9 ms·

Connections by James Burke (1978)

Daub 6y ago
Good childhood memories of this program. A thoroughly engaging view of how ideas cascade through time, how small changes can evolve into large ones. It was a big influence on how I lecture.
- Alex63 6y ago
  Same here. Good memories. And the companion book is still on my shelf. So interesting to see how modern inventions depend on a network of connected ideas.
wegs 6y ago
I see a lot of similar stuff on Youtube these days. A recent Economics Explained walked through wealth inequality in some Scandinavian countries (TL;DR: it's high). This is different from income inequality, which is quite low. It walked through the wealth of Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken, who has a net worth of $13B, by virtue of having inherited Heineken. Her family bought (not founded) Heineken 200 years ago, and the family fortune dates back a half-millennium. There are really neat documentary channels like that. I'm not downplaying Burke, who was brilliant, but two bits of progress: - In 1978, he didn't have the Internet. Research is much easier today. - In 2020, anyone can produce high-quality documentaries. In 1978, you needed a massive investment. I'm not trying to imply it's easy, but we've gone from where you need a video editing studies, reels of film, and a research team, to where you just need to spend a few years as a super-nerd to pick up the requisite skills, and drop perhaps $2000 on cameras and microphones. Indeed, if you're scrappy, you can do pro-quality with just a better cell phone and computer, with a lot more work. I'd guess a lot of channels were inspired by Connections. I know Mechanical Universe inspired a lot of (now better) Youtube channels, like 3Blue1Brown. So these early documentaries were pivotal, but we've also come a long ways from there.
- kderbyma 6y ago
  It's like his claim continues to ring true even through his own works.
- lqet 6y ago
  If I am not mistaken, you are saying that technical entry barriers into documentary filmmaking are much, much lower today than in 1978, and therefore it is much easier to create such a series today. The former is definitely true, but consider the following: - "Connections" used a substantial amount of acted historical scenes. Creating them in such a quality (and not some sketchy animation or a re-cut of existing work) is still a challenge today. You need half-decent actors. - Technical quality is secondary to content. "Connections" is not just a collection of interesting and well-made bits about how technology evolved, there is an entire and compelling theory behind it, which Burke tries to bring accross. Such aspirations, executed with such intellectual and inspirational confidence, need something more than just technical ability and financial resources. Just because paper and ink got much cheaper since the 16th century, we didn't suddenly produce a Shakespeare every 2 years. So far, I haven't seen any historical documentation on YouTube which even compares to the depth and width of "Connections".
  - ghaff 6y ago
    You also, as I recall, had a fair bit of location shooting including places like Navy ships that probably took some producer a bunch of time to arrange. The technical barriers are certainly much much lower--younger interested in film me would have killed for an iPhone much less even a $500-ish videocam--but it still takes a lot of work to film a professional looking documentary.
  - dredmorbius 6y ago
    Connections was savvy in finding faires, working museaums, and access to the BBC's film vaults for providing much (though not all) such footage. Burke describes going to reenactment festivals to film many of the medieval life scenes. And his journalist background and connections enabled him to have the access necessary to shoot single-take sequences such as this: https://youtube.com/watch?v=2WoDQBhJCVQ https://youtube.com/watch?v=2WoDQBhJCVQ (Hardly the only impressive on-location scene in his work.) Agreed with your comments on the primary importance of writing and research. I'd argue that Chris & Evan Hadfield's "Rare Earth" is getting close, Tom Scott is doing quite well, and Derrek Muller's "Veritasium" and Destin Sandlin's "Smarter Every Day" have promise. Several YouTubers have been picked up by traditional broadcasters/production organisations, notably Hank Green ("Crash Course"), with PBS, and Emily Graslie ("Prehistoric Road Trip"), with the Chicago Field Museum. YouTube as a training and recruiting ground has merits. One reason Connections is so hard to compare to is that it's pretty incomparable: forty years on we're still discussing it in glowing terms. It was produced by someone well-established and experienced at least within the BBC, and backed by the organisation. Notably, little from either national/public broadcasting or commercial production has even approached it. My short list includes Sagan's Cosmos, Burke's own The Day the Universe Changed, Ken Burns. Daniel Yergin's The Prize. And of course Kenneth Clarke's Civilisation and Jacob Bronowski's The Ascent of Man, which had paved the way for Burke himself. I might include Adam Curtis's