May 14, 2008
Brian Cox, Horizon: What Time Is It?
TX: December 2, BBC2, 9pm
*UPDATE* 16/11/08
The teaser is out.
NOTE: UPDATES TO THE POST ARE BELOW
Brian is off filming a new Horizon at the moment. His last one about Gravity was rather popular (thanks for watching, everyone!) and was very well received indeed. They asked him if he’d do another one. This one is about Time- humans’ concepts of it and what it actually means and, of course, relativity.
The first place they’ve been filming is in Mexico on Mayan pyramids. Here’s Brian with director, Paul Olding.
As you already know, the Maya ‘had very advanced concepts of mathematics, astronomy and Time.’ Hence why they are filming there. They will also be filming in Boston, Washington, D.C., San Diego and San Francisco (I think).
I was told there were ‘creepy crawlies’ in Mexico. Brian won’t cope well with that.
EDIT 06/06/08
Here’s the first behind the scenes clip.
EDIT 31/08/08
Brian explains why he wanted to do a documentary on Time.
EDIT 04/09/08
Brian explains why he wants to understand Time.
production 
QR Code DVD 
lol, poor Brian. He’s trying to laugh through it! And have some kind of witty rapport with the other bloke! But that other guy just has no funny bone in his body does he?
Thet can’t be any creepier or crawlier than commissioning editors.
Chimera, I actually think the guy had a *VERY* dry sense of humour.
John, Heh. I concur.
*scratches head* What was wrong with Michio Kaku’s ‘Time’, shown recently on BBC4? I guess time is as big a topic as say culture, but isn’t Brian inevetably going to cover much of the same ground? Why not just run ‘Time’ again on BBC2 (partly so it receives a wider audience, partly because I can’t get BBC4 anymore) and choose a different topic all together?
It’ll be interesting to compare the two I guess.
PS-did Brian contribute to ‘Time’? I can’t quite remember.
Ack, can’t correct ‘all together’. Sorry for the double post (sorta), but I feel so dirty. Now I won’t be able to sleep :-(
Hi Gia
Totally fantastic clip of Brian. I thought he maintained his composure fairly well until the spiders were mentioned.
James, nope Brian’s programme won’t cover a single bit of similar ground as Michio Kaku’s Time programmes. No cross over whatsoever… :)
Zanimljivo mi je bilo ovo vidjeti o Brianu u Mexicu. Naime, LHC bi trebao službeno uskoro proraditi, iako ja mislim da će se to malo odužiti koju godinicu prije nego počnu ozbiljno razbijati tj. zabijati protone. Do 2012 godine biti će nekih rezultata, a tada se svijet mijenja prema majanskom proročanstvu odnosno kalendaru. Bit će zanimljivo promatrati i vidjeti ima li ovo međusobno veze ili sam samo ja paranoičan. :-) Pozdrav
So I’m in a philosophy class where we debate reality and such. I need to make a presentation about how much science has achieved (4 minutes) in order reassure their trust in genetics and physiology’s affect on the human mind. My idea is to present the scientific creationist story shown in Dr. Cox’s TED talk. What do you think? Or do you think there is a better approach to popularizing science in 4 minutes?
Maksim- Popularising science in 4 minutes? After 8 years of the Bush admin legislating against logic and rationality? That’s a tough one!
The ‘Creation story’ Brian told in his TED talk is one of a multitude of ways humans have tried to explain ‘what it all means’. That the scientific Creation story is a result of observation, calculation and experimentation means that it has a grounding in reality. It doesn’t really mean, however, that other Creation stories are less important to the human experience, it’s just that they are, when it comes right down to it, merely stories.
I think the fact that the science Creation story has genuine *fact* to back it up makes it so much more amazing and awe-inspiring than anything a puny little human mind could make up.
I think to ‘popularise’ science you need to make sure that science remains within the rest of human culture – popular or otherwise. Science sits alongside Music, Art, Literature as a valid response to the human condition.
Gia (and anyone else),
I completley agree with you, but do you think that the Science Creationist Story is the most effective way to “aww” a class of students that have no particlar interest in science? On one of my earlier-small presentations for this class I described how an attractive woman walks into our classroom (sounded more like a porno) and then went to explain how the hypothalmus reacts and how genetics play an important role in our psychology.
-Max
Hmmm, no actually I *don’t* think the Creation story will grab people within 4 minutes. It needs a build up.
Something like this might ‘awe’ them. Or even this…
Those are two ‘quick, sharp, shocks’ that I can think of at 1.30am after several beers and arguing for about 2 hours with Brian about quantum mechanics and the many worlds theory. ;)
Thank you very much. I’ve already sparked certain people to cry out of frustration when I brought up genetic determinism last presentation, I fear telling them about their overall insignificance might spark another incident.
I appreciate your input, I think it’s important for them to understand their place in the universe (at least in this one)!
I presented the creationist story to my class, and it was met with great interest. They had a hard time grasping the “universe came from nothing” idea. Then they asked what the point of the LHC was, which I was prepared for. I gave the exmaple of how the British government was asking the discoverer of the electron the purpose of their funding, and he answered that all he knows is that the government will tax it in 20 years.
Dear Giagia
Excellent news about your Brian becoming a Professor!
Whilst I appreciate his beautiful comments on the age of the particles of the body known as me; I would point out I’m currently having a heck of a job trying to re-arrange them with the help of a Wii fit machine. Might time be of help in this matter? Of course if I wait long enough it won’t be a problem at all will it!
Pass me one of Brian’s crisps would you, Dear?