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DarthFar — Billions and Billions
Published: 2007-11-16 17:06:56 +0000 UTC; Views: 2722; Favourites: 62; Downloads: 57
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"Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere. "
- Carl Sagan (1934-1996)
There are a million other things I should be doing... But I am, as WraithTen puts it, on a major portrait roll, and I can't stop.
So, anyway. Carl Sagan. Professor of astronomy and space sciences, pursuer of extra-terrestrial intelligence, outspoken skeptic and persuasive promoter of the sciences. The world is poorer for his passing. The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark changed my life; I'm sure he's reached out in similar ways to many other people.
Started November 9th. I was trying for a book illustration look by combining lineart, of which I am extraordinarily fond, and soft airbrush (yes, soft brushes are a curse most of the time... but I find they work pretty nicely with lineart). And if you're thinking the radio telescopes look slightly familiar, that's because it's a tribute both to his SETI work and the only novel he ever wrote.
Oh, and the 'Science Spokesman Award' doesn't exist, LOL.Oh, and by the way, I was said to have 'revealed a little too much' in my Asimov painting , so I have one or two easter eggs secreted away in this one.
Let me know if you find them."I never said it. Honest. Oh, I said there are maybe 100 billion galaxies and 10 billion trillion stars. It's hard to talk about the Cosmos without using big numbers. I said 'billion' many times on the Cosmos television series, which was seen by a great many people. But I never said 'billions and billions.' For one thing, it's imprecise. How many billions are 'billions and billions'? A few billion? Twenty billion? A hundred billion? 'Billions and billions' is pretty vague... For a while, out of childish pique, I wouldn't utter the phrase, even when asked to. But I've gotten over that. So, for the record, here it goes: 'Billions and billions.'"
- Carl Sagan.
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Thank you very much, and it's great to meet another Saganite. 
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I know it's a cliche to say, but we need more people like him!
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Carl Sagan, how cool! So yeah, after seeing your Dr.Watson, I had to hunt another one of your tributes to scientists. Sagan was such an astronomy hero. I watched Contact for the 3rd time or so the other day and reaffirmed my opinions on that it's a terrific science fiction masterpiece (that may be not be sci-fi too long from now!). Is the book much better than the movie? At least I know that Jodie Foster's perfomance couldn't be topped. And oh my, regarding the quote, I couldn't believe they actually made a unit in his honour, the sagan (4 billions, I believe?) But I consider it so admirable that he took it humorously and was generally humble. ^^
I was surprised to read that Asimov considered him to be one of the [two] people whose intellect he considered above his own. Too much of an ego stroke?
Oh and one of the easter eggs are the Voyager and a pale blue dot, right?
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Sagan.
Asimov never made any attempt to hide his ego.
You spotted the space probe! It's actually supposed to be Pioneer (10/11; for reasons that should be obvious), although I can't blame you for not being able to tell at that size, haha.
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I love that man so much. Even his haircut was cool. xD
And no I haven't seen Cosmos, but I'll definitely get around to it this summer!
And about Asimov's arrogance, found this pretty hilarious:
"All my life I've been registering scores like that, so that I have the complacent feeling that I'm highly intelligent, and I expect other people to think so too." 
And yeah, the Pioneer XD At least I spotted those!
I'm still missing the one in "In search of a word", which should be renamed "in search of a symbol
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*and the other one is* damn phantom typos!
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This is fantastic! Carl Sagan is my hero, basically - he's the reason I'm studying to be an astronomer 
(Oh, and easter eggs - Voyager and a certain bit of plantlife on the seal thing.)
I can't stop looking at the folds on the jacket, they're brilliant!
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Thank you very much! and it's good to meet another Sagan fan. Carl Sagan was a highly influential figure in determining the course of my life as well.
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Carl Sagan was a great man. Its too bad that I only recently discovered his works long after he had already passed away. I love the Cosmos series, it brings me great joy to watch it despite its age.
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Yeah, I found him rather late, myself. He was a truly brilliant man, and a rare one who always knew both sides of the argument.
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Your artwork illustrates many of my favorite people of all time...incredible work!
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Thanks so much for this.
Carl Sagan brought so much to us all. I wish they'd bring Cosmos back to TV, although I guess by now it could do with a remake.
He is/was a major of the 20th C.
Read his biography recently & it all came back.
What a guy!
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I'm glad to see how many people Sagan's reached out to.
