AstrologyReviewing the new Netflix show.
Trying to do what Penn & Teller's: Bullshit did, however, Netflix is doing a terrible job, less honest, less fact based.
Comedy is terrible as Bill is trying too hard to be funny, and just comes off as an idiot. I recently re-watched some of his original Bill Nye and he was silly, but forgivable as a kids show...also with more fact based arguments.
Comedy is terrible as Bill is trying too hard to be funny, and just comes off as an idiot. I recently re-watched some of his original Bill Nye and he was silly, but forgivable as a kids show...also with more fact based arguments.
E01 - Earth Is a Hot Mess
This was very cringeworthy and terrible. A climate episode without a single climate scientist. Starting from a conclusion and not actually backing up the idea of anthropomorphic climate change.
This was very cringeworthy and terrible. A climate episode without a single climate scientist. Starting from a conclusion and not actually backing up the idea of anthropomorphic climate change.
The engineering around Venice is cool, but Venice has been known to be sinking for hundreds of years, so saying the issue is entirely climate change is appealing yo feelings and not science, and disregards facts.
I was also very annoyed by how they had a token nuclear power discussion but dismissed it out of hand since many uninformed people don't like nuclear power. Instead of actually helping to educate and help restore public confidence. Nuclear power is significantly better than coal power yet the lack of understanding and fear has caused countries like Germany and France to revert to much less climate friendly power solutions.
Overall this was a very politically motivated episode with little educational aspects or scientific rigor.
E02 - Tune your Quack-o-Meter
Starts as just the Penn & Tellers episodes about crystal healing and other b.s. alternative medicines.
Starts as just the Penn & Tellers episodes about crystal healing and other b.s. alternative medicines.
The panel was fairly good with two scientists discussing the relative validity if sound therapy, crystal therapy, sports medicine and placebos. There was another person who didn't add anything to the conversation except to criticize how things were being stated.
Then we had a comedy skit by an Indian making fun of white people for following other cultures alternative medicine. Didn't add anything.
Followed up with a fun display of antacid testing milk of magnesia vs some hippie dippy stuff from whole foods.
Better than 1x01
E03 - Machines take over the world
Simple review of some smart/IoT devices. and how machine learning is affecting us. The Veritasium Youtuber was brought in to do a story about an AI which through analysis of 16th century painters produced a unique work in the same style.
E04 - More Food, Less Hype
Starting with a nice little experiment to extract strawberry DNA and with Bill not trying to hard to be funny, I was really enjoying the middle school science class experience. It was also interesting, and unexpected, to me that Bill and his writers appeared initially to be in favor of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
Derek Muller (@veritasium) was back again to do a quick story on the "science of feelings" interviewing people at a farmers market about their opinion of GMOs. Penn & Teller previously did a good episode which spoke to the same issues people talked about and thoroughly debunked ideas like "they're taking spider DNA and putting it int corn." All of the frankenfood fear mongers.
Overall a fine episode. I prefer when Bill is just playing the straight person without trying to do kiddy humor.
E05 - The Original Martian Invasion
This episode is about Panspermia. Wikipedia defines this as the hypothesis that life exists throughout the Universe, distributed by meteoroids, asteroids, comets, planetoids, and also by spacecraft in the form of unintended contamination by microorganisms. Merriam-Webster defines this asa theory propounded in the 19th century in opposition to the theory of spontaneous generation and holding that reproductive bodies of living organisms exist throughout the universe and develop wherever the environment is favorable. The definition, or discussion in Bill Nye: Saves The World: The idea of panspermia is that an asteroid impact on Mars sent tons of materials into space, and teeny-tiny Martian microbes survived the trip and the landing, and started life on Earth.
Definitely another cringe worthy episode. There was some good discussions of the 2020 Mars missing by NASA to send another rover to Mars with better sample collecting systems. The plan is to hopefully plan for a secondary trip afterwards to retrieve the samples so that they can be analyzed on Earth for signs of live.
Celebrity appearances this time, Alton Brown, Hunter Pence, Will Wheaton, and Randy Couture. Hunter Pence hit a baseball to simulate an astroid (he wanted to be a comet) and hit a Mars globe which dropped goo on Earth. Definitely the best way to show Panspermia. Will Wheaton talked about aliens and Star Trek, as expected. Randy Couture played a "tough guy" Tardigrade. It was somewhat funny, but mostly just terrible!
E06 - Do Some Shots, Save the World
An episode about vaccines. Penn & Teller's: Bullshit did a better episode on this. s08e10 - Vaccinations, more fact based, less hyperbole.
Bill tries to build an equivalency between seat belt laws and the laws forcing vaccines. I completely agree that people should be vaccinated, however, I don't agree with government authoritarianism forcing an action, however, the first thing they want to do in this episode is enforce an agenda that the federal government should force vaccinations. Local municipalities do have regulations around vaccines when trying to enter day-care or grade school.
