Connections Episode 1: The Trigger Effect (1978) [video]
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Re: Connections Episode 1: The Trigger Effect (1978) [video]
#2Brilliant series. I remember watching it when it was released. Recommended.
Re: Connections Episode 1: The Trigger Effect (1978) [video]
#3Undoubtedly James Burke is the reason I give a shit about history at all today (without which one cannot really have a meaningful grasp on the current world or its inhabitants, IMO). I was lucky enough to be exposed to these at a young age.
I have a directory on my file server with local copies of everything he ever released.
If you’ve never watched this or The Day The Universe Changed, please do. (I say this as someone who hates TV.)
Re: Connections Episode 1: The Trigger Effect (1978) [video]
#4Utterly brilliant. If you haven't seen it before then do watch the whole series. It may be over 40 years old, but its still as relevant as ever.
The opening piece about the fragility of our modern technostructure was eye-opening when I first saw it and still packs a punch today. And especially right now.
Spooky co-incidence: the initial pieces to camera were made from the World Trade Centre. Then in the sequence on the power cut he talks about Scandinavian Flight Nine-Eleven being in danger of hitting the towers of down-town NY.
Also in Episode 4, look at the size of that military sat-nav! For bonus points, type the coordinates into Google Earth to see where he is sitting.
Re: Connections Episode 1: The Trigger Effect (1978) [video]
#5Yes, so much good stuff in this series. Sagan must have been inspired when he released his "Cosmos" a year or two later.
But this one has that central thesis that ties all the episodes up with a bow.
Not sure I cared as much for Burke's follow-on series but maybe I need to give them a second watch. They probably couldn't measure up to his original "Connections" masterpiece anyway though.
Re: Connections Episode 1: The Trigger Effect (1978) [video]
#6His Scientific American column was pretty good too.
He did a good TV special on climate change around 1989-90 that’s on YouTube somewhere
Re: Connections Episode 1: The Trigger Effect (1978) [video]
#7How timely. I found this series after watching The Ascent of Man, which I found after watching Cosmos. Highly recommend all three, especially the Ascent of Man.
James Burke has a way of conveying a sort of fundamental optimism about society that I find invigorating. I remember listening to an interview with him from the past couple years and after all this time, he still sounds as sharp as ever.
Re: Connections Episode 1: The Trigger Effect (1978) [video]
#8At least as of a couple years ago this was available on netflix too. We used it in homeschooling, wonderful series.
Re: Connections Episode 1: The Trigger Effect (1978) [video]
#9As a side question:
I remember seeing a TV science series in the 80’s that had Richard Feynman explaining how a 30k calorie pyramid of jelly donuts on a barbecue grill was the equivalent energy a Tour de France cyclist expends in a day.
What show was that? I can’t find anything.
Re: Connections Episode 1: The Trigger Effect (1978) [video]
#10I remember, when I was a child, my father brought the Connections video game home. It was one of the first games I played on our home PC. The game was similar to Myst, but had a lot of nice explanations and history lessons in there.