Watchable telly

[DarkFruitsRam7]

11 minutes ago, Carl Sagan said:

I've always been in two minds about Coxy. He is a good communicator but a poor scientist. I talked with him a few times about writing Wonders because he was frustrated there weren't any scientists working on the show. I was prepared to sit through 2+ hours of Rogan for Elon, but I'm really not sure I'd do it for this. Maybe after Christmas! ?

Why do you say he’s a poor scientist? Genuinely interested.

And I’d seriously recommend watching this episode. Rogan’s IQ seems to vary based on his guest, but he actually asked some really interesting questions in this one.

[Mostyn6]

18 hours ago, ketteringram said:

Apologies if it's already mentioned, but couldn't find it. 

Have any of you watched The Expanse? 

Yes. About a year ago. Found it oddly captivating as someone who is not really a fan of sci-fi. 

[ketteringram]

19 hours ago, Mostyn6 said:

Yes. About a year ago. Found it oddly captivating as someone who is not really a fan of sci-fi. 

Thanks. Started it last night. Looks promising. Surprised it's not been mentioned on here as there seems to be some sci fi fans, and it rates highly on IMDb etc. 

I really struggle to find anything to watch on Netflix or prime. 

[Bob The Badger]

Anybody seen Taboo with Tom Hardy?

Thoughts?

We're 2 episodes in and I just cannot get a grip on it yet. I want to like it and I hope they are just setting the scene, but I'm really not sure.

It has 8.1 on IMDb and I almost always align with high scoring stuff on there so I'm really surprised.

We bailed out of Breaking Bad after the 2nd one (I think) and then went back a few years later and wondered wtf we'd done that and binged the lot, so I'll give it at least one more episode.

We did fnally get around to watching The Salisbury Poisonings and whereas I think they could have go it into 2 rather than 3 episodes it was done very well.

I was aware of the event, but it has little coverage in the US, so was a bit taken aback by the scale of it and the potential devastation it could have caused.

I thought that last 2-minutes (I'll not describe it in case you want to watch it) was brilliantly done and very poignant. 

[Carl Sagan]

On 18/12/2020 at 20:50, DarkFruitsRam7 said:

Why do you say he’s a poor scientist? Genuinely interested.

And I’d seriously recommend watching this episode. Rogan’s IQ seems to vary based on his guest, but he actually asked some really interesting questions in this one.

Science for me follows a model a little like set out by Paul Feyerabend in his book Against Method. The claim is there are two types of scientists. One are the puzzle solvers, who are effectively working out crossword clues as they try to fill in the gaps, the minutiae of the detail of the current scientific paradigm. The other are the great scientists who move the discipline forward, who have the imagination to devise new paradigms, overthrowing the scientific orthodoxy with brilliant creative new theories.

Cox only thinks inside the box. He is a puzzle solver. For me he always accepts the current scientific orthodoxy. And he bangs on and on about "the scientific method" espousing a very naive point of view that scientists are objective and the are discovering some sort of objective truth about the Universe.

For me, issues such as dark matter and dark energy, and the failure to understand quantum mechanics and the ongoing mysteries over the nature of time, point to a massive revolution in science coming our way. An example of a brilliant visionary scientist is Feynman and he talked about the difference between knowing the name of something and understanding it and Cox hears the words "dark matter" and thinks we understand it. Also, I've talked with him about extraterrestrial intelligence and he has such an unimaginative old-fashioned view and doesn't seem to comprehend the implications of it. 

I promise if I do have a space 150 minutes in the next few weeks I shall take a look, at least art the start to see how it's looking. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[Rev]

On 20/12/2020 at 09:04, Bob The Badger said:

Anybody seen Taboo with Tom Hardy?

Thoughts?

We're 2 episodes in and I just cannot get a grip on it yet. I want to like it and I hope they are just setting the scene, but I'm really not sure.

It has 8.1 on IMDb and I almost always align with high scoring stuff on there so I'm really surprised.

We bailed out of Breaking Bad after the 2nd one (I think) and then went back a few years later and wondered wtf we'd done that and binged the lot, so I'll give it at least one more episode.

We did fnally get around to watching The Salisbury Poisonings and whereas I think they could have go it into 2 rather than 3 episodes it was done very well.

I was aware of the event, but it has little coverage in the US, so was a bit taken aback by the scale of it and the potential devastation it could have caused.

I thought that last 2-minutes (I'll not describe it in case you want to watch it) was brilliantly done and very poignant. 

