Comments on: A Tribute to Carl Sagan http://www.daylightatheism.org/2006/11/a-tribute-to-carl-sagan.html NIGHTTIME IS FOR DREAMING. DAYLIGHT IS FOR ACTION. Wed, 7 Jan 2009 07:32:47 +0000 By: Snake http://www.daylightatheism.org/2006/11/a-tribute-to-carl-sagan.html#comment-25521 Snake Sun, 15 Jul 2007 00:11:48 +0000 http://www.daylightatheism.org/2006/11/a-tribute-to-carl-sagan.html#comment-25521 Cosmos was my first space documentary and i was instantly hooked.I compare every doc which i saw to Cosmos after that, i can see why people miss him so much,we get drawn into his enthusiasm for knowledge,when i first heard "We are made of star stuff,we are a way for the Cosmos to know itself",i knew i was in right hands. Cosmos was my first space documentary and i was instantly hooked.I compare every doc which i saw to Cosmos after that, i can see why people miss him so much,we get drawn into his enthusiasm for knowledge,when i first heard "We are made of star stuff,we are a way for the Cosmos to know itself",i knew i was in right hands.

]]> By: Andy Fleming http://www.daylightatheism.org/2006/11/a-tribute-to-carl-sagan.html#comment-10750 Andy Fleming Sat, 16 Dec 2006 01:39:03 +0000 http://www.daylightatheism.org/2006/11/a-tribute-to-carl-sagan.html#comment-10750 I share the sentiments in the eloquently written and beautiful tribute at the top of this page completely. Carl Sagan was indeed a very special person who through both the series and the book Cosmos, has changed my way of thinking about the cosmos and our place in it profoundly. My 10 year old son is hooked on both Cosmos and Contact, and through Cosmos is getting his first telescope for Christmas (we've used binoculars for many years!) I vaguely remember as a teenager being captivated by Carl, in the 1970s with his involvement in the NASA missions to the moon, Mars, and of course the Golden Record on Pioneers 10 and 11. I remember his passion and enthusiasm when he was frequently interviewed on BBC-TV. It is to my eternal shame that I missed both Cosmos when it was aired for the only time on BBC TV here in the UK in the early 80s, and the news of his illness and death in 1996. I even watched "Contact", which enthralled my young family, thinking that it was an exceptional movie - not even knowing that it was by Carl - even those words "for Carl" didn't register - Carl who? Which brings me to last summer, when totally by chance, trawling for stuff on space and astronomy on Google, the NASA site etc, I saw Carl Sagan's name mentioned, his photograph and the superb reviews of Cosmos - everywhere. ...And then I found the shocking news that he had died almost 10 years ago. We bought the series, and have avidly watched every episode a multitude of times. We bought and imported from the USA, "Pale Blue Dot" and the book to accompany the series "Cosmos". I have never felt so sad and mournful at the loss of someone who I have never met, and whose death pre-dated our "getting to know him" through thirteen hours of Cosmos. A like mind with vastly superior knowledge and achievements, charisma, enthusiasm for science and zest for life, and a fantastic communicator and educator of ordinary people like myself - I feel I've lost a close friend. Truly unique, to me he was the "Mozart of science", and the world and the human race is so much the poorer with his loss. His work is more relevant today than ever with superstitions, and racial and religious bigotry again threatening to engulf the human race. Our capacity for self destruction and the environmental armageddon of which he warned, are omni present. Carl - we all miss you. Andy Fleming and Family County Durham, UK <!-- Links: 0 Link text: 0 Total: 1979 Ratio: 0 --> I share the sentiments in the eloquently written and beautiful tribute at the top of this page completely. Carl Sagan was indeed a very special person who through both the series and the book Cosmos, has changed my way of thinking about the cosmos and our place in it profoundly. My 10 year old son is hooked on both Cosmos and Contact, and through Cosmos is getting his first telescope for Christmas (we've used binoculars for many years!)

I vaguely remember as a teenager being captivated by Carl, in the 1970s with his involvement in the NASA missions to the moon, Mars, and of course the Golden Record on Pioneers 10 and 11. I remember his passion and enthusiasm when he was frequently interviewed on BBC-TV.

It is to my eternal shame that I missed both Cosmos when it was aired for the only time on BBC TV here in the UK in the early 80s, and the news of his illness and death in 1996. I even watched "Contact", which enthralled my young family, thinking that it was an exceptional movie - not even knowing that it was by Carl - even those words "for Carl" didn't register - Carl who?

Which brings me to last summer, when totally by chance, trawling for stuff on space and astronomy on Google, the NASA site etc, I saw Carl Sagan's name mentioned, his photograph and the superb reviews of Cosmos - everywhere. ...And then I found the shocking news that he had died almost 10 years ago.

