching or doing stupid cartoons. Not enough hard science.

And if I have to hear ship of the imagination one more time.

Also - http://io9.com/creationist-cosmos-revea ... 1563393016

Yep. That is why I stopped watching after episode 2 (which I enjoyed), because someone said episode 3 had more cartoons.

Why do I want to see cartoons? I want to see the universe god damn it. And I am too sceptical to blindly accept half the stuff they say, I want more facts. For example they say "This happened, and that happened", but they neglect to say how we know that.

I can see why they did it, because it'll entertain idiots and explain basic ideas. But the problem with most of the cartoon scripts is that they suppose dialogues between people. You cant just make up an entertaining conversation between people because it makes nice story fluff, as you discredit the science that follows.

The cartoons are fantastic. Like the original, one of the purposes of the show is to highlight the work of great scientists from history, and I've really appreciated how it's showcased lesser known people alongside the obvious choices. Also manny,

1cmanny1 wrote:And I am too sceptical to blindly accept half the stuff they say, I want more facts. For example they say "This happened, and that happened", but they neglect to say how we know that.

You've said this before, and I'm curious to know what you feel hasn't been explained? Again, part of the point of the history stuff is to show how discoveries were made, rather than just explain what was discovered. Even so, scepticism isn't just about not taking things at face value. If you want to know more about something you can research it to a far deeper level than a 45 minute TV show can. As far as I'm aware nothing the show has presented so far has been incorrect, and it's always been clear about what is simply not known, and what is speculation.

I don't think it's fair to say it limits its content to basic ideas either. It certainly covers basic stuff, but it's always used them as a platform to explore deeper and deeper ideas in a non-patronising way. I've been impressed at how it's managed to make some relatively complex stuff really simple to understand too. Things may well have changed now, but when I was at high school we were taught a really simple structure of the atom for instance, and while we were told it was not what they were really like it wasn't until A-Level that I was taught the correct model. Cosmos just jumped straight to discussing energy levels. Sure it doesn't go into any of the maths involved, but it explains enough to cover the subjects involved without resorting to any simplified shorthand.

I think if you're looking for a pure hard science show then Cosmos isn't really the place to look. The original series' subtitle was "A Personal Voyage" and was a mix of science, philosophy, history and even politics to some extent. This seems no different, and like its predecessor its range is so vast that you could base an entire series around many of the subjects it covers. It is however totally unique, entertaining and in my opinion often fascinating. I really, really love it.

I had difficulty understanding last weeks episode when it started talking about atomic light and gooseberry fool :dread:

Loved the use of Rhapsody in Blue though :wub:

Saw this on one of the few good subreddits.

http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/23o92d/on_cosmos_neil_degrassetyson_said_some_historians/

This is why I have an issue blindly believing the stuff they say. This is ancient alien level bullshit.

There's a big difference between saying "some historians believe" and "this happened, fact". The show also points out that some people believe the universe to be 6,000 years old.

Incidentally, the episode that was plucked from was pretty much all about challenging accepted knowledge through the pursuit of evidence.

Watched the one with the arabic science stuff last night, much better episode. Heavy on the cartoons again but provided a lot of info instead of supposition.

They're using cartoons instead of the original series' actors in period costume. I think they work much better, and capture kids attention/imagination.

I hate them, I want to see space and science. However before I start moaning, I should probably watch a couple more episodes.

You should watch Universe from the History Channel. I have them all on bluray and they are very good.

That looks pretty good. Want to send them over?

no

Struggled a bit with the last episode about neutrinos and atoms. I understand the words he's saying and the way he explains things in simple-gibber-speak, but even then it's hard to get your head round :lol:

This programme is fantastic. Absolutely loving it and also NdGT :wub:

.

Seen all but the final episode on Netflix and it's pretty good.

I don't mind that it is a bit basic at times as it's clearly aimed at a wide audience but there's still a lot of mind blowing stuff in there too.

I thought the stuff about sub atomic particles was incredibly well explained and the episode about climate change really conveyed how serious an issue it is.

Just finished this. Really enjoyed spreading it out and now that it's over I'm gutted. Some of the most wonderful television (or anything, for that matter) I have ever seen. Everyone should watch this.

Neil deGrasse Tyson to remake Carl Sagan's COSMOS

Who is online

Affiliates