I thought Taboo was the biggest load of garbage it's ever been my misfortune to see, and if it wasn't a Tom Hardy backed project would never have been made, and my wife would never has insisted on watching it.

 

[Mostyn6]

35 minutes ago, Carl Sagan said:

I promise if I do have a space 150 minutes in the next few weeks I shall take a look, at least art the start to see how it's looking.

Do you get much space time!??

I’ve never seen a more apt typo! ?

[Bob The Badger]

1 hour ago, Carl Sagan said:

Science for me follows a model a little like set out by Paul Feyerabend in his book Against Method. The claim is there are two types of scientists. One are the puzzle solvers, who are effectively working out crossword clues as they try to fill in the gaps, the minutiae of the detail of the current scientific paradigm. The other are the great scientists who move the discipline forward, who have the imagination to devise new paradigms, overthrowing the scientific orthodoxy with brilliant creative new theories.

Cox only thinks inside the box. He is a puzzle solver. For me he always accepts the current scientific orthodoxy. And he bangs on and on about "the scientific method" espousing a very naive point of view that scientists are objective and the are discovering some sort of objective truth about the Universe.

For me, issues such as dark matter and dark energy, and the failure to understand quantum mechanics and the ongoing mysteries over the nature of time, point to a massive revolution in science coming our way. An example of a brilliant visionary scientist is Feynman and he talked about the difference between knowing the name of something and understanding it and Cox hears the words "dark matter" and thinks we understand it. Also, I've talked with him about extraterrestrial intelligence and he has such an unimaginative old-fashioned view and doesn't seem to comprehend the implications of it. 

I promise if I do have a space 150 minutes in the next few weeks I shall take a look, at least art the start to see how it's looking. Thanks for the heads up!

 

I remember watching Feynman explain that and reel off the name of a bird (forget which ) no in a list of different languages during a 2-part interview way back when - Horizon maybe?

'Surely You're Joking Mr Feynman' is one of my favorite autobiographies of all time. I know very little about physics, but he was such an amazing character. Such a shame he never got to take that last trip.

[Bob The Badger]

46 minutes ago, Rev said:

I thought Taboo was the biggest load of garbage it's ever been my misfortune to see, and if it wasn't a Tom Hardy backed project would never have been made, and my wife would never has insisted on watching it.

 

I've kinda got into it. It is a bit all over the place, but the acting is absolutely brilliant.

[Anag Ram]

The Lawman on Sky documentaries is great. 

All about Scotland's greatest striker, Denis Law. 

What a player and what a character. 

[Carl Sagan]

18 hours ago, Mostyn6 said:

Do you get much space time!??

I’ve never seen a more apt typo! ?

Hilarious! I promise it wasn't intentional. ✨?✨

[Wolfie]

On 18/12/2020 at 18:52, ketteringram said:

Apologies if it's already mentioned, but couldn't find it. 

Have any of you watched The Expanse? 

It's next on my list when I've finished Battlestar Galactica. I've seen the first episode a while back & it looks pretty good.

It's reputed to be the most scientifically accurate sci-fi out there.

[Wolfie]

On 18/12/2020 at 20:37, Carl Sagan said:

I've always been in two minds about Coxy. He is a good communicator but a poor scientist.?

My best mate is a phd physicist and he can't stand Brian Cox.

Me, as a relatively intelligent person with a keen interest in space & physics (though no science qualifications above A level), I would agree that he's a very good communicator and does help to bring science to the masses. If my daughter is anything to go by, he's good at getting kids into it as well - so is no bad thing in my view.

 

[TimRam]

8 minutes ago, Wolfie said:

My best mate is a phd physicist and he can't stand Brian Cox.

Me, as a relatively intelligent person with a keen interest in space & physics (though no science qualifications above A level), I would agree that he's a very good communicator and does help to bring science to the masses. If my daughter is anything to go by, he's good at getting kids into it as well - so is no bad thing in my view.

 

I just wish he would state things in miles for speed/distance. Apart from that, seems to get the facts across well.

[Normanton Lad]

I’ve just watched the first episode of the Yorkshire Ripper programme and I have been struck by how shabby and run down everything looks in the film from 1974. Maybe Chapeltown was much worse than most parts of the country but to me it seems that they are deliberately making the country look worse than it was. The only part of Leeds I knew then was Roundhay and that was a very nice area. Perhaps Chapeltown was a complete dump. I worked with some men from Chapeltown and they were on good money for that time and if it was so bad there I don’t know why they didn’t move out.

To me 1974 seems like yesterday and I think Derby and most places looked smarter in 1974 than they do today. Perhaps I am paranoid but most TV content today seems to have an ulterior motive. We are given the story or the advert and at the same time we being sent messages about how we should think about history and politics.

