2.04.2009

the coolest astrophysicist I know


Saw Neil Degrasse Tyson in conversation at the LA central library tonight! He was a comic delight, well dressed (yes, he flawlessly combines a cardigan sweater, suit and motorcycle boots) and humbly brilliant. He confirmed Pluto's classification now as a dwarf planet (in case you were worried about the planet count), played with the simplicity of astrophysicist language (ie. spots on the sun = sun spots), while deconstructing the classifications of what makes planets planets and also talking about the importance of intelligence/education.

I am finding lectures pertaining to science and psychology very thought provoking and refreshing these days. Although "art" may not come to mind in association with science, the two are tangentially related through analysis and understanding. Tyson summed it up best: "The more you know, the greater the perimeter of your ignorance," which is so true when it comes to everything - definitely art!!

His new book out:
The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet

Be sure to check out the upcoming library lectures...you have to RSVP in advance but it's all free. I recommend:

Wed, Feb 25, 7 PM
Lawrence Weschler
Between Fountainheads
In conversation with John Walsh, Getty Museum Director Emeritus
New Yorker veteran Weschler discusses what it has been like, the past several decades, to be serving as Boswell to two seemingly opposite giants of the contemporary art scene, Robert Irwin and David Hockney.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

dude is hott!

Anonymous said...

did you see that Bill Nye was in the audience, too?! and he was wearing a bow tie! hahahahahaha. oh, science.