Stuff about the golden record on the Voyager spacecraft. Did you know that it includes a slideshow, and symbolic language on the record's cover attempts to explain the video track's encoding scheme? Clicking through the slides made me feel all mushy inside. (Also, it reminded me of one of my favorite scenes from the movie Contact, except in reverse. Or with unknowable alien scientists in the roles of Jodie Foster & co.)
I've always wanted to know what kind of stuff was on that record but never bothered to really look into it. Thanks for the link. My favorite picture of the bunch has to be the examples of eating, drinking, and licking.
Carl Sagan: A Life is a good biography of Sagan. It has some interesting perspective on the controversy over Sagan's work on the Pioneer plaque (it was labeled racist & sexist) and his overcompensation when compiling material for Voyager's golden record.
Also, they accidentally used a form of uranium without the half-life properties they were looking for, which got them smacked around for bad science too.
I actually wondered about the racial angle on the plaque (the human figures were clearly white folk). I suppose that explains the use of nonracial silhouettes in all the sketches of people throughout the slideshow, as well.
But sexist? Because the man is the one with his arm raised in greeting, I suppose... hah, and on the record, it's the woman instead, I did notice.
I dunno, if I was an interplanetary traveller whose first exposure to humans was stuff like this (http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/spacecraft/images/image027.gif) or especially this (http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/spacecraft/images/image061.gif), I'd be very confused indeed!
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Date: 2004-03-08 08:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-03-08 09:04 am (UTC)Also, they accidentally used a form of uranium without the half-life properties they were looking for, which got them smacked around for bad science too.
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Date: 2004-03-08 09:15 am (UTC)I suppose that explains the use of nonracial silhouettes in all the sketches of people throughout the slideshow, as well.
But sexist? Because the man is the one with his arm raised in greeting, I suppose... hah, and on the record, it's the woman instead, I did notice.
Since you were so touched...
Date: 2004-03-08 11:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-03-11 05:10 am (UTC)