94bamf
professor emeritus
Reged: 12/15/08
Posts: 705
Loc: Kansas City,Mo
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Is it just me, or does anybody else notice that these people are obsessed with "something" destroying the earth? It seems like almost every show is about exploding stars, gamma rays, comets hitting earth, the universe collapsing, etc..
Don't get me wrong, I like the show, but it is like they turned something educational into a doomsday reality show or something..
Ken
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Treehopper
professor emeritus
Reged: 07/29/08
Posts: 582
Loc: Upstate NY
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This appears to be a new and rather disturbing trend in science shows lately. It's not just "The Universe" either, I was watching shows on National Geographic, Science Channel, and the History Channels, and they all seem to take some macabre and perverse delight in putting together disaster scenarios. If it's not the earth being center-punched by an asteroid or comet, it's some distant star going all gamma ray burster on our collective behinds. It's really becoming tiresome.
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Tim
Champion of small aperture scopes everywhere!
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 Updated: 09/16/2009
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cosmoskid
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/15/08
Posts: 673
Loc: Indiana USA
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The ones I watch are mainly about exploring for other life or other earth like planets in The Universe. If they talk about universe collapse etc., if you actually listen to the words they sometimes will say "scientists think/ believe". To me it sounds like some of it is theories and not certainty. If they talk about doomsday, it's usually 25 million years from now. This show isn't on everyday like the News is. I'd rather be surrounded by a bunch of smart, intelligent and caring people like them then I would some others. Anyway it's a good show. It may inspire kids to become interested in science and mysteries of our Universe. It's no worse than the evening news.
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"Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty." Thomas Jefferson.
"Who are they to judge the life I live? I know I'm not perfect and I don't live to be. But, before you start pointing fingers, make sure your hands are clean.”
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azskies
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 04/29/07
Posts: 1735
Loc: Prescott, AZ
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No worse than the news shows maybe, but more realistic and not full of bull. The Universe is a violent place can't stay away from that truth. We are finding out more and more of what's out there everday. Btw..for a change of pace NatGeo had on the Japanese spacecraft orbiting the Moon tonight with glorious pics of the Moon in HD. Awesome!
Jeff
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Man in a Tub
Not Retired!, But a little cranky!!!
Reged: 10/28/08
Posts: 2020
Loc: San Francisco, CA
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There was a thread a few days ago (now bumped at this hour to page three of this forum) with some exchanges on this doomsday approach. I've been a little exasperated with the Götterdämmerung format for a while. Stop waving loaded asteroids, black holes and meteors at me, will ya? Stop crying Wolf-Rayet! The need for advertisers and good ratings likely drive the slant of the manipulated content, IMO. However, I watch the shows anyway. But some I don't bother with when re-broadcast.
Direct from the Moon on the NatGeo channel tonight with HD images from Japan's Kaguya spacecraft, the discoveries and theoretical/scientific conclusions or inferences about the Moon's formation and history were outstanding.
So, I stay tuned in and don't plan to drop out any time soon.
Best Regards,
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Todd
Brunton Eterna 15x51 ° Garrett Optical Signature Series 15x70
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Edited by Man in a Tub (08/24/09 03:06 AM)
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Relativist
Post Laureate
Reged: 10/11/03
Posts: 3081
Loc: OC, CA, USA
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Fear is the path to the dark side...
Greed can be a powerful ally...
Anyway, I agree, disaster shows bring in big ratings. The truth is, there are certain things we should fund more for the disasters we could at least try and prevent, but besides that, I look at it as entertainment/education.
My Physics Prof. during my Masters degree would show of one of those doom and gloom science video's right after midterms and before she gave us our grades. The message was, things could be worse...
Glad I read this thread to find out about the HD video of the moon.
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.......Curtis
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jayscheuerle
Post Laureate
Reged: 01/16/06
Posts: 4065
Loc: S. Philadelphia, PA
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I started watching season one the other night, starting with the episode on Jupiter. It took around 20 minutes worth of material and stretched it to an hour, using the same stock footage over and over again. I noticed one particular storm=cloud flyby (Jupiter is all clouds, right?) over six times. When they edit for commercial broadcasting, they spend a significant amount of time after the commercial break reminding you of what they were saying before the break. It's not a good series. - j
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shams42
sage
Reged: 01/05/09
Posts: 216
Loc: Pittsboro, NC
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I agree. They stretch about 300 words of content into an hour long show. Very low information density.
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sailor70623
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 01/12/08
Posts: 939
Loc: Ok.
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Come on now, if it isn't a crisis we don't care anymore. If something from space isn't going to destroy the earth, congress wouldn't spend a dime on any astronomers. If the Sun wasn't going to blow up, they wouldn't care less about NASA. And lastly, if these scientists weren't working to "save the planet" they wouldn't get a dime of government money either. There's research money out there to "save the planet", there's hardly a dime for general reasearch. You can get a grnt easily (compaired to noromally getting a grant) to study "Man made Global Warming", or When will the sun go Super Nova, or is there life on another planet, and can/could we live there. But goverment will spend no money today on finding new oil researves, new ways to use coal, cheaper ways to refine oil, or better ways to build nuclear power plants. I think the show is the best out there now. I do not have cable, but do have year 1, 2 and 3 on DVD. I think maybe another reason there's so much "Doomsday" tone to it is to try and catch more of the young viewers. But season 3 had an awful lot about "sex" in space too.