We bought the series, and have avidly watched every episode a multitude of times. We bought and imported from the USA, "Pale Blue Dot" and the book to accompany the series "Cosmos".

I have never felt so sad and mournful at the loss of someone who I have never met, and whose death pre-dated our "getting to know him" through thirteen hours of Cosmos. A like mind with vastly superior knowledge and achievements, charisma, enthusiasm for science and zest for life, and a fantastic communicator and educator of ordinary people like myself - I feel I've lost a close friend. Truly unique, to me he was the "Mozart of science", and the world and the human race is so much the poorer with his loss. His work is more relevant today than ever with superstitions, and racial and religious bigotry again threatening to engulf the human race. Our capacity for self destruction and the environmental armageddon of which he warned, are omni present.

Carl - we all miss you.

Andy Fleming and Family
County Durham, UK

]]> By: Ebonmuse http://www.daylightatheism.org/2006/11/a-tribute-to-carl-sagan.html#comment-10449 Ebonmuse Mon, 04 Dec 2006 04:52:16 +0000 http://www.daylightatheism.org/2006/11/a-tribute-to-carl-sagan.html#comment-10449 <blockquote>now you've gone and done it, Adam. Here I am sniffling at my desk. I hadn't read the quotes from Ann before. I miss Sagan a lot.</blockquote> I'm not ashamed to admit I get teary-eyed every time I read the epilogue of <i>Billions & Billions</i>. It's a stark portrayal of Carl Sagan's death (and the bravery with which he faced it) through the eyes of the people who loved him, and it always reminds me of how much I miss him. Incidentally, Ann Druyan appeared recently both on <a href="http://www.ffrf.org/radio/podcast/" rel="nofollow">Freethought Radio</a> and <a href="http://www.pointofinquiry.org/?p=68" rel="nofollow">Point of Inquiry</a> to discuss a new posthumous book by Carl Sagan, <i>Varieties of Scientific Experience</i>, that was compiled from a series of lectures he gave some years ago. I, for one, greatly look forward to reading it. <blockquote>He put across some fairly complex ideas in a format easily grasped by the general public. Who does that today? Names, anybody?</blockquote> Some of my favorite science popularizers at the moment are Carl Zimmer, Brian Greene, and Neil deGrasse Tyson. I've found that all of them are very good at conveying complex ideas in understandable form, and more importantly, all of them have that true love for scientific discovery that is conveyed in their work. That's the most important part, I think. Even more so than the specific findings, the message we should be trying to convey to the public is that science is just plain <i>cool</i>.

now you've gone and done it, Adam. Here I am sniffling at my desk. I hadn't read the quotes from Ann before. I miss Sagan a lot.

I'm not ashamed to admit I get teary-eyed every time I read the epilogue of Billions & Billions. It's a stark portrayal of Carl Sagan's death (and the bravery with which he faced it) through the eyes of the people who loved him, and it always reminds me of how much I miss him.

Incidentally, Ann Druyan appeared recently both on Freethought Radio and Point of Inquiry to discuss a new posthumous book by Carl Sagan, Varieties of Scientific Experience, that was compiled from a series of lectures he gave some years ago. I, for one, greatly look forward to reading it.

He put across some fairly complex ideas in a format easily grasped by the general public. Who does that today? Names, anybody?

Some of my favorite science popularizers at the moment are Carl Zimmer, Brian Greene, and Neil deGrasse Tyson. I've found that all of them are very good at conveying complex ideas in understandable form, and more importantly, all of them have that true love for scientific discovery that is conveyed in their work. That's the most important part, I think. Even more so than the specific findings, the message we should be trying to convey to the public is that science is just plain cool.

]]> By: Mark Plus http://www.daylightatheism.org/2006/11/a-tribute-to-carl-sagan.html#comment-10428 Mark Plus Sat, 02 Dec 2006 01:45:45 +0000 http://www.daylightatheism.org/2006/11/a-tribute-to-carl-sagan.html#comment-10428 Carl Sagan shows that a man can live a worthwhile life without believing in the gods. Of course, having academic tenure and a pile of money from his books and TV series helped. <!-- Links: 0 Link text: 0 Total: 144 Ratio: 0 --> Carl Sagan shows that a man can live a worthwhile life without believing in the gods. Of course, having academic tenure and a pile of money from his books and TV series helped.

