Latif Nasser is probably best known as a current host of Radiolab, WNYC's celebrated broadcast/podcast program.
Before that, he hosted the Netflix documentary series, Connected: The Hidden Science of Everything. I think it's safe now to say that Connected was a limited series, and—like many Netflix properties—season 1 is as far as it will go. But we got six solid episodes to enjoy. Each episode stands on its own. And each delivers unexpected connections.
They were released in the midst of the lockdowns, so you might have been glued to Tiger King at the time. The title hews close to that of James Burke's classic, Connections. So I was willing to give it a go.
Ever feel like you're being watched? Well, you may be right. Latif explores the sometimes cute, often creepy ways surveillance pervades our lives. Segments: Veeries, Piggies, Selfies, Sweeties.
National Geographic · 2014 · Presenter: Neil deGrasse Tyson
Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, is a thirteen-part American science documentary television series released in 2014. The show is a follow-up to the 1980 television series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, which was presented by Carl Sagan is considered a milestone for scientific documentaries. This series was developed to bring back the foundation of science to network television at the height of other scientific-based television series and films. The show is presented by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, who, as a young high school student, was inspired by Sagan.
1. STANDING UP IN THE MILKY WAY Tyson opens the episode to reflect on the importance of Sagan's original Cosmos, and the goals of this series. He introduces the viewer to the "Ship of the Imagination", the show's narrative device to explore the universe's past, present, and future. Tyson takes the viewer to show where Earth sits in the scope of the known universe, defining the Earth's "address" within the Virgo Supercluster. Tyson explains how humanity has not always seen the universe in this manner, and describes the hardships and persecution of Renaissance Italian Giordano Bruno in challenging the prevailing geocentric model held by the Catholic Church. To show Bruno's vision of the cosmic order he uses an animated adaptation of the Flammarion engraving, a 19th century illustration that has now become a common meme for the revealing of the mysteries of the Universe.
The episode continues onto the scope of time, using the concept of the Cosmic Calendar as used in the original series to provide a metaphor for this scale. The narration describes how if the Big Bang occurred on January 1, all of humankind's recorded history would be compressed into the last few seconds of the last minute on December 31. Tyson concludes the episode by recounting how Sagan inspired him as a student as well as his other contributions to the scientific community.
Before that, he hosted the Netflix documentary series, Connected: The Hidden Science of Everything. I think it's safe now to say that Connected was a limited series, and—like many Netflix properties—season 1 is as far as it will go. But we got six solid episodes to enjoy. Each episode stands on its own. And each delivers unexpected connections. 