(Source: mutualassureddistraction)
Posts tagged carl sagan
Posted 6 months ago
Books permit us to voyage through time, to tap the wisdom of our ancestors. The library connects us with the insights and knowledge, painfully extracted from Nature, of the greatest minds that ever were, with the best teachers, drawn from the entire planet and from all of our history, to instruct us without tiring, and to inspire us to make our own contribution to the collective knowledge of the human species. Public libraries depend on voluntary contributions. I think the health of our civilization, the depth of our awareness about the underpinnings of our culture and our concern for the future can all be tested by how well we support our libraries.
Posted 9 months ago
Today, NASA named its Mars Curiosity landing site “Bradbury Landing” after our late, beautiful, sensitive author Ray Bradbury, who passed away in June.
“Today would have been Ray Bradbury’s 92nd birthday, but he’s already reached immortality in his short stories and books,” said Michael Meyer, lead scientist for NASA’s Mars Exploration Program. “His books have truly inspired us. His ‘Martian Chronicles’ has inspired our curiosity.”
As a long-time recommender of ‘The Martian Chronicles’ (next to ‘I, Robot’ as one of the best scifi books I’ve ever read), this — to put it in tumblr terms — is a bit too many feels for me all at once.
Happy Birthday, Ray. Only wish you and Carl were around to see it.
¡Lo que ennegrecí, por la cresta!
¡Es lo que más deseé el día de hoy, también!
Posted 1 year ago
Anything that deters science, deters the progression of our species.
Posted 1 year ago
Carl SaganFrom, The Cosmic Connection: An Extraterrestrial Perspective
“Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent. And don’t bother concealing your thievery - celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: “It’s not where you take things from - it’s where you take them to.” ― Jim Jarmusch
De estatura mediana,
Con una voz ni delgada ni gruesa,
Hijo mayor de profesor primario
Y de una modista de trastienda;
Flaco de nacimiento
Aunque devoto de la buena mesa;
De mejillas escuálidas
Y de más bien abundantes orejas;
Con un rostro cuadrado
En que los ojos se abren apenas
Y una nariz de boxeador mulato
Baja a la boca de ídolo azteca
-Todo esto bañado
Por una luz entre irónica y pérfida
Ni muy listo ni tonto de remate
Fui lo que fui: una mezcla
De vinagre y de aceite de comer
¡Un embutido de ángel y bestia!
