Mary Frances and I treated ourselves to two nights - about 4.5 hours on 28 and 29 November - listening to
lectures by famed astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson. It was a remarkable experience. As if you did not know Tyson is an excellent lecturer with a well-developed sense of humor and a style that puts you at ease. He is an accomplished storyteller. And did I say smart?
This won't be a review - just my few stream-of-consciousness (really?) thoughts on the event.
The Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in dpwntown Portland was the venue. It holds about 2800 people. It was close to full on Wednesday and looked to be just about full on Thursday. Both crowds were enthusiastic.
Yes, he did start each talk with a playful dig at those who feel Pluto should be a planet (after an introduction via 'Fly Me to the Moon').
He spoke on a different topic each night: 1) Adventures in Science Literacy (28 November); and 2) The Cosmic Perspective (29 November). Brief descriptions are on the event website:
“Adventures in Science Literacy”
The joys of knowing how the universe works and the disasters that can unfold when you do not. In this illustrated talk, examples of each will be drawn from across time and cultures, culminating in a commentary on the state of science in America today.“The Cosmic Perspective”
There is no view of the world as emotionally potent as the one granted by a cosmic perspective. It’s one that sees Earth as a planet in a vast empty universe. It profoundly influences what we think and feel about science, culture, politics, and life itself.
He promoted a few books (this is one of his PowerPoints):
We bought signed cooies of Astrophysics for People in a Hurry and his most recent (written with Avis Lang), Accessory to War: The Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military. I don't fault him for doing a little sales pitch; he did not spend a lot of time on his books.
He gave a few fascinating examples on each topic. He spoke of his encounters with the US justice system - three calls for jury duty, but released each time during voir dire. In one case involving a person alleged to have sold 3000 milligrams of cocaine to an undercover police officer he questioned why '3000 milligrams' was used instead of '3 grams' (about a tenth of an ounce). Thisfirst case resonated with me since I use similar examples in the water resources field.
He said he felt it could prejudice the jury, since '3000' would sound like a lot to many people. He was excused. In another his excuse came about because he said that eyewitness accounts are not as reliable as most people believe. He used his debunking of many 'flying saucer' cases as examples. Excused again!
He made an interesting correlation between the iconic 1968 Earthrise photo by Apollo 8 and the rise of the environmental movement and laws that arose in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
All in all, money and time very well spent. We enjoyed it and it appeared that our fellow attendees did as well.
Fans will be glad to hear that the TV series Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey will premier in March 2019...
One minor complaint: he spent a lot of time running from center stage to the podium at stage left to change slides. Duhhhh.....
I would be remiss if I did not mention the sexual impropriety allegations against him by three women. Here is the Guardian article and Tyson's Facebook post on the issue.
"Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." - Martin Luther King, Jr., 1963 (tnx Neil deGrasse Tyson)
Comments