Polio, they went to India and gave a quick review of a mass vaccination program there. The report used emotionally manipulative music, and hyperbole like, if even on kid doesn't have a vaccine then all kids are at risk.
Panel section; reformed anti-vaxxer mother, a sociology professor, a pediatrician. The anti-vaxxer mother was reformed when her family all got Rotavirus and she learned thy might have been able to avoid. A good discussion of the fact that many parents, mothers in particular, feel like they are becoming experts and either deciding not to vaccinate, or to "make their own schedule" for vaccinating.
No Bill Nye: Saves the World episode would be complete without a terrible sketch.
E07 - Cheat Codes for Reality
As you can tell I am getting tired of this show, glad it's not getting a second season. I'm only trying to complete the watching. Again, these were better dealt with on Penn & Teller's Bullshit!
E09 - The Sexual Spectrum
The Most cringeworthy, least science based episode. While trying to expand the discussion of sex (biological sex), gender indentity, sexuality, and gender presentation they choose to then talk about all items together and forget about the idea that they were trying to separate these ideas.
The big issues I have are
E10 - Saving the World -- with Space!
Bill decides to complain about those who might think that space travel is no longer important. Let me say that I disagree with that assesment, and had not heard anyone espose the idea that we should not still explore space. In the US we have multiple private companies which are actively getting access to
E11 - Malarkey!
Penn & Teller did this better. Watch the Penn & Teller Bullshit Astrology episode, or the one on Mediums.
E12 - Designer Babies
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) with screening, not very deep, basically introduced the idea of true designer babies and explained that we are not at the point of selecting traits. They didn't even start talking about the ethical dilemas of if we get to that point.
E13 - Earth's People Problem
I disagree completely with the idea that we should follow the China model of one child per family because of our carbon emissions. This shows the lefts desire to authoritarianism and I certainly disagree with that.
Then the biggest part is the standard leftist ideal that everything is the fault of the patriarchy. And they enjoyed making fun of guys who don't necessarily understand birth-control, this is a terrible way to educate. In the end when you make fun of someone like that they just shutdown.
Summary:
Bill Nye Saves the World is bad, It doesn't really talk to scientist or is very literate. Penn & Teller did all the same discussions, except the gender one as it only recently became a strong component of culture and politics. Unfortunately most of the discussion is infused with politics instead of facts, evidence, and building principals to form cohegent arguments. I was extremely happy when I understood this shwo was not renewed. However, it looks like it may have gotten a second season. I for one will not be watching.
Derek Muller (@veritasium) was back again to do a quick story on the "science of feelings" interviewing people at a farmers market about their opinion of GMOs. Penn & Teller previously did a good episode which spoke to the same issues people talked about and thoroughly debunked ideas like "they're taking spider DNA and putting it int corn." All of the frankenfood fear mongers.
Overall a fine episode. I prefer when Bill is just playing the straight person without trying to do kiddy humor.
E05 - The Original Martian Invasion
This episode is about Panspermia. Wikipedia defines this as the hypothesis that life exists throughout the Universe, distributed by meteoroids, asteroids, comets, planetoids, and also by spacecraft in the form of unintended contamination by microorganisms. Merriam-Webster defines this asa theory propounded in the 19th century in opposition to the theory of spontaneous generation and holding that reproductive bodies of living organisms exist throughout the universe and develop wherever the environment is favorable. The definition, or discussion in Bill Nye: Saves The World: The idea of panspermia is that an asteroid impact on Mars sent tons of materials into space, and teeny-tiny Martian microbes survived the trip and the landing, and started life on Earth.
Definitely another cringe worthy episode. There was some good discussions of the 2020 Mars missing by NASA to send another rover to Mars with better sample collecting systems. The plan is to hopefully plan for a secondary trip afterwards to retrieve the samples so that they can be analyzed on Earth for signs of live.
Celebrity appearances this time, Alton Brown, Hunter Pence, Will Wheaton, and Randy Couture. Hunter Pence hit a baseball to simulate an astroid (he wanted to be a comet) and hit a Mars globe which dropped goo on Earth. Definitely the best way to show Panspermia. Will Wheaton talked about aliens and Star Trek, as expected. Randy Couture played a "tough guy" Tardigrade. It was somewhat funny, but mostly just terrible!
E06 - Do Some Shots, Save the World
An episode about vaccines. Penn & Teller's: Bullshit did a better episode on this. s08e10 - Vaccinations, more fact based, less hyperbole.