]]> By: Doug Purdie http://www.daylightatheism.org/2006/11/a-tribute-to-carl-sagan.html#comment-10423 Doug Purdie Fri, 01 Dec 2006 21:43:12 +0000 http://www.daylightatheism.org/2006/11/a-tribute-to-carl-sagan.html#comment-10423 Thank You Ebon. For the last twenty years I've been telling all who would listen that Carl Sagan, whom I have always referred to as America's science teacher, is worthy of hero status. Not many would listen. It looks like you, unlike me, have an attentive audience. A thousand more Thanks to go with the first! <!-- Links: 0 Link text: 0 Total: 257 Ratio: 0 --> Thank You Ebon. For the last twenty years I've been telling all who would listen that Carl Sagan, whom I have always referred to as America's science teacher, is worthy of hero status. Not many would listen. It looks like you, unlike me, have an attentive audience. A thousand more Thanks to go with the first!

]]> By: andrea http://www.daylightatheism.org/2006/11/a-tribute-to-carl-sagan.html#comment-10420 andrea Fri, 01 Dec 2006 21:07:32 +0000 http://www.daylightatheism.org/2006/11/a-tribute-to-carl-sagan.html#comment-10420 Bill Nye does a decent job. He's just so goofy, but I did like his Saturday morning show. Bill Nye does a decent job. He's just so goofy, but I did like his Saturday morning show.

]]> By: Jeromy http://www.daylightatheism.org/2006/11/a-tribute-to-carl-sagan.html#comment-10419 Jeromy Fri, 01 Dec 2006 20:37:56 +0000 http://www.daylightatheism.org/2006/11/a-tribute-to-carl-sagan.html#comment-10419 Very nice, Ebon. Sometimes it seems as if Sagan is still with us. His teaching will be for many years, no doubt. What always impressed me about him the most was his "down to earth" approach. He put across some fairly complex ideas in a format easily grasped by the general public. Who does that today? Names, anybody? <!-- Links: 0 Link text: 0 Total: 262 Ratio: 0 --> Very nice, Ebon. Sometimes it seems as if Sagan is still with us. His teaching will be for many years, no doubt. What always impressed me about him the most was his "down to earth" approach. He put across some fairly complex ideas in a format easily grasped by the general public. Who does that today? Names, anybody?

]]> By: Unbeliever http://www.daylightatheism.org/2006/11/a-tribute-to-carl-sagan.html#comment-10415 Unbeliever Fri, 01 Dec 2006 16:45:16 +0000 http://www.daylightatheism.org/2006/11/a-tribute-to-carl-sagan.html#comment-10415 The Science Channel has been replaying his Cosmos miniseries the past few weeks. I've had a chnace to see them again and better appreciate Sagan's ability to explain complex ideas in a way that anyone can understand. You can feel his love for science in these shows. It is infectious. You walk away in awe of the majesty of the universe. He was a great man and the quintessential teacher. The Science Channel has been replaying his Cosmos miniseries the past few weeks. I've had a chnace to see them again and better appreciate Sagan's ability to explain complex ideas in a way that anyone can understand.

You can feel his love for science in these shows. It is infectious. You walk away in awe of the majesty of the universe.

He was a great man and the quintessential teacher.

]]> By: andrea http://www.daylightatheism.org/2006/11/a-tribute-to-carl-sagan.html#comment-10414 andrea Fri, 01 Dec 2006 15:43:21 +0000 http://www.daylightatheism.org/2006/11/a-tribute-to-carl-sagan.html#comment-10414 now you've gone and done it, Adam. Here I am sniffling at my desk. I hadn't read the quotes from Ann before. I miss Sagan a lot. I remember trying to watch Cosmos on a very snowy tv screen since we lived out in the middle of nowhere and reception of the closest PBS station was very bad. Thankfully, my parents got me the book. I had an astronomy teacher like Dr. Sagan, Dr. Bill Suggs. When he died also unexpectedly, I cried like a baby. True teachers don't come around very often. now you've gone and done it, Adam. Here I am sniffling at my desk. I hadn't read the quotes from Ann before. I miss Sagan a lot. I remember trying to watch Cosmos on a very snowy tv screen since we lived out in the middle of nowhere and reception of the closest PBS station was very bad. Thankfully, my parents got me the book. I had an astronomy teacher like Dr. Sagan, Dr. Bill Suggs. When he died also unexpectedly, I cried like a baby. True teachers don't come around very often.

]]> By: toomanytribbles http://www.daylightatheism.org/2006/11/a-tribute-to-carl-sagan.html#comment-10411 toomanytribbles Fri, 01 Dec 2006 09:58:39 +0000 http://www.daylightatheism.org/2006/11/a-tribute-to-carl-sagan.html#comment-10411 carl sagan has affected me deeply. i miss his presence so often it's like i've lost a close friend. <!-- Links: 0 Link text: 0 Total: 83 Ratio: 0 --> carl sagan has affected me deeply. i miss his presence so often it's like i've lost a close friend.

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