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I was aware, and moderately a fan of, Brian Cox from watching the UK show "QI" and a few other interviews. I liked how he explained particle physics concepts and tries to bring these concepts to the masses. It helps he's not bad-looking, either.
But it wasn't until I saw "Professor Brian Cox Enraged Deepak Chopra" that I knew I wanted more. Getting Chopra to tell you to shove something up your ass after you present a fact? Sign. Me. Up.
He and comedian Robin Ince have being presenting world tours for several years, and on Sunday there was one at a local theater. C, gorthx, and I went and, despite our various ailments that evening, we enjoyed it.
The prof talked about the history of the universe, how space and time work, the possibility of life in other galaxies, and black holes. Robin made fun of him and talked about life and science on this planet1. It was a nice mix.
My favorite part was the simulation of a black hole. Interstellar's director wanted to get space as accurate as possible in the movie, and consulted scientists to create a computer model that would generate it. Prof. Cox used it in his show to simulate a black hole and all the warping of space around it. And guess what? It looks like the picture of the supermassive black hole that was recently taken by Event Horizon Telescope. Neat-o!
Oh, and he explained event horizons. I think I understand it. And I hadn't realized water had actually been discovered on Mars.
1. A proper chemist always has one eyebrow missing.
But it wasn't until I saw "Professor Brian Cox Enraged Deepak Chopra" that I knew I wanted more. Getting Chopra to tell you to shove something up your ass after you present a fact? Sign. Me. Up.
He and comedian Robin Ince have being presenting world tours for several years, and on Sunday there was one at a local theater. C, gorthx, and I went and, despite our various ailments that evening, we enjoyed it.
The prof talked about the history of the universe, how space and time work, the possibility of life in other galaxies, and black holes. Robin made fun of him and talked about life and science on this planet1. It was a nice mix.
My favorite part was the simulation of a black hole. Interstellar's director wanted to get space as accurate as possible in the movie, and consulted scientists to create a computer model that would generate it. Prof. Cox used it in his show to simulate a black hole and all the warping of space around it. And guess what? It looks like the picture of the supermassive black hole that was recently taken by Event Horizon Telescope. Neat-o!
Oh, and he explained event horizons. I think I understand it. And I hadn't realized water had actually been discovered on Mars.
1. A proper chemist always has one eyebrow missing.