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nobody special
sage
Reged: 12/30/08
Posts: 392
Loc: Connecticut
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Gloom and Doom sells, Just look at the daily news.
It's a shame, but its the reality of the situation.
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Tom
Orion XT8 Classic
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belgrade
super member
Reged: 10/05/07
Posts: 128
Loc: San Antonio, TX, USA
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My friends, it's a good show (emphasis on "show," ok?) - and only astronomical/space (popular) science series on TV. Now in a 4th season! C'mon, give them a break! We have "tons" Bridezillas, Bachelors, Bacherolettes, Idols, Survivors, etc etc cruddy shows on TV all the time - at least this show brings some science to TV audience. And yes, maybe our kids eventually learn enough or get a boost to study more so they can rank a little bit higher than 35th, 72nd,... place in the world when it comes to science education and knowledge. Heck, what am I saying, science?! Even reading! 
PS: Turn off the TV set or change the channel if the show irritate you that much. 
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Edited by werewolf6977 (08/24/09 11:49 AM)
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nobody special
sage
Reged: 12/30/08
Posts: 392
Loc: Connecticut
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It is a good show.
Bring back Cosmos, I used to love watching Carl Sagan, although I guess a few of his views might be outdated by now. Still that was an an awesome show.
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Tom
Orion XT8 Classic
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sailor70623
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 01/12/08
Posts: 939
Loc: Ok.
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Cosmos is available on DVD too. I have the whole set.
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Corornado PST
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Paladine17
newbie
Reged: 08/19/09
Posts: 1
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I have to agree with belgrade, at least it is some science in the sea of garbage that is out there. Disasters draw an audience, hopefully they learn something in the process, become curious about the universe around them, and invest some time in learning instead of watching IQ reducing "reality" TV...
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calibos
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 11/18/07
Posts: 1050
Loc: Ireland
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There was one episode talking about other dimensions and billions of other bubble Universes' and the possibility of us contacting advanced life in these billions of other universes.
Cause....like....you know....the odds of life in our own galaxy of 400 billion stars or in one of the 400 billion other galaxies with their own 400 billion stars in our own universe....like the odds are so slim that we need to go looking in the other few billion universes.
Popcorn Science! 
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Keith D.
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Enig
super member
Reged: 06/24/09
Posts: 160
Loc: NW GA, U.S.A.
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Quote:
Cosmos is available on DVD too. I have the whole set.
Also *freely* available online... *legally*!
http://www.hulu.com/cosmos
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Robert Cook
super member
Reged: 07/23/09
Posts: 101
Loc: San Diego County, California
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I've seen a few episodes, and I think it's heavy on sensationalism and light on facts and reasonable viewpoints. While I totally agree that the Universe is a dangerous place, and that we should do everything in our power to ensure that near-Earth asteroids, for example, will not devastate the planet, I don't like the show's childish presentation of this and just about every subject.
As for Carl Sagan, I've always found him inspirational on some level, although many of his views were quite "off" and sometimes even off-putting, like when he put down the very planet that is the only home that our species has ever known (then again, maybe he didn't believe that). The Earth is not in some "lost" corner of the galaxy--I know where I am, it's Sagan who was lost! 
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astrokido
space wanderer
Reged: 06/09/08
Posts: 660
Loc: Phoenix, AZ
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Anyone who appreciates quality scientific content will be left with questions about some of the content in the series. Sometimes they flat out give wrong info about something in order to maintain interest to a general audience so they watch the comercials that fund the show in the first place!
I watch it as a distraction from brainstorming rather than as a source of info. The graphics they do these days are pretty impressive, it's worth watching for the visuals alone. On the other hand, the Cosmos series is one I learned a great deal from. I doubt if I had watched The Universe at the same age, that I would have learned even a small fraction of that from watching Cosmos.
The Universe is a graphic presentation and I enjoy it as such, and that's about it.
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The Night Sky Atlas: www.nightskyatlas.com
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bdjeep
sage
Reged: 01/29/07
Posts: 440
Loc: Bolton, MA
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I liked the first season, but I find the recent episodes to be a bit boring and without any real substance. My wife also noticed increasing prevalence of the doomsday scenarios just from occasionally walking in the room when the show is on.
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Man in a Tub
Not Retired!, But a little cranky!!!
Reged: 10/28/08
Posts: 2020
Loc: San Francisco, CA
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So, I just looked up what tonight's new episode is. It's the Earth without the Moon. The Earth without a moon from the get-go over 4 billion years ago? Or the Earth losing the Moon after some catacylsmic collision with perhaps an asteroid that knocks the Moon out of its orbit around the Earth?
Of course, I'll watch it...
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Todd
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