We could use somebody like Carl Sagan now.

[nytemare]

His series, "Cosmos" has been airing on the Science Channel. I have read many books by him, and thoroughly enjoyed them all. He has this ability in his writing to bring out such wonder in the reader. He was a challenging force against the existence of nuclear weapons, and the dangers of our treatment of the planet. In this era, we could sure use him. It has been almost 10 years since his death, and he is sorely missed.

[WindRavenX]

1. "Contact" changed my life

(the book, not the movie)

What a wonderful mind.

And what a big time pot head :D

[nytemare]

3. I will say he never appeared high on "Cosmos".

He was always one to argue for legalization, especially for medical purposes.

I need to read "Contact". Now, I am reading "Demon Haunted World". It is a wonderful book.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

5. Go get "Dragons in Eden" first -nt

[nytemare]

6. I have that one, I will read it when I am finished with

Demon Haunted World.

So I guess that is a good one? I have read "Broca's Brain", "Billions and Billions", and the one I am reading now. I enjoy his style of writing.

:hi:

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

8. Good, you have the quintessential Carl Sagan then.

Next: Isaac Asimov's Guide to the Bible.

And no, he doesn't bash it. Rather, he analyzes it with the impartial eye of an historian, and comes up with all sort of interesting historical facts. (Yeah, I know, for some that's bashing.)

[nytemare]

9. I have one book by Bertrand Russell

"On why I am not a Christian". Interesting topic, but not a very enjoyable read.

I think of much of the Bible as being about survival and a book of its time. The mortality rate of infants was much higher then, hence be fruitful and multiply. Pork made people sick with food poisoning. Slavery, war, sexism, and about all that ails us was promoted in the bible, but I think many fail to look at the book in the context of the time it was written.

The thing I was thinking last week was, if everyone in the Old Testament lived to be 5-600 years old, and the earth is only 6000 years old, some of them should still be alive.

:D

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

10. This is seriously becoming a free-association subthread.

Since you mentioned Bertrand Russell, fetch "In Praise of Idleness."

[nytemare]

11. And, while I'm at that, I will pick up a book on Buddhism, meditation.

:D

[Deja Q]

4. How different is the movie to the book?

I LOVED the movie. A wonderful, surprisingly intellectual piece that was surprisingly well received by a mass marketed public I usually deem to be as intelligent as those monkeys at the zoo who have nothing better to do than pick gnats out of each others' hind quarters...

[nytemare]

7. I have known people to love or hate that movie.

I love it. I find it challenging, but for some reason, relaxing as well.

I got "Cosmos" on DVD now, and between watching that, and reading his books, you find little bits of "Contact" in all of it.

[qnr]

2. I miss Carl, and I miss Lewis Thomas n/t