Cosmos

[FFed]

The series is amazing. And the original soundtrack is a must have. I spent years trying to track down a replacement for my old cassette tape one that I lost. Fortunately with the internet I was finally able to track down a couple copies in South Africa. Few things are better then star gazing with the soundtrack playing.

 

[delphi_ote]

While watching that series the other night, I exclaimed, "The day I meet a single woman who is a fan of Cosmos (or Carl Sagan in general) is the day I meet my wife!"

I love that series.

 

[Hindmost]

I've been watching it too...gonna buy it soon. I have the Cosmos music on vinyl..and that is not a typo. I consider his book "billions and billions" a must read. I had a student that wanted to read "Cosmos" as part of an end of the year project in one class--the teacher nixed it...extremely upsetting. I am trying to imagine what it would have been like to be in one of his classes at Cornell.

glenn

 

[Meffy]

@glenn: Is it a Cosmos soundtrack, or the Vangelis album? I still own more LPs than CDs, and the Vangelis is among 'em.

 

[delphi_ote]

I agree. How sad indeed. The "History Channel" has been going downhill for some time now. So who was indentified as Satan's Emissary? Anybody we know? Was James Randi mentioned as a possible candidate?

The History channel has become woo central lately. The Science Channel has been great so far! I hope they stick with it!

 

[Beleth]

@glenn: Is it a Cosmos soundtrack, or the Vangelis album? I still own more LPs than CDs, and the Vangelis is among 'em.

I just realized...

I have both, on both.

The problem with the H&H CD I have is that it's only two tracks: side 1 of the album, and Side 2 of the album. Gee, I wonder if it was pirated. I bought it ages ago, so I'm not sure.

I always thought the second track on Side B (the one with 57 eighth notes, pause, repeat) would make a great introduction to a news program. Never got into "So Long Ago, So Clear", though, which is odd because I like other stuff Jon Anderson has done. Words on that album just sort of ruins the other-worldliness of it.

 

[Meffy]

Two tracks is all you get on the LP too. No breaks in the groove on vinyl, except maybe before "So Long Ago, So Clear," which is the only part with a separate identity. (Might've been released on single as well, I forget.)

Gotta agree that it seems out of place with the rest of the instrumental and vocalise swirlings.

 

[Hindmost]

@glenn: Is it a Cosmos soundtrack, or the Vangelis album? I still own more LPs than CDs, and the Vangelis is among 'em.

It's the Soundtrack. I still have more LPs than CDs as well. (I can't believe some of the albums I bought so long ago.

glenn

sidebar: I am thinking of buying a "hard drive" music system. companies are making CD/dvd players with large hard drives that can store hundreds of Cds. If I could transfer vinyl too, I could have all my music in one giant hard drive. (backed up of course)

 

[kevin]

sidebar: I am thinking of buying a "hard drive" music system. companies are making CD/dvd players with large hard drives that can store hundreds of Cds. If I could transfer vinyl too, I could have all my music in one giant hard drive. (backed up of course)

My father has been transferring his vinyl to PC. Not sure on the exact steps he uses but the recordings I've listened to are pretty good. I found this too:
http://www.br0wn.co.uk/vinyltocd.htm

On the Mac some people use Audio Hijack (or the Pro version) to clean up static sounds and such.

http://rogueamoeba.com/

I use iTunes to manage most of my music stored on a network drive. Currently right at 105GB, although some of that is DVD's I ripped for my iPod for a trip I took recently.

 

[kellyb]

The History channel has become woo central lately. The Science Channel has been great so far! I hope they stick with it!

The Science channel has some woo, too. That show Megascience bats about 50/50.
Cosmos is cool, though.
I never saw it as a kid, so it's totally new to me.

 

[Outhere]

Sic Transit

I watched the first showing of Cosmos in 1980 on PBS in California and was able to buy the soundtrack album at Tower Records. Boy, do I feel like a dinosaur.

I had gone into the hospital before the 1980 election, had surgery, and woke up to hear that Ronald Reagan had been elected president. I wailed, "I've died and gone to hell!"