works. The role of the author or creative voice --- a Burke, Sagan, Burns, Bronowski, Clark, Curtis --- cannot be overstated. That talent seems rare, perhaps also the ability to simply get out of its way. Also realising when it's circled too hard back in on itself --- Burke had 2--3 good series in him, but he hasn't matched himself in at least three decades. Related HN thread with additional recommendations: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2698026 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2698026 Part of that is a more crowded field: there's more produced, it's harder to get noticed. Part my own near-total avoidance of broadcast television. But I don't think that's all of it. And yes my HN history shows I'm quite the fan of Burke: https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&query=by%3Adredmorbius%20connections%20burke%20&sort=byPopularity&type=comment https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&que...
UI_at_80x24 6y ago
Connections, Connections 2, and Connections 3 are gold-mines of information. The information density is incredible, and it's enjoyable to watch. The show holds up very well given it's age, but the image quality is especially difficult to watch on modern LCD screens.
- lqet 6y ago
  I wonder if it was produced on film. This would allow a remastering, similar to Seinfeld [0]. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFIrsitJW5M https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFIrsitJW5M
  - royjacobs 6y ago
    In that era typically only things recorded in studios would be video, the rest would be film. So Connections could certainly he remastered, and I hope the BBC does so. Some of their older documentaries, like Ascent of Man, already got that treatment.
    - lqet 6y ago
      I fear that another BBC favorite of mine, How Buildings Learn [0], is too modern (90ies) to have been produced on film... [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvEqfg2sIH0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvEqfg2sIH0
    - sp332 6y ago
      I think it was on film because it was released only a year later in the US. That was very difficult for shows on tape because of the 50Hz-vs-60Hz difference in video formats.
- xbar 6y ago
  I strongly agree.
- emacsen 6y ago
  Don't forget The Day the Universe Changed!
jeremymcanally 6y ago
Full seasons of this show are available on the Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/ConnectionsByJamesBurke/ https://archive.org/details/ConnectionsByJamesBurke/ I've been meaning to watch more of them...maybe I'll get around to it over the holiday weekend. :)
- shostack 6y ago
  How is the resolution of these versions? Watching on YT has been painful.
alariccole 6y ago
This is the show that sparked me to pursue engineering. Cannot recommend it highly enough. The original was a masterpiece.
raintrees 6y ago
Loved these series, from the first release around the 70's on Ambrose video (checked them out from the Library), to purchasing Connections 2 from The Store of Knowledge in the San Jose area (long since closed), to the shorter version 3 (updated, but not as many). Burke has a gift for showing how disparate technologies are actually related - And much to learn along the way. Helps with games of Trivial Pursuit, too - Good for the holidays :) Highly recommend.
aequitas 6y ago
I can't recommend this series often enough. Even though it's over 40 years old, the problem it describes and the questions it raises are more relevant than ever. Besides a complex electricity network we now have internet and all it interconnected systems, an ever more complex electricity network due to new suppliers (rural solar) and global trading networks.
leoc 6y ago
If you like this then https://thonyc.wordpress.com/ https://thonyc.wordpress.com/ is the hard stuff.
teekert 6y ago
Cool! As a kid I watched this on Discovery channel and I never learned the name nor found it again afterwards. I remember a connection between smoking and the Medici's in Florence and Migraine...
ThrowawayR2 6y ago
I'm surprised by how many people are missing the central thesis of Connections. Yes, it was about how technological progress is a web of interlocking discoveries, which is entertaining, but that wasn't the _point_ of it. The first and last episodes of Connections 1 introduce and wrap up the theme of the entire series and it ought to terrify people to the core. (Warning: spoilers ahead) The first, "The Trigger Effect" highlights how utterly and irrevocably dependent human civilization is on a broad web of technology and how delicate that web is, the so called "technology trap". Break it and we can expect an astronomical death toll. (We got a tiny taste of this in the supply chain disruptions of COVID-19.) No one wants to think about it or believe it but the breakdown of civilization is actually possible. The final episode, "Yesterday, Tomorrow and You", ties together the past episodes by pointing out that technological progress is not really controllable or stoppable because of its incremental and interlocking nature. Yet by doing so, we are only deepening our dependence on an ever more delicate web of technology without which we are helpless. Moreover, we don't even know where this unstoppable technological progress is taking us; perhaps a utopia but just as likely a hellscape. (An example of this is the unforeseen societal consequences of the growth of social media or the loss of privacy caused by the web.) It is enough to make one think that the apocalypse preppers aren't entirely wrong. It is one of the most utterly terrifying and thought provoking concepts I have encountered over a lifetime of gathering knowledge.
