http://oculture.disqus.com/NoneenTue, 29 Sep 2009 16:27:51 -0000http://www.openculture.com/2009/09/carl_sagan_and_stephen_hawking_remixed.html#comment-21003543<p>If you want to learn more about Carl's work, and how he might have saved us all from nuclear war, check out the Sagan Appreciation Society (site currently in testing)</p>SASTue, 29 Sep 2009 16:27:51 -0000http://www.openculture.com/2009/09/carl_sagan_and_stephen_hawking_remixed.html#comment-21003542<p>The summer before my sophomore year at Ithaca High, a friend and I were walking the path around Beebe Lake on the Cornell campus when we saw a sign pointing to the Cornell Observatory. On our way up to take a look we were met by a young, dapper looking professor wearing a sports coat and turtleneck who suggested we come back at night when we could look through the telescope. We never did revisit the observatory, but a few years later, drawn into The Cosmos on PBS, I realized who we had met. This video is a touching and beautiful tribute to Carl Sagan's life and work, as it is Dr. Hawking's. Challenged by its mathematics, I nonetheless carry an abiding curiosity, appreciation and fascination for the power and beauty of our Universe, largely instilled by Drs. Sagan and Hawking--I know I'm not alone. Accompanying this is a cherished memory of a chance encounter with one of the Cosmos' brightest stars.</p>G BrustTue, 29 Sep 2009 16:02:53 -0000