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The Science Guy Returns 347
hende_jman writes "When I was in high school, the dry science videos that I watched in my classes made me miss the silly and sometimes irreverent Bill Nye the Science Guy. So I was excited to read in the latest issue of Wired that everyone's favorite Science Guy is coming out with a new show, The Eyes of Nye where he tackles some more serious issues like addiction, sex, cloning, and climate change."
Bill Nye ad sex... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Bill Nye ad sex... (Score:5, Funny)
You can say that again... (Score:3, Informative)
Re:You can say that again... OT (Score:5, Insightful)
This is one of those sad realities that you see day in and day out, even with otherwise well balanced people. If there is an activity that you swear off, and promise never to do, invariably it will be done and it will be done irresponsibly. The people in college who really burned out their brains on drugs were the ones in High School who swore they would never do any. The people didn't use condoms were the ones who swore they would never have premarital sex. By swearing off an activity, these people weren't mentally prepared to engage in the activity in a rational fashion. When people fall off the wagon, they fall hard.
To pull this back towards topic, hopefully this is the kind of controversial reasearch that Bill Nye will tackle. Hopefully, politics be damned, he will show that schools which teach abstinence-only sexual education have significantly higher rates of teenage pregnancy than districts with real sexual education courses, even accounting for things like income disparity and location. Or even that 50% of high school students are already sexually active, and educational programs should be tailored to this fact. Of course, it might be stepping over the line to point out that the bible belt has the highest rates of teenage pregnancy, higher than the hedonistic blue states, but no fact should be too controversial for Bill Nye.
Please, please let no fact be too controversial for Bill Nye. Please tell me he doesn't have to cut a story on life forms in aquatic thermal vents because it makes passing reference to evolution.
Re:You can say that again... OT (Score:5, Insightful)
From my experience, that's not exactly true. I swore off drugs, and never "burned out my brain" in college. There have been other things that I have, to one degree or another, sworn off. The ones I have later actually done I did with caution, not irresponsibly, and never over-did to the point of causing a problem. I have also seen this in other people, so I know it's not just me who is like this.
On the other hand, I (and those others I mention) have generally sworn something off based on our own decisions, after considering actually doing it. Among those I have seen who swore something off because they were told to do it, your scenario is much more likely.
The problem is not the insistence that you will not do something so much as having that decision forced on you. If you decide upon such a thing yourself, that generally means you have considered the information and are aware of the risks involved, as well as the possible precautions to be taken if you are involved in the activity. Those who have such things forced upon them are generally lacking in the basic knowledge of what you can do to be safe while doing that activity - after all, if you tell someone they will never, never be allowed to do something, why would you bother to tell them how to do it safely? (Yes, logically you should - but the situations we are talking about are generally forced by people who are are not looking at things logically, but rather as a matter of dogma.)
Re:You can say that again... OT (Score:3, Insightful)
However, the distinction does become a bit finer. It's not just a question of whether the decision was forced on the person, but how the person came to that decision. If a person decides not to do, say, LSD because they've done a thorough investigation of the effects of LSD, they know the rate of people who become insane on it, they know how situations can turn bad and how to deal with them, and the risk just isn't worth the payoff, then they are making a q
Re:You can say that again... OT (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Bill Nye ad sex... (Score:4, Funny)
Deep voice guy: "You know, Bill, I don't know that this is such a... AUUUGH!!!"
Child Assistant Kwon: "Wahhhh, I thought we were talking about grasshoppers today... can I have my passport now?"
Re:Bill Nye ad sex... (Score:2)
DID YOU KNOW THAT??!!>Gonorrhoea is characterized in male patients by dysuria accompanied by thick, copious, purulent (condensed milk-like) urethral discharge is the most common presentation and examination show a reddened external urethral meatus?? NOW YOU KNOWWW!!!
(sorry, I just had to...)
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
Probably a bit too long ago` (Score:4, Insightful)
OTOH, chances are both young and old
Stefan
Re:Probably a bit too long ago` (Score:3, Insightful)
I'm nearly 30 years old. Why do I enjoy watching Bill Nye at this age? Someone tell me please.
