Review: Third Episode of “When Knowledge Conquered Fear”

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The saga that is Cosmos: a Spacetime Odyssey continued on Sunday as host Neil deGrasse-Tyson explored a time “When Knowledge Conquered Fear,” which reveals the means by which the discovery of cosmic mechanics (Newton's laws of motion) were discovered, all starting with a childhood question asked by a young Edmond Halley: where do comets come from?

For thousands of years, humans were fearful of comets. Ever since the dawn of history, it was a recognized fact that humans were looking at and studying the sky, which was found to have familiar, regular patterns to its movements that the early humans undoubtedly found comforting in an ever-changing, dangerous world. In time, the study of the sky would lead to the calendar, which made the agricultural revolution possible.

Then came the comets.

Suddenly appearing as if out of nowhere, comets, with their unusual appearance, caused alarm among people because they were a cosmic wild card that didn't fit the familiar pattern. In time, comets became associated with the deaths of kings, plagues, war, and other, unpleasant happenings. By the 1600s and the life of Edmond Halley, these superstitions were starting to fade from thought, but a question still remained: where did comets come from?

By the time Halley was a young man, calculating orbits of celestial bodies was possible, as was describing how they move. As for the 'why,' that was still unknown. The rest of the episode details how Halley and a reclusive, shy Issac Newton became lifelong friends and collaborators and how Halley inspired Newton to publish his groundbreaking Principia, which was the final word in physics for about 250 years and which also answered the question asked by a young Halley: where do comets come from?

Thoughts?

The third episode is the best yet. Here, the new series really hits its stride, fully equaling the old. One thing that made the original series so special was its intertwining of science, history, and the human experience. In this episode, the story of Halley, Newton, their science, and feud with Robert Hooke all come together to make a whirlwind of a ride that is both informative and entertaining and that seems to fly by far faster than the official 60 minute time slot.

After watching episode 3, I can't wait for the remaining 10 episodes! Well done, Cosmos crew!

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Review: Second Episode of “Cosmos: a Spacetime Odyssey”

The saga that is Cosmos: a Spacetime Odyssey continued on Sunday as host Neil deGrasse-Tyson explored “Some of the Things That Molecules Do,” which basically traced the history of life on Earth. For people expecting pure astronomy, this can seem like a bit of an oddball topic for a series about space science but, as Carl Sagan once said, the story of the cosmos is a story of us.

The episode is largely a tale about how life in its present form came about through time by way of evolution by natural selection, the still-controversial theory (still denied by a large part of the population) first proposed by Charles Darwin in 1859. In this episode, Tyson starts with the story of an animal familiar to all of us: the dog. By explaining how humans have bred all current dog species on Earth, an undeniable fact, from the gray wolf, Tyson showcases evolution by artificial selection (imposed by humans).

Evolution explained with human intervention, Tyson then traces the evolution of other species by way of natural selection, which is triggered by random genetic mutations in an animal's genes. To explain briefly, random genetic mutations occur all the time, often with no implications for survival as a whole. However, every now and then, a mutation occurs that aids an animal's chances for survival. Example: the polar bear, Tyson's next subject.

At one time, there were no polar bears, only brown bears in the arctic. However, once upon a time a long time ago, a bear was born that had a genetic mutation that gave it white fur. Being white and camouflaged against the snow, the bear had an advantage in its hunting. In time that bear reproduced, passing along its genes for white fur, which aided the chances for survival against its offspring that inherited the white fur. In time, these white bears reproduced, further spreading out their genes for white fur. In time, there started to be a lot of white bears in the arctic. With this advantage over their brown cousins, in time, all bears in the arctic became white.

The rest of the episode involves further lessons on evolution, extinction, and how life might have evolved on other worlds and how it may have began on this one. The episode ends with a segment from the original series that graphically showcased evolution from single-cell bacteria into humans.

Thoughts?

The second episode is better than the first, hands-down, as it was in Sagan's series. Here, Tyson really steps into Sagan's shoes, explaining complex scientific processes like evolution in ways that virtually anyone can understand. One thing that made the original series so special was its camera work and unique presentations. In this episode, there is some very not so boring documentary cinematography as well as the Hall of Extinction, which offers a distinctly unique way of capturing the attention of the viewer. In short, while the original series may have felt more like journalism with its brief, somewhat cursory glances, this second episode feels more like a novel: engrossing, entertaining, and captivating.

Hopefully, this will be an indication of things to come in the remaining 11 episodes.

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Review: First Episode of 'Cosmos: a Spacetime Odyssey'

I just got done watching the first episode of Neil deGrasse Tyson's Cosmos: a Spacetime Odyssey. Overall impression: positive, though the cartoons do not do any favors to the series. Rather than write all about it here, check out my review on Examiner.