- makuto 6y ago
  I disagree. I think the point of the show is to illustrate how technology progresses. You could say one piece of it is about how we are reliant on it, and not in control of it, but I'd say overall, the show is optimistic about technology and celebrates innovation. Edit: The Wikipedia article [0] does have a good summary, which I think makes us both right: There are really a collection of theses, none of which in my opinion dominate the show, except possibly the unplanned nature of technological evolution. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connections_(TV_series) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connections_(TV_series)
  - ThrowawayR2 6y ago
    Take a look at the scene in the first episode while discussing the consequences of being in a scenario where one needs to escape the technology trap where he asks the viewer whether they are willing to kill to ensure their survival. Take a look at the scene about 42 minutes into the last episode where technological artifacts are being smashed to Wagnerian music and listen to what he says just beforehand. Does any of that sound optimistic?
stblack 6y ago
Conceivably the Connections series could have had a much longer run. I'm sorry it didn't.
- JKCalhoun 6y ago
  I prefer shows that make their point with succinctness and brevity. Connections, the original run, was perfect.
fsewe20 6y ago
Back in 2017 there was a kickstarter to fund a connections app, it didnt hit the goal and i havent heard anything since. I remember he was on Dan Carlins podcast talking about it. Anyone know what became of the project? https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/504632459/james-burke-connections-app/rewards https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/504632459/james-burke-c...
- interestica 6y ago
  I really want a rerelease of the original shows in higher quality. That might be the movement that spurs public interest for things like this app. I'm not sure of the quality of the original stock film, but it could be used to make a new high def release. I actually convinced my instructor in undergrad to show it for a "history of science" course. Perhaps the BBC could officially open up the rights entirely so that it can be used as a general teaching tool (might be near impossible - but the music, often a major rights hurdle for these aged rereleases, seems like it was all originally composed for the show). I would love a video like this to be augmented - something akin to the pop-up video series. You could link or show associated information during playback. I actually had something like that as part of my Master's thesis final project. It could potentially be an engaging learn-from-home project.
- koudelka 6y ago
  I don't think it's exactly connected to the kickstarter, but in this[1] interview with James from May, he talks about how he's currently working on the K-Web[2]. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUb6Sv-rUv0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUb6Sv-rUv0 [2] http://k-web.org http://k-web.org
  - tbirdny 6y ago
    In the youtube interview you linked to he also says he's coming out with a new Connections series in Jan 2022.
bhouston 6y ago
I loved this show so much as a kid. It was so eye opening and he was such a good educator. Made history and technology progress interesting.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
WalterBright 6y ago
An interesting point Burke repeatedly made is that the connections were made by people wanting to make money. Gutenberg invented the printing press to make money, the Wrights invented the airplane to make money, Enbrel (first effective treatment for rheumatoid arthritis) was invented to make money. Free markets for the win!
- marricks 6y ago
  I think ThrowawayR2's comment really makes yours seem a bit ridiculous
  - WalterBright 6y ago
    There's a scene in the series where Burke specifically holds up a series of coins and makes the point dramatically.
dboreham 6y ago
Interesting to see Burke's transformation from "TV idiot" into genius prophet, over 40 years.
- ThrowawayR2 6y ago
  > "TV idiot" Much as I love James Burke, there is a rather funny parody of him from the old "Not The Nine O'Clock News" comedy series in the UK: https://youtu.be/82GUX_NA7AU?t=65 https://youtu.be/82GUX_NA7AU?t=65
FuckButtons 6y ago
Genuinely one of the best TV programs ever made.
1propionyl 6y ago
I absolutely love this program and will heartily recommend it to anyone I meet who seems like they might vaguely be in the audience for it. Dare I say, it's even better than Cosmos?