Cosmos is now available on DVD. Seven-disc set. Even has Ann Druyan doing a new introduction to the series, talking about how, even though there have been advances in science since the making of the series, it is amazing how much of Cosmos remains valid.
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I feel so ignorant not knowing who he is. Maybe I can find some of his works on Amazon.
About the pic: I adore his jacket. You are so good with folds it's just not funny. I also love the choice of colors. I'll spare you any mentioning of the upper part of the picture (i.e. earth and space) as I would only manage a few incoherent words of amazement.
You rock, Far!
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Well, considering he's been dead for over ten years...
That said, have you seen the movie Contact starring Jodie Foster and Matthew McConaughey? that was based on the one novel Sagan ever wrote. He was also famous for his TV series Cosmos, which is probably the most well-known and best-loved science series of all time.
Thanks very much, Steffel. ^_^
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While I have yet to find any chocolate Easter eggs, I do suspect that the "Science Spokesman Award" is really foil covered chocolate. 
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The Science Spokesman Award contains... goodies other than chocolate.
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Not much better than chocolate!!
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Thanks very much! he's mine too.
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I salute you for this tribute... 
I to was permanently changed by The Demon Haunted World:Science As A Candle In The Dark
Instant 
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Oh wow, what a gorgeous tribute to a wonderful man! I really like the style you've used here. As for easter eggs, the radio towers and the space probe, right? "Contact" and his contributions to the Voyager craft?
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Thanks very much! And yes, Voyager's one of the easter eggs.
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Wow... I like the clothes very much. Really nice textures and feel to it! 
Major portrait roll?? That's okay! 
AAAAAA
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Thanks very much, Asuka!
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Another fantastic portrait. I love the three scenes you combined together.
I've been an admirer of him for a while, fascinated with astronomy. I liked a lot of his thought processes, for lack of a better word, and that doesn't happen with a lot of scientists for me. 
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Thank you very much, dear aunt.
But yeah, I get you. I get the way he thinks, and I like how he presents them. 
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Oh no! 
I love how it turned out.
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We... did?
[goes to look through Nan's latest works]
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oh two... is the other to the right of the left antenna array, close to the horizon?
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i don't know this guy either 
You did great on the background!
easter egg? is it the egg like thing beside the top corner of the nr 7? why are you hiding easter eggs?
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Thanks very much, Maq! Stephen Hawking was the first scientist whose books I read.
(You should see this guy's science series, Cosmos. He was a big promoter of science to the general public).
And an easter egg is a hidden message or picture, usually hidden as a joke, and for people to find.
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Same here, and his books weren't hard to understand either. (some too-smart-for-the-rest-of-us-people ain't so good at that, write in a manner that only scientists on the same level can understand.. almost.. 
i think I've only seen one science series (but lots of documentaries), a BBC series called space. (with Sam Neill as the spokesman) i loved that, recorded it with my VCR, watched it several times.
oh.. i thought it was actual eggs... but i didn't quite understand why, since we are far from easter
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Have you seen the "Carl Sagan's Cosmos edited for rednecks"?
It was (overdub) hundreds and hundreds (/overdub) years old...
How would I love getting a kiriban from you man, and asking for a character someday...
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LOL! No. 
You could always watch out for my kiribans.
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Actual spoof in family guy.
Youtube should do.
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there was a good man, able to put complex ideas to the common folks. A genius in his own right, also a good friend. The cosmos is somehow diminished by his loss.
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I loved his book Contact and at the time I tried to devour as much info on the VLA as I could. I've always wanted to see that site. It looks just like him during his best years. The concept is lovely, and looks like it could have been one of his book covers. I love your detailed rendering of the radio telescopes and what I suspect to be Earth behind them. That thing in the upper right corner, would that happen to be a space probe or a satellite?
I don't know about your Easter Eggs, but I'd assume that probe was one, and I can faintly detect an "X" with a circle around it. Is that another?
I absolutely love this painting, if not for the subject alone, then for the beauty of the cosmos. Magnificent!
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I must've read Contact half a dozen times myself.
(Have you read The Cosmic Connection, by the way? that's one of my top favourite Sagan books).
And by the way, you're close - that be a probe, ayuh.
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Oooo, so I got half an egg? Could it be the Pioneer or the Voyager probe?
No, silly! I wasn't talking about an X-Wing. 
No, I haven't read The Cosmic Connection. At least I don't think I have. All my books are still with Mom. I read mostly Stephen Hawking's books. :geek:
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