Needless to say, I will be watching next week and encourage you to do the same as Cosmos is far better than regular primetime programming!

Time Changes, New 'Cosmos' Premieres Today

Two bits of interesting astro news for the day in that (1) Daylight Savings Time returns and (2) Cosmos: a Spacetime Odyssey (a modern update to Carl Sagan's iconic 1980 Cosmos mini-series) will premiere tonight on Fox-owned networks all over the country and around the world.

First: time change.

At 2am this morning, the time changetook place as America sprang ahead an hour as Standard Time was be replaced with Daylight Savings Time, which will run through the first week of November. While most lovers of the great outdoors will rejoice, astronomers will not as, thanks to the time shift, dark skies will arrive an hour later than “normal.”

For astronomers, the time change will bring a change to observing patterns as, thanks to the time being pushed ahead an hour, one will have to stay up an hour later than yesterday to observe under dark skies. The good news: at least for now, daybreak will come an hour later but, thanks to the lengthening of the days, this bonus will not last long, so get out and observe in the morning soon!

Next: primetime TV.

Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, will premiere tonight on Fox stations across the nation. To create even more excitement, the series was a collaboration between Sagan's widow, Ann Druyan, Family Guy creator Seth MacFairlane, who took great inspiration from the original version, ans Steve Soter, who was instrumental in making the original a reality.

So, what of the series?

Unfortunately, to keep the hype at a fever pitch, tight wraps are being kept on the exact nature of the show. However, what has been revealed is that it takes a lot of inspiration from the original. Sagan's Space Ship of the Imagination is back, as are the historical sketches (this time cartoons) and the Cosmic Calendar, and the overall sense of wonder created by the original. New are recent discoveries in science and updated special effects.

As for what will be on TV tonight, the first episode it titled “Standing Up in the Milky Way” and reintroduces viewers to the Space Ship of the Imagination and Cosmic Calendar while telling the story of Giordano Bruno, an Italian burned at the stake in 1600 for teaching, correctly, that there are other planets circling other stars, which were merely Suns at a great distance.

The series will premiere tonight at 9pm EDT on Fox, National Geographic Channel, FX, FXX, FXM, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Mundo and Fox Life. On Monday (March 10) it airs again on National Geographic at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

Tune in, I will . . .

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Nikon D4 vs D4s: is the New Camera Worth the Extra Money?

D4s ('s' for 'stopgap')or D4: which should I buy? That's a hard question to answer as Nikon recently announced the D4s, the new top of the line dSLR in its lineup, which builds upon the 'multimedia' D4, announced back in 2012. The individual areas of improvements over its predecessor are small but, according to Nikon, together, they were enough to warrant the creation of a new model. So, is the D4s, priced $500 more than the D4, worth the cost of an upgrade?

Well, let's see.

For starters, there is the sensor and processor itself. While still having the same 16Mp resolution as the D4, Nikon claims the D4s has a new sensor. As an aside to speculation, there's no word if it shares the same chip that the retro DF uses or an even newer chip. To accommodate the new chip and increase in continuous drive as well as the buffer, Nikon has developed a new processor, the Expeed 4, which Nikon claims ha a 30% processing power advantage over the D4. As a last improvement, the D4s has a H4 ISO setting, which translates into a jaw-dropping ISO 409,600, which looks good on a spec sheet but like crap in real life.

Oh yes, I've never played with the D4s but have had enough cameras to know that the top 2, or even top 3 ISO settings are always various levels of unusable.

To make use of all of the above, Nikon has improved the AF system, too. As a base, Nikon used the proven Multi-CAM 3500 FX AF sensor incorporated in the D4 but has recalibrated the AF algorithms for even faster, more accurate focus. As something new, the D4s has a Group AF mode that utilizes five AF points to assist the main point in achieving focus. This improved AF (along with processor) was one of the reasons that Nikon decided to up the continuous drive at full-frame to 11fps.

Outside the camera, workflow speed can be an issue, and is one that Nikon has addressed with the D4s. Feeling bogged down by massive RAW files? Well, no more with the D4s as Nikon has included a Small RAW option wherein one can shoot RAW pictures at approximately half the full resolution. File transmission speed an issue? When connected via LAN, users can now transmit files using Gigabit Ethernet (1000 Base-T LAN), which promises a huge boost in transfer speed. As an added plus, Nikon has reworked the D4S to be remarkably power-efficient. Thanks to the development of a new EN-EL18a Lithium-Ion battery, the D4S can go up to 3,020 shots (CIPA rating) shots in single mode and 5,960 shots (Nikon testing) in continuous mode on a single battery.

My take: if Nikon was worried about workflow, it should just have added wi-fi capability. Look for thus feature on the D5.