Daub 6y ago

Good childhood memories of this program. A thoroughly engaging view of how ideas cascade through time, how small changes can evolve into large ones. It was a big influence on how I lecture.

Alex63 6y ago
Same here. Good memories. And the companion book is still on my shelf. So interesting to see how modern inventions depend on a network of connected ideas.

wegs 6y ago

I see a lot of similar stuff on Youtube these days. A recent Economics Explained walked through wealth inequality in some Scandinavian countries (TL;DR: it's high). This is different from income inequality, which is quite low. It walked through the wealth of Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken, who has a net worth of $13B, by virtue of having inherited Heineken. Her family bought (not founded) Heineken 200 years ago, and the family fortune dates back a half-millennium. There are really neat documentary channels like that. I'm not downplaying Burke, who was brilliant, but two bits of progress: - In 1978, he didn't have the Internet. Research is much easier today. - In 2020, anyone can produce high-quality documentaries. In 1978, you needed a massive investment. I'm not trying to imply it's easy, but we've gone from where you need a video editing studies, reels of film, and a research team, to where you just need to spend a few years as a super-nerd to pick up the requisite skills, and drop perhaps $2000 on cameras and microphones. Indeed, if you're scrappy, you can do pro-quality with just a better cell phone and computer, with a lot more work. I'd guess a lot of channels were inspired by Connections. I know Mechanical Universe inspired a lot of (now better) Youtube channels, like 3Blue1Brown. So these early documentaries were pivotal, but we've also come a long ways from there.

kderbyma 6y ago
It's like his claim continues to ring true even through his own works.
lqet 6y ago
If I am not mistaken, you are saying that technical entry barriers into documentary filmmaking are much, much lower today than in 1978, and therefore it is much easier to create such a series today. The former is definitely true, but consider the following: - "Connections" used a substantial amount of acted historical scenes. Creating them in such a quality (and not some sketchy animation or a re-cut of existing work) is still a challenge today. You need half-decent actors. - Technical quality is secondary to content. "Connections" is not just a collection of interesting and well-made bits about how technology evolved, there is an entire and compelling theory behind it, which Burke tries to bring accross. Such aspirations, executed with such intellectual and inspirational confidence, need something more than just technical ability and financial resources. Just because paper and ink got much cheaper since the 16th century, we didn't suddenly produce a Shakespeare every 2 years. So far, I haven't seen any historical documentation on YouTube which even compares to the depth and width of "Connections".
- ghaff 6y ago
  You also, as I recall, had a fair bit of location shooting including places like Navy ships that probably took some producer a bunch of time to arrange. The technical barriers are certainly much much lower--younger interested in film me would have killed for an iPhone much less even a $500-ish videocam--but it still takes a lot of work to film a professional looking documentary.
- dredmorbius 6y ago
  Connections was savvy in finding faires, working museaums, and access to the BBC's film vaults for providing much (though not all) such footage. Burke describes going to reenactment festivals to film many of the medieval life scenes. And his journalist background and connections enabled him to have the access necessary to shoot single-take sequences such as this: https://youtube.com/watch?v=2WoDQBhJCVQ https://youtube.com/watch?v=2WoDQBhJCVQ (Hardly the only impressive on-location scene in his work.) Agreed with your comments on the primary importance of writing and research. I'd argue that Chris & Evan Hadfield's "Rare Earth" is getting close, Tom Scott is doing quite well, and Derrek Muller's "Veritasium" and Destin Sandlin's "Smarter Every Day" have promise. Several YouTubers have been picked up by traditional broadcasters/production organisations, notably Hank Green ("Crash Course"), with PBS, and Emily Graslie ("Prehistoric Road Trip"), with the Chicago Field Museum. YouTube as a training and recruiting ground has merits. One reason Connections is so hard to compare to is that it's pretty incomparable: forty years on we're still discussing it in glowing terms. It was produced by someone well-established and experienced at least within the BBC, and backed by the organisation. Notably, little from either national/public broadcasting or commercial production has even approached it. My short list includes Sagan's Cosmos, Burke's own The Day the Universe Changed, Ken Burns. Daniel Yergin's The Prize. And of course Kenneth Clarke's Civilisation and Jacob Bronowski's The Ascent of Man, which had paved the way for Burke himself. I might include Adam Curtis's works. The role of the author or creative voice --- a Burke, Sagan, Burns, Bronowski, Clark, Curtis --- cannot be overstated. That talent seems rare, perhaps also the ability to simply get out of its way. Also realising when it's circled too hard back in on itself --- Burke had 2--3 good series in him, but he hasn't matched himself in at least three decades. Related HN thread with additional recommendations: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2698026 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2698026 Part of that is a more crowded field: there's more produced, it's harder to get noticed. Part my own near-total avoidance of broadcast television. But I don't think that's all of it. And yes my HN history shows I'm quite the fan of Burke: https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&query=by%3Adredmorbius%20connections%20burke%20&sort=byPopularity&type=comment https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&que...