Re:Not everyone's favorite! (Score:3, Interesting)
Not to mention the time I learned how to make glue... man. Those were the days. I wonder if old eps of Mr. Wizard are available via bittorent. hmmm.
Re:Not everyone's favorite! (Score:3, Informative)
http://www.mrwizardstudios.com/watchmrwizardvolum
I'd go for Beakman's World, personally (Score:5, Informative)
Re:I'd go for Beakman's World, personally (Score:2)
Re:I'd go for Beakman's World, personally (Score:2)
Geeks versus nerds (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Geeks versus nerds (Score:2)
Re:Geeks versus nerds (Score:3, Interesting)
A friend of mine in high schools (we look to be about the same age) cousin was offered the job of the "yellow" power ranger but turned it down thinking it couldn't pay enough. :)
Re:Geeks versus nerds (Score:2)
he's also on the JREF board iirc... a very serious and eloquent skeptic and writer.
Re:Geeks versus nerds (Score:2, Funny)
I don't know about you! BUt I seriously hope we don't get to see children perform the skits on sex addiction.
Re:Geeks versus nerds (Score:2)
Re:I'd go for Beakman's World, personally (Score:2)
Re:I'd go for Beakman's World, personally (Score:5, Funny)
My favorite Mr. Wizard (Score:5, Funny)
Like the time Mr. Wizard showed you how to perform a prefontal lobotomy on a school bully using a #2 pencil, an American History text book, and a pipe cleaner.
The guest star / subject was "Whitey" from Leave it to Beaver. He was never the same after that. Of course, what actually slowed him down -- the operation or the home-brewed benzine-based anesthesia -- wasn't clear.
Re:My favorite Mr. Wizard (Score:2)
I dunno about that... (Score:2)
Re:Not everyone's favorite! (Score:3, Informative)
Having since lived in Boston, I'm a bit more used to hearing that, but as a midwestern kid in the mid-80s I thought it was the funniest thing ever.
That aside, it was definitely an awesome show. But Bill Nye wins for slick delivery.
Re:Not everyone's favorite! (Score:3, Informative)
Second, it wasn't a spinning wheel, it was a wheel with lit fireworks which was spinning.
Third, it wasn't "Wicked!" he was saying "Pretty Wicked!"
Yeesh, get your facts straight.
[1] Of all of the above, I'm the least sure of this.
Re:Not everyone's favorite! (Score:2, Interesting)
The Master (Score:3, Insightful)
The ultimate TV science guy was Professor Julius Sumner Miller.
He was a wild haired, wild eyed scientist whose catchphrase was 'Why is it so?'.
Re:Not everyone's favorite! (Score:2)
I loved them both. I wonder what ever happened to Don Herbert. Did he die?
On another note, as I get older I've come to see Bill Nye less as a goofy TV character, and have developed alot more respect for him.
It's nice to see the major 24 news networks get him in for more serious discussion. It helps us take him seriously, which is good if he's going to be tackling more adult topics.
Bill Nye (Score:5, Funny)
Incidentally, my 8th grade science teacher looked almost exactly like Bill Nye.
Re:Bill Nye (Score:2)
Was her voice like his, too?
Re:Bill Nye (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Bill Nye (Score:2)
Re:Bill Nye (Score:2)
The worst girlfriend song goes:
"She's the worst girlfriend in the world the psycho-bitch from hell, yah that's the girl, she's the worst girlfriend in the world."
Great show.
more info: http://www.jumptheshark.com/a/almostlive.htm
Re:Bill Nye (Score:2, Funny)
That's funny, my highschool janitor looked exactly like Bill Nye.
Re:Bill Nye (Score:5, Informative)
I liked his Speed Walker sketches . . . a superhero that walked heel-toe, heel-toe . . . and he was also one of the "High-Five'en White Guys"
Nye eventually died from that. (Score:2)
The Onion reports the tragic news: Science Guy Bill Nye Killed In Massive Vinegar/Baking-Soda Explosion [theonion.com].
(Yah, it probably requires a fee. Pay it. The Onion's archives are worth it. *grin*)
Re:Bill Nye (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Bill Nye (Score:2)
I loved his Speed Walker sketches.
microsoft distributed one of the almost live sketches on an MSDN CD, where bill nye played a sexually frustrated microsoft geek-employee. wish i could find it again.