On the video front, Nikon has been hard at work as well. For starters, the D4s is capable of streaming uncompressed video via HDMI at up to the new rate of 60fps at 1080p HD. Additionally, the D4s can simultaneously stream to an external recorder via HDMI and record on its memory card at the same time, too. In the past, Nikon has allowed for shooting video with a crop mode, but only now has the company created a setting to view (in Live View Mode) the actual view as will be recorded by the camera. For anyone liking to do time-lapse videos, Nikon claims the D4s can do the transition from one shot to the other with extreme smoothness.

As for mechanical touches, the D4s has been tested to 400,000 shutter cycles and the mirror mechanism has been redesigned to minimize viewfinder blackout, too. Lastly, the LCD has the ability to auto adjust its brightness for a given amount of ambient light.

So, is the D4s worth it?

My advice here is to look at what kind of photography you do as even all pros won't be needing these new features. If you will be using your camera to make a living, ask yourself a question: will the new features on the D4s help me make money? If yes, by all mean buy it. If no, don't bother. As for all the serious hobbyists out there, with there being no revolutionary changes, save up and wait for the D5, which should bring bigger changes as the odd numbered D# line models have tended to be a lot more groundbreaking in their improvements than the even numbered ones.


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A Brief History of Daylight Savings Time

At 2am tomorrow morning, the time change will take place as America will spring ahead an hour as Standard Time will be replaced with Daylight Savings Time, which will run through the first week of November. While most lovers of the great outdoors will rejoice, astronomers will not as, thanks to the time shift, dark skies will arrive an hour later than “normal.”

So, the controversy known, how did DSTcome about?

To trace the origins of DST, one must travel back to France of the 1700s. At that time Benjamin Franklin was serving as an envoy to the French government. Now, France is at a higher latitude than most of the United States, which means that the length variances of day and night are more extreme thanks to the higher latitude. In France, Franklin was somewhat disturbed by what he considered people living out of sync with nature and paying for it, literally, in candles. When most people got up, the Sun had already been up for several hours thanks to France's higher latitude. However, instead of people adjusting their schedules to the natural sunlight, they merely got up at the same time they always did and, as a result, stayed up well into the night, burning untold numbers of candles.

Franklin's solution? People should get up earlier (and thus go to bed earlier) during the summer and make use of the natural sunlight so as to economize on candle usage. In fact, Franklin published this idea, anonymously, in a 1784, somewhat tongue in cheek, essay. In truth, Benjamin Franklin is not the father of DST, but he was the first recorded person in history to suggest that people live more in-tune with the Sun.

After Franklin, the world would have to wait more than a century in order to get more advocates for living in sync with the Sun.

See also: Daylight Savings Time trivia

Around the year 1900, two different men would bring the idea of an actual time change (rather than the wake up/go to bed time change proposed by Franklin) to the public forefront. In England, prominent builder/outdoorsman William Willet, like Franklin, hated the idea that people were sleeping half their mornings away and, on a personal note, hated having to cut his rounds of golf short due to early nightfall. It is Willet who is commonly credited with the DST idea despite the fact that New Zealand entomologist George Vernon Hudson also proposed a time shift, 10 years previously. Hudson's personal stake: extra daylight would allow more time for specimen collection.

In the years following the time shift proposals by Willet and Hudson, the thought of springing the clocks forward started to spread around the world but, like with most political matters, more important issues came to the forefront, at least until 1916.

By the arrival of 1916, Europe had been at war for 2 years. As the then-called Great War continued with no end in sight, governments were looking for ways to cut costs for the war effort in any way they could. Then, come summer 1916, the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and their allies) agreed to set the clocks ahead for an hour as a means for saving coal. The other belligerents
quickly followed suit. The United States, which entered the war in 1917, adopted a time shift in 1918.

Come the end of the war, though, DST was largely discontinued. However, with the advent of WWII, it would be re-instituted as, once again, an energy-saving measure. This time, though, it stuck around, although its advent wasn't formalized, at least in the United Sates, until 1966. Curiously, though, the Uniform Time Actwas not binding in that localities could choose to ignore it and keep Standard Time if they so wished. So far, Arizona and Hawaii still don't observe DST. In 2007, at least in the United States, DST was extended on both ends.

Another curious fact about DST is this: throughout history and around the world, the shift has not always been one hour. In the past, time changes ranging 20 minutes and 2 hours have been observed. Right now, there is debate in some countries whether to make DST the new Standard Time, as in having DST all year, while other nations are contemplating doing away with DST altogether. Also, there are pushes in some places to extend DST by springing ahead more than 1 hour, too.

In all, the whole business of time change an an interesting history lesson not found in most textbooks and is still history in the making.

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