UI_at_80x24 6y ago

Connections, Connections 2, and Connections 3 are gold-mines of information. The information density is incredible, and it's enjoyable to watch. The show holds up very well given it's age, but the image quality is especially difficult to watch on modern LCD screens.

lqet 6y ago
I wonder if it was produced on film. This would allow a remastering, similar to Seinfeld [0]. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFIrsitJW5M https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFIrsitJW5M
- royjacobs 6y ago
  In that era typically only things recorded in studios would be video, the rest would be film. So Connections could certainly he remastered, and I hope the BBC does so. Some of their older documentaries, like Ascent of Man, already got that treatment.
  - lqet 6y ago
    I fear that another BBC favorite of mine, How Buildings Learn [0], is too modern (90ies) to have been produced on film... [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvEqfg2sIH0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvEqfg2sIH0
  - sp332 6y ago
    I think it was on film because it was released only a year later in the US. That was very difficult for shows on tape because of the 50Hz-vs-60Hz difference in video formats.
xbar 6y ago
I strongly agree.
emacsen 6y ago
Don't forget The Day the Universe Changed!

jeremymcanally 6y ago

Full seasons of this show are available on the Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/ConnectionsByJamesBurke/ https://archive.org/details/ConnectionsByJamesBurke/ I've been meaning to watch more of them...maybe I'll get around to it over the holiday weekend. :)

shostack 6y ago
How is the resolution of these versions? Watching on YT has been painful.

alariccole 6y ago

This is the show that sparked me to pursue engineering. Cannot recommend it highly enough. The original was a masterpiece.

raintrees 6y ago

Loved these series, from the first release around the 70's on Ambrose video (checked them out from the Library), to purchasing Connections 2 from The Store of Knowledge in the San Jose area (long since closed), to the shorter version 3 (updated, but not as many). Burke has a gift for showing how disparate technologies are actually related - And much to learn along the way. Helps with games of Trivial Pursuit, too - Good for the holidays :) Highly recommend.

aequitas 6y ago

I can't recommend this series often enough. Even though it's over 40 years old, the problem it describes and the questions it raises are more relevant than ever. Besides a complex electricity network we now have internet and all it interconnected systems, an ever more complex electricity network due to new suppliers (rural solar) and global trading networks.

leoc 6y ago

If you like this then https://thonyc.wordpress.com/ https://thonyc.wordpress.com/ is the hard stuff.

teekert 6y ago

Cool! As a kid I watched this on Discovery channel and I never learned the name nor found it again afterwards. I remember a connection between smoking and the Medici's in Florence and Migraine...

ThrowawayR2 6y ago

I'm surprised by how many people are missing the central thesis of Connections. Yes, it was about how technological progress is a web of interlocking discoveries, which is entertaining, but that wasn't the _point_ of it. The first and last episodes of Connections 1 introduce and wrap up the theme of the entire series and it ought to terrify people to the core. (Warning: spoilers ahead) The first, "The Trigger Effect" highlights how utterly and irrevocably dependent human civilization is on a broad web of technology and how delicate that web is, the so called "technology trap". Break it and we can expect an astronomical death toll. (We got a tiny taste of this in the supply chain disruptions of COVID-19.) No one wants to think about it or believe it but the breakdown of civilization is actually possible. The final episode, "Yesterday, Tomorrow and You", ties together the past episodes by pointing out that technological progress is not really controllable or stoppable because of its incremental and interlocking nature. Yet by doing so, we are only deepening our dependence on an ever more delicate web of technology without which we are helpless. Moreover, we don't even know where this unstoppable technological progress is taking us; perhaps a utopia but just as likely a hellscape. (An example of this is the unforeseen societal consequences of the growth of social media or the loss of privacy caused by the web.) It is enough to make one think that the apocalypse preppers aren't entirely wrong. It is one of the most utterly terrifying and thought provoking concepts I have encountered over a lifetime of gathering knowledge.

makuto 6y ago
I disagree. I think the point of the show is to illustrate how technology progresses. You could say one piece of it is about how we are reliant on it, and not in control of it, but I'd say overall, the show is optimistic about technology and celebrates innovation. Edit: The Wikipedia article [0] does have a good summary, which I think makes us both right: There are really a collection of theses, none of which in my opinion dominate the show, except possibly the unplanned nature of technological evolution. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connections_(TV_series) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connections_(TV_series)
- ThrowawayR2 6y ago
  Take a look at the scene in the first episode while discussing the consequences of being in a scenario where one needs to escape the technology trap where he asks the viewer whether they are willing to kill to ensure their survival. Take a look at the scene about 42 minutes into the last episode where technological artifacts are being smashed to Wagnerian music and listen to what he says just beforehand. Does any of that sound optimistic?

stblack 6y ago

Conceivably the Connections series could have had a much longer run. I'm sorry it didn't.

JKCalhoun 6y ago
I prefer shows that make their point with succinctness and brevity. Connections, the original run, was perfect.

fsewe20 6y ago

Back in 2017 there was a kickstarter to fund a connections app, it didnt hit the goal and i havent heard anything since. I remember he was on Dan Carlins podcast talking about it. Anyone know what became of the project? https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/504632459/james-burke-connections-app/rewards https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/504632459/james-burke-c...

interestica 6y ago
I really want a rerelease of the original shows in higher quality. That might be the movement that spurs public interest for things like this app. I'm not sure of the quality of the original stock film, but it could be used to make a new high def release. I actually convinced my instructor in undergrad to show it for a "history of science" course. Perhaps the BBC could officially open up the rights entirely so that it can be used as a general teaching tool (might be near impossible - but the music, often a major rights hurdle for these aged rereleases, seems like it was all originally composed for the show). I would love a video like this to be augmented - something akin to the pop-up video series. You could link or show associated information during playback. I actually had something like that as part of my Master's thesis final project. It could potentially be an engaging learn-from-home project.
koudelka 6y ago
I don't think it's exactly connected to the kickstarter, but in this[1] interview with James from May, he talks about how he's currently working on the K-Web[2]. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUb6Sv-rUv0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUb6Sv-rUv0 [2] http://k-web.org http://k-web.org
- tbirdny 6y ago
  In the youtube interview you linked to he also says he's coming out with a new Connections series in Jan 2022.

bhouston 6y ago

I loved this show so much as a kid. It was so eye opening and he was such a good educator. Made history and technology progress interesting.

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

WalterBright 6y ago

An interesting point Burke repeatedly made is that the connections were made by people wanting to make money. Gutenberg invented the printing press to make money, the Wrights invented the airplane to make money, Enbrel (first effective treatment for rheumatoid arthritis) was invented to make money. Free markets for the win!

marricks 6y ago
I think ThrowawayR2's comment really makes yours seem a bit ridiculous
- WalterBright 6y ago
  There's a scene in the series where Burke specifically holds up a series of coins and makes the point dramatically.

dboreham 6y ago

Interesting to see Burke's transformation from "TV idiot" into genius prophet, over 40 years.

ThrowawayR2 6y ago
> "TV idiot" Much as I love James Burke, there is a rather funny parody of him from the old "Not The Nine O'Clock News" comedy series in the UK: https://youtu.be/82GUX_NA7AU?t=65 https://youtu.be/82GUX_NA7AU?t=65

FuckButtons 6y ago

Genuinely one of the best TV programs ever made.

1propionyl 6y ago

I absolutely love this program and will heartily recommend it to anyone I meet who seems like they might vaguely be in the audience for it. Dare I say, it's even better than Cosmos?