RexTalionis: Technically, Bill's not an astronomer. He's an engineer.

Yep.

Bill Nye was scheduled to speak at my school about a month ago. When I told my kids he was coming to speak, they were so excited. I checked them out of school for the day so they could see and meet him. I watched Bill Nye the Science Guy when I was a kid and my kids still do. My son (he's 10) is especially interested in science. I bought him a microscope that came with slides and everything for his last birthday. He loves doing experiments and coming up with new theories about things he's interested in. I'm going to buy him a chemistry set for Christmas this year. He's always reading my biology, anatomy, and physiology text books. For him, meeting Bill Nye was an awesome experience. He grinned ear to ear for a week and told everyone he met that he got to shake hands with Bill Nye the Science Guy. It was fun.

/Cool Story Mom
//Yes, I am a proud mama!

RexTalionis: Technically, Bill's not an astronomer. He's an engineer.

How does Bill get to go on to have a great career when Pat Cashman wallows in obscurity?

Life isn't fair.

Winning: *I meant TAM videos.

I bet you're addicted to TED talks, too. They're damn fascinating. Like this one (new window).

RexTalionis: Technically, Bill's not an astronomer. He's an engineer.

Technically, he's The Science Guy.

/Bill! Bill! Bill! Bill!

AverageAmericanGuy
How does Bill get to go on to have a great career when Pat Cashman wallows in obscurity?

With Phil Hartman gone, there's an opening for Deep-Voiced Comedy Announcer Guy.

I always thought of Cashman as Almost Live's answer to Phil Hartman.

NDT is the man, ive spent many hours watching just about every talk he's done on youtube.

as mentioned before the TED videos are awesome too. a ton of really interesting stuff there.

Also, NDT has a weekly radio show Link (new window) it's great, very entertaining.

Snubbed.

Listened to the whole thing, great conversation.

I especially liked Tyson's explanation on why government funded projects are necessary for advancement in any pioneering venture.

hawcian: I bet you're addicted to TED talks, too. They're damn fascinating. Like this one (new window).

*rolls over link address.*

very nice.

zato_ichi: [i.imgur.com image 589x428]

Not funny in this thread

Thought it was Mike Tyson for a sec. Can someone make this happen?

Yeah, watching this tomorrow when I get time. Awesome link.

MurphyMurphy: Listened to the whole thing, great conversation.

I especially liked Tyson's explanation on why government funded projects are necessary for advancement in any pioneering venture.

Problem sometimes being exactly what the government intends to fund.
Right now its paying for a system that, unlike constellation or previous, does not advance exploration or technology but will eat the exploration budget. Worse, its making the image that sending people to space is stupidly expensive when that just isn't the case.

They could be putting that into CCDEV and getting alot more mission for their buck. They could also use that to break down the cost barriers by encouraging the commercial market or buying a system designed by the greatest minds to be operationally inexpensive.

Instead they are going for the delicious earmarks. Which damages our capabilities and gives people like Krauss the soapbox to say that robots could do the job of exploration just because they are cheap (when he probably wouldn't accept a robot serving him a burger or dusting his valuables because they are far too expensive and limited to carry out most tasks).

The problem is in getting our politicians to spend the space money wisely, not figuring out what it needs to be spent on.
48 bills would go a long way if they simply shopped more wisely.

I thought that was the guy from Hot Tub Time Machine for a minute.

AverageAmericanGuy: RexTalionis: Technically, Bill's not an astronomer. He's an engineer.

How does Bill get to go on to have a great career when Pat Cashman wallows in obscurity?

Life isn't fair.

Nye possesses those characteristics required to succeed in show business: he's (supposedly) a raging ego-maniacal jerk when not doing his "Science Guy" act.

/According to my brother who's worked with him on a professional basis a few times, that is. Went in excited the first time he was going to meet Nye and has left muttering about what a dick he is ever since.

zato_ichi:

Not cool

spacemanjones: zato_ichi:

Not cool

I think more "not very funny".

Although I have only basic tv-education on astronomy, I love everything I have seen.
I realize that they are generalizing in the documentaries but that is as much as I can handle because my math skills are 11th grade HS.
But I love every minute of all the space and astrophysics documentaries I can get.

Bow-ties are cool.

rev. dave: Although I have only basic tv-education on astronomy, I love everything I have seen.
I realize that they are generalizing in the documentaries but that is as much as I can handle because my math skills are 11th grade HS.
But I love every minute of all the space and astrophysics documentaries I can get.

I'm pretty much in the same boat. Part of what amazes me is so much of the stuff they can actually express in a way I can understand. Half the time it's with pretty graphics, but still.

P8ntfotch: I thought that was the guy from Hot Tub Time Machine for a minute.

John Cusack?

Mr Wizard>Beakman>Bill Nye

Sweet Chin Music: [static.tvguide.com image 210x305]

Snubbed.

Came here for this.

/slaps Dave Foley. "MAN UP!"

As far as Pamela Gay goes, you'd have to be very careful courting a woman like that...

...she really needs her space...

So, a guy whose last published paper (outside of some inclusion in COSMOS releases) is in 2001 and an engineer are who we count as astronomers now?

jaytkay: spacemanjones: zato_ichi:

Not cool

I think more "not very funny".

Seriously, are you guys new here?

dark side of the moon: RexTalionis: Technically, Bill's not an astronomer. He's an engineer.

Yep.

...snip...

/Cool Story Mom
//Yes, I am a proud mama!

You should be proud. That is awesome!

oh and PBTPBTPBTPBTPBTPBTPBTPBT

unchellmatt: masercot: As far as Pamela Gay goes, you'd have to be very careful courting a woman like that...

...she really needs her space...

[web.mit.edu image 440x339]

Still, I bet you she's a monkey woman in the sack. I would so hit it. I have such a thing for geeky women.

I actually agree...pretty hot...

I would do such dirty, unChristian things to this man.

Diogenes TefIcan'tspellthat
/According to my brother who's worked with him on a professional basis a few times, that is. Went in excited the first time he was going to meet Nye and has left muttering about what a dick he is ever since.

He sure as hell doesn't answer his email.

Seriously, Bill? Not even an intern at Nye Central?

Wow, I watched the whole thing. woohoo friday night

jaytkay: spacemanjones: zato_ichi:

Not cool

I think more "not very funny".

So, it's in the solution set that equals "not very funny".

Glad we cleared that up.

The Hutt: Wow, I watched the whole thing. woohoo friday night

Heh, it's okay, I'm right there with you.

/wife's in residency
//goddamned night call
///i think her hair is brown...or was that her eyes?
////I'll have to check in a couple days when I see her again

Bondith: He sure as hell doesn't answer his email.

Seriously, Bill? Not even an intern at Nye Central?

He doesn't respond to requests from the 'Nigerian Monarchy' unless they can spell both 'Nigeria' and 'Monarchy'. So sorry.

Regardless of whether Nye worked with the man in the past, he's not worthy to hold Sagan's used roach. A bowtie is a pitiful successor to a rocking turtleneck and suede suit jacket.

I like Tyson because he doesn't pander to the atheist scientist crowd. He can hold his own in a room of Dawkinsites, and makes some excellent retorts (new window) to religious trolls trying to lump him in with the non-believers.

/While I don't disagree with Dawkins per se, I don't think he's ever been the only voice of reason in the room