Word: sagan
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Books: Carl Sagan surveys what's up with the universe...
...there was Earth, barely discernible against the background of stars, an image that inspired the title of The Pale Blue Dot (Random House; 429 pages; $35), the ninth book by astronomer and planetary scientist Carl Sagan. Voyager's homeward glance was his idea, and the sight was humbling. "There is perhaps no better a demonstration of the folly of human conceits," he writes, "than this distant image of our tiny world." To say nothing of the folly of wars, which from space would appear to be little more than "the squabbles of mites on a plum...
Having placed the Earth in proper perspective, Sagan launches his own Grand Tour of just about everything in space that surrounds it. Elegantly and appealingly, he surveys the current state of knowledge about the solar system, nearby stars, distant galaxies and even the very edge of the universe. As he describes each heavenly body or cosmic phenomenon, the author imparts a healthy dose of science, making it palatable to the lay reader by using jargon-free English buoyed by emotion and humor...
...District Court, Central District of California, recently dismissed a libel suit against Apple Computer brought by astronomer Carl Sagan. The judge, Lourdes G. Baird, wrote...
...Plantiff's libel action is based on the allegation that Defendant changed the 'code name' on its personal computer from 'Carl Sagan' to 'Butt-Head Astronomer' after Plaintiff had requested that Defendant cease use of Plaintiff's name ... There can be no question that the use of the figurative term 'Butt-Head' negates the impression that Defendant was seriously implying an assertion of fact. It strains reason to conclude that Defendant was attempting to criticize Plaintiff's reputation or competency as an astronomer. One does not seriously attack the expertise of a scientist using the undefined phrase 'butt-head.' Thus...