Bill Nye: How to Talk to an Alien | Big Think

Bill Nye: How to Talk to an Alien
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BILL NYE:

Bill Nye, scientist, engineer, comedian, author, and inventor, is a man with a mission: to help foster a scientifically literate society, to help people everywhere understand and appreciate the science that makes our world work. Making science entertaining and accessible is something Bill has been doing most of his life.

In Seattle Nye began to combine his love of science with his flair for comedy, when he won the Steve Martin look-alike contest and developed dual careers as an engineer by day and a stand-up comic by night. Nye then quit his day engineering day job and made the transition to a night job as a comedy writer and performer on Seattle’s home-grown ensemble comedy show “Almost Live.” This is where “Bill Nye the Science Guy®” was born. The show appeared before Saturday Night Live and later on Comedy Central, originating at KING-TV, Seattle’s NBC affiliate.

While working on the Science Guy show, Nye won seven national Emmy Awards for writing, performing, and producing. The show won 18 Emmys in five years. In between creating the shows, he wrote five children’s books about science, including his latest title, “Bill Nye’s Great Big Book of Tiny Germs.”

Nye is the host of three currently-running television series. “The 100 Greatest Discoveries” airs on the Science Channel. “The Eyes of Nye” airs on PBS stations across the country.

Bill’s latest project is hosting a show on Planet Green called “Stuff Happens.” It’s about environmentally responsible choices that consumers can make as they go about their day and their shopping. Also, you’ll see Nye in his good-natured rivalry with his neighbor Ed Begley. They compete to see who can save the most energy and produce the smallest carbon footprint. Nye has 4,000 watts of solar power and a solar-boosted hot water system. There’s also the low water use garden and underground watering system. It’s fun for him; he’s an engineer with an energy conservation hobby.

Nye is currently the Executive Director of The Planetary Society, the world’s largest space interest organization.
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TRANSCRIPT:

Bill Nye: Well, that’s just like, just like StarTrek. Everybody speaks English very well. Sometimes they have accents, but . . .

We think we know how we came to be here on our world. We’ve studied this. How did you come to be? What are you doing here? We’ve worked for millennia - or many, many orbits of the sun - to reach this level. We believe that we came to be about a hundred thousand orbits ago and that life itself started on our world about three billion orbits ago. When did life start on your world?

And let me say, that’s a nice hat.

And then he or she would say, “It’s my helmet, it’s my space helmet, because your atmosphere is just—it’s no good for me.” And so on . . .

I’d want to know where they came from. I’d want to know why they wanted—what were they doing asking me what I was doing? It would be great to know, though, we’re not alone. That would be a heck of a thing. It would change the world.

Directed / Produced by
Jonathan Fowler & Elizabeth Rodd

[NexusEden]

I donno, something in Bill's face tells me he knows we are not alone (as if he is an alien visitor himself). That grin and gaze into the 4th wall - he knows it. lol

[ericmharper]

There are only a handful of people who have walked this Earth who when they speak, people listen. People understand. People pay attention. Bill Nye has been one of those individuals for as long as I can remember. Growing up listening to him on VHS tapes in my classrooms. Thanks for everything Bill, I still love watching your videos (obviously lol).

[TheGuyOfWisdom]

Bill Nye makes everything sound so inspiring... "It would change the world"

[AikiNickAMV]

If I met an aline, I would compliment his bow-tie...

[peanut]

Bill Nye, is perhaps the greatest scientist I've come to know. Reason being, he makes 100% sense.

[angelofretribution]

To those of you saying you hate people --> You're one of them. Change the world by being different and others follow in your foot steps. I hated people for a long time and realized I not only hated others but hated myself too. Because in hating others, you're hating a part of yourself.

[gruntage]

Bill Nye, this guy is my hero.  As a kid I thought he was awesome, still do today.

[iiooowOwoooii]

"nice hat"
"that's my helmet. idiot"
(rolls giant compound eye)

[manicchild]

"When are the Reapers coming?"

[Circuitssmith]

Bill Nye is a teddy bear for the brain. He’s just so omnibenevolent, everything he talks about and encourages is wonderful.

[austinjrb]

One of my teachers worked with NASA. She explained how verbal language and processing may or may not be universal, but math and physics applies everywhere. So the plan when they would talk about extraterrestrial life was always to display human's mathematical proficiency to at least establish that we are intelligent creatures (as far as we understand intelligence at least). As an example, she said maybe they'd put in a box 1 of one object, 2 of another object, 3 of another object, etc along those lines.

Mind you, this was in middle school. Well over a decade since I heard it but I vividly recall that. Fascinating stuff.

[OverLordGoldDragon]

BILL NYE'S PENETRATING LOGIC GIVES ME BRAINGASMS

[JazminZenteno]

what if the aliens we meet are really chill and they're just like oh we haven't even done research

[TonyTheDoomLord]

I wish I had the chance to meet Bill Nye in person, he's been my idol since I was 4. Now I'm going to collage to be a Geologist because he inspired me to do so!

[TheLivingHeiromartyr]

"How to talk to an alien... Who speaks English"
Right, ok. I thought this was going to be a phonology/syntax lesson.

[royalp]

It's funny though that he would entertain the thought of an alien but dismiss the idea of a creator or God saying "It 'll be great to know though, we are not alone"

[holzkiewuf]

I like how he assumes these aliens are capable of intergalactic travel, have decided to address humans, learned one of it's more complex languages, but don't know what the word "year" means.

[aus]

Meeting aliens will be the most important event in history ever. When we meet aliens the year calender will change from A.D. and B.C. to Before Aliens (B.A.) and After Aliens (A.A.)

[keenanwood]

Absolutely brilliantly stated, Karrie, I applaud you. We need more people with that kind of intellect.

[KingofMGS]

Either there is other life out there 
OR
We are alone in this universe

Both are equally terrifying