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Carl was imperfect like us all but he is a hero of mine. I am not sure if it is possible to miss someone that you never met but if it is true then I admit to missing Carl.

Miss you Carl.

I always wondered this about Sagan.

I heard Carl Sagan give a speech to the public at Stanford sometime in the early 80s. I wrote his exact words, then joined a crowd after the speech. I was fortunate enough to get his autograph.

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Found an old magazine with an inside look at the making of Cosmos. Once I get my scanner running I can post the article

I just got around to reading Contact and have been thinking about a scene where Ellie, the protagonist, is about to meet with Palmer Joss, a charismatic preacher. On TV, Joss talks about how we can’t trust scientists, claiming they're hoarding the truth, and that he’ll only believe the findings when he sees the raw data. This reminded me of the anti-science rhetoric that circulated during the COVID-19 pandemic—particularly the distrust of scientists over the virus’s origin and skepticism surrounding the vaccines.

It’s interesting how Sagan’s novel, written in 1985, seems to predict some of the same themes that emerged during the pandemic:

• Distrust in Expertise: Joss's stance mirrors how people during the pandemic questioned scientific consensus, often accusing scientists of withholding information or manipulating data. I was a research scientist before becoming an attorney. I didn't delve too much into virology (I did cell death of cancer cells research), but I know enough to talk about it. However, that did not stop my family from ignoring anything I said about the virus and vaccine.
• "Seeing is Believing" Mentality: Joss says he’ll only trust the raw data, similar to how some demanded firsthand proof of vaccine safety or virus origin, despite lacking the expertise or even the desire to interpret the data. Joss is eventually presented with the raw data, but he just calls it a day and walks away. I saw a lot of willful ignorance from people around me just like this.
• Politicization of Science and Faith: Just like how COVID-19 became a political issue, Joss’s critique of science seems tied to ideological and political motivations rather than genuine scientific skepticism.

Sagan’s portrayal of this tension between science and belief really resonated with the challenges I saw during the pandemic. I know that these debates about trusting experts are nothing new, but I was blown away about how well he captured this tension in the book. Sorry if this has been posted here before; just wanted to share my thoughts after reading it. 100% worth a read if you have not gotten around to it yet!

I have been really sick the last 5 days, and usually I’ll watch this series 2-3 times a year anyway. It’s definitely my comfort show, but it absolutely perfect for when you’re sick. Dr. Sagan has a soothing voice and presence. I’ve loved this show since the 90’s!

I wanted to know which 1st edition hardcover books by Carl were illustrated like Cosmos and Pale Blue Dot. I think also Comet but I am not sure. Do you know?

I'm in love with this youtuber Tibees she's like netflix for STEM in my opinion.

Yes it's not by a big studio but nonetheless a marvelous treat.

Usually people raise their eyebrows when I mention this but I took a entheogen because a lot of data out there says it helps with ptsd/depression and one of the lingering after effects no one told me about is a connection to the cosmos I never had before. It's like space is in HD now.

Before I explored ayahuasca I never felt connected to the planet. It's like a whole new emotion. Becoming a cosmic human overnight. I hope the doors of access open wider for the rest of humanity on this.

edit: Thank you all for your recommendations!

Regarding the feeling of awe one feels when contemplating the universe or the natural world. Google is not my friend here and I don't want to read back through the whole thing to find it.

I am currently reading a book "Lost cities of Atlantis, ancient Europe & The Mediterranean" by David Hatcher Childress. On page 12 he paraphrased Carl Sagan, and I will quote Childress.

"According to a famous astronomer Carl Sagan, a book entitled The True History of Mankind Over the Last 100.000 Years once existed and was housed in the great library in Alexandria, Egypt. Unfortunately, this book, along with thousands of others, was burned by fanatical Christians in the third century AD."

It is suspicious that Childress didnt leave any reference to this quote, and Sagan saying there was a single book with exact title doesn't seam probable to me. Childress was clear that Sagan said there was historical book going back to 100.000 in Alexandria which was burned and lost. Now it is highly suspicious how could Sagan or anyone know this, which leads me to believe Childress made that up. But on the other side i don't want to believe someone would make up quotes like that. So please tell me there is some reason for having no reference, because i really want to read viable book on this subject :)

“Why do we permit automobiles that get 15-25mpg, when the technology exists for automobiles to get 60-100mpg? That’s not a step that would bother anybody except, possibly adolescent young men, who need to have extremely rapid acceleration for psychological reasons of their own. For all practical purposes, much greater fuel efficiency in automobiles is perfectly possible.” - Carl Sagan Keynote Speech at Emerging Issues Forum 2/9/90

I have wanted to read Cosmos and Pale Blue Dot for a long while now and just recently went to Barnes & Noble to grab copies but they were out of stock of both so i left with The Demon-Haunted World instead. I know PBD is considered a "sequel" to Cosmos so i definitely intend to read Cosmos first between those two, but would it be fine to read DHW before them or would i be missing something by reading them "out of order"?