Bill Nye is great (Score:5, Interesting)
thinking.. (Score:3, Funny)
Thinking of bill "tackling sex" is just getting me all excited to!
Re:thinking.. (Score:2)
Don't insult Nye (Score:2, Insightful)
Bow Tie (Score:5, Funny)
Oh god, is that why my wife grimaces whenever we make love??
Re:Bow Tie (Score:5, Funny)
Weird, she never does that with me...
What about Beakman's World? (Score:2, Insightful)
Bill Nye is drab and boring by comparison. Then again, what do you expect from Disney...
Re:What about Beakman's World? (Score:2)
Re:What about Beakman's World? (Score:4, Funny)
Or, you know, bored drunk college students.
Eh? Addiction, climate change? (Score:4, Interesting)
Speaking of which, I wonder how much that show's success had to do with exec's decision to bring Nye back.
Re:Eh? Addiction, climate change? (Score:2, Informative)
So that's what's causing it (Score:5, Funny)
I can't wait for this show!
The Actual Wired Story (Score:5, Informative)
This guy is great! (Score:4, Informative)
The songs... (Score:2)
Then again... if they could get the likes of They Might Be Giants and U2 working on it, instead of poor B-52's impersonations...
Ryan Fenton
Re:The songs... (Score:2)
(sorry it's such a postage stamp, its all I could find)
Bill Nye was our graduation speaker.... (Score:3, Interesting)
I Would Love To See The Sex Episode (Score:2)
Beekman's World? (Score:2, Redundant)
Why not ALL THREE?!?!? (Score:2)
Bill Nye as host.
Mr. Wizard as the august commentator, put on when gravitas is called for.
Beekman as the demonstrator.
Re:Why not ALL THREE?!?!? (Score:2)
I want my Almost Live! (Score:3, Interesting)
(And if you think this is off topic you need to check up on your Bill Nye history)
Re:I want my Almost Live! (Score:2)
unfortunately a lot of the Almost Live humor was specific to the pacific northwest, unless you lived in vancouver/seattle/portland you probably didnt get a lot of the jokes.
i would love to see the billy kwan sketches again. and bill nye's speedwalker sketches were great.
if anyone has almost live recorded, i'd love to know about it.
Is the Web site's show times list incomplete? (Score:2)
Also, Mozilla v1.7.6 doesn't render the list correctly.
The UK equivalent? (Score:2)
Looking forward to it! (Score:5, Interesting)
A side note - he really seems to hate people making a big fuss over him being "the science guy" (then again with that annoying theme song, who wouldn't?). He's just a very sharp guy who has a lot of interest in science and outreach. I think he'll be quite capable at holding the attention of adults.
Also, when he was telling me about the show, it was originally entitled "Through the Eyes of Nye," I wonder why they changed it...
Bill Nye is an oil company goon... (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Bill Nye is an oil company goon... (Score:4, Insightful)
You know what else is funny? How some people are so totally opposed to business in any form. They're always talking about the big evil corporations ruining everything for everyone, yet they don't ever seem to offer a realistic alternative, other than to substitute a big evil government for the big evil corporations through some sort of (usually violent) revolution.
And you know what else is funny? There are other people who hate government programs that help those in need, because each individual should be responsible for himself, and helping people only encourages irresponsibility. And at the same time as they laud this responsibility, they just cream their undies over this huge corporations that act irresponsibly, because the leaders of these companies have "responsibilities to the share holders." And apparently the buck stops there, because shareholders don't seem to be accountable to anyone, so long as they pay their capital gains taxes, although it looks like their gonna get out of that one, too.
It's a funny world we live in.
But what about his assistants? (Score:2)
Nye at the Skeptic Society (Score:4, Informative)
Meetings are at Cal Tech (Pasadena, CA)
Re:Nye at the Skeptic Society (Score:4, Funny)
MOD PARENT UP (Score:2)
Re:MOD PARENT UP (Score:2)
Re:MOD PARENT UP (Score:3, Funny)
Boy.. (Score:2)
Mr. Wizard (Score:3, Interesting)
Check out this site: http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/W/htmlW/watchmr
for some good history on Don Herbert, the real name of Mr. Wizard.
