No one Expects the Roman Inquisition
It’s my turn at the mic for the 365 Days of Astronomy project! Start your Saturday off right by traveling back in time and having breakfast with a bearded guy who just couldn’t keep from spying on his neighbors at night.
You can listen using the player below, and you can read the transcript over at the main site. While you’re over there check out the other great entries so far. Yesterday’s was all about how you can now buy Japanese space beer. After the Japanese space toilet article, I’m starting to seriously wonder if Japan is suffering from some sort of… space madness!
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January 10th, 2009 at 11:30 am
Loved the podcast, Davin!
Also, I have to say that your website is perhaps the most beautiful and aesthetically pleasing site on the entire web! I come to your site sometimes just to look at the gorgeous picture on top!
January 10th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
I just listened to today’s podcast from and I have to disagree with you on the conclusion you draw.
Rather than retreating like scaredy-cats to the land of the comfy pillows, one must fight against science deniers whether they be creationists, anti-vaxxers, global warming deniers and all the anti-science advocates out there.
If all you does is the research that will not rock the boat or offend somebody’s dogma soon you’ll be doing no research at all and science will become stagnant and irrelevant.
I don;t know about, but I would not liek to live in such a world.
Otherwise, great podcast on Gallileo!
January 10th, 2009 at 5:28 pm
Nancy – why thank you! Or more appropriately, I guess you should thank The Universe for such a gorgeous nebula!
Cory – I agree also. One should stand up to the forces of dogma with the Indestructible Truth, no matter what the consequences. Galileo certainly did this in his own way with Dialogues. It was a not-so-subtle attack on the Church’s attacks on Copernican theory, going so far as to present their view through the voice of a “simpleton”. It didn’t escape their notice, and had to respond once Galileo called them out. Under house arrest, I guess he did have access to comfy pillows, though. I wonder how Galileo’s life would have been different if he wasn’t subjugated to that sentence of house arrest.
Thanks to both of you for the kind comments. Now I have to start working on Feb 11, which is already late!
January 10th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
okay, that intro song totally reminded me of “molecularium.” isn’t that bad?
fabulous podcast. i have to say that, ever since working with you and justin in the dome, i’ve been paying more attention to the skies (along with turning on some other people to some fabulous goings-on in the night), and i’m totally digging on it. still far from even being an amateur star-gazer, i’m still enthralled with the night, the planets, the stars, the meteor showers, the moon-laurel even had me do a little bit about moonphases for a girlscouts day at EP. so i gots to say thanks for keeping us all posted about what’s going on out there, and keep giving us the good stuff!
January 11th, 2009 at 10:48 am
Jen – Oh no! I spent the last year getting the songs of Molecularium out of my head, and now they’re right back in there!! Thanks for the psychosis!
THis is how most astronomy nuts get started. They get introduced to it, it sits around in their mind incubating, planting itself firmly in there, and before you know it, wham – you have a full grown astronomy tree growing out of your nose. Invade Justin’s cube and grab some book soff of his shelf, and read some cool stuff. I might start getting together a book list- there’s so great books out there. And astronomy and skyclad DO go together! How do I even know that word?? Thanks Jen and take care.
January 12th, 2009 at 12:05 am
Rock on! I needed to make popcorn for that one. Silly Catholics, always trying to rule the world. I’d like to think Gallileo acted as any sane man would. Who want’s to be imprisioned or put to death when you can just suffer house arrest with bad cable for the rest of your life and still hold an opinion.
January 12th, 2009 at 7:42 am
Stacie – hahaha – this is true! He could sit around the house and watch reruns of… Who Wants to be a Blasphemer?!
February 20th, 2009 at 11:52 am
Hey Davin- I just listened to your 365 days podcast about Galileo. Great job and thanks!
You’re web site is also very interesting. I expect to return here often.
….about the Catholic comments- I hope that you can forgive the Church for things that happened hundereds of years ago. The Church has admitted to being wrong and has mended her ways. You probubly know that it was a Catholic Priest that developed the big bang theory- Fr. Georges Lemaitre. The Catholic Church now as tolerant an instatution as you’ll find and generally has no position on scientific questions like Evolution, which most Catholics believe in as individuals.
I guess it just goes to show that you can’t be 2,000 years old without making some mistakes. As Maxwell Smart used to say- “I hope we wern’t out of line with that persacution thing….”
Thanks again and keep up the good work!
al
February 20th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Hi Al! Thanks for listening!
I do give the Catholic church credit these days when it comes to astronomy. With its (two – are there more by now?) own very active and successful observatories and their astronomers, it has taken a very active role in discovering more about our Universe. Compared to the U.S. government (or should I say past governments) it’s pretty liberal these days about science – for the most part! But I can only hope that it and other religions never respond with such vitriol towards others when it feels “threatened” as an institution from the ideas of others.
Thanks for stopping by, and hope to see you around often.