[ariotofmyown]

3 minutes ago, Normanton Lad said:

I’ve just watched the first episode of the Yorkshire Ripper programme and I have been struck by how shabby and run down everything looks in the film from 1974. Maybe Chapeltown was much worse than most parts of the country but to me it seems that they are deliberately making the country look worse than it was. The only part of Leeds I knew then was Roundhay and that was a very nice area. Perhaps Chapeltown was a complete dump. I worked with some men from Chapeltown and they were on good money for that time and if it was so bad there I don’t know why they didn’t move out.

To me 1974 seems like yesterday and I think Derby and most places looked smarter in 1974 than they do today. Perhaps I am paranoid but most TV content today seems to have an ulterior motive. We are given the story or the advert and at the same time we being sent messages about how we should think about history and politics.

I'm watching Home Alone 2 now and New York in 92 looks likes the 70s to me.

[Mostyn6]

1 hour ago, Normanton Lad said:

I’ve just watched the first episode of the Yorkshire Ripper programme and I have been struck by how shabby and run down everything looks in the film from 1974. Maybe Chapeltown was much worse than most parts of the country but to me it seems that they are deliberately making the country look worse than it was. The only part of Leeds I knew then was Roundhay and that was a very nice area. Perhaps Chapeltown was a complete dump. I worked with some men from Chapeltown and they were on good money for that time and if it was so bad there I don’t know why they didn’t move out.

To me 1974 seems like yesterday and I think Derby and most places looked smarter in 1974 than they do today. Perhaps I am paranoid but most TV content today seems to have an ulterior motive. We are given the story or the advert and at the same time we being sent messages about how we should think about history and politics.

There were a lot of condemned buildings/slums all around working class towns and cities in the 70s. The Telegraph bygones section regularly run pieces and publish pictures. I find it fascinating as i grew up on the then new estate replacing demolished slums in Stockbrook area. My dad grew up in the area too so used to hear stories. 
 

I binged watched Ripper though and don’t believe anyone lived in some of the buildings they showed. How amazing were some of the cars though? 

[Anag Ram]

13 hours ago, Normanton Lad said:

I’ve just watched the first episode of the Yorkshire Ripper programme and I have been struck by how shabby and run down everything looks in the film from 1974. Maybe Chapeltown was much worse than most parts of the country but to me it seems that they are deliberately making the country look worse than it was. The only part of Leeds I knew then was Roundhay and that was a very nice area. Perhaps Chapeltown was a complete dump. I worked with some men from Chapeltown and they were on good money for that time and if it was so bad there I don’t know why they didn’t move out.

To me 1974 seems like yesterday and I think Derby and most places looked smarter in 1974 than they do today. Perhaps I am paranoid but most TV content today seems to have an ulterior motive. We are given the story or the advert and at the same time we being sent messages about how we should think about history and politics.

I think it highlights how lucky we are to be living in the environment we do. 

It's not just the North that was shabby in the 70s.

We all just got used to it. Homemade clothes were quite prevalent and cheap cuts of meat more common than steak and choicer cuts we now take for granted. 

Kids would often play at the dump or in run down buildings which would cause a major panic now! 

I might give the Ripper series a go but I remember it quite well. So many needless deaths after they first suspected Sutcliffe. 

[ImARam2]

You think the 1970's look shabby, then you should have seen how poor everything was in the 1950's!!!

Having being brought up in the Arboreteum / Normanton districts, playing in amongst the old air raid shelters, the back-to-back terraced houses, all with dark, dank cellars and outside lavatories, were not really the 'good old days' to hear about.

I'm not trying to parody the 'Yorkshire men' skit, but things were very poor, with little money to go around, especially for my father who had escaped from Poland during WWII.

[ariotofmyown]

3 minutes ago, ImARam2 said:

You think the 1970's look shabby, then you should have seen how poor everything was in the 1950's!!!

Having being brought up in the Arboreteum / Normanton districts, playing in amongst the old air raid shelters, the back-to-back terraced houses, all with dark, dank cellars and outside lavatories, were not really the 'good old days' to hear about.

I'm not trying to parody the 'Yorkshire men' skit, but things were very poor, with little money to go around, especially for my father who had escaped from Poland during WWII.

You are talking rubbish surely, the post war period was pure joy? It's the magical era that 70-80 year olds always refer back too, which just coincidentally was also their childhood. I imagine it was even better for the rich, long glorious summers exploring the countryside around Father's estate.