Here is his official page [mrwizardstudios.com], which says Don operates the site himself! Cool.
Bah, Bill Blows! (Score:2)
The Astronauts - Bill deserves this show. (Score:5, Interesting)
Way to go Bill! You've come a long way from "Speed Walker", wiggling your ass in tight shorts superhero costume for laughs on "Almost Live"
Re:The Astronauts - Bill deserves this show. (Score:2)
LOL, indeed -- and let's not forget about his membership in the high-fivin' white guy club
Re:The Astronauts - Bill deserves this show. (Score:2)
microsoft liked the sketch so much they included it on an MSDN CD. wish i could find it.
bill nye @RPI and BillMaher (Score:5, Interesting)
He said to remember three things if anything:
1 Use the metric system
2 Never write a memo longer than 1 page
3 Make sure you enjoy what you plan on doing for the rest of your life
Months later I saw him on a panel hosted by Bill Maher with Craig Barret, Pen and Teller, and Peggy Noonan (i think). He was complaining about internet porn affecting people's lives. People laughed, but he was totally serious.
Fascinating man. Even in my late 20's I enjoyed his show on tape as a way to decompress after a long day workin on my PHD
It was because of this show... (Score:5, Insightful)
question for the /. crowd (Score:2)
watch it... watch it..... THERE it is!!
does anybody know who this might have been? I think he was some crazy old guy with white hair, if that helps... :)
Re:question for the /. crowd (Score:2)
voiceover by a woman.
occaisional monologues by a short man with an austrian accent and big glasses?
i know the show, it still on PBS, something about chemistry...
i'll reply when it pops into my head...
something like "the world of something..."
Dr Science? (Score:2)
Dry Science Videos Live On . . . (Score:4, Informative)
Bil Nye? pffht (Score:2)
Now there was a science team.
Almost Live (Score:2)
Disney (Score:2)
Bring back Newton's Apple... (Score:2)
back when PBS used to be cool...
I liked him better as SpeedWalker (Score:2)
Say hi to Steve Jarrett for me!
And don't get caught biking the wrong way around the lake!
Climate change? (Score:2)
What's there to explain? The world's gonna melt away in 100 years, and everyone agrees.
Science Guy DVDs (Score:3, Interesting)
Imagine my surprise when I found out that there are no DVDs to buy of Bill Nye. For all the crap TV shows that are coming out on DVD this month, how is it possible that Bill Nye has not yet arrived on DVD?
If such a torrent link existed, now would be the time to share it, yes?
Re:One thing I'm not ge[tt]ing... (Score:2)
Re:One thing I'm not ge[tt]ing... (Score:3, Insightful)
Theories are a part of science . . . theories with significant evidence are accepted as likely to be true. Others with less evidence are perhaps somewhat debatable. This is all part of the Scientific Method
If you would rather have children watch science shows that eshew theory, there would be precious little science in the show. . . it would be a show about facts. And facts aren't science . . . Science is a
New troll phenomenon or something else? (Score:2)
Is this some new Slashdotism I'm not familair with? My first assumption was that it had something to do with troll tagging ala "first posts" but not all the messages seem to be trolls, not even most of them...
Re:Bill Nye Beekman (Score:4, Funny)
Then make them battle on the surface of some far off desert planet.
My guess is, Mr. Wizard would win, but Nye would have fresher looking moves. Nye's downfall would be in showboating it up for the crowd, while Mr. Wizard would methodically find Nye's weakness and exploit it with some obscure weapon which most of us didn't know Mr. Wizard even had.
As a prize, the Mr. Wizard robot would be able to take home Xuxa, that really odd creepy lady (who was also strangely hot) who had her own children's television program back in the day. Together they would mate, and produce an offspring which would be the future of educationally themed children's television programs for the next thousand years.
I'm not sure where I got this idea. I think it was foretold somewhere in the Book of Mormon. Or maybe it was that guy who was trying to get me to take a personality test outside the Church of Scientology on Hollywood Blvd in Los Angeles.
Either way, I'm sure it will happen, if we all wish hard enough.