If someone had told me that in less than a quarter of a century we would be busted back to the stone age, I would have laughed. Did I die? Am I in conservative fundamentalist hell?

 

[delphi_ote]

The Science channel has some woo, too. That show Megascience bats about 50/50.
Cosmos is cool, though.
I never saw it as a kid, so it's totally new to me.

Yea. They had some Da Vinci code crap on there, too. But any channel with Survivorman and Cosmos is awesome.

 

[Ducky]

Beyond Tomorrow screws the pooch about half the time too.

I really love Cosmos, though.

 

[steve s]

It's also a nice counterbalance to what the "History" Channel offered last night - "The Antichrist: Identifying Satan's Emissary."

According to Jack van Impe the antichrist is King Juan Carlos of Spain. He made that claim years ago, though I'm not sure if he's sticking by it. You'd think the antichrist would occasionally make the headlines. But JC has been flying under the radar.

Steve S.

 

[steve s]

I watched the first showing of Cosmos in 1980 on PBS in California and was able to buy the soundtrack album at Tower Records. Boy, do I feel like a dinosaur.

Greetings from one sauropod to another. I've got the soundtrack on vinyl, also. But I don't have a turntable anymore to listen to it.

As for the show, I haven't seen it since it first aired in 1980. I may have to get the Science Channel just to see what they've done with the improved special effects. Does he still have that dandelion spaceship?

Steve S.

 

[Beady]

As for the show, I haven't seen it since it first aired in 1980. I may have to get the Science Channel just to see what they've done with the improved special effects. Does he still have that dandelion spaceship?

There appear to be three versions of Cosmos: the original, the updated one (where Carl comes on at the end of some episodes), and the one now on TV. I *think* the second one is what's currently on DVD, and I've been told the third has sacrificed some of the dialogue. Haven't been watching the latter, so have no personal knowledge.

 

[Ginarley]

There appear to be three versions of Cosmos: the original, the updated one (where Carl comes on at the end of some episodes), and the one now on TV. I *think* the second one is what's currently on DVD, and I've been told the third has sacrificed some of the dialogue. Haven't been watching the latter, so have no personal knowledge.

I just bought the 7 DVD set and have watched the first 5 episodes to date having never seen any of them - absolutely amazing how the show really hasn't dated much at all. It is an absolutely inspirational TV series, I can't wait to see the rest of it.

The DVD set I got includes a "Cosmos Update" section at the end of some of the episodes which is 10 years on from the original, so apparently you "*think*" right

 

[delphi_ote]

I just bought the 7 DVD set and have watched the first 5 episodes to date having never seen any of them - absolutely amazing how the show really hasn't dated much at all. It is an absolutely inspirational TV series, I can't wait to see the rest of it.

I'd love to be in your shoes. What a treat to experience them all for the first time.

The DVD set I got includes a "Cosmos Update" section at the end of some of the episodes which is 10 years on from the original, so apparently you "*think*" right

Yea. They need a 16 years later update to the 10 years later update for the new biology alone!

 

[Jeff Corey]

I have just been watching this amazing series for the first time.

It is sad that I can't remember this being on Australian television and I did not know it even existed until I started frequenting this forum.

Does anyone have any recommendations for one of his books?
Is Contact any good?

Contact is SF (but not Dick or other goodies). Buy Cosmos, Demon Haunted World, Brocca"s Brain, others on Amazon.

 

[Piggy]

I said it once, I'll say it again:

I owe a lot to Dr. Sagan. As a boy, I watched his Cosmos series, and it changed my life. Perhaps, if he had not made this film, there would have been someone else to come along and show me the wonders that I saw there. Perhaps. But in fact, it was he who opened my mind to the true wonders of the world. It was he who showed me -- who did not only tell me -- that reality is far more amazing than any fairy tale or scripture. And he came along at a time when it made the most difference, before I could get too distracted by jobs (which I started at 14) and cars and girls. These things came in time, but by then, there was no turning back.