Hawking, Space Colonization and Jupiter Impacts on Time.com

12:46 PM July 23rd, 2009

“Science Comedian: Talking Hawking, the Moon and Beyond” – our newest video essay is up on Time.com, as part of their celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. It’s about Stephen Hawking and space colonization.

In April, 2008, Hawking came to Washington, D.C., to honor NASA on their 50th birthday. He presented a new speech entitled, “Why We Should Go Into Space.” That’s the jumping off point for the video. We wrote it. My friend Craig Duff produced it. Tara created some cool graphics, including the exploding Earth animation, and that ridiculous driver’s license for Homo sapiens.

As if to add an exclamation point to its message, between the time the video was finished and the time it was uploaded, a mile-wide hunk of rock and/or ice slammed into Jupiter. Check out the coverage by Bad Astronomer Phil Plait.

As I said in the Time piece (pun intended), “If that had happened here, you probably wouldn’t be watching online video right now.”

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Discussion

  • Corey

    3:48 pm
    Jul-23-2009     Reply

    Another great video. Loved your Earth license hair. Looks like a mug shot from when you were driving drunker than Nick Nolte. Also, I believe we might be past the time where we need to see Stephen Hawking, maybe on your next video, you can cut to his FUTURAMA cartoon likeness.

    And about space travel, sure it’s important, I get it, our Sun will eventually burn out. Then what? For that matter, won’t the entire solar system die? Are new stars being formed? (not counting what happened to Jupiter in the movie 2010)

    About your video, you say one of our threats is nuclear weapons. But nuclear weapons don’t kill people without other people pushing the button. (noted exception being Joshua, the WAR GAMES computer) It is Humans that are a big threat to Human existence. And it is the same Humans that are using the planet like a port-o-potty before we have an exit strategy. And you want to send these same Humans out into an unsuspecting space?

    Corey Gomel

    p.s.
    ALL THESE WORLDS ARE YOURS EXCEPT EUROPA
    ATTEMPT NO LANDING THERE
    USE THEM TOGETHER
    USE THEM IN PEACE

  • Brian Malow

    4:04 pm
    Jul-23-2009     Reply

    Thanks, Corey. Yes, new stars are being born all the time. There will be plenty of places to live, long after our Sun is dead and gone.

    Have you ever heard “Humans From Earth” by T-Bone Burnett? It’s a favorite of mine. It’s about humans moving out into the universe:

    “We come from a blue planet light years away
    Where everything multiplies at an amazing rate
    We’re out here in the universe buying real estate
    Hope we haven’t gotten here too late

    We’re humans from Earth
    We’re humans from Earth
    You have nothing at all to fear
    I think we’re gonna like it here…”

    (and it gets better… go find it)

  • Spectacular Launch Pad Starlinks

    12:12 am
    Jul-24-2009     Reply

    […] Malow, science comedian, in a Time.com video about Hawking, the Moon, and Beyond. Good job on the graphics, Tara.  Good […]

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