Bill tries to build an equivalency between seat belt laws and the laws forcing vaccines. I completely agree that people should be vaccinated, however, I don't agree with government authoritarianism forcing an action, however, the first thing they want to do in this episode is enforce an agenda that the federal government should force vaccinations. Local municipalities do have regulations around vaccines when trying to enter day-care or grade school.
Polio, they went to India and gave a quick review of a mass vaccination program there. The report used emotionally manipulative music, and hyperbole like, if even on kid doesn't have a vaccine then all kids are at risk.
Panel section; reformed anti-vaxxer mother, a sociology professor, a pediatrician. The anti-vaxxer mother was reformed when her family all got Rotavirus and she learned thy might have been able to avoid. A good discussion of the fact that many parents, mothers in particular, feel like they are becoming experts and either deciding not to vaccinate, or to "make their own schedule" for vaccinating.
No Bill Nye: Saves the World episode would be complete without a terrible sketch.
E07 - Cheat Codes for Reality
An episode focused on how games, gaming, and specifically video games are impacting how we live, work, and play. Starting with a discussion of medical training via video games. Next they discuss the impact on socialization, and personality with a focus on the hypothesis that video games may impact aggression. A quick review of eSports and gamers who play for a living. And finally VR.
This was the least chringy episode so far. But there are some of the tropes of todays attention defficit culture to get forced laughs. As always they must reiterate what the cultural norm of a gamer is, fat, teenager, basement...and say that, that is false and then remind us that people who play video games, casual mobile games all the way to hardcore PC FPS gamers include ~%50 women.
All in all, not a terrible episode. good review of the use of video games in laparoscopic surgical training. Basic psychological discussion the games don't have much if any correlated effect on agression, and then some simple fun with VR. Nothing mind blowing, nothing controversal.
E08 - This Diet Is Bananas
Fad Diets, forced jokes, nothing learned. Only one real scientist spoken too, a psyhcologist. Other persons on Bills panel were a comedian, and the host of The Biggest Loser, a show where people generally lose a ton of weight in a horribly unsustainable way and then gain it all back.As you can tell I am getting tired of this show, glad it's not getting a second season. I'm only trying to complete the watching. Again, these were better dealt with on Penn & Teller's Bullshit!
The Most cringeworthy, least science based episode. While trying to expand the discussion of sex (biological sex), gender indentity, sexuality, and gender presentation they choose to then talk about all items together and forget about the idea that they were trying to separate these ideas.
The big issues I have are
- Trying to define everything based upon 0.25% of the population. As stated in the episode, one (1) in four hundred (400) births has an abnormal number of sex chromosones, (1/400 =.25/100 = 0.25%).
- Mischaracterising opposing viewpoints regarding terminology used to talk about people. Saying that people should just get over the fact that we have persons who are intersexed, and those who have different sexualities, gender identities, and expressions. The argument is generally about whether or not one should be forced at gunpoint to accept and use a specific gender pronoun (ze/zer/zim/them/they/...etc). As the issues generally come from ideologies that require word police and enforcing how people speak at the point of a gun.
- The cartoon ice cream sexuality skit is absolutely the standard trope that people who disagree with someone elses lifestyle is secretly interested and ready to jump on that bandwagon. I agree that sexuality conversion therapy is a terrible, ineffective, and harmful activity. But I also feel that young people should not be inundated with sexuality selection, gender identification...etc. while still learning the basis of living, the need to sleep, the need to eat, the need to learn...etc.
- The sexuality song is utterly terrible. Just watch it!
E10 - Saving the World -- with Space!
Bill decides to complain about those who might think that space travel is no longer important. Let me say that I disagree with that assesment, and had not heard anyone espose the idea that we should not still explore space. In the US we have multiple private companies which are actively getting access to
E11 - Malarkey!
Penn & Teller did this better. Watch the Penn & Teller Bullshit Astrology episode, or the one on Mediums.
E12 - Designer Babies
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) with screening, not very deep, basically introduced the idea of true designer babies and explained that we are not at the point of selecting traits. They didn't even start talking about the ethical dilemas of if we get to that point.
E13 - Earth's People Problem
I disagree completely with the idea that we should follow the China model of one child per family because of our carbon emissions. This shows the lefts desire to authoritarianism and I certainly disagree with that.
Then the biggest part is the standard leftist ideal that everything is the fault of the patriarchy. And they enjoyed making fun of guys who don't necessarily understand birth-control, this is a terrible way to educate. In the end when you make fun of someone like that they just shutdown.
Summary:
Bill Nye Saves the World is bad, It doesn't really talk to scientist or is very literate. Penn & Teller did all the same discussions, except the gender one as it only recently became a strong component of culture and politics. Unfortunately most of the discussion is infused with politics instead of facts, evidence, and building principals to form cohegent arguments. I was extremely happy when I understood this shwo was not renewed. However, it looks like it may have gotten a second season. I